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aesopsharpmybeloved · 7 months

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Echoes of Yuletide

A look into the life of Aesop Sharp, his family, friends, and the Christmas he spent with and without them. And, of course the love that brought back his ✨spark✨.

I would be desperately lost without my consultant, partner in crime, and brilliant friend @tea-withjamandbread

Yay, I managed to finish the Christmas fic before actual Christmas!

Echoes of Yuletide (10k words)

tw: parent death, best friend death, mourning/grief, child loss (implied), sexual content (mentioned), past alcohol abuse, teacher-student relationship (reader is an adult)

Aesop Sharp loved Christmas.

That is, he was absolutely crazy about them as a small child. It was never just about the presents (though those were a big plus), but it seemed that time in December was filled with nothing but happiness and cheer. Willow Creek, where he and his parents lived, was normally never as bright as it was during this time. It was a small village, and life there was slow. Nobody was ever in a rush to get anywhere, and there was always time to spare to to chat up the neighbours, as his dad and mum were so fond of doing, there was always time to go check out what the local greengrocer had on stock, ad there was always time to take a walk through the village green, to sit and just watch as life around happened, leisurely and calmly.

During the time of Yuletide, however, the whole village lit up in a flurry of colours and cheer, and everybody was rushing. Rushing to see as many people, to sing carols at as many houses as possible. It was a pleasant kind of rush. People decorated not only their homes, but the entire hamlet as well, and once the sun had set in the afternoon, Aesop always marvelled at the brilliant sight. There were candles and oil lamps burning with coloured flames upon every house, a wreath on every door, and some people even had fairies suspended around garlands for their ethereal multicoloured glow.

“Are they charmed? To stay where they are, I mean.” Aesop would ask his mother, as he didn’t think he himself would be too thrilled about the prospect of just standing or fluttering around, stuck in one place outside in the cold of winter. “No, dear,” Magdala Sharp would answer, “fairies are very vain little creatures, they enjoy being used as decorations, as they get to be looked at and admired.”

Aesop soon decided the fairies indeed were quite full of themselves, as when he offered one of them a crumb from his gingerbread man, the fairy did eat it, but then proceeded to stick its tongue out at him and blow him a raspberry.

The Sharp household was always much jollier than usual too. That is, it was always jolly - his father’s little jokes never failed to leave him giggling, and even his mum, who always rolled eyes at her husband good-naturedly, offered a chuckle from time to time at the puns Theodore Sharp said. During Christmas, however, his father was the most cheerful Aesop had seen him, and his enthusiasm was more than a little contagious. His mum wore beautiful dresses and jumpers every day, and made Aesop hot cocoa whenever he asked for it. His dad would show him how to sneakily pinch the freshly baked Christmas biscuits, and how to quickly dodge the spatula if caught in the act. His parents would dance around the living room together to the rhythm of whatever carol Theodore sang.

“Easy on the mead and eggnog, dear, we wouldn’t want you to take down the tree because you were a bit too frivolous in spinning me!” Aesop’s mum would warn, but the Muggle always only laughed harder and spun her faster.

It seemed like normal life actually stopped during this time - there was only the smell of vanilla and cinnamon, combined with the earthy scent of their Christmas tree, beautifully decorated by his parents and him without magic. There were slow evenings spent by the fire in their living room, where he’d roast apples or chestnuts to snack on, while his parents lay curled up together on the sofa, talking among themselves so softly, Aesop barely heard them.

And then, when he’d wake up on Christmas morning, it was still a little dark outside as the excitement wouldn’t let him sleep a minute longer than necessary. He’d run down the stairs to find a neat pile of presents wrapped in colourful paper and bound with strings and ribbons left under the tree. He’d return up the stairs, and quietly enter his parents bedroom to crawl between their sleeping forms on the bed. “Mummy,” he’d whisper in his high little voice barely able to contain his joy, “Daddy! Wake up, Father Christmas was here!”

His mum would wake up quicker than his father, but both would eventually indulge him and go downstairs to see what they’ve been given, but not before taking turns tickling the child for having woken them up so early. And as Aesop cheerfully played with his new toys, he was faintly aware of his parents watching him with content smiles on their faces, huddled together on dad’s large armchair, drinking their morning tea and trying not to succumb to the seductive pull of slumber.

If he knew it would be the last Christmas they spent like this, Aesop wouldn't have woken them when he came into their room. No, he’d cuddle up to his dad, and he would just hold him while he slept, because eight months later, his father was stabbed while at work by a robber trying to escape, and left for dead.

Hearing his mother’s anguished cries when she was told the news would haunt him for the rest of his life.

And yet, after that first night, which he too spent sobbing uncontrollably into his pillow, he never saw his mother cry for dad again. That is, he knew she cried at the Funeral, but she made little to no sound, and her tears weren’t visible behind the black weil she wore over her face.

Aesop cried a lot, and he cried often, and Magdala would hold him close to her, shush him, and comfort him, but she wouldn’t tear up. And even then, Aesop understood that it wasn’t because she wasn’t sad about losing dad, but rather because she didn’t want her son to be even sadder than he already was. Aesop knew she was suffering like he - she lost weight and grew pale, and she’d sigh more than he ever heard her sigh, and wistfully look at the places her husband would sit, as well as the unfinished tree house he began building for Aesop. Aesop would often come into his parents bedroom at night to sleep next to his mother, and breathe in his father’s smell that lingered upon the pillows and the blankets. He even snuck a few of father’s shirts into his room.

The bedroom next to his own used to have a crib and a rocking chair in it, and he used to see mum going there quite often before dad passed. Shortly after the funeral, the room became empty, and Aesop never saw his mother come near it anymore.

Aesop Sharp, once a happy, cheerful, delightfully mischievous young child now spent the majority of his days silent under the crushing weight of his father’s death.

He knew justice was served in the end, but it offered him little comfort.

“Sweetheart?” Magala said one day. Aesop didn’t answer, but looked up at his mother from the book he was practising his reading on, “The man who hurt your daddy confessed to what he did. And he was punished for it.” He didn’t say anything. In a way, he was glad the man would be punished, but in the end, no punishment would ever bring his father back.

It was the first time he regretted his father wasn’t a wizard - his mother would always say that it didn’t matter whether a person was a wizard or a muggle, because all that mattered was if they were a good one, and his dad was the best man Aesop ever knew. But if he had been a wizard, he surely wouldn't have died, Aesop was sure of it.

For the first time in his life, Aesop wasn’t looking forward to the colourful lights, nor the jolly wreaths, not even the rude but pretty fairies. They had no tree, Magdala baked no biscuits, nobody sang carols. He didn’t even want cocoa. He still found a few presents in their living room after he woke up on the 25th, but instead of playing with the soft stuffed Niffler, or the new set of Gobstones, he just took the new throw blanket he recognised as his mum’s knitting project, and once again curled up in dad’s spot on his parents’ bed to sleep some more.

The one gift he wanted he knew he could never have.

—

The young boy was grateful for the change of scenery that summer. The coolness of Gwydir forest calmed him, its utter peace helping quiet down the storm inside his heart. For the first time, he wasn’t looking forward to their neighbour’s children coming back from Hogwarts in hopes they’d play with him, despite being quite older than him. He mostly just wanted to be alone.

But then he met Ashley.

One sunny July day, Apollonia Chadwick, whom he called ‘aunt Chaddy’ even though she wasn’t a sister of either of his parents, came back from the small village nearby followed by a girl, who looked to be the same age as Aesop. She had straw coloured hair and azure eyes that seemed to be sparkling a little bit. She and Aesop shook hands awkwardly, and she offered to show him around, share with him the secret adventuring spots she discovered in the woods.

And Aesop was sad to go home when summer ended, as he didn’t want to leave the girl who became his best friend over the two months.

Ashley lost her mum a year ago, mum and a baby sister, and the two children bonded over their shared grief in losing someone so vital in their lives. They spent the summer running through the woods together and having their own little adventures. Aesop found a true friend in her, found himself gravitating to the young girl who, even under the weight of her sorrow, was one of the most brilliant, and contagiously energetic people he ever met.

“At least the bad man was punished, isn’t that good?” she’d ask one afternoon as they sat in his aunt’s little garden, snacking on fresh strawberries Magdala brought them earlier. “I suppose…” Aesop would reply, not really knowing whether it was good or bad.

“I think people should be punished when they’re bad… aren’t you punished after you’ve been bad?”

“I am. Mum sits me down and asks me to think about why what I did was wrong.” “And bad people should be too. They especially.” “That’s what dad did, you know,” Aesop confessed. He didn’t truly speak about his father that often, not even with mum. It was just too painful a topic. It was a little easier with Ashley. He actually felt a little better, talking about it. “He’d catch bad people so that they’d be punished, and he’d protect the good.” “I want to do that too when I grow up,” she grinned at him proudly, standing up to further prove her point. “You want to be a policewoman?”

“A poli-what? Oh, right, that’s the Muggle job!” Ashley said, and Aesop flushed. He forgot Ashley was from an entirely wizard family. “No, I want to be an Auror. So yes, pol-... pole-... whatever you said, but with magic. Don’t you?” “D-don’t I what?”

“Don’t you want to be an Auror? Catch bad people and help the good. Like your dad, except using spells.” “I-... I don’t know. Maybe?” Aesop thought. It never once occurred to him. He was too little, he’d have to wait and grow up before he could become an Auror. Would he want to become an Auror? He admired his father, and thought the world of him for trying to make the world a safer place. Would he be proud of Aesop, if he decided to follow in his footsteps, though in magical settings? Aesop liked helping people, it wouldn’t be exactly a bad thing to have helping and protecting people as his job.

“You have to be really tough to be an Auror though, I don’t know if you have what it takes…” “Of course I have what it takes to be an Auror!” Aesop looked at her offendedly, finding the girl’s eyes sparkling more than he ever saw them. He didn’t even know why he was so offended, seeing as he only just now found out that he could one day do what his pa did, but he didn’t like the tone of Ashley’s voice, like she didn't believe that Aesop was tough enough to be able to be a wizarding world policeman.

“Oh, really?” she asked with a wild grin, her voice still awfully smug and teasing. The lad puffed out his chest: “I have what it takes to be a brilliant Auror. Just wait, you’ll see!”

—

He and Ashley would write each other letters throughout the entire year, with the help from their respective parents of course. The art of masterfully wielding a quill still escaped Aesop somewhat, but his reading was getting better and better. And when possible, Ahsley’s father would bring her round to spend the weekend over at Sharps’.

“This place is huge!” she’d say the first time she visited, eyes as big as saucers. Aesop was giving her a tour while his mum and Mr Montgomery talked in the dining room over a cup of tea. “ I mean, our house isn’t small, but this place is really something else, like you could live here with your grandparents and there’d still be enough room. Do you really live here with your mum alone?” Aesop only shrugged. He didn’t have grandparents. That is, he knew his mum did have a mum and a dad of her own, but they never visited or spoke much. Mum said her parents didn’t agree on her marrying a Muggle as a pure-blood witch. Dad didn’t talk about his parents much as they both passed before Aesop was born. He only told the young lad that Grandma Sharp was kind, and knew how to make the perfect risotto, and that Grandpa Sharp used to be a gamekeeper, but that was about it. It was a large house, but only now Aesop realised just how large it truly was. And how empty.

“Yes. I was supposed to have a baby brother or sister, though.”

Ashley thought for a little bit.

“I was supposed to have a little sister too, I told you that. I was looking forward to her too, even though I didn’t know if it would be a boy or girl back then, dad only told me after… I was just happy someone would play with me,,” Aesop wanted to hug his friend. He knew she was very strong, but whenever she spoke about her family, the light in her eyes would dim. He hated seeing it. “Maybe we could pretend that you’re my brother and I’m your sister,” she offered, a sparkle returning to those eyes momentarily, and her voice was slightly hopeful.

Aesop didn’t understand how that’d be possible, considering they lived hundreds of miles away from each other, and his mother and her dad weren’t particularly close. But as he watched his friend’s growingly excited expression, saw the gleam in her pretty eyes, he found himself smiling back at her: “Alright. I’ll be your brother.”

“Then it’s a deal!”

—

Aesop was surprised to find a colourful garland adorning his windowsill one morning in December. Snow descended softly upon the prickly fir needles and the elegant, silky red ribbons. Soon, the scent of vanilla and cinnamon filled his nostrils and he sighed. In a way, he was happy, he missed the lovely smell and the pretty colours, but deep within his chest a dull ache remained. In just his nightshirt, he made his way to the kitchen, where his mother was only just pulling out a tray of gingerbread men out of the oven.

“Hello, my sweet,” she’d chirp at him with a small smile, quickly followed by a good-natured click of her tongue. “Go get changed, Aesop, it’s quite chilly here. We wouldn’t want you catching a cold and spending Christmas troubled by fever, would we? You can have a few of these after they've cooled down a little.”

And so the young boy changed into his warm clothes, and once more joined his mother downstairs. They shared a breakfast of hot chocolate and the slightly cooled down biscuits. “Mr Pruitt was so nice to bring a Christmas tree for us. It’s outside in the garden, we can bring it in and decorate it later,” Magdala spoke between sips. Aesop knew her cheerful voice was not entirely real, knew that she was hurting just like him.

But she was trying so hard for him. It was only fair that he tried for her too.

So he smiled at her softly: “Alright, mum.”

The Christmas they had wasn’t the same as it was when dad was there. There was no dancing, and he and mum sang their carols quietly. Aunt Chaddy came around, bringing Ashley with her for a few days. The house smelled heavenly, and Magdala made hot cocoa for Aesop and Ashley whenever they asked for it. The two children helped her and Chaddy bake more cookies, cook meals and even offered to cut some wood for the hearth. Unsurprisingly however, his mother wasn’t too keen on letting six year olds swing around with an axe. Still, in a way, it was a nice time. They walked around the village, admired the lights, and Aesop fed some more gingerbread crumbs to the fairies, though only one of them gave him a smile instead of sticking its tongue out at him or making a rude face.

He and Ashley played every day she was there, and Aesop was actually excited to show her his own adventuring spots. She’d call Aesop her brother when nobody could hear, like it was some big secret nobody could ever find out about. It amused him greatly, but he had to admit that he truly loved Ashley as if she was a part of his family, as if she really was his sister.

Chaddy stayed with them the entire holidays, and Aesop was actually glad to hear her and mum talking late into the night all the way from his bedroom. It’s not that he wasn’t happy to be with just his mum, but ever since Ashley pointed out just how large the house truly was, Aesop was unable to ignore it. The sound of his mum’s and aunt’s muted laughter was infinitely better than the complete silence.

And on Christmas morning he’d descend the stairs to find a pile of presents under their pretty fir tree. He patiently waited for his mother and aunt to wake and come downstairs as well before opening them, though, save for a single one he recognised as a gift from Ashley. The girl sent him a very obviously self-made Auror badge (which actually spelled AUЯOЯ), but it brought a huge grin to Aesop’s face anyway. Having talked more about it, the lad decided that he really did want to become one, so that he could protect people and catch the bad guys. Like his dad.

He showed it to his mother after she finally joined him in the living room, but the dark-eyed woman didn’t comment on it, only smiled at him a little sadly.

The next Christmases were quite similar, except they’d go to his aunt’s house to celebrate them, so that Aesop and Ashley could play more. His mother was more than happy to do so, as taking care of the two young troublemakers left her with nearly no time to think about Theodore. The house wasn’t quiet when the little rascals were around and she was glad for it. As years flew by, the children’s adventures became more daring, and they owled another every other day they weren’t together, and would openly address each other as brother and sister in their letters, now written solely by them.

Aesop helped his mother as best as he could, he aided in decorating the tree, and he tried his best to wrap the few small presents he had for his family and friends as nicely as he could.

And even though their Christmases were lovely, filled with delicious food and drinks, illuminated by bright, colourful lights, and full of the sounds of jingle bells and faintly sung carols, there was just something missing. The ‘spark’ that the holidays once held was gone. The memory of a world bathed in golden light, sparkling in its brilliance served as a constant reminder to Aesop that he’ll never again hear the sound of his father’s laughter as he spins his mother around the living room and kitchen, or tells another horrible joke.

And as he and Ashley began attending Hogwarts, he made peace with the fact that Christmas will never again be his happiest time of the year. He was still fond of it, though, and he always looked forward to going home for the break, to enjoy his mother’s delectable turkey and sugary Christmas pudding. The thought of staying at the castle for Christmas he didn’t even dare to entertain, as much as he loved Hogwarts in winter, draped in its elegant snowy coat.

—

And then, only a few years after he finished his education and set out to finally begin his career as an Auror along with Ashley, his present for Christmas left him gaping at his mother.

“W-what do you mean you ‘wrote the house on me’?” the Auror in training stuttered. “I meant what I said, child. I have grown rather tired of the two of you sneaking about like I don’t know Dinah comes by to spend the night,” Magdala Sharp replied, calmly sipping on her tea. Dinah Hecat wasn’t one to blush easily, but even she wasn’t completely resistant to the Sharp matron’s unabashed words. The two of them had been seeing each other romantically for several years now, their relationship having begun when both of them were still at school. Dinah was his match in both wit and power, and Aesop was absolutely mad for her.

