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the-al-chemist · 2 years

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Artemis Hexley and the Return to the Riddles

Chapter 11: Foul Play

A/N: With the Quidditch season becoming increasingly ugly, the players try to find ways to not fall foul of Marcus Flint’s schemes. Hufflepuff team members belong to @that-scouse-wizard and @thatravenpuffwitch. Warnings: description of sports-related injury, mentions of ableism.

Artemis may have missed the Quidditch match in her attempt to uncover the identity of the stranger leaving messages for the Cabal, but she didn’t mind. Thanks to Tonks and Penny, she was given a full debriefing on the game over breakfast the following morning.

“Honestly, you thought our match was bad,” Tonks muttered, shaking her violet-haired head. “I’ve never seen a game played with so many fouls.”

“Well, that’s Marcus Flint for you,” said Penny, leaning in towards them and lowering her voice. “Murphy McNully says that he’s the youngest team Quidditch Captain there’s been in over fifty years. But, Waveney Wiley also told me that Marcus’s dad threatened the previous captain so that he would be one this year. You see, originally the captaincy was meant to go to Bakari Nyoka-”

“Their Keeper?”

“He was their Keeper, but he’s quit the team. The captaincy fiasco was one thing, but after he heard Flint’s plans for the team to play as dirty as they have been… Well, that was the last quill for him.”

“What I’d like to know,” said Tonks, slapping her palm down on the table so hard she almost tipped over her pumpkin juice, “is how we stop them from taking the whole bloody Cup. They thrashed us, and now they’ve absolutely batteredRavenclaw. This new method they’re using is paying off, and we can’t stand for it. Someone’s got to do something!”

But Artemis couldn’t see what could be done. If neither their match nor Ravenclaw’s could be re-played, the Slytherins would remain in the lead for the Quidditch Cup.

However, it seemed like Tonks was not the only one trying to think of a way to stop Flint’s foul play from succeeding. As she and her friends left the Great Hall, they found all three of the other Quidditch team captains engaged in what looked like a somewhat furtive conversation at the other end of the Hufflepuff table.

“We are well and truly out of the running this year. There’s no chance of us winning the Cup now,” Andre was saying, a comment to which Murphy made a low humming noise in response.

“Technically, there’s very few things that have an absolute chance of zero,” he told Andre. “But, I see your point. With Gryffindor’s win in your first match, and Slytherin beating you-”

“Oh, darling. There’s need to beat around the bush,” Andre shook his head sadly. “They annihilated us.”

“In that case, Slytherin’s annihilation of you yesterday gives them a point lead of five hundred and forty over you. That does make your likelihood of winning the Cup incredibly slim, I’m afraid. Less than thirteen percent. Charlie’s team would need to beat us with a margin of two hundred and sixty just to put them on an even keel with Slytherin going into the final, and then they’d have to not fall foul of Slytherin’s… well, fouls.”

“True,” said Andre. “Unless…”

Charlie’s red eyebrows furrowed. “Unless?”

“Well, I heard that a good strategy was right up Murphy’s alley.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

That was exactly what Artemis, who had paused to listen to the conversation, wanted to know. Apparently, Tonks was just as curious as she was, because she linked arms with Artemis and steered her over towards the boys.

“Wotcher, lads,” she said, plonking herself down next to Charlie and squashing his chin between her thumb and forefinger by way of greeting. “What’s this? Quidditch strategising, are we?”

“Yes, actually,” said Andre. He pouted slightly. “Although this is a meeting for captains, so-”

“That’s a shame, Andre, because this table is looking rather male dominated.”

“Well, now it’s looking rather Hufflepuff dominated.”

But Tonks was not going to give up that easily. “I just think you need to have more diversity in the group.”

“I think we’re already pretty diverse,” Andre replied. “Charlie’s poor, I’m black and gay, and Murphy is in a wheelchair.”

“Precisely. If there’s going to be a strategy, he’ll have to convey it to one of us in the air, won’t he?” Tonks raised her violet eyebrows and Andre sighed heavily.

“What were you saying, Andre?” Charlie asked diplomatically, and Andre shot a sulky look at both Tonks and Artemis before replying:

“Okay, so we all agree that Slytherin simply can’t be allowed to win the Cup this year, don’t we?”

“Alright.”

“Yeah.”

“Agreed.”

“Yes, but allowing doesn’t come into it,” Murphy shook his head. “It’s Quidditch, there are too many variables over which we have no control. A good strategist allows for these variables, but even then, none of us can have complete control over the outcomes of the games.”

“Can’t we?” Andre raised his eyebrows. “Because I think we could, darling. After all, of the three matches left this season, two of them are being played by our teams alone.”

Artemis frowned. “Wait. You don’t mean…”

“Rigging the matches?” Charlie finished her question for her. “Andre, please tell me you’re joking.”

“Charlie, my love, I’m afraid that I’m being deadly serious.”

“But that’s cheating!”

“So what? It’s no less than what Flint and his lot of poorly accessorised Neanderthals have been doing all year,” Andre shrugged. “They want to play dirty, we are all more than capable of that. Some of us more so than others, I expect.” Smirking, his gaze drifted down to the knees of Artemis’ jeans, still ripped and grass-stained from her tussle with the Whomping Willow the day before. “Artemis, darling, I don’t even want to know what you’ve been up to recently.”

Artemis scowled at him, and he winked at her theatrically. Charlie cleared his throat loudly and the attention turned back to him.

“Andre, we can’t rig matches,” he said shortly. “Cheating like that, it’s just stooping to their level.”

“Okay, I see what you’re trying to say, but hear me out. Slytherin have cheated their way to a win in every single game this season. And they’ve hurt players in the process. Poor Abigail is going to have a black eye for weeks after what Flint did to her yesterday, and he’s laughing about it. The boy thinks he’s invincible, and he needs to be taught otherwise. Now, is it not our job as upstanding senior students to teach him that valuable lesson?”

“It still sounds like cheating to me,” muttered Artemis. “Right, Tonks? Tonks?”

But rather than doubtful, Tonks looked tempted.

“I mean, he has a point,” she shrugged. “Normally, I’d say no way, but Marcus is such a prat. Just look at how he was with you at the start of our match, Murphy.” She gave Murphy a sympathetic look, and he inclined his head. “I just think that if we can stop him from getting the satisfaction of winning, it might just wipe that stupid smirk off his face. I’m more concerned about how we do it without getting caught, honestly.”

“Ah, I’m already one step ahead of you there, Dora,” said Andre, looking straight at Murphy. “Thankfully, we have a master statistician in our midst. So, the next match is played by all your lot. We work out the biggest point margin Hufflepuff can beat Gryffindor by to give them a good advantage going into the final without it looking suspicious, and then, after Gryffindor play Slytherin - and hopefully win, as long as their Beaters don’t knock Charlie clean out of the sky-”

“Thanks for the confidence boost, Andre.”

“You’re welcome. Now, after your match against Slytherin, it’s us against you, Murphy. What I’m thinking is that once we know how many points Slytherin will have at the end of the season, you might be able to work out the most statistically plausible way to get enough points in our match to take the Cup from right under Flint’s nose. Sound doable to you?”

“Theoretically speaking, yes,” Murphy said quietly. “I just don’t know how I feel about cheating my way to a win.”

“Well, don’t look at it as cheating, just… making it an even ground,” Andre shrugged and rose from his seat. “Have a little think about it, darlings, and let me know the plan.”

