#also i would not be surprised if gryffindor had some entirely avoidable deaths just from this culture of communal recklessness

[padfootastic]

so about the whole reckless as a trauma response thing, i see sirius as someone whos been through a lot right? i think he have severe ptsd obviously i can't diagnose him bc im not a professional, but i was reading about it and recklessness is a symptom of ptsd. 1/2

oh yeah, that’s an interpretation i can definitely get behind! sirius always going for the high over slow, steady because it’s the only way he can feel anything.

there’s actually so much angst potential with this, tbh. like both a james & non james world. a sirius who turns towards substance abuse, a sirius who lives recklessly & goes for extreme sports etc regardless of risk to his life, a sirius who never cares about personal safety. now this is so much better than the usual ‘sirius is an impulsive idiot’ thing that goes around.

and the gryffindor thing was a very random addition haha like,,,i was thinking of group cultures that would make the houses distinct (and how their house traits would show up in like, a tangible form right?) and maybe each house has certain traditions that really embody their traits ykno? so, gryffindor with like—an extreme activities competition where they have to do increasingly risky/adventurous stuff and everyone’s cheering the others on and it’s just like. a cycle that keeps getting more intense ykno?

[leopardfang15]

A little present for the awesome @racfoam with Harriet and Voldemort. We’ve been chatting and I got inspired. Fun fact, swing dancing was very popular when Voldemort was young.

The portraits outside the ballroom at Malfoy manor were no doubt either confused or enraged beyond all reason. Big band jazz music was blaring throughout the massive room. Death Eaters and the Malfoy’s stood under the grand, crystal chandeliers as the Dark Lord and Girl-Who-Lived spun around each other with quick feet, swing dancing.

It was a popular dance when Voldemort was young. He learned when he’d spend his days wandering London in the summer during his Hogwarts years. He always spent as little time as possible at the Orphanage and old Mrs Cole wouldn’t be caught dead in the dance halls and jazz clubs in London. Even if she did decide to go hunting for him she’d never brace the dance floor. The best place for him to avoid the gaze of that miserable old hag was in the crowd of dancing couples. The fact that swing dancing ended up being kind of fun was just a bonus.

Though now, dancing with Harriet, who had a massive smile lighting up her face, it was the most fun Voldemort had had in a long time. Perhaps the most fun he’d ever had. The only reason Harriet even knew that Voldemort could swing dance was because she once walked into his room and found him listening to a record player playing big band jazz music. She’d never expected him to like music at all (especially after her little trick with her rock music) and if he did she would’ve expected nothing but classical. Seemed the Dark Lord still surprised her. She asked about the jazz music and how he grew to like it. Before she knew it Voldemort was out of his robes, into some trousers and showing her the basics of swing.

Now her low heeled shoes clacked on the ball room floor and her knee length, black skirt fanned out around her as she twirled. She also wore solid black leggings under her dress. Normally she wouldn't but she didn’t feel too comfortable showing too much leg around the Death Eaters due to the high energy dance. All attention was on them once the music changed and the other couples vacated the floor. Voldemort wasn’t complaining. Harriet was so lost in dancing with the red eyed man she almost missed her step when he spoke without looking away from her.

“Got something you’d like to say, Lucius?” Voldemort asked, stepping around Harriet as he twirled her so they were now dancing on opposite sides.

Their host startled, not realizing his lord would even notice the bewildered look on his face. Lucius cleared his throat to give himself a moment so he could gather his thoughts and his nerve. He wasn’t sure how the dark lord would react to this but he hoped the other man would be too distracted by his soulmate to start casting Crucios. “I’m simply surprised, my lord. I didn’t expect you to know any muggle dances, let alone one so… energetic.” Not to mention the fact that his lord was wearing a muggle suit. Not like one could do such moves in robes anyway.

Voldemort scoffed. “Please, your father spent two weeks incessantly begging me to teach him how to do this.” He twirled Harriet out before pulling her back to him. Using her momentum he pulled her back in and spun her around his body before setting her back on her feet. Harriet’s bright eyes and the sight of her hair slipping from her ponytail almost distracted him from Lucius.

“What?” Lord Malfoy asked, face revealing the depths of his surprise. Oh Abraxas would’ve been so disappointed at the unfettered emotion on Lucius’s face. “Forgive me my lord but when would my father have ever seen you do this?”

Voldemort almost rolled his eyes. “There was a function my sixth year at Hogwarts and a Pureblood Gryffindor I disliked had been rather irritating the entire night. Seeing as how I couldn’t curse him in front of the teachers I decided to pull his muggleborn girlfriend onto the dance floor and show her what real dancing was.” He said with a smirk, remembering the boy’s face as he tossed his date in the air.

Harriet was snickering. “And how long did those two stay dating?”

“Not very long.” Voldemort smirked, dipping Harriet low when she jumped into his arms. “Though as a result of my little performance I had numerous students coming up to me at all hours of the day asking for dance lessons. Abraxas being the most incessant and vocal. I eventually taught him as a reward for scaring off everyone else.”

“Why would my father want to learn?” Lucius asked.

“Your mother in particular was quite impressed with the show.” He paused his story as Harriet pressed her back to his. He then knelt down, allowing Harriet to roll over his back and end up in front of him again. “You know, Abraxas wasn’t supposed to marry your mother. He was engaged to a girl two years behind him, Melody Parkinson. I believe your mother was to marry a Carrow. Not only that, but Talia Rosier wouldn’t give Abraxas the time of day.”

It was difficult to hear over the music but there were several snickers coming from various Death Eaters. Lucius himself was beginning to look more and more ridiculous, his grey eyes were so wide one may worry they might pop out of his head.

“In any event, I allowed your father to practice with me; picking me up, tossing me and catching me. Abraxas quickly learned that dropping me would be worse than dropping Talia.” No one needed to guess what the punishment for dropping the Dark Lord was.

“Once I declared him passable he renewed his chase of Talia. I don’t care to know how he convinced her to dance with him but seeing as how your here, Lucius, it’s clear that my dance lessons were instrumental in Abraxas getting the woman he wanted.” Voldemort smirked. “In fact, during my best man speech at their wedding I took full credit for the event. Now I believe I’ll take full credit for your existence.”

There was outright laughter at the sight of Lucius’s dropped jaw now, even from Harriet. Bellatrix’s loud cackling was heard the most over the music. Voldemort was too focused on Harriet to notice, though.

[bwbatta]

The five times James Potter asked you to marry him

(and the one time he meant it)

Pairing: James Potter x Slytherin!Reader

Warnings: 18+, Sexual content, swearing

Word Count: 3.6K

A/N: I saw this done with Fred somewhere but can’t remember who it was that wrote it, so thought I’d do the same with our boy James. There is also a lil bit of smutty goodness within this so please don’t read if this offends you or if you are underage! 

One

The first time James Potter asked you to marry him was when he first met you. 

Quidditch season had begun and Gryffindor vs Slytherin was the first game, enticing everyone to the stands to watch the two rival teams battle it out. James was aware of the new team members he was playing against, but blissfully unaware of how one of them was you. 

Their Gryffindor keeper had just saved a goal from your teammate, throwing the quaffle to James, only for it to be stolen from his grasp before he could blink. 

“What the-”

His eyes caught sight of your green quidditch robes as you zipped away, throwing the quaffle for another goal and succeeding as it soared through. The Slytherin stands erupted into cheers, but James could barely focus on it as he was too focused on you. 

Shaking it off, James pushed himself to focus on the game again, more determined to score, yet when you somehow stole the quaffle away from him another time, he couldn’t help but laugh. 

Had Slytherin finally recruited a decent quidditch player?!

The sarcastic thought barely slipped through his mind before the quaffle vanished from his hands a third time. 

“Prongs!” Sirius flew up beside him, pointing his beater’s bat towards him in an accusing way, “stop giving her the bloody quaffle!”

James just rolled his eyes before flying off towards you with the intent to nick it back. 

Whilst you easily avoided a bludger that Sirius had hit towards you, James quickly pinched back the quaffle in the split second you were distracted. With a cheeky grin in your direction, he winked and flew towards the Slytherin goals. 

After that, it became more of a game between the two of you rather than the actual match. Stealing the quaffle back and forth had you both snickering at the other when they lost it. 

With the commentator suddenly breaking the information that the two seekers were in a battle to catch the snitch, James’ attention shifted for just a moment to watch, which was just long enough for you to steal the quaffle away once more, just as the game ended.

Noticing the quaffle no longer in his grip, his attention shot to you where you held up the ball with a grin, winking back at him. 

Despite the two of you messing around with each other the whole game, neither of you had said a word to the other. Breaking the silence between the two of you, James couldn’t help but laugh, despite the fact Gryffindor had just lost after Regulus Black had caught the snitch for Slytherin. 

“Marry me.” He grinned widely at you as you smiled back just as big. 

“Not today.” You snickered, winking at him once more before flying down to join your team. 

Sirius appeared beside his best mate with an odd expression on his face, having just witnessed the exchange. 

“Am I missing something?”

James just chuckled, but his gaze stayed on you, watching as you cheered along with you team at the win. He wasn’t aware of who you were before the game, but he was very aware of you now. 

Two

Despite the fact you were sorted in Slytherin, you didn’t get along with certain members of your house. The common room always seemed to be the hotspot for wannabe dark wizards who publicly shared their common views on blood status and who wasn’t worthy of studying magic. 

It was something you didn’t agree with and so avoided as much as you could. This was why you sought your refuge in one of the alcoves off the third floor corridor. It was quiet and you didn’t get nearly as distracted as you would if you had stayed in the common room, or even the library for that matter. 

Hearing a loud swear and then the sound of feet pounding down the corridor, you couldn’t help but be curious. Sticking your head out, you had to admit you weren’t surprised to see a panicked James Potter and Sirius Black running down the corridor towards you. 

The loud shout from behind them, which could only have come from Professor McGonagall, followed them as it echoed down the hall. 

The corridor came to a dead end and the two friends shared a look of dread. Before you knew what came over you, you stuck your head out and whispered to them.

“Psst,” their attention was immediately on you, “in here.”

Stepping out of your spot, the two boys clambered in as you walked down the corridor to come face to face with a furious Professor McGonagall. 

“Miss Y/L/N,” she controlled her anger as she questioned you, “have you seen Mr Potter or Mr Black come down here?”

“The two Gryffindors?” You inquired, your face void of anything that would give you away, “not down here, no, though judging from the noise and smell of chaos, I think they went that way.” 

Pointing down the direction of the opposite hall, the professor thanked you before turning and storming down it, turning the corner at the end and disappearing from sight.

With a snicker, you turned and headed back to find both James and Sirius with huge grins on their faces. 

“Oh, you’re not just a normal Slytherin are you?!” James gleamed, stepping forward, out of the hiding spot. 

“A normal Slytherin?!”

“Conniving, back stabbing, selfish.” Sirius listed off, “my entire family’s full of them, but you are different.”

“Glad I could break the Stereotype.” You shrugged a shoulder, before your attention shifted to James. “What did you two do anyway which set off McGonagall like that?!”

The pair of Gryffindor’s looked slightly sheepish suddenly as if they were reluctant to say. 

“Uhhh, maybe because we set up a prank for some Slytherins’ to drop honey and feathers on them as they walked through the Great Hall, but McGonagall ended up walking through it instead.” James grimaced at the memory of how furious the teacher was. 

“Well that was stupid,” you snorted whilst grabbing your bag from the floor, “she obviously just vanished it. Next time you should definitely add a sticking charm so they can’t just magic it away. Oh and get the right target. As far as I’m concerned, the Slytherin’s that are the biggest dickheads are fair game, deal?”

“Marry me.” James gazed at you like you just discovered the stars.

With a small laugh and a roll of your eyes, your attention was quickly drawn to a piece of folded parchment on the ground which you were sure wasn’t yours.

“What’s this?” You questioned as you caught sight of the front. “Messers Moony, Wormta- hey!”

“Nothing!” Sirius said quickly, snatching it from your grip and tucking it away.

“Yeah because if it was nothing, you wouldn’t just rip it out of my hands now?!” You snickered, “you know if you really don’t want it to be read, you should put a password phrase on it to at least make it look like it’s nothing.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” Sirius grinned, “you know, you’re not that bad.”

“So I’ve been told.” You laughed back at him, completely missing how James was grinning at you with utter wonder in his eyes.

Three

After inspiring the Gryffindor duo with both the prank idea and how to further the map, you didn’t expect that James and Sirius would rarely leave you alone. 

Because of this, you were introduced to Remus and Peter since both James and Sirius had determined you should be friends, especially when you could give them inside knowledge on which Slytherins to go after.  

You weren’t sure how to feel about it at first, but after a while it became natural to sit with the boys for breakfast or dinner. 

You also didn’t expect to see Amycus Carrow walk through the common room late one evening, mysteriously covered in honey and feathers after relaying a snide comment to you about your newfound friends.

The satisfaction you got from seeing Carrow try to explain there was obviously a sticking charm, preventing him from vanishing the sticky mess to his friends, was so much better than you could’ve imagined. You told the boys that very thing the next day. 

It also wasn’t long before James took the plunge and asked you out to Hogsmeade. 

The two of you had grown close despite your different houses, yet you both couldn’t deny there was a major attraction between you. (Something Sirius constantly commented on.)

Which was why you found yourself in the Three Broomsticks with James, laughing over butterbeers with story he told you.

“So then Remus enters the room to find it destroyed with Sirius handcuffed to his bed, naked, with only a pillow covering him. And you know what he said, like any other Tuesday? ‘I heard they’re serving Pie for dinner tonight’.”

“I’m telling you, those Ravenclaw girls are devious! Maybe even more so than us Slytherins!”

“Well if it’s any consolation, I would hate to get on your bad side.” James grinned at you, raising his glass.

“I’ll drink to that.” You snickered, clinking your glass with his. 

“Well well, I wouldn’t have expected to see you in here with this riffraff, Y/N.” A cold voice was heard from behind you. “Then again, you did always hang around with the wrong sort, a blood traitor no less.”

Turning around, your eyes met the steely blue ones of Lucius Malfoy. 

“Don’t call me by my first name like we’re friends, Malfoy. And for the record, at least I don’t associate myself with wannabe death eaters, like your friends.”

To further your point, your eyes flickered over to the group where Malfoy was originally sat, the group containing the Carrows, Mulciber and Snape.

Lucius’ expression was tight, yet both James and you could see the look of hate in his eyes. 

“You should leave.” James stood to match Lucius’ height as he rounded the table, effectively putting himself between the two of you. The two men stared each other down.

“And why should I?” Lucius questioned back, his voice cold. 

“Because it would be an absolute shame if anyone found out about your midnight visitor the other night. Right, Malfoy?” You questioned with a innocent look on your face. 

Standing up and linking your arm with James’, Lucius’ eyes snapped to you as you held his expression with a stern one of your own. 

“A Hufflepuff, wasn’t she? And a muggleborn no less. Which is weird because, aren’t you engaged to Narcissa Black? I wonder what her family would think, them being the ‘Noble House of Black’ and all?” 

Lucius looked furious, but you held his glare firmly, only for him to step back a few moments later, allowing a space for you to pass. Pulling James along with you, you headed towards the door with a spring in your step like you hadn’t just blackmailed one of the Slytherin prefects.  

“Ooh, can we go to Honeydukes? I need to stock up on chocolate frogs.”

James was stunned, captivated and slightly aroused. 

Watching you take on Malfoy like it was nothing more than a brain training activity, made him laugh in wonder as the two of you exited onto the street. 

You kept talking about the new limited edition sugar quills before you paused, realising James wasn’t really listening to you anymore. 

“Hey, you alright?”

“Marry me.”

With a grin, you just linked arms with him again, the two of you heading in the direction of the sweet shop, a growing list of sugary items to buy. 

Four

With a groan of pleasure, James pulled you tighter to him as you moaned out his name, your hands wound in his hair making it appear a lot messier than usual. 

The two of you had graduated Hogwarts only a few months ago, and after dating for just over two years, James asked you to move in with him once you finished school. 

The small flat the two of you shared was found in Diagon Alley, above the quidditch shop, which you wondered whether he had planned or not when he first suggested you view the place. Sirius and Remus had their own flat which the former had bought for the two with the money he had inherited from uncle, after being disowned from his family. 

Your small group of friends supported him the best you could, which included Sirius moving in with James and his parents for a while as they finished Hogwarts. Yet, when they entered the final months of their seventh year at school, Sirius insisted he would look for his own place, not wanting to intrude longer than he already had, not that the Potters’ would call him staying with them an intrusion of any kind. 

“Fuck, Y/N.” James gasped out as he quickened his pace, thrusting into you faster as you christened the different rooms. 

You had both started in your bedroom before moving to the living room, kitchen and then the bathroom, before ending up back in your room once more. 

His lips met your own as you pulled him by his neck closer to you, wrapping you legs around his waist tighter, effectively getting James to hit a spot deep within you, causing you to cry out in pleasure. 

Quickening his pace, James used his expert fingers to bring you closer to your brink, before you gasped out loudly, quickly reaching your climax. The feeling of you coming around him had James grunting out, thrusting harder to chase his own release. 

Gripping your headboard, he came with a groan, muttering your name over and over as he pulled you close to him, both of you basking in the bliss that came from the several orgasms you’d both experienced over the last few hours. 

“Marry me.” James murmured into you hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

“Maybe later.” You chuckled, exhaustion now hitting you hard as you both relaxed back in bed. “Too tired now.”

James snickered as he pulled a blanket over the two of you, finding a comfortable position as you curled up together, both utterly content within that perfect moment. 

Five

A lot had changed since you left Hogwarts and being inducted into the Order of the Phoenix was just one of them. 

Your closest friends were also recruited which both reassured you and terrified you. As much as you were glad that you were fighting on the right side of the war with the people you could trust with your life, if anything happened to any of them, you don’t know what you’d do. 

It was suppose to be a small mission, just quick enough to gain intel for the Order which was why Moody chose only a select few of you to complete it. 

James, Remus and you, accompanied by Lily Evans, who you had been properly introduced to in your seventh year, were the four chosen for the task. This of course had annoyed Sirius to no end as he hadn’t been picked and constantly moaned about it the few days prior. 

Accidentally setting off the taboo alarm, death eaters apparated before you causing the four of you to split into two’s, fighting back to back. 

Quickly hitting the three death eaters before you with a stunning spell, you turned and shot another ‘stupefy’ at one who had their wand aimed at Lily. She successfully took out a couple more as she was back to back with you, sharing a grin at how well both of your training had helped you.  

Glancing over at James unconsciously, you spotted one sneak up behind him as he was separated from Remus after one death eater blew up the floor beneath them. 

With the first spell that flew to mind, you aimed your wand at the advancing threat, shooting a bat bogey hex at them, just as their killing curse missed James by inches, only for him to be hit by a weak confundus charm.

You were certain your heart skipped several beats due to the stress and anxiety as you dropped to your knees next to him on the ground. His nose was obviously broken from one spell shot at him and a dazed expression was present on his face.

Taking his face in between your hands, you quickly got a good look at him to check for more injuries as Lily and Remus stunned the last of the attackers and started to round them up. 

“James, can you hear me?”

“Y/N,” he grinned widely, “what are you doing here?”

“Saving your arse from being killed.” You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the small smile on your face at how dopey your boyfriend looked. 

“You always save my arse, I think you quite like my arse really.” James snickered loudly like he had just told a funny joke. “I think you might want to marry my arse. Ooh, I think you should really marry me though.”

You chuckled at him, quickly fixing his broken nose and helping him up. 

“It means you’ll have to actually propose to me then, with a proposal better than that, my love.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

James nodded, deep in thought before his eyes lifted to spot Remus and immediately he waved an arm to try get his attention.

“MOONY! I NEED YOUR HELP TO PROPOSE.”

Six

The truth was, as much as James joked about it, and as much as he said it within the span of meeting you, you did not expect it for one moment when he actually asked you to marry him. 

Saturday started off as any normal weekend would.

With the promise from Dumbledore to call only if it was an emergency, your group of friends was given the day off and so a plan was set in motion to have dinner at yours and James’ flat. Despite popular belief, James could actually cook very well and so insisted on whipping up a roast dinner for you all, shooing you out of the kitchen when you tried to help. 

Sitting around your dining table with your closest friends, you couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was the first in a while where everyone could relax slightly and take the time to enjoy themselves. 

Remus and you were in a discussion about a book he had recommended to you, when James entered the room with the meal, putting it in the centre of the table. Whilst Sirius was avidly denying James could cook, Lily and you snickered between you as you watched the boys interact with each other. 

The meal went by quickly, everyone enjoying their time together before Lily and you cleared the plates away as a compromise, after James cooked everything. 

You didn’t suspect anything going on until you reentered the room to find the boys in a hushed discussion, giant smiles on their faces, jumping away from each other after noticing you return. 

“Everything okay?” You asked slightly suspicious as the four boys shrugged off your concerns. 

“Yeah, absolutely perfect, wanna sit down?” Sirius wrapped an arm around your shoulders, guiding you to the living room with the others following. 

“You’re acting weird, Siri.” 

“I am weird, honey, I was born into the House of Black.”

With a smile and narrowed eyes, you decided to ignore whatever secret it was the boys had, and focused on enjoying the time you had together.

It wasn’t until James stood and grabbed your hands, pulling you up from your seat, that you became slightly suspicious again. 

“Y/N, if you don’t mind, I’d like to say something to you and all our friends.”

Wrapping an arm around your waist, he brought you closer to him, pressing a kiss to your head. Wrapping your own arm around his waist in turn, you cuddled close to him, feeling absolutely content. 

“As we all know,” James began, catching the attention of the small group, “it had been an absolute shock for most of you hear today, that I can actually cook a meal and not poison anyone.”

A round of snickers passed around the group as James rolled his eyes at your reactions. 

“We also all know that me being able to cook, is far from the most shocking thing to happen to us all. The biggest shock, was of course, the Gryffindor quidditch team losing to Slytherin when this little minx showed up and stole the show!” 

“Here here!” Sirius agreed, lifting his glass of Firewhiskey in agreement.

“Another shock was also when I asked her on a date and she agreed, yet I think that was more Y/N’s mistake than anything.” James chuckled out, now looking slightly more nervous than he did before. “If we’re talking about biggest shocks throughout our relationship, her agreeing to move in with me was another, along with my shock when I discovered what she could do with her tongue-”

“James!”

“Ow! Okay, fine, no bedroom talk!”

The punch to his arm barely phased James’ smile though as he grinned at you so wholeheartedly, you think you might melt on the spot. 

“Anyway, one thing that probably isn’t a shock is the countless times I’ve mentioned my intentions to you. Which is why...”

James unravelled his arm from your waist as he quickly caught something thrown at him by Remus, before dropping to one knee in front of you.

You were sure your heart had stopped. 

“I’m now going to ask you again, legitimately this time.”

Opening up the small white box, a gorgeous diamond and ruby ring was readily positioned, shining up at you as your eyes flicked from the ring, to James and back repeatedly. 

“Y/N, I know I’ve said this before, but please, marry me?!”

Throwing your arms around his neck, you must’ve repeated the word ‘yes’ over and over again as James proceeded to kiss you, before slipping the ring on your finger. 

In that moment, surrounded by your closest friends and the man you loved more than anything, you felt the happiest you ever had and wished for nothing more than to live in that moment forever. 

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[willowbleedsonpaper]

Winter In The Shade XIV

Part XIV

Sirius Black x Ravenclaw Reader

W.C. : 2866

Requested by @pogueslandia : It is Sirius’ fifth year at Hogwarts, the same year he ran away from home and to the Potter’s. Soon, he discovers the unfamiliar sight of his brother Regulus smiling and looking truly happy, next to him a Ravenclaw girl who immediately captures his interest. What will happen when the Black family gets involved in their sons lives and the ones they hold close to their hearts?

Warnings: None (Let me know if there's any, though)

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Masterlist | Series Masterlist

You were distracted. Regulus had noticed that much. Two weeks had passed by since his game against Gryffindor and he had taken to himself to watch you closely. At first he was worried, now he was curious. He could feel you were distant, sometimes he would find your eyes lost in the crowd of students or a smile growing on your lips at something only you could figure out from all the voices. You spent more time out after dinner, Regulus finding you walking back to your common room late at night when you had supposedly already gone there. He didn’t question you but he wanted to know who this person was who had captured your attention.

Unfortunately, he was certain it had to be a Gryffindor. The presence of the house is always there whenever he notices these changes in your behaviour. He had so many questions and no reason to ask you about it. But he knew he could dig a little with the right words.

“...and I need this one and that one.” you said, walking through the shelves of the library with Regulus following you “Can you reach the red one for me?” you asked him, his arm easily going over your head and taking the book you pointed “Thank you.” you told him, adding the book to the pile in your arms.

Regulus just observed you, noticing a sweet smell coming from you. Your favorite perfume. You looked the same as always, Ravenclaw uniform neatly worn with a few details of your own design, leather bag hanging from your left shoulder as your body inevitably leaned towards that side due to the weight of all you carried. Your face, your hair, your voice it was all the same but it was all in the details. The perfume, the skip on your step, your more cheerful mood.

“You seem happier.” he said, earning a chuckle from you as you returned the book in your hand to the shelf.

“Thank you?” you answered doubtfully. There, no retort to fight him, no sarcastic comment to notice his own gloomy or serious mood.

“I mean it.” he told you, trying to look casual about it. He didn’t have it in him but he had to try, he’s used to being direct but going around things was not his thing. “What’s gotten you in such a happy mood lately?”

You made a face at him, leading him towards your table at the library. He took the seat right across from you, facing the entrance of the library as he had always liked to observe the people going in and out of the room. You moved your own chair out and took a seat, dropping the pile of books on the tables’ surface.

“Would you believe it's because of you?” you asked with a smile, taking your things out of your bag and placing one by one on the table.

Regulus shook his head, following your movements as he did the same “The fact that you asked me if I would believe you tells me it’s not because of me.” he stated, resting his back against the chair as he watched you. “And there is a reason because you are making up excuses.”

You frowned, hitting the table a little too hard with the spine of your book “I hate that you’re so clever sometimes.” you muttered bitterly, unknown to Regulus that you were starting to panic. Your leg a jumping mess under the table.

“Why won’t you tell me?” he asked. Going around things wasn’t working for him, it actually never worked for anyone but he knew that and trying it anyway got on his nerves a little too much. He needed answers.

“Because there is nothing to tell.” you said, voice high as you avoided his gaze. You were lying.

“Look at me.” he said.

You closed your eyes shut, letting out a single breath as you pressed your lips in a line. Finally you lifted your face, meeting his eyes. He had a relaxed posture, as relaxed as Regulus could get, but he still tilted his head. Oh, he knew what he was doing. He looked approachable and kind, more than usual in your eyes.

“You’re seeing someone.”

Your heart almost jumped out of your chest, the drop of your stomach as you felt like someone had punched you on the gut enough to make all the happiness he was asking you about wash out of your face.

He wasn’t asking. It wasn’t a question. He was telling you because he knew.

Your thoughts started to go over everything you had done, everything you had said, how you acted, anything that could have given it away to him. Everything and nothing came to mind as you just stared at him, your body completely still.

Then it dawned on you that you weren’t seeing anyone. Not really. You and Sirius were friends who liked to spend time together. Behind your best friend and Sirius brother’s back. You thought bitterly, guilt starting to rise inside you. We’re just friends. Then why did your mind go immediately to Sirius at the question of you seeing anyone?

“What?” you asked in a whisper, taking a shaky breath after as the fear of your secret being discovered became more real.

He looked for your eyes, a small smile on his face “I know you’re seeing someone.”

“You know?” you repeated.

“Yes.”

But did he knew?

