#and another student called me miss tulip ;-; | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ken-f-cker · 1 year

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more Drive stuff from the book...

Doc is in the hospital and asks driver to call his daughter for him, but she doesn't answer

driver found out doc was in the hospital because he went over and let his cat, Miss Dickinson, in the house

driver also fed her for him

driver shoved pizza ads for everywhere in the area that delivers with their 'free delivery' advertisements all circled under Bernie's door

Bernie begrudgingly admits to himself that it was pretty funny

driver had a recurring dream about a bear as a kid that goes as follows:

He’d be up on the side of the house with his toes on the molding, where the first floor was eight feet or so off the ground since the house was built into a hill, and there’d be a bear under him. The bear would go reaching for him, he’d pull up on a window casing, and after a while, frustrated, the bear would pick a tulip or iris from the bed of them at the base of the house and eat it. Then he’d go back to scrambling for Driver. Finally the bear would pick another tulip, look thoughtful, and offer it to Driver. Driver was always reaching for the tulip when he awoke.

this happened when he was in foster care with the Smith family so between ages 14 and 16 I believe

at that age he made one of his only friends, another kid named Herb Danziger who worked on cars and raced them, and let Driver try it too, and that's how he started finding out he could Drive™

he also broke a bully's thumb for saying he 'shouldn't hang out with Jews' regarding Herb

his 'only other' friend was a guy named Jorge

Driver was astonished at someone like Jorge, who seemed so effortlessly good at everything. Played guitar and accordion in a local conjunto and wrote his own songs, drove competitively, was an honor student, sang solos in the church choir, worked with troubled juveniles at a shelter.

if ever driver had a crush on someone. I'm just saying. Anyway

he hangs around with Jorge and his family a lot and that's part of why he loves Mexican food so much now is from spending so much time being fed by Jorge's family

he also learned about guns spending time with the men in Jorge's family, learning to respect them, disassemble and clean them, etc, and also picked up some fighting skills with them too before he learned more from other stuntmen on sets later

driver kills Nino when he goes to get his morning paper; he shoots him between the eyes after exchanging a few words about how people should keep promises and Nino is dismissive of him

he leaves a large pepperoni and extra cheese pizza on his chest

okay sike he never gave the money back so idfk what that line earlier was about? Anyway

he brings Miss Dickinson in a cat carrier and leaves her and the bag of money at his foster parents', the Smiths, door, with a note:

Her name is Miss Dickinson. I can’t say she belonged to a friend of mine who just died, since cats don’t belong to anyone, but the two of them walked the same hard path, side by side, for a long time. She deserves to spend the last years of her life in some security. So do you. Please take care of Miss Dickinson, just as you did me, and please accept this money in the spirit it’s offered. I always felt bad about taking your car when I left. Never doubt that I appreciate what you did for me.

in a chapter thinking back on his mother, he thinks about how she was never 'quite right' and did things like weird food combos, she was really forgetful, would catch flies for the spider that lived in the bathroom, 'For a time she’d been obsessed by insects. Whenever she found one crawling, she’d cover it with a water glass and leave it to die.'

he thinks again about how she killed his father in front of him but this time remembers her apologizing, which he hasn't remembered before? and them briefly talking about 'what will happen to you?' 'nothing that hasn't already'

he doesn't understand why she killed him, and doesn't think he ever will

Bernie calls him. confirms Nino is dead but that driver didn't kill his family, and says they should meet for drinks and dinner after. they arrange to meet at a polish place at 7

in the meantime he calls his scriptwriting friend (Manny Gilden, if I haven't named him already) and they walk by the sea for a while chatting and talking about how when driver first came to LA he'd been anxious but woke up one morning completely at peace

“Back when we first met,” Driver said, “and I was just a kid—” “Looked in a mirror lately? You’re still just a fuckin’ kid.”

driver should be like. 21 max so yeah

Manny says he'd told driver about a script where he wrote about Don Quixote and Borges, and Borges is writing about 'that great sense of adventure', about the Don Quixotes of the world, and driver says he finally understands that he's Borges

I have frankly no clue what that means if anyone has any insight. Anyway.

they walk back to mannys car

“You’ve got a Porsche?” Driver said. Christ, he didn’t even think Manny drove. Way he lived, way he dressed. Asking if Driver could take him to New York.

earlier driver mentioned that Manny has 'tried' to go to New York and he wonders if he made it or chickened out like the last dozen times and I'm wondering if this is just yet another man that wants driver carnally. ANYWAY

#driveblogging #drive 2011 #not ken #I think one more will wrap up the book! I'm almost finished with it #antisemitism /

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jeongvision · 3 years

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🗣 TEACHER!AU WITH JOHNNY

PART TWO! LET’S GET IT!

pairing. history teacher! seo johnny ✗ english teacher! fem! reader (ft. english teacher! mark lee)

genre. fluff, slight humor, high school teacher au, non idol au

warnings. some cursing and super soft hours after this huhu <3 and not proofread but we can discuss that later

author’s note. this is an continuation to this blurb! this could be read as a standalone but regardless i hope this brought a smile to your face bc it certainly did for me <3

You should’ve seen it coming. Damn it, it was right in front of you all along, so why didn’t you see it in the first place?

You and your students have been grinding nonstop for the past couple weeks to prep them for the AP English IV exam. There was a time where you requested two days off from work for emergency purposes (thankfully it was nothing too major) leaving you to ask your coworker- Mark, another teacher in your department -to help fill in your students on materials needed for the exam.

Everything was perfectly fine when you came back, your coworker going beyond your expectations in taking care of your students. However, one thing you failed to take notice of is the recent changes the college board made in their AP exams, including the course you teach. After reviewing some of the revisions they made, you felt your heart drop.

They’ve added three additional sections to the exam, meaning an additional two weeks is needed to cover the materials for your students to grasp some sort of mastery on those concepts.

You have four weeks left until the exam, and you’re already compacted those remaining weeks with other necessary materials for the exam.