With that, as well as a swish of his scarf, Andre left. Charlie and Tonks soon followed suit, still quietly debating the issue as they walked out of the Great Hall. Murphy, for once, was completely silent, staring thoughtfully at the mug of coffee on the table in front of him.

“You’re not considering this, are you?” Artemis asked him, and he said nothing in response. “Murphy, this is wrong! Think about Orion, and what he’d say about balance and fairness and… I dunno, stars or fate or something.” Murphy laughed, but it was a hollow laugh, and Artemis sighed. “You’re really thinking about doing it, aren’t you?”

“Artemis, you saw the way Flint looked at me before the first match of the season.”

“Yeah, but-”

“People have looked at me that way ever since I can remember. Like they think I’m less than them, just because I’m in this thing,” Murphy gestured to his wheelchair and shook his head. “I’ve always been ‘that wizard in the wheelchair’, and then I got this captaincy and thought that it would be different, but… Now I’m just ‘that captain in the wheelchair’. And I see people looking, I know they all think that I’m not capable, because I can’t ride a broomstick, and I want to prove them wrong. Not just Flint, all of them.”

“I know, and you will. You’re a brilliant captain, even without a broom, because you are so good at numbers and strategies and all the other stuff I’m not clever enough to understand, but you are. You’re really clever, actually.”

“Yeah, I guess I am. You know, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw.” Artemis shook her head, and Murphy continued, “I asked to be in Hufflepuff instead.”

Artemis frowned. “Why?”

“Because of what Helga Hufflepuff always said: ‘I’ll take the lot, and treat them just the same’. I thought that the chances of me being able to fit in would be higher if I were in Hufflepuff, that I’d be seen as an equal to everyone else for a change. I just wanted to be treated fairly. But life isn’t fair, is it?”

“I guess not,” said Artemis. “But Murphy, rigging Quidditch matches won’t make it any fairer.”

“No. It won’t,” Murphy smiled sadly. “Which is why I won’t do it.”

“You won’t?”

“No. If I’m going to prove that I can be a winning Quidditch Captain, I’m going to win fair and square. It’s not impossible. Nothing is, statistically speaking.”

The following weekend, Artemis and the rest of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team gathered in the changing tents, the sounds of the rest of the school echoing in through the canvas from the stadium outside. Murphy cleared his throat as he wheeled himself inside, and the team picked up their broomsticks to gather around him.

“The match should start in precisely one and a half minutes,” he told them, “so I won’t spend long giving a speech. However, I do want to make sure that you’re all clear on our strategy. I’ve been speaking to Weasley about it, and we’ve both decided that given Slytherin’s latest performances, we want to make this a good, clean game, with no fouls whatsoever from either side. Let’s show them how real sportsmen-“

“And women,” Tonks interjected, waving one hand in the direction of the majority of the team members and inadvertently hitting David Willows in the face.

“And women” - Murphy nodded - “play Quidditch.”

The start of the match was far more sportsperson-ly than that of the last match Artemis had played. Before the game began, Murphy and Charlie shook hands under the watchful gaze of Madam Hooch’s hawklike eyes, each nodding at the other in recognition as they did so.

“Good luck, mate.”

“And to you.”

Murphy went to Madam Hooch’s side and Charlie returned to his position on the starting line-up, ready for the four Quidditch balls to be released. As the Golden Snitch was freed from the box, he cocked one eyebrow at Artemis and shrugged, a small smirk playing on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him and glared stubbornly, and he laughed, immediately rising into the air as the Quaffle was released.

Artemis set off after him, as per the strategy Murphy had given her before the match; Charlie was incredibly good at slipping away out of sight when he wanted to get an advantage on the Snitch, and neither she nor Murphy intended to let him do just that.

Once the the game was in play, it was just as clean as Murphy and Charlie had promised it would be, but that did not meant that the competition wasn’t fierce. If anything, the match was faster paced than any Artemis had ever seen or played in. Barely thirty minutes into the game, goals had been scored and saved by both teams, which seemed incredibly evenly matched.

“Spectacular save there from Hufflepuff Keeper, Amelia Booth,” announced Lee Jordan the commentator. “The score remains twenty to Hufflepuff, ten to Gryffindor.” Amelia threw the Quaffle back onto the pitch and Jordan continued, “Booth passes to Costa, Costa to Haywood, Haywood to Hopper.”

Below, the Hufflepuff Chasers were advancing across the length of the pitch in formation, making small passes between themselves. Artemis watched them for almost a minute before realising that, in doing so, she had stopped marking Charlie, who had taken the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. She swore under her breath as she looked for him, and saw him several yards away from her, hovering metres above her head. She rose up to meet him, and as she did, one of the Hufflepuff Chasers accelerated towards the scoring zone, Quaffle in hand, her curly blonde hair whipping in the wind behind her.

“That’s Hopper of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle again, and she’s flying straight for the Gryffindor goalposts! She shoots, and… YES! Well done, Oliver! I mean, Wood saves the goal, not that I care as an impartial commentator. Gryffindor’s reserve Chaser Angelina Johnson picks up the Quaffle - shame she can’t pick up the hints I’ve been trying to give her all year, but that’s girls for you…”

“Jordan!”

“Sorry, Professor. Anyway, Johnson loses the Quaffle to Beatrice Haywood, what force of nature that girl is. Also a force of nature, however, is Fred Weasley… Or is that George? It’s hard to tell from here. Anyway, a Bludger from one of the Weasleys is sent straight for Haywood, but it looks like Tonks of Hufflepuff is getting ready to- Ooh, that was close!”

Several feet below Artemis, Tonks had entered the fray to beat a Bludger away from Bea Haywood, and in her enthusiasm to do so, almost hit Angelina Johnson with her bat. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Charlie dove down to see what had happened, Artemis instinctively following behind him.

“I’m so sorry,” Tonks was saying to the Gryffindor Chaser, the hand that wasn’t holding her bat pressed to her mouth. “I didn’t hit you, did I?”

The girl shook her head and after a brief discussion with Madam Hooch, it was decided that, as Tonks’ error was clearly accidental and no harm had been done, that no foul had been committed.

“Just be glad that you missed,” said Madam Hooch, with a stern glare at Tonks. “Free pass to Gryffindor.”

“We don’t need a free pass, Madam Hooch. There wasn’t a foul.”

Tonks shook her head. “Nah, Charlie. Have the free pass.”

While Charlie and Tonks were debating with Madam Hooch which team should take possession of the Quaffle once the game restarted, Artemis took the opportunity to scan the pitch for a glimpse of the Golden Snitch. As luck would have it, she caught sight of the tiny glimmer of gold flitting around the opposite side of the pitch. A furtive glance at Charlie confirmed her suspicion that he was too busy to have seen it, but whilst the time out was still in session, she couldn’t fly after the ball. However, as the Quaffle was handed back to Angelina Johnson and Madam Hooch raised her whistle to her lips, Artemis allowed her broom to drift slowly in the direction of the Snitch, ready to begin her chase.

As the match recommenced, Artemis zoned in on the tiny ball, her eyes fixed on the sparkle of gold in the distance as she pushed her broom forward to accelerate. Having drifted away from Charlie during the time out, she was a lot closer to it than he was, but she knew that her advantage wouldn’t last long. As much as she would have hated to admit it to herself or to him, she knew that he was a much better flier than she was.