“I have simply decided that it’s time to get myself something a little smaller, and leave the house in your care. I was sure you’d jump at the prospect of more privacy…” “Well, yes, but not by kicking you out of your own home!” “Nobody is kicking me out, dear,” His mother let out a long-suffering sigh, as if Aesop was the one who was behaving foolishly now. He wasn’t, was he? His mother just told him she’d be leaving the house where she spent half of her life, and leaving him there. “I am going on my own… I know you were looking into flats and houses for rent, I understand you want to become independent, and I wish you well in the endeavour. But this house truly is too big for one person, especially an ageing person like myself.” Aesop however heard what his mother didn’t say. She didn’t want to stay all alone in the house, husband dead and son someplace far. The emptiness would eat her alive. Aesop, however, could live here with Dinah. “This house holds many happy old memories,” she said then, as if reading his thoughts, “It’s time for it to get some new ones too, I think. Besides, it’s not like I’ll be at the other end of the world, the flat I bought is quite a short way from here.”

Aesop blinked. “You already BOUGHT a flat? How- When-”

“Oh dear, you really should grow more observant, you won’t be a very good Auror like this…”

—

The next several years were possibly the happiest in Aesop's life since his father passed. He became a fully fledged Auror, and he was making a name for himself as one of the most capable ones too. He was ecstatic to find that Ashley would be his partner - they did it. They made their childhood dream too. Ashley actually completed the recruitment programme before Aesop, and never failed to find an opportunity to tease him about it. And while everyone else saw her laughing at his morose face after she poked at his pride some more, nobody saw her embracing him with the words ‘Congratulations, brother.’

Dinah meanwhile was climbing the ministry ladder with all the elegance and ease of a cat. She truly did move in with him shortly after the house fully became Aesop’s own, and they were rather successful in learning to run their little household. The couple grew fairly proficient in balancing their jobs, their home life and their social life. Aesop met up with his buddies and colleagues at a pub every now and then, and Dinah would occasionally spend an evening out with her friends. Ashley would come around often for a free dinner. That is, she'd pay for the dinner by checking up on the plants the couple had in their garden - neither Dinah nor Aesop have ever been overly proficient in Herbology.

And during Christmas time, the house was lively as Aesop never saw it. Friends gathered over to spend the holidays with the young couple, his mother and her family would come for lunch on the 26th, and they’d go out to visit people as well. And then, when the two of them were finally left to their own devices, Dinah would convince her sweetheart to leave the mess and dirty dishes the way they were, and follow her to bed - he still had a present to unwrap, after all.

For a few years, Aesop felt like the ‘spark’ was back. He looked forward to Christmas. He looked forward to taking some time away from work, to taking his sweetheart shopping in London, to eating out in fine restaurants when they didn't want to cook. He looked forward to seeing her when he woke up, and he looked forward to seeing her when he came home from work.

Life was good.

—

And then it wasn't.

Aesop had been worried Dinah was going to give him the boot for some time now, but when she finally did… He found himself torn. He still loved her a lot, and he was feeling utterly miserable after she told him that she didn’t want to be his sweetheart anymore. However, a part of him deep down knew that she was right.

They barely had any time for each other these days… No, that was a lie. They both worked as much as they worked two years ago, maybe even less, actually. The problem was that they stopped making time for the two of them. Dinah didn’t indicate that she’d like him to ask for her hand in marriage, and Aesop never did so. Instead of going home after work, Aesop would pop into a pub with a colleague or two, and Di would spend long extra hours in her job doing extra research nobody asked her for. When one of them came home, the other was usually long asleep. They still kissed and they made love, and that was lovely, but other than that… other than that it felt like they were roommates, rather than a couple. The picnic basket they readied on the kitchen counter in May still stood there in September, because there simply ‘wasn’t the time’.

Both of them cried the evening they decided to separate, and they were both nearly ready to take it all back after that first night. The Auror had no idea how the pair of them managed to resist the want to just go back to how things were. It seemed so much better than the anxiety of the unknown. He himself didn’t know what adult life was like without Dinah, and it scared him.

Yet, Aesop insisted on being a gentleman and let the young woman have the bed while he slept on the couch until she found a new place to live. He actually even offered to vacate the house entirely, but Dinah insisted she was not going to throw him out of his own home.

Several nights in the row, the Auror was woken by his now former lover in the middle of the night to find her unsure and doubtful. Both of them knew that they craved the comfort of one another’s arms, but at the same time realised that stepping onto the sinking ship would mean to drown.

It got a little easier after she finally found her own flat.

He made her keep the key - she was still one of his closest friends, his home was hers whenever she needed it. It was the longest time they hadn’t seen each other. Ashley was there for Aesop during the entire time, offering kind glances and comforting touches, but also horrible jokes that made her partner roll his eyes. The few times he met Dinah during this time, be it passing one another at the Ministry, or accidentally bumping into each other at Diagon Alley, were a little awkward, but the pair always gave each other a smile and a soft greeting, and that was that. It wasn’t until the Christmas ball of the Ministry of Magic did they truly talk to one another again, but surrounded by so many other people, some friends included, things got less and less awkward, and they started meeting up more after that, this time only as friends.

Aesop spent the holidays on his own that year. There was no large feast, no turkey nor Christmas pudding, but it was alright. Aesop had himself a light, solitary dinner at his undecorated home, followed by a few drinks, and he was asleep before midnight. He stopped by his mum’s flat the next day, and also Ashley’s home. It was the first year she and her girlfriend spent the holidays together, and Aesop had the rare opportunity to tease his best friend about being a sappy, sentimental sod. When Christina wasn’t looking, Ash gave him the two finger salute, making him snort with amusement.

Aesop actually felt quite alright to spend some time on his own, his previous relationship having left him quite unwilling to give his heart to somebody else so soon. However, that didn’t mean his bed was always empty. After all, he was young and not entirely bad looking, and an Auror on top of that. There was always a pretty young lady wanting to make his acquaintance a bit more intimately, and who was he to say no to that. Ashley didn’t really comment on his short, little affairs, only occasionally inquiring whether he didn’t think to give at least one of those girls more of a chance to get to know him.

“The ginger one, with the wide-set hips, she seemed nice.” “She was very nice.” “Will you meet her again?” “Possibly. London is not that big, it’d be strange if I never saw her in my life again.”

Ashley rolled her eyes and huffed.

—

The young Auror was called into St Mungo’s one day to find a woman he almost didn’t recognise at first. But as he looked into her brown eyes, took in her hairstyle and the features of her wrinkled face, there was no doubt.

“What the bloody hell happened, Di?” he breathed out, sinking to sit on the bed at her feet. The beautiful brunette, a year his junior, looked like an older lady of at least 60 years, her once chestnut hair dark grey, her once smooth cheeks riddled by lines, her hands, once so soft and youthful, were ones of an old woman.

He held his past lover to him as she cried her poor eyes out, and when the time came for her to be dismissed from the wizarding hospital, there was absolutely no doubt as to where Dinah would be staying for the foreseeable future. Aesop just took it as a done thing, and she didn’t argue. She refused to let him stay home with her the whole day, however.

“I am old, Aesop, not an invalid. I can take care of myself for a few hours.” “I don’t want you to be alone…” Dinah would be quiet for the longest time.

“Did you… did you tell your mother?”

“I did.” “Then I doubt I’ll be alone for long…” She was right of course. Magdala Sharp arrived mere minutes before he left for the office, to be there for her former potential daughter-in-law. The two of them always got on like a house on fire, and were a little too willing to poke fun at him together. Today, however, Aesop was happy about it, as his mother’s words finally brought a genuine smile to the Unspeakable’s face.

“He’s coddling you and refuses to leave you alone, isn’t he. As you can see, dear, we’re two grown up ladies here, you may be on your merry way.”

He knew his mother was long gone when he came back, despite the fact that he left work earlier than he had in months. Dinah was curled up on the sofa, reading one of his silly Muggle detective books, an empty teacup on the little table. Noiselessly, Aesop kneeled next to the sofa and laid a hand upon her knee, just holding it there. Neither of them spoke for a long time, but then.

“You know you can stay here, right? Stay with me, I’d take care of you. I’d marry you too, gladly. It doesn’t matter what you look like, I still think you’re beautiful,” Aesop said quietly, bringing his friend’s hand to his lips for emphasis. Dinah merely clicked her tongue at him: “Stop being an idiot, Aesop. Just because you haven’t been seriously seeing anyone for a while doesn’t matter that your dreams changed. I know you want someone to start a family with, have children… I didn’t want them before, but now I most likely can’t even have them. I don’t want you to tie yourself to me out of pity, or, Merlin forbid, because you feel like you have to. I am not your responsibility and you don’t owe me anything - I knew all sorts of things could happen when I took the job, and it was a risk I took..”

“I want to help you. Not out of pity, but because I love you.” “And I love you, dear. But there’s nothing you can do. I am grateful to you for letting me stay. I am not going to lie and insult your intelligence by saying I’m not glad not to have to bear this on my own, but do you know me as someone who wouldn’t get back up after having been put down?”

“No…” Aesop sighed, “no, not you.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll get used to it. And you - you will find a lovely girl and make her your wife. And I’ll be there to poke fun at you in front of her and the children you’ll have with her.”

“Sounds… sounds great.”

—

Dinah stayed with him for a few weeks, and Aesop was amazed how well they still worked together, though they were no longer lovers. Aesop conjured up a large, comfortable bed for her in one of the empty rooms upstairs, he cooked for the two of them, or just brought home some sandwiches from this and that bakehouse he currently frequented, while Dinah stayed home and made sure he only ever walked around in clean clothes, and that the house was tidy. They’d spend their evenings in the living room, reading and sharing a few glasses of something strong, before retiring to their own rooms to sleep.

Aesop was quite sad to see her go, but the former Unspeakable insisted that despite her ailment, she just wasn’t able to stop working and enjoy the ministry pension just yet. Once more, Aesop was alone in the large house. Dinah still visited, and so did Ashley and her now fiancée, as well as some other friends, not to mention his mother, but at night Aesop was all alone, falling asleep to the empty house settling.

—

And then he met Mary.

She started out as one of his one-night acquaintances, but soon it became obvious she was not going to let the Auror go so easily. After a few more meetings and a few more nights spent with her, Aesop decided that she was a pretty alright woman, and he supposed that it wasn’t exactly a punishment to be with her. He didn’t really court her the way he courted Dinah, he wasn’t being terribly romantic. He did take her out to eat, and he got her the occasional flower, and that was enough for her. She warmed his bed proficiently, if not his heart, and he didn’t mind letting her tag along with him whenever he attended some sort of formal gathering.

It was quite an on-and-off relationship, though. There were some evenings Aesop wanted to spend by himself and she was rather quick to take offence. He never tried to stop her from walking out on him, but found himself sending a box of chocolates or a bouquet of flowers to her work the very next week, which was enough to placate her and get her back into his arms.

He didn’t want to spend Christmas with her either, which was something she took rather harshly every year. It was nothing against her, really, she was pleasant enough, but after the several beautiful years he spent with Dinah, he knew he’d be comparing the two ladies, and neither of them deserved that. It wasn't even like he was doing anything special either. He sent a few presents to friends and colleagues, a bottle of some strong liquor to his boss, and several cards. Like the past few years, he spent Christmas Eve by himself, eating a simple dinner and drinking a glass (or four) of Firewhisky, turned in early, then visited his mum and friends on Christmas day. And then, on the 27th, he’d send Mary some lovely present, a piece of jewellery or a smart accessory, something nice that’d convince her to forgive him, and spend New Years’ with him.

It wasn’t love, but it was alright.

—

And then his entire life changed.

On a cold, dreary day in January, he and Ashley found themselves in a harbour in Scarborough, and neither of them knew that they wouldn't be leaving. Not on their own at least.

Aesop cried rivers at the funeral, his throat sore from all the uncontrollable sobbing he’d done in the previous days. He wasn’t even able to stand and honour the girl who had been his best friend for almost twenty five fucking years. His sister. He wasn’t able to look her wife and son in the eye. Christina touched his shoulder, she tried to embrace him, tried telling him that she doesn’t hold it against him. That she knew he did his best.

But he had not.

He left Ashley there by herself, chasing after their suspect when he should’ve stayed glued to her bloody side. He should’ve protected her. He should’ve saved her. It was so unfair, if anything, he should’ve been the one to die. Ashley had a wife, and she had a child, she should’ve lived, she should’ve remained around to be there for her family. And because of Aesop, she was lying in her coffin, looking like a lot of things, but definitely not asleep. She looked dead. Her cheeks sunk in, and her skin was ashen. Her eyes were closed. She was dead, and Aesop knew it was his fault.

It served him right to be in so much physical pain he couldn’t even sleep.

They wheeled him straight back to St Mungo’s after the funeral.

People came by to see him. His mother. Dinah. Abraham Ronen too, whom Aesop hasnt seen for a few years at that point. A few colleagues, and even his boss. Mary. She cried, sitting by his side. She wasn’t the only one who cried as they sat next to him. Mother alone cried harder than he ever really saw her. She cried harder than she cried at dad’s funeral, that he knew. Mary’s crying had been the most uncomfortable one, though. He asked the healers not to let her in again.

And when she’d show up at his house after they released him weak and limping, seeing him off with a ‘We apologise, Mr Sharp, but we cannot heal your leg, not at the moment at least’, Aesop didn’t open the door for her. She pleaded, and cried, and begged, and threatened, and Aesop didn’t even wheel himself to that bloody front door. He actually thought he was doing her a service. What would she even do with him? He was in so much pain, he couldn’t even… One of the reasons he liked having her in his life was that he liked having her in his bed, and he was pretty fucking certain that was something he was unable to do now, maybe not ever again.

After some time, she stopped coming.

And he started drinking.

It didn’t matter what it was, as long as it packed a punch. He’d drink until he passed out, actually preferring the godawful hangover the next day, as it distracted him from the pain in his leg, in his face… In his broken fucking heart. He was filthy, drunk and half mad when he made an attempt at his life. Dinah’s wrath at his actions descended upon him, and while she screamed at him, furious and fuming and worried to death, in Aesop’s eyes she was an angel on Earth.

He quit drinking, and he finally started using his two bloody feet to get around. It wasn’t easy, his leg still hurt like hell, but Aesop decided to take it as a challenge. Ashley would kick his sorry arse if he never even made an attempt to walk again. Ashley would give him verbal thrashing he’d remember until his dying moment. What would she think if she met looking like he did before Dinah made the decision to pester him until he got better. She wouldn’t even want to be his friend, and definitely not his sister.

Every day he worked so that he could at least pretend that he was someone Ash would waste her time with.

Christina wrote him a card and Aesop considered throwing it out without even reading it, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was ashamed of it, but he was happy Christina and the lad would be leaving to stay with her family in America. He did not celebrate Christmas that year. He actually wanted to drink himself under the table and forget there even was something like Christmas. Dinah was watching him like a hawk though, and actually convinced Abraham and his mother to babysit him whenever she didn’t have time to do it herself, and he was never allowed more than two glasses. He complained about being treated like a child, and while Abraham appeared genuinely apologetic, mum and Dinah would bicker back that he truly was acting like an irresponsible teenager.

However, Aesop was glad in a way. They cared. Despite all that happened, they didn’t give up on him. Aesop wouldn’t have blamed them if they did. But no, one of them was always there with him, willingly listening to his grumpy comments and his self-deprecating tirades. Even though Dinah had her own worries, her own pains, she was absolutely ready to apparate to his house every single day if it meant saving him from drowning himself in booze. So he promised to be good. Abraham was worse, on some days he actually made him laugh. The first time it happened, the sound felt almost unknown to Aesop’s ears. It was most curious…

He asked to be left alone for the holidays, but to no avail. His mother had him stay at her flat. She didn’t decorate, there was no tree, nor Christmas cookies. No turkey and no carols. Aesop felt both glad and sad. Glad not to have been reminded that only a year prior, he was over at Ahsley’s and watched her son open the gift he brought him. However, he was also sad because he knew his mum liked Christmas a lot, and chose not to indulge in them this year on his behalf. Unlike him, she was able to move on. She found her ‘spark’ again. Aesop envied her.

He didn’t even buy her a present. He didn’t buy presents for anybody. And yet he got one from her and from his friends as well. He didn’t open them until next year’s Christmas.

—

It was 1882, and he was the new potions professor at Hogwarts. He walked using his cane, but there were days he felt stable enough to leave it in his rooms. He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but there being dozens of trouble-stirring teenagers around him at nearly all times actually helped him. He didn’t have time to think about Ashley, not to mention her family, when he was busy making sure the students didn't accidentally off themselves inside or outside his class. He suddenly understood why his mother was always so happy to have Ashley there with him. He was kept busy, and he was glad. And whenever he had some time to spare, he spent it deep in the library books, trying to come up with the cure for his leg. His childhood friend would want him to be healthy, Aesop knew that now. Before he realised it, the first snowflakes began falling outside the castle’s windows, and Christmas decorations started appearing throughout the halls.

Has Hogwarts been this festive when he was a student? He could hardly remember. It was difficult to be bitter when the entire school seemed to be sparkling, when the house elves were seemingly intent on making him not fit into his trousers and shirts before the year was done, and when his colleagues were actually being rather brilliant. Well, the Herbology teacher was quite sour. And he decided fairly early on that Headmaster Black was an utter tosser, an opinion that seemed to be shared by the majority of staff. Come to think of it, he was already a tosser when Aesop attended Hogwarts. Di confirmed it for him.