“Fucking hell,” you murmured under your breath.

Running your hand through your hair, you let out a tired sigh. It’s already bad enough that you have to work overtime in making revisions to your lesson plans. However, it’s worse to see the crestfallen looks on your students’ faces when you dropped the news on them. They’re already tired enough from dealing with other classes and extracurricular activities. On top of that, you know most of them are stressing about their acceptance letters from their colleges.

You dropped the pen in your hand and rubbed both of your eyelids. Relax, y/n you told yourself. Don’t worry, you can do this. You heard the door behind you open, meaning someone walked inside the teacher’s lounge.

“Hey, y/n. What’s up- Woah, woah, WOAH! What do we have here?” the person exclaimed. You let out a chortle. You could distinctively point that voice out from anywhere, and you’re sure as hell that the state of your workspace is nothing short of hell. Taking your hands away from your face, you crossed your arms and leaned back a little in your seat to look up at the latter.

“Well, hello to you too, Mark,” you chuckled. You both gave each a fist bump before he sits down in the empty chair beside you.

“What the hell happened here?” He grabs some of the documents splayed out before you, eyes scanning through the materials that you’ve scribbled on in the past hour. “Wait, what? They added new things to the AP exam?”

You sighed and nodded dejectedly. “Yep. And somehow, I gotta squeeze all those materials into my lesson plans before they take it next month.” You rested your arms on the table and rested your head on top of them. “At this point, I just want to light myself on fire and call it a day.”

Mark lets out a cackle besides you, prompting you to smile. You’ll never mention it to him, but his laughs and smiles are always infectious. It’s what makes him so well-known and loved in the English department in the first place, both faculties and students.

“Please don’t do that. We love you too much to let you do that to yourself,” he responded.

Sitting back up in your seat, you take a glance at the clock. Just four minutes before the section ends and you have to go back to teaching your classes again. You heard your coworker clear his throat, bringing you to face him.

“Do you need help with any of this?” he offered.

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine, Mark. I appreciate the offer but I don’t want to bother you with my workload.”

“No, really. It’s fine, y/n. I only teach honors and they’re all pretty ahead in their assignments, so I have some free time if you’d like.”

Just like that, you swear you could see a halo shining above his figure, your world much brighter and clearer than it was this morning. “Oh my god, yes please.” You shifted through your papers, searching the remnants of the piles before handing it over to him. “Can you please go through these and grade them for me? Here are the answer keys for them.” After debriefing him for that stack of papers, you gave him another one. “And for these, can you make some copies for me? I need them tonight so I can plan for tomorrow’s class.”

He listened attentively to your commands, taking a mental note and nodding each instruction given to him. “Okay, got it, y/n. I’ll get these done and hand them over by the end of the day.”

You’re gawking at him, surprised that your coworker is willing to lend you a helping hand. You could honestly cry out tears of joy right now, but timing refuses to let you do so as the bell rings, marking the end of a period. You both stood up in your seats and grabbed the papers on the table into a neat pile. You let out a content sigh as you both walked out the teacher’s lounge.

“Thank you so much, Mark. You’re the best,” you exhaled. Outside your classroom, you already see some students entering inside as you left it unlocked, free for them or your coworkers to enter as they pleased. You both stood next to its entrance before he shrugs his shoulders at you.

“Hey, I mean it’s what I do best, right? Being the best.”

You rolled your eyes and gave him a playful shove, earning a laugh from him. Saying goodbyes to one another, you walked inside your classroom. You nodded to the students present. “Afternoon, class,” you greeted.

“Good afternoon, Miss y/n!”

“Miss Y/n, there’s a bouquet of flowers on your desk,” one of your students called out. You raised an eyebrow. Flowers? Looking over to your desk, your student was certainly not lying and neither are your eyes. Perched in the middle of your desk lies a vase filled with varying colors of tulips. Petals are in full bloom and the stems are clipped uniformly. You walked over and saw a notecard attached to one of the flowers.

“Who is it from, Miss Y/n?”

“Yeah! Who got you flowers?”

You looked up and realized more of your students are present, capacity almost at its max. Class was starting soon so more and more are rushing in to see the surprise gift settled on your desk.

“Is it Mr. Kim in the science department? I saw you two walking together in the hallways last week.”

That assumption piqued your interest. “Wait, Mr. Kim? The physics teacher?” you asked. The student, Krystal, nodded, causing you to huff incredulously. “Krystal, please. We’re merely just friends.”

Another student chimes in. “Friends don’t lock arms with each other at work.”

“Jongin, please. Your last girlfriend only stayed with you for a month and she started dating an upperclassman a week later.”

“Hey—”

“Guys, calm down,” you interjected. “As much as I love you crazy bunch, I am still your teacher. Therefore, what occurs in my personal life stays private, and how much I am willing to share with you all lies in my discretion.” But unbeknownst to you, one of your students sneaks behind you to get a glance of the card, discreetly reading the contents:

‘The best deserves nothing less than the best.

Yours truly.’

The student, Luna, almost lets out a squeal. “Guys! Guys!” You jumped in shock, startled by her sudden presence and her high-pitched voice. “I think it’s Mr. Lee! The other English teacher!”

All attention is now on her, excitement filled in the air.

“Mr. Lee? The one that teaches honors?”

“The one with boba eyes?”

“The one that laughs at everything?”

Luna nods to each question, visibly thrilled with the subtle jump in her steps as she walked towards her classmates. “Yes! I heard Miss y/n calling him the best earlier and Mr. Lee joked about being the best! And in the card, it said ‘the best deserves nothing less than the best’.” The bell rang, marking the beginning of the period, but that didn’t stop your students from chattering with happiness, faces completely wiped from fatigue and stress of the upcoming exams. Some students entered your classroom late to the discussion, prompting other students to fill them in only to also be electrified by the ‘news’.