“And you’re not upset?” you asked, taking careful steps in the conversation.

“I don’t know why you felt like you couldn’t tell me.” he said “I’m more upset over the fact that they’re a Gryffindor, but I guess I’ll get…”

“You know!” you yelled. The shushing sounds from the students around you made you shrink in your place as you muttered a quiet apology, the flush in your cheeks nothing as you turned with wide eyes at Regulus, mouthing the words You Know.

“I had my suspicions.” he said, looking around before he settled back on you “You stare at the people of their house a lot and I still have to figure out who they are…”

His words were muffled by the relief washing over you. He didn’t know.

*******

Sirius had looked for you a couple of days after the Quidditch game. He had managed a couple of minutes away from all the eyes at Hogwarts to ask you to meet him later that day. Of course you had agreed.

You moved through the castle with light steps. It was late but not enough to get you in trouble, just to get a warning look from the professors. Sirius had asked you to meet him inside the castle but you couldn’t risk another surprise visit from Regulus, his extra classes had gotten all over his schedule and you no longer knew when he would be out and what days he wouldn’t. So you asked Sirius to meet you at the castle entrance. Doubtful, he had accepted.

So that’s where you were headed, playing with your fingers as you moved. The corridors were empty and the day getting colder, a chill running down your spine as more nerves got to you. Somehow, although you wanted this, you were also dreading it.

The doors were wide open, your figure a dot in the distance of what the entire castle represented. You glanced at either side of the door before you decided Sirius wasn’t there yet. You rested your weight on the wall outside the castle, closing your eyes as the air blew on your face. You found the feeling relaxing and refreshing, almost taking your worries with it.

Then something changed in the air, a different smell caught in the air as you started to feel different. Not alone. Your eyes fluttered open to see Sirius standing right beside you, a different look on his face as he watched you.

“You looked peaceful.” he said, offering his hand for you to take.

You glanced hesitantly at him, grabbing his hand “You look different.”

“And we’ve never looked better.” he said, his usual grin back on his lips as he gave a soft squeeze to your hand “Lead the way, since a castle is not enough for the lady.”

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head as you pulled him with you, missing his triumphant smile at teasing you.

You walked for a couple of minutes, going down the stairs to the black lake in silence. Once you got over the hills and past the shore of the black lake Sirius started asking questions but you didn’t give in, ignoring his every word until you got closer to your destiny, your secret space.

“Would you relax?” you asked him, his mouth never stopping until you talked “We’re almost there.”

“You could have told me where we are going.” he said, looking around you and seeing nothing familiar “You could be leading me to my death.”

“Oh, yes.” you smiled back at him before narrowing your eyes at him “I’m not really a student at Hogwarts. You see, I’m this serial killer who lures her victims by being a sweet girl, this is the place where all my victims have died and you are next.”

Your grasp on his hand got tighter, smiling at him before you focused on the way you were walking. Sirius raised an eyebrow but said nothing, letting you drag him with his arm now stretched to create space between you two.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking.” he said, his voice a little worried “You sound very convincing and your scenario sounds entirely possible now.”

You laughed out loud, throwing your head back lightly. Sirius' fake worry all washed away as a genuine smile replaced everything in his features, thinking that maybe, if you were actually a serial killer, this wouldn’t be such an awful way to die.

“I’m very capable of a lot of things, so you shouldn’t underestimate me.” you said, raising your eyebrows at him before you turn back front “We’re here.” you announced, letting go of his hand as you advanced some steps on your own.

You moved through the grass, grass tall enough to reach your ankles and wildflowers who filled the ground with beautiful dots of color. And to your right an enormous tree, vines hanging from its branches that you moved as if it was a curtain, letting you and Sirius through to a small meadow. The place was comfortable enough to have a picnic with a few friends and still have room to move around, the makeshift walls made of more trees and vines that covered the space to make the shape of what almost resembled a circle.

“Welcome to a small haven just outside Hogwarts.” you said to Sirius, spinning once in your spot as you focused back on his face. He looked amazed, his eyes finding the sky once before he moved to the green grass and small patches of flowers.

“Just outside is putting it lightly.” he whispered, but you could see he didn’t care about the distance or about walking all the way there with you. He softly ran his fingers over the vines that fell like heavy silks once again, covering the spot where you two had walked in. “You found this place?”

You hummed in response, nodding your head “I was trying to escape some friends while we played. It was my first year so I didn’t know the grounds of the school very well. I ran and ran until I could no longer hear them and then I hid here. They never found me.”

He laughed, his smile reaching his eyes as he continued to look around “You probably shouldn’t have shown me this place.” he told you, knowing perfectly that he would use it as a way to avoid professors and detention.

“I didn’t show you anything.” you said, patting a spot in the ground to then sit there with a huff “You followed me here.”

Sirius did the same thing and sat down next to you “You dragged me here.” he stated, giving you a knowing look.

“You offered your hand.” you argued back, throwing some of your hair over your shoulder “You could have let go at any time.” Your confidence didn’t last much as you burst out laughing, shaking your head as you tried to speak, the words coming out of your mouth unintelligible.

It took you a couple of minutes to catch your breath but in the end your chest started to rise and fall evenly, the air calm as you could only hear the breeze moving the tree tops. The silence fell heavily between you two, not in an uncomfortable way but enough to let you know the laughter was over.

You swallowed in anticipation, not knowing how to begin. In the end you didn’t have to, Sirius taking the chance first.

“I’m sure you have many questions and believe me, so do I,” he started, looking at his hands as he spoke “But you have to know whatever he is doing it’s not good.”

“You don’t know that.” you said in a low tone, still a hint of hope in your voice.

He shook his head, turning to look at you with that same desperation he had in his eyes the day you found Regulus. “You’re too good.” he whispered, raising his hand hesitantly to your face, his finger moving a piece of hair behind your ear.

His skin felt warm against yours, the back of his hand grazing your cheek as you moved your face away “I’m not naive.” you exclaimed “I know him. He is my friend, my family, he would never say that.”

“We both heard him, Y/N.” Sirius reminded you, his voice sounding deeper now “How can you explain what we both heard?” he asked, looking at you expectantly.

“I don’t know what I heard.” you said stubbornly, refusing to look at Sirius.

“You do know. I saw you there and you were hurt, we both know what he called you.”

You grunted, pushing yourself to your feet as you stood with your back at him “There must be an explanation.”

Sirius followed you, standing just behind you “For calling someone Pure enough…”

“Dont’!” you hissed, turning to Sirius with a glare in your face.

“I think it’s self explanatory, Y/N.” his voice had raised in volume, the two of you facing one another with glares in your eyes, not moving but holding each others’ eyes.

“Then why is he still my friend?” you asked in a whisper, faces inches away from one another, he heard you just right. “Why is he still by my side, why has nothing changed?”

“Because you’re everything he has left.” he whispered angrily, not being able to hold your gaze any longer as he turned from you. “I was once in your place. Then, he could afford to lose me, so he did. He had the chance to change, to prove everyone wrong but he chose status and the glory of being the only son of the Black family.”

“What are you talking about?” you asked him, confusion growing inside of you as you digested his words.

“Why do you think I left my home?” he asked quietly, “Why do you think my family and your best friend hate me so much? A shame to the Black family.”

A frown was set deep in your face, eyes wild as you started to put all the pieces together inside your head. The perfect son who hates his traitor brother. Traitor. Blood traitor.

Your gaze stilled for a moment, your eyes on the ground as you breathed in deeply. You raised your face slowly, eyes meeting Sirius’ as you stood straight. You opened your mouth but nothing came out, the small gap letting out air as you tried to even your breathing. Your entire face fell, sadness overtaking your eyes as you finally understood.

“You don’t believe in blood purity.” you whispered, voice rough as all the emotion you held inside tried to pour itself on your words. “But he does.”

“Yes.” A simple word, a full sentence. One that changed everything now that the truth was out.

Words got tangled on your tongue, you tried to speak but felt like all it would come out would be your screams.

Your body moved back on its own, rubbing the side of your arm with your hand as every word repeated itself in your head.

“He stayed?” you asked him.

Still that hint of hope. Sirius thought.

“He didn’t ask to come.” he said truthfully.

You nodded your head continuously, not stopping until you covered your face with the palms of your hands, pressing the cold feeling against your skin.

Seconds after you felt a pair of arms around your shoulders, his whispered words on the side of your head filled you with comfort as you moved your hands around his chest.

He held you for a long time, I could have been minutes or hours, it felt like a lifetime. Despite everything you had just learned, there, you felt safe.

TAGS

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Winter in the Shade

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Sirius Black

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[harrysweasleys]

to find each other // g.w

summary: Hi love I was wondering if I could request a george x reader. I like the whole like when you're angry or anything write to the person but never send it but one day George finds the love letter. And reader is all embarased and runs away before he can tell her he like her so he writes her a love letter. (Also I'm aware this is a george ask but in my mind fred didnt die. I'm also imagining this before the battle but fred still doesnt die). If this doesnt spark anything that totally fine. Thanks

warnings: mentions of war, blood and death (relax, it aint fredward)

word count: 4.4k 

a/n: this request was so cute and i enjoyed writing this so much! also i hope you don’t mind that i changed up the time that it takes place just a tad. also i want a love letter from george, thanks. 

[i do not give permission for my work to be reposted to any other platform.]

———————————————————————

No amount of window shopping could hide the anxious bubbling in your stomach. Diagon Alley, though usually one of your favourite places, was currently the cause of your shaky fingers and heavy breathing. It was the last day of summer holidays, and for the countless students returning to Hogwarts, it meant a place to get away from home, a place that they could escape to to get away from the chaos of the real world.

However, for you, it meant that things would get messy. That the raging war that was brewing in the evil corners of the Wizarding World was bound to strike. And strike hard. 

Dangers lurked around every corner and even the comforting atmosphere of Diagon Alley was no longer a place you wanted to be. Countless shops were boarded shut, their windows shattered to pieces as if an attack had taken place. Which was most likely the case, if you were being honest.

The only store that seemed to be alive also happened to be the one that you wanted to avoid at all costs. The large purple and orange shop stood practically glowing in the middle of the gloomy alley, music and laughter echoing from the inside. You had to give credit where credit was due; the shop owners were brilliant. 

Students piled in and out in dozens — you couldn’t blame them. Fred and George had a knack for making people laugh. And right now, people needed laughs more than ever. You couldn’t blame these young students for stocking up on joke products to keep themselves entertained for the year. Especially since everyone was well aware this may be the last year of ‘normalcy’ that they get.

However, the shop seemed to be doing marvellously. You’d go in to say hi if it wouldn’t crush your entire existence to do so. Slightly dramatic, but true. You hadn’t left things off on a good foot with George, and the last thing you wanted to do was go in there and make things awkward. After all, maybe he had moved on. 

The last time you saw him, he held your crumpled note in his hand, his broom in the other, and a proud smile on his face as he waved goodbye to the school behind him. The school in which you two shared some of your best moments, the inside jokes and the late nights giggling into pillows in the dark of the common room. 

Until the note. 

The one you had written him the night you found out he was leaving. The one with tear drop stains and smudged ink — the one that confessed your long-rooted love for the ginger boy that had stolen your heart the first day you met him. 

He had found it himself, actually. It wasn’t “given to him,” per say. He had snuck into the girl’s dorm — how, you still have no clue — and found you crying on your lumpy four-poster, your hair a disheveled mess and your cheeks bright red from sobbing. You had been furious at him. Not because you were mad, but because you’d miss him. Miss his smile, the way he brought light to every boring class, and you’d miss the way he made you feel like home, even though your home home was miles and miles away. 

He’d found the messy parchment scrunched up on your dresser and picked it up at the sight of his name. He didn’t let you take it away from him, so you made him promise he’d read it after he was long gone from school. So that you could be saved from the embarrassment of him not feeling the same. The last thing you wanted was to have to sit through the last few months of school with your best friend hating your guts for the unfortunate feelings you had developed.

You thought you were way over him by now, but looking up into the glorious glass windows of his store, you were hit with a wave of nausea. Not because you didn’t  want to see him, but because you wanted to see him so badly it was sickening. To be fair, it had only really been two years, but still. Had he missed you? Had he sat there every night, clutching your wrinkled love letter and thinking back to the moments you two shared? 

You shook your head and walked past the shop, trying your best not to peer in through the windows and catch sight of the familiar grinning man. He somehow always had a smile on his face and that was something you could really appreciate, especially right now. Nothing ever seemed to bring him down and that was one of the things you appreciated most. 

———————————————————————

“What’re you grinning at, Weasley?” you asked, a smile on your own lips as you gave George a teasing look, your hands running through his hair as he sat on the ground between your legs, eyes focused on the common room fire that was slowly burning down to embers.

“Nothing,” he replied, “Just… taking it all in.”

Gryffindor had won the House Cup just that evening, along with the Quidditch Cup just a few days before. You supposed George did actually have quite a bit to smile about, but as he sat there, his eyes slightly dazed and a lazy grin on his lips, something told you it actually had to do with something else.

“Right,” you replied, taking your hands out of his soft hair and leaning back on the couch, “Because I totally believe you.”

He turned around, his smile never faltering, “What? You’re gonna give me a hard time for being in a good mood? C’mon, let me live, woman.”

You tossed your head back, cheeks flushed, “Fine. The day you don’t have a smile on your face is the day I’ll know something’s wrong, yeah?”

Sitting up and crashing next to you on the couch, he gave you quite the exaggerated nod before dropping it and gazing softly into your eyes, “Around you, how can anything ever be wrong?”

———————————————————————

Popping in and out of stores seemed to be the best distraction — Quidditch Supplies, Pets, Quills, the best Parchment in town — all stores that you remember running in and out of while you were just a wee child, hoping to buy the top quality items for another long year at school. 

You’d been so distracted by the sound of children laughing and charging by you that you barely registered the fact that you had walked into a tall body. Luckily, your balance hadn’t been knocked over, but you had been walking at such a quick pace that you’re surprised the other person didn’t go falling backwards.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, looking up and catching your step, nearly losing it completely as your eyes caught sight of the person in front of you. 

Eyes still golden like the sun, George Weasley hadn’t changed. His hair was slightly longer and he wore nicer clothing — perks of running your own business — but he hadn’t changed a day. His lips were still a deep pink, and the freckles on his cheek seemed to be more prominent than you remember. 

“Y/N?” the corners of his lips turned up into a smile, “Bloody hell, what are you doing here?”

You stared up, mind completely blank, “Oh — It’s — I’ve gotta go.”

His hand shot out to grab your wrist, his fingers leaving a touch of sparks in their wake. You snapped it away, rubbing over the skin to soothe the electrifying touch that George left behind. Even years later, he still had that effect on you, and you wished more than anything that you could curse him out for it.

“Y/N, blimey, wait, let’s catch up,” he shrugged, eyes pleading, “What’re you running from? We were best friends. I’ve missed you. It’s been two bloody years, woman.”

“You know damn well why that changed,” you grumbled, trying your best to look anywhere but his inviting eyes. You knew that if you made eye contact, you’d be sucked right back into whatever hold he had on you while you were in school. You weren’t sure you could deal with that right about now.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, “Look, Y/N, please. Just stay for a few minutes. Come see the shop, yeah? Reckon Fred’ll be thrilled to see you.”

You gave in and looked up at him, already knowing you wouldn’t be able to say no. He was right, you guys were best friends. You were inseparable. They always say catching feelings for your best friend is a beautiful thing, but in your case it felt like the worst thing to happen. You fell head over heels for George and he had no clue. He continued living his life, continued doing the things he loved, and then he left.

You only hoped the letter kept him up at night. As petty as that was.

“Fine,” you let out a deep breath, “Just a few minutes.”

You nearly missed the wide grin that spread across his face, showcasing the beautiful smile that still managed to leave your chest in a fluttery mess. You internally scolded yourself — you weren’t over your feelings and chances are this was going to make things worse.

The shop was magnificent. Shelves lined the walls as far as the eye could see. And even though Diagon Alley was nearly deserted, the shop seemed to be thriving — not that you were surprised. Kids and young adults huddled in groups to gawk and stare at the latest products, eyeing everything with keen interest as George’s twin, Fred, explained to them how things worked. 

“You did good,” you smiled up at George, all hostility towards him fading as the bubbly atmosphere of the shop engulfed you, making you feel as if you were transported back to your childhood, “I’m proud of you guys.” 

“Blimey,” George grinned, placing his hand on your shoulder, “Didn’t think I’d ever hear you say that.”

Your smile faded and you turned away from him, cheeks burning at his comment.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he spun you back around to face him, “I just meant because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you. Wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again, to be honest.”

You bit your lip, nodding slowly, “I know. I’m sorry. It was just so hard to work up the courage to see you.”

You weren’t exactly lying. After what happened, you couldn’t find it in yourself to face him. But that wasn’t the whole truth, really. Your courage and confidence had left with him, there was no way you’d be able to come here and see him happy with someone else. Someone that wasn’t you.

“I actually have something for you,” he held his finger up and rushed out of sight, up the stairs and through a door. You stood awkwardly, debating whether you should just turn around and walk out of the store and into the city. He’d never be able to track you down. But, somehow, you couldn’t bring yourself to move your feet. You were grounded in the moment, still gazing at all the trinkets and items around you. 

Some made noise, some were brightly coloured — some of them even looked like that evil witch Headmistress Umbridge. You stifled a laugh, remembering the times you and the twins had narrowly escaped her wicked grasp. She was not one for fun, that was certain.

———————————————————————

“Down here!” you called, grabbing George’s hand and running down another dark corridor, Filch’s footsteps still echoing behind the two of you.

“When I catch ya, you’ll be expelled!” his grimy voice reached your ears, sending you into another fit of giggles as you linked your fingers with George’s, the two of you barreling down the stairs and continuing your run up to the Gryffindor tower. You had to admit, it was quite far, but if you kept up this speed, Filch and his limp wouldn’t be able to catch up.

“Wait, there’s a prefect,” George whispered through his heavy breathing, giving your hand a heavy tug and pulling you behind a pillar.

Your body fell against his, the two of you squished in a tiny space as you heard the distant voice of the Ravenclaw prefect approaching your hiding spot. George’s breathing was heavy, his chest rubbing against yours with each inhale he took. Your breathing would be heavy if you weren’t having heart palpitations, his body so close to yours you couldn’t think straight.

“Reckon that’s another narrow escape,” he chuckled, breath fanning your face. You couldn’t bring yourself to make eye contact, way too caught off guard to properly process his words.

Did he realize what this did to you? This closeness, this intimacy? 

It was undoubtedly true — you were falling for your best friend.

———————————————————————

“Well, if it isn’t Y/N Y/L/N,” Fred sauntered over, hands in his pockets and a bright grin on his face, “What brings you to our little corner of the wizarding world?”

He brought his arms out for an embrace; one that you gladly accepted. He was warm and familiar, and you felt a grin spread across your face. 

“It’s nice to see you, Freddie,” you pulled away, “You guys have really blown me away with all of this.”

“Well, what can I say?” he shrugged, tips of his ears turning slightly pink, “We’ve clearly got a knack for entrepreneurship.” 

You shook your head, laughter bubbling in your chest. You always knew they’d be successful — hell, you told them a million times — but seeing it in person after all these years of shutting yourself away, it sort of felt like a dream. As if you’d missed quite possibly the biggest event of their lives.

And you felt like a horrible friend.

“Sorry I wasn’t more supportive,” you said softly, “I really am impressed.”

He lifted his hand and ruffled your hair, “Don’t be so hard on yourself. We knew you always had your full support.”

Before you could respond, George came rushing back down the stairs. You were rather thankful for it, as your conversation with Fred was causing your emotions to come through. You could feel your throat closing in and the familiar sting of tears in your eyes, but George’s presence caused your feelings to shift.

He nudged his brother away and stood in front of you, an envelope in hand. On the front of it, your name was scribbled in swirly handwriting — George’s, you recognized — and you could see the faint outline of parchment inside it.

“What’s this?” you asked, taking the envelope from his hands as he shoved it in your direction, his cheeks a tad pinker than before. 

He let out a deep breath, “You’ll see when you open it.”

You nodded, placing the envelope gently into your purse, “I’ll open it when I’m home.”

“Okay,” he responded instantly, shoving his hands into his pockets. You knew it was a nervous habit of his, and it raised a question as to what could possibly be in that envelope that had him so on edge.

“I’ve, uh, I’ve gotta get going,” you said, your voice barely audible. But by the way George’s shoulders slouched, you knew he heard you. He took his hands out of his pockets and pulled you in for a hug. 

Without thinking, you wrapped your arms tightly around him, resting your head on his shoulder and taking in a deep breath. He smelled the same as he did all those years ago, and although he was the same height, he also definitely felt a lot stronger. 

Lifting boxes on a daily basis has taken its toll.

You couldn’t count how many hugs you’d shared with George during your time at Hogwarts, but something about this hug felt different. It felt final, conclusive. As if you both knew that this would be the final time you’d get to see each other. 

“I’ve missed you,” he said, mouth mere inches from your ear.

“I’ve missed you too,” you replied right away, pulling your body away from his to look into his eyes. You tried your best to force a smile, but it most likely only came off as a grimace. After all, you couldn’t find anything to feel enthusiastic about in the moment.

You leaned up and pressed a kiss to his warm cheek, letting your hand linger on his arm for a second longer than intended, before pulling away and leaving the store without another word.

It was safe, and very unfortunate, to say your feelings were still very much present.

———————————————————————

You stared down at the paper, stunned. It was possibly your seventh time reading it and you still couldn’t believe it.

After all these years, he felt the same. 

George Weasley felt the same.

You lifted the letter, once again preparing yourself to read it, wiping your eyes with an already soaked tissue.

Y/N,

I don’t know much about writing letters with a romantic goal, but I do know that I couldn’t leave yours unanswered. There were too many things left in the air, and I might never even get to give this to you, but it’s worth writing anyways.

I remember the first day we met. Do you remember? We were in second year and you fell down the stairs onto Freddie. You were so cute, and so flustered. It was nearly immediately after that that we became friends, if I remember correctly. (Which I always do.)

Skip forward a few years and you practically owned my heart and soul. I barely went a moment without thinking of you. Of your smile, of your laugh, of your hair and your face. You know, I did it on purpose. All the jokes, they were for you. To make you laugh. Bloody cliche, I know. But that’s the truth, love.

When I left school, it was hard. Not because I’d have to start a whole new life, but because I’d have to start that life without you. Without your constant positivity and your radiance. It was nearly impossible, but you were so proud. So proud of Freddie and me that I knew I couldn’t let you down.

But I did. I left you there, in that horrid place with that toad woman. And I regret that to this day. I read your note every day. I still do. It’s the only thing of yours that I have in my life and I cherish it more than you know.

So, this note kind of has no purpose, but it does have a point. The point is that I love you too. That I’ve loved you for a long time, and chances are that I always will. You’re the best part of me and that’ll never change.

Please take care. And I hope we get to find each other.

Yours forever,

George.

You read it again, and again, and again, and could barely process the words on the tattered parchment. It was a pretty neat piece, which indicated that there was no way he wrote two years ago. It had to be recent — within the last year. And the fact that he decided to give it to you now meant that he might even still feel this way.

With the amount of times you envisioned George professing his undying love to you, not once did you think it would be in these circumstances. With the two of you living different lives. 

You went to bed that night, the note tucked under your pillow. You couldn’t part with it. Even though you had no clue what to do about said note, you didn’t want to let go of it. It was true, and all these years later you finally realized it. All the shared touches, the laughs, the smiles across classrooms; it all made sense. Not only were you falling hopelessly in love with your best friend, but he was doing the exact same thing.

And I hope we get to find each other.

If that meant what you thought — what you hoped — it meant, then maybe there was a chance for you. But for that chance to happen, you had a lot that you needed to sort out. What would this mean? Would you two start from scratch?

You hadn’t exactly had any sort of relationship over the past two years, how would you just jump into something like this? Maybe him giving you the letter was his form of closure, his way of telling you that maybe it could have happened, but now there’s no chance.

You didn’t want to dwell, but there was no way you couldn’t. How does one let something like this go? You can’t. You can’t go back to living a normal life with this knowledge hanging over your head.

He loved you.

If only there was a way you could talk to him, clear the air. Maybe he did still feel the same.

———————————————————————

Hogwarts was, to put it kindly, in the middle of chaos. Spells of bright green and red shot out from every which direction, hitting columns and occasionally, other bodies. You passed lifeless bodies on the ground and couldn’t bring yourself to look down. Some of them you might even recognize, and that wasn’t something you could bring yourself to feel right about now. Your emotions were running wild enough as it is; the last thing you needed was to find the body of someone you loved.

Your wand was tightly gripped in your hand, your mouth repeating the same spells over and over as Death Eaters continued to swarm the homely school grounds. You had called this place ‘home’ for seven years and yet now, it was the last possible place you wanted to be. You wanted to turn around and run, never to look over your shoulder again.

But you couldn’t.

There was no way you could bring yourself to leave. Not now.

“Well, what ‘ave we got ‘ere?”

You spun on the spot, coming face to face with the sunken eyes of a Death Eater. His voice sounded awfully familiar, but that was really the least of your problems right about now. His wand was raised in your direction, his lips already beginning to move.

You raised your own wand, ready to fire out the first spell you could think of. But the man went flying back into the wall before you could even open your mouth. You gaped down at your wand, trying to figure out how the hell you managed to do that without even thinking of the spell.

“Reckon that’s about the fourth time I’ve saved you.”

You turned to the sound of the voice, recognizing it immediately. George’s hair was tousled like crazy, and he had a bandage tightly wound around his head. You could see faint blood where his ear should be, and your heart did a quick flip in your chest. You had heard about his accident — you had run into Ginny in the Great Hall, but seeing his wound and his face in person brought an unsettling feeling to your chest.

“George,” you sighed, running over to him without a second doubt. You jumped up, wrapping your arms around his neck tightly, squeezing harder than you thought. But he didn’t seem to mind, his arms finding their way around your waist and holding you up, his head finding its spot in the crook of your neck as he let out a low chuckle. You could feel the warmth of his skin, and in that moment, he felt so real. As if two years apart had never happened. As if everything said between you two in your letters was unspoken, but acknowledged. 

You pulled your head away from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. The eyes that had been a comfort source in your life for so many years. As if looking into them brought out all of your confidence, you gave him a shy smile before leaning down and pressing your lips against his.

You immediately pulled away from him before either of you could register the action, letting yourself fall back down to your feet as you looked up into his eyes. He didn’t blink, his mouth hanging open.

Maybe you made a terrible mistake.

“Oh, I’m sorry—” 

You were cut off by his hands on each side of your face, pulling you in for a second kiss. One that lasted much longer. 

His lips were incredibly soft against yours, moulding as if this was the place they were meant to be. Your hands went up into his hair, giving a small tug as he pulled your body closer to his. It was as if all the war and death around you two didn’t exist — the only thing you could focus on was George’s warmth and the eruption of butterflies that went off in your body.

After what felt like hours, you pulled away and looked up at him. His lips were swollen and red, his breathing slightly uneven, but he looked happy.

“That was long overdue,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

You let out a breathy laugh, “Definitely.”

———————————————————————

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[malfoymxnor]

𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

➤ pairing: draco malfoy x hufflepuff reader

➤ summary: every year, you bake christmas cookies for your friends. after you seeing a sad draco malfoy sitting alone, you can’t help but give him your last batch despite being enemies.

➤ words: 1.9k

➤ a/n: you don’t have to be in hufflepuff to relate to being y/n, i just wrote it this way! get ready for some major fluff y’all

It was finally the most wonderful time of the year, at least according to you: Christmas. Christmas always symbolized the happiest moments of your life. Your most cherished memories included sitting around the tree back home with your family and watching your family’s faces light up as they open presents. You always tried your best to spread that familiar joy to those around at Hogwarts.