Sure enough, over the sound of the wind blowing past her ears, she could just about hear Lee Jordan announcing: “Hexley in hot pursuit of the Snitch, but Weasley is gaining on her!”

But though Charlie was the better flier, she had the better broom. And though he had skill on his side, Artemis had the wind on hers; it caught the tail of her broom as she pushed forward to accelerate further and sent her flying faster still, away from Charlie and towards the Snitch.

She might beat him this time, she realised. She might actually beat him.

“Looks like Hexley’s managed to put some more distance between herself and one Weasley, but she’s heading for two more!”

In either side of her peripheral vision, bright red blurs were approaching Artemis, and as they flew closer, she was able to recognise the Weasley twins, both with their Beater’s bats raised.

On her right, Fred swung at a Bludger and it whizzed her way, and she ducked out of its path, leaving it to fly over her head and straight towards George on her left. He swung, too, and the Bludger was sent back in her direction. She swerved away from George’s Bludger, but she had now been delayed in her chase for the Snitch.

“Have you lost something, Artemis?” George called out, as Artemis scanned the pitch once more. But the Snitch was gone. Fred began to laugh, and she glared at him.

And then she saw it. Somehow, the Snitch had managed to fly back towards her without her realising, and was now hovering just by Fred’s ear. She smirked, and flew towards him, once more in pursuit of the ball.

“Stop her, Freddie!”

But it was too late, the twins had sent their Bludger in the opposite direction, and there was nothing Fred could do to stop her, not now that the Snitch was so tantalisingly close, so close she could almost reach out and-

SMACK!

A deafeningly loud noise reverberated around Artemis’ skull, accompanied by a searing pain at the back of her head. Her ears ringing slightly and white dots starting to appear in her vision, Artemis raised her hands to the spot from which the pain was radiating, and felt that her hair was damp. She pulled her hands away and looked down at her now red palms, which were starting to look fuzzy.

“Huh,” she said, as she slid sideways off her broom and fell down into a world that had suddenly turned black.

The first thing Artemis saw was a deep red light. Then she heard the voices, lots of them, overlapping with each other and with the quiet ringing noise that echoed between her ears. She frowned, and after feeling her eyebrows move, opened her eyelids to reveal a shadowy figure of a person standing over her, their face obscured by the blinding light behind them. She blinked, and another shadow appeared, and then another.

“Okay, she’s awake,” said a voice - Chiara’s voice. “Everyone give her some air, please.” The shadows moved away, and Artemis attempted to push herself up to a seated position, but a hand pressed on her shoulder, and Chiara’s voice told her, “Don’t get up. Just stay there and get your bearings, while I look at your head.”

Artemis nodded - it hurt to nod - and propped herself up onto her elbows to see what was going on around her. The rest of Quidditch players had landed their brooms, and were gathered around the pitch nearby, with Tonks and Bea Haywood at Artemis’ side, and Charlie and the Weasley twins deep in a loud and obviously heated conversation with Madam Hooch and Murphy.

“You’ve taken a really nasty knock here, Artemis,” Chiara told her.

“A Bludger?”

“Not quite,” Tonks muttered darkly, holding up a large wooden bat almost identical to her own. “Turns out the twins were so inspired by my accidental foul, they decided to give it a go themselves.”

Said twins were rushing over to Artemis, with Charlie and Madam Hooch continuing their conversation as they followed behind. Charlie was still almost shouting - or perhaps his voice just sounded louder because of how badly her head hurt - despite the fact that the twins were now at her side apologising profusely.

“We’re both really sorry, Artemis. Are you okay?” one of them asked, looking less anxious after Chiara nodded. Behind him, Charlie’s face was still tense.

“No thanks to you and your bat,” he said, in a voice that was laced with barely disguised fury.

“Hey! It wasn’t my bat, it was Fred’s. Honestly, you call yourself our brother…”

“We can’t delay the rest of the match forever,” said Madam Hooch impatiently. “Poppy, is she fit to…” Her voice tailed off and she did a double take at Chiara before asking, “Miss Lobosca, where is Madam Pomfrey?”

“She’s had to go and treat a student who’s been had a nasty run-in the Whomping Willow,” Chiara told her. “She asked me to take over here.”

“Right. Well, do you think Hexley fit to play?”

“I don’t think-”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Artemis, sitting bolt upright and ignoring the way the world began to spin around her as she did so. “I can keep playing.”

Chiara sighed. “Artemis, I think you need to sit this one out. You have a concussion.”

“No. No, I want to play,” Artemis insisted, and the small crowd around her exchanged looks of doubt. “No, it’s fine. I’m fine. And Fred and George have both apologised, so it’s all good.”

She gestured at the twins, who frowned in perfect unison. No one said anything for a moment, until Charlie cleared his throat.

“Uh, Artemis… That’s just George,” he said, stepping sideways to reveal another twin behind him. “Fred’s over here.”

It was strange, but now that Charlie mentioned it, there were two of everyone nearby: two Chiaras, two Tonkses, two Murphys, two Madam Hooches, and two of each of Professors McGonagall and Sprout, who had just arrived at the scene.

“Is everything under control here?”

“Certainly, Minerva. We were just ascertaining whether Miss Hexley was in a fit state to continue playing. As it happens, she is not.”

“I am,” Artemis protested, clambering up to her feet and swaying slightly, earning herself a fresh round of sceptical stares. “I am. Right, Chiara? Tonks? Murphy?” When none of them agreed, she turned to the person she knew would back her up. “Charlie?”

But even Charlie wasn’t on her side today, because he shrugged and shook his head.

“You’re concussed, Artie. I’m sorry.”

Furious, Artemis’ jaw dropped open, and though she tried to protest, it was no use, for everyone had already started to speak over her and she was feeling dizzy again.

“There we have it,” said Madam Hooch. “Let’s get back to business, without Hexley.”

“And without Fred and George,” Charlie added, and all eyes turned to him, with the twins protesting in overlapping voices.

“What?”

“You can’t send us off!”

“We’re family!”

“It’s Quidditch!”

“They have a point, Weasley. Sending uninjured players off the pitch is not in the rules.”

“I don’t care, McNully. You and I agreed we’d have a clean match, and I told my team as much. If they don’t want to listen to my instructions, I don’t want them on my pitch.”

Professor McGonagall tutted. “Really, Weasley. I don’t think that’s quite necessary.”

“But I do,” Charlie replied shortly. “And with all due respect, Professor, I’m the Captain of this team, not you.”

With that, he mounted his broomstick and took to the sky, leaving the others in a baffled silence that was broken by the sound of Tonks’ low whistle.

“Well, Bludger me.”

Artemis was escorted directly to the Hospital Wing, unable even to watch the rest of the match, though why she couldn’t have waited for the game to finish before she left, she wasn’t sure. Madam Pomfrey was too busy attending to her other patient to do anything but occasionally glance at Artemis and make sure that she was still breathing, and was still preoccupied when the rest of the school returned from the pitch and the sound of hundreds of footsteps echoed into the hospital from the corridors outside.

Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey being so busy meant that Chiara, Tonks, and Penny were able to sneak into the Hospital Wing without her noticing, their pockets filled with sweets, and told her about the remainder of the match in hushed voices.

“Well, Charlie obviously caught the Snitch-”

“Of course he did,” Artemis muttered with a roll of her eyes.