You run a hand through your hair again and sighed. Not this again, you thought to yourself. But just before you could jump in to stop all this chaos, you heard someone knock on your open door, diverting your attention and your class’ to the intruder.

“Well, good afternoon, class,” the person chuckled. “Why’s it so boisterous here? Did I miss a party or something?”

Of course, what better person to appear now of all times? It was none other than the infamous history teacher, Johnny Seo. You rolled your eyes before laughing. Coincidence, my ass.

“Mr. Seo! Someone gave Miss Y/n a bouquet of tulips! She has a secret admirer!” Luna stated.

He raised an eyebrow at her direction. “Oh, does she now?” He looks back at you with a grin. “Did Miss Y/n find out who this secret admirer is?”

“We think it’s Mr. Lee from honors English.”

“And what makes you think so?”

“Because we heard her call him the best earlier before class started, and the notecard called her the best.”

“Coincidence? I think not,” Jongin nodded.

All of the students followed along in unison, profoundly proud of their assumptions that left you shaking your head in disbelief. Surely, you had a smile on your face, but it’s surprising to know how your students are able to make such large assumptions based on groundless evidence. You sat down in your chair and turned on your computer, getting your lesson plan ready for the period as your students entertained themselves with Mr. Seo.

Johnny takes it all in, nodding to all of them before walking up behind your desk. “Well, I think it’s safe to say that you don’t pester too much to Miss y/n about it. You know how much she likes to keep her life private.” While you were browsing through your saved files and pulling up powerpoints, you felt the latter tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “Right, Mrs. Seo?”

And just like that, your hands stilled. Wait, did he just—

“Hold up..”

“What?”

“Did you just—”

“Mrs. Seo?”

“Huh?”

You squeezed your eyelids shut. Oh my god, here we go again—

“YOU GUYS ARE MARRIED??”

jeongvision’s milestone event!

#johnny #nct johnny #johnny scenarios #johnny imagines #nct #nct 127 #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #johnny x reader #johnny x oc #johnny fluff #johnny smut #johnny suh #johnny seo #johnny angst

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softomi · 4 years

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And The Best Boyfriend Award Goes To....

Nominee One: Suna Rintarou

Dreadful, that’s how you felt. You moved slowly, you slumped into your seat, you groaned. Your boyfriend wasn’t even paying attention to you. He was simply resting on his desk, head buried in his arms but you knew that he was listening. He just always liked to pretend like he couldn’t hear your whining.

“I don’t want to be here! Babe.” You’re calling to him.

He finally looked at you, “What’s wrong?” He still rested his head on his arms, you were following his actions. Your head resting on the desk as you looked at your boyfriend; wishing for once he could give you some sympathy.

You were pouting, “Mother nature visited me.” It was short, sweet, one of the closest ways you could address your period without actually saying it.

“Well, what’d she say?” You almost throw your stuff at him; only he would ever ask a question like this.

“She said I’m not pregnant.” A sigh escaped your mouth, sure this was supposed to be good news for him and you but it’s not fun when you’re the only one suffering.

“Well.” He quirks a brow at you, “Isn’t that a good thing?” He thinks he’s funny but he wasn’t to you.

You turn your head to look away from him, a groan on your lips, “Ugh, you’re the worst boyfriend ever. I’m dating a robot.”

You were talking with some of your girl friends, some were also going through their own time of the month and could empathize with you. They ranted on how their own boyfriends were just as bad as yours; perhaps some of the others were just a tad bit worse.

“Ow.” A chocolate bar bounces off your head, landing right in front of you. When you turn, you see your boyfriend standing with his hand in his pockets, “What was that for?”

“Stop telling everyone I’m the worst boyfriend.” He hands you another chocolate bar but this time it’s one filled with almonds. He pats your head, one of the only actions he’d actually do in front of people. He walks away as he hears the group of girls coo, a blush on his cheeks when he hears you flaunting your boyfriend.

You’re smiling, taking bits of the chocolate to eat as your friends whine about jealousy. That’s how it started.

Nominee Two: Miya Atsumu

He had just heard about what Suna did, he felt betrayed. Now he had to go above and beyond for you; you who was mad at him because when you snapped at him accidentally, he told you to chill because you were on your period. He was thinking, he was wondering, just what beats chocolates?

“My love.” He was trying to butter you up with his sweet words, “I’m sorry.”

You hum, “You heard about Suna didn’t you?” You shrug his hand from your arm, “Don’t try and include me in your dick measuring contest. You’re still the worst.”

You ignored him for the rest of the school day, even during lunch when he tried to pick at your food, you swatted his hand away. He was practically pouting the entire day, shooting daggers at Suna who had his partner snuggled right up to him. He missed your hugs.

“It’s Atsumu.” Osamu had burst into your club meeting, sweat trailing down his forehead, calling you for an emergency.

You rushed behind the male as you two made it to the gym; Atsumu was on the ground, holding a hand to his chest as you came to his side. You were panicking, “Tsumu, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t.” He’s coughing until suddenly he stopped, his hand gripping the back of your neck as he pulled you down to meet his lips, “I can’t live without your kiss.”

Needless to say, you slapped him across the face; storming out of the gymnasium as he ran behind you. You were on the verge of tears when he pulled you to look at him.

“You’re the absolute worst, do you know that.” You hit his chest, “I thought you were actually hurt.”

“But you’re talking to me now.” He’s smiling, “Look, I got you this.” He’s pulling a rose out from behind him, “It’s a secret though, I snagged it from the garden club’s rose bushes. They banned me after the last time I stole their tulips for you.” He watches your eyes soften with the rose, “Am I forgiven? Am I the best boyfriend now?”

You take the rose from him, “Fine, but as consequence, you need to snap a video of you buying pads, chocolates, and flowers to all the members of the volleyball club.”

Nominee Three: Miya Osamu

Club activities weren’t over but you watched as Atsumu and his girlfriend reconciled out in the courtyard. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t jealous, you had heard about his stupid plan from your own boyfriend. You didn’t think she would actually fall for that; but as your own boyfriend approached you in the hall, you told yourself you weren’t going to fall for his sweetness.