That’s why, for the sixth year in a row, you planned to bake Christmas themed sugar cookies and hand them out to your large group of friends. This task seemed simple enough, and it was for your first couple years at the magical school. However, now your once close knit group of friends had grown tremendously. Now, it was practically a whole night’s work to bake these cookies on time.

That’s what led you to risk breaking Hogwarts’ very clear rules. Ever since the threat of war with You-Know-Who, it was strictly prohibited for any students to be wandering the corridors after dark. Seeing as you had no time after classes and assignments to bake and tomorrow would be the last day before winter break, you had no choice but to break the rules. It may be silly or childish to risk getting in severe trouble just to bake cookies, but disappointing your friends was not an option.

At least you’re a Hufflepuff and your common room was near the kitchens.

Not even 30 minutes after the sunset, you found yourself sneaking into the school’s kitchen and setting on your mission. You left the lights off, whispering “Lumos” and allowing your wand to be your source of light. You set your wand on one of the marble kitchen counters, getting out the bowls and ingredients you would need.

Time seemed to pass in a blur. You made it a point to make as little noise as possible. The last thing you needed after all was Professor Snape to find you in the kitchens. The thought of getting caught sends chills down your spine, nevertheless one of the professors you absolutely feared finding you.

You took out the largest bowl you could find in the cupboards and rolled up your yellow and black robe before beginning to work. This was a (Y/L/N)’s family recipe and didn’t need a written record of the recipe, it’s one you have been making with your parents since practically birth. You combined the flour, baking powder, and salt in the bowl, your thoughts practically running a mile a second as you worked.

You were aware that if this was any other witch or wizard baking, they would simply use magic. Maybe that was the smartest way to do this, especially with the need to get out of the kitchen as soon as possible to avoid punishment. The thought did cross your mind, but what was the fun in it? You adored magic in every way, but you also carried love in doing things the Muggle way sometimes. There was something so simple in baking a dessert from your own hands. It was perhaps like a potions class, except without Professor Snape sneering over your shoulder and telling you every mistake you’re making.

Next, you used a whisk to beat together some butter and sugar, eventually adding eggs and vanilla extract after the mixture was completely smooth. You added the dry ingredients to the wet, smiling to yourself as the dough formed into the exact consistency you needed for some tasty cookies.

You rolled the dough enough so it was a thin sheet that laid out in front of you, before cutting it with various shapes of cookie cutters. Your friends were definitely being spoiled this year, not that you minded, one of the greatest joys was surprising your friends with small gifts. In the end, there were sheets full of cookies shaped in trees, snowmen, gingerbread houses, presents. You even managed to find a cookie cutter in the shape of a mug filled with Butterbeer from Hogsmeade.

While you baked the cookies and prepared the icing, you couldn’t stop your thoughts from wondering yet again. You made a mental list of all the friends you would need to be sure to see before the day ends. There was the Golden Trio, Ginny, Luna, several friends from Hufflepuff.

One person you were so sure that was not getting cookies was the one and only Draco Malfoy. You truly did not hate a single soul, but you held a distaste for the young man. You weren’t sure why, but ever since Year 1, he has set it out to make it a nightmare for the entire Hufflepuff house. He often called your house an embarrassment to Hogwarts, the weakest house by far. How a person could be filled with so much hate shocked you.

A soft ding pulled your thoughts away from the platinum blond, signaling that they were done and needed to be pulled out of the multiple ovens Hogwarts had provided. You let them cool to the side while you began to work on the frosting. Your mind couldn’t help but focus on Malfoy, for whatever reason. A part of you strongly disliked him, but a part of you have always wondered why he acts the way he does. You’re aware his family is one of the most powerful magic families in the world, but that doesn’t make him better than you or any of your friends. So, what reason could he think of to justify his behavior?

Time seemed to blur after the cookies had cooled down enough for you to decorate them. Ever since you were a child, this was always your favorite part of the process. You had the chance to be creative with how you designed the cookie. It truly brought the cookie to life, it seemed. Your years of decorating experience has allowed you to really master the craft, creating unique designs that only a professional baker may be able to pull off.

At the end of the process, you had multiple dozens of bags filled with cookies of all shapes and sizes, labeled neatly with the recipient’s name printed on them. You filled a wooden basket with the bags, finally allowing yourself to breathe. It was a close call, but you managed to bake the cookies before dawn. You ended the night with flour covered hands, but you hardly minded. You took a moment to look at the time on a clock near the oven and a soft gasp escaped your lips.

Was it really 7:45 in the morning? You had Potions at 8, which was halfway across the castle. If you had any hope of getting there on time, you had to leave now.

With a quick flick of your wand, you set the kitchen in order. It looked as if no one was in there the entire time. You rushed out of the kitchens towards the main corridor, down the steps towards the potions classroom.

The day seemed to pass in a blur as well. Perhaps it was because it was the last day before winter break, but it seemed as if you blinked and you were already at dinner with your friends. You decided today to sit with Harry, Ron, and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. It wasn’t unusual for you to do so, however, most of the time you sat at the Hufflepuff table. The only reason you tended to avoid the Gryffindor table like the plague was because it was right next to the Slytherin table. You refused to let Malfoy ruin Christmas for you.

You handed bags out to the three friends in front of you, laughing to yourself as Ron abandoned his chicken leg to practically tear up the delicate cookie bag. Harry thanked you for the desserts and stored them in his pockets, while Hermione complimented you on the fascinating designs you made with the frosting.

As you talked to Hermione, you felt a pair of eyes on you, although you couldn’t pinpoint where from. Your eyes broke from Hermione’s and glanced around the room, until they landed on a boy sitting at the Slytherin table.

You immediately recognized him as Draco Malfoy due to the infamous hair color. He sat in his black and emerald school robes, his eyes wondering about the room as he sat alone. It was quite a strange sight, he was the leader of his usual friend group in fact. However, today, it was as if that friend group disappeared in front of his very eyes. He sat with his cheek leaning against his pale hand, sadness apparent in his icy gray eyes. Once he realized he had been caught staring, his eyes darted back to his lap, where he had to pretend to read one of the many books in the library.

Perhaps it was the Hufflepuff in you, but you felt immediate sympathy for him. You hardly consider him an acquaintance, let alone a friend, but it was hard for you to watch someone in despair and not do something to cheer them up. Without even thinking about how this would look or any of the backlash you may face with your friends, you took the last batch of cookies you made just for yourself and made your way to the Slytherin table.

Seating yourself right across from the Slytherin Prince, you slid the bag of cookies across the table to him. His eyes rose to yours as he realized he was no longer alone.

“Draco.” You said softly, biting your lip. Being around someone this infamous tended to make you nervous, much more than you thought. You eventually managed to bring yourself to make eye contact. You could have melted into those eyes and you would not have known.

He raised his eyebrow, a bit confused as to why you were sitting in front of him with cookies on the table. “Y/N?” was all he could manage to spit out.

“I, uhm..” You shook your head slightly, trying to steady your heartbeat and remain focus on the mission. “I was sitting with my friends and noticed you were alone. Every year I make cookies for my friends, I had an extra bag and thought maybe it could cheer you up.”

For a moment, Draco forgot any sense of despair he had about becoming a Death Eater due to the pressure of his family, and the mission he had been charged with. It was a stupid bag of Christmas cookies, but it may have been the kindest thing anyone could have done for him. He felt himself sitting up straighter, a small smirk coming to his face. He felt as if he could trust the stranger in front of him, for whatever reason.

“Thank you.” He looked up at you once again, before tearing a corner from the page in his book and pulling out a quill. He wrote down a couple lines and folded it up, handing it to you. “I’ve never received a gift that came with no cost to me. Please, look at this when you have the chance, alright?”

You took the paper and nodded, not sure what to do with the feelings coming over you. Before you could say anything more, Draco stood from his seat and gathered his things. He took a bite from a snowman shaped cookie and with a smile on his face, nodded to you and walked away.

Unfolding the paper in your hands, it read:

The Malfoy Manor 

Wiltshire, England

Write to me this break. I’m intrigued.

Malfoy

[gryffindors-weasley]

Finding A Light

Ron Weasley x Fem!Reader

Summary: Ron was left broken in the aftermath of the wizarding war. In an attempt to build a better life, he feels he may have unknowingly met someone who could put those pieces back together.

Warnings: angst, mentions of death, grieving, fluff

A/N: Remus is very much alive in this series! This will be more than one part, I hope you enjoy!

Ron Weasley was a man of few words when presented the daunting task of expressing his emotions, preferring to stuff them down and deal with the consequences later. He never outright says what he’s feeling unless it’s pried from him, and in those times it’s usually expressed through anger. He isn’t great with his words either, so it didn’t come as a surprise to Harry and Hermione to see him so closed off after the war had concluded its disastrous rampage.

It was a battle that anyone and everyone involved was more than likely to never forget, the losses and hardships engraved in their minds as a permanent reminder should their memory allow it as they age. Some had come out on the other side more fortunate than others. Some had handled it far better than others. Ron was not one of those people.

His long awaited ambitions on becoming an Auror were rapidly diminished and pushed to the very back of his mind for a good while. He had wanted absolutely nothing to do with magic beyond that very day, thought that maybe if he hadn’t used it, it wouldn’t remind him of his tragedies. That maybe that part of his life would be forgotten in time if he tried hard enough. So, his wand, his robes, his Hogwarts letters and what was left of his sentimental wizarding memorabilia were hastily shoved into a cardboard box, taped shut and stuffed away to collect dust. Out of sight out of mind was his reasoning, though it didn’t quite work out that way.

The loss of his childhood home paired with the devastating loss of one of his older brothers had been a weight too heavy to bear, pressing down on his chest with each day that passed. He nearly lost two of his closest friends amidst the chaos the Dark Lord left in his wake. Such a lifetime of pain and loss was something he never anticipated to experience all by the young age of eighteen, and it left him feeling like a mere shell of the person he once used to be. As if the years of extraordinary magical endeavors prior to that day were completely erased and replaced with utter heartache.

It took him four years to bring himself out of the pit he found himself stuck in and find some semblance of strength, if only for his mother, and he wanted to build a better life for himself. One without so much sorrow written into his story. He wasn’t entirely sure how to go about doing so, knowing a return to a normal life simply wouldn’t be feasible. Not that his life had ever been considered normal per say.

The emotional scars were something that would never go away, he understood that, but he didn’t think he could go another day having the same mundane routine night and day. He felt ready for more.

Now, at the age of twenty-two coming up on twenty-three, he found himself returning to Hogwarts with hopes to become a professor. His heart nearly beat out of his chest when he arrived, sick to his stomach with nerves as he stopped and stood in the middle of the newly constructed stone bridge. His letter crinkled under the pressure of his tightly clenched hand, luggage in the other, eager students curving their stride to avoid running into him. The castle was more grand than he’d remembered it to be, perhaps they’d made it bigger to house more young witches and wizards, perhaps it wasn’t. Either way, against his instincts, he forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat and continue forward before he convinced himself to turn around and apparate home.

He quickly found that things had been kept fairly the same as he roamed the grand halls in curiosity, as similar to the school he’d grown up in as it could be. The wondrous ceiling of enchanted candles in the Great Hall was a detail that briefly gave him watery eyes; the varying hues of reds, oranges and yellows coloring the Gryffindor common room, down to the house flags pridefully ornamenting the new quidditch pitch. He found himself turning to express his awe to Harry or Hermione on more than one occasion, but was only met with the unfamiliar faces of new students. His shoulders would slump as he exhaled a deep sigh.

It had taken him nearly two months to fully adjust to his newfound routine, to come to terms with the memories that flashed in his mind of their own volition. Whether they be good or bad, they had a habit of making themselves known at the worst of times. Over the course of that time period crumpled pieces of parchment had accumulated around the desk in his room, unsent letters to his mother of his wishes to return home. All of which were written hastily in either frustration or tears, or a mixture of the two. And of the ones he had sent, they were promptly returned with enchanted letters vocally telling him with the utmost of love and sternness that he will be staying, he needs this. Those letters kept him going on those days.

Amongst those days and nights it was strange not having his two best friends there, loneliness still having its hold on him.

Remus Lupin had made his return all the more welcome though, himself and McGonagall being two of the only familiar faces that he’d truly connected with. He felt it was an honor to be taken under his wing and trained, he always had been Ron’s favorite instructor of Defense Against The Dark Arts. He’d even go so far as to say he’s the best if he was being honest.

Regardless, despite his own personal conflicts, he was beginning to feel more comfortable residing there than he had ever thought he would. It was as if the nagging rain cloud dumping over his head was starting to dissipate for the time being.

“You did very good today, Ron,” Lupin says once his final class of the day has left, “the teaching of boggarts is never easy I’ll say, and if I recall correctly it wasn’t your favorite lesson.”

Ron chuckles at the thought, pushing his chair in when he stood. “Not particularly. I still have a nightmare or two about that bloody spider.”

Lupin laughs, nodding at the pleasant memory. Things fall quiet for a few moments as Ron moves to sling his bag over his shoulder. “Off you go, Mr. Weasley, enjoy your weekend,” he urges, grabbing Ron’s attention again before he gets too far. “Here’s your weekly report. You’re becoming a fine up and coming professor I’d say. I have no doubt that I will be leaving my classroom in the best possible care.”

Ron nods with a soft laugh, cheeks flushing a pale crimson at the reassurance as he takes the parchment from him, tucking it into his bag to be read later. “Thank you, Professor Lupin, really. It means a lot to hear.”

He smiles appreciatively before making his way across the long classroom, stopping in his tracks. He takes a breath to gather his thoughts before spinning on his heel to face him again, returning to the desk he sat at. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I suppose.”

He offers Ron a smile upon seeing the clear hesitancy written all over his face. Ron gulps, fumbling with the strap of his bag that rested on his shoulder. He could practically see the gears turning in the ginger boy’s head if such a thing existed. “Was it…was it hard coming back here? After the war, I mean.”

Lupin huffs out a soft laugh at the sudden ask of such a deep question, though he can’t say he was surprised. “I was waiting for this question to arise,” he says, lifting a hand to stop Ron from apologizing. “To give a short answer, yes. It took great thought. To give a long answer, one you may not like but I’m sure you already know, there will always be bad days after experiencing such trauma. It is not easy being born into a life where magic is real and not just a trick of the eye. While it can be wonderful it also brings with it a great deal of damage.”

Ron nods as he listens to his words, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Despite all of it, Hogwarts is a place that can be good just as much as it can be bad. You just have to take it in your stride. You’re stronger than you think, Ron. If you really want to be here, I believe it is worth it to try.”

Ron exhales deeply, taking a moment to process his insightful words, a certain wisdom he appreciated. It left him feeling considerably lighter than he had before, like he was a bit more hopeful of a better experience here. “Thank you.”

That’s all he can manage to say.

The blue eyed man in front of him nods. “Go on now, you’ve had a long day, Weasley.”

—

Ron found himself to be rather excited for this weekend. It would be his first time making a trip to Hogsmeade in nearly five years, though he’d been putting it off because the experience wasn’t quite the same when doing it alone. Third years buzzed around him with the excitement of their newfound privileges and independence, bouncing from shop to shop to fully take in all that it had to offer.

He, however, walked at a leisurely pace amongst the students bustling around him, taking a moment to fully appreciate everything he hadn’t seen for so long. Catching details that otherwise went unnoticed like the chipping pink paint on the curved windowsills of Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop, and the happy young couples residing inside. The vibrant green moss that formed inbetween the crumbling cracks of the old cobblestone walkways. However, the sight of Zonko’s Joke Shop made his heart lurch in his chest the moment he saw it.

He averted his gaze immediately, swallowing thickly as he tugged at his shirt collar that suddenly felt a little too constricting. It had been Fred and George’s favorite shop to frequent, always buying new things to add to their inventory of pranks. But now that one half of the pair was missing it wasn’t such a fond memory anymore, moreso a taunting one.

The sound of a couple students joyously greeting with a chorus of ‘Hi Mr. Weasley!’ pulled him from his thoughts and he was quick to smile, giving them a half wave as they had already begun to walk away. He let his hand fall back to his side, huffing out a sigh as he continued to walk along the path towards the one place he looked forward to the most, Honeydukes.

The little bell overhead alerted his entrance as he opened the door, the air noticeably sweeter than outside. He found himself smiling as his gaze bounced around the near unchanged shop, any candy you could possibly think of lining almost every brightly painted wall. Though not every single one is a desireable find, he learned that one the hard way. He almost didn’t know where to begin, much like how he felt the first time he ever entered the place, and every time after that for that matter. So he perused the shop, something he’s never done by himself.

His eyes landed on familiar chocolates, and he was quick to grab a box for Hermione because he knows they’re her favorite. Despite such knowledge she still adamantly denies having a sweet tooth to this day. To go along with that, he snags one of the last chocolate frogs for Harry.

It was a fond memory when he thought of it, a tradition they’d had as young students. He’s still got the cards he’d collected from each frog, they were tucked away in that box filled with other things. Maybe when he returned home he’d have the courage to reopen it.

He continues to look around for a bit more, finding himself wishing he had the same sense of enjoyment and innocence as some of the younger students held. For they were fortunate enough to narrowly miss being involved with such negative events. He had to remind himself that it wasn’t looming over his head anymore, to let himself enjoy this very moment. So, he tried his best to clear his mind and bring himself back to his current situation in the middle of an aisle filled with hard candies.

When he had turned the corner of said aisle he collided with something, someone to be more specific, the box clutched in his hands opening on impact and sending the assortment of sweets clattering to the ground with the addition of others. The chocolate frog had fell from its decorative box and hopped out of sight before he could process it.

“I’m so sorry!” A soft voice sounds in front of him, a warm hand enveloping his wrist.

“It’s okay…” Ron trails off when he matches the voice to its owner, blinking slowly as his mouth hangs slightly agape. He found himself staring at the girl, he was quite sure he’d never seen someone so alluring, so captivating. He didn’t know if he could manage to stop gawking. “I-it’s okay.”

His cheeks redden when he realized he’s repeated himself, the fiery heat of embarrassment burning from the very tips of his ears down to his neck, leaving his pale skin flushed. You too came to the realization that you were still gripping his arm, quickly dropping it as you laughed softly to stave off any awkward silence. He averts his eyes momentarily, needing a moment to regain his composure and not make a complete fool of himself in front of the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. Though he’s quite sure he already has.

“I told Mr. Flume it shouldn’t be quite so cramped in here, but he never seems to listen,” you laugh, looking at the smattering of sweets scattered around the two of them. Ron was focused less on the mishap and more on the way you smiled brightly at him, knowing his cheeks were undoubtedly the same shade as his hair. “Give me just one moment, please!”

He nods just a little too late as you rush off around another corner and out of sight, leaving him to stand there awkwardly as students in the vicinity stared at the mess sprawled at his feet. Shortly, you indeed did come back, a new box of chocolates and what was now the last chocolate frog in your hands. You thrusted them in his direction with a warm smile, one that made his heart flip in his chest. “Take these, it’s on the house.”

“Oh I couldn’t do that,” Ron rushes.

“Please, it was my mistake. I insist.”

He laughs softly, nodding after a moment. “At least let me help you clean up?”

You nod up at him with a laugh of your own, “deal.”

He tries not to think about the way your fingers brush over his as they pick up chocolates from the checkered floor, tossing them into the nearby trash bin. And he tried not to think about the way you’d had his stomach twisting in knots as if he was a thirteen year old again experiencing his first crush.

“I’m Y/n, by the way.”

He scrambled to think of a response, seemingly forgetting his own name momentarily. It hadn’t gotten any better when you looked up at him politely as if waiting for a response. “I’m Ron…Ron Weasley.”

He could’ve kicked himself for being so awkward, knowing him stumbling over his words couldn’t possibly give off any sort of appeal. He brushed his hands off with a sigh as he stood to his feet. Though you didn’t seem to mind his nerves as you brushed your hands off on your jeans.

“Nice to meet you, Ron. I only wished it were on better circumstances.” The pale blush on your face deepened a shade.

“That’s quite alright,” he says with an airy laugh, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “It was nice meeting you too.”

That same silence took up the absence in conversation again as Ron tried desperately to think of something to say, not quite ready for the interaction to be over. You beat him to it.

“I hope to see you around here again, maybe without the mess,” you say with a soft smile, “and don’t forget your chocolates.”

He was confused for a moment, too caught up in the way your eyes sparkled as they looked at him, or the way your hair fell around your face before following where you’d been pointing. “Oh! Y-yeah…thank you,” He grabbed his sweets in his shaky hands, feeling rather bold suddenly, “I’ll see you around then, Y/n.”

He was sure your words were only friendly, something you probably said often as a kind gesture. Probably not because you actually wanted to see him again. But he let himself think otherwise if only for a moment.

You simply nod, your grin widening a fraction, “bye Ron.”

—

Ron’s lifted spirits did not go unnoticed, not by Mrs. McGonagall who made it a point to bring it up at dinner later that evening. He could tell she picked up on it, could tell by the very way she’d glanced at him frequently. Though he wasn’t sure he was hiding it very well. He pretended not to notice, focusing his gaze on the rows of tables occupied by dozens upon dozens of students seated at them, the hardwood adorned with some of the best food he’s ever eaten. Second only to his mother.

“Is there a particular reason you’re so cheery, Mr. Weasley?” She finally asks, and he sighs at the question.

“Not particularly,” he responds using her wording, glancing at her as a smile pulls at the left corner of his mouth. He watches as she raises a skeptical brow; he knows what’s coming.

“I haven’t seen you smile like that in a number of years, Ronald. I know when you’re lying,” she says with a soft laugh, though she doesn’t pry.

Ron chuckles down at his plate as he shakes his head, pushing his food around as he thought about her. The way she smiled at him, so brightly the corners of her eyes crinkled. It still felt as though those butterflies were still fluttering around in his stomach. He quickly found himself wanting to hear your voice again, or hear your laughter—

“I’ve met a wonderful person today, that’s all,” he blurts, looking to his side.

She gave him a fond yet knowing smile, nodding her head. “I know the look of young love when I see it.”

“I’m not in love, Mrs. McGonagall,” he urges almost immediately, cheeks reddening once more at her preposterous conclusion, “I’ve only just met her today.”

“If you insist, my dear.”

“I do insist.” He tries to be sure of himself despite his inability to get you off his mind, but he hides his smile behind his goblet as he takes a sip.

Later that night he went to bed with something other than sorrow clouding his thoughts, instead feeling rather optimistic about the week ahead. Or maybe it was the plans he’d had at the end of it that had him so eager, time feeling agonizingly slow. It was definitely that. He couldn’t wait to see you next Saturday.

—

[beetlegoose01]

first hero (one shot)

AN: Snippets of Draco as a father, and one as a grandfather. :)

Before Scorpius was born, Draco had no experience with babies or small children. He was raised an only child, and had no knowledge of what to do. His own father was never one for comforting hugs or piggy back rides or teaching him how to properly play Quidditch without falling off his broom. He wasn't a terrible father, but he was definitely not a doting one.

He would do better. Draco vowed the second he discovered Astoria was expecting, that he would. He would do everything he could for this child. Resting his hand to her ever growing bump, whispering 'I love yous' and soft French lullabies.

"Is that-?" Draco uttered, eyes sparkling with wonder.

She laughed. "A little kick, yes."

"Does it hurt?"

"No, silly. Like a baby bird fluttering about."

Astoria's health was declining. Her body was already weakening from her curse and the pregnancy seemed to exhaust her further, day by day.

"If I don't see them grow," She whispered one night, caressing his cheek. "Please watch out for them, Draco. Promise me, you will."

His heart ached at her painfully true words. "I don't want to make that promise. Maybe there's some hope...some positivity?"

"It's the truth." She shrugged. "I can't change that, Draco. You know it, even if you won't say. Promise me?"

"...I promise."

Their son was born just a few days before Christmas. He had been intended to be born after the New Year, but his early arrival was welcomed nevertheless.

"He's...so tiny." Draco whispered, staring at the swaddled infant laying against his mother's chest. He didn't dare touch the blond fuzz, like dandelion fluff on their little one's head. He was so premature, so fragile.

"Hello Scorpius," Astoria murmured, exhausted and blotchy from childbirth, but still had a twinkle in her eyes. The tiny boy yawned, nestling closer to her. "Would you like to hold him?"

Draco nodded firmly, though he was positively terrified of dropping the boy. Astoria placed him gently in his arms, and he melted as the infant squirmed and squeaked.

"Hello, little fellow." He said, careful not to shift too much. "I'm your papa, Scorpius. Scorpius..." He thought for a moment. "Have we decided on a middle name?"

Astoria shook her head. "Are you sure you don't want to do Lucius?"

"Positive." He said, watching as their son's eyes fluttered open. They were bright and blue, like his mother's. Then, it dawned on him. "Hyperion."

"Like my father?"

Draco sat beside her, kissing Scorpius' head, then Astoria's rosy cheeks. "A man worthy of his name being carried on by our boy."

"Scorpius Hyperion," She repeated, smiling. "I like it."

~•~

Scorpius proved to be a shy, but precocious child, always fascinated in anything and everything. Though he had little contact with any other children his own age, he was best friends with his parents, and even occasionally visited his maternal cousins- though by visiting really he sat in the corner, staring at a picture book instead of interacting with them. He was quiet, remarkably quiet with his cousins.

Not that they didn't encourage him to talk to them.

"How about you join them, Scorpius?" Astoria asked, laying on the picnic blanket beside her husband and son. Her nieces, Constance and Cordelia were loudly playing gobstones while Daphne supervised them. "Gobstones is fun, I'm sure they'll teach you."

Scorpius simply shook his head, pointing at his book.

"Alright." She kissed his head fondly. "What would you like to do pumpkin?"

"Braid your hair, mummy." He whispered, giggling.

"My hair's already braided, silly. But...daddy's isn't." She smirked.

"Yeah!' Scorpius chirped, popping his thumb out of his mouth. "Flowers too?"

"Ooh that's a brilliant idea!"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

"Your hair is so long and pretty. Perfect for braiding." Astoria said, eyes crinkling as she laughed.

So Draco stood as still as he possibly could as his son and wife braided daisies and other flowers in his platinum hair, all while holding back chuckles as Scorpius stumbled around looking for various flowers to put in his hair.

"No, no Scorpius' that's a weed-" He started, but Scorpius didn't hear him, and continued braiding, singing a made up song to himself as he worked.

~•~

"Dad?" Scorpius asked one afternoon, while Draco was brooding by the fireplace. Astoria was resting upstairs after a particularly bad morning of sickness.

"Yes, son?"

"I um," He stared at his shoes, growing anxious. "I finished all the books in mum's library."

"Reading them?" Draco asked, puzzled, though not surprised. Though he was only nine, he devoured books like sweets. Instead of playing, he would read in a cushy armchair, reading books bigger than his head. Fantasy books, muggle literature, textbooks, non fiction, spell books- anything he could get his hands on. He especially loved ones with facts.

"Almost all of them." He corrected softly. "There's the ones you have locked up."

"Ah." Draco hummed. "You wouldn't be interested in that...it's all very grim. They're all about the War."

"Please, can I?" Scorpius begged. "I barely know anything about that and I'm so curious."

"How about we read it together? There are some things you need to know that ...you won't be happy to hear."

They read the old book together, and Scorpius was silent the entire time. When they finished a chapter about the list of Death Eaters, he looked distraught.

"I'm sorry, son." He murmured, but Scorpius didn't answer. Instead, he curled up beside his dad.

"Do you still have it?" He asked finally. "The mark?"

"...Yes."

"So we were evil?" The question was so innocent, but it still hurt.