“- but, because Gryffindor had no Beaters to stop them, the Hufflepuff Chasers did manage to score several goals before that,” Penny continued, smiling proudly. “Bea scored a hat-trick, you know.”

“Good for her.”

“It means that even though Gryffindor won, the difference between the scores wasn’t that big,” Tonks said, popping a piece of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum into her mouth. “Murphy said that if Slytherin and Gryffindor end up fairly evenly matched and we do well against Ravenclaw, we still have a decent shot at the Cup, at least.”

Artemis nodded, but it wasn’t the Cup that she was annoyed about. Before she could say anything, however, the doors to the Hospital Wing opened once more, and the girls were joined by Charlie Weasley and Jae Kim.

“Wotcher, lads. What brings you here?”

“I wanted to make sure my idiot brothers hadn’t done too much damage,” said Charlie, with smile that was almost a grimace.

“And you, Jae?”

“Huh? Oh, I just thought I’d come and see how Hex is doing, you know,” Jae shuffled over and peered at the back of Artemis’ head. “Hm. Looks like you’ve been pretty well patched up. Well done, Chiara. Good job. Very impressive.”

His hand flinched as if he were about to give Chiara a thumbs up, but hastily stuffed both fists into his pockets as the others stared at him.

“Right,” Chiara blinked. “Thank you, Jae.”

“You’re welcome. Any time.”

Jae cleared his throat, and Charlie shook his head at him. Judging by the awkward silence, Artemis was not the only one who didn’t know what to say.

“So, anyway…”

“What is this?” a sharp voice echoed through the Hospital Wing as Madam Pomfrey emerged from behind a curtain that was closed around one of the beds. “This isn’t visiting hours. All of you, out!” Reluctantly, Artemis’ friends filed out of the hospital. All except one. “You too, Mr Weasley.”

“Oh, I’m not visiting. I’m injured.”

“You don’t look injured to me.”

Charlie held up his right hand and grimaced. “I think it might be a repetitive strain injury. Seeker’s hand, you know?”

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “Well, you’ll just have to wait. I’m dealing with a serious Herbology-related incident at the moment.”

“I don’t mind waiting.” Charlie shrugged, and once Madam Pomfrey was safely back behind the curtain, lowered his voice to tell Artemis, “I don’t actually have Seeker’s hand.”

“I know.”

“I don’t even know if Seeker’s hand is a real thing.”

“Not in the hand you don’t use to catch Snitches with, it isn’t,” Artemis muttered, glaring at Charlie’s left hand. “I nearly caught that one today. I would’ve had it if it weren’t for Fred.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“Sure you are.”

“I am. Really sorry. I actually brought you something to make up for it,” Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out a walnut-sized golden ball, which he held between his thumb and forefinger, smiling. “See? It’s the Snitch. They can only use them for a game once, so McGonagall said I could keep it. I thought you might want it.”

Artemis pouted.

“I don’t want your pity Snitch,” she said, her haughty expression giving way when she saw the disappointed look in Charlie’s eyes. She sighed heavily and threw herself backwards, trying her hardest not to wince as her head hit the pillow. “I just… I’ve never gotten to play against you in a proper match, only in fun games before. And every time, you’ve won. This was the first time I would have been able to beat you, and it was the last time we’ll ever get to play against each other, so I won’t get another chance.”

“Of course you will,” Charlie said, his eyebrows furrowing.

“No, because we’re all leaving Hogwarts, aren’t we? We’re going to go off and do our own things, and we won’t be all together here anymore.”

“I suppose not. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t be friends anymore, or that none of us will ever see each other again.”

“It doesn’t?”

“I mean, you’re not getting rid of me that easily, that’s for sure,” said Charlie, half-smiling. “He held the Snitch out to her once more. “Go on. Take the pity Snitch.” When Artemis hesitated, he added, “Take it, and after exams are done we can release it and race for it. Loser buys dinner once we’ve left Hogwarts, deal?”

“Fine. Deal,” Artemis said, taking the Snitch from Charlie’s outstretched hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Charlie sighed. “Look, I know it feels like everything is ending. It feels that way for me too, but to you it’s worse, because here… Well, Hogwarts is like a home to you, isn’t it?” Artemis said nothing, just turned the Snitch over in her fingers. “I’m not saying it to upset you, I just… I’m trying to say that you’re not going to lose anything worth losing. Not a home, not a family. Alright?”

It took Artemis a second to reply, but she nodded her head and whispered, “Yeah. Alright.”

“Good.” For a moment, Charlie looked like he might hug her, but instead he shrugged and looked over his shoulder at the curtain behind which Madam Pomfrey had disappeared before adding, “Right. I should go before Madam Pomfrey comes back from treating whoever it was that got Whomped earlier and realises there’s nothing wrong with my hand.”

Artemis froze. “What?”

“There’s nothing actually wrong with-”

“No, I mean… Someone got Whomped today?”

“Yeah, Chiara mentioned it during the time-out. I’m guessing that’s what Madam Pomfrey meant by the ‘serious Herbology-related incident’.”

“Who was it?”

“I dunno, I was on the pitch,” Charlie frowned. “Why?”

Artemis opened her mouth to answer his question, but shut it again as Madam Pomfrey emerged from behind the curtain and walked across the Hospital Wing to her office. She shook her head.

“It’s not important. I can tell you later,” she said. When Charlie gave her a quizzical look, she nodded her head at the door. “Quickly, before Madam Pomfrey gets back.”

Charlie still looked as if he wanted to know more, but he made his escape while he could. Once he was gone, Artemis glanced at Madam Pomfrey’s door before padding across to the bed with the closed curtains and pulling them open. The moment she did, Artemis’ mouth fell open.

“It was you.”

#artemis hexley #hogwarts mystery #hphm fic #hphm #the hexley saga #charlie weasley #murphy mcnully #andre egwu #penny haywood #nymphadora tonks #chiara lobosca #jae kim #david willows #ellie hopper #amelia booth #beatrice haywood #fred weasley #george weasley

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monsterfucker-lisa-swallows · 8 months

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AU where after the Trial Angel turns Darla into a vampire with a soul, because I am compelled by the idea of ensoulled Darla and the complexity that would lend to their relationship.

There will be non-canon relationships in the mix here determined only by what compels me so it very much will be not to everyone's taste.

Yes it's 5 AM I couldn't sleep because I just rewatched Seeing Red and Villains before bed and it made me crazy so my mind kept going back to other plotlines that make me crazy until I had no choice but to exorcise this demon.

...

"Hey!" Darla shouted. She didn't like the way Drusilla was looking at Angel, even though she knew he could hold his own. He had just survived the trials for her. It occurred to her that he may be too weakened from that to fight effectively. "This is between you and me. So why don't you let him go and we'll settle this?"

"Settle," Drusilla mused. "Like it's some sort of score?"

"Isn't it? Come over here and I'll give you what I owe you."

Darla tilted her neck, allowing the hair to fall away from it to expose her veins. "Is this what you wanted? What we took from you?"

"I'm only here to help." Her voice dripped with sickly honey from a diseased hive.

"I know, dear," Darla said wearily.

Drusilla's face changed to something horrible and bumpy, her fangs sharp as needles. She leaned in close.

"So am I," Darla whispered regretfully as her right hand connected with a stake that had been left on Angel's desk. She swung it with all her might, but found her wrist held once more in an iron grip.