“Hey, don’t walk away from me.” Osamu follows behind you, “You still mad?”

“I don’t know, are you still stupid?” Yes, you were still angered and annoyed. He invited you to go swimming over the weekend but when you told him you were on your period, he told you to just hold it in. It wasn't the dumbest thing he’s ever said to you but the fact was that he wasn’t considerate enough when you tried to explain that girls just can’t hold it in; instead he high fived his bros as if it was a joke.

“How many times are you gonna make me say sorry?” He’s still following you.

You don’t even look back at him, “The fact that you have to ask means that it hasn’t been enough.”

He’s sighing, “What do you want? Flowers? Chocolates? A giant teddy bear? I’ll rob Atsumu for you.”

You were so close, so close to cracking a smile but you kept your composure; turning to him abruptly. For a second he thinks you’ll come running into his arms; heck, he’s even got his arms out ready for you.

“Go out into the courtyard, profess your undying love for me.” You coldly turn away.

You knew he wouldn’t do it, he was too reserved to be shouting professions of love out in the open for everyone to hear. Even when he confessed his feelings for you, he hid you between the corners of the library; handing you a love letter before scampering off shyly. But you didn’t know the extent his feelings of love reached, you didn’t know that he would literally do anything for you.

“Hey.” Your friend came running into the classroom, a large grin and giggle on her face, “There’s a crazy person out in the courtyard.” She looks at you, “He kind of looks like your boyfriend.”

Your heart drops, you’re running to the windows, opening them to see him proudly standing in the middle of the courtyard with a megaphone, “Can you hear me?”

Students have now gathered from all the windows, the crowd answers a screeching ‘yes’ to him.

“I love my girlfriend y/n.” He looks straight at you.

You’re blushing profoundly as he opens his mouth once more, a teacher comes running out of the building. Students are laughing as he’s being scolded by the teacher. You meet him when he comes out of the office, your hand tucked behind your back.

“You’re stupid.” You say to him, draping his arm over your shoulder. He puts a tight hold on you.

“For you I am.” He kisses your hair.

The Winner: Kita Shinsuke

Ah, young love. It made you want to laugh, the way the second years were running around the school trying to cease their lover’s anger. It also made you smile, the way your own boyfriend was bending backwards for his younger friends. The three stooges had all come to you one by one; of the three, Suna was definitely the only one who listened.

“Where’s Kita?”

One of your friends had come to visit you in the gymnasium, you looked up, the pencil in your hand tapped against your chin, “I think he’s at the office, Osamu got in trouble.”

“Typical of the second years.” Your friend mutters before she bids you a farewell.

It wasn’t long until he showed up, slight annoyance on his expression, “Sorry.”

You’re leaning forward, a grin on your lips, “No need. What happened with Osamu?”

Kita frowns, “He has to do a week of clean up duty after school, meaning we’ll be down a hitter for our practice match Friday.” He’s about to return to practice when he suddenly remembers, “Oh, here, I accidentally activated it on the way here.”

You take the small heat pack from him, the warmth taking over your palm, “What’s this for?”

“Your cramps.” He drapes his jacket over you, “If you put it in the pocket, you can use it to apply heat on where it hurts the most.”

You were blushing, your lips suddenly in a pout, “How perfect are you.” You’re opening your arms for him, inviting him for a hug to which he can’t refuse. You press a kiss onto his cheek, “Best boyfriend indeed.”

It’s the one time you’ll see his face go red, it’s as if he’s buffering for a second before going back to his normal stature. Composed, poised, and calm; he turns back to the team. His hands on his hips as he starts to give a lecture on how significant others shouldn’t be distracting the players from the game.

“But.” Suna raises a hand, “How come your girlfriend can come to our practice and ours can’t?”

Kita freezes, as the team looks back on you; your attempting to hide the growing smile on your face. He was definitely caught; it was true, technically you weren’t supposed to be in the gym.

The captain coughs, “She’s our unofficial manager, so she’s allowed to be here.”

“If that’s the case, my girlfriend’s the unofficial manager too.” The men snicker at the comment thrown into the crowd but their laughs suddenly cease when Kita steps forward.

“Ten laps around the school yard, everyone, now.”

#haikyuu x reader #atsumu x reader #osamu x reader #suna x reader #haikyuu scenarios #atsumu scenarios #osamu scenarios #kita x reader #suna scenarios #haikyuu #atsumu #osamu #suna #kita

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fandom-imagines-stories · 4 years

Text

Transfer

Troy Bolton x Reader

Words: 4064

Summary: Moving schools isn’t easy. Moving to the rival school… Start of something new? Or complete disaster.

Notes: I will stop writing for Troy when my love for him ceases… so never. (This is another one that is going to deal with bullying, even more so than the last one, so if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to move along)

Warnings: Cyber bullying, angst

Nobody knew. That’s what you had to keep telling yourself. Nobody knew you or anything that had happened. Granted, that also meant you didn’t know anyone either. Strangers passed you without a second glance. This was good. If nobody noticed you, they wouldn’t attack. If you stayed invisible, you stayed safe.

“Hey Chad, over here!” You were so busy looking at your new schedule that you didn’t see the basketball hurtling towards you. The ball hit you square in the chest, knocking the wind out of you and causing you to drop your books. “Oh gosh, I am so so so sorry.”

A boy crouched down in front of you, trying to gather up your papers before they were swept away under his classmates’ shuffling feet.

“It’s okay,” You gasped, stilling trying to catch your breath. He helped pick up the last of your things and held out his hand to help you up.

“I’m Troy.” He gave you a smile that would have made the entire cheer squad at West High swoon. You took his hand, feeling the blush on your cheeks.

“Y/N.” So much for staying invisible.

“Are you okay? That sounded like it hurt.” The apologetic puppy face was almost as cute as his smile.