He was glad Dinah was there. And he felt like she was glad he was there too.

The deputy headmistress, he actually reckoned he met at the ministry once, and he absolutely remembered Binns from when he was a student himself, but otherwise it was an entirely new group of people for the former Auror. He got on with Bai Howin quite well, and Chiyo Kogawa, while a little over-obsessed with Quidditch proved to be a quite good conversation partner as well. The magical theory teacher, Eleazar Fig, actually surprised him with his knowledge of the inner goings at the ministry, even offered some information Aesop himself didn’t know, and they’d occasionally share a pint together at the Three Broomsticks.

The holidays were alright. Aesop wasn’t as jolly as he used to be before, but he was able to enjoy himself. He opened his presents from the previous year, and actually sent out his own, only to the few friends he had left. And mother, obviously. When a few colleagues invited him out to the Three Broomsticks, he politely turned them down though. His Christmas Eve was spent in Dinah’s company and the warmth of Firewhiskey. Dinah let him have three glasses now. He’d sometimes indulge more on his own, but she didn’t need to know that. However, as Aesop knew her, she absolutely knew it.

“A little peaky aren’t we today? I certainly hope you’re not coming down with something, dear,” she’d comment on the mornings when it was clearly visible he’d had more than three glasses the previous evening. Otherwise, though, she let him off the hook. He didn’t teach while drunk, and he didn’t cause any further scenes. He also didn’t drink every single day.

The next year, Aesop began exercising more. Despite the many many stairs in the castle, there was a bit more meat on him than he was used to. He discussed with the nurse some exercises safe for him, and was glad to see his metabolism hadn’t turned to complete bollocks over the past few years. He wasn’t as chiselled as he used to be as an Auror, more sinewy and slim now, but he felt strong enough. Despite his bad leg, he felt quite content in his body. He kept himself busy, and more or less healthy, and that was enough of a win for him And it got even better when Abraham joined them.

Aesop found a strange sort of mundane, everyday peace. He’d still have nightmares often during the night, and some days were just plain fucking bad. His leg still hurt like hell, and especially so when he was cold. But he had a routine now, and it kept him functional.

He stopped rejecting his colleagues when they invited him out to the pub, and found the private room there truly wasn’t a bad place to spend an evening in. Especially in his friends’ company.

Most teachers met there on Christmas Eve, talking quietly among themselves, sharing a little toast and wishes for an even better next year. Abraham and Eleazar would depart from them first, both men eager to go home to their wives, then more and more people would retire to either go back to Hogwarts, or apparate to wherever they lived. Moon and Howin would be there the longest, and Moon seldom left on his own two legs. In the end, it’d be just Aesop and Dinah. They’d exchange one last ‘Happy Christmas’ and tip back their drinks, before leaning against one another in pursuit of the nearest Floo flame. It reminded Aesop how it used to be before all this, when both of them were young, when they were healthy.

In his mind, the image of two young, giggling, drunk people formed. They used to be so carefree, so easy to smile and laugh. They’d snog each other senseless, uncaring that they were barely able to keep standing without losing their balance. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Before they’d depart for their own chambers, Aesop would give Dinah a quick, platonic peck on the lips, and she never commented on it.

His hangover the next day forced him to not even go to the Great Hall to eat, and not even Wiggenweld seemed able to fix the damage. He’d only ever emerge to use the loo, and he wouldn’t even bother changing out of his sleeping clothes. The potions master unwrapped his gifts, and hoped the ones he got for his friends and mother would be liked. Like everything else, Christmas became a routine. It wasn’t bad, and there were definitely bright moments, but the one thing missing, that ‘spark’ the holiday held for him when he was a small boy was gone. And Aesop was convinced that it would stay that way. He didn’t mind all that much. Life was alright.

—

Another change happened though…

The change came in the form of a young woman, a Ravenclaw that started her education in Hogwarts as a Fifth-year. Most unusual. But then again, the entire year turned out to be most unusual.

If Aesop never had to attend another funeral, it would be too soon.

He knew this thought was silly. Everyone dies at some point. A thought that both frightened and strangely comforted Aesop. Eleazar hadn’t been a young man, and Aesop knew the teacher had been heart-broken over his wife’s death, understandably so. And yet, as he stood there in his dark robes and watched his colleague being lowered into the ground in a coffin, he allowed himself a few tears. Eleazar Fig was a good man, and while Aesop only just began uncovering what truly transpired between him and the Ravenclaw and whole-heartedly disagreed on several choices Fig made, the truth was that he was still far better than many people Aesop ever met.

Fig’s protege definitely seemed to think so, as she quietly sobbed her poor eyes out. It occurred to Aesop that she maybe felt like he felt when his father died. Which was a feeling he wouldn’t wish on anyone, truly.

He never expected how close the two of them would grow when he reached out to her.

And close they grew.

—

The very next year, the teacher was frankly surprised to find an extra present for him at the foot of his bed. He was once again miserably hungover and deeply regretting the amount of drinks he had the previous night. It was even worse than last year. Maybe he was just getting old. Next to the little parcels he recognised were from his mum, from Abe, and from Di, stood another one. It was wrapped in simple brown paper, tied up with strings, and decorated with a small twig from a pine tree and a few holly berries. Aesop had a suspicion as to who was the sender, but he struggled to believe it.

Students didn’t often send gifts to their teachers, not even the popular ones like Mirabel or Abraham himself. And yet, it would seem Aesop was a recipient of one this year. How curious. It was only fair, he supposed, given the fact that he sent her a present as well… He still didn’t know just why he did so… except he kind of did.

She was the first person in many years to whom he opened up, actually opened up. His colleagues knew him to a certain degree, but he was never comfortable discussing something too deep with them. He’d be careful about difficult subjects even with Dinah. And yet, here came this young woman, and he felt comfortable telling her things he hadn’t spoken of out loud for years. Or was it a decade already? Aesop didn't know. The Ravenclaw was… she was his friend. She was kind and brilliant. And she understood. She didn’t judge him, and she never once walked out on him. And he in turn supported her. He’d be there whenever he knew she felt troubled, and he was certain he was also the one she opened up to the most. It felt nice.

He grinned when he unveiled his gift.

It was a set of inks of various colours, inks meant for drawing. Aesop showed her his little workshop, and she seemed genuinely fascinated with his interest in art. She commented on many of his pieces, and the teacher honestly felt proud to be a recipient of her praise. It was a thoughtful gift and he was grateful. He only hoped she would like the journal he bought for her. A warm emotion spread within his core, and his heart sped up a little bit, as if fearful to admit it was even there. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on the feeling too much, as it was scary and it was new. Not entirely new. But Aesop hadn’t felt it in so long, it might as well have been the first ever time.

He didn’t stay in his chambers the whole day like he usually would.

Strengthened by a couple of Wiggenwelds and a long shower to wash the stench of booze away, he managed to make himself presentable and actually made it to the Great Hall for lunch. He still felt like shit, and he stumbled slightly more than normally, but it was worth it for him in the end.

The moment she saw him, the Ravenclaw beamed, stood up and approached him.

“Hello, sir. Happy Christmas,” she extended her right hand for him to take, and Aesop did so with a smile, shaking it softly, yet with a firm grip. “Happy Christmas, Miss. I hope my present didn’t make you uncomfortable.” She shook her head vehemently: “Of course not, sir. It's very lovely and thoughtful, and I adore the drawing you did. It’s one of my most favourite places in the castle.”

“I remember you mentioning so. I’m glad you like it. I am very grateful for the set of inks, I’ll certainly use them often. Although I implore you not to waste so much money on your potions master.”

“It’s not money wasted in my opinion, sir. If the gift made you happy, it’s money I was glad to spend…” she got quiet for a little while and so did Aesop. They looked at each other quietly for a few moments, and the professor didn’t notice his heart beating slightly faster. She finally cleared her throat: “I’m sorry, sir, I mustn’t keep you from your lunch, you are surely hungry.” She’d give him a small wave and a smile, and go back to her seat while he made his way over to the High table.

Dinah would be sitting there, definitely quite peaky. He’d give her a teasing grin, one that she wouldn’t return.

“Look at you. One would think you had a glass too many last night, Di,” he teased.

“I feel better about how I look, now that I see you,” she bit back, making Aesop chuckle genuinely.

“Happy Christmas, Dinah.” “Happy Christmas, dear.”

—

Aesop Sharp, a former Auror and a potions master known for his quick wit, that was as sharp as his name, sat in his chair gaping like a stuffed squirrel. The young woman with whom he grew so close over the last two years looked at him nervously.

She just confessed her love for him.

Aesop’s been in love with her for months, he felt he was slowly going mad from how much he longed for her, how much he yearned to close his arms around her and kiss her silly, but he never once allowed himself to hope that she’d ever return his feelings. And yet here she was, saying those three words he was desperate to hear from her lips for so long. It felt surreal. It was Christmas Eve of 1893, and Aesop was considering pinching himself, fully expecting to wake up in his bed, alone.

He looked deep into her eyes, searching for any hint that she wasn’t being truthful, but he found none. He stood up swiftly, startling the poor girl. His heart beat hard and fast, and he was aware of his cheeks warming up under the weight of her revelation, but he felt determined not to keep her waiting for her answer.

“Aesop,” he blurted out instead.

“I’m sorry?” “I-I should have asked you to call me Aesop ages ago,” he admitted, his hand moving to her soft cheek on its own accord.

“Darling girl…”

A sound made him look up. Above the two of them, a few twigs of mistletoe swirled into existence.

“There is nothing more I’d wish than to have you by my side,” he said truthfully as he gathered the young woman into his embrace. And then she kissed him, and Aesop’s brain gave out. There was nothing but her at that moment. Nothing but the feeling of her slight body against his own, nothing but her intoxicating scent, nothing but the sweetness of wine upon her lips, and underneath that was the taste of her, and Aesop knew at that moment that he was desperately addicted to it.

And then, the world exploded into a flurry of lights and colours. Life lit up behind Aesop's eyelids, brighter than any Christmas lights he ever saw, and at that exact moment he felt it. He finally felt the spark that he felt was lost forever. It was right there, within his tender hold, and it shone, and sparkled, and it burned, warming his entire body up.

He moaned quietly into her mouth and pulled her even closer.

Her hands were in his hair and her body trembled in his hold under the weight of their emotions, and the culmination of their hidden longing.

A tear rolled out of his closed eye and ran down his weathered cheek, and Aesop Sharp succumbed fully to the happiness that seemed to be bursting through his veins, filling him up entirely. He was home, exactly where he was supposed to be.

Aesop Sharp loved Christmas.

Hello, and thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little story, and if you did, I'll be very grateful for your feedback. You can also check this story and all of my other stories over at my AO3 ❤

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ladyelizabethraven · 1 year

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Shower thought : I think that WB/ Avalanche is missing out by not putting a bit more spotlight on Aesop Sharp. While the Wizarding World is usually focused on teenagers and their adventures, they should at least realize that the ones who have grown up with Harry Potter franchise are already adults by now and, let's face it, even some teenagers will go gaga over a mature, brooding, badass older man.

Even Square Enix is now taking a share of the DILF market in FFXVI's Clive. And those were the guys who once thought that FFXII's Basch won't appeal to their audience because he's too old and was replaced by Vaan. I guess they learned their lesson after FFXV. Gladiolus, Ignis, and Ardyn are such a snack tbh.

#Aesop Sharp #professor sharp #Professor Aesop Sharp #Still salty that there's no official Aesop Sharp merch #Clive is kinda hot too #Hogwarts legacy

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fanartandfanfiction · 10 months

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Siren Songs

Chapter four: Siren on the loose!

——————————————————

Matilda had taught her many things and given her a green slytherin robe so she wouldn’t stick out as much (of course she did anyway, she was a siren, after all) and she was waiting for Ominis to come back.

“Matilda! I-“ the headmaster, Phineas black, stepped into the room and saw the girl sitting across from Matilda. “I didn’t realize you were with a student.” His eyes narrowed at the girl. “You, what’s your name?”

“Naia.” She smiled sweetly at the headmaster, who became slightly flustered.

“Very well, Naia I must speak with professor Weasley. Return to your common room.”

Matilda opened her mouth to protest, and Phineas snapped “she can come back later, let her go.” Naia stepped out into the hallway and looked around. She didn’t like the empty hallway and the moving pictures on the wall scared her. She saw a student go downstairs and decided to follow them.

Downstairs was even more creepy. She saw a door leading to a big room filled with cauldrons. There was an open door in the room, so she cautiously stepped in. There were jars all over the walls with strange things inside. She picked one up and examined it.

Aesop had gone to the restroom and left his office unlocked, a mistake he didn’t usually make because some students (Garreth) liked to steal ingredients.

Sure enough, there was a girl with long blonde hair holding a jar. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

The girl turned around and beamed at him, and he was taken aback by her beauty. “Hi! I’m Naia!”

“That’s wonderful, but what do you think you’re doing in my office?”

“This is your office? Why does it have all this stuff in jars?”

Was this girl daft? He was trying to remember if she’d been in any classes and couldn’t place her. “I’m the potions professor. These are ingredients.”

“Oh! That’s neat!”

“Who are you?” How had this girl gotten here?

“I’m Naia! I live in the black lake, but today I’m a human!”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m a siren! Ominis is my boyfriend. Do you know him?”

“I do, yes. I don’t understand, what do you mean you’re human today?”

“Professor Ronen, I think that’s his name, enchanted my bracelet so I could be a human. And then Garreth took me to Aunt Matilda and she told me not to touch people without asking. What’s on your face?”

“It’s a scar. It’s from an injury.”

“Can I touch it?”

Under any other circumstance he’d say no, but the girl looked so innocent and curious. “I suppose.”

Naia walked over and gently touched the scar on his cheek. “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore.”

“That’s good. You’re a nice man. What’s your name?”

“Aesop Sharp. But the students call me Professor Sharp.”

“Why do they call you that if it’s not your name?”

“It’s my job. I’m a professor, so they call me professor Sharp.”

Naia thought to herself for a moment. “So Aunt Matilda…her job is aunt?”

Aesop chuckled. “No, only Garreth calls her that because she’s his aunt. You would call her professor Weasley.”

“That’s confusing.” She put the jar she’d been holding back on the shelf. “Oh! You have my favorite food!” She picked up a jar filled with seaweed. She took the lid off the jar and took out a piece, munching it happily. “What do humans eat?”

It was so bizarre watching the normal looking girl eating his ingredients. “We eat many different things. How did you end up down here?”

“A man with a mustache told me to leave, I was in Aunt Matilda’s office. The pictures on the wall were looking at me and I didn’t like it. I saw someone come down here so I followed them.”

“Mr. Gaunt is probably looking for you then. Come along, I’ll help you find him.”

“Ok!” She looked at the jar of seaweed. “Can I take a snack? I’m hungry.”

“Yes.” He chuckled as the girl took out another piece of seaweed. He held the door open for her and she walked out, happily munching on her seaweed. He led her out of the classroom and was heading to the stairs when she took his hand. He looked down in shock and she smiled at him.

“You…don’t have to hold my hand.”

“I want to. You’re very nice.”

Aesop felt a bit silly as he held the girl’s hand as they went up the stairs.

“Do you have problems with your legs too? Sometimes I try to move them both at once like my tail and fall down. Walking is hard.”

“Like my face, my leg was injured too. I have difficulty walking sometimes.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes, my leg hurts very much.”

“That’s sad.”

They made it to the top of the stairs and she froze. “I don’t like how they look at me.”

“Hmm?” He noticed all the portraits glaring at her and whispering among themselves. “You all know how to behave yourselves! Stop gossiping before I strike a match!” The portraits all resumed to their positions and ignored them.

“Oh, thank you! They scare me.”

“She could be anywhere!” Ominis was anxiously pacing.

Sebastian waved at Prewett as he walked by. “Have you seen Naia?”

“What? No, Garreth and I left her with professor Weasley earlier.”

“Crap. Who knows where she’ll end up!”

“I’ll get Garreth and we’ll help you look. Don’t worry, Ominis, we’ll find her.” Leander didn’t often get along with the slytherins, but he could see how upset Ominis was. He ran off towards the Gryffindor dorms to find Garreth.

“Where do we even begin?! The castle is huge!”

“Um, the search is over. She’s coming this way.” Sebastian looked with a raised eyebrow.

“What?!”

“She’s holding hands with Professor Sharp.”

“WHAT?”

“Ominis!” Naia ran over and tackled him in a hug. “I got lost!”

“I’m so glad you’re ok.” Ominis held her tightly.

“She was eating seaweed in my office.” Sharp smirked.

“This nice man said he’d help me find you!”

“I trust that you’ll make sure she stays with you this time.” Sharp smiled.

“Thank you for your help!” Naia threw her arms around a terrified looking Sharp, who awkwardly patted her on the head.

“You’re very welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you.” He smiled at the girl and left.

“What happened? You were supposed to stay with professor Weasley!” Ominis was clutching her hands.

“A man with a mustache made me leave.”

“A man with a…oh, the headmaster!” Ominis chuckled.

“You scared the hell out of us, Naia!” Sebastian hugged her.

“I’m sorry! Can we get something to eat? I’m hungry.”

“Of course, love.”

They were sitting in the great hall and Naia was looking at the food on her plate suspiciously. “Just try it.” Ominis encouraged her.