"It's ...complicated. This mark serves as a constant reminder of my wrongdoings. With your mother's help, I became a better man. At least, I think so."

Scorpius dimpled. "You are." He yawned sleepily, resting his head on Draco. "I love you."

"I love you too, Scorpius."

~•~

"Ready?" Astoria asked, fixing Scorpius' black tie. "Oh, you look so grown up." She cooed.

"Mum!" Scorpius whined. "The train is going to leave soon!"

"I know, I know. One more hug and a kiss?" She asked, and he happily obliged. Thankfully at the age of eleven, he was still young enough to not be embarrassed by hugs. Especially Astoria hugs. She kissed the top of his hair.

"I'll miss you." He whimpered.

"Be good." Draco added, patting his shoulder. "Don't cause too much trouble."

"I won't, dad. I'll miss you too." He said glumly. "Suppose I don't make any friends?"

"You will."

"Don't forget your sweets." Astoria passed the bag to her son. "To help you make friends. Remember?" She winked. "Everyone will want to be your friend if you share."

"Friendly bribery." Draco joked. "But also because of your charming personality."

Scorpius laughed nervously as the train whistled. "I should go then."

"Write to us as soon as you can," Astoria said. "We love you, sweet boy."

"I love you too." He gave them a watery smile. "Bye then." He reluctantly walked towards the train, the trunk already put away so he only had his cat carrier to hold.

Watching him slip away made Astoria's lip quiver.

"He'll be alright, Toria." Draco assured her.

"I hope the other children will be nice." She said. "I don't want his light to dim."

Draco said nothing. It was true, Scorpius was the embodiment of sunshine and love, the idea of putting him with other children who most likely knew of the rumor was not comforting. He had wanted to homeschool Scorpius, but Astoria had insisted he needed to interact with others his age. Sending him to Hogwarts still felt like bringing a unicorn foal to a Chimera den.

"He will be alright." He repeated to himself.

School was harder than they had predicted. Scorpius had made one friend, Albus Potter of all people, who was sorted in Slytherin with him. Still, judging by his letters, he was happy. The other students teased them, but they had each other.

Which was enough.

~•~

It was a grey, cold summer's day. Scorpius curled up by the windowsill, silently watching the raindrops drip down the window. Everything felt bleak and dim. Not even the birds nearby chirped their beautiful songs.

"Be brave, Scorpius." His mum smiled, her strength weakening. "I love you."

"I love you too, mum."

He had held her hand as she passed away into the night.

"Scorpius..." Draco said, voice shaky. "Please let me in."

Scorpius hadn't heard him. He continued to watch the rain fall.

~•~

They were drifting apart. Draco could sense it. He had tried desperately to reach out to his son, but nothing worked.

Astoria would have known what to do. And now...well it was up to Draco to help his deeply distraught son.

After Scorpius' reappearance, he had hoped their relationship would rekindle somehow. It hadn't, despite his stress over losing him and the brief reunion that they shared was awkward. His son was back at school and that was that. Draco wished they could have spent a longer time together, especially after he had been missing for some time.

He stirred his tea thoughtfully. At least Scorpius was at Hogwarts with Albus and his professors. Still, the idea of /why/ he ran away was perplexing.

The manor chimney moved slightly. Placing his tea down, he watched as his lanky son tumbled out in a puff of soot and floo powder.

"Scorpius?" Draco asked, rushing to his side. "What are you doing here?"

Scorpius lifted his head, collapsing into his father's arms. "I came to see you."

It had been a while since they had hugged, but Draco didn't reject it. He held onto his son, his sweet son and let him weep into his chest like he was a little boy again.

"It's Albus." He gulped, voice cracking. "He won't speak to me. Dad, everything is wrong- he avoids me, all of our classes have been changed so we aren't in anything together." His eyes were glassy with tears. "I know for some reason he's in Gryffindor now, but he doesn't even ...acknowledge I exist. It's like he hates me."

"No...no...he doesn't hate you. We'll sort this all out." He paused. "And the other kids, have they been unkind?"

Scorpius stared at him in disbelief. "They've always been unkind, Dad! I'm the son of Voldemort, remember?" He snapped, tears rolling down his cheeks. "You don't know half of the things they do. Every day. Every day they hex me, belittle me, tease me. They make me feel...worthless."

Draco felt his heart break as Scorpius' face crumpled.

"School was fine with classes and such and when I had Al with me to make everything bearable. Now I don't even have him. I'm all alone. I don't want to be alone, Dad. I don't want to go back to school. I hate it there." He took a shaky breath. "I hate it so, so much."

"Scorpius I..."

"I miss mum."

"I know."

He had to make things right.

~•~

His son had come out as bisexual the following year after his little 'adventure' with Albus. Draco hadn't understood the term at first. He had to do extensive research to fully comprehend the meanings, alongside other sexualities that were included. Sexualities and gender were confusing, even Scorpius admitted it.

He didn't understand at first. But he listened to Scorpius explain tearfully, and hugged him as tight as possible when he mentioned he was dating Albus Potter.

"I love him." Scorpius said quietly. "That's what matters the most. Not my labels...nor his."

"I'm so proud of you."

~•~

His son was married.

His son was married, and he couldn't be happier.

Watching Scorpius embrace Albus at their wedding was everything Draco could have wanted. Seeing his son love someone, and look at him with such adoration made his heart soar.

He could see Astoria's bright smile in Scorpius' eyes as he laughed, leaning against his new husband. They were both glowing with genuine happiness. 