“I’ll be fine. I probably should have been paying more attention.” You laughed nervously.

“And I should have caught the ball.” As he handed your things back to you, he caught a glimpse of your schedule. “Hey, you have Mrs. Darbus for homeroom!”

“Um, yeah, I was trying to find her room.” You anxiously tucked a hair behind your ear.

“I can show you.” He offered, that gorgeous smile returning. “My friends and I have her too.”

“Drop something?” A blonde girl wearing the pinkest jacket you had ever seen held out Troy’s basketball. His smile strained.

“Thanks Sharpay.” Her vicious gaze turned on you.

“And who are you?” And here you thought all the scary girls went to West High.

“I-uh-I’m-” You stuttered. Troy came to the rescue.

“Look at the time! We’re all going to be late for homeroom if we don’t hurry.” He quickly ushered you away from Sharpay, helping you steer through the herd of students to Mrs. Darbus’ room.

“Who was that?’ You whispered as seats started to fill up.

“That was Sharpay Evans. The evil queen of East High. Just stay off her bad side and you should be fine.” He shuttered, grabbing his usual desk. All the seats around Troy were filled so you picked an empty desk in the back row. The scary blonde, along with a few other late comers got in the door just as the bell rang.

“Troy, pass it.” One of the guys held out his hand. Troy threw him the basketball and he proceeded to spin the ball on his finger. “You ready for the game?” He grinned.

“Are you kidding? The Knights are so going down.” Troy made a hoop with his arms and his friend tossed the ball in. The room pretended to cheer and you couldn’t help but smile at the antics. Your teacher wasn’t as amused.

“Mr Danforth, Mr. Bolton, it seems you’ve lost your way to the court. This is a classroom. I will be seeing you two superstars-”

“In detention.” They finished grimly.

“You must be new.” The girl next to you whispered. “She had gorgeous brown hair and a kind smile. “I know how you feel. I moved here last year. I’m Gabriella.”

“I’m Y/N.” Your cell phone buzzed in your pocket. You opened up your messages, feeling that awful icy dread that you had tried to get away from.

“Miss Y/L/N, correct?” Mrs. Darbus stood over you, holding a bucket.

“Y-yes.”

“While your former school may have allowed electronics, I certainly do not.” She motioned to your phone. You slumped in your chair and dropped it into the bucket.

“Sorry ma’am.”

“Not to worry I’m sure you’ll make plenty of new friends in detention.” She returned to the front of the room. You didn’t dare argue, burying your face in your hands with a sigh. You felt the words of the message resonate in your head.

You can run. But you can’t hide.

Detention didn’t seem so bad. You mostly just had to help paint sets for the end of the year one-act. You had your face buried behind a picket fence when a pair of blue eyes peaked at you between the boards.

“Need some help?” Troy offered, leaning over the fence.

“Be careful of the paint!” You exclaimed before his hands got covered. You swiped your arm across your forehead and Troy started to snicker. “What?”

“You’ve got a little…” He motioned to the spot above your eyebrow. Horrified, you scrambled to find a rag to clean off the paint. Troy laughed, but not in a mocking way. You couldn’t help but laugh with him. How long had it been since you laughed with someone? Let alone an outrageously cute guy?

“I meant to say thanks earlier, for helping me find Mrs. Darbus’ class.” You said, getting back to work on the fence.

“It’s the least I could do after missing the ball.” He sat down next to you and grabbed a brush to help.

You heard an outburst of laughter from across the stage and winced. You whirled your head around and saw a group of students messing around with funny looking masks from the costume trunk. You exhaled slowly to calm down. They weren’t laughing at you.

“You okay?” Troy wondered, noticing your sudden change in demeanor. You forced a smile and said your well rehearsed line.

“I’m fine.”

For the first time, somebody saw through it. Troy may not have given any indication, but he could tell that something had upset you. He just nodded and smiled.��

“Are you coming to the game this weekend?” He changed the topic excitedly, hoping to distract you from whatever had made you upset.

“I don’t know yet.” You sighed. “I have a lot to catch up on and stuff to set up.” His face fell into that adorable pout and you just couldn’t say no. “I can try and squeeze it in.” His eyes lit up.

“Great!” Through his excitement, a slightly shy smile crept onto his lips. “I was kind of hoping that you’d want to get a pizza or something after the game?”

You tried to keep your jaw from dropping.

“Are you… asking me out?” You gasped. He grinned.

“Yeah. I guess I am.” His fingers brushed against yours as both reached for the paint. You blushed.

“Then, um, yeah. I’d love to go out with you after the game.” You were smiling brighter than you had in a long time, but still, a little voice in your head was telling you this was a bad idea. Stay invisible. Stay invisible.

“Awesome.” Troy was beaming, making that little voice of doubt disappear. “I promise, I play much better than what you saw in the hall.” You both laughed. Wow he has a nice laugh.

Mrs. Darbus announced that the time was up and that all prisoners of detention were free to go. Honestly, you were kind bummed. With Troy helping you with the fence, you were actually having a good time. You had a skp in your step as you walked home.

“Hi mom! Hi dad!” You greeted, snatching an apple for a snack. Your mom’s voice called from the backyard.

“Hey! How was your first day?” She was elbows deep in tulip bulbs even though it was late January. Then again, you were in New Mexico.

“Really god, actually.” You grinned. “I met some really nice people and got invited to the basketball game this weekend.”

“Woah, what happened to laying low for a while?” She rubbed the dirt off her hands on her apron. Her usual perky cheerleader smile was gone, replaced by a glare of concern. “You know the basketball game is against West High, don’t you?”

“I-” You hadn’t thought about that. Trying to seem confident, you crossed your arms. “I can’t hide forever, mom.”

“Those girls are going to be there.” She said, putting her hands on her hips. “Wouldn’t it be better to just stay home and not drag out the skeletons in your closet?”

“They’re just cheerleaders, mom! They aren’t hitmen.” You exclaimed. You knew that this was more about protecting her pride than your own.