“It’s not green.”

“It’s alright.”

Naia poked the chicken on her plate. She tentatively put a piece in her mouth and immediately gagged.

“Ok, so no chicken then. What about a salad?” Sebastian asked. He saw a bowl in the middle of the table and reached over and grabbed it. “Try this.”

Naia stuck her hand in the bowl and pulled out a piece of lettuce. She chewed it slowly and smiled. “Much better!”

“Hello boys! Who is your friend?” Natsai Onai smiled at them.

Naia gasped. “You’re beautiful!”

“Oh! Thank you, you’re very kind.” Natty blushed.

Naia jumped up and held Natty’s face. “So pretty!”

“Naia, love, we talked about this. Sorry, Natty.” Ominis said shyly.

Natty laughed. “You are very friendly! I am Natsai Onai. You may call me Natty.”

“I’m Naia. I love your hair. It’s different.” Naia was examining it.

“Please forgive her, Natty. Naia is…well…”

“She’s a siren.” Natty said with a smile. “I have met some before, however I have never seen them out of the water.”

“Yes!” Naia hugged her tightly.

“Sirens are very physically affectionate, as I’m sure you can tell.” Natty laughed.

“Very much so. Anyway, this is my girlfriend, Naia.” Ominis smiled.

“A pleasure to meet you. Will you be enrolling as a student here?”

“I don’t think she has magical ability.”

“That’s not true, I can hypnotize people.” Naia said.

“I’d love to see that.” Garreth said as he approached with Leander. “I’m glad you found her.”

“She found us, she was with Professor sharp.”

“I’d let her hypnotize me, it sounds like fun!” Garreth grinned.

“Let’s do it!” Sebastian cheered.

“Really?” Ominis said anxiously. “Is that a good idea?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to harm him.” Naia smiled.

“Let’s go somewhere more private. The clock tower?” Leander suggested.

The group set off to the clock tower, and this time Naia held hands with Natty and Garreth. There were a few people practicing dueling but they ignored them.

“Alright, I’ll try to only hypnotize Garreth, but I’ve never been around so many people.” Naia said anxiously. Garreth stood in front of her and she looked up at him. “Look into my eyes.”

He did and she locked onto him. “Garreth, come closer.” He practically ran towards her. “Would you do something for me?”

“I’ll do anything for you.” Garreth clasped her hands in his. Ominis snorted in annoyance.

“Would you dance for me?”

“Of course!” Garreth broke out in a jig and the group laughed.

“You can stop now.” Naia looked away and Garreth stopped dancing.

“Woah!” Garreth gasped. “That was so weird! I think I would’ve done anything for you. I probably would’ve killed Prewett if you’d asked.”

“Hey!” Prewett protested.

They turned as they heard a yelp just in time to see Everett Clopton go sprawling across the floor. Imelda Reyes cheered victoriously.

“What are they doing?” Naia asked.

“They’re dueling.” Sebastian answered.

“Why?”

“To practice.”

“Why do they need to practice fighting?”

“Well, sometimes people get into fights, and they want to be able to protect themselves.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to not get into a fight?”

“Yes, but sometimes it can’t be avoided.”

“Sallow! You here to get your ass kicked?” Imelda asked as she approached.

“I’m not fighting today, Reyes.”

Imelda looked Naia up and down. “Who’s the mooncalf?”

“Oh, I’m not a mooncalf, I’m a siren!”

“That must be why I’m so drawn to you. Everett Clopton, a pleasure to meet you.” Everett had joined their group and was eyeing Naia.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to!”

“You’d draw me in with those eyes, anyway.”

“Beat it, Clopton, she’s Ominis’ girlfriend.” Sebastian glared.

“You’re joking, right? He can’t even SEE how hot she is!”

“Shut up, Everett.” Ominis snarled.

“Couldn’t find a human girl to go out with you, Gaunt?” Imelda smirked.

“But I am a human, for now anyway!” Naia smiled.

“Fuck off, fish girl.” Imelda rolled her eyes.

“Why are you being so mean to me?” Naia asked, her eyes welling up.

“Knock it off Imelda! Now!” Garreth glared at her.

“What, did I hurt the fish’s feelings?”

Naia’s eyes welled up even more. A tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto the floor.

Then the room began filling with water.

“What the fuck?!” Imelda looked at the floor.

“Imelda! Apologize!” Ominis shouted.

“Ok, ok! I’m sorry!” The water stopped rising. It had already risen over their ankles. Naia still looked upset. “I’m sorry.” Imelda said again.

“You called me a fish.” Naia said, her face full of sorrow.

“I didn’t mean it! I swear, I’m really sorry.”

Naia sniffed again. “Don’t call me that.”

“I won’t.”

“Ok.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and Ominis hugged her tightly. Garreth and Leander were glaring daggers at Imelda.

“Naia, did you know you could do that?” Leander asked.

“No. I’ve always been in the water, or on the dock with my tail in the water.”

“So you’re really a siren?” Imelda asked.

“Really, you’re not sure?!” Sebastian snapped.

“I am. Professor Ronen enchanted my bracelet so I could be a human.”

“That’s pretty cool. I guess that’s why you’re pretty.”

“I am? Thank you!” Naia hugged Imelda, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

“It’s approaching curfew. Is Naia staying here, or going back to the lake?” Sebastian asked.

“Aunt Matilda said I could sleep in Nerida’s room.”

“Nerida is my roommate.” Imelda said.

“Oh! This will be so much fun!” Naia beamed and took Imelda’s hand.

“It’ll be greeeeat.” Imelda replied, sarcastically.

“So you’ll be alright?” Ominis asked, holding Naia’s hands in his.

“I think so. Nerida said we’re going to have something called a slumber party, and we’ll play games and have pillow fights, and Imelda said she’s going to hang herself with a sheet! I don’t know what those things are, but she made it sound like fun!”

Ominis chuckled. “I’m right down the hall if you need anything, ok?”

“Ok!”

“Goodnight, Naia.” Ominis brushed her cheek and she pulled him in and kissed him passionately.

“Gonna be a fun summer.” Sebastian sighed as Ominis and Naia made out in the hallway.

“I love you!” Naia said when she finally pulled away.

“I love you too.”

“Goodnight Sebastian!” She hugged him tightly and he smiled.

“Goodnight, Naia. Have fun.” She headed down the hallway to where Nerida was waving.

“Isn’t she adorable?” Ominis sighed, looking like a lovesick puppy.

“She’s a handful is what she is. Goodnight.”

There was a light tapping on the door and Sebastian rolled out of bed and opened it. “Naia?”

“It’s lonely down there.”

“Naia, is that you?” Ominis sat up with a yawn.

“Can I sleep with you guys?”

“I suppose you can sleep here with me.”

“You and Sebastian don’t sleep together?”

“Um, no?” Sebastian said.

“That’s weird.”

“Most people sleep alone.”

“But what about predators?”

“Um, we don’t really have any?”

“Oh wow. We have lots of predators. More if I was in the ocean, but we still have plenty. We all sleep together in a pod at the bottom of the lake.”

“Most people sleep alone unless they’re married.”

“Oh. That’s kind of scary.”

“It’s alright Naia, you can sleep with me.” Ominis smiled.

“And Sebastian?”

Sebastian snorted. “Hey Ominis, your girlfriend wants to sleep with me.”

“Shut up, Sebastian, you know she doesn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes I do, I want to sleep with both of you.”

“Tomorrow we need to have a conversation.” Ominis grumbled. “Fine.”

“Yay!” Naia climbed in beside him and pressed herself up against him. “Now Sebastian gets in.”

“This is really weird.” Sebastian said as he got in the bed, keeping a distance from Naia.

“You’re not close enough. You have to be against my back.”

“Ominis!” Sebastian hissed. Naia was wearing very short pajamas and he couldn’t help his attraction to her.

“Just do it, we’ll talk about it in the morning.”

Sebastian scooted over until he was against her back. She took one of his arms and put it over her and one of Ominis’. She sighed contentedly.

“What’s poking me?” Naia asked.

“Kill me now.” Sebastian moaned.

“I’m considering it.” Ominis hissed.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy fanfic #fanfic #hogwarts legacy modern au #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #professor sharp #aesop sharp #siren oc

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69why-am-i-doing-this69 · 1 year

Text

Someplace Quieter

Aesop Sharp x OC

Description:

An American auror transferring to the British Ministry of magic for some peace of mind. She first has to undergo supervision under oath of not meddling in the British affairs. It was only a benefit to the ministry to place her under the supervision of the former auror now potions professor.

Notes:

He's here

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 – A Pleasant Conversation

The Gala was the last event from the exhibition, only those tied to the auror division could attend. It was a way to mingle with other aurors and to allow the new recruits a way to relax after their demonstrations. It started at the break of night, which certainly came to once my battle with Maria was concluded. It was all a blur really, I don’t exactly remember how I manage to squeeze in this dress so fast, hair fixed into an updo, and face primed for a fancy event. I didn’t even get to look at myself in the mirror until it was almost finished. All I had left to do was to put on the crimson gloves that went to my forearms, but I got distracted by my appearance. My hair put into a lower bun with two strands that framed my face. Red dahlias and perennials littered throughout my hair, vibrant with the contrast of my black hair. Very fitting. I wonder if they were familiar with my firearm. My dress certainly matches but with a subtle red bordering on pink with golden accents mimicking flames. It felt more like I was promoting my house colors than my affinity. After I felt enough time has passed, I put the gloves on, paying close attention to my injured hand to lessen as much pain as possible. With a final glance in the mirror, I exit the changing room to be met with Derrick leaning on the wall, waiting.

“It’s the woman of the hour. You looked wonderful out there.” He smiles at me, bouncing off the wall to extend his arm, which I gladly took. His sweater vest was exchanged for a three-piece suit. Looking regal suited him best.

“Thanks to your Pepper Imp no less. What made you think of that?” I grin back. His smile always tends to spread in others.

“Well, after the whole dorm incident and scouring through each line in the rule book and every asterisk in the margins, I didn’t see anywhere that restricted a nice snack before the arena. Your use of it in battle was just as a surprise to me as everyone else” he jests, earning himself a quiet laugh from me while I brought my gaze to the floor. It probably caused a stir for my opponent.

how’s Maria?” I look up him as we walk to the ballroom. All I got from his initial response was a pained expression.

“She made quite a fuss, trying to disqualify you to no avail but she won’t pass up the gala, or any gala in that matter,” He sighs. I quickly took note to avoid her during this event. A silent pause took its course as he instantly tries to rectify it. “Don’t mind her though, it’s not going to do you any good to worry about her. Use this event to relax, socialize with your peers” he reasons which was met with my eyes rolling at him.

“That’s your thing Derrick, I’d rather be back in my apartment” Dreading of the forced small talk with other aurors.

“To what? Talk to your plants? Is your Moly is sulking again?” he chuckles. I flicked his arm that had no effect on him as we reach the ballroom. It was decorated according to my affinity due to the outcome of the event, each piece of decor sporting some kind of red. At our entrance, the guests immediately raise their glasses to me, except for one. Maria dawned her light blue colors, which made her stood out from the sea of red. It really suits her. She was adorned with multiple silver accessories; it even had silver encrusted hair net. If only I could wear such things without it harming me. her eyes me with her powerful glare. I grinned back at the guests nodding my head towards them with acknowledgment, shooting Maria an apologetic smile. The crowd then continues with their own activities as Derrick withdrew his arm lingering to hold my wrist. “I mean it Nani; I don’t want to go find your hiding spot when you meet with Professor Kim tonight to meet the president later” he commands before turning to mingle with other guests.

I did what I was told, forced smiles, small talks, meaningless conversations that I couldn’t be bothered to remember; hell, I’m unsure if I remember their names and faces. I didn’t know how long it took but if it weren’t from the arena battle hours prior, socializing really drained me. Looking over to the bar, I would’ve killed for a glass of Ogden’s fire whiskey but it’s a risky idea with my affinity paired with my nerves. It’s too warm, too loud with everyone here, I wanted to leave but it would be rather rude of me. Instead, I opt to go to outside, the cool breeze and the lack of people surely would calm me down. I open the balcony doors, walking towards the balcony occasionally separated with tall columns and large bushes growing on top. Peering below, you could see the city of New York, it was pretty, but anything looks as much with a cloudless night sky. With Absent mind, I lean on the column next to me counting the stars above.

Derrick would be disappointed if he found me here, not that I care really. It was the usual banter of our friendship. He would tease me for my lack of social lifestyle just as much as I would for his incessant ramblings to people. It was amusing at times, hearing him recount many of his stories during his time at Ilvermorny the amount of times that I have, it was a funny joke to recite it in its entirety before he could.

My distracted thoughts dissipate as three men in a joyful conversation took place at the fence next to mine, only blocked by the column I was huddling next to. A shock of panic went through me as they had no idea I was there. It immediately struck me that they were from the British Ministry gave away quickly from their accent. I can clearly hear what they’re talking about, but I didn’t want to be thought as if I was eavesdropping on them. I didn’t know if it was wiser to remain in place or to quickly take my leave. I glance at the doors leading back to the ballroom but immediately grimace at the idea of more small talk. Instead, I gather my dress will be pressing myself to the column waiting for these men to finish before going back to my prior position.

I did my best to not hear what they were saying, directing my attention back to counting all the stars in the sky. Their conversation was rather dull, focusing on their current matters in the United Kingdom. It dawned on me how little I knew of the wizarding world and how much more I wanted to know about it.

My hands throb from the constant thorns stabbing me as I pick the strawberries off their stems, lightly tossing them on the mound of strawberries in a basket fiddling with my fingers to soothe them before my next task. I groaned in pain trying to lift the basket weighing almost just as much as myself. I didn’t mind but I also didn’t have a choice to. I would get some bread with the money from this job tomorrow since I snuck some strawberries for myself. It was wrong since they weren’t mine but at least I didn’t have to starve today or tomorrow. Heaving the basket in the vast strawberry farm, I was greeted with a spotted owl sat firmly on a strawberry bush with a letter in its mouth. “weird” I thought to myself slowly placing the basket back down on the ground, not daring to break eye contact with the owl. “Is that for me?” I asked, pointing to myself with the owl hopping in response. I hesitantly walked towards the owl that remained stationary on the bush, slowly removing the letter from its beak. Once it came into my grasp the owl quickly flew away. Looking skeptically at this letter I got, I chose not to mind it as I had to finish picking these strawberries; stashing it in my pants as I lifted the basket again with a grunt.

The day was over and paid the little money I could get. I had nothing better to do other than to sit on the dock and count the stars, but my mind was focused on other things. Pants rolled to my knees as my burning feet dipped into the cool lake. I turned the letter over and over before I finally gathered the courage to rip open the neat covering. I opened the folded letter to see a peculiar logo and bright letters that said Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A school for witches and wizards? I never heard such a thing. I continued reading.

Dear Miss Davis,

With great honor, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We await your owl no later than July 31st. Please find the enclosed list of all necessary books and materials.

Term begins on September 1st.We very much look forward to receiving you as part of the new generation of Ilvermonry’s heritage.

I looked at the next parchment, reading all that was listed. I have no clue what this even means or what these objects are. I huffed in annoyance, putting the contents on my lap while mindlessly swirling the water below me with my feet. I don’t even have an owl, so what do I do now?

My attention is brought back to the situation next to me as I hear a couple steps walk away from my position. Thinking they have left, I removed myself from my tight position by the column. Leaning back to peek at a pair of men entering the ballroom. I glance back at their previous spot only to be met with a man’s stare while he leaned on the fence. His stern look making me jump back behind the column out of his sight.

“Oh my,” I gasp. Quickly gathering myself to explain this situation and peering over the column again. “I promise I wasn’t listening, swear on a thunderbirds back,” I defend myself, making a surrendering gesture with my hands. His stare softens into a low chuckle.

“Never heard that one before” He responds, with a low-pitched English accent. I went stiff with how soothing it was. I took a moment to gaze at his features, brown hair that fell to his neck with bushy eyebrows that gave him a stoic look. Merlin, was it alluring. If his face and voice wasn’t enough his attire certainly is. I start flush at the revelation. He clears his throat before continuing, “Aren’t you supposed to be in there?” He motions to the ballroom.

“I was told to make an appearance given that it was in my honor, and I technically have an appointment here” I shyly peep. My hands found solace in each other, soothing the burned hand to ease the nerves I was feeling. “Banquets and ballrooms are not my kind of leisure” I finish, leaning on the column next to me. He accepted that response turning his focus back down of the city.

“It isn’t mine either, but I got convinced to come and my peers wouldn’t live down my absence to an extraordinarily rare event. I wouldn’t have either to be honest.” He moves slightly, opening a spot for me to stand next to him.

“It was that big across seas?” I didn’t know how interconnected the wizarding world is.

“Given the odds, it would be a shame to miss it. A lot of the quidditch debates around pubs switched to this.” My eyebrows furrow hearing that. Quidditch debates involved a lot of player stats, broom quality, and quidditch plays. It would be difficult to make a tangible argument with the very little information about us.

“I’d like to hear their arguments,” I grin, “I’m sure their logic behind it was structurally sound.”

“If so all of our bridges would collapse,” he rebuts, causing me to laugh. His gaze averts from the city to me.

“Who was favored?” I question. He took a minute to ponder the thought.

“It was half and half really, but I’m sure your half is relishing at the news of your win” He answers, flashing me a slight grin which I returned gladly.