"Bad mummy," Drusilla said. "No playtime for you and you'll have to be sent away without supper."

#ats #angel the series #darla/angel #ensoulled darla #just so you know this fic is going to be a justice for the following: cordelia chase - charles gunn - wesley wyndham pryce #idk how my headcanon au of fred and wesley being in a polycule where fred is also with willow and tara and willow is with anya fits in #but know that and fuffy are somewhere off screen if they don't make the cut #oh also if i can there will be some justice for lilah and wes #oh also i love drusilla justice for dru please #maybe i'll get her back with spike and we'll do some shenanigans idk really #god i'm also compelled by spike and angel this polycule is gonna get messy again isn't it

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saintsenara · 6 months

Note

What do you think of the trio's post-canon careers? Because recently, something that has really captured my imagination has been the idea of healer Ron.

The profession, of course, most often crops up in Dramione fic where Hermione has taken up at St. Mungo's (laughable-- this is a girl who needed Harry to unstopper the dittany because her hands were shaking so bad, and frankly, I shudder to think of her bedside manner) but it is predictably absent when veering off the canon course with Ron. This is such a shame because his willow wand is outright good for healing magic (and it is a fairly uncommon combination that he has! The only other person with a willow and unicorn wand, fascinatingly enough, is Lily Potter.)

Ron is also the only person who's canonically interested in healing as a profession (he's immersed in the leaflet for it at breakfast.) He remembers the spattergroit incident from OOTP and then uses it as a cover story in DH. In Half-blood Prince, he takes the exact same classes Harry does, which means he has the grades required to go into auror training, yes, but they are coincidentally the same requirements a student needs to meet in order to apply to be a healer. (On that note: Ron and Harry were clearly high academic achievers and the fanon assertion otherwise needs to be beat back with hammers.)

But the reason why I think healer ron would've been a cracker of a route to go down is just how refreshing it would've been. The Girl of the team, the gang, the trio, being the Healer and Caretaker is such a TRITE trope at this point. DADA Professor Harry is a classic, but this is my case for Healer Ron deserving to be up there. Send his ass back to Hogwarts again if you have to (Hermione will definitely be pleased). Have him intern with Madam Pomfrey for a year and then grumble behind Neville while he takes notes on medicinal herbs. Healer Weasley, who's a big hit in the paediatrics ward because he makes the kids laugh. Who flirts with the oldies and plays chess with the curmudgeons. Who just cares, more than anything, and will bring you a cup of tea no matter the hour, no questions asked. I really do think he's got the disposition for it. What do you reckon?

thank you very much for the ask, anon!

i am immediately compelled by the concept of ron-versus-wizarding-medicine. because, certainly, i never see him as someone who stays in the auror office long-term - i think it makes sense for him immediately post-war, especially when he will undoubtedly just want to keep busy and hunt down baddies as a reaction to fred's death, but i think he only stays in the role after this initial burst of vengeance until he feels comfortable leaving harry in a high-risk situation on his own.

because, of course, ron's vibe with everything he touches in canon is influenced by the fact that he's someone predisposed to being caring [right down, as you say, to his wand]. the bit in prisoner of azkaban when he offers to make a cup of tea while hagrid's in hysterics about buckbeak's death sentence is something i find genuinely lovely, for example, and i do think - as you note - that there's something really striking about ron occupying that caring role within the trio which a fanon deviation to trite gender dynamics in which men are stupid and women are nurturing undermines in a supremely tedious way.

i'm not sure, though, that i would back ron in any specialism of healing that could be classed as emergency medicine - he has the vibe of, and i mean this with great affection, the sort of surgeon who habitually leaves sponges behind in patients - but i would back him in specialisms which need to be a bit more holistic or slower in pace. his chess skills - and his good intuition - suggest to me that he'd be a pretty effective diagnostician, and i obviously think he'd have a great bedside manner.

healer ron, then, is going to be at his best, absolutely, in something like paediatrics, which means that i'm going to take your suggestion about him interning with madam pomfrey and run with it to say that ron as hogwarts matron [or whatever the non-gendered version of that term would be] is his ideal career.

think about it! the work's varied and sometimes complicated, but it's not too high-pressure because really serious cases will be sent to st mungo's. the work will frequently relate to things that ron is interested in, like quidditch. and the work will frequently require ron's key talent - being sound - to shine. this is a man who would do an excellent job, i think, of handling mishaps caused by teenagers trying to hex their own acne off, or offering tea and sympathy to the homesick or the recently dumped. i think he'd do a great sex-ed presentation, would manage to charm honeydukes into giving the school its medicinal chocolate at a huge discount, and would be considered a huge legend by the student body for always being willing to certify to the teachers that someone who used a puking pastille to get out of class was actually sick.

as for the other two, i much prefer hermione as a barrister than as a civil-servant - not just because of her temperament but because i think the change she wants to bring to wizarding society is going to be won primarily by her slapping on a wig and gown and being condescending to witnesses.

as for harry, i like to stick to him as an auror. while i have some exceptions, i'm actually really not fond at all of professor potter as a trope - and, even more controversially, i really don't like the concept of professor riddle - largely because teaching is far too sedate for someone who runs on adrenaline as much as harry does.

and - i must be honest - i think the idea of harry as a teacher [or a healer or a quidditch player] often hangs on people feeling uncomfortable with the idea of him as, to all intents and purposes, a police officer. but i quite like taking that in the opposite direction, and playing with harry's canonically black-and-white morality and capacity for self-righteousness to have him - while not a corrupt or sadistic auror - a complacent one. i like the idea of him as someone who thinks that he always applies the law justly and so the law is therefore just, and so on - and the fact that this would allow him to overlook his own childhood lawbreaking is part of that...

#asks answered #asenora meta #golden trio #ron weasley #harry potter #hermione granger #ron would be beloved by all nurses and that tells you all you need to know

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calmlyerratic · 2 months

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Sooo I'm writing a Marauders AU where they (plus Lily & Sev) time travel to OotP in 1996 and meet Harry.

Some background info:

▪︎ this fic has a canon oriented timeline with wolfstar, jily, alternating pov's, & lots of humor (but also an emotional rollercoaster)

▪︎ Snape's Worst Memory and the willow incident haven't happened in 1976 yet, but in 1996 Harry has just seen SWM

▪︎ Dumbledore has just left Hogwarts & Umbridge is Headmisstress

▪︎ anything is possible: older characters meeting their younger selves, character clashing, timeline divergence/resurgence

▪︎ I have a plan for this fic, but I'm wondering...