“Yeah, well, you used to be one of them and look how that turned out.” the disappointed stare she gave you hurt, but you tried not to show it.

“I'm going to the game and I'm going out for pizza afterwards with one of my new friends.”

“Is that new friend a boy?” She spat. You ignored her.

“I’m going whether that fits your little ‘laying low’ plan or not.” You stormed off, but not before you heard her muttering under her breath.

“Haven’t you humiliated me enough?”

The next day, you walked with your head down. Your mother’s pessimism had definitely brought your sunny mood back down to earth. Leave it to her to ruin the one good thing you’d had in months. Your attempts to disappear worked well for the fist two periods. Nobody even noticed that you were there.

Of course, that only lasted until Gabriella spotted you. The bubbly brunette was quick to join you while you tried to navigate your way to your next class.

“I heard you’re going to the basketball game!” She said excitedly. “I didn’t think I was much of a sports person, but the school spirit here makes everything exciting.”

“Yeah, I'm not sure.” You shrugged. After all, half of your classmates from West High would be there, including the girls that started all this. Rob would be on the court, playing against Troy. Oh no.

“Well you are welcome to come with me and Taylor. We’re going to have a movie night afterwards, too.”

“I’m- uh- I’m supposed to be grabbing dinner with Troy after the game.” You muttered, the excitement of the date having faded into dread.

“You have a date with Troy Bolton?” A shrill voice joined the conversation, stopping you in your tracks. The terrifying blonde was giving you an icy cold stare. “That was quick.”

“I think it's sweet.” Gabriella countered. She gave you a smirk. “Who knows? Maybe it was love at first sight.” Your eyes fell to the tiled floor.

“I think he was just being nice.” Your grim tone made her give you a look of concern. Sharpay smiled sarcastically.

“Well isn’t that just like our Troy?” Her sneer made her annoyance very clear. She put her hands on her hips and began a deeper interrogation. “You’re from West High, aren’t you?” Before you could even answer, she continued. “Won’t that be awkward, coming to the basketball game? Why did you transfer? It’s a little weird, right? Transferring a month into the semester?”

“Okay!” Gabriella exclaimed. “I think it’s time we all get to class, don’t you think?” Sherpa was clearly irked by the interruption and tossed her hair over shoulder.

“I guess I’ll just see you both at the game.” She strutted away and you exhaled the breath you had been holding.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about her.” Gabriella shrugged. “Sharpay is usually all bark and no bite.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe.” You said to yourself.

After third period, it was time for lunch. You found the same empty table that you sat at the day before. You were used to eating alone by now.

Somewhere in the lunchroom, a phone dinged, followed by laughter. You flinched, waiting for the taunting to start. Like before, however, they weren’t really laughing at you. Keeping your head low, you tuned out the loud chatter of the cafeteria. For a while, it really felt like you were invisible. Invisible and alone.

“Mind if I join you?”

You looked up and found Troy giving you a sweet smile. You shrugged in reply and he took that as confirmation that something was wrong. He sat down beside you as you toyed with the green beans on your plate.

“Gabriella told me about Sharpay. She said you seemed pretty upset.” His words only elicited another shrug. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but I’m here if you do.”

“I can’t go to the game.” You blurted.

“What? Why?”

“I just can’t, Troy.” You kept your face down, so he couldn’t see your tears. “I can’t go out with you either.”

“Y/N, if I said something wrong-”

“Can’t you see I’m doing you a favor?” You slammed your hand down on the table and you finally looked up to see his hurt expression. You almost took it back. Then your phone buzzed ominously and you grabbed your backpack. “I’m really sorry, Troy. But if they saw us together, if they thought I was happy-”

“Who are you talking about?” He was worried now. “Who’s they?”

“Forget I said anything and just… forget me.” Clutching your phone in a tight fist, you ran out of the cafeteria.

You weren’t sure if Troy followed you or not as you sprinted down the halls of East High. You didn’t read the text until you got out to the parking lot. There weren’t any words. Just that stupid video.

It was the cheer squad’s Christmas party. There had been some tension between you and the other girls, but you hadn’t thought much of it. ‘Girls as close as you are bicker.’ your mom had said. So you went to the party.

Amber, the cheer captain and your supposed best friend, told you that Rob Mannington wanted to talk to you. She knew how much of a crush you had on him. Problem was, so did she.

When you found Rob, you thought the two of you were alone. He took off your jacket and said a bunch of sweet things as he leaned in for a kiss.

“I can’t do this.” He burst out laughing, pushing you away. Other girls from the cheer squad appeared, cackling like a bunch of Prada clad hyenas. Hurt and humiliated, you ran.

After that, it just got worse. Text messages, online harassment, and eventually, someone took a picture in the locker room and posted it all around the school. Your mother immediately had you transfer to East High. She was ashamed of you and blamed you for the loss of her social status. She didn't care that you lost everything.

You let out a frustrated and hopeless scream and threw your phone as hard as you could against the concrete. The device broke apart and you stared at it. It wasn’t until you felt a gentle hand on your shoulder that you let yourself cry.

You turned around and were in Troy’s embrace without objection. You let this sweet and caring boy hold you tight while you sobbed. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. He was just there.

“Wow.” Troy blew out a long breathing, running his fingers through his hair. “And these were your friends?”

“I thought they were.” You sighed, wiping a fallen tear off your cheek.

After your break down at lunch, Troy told you to meet him for homeroom. He told Mrs. Darbus that you were going through some stuff and needed a friend. So he brought you to his favorite spot in the whole school; the roof. And you told him everything. It was the first time that you’d really talked about what happened with anyone and it was nice to get it off your chest.

“I’m really sorry that happened to you.” Troy put his hand on top of yours. “And I totally understand if you don’t want to come to the game. What those West High kids did… I can’t imagine what it was like.”