‘All was well.’ He thought, wondering if Astoria was proud of him too. 

~~~~~

Draco was much more confident holding his newborn granddaughter. At least, more confident than when he held Scorpius for the first time. She too, was early and had the same expression of curiosity in her eyes. He chuckled fondly as she reached her tiny hand to grab a hold of his pinky finger. She was precious as a doll, with fuzzy blonde hair and curious turquoise eyes. What a wonder, being that small and innocent. 

“She’s beautiful.” He murmured. “What is her name?” 

Albus grinned, pride evident in his voice. “Astoria Ginevra.”

[malfoys-demigod]

Turbulence - Draco Malfoy x Reader

requests: Hi i don't know if you take confession, but Hufflepuff! and muggle!Draco has been flooding my mind in recently. Love your writings by the way, keep it up! 😳👌💕💖 // Hi if you're open for requests, can I request a post-war draco x reader in which they are going for their honeymoon or sumth and its her first time by plane. So when a turbulence strikes she gets really scared and thinks they're going to die so she just keeps hugging him till it ends? Sorry if it's too much :[]You didn't ask, but lemme share something i thought bout with you

A/N: I decided to combine these two requests since one wasn’t as specific. I hope you enjoy!

requested by: @sycathorn-slush @amiiretto​ 

@the--queen-of-hell​

Draco had always fancied you. It was really astonishing to believe honestly. You were two things he tried either despising or avoiding, which were being a Hufflepuff muggle. So it was astonishing for the entire school to believe. You fancied him as well of course but you structured your mindset to think differently.

Knowing that you were things that Draco did not like, you told yourself that you and him would never happen in a million years. But it did not stop you from constantly watching him from afar or watching his every Quidditch game he had. You just never knew that the idea of him actually liking you would be possible.

The first actual interaction with him was when it was during your third year. You were spending your free period in the hospital wing being taught the basics of healing by Madam Pomfrey when all of a sudden, Hagrid bursted into the door, holding Draco Malfoy who seemed to be in some sort of pain as he was yelling at Hagrid things that were hard to decipher since he kept rambling.

All lessons about healing fractures and bones were at a pause as you and Madam Pomfrey rushed straight away as Hagrid placed Draco onto the nearest hospital bed. You couldn’t believe it. You were about to help heal Draco Malfoy. It was insane to believe that you were actually going to talk to him instead of avoiding him in order to not be called a ‘Mudblood’ in front of people. Besides, there was no way he was going to call you that in front of two respected authorities of the school.

“What happened, Mr. Malfoy?,” Madam Pomfrey asked as she examined the arm.

“Hagrid’s bloody chicken is what happened!”

“Buckbeak is a kind and loving creature!” Hagrid protested in a pleading voice.

“Looks like a minor injury that Ms. Y/L/N can perform,” Madam Pomfrey said after analyzing Draco’s state, “Have a go with Episkey while I look for an arm sling, dear.” she said, looking at you with a motivating look.

Draco looked at you with disgust as he watched you pull out your wand. You were already expecting an insulting comment from the pureblood but he surprisingly said something different.

“You think you can pull this off, Y/L/N? I think we can all agree that I’d need my arm back in the game for my next Quidditch match.” he asked calmly.

You gave him a small nod since you were a little unsure if you could actually pull it off. “Episkey!” you said, fixing Draco’s small injury. You wanted to jump for joy because this was the first time you assisted someone and it was Draco Malfoy!

He looked at you with a stunned expression as he started moving the joints of his arm slowly, feeling that there was no pain.

“Why are you here, Y/N? Shouldn’t you be off with your muggle friends doing muggle things?” he asked, trying to avoid showing thanks and gratitudes to you.

“I really value hard work and helping others in need and what better way to take interest in being a healer?”

“Huh, such a Hufflepuff I see.,” was all he said since Madam Pomfrey came back to assist him in wearing a sling.

When everything was all finished, Draco simply turned around and started making his way out of the Hospital wing.

Even if Madam Pomfrey gave you the thanks and acknowledgement for being an excellent healer, which was something you were praying for, it all suddenly did not matter. You were now craving for the thanks and acknowledgement of Draco’s as you were surprised he did not say anything bad about your blood status.

Nevertheless, you had to be grateful that he did not trash talk you about anything. You had to thank Helga Hufflepuff for giving you a decent small talk with Draco Malfoy.

Later on during the afternoon, you were entering the Great Hall as you were on your way to meet up with your friends by the Hufflepuff table until suddenly, your tracks had stopped.

“It comes and goes,” said a familiar voice.

You turned to see Draco Malfoy from the Slytherin table talking to his group about his injury.

Pansy was sitting so close to him, examining the injury as Draco continued the conversation.

“Still, I consider myself lucky. If it wasn’t for Madam Pomfrey and her apprentice Y/L/N, another minute or two, I could have lost my arm. Couldn’t possibly do homeworks for weeks.”

Your knees started to weaken as you heard Draco acknowledging you. This was impossible to process as this was probably the first time he’s ever talked good about you. This was put to the test when Pansy looked at him with a bad look.

“Y/N Y/L/N? The muggle? I thought she was useless!”

Draco removed her hand from his arm as he leaned away from Pansy in an instant. “I’ll have you know,” he said, “her dedication and loyalty to being a healer saved me. Like I said, if it wasn’t for her, I could have lost my arm. What part of that don’t you get, honestly?” he snapped.

As he was looking away from an irritated yet ashamed Pansy, his eyes met yours, as you were still standing in the middle of the Great Hall like a lost puppy. You wanted to run away from the situation you were in or at least walked away and pretended you did NOT lock eyes with the person you should have been avoiding your entire life.

But no, taken by surprise yet again, Draco Malfoy gave you a small smile, nodding at you then turned back to his friends. You wanted to look behind you and assume that it was for someone else but you had to be serious, there was no possible way it was for someone else. The table behind you was Gryffindor’s and it would be highly unlikely that he just smiled at the golden trio who were also listening to Draco’s conversation.

From there on, a friendship with Draco started to grow. It took time for you and him to actually be friends. It started out with small talks initiated by Draco, which confused most of the students witnessing something they never thought of happening. Then it moved on to being seatmates and partners in every experiment or academic sorts. And finally taking the role of star-crossed lovers.

Nobody knew that this would ever happen but it did and some people were for it while some weren’t. You and Draco proved to society that your relationship did nothing but become stronger over the years.

Despite being a part of Dumbledore’s Army while he was a Death Eater, your relationship was complicated yet still strong. You knew in your heart that he was someone born without a choice concerning the situation. If he fought back or left the Death Eater’s there would be serious consequences including him, his family, and possibly you. That was why you brought your relationship to the “under the radar” stage in your life. Some people thought you finally broke up while some might have suspected that you were keeping things low.

It was true. Once the whole war ended, you brought your relationship back to life, back to the public’s eyes. Draco remained the same: he was madly in love with you while his parents changed their outlook on you.

At first Draco kept your relationship a secret from his parents. He only revealed to his parents that he was seeing you when things started mellowing after the war. He brought you to his home to meet the changed Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy who were actually pleased to meet you. The remarked you for being the “loyal Hufflepuff” by their son’s side and welcomed you into the family.

It only became official when Draco popped the question a year later. When things started getting better after the war, Draco was finally ready to take the relationship to different heights.

When he asked Lucius if he could receive the blessings of asking for your hand in marriage, Lucius was more than happy to finally hear that Draco wanted to marry you. As he agreed to bestow his blessings, he also wanted to show Draco his deep gratification of having someone like you in his son’s life by taking care of the expenses of the wedding and honeymoon.

After finally tying the knot, there came the honeymoon. The Malfoy’s wanted to openly open their arms of Muggle customs by paying for travel expenses for the honeymoon.

You were really excited to hear that Draco was open to the idea of traveling through an airplane.

“First class?,” you asked, “Really?,”

“Of course, love. I only want to give you the best.,” he said, kissing your forehead as you finally took your seats.

There was something you’ve been meaning to tell him. Surely it wasn’t something serious to anyone else if they have heard, but to you, it was a little serious since it was personal.

As you fasten your seatbelt, you looked down at your shoes with hesitation as you were bottling up the thoughts you had to let out.

Draco took notice of this immediately and placed an arm on your shoulder, tilting his head to look at you.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Did you forget something?”

“I have a confession, Draco.”

He looked at you with an eyebrow raised. “What is it, Y/N?”

“You’re not the only one whose never rode an airplane before.”

Draco exhaled in relief as he was thinking of many worse ideas in mind. He let out a small laugh as ruffled your hair, “My dear, you scared the bloody hell out of me. I thought of so many scary ideas in my mind.,” he replied, “Well, may this first experience we have together be the first of many airplane rides.,” he cheered you up.

You happily nodded in response as your head leaned on his shoulder, holding his hand with high hopes, only for these high hopes to turn upside down an hour later.

When the pilot asked for everyone to fasten their seatbelts to prepare for incoming turbulence, you were slightly concerned since you were unfamiliar with the experience of turbulence.

When the plane had its first shake, you felt as if your soul was about to leave your body as you held a tight grip on your arm rests.

“Huh,” Draco let out a small laugh, “Never knew airplanes could do that.” as he started looking around to see if there were any panicked riders. So far you were the only one spooked.

It only got worse when turbulence started striking again and again. You felt like you lost count of the number of shakes that the plane had encountered as you were focused on trying to release your fear by venting off the weirdest things you could think of to Draco.

“I swear,” you yelled, “WE ARE GOING TO DIE!”

“Dear-“

“Bloody hell, what if we don’t ever make it to our honeymoon?!” “Did you ever hear of what happened to Amelia Earhart?!? She was lost at sea after a bloody plane crash!! That could happen to us RIGHT NOW!”

Draco places his arms on your shoulders as he was sitting in an uncomfortable position since his seatbelt was tightly fastened. “Dear, I do not know who this Amelia woman is but I assure you, we are not going to die. If you were listening to the few stewardesses who came by, they assured us that turbulence occurs in almost every plane ride and it is not the cause of plane accidents.”

“What in Merlin’s beard do I do then?!”

Draco opened his arms, showing invitation to a hug, “Let me comfort you. Come and hug me and I promise I won’t let go of you until we reach our destination.”

You looked at him with fear but with his heart warming smile, the tension in your shoulders started relaxing as you finally inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Promise?” you asked.

“Honey, we just made vows recently. And aside from that, have I ever let you down?”

“I suppose not.” you said with a small smile.

“Now come and lean on my shoulder. Let me prove to you that I am a man of my words.” he softly said as you started placing your head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm on your waist.

Feeling his warm body made you feel extremely comfortable as you started resting your eyes, which eventually led you to falling asleep and forgetting everything about the turbulence.

He was definitely a man of his words.

[mariamermaid]

The Heir of Silberstein; das verzauberte Schulleben (ch.2)

“the enchanted School life”

Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary: As a new school year approaches in Hogwarts, the students are surprised when Dumbledore introduces a group of German siblings joining the school. The royal family of fortress Silberstein is now sent to Hogwarts to learn the matters of a normal teenager life. …

Words: 3.1k

Masterlist

“Potion´s class will be the death of me!” Hermione exclaimed loudly as you came back from the first day filled with lessons. Professor Snape had very clearly explained, that the class would neither be easy nor a place for mischief. You patted her shoulder, a look of sympathy on your face.

“You´ll clearly going to ace every class”, she then sighed and you starred at her with confusion.

Yes, you had known most of the subject matter the teachers announced for the school year.

You had also required 10 points for Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan had tried to ask you out, as well as a student from Slytherin and you had given Draco a harsh comeback, which landed a following applause by several students. However, many classmates still seemed a little intimidated by your presence. You were able to disarm the teacher in defense against the dark arts, which was impressing and they had starred at you with bewildered expressions. All in all; a pretty good first day. Almost perfect. Almost.

“I don´t know, but you can find me in the library”, Hermione added and grabbed a few of her books and notes.

“I think I´ll catch some fresh air or explore the school a little more”, you replied.

“The Gryffindor quidditch team has try out´s today and some practice, you should watch them! You´ve never even seen a game!”

You followed Hermione´s advice and made your way to the Quidditch pitch. Together with the history and traditions of Hogwarts, you had obviously learned about the sport as well. Yet, you were taken back by the sight of the pitch. The oval form measured five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide, with a small central circle in diameter. At each end there were three hooped Goalposts of different heights. The pitch was surrounded by wooden towers with the house colors, seats for spectators. You found your place in the Gryffindor tower, next to a blonde girl with long hair and round, pink and blue colored glasses. She looked up when you sat down, eyes curiously inspecting you and then offered you a polite smile. “You´re the princess.”

You nodded slowly. “I´m Luna Lovegood, you´re here to watch the team, aren´t you?”

You agreed again and noticed her dreamy tone and her soft nature. “So am I, but watch out for the nargles.”

With anticipation you watched as the players flew across the pitch through the air. Harry and Ginny, captains as you found out, had an open position. You watched as several contestants gave their best in showing their skills. Fred and George, both playing as beaters, didn´t pay much attention to them however. Instead, they trained on their own and played back and forth. You admired their athletic spirit and skill, but realized that you wouldn´t be a Quidditch player. The brutality and the hectic timeframe was thrilling to watch, but nothing you wanted to participate in.

After the practice, you left the tower together with Luna.

“What are nargle?”

“They´re small creatures, mischievous thieves really, you have to be careful.”

A smile spread on your lips; you found a liking in the rather odd Luna Lovegood. From afar you watched how the Slytherin team, who´s time to practice had now come, approach. After them, contestants who wanted to try out for their team. August was one of them. You said goodbye to Luna and joined your brother in watching how the team held their meeting.

“You´re trying out?” It wasn´t a question, the broomstick in his hand said enough. “I thought you didn´t even want to talk to them.” August huffed and rolled his eyes. He knew well what you were doing, lurkinh him into resistance and talking.

“If we have to go to school here, I can at least enjoy a little activity, oder nicht?”

A chuckle escaped your lips and softly you bumped against his shoulder. “I´m messing with you.”

“Hast du mit Ruth geredet?“ (Have you talked to Ruth?) It surprised you, that he was the first one to start the topic, but you shook your head ever so slightly.

“Sie werden es herausfinden, früher oder später.“, you replied instead. (They will find out eventually.)

You knew the fact, that even August worried, was enough to let you quiver. You avoided eye contact as did he, both staring ahead, avoiding to even glance at each other. 

“Es wird sein soziales Todesurteil, die Schüler sind ja schon mit uns als Prinzen und Prinzessinnen überfordert. Ein König? Das ist zu viel für sie.” (It´s going to be his social death sentence. The students are already overwhelmed with us as princes and princesses. A king? It´s too much for them.)

“Noch ist er nicht König, außerdem sind es ein paar Monate bis Hendrik achtzehn wird. Vater ist noch am Leben,” (He´s not king yet, anyways there a couple of months left before Hendrik turns eighteen. Father is still alive.) You answered and a bitter taste spread in your mouth as the words left your lips. Your voice fell flat and monotone and you bit your lip.

“Ja noch ist er es, aber für wie lange?“ (Yes, he still is, but for how long?)

August added just as uninflected, before joining the Quidditch team and leaving you standing alone. You knew he wasn´t wrong, but saying those words out loud always sounded harsher than expected. For a couple more seconds, you watched your younger brother before he took off on his broom.

Fred and George Weasley came to your side, you caught a glance of their red hair before they even arrived. They sensed your inner turmoil and decided to try to take off your mind.

“Impressed, princess?” You huffed, shaking your head. Previos worries left your face and you gladly accepted the switch of topic.

“I´ll wait until your first game of the year, then we can see how much you can actually impress me.” The twins shrugged while nodding, it was a fair proposal to them.

The three of you, followed by Harry and Ginny made your way back to the castle, while casually chatting. “How was your first day? Classes are going fine by what I heard?” Fred asked you curiously. You raised your eyebrow at him. “What exactly did you hear?”

George, walking to you left, snickered. “Oh, just the typical rumors when it comes to your royal family.” “And that would be?”

“Courageously smart and intelligent”, George started

“Eagerness to dress and impress”, Fred continued, while his eyes glided your body down and up. His brother well noted, how Fred blushed as the words left his mouth. For now, he wouldn´t mention it though.

“And being able to enchant everybody in their presence”, George added instead and threw his hand dramatically into the air. 

“Be careful, Y/n, they´re always up to something”; Ginny exclaimed from the back before she and Harry passed the three of you. You laughed. “I can tell, but thanks for the warning!”

You found yourself in the backyard, due to the late summerly warmth, many students still remained outside. The twins took off their Quidditch uniform, leaving them both in tank tops. The summer had done good to them and they had both gained muscle; especially in their arms. A seat beneath a tree at the side was perfect to watch the entire scene and soon after, the two Weasley´s joined you again. They awaited, but you continued to simple watch. A fairly dull activity, at a first glance.

“It´s seems boring, but there is always something going on, isn´t it?” Fred asked, his head tilting your way. You nodded agreeing. “It´s new, at least to me.”

Hendrik entered the yard with another Ravenclaw. “Ah, Cedric Diggory, prefect of the Ravenclaws”, George explained. Cedric as well as Hendrik´s eyes found yours. Cedric offered a polite smile, which you returned. But Hendrik´s were asking. Asking for anything out of the ordinary, you shook your head. The twins seemed to notice, how the two of you reacted to each other. “You and your brother get each other, don´t you?”

“We´re a family, we hold together, no matter how hard things seem”, you sighed but shook your head, pushing away the reluctant feeling.

“Hendrik is brilliant, he created his first spell at 14 years, his currently writing his first book as well. He´s the smart one, the oldest and always looking out for us.” You paused, eyeing Hendrik from across the yard. His dark hair was sleek back as always, his sharp jawline and his stern eyes. He had a mature charisma and you were sure, that many female students would swoon over his presence.

“It´s not like he had a choice, he´s the oldest, first to the throne. From his birth on, all the pressure laid on his shoulders.”

“Sounds hard.”

“There are days where it´s harder than on others.” You glanced back, through the stone arch´s to the Quidditch pitch. From afar you could make out little green figures racing through the air, among them August.

“August is the rebel of the family, stubborn and cunning. He knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. He´s selective when it comes to being loyal, family comes always first.”

Your eyes, as well as the Twins’, continued to wander to Ruth, her locks framing her round face and a smile spread on her rosy lips. She was seated on a blanket in the green grass, laughing as a pair of second-class students showed her a new game with cards.

“Ruth, is the sweetest angel. She´s kind to all people and animals. She´s the one keeping us together, when all ties tear. She´s the one who grew up the most protected. Hendrik and me, were trained the hardest. She doesn´t know, how it feels to have all eyes on yourself, luckily. She´s able to be just a child in a way Hendrik never could.”

Fred and George starred at you, waiting. The school life of Hogwarts was new to you, but for them everything about the royal activity was unaccustomed. “What about you?”

You chuckled nervously. “Me?”

“I´m the daring one, the one who questions right and wrong. The wild spirit of the family, at least it´s what I´m told.” “A truly magical family, isn´t it?” George smiled warmly. Maybe the Silberstein siblings weren´t so different from the Weasley´s after all.

“And all of you were trained?”, Fred then questioned further. They were intrigued by you.

“To be what exact?” George added and you smirked. “Our subjects varied from the ones at Hogwarts; Mondays started with history, for both muggles and wizards. Then in the afternoon, riding lessons and nature studies.”

“Riding? Broomsticks?”, George asked confused.

“Oh no, Silberstein has its name from their traditional breeding of Pegasus´.”

“Pegasus? As in horse with wings?” You nodded proudly, remembering Hagrid´s admiring stare at your arrival with the carriage. “The German word silber is English for silver, as in the silver horse skin and mane. The stables are the argentum turris, Latin for silver towers. It´s where they live and the only way to enter them, is by flying to them.” 

A short pause formed, while you remembered the silky fur and the liberating and enchanting feeling, when flying through the clouds on their backs. Clearing your throat, you proceeded.

“Then on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings, martial arts. Everything from hand to hand combat, sword fighting, archery and of course, defense with the wands. Each of us is trained for battles with all scenarios, not only magical.”

Saturday mornings, were amazingly special to the four of you, because your trainer and teachers often awoke you with a new battle idea in mind. You wore focused on working together as a unit, not working on your individual techniques.

“And then of course more basic subjects, Potions and Herbology, astrology, the formal etiquette for royal descendants.”

“For Merlin´s Sake, you´re unbelievable”, Fred breathed and his brother nodded hefty.

“It might be normal for you, but to us?” George continued. “Unbelievable.” They both finished the sentence. A blush crept on your cheeks. Before Hogwarts, you had never given it much thought, but especially after arriving, you began to realize how special your life had been. Against many obstacles and challenges, you were grateful for the opportunity’s others would never have. It was hard and no one would ever argue with it, but you would choose this life over any other every day. Grateful.

It was this exact moment, where you decided that Silberstein was going to be a school. A good and fair school, that you would fight for.

 A few weeks passed in the mean-time. You had actually begun to write down notes about potential strategies about teaching and a curriculum. Hendrik noticed how you began brewing your ideas, but he knew you would come to him, if you were ready to discuss them.

“Miss Silberstein, Professor Dumbledore has requested a meeting with you and your siblings”, McGonagal held you back after finishing her lesson. Hermione, a few steps ahead of you, waited worriedly. You nodded and followed McGonagal out of the classroom.

It was Friday, prior to the second Quidditch Game of the season. The week before, Gryffindor against Hufflepuff started with a strong game. The Weasley twins used their chance to show off the abilities, successfully. Hendrik, actually started playing as a seeker for Ravenclaw, while August was positioned as a chaser for Slytherin. As so often when it came to your brothers, they battled in agony about almost everything. August loved it to contest and Hendrik loved it to prove somebody wrong. A bad combination really.

“Go ahead, ´Mione”, you shrugged to your friend. “I got something to get done.”

McGonagal led you to Dumbledore´s office through the entrance of the gargoyle statue. She gave you a last nod of reassurance, before leaving you alone. Hendrik, August and even Ruth awaited you in the headmaster’s office. Worries rose in you and immediately, you searched Hendrik´s eyes for signs. He shrugged. None of you knew why you were called in today.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk; hands crossed on the table. The room was filled with shelves, books, potions and other artifacts. You were sure, that if given enough time, you would find out many interesting things. But sadly, the office laid unable for you to enter at your own sweet will.

“Please sit, make yourself comfortable.”

As much as he tried to sound calm, it didn´t convince you. You braced yourself for the worst.

“A letter from your father´s consultant, Albrecht came to me.”

You saw Hendrik´s hands cramping and his jaw tensing. Ruth, who sat next to you, lurked up to you, but you didn´t have the strength to look back.

“He and your father enquired about your process in learning, as well in finding yourself in the school life.”

Hendrik relaxed and you could finally give Ruth a small smile. “He also requested me to give the four of you a separate letter, which I will give you in just a second.”

Dumbledore leaned back, making eye contact with each of you before continuing.

“I know that even though your stay at Hogwarts is unusual, it is even more concerning as to why this stay had to be so sudden. Like everybody else, you have my full sympathy about your father´s health condition But I want you to know, that if you need anything else, you can always come to me. I´m sure that being a royal descendant is hard enough on it´s own and I can openly admit, I´m fairly new to many aspects. But I know a lot about schools and teaching, this”, he pulled out a book from his desk. You eagerly reached forward to take it first.

“Its a very rare volume about Hogwarts throughout the history. I´m sure you will treasure it, as well as I did in my first years as a teacher.”

Thanking, you nodded at Dumbledore. The book was in raveled in a dark blue fur like coat and the font was golden. Then he handed over the letter, which Hendrik took.

You had barely left the office, before he ripped it open and the four of you gathered closely around. His voice was quiet, but a clear flutter was heard.

“Dear beloved princes and princesses.

I hate to pass the message, that your father´s condition is not improving. The healers watch him with every second, but there have been no results yet.

I´m continuing to follow your father´s instruction to represent him and the royalty of Silberstein, as a Consultant and for the time being, leader.

I hope your stay at Hogwarts is as pleasant as the time allows.

Sincerely, Albrecht.”

A bitter taste spread in your mouth, when Hendrik read the letter out loud.

“We shouldn´t trust him”, August pressed out between his pursed lips. Hendrik rolled his eyes at him, a little too dramatic and hasty for your taste. 

“Don´t be stupid, he has been a consultant for longer than any of us lived.” Hendrik used his ´adult´-voice and there were times, where his mature exterior worked, but for August, it was another reason to tense his jaw. He didn´t like to be treated as a child. Neither did you.

“So, you agree with him on the throne?”

Hendrik fell silent, his eyes leaving your group and his hand brushing his hair back.

Albrecht was never particularly fond of you, which was mostly mutual. In his eyes, not only you but also August and Ruth were nothing, but naïve children. He tolerated you, because he didn´t have an option. Hendrik was the only one to be out of sorts with him, which didn´t equal in actually liking him. You were sure that Albrecht didn´t like children in general. He was strict, obsolete bound to the idea of a royal regime, that represented a strong sway. Admitting that Silberstein was the most logic solution to the school problem in Germany, wasn´t comprehensible to him.

Whether he liked it, or not, ALbrecht was compelled to the crown. But as long as he was in your father´s seat, he was in the position to not only to issue orders, but change any established decisions.

From the moment it was announced, that you would leave for Hogwarts, August noted it more than once; He hated the idea of leaving behind your father, as well as the realm and the fortress. Both Hendrik and you, had brushed his sorrows away.

August scoffed angrily, after Hendrik´s attempt to placate him and he left the group with quick steps. Hendrik did as well, making his way to the Ravenclaw tower. From outside he seemed calmer than his younger brother, but he was livid as well. A breeze of wind meandered through the hallway; a storm was coming.

And deep down, you were left with an unpleasant gut instinct about Albrecht.

----------

tags: @ britishspidey @ perfectlysane24  @ acoolnight

[adenei]

Where Do We Go From Here

Obligatory canon compliant one-shot after the Battle of Hogwarts where Ron and Hermione finally get things sorted out.

Hermione opened her eyes slowly. It took a moment to realize where she was. She felt a body, Ron’s, against hers, and she recognized that the four poster bed she was in was one of several in the Gryffindor boy’s dormitory. She had no idea what time it was, but visions of what she assumed was the previous night flashed through her mind. They’d done it. They’d defeated Voldemort. She now had a future. It was all almost surreal to think about.

Hermione reached down to grab the beaded bag from the floor, and used accio with her wand to fetch her watch. 4:27 in the afternoon based on the sun shining through the windows. They were so exhausted that none of the trio had bothered to clean themselves up before crashing on the bed. Hermione gently detached herself from Ron’s arms and rolled off the bed. She dug out a fresh pair of clothes for Ron and left them on his bedside table.

She made her way down the stairs so she could shower somewhere more familiar. Hermione was sure Ron would be asleep for a while yet, and she didn’t anticipate being gone for very long. She made her way up the girl’s staircase and into the seventh year dorm. As Hermione slowly opened the door, she heard a yelp and saw a flash of movement. Parvati was standing there with her wand aimed at Hermione.

“It’s me, Hermione! We were dormmates for six years. You and Lavender used to have a secret stash of muggle fashion magazines stuffed under the bed.” Hermione remained frozen until Parvati lowered her wand.

“I’m so sorry, Hermione. I’ve been on edge for so long, and with Lavender in the hospital wing, I really wasn’t expecting anyone,” Parvati said apologetically.

“It’s okay, I completely understand,” Hermione said as she made her way into the room and towards her former bed. “How is Lavender doing?”

“She’s better,” Parvati said in a tired voice. “Madam Pomfrey has been giving her a lot of potions, but she’s not in any pain from the bites, and she’ll be okay eventually. Madam Pomfrey won’t know the whole effects of her injuries until the next full moon.”

Hermione shook her head, “Fenrir Greyback is one of the most vile people I’ve ever encountered.” She had a quick flashback to Malfoy Manor, remembering the disgusting comments he’d made about her.

“Was,” said Parvati.

“Sorry?” 

“Greyback’s dead. They found his body not far from where they picked Lavender up and brought her into the castle. Lav said it was Ron and Neville who blasted him away from her, and then part of the castle collapsed and crushed him.”

“Oh,” said Hermione, “I’m glad they were there to stop it.”

“Me too. What brings you up here?”

“Needed to get cleaned up. I figured I’d come up here to do so. Would’ve been too weird using the boy’s bathroom.”

Parvati looked at her knowingly, but didn’t say anything about it. “I’ll probably do the same in a few minutes.”

Hermione nodded as she gathered her things and went into the adjoining bathroom. She did her best to avoid the mirror on the opposite wall, and headed straight for the showers. Hermione started the water as she pulled out what she’d need and began to undress. Might as well just burn those clothes, she thought to herself. There was no way she’d ever want to wear them again even if the stains did come out. She stepped into the cascading water and let it pour over her. The warmth felt good against her skin, except in the spots where it stung her various cuts. She’d need to remember to apply the dittany when she was finished.

She heard Parvati enter the bathroom to presumably get cleaned up as well as she started to thoroughly wash all the dirt, blood and grime away. Hermione washed her hair twice and ran the soap over her body three times, but still didn’t feel clean. She turned the water off and grabbed the towel that was waiting for her to dry off. Once dry, she used the dittany on all the parts that she could see and reach, and then dressed in a new set of clothes. She picked up the bag and headed for the sink. 

Hermione observed her figure in the mirror as she ran a comb through her unruly hair. Her appearance still shocked her even though she’d seen herself many times in the mirror at Shell Cottage. Her face was sunken in and sallow, her body still so thin and frail from months on the run and hardly any food. And this was after she’d been relatively well fed at Shell Cottage over the past month. She looked away from her reflection then as she thought briefly of Ron. How could he possibly find her attractive in the state she was currently in? Sure, he’d kissed her back, but that could have been pure adrenaline. But you also slept in the same bed as him just now, and he wouldn’t let go of your hand the entire time you stayed together after the battle. Hermione knew they’d have to have a conversation when he woke up. They’d been too tired to even try to talk last night.

“So, you and Ron, then?” Parvati asked, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts.

“What?”

“I saw you holding hands earlier in the Great Hall, and I’m assuming you slept in the boy’s dormitory?”

“Oh, well, yes. I mean, maybe? We haven’t really talked about it yet,” Hermione stammered.

“You’re not actually together? Still? Weren’t you on the run all year?” Parvati was dumbfounded as to how they still couldn’t get it together.

“Yes, but we were focused on the mission. We never..” Hermione trailed off.

“I always knew it’d be you two. Could tell how much you fancied him in school. Even tried to tell Lavender not to go for it. She claimed she gave you those first couple months to get it sorted, and then she went for him anyways. Need some hair potion?” Parvati noticed Hermione playing with her damp hair in the mirror.

“Er, sure,” she took the bottle. “Well, it’s all in the past now, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter,” Hermione said awkwardly as she applied the potion to her hair and handed the bottle back to Parvati. She was surprised it actually calmed a bit and lay prettily around her face. Hopefully it’d hold as it dried.

“She was really torn up when you three didn’t come back. Said she wished she’d apologized to you earlier for what she did. I think Lav thought she’d never get the chance. I’m going back to the hospital wing now if you’d like to join. I think she’d like to see you.”

Hermione checked her watch. It was only 5:35. She probably had time before Ron woke. “Um, sure. Do you have any parchment though? I should leave Ron a note, letting him know where I am.”

“That’s so sweet! Of course I do. Let’s go.”

Hermione wrote down where she was going to Ron and told him that she’d meet him back there or in the common room in a little while. She and Parvati made their way to the hospital wing after Hermione carefully set the note on Ron’s clothes on his nightstand. Lavender was lying comfortable on her hospital bed amongst several other people. Her bed was close to the door so it was a short walk.

“Oh, good, you’re awake!” Parvati said happily as she sat on the edge of the bed by Lavender. “Look who I found in the dorm when I went back to freshen up?!”

“Hi,” Hermione said shyly. They hadn’t really spoken since before all the drama with Ron.

“Hermione!” cried Lavender. “I’m so happy you’re alright. I really thought we weren’t going to see any of you again.”

“Erm, yeah. I’m really happy you’re going to be okay, too.” Hermione wasn’t sure what else to say. Maybe this was a mistake. Time didn’t erase the pain they’d caused each other.

“Listen, Hermione,” Lavender started, “I’m sorry about how awful I was last year. I really did like Ron. You never admitted that you fancied him when we’d ask, so I just...went for it. It was clear by that February he wasn’t as into me as I was him, but I just dug in harder, and I shouldn’t have done that. You two are perfect for each other, and I’m sorry I got in the way of that. Just promise me you two’ll get sorted.”

“Lavender, you really don’t need to apologize for that. My half attempt never worked, and there was more to it than I even understand from the nightmare that was the week before the quidditch match. It’s all water under the bridge now. The important thing is we’re here right now talking about it.”

“I know, but I am sorry. I dug my heels in and made it harder for him to break it off. I should have just let him go,” Lavender said thoughtfully. 

“I think there’s a lot of things we all would have changed if we’d had the hindsight, but that’s life isn’t it?” Parvati chimed in.

“Too true,” said Hermione as Lavender laughed.

“Hermione, do you think that you could ask him to come see me? Neville, too, if you see him. They...they saved me and I just want to thank them,” Lavender became quiet then.