“A stroke of luck” I quip, resting my elbows on the fence holding my face in my hand while peering down the city alongside him. “And maybe a pepper imp,” I added, glancing at his face. My face couldn’t resist a smile from his chuckle.

“Give yourself some more credit, your abilities in combat can’t only be derived by luck.”

“But the pepper imp saved my ass in the end,” I confess dejectedly. Even though I was declared the winner, I still feel like my skills are unprepared for the field.

“And that didn’t contribute to your winning?” He tried to reason.

“I guess it does,” I relent to him.

“A bit unorthodox I must say but very clever.”

“Living to the thunderbird house name,” I laugh.

“And your opponent? She surely spent no time trying to rally against you with her entrance,” he took a glance back inside the ballroom.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from her, it’s quite typical reaction between a Wampus and a Thunderbird,” I respond. His somber face turns quizzical from my lack of context. “Our houses,” I add rashly,” We have a bit of a rivalry when it comes to quidditch and duels”. His expression softens a little, still unsure of the situation.

“How so?”

“Ilvermorny houses are determined by which aspect of ourselves that calls out to them. For a Thunderbird it’s the soul, which students tend to have a more adventurous personality while Wampus favors the body, which attracts warriors,” I pause trying to piece together centuries of the rivalry history. “Given our different approaches in these subjects, Wampus focusing on practicality while Thunderbirds are bolder in their tactics. I’m sure you can imagine the discourse it causes” I explain, recalling the many debates I’ve heard during class. “There isn’t a year that goes by without a controversy in quidditch about a particular thunderbird strategy,” I finish, trying to contain my grin, relishing those memories back in Ilvermorny.

“I can certainly see why,” he smiled back, “it’s a slight contrast to the Hogwarts for sure, how exactly are students placed?”. I can feel my face brighten when trying to recall memory of being sorted. I never felt so amazed that such a thing could exist in this world.

“Of course,” I beam turning my entire body so my side leans on the fence with one elbow resting on it, facing him completely. “In the entrance hall, there’s a slightly elevated circle in the center of the room and all the new students would gather at the bottom of the steps of it, the upper classman will stand on the common areas above them”. I start using my hand to shape a scaled-down size of the room using one of my hands to encircle the spot in the middle. “There would be a gordian knot engraved on the surface with four pillars of our house mascots carved on top. Each student would stand in the middle and wait for a pillar react to them and they all do different things”. I glance at him while recounting the sorting process. He listens intently while grinning at me, the New York breeze brush through his hair. With that, I lost my train of thought, wriggling my fingers in attempt to find my place. “Thunderbird would flap its wings, the wampus would roar, the horned serpents crystal would shine, and the pukwudgie would raise it’s bow” I finish. That was the entire process but quickly, I remembered the most interesting cases of students being housed. “Oh,” I exclaim, his eyes unwavering, “every year there’s at least one student that causes multiple pillars to react, there’s even an urban legend that goes around about a student getting every pillar,” I finally conclude, rubbing my hands together.

“And what happens then?” Invested in the whole thing. Mimicking my posture, now facing one another though he rests his chin on his hands while mine accentuate what I’m saying.

“They get to choose what house to go to,” I say, “It’s a rather long process, especially when those happen. It’s an honored tradition that all the upper classman would skip class for the day. Friend groups would even pull sticks, the short end of the stick would be the one to grab food from the cafeteria.”

“How long did it take you to be housed?”

“It didn’t take long at all to see the thunderbird flap its wings; I’d say less than a minute. The longest I’ve witnessed was maybe an hour and a half, he was a nervous wreck the entire time, but both the horned serpent and thunderbird wanted him,” I say, smiling at the memory. My smile fades as I realize how much I’ve been talking. “But enough about me, how about Hogwarts?” I turn to him with elation to know more about the wizarding world.

“Ah, not as visually appealing, but each student wears a talking hat” he said simply. My face flinches, disheartened at the lack of detail.

“Just a talking hat?” I pitifully ask.

“Well, no. he sang a song before the sorting ceremony. A new one each year” he adds, my face lightens at the thought.

“How lovely, I’m sure music would’ve been nice for our nerves during in our opening ceremony,” I say to him envious. “How are your houses separated?”

“It’s not determined by a certain part of our bodies for sure but by the traits you value most.”

“And yours?” waiting eagerly.

“The Slytherin house is ambitious,” he trails,” and Gryffindor brave, Ravenclaws are intelligent, and Hufflepuff are loyal,” he finishes explaining. “Though I’m a bit impartial to my own.”

“And why’s that?” flashing him a smile.

“Our house resides in the dungeons,” My face scrunch. Dungeons are usually a sad dilapidated place. “But our windows were submerged from the lake so we’d get to see the marine life, occasionally a giant squid would greet us,” he notes, his hand that was resting on the fence outstretched towards me. My mouth went agape.

“Giant squid? How big is giant?” I ask, mindlessly grabbing his hand with both of my own.

“Students had to be weary on their brooms, just in case the squid stretched his tentacles,” he responds just as clueless.

“Maybe I should accept a position at the ministry,” I humor him.

“For Hogwarts?”

“For the squid,” I laugh, he follows along with me. Once our laughter has settled, his face turned pensive.

“You haven’t accepted anything yet?”

“It’s up in the air. Given my little quirk, I can go anywhere really. I’ll most likely be heavily recommended to stay here as it’s where the headquarters is located plus my former defense professor is pulling an arm and a leg for me to meet the president,” I answer, unsure of what other thought I had on the matter. “What’s it like in the ministry?” wanting to know more about his work.

“Not as publicized for certain, though I can imagine it’s similar everywhere,” his heads tilts to recall. “The only big thing is that guns are prohibited.”

I roll my eyes at him, “of course not but-,” I was cut off short.

The sound of the door opening made both of our head’s snap. There stood Professor Kim, making no move forward, waiting for me to take action. My face went blank laced with disappointment. “Professor,” I acknowledge turning back to the man next to me. “It appears that I’m needed,” I whisper to him. Only now noticing my hands wrapped around his. I let go of them, anxiously rubbing together.

“I should probably find my partner. If I were to guess, he’d be emptying an entire barrel of whiskey” He jokes, causing me to laugh quietly. I held out my hand for him to shake.

“I hope to see you again at these things Mr.…” I trail, a flash of an embarrassment through my entire body. I never even got his name.

“Sharp, Aesop Sharp,” he says, gently shaking my hand.

“Mr. Sharp,” I acknowledge “Nani Davis.” Withdrawing from each other as we both walked to the doors. I stop in front of Professor Kim, not hearing a word he’s saying. My attention solely focused on Aesop’s figure disappearing from the into the crowed and from my sight.

#aesop sharp #professor sharp #aesop sharp x oc #hogwarts legacy

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bohobooks · 1 year

Text

In the Shadow of the Past // Chapter 2

The inside of the Great Hall was already bustling, the returning students greeting their friends with hugs and shouts. Luna stopped shortly after entering the room, hazel eyes scanning the room for her friends. She had spotted Poppy halfway down the room by the Gryffindor table, talking animatedly to Natty and Garreth. When she didn't see Sebastian or Ominis, her shoulders dropped a bit in disappointment. That is of course until two strong arms wrap around her from behind, spinning her around causing her world to blur.

"There you are!" a deep familiar voice whispered into her ear. After her feet planted themselves permanently onto the ground, she spun around face to face with Sebastian.

"There YOU are," she pushed her finger into his chest, grinning wildly.

Her heart fluttered a bit when Sebastian smiled down at her, their eyes locking for a brief second. Ominis stepped around from behind Sebastian, evidently catching up after Sebastian had sprinted away from him the second he spotted Luna.

Ominis smiled over towards Luna and opened his arms a bit, "Do I get a world famous Luna hug too?"

The small girl wrapped pressed herself into his chest, feeling his arms wrap tightly around her. Her body and mind felt calm. She was at home with these boys. Through everything they've been through and all of the things they've done, they were connected forever.

Luna pulls away from Ominis' arms and smiles at the pair, "How was your summer?"

Taking each others arms, the trio walked over to the slytherin table.

Sebastian grunted, over exagerating as per usual, "Oh so bloody boring. Ominis wouldn't let me have any fun."

From Luna's other side, Ominis chuckled, "Well, yes. Knowing your ideas of fun, I couldn't allow such shenanigans."

They made it to the table Sebastian and Ominis taking the seat across from Luna.

"How was your summer, Luna? According to your letters, you stayed in the castle the whole time? Sebastian was convinced you were so bored and lonely that he was going to come break you out."

Luna smiled brightly, "Oh I wasn't terribly lonely, I had Deek and Aesop. The later kept me quite busy with training, that man has work ethic beyond my comprehension."

Sebastian raised his eyebrow, "First name basis with Sharpe now, are we?"

Luna blushed, waving a hand at Sebastian and glancing towards the faculty table where Sharpe was already looking at her, smiling warmly. "I mean, technically, like legally, that is, he's my father. Calling him Professor Sharpe is a bit too formal. Of course, during class I'll call him that."

Sebastian followed Lunas eyes to where Professor Sharpe sat, grinning and waving. In turn, Sharpe narrowed his eyes and did the 'I'm watching you' gesture.

Sebastian slowly lowered his hands, eyes wide, and turned back to his friends. Luna was chuckling and Ominis looked a bit confused on what was so funny.

"I think Professor Sharpe just threatened me."

"For some reason Sebastian, I whole heartedly doubt that," Ominis smiled, "Any way Luna, who is this Deek fellow?"

Lunas eyes widened in surprise. Huh, I guess I never did introduce these two to him, she thought.

"Oh my! I'll introduce you to him after the sorting and dinner. I'm sure atleast one of our prefects won't snitch if we don't automatically return to the common rooms."

"What won't I snitch about?" Imelda plopped down beside Luna, causing the small girl to jump a bit.

"Merlins sake, Mel. You scared the shit out of me. I was just saying you probably wouldn't mind if the three of is didn't head to the dorms straight away."

Imelda shrugged, "I suppose I can look the other way. As long as there's no funny business," she shot a glare at the boys, who in turn blushed violently, "AND if you bring me some snacks from the kitchen."

Luna rolled her eyes, "No funny business. But snacks? Wow you are needy."

Imelda playfully smacked Luna, and the hall fell to silence as Professor Black gave his speech, and the sorting of the first years began.

__________________________

A/N: A short one.

Pretty please vote and comment, this is my first time properly writing anything other than a journal for a very long time. I wanna know your thoughts!

#hogwarts legacy fanfic #hogwarts legacy x mc #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #ominis x mc x sebastian #ominis gaunt x mc #ominis gaunt #imelda reyes #poly hogwarts legacy

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snakeboistan · 4 years

Text

Pleasant Distractions

Pairing: Karmagisa

“Heeeyy, Nagisaaa,” Karma whined, draping his body over Nagisa’s back like a second coat and wrapping his arms around the shorter boy’s chest with a pout, “Come ooon. Hang out with meee.”

With a roll of his eyes, Nagisa turned back to his science textbook and resumed reading, doing his best to ignore the distracting noises that Karma was emitting.

An ionic compound is a giant structure of ions

“Nagisa.” He could feel tapping on his shoulder.

Strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions hold ionic compounds together

“Hey, Nagisa.” The tapping became more rapid.

These forces, called ionic bonding, act in all directions in the lattice

“Naaagggiii-“

Nagisa snapped his book shut and let it rest on his crossed legs. He turned his head to look at the pouting redhead behind him, “Karma, we need to study for the test we have next week. The whole reason I agreed to come to your house in the first place was because you agreed to have a study session with me.”

“But I already know everything.”

“Well I don’t,” Nagisa retorted, “if you’re not gonna help me revise, can you at least do something quietly by yourself. I swear, if you distract me one more time, I’ll leave.”

At the other’s words, Karma immediately tightened his hold around his waist and pulled him closer to his chest so that he could drop his head against the crook of Nagisa’s neck. He murmured, “I just want to spend time with my little viper. Is that too much to ask?”

Nagisa reached his hand up to pet the red strands that made up Karma’s hair and replied with a smile, “I already see you everyday at school.”

“Yeah,” Nagisa shivered at the tingling sensation that was caused by the movement of Karma’s lips on the junction of his neck and collarbone, “but I wanna spend more time with you now. Besides we can’t do any of the fun stuff in class.”

“‘Fun stuff’?”

“Yeah, you know: kissing, making out, mouth to mouth..”

“Karma!” Nagisa whisper-yelled, blushing madly, “I really do need to study.”

“You’ve been studying for ages. At least take a snack break.”

Nagisa sighed, knowing that his boyfriend wouldn’t be letting this go anytime soon and just not having the energy to deal with Karma when he’s in his ‘whining-mode’, “Alright, fine. Just for five minutes, though.”

Keeping his hold on the smaller boy with one arm, Karma leaned sideways to grab a shopping bag that lay discarded beside them and riffled through its contents. With a smirk he offered a small muffin that was contained in plastic packaging, “blueberry muffin for my blueberry muffin?”

Nagisa rolled his eyes in response then tore open the packaging to retrieve the treat inside and took a bite, giving a pleased moan and the taste of sharp, sweet blueberries and fluffy muffin.

“Hey Nagisa,” with an answering hum, he turned towards Karma, “you’ve got a little something right here.”

Nagisa blushed when he felt Karma’s warm hands cup the entirety of his cheek so that he could brush away stray crumbs (that he knew for sure didn’t even exist) with the side of his thumb. Unconsciously, he melted into the touch, feeling soft and giddy at the tingling shots of fuzziness that ran up his spine at the way Karma’s eyes seemed to soften. It was so unfair how he could become all malleable with only a single touch from Karma, how he always ends up giving in because he does not want this to become a habit, damnit. He could feel his resistance dissipating as Karma grabbed one of his shoulders to turn him around so that they were now face to face and he knew he had to act quickly before he lost the little control he had. However, to be fair, if things did go the way that he knew that Karma was planning for them to, he wasn’t a hundred percent certain that he’d actually be too upset…

But still, he used all of his energy to lean away, despite every neuron telling him to stay in that safe hold that always provided warmth and comfort and protection, “I need to study.”

“I know,” Karma’s smile was far too innocent for his liking, “which is why I’ve decided to help you.”

“Really?” he couldn’t keep the suspicion out of his tone if he tried.

“Yep,” the red-head replied, popping the ‘p’, “only I’m not gonna help you study for science.”

He knew it, “okay then. What are you going to help me study for?”

“Something far more interesting,” Karma’s smirk turned devilish and all of a sudden, Nagisa felt like the little mouse that was begging the lion for mercy from that book of Aesop’s Fables he used to read as a kid. The taller boy leaned in, grabbing a fistful of the fabric under the collar of Nagisa’s shirt to tug him closer, and whispered into his ear, “how would you like to become a prodigy in B*tch-Sensei’s class?”

Nagisa’s ponytail shot up, ruffled, as his flustered face blossomed red. He placed his palms on Karma’s chest in a feeble attempt to push him away, “I-I really don’t think I need to study for that.”

Karma’s eyes glinted, “Oh really, why’s that, Nagi? You think that you’re already good at it?”

“N-n-no,” he stammered, his face burning like an inferno, “I-I just don’t think that it’s necessary, you-you know? It-it’s just that high-high schools don’t exactly have that stuff in their entrance exams, r-right?”

Karma let out a thoughtful hum as he buried his face into the curve of Nagisa’s neck, goosebumps ran through Nagisa’s arms as he whispered, “sounds like you’re making excuses, Nagi.”

“I-I-”

Karma kissed his cheek, murmuring against the soft flesh of his boyfriend’s cheek, “come on, Nagisa. I know you want to~”

Loki Odinson, give him strength.

“Karma,” he said, gulping slightly at the way the other’s golden irises pinned him down when he leaned back.

Karma took hold of his chin, “Yes, Nagisa.”

“I-I suppose that maybe a small break wouldn’t be too bad.”

Karma’s mouth twisted into a Cheshire Cat grin and all Nagisa could see was a flash of gold before every sense was consumed by the red haired devil incarnate with one arm wrapped around his back and the other on his cheek, with the cloth of his crimson button up scrunched up in Nagisa’s hand, with the increasing pressure of their lips pressing each other. Nagisa’s eyes slid closed as he let Karma take the lead, getting lost in the way everything just flowed like things always did when he was with Karma, in the way everything just felt so right as Karma angled his head so that he could kiss deeper. Nagisa could feel Karma’s hand crawl up the back of his head and hook his fingers inside the curve of the hair band that sat at the base of his ponytail before swiftly pulling it down in one smooth move, causing long strands of cerulean to unfurl downwards like a cataract of silky blue locks. Getting breathless, Nagisa used whatever strength he could muster to push himself back so that he didn’t pass out completely. They both looked at each other for a split second before the magnetic force they felt inside them increased in magnitude and they found themselves kissing once again and -

Nagisa gasped when he felt his back roughly hit the floor, wincing slightly at the loud thump it made. His head was still spinning and he looked up at Karma, who was towering above him with his palms on either side of Nagisa’s shoulders. Whilst his face was slightly pink, his eyes held concern, “sorry Nagisa. I got a bit excited there. You’re not hurt are you?”

“I’m fine,” Nagisa laughed breathlessly. He tried to get up but found that he was still too dizzy so he flopped back onto the floor again with a groan, “and here I thought I’d get some studying done.”