Encounters of the Future Sort by CalmlyErratic on ao3, ch 16 just posted :)

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sunnydaleherald · 2 months

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, July 30

Jenny: Pretty flimsy excuse for coming by to see me. Giles: You should have heard the ones I threw out. I just, I wanted to, uh... see how you were doing. Jenny: I'm doing pretty good, actually. I've stayed out of mortal danger for three whole weeks. I could get used to it. I'm still having trouble sleeping, though. Giles: Oh, of course. Um... you, you, you need time. Jenny: Or possibly space. Rupert, I know you're concerned. But having you constantly poking around, making little puppy dog eyes at me, wondering if I'm okay... You make me feel bad that I don't feel better. I don't want that responsibility.

~~~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Cheese (Buffy/Riley, G) by Kittenwritings

Cuddle Pile (Fred/Cordelia/Willow, T) by Kittenwritings

Somewhere Only We Know (Fred/Spike, G) by Kittenwritings

dimension hopping / dimension travel (Fred/Spike, T) by Kittenwritings

character realizes they want to join their best friends' relationship (Angel/Fred/Spike, T) by Kittenwritings

Sneaking Around (Buffy/Maggie Walsh, T) by Kittenwritings

Get You Alone (Fred/Spike, T) by MadeInGold

The Aftermath (Spike/Ben, T) by MadeInGold

Cold comfort (Buffy/Ben, T) by Kittenwritings

Doctor, Can You Help Me? (Buffy/Ben, E) by MadeInGold

[Chaptered Fiction]

of all the wonders (that i have heard) Ch. 1 (Dawn, T, Agents of SHIELD xover) by luxaII

Altered Images Ch. 1-4/? (Ensemble, T) by KnightRanger

Scheduling Concerns (Fred's Birthday Fic part 1) (Multiple Pairings, E) by Kittenwritings

To Sail the Starry Sea Ch. 1-2/2 COMPLETE (Buffy/Spike, E) by eevol76vamp

Once Chosen Ch. 2 (Buffy/Giles, M) by RowanIsabellaMcCarter

Shadow Over Hellmouth CH. 112/250 (Buffy/Tara, E) by Tuxedo_Mark

Situation Normal - All Faithed Up CH. 2 (Buffy/Faith, M) by QuillBard

Pick Me Up Ch. 14/30 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Dusty87

Home Movies Ch. 16/25 (Buffy/Spike, E) by cawthraven

In the Company of Witches and Slayers Ch. 116/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

I Do!, Chapter 33 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dusty

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 37 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Ragini

Spiked, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Maxine Eden

The Buffybot Falls In Love, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Desicat

Life with Buffy, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Joan963z

Willow Rosenberg and Her Hydrocoustic Field Ch. 1 (Willow/Tara, T, Tom Swift xover) by batzulger

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Bangel chibi sketches () by MamaBewear

Artwork:Buffy & Spike () by Haley TJ MacLaughlin

Artwork:Spike () by sayanrougshaban

Artwork:Spike () by chelseabeecreates

Artwork:Spike () by amphoebee

Video: I Know the End (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

Video: Willow & Oz - Sweetest Part (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

Video: Drusilla - Thursday Girl (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

Video: Faith Lehane - Bad Child (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) () by TheOverLookedOne

[Reviews & Recaps]

Mothman’s Buffy Rewatch: Season 3 episodes 17 and 18, “Enemies” and “Earshot” by mothmans-wedding-photographer

PODCAST: ATS 220 - Over The Rainbow by Another Buffy Podcast

[Community Announcements]

Author Reveals, and Feedback of Multiple Sorts by [community profile] fandom5k

Tuesday's Prompt is We Pull Pranks by comment-fic

Round 2 Of Artists Claims For The Regular WIPBB Are Open! Round 2 lasts until July 31st! by wipbigbang

[Fandom Discussions]

You know what the Turok Han should have been? by nicnacsnonsense

honestly one of the best character mirrors on this show is willow and giles. by greensaplinggrace

Having thoughts about the effects of Merrick’s ‘not-quite’ existence on Buffy and Giles’ relationship again by duckwnoeyes

I was reminded of Spike and Joyce’s friendship. by abadbadbrujah

sometimes i think about what we could have had if spike showed up two episodes earlier, during when she was bad. by gingerteaonthetardis, sayyoume

I heard Spike starts to do things to redeem himself independent from Buffy in season five of Angel by initiumseries

Imagining a conversation between Angel and ensouled!Spike by nicnacsnonsense

my headcanon for the “intense” buffy and angel post-resurrection reunion scene by moistvonlipwig

Wesley or Lilah? Angel season 1 or Angel season 5? Writing fanfiction or reading fanfiction? by kyliafanfiction

#2 for willow rosenberg by TheOverLookedOne

https://paarthursass.tumblr.com/post/757397374416076800 by paarthursass

one of the things that makes spike so much better as a partner for buffy by greensaplinggrace

Welcome to the Hellmouth Fashion Part One by theoverlookedoneedits1997

buffy is just so casually and remorselessly anti-cop throughout the entire btvs show... yet still incarceration is weirdly glorified as a redemptive device. by athenadark, greensaplinggrace

Most Out Of Character, Plot Hole-y, or Confusing Season 7 Moments by luxaII

Underrated Villains by ElephantWorldly5010

Where to pick up the comics/graphic novels? by Fearless-Salad-8431

This episode had it all (except Angel of course). by TeddyKGB1

Question about the episode “fear, itself” by Beans_0492

Any other Robin Wood fans? by needadviceplease8910

How would that show have been like had Faith had become a "regular"?? by samof1994

Monster of the week of your choice by Yogabeauty31

How long did she actually wait? by AndrewHeard

Giles as the first? It’s a no from me. Sorry Mr Head. by DanTrueCrimeFan87

Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 3 - Episode 7 - Revelations by Mat1711

Which character's sudden reappearance caught you totally by surprise? by InfiniteMehdiLove

Dawn and Xander? by 1sneaky1

I also wonder if slayers age slower like Captain America by zarif_chow

Did Faith have the right to criticize Buffy in Empty Places? by sadhungryandvirgin

I found a benefit of living on a Hellmouth by MonsterTournament

Why did Forrest hate Buffy so much? by Dreamfyre28

Why did they put the Judge in such convenient boxes for reassembly since he was so dangerous? by JumpingJBeans

please tell me im not the only one who used to think katrina was amy? by secretlifeofmex

the fan response to Spike after S6 by g_island_

Spuffy fans be like: “Spike was the only one who stood by her side/didn’t abandon her/put her first!” by mortalaf

one of the fundamental tensions in btvs by moistvonlipwig

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #angel the series #fan art #fan fiction #meta

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thepunkmuppet · 1 year

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a comprehensive list of all the Implications (TM) of the WishVerse that were never explored. enjoy.

so in case you forgot: buffy never came to sunnydale in season 1. the master took over sunnydale and made xander and willow his deranged vampire sidekicks. buffy fights the master and her, cordelia, angel, willow and xander all die. almost all these points are going off the branching timeline where giles didn’t destroy anya’s pendant and the wishverse kept going.

larry is a “white hat” working with giles, oz and nancy. he has dyed black hair. I think it’s safe to assume that larry is out in this universe, and apocalypse or no apocalypse I love the idea of these three being a found family friend group just like buffy and the scoobies. also love the idea that oz and larry were in love but that’s just because I am insane lmao. anyway larry is out as gay and friends with oz with surrogate father figure giles… yeah that just makes me happy. I would love to see his season 1-3 growth in coming out and becoming a better person / not a bully similar to cordy. and shittily dying his hair black.

were spike and dru there during the season 2 period? did the master kill them? did the white hats kill them? did they leave? WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM????

the mayor, adam, glory and the first would likely still happen on top of all the vampire apocalypse stuff. the trio could be dead or vampires and dark willow obviously would not be able to happen. does giles fight these threats, collecting various child fighters over the years?? no idea. do they succeed?? no idea.

dawn doesn’t exist because buffy is dead. I wonder who the key would have taken the form of, perhaps she would be faith’s sister…???