“Of course. I was going to head back to the tower to see if they were awake for dinner. We’ll stop by in the morning if that’s okay?” Hermione said.

Lavender smiled gratefully. “Definitely. Thanks for stopping by, Hermione.”

“I’m glad I ran into Parvati and she invited me to join her.” Hermione turned to Parvati. “Thanks again, and I’ll see you around?” Parvati nodded as Hermione said her goodbyes and made her way back to the tower.

Ron was waiting for Hermione in the common room. He woke up when he heard her place the note on the nightstand next to him, but hadn’t been conscious enough to say anything yet. He’d gotten cleaned up and changed into the clothes she’d left for him, noticing that the beaded bag had gone with her. If she hadn’t left the note, his first thought would have been that she’d taken off. Why though, he wasn’t sure.

He went down to the common room to wait, hoping she’d be back soon so his anxiety of her absence wouldn’t get the best of him. Now that the risk of impending death was out of the question, Ron had allowed his mind to wander to what had happened in the Room of Requirement last night. Bloody hell, if I’d known all I had to do was mention caring about the safety of house-elves, I would have said it ages ago, he thought. It was like time had frozen and he could see her throwing herself at him in slow motion. Of course Harry had to ruin it all and bring us back to reality, though Ron wasn’t sure anything else would have stopped him in that moment. He needed to talk to her. Needed to know how she felt. 

Ron stared into the fireplace, willing himself to not let the negative thoughts take over while he waited. After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the portrait hole open, and Hermione entered quietly. Her face lit up when she saw him on the couch. Yes, that’s a good sign, right? She walked over to him and sat down.

“Hey,” Ron said, not really sure what else to say at that moment.

“Hi! I’m glad you’re awake,” she responded.

“How long have you been up? Harry’s still passed out upstairs. Wouldn’t be surprised if he slept right through the night.” Ron mentioned.

“Oh, a couple hours now. I just really needed to shower so I went up to the girl’s dorm. Parvati was up there.”

“How is she?” 

“A little on edge still, she almost hexed me when I opened the door. She was taking a break from visiting Lavender in the hospital wing.”

“Is that why you went there?” Ron asked.

“Er, yes. Parvati convinced me to go see her. It was a bit awkward since we haven’t spoken since...well, I’m sure you can guess,” Hermione said sheepishly.

Ron’s cheeks flushed as he thought of what Hermione was referring to. Things hadn’t ended very amicably for either his relationship nor Hermione’s friendship with Lavender.

“She wants to see you, you know,” Hermione said as Ron’s face immediately displayed a look of panic. “No, not like that. She just- you and Neville saved her from Greyback. She wants to thank you..”

“Oh.” said Ron. He remembered seeing what looked like a lifeless body under Greyback, and he’d just reacted on instinct by blasting him off of her at the same time Neville had. 

“He’s dead, you know...Greyback. Part of the castle’s exterior was blasted off and landed on him.”

“Good. He deserved it from all the pain and hurt he caused.” They were both silent for a while. Ron didn’t want to talk about the war. He wanted to talk about them, but it just seemed like an awkward transition.

“Hermione,” he finally said, “last night in the Room of Requirement, did you mean to do that?”

Her cheek’s tinged pink as she said softly, “Well, I- er- yes.” She’d told herself she wasn’t going to lie anymore. She needed to be up front with him, refusing to let herself pine over him anymore if he didn’t see her as anything more than a friend.

“Was it just because of what I said about the house elves?” Ron looked away, as if not looking at her would soften the blow of her potential answer.

“What? No! Of course not.” Did he really think that that was all she cared about? Honestly… “I- I don’t know what came over me, if I’m being honest. It was just- after everything that happened yesterday, and destroying the cup, and realizing what was about to happen…” she trailed off. The thought of the cup derailed what she was about to say. She hadn’t really had time to process what happened down in the chamber.

Ron told her she could do it, that she could destroy it. He’d believed in her. But then he unleashed the part of the soul that was stuck inside and Hermione was paralyzed by it. It was vicious, attacking every part of her self-doubts, telling her that her magical gift was a mistake. She’d tainted it with her blood, and that she wasn’t meant to be a witch. She should just go live her life as a muggle. There was no place for her here. It shifted to how she had no friends at Hogwarts, that they were all just pretending to appease her, and even the teachers all thought she was annoying know it all; she overcompensated for being a mudblood by memorizing every little detail because it wasn’t ingrained in her naturally. It told her everything about her life in the magical world was a mistake, and no one could love her. Especially not Ron, the red-headed boy whose blood was too pure to be tainted by her. How could he ever want a bushy haired know it all who had nothing going for her, appearance and personality wise. She’s still a nightmare, but she helps us get by so she’s good to keep around, the voice had said. If it wasn’t for Ron’s actual, real voice breaking through the cup, she never would have finished it. Something in the urgency of his voice snapped her out of the trance she was in. ‘It’s not true, Hermione, finish it! Stab the cup! I promise you it’s not true, none of it, please!’ It took all of Hermione’s force and energy to shove the basilisk fang into the cup. The scream she heard from the voice was unbearable and she’d fallen back as the voice finally ceased and a thick goo dripped off of the cup.

“Hermione, what’s wrong?” Ron’s voice brought her back to reality, and she felt the tears rushing down her face. She hadn’t had time to process what had happened in the chamber because everything was moving so quickly. They’d had to get back to Harry and find the diadem, then the snake. Now she was finally able to think about it for the first time.

“Did- did the locket talk to you, too?” She refused to address the fact that Ron had heard everything the cup had said to her. 

Ron was going to tell her eventually about what happened with the locket, preferably after they were together so he wouldn’t seem so ridiculous, but he knew he had to tell her now. Especially after seeing what the cup had said to her. “Yeah, it was bloody awful...but it was all the same stuff it said to me when I’d wear it before I- before I left.”

“Will you tell me what it said to you?” She asked him nervously.

“You really want to know?” Was it really the time for this? Ron thought to himself.

Hermione nodded. “Please. You- you heard what it- what it said to me.”

Ron took a deep breath. “It tapped into my innermost fears and insecurities. Just like it did for you. At least, I’m assuming that’s what it- nevermind.” He paused as he thought through it again. How am I supposed to tell her this? 

“Ron, please, I promise I won’t tell anyone, and I’m sure- no, I know none of it is true.” Hermione pressed gently.

“I- alright. It told me I was nothing compared to Harry. The least loved of all my siblings, and that you preferred Harry over me. That you two were better off without me. Happier, even.” Better to rip the bandage off the wound quickly, as he’d just done. Not that he could look at her. Ron felt Hermione place her hand gently over his.

“None of that is even remotely close to the truth, you have to know that,” Hermione said simply.

“Yes, I reckon I do now. Harry told me as much, too.”

“So, where does that leave us now?” Hermione asked him.

“What do you mean?” Ron questioned.

“Well, it seems as though the horcruxes have done a better job telling us our biggest fears, revealing more than we’ve managed to tell each other ourselves.” Ron looked at her quizzically. “What I’m trying to say is that I meant to kiss you last night. I-I’ve wanted to for a while, and I just thought...if that was it, I may never have another chance. I didn’t want to die without that experience if we weren’t meant to have a future.”

Hermione’s words hung in the air around them. Is she saying what I think she’s saying? She said she was thinking that because we might not have a future together, but we do now… “So then how would you feel if I kissed you right now? Y’know, now that we do have a future?” Ron wasn’t sure why he asked it that way.

Regardless of what Ron thought, it seemed to work because Hermione said, “I’d like that very much,” with a small hint of a smile playing across her lips as she leaned in a little closer. Ron didn’t waste any time closing the gap between them. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck as he placed his around her waist and back, pulling her in as close as he could. He swore to himself he’d never forget the way this felt. Sure, their first kiss was in the heat of the moment, but this, this was a feeling he never wanted to let go of. 

Ron pulled away to catch his breath and to make sure they were on the same page. “So are we…”

“Yes.” Hermione said quickly.

“Together?” Ron clarified. Because Merlin knew they’d had enough misunderstandings for one lifetime.

“Yes.” Hermione said again. They both smiled in relief, and without thinking Ron leaned in once more, crashing his lips onto Hermione’s in what was a much more passionate embrace. 

Finally, Ron thought. It didn’t matter where they were. He was right where he belonged with Hermione, and now they had forever ahead of them.

[minervahopebeyond]

Blood Petals.

Hello! I hope you like this one! Tell me what you thought in the comments✨

Ps. I’ve checked but sorry if you find any errors in this one (grammar or vocabulary)

Chapter 20: The curse.

He tried to warn Severus about Theodore. The man just said that he was fully aware about the situation but the boy was still at school, so he was starting to doubt that his godfather had informed the Headmaster at all. That’s how Draco found himself asking for a meeting with Dumbledore on Friday.

He spoke the password that professor McGonagall informed him and entered the office. When he got in, the old man was sitting on his desk, drinking a cup of tea.

Dumbledore looked more and more thin as the year went by, the blond boy thought that it was not a good look on him. He looked sick.

“Mr. Malfoy. How are you, boy?”

Draco wanted to cut directly to the point, formalities be damn.

“Good. Thank you, sir. I came here with information. I think that one of the Slytherins is-“ The man interrupted.

“If you are talking about your friend Theodore Nott, I’m aware of the situation. Severus told me.”

Draco felt like a weight had been lifted. He thought, for a second, that Severus was a lying bastard. He wasn’t ,though. Still a spy. Good.

“Then expel him, Headmaster. Before he does something that he’ll regret. I beg you.”

The old man looked at him with kind eyes and a soft smile. He fixed his glasses before talking.

“I don’t think that’s an option, Mr. Malfoy. My duty is to care about all the students, even the ones that make the wrong choices.” Draco was looking at him like he had lost his mind. Was this man senile?? “If I expel him, and he fails on his mission, he would, at the least, face torture; I don’t think that’s fair for a sixteen year old, don’t you agree?” Dumbledore said as he took another sip of his tea. “However, since you are close to him... let him know that we can provide shelter for him, that he has options. I would appreciate it very much.”

Draco only nodded before being dismissed by the Headmaster, telling him to get back to class. What the fuck?

It was ridiculous.

‘Yes, come to Hogwarts. It’s the safest place in the entire magical world. We only hired followers of the Dark Lord accidentally a couple of times, no biggie... And yes, we did also have a three hundred year old monster inside of a hidden secret chamber under the school, that also happened to kill the students ( no, nobody asked Salazar Slytherin why the fucking pipes were so ridiculously big). There was also that time when the dementors almost killed a student in a quidditch match... And let’s not forget about last year, when someone from the ministry used a blood quill as punishment. Which brings us to this moment; yes, we are aware that we currently have a sixteen year old Death Eater inside of the castle, thank you for asking.’

Draco was glad that he was going to die before having kids because, if he were a parent, he would most likely set the school on fire if they got to live even one of the things that Potter had to endure in the last six years of his life.

And now he was thinking about Potter again. Fuck. Draco sighed as he walked to class again.

He really wished that Theo would listen to him. Or Dumbledore. Or Severus. ANYONE.

————————

He wasn’t talking to Potter. Actually, he wasn’t talking to the Golden Trio in general because they refused to tell him the truth.

Draco looked worst everyday. Pansy and Blaise tried to make him talk to the three Gryffindors; saying that he didn’t need to fight with people right now, he needed friends. The blond boy ignored them. What he needed was to find a way of convincing Theodore of stopping whatever plan he had in mind.

Unfortunately, the boy was avoiding him. He sealed his curtains at night, to prevent Draco from climbing into the bed; and disappeared after classes. The blond boy couldn’t approach him like this.

He was so tired, it was almost Easter Holidays and everything was the same. Draco was alone, the coughs were getting worst... He felt the physical need to be close to Potter everywhere, every fiber of his being was begging him to fix this. He ignored the feeling daily.

The blond boy knew that he was pushing everyone away, but the bloody adults in charge of the fucking school were just letting things flow. It was his responsibility now. He just had to find a way of stopping this.

He had just finished Charms, when he decided to take the long way back to the dungeons, he wanted some quiet... at least for a while.

The hallway from the second floor was, almost always, desolated. Nobody went there because of Myrtle. That’s why he was surprised to hear the girl-ghost talking with someone that day.

“Do you want me to get help?” She asked in a low voice.

The water from the tap was running, Draco could hear it flowing the bathroom.

“No... I just need to be alone for a minute.”

Draco knew that voice. Theodore sounded strangled, like he had been crying. He quietly entered the bathroom.

The boy was sitting on the floor, robes all drenched. His hair was a mess, eyes red with his wand on his hand. Hazel eyes were looking at him, scare. ‘One bad move and this could all go to shit, this is your chance, Draco. Take it.’

He walked slowly to were the boy was and knelt in front of him, looking at him with kind eyes.

“This is what I was trying to tell you, Theo. You don’t want to do this.”

Tears were starting to course down the boy’s cheeks, as he looked away.

“It’s too late. I don’t have a choice.” His voice came out weak. Draco got a little closer to him, pushed the hair away from his face. He could swear that Theo leaned in to the touch for a moment.

“You do. Dumbledore knows.” The boy widened his eyes, alarmed. “He knows, and he is letting you try this because he fears that if he expels you right now, you could get hurt by them” Then, the blond boy looked at Theodore with determination. “He is offering you shelter, if you want it. Take it, Theo. I beg you.”

The brunette snorted, rolling up his sleeve.

“This will not go away with shelter, it’s a biding contract.”

“I knew it.”

Draco froze. That voice. Shit, not now! He was so close! He looked up and saw Potter looking at them. The green eyes shifted between hate and disappointment. The daffodils were starting to hurt him.

“You acted like I was crazy but you knew, didn’t you??” The dark-haired hissed at him.

“Yes. But Potter I’m trying to-“

“You are helping him! Look what he is.“ he said with a severe tone. Draco couldn’t contain the coughs anymore, petals were falling from his mouth.

Theo pointed his wand at the boy that stood in front of him.

“Back the hell off, Potter.”

The dark haired boy pointed his wand right back at him, and Draco wanted to just stop coughing so he could do something about this.

Theo fired the first spell, obviously. They were wrecking the bathroom. They weren’t listening to him. Draco felt so impotent as he saw everything happen.

“Cruc-“ Started to cast the hazel-eyed boy. Draco screamed as loud as he could.

“DON’T!”

And at the same time: Potter threw another spell at his opponent.

“Sectumsempra.”

Draco didn’t know what it was when he heard it, but he quickly discovered that the spell was actually a curse.

Theo fell to the ground so fast, his white shirt starting to turn red from the blood. He ran an threw himself on the floor next to the boy. The blond boy could hear Myrtle going to get help.

“Shh, Theo. It’s okay. Somebody is coming.” He kept saying as he held the boy. The hazel eyes looked at him, lost. He couldn’t contain the tears, the petals escaped between sobs. ‘How could he have done this? It’s Potter. He is a good person. Why would he hurt someone like this. I just-‘

“Malfoy... I-“ He glared at the boy, who was looking at him with fearful green eyes, holding his wand tightly.

“Get the hell out of my sight.” He hissed at him.

The boy had started to turn around when Severus entered the bathroom. Confused eyes on his face, looking between Potter and him.

He knelt next to the boy on the floor and began to cast the counter-curse.

Draco held Theo the whole time.

——————-

He was at the infirmary, lying in the bed next to Theodore. He had asked Severus to spend the night, and because he saw him really upset, his godfather allowed it.

The boy was still unconscious. Draco was looking at him, trying to fall sleep... But the scene from the bathroom kept repeating in his head. He shouldn’t have approached Theo, if he hadn’t, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

He heard soft sound of steps, when Draco turned around to look, he couldn’t hear them anymore.He narrowed his eyes.

“Potter.” He called. At first, nothing happened; then the boy appeared next to him, taking off his invisibility cloak.

“Hi.” The green-eyed said with a weak voice.

“What do you want? Are you going to actually kill him now?” He spoke with venom in his voice. The daffodils were burning him. Draco couldn’t even look at him.

“I just... I didn’t know what the spell did.” Potter said in a low voice.

Draco turned to look at him, furious. That was the great excuse? Really? He was suppose to believe that? He snorted.

“Get out.” The blond boy was so mad. He didn’t even cared when he started to have a coughing fit while Potter walked away.

—————————

“Draco, the Golden Trio is outside.”

He was sitting on the couch at the Slytherin common room, revising his notes from transfiguration. He didn’t even looked up at Pansy.

“Tell then to leave, they are going to miss the train.” He heard his best friend sighed before walking outside. She wasn’t gone for long.

“They are being extremely insistent.”

Draco pushed his books aside and started to walk towards the door. When he got outside, the Gryffindors were looking at him with hesitant eyes.

“What do you want?” Potter was the first to respond.

“We have to leave. Where is your luggage?” He asked with confused eyes. Draco crossed his arms.

“Next to my bed. I’m staying here.” He spoke with a flat voice. The fucking flowers started to move aggressively, hurting him.

He could see the Weasley and Granger looking at their best friend; worried. Potter was staring at him, hurt eyes on his face.

“You didn’t tell Dad or Padfoot. They are expecting you. Come on, just-” Draco just shrugged.

“I’ll send a Patronus. Anything else?”

Since they didn’t answer, the blond boy wished them a ‘Happy Easter’ and went back inside to his common room.

[joaquinwhorres]

The Fool (Ch. 2) {Fred Weasley x F!OC}

SUMMARY ››››› After getting tangled up with the Weasley Twins during the events of the Quidditch World Cup, Wren Collings’ life takes a turn for the chaotic. It threatens everything she has going for her, but she’s not convinced that’s entirely a bad thing.

PAIRING ››››› Fred Weasley x Female OC

WORD COUNT ››››› 7,000-ish

WARNINGS ››››› There is no depression or mental health issues in this story, but there are mentions of death, violence, abuse, some PTSD, etc. As most of the specific warnings revolve around major plot points or are found throughout most chapters, I’m just going to rate certain chapters on the movie scale. This is chapter PG-13.

A/N ››››› This chapter is dedicated to my lovely friend Emma. You KNOW why.

Series Masterlist | Read on ff.net

Wren wasn’t sure who was right, if it was Simon or the cards or her gut feeling about this year: all she knew for sure was that NEWT classes, and not the Triwizard Tournament, would be the death of her.

The last part was a bit of a disappointment, not so much that she wanted to die in a blaze of glory, but she would have at least liked the chance. Sadly, her June birthday saw to the fact that she would be a supporter and not a competitor.

Her small silver lining (more dull grey than a true silver) was that it was one less thing to worry about on top of her classes. McGonagall’s warning when passing over her time table that this year would have a “demanding workload” was apparently code for “grueling affair with death itself.”

Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed fixated on killing her through the traditional means of excessive school work, but the rest seemed to approach her death in a more “hands on” manner.

Herbology seemed intent on strangulation as Professor Sprout has decided to begin with snargaluffs and venomous tentacula. Dodging the slippery and spiky spines soon became second nature.

Hagrid has decided to introduce them to, if not venomous, exceedingly dangerous animals. Currently the class was in the process of telling jokes to Fwoopers as an alternative method to the silencing charm. Leave it to Hagrid to find out that they just click their beak when laughing. Of course, the untraditional method had already put Kenneth Towler and Amina Qureshi into the hospital wing to treat their minor insanity. But, all things considered it was a nice reprieve.

For its part, Potions had started off the year with poisons and their antidotes, which while extremely fascinating was somewhat nerve racking. Wren was fairly certain that at some point Snape would attempt to poison her as the lone Gryffindor in NEWT level potions. That minor fear, in addition to her particular love for the magic, drove her to devoting most of her studying hours to the class.

Which seemed to come in handy now as Snape began to pass out his unannounced quiz to the class. To Wren's surprise and mild relief, it was not a practical quiz but instead a written one. She assumed this was in an attempt to catch out students with trick questions which could otherwise be avoided as long as their potions worked.

In fact, as Wren reached question four, she was sure of it:

I am called in to the Hospital Wing once again because a careless Herbology student has failed to properly cork the juice of a Venomous Tentacula and has gotten some on their skin. What condition do I find him in, and how will I cure it?

She remembered this one as it had been a precaution Professor Sprout had failed to give them. She had simply instructed them not to let any get on their skin, and it was only in potions that Snape had revealed why. It had been more of a side comment in his lecture antidotes for the plant's other means of attack: bite, spike, and venom.

The student will be a bright shade of purple, and depending on how much juice he has come in contact with, complain of a faint burning sensation. The student should also feel quite embarrassed about their negligence. No antidote is truly needed except time which will hopefully make them more careful. Should you choose to cure them, however, the quickest effective cure would be a tincture of  muddled fluxweed, shredded boomslang skin, and leech juice. The student will be extremely pale instead for a few days, but it might be preferable to the purple colour.

Wren reread her answer and felt that all loopholes were closed before she moved on to the next question.

A student suddenly collapses in the middle of class during last hour and slowly turns to stone. She has come into contact with no plants or creatures and eaten and drank of nothing since lunch. What were they poisoned with and what is the antidote?

Wren twirled her quill in her hands. Come into contact with nothing but suddenly turned into stone. They could have seen a basilisk? No, that only petrified people, it didn't turn them into stone. Could they have a Gorgon run into their class? Unlikely unless the student was in the Grecian Isles. And that was a sudden turning. This student slowly turned into stone.

It hit her, thinking of islands. Naghinbato Brew.

The student was likely dosed with Naghinbato Brew during their lunch. This poison is undetectable aside from its slight tang and it takes approximately four hours to begin affecting the person poisoned. If the student was lucky enough to fall over with her mouth open, a Wiggenweld potion with some Mandrake roots brewed in after the salamander's blood would reverse the effects. If not, an Adarna must be brought in to sing the student awake.

The remainder of the questions proved to be more and more tricky so that by the end Wren hoped for nothing but essays and practical exams for the rest of the year. The wording of each question proved difficult to navigate and at the end as she packed up her bag to leave for Defense Against the Dark Arts, she found herself casting a look at Snape who had begun to grade the quizzes and looked very much like he had just smelled something unpleasant.

Wren turned and headed out the door, eager to put the past hour behind her.

"Hey, Wren." Quick footsteps caught up to her as Cedric appeared to her left. As the only Hufflepuff in Potions, the pair had taken to sitting together as the sole representatives of their respective houses. Wren had to admit, she hadn't expected to see him on the first day of class. Nora had always claimed he was brilliant, but it had never quite shown through in any of the classes they had together. "How do you think it went?" Cedric asked, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

Wren shook her head. "I don't know. Has he even taught us any antidotes involving the dirt of a child's grave? Or was that just a veiled threat?"

Cedric chuckled. "They use it against Amnetias."

"Of course," Wren moaned.

"What combination of poisons did you list as the components for that last one. I got Angel's Trumpet Draught but what caused the vertigo?

"I said Syrup of Hellebore."

Cedric winced. "Missed that one."

"Your antidote could still work," Wren shrugged, making her way up the stairs as Cedric walked behind her. The two of them pressed close to the walls as a flood of nervous looking Hufflepuff first-years descended down the stairs. Poor kids.

"Not likely," Cedric said. "I used a creature-based remedy for the vertigo."

"Ah well," Wren sighed. "At least we'll all get D's together." Cedric laughed at this and they continued the rest of the way up. The two exited the stairwell, heading towards the classroom that had been the talk of the school recently.

Quite frankly, Dumbledore should have hired an ex-Auror much sooner. Professor Lupin had been good--loads better than Lockhart or Quirrell, or Merlin-forbid, the ghoulish woman Wren had her first year--but Moody, he had lived this. His very first lesson for all of the students 4th through 6th year had been showing the Unforgiveable Curses. Today they were supposed to be practicing resisting the Imperius Curse. This was real education.

Wren entered the classroom, peeling off from Cedric who walked over towards where Nora was sitting with their other Hufflepuff friends. Instead Wren sat at the desk across the aisle from her dorm mates-- Angelina and Alicia.

It was pitiful how quickly Wren had given into the Imperius Curse.

Unsurprisingly, Fred Weasley had been the longest hold out, beating George by a full twenty seconds. Wren suspected it had something to do with their natural inclination to ignore any given directive, but Lee Jordan hadn't done as well as Angelina, and she was by far the most rule-abiding in their friend group.

Wren spent a good portion of the rest of her week practising fortifying herself against being Imperiused so as not to embarrass herself the next lesson.

Her timing wasn't much better.

She largely chalked this up to mental exhaustion after the previous afternoon's brutal double Potions lesson. Snape had clearly been seeking retribution for the class's quiz scores. While Wren had managed to earn an E on hers, it seemed the rest of the class had not been so careful reading the questions if Snape's rant about their inattention to the finer details and nuances of potion making was any indication.

So, after that lesson on Wednesday, being Imperiused on Thursday, and failing to to transfigure her raccoon on Friday, Wren felt completely spent and ill prepared for the mountain of homework awaiting her this weekend.

"I'm not going to survive NEWT classes," Wren griped, laying her head down on her arm and giving her eyes a rest from her Charms textbook, instead gazing at a sideways Simon who looked up at her from across the table.

"You're not going to die," he shook his head, returning his eyes to his parchment. "Nora didn't read it in your cards."

Wren rolled her eyes at the sarcastic joke and propped her head back up on her palm. She might have been more annoyed at the lack of sympathy if it weren't for the fact that she brought up how busy and stressed she was each time he saw her. It was a miracle he put up with her, really. She doubted anyone else would.

"You're right," she agreed. "But, a study break couldn't hurt. We've got ten minutes 'til dinner. Plenty of time to pack up and go to our corner..." She dropped her hand and leaned towards him. Simon looked up from his work again, this time giving her a small smile as he came forward and kissed her gently and far, far too briefly. He sat back into his chair, leaving Wren hovering over the center of the table.

"I wish we could," he sighed, picking up his quill. "Truly." His eyes raked down her face to the opening of her blouse. Wren's face heated up, and she returned to her chair. "But I have to get this done. My weekend's packed as is, and they rescheduled Wizard's Chess Club to tonight so I already have less time than usual."

Wren pouted "I know," she said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I just miss you is all. I haven't seen you all week."

It hadn't been that either of them was avoiding the other--this year it just seemed like their time tables filled up too quickly with barely enough room to squeeze in each other. Each of their classes seemed to meet at opposite times so they never had a free period together. Time after dinner was largely devoted to clubs, homework, studying, and prefect duties with the weekends looking largely the same with the addition of Simon's commitments to his Ravenclaw friends and tutoring of younger students. The only small bit of time they had together during the week was the hour right before dinner on Fridays.

"Wren," Simon said, his voice taking on a slight edge. "I'm doing my best, ok?"

Wren's cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. She hadn't meant to insinuate that he wasn't. She wanted to whine about how Hogwarts seemed to be plotting against them, not whine about him.

"It's my seventh year. I sit NEWTs in June. If you think professors are giving you too much, just wait 'til next year. It's all I can do to keep my head above the water. Between that and my duties," he paused, running a hand through his hair and breaking off the sentence. "When we meet to study, all I can do is study. I want to spend time with you, but I can't afford to just muck about this year."

Wren nodded, sinking back into her chair. She needed to stop complaining. She needed to make the most of their time together. She needed to remember the lessons she had learned from her parents' own marriage dynamic of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. That the Ravenclaw would always focus on the goals and achievements, but couldn't function without the Gryffindor by their side. He did need her. He did want her. She had to just get over this.

This wasn't last year.

For the remainder of their time together, the pair worked in silence. Or, at least, Simon worked. Wren re-read the same paragraph out of her textbook three different times. The silence continued even as they packed up to go to dinner and most of the way down the corridor.

Suddenly Simon tugged Wren by the arm to the side of the hall, the movement leading her to gasp in surprise. He stood before her for a second, looking down at his shoes. "I'm sorry," he apologized, dropping his hand from her arm to hold her hand. "I'm just stressed."

Wren nodded quietly, her eyes also on his navy blue and white wing tips.

"I already hate how little we get to see each other, and when you brought it up--it felt like you were trying to make me feel guilty. And it worked."

"I wasn't trying," Wren said, smally. "I was being honest."

Simon tucked a finger under her chin, tilting it up so he could press another kiss to her lips. This one was far harder than the one in the library, and soon his hands moved to her waist and behind her neck, pulling her against him. Wren's brain had just caught up with the moment, allowing her to tug at the front of his robes when he broke away and leaned his forehead against hers. Tingles still raced to her nerve endings as her body buzzed from the kiss. Simon's kisses always seemed to linger--or perhaps, echo was the right word. The sweetness of the library had lasted longer than the kiss, and the dizziness of this kiss…

"We'll figure it out, ok?" Simon asked. "It's the beginning of the year. Once things settle, we'll find more time."

Wren hummed in agreement, kissing him quickly and chastely before following him off towards dinner.

Weekends hardly felt like the weekend anymore. No time with Simon. No sightings of Nora. Even her dorm mates were out of the Gryffindor tower in various parts of the castle. Everything seemed to pass in a blur. One moment she was eating breakfast on Saturday morning, and the next it was Sunday evening and she was hunched over a stack of Transfigurations books in a corner of the common room. Wren sighed as a fifth year boy burst out laughing as an Exploding Snap tower blew up in his friend's face. The noise was getting too much for both her concentration and her nerves, so, gathering up her books, she retreated up to her dorm, spreading out the materials on her bed.

An hour later, she jolted awake to the door flying open. Wren's pulse raced as she extracted her cheek from the page of her textbook and blinked around to see what had happened. Alicia stood just inside, tears streaming down her face. She also seemed surprised to see Wren, half sitting up amongst her materials with her hair sticking to her face.

"Oh, hullo, Wren," she greeted, hastily wiping at her eyes while studiously avoiding Wren's gaze.

Wren lifted herself up to a seating position, her face creasing in worry. She wished she had Nora's natural instinct to know what to do in situations like this. Did she ask questions? Pretend like she didn't notice the tears? Leave?

"Hi," Wren said gently.

Alicia walked over to her bed, bending over to pull off her shoes. She succeeded in unlacing one and threw it to the floor with much more aggression than the shoe could possibly have deserved.

"Are you all right?" Wren asked dumbly, cringing the second the question came out of her mouth. It was exceedingly obvious, even to her, that Alicia was very much not all right.

"I'll be ok," Alicia brushed aside, fighting with the other shoe.

"Ok," Wren nodded, despite the fact that Alicia still refused to look at Wren.

"Is Angelina around?" Alicia's voice came out tight and high.

Wren winced. "I think she's in the library with Lee."

Alicia nodded, evidently not trusting her voice for a response.

"If you'd like, I'll fetch her," Wren offered. Because that was the decent thing to do right? That was the right solution? Before she could get a response, Wren hedged her bets. "But also if you want, I'm a decent listener."

"It's stupid," Alicia dismissed, despite the fact that her voice seemed to crack around the word.

"Given the fact that I haven't seen you cry more than twice over the past six years, I doubt that."

"It's just...boys are morons," Alicia sat down on her bed, and Wren got up from hers, humming in agreement with Alicia's statement as she crossed the room, sinking down into the bed next to her dorm mate. She lifted her arm to put it around Alicia's shoulders before moving to pull her hair back over her shoulder as if that's what she had always intended to do. She couldn't remember: was it Angelina or Alicia who didn't like to be touched? She had to be the world's worst dorm mate. It was a miracle they even tolerated her.

"And which boy in specific is the moron that made you cry?"

Wren had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer.

"Thom Spiro."

While she had expected it, she still had no idea what to say  hearing the name of the boy Alicia fancied fall from her lips. Guessing what he did hardly seemed appropriate, but given the wide range of idiocy common in the teenage boys of Hogwarts, asking seemed to be a dangerous option too. So instead, she sat next to Alicia and tentatively looped her arms around her in what she hoped was not the most awkward hug to ever be given. Whether or not it was, Alicia fell into Wren, her crying picking up.

"I caught him kissing Louisa Finch."

Wren's spine straightened, but she didn't say anything.

"Last night--we were fooling around, and he wanted--" Alicia sobbed, seemingly unable to continue as she buried herself into Wren's shoulder. "I said no. I shouldn't have--"

"No," Wren said, firmly. "Absolutely not. You're not finishing that thought."

Alicia sniffed. "But--maybe--"

"No," Wren repeated, shaking her head. "You're not for his use. Obviously he doesn't want a companion, he just wants something he can stick his knob into. You're more than that."

Alicia let out a watery laugh. "I can't believe you said knob."

"What else do you call it?" Wren asked, and Alicia laughed a bit harder. Spotting a bit of success, Wren smiled. "He's a wanker. A tosser. A prick. A dickhead. A pants thinker. A broomstick with no lift. A magicless wand. I'm just guessing on the last two."

Alicia wiped at her eyes, extracting herself from Wren's hug. "I wouldn't know."

"Because you're smart,"  Wren said, grabbing Alicia's hand and squeezing it. "If you're not ready, you're not ready. It's better to wait than dive in too soon."

A pause settled between them as Alicia silently nodded seeming to think over the statement. "You're right, but--" she swallowed, and Wren could see the tears begin to gather in her eyes again. "It still hurts."

Behind her Wren heard the door to the dorm open and she looked over her shoulder to see Angelina.

"What happened?" she asked, the tone of her voice hinting that she already suspected exactly the story she was going to hear. Alicia filled her in quickly, adding a few more details that had been lost to sobs when she told Wren. All the while, Angelina listened, her face growing stonier and stonier. "Well, you know what we have to do now," she said simply.

Alicia nodded. "Can you?"

Wren looked between the two girls, her brow creased in confusion. "Sorry, I feel like I'm missing something."

Angelina turned her attention to Wren with an echo of amusement on her face. "We have to tell the twins."

It was impressive how much food Fred and George were able to knick in just a half hour. Crisps, popcorn, apple tarts, pumpkin pasties, oranges, treacle fudge, nut brittle, and butterbeer were all placed in the center of the floor of the boys' dorm. Wren and Katie had managed to scrape together a decent stash of other candies like Fizzing Whizzbees, Sugar Quills, Liquorice Wands, and Acid Pops while Lee had convinced the other sixth year boys to leave the dorm and done an impressive job cleaning. Either that, or the boys were a lot neater than Wren would have ever expected.