All he could hear was Karma’s deep chuckles before he felt himself get carried into a bridal style and deposited onto the taller boy’s bed. When Karma laid himself next to him and gathered him into an embrace, he said, “if I fail, I’m not coming to your house for at least another two weeks.”

“And people say I’m the mean one,” Karma said, apparently unbothered by his threat, “Guess I’ll just have to kidnap you and wait for the stockholm syndrome to settle in.”

“Karma!”

“Okay, okay. Just five minutes alright. We can both start revising for the octopus’ stupid test then.”

“We were both supposed to revise anyway! But alright, if it’s just for five minutes then it’s okay.”

They did not get up after five minutes.

#assassination classroom #akabane karma #karma akabane #karmagisa #shiota nagisa #nagisa shiota #my writing

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temptation-narnia-chronicles · 7 years

Text

From Upon the Golden Thrones

Episode 2: Lucy’s Insomnia

"Susan, can you pass the bacon?" Edmund asked one morning from the breakfast table. A wide assortment of food was placed before them: steaming bacon still crackling from the griddle, runny eggs whose yolks pooled on their plates, stacks of waffles overflowing with syrup and fruit compote. It was like Edmund's morning dream come true.

Susan nodded and glanced over to the platter of bacon near Lucy, opening her mouth to ask her to pass it closer but then gasping when she discovered the young girl's face was nearly smothered in syrup. "Lucy!" she shouted. The littlest Pevensie snapped her head up, eyelids drooping and syrup covering her chin. "What on earth was that about?" "I-I'm sorry, Susan...I suppose I...dozed off a bit" she yawned, resting her jaw on her fist. She was trapped in a daze, constantly half asleep. "Lu, what's been going on with you? This is the fifth time this week" Peter replied. Lucy's exhaustion was beginning to become routine, which was not customary nor appropriate for a young queen. For their baby sister, it was even more worrisome. "I just haven't been able to sleep very well" she replied softly, eyes downcast. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, making her look far older and more ghoulish than any little girl should. "I don't understand" Susan replied. "There's no reason you should be having this much trouble sleeping. Is it your bed? Are you uncomfortable?" Lucy shook her head. Neither of her siblings found that excuse credible, since Lucy had often gushed about how much she adored the plush mattress and heavenly sheets. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me" Lucy lied through yet another yawn. Her sister eyed her suspiciously but said not another word on the matter.

"Oreius, may I speak with you for a minute?" Susan asked, peering her head through the doorway. The centaur was engulfed in a rather large tome, the text so tiny Susan could barely tell if it was even in English. At first, Oreius seemed displeased at the interruption until he glanced up to find the gentle queen approaching. He motioned her forward and stepped away from his book. "What is it, your majesty?" he asked. His deep voice echoed down the long aisles of tall bookshelves. "It's Lucy, sir. I'm worried about her. She hasn't been sleeping and I'm unsure of what to do. She needs help but she refuses to admit she has a problem" Susan explained. Oreius nodded knowingly. "Her tutor has mentioned she has been dozing off during lessons, as well" Oreius stated. Susan dropped into the nearest seat and buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know what to do! This isn't healthy. I know we've all been under a great deal of stress but this isn't like Lucy to not be open about whatever is bothering her, or to be bothered by much at all" Susan explained. "I just don't know what to do. Talking hasn't done much help. Could there be anything in one of these books? A cure for insomnia, perhaps?" Oreius furrowed his brows a moment before shaking his head. "There could but I don't think they'll be of much help. If you ask me, you should call Aesop" he suggested. "Aesop...?" Susan repeated. The name seemed vaguely familiar, though she still didn't quite understand. The centaur simply nodded before elaborating. "Aesop is the great centaur of the Western Wood. He is a fine medicine man known for healing all manners of afflictions and injuries. His talent rivals even that of the fireflower itself." Susan nodded slowly, chewing over Oreius's words. "Well, if you think he'll help...”

"I still don't see much of a point to this" Peter murmured to his sister. Susan quickly shushed him, shooting him a sharp glare. "Oreius said he was the best of the best and I believe him. We're running out of options, Peter" she shot back. The High King simply groaned and shook his head. The four monarchs stood upon the precipice overlooking the whole of Narnia, watching as a group of guards came into view. As they grew nearer, they could identify two centaurs in tow, one an old man and the other nearly unidentifiable in a velvet hood which nearly covered their entire face. Upon reaching the gate, the old centaur and his assistant both bowed to the kings and queens in respect. "Good day, your highnesses. I am Aesop of the Western Wood and this is my apprentice, Nefyn. The good knight Oreius says you are troubled and in need of my assistance." "Y-Yes, sir" Susan stammered. Now that they were face to face, she was much more intimidated by his towering and muscular frame than she expected. His pale eyes and snowy long beard were a stark contrast to his tanned skin and he eyed them with all the power and terror that they first saw in Aslan himself. "Where is the child for whom you have called upon me?" he stated, glancing from Peter to Susan to Edmund. Lucy had been far too sleepy and achy to join them. "Lucy is upstairs. We'll lead you to her" Peter replied. "There is no need" Aesop stated bluntly. "I am perfectly capable of finding her myself." With that, he pushed past the siblings and entered the castle on his own accord, tall and confident. His assistant sauntered close behind, a saddle bag of herbs and potions strapped to her flank. "I don't like this at all" Peter whispered to his sister. Susan shushed him once more though he could tell even she had grown skeptical, too.

"Peter, what's taking so long?!" Susan complained. She had been pacing the dining room for two hours and by now was exhausted but still too paranoid to stop. Her eyes flitted to the door once more, terrified. "I can't believe we left him alone with her, that...that...creep!" "Su, have you forgotten that this was your idea?" Peter questioned, chin resting against his fist. Susan shot him a death glare. "Don't blame me! This is Oreius's fault! He's the one who suggested we call upon this guy in the first place!" she snapped back. "How do you know he's bad?" Edmund interrupted, mouth full, as he edged his way through the kitchen door. He took a seat next to Peter with a massive platter of snacks. "That pantry's a gold mine" he added, proud of his findings. Susan paused a moment as she considered her brother's words. He had a point. She didn't truly know whether Aesop was a bad man. It was just so hard to believe otherwise when he was so mysterious and strange. Before she could reply back, however, the double doors burst open and the centaur himself walked into the room. "Well?" Peter asked, eyeing the man expectantly. Aesop gave a single nod. "She shall be well" was all he said. The three Pevensies stared back at him as if they expected more but he simply eyed each of them for a moment before walking out of the room. His assistant followed close behind but not until they had very stealthily stolen an apple from Edmund's platter before he could even notice. "That's it?!" Susan shouted. She glared back at Peter and Edmund, expecting them to do something, before running off after the centaur to take care of it herself. She wanted answers-- real answers, not short sentences without any substance. Peter watched his sister barrel out of the room and, with a sigh, stood up and motioned to Edmund to follow him. The just king picked up his platter, biscuit hanging out of his mouth, and chased after the two. "Aesop, wait! Wait a minute!" Susan called after the centaur on his way to his chambers. "I don't exactly think you gave us a very substantial answer. What's wrong with Lucy? Why can't she sleep? And what are you going to do about it?" The centaur, taken aback, stared back at her with wide eyes a moment before glancing to his apprentice. All they did was bow their head. Aesop sighed. "Come. I will show you" he replied, motioning for them to follow him. The centaur trotted back to Lucy's chambers where she napped restlessly, still sitting up in bed. Peter clenched his fists at his side, hating to see her so uncomfortable. "The young queen seems to be suffering a bout of homesickness" Aesop explained. "Homesickness? Well, so are all of us" Susan retorted. The centaur shook his head. "Not like this. Queen Lucy is but a foal and has not yet learned the beauty of adjustment. Moving to the castle seems to be a great change in her life. She yearns for the land where the sky wails and rain explodes" he explained. "You mean Finchley?" Peter asked. Aesop stared at him in confusion before the High King realized the Narnians knew nothing of their homeland. "If Lucy misses home so much, then why doesn't she just go sleep outside Tumnus's door? He snores like an air raid siren" Edmund said. Susan shot him a glare. "I suppose there's only thing we can do, then. We have to go home" the gentle replied. "We can't just leave! Aslan entrusted us with Narnia, we can't just walk away from it. We have a duty to uphold" Peter countered. "What's more important? Narnia or Lucy?" Susan shot back. Peter furrowed his brows, displeased with her response. "I don't think Lucy is going to want to leave even if it kills her" Edmund interrupted. The two elder siblings turned to him. "What do you mean?" Peter asked. "Well, think about it. Lucy was the first to find this place. She was the reason we all came here. Don't you think she'd feel like she let us down if she admitted she wanted to go back home?" Edmund explained. Peter and Susan had to admit the just had a point. "Well, how do we fix this, then?" Susan asked. "I will" Aesop interjected. All eyes turned to him. "I am gifted in crafting many remedies. Grant me a few days and I will concoct something that ought to soothe the valiant's soul and grant her the slumber she so needs." Though the High King and gentle queen were still rather skeptical, they realized in that moment that they really didn't have any other choice. Releasing a sigh, they both nodded and put their baby sister's wellbeing in the centaur's hands.

Edmund awoke late into the night at the mercy of his growling stomach. He squinted toward the clock in the corner of his room but could barely make out the time. Regardless of how late it was, though, nothing was going to stop him from grabbing a snack. He threw on his slippers, not even bothering to put them on the right feet, and scampered down to the kitchen but was taken aback when he heard a symphony of clanging and banging from inside. The just king glanced around the hallway frantically, having left his sword up in his room, before eyeing a candlestick on a nearby table. He held it near his head like a bat, sucking in a deep breath, and burst through the door with a battle cry. The rump of a horse shown out from behind the pantry door. "Sh-show yourself, thief!" Edmund shouted. A clamor of food fell to the floor and the stranger backed up with her hands raised. A mysterious centaur stared back at him, face youthful and eyes large. She smiled at him awkwardly, slurping up the last of the noodle that was dangling from her mouth. Edmund had seen quite a few centaurs since he arrived at the Cair but none quite so young and, dare he say, pretty as this one. He lowered the candlestick slowly before stammering out, "W-w-who are you? And what are you doing in the kitchen at an hour like this?" The young centaur smirked and replied, "I should be asking the same of you. The name's Nefyn." Suddenly, everything made sense. Edmund's mind snapped back to when Aesop first arrived, his mysterious apprentice following close behind. "Nefyn..." he repeated. "Like...like Aesop's apprentice Nefyn?" "The one and only" she replied. "I am Aesop's daughter, and his protege." "Oh...!" Edmund explained in great understanding. "Now, your highness, if you don't mind my asking" Nefyn continued, flipping her dark braid over her shoulder, "What exactly did you plan to do to me with that candlestick?"

A soft whimpering floated down the hall and instantly captured Susan's attention. She never meant to stay up quite so late but had recently found a rather riveting novel in the library that she couldn't find the strength to put down. Or maybe she just needed the distraction. She wasn't quite sure which excuse was correct. However, the quiet sound of distress was far more important to her than the plot of some silly book and she instantly marked her place and went searching for the source. As she scurried down the hall, the sound grew louder and louder until she happened upon Lucy's chamber door. Susan sighed and slowly peered inside. "Lucy? Lucy!" Susan whispered, rushing to Lucy's bedside. The young girl tossed and turned in her sleep, trapped in the throes of a horrible nightmare. Susan gently held her shoulders and whispered her name harshly until the young queen stirred awake and dove into her sister's arms. "Oh, Susan, it was horrible!" she wailed. Hot tears fell upon Susan's shoulder and rolled down the valiant's cheeks. "I know, it's alright now, Lu. Everything is alright" Susan cooed. She leaned back to get a better view of her sister, brushing the hair from her face affectionately. "What was it this time?" "I don't want to talk about it" Lucy replied defiantly. "Just please let me stay up the rest of the night. I don't think I'll ever fall back asleep." Susan sighed and shook her head. "Lucy, if you don't get a good night's sleep soon, you're going to make yourself sick" she replied. Her eyes darted to the bottle on the nightstand, picking it up and inspecting it. The liquid inside was a murky green and sloshed against the glass bottle violently, releasing an odor so toxic that Susan had to restrain herself from gagging. She plugged her nose and quickly put it back where it originally sat. "This is the fifth potion Aesop's tried and nothing seems to be working. Come on, Lucy, can't you please just tell us what all this is about?" Lucy hated keeping secrets from her siblings, even moreso when Susan appeared so distressed, but she still wasn't sure she could speak of it. It was too lame. The gentle queen eyed the valiant with great suspicion, like a mother who knows her child is hiding something. "Lucy, you used to tell me everything. Why should this be any different?" "Because it's too awful! I can't talk about it!" Lucy shouted in muffled tones, burying her face in her pillow. Susan sighed. "Lu, but we're worried about you!" Susan replied. "We just want to help!" Lucy paused a moment, and there was nothing but a tense silence as her sister gazed upon her desperately. Finally, the young queen slowly turned to look at her older sister with teary eyes. "You promise you won't laugh?" Susan nodded enthusiastically. Lucy sucked in a deep breath, eyes averted, as she slowly shifted to sit up and drew her knees to her chest. "Alright. The reason...the reason I can't sleep is because...well...Puppy." Susan cocked her head to the side, trying to comprehend what her sister meant. "You mean your stuffed dog?" Lucy nodded. Susan knew the toy well. It was a present from their father when Lucy was very young, a small plush dog that she had simply called Puppy and had grown very attached to. Over the years, their mother had to mend the holes and fill it with fresh batting when the cotton would fall out. Lucy had barely slept a night without it, except for the occasional instance in which she'd fall asleep on the couch listening to her favorite radio show and have to be carried off to bed, and Puppy would be left behind in the living room til early the next morning. "I left him behind at the Professor's. I didn't think we'd end up living here, or else I would've brought him. But now I've forgotten him and I can't go back to get him" Lucy explained. She twiddled her fingers nervously, obviously ashamed that she, a queen, couldn't sleep because she missed her stuffed animal. Susan smiled back at her softly. "I see. I wish there was something we could do, but I don't know if we can get back" Susan replied. "Even if we could, I wouldn't want to. How do I know we'd ever be able to come back to Narnia if we left?" Lucy asked. That was perhaps her biggest fear: never returning to Narnia, leaving all of this splendor behind while they were trapped back in England. A shudder ran down her spine. "That's a good point, but let's not worry about it too much now" Susan said, resting a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder. "But while we're both awake, why don't we go down to the kitchen and I can make us some hot chocolate?" she offered. Lucy's face brightened, replying with a grin and an enthusiastic smile.

Down the hall, Peter tossed and turned, unable to sleep himself. There was too much flurrying through his head: his kingly duties, his sister's affliction, his ignorance of a friend. He still had so much to learn and he still barely understood any of it. Narnian politics hardly made sense, partially because there were very few humans he was even governing. Every species needed to be catered to and happy. He could barely keep his family happy, let alone his country. He didn't know why Lucy was acting the way she was but somehow he found a way to blame himself. Maybe he wasn't paying her enough attention, maybe there was something the matter that she felt she couldn't tell him. She could always come to him with her problems, and yet now he felt distant and out of touch. He was too busy for everyone he cared about: his brother, his sisters, Eilonwy. His heart ached for Eilonwy, the way he treated her, the way he'd been ignoring her. It wasn't like he meant to be so cruel. He was simply frustrated. She understood, didn't she? Eilonwy rolled onto her side and gathered her blankets around her like a cocoon. She stared straight ahead into the darkness, mind cloudy with thought, as well. She, too, feared for Lucy and wanted her to be well. But she also feared for herself. Being back at Cair Paravel wasn't getting any easier and she needed someone to console her. Edmund had been of some help but he didn't know the extent of her trauma. Peter, however, did. But Peter was far too busy for her. Peter had enough on his mind. She didn't want to bother him with her petty problems, even if she knew his company would make the transition so much easier. But then again, maybe Peter would understand. Maybe he'd be willing to hear her cries. Suddenly overwhelmed by an intense energy, Peter threw back his covers and climbed out of bed. He needed to speak to Eilonwy. He needed the reprieve. He needed to know she was okay and, in turn, to be okay himself. Eilonwy suddenly grew more and more desperate. She knew Peter didn't want to speak to her but she needed to try. She needed to speak to him. Sitting up, she tied her hair back with a ribbon from the nightstand, tossed a robe over her nightdress, and burst out into the hallway. The moment Peter swung the door open and stepped out of his chambers, he found Eilonwy had done the same just a few feet away. He watched her turn and face him and for a moment, their eyes met and a horrible electricity charged between them as they gravitated even closer toward one another. "What are you doing up so late?" Eilonwy asked awkwardly once she grew nearer. All the confidence that had swelled inside her before had now completely deflated, eyes downcast and heart racing out of her chest. "I just, uh, I'm..." Peter stammered. He wasn't sure how to tell her all he had been feeling. Or at least not while he was looking at her. She was exactly the same and yet somehow looked vastly different than he remembered. She was thinner, bonier, her skin paler and her hair darker. She was like a ghost condemned to forever haunt the home in which she died. Finally, he broke. "I was looking for you" he said softly. "Wait, what? Why?" she asked back in disbelief. "I wanted to apologize. I wanted to say sorry for...for everything. I know I've been busy but...but it was wrong to ignore you and treat you the way I did. You don't deserve that" he murmured. "Oh..." she mumbled back. She had never expected to get an apology out of him. Now that she had, she wasn't sure what exactly to do with it. She almost felt like he planned to say more, so she hesitated to reply, staring at different parts of the flooring where the tiles converged only to be met with silence. The two of them stood there awkwardly for a moment more, drenched in a maddening quiet that only escalated the magnetic tension they had for so long ignored between their bodies. Eilonwy's lips itched in the same way they did that night of the coronation when they kissed on the dancefloor. She almost wanted to lean in and repeat the memory, but restrained herself. She didn't see the same desire reflected in Peter's eyes, or at least she didn't think so. She never was the best at identifying these sorts of things. Peter glanced at her a moment before finally breaking the unending silence. "I, uh... well, I was wondering...would you like to sneak down to the kitchen for a snack? There are some leftover rum cakes from the coronation we could have. Consider it part of my apology. I don't exactly feel like I've done enough to make it up to you" he said. A small smile spread across Eilonwy's lips. "Sure" she replied and together they walked beside one another, fingers itching to interlace but never granting themselves the satisfaction.