“I felt like my whole life- all the cheerleading camps, the coaching from my perfect mother, kissing up to every spoiled girl with pom poms- it all meant nothing.” You were quiet for a moment, Troy’s thumb gently rubbing the back of your hand. With a deep breath and your head held high, you made your decision. “I’m going to that game.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get thrown back into everything because of me.” The concern in his voice was more than either of your parents had shown. You gave him a small, but confident smile.

“No. I’m tired of hiding from them. I’m done being invisible.” With your new confidence, you leaned over and kiss his cheek.

Troy’s face turned a light shade of pink as he grinned.

“What was that for?’ He wondered sheepishly. Your smile was sincere.

“For being the first real friend I’ve had in seventeen years.” You leaned your head on his shoulder and he entwined his fingers with yours. You had only known him for two days, but he already seemed to understand you better than anybody else in your life.

He turned slightly and pressed his lips on top of your hair, lingering there for a moment. Troy couldn’t understand his own feelings, but after less than 48 hours, you seemed to have won over the basketball captain’s heart.

You couldn’t hide that you were nervous. From the sounds of it, the gym was already pretty full. Even from outside the doors, you could hear the West High cheer section warming up. Gabriella gave you an encouraging smile to try and calm your nerves.

“Remember, there is always plan B.” She said, reminding you of the message Troy had sent earlier.

I can’t wait to see you in the stands tonight! Don’t forget you can alway sleeve if you need to. Gabriella is all set for an emergency escape. Look for #14. I’ll see you then!

You wished he was with you, but he belonged with his team. You could do this. Rob, Amber, the other cheerleaders; none of them mattered anymore. They could taunt you all they wanted, but you weren’t alone. Besides, watching the Wildcats whoop the Knights would be the perfect way to leave them all behind.

Gabriella grabbed your hand and navigated through the crowd to get inside. The air was buzzing with excitement and you let the energy charge through you. When Amber’s eagle eyes spotted you, you just kept walking.

After finding a good spot in the student section, you waited s the time ticked by. The gym was filling up, but you could still see Amber whispering to the other girls and pointing in your direction. You inhaled sharply and looked away, feeling the panic begin to resurface.

“Look, there he is.” Gabriella was almost drowned out by the cheering crowd as the Wildcats ran onto the court. Sure enough, at the front of the pack of jerseys was #14. As the team warmed up, he scanned the crowd. He shot the ball into the hoop and gave you a big grin.

Then entered the Knights. When you spotted Rob, you didn't feel those school-girl butterflies you used to get whenever you saw him. Now you were just angry. You were just a joke to him. Before you could look away, he saw you. With a smirk, he made a basket.

Troy noticed the change in your expression and followed your gaze to the cocky player across the court. He felt a rush of defensive determination. He would make sure that the boy who broke your heart wouldn’t be making any points tonight.

The game started off well for the Knights, with a basket and two foul throws. Their cheerleaders yelled and shook their pom-poms. You couldn’t help but feel like Amber’s sporty sneers were meant for you.

Rob had stolen the ball and was sprinting towards the hoop. He threw it to one of his teammates, but a flash of red cut in between them. The crowd roared as Troy made it down the court for a basket.

“Yeah Troy!” You shouted. Rob must have picked out your voice because he sent a furious glare in your direction. You just smiled.

It was almost half time and the score was tied. Troy was guarding Rob as he dribbled down the court.

“So Y/N’s your groupie too, huh Bolton?” He snapped. Troy tensed.

“Just play the game, Mannington.”

“You know, I almost regretted rejecting her like that…” he smirked, “after that picture came out.” With Troy seething, he shoulder checked him out of the way and passed the ball for his teammate to score. The buzzer went off.

“That marks halftime here folks; Wildcats 22, Knights 24.”

East High fans breathed a collective sigh as the teams made their way into the locker rooms.

“What’s wrong with Troy?” Gabriella wondered. You watched him storm angrily into the locker room, his whole body shaking furiously. Whatever Rob had said had set him off and a deep fear settled in your head.

What did Rob tell him?

You bit your lip anxiously. If Troy made this free throw, they would tie the score again.

“Come on Troy.” You uttered.

He took a few deep breaths and quickly glanced up at you. He had to make this. He inhaled slowly and dedicated his focus to the hoop ahead of him. As he exhaled, he made the shot. As the ball swished in the net, the fans cheered loudly.

Now it was the Knights’ ball and with less than a minute on the clock, it was a mad dash to stay out of overtime. Rob was going in for the shot. He planted his feet and tossed the ball. It seemed like the whole gym was holding its breath.

The ball just bounced off of the rim and Troy snatched it out of the air, earning a chorus of cheers from the crowd. He passed the ball to Zeke who bounded to the basket and dunked the ball for the winning points.

The buzzer was lost in the shouts from his team and from the ecstatic fans. Disappointed West High fans started to file out of the gym while East High students and families flooded the court. Troy was pulled into a crushing hug by his parents, his eyes searching the faces of people nearby. It took him awhile to find you, but he wasn’t the only one.

“Rob told me that you found a new guy to creep on.” Amber laughed. “The captain of the basketball team? Really, Y/N, don’t you think that’s aiming a little high? You don’t really think that dreamboat Troy Bolton would be interested in someone like you?” Troy, hearing the conversation, stepped in.

“Hey are you ready to go?” He put a hand on your arm affectionately. Startled by his sudden appearance, you just nodded. “Great! I’m going to go shower and I’ll be back out soon.” He looked at Amber. “Can you believe it? This amazing girl transfers to East High and she agrees to go out with me. I must be crazy lucky or something, I know.”

Baffled, Amber stomped off to find her posse. You just look at Troy, stunned. Was he just saying all that to get her to go away? As if he read your mind, he took your hand in his and brought it up to his lips.

“I meant it.” He said and you got lost in his sincere eyes.”I am super lucky that you wound up at East High. That I found you.” A grin spread across his face. “And I am very excited for our date.”

“Oh, so we are officially calling it a date?” You teased. He laughed.