Wren reached forward, grabbing a new bottle of butter beer and tapping her wand to the top so the bottle cap flipped off.

"Alright are we going to keep avoiding it or should we get to the business of bashing Spiro?" Fred asked, rubbing his hands together. "I've got some excellent remarks on the spelling of his name."

"Come on Freddie, that’s too easy," George admonished, plucking up a handful of crisps. "Let’s get straight to the point that he's a disgrace to Ravenclaw House."

Wren choked on her butterbeer, and Katie reached over to pat her back some as she attempted to pull herself together. Angelina looked more amused at Wren's reaction than the comment, and Alicia turned rather glum as she twirled a sugar quill between her fingers.

"I'm sure there's plenty of boys in Ravenclaw who have done the same," Alicia sighed, lifting the tip of the quill so she could nibble on it.

"No doubt. Boys are horrid," George agreed. "But even amongst the ranks of Roger Davies and Hector Martín-Delgado,  Spiro has a particular brain. One might even liken it to a troll's."

Fred nodded. "He's got to be the dullest of the lot. Not quite sure how he got in, frankly."

"No bloke in their right mind would choose Louisa Finch over you," Lee added, nudging Alicia with his shoulder. The corner of her mouth ticked up.

"That's one thing for sure, but the larger issue is--why snog in a public corridor if you're attempting to run around with as many girls as possible?" George asked.

Even Alicia laughed this time, spitting bits of sugar quill out of her mouth before clamping a hand over it.

"A fair question, George," Fred acknowledged, toasting him with his butterbeer. "There are plenty of empty classrooms for that."

"Or any of the not-so-secret passages," Katie added.

"Behind a tapestry," Angelina shrugged.

"In the woods at night," George suggested.

"Anyone on the grounds, really." Wren put in quickly.

Alicia smiled. "He's not exactly the best at finding spots for...rendezvous. Last time I tried to meet him, I ended up with you and Norah Randolph." Alicia gestured at Wren. This thought seemed to deflate her a bit. "It must be nice to have a boyfriend. You don't have to worry about the running around together bit."

“I wouldn’t know,” George quipped, popping some Fizzing Whizzbees into his mouth.

Alicia reached over and smacked his arm. George flinched away with a chuckle, his body slowly lifting off the floor as he tossed the rest of the sweets in his hand into his mouth. “I was talking to Wren,” Alicia corrected.

“You have a boyfriend?” Fred’s eyebrows shot up as he looked over at her, locking eyes. Her stomach flipped and she paused mid lick of her Acid Pop.

“Where was he at the Cup?” George asked. She felt more than saw his eyes on her.

Wren swallowed, clearing her throat of all sugar. This was not a conversation she wanted to be having. Not ever really, but particularly not now. “He was on holiday.”

“You may very well be on holiday, but you come back for the Cup!” Fred said, indignantly. As if Simon’s absence from the Quidditch World Cup was a particular affront to Fred’s own honor as a fan of the sport.

Wren returned her focus to the acid pop at hand. With any luck it would burn a hole through her tongue in the next twenty seconds, and she’d have an excuse to end this conversation before it steered into unwanted territory. “Well, he’s not particularly a Quidditch fan.”

“What particularly is he then?” George asked.

“Simon Chambers,” Wren answered, sticking the lollipop back into her mouth and deciding that she would not take it out under any circumstances.

“Simon Chambers? Really? You and him?” Fred asked. The shock in his voice was a bit offensive.

Before Wren could break her own resolve–which might have had something to do with why she couldn’t manage to stay un-Imperiused-- Angelina stepped in. “They’ve been dating almost two years,” Angelina looked between the twins. “How did you not know?”

The twins shared a look, and shit, shit, shit.

“Well, I just never would have seen it. You, George?”

“No, never.” No one asked Lee, but he shook his head.

Despite the small wave of relief, her stomach still felt as if it was twisted in knots, and she wished very much that all of the attention was off of her. “Look this isn’t about my love life, this is about celebrating Alicia for narrowly avoiding dating a troll’s tit.”

“Collings! Your language!” George gasped, holding a hand to his chest.

“You should have heard her earlier tirade,” Alicia said, grabbing a licorice wand from Lee’s hand.

Wren once again took the acid pop out of her mouth to defend herself. “It was hardly a tirade. None of the words I said were that bad.”

Alicia crossed her arms. “Would you use them in front of your mother?”

Wren opened her mouth but before she could get a word in, Fred followed up the question.

“Would you use them in front of McGonagall.”

Wren’s mouth snapped shut and the boys laughed.

Katie shook her head. “Never would have expected that out of you, Wren.”

“I never would have expected it out of Simon Chambers’ girlfriend,” Fred remarked.

Wren cast him a sour look, and he laughed loudly, but the subject was dropped, and they returned to eating unhealthy amounts of junk, devising new insults for Thom Spiro, and escaping all of the things that truly sucked about being a 6th year.

Despite the fact that she had to spend two hours, first thing in the morning, avoiding plants attempting to kill her, Wren found Herbology to be a bit of a reprieve. Even today as Professor Sprout taught them to wrangle with a Venomous Tentacula in order to effectively and moderately safely collect the plant’s juice, Wren felt as if she was able to breathe in the Greenhouse.

Part of this she attributed to her mother. Having grown up with a Herbologist of some note, a good amount of Wren’s childhood was spent in the gardens and greenhouses her mother tended. Of course, her mother had never let her get near anything quite so interesting as the plants at Hogwarts, but she’d always quite enjoyed tending to the honking daffodils and umbrella flowers.

Her young training had certainly come in handy during the early years of Herbology, but even now as she collected vial after vial of the juice. Wren backed away from the plant, casting an eye around the greenhouse. Many students seemed to still be struggling getting near the plants, while others, like Fred Weasley, seemed to have no issue getting near the plant but couldn’t quite figure out how to draw out the juice. She continued looking around, her eyes landing on Thom Spiro who was currently standing far too close to Caroline Purvis. She giggled as she held the vial up to the plant, and he stepped even closer, almost forgetting his role as a distractor for the plant.

Wren’s jaw clenched. George was right. Boys were horrid, and Thom Spiro was a special sort. He deserved a serious bit of justice.

As she set the vials in their holder to be brought up to Professor Sprout when class ended, an awful idea struck Wren.

It made her smile.

With one eye on Professor Sprout who was busy helping Arlan Summers and Tom Dalgliesh with their plant, Wren corked a vial, wrapped it in cloth, and stuck it in her bag.

Herbology ended soon after, some pairs, like Wren, scoring as many as four while others had nothing but a few tears in their robes to show for their morning.

Quickly, Wren made her way up the hill towards the courtyard where she could study before lunch. She had just picked out a spot lawn when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned, staring harder as if that would make things make more sense.

Alicia and Nora were….hugging?

It was none of her business. She should really sit down and open up a textbook and focus on her studies and not be walking across the courtyard right now.

"Hi?" Wren cast a look between the two girls.

"Hullo Wren," Alicia said, the words coming out a bit muffled because of the sweet she was chewing. Wren turned her attention to Nora, squinting at her cousin as if that would explain why she was suddenly such close friends to Alicia. Alicia, Wren's dorm mate, whom Nora had had maybe three classes with in her entire Hogwarts career.

As both girls looked at Wren somewhat expectantly, it hit her that she probably should have come up with some excuse to be coming over to say hello. "Hi," Wren repeated again, this time more as a statement than a question. "I just wanted to catch Nora, for a second."

"Yes?" Nora asked, tilting her head slightly.

Shit.

"Mum said to ask if Aunt Kathleen had sent you my color changing ink. She thinks I must have left it at your house when we got back from shopping."

Nora shook her head. "No, mum hasn't sent anything yet...I thought I saw that in your trunk?"

Shit. Shit.  Wren was saved from having to attempt another lie by Alicia.

"Wait--are you two cousins? I always thought you were neighbors or met on the train."

Nora laughed heartily. "I know it's hard for me to believe this moody one is my blood," she teased, poking Wren.

"To be fair, we are practically neighbors. It's just the two houses between us," Wren said, batting Nora's hand away as the other girl continued to poke Wren in the arm.

"Blimey," Alicia shook her head. "I'm just as bad as Fred and George aren't I?"

Wren wanted to assure her that she wasn't. The fact that Alicia even knew Wren was dating Simon was purely because Wren  had asked her for advice to help get dressed for their first date. The only reason Wren had known that Alicia fancied Thom was more due to Lee announcing it to the common room one afternoon at the end of last year than because of any kind of closeness between the girls. But Wren didn't get the chance because Nora spun to face her.

"Oh?" she asked, her voice going up an octave. "How's that?"

"They didn't know she was dating Simon Chambers."

“Well can’t blame them for that one,” Nora's voice returned to normal as she once more turned to Alicia, ignoring Wren's glare. “You two are never around each other.”

“Our schedules don’t match," Wren defended flatly.

Even though she wasn't facing her, Wren could see the small twinkle in Nora's eyes. “Would you say it’s…'an unavoidable conflict'?”

Wren groaned, and Nora laughed again. "Told you Wren. Divination is serious magic. Anyway," Nora flipped her plait over her shoulder. "I'm supposed to meet Arlan and Cedric so we can do some Astronomy work before lunch. Keep me updated," she added to Alicia who nodded in agreement. With that, Nora was off leaving Wren and Alicia together.

"I can't believe I didn't know Nora Randolph was your cousin!" Alicia shook her head, moving out into the courtyard. Wren followed her.

"I didn't know you were friends."

"We're not really. Or at least, we weren't," Alicia said, selecting a shady spot under a tree and sitting down. Wren hesitated before putting her own bag down and sitting beside the other girl. "We have Ancient Runes together. With Thom."

Wren's eyes widened. "Oh."

"She saw me looking miserable yesterday and made her partner switch chairs with me. Next thing I know, she's passing me toffees and I'm telling her the whole story."

Wren shook her head with a small laugh. “That sounds like Nora.”

Alicia began unpacking some parchment and books from her own bag. "There's not anything in those toffees is there? Veritaserum or something of the sort?"

Wren shook her head again. “That’s just Nora. People'll tell her anything.”

“I think we might be best mates now.” Alicia commented and Wren laughed before taking out her own work, and settling into a studious silence next to Alicia.

She hadn't planned how to get the juice into Thom Spiro' drink.

That was the primary thought running through Wren's head as she sat at the Gryffindor table, picking at her food. She had waved Alicia on to lunch before her, claiming she was just going to finish the chapter before she went in and the other girl didn't have to wait. She'd waited fifteen minutes to enter the Great Hall, sitting far along the table so as not to be seen by professors or any of the prefects who tended to group together at the middle of the table whether consciously or not.

It was about then that the thought hit her for the first time, and she had eaten most of her food and was in the final quarter or so of lunch without the faintest clue as to how to get this vial in his drink.

She couldn't very well just walk up to the Ravenclaw table and slip some in his goblet. The most interaction she'd ever had with him was holding a door open to Charms. They'd never even so much as spoken. Wren half considered dropping a knut on the floor and picking it up and handing it to him. But, passing off a knut and simultaneously pouring something into his goblet seemed just short of impossible.

Wren took a bite out of her roll, watching as more Ravenclaws came in and filled the table. She caught sight of a familiar tall and lean boy with copper hair, and her eyes lit up. Simon. She would walk over under the perfectly reasonable guise of saying hello to her boyfriend, and swap her own goblet with Thom’.

This plan quickly crashed as Simon passed Thom, picking an empty spot, naturally towards the center of the table.

Of course, Wren had considered switching her plan to a simple Pepper Breath Hex, which certainly would have put an end to his romantic endeavors at least for the next couple of days or so. But compared to her initial plan, this idea seemed so inadequate. And how could she even be sure that Alicia got to enjoy the justice? There had to be some way, some excuse, for her to switch goblets--

Of course.

It was so simple, really.

It was unlikely the teachers would expect it. If anything, it'd be written off as an unhappy accident from Herbology. If only he had properly corked his vial or used gloves to pass it along like Professor Sprout had said. Quickly glancing around to see if anyone was looking at her, which of course they weren't, Wren pulled the Venomous Tentacula juice from her bag and poured it in her own cup.

Subtly, she took her wand out of her pocket and with another quick glance up at the professor's table, tapped her own goblet, muttering the spell.

She peered inside and noticed her cup was slightly emptier than it had been.

She'd switched them. A rush of victory swelled in Wren's chest and she almost wished that someone near her would give her a high five.

It took five minutes to determine that her plan worked. A small commotion rose at the Ravenclaw table which seemed like normal lunch nonsense before the group of boys around Thom parted. Wren watched as Thom’s skin slowly shifted from its beautiful shade of lilac to a darker lavender. Giggles began to echo through the Great Hall as Thom’s distress grew more and more apparent. Wren cast a quick look up at the professors' table. Professor Snape  looked particularly unamused, but Dumbledore had a small quirk of his lips.

Wren took this as permission for herself to smile as Thom’s friends rushed a now violet Thom Spiro out of the hall and towards, undoubtedly, the Hospital Wing. Sensing this was as good a time as any to dismiss from lunch, the food vanished from the table, and the students began to file out. Wren picked up her bag, ready to go to Transfiguration and feeling particularly pleased with herself as all around her students whispered about that purple Ravenclaw!

"Fine work, Collings." Wren nearly jumped out of her skin, fumbling her books.  She succeeded in catching them back onto her arms, but one slid out, bouncing against the ground in front of her. Before she could bend over to retrieve it, one of the twins scooped it up and placed it on top of his own, significantly shorter stack of books. If two books could be called a stack.

"What?" Wren asked, her head turning to each of the twins.

"I was wondering what you were up to in Herbology," Fred, the one who was not holding her book, remarked.

"Sorry, you've lost me." Wren shrugged and gave a jerky shake of her head.

Fred gave her a wolfish grin. "Have I?" He waved his wand, and the empty vial shot out of her bag and into his hand. Because of course he could do nonverbal spells already. He wiggled it in front of her, and Wren snatched at it, surprising herself by actually wrenching it from his hands.

Wren stuffed it back into her bag, glaring at him--although the fact that he was absolutely correct took all of the heat out of her look. "That's for potions."

"And apparently poisoning Ravenclaw dickheads,"  Fred remarked.

"I didn't poison him."

She did. Technically.

"I don't even understand why you think it was me." She succeeded in making her voice slightly more casual this time which did nothing but make the boys' smiles grow.

"It's not a suspicion," Fred dismissed. " I know it was you. Saw you in Herbology."

"There's a plant that does that?" George asked with widened eyes.

"Apparently the Venomous Tentacula,"  Fred said. "Sprout said it was a poisonous juice, but I never reckoned I'd actually see someone poisoned with it."

"Stop saying I poisoned him!" Wren hissed.

George's brow wrinkled. "Is there another word for it?"

"Empoisoned?" Fred suggested.

"Envenomed?"

"Would this count as drugging?"

Wren brushed past the twins, entering the Transfigurations classroom. They followed her in laughing.

Alicia looked up from where she and Angelina were gathered together giggling. "Wren!" she called, waving her over quickly. Wren approached, dropping her books off at her desk along the way and  trying very hard to keep the smile off of her face, seeing Alicia positively beaming.

"Tell me you didn't miss it."

"Thom Spiro turning bright purple? How could I?"

"Merlin, it was glorious," Alicia exclaimed looking happily up at the ceiling as if attempting to thank Merlin himself up in heaven. When she looked back down, her eyes fell on the Weasley twins who had followed Wren over. "You two, you did this, didn't you?"

"Us? No," George shook his head.

"We'd never dope a student," Fred added, pausing for a second. "That's the word we're going with, right?"

George shook his head. "Doesn't seem quite right. I still think poison's the best fit."

Alicia's face creased in confusion, and perhaps if Wren hadn't seen fit to cast a dark look at the two, the other girls might have assumed they were lying.

"Wren Collings, what did you do?" Angelina asked, and Wren's face went slack with surprise. It was just her luck that Angelina, the one observant enough to have taught Wren and Alicia how to tell the twins apart, would have caught the look.

"Me?" Wren asked, perhaps too defensively because now Alicia's eyes were on her.

"Wren," Alicia looked at her wide-eyed. "Did you....?"

Wren made a sound of disbelief. "You think I poisoned a Ravenclaw student? I'm dating a prefect! A Ravenclaw one."

"You did!" Alicia gasped, grabbing Wren into a tight hug. "You're bloody brilliant. Honestly, Wren. I could kiss you."

"Doubt she'd let you," Fred quipped.

Alicia released Wren who stepped back, taking her book from George and hitting Fred with it. "So violent, Collings," he flinched away laughing.  "They're going to lock you up in Azkaban. You maniac."

"So if he wasn't poisoned," Angelina said, "What exactly happened to him?"

All eyes fell on Wren. "He didn't wash his hands properly after handling the Venomous Tentacula juice in Herbology today. Or maybe the cork wasn't on right and some got on his skin," she shrugged. "Professor Snape said it happens every year."

Fred opened his mouth to remark but was cut off by Professor McGonagall walking in, signaling to the students to stop talking and find their seats. Her gaze fell on Fred.

“Mr. Weasley, as you are not taking this class, please find your way to the door.”

Fred gave McGonagall a salute, and turned to leave, making sure to gesture to Wren that he had his eyes on her before heading out of the room. Wren's cheeks tinged pink as she made her way to her desk.

The light poisoning might have been a mistake.

[bridenore]

HD Erised 2019 recs

Here are some of my favorite fics from @hd-erised 2019. Listed in alphabetical order.

***

The Beauty of Thestrals and Other Unseen Things by @writcraft [63k]

Harry has terrific friends, an amazing girlfriend and his job as Head Auror enables him to work on challenging cases and Ministry reform. He just wishes he could work out why he’s been so out of sorts.

When Draco Malfoy is arrested for gross indecency, Harry’s comfortable life begins to unravel. He’s forced to decide if it’s worth risking everything for love in a world where following his heart is a criminal offence.

The Company of The Rose by @lower-east-side [31k]

Six years after the war, Draco Malfoy has been restoring magical estates, while sidestepping his mother’s plots to marry him off and resolutely avoiding his issues. An advert in the Prophet takes him to a remote island, where a mysterious stranger has purchased an abandoned retreat. But the house has a few secrets of its own, and Draco will be forced to deal with not only his past, but the possibilities of the future.

Darkest Before the Dawn by @dualwieldteacup [47k]

The last thing Draco wanted was to show up at Harry Potter's door, cursed blind and holding a boxful of his friends Transfigured into snakes, but here he was.

Between breaking the curse, adjusting to life without sight, and teaching his Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, Draco's got his hands full. Being forced to live with Harry Potter might just be the death of him.

This is a story about the bonds of friendship, fairy tale endings, and learning to ask for help (even from Gryffindors).

fly like paper, high like planes by @harryromper [47k]

Harry Potter, Head Coach of the Appleby Arrows, is very content leading a quiet life. He has a doddery old house-elf who makes his breakfast, a team of players who love Quidditch almost as much as he does, and a Kneazle that curls against his damaged leg at the foot of his bed at night. The absolute last thing he needs is a fit, tattooed, and wildly talented Draco Malfoy back from living his life on the margins. Soon he’s dealing with goblins for the first time since the war, traveling to Prague, eating dodgy squid, and maybe, just maybe, accepting that Quidditch, Malfoy, and even Harry himself are still capable of change.

Inevitable Collision by @dracospungen [16k]

It was difficult to pretend everything was the same as before the war thundered over them, forcing their childhood out of their hands a little too early. The war might be over now, but for Draco Malfoy, the world had lost its colour, his existence diminished into a dull grey hue... until he stumbles upon Harry Potter. Potter is danger, blood pumping fast through Draco's veins, technicolour explosions of emotion, making Draco feel alive—and Draco can’t help but crave more.

A Lick and a Promise by @tackytigerfic [55k]

Something sinister stirs in Hogwarts!

When magical creatures and students at the school are hit with a debilitating blood curse, Minerva McGonagall approaches the Ministry for help.

Star Auror Harry Potter seems to be the obvious choice to go undercover—as DADA Professor, naturally. He’s going to need the help of the Ministry’s foremost expert in blood magic to get to the bottom of the mystery, though, and he’s not entirely convinced that going back to Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy is a good idea.

Things are complicated between them—what’s new?—but they know they have to learn to work together (and keep their hands off each other in the corridors) in order to solve this case. Luckily for them, Hogwarts itself wants to lend a hand.

A tale of love, lessons, and learning to really live.

Midnight in the City of a Hundred Spires by @shiftylinguini [25k]

Harry Potter is a missing person. Draco Malfoy is a vampire. They are the last two people one would expect to bump into each other in a Creature Bar in Prague, yet to Draco’s absolute shock that is definitely Harry fucking Potter sitting across from him.

Even more surprising is that Potter may have a case for him.

Pensieve For Your Thoughts by @fencer-x [22k]

Ostracised from the more discerning social circles after the war, Draco decides to spend his final few months at Hogwarts attempting to ingratiate himself with the Boy Wonder in the hopes he might be able to salvage his reputation in the doing. But when has anything involving Draco trying to be Potter’s friend gone right, really?

The Promise of Summer by Omi_Ohmy [66k]

How was Harry supposed to know that coming back for eighth year would be so confusing? Everything is the same, and yet not the same. And nowhere is this more obvious than with Draco Malfoy. Harry finds himself once more watching and following Malfoy, trying to work him out. When they are drawn together to heal the castle, Harry doesn’t just find Malfoy - he also finds himself.

Red Thread (that will lead me home to you) by xErised [35k]

It takes four years of travelling and mutual pining for Harry to realise that Malfoy is the only one for him. Of course, he has to express his feelings in the most scandalous way possible—by stopping Malfoy's very proper, very pureblood wedding.

The Seeker by @kedavranox [27k]

Draco’s position with the International Association of Quidditch has always been tenuous, but that may be about to change with Harry as his source on the biggest case of Performance-Enhancing Potions doping of the decade. But Draco soon learns that things are not as they seem, and he has to find a balance between his commitment to the IAQ and his evolving relationship with Harry, as they uncover secrets that even Harry has fought to keep.

That which hurts (and is desired) by @shealwaysreads ( onereader ) [19k]

Draco was lying still, and pale, on a bed in a private room in St Mungo’s. The sheets were white, clean, enchanted against stains, vanishing the blood that kept spilling out of him. He hadn’t moved in two days. Not a twitch of his elegant fingers. Not a blink of his fierce eyes. Harry couldn’t even see the faint flutter of his pulse in his throat from where he stood at the foot of the bed, helpless, impotent, furious.

There is nothing Harry wouldn’t do for the people he cares about. As it turns out, that might bring him everything he’s ever wanted.

Who we are in the shadows by @quicksilvermaid [99k]

What happens when you’re forced to become the very thing you despise?

Ex-Auror Harry Potter, tossed out of the Ministry for something he had no control over, has been looking for a way back to his former life. When he comes across Draco Malfoy in the criminal underbelly of Wizarding London and in need of protection, Harry figures bringing him in to face the Ministry's justice is his ticket back to everything he's lost.

But nothing is exactly as it seems. Not even Harry himself. And as he gets drawn further and further into Malfoy's world of honour and deception he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew—about his childhood nemesis, the Ministry job he misses so much, and most of all, about himself.

What happens when you’re forced to see that you were wrong?

***

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[cami-chats]

Fanfic roundup, 2019!

In summary, WOW this was a busy fanfic writing year for me. According to AO3, I published 439,972 words this year (whaaaaaat). About 20k of that is from a years-crossing WIP, so the full word count isn’t accurate, but I feel like after I passed 300k mark, the 20,000 words stopped mattering as much (and I still don’t know how this happened). 

I’ve got at least one fic in the following fandoms: Avatar, Charmed, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Marvel, Shadowhunters, Star Trek DS9, Supernatural, That 70′s Show, and Ultra Maniac. 

None of the fics are particularly long but there’s... a lot of them. So everything’s going to be listed by fandom with the pairing (if applicable), summary, and word count next to it under the cut

Avatar (2009)

I Choose You (10728 words) Tsu’tey/Jake Sully: The night after Jake becomes Omaticaya, he chooses Tsu'tey as a mate and somehow, Tsu'tey chooses him as well. With a little talking and waking up in a different situation, they're able to stop the destruction of Hometree.

Charmed (TV 1998) A Family Man (9744 words) Also Supernatural Fandom, Piper Halliwell/Dean Winchester: With the yellow-eyed demon dead, Dean retires from hunting. He doesn't expect for a routine set-up at his job one night to end with starting to date Piper, but he's not complaining. Cursed (3648 words) Wyatt Halliwell/Chris Halliwell: Bianca was sent to the past to retrieve Chris for Wyatt. Chris knew that as soon as he saw Wyatt again he wouldn't be able to say no to him, but he also knew that he couldn't outrun Bianca. The past is filled with shadows, but the present isn't much better. Your Pain Almost Destroyed You (1148 words) Wyatt Halliwell & Chris Halliwell: When Wyatt was a baby, Leo cast a spell on Piper to keep her from getting upset so that she wouldn’t fall apart. Almost twenty years later, Chris finds out that Wyatt isn’t exactly fulfilling the role everyone cast him in, and Wyatt casts that same spell on his brother.

Game of Thrones (TV) A Line Of Firsts (14086 words) Jon Snow/Sansa Stark: The firsts of Jon and Sansa's lives through their relationship, from getting together to getting it on outside, to having an anniversary. Boy On The Side (3113 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Jon thinks that things with Tormund are going really well, until one day he sees Tormund shopping with a woman and two kids that are obviously his. What Now? (1197 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Jon and Tormund are together, despite Jon's occasional stupidity. So with the war over, what does Jon do next? Hint: Tormund thinks it should be with him. After The Long Night (1777 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: When the dragon falls, dead, Jon's only thought is to find Tormund and make sure he's alright. It's An Age Thing (4565 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Tormund only meant to return Jon's book, he didn't mean to find out that his boyfriend was still in high school. Home to the North (653 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Jon is back at the Wall where he belongs: with Tormund and Ghost and the Free Folk-- but mostly with Tormund. After The Miracle (836 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Jon died but came back. Tormund knows that, but in his sleep-addled mind, he panicks at seeing Jon look the same way he did when dead. A 'Lord', A Lady, And Their Lovers (6608 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane, Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell: Jon and Sansa are strangers, now forced in an arranged marriage. Jon's in love with someone he couldn't marry even though he wanted to, and Sansa found herself falling for her best friend before she was married off.Aka Jon and Tormund are together and Jon getting married is fucking with their relationship. In an effort to fix that, Sansa and Margaery lie about being together so that Jon and Tormund can be happy. Bastard Of A Different Kind (4950 words) Jon Snow/Ned Stark: It is well known that Jon Snow, Lord Stark’s bedmate, is a Targaryen bastard. Lady Catelyn Stark hates him because Ned prefers him to her, but they’ve managed to live with it for years because they are stuck together for life. Everything changes when King Rhaegar and his siblings come for a visit to the north. White Russians And Hot Bartenders (1980 words) Arya Stark/Ygritte: Arya didn't mean to hook up with her favourite brother's best friend, but in her defense, she hadn't known who Ygritte was to him at the time. Your What? (3014 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Jon's home for the holidays, and he sort of forgot to tell his family who Tormund is. Left Behind (3779 words) Jon Snow/Robb Stark: When Robb left for King's Landing without a word, Jon felt like half of his heart was missing. Robb finally returns, expecting, for some reason, that Jon will be willing to pick up their relationship right where they left off. Abreast (644 words) Arya Stark/Ygritte: Arya keeps messing up in fencing club because she has a crush on Ygritte, the senior leading the club. Not Rock 'N Roll Good (4623 words) Arya Stark/Sandor Clegane: Sandor's life is monotonous but okay until he receives a text from the wrong number. He didn't think that telling someone their date stood them up and lied to them would result in a relationship, but he ends up pretty damn happy. Our Family (848 words) Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen: Daenerys burned people living, and sometimes that was hard to remember when she was smiling at Jon so sweetly as she shared news that obviously made her happy. It only made him feel trapped. First Choice (7223 words) Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark: Trapped in King's Landing, Sansa is offered one choice about her life: who she wants to marry. Picking Ser Sandor Clegane was one of her best decisions. Married (2636 words) Jon Snow/Tormund Giantsbane: Jon had agreed to come to this wedding with Tormund pretending to be his husband. After he sees Arya there though, the situation gets a little complicated.

Harry Potter Not The First (847 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is inexplicably nervous about the ball. Fortunately, James knows him well enough to take care of it before it's a problem. Like Father Like Son (1435 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Harry's nervous about coming out to Sirius, but then he learns that there was nothing to be afraid of. Perfect Morning, Perfect Boyfriend (487 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Anniversary/Valentine's Day morning fluff for James and Sirius. When Is A Door Not A Door? When It's Exploded. (806 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Remus, Lily, James, and Sirius have to run from Death Eaters. None of them were hurt, but the war is starting to wear them down. Engaged, Said Facebook (691 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James and Sirius aren't together, which makes it all the more surprising when Euphemia calls to congratulate them on their engagement. SBDS Founder James Potter (3228 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James is Sirius's Number One fan, and everyone that interacts with him realizes it sooner or later. Write Yourself A Love Story-- And Make It Last (5476 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James and Sirius are ridiculously in love, but no one's life is absolutely perfect. There are good days, bad days, and blah days, but they always have each other and their friends. Healer's Bed (1043 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is doing some secret reading in the dormitory when James decides he wants some quality time. James and his "I love Sirius" rant (785 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius has been trying and failing to talk to James about a kink he has in mind, and James has had enough. What You Lose (2238 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: In the Shrieking Shack in Harry's third year, Sirius learns that James isn't dead, just in a coma. Now he has something other than revenge to live for. Leaving Me In The Dust (2198 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius decided to move out, and James does not like that. Not one bit. Tie Mix-Up (1431 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: It's the easiest thing in the world to sneak Sirius into the Gryffindor dormitory for a little bit of fun, but then they oversleep and have to rush off to class, still trying to tuck in their shirts. Just Come Home (3213 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius's boyfriend is abusive, and James can't understand why he stays with him. Proposing Is A Great First Date (2191 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: On the one hand, it seemed like a mistake to propose to Sirius when they weren't even dating. On the other hand, fuck you Moony this is a great idea. What A Ruin (2414 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James always dives into things too quickly, so after he does that with his new dance partner, he takes a step back before it gets too bad. Only now Sirius is upset with him and he doesn't know how to fix it. Typical Behaviour (749 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: It was pretty typical of James to wake up after a brutal attack that left him in critical condition that was so bad he had to be put in a medically induced coma, and immediately start getting on to Sirius for not taking care of himself. Win/Win (1787 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James has been planning his proposal to Sirius for a while. It was meant to be a surprise, but when he lets it slip a few days beforehand, he thinks the whole thing is ruined-- Sirius loves him far too much for that to be true. You're a virgin?? (3776 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James learns that Sirius is a virgin, and then he can't think of anything else. Not A Prize (2591 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James and Remus both fancy Sirius, and they agreed that neither of them could spend time alone with him until they got it sorted. For his part, Sirius has no bloody idea what's going on, except that his mates are avoiding him like he has dragon pox. The Creepy Professor (3209 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: The newest DADA professor likes Sirius in an entirely inappropriate way. James notices and tells him, but Sirius thinks he’s overreacting and ignores all the warning signs until the professor tries something. Not A Hair (1788 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius gets hurt in rehearsal, but he's too embarrassed to fess up to his friends, leading to Remus thinking that James is abusing him. Fix Your Mistakes (1169 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Instead of James running to stop Snape from seeing Remus as a werewolf, it's Sirius, who gets badly injured while doing so. Et Vous? (1036 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is French, and James quite likes that. Cold And Comfort (1144 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius runs away from home, but James doesn't know it's permanent at first. The Not-Yet Sirius Potter (518 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is bigger than James, and James is a romantic. Reading (892 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is dyslexic, and James does his best to be supportive when he finds out. Speak Now (1365 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: When James says the first, cliche'd line of a breakup, Sirius thinks he's being weird. Next thing he knows, James is telling him that he's about to marry someone else. Sniffles (1172 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James is sick. If Sirius weren't so much bigger than him, it would be easier to run away instead of taking care of himself. Hold Me And Let Me Cry (993 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James knew that Sirius's past had left lasting marks, but sometimes he forgot just how much that affected him. Deserve What You Get (2102 words) Sirius Black/Lily Evans, James Potter/Sirius Black/Lily Evans: Both Sirius and Lily want James, but they know that they’re not good enough for him. Some time together though... that’s not a bad idea. Home and Bloody (604 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is late getting back from a mission, and James worried about him. Breaking Out (1264 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James busts Sirius out of Azkaban, and they're not really careful about Sirius being in public. Why would they be? He was never officially charged with anything. The Little Things (4870 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius was miserable, but he was getting through it. James Potter showed up and decided that 'getting through it' wasn't good enough for Sirius despite the fact that they hadn't talked to each other. Too Cute (582 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is sloshed and he likes to talk about how great James is. Keep Calm. Failed Step One. (1330 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius sees a suspiciously shaped scar on the back of Harry's hand. He deals with it like a reasonable adult. Happy Birthday (741 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James and Sirius have a birthday party for their two year old son. So Happy Together (1687 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Everyone thinks James and Sirius are together. A stupid decision or two later, and they are. Through It All (5951 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: When Sirius gets Sorted in Slytherin, it changes his friendship with James. They're still friends, it's just... different. Not as certain, even if they end up in the right place. Absent (256 words) Lily once described muggle ghosts to Sirius. He didn't expect to be surrounded by them. The Potter's, Both Old And New (22050 words) WIP James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius helped raise Harry with James until they had a fight. Sirius hasn't seen them in years, but he's a teacher at Hogwarts, and Harry is now 11. With the constant danger Harry's in, and the likely return of Voldemort, they can't ignore their issues any longer. Snuggling (2082 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius feels like James is avoiding him, and Prongs (James's daemon) takes the initiative in fixing it. In his own way, of course. Post Prank Depression (2778 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: Sirius is depressed, and the Marauders don't really know what to do. Like and Subscribe (753 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: The Marauders are famous youtubers, and James and Sirius's fans ship them without realising they're already together. Absolute (768 words) James Potter/Sirius Black: James didn't understand how Sirius could constantly ignore his wishes to keep Padfoot off the couch, but talking about it one day made certain things come to light.