Laughter echoed down the hallway as the young king and his new friend sat around the kitchen table and conversed. Edmund never expected to find a friend in the young centaur but through their late night meeting, discovered they had far more in common than either of them could've expected. Edmund had fixed a platter of snacks for the both of them to share, munching on cheese and crackers and fruits. The just king situated himself on one of the barstools near the counter as Nefyn hung out on the other side, leaning her elbows on the counter's edge and crossing her legs casually. "Wait a minute, wait a minute, shhh" Nefyn suddenly interrupted. She rose a finger to her lips and glanced to the doorway in a panic. "What is it...?" Edmund asked quietly. "I hear people coming" Nefyn whispered frantically. Edmund's eyes widened, not wanting to be caught awake in the middle of the night, and began searching for a place to hide all their food on the platter. He wasn't quick enough, however, and was instantly caught redhanded with a bushel of grapes hanging out of his mouth. "Edmund?" a small voice called from the doorway. The young king whipped around to find Susan and Lucy, their eyes darting from Ed to his new friend and back. He pasted a crooked smile on his face before setting the platter back down and plucking the rest of the grapes from his mouth. "Ed, what on earth are you doing?" Susan questioned. "I was just, uh...having a midnight snack!" Edmund explained. "And who is this...?" Susan replied. "This is, uh...this is Nefyn. She's..." he started but the centaur quickly interrupted. "Miss Nefyn, your majesty. You called upon my father to help with Queen Lucy's affliction" she introduced in a rather professional manner. Lucy's tired eyes lit up. "Oh, so you're Aesop's assistant! He's told me many good things about you" she gushed. "He often does..." Nefyn replied. Her tone spelled confidence but the blush on her cheeks negated that assumption. "What are you two doing here?" Edmund then asked. The frantic look in his eyes gave Lucy all the information she needed to know and it took every ounce of her strength to restrain her laughter. "Lucy couldn't sleep so I offered to make her some hot chocolate" Susan said matter-of-factly. "Well, I wouldn't possibly want to get in your way, then, so I think I better just--" Nefyn began but Edmund quickly interrupted her. "N-no, wait! Y-you don't...you don't have to go just yet!" he pleaded. The centaurette paused and eyed him curiously. "Oh?" she asked. Edmund nodded, eyes wide and desperate. "Please stay. Just for a little while longer?" Nefyn glanced from Ed to his sisters, who were grinning widely at the two of them, and then back to Ed indecisively. "Well...I guess I could stay up for just a little while longer" she finally decided. A look of pure joy flashed across Edmund's face before he quickly did his best to restrain his excitement. He knew exactly what his sisters were thinking and didn't want to give them anymore ammunition than they already had. Susan and Lucy glanced to each other with knowing smiles, Lucy opening her mouth about to speak but was immediately interrupted by yet another visitor. "What's all this?" Eilonwy asked from the doorway. Peter tagged close behind. "I guess Lucy's not the only one who couldn't sleep" the High King added comically. "Lucy had a nightmare so I offered to make her some hot chocolate but it turns out the kitchen was already occupied when we got here" Susan explained, floating toward the cabinets to retrieve a pair of mugs and some cocoa. Peter nodded, eyes flashing from Edmund to his new friend suspiciously. "And who might this be?" "I'm Nefyn, Aesop's daughter" the centaurette spoke. Recognition flashed across both Peter and Eilonwy's faces as they connected the dots. They, too, had not expected Aesop's assistant to be a young girl such as herself. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen, or at least the centaurian equivalent. To the uneducated, one might even think Nefyn was far too young to be Aesop's daughter but Eilonwy knew better. "Now what are you two doing down here?" Edmund asked. "I came down here for a midnight snack as a reconciliation reward" Eilonwy explained. "Reconciliation reward?" asked Susan. Peter nodded. "There were some things I felt I needed to make up for in leftover rum cakes" he explained. "Well, now that we're all awake, we might as well make a party out of it!" Lucy exclaimed. Susan eyed her with the same expression a mother gives when she is displeased with their child's ideas. "You're supposed to be getting to sleep, not getting riled up, Lu" she stated. "Have my father's potions not worked?" Nefyn asked curiously. Lucy shook her head. "Interesting...his latest concoction is his most potent yet. I wonder why it hasn't worked for you" she pondered. Lucy shrugged, averting her eyes. She felt ashamed of herself for not responding to the medicine, even if it wasn't really her fault. It's not like she can control what does and doesn't work on her body. Edmund edged into the seat beside Nefyn with a smorgasboard of pears and cheese and assorted nuts, replacing their old platter which was nearly cleared away by now. The sweet scent of chocolate wafted through the kitchen as Susan presented her sister with a mug of piping hot cocoa and a small plate of ginger cookies, along with a serving for herself. Peter and Eilonwy sat close nibbling on rum cakes, still spongy from all the booze they had by now soaked up so much of. By the time they were finished, Eilonwy was restraining a bout of tipsy giggles and Peter was feeling wonderfully. Apparently Narnian rum cakes were far stronger than their London equivalents. Their midnight meeting didn't seem to last very long, however. In the midst of all their giggling and chatting, they failed to hear a set of hoofsteps venture down the stairs and into the doorway. It wasn't until they were met with the deep grunt of a centaur clearing his throat that they all silenced and stood attention. Aesop stared at each of them in anger, focusing most of his fury on Nefyn more than anyone else. "Apparently no one in this kingdom sleeps" he stated bluntly. "Papa!" Nefyn squeaked. Aesop shot her a glare. "I hope you have some sort of explanation for all of this, Nefyn" he stated. Nefyn averted her eyes, displeased with herself for disobeying her father's orders. "I do not, other than I was simply satisfying the body's natural call for nourishment. I didn't anticipate the company" she explained softly. "I see..." Aesop stated, arms crossed and staring the rest of the congregation down. Even Peter, the High King, felt intimidated by him. A shiver ran down Eilonwy's spine. "Well, it is not my place to deny a child the relief of their hunger, but I cannot say I am pleased with the social aspect of your routine. An apprentice has no time for idle chatter. Remember that, Nefyn." "Yes, Papa" she replied quietly. And with that, she bowed her head to each of her new friends and rushed out the door. Edmund was taken aback by how different a girl she was around her father compared to Nefyn unsupervised. It was as if an unwavering tensity electrified her the moment he walked through the door, the kind of panic that comes with years of abuse. Quite frankly, Edmund wasn't all too fond of the change but had no jurisdiction over the way a man raised his daughter. Aesop glanced to each member of the group before bowing his head and bidding everyone a goodnight, spending an extra few seconds to eye Edmund threateningly. The moment he left the room, Edmund groaned and buried his face in his hands. "That's it. He hates me" he stated, voice muffled from behind his palms. "What was all that about?" Peter questioned, confused. "Edmund has a girlfriend!" Lucy exclaimed. "W-what?! She is not my girlfriend!" Edmund panicked. "She's just a friend...who happens to be a girl." "Of course" Susan replied, undertones of sarcasm poking through her voice. The just king's face went beet red as he sunk further in his seat and groaned once more. "It's alright, Ed..." Lucy replied sleepily. "We can't all fall for humans" she added, voice fading into a yawn at the end of her sentence. "Alright, I think it's about time someone went to bed" Susan replied, pushing the mugs and plate across the counter and scooping Lucy up in her arms. "I think it's about time we all got some sleep" Peter elaborated, glancing to Edmund and Eilonwy. Edmund simply nodded, face still red with sheer embarassment. A small smile touched Eilonwy's lips as she rose and followed the High King out of the room, blowing out the candles and drenching the kitchen in pitch darkness. Peter glanced through the doorway as he watched Susan kiss Lucy on the forehead and tuck her into bed. "I sure hope she gets some decent sleep tonight" Peter murmured. Eilonwy nodded from beside him. "I do, too. She's far too young to be this insomniatic" Eilonwy replied. She peered through the doorway and smiled softly at Lucy's sleepy form. There was something she always loved about the inquisitive and kindhearted little queen. She hated to see her so troubled. "You ought to get some sleep, too" Peter added, turning his attention to Eilonwy. She nodded and replied, "If I can sleep at all. I've been having some rather awful nightmares lately." "I know" Peter said. Eilonwy furrowed her brows and cocked her head, confused. "Don't you remember the other night?" he asked. "What? No. Nothing happened the other night" she argued. "Yes, something did" Peter replied. "You wandered into my office in the middle of the night just a few days, maybe a week, ago. You thought I was your father and panicked when you realized I wasn't. I had to escort you back to bed and you collapsed in the hall." Eilonwy stared at him with wide eyes, shocked that her nightmare wasn't just confined to her dreams. Her face flushed and her fingers tingled and she wanted nothing more than to just disappear. "Oh, well I-I'm sorry, then..." she finally replied quietly, voice hoarse. Peter shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I was kind of an ass about it at the time. I just want to make sure you're alright" he said. He extended a hand to rest it upon her shoulder but she jerked away before his fingers could graze her skin. A nervous chuckle escaped her lips. "I-I better get some rest. I'll see you in the morning, your majesty. Goodnight" she muttered then quickly turned on her heels and sped into her room. Peter watched her disappear with concern but before he could say anything of it, Susan emerged from Lucy's bedroom and slowly shut the door. "Everything alright in there?" Peter asked. Susan nodded. "I think the hot chocolate really helped ease her nerves. She passed out almost immediately" she explained. The door to Eilonwy's chamber quickly shut, causing Susan to peer toward it curiously. "Everything alright out here?" "I suppose" Peter replied flippantly. Susan called his bluff immediately. "I'm just worried about Eilonwy. I think she's been having a difficult time adjusting, as well." "Really? She seems so cool and collected" Susan replied. Peter shook his head. "There are some things about her that she doesn't really talk about that would make being at Cair Paravel far more difficult than you might expect" Peter said, but then brushed off the subject. "I don't want to talk about it now, though. It's conversation for another time." "Oh, okay..." Susan replied. She didn't want to press Peter for information but his words sparked a great deal of interest in her. Perhaps it would explain much of Eilonwy's strange behavior and shifting moods, trademark aspects since they first met that night in the woods. "So, what about that Nefyn girl Ed was hanging around with? What's with her?" Peter asked as he escorted Susan to her chambers. "I don't quite know. All I know is that she's Aesop's daughter and they seemed to be getting along swimmingly by the time Lucy and I got down there" Susan explained. "She's Aesop's apprentice, right? Great doctor he is. Can't even cure a little girl's insomnia" Peter scoffed. Susan paused and jerked Peter back by the hand. "That's the thing, though. I found out why Lucy hasn't been sleeping. It's not because the potions aren't working. It's because she misses Puppy!" Susan explained excitedly. Peter could tell she was pleased to have finally cracked the code. "You mean that toy dog Dad got her as a kid?" Peter asked. Susan nodded. "Think about it, Pete: she's hardly slept without it since birth. No wonder she hasn't been able to sleep since we got here. She left him behind at the professor's, never having expected for us to move and make a life here. Now that we have, she knows she certainly can't go back to get him or else we may never come back at all" she explained, her voice rising in excitement the further she explained. "Alright, so it's like we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. So what do we do?" Peter asked. "I have an idea" a voice then spoke from the void. Peter and Susan whipped around to find Edmund standing in the light filtering from his doorway, wide awake. "I thought I told you to go to bed!" Susan exclaimed. Edmund wrinkled his nose at her. "Well it's kind of hard to sleep with you two babbling right outside my door" he snapped back. "Lucy seems to be doing a fine job at it" Peter jested, cocking his head toward the youngest Pevensie's door. "Alright, well do you want to hear my idea or not? It's for Lucy" Edmund replied. Peter and Susan sighed but urged him to proceed anyway. Edmund always did have a knack for solving problems and this was no exception. "Maybe we should make her a replacement. You know, to fill the void." The eldest two paused for a moment to consider his suggestion. It seemed to make a lot of sense, at least. It was just a question of whether Lucy would approve. "We could surprise her" Susan added. The two boys nodded in agreement, imagining the look of sheer delight on Lucy's face when presented with a brand new plush of pure Narnian craftsmanship. "I guess now there's just one thing left to do" Peter replied. "Find someone to commission." ~o~ "This is impossible" Susan groaned, burying her face in her hands. "It's been an entire week and I swear there is not one toymaker in the entire country who knows how to make a plush animal." Peter sunk into the large armchair in the corner of his office. "Well, maybe she'd be fine with a wooden toy. She likes those, doesn't she?" the High King offered. His words seemed hopeful but his tone proved halfhearted. He already knew the answer. "She does, but that doesn't mean she's going to want to cuddle one late at night" Edmund offered. Peter sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Another groan erupted from Susan. "I'd offer to do it but the only sewing I can manage is mending holes" Eilonwy added. Not that I do a very decent job of even that, she thought to herself, eyes downcast toward the smattering of tears near the hem of her dress. It wasn't her fault every one she stitched up just broke open time and time again. "What about outside the country?" Susan asked. "There has to be a toymaker in Archenland who can craft plushes." "But what about the shipment fees?" Edmund replied. While his brother had been struggling to grasp much of the necessary concepts for kingship, Edmund picked up on the role of international finances and the like as if he was born with the knowledge. It was all very simple: anything imported automatically had a shipment fee attached for the delivery and handling. At least if it was Narnian-made, they wouldn't have to travel across borders to receive it. Peter and Susan unanimously groaned and sighed once more. "Well, we can't give up. Lucy needs this. Lucy needs us" Peter iterated. The others understood completely. There was no way they could disappoint the valiant queen. After all, she had been the backbone of their entire journey. None of them would be here if it weren't for her. This was the least they could do. She deserved it. "Ed, gather up the gryphons again. Send them out to patrol again in search of any toymakers we might've missed" Peter finally ordered. Edmund nodded and exited the room. "I better go check on Lucy. By now she's probably made herself sick with sleeplessness" Susan replied. She shot the High King a hopeless gaze before sneaking out behind her younger brother, leaving Peter alone with the huntress. The pair stood there in tense silence for a few unending moments, the longest they had been alone together since the night nobody slept. Eilonwy's eyes darted toward the doorway repeatedly, contemplating whether she should just slip out or actually say something. Finally, Peter broke the silence. "Ugh, why does this have to be so difficult?" he erupted. Eilonwy jumped, startled by the sudden outburst, then recoiled a few paces toward Peter's desk. "I-I wish there was some way I could help. Something I could do" the huntress replied. "Don't worry about it" Peter sighed. He rubbed his face with his hands as if trying to wake himself up, then stood and slowly approached Eilonwy and his desk behind her. "It's not your fault." "I know, but--" she started. "How have you been sleeping?" he interrupted. Eilonwy stammered a moment before shaking her head. "I've been alright. I should be the least of your worries, honestly" she said back. Peter nodded slowly, index finger grazing the pages strewn across his desk. "Listen, Peter, it seems like you've got a lot of work to do here and I don't want to distract you any further. You know where to find me if you need me" she said, awkwardly patting him on the shoulder. She wasn't great with comfort but felt some gesture of the sort was fitting. A soft smile spread across Peter's face as he watched her walk away, then sunk into his office chair and tossed his head back with a desperate sigh.