what’s the status of jenny calendar?? joyce?? tara?? amy?? no one knows!! I just hope they didn’t meet too grisly of ends. the idea of leather-clad apocalypse vampire versions of all these badass women intrigues me though…

did anya remain a demon?? destroying her necklace would reset the timeline back to normal, so I guess she must have done. my anyiles heart says giles thought “I could fix her” and fell in love with a vengeance demon who doomed reality but that might just be wishful thinking (no pun intended).

angel investigations simply doesn’t exist. angel and cordy are both dead.

connor would not exist because darla would not be brought back (I wonder if jasmine would find some other way to bring about her birth??)

lindsey would have both hands intact and he and lilah would likely stay at wolfram and hart, and neither would die unless they were caught in the crossfire of vampire apocalypse stuff.

gunn would stick with his crew in LA and would likely fight the master at one point, not to mention even more vampires than usual, and without superpowers would likely die eventually.

angel investigations would never run wolfram and hart, meaning illyria would have to find a different host body. if it was lindsey or lilah that would be awesome.

pylea would stay the same and suck forever because cordy would never go there.

lorne is flourishing and loving life running caritos. he’s probably better off for it tbh. the wishverse says gay rights!!!!

in terms of wesley, faith and doyle, I recommend this amazing fic. it really speaks for itself, it’s awesome!!

its unclear as to who would be called after buffy. is it a person to person thing or simply a timing thing?? would it be kendra, faith, or someone else entirely? as I said this is explored in the fic I linked, but still interesting to discuss.

season 7 would be very different. we don’t know what slayer is currently around and we don’t know if that would change the first’s plan or the ending with all the potentials becoming slayers. no idea. kennedy would not be important thank god.

fred is still in pylea.

if you can think of anything else, please do share in notes!!

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #angel the series #ats #buffyverse #wishverse #cordelia chase #buffy summers #btvs angel

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iwillrememberyoumarathon · 1 year

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Bangel fans, we want to hear from you! During the run-up to the IWRY Fic Marathon in November, we’ll be getting to know each other through our Meet the Fandom series. Answer the questions here to join in.

What is your name?

Sarah

Where do you hang out?

Tumblr: @becomingbuffypodcast

Also @becomingbuffypodcast on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok Podcast: Becoming-buffy.castos.com

Do you create any fan works?

I have a podcast on Buffy (Becoming Buffy) and one on Angel (Investigating Angel). I create analytic essays on each episode on Instagram and Tumblr, as well as analysis videos (YouTube).

Funniest Bangel/Buffyverse moment?

Angel slipping in the doorway in Graduation Day.

What Buffyverse opinion would have you chased through the village with pitchforks?

Anya's death was a full circle moment for her character, and was earned.

How would you have given Buffy and Angel their Happily Ever After?

Angel shanshu'd and met up with Buffy after she formed the Slayer Academy and left it to Faith, Giles, and Willow. They live by the beach and Buffy breaks out the stakes every once in a while when the world needs her.

Last fic you read?

"Reprieve" by Scribes1015

Slay, Lay, Obey - Dawn, Fred, Wesley?

Slay: Fred

Lay: Wes

Obey: Dawn

Fill in the quiz so the fandom can meet you!

#meetthefandom #iwryficmarathon2023 #buffy x angel #bangel

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ajcrowlor · 6 months

Note

9, 20 (◕‿◕✿)

9. a ship that isn't your OTP but that you enjoy

ahhh I have manyyy bc I usually hyperfixate on one ship per fandom but i do also enjoy a lot of canon side pairings (and also combos that include my OTP)

main fandoms that I have a lot of ships for are SPN and BtVS/AtS and aside those OTPs (destiel/spuffy):

- i really love Sam/Eileen, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya, Angel/Cordelia and Wesley/Fred

- i also enjoy Sam/Rowena, Castiel/Crowley and Wesley/Lilah

- i think the concept of Dean/Cas/Jimmy, Cas/Jimmy or Dean/Jimmy is really interesting

- i think Angel/Buffy/Spike would fix them

- i think Dean/Cas/Crowley would make them worse

20. your very first fandom!

i kinda see myself as having multiple "first fandoms", bc while i've always been super invested in my favourite media, the way i interacted with media and especially other fans has changed a lot

~5yo - Sailor Moon/Pokemon: baby's first fandoms in that i was drawing, cosplaying, coming up with my own stories, asking for merch, and my family and friends knew that i Really Liked This Stuff (my 70yo italian nonni were watching SM with me and buying me mewtwo plushies ahhh~)

10yo - Stargate SG-1: the first piece of adult media i got into and also Jack/Sam was the first non-established/assured ship i got invested in, tho I didn’t really “make” anything for the show, tho i did get my first experience of fanworks via a series of comics

14yo - Danny Phantom: probably what most people would consider my first actual fandom! (happy 20th anniversary today !!!) i watched one episode and immediately decided i wanted to learn how to draw the artstyle and it's the reason i started drawing people more than animals! i became very quickly obsessed with the show and wanted More™ between weekly episodes and that’s when i discovered online fandom! i learnt about the concept of fanart and fanfic and i lied abt my age to make a DA account so that i could read a fancomic! i did my first RPing on (iirc) TV.com! but despite drawing and crafting and cosplaying and plotting stories, I was still very much just lurking online

18yo - Hetalia: I finally decided to actually start interacting with other people online after making an LJ account and seeing the chaos during the Bloodbath events and wanting to participate :’D made friends in the main comm, and i credit them with convincing me to make a tumblr so that’s how i ended up here lol

19yo - Good Omens: the culmination of all the experiences i had with my previous fandoms, but for the first time bc i started actually sharing my art, cosplay, plotbunnies and fic online far more often rather than just interacting with things other people made, now people were interacting with the things i was making ;w;

#hahahaaa very long bc i cannot give simple answers #covfefeships #Tay Tag #ask me things

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73chn1c0l0rr3v3l · 1 month

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: The Series Fic

Fred/Faith, role play, spanking, feelings.

Fred/Faith, fuck or die, with banter!

Pretty much what it says on the tin!

Faith/Willow, boot kink.

#my writing #btvs #a:ts

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avatarmerida · 2 years

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Lost in Song

A section from a longer Band AU fic I’m working on. Based on The Owl House band au started by @soldrawss that I’m obsessed with rn. Song is Fred Astaire by Jukebox the Ghost which I’m also obsessed with rn.

———

“All right everyone, gather round! Let’s watch the tape from the performance!” said Luz excitedly as she ran from behind her drum set. She grabbed an old camcorder that no one had seen her place on the hood of Hunter's car right before they started rehearsing their set. She began rewinding the tape and everyone gathered around her to see.

“Why are you filming us? You’re not trying to start a vlog again are you?” Willow asked Luz, giving her a teasing grin.

“No! I’m helping us with our audience presence,” answered Luz. “Or our presence in the audience. To the audience?”

“She’s filming us to see what we look like while we perform,” offered Gus.

“Yes! Exactly!” exclaimed Luz. “And I didn’t tell you so it would be a more authentic performance.”

“Well that seems a little illegal but okay,” said Hunter, rolling his eyes.

“Fine, sure whatever,” said Luz, pressing play. “Aw there’s a part where we all bop our heads at the same time! That’s so cute! It’s like we’re cosmically connected!”

“Or just keeping beat to the same song,” said Gus flatly.

“Aw, and your drumstick twirl looks sooo good! That practice really paid off!” gushed Amity.

“Why thank you, sweet potato.” smiled Luz, kissing her girlfriend’s temple.

“Hunter… are you okay?” Luz asked as the forks t song came to an end.