Marvel: Abomasum (299 words) Bruce Banner/Tony Stark: Deer Tony is trying to bond with his Brucie-bear partner. Bruce is somewhat disgusted by what goes on in Tony's body. Abominable (354 words) Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Tony and Bucky and Natasha came out about their relationship, so now Tony has to stop them from murdering the judgmental public. Resting Murder Face (6699 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Everyone knows that Bucky and Tony love each other....Except for Tony and Bucky. After watching them pine uselessly, the Avengers and Company do their best to get them together, even if the oblivious idiots make it more difficult than it needs to be. Aboral (473 words) Peter Parker/Tony Stark: Tony finds out that Peter lied to him (it all ends okay). Don't Waste Your Life (2338 words) Tony Stark/Ho Yinsen: Tony had sort of given up hope on meeting his soulmate. And then they met while being held captive by Ten Rings. They made it out miraculously alive, but now Tony's starting to notice that they don't kiss, and they're not really together. The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker--Only not the first and third ones (2231 words) Pepper Potts/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark: Pepper meets a gorgeous baker, now she just has to convince Tony to give a new relationship a try. Aboriginal (559 words) Tony Stark/Thor: Tony thinks that if Thor wants to see him in a pretty dress, there are easier ways than lying to him about wedding traditions on Asgard. In Your Camera Roll (3151 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Bucky was innocently working at home when a wrong text makes his night much more enjoyable. One For You Too (1447 words) Tony Stark & Avengers: Tony gives the okay for someone to make prototypes of Avengers themed sex toys, but he forgot to warn the team. They're more than a little surprised when they're opening the mail and see that. It Was The Soup (3428 words) Peter Parker/Tony Stark: Peter lies about being sick because he's out of suppressants, and he doesn't trust himself to be around Tony without purring and following him around like a puppy. Of course then Tony shows up at his apartment with soup and then Peter goes into a rut. Not Always 20/20 (1545 words) Tony Stark/Wanda Maximoff: Wanda thought she had finally found a home and a friend that wasn't related to her. She doesn't know what happened, but all of a sudden her life came crashing down.Now it's years later, and new information comes to light. Mail Order Bride (2834 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Tony knew as soon as he woke up that he'd done something stupid last night, but it would take a while for him to figure out just how bad it was. As far as mail order brides went though, Natalia was something of a god send. Around The Living Room (1418 words) Avengers/Avengers: The Avengers have a movie night, only more interesting than usual. (Just porn) A Cliche In Love (1745 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Natasha is a prostitute, and Tony mistakenly thinks that she doesn't really like him. My Baby's Got Me Locked Up In Chains (1061 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Winter has a kink that he wants to try, and Tony is 100% on board. Chatroom Meeting (1864 words) Tony Stark/J.A.R.V.I.S.: Jarvis only meant to make Tony feel better. He had no intention of catching feelings, much less a body. Abort (761 words) Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanoff: Wanda doesn't listen during a mission and she gets hurt. Natasha talks to her about it. Aborning (434 words) Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanoff: The death of Pepper's icy reputation, but she doesn't mind. Classroom Play (1033 words) Pepper Potts/Wanda Maximoff: Pepper and Wanda are trying out a little teacher/student roleplay. About-face (628 words) Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanoff: Natasha has been pining after Pepper for a while, and a well placed motivation spell finally gets her moving. Aboveboard (599 words) Matt Murdock/Tony Stark: A villain lets Daredevil hear Tony's thoughts during a fight. Unfortunately, Tony thinks about Matt's ass in that outfit a lot. Fit (1769 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: There were three things that weren't really secrets. 1. Tony was trans. 2. That bulge in Bucky's pants wasn't because of a sock. 3. Bucky and Tony were dating. Tense Date Night (1639 words) Bucky Barnes/Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes/Pepper Potts: Tony's wearing a remote controlled vibrator, and when Pepper finds out, she thinks that's hot as hell so she drags Bucky off to have some fun. Abreaction (538 words) Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanoff: Wanda's a bit of a coward, so she finds some courage in a truth spell. Always Friends (1203 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: In which Tony and Rhodey could have been together for thirty years if they learned how to have a conversation. The Man Inside The Armor (8023 words) Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark: It's obvious that James Rhodes is the one in the Iron Man armor, right? Steve and Bucky want to add Iron Man to their relationship, so instead of asking Iron Man directly they go to James so there's less confusion. Only now they're rejected, and Iron Man's mad at them. It's Like We're Living In Hell (409 words) Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanoff: The heater's broken, and Nat's stripped down to undies. Bringing You Down (309 words) Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanoff: Natasha has a stomach bug and is being Dramatic. Think Of Me Fondly (1544 words) Wanda Maximoff/Tony Stark: Wanda knew that Tony would miss her while she was helping rebuild Sokovia, so she left him a present to keep him company. Back Against The Wall (636 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Winter pins Tony to the wall and has some fun. Bucket List (1213 words) Clint Barton/Tony Stark: It’s on Clint’s bucket list to have sex with Tony Stark, and now that he’s on a superhero team with him, his chances of it actually happening have skyrocketed. A Love Like This (1762 words) Iron Man Armor/Tony Stark: It's pretty well known that Tony makes his best friends (DUM-E, Jarvis, Friday), but Mark LIV of the armor takes it to a whole new level. Making Me Yours (875 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: It was for the best, probably, that Tony was used to being on his knees so often. He'd gotten used to it before he was sent off to boarding school, working on one project or another, and he associated the ache in his knees with pride of a job well done. Unlikely Invitation (3433 words) Sharon Carter/Tony Stark, Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark: It was bad enough to be pining after two people, but it just got worse when Steve found out that they were dating each other. Inside The Mask (3060 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony has a secret identity, which doesn't work out super well when he likes Bucky (and Bucky likes him??) and villains have any number of weird powers that could expose him (and let him have a first kiss twice somehow). Spun Onto You (1616 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: Tony thought they only played spin the bottle in high school movies, but he's willing to let that go when Rhodey spins it right at him and he thinks that he's finally going to get to kiss him. Dataport (1003 words) Steve Rogers/Tony Stark: On Deep Space Nine, Steve saves Tony from a jail cell once again, except this time they achieved their goal. Just Another First Contact (1886 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony catches an alien disease-- which somehow is the least concerning part of the situation. Bucky wants to spend time with him, only Tony's trying to avoid him so desperately that he gets caught in a lie. Ability (28958 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony knows there's an issue in his company, now he just has to find it and fix it. Easier said than done. His boyfriend is down an arm and doesn't look happy to see him, his best friend is mad at him, and he doesn't know who to trust.He's had better years. I, Tony (10451 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: It was a secret from everyone that Tony was android. Including Tony. When he finally finds out, Howard is long since dead, he doesn't know what that stone inside him is, and he's pretty sure he won't be able to hold a relationship like this. The Sex Tapes (2293 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Bucky knows for a fact that Winter has never had sex-- and especially not with Tony-- so why, exactly, does he know what Tony looks like during sex? Vanilla And Lovin' It (1541 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Tony thinks that he’s old, and he wants to give Natasha a reason to stay with him. Somehow, him fucking it up isn’t even a bump in the road. Truth Is... I'm Not Iron Man (9642 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: The public doesn't know, but the team sure knows that Tony Stark is Iron Man. There are disagreements about getting him to admit it, and of course the biggest problem with that is, well, he isn't Iron Man. Rhodey's Iron Man, and it's a very specific kind of torture for Tony to see the man he's been in love with for most of his life to be in danger 24/7. If Wishes Were Horses (1814 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony's had an obvious crush on Bucky for a while, but it's taken to a whole new level when his imagination manifests a version of Bucky that's all over him. Hidden Winter (4027 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony thinks he has a pretty great life post-Iron Man. Riri's got everything nicely in hand, but he gets worried about Bucky. Bucky hates that he's keeping his Winter Soldier identity secret, but he thinks that he's in too deep to get out. I just wanted some candy (2747 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: Rhodey went to the store for candy, and somehow ended up going home with an abused omega and his kid in tow. The Kidnapper's Heart (12787 words) WIP Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Falling in love with one of your kidnappers was definitely a bad idea. Tony could probably blame it on his heat hormones at first, but then Winter goes and rescues him and Tony doesn't let him leave once they get home. Now he has a mate, his parents actually care about him, and he still needs to finish college. Seeing You Again (1667 words) Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff, Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Years after breaking up, Natasha tells Tony that they have a kid. He falls back in love with her and her current boyfriend Bucky, and they somehow end up together. Which Of Us Is The Devil? (4335 words) Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Bucky and Nat cross the line from teasing Tony about their sex life, to being entirely inappropriate. Having sex with him wasn't really an improvement on that, but here they were. Your Coffee, My Libido (1453 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony was definitely not going to thank Loki for swapping his and Bucky's powers, even if it resulted in them getting together. Hold Me Down (652 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Winter wants to try bondage, but Tony has some doubts. They compromise and have a good time. It Wasn't You (2752 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: A month and a half ago, Rhodey was kidnapped and replaced with a Skrull without anyone noticing. In that time, he and Tony got together. Now though, they know he's a Skrull, and Tony tries to figure out how to live with what's happened. Abridge (2255 words) Tony Stark/Johnny Storm: Johnny and Tony are in love, but Johnny doesn't quite realize that. Abroach (451 words) Darcy Lewis/Tony Stark: Darcy catches Tony trying to hang decorations dangerously high. Abroad (1073 words) Tony Stark/Wade Wilson: Tony had a way of showing up at the worst possible moments. Like, when his ex was in the middle of blowing up a building, for example. Abrogate (590 words) Bucky Barnes/Matt Murdock/Tony Stark: Tony thinks there should be a Superhero Holiday, but his partners aren't as into the idea as he is. It's all a blur last night (4498 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark/Clint Barton: Natasha is posing as a stripper, and it works best for everyone when Tony takes a definite interest in her. Clint shows up a while later, and Tony takes it in stride. Abrupt (465 words) Pietro Maximoff/Tony Stark: Getting coffee spilled on you may not be the BEST meet-cute, but Tony's had worse from people that weren't near as attractive. Abscess (295 words) Bruce Banner/Tony Stark: "How many times do I have to say that I'm not that kind of doctor? Honestly Tony, how do you not know better? You've got a doctorate, too." "Maybe-" he said, as if he hadn't gotten his doctorate literally a month ago "-but you took biochem and I didn't, so clearly you know more than me." In Bed (774 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Natasha is asexual, and the conversation with Tony could have happened a little sooner or been a little easier, but at least it happened. A Taste Of Heaven (1926 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony was doing work when Bucky came in, wanting some attention and fidgeting like there was no tomorrow. A Helping Hand (1045 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Winter's on what is basically a filler mission, and he helps the random guy that just escaped a kidnapping. Time to take a shot (1410 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: When Nat's undercover, she doesn't end up as Tony's assistant, but she still catches his attention. At a party. And Tony's offering to show her the Iron Man armor up close, how could she say no? The Red-Head Harem (792 words) Bethany Cabe/Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark, Gamora/Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts: Tony and all his red-headed girlfriends get along quite nicely. Breakfast fluff and teasing are commonplace. The Lost Twin (1023 words) Wanda Maximoff/Tony Stark: Wanda gets shunted back in time for a little bit and learns that Tony has a twin sister she's never heard about. Turns out there's a reason for that. In Love With Wolves (655 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Natasha gets turned into a wolf, and Tony still thinks she's the best. Both literal and figurative fluff ensue. Field Of Study (3035 words) Bruce Banner/Tony Stark: Bruce is the Hulk, and Tony thought he was keeping a different anger-related issue secret. They break up but get back together when Tony learns the truth. Beside And Below You (602 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Tony gave Winter a necklace, and he's a little confused as to why Winter isn't wearing it when he comes to his room that night. Hot Summer Day (521 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Nat wanted to come to the fair, but it's hot outside. Three Loves Of Life (873 words) Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff: Tony knew from a young age that coffee was the love of his life. Now he has expanded that list to include the two hot baristas at his favorite coffee shop. Younger but just as in love (826 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: Tony gets de-aged, and they're all unreasonably surprised that the best way to keep him in control is to bring in Rhodey. About A Little Boy That Lived In A Blue World (11537 words) WIP, Tony Stark/Loki: The Frost Giants are willing to sign a treaty with the Asgardians, if there's a little marriage with them to solidify it. How Tony got dragged into that when he's just a human, he'll never know. His husband is attractive though. So that's a plus. It Began Like This (406 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: Tony thinks their relationship started the first time he kissed Jim. Jim thinks their relationship started the first time they kissed and kept kissing. Your Heart/My Heart (3881 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: When they're young, James and Tony break up for basically no reason. It takes them twenty years to get back together. Abscise (1157 words) Sharon Carter/Tony Stark: Tony and Sharon have been together a while, but being a top-secret spy doesn't let her have much time at home. Of course one day she shows up with Steve in tow and Shield after them, so like, maybe not Tony's biggest problem. Pictures Of You (2085 words) Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: When Tony loses his memories and sees suspicious pictures in his room, he assumes the worst and tries to leave Avengers Tower. An Expectation (4655 words) Matt Murdock/Tony Stark, Matt Murdock/Tony Stark/Foggy Nelson: Foggy drops by Matt's apartment one day to find Tony Stark leaving. As if his crush on Matt wasn't hopeless enough. I've Been Drinking (2249 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony can't remember last night at all, and he can't even blame it on Avengers business. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is (2715 words) Tony Stark/Natasha Romanoff: Tony wakes up in Vegas with a hangover and a wedding ring on his finger. He was going to embrace the cliche and make the most of this. Better Than A Ferrari (1384 words) Clint Barton/Tony Stark: Clint often had bad ideas, but they usually didn't include asking Tony to down a lethal amount of caffeine. Fortunately, Nat's only a phone call away to give him more good advice than he bargained for. Stay At My Side (4417 words) Gamora/Tony Stark: Tony gets picked up by the Guardians after an expedition gone wrong and becomes an honorary member. He likes not having to think about the Avengers breaking up, but when Thanos goes to Earth to get the Infinity Stones that are kept there, he doesn't have much choice. Lovin' Me Good (5199 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Bucky loves Natasha Stark so much he forgets that people have shit ideas about her. Chance Encounter (2196 words) Giuletta Nefaria/Tony Stark: When a villain pulls Giuletta into their universe hoping for help, Tony is quick to follow. This universe's Avengers don't really know what to do with them. Iron Man in a relationship with Tony Stark? Yep. (1736 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: James Rhodes is Iron Man. It makes the secret identity less confusing, and if you asked Tony, he'd say that Jim was better at it anyways. Abscond (453 words) Gamora/Tony Stark: Somehow Gamora ends up pregnant. No one will be more surprised than she is. I Always Have You (3932 words) Bucky Barnes & Tony Stark: From Tony's first day on the earth, he had a soulmate looking after him. Not everyone wanted Bucky to be that close with him, but they manage. Abseil (479 words) Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: The team goes to a rock climbing wall, and Tony hates that he promised his girlfriends that he'd go through with it. Absinthe (1395 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony lives, and Bucky gets reborn again and again and again. Tony always finds him. If someone were to give it a label, it would probably be soulmates. Myshka (3767 words) Tony Stark/Natasha Romanoff: Soulmarks are the nicknames your soulmate will call you. Tony has some Russian petnames and guesses wrong the first time, but Natasha’s just happy that Tony asked her on a date, even if he went on one with Bucky first. Business Time (1050 words) Tony Stark/Winter Soldier: Tony promised Pepper that he would stop having sex in his office, but that was before Winter had an idea. Identify Yourself (773 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: All Bucky wanted to do was see his boyfriend after a week long mission. He didn’t want to deal with this random ass person in their kitchen that apparently was Tony’s brother. Not the fun kind of handcuffs (500 words) Kate gets kidnapped by a bunch of amateurs. More embarrassing for them than her, thank god. Here In Your Arms (1702 words) Tony Stark/James Rhodes: Jim goes to the past specifically to save Tony, but he finds himself stealing a kiss or two while he's at it. It's called SOUR cream (481 words) Natasha Romanoff/Tony Stark: Tony thinks Natasha's latkes gave him food poisoning, she thinks it's the sour cream he put on it, and Strange just wants to undo a curse. The Last Candles (510 words) Steve Rogers/Tony Stark: Tony forgot candles, and he finally finds some. There's one little problem: someone else is trying to buy them too. The Meaning Of Chanukkah (353 words) Sam had thought it was a pretty innocent question to ask what Chanukkah was about. He was wrong. Dreidel Cheater (206 words) Kate Bishop & Clint Barton: Clint cheats at dreidel and denies it. Gasp, The Latkes! (389 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: The team gets Bucky latke themed shirts to wear for Channuka. Stop Stealing My Latkes (406 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Bucky doesn't think it's weird that Tony's keeping him company in the kitchen until he notices most of the latkes missing. BYOC (1003 words) Wanda Maximoff/Tony Stark: When Tony forgets to bring a channukiah to a channukiah party, Wanda offers to let him share. No Shirt, No Pants (628 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark: Tony dropping sufganiyot jelly on his shirt ended with Bucky inviting him to his room, so... good Hanukkah party? Operation Metalwork (897 words) Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark:  From Bucky: The plan is WORKING From Natasha: DETAILS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN From Clint: DISH DISH DISH From Bucky: Tony told me that I had to stop growing a beard  From Natasha: What the fuck Barnes I got all excited 

Shadowhunters: Abound (339 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Clary supports Izzy at a party. Above (289 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Isabelle is taller than Clary, and then she puts on heels. Aboveground (425 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Clary and Isabelle come out to the Lightwood parents, and it doesn't go well. Ab ovo (1122 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: In Pandemonium, Clary catches sight of Isabelle and thinks she's the most gorgeous person ever. That crush sticks around through demons and getting her mother back. Abracadabra (1006 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Clary is a warlock, and Isabelle is a Shadowhunter-- that doesn't stop Clary from falling for her. Abrade (462 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Izzy's recovering from the vampire addiction forced on her. Alec and Clary are both there for her. Ditched (390 words) Clary Fray/Maia Roberts: Maia and Clary's friends ditch them during a night out, so Maia opts to go home with Clary. Poison =/= Love (329 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: It's an expected disaster when Izzy tries to cook. Told You So (413 words) Clary Fray/Maia Roberts: Clary and Maia get together after a surprise demon attack. Mistaken Mother (302 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Clary's glad to find out that this beautiful woman is Max's sister, not mother. Dragged To Hell Kicking And Screaming (477 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Clary's annoyed that their date got interrupted, and Izzy just wants the attention back on her. A Smoothie And A Kid (337 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Clary walks in with a smoothie in one hand, and a goat in the other. Secrets Told (4988 words) Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland: Jace makes a deal with a demon to help Clary find her mother, but it was just a truth for a truth, what was the worst that could happen? Chicken Wings (356 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Izzy's costume creation didn't look like she imagined it would. So Pretty (100 words) Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood: Isabelle's singing and braiding Clary's hair. Under A Spell (3387 words) Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland: Alec and Jace are together. So why the hell is Jace flirting with Clary and ignoring Alec completely?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:

About (290 words) Jadzia Dax/Kira Nerys: Jadzia tries to convince Nerys to go on a double date.

That 70′s Show:  Girls Girls Girls Night (1135 words) Jackie Burkhart/Donna Pinciotti: Jackie goes to a strip club after a rough day, and stumbles upon the most gorgeous woman in the world. Well, maybe second, after herself of course.

Ultra Maniac: Pictures Of You (Pictures Of Me) (947 words) Sakura Nina/Tateishi Ayu: Ayu has a crush on Nina the size of America, so when Yuta gives her a magic camera, it's the perfect opportunity to see if Nina feels the same way.

[cactusheartd]

❝ I aim to be lionhearted; but my hands still shake and my voice isn’t quite loud enough ❞ ZENDAYA COLEMAN? No, that’s actually CASSANDRA BONES-JORDAN. A SEVENTH YEAR student, this HUFFLEPUFF student is sided with MCGONAGALL’S ARMY. SHE identifies as DEMI-GIRL and is a HALF BLOOD who is known to be SHORT TEMPERED, SELF-CRITICAL, and IMPULSIVE but also POETIC, RESILIENT, and LOYAL. { AUDREY, 20, JST, SHE/HER }

death tw !   disordered eating tw ! running away from ur bullshit tw !                 

Born a Lover and a fighter  /   dumb ass funfacts here while i get my shit organised !

Sword lesbian

vegan

Plant mother and art hoe, loves thrifting

Generally dumb as shit, only smart when it comes to talking in 7 levels of sarcasm and irony.

Says ‘do it for the vine’ and other completely outdated slang constantly.

If you remind her vine is dead she will - unstan.

Very tech savvy, extremely upset that tech devices have been banned in Hogwarts like ?

No fashion sense whatsoever like honestly -- get her some help, stop her wearing hawaiian shirts.

Asks people their fave cryptid on a first date / is really into conspiracy theories.

Excells at repressing emotions and bottling them up into her mediocre artwork and occasional poetry and also kickboxing - healthy coping mechanism? Who needs them.

Kind of a jock but an emo jock who’s also a hipster 

Tells all her secrets to her plants and exposes nothing to anybody else whatsoever

Constantly ?? day dreaming but will pretend they were doing something cool.

Kind of aloof and will not let you know anything concrete about them. ever

Deathly loyal and ridiculously strong moral compass, lawful good to a tee.

She is cactus . . . . prickly … hard 2 open up, but full of life saving liquid in an arid environment.  She’s made herself strong and protected 2 hide any emotion

Will do anything for those she considers her friends but only really considers like 4 people her friend and 1 of them is no longer with us

Used to only care for peaceful protests uwu but now she’s here ready 2 throw hands 24/7

Dog lesbian not a cat lesbian. 

Really into history and linguistics, loves philosophy,

Speaks a speckling of other languages but nowhere near fluent but can say i love girls in 12 languages.

Only can be called Cassie or Cassandra, the only person that called her Sandy was Gwen so now it’s a no-go. Easiest way to piss her off is call her sandy.

hufflepuff seeker ; very fast and good at flying, but known for drifting off and day dreaming instead of spotting the snitch. excels in chasing down the other seeker.

Actual bio!

Being the younger middle child always comes with it’s perks, namely, your parents already know what to expect when they’re expecting.

Brought into the world full of smiles, and she’s never stopped smiling since. 

A quiet, yet content child is how people would always place Cassandra Bones-Jordan. And for that reason, she was always somewhat in the shadow. That’s what everyone always says about middle children, they’re not the eldest, they’re not leading the pack. And they’re not the doted on baby.

They don’t have it harsh, they don’t really face the struggles and tribulations, they’re just part of the learning curve. 

The infamous middle children, the children that time forgot that always end up with some sort of emotional baggage to them.

And so, Cassandra had a happy, uneventful childhood. Her parents loved her, her siblings loved her, and she loved them back equally and wholly with all the love she had to give. Which was a lot. 

It was good for her, to be the quiet wallflower of a girl, she may not be a star actress but she shined in the role she was given to play. So introverted, she much preferred to sit in the back of the car with headphones in and a sketchbook in hand than ever join in the conversation, stand to the side of a photograph with a soft and pleasant smile on her face.

Such a lovely girl, everyone would comment, and leave it at that, sidelined for her extremely impressive bunch of siblings.

Cassandra fitted right into that role and so she never complained,    just kept her head down and nose in her sketchbook and she’d be content and happy as she could be. She didn’t like the attention, she would actively try and avoid family at any and all parties. 

Thus, it wasn’t a surprise that she was eventually sorted into hufflepuff, and she would always fondly remember that moment, writing back home to her mother. She was so proud to be a hufflepuff like her mother. 

Except her sorting wasn’t really all that simple. She had an extremely long hat stall, the kind of hat stall where everyone tries to take bets on where they’re going to end up kind of hat stall. 

Initially, the hat had thought gryffindor. For their was a bravery, a lion, hidden in the lanky but well built frame. Covered in marble that just needed to be sculpted, it was there, but it wouldn’t just bloom like a flower, it would need to be chipped at, destroyed, and the question for the hat was:      would cassandra have trial by fire? Would she be burnt at the stake?  Would Troy burn around her as she screamed into the night ? 

Lucky girls are hardly ever called brave girls. 

So the hat chose hufflepuff, perhaps a hope for the coming generations to be spared from war like its predecessor. 

The wise words she and the hat exchanged didn’t really do much to bolster cassandra’s confidence, and so, she remained as a wallflower for the first half of the first term, learning the ropes of Hogwarts. 

Luckily, she had her two elder siblings there to guide her a little bit, ruffle her hair as she walked past. But she still felt vehemently within their shadows, that her name Cassandra, meant little in comparison to the Bones-Jordan that felt like an anvill on her neck.

Being such a wallflower and a hufflepuff led her to being teased just a bit in her first year - a group of no good slytherins coming over and shoving her sketchbook into a puddle in the courtyard just because.  ( she would later found out ; it was because one of her siblings had annoyed them earlier. ) 

A muggleborn hufflepuff of the same year, gwen mcstevens - scottish, ginger and awfully freckled, came to her defense and told em to fuck off basically in the most explicit way they could manage.

A spitfire, the sun, apollo, all synonyms for gwen mcstevens.

They became close friends- like he kind of attached at the hips, never seen without each other best friends’, it seemed like y/n had finally grown out of her shell a bit. Gwen even encouraged Sandy to dye her hair ginger in their 4th year.

Cassandra was quiet (around people she didn’t like), and gwen was loud. 

They were each others balancing side, whilst gwen campaigned for everything and constantly had a bone to pick with someone, Cassandra would tag along. Because she felt the same way too , she just relied on the presence of Gwen to fully express those feelings.

An emotional crutch, they were completely co-dependant on each other, and at some point in their 6th year, it became like a thing between them. Unspoken, but there was a thing that she only ever told her parents about over christmas that same year in a flood of tears.

And much like her childhood, all they did was shower Cassandra in happiness, and told her to invite Gwen around next year for the holidays

Unfortunately - that christmas never came.

A few days after the news of Harry’s and MCgonnogal’s death came out, the first few muggleborns at Hogwarts began to go missing. Gwen amongst them. It was the 13th of November, a dreery November, when things were confirmed for the worst.

Dead. She could cope with the grief of Shacklebolt, Mcgonnogal, of Harry, but without Gwen -- there was an entire half of Cassandra now missing. 

It was the rug out from under cassandra’s feet, her one support mechanism, the one person who knew everything about her was gone. But not just gone, she’d been murdered. Well, she didn’t know murder, but she could feel the room,   could feel the machinations taking place.

cassandra was . . . .  crushed. Defeated. Numb. she couldn’t feel shit - she was catatonic for a day in her dorm room, everyone edging around her so as to not aggravate the situation. And then she was gone, just like that.

She couldn’t deal with Hogwarts, at looking at Gwen’s bed next to hers, all her stuff left untouched as it had been last week ; her pet tortoise the only movement in that corner of the dorm.

It’s not like hufflepuffs to be rash;  and here it was, the chipping of the marble. 

She shoved a few belongings into her satchel and made a break for it on the 15th in the night -- stowing into the darkness.

However, the destinies, the fates, claimed this story to not be a tragedy - but an epic. Her hairbrain scheme to break free failed pretty badly;   she’s found the next day by [w.c] in the early hours of the 15th on the border of the school grounds - just past the owlery a few hundred metres from the edge of the forbidden forest. 

Disordered eating tw start In reality, it wasn’t fate, it was just the fact that she hadn’t eaten anything in a few days

Disordered eating tw end. 

Cassandra begged for wc as they were fireman lifting them to the hospital wing to not say what actually happened, she didn’t want to deal with the drama without her crutch, nor did she want to worry her parents.

However, sitting in the hospital wing only lasted for a few hours, her desire to not worry her family trumped by the unending beating in her heart, the shaking of her limbs. this , although unknown to cassandra, was just grief. 

But she had never experienced it before, or knew how to deal with it in a proper manner, so she tried to run again.

However, not having fully rested herself, her brain was fogged and her mental map of the school forgotten, and the room of requirement living up to its name, had sense a requirement in the lost bones-jordan child.

Moving through what she thought was just a normal door, Cassandra came face to face with a mirror. What should have been a paled face with sunken eyes and chapped lips, was instead replaced with stout figure with darting green eyes and firey hair.

Surprise ! it’s the mirror of erised ! what a lovely deus ex machina for us all !

And of course, it’s a grieving heart who sees what they long for the most ; gwen. 

On the verge of tears, of running out the door and as far as she could -- ; perhaps it was too soon to see her again, her sun.

And maybe it was the lack of focus she had, or the iron deficiency, but she swears she heard the reflection talk to her. A manifesto to be brave ;      cassandra had always followed gwen rigorously, but she did everything that gwen did. Sure, she needed the encouragement but she could always do it. She just didn’t believe in herself.

It’s the darkest hours of the heroes story ; and it's divine intervention, apollo, or thetis, swooping down from olympia with the words on wings.

It was that inspiration, that internalisation of Gwen that managed to get the courage to use her legs. Put one leg in front of the other and walk back to the hospital room, and sit back down. With no one to notice her second attempt. 

The block of marble had been cut, the statue now revealed, the brave girl, the lioness, now in full force. People don’t call you brave if you’re lucky.

To keep part of Gwen with her  everywhere, she decided to keep herself in everything Gwen had encouraged her to do, rather than become a hermit and avoid everything they ever did.

On a spur of a whim, she had those now, she decided to try out in the snap quidditch tryouts to replace the seeker. She got her best friends former position by some act of god,     Cassandra says she plays with an angel looking over her. 

She also signs up for the M.A the second she has a chance, constantly cementing herself in any role or position they needed to be filled.

Through dealing with her strife, she flourished rather than suffered, desperately trying to fill her time with extracurriculars, helping out the m.a, practising for quidditch matches.

At the same time, whilst keeping her emotions very bottled up, she’s started to act up and act out, her inability to deal with people she doesn’t like reaching sky high peaks. People would perhaps call her somewhat intolerant to blood purity ideas; and suddenly, she’s started to speak up when she hears something she finds dumb, started getting into fights and coming back to her dorm with a black eye or a bruised wrist.

It’s a level of self-preservation that’s gone too, along with any other healthy coping mechanisms. She doesn’t know how to deal with the deep seated grief that’s rooted itself to her bone marrow; but whatever she’s doing right now certainly isn’t helping one bit.  

my wc page is still heavily under wip so i’ll post it in the gc when im done but the few basic ideas we got going on here are;

- the person who found her passed out in the forest ; sworn to absolute secrecy, peak drama and dramatic tension.

- other former friends of gwen who cassandra would have been friends with via proxy.

- people cassandra have absolutely gotten into a fist fight with as of late for whatever anti-muggleborn sentiment they’ve said in her presence

- love a group of people who are ... slowly going to adopt cassie into their friendship group bc she’s a loner and needs love.

- .. girlfriend (future)! crushes! you name it! she was kind of dating gwen so she ... soft angst hours ultimate edition !

- 1 ex / a guy, like the one person u date to try and convince urself your straight and it absolutely doesn’t work out and it’s kind of awkward we love heteronormativity in our kids.