A light knock at the door stirred Eilonwy conscious from her nightmares, blinking awake from her cocoon of heavy blankets. A fine layer of sweat coated her forehead. "Your highness? It's Miss Hattie" a small voice called from the other side of the door. With a grunt, Eilonwy hoisted herself from her bed and trudged over to the doorway, swinging it open with tired eyes. "Oh! Y-your highness, you look frightful!" Hattie exclaimed, stamping her hooves nervously. Eilonwy simply hummed and motioned for her to enter. "What is it this time, Hattie? Come to 'mend and launder' my dresses again?" Eilonwy asked with great snark. "Actually..." the faun started. "Tumnus requested I perform a brief wellness check, ensure you're doing alright. He's noticed you've seemed rather...lethargic as of late." Lethargic. The term made Eilonwy vastly uncomfortable, although it wasn't completely inaccurate. Rolling her eyes, Eilonwy replied, "Listen, tell Tumnus not to be concerned. I'm fine. If he should worry about anyone, it should be Lucy." Hattie furrowed her brows and cocked her head to the side. "The Valiant Queen? If you don't mind my asking, your highness, what is the trouble with her?" The huntress sighed as she turned to her vanity and sloppily tied her hair back. "She's having trouble sleeping. I don't know, the kings and queen would give you a far better explanation than I ever could. All I really know is that there's this plush puppy she left behind at home-- in her own world-- that she's having trouble sleeping without. The kings and queen have searched far and wide for a toymaker experienced in creating such things but have found no such luck. All the Narnians know how to make are wooden dolls and rocking horses which are all fine and dandy, no doubt, but not exactly the kind of toy one would want to cuddle late into the night" she explained. "Ah, I see..." Hattie replied. By now she had waded around Eilonwy's back and was helping her fasten the buttons up her back. For the first time, somehow Eilonwy didn't seem to mind. Her usual aggravation with such things had apparently disintegrated. For now. Hattie and Eilonwy stood there in silence for a short while, the huntress running her fingers over the clutter on her vanity while Hattie worked nimbly at fastening her dress. Eilonwy couldn't help but feel a sense of expectancy, as if Hattie had wished to say more but couldn't untangle the words from within her throat. The huntress's intuition was correct, however, when the faun finally broke the silence. "You know, your highness...I, uh...I know how to knit. If it would so please your majesties, I may...well, I may be able to knit the Valiant Queen a replacement" Hattie offered shyly. The moment the words left her lips, Eilonwy's face lit up. She whipped around with a shriek of joy, taking the faun by the shoulders and grinning wildly. Hattie looked upon her with terror, having never seen the maiden express so much unadulterated joy before. "Oh, would you?! Could you?!" Eilonwy shouted with glee. Hattie nodded quickly, terrified. Another shriek erupted from the huntress as she embraced Hattie tightly, trapping her in her clutch, before sending her tumbling upon release. "I have to go alert the others. Hattie, you're a dear!" Eilonwy shouted, barrelling out of the room and down the hallway. She could only imagine the looks of pure relief and joy her news would bring to the kings' and queen's faces.

Moonlight illuminated the servant's courtyard as Hattie dilligently worked her knitting needles. It was one of those warm spring nights when the air smells fresh and dew coats the grass and there's not a cloud in the sky. Vegetables were just beginning to sprout in the garden surrounding as fresh, juicy fruits formed on tree branches. A tangle of canary yellow and gold yarn sat upon the table like a mess of spaghetti, strands spooled inward by nimble needles. Hattie was so focused on her work that she scarcely heard the kitchen's backdoor swing open and a disheveled Tumnus stumble into the moonlight. "Hattie!" he exclaimed, not expecting to find company. "W-w-what are you, uh, doing out here?" Hattie's eyes widened and her face blushed as she turned to face her supervisor. "Just getting some fresh air, is all!" she quickly replied. She huffed a lock of hair off her forehead and grinned nervously. Suspicious eyes glanced from the maid to the yarn on the table and back. "What's all that?" Tumnus asked, pointing to her mess. "Oh, this? This is just a project I'm working on. A little knitting never hurt anyone, eh?" she said. Tumnus still wasn't totally convinced she wasn't up to something but at this late hour, he was far too tired to care. With a sigh, he slumped into a nearby chair and let his limbs hang as if he was a puddle of a man. "While you're at it, Hattie, you ought to knit me a gigantic, fluffy blanket because I need a nap" Tumnus sighed. Hattie could tell he was terribly tired: his face was paler than she remembered, there were bags under his eyes, and his hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in a month. Not that his hair was ever really all that neat to begin with, messy hair being a species trademark for fauns in general, but Tumnus's hair had currently reached the point to where it looked like he had a giant burr growing from his head. "Exhausting job, I assume?" Hattie inquired. Tumnus nodded. "Well, Tumnus, I would knit you a blanket if I could but I'm horribly busy at the moment. I'm working on a project for the queen herself." "Queen Susan?" Tumnus asked. Susan seemed, to him, like the most plausible option though even he wasn't sure of his own assumption. Hattie shook her head. "The Valiant" she simply stated. Tumnus's eyes widened. "Little Lucy?" he asked. Hattie nodded, eyes locked on her work. "Lady Eilonwy confided in me of a certain dilemma her majesty was struggling with and I offered to help. Apparently Queen Lucy has been unable to sleep due to the loss of a cherished toy left behind in her own world. When I heard of her majesty's affliction, and the kings and queen's struggle to find a toymaker gifted in crafting plushes, I decided the least I could do was help, so that's what I'm doing now" Hattie explained. Tumnus leaned forward onto the table, eyes wide, and huffed in exasperation. "I suppose I have been rather busy..." he muttered to himself. A wave of guilt washed over him, having never even noticed Lucy's troubles. He was so preoccupied with directing servants here and there that the kings and queens weren't exactly his prime focus. But now Lucy, the little girl from a strange world who had caused such a change in his life, was ill and he had had no idea. Not only did he feel like a terrible advisor but he felt like an even worse friend. "How long has this been going on?" was all he could manage to ask. Hattie shook her head. "I'm not sure. Lady Eilonwy said nothing of it. By her utter relief at my offer, though, I can assume quite a while." Tumnus sighed and buried his face in his hands. He could just picture her sitting up in bed, face pale and eyes dark, dozing off only to snap back awake again. He hated to think of Lucy trapped in such an endless, unpleasant cycle. As he sat there imagining it, though, the scene suddenly changed. Rather than her bed in Cair Paravel, she was sitting in a chair in his own home. A fire crackled beside her as her teacup tipped and spilled across the carpet. Fauns danced in the flames. An epiphany. Hattie shrieked with surprise as her supervisor leapt from his chair and screamed, "I've got it!" There was a sudden madness in his eyes-- or was it brilliance?-- that, quite frankly, scared the young maid. She peered up at the faun curiously as she awaited an elaboration. Tumnus jolted closer, grasping Hattie's hands in his, and grinned. "Hattie, dear, I have the most wonderful idea. You must let me help you. I can save Queen Lucy from her troubles."

"This is splendid, Hattie! I guarantee Lu will love it" Susan gushed, turning the finished toy over in her hands. Gold flecks in the yarn glinted in the sunlight, a bushy mane framing a familiar face. Susan ran her fingers down his back, memories of the real Aslan sparking in her brain. "There has to be some way we can repay you" Edmund replied. Peter nodded from his desk, glancing from the young faun to his brother and back. "Oh, that's really not necessary. It was no trouble at all. Anything for a queen of Narnia" Hattie replied softly, eyes downcast. She had never had a private meeting with the kings and queens before and though they were perfectly lovely people, she still couldn't help but feel nervous. After all, they were like local celebrities. Eilonwy patted the faun on the back and grinned widely. "So, did I deliver or did I deliver? Aren't you glad I got involved here?" she asked proudly. Susan rolled her eyes and held the plush close to her chest. Peter shook his head with an airy laugh. "Thank you, Eilonwy, for having recruited Hattie for doing such a wonderful thing" Peter stated as he stood and approached the two. He met them with a smile, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. A slight blush fell across both their cheeks, one of affection and the other of anxiety. "I guess we ought to go present this to Lu now. There's really no use in waiting any longer" Susan stated. She rose from her seat and glided toward the doorway, glancing to Tumnus standing behind the maid. "Have you got your flute, Tumnus?" The faun smiled and held it up excitedly. Susan nodded in approval. "Alright then. Let's get to it." The congregation barrelled down the hallway together, Peter at the lead, toward Lucy's bedroom. The door was just barely creaked open but from inside, they could hear the low drone of Aesop's voice interrogating the young queen about her affliction. "Mind if we intrude a moment?" Peter asked with a knock on the door. Aesop grumbled and motioned for them to enter. "How are you feeling, Lu?" the High King asked, rushing to his baby sister's bedside. She smiled tiredly and shook her head. "I feel awful, Peter. I'm so upset" she said back. "Why are you upset?" Edmund asked, standing at the foot of her bed. "Because I've caused so much trouble! I've been a horrible queen. I haven't helped with anything. I can't help rule a country, I can't eat, I can't sleep. I can't seem to do anything!" Lucy explained. She drew her knees up to her chest and sighed, shoulders drooping and face pale. "Lu, please don't be upset with yourself" Susan begged, taking her baby sister's hand in hers. "We never expected you to adjust overnight. Even we are still having trouble getting used to all this. We may have a lot of responsibilities but our number one priority right now is taking care of you." The valiant smiled softly, so grateful to have such wonderful family that cared for her as much as they did. "Well, thank you all so much. I don't know if I'll ever sleep again but it makes me feel better knowing how much you all care." "And while we're on the subject of you sleeping, I think we might have found something that could help" Peter announced. He rose from his place beside Lucy and ushered Hattie and Tumnus forward, both hiding their gifts behind their backs. Lucy looked to the maid with confusion but gazed upon Tumnus with nothing but sheer happiness. "Hello, Lucy Pevensie" he greeted her softly. "Tumnus!" she shrieked with joy. "What have you been doing? It's like I haven't seen you in ages!" "I'm so sorry, Lucy. It seems that in all the hustle and bustle of running the castle, I've forgotten to pay any mind to you. But I hope to help you feel better, if you'll let me. We both do..." he said, glancing to Hattie. Lucy turned her gaze to the female faun, cocking her head to the side. "G-Good afternoon, your majesty. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hattie, one of the maidservants. Eilonwy told me of your troubles and--and I offered to help in the best way that I could think of. So, um, I know this might not be perfect b-but I hope it'll manage alright...unless you don't like it then that's perfectly fine, too! But, anyways, uh....here you are, your majesty" Hattie stammered until finally she pulled the plush from behind her back, presenting it with shaking hands. Lucy's eyes lit up at the sight of it, a little knit lion who reminded her so much of such a close friend. "It's an Aslan!" she gasped, pulling the lion close and hugging it tightly. Everything about it made her heart sing, especially the fact that her siblings and friends would go to such trouble to make her happy. "Thank you so much! I'll name him Aslan the Second and I promise, I'll love him forever!" she exclaimed. A massive grin spread across Hattie's face, cheeks turning bright red. She giggled softly and dug her hooves into the floor, shyly, muttering a soft, "You're very welcome" before backing away so Tumnus could step forward and present his own gift. "When Hattie told me of your troubles, I honestly panicked. I felt terrible for having had no idea that you were so troubled. You're a very dear friend to me, Lucy Pevensie, and I don't ever wish anything horrible upon you. But when I heard of your sleeplessness, it reminded me of something. Do you remember the very first time we met?" Tumnus said. Lucy nodded. "I realized that the day we met and you came to my house for tea, I put you to sleep with my flute and I figured, well, if it worked then, then perhaps it will work now, as well." "Oh, a lullaby!" Lucy exclaimed. The faun nodded, revealing the pan flute from behind his back and raising it to his lips. From the moment he played the very first note, the vibe of the entire room instantly shifted. What once was occupied by a tense frustration was immediately replaced by a resounding calm, a weighty tranquility like the kind you feel when you slide into a giant, warm bath. The tune Tumnus played was unlike anything the other Pevensies had ever heard before. It was equally haunting and alluring, coating their bodies in a welcome lethargy. Soon Lucy's eyelids began to droop and she slid into the embrace of her many pillows. Aesop raised a brow as he watched, displeased that this of all things was actually working. Nefyn, however, was completely entranced, standing by her father's side pausing in her organization of varying medicine bottles. The young centaurette had never seen anything quite like this-- granted, she had never really associated with fauns before and therefore knew little of their culture. More than anything, though, Nefyn was pleased to see the young queen finally gaining relief. Her father shot her a glare and motioned for her to exit the premises with him, to which she dutifully obeyed, wheeling a cart of glass bottles and bundled herbs out with her. The more Tumnus played, the sleepier everyone else found themselves becoming, as well. The faun glanced over his shoulder to Hattie and motioned for her to escort everyone else out of the room and to their chambers, expecting them to endure a long but pleasant nap, as well. Hattie nodded once in agreement, guiding everyone through the door and into the hallway. Edmund muttered something inaudible as he fought to keep his eyes open, nearly walking into the wall as he trudged off to his bed. Even in sleep, Susan glided gracefully toward her own room as if she was mist upon a lake on an early winter morn. As they traversed further down the hallway, however, Eilonwy proved to be the most inappropriate of them all. She stumbled over her own two feet and swayed two and fro, mumbling nonsense and overall making a mess of herself. And then she swayed too far to the right and bumped into Peter, who was just in the middle of a yawn, but Eilonwy didn't swerve away. Instead, she sighed softly and proceeded to rest her head on his shoulder. Peter released a quiet gasp at the motion but by now was far too tired to care. Instead he simply wrapped an arm around her shoulder and patted it nicely before Hattie stopped them at the end of the hall. A knowing smile touched her lips as she guided them to their own rooms, restraining her laughter at how adorable they both were. Eilonwy fell face first into her bed, limbs hanging over the edge. Hattie didn't dare move her. She whispered a quiet "goodnight" before blowing out the candle and entrenching the young maiden in absolute darkness.

"Come on, Lu, you're going to miss them!" Susan shouted up the staircase. Lucy took one last glance at herself in the mirror, fixing her crown upon her head, before darting out of her bedroom. Edmund barrelled past her, nearly knocking her to her feet, to which the valiant queen huffed and narrowed her eyes but she'd get back at him later. Now was not the time to start an argument. Oreius stamped his feet as he helped load Aesop and Nefyn's luggage onto their ship. It was much smaller than the Pevensie's Splendor Hyaline but it was more than enough room for the two centaurs, a small crew, and all their supplies. "Thank you, again, for everything you've done" Susan replied kindly, extending a hand for a shake. Aesop eyed it a moment, confused as to what she expected him to do with it. Apparently handshakes still weren't really a common thing in Narnia. "Not that anything I tried helped" Aesop replied sourly. Susan lowered her hand slowly, unsure if she should be offended or not. Seeing the uncertainty on the queen's face, however, Nefyn quickly jumped in at her father's defense. "What I believe my father meant was that we were glad to be of service to you, your majesties, and we're happy to see Queen Lucy is well again" the centaurette said. Just then, Edmund skidded to a halt beside his brother and sister on the dock, face red and dewy from running. Or at least partially from running. Lucy followed soon after. "Edmund, I've never seen you run so fast for anything that didn't involve food before" Lucy jested with a chuckle. Edmund shot her a quick glare. "I didn't want to miss them leaving!" he replied. Then, turning to Nefyn, he asked, "Do you really have to leave so soon?" "I'm afraid so" she replied. "There's been some sort of infection spreading across Galma that requires our assistance. If we don't leave soon, far too many people could die." Aesop nodded gravely. "Which is why we cannot waste any more time with goodbyes" he added. Nefyn cringed at her father's blunt delivery. "Well, when do you think I'll see you again?" Edmund asked. Nefyn shrugged and sadly smiled back at him. "I cannot say, but I can hope that one day the stars shall align and we shall see each other again." She placed a tender hand on his shoulder and bowed before him, brief but meaningful, before following her father onto the ship. "You're certainly welcome to visit us in Narnia whenever you wish" Peter said, nodding and watching them board. Lucy sidled up to Peter, shifting her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, before tugging at the hem of Peter's tunic. "What is it, Lu?" "Don't you think we ought to go with them?" she asked quietly. Susan, overhearing, turned to her sister in confusion. "What for?" "Well," Lucy began, "If there's some sort of sickness on Galma, and I have my cordial, don't you think it's my duty to help them? I'd hate to see so many people die when I have a cure right at my hip." Peter glanced from Lucy to the ship and back with a sigh. He could see Lucy's point but at the same time, he knew nothing of this infection or it's severity. The last thing he wanted was to put his own family in danger by venturing to a country riddled with disease. "Listen, Lu, we'll talk about it later, alright?" he finally said. Lucy furrowed her brows and pursed her lips in displeasure but again, this was not the time to argue. Aesop and Nefyn stood upon the deck of their ship, waving goodbye as one of their crew raised the anchor and the captain directed the boat east. Something heavy weighed on Edmund's chest watching them depart, a great yearning he had only ever felt twice before. He knew there was nothing he could do, however, and forced himself to make do with the situation at hand. After all, "goodbye" didn't mean "goodbye forever." He'd see Nefyn again someday...hopefully. With shoulders drooped, he watched Nefyn wave goodbye from the stern as they grew closer to the horizon, the hint of a sly smile across her face. Edmund shoved his hands into his trouser pockets in defeat only to find something strange and unfamiliar tangle in his fingers. He pulled it out carefully, turning it over in his hands. "What's that?" Lucy asked, peering over to sneak a peek. "I-I don't know..." Edmund murmured. He swore the thing hadn't been in his pocket earlier. "Looks like a friendship bracelet" Eilonwy added. "Common centaur practice. Tokens of friendship, affection, and gratitude." Suddenly it all made sense. Edmund looked up from the bracelet, the little strip of green and gray woven cloth, to the ship as it disappeared on the horizon. Nefyn. "That little sneak..." Edmund whispered to himself, chuckling softly. He turned his attention back to the bracelet, smiling down at it as he tried to fasten it to his wrist. Lucy glanced from Edmund to the ship and back, suddenly comprehending what was happening. Her eyes illuminated at the realization and, without filter, she shrieked happily, "You do like her!"

#t: futgt #t: futgt c: two #narnia #the chronicles of narnia #fanfiction #narniaff

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