“No more so than usual, why?”

“In the tape you just look so… stiff,” said Luz, holding the camcorder up to him. “You’re just… standing there.”

“I’m singing?” Hunter said as though it was obvious. “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”

“But you’re singing about dancing and you’re stuck to the ground like a tree,” Luz went on. “You’re supposed to be the front man, you’re the one everyone’s looking at and you’re giving us nothing.”

“I’m not much of a dancer, so sue me,” Hunter said, slightly hurt. “I don’t want to risk the song sounding weird or something.”

“You should at least try, move around a little bit, engage,” offered Gus. “It’ll probably be easier when there’s a bunch of screaming fans in front of you-.”

Gus saw the terrified look on Hunter’s face and quickly changed directions.

“-or it’ll help you build a routine and keep you focused.”

“Well you don’t want it to feel too rehearsed,” pointed out Luz. “Music is supposed to be free and spontaneous and fun!”

“Well, some people happen to find focus and routine fun.” said Hunter smugly.

“Well, this is rehearsal so let’s try rehearsing it,”offered Amity. “Hunter, you do look kind of bored but we can’t put all the pressure on you, we should all be engaging. Why don’t you try storytelling? Try acting out the song, showing the feelings in your face too.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?”

“Pretend you’re singing to someone or about someone,” offered awillow. “And pretend they’re here, listening. Don’t try to force it, let it find you.”

“Good idea! Hunter, pretend you’re singing to Willow,” said Gus.

“What?”

“She's the closest to you onstage and she can move around a little too, you can interact with each other,” said Gus. “Try it out until you find what works for you.”

“Yeah okay sure,” gulped Hunter, feeling more stuck than before. How was this supposed to go down? He couldn’t even let himself think about Willow during this song let alone look at her. But he didn’t want her to think that he thought it was impossible for this song to be sung about her but he didn’t want it make a fool of himself either.

“Hey don’t worry,” Willow whispered as though reading his mind as she walked by him to take her place. “Just have fun.”

Hunter gave her a small nervous nod as he tried to steady his breathing. He was still getting over his stage fright and now he had to sing to the girl he… thought was pretty cool in front of everyone like it wasn’t a big deal?

The song started with Willow playing them in and Hunter usually looked to the ground and counted the beats, too worried about becoming distracted but now he looked at her and saw how she conveyed that she felt the music she was creating. She moved her head up and down and soon her shoulders joined in as her braids traveled from side to side. She brought her eyes up to him and gave him a wink as though to cue him and he took the mic from the stand so he could move closer to her, not wanting to disobey her cue.

He didn’t have to do much, right? Just sing the same song he’d been singing for weeks while looking at her. It was what, three minutes he had to pretend he wasn’t totally freaking out internally. He could do that right?

It seems like I can do no wrong

Through your eyes

Sing the wrong lines to my own song

You don't mind

Make it up as we go

All the words we don't know

She looked back at him as though she also believed the words were true. It made sense, Willow had more experience and knowledge of music so of course following her lead was the right move. It was so odd because he was so sure he’d be nervous but singing to her now and she want to sing better. The words sounded different, maybe because he wasn’t just hitting notes he was saying something. Was that cheesey? No. Was that was what he was supposed to be doing the whole time? He didn’t care about sounding good he cared about sounding sincere.

Those eyes, damn, those eyes

They get me every time

Those eyes, in those eyes

I can do no crime

When dance like I don't care

You call me Fred Astaire

He felt bold for a moment and noticed her glasses were smiling and pushed them back to her bride in step with the music. Willow didn’t seem to mind, in fact she appreciated it. During the bridge when she took a break from playing to clap, Hunter seized the moment and offered her his hand. She took it, no hesitations just a playful curiosity and Hunter dared to offer his hand to her and pull her towards him when he took it and spin her. It fits the song, he told himself, it’s a part of the musical journey. He hasn’t felt this lost in a song in a long time and never with someone else. The adrenaline was taking over and Hunter felt particularly bold as the song reached the buildup into the acapella bridge.

When I lose myself

There is no one else

Who ever sees through me

Quite like you

He sang this directly to her and he meant every world. As he sent each word to Willow, he made sure it carried to sentiment, beyond the music. So he put himself in the mindset that within these three minutes there were fear or consequences.

Those eyes, damn those eyes, they get me every time

Those eyes, in those eyes, I can do no crime

When I dance like I don't care

You call me Fred Astaire

Was his hand under her chin? Tilting her head up to look into his eyes? What was he doing?!?! What if she needed to look down to make sure her hands were in the correct position on her bass??? It was acapella, it was okay he had time. But she looked surprised, did she hate this? Did she feel indifferent? Did she respect his artistic interpretation???

But there she was, joining in the chorus as usual. Maybe he hadn’t ruined things. Maybe they were on the same page. Maybe she was professional and understood the creative process better than he ever would and wasn’t overthinking this like he later would because she knew that in the grand scheme of things this was only a three minute segment of a rehearsal.

He was used to feeling different when he sang, feeling free and light, but never had he felt so bold and…(dare he even THINK this???) flirty.

But even though Hunter would later overthink every second, he still managed to get lost in the moment. These instructive thoughts and possible regret did not manifest until after the song had ended when his soul re-entered his body and found that instead of standing center stage as usual, now he was beside Willow watching her end the song. Was he... dancing? He shuffled his feet as he watched Willow swiftly move her fingers, feeling like the music was now making the colors brighter, creating an aura around Willow inspired by his words. He was so mesmerized, he also didn’t hear the rest of the band calling for him until Willow redirected his attention.

“Wow! That sounded great Hunter!” praised Gus.

“Look who has some moves after all!” Luz laughed.

“Yeah, a major improvement,” agreed Amity. “I could tell you had fun, but next time maybe don’t focus so much on Willow.”

“What? But you said to-.”

“We said interact with her, act like the song as about her, not forget the rest of us were here,” teased Gus.

“I did not-.”

“I stopped playing the whole second chorus and you didn’t even notice,”Amity deadpanned.

“Oh! If we’re doing romantic serenades, I’ve got one I’ve been saving-.” started Luz but Hunter cut her off, lest Willow be made uncomfortable by the implication.

“No! No, it’s just… I’m really good at following directions,” said Hunter, slight panic creeping into his voice. “So next time just be more specific about what I should do. You said to sing to Willow so I did.”

“Well, I liked it,” said Willow brightly. “I think you did perfect Hunter.”

“Really?” said Hunter basfully, twirling the microphone cord. “Uh, thanks. You too.”

“Okay, well let’s take it from the top, and this time try and use the whole stage,”’said Luz, tapping her drumsticks to start them off.

The song quickly became Willow’s new favorite song to play. Even if Hunter never gave a performance like this one again, it was enough to confirm her suspicions. She knew Hunter was a talented singer and a great performer under the right circumstances. But he was not an actor. He could not fake emotion, even on his best day he couldn’t get away with telling even the smallest white lie.

So even though he’d surely blame it on the music and his amazing ability to follow directions, Willow was fairly confident he wouldn’t be able to perform this song while looking into the eyes of anyone else.

She made sure it was a permanent addition to the set list.

#huntlow #toh band au #toh #winter toh #willow park #hunter wittebane #the owl house

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