“That’s what I was hoping for yeah.” You paused, your smile dropping a little.

“Troy, what did Rob say to you just before half time?” You waited for him to say some rumor that had been spread from your school. Something awful that he would never forgive you for. Troy just smiled and shook his head.

“Nothing important.” He thought for a moment before quickly kissing your cheek. When he stepped back, you were beaming. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” He started to push through the people around you. “And Troy?”

“Yeah?” His smile could have knocked you off your feet.

“I’m lucky I found you too.”

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination; @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks

#troy bolton x reader #WHAT TEAM?#WILD CATS #zac efron #high school musical #getcha head in the game #troy bolton #disney imagines #childhood #living out my childhood #sorry not sorry

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charlieweasleyxmc · 4 years

Text

June 1991

Graduation

(Y/N) tweaked her graduation robes until they were situated correctly in place. And then, with a flurry of her wand for a finishing touch, she said, “Tactus aurum.”

A halo of light lifted around her and then fell, falling onto her sleeves and other parts of the draping cloth. When it settled on the black fabric, it turned into starlight sparkles of gold.

The final task of any Hogwarts student, picking the spell to bequeath to their graduation robes.

“You ready?” Chiara peeked her head inside, her own robes lined with silver, and if one looked closely enough…wolves.

“I like your robes,” (Y/N) smiled, reaching her silver haired friend.

Chiara gave her a grin that was almost more a baring of teeth and (Y/N) laughed. It felt like a mirthful laugh and she let herself feel it, let herself treasure it and lift her up.

The way down to the great hall was not clogged like it usually was. Indeed, all the younger students were reportedly already down there, in their places so that the seventh years, the graduates could arrive last.

As (Y/N) and Chiara approached the back hallways, the thin corridors that led to the back of the great hall and the room behind it, she caught sight of more than a few of her fellow classmates. Diego Caplan’s robes were a sunshine yellow. Tulip Karasu’s blue robes sported exploding fireworks actually exploding on the fabric, sucking in and then exploding again. Liz Tuttle’s robes were the simple graduate black, but had a tiny picture niffler running along the fabric so that one tried to keep track of him only to lose sight of him again.

Chiara broke off from (Y/N) to talk to them right outside the room while (Y/N) entered alone to the sight of even more of her seventh year friends.

Badeea Ali in robes of moving falling stars; Talbott Winger, with a full raven, wings spread wide, on the back of his; Merula and Barnaby in robes of emerald green, though Barnaby’s had tiny bowtruckles running all over it, Ismelda in robes somehow even blacker than the rest of them; Penny Haywood in light yellow robes with flowers drifting to land on the bottom, so that the flowers were slowly building up at her hem; and Ben Copper, a moving, roaring lion on the back of his robes.

(Y/N) smiled when three familiar figures approached her.

Jae wore scarlet robes with a golden sheen that (Y/N) swore looked like tiny galleons in the shifting light. Andre wore robes with more delicate spells than any of them, moving brooms around the collar and other hem lines, delicate and artful stitching in other places that he no doubt did himself, and delicate, but polished buttons. (Y/N) smiled when she saw Tonk’s robes.

Dora wore robes that faded from pink the color of her hair to the truest white at the bottom, and along the hems, wands and dragons.

(Y/N) felt her eyes well with tears at the homage to Charlie.

“What do you think they are gonna do?” Andre asked, shifting his robes so that they sat straighter on him.

(Y/N) shook her head, but it was Dora who answered.

“Whatever it is, it’s going to be memorable.”

(Y/N) smiled then, “things at Hogwarts always are.”

“Graduates!” Professor Flitwick whisper shouted from the front of the room, closest to the doors out into the Great Hall. “It’s time!”

Her peers hustled to get in line, those in the hallway called back in by other students and they all filed into one long single file line. She found herself, not by accident, right behind Nymphadora Tonks.

And suddenly the doors were opened, and the first person in line, Murphy was ushered out in his announcer inspired robes, followed shortly by Skye Parkin in quidditch robes.

The line shifted forward. (Y/N) felt herself shuffling forward, just focusing on keeping track of the end of Dora’s robes in front of her.

More people were called out. (Y/N) could hear mumbled speaking, mumbled cheers from the hallway, and one by one, her friends left the room stepping out into the Great Hall beyond.

She could just make out part of the doorway above the heads of the other graduates; all she could see through that little bit of window was the ceiling of the Great Hall.

Sunset, to match the time of day and no doubt what was happening outside the walls of this castle as the day turned to night, evening turned to dusk.

Another graduate, Badeea this time, left out into the hallway and (Y/N) watched her and then three others follow with baited breath.

Ben, then Barnaby, Ismelda then Merula, Diego, then Talbott and Tulip. Liz, then Chiara, and finally, Jae.

That’s when (Y/N) looked behind her and realized she was the last person in line.

She exhaled.

Andre left through the doors, leaving only her, Professor Flitwick, and Dora in the room when suddenly Dora turned around, stopping, and pulled her wand from her robes.

“May I?” she asked, gesturing to (Y/N)’s robes.

(Y/N) nodded and Dora reached out, waved the wand over her head.

And Dora spoke, her voice sure, but soft, softer than (Y/N) had ever heard it.

“Memini Doni.”

Golden stars fell before (Y/N)’s eyes, blurring her vision as they landed on her robes. She looked at her right cuff, where one of the golden stars landed amid the ones she had placed on her robes earlier, but this one exploded when it hit.

And it turned into a phoenix.

The phoenix flew off, across her robes and she watched as another star landed, this one exploding into a snitch.

She watched the snitch fly off as another star landed right beside it on her arm and a book exploded into the fabric, flapping like wings. As the stars landed, they all exploded; a thunderbird, then a cauldron, a broom, then a bowtruckle; a feather, then a scarf, a bubble then a puffskein, and a firework. Altgoether, the items soared across the fabric, manifesting in shades of gold.

The last star, the one yet to land, floated above (Y/N)’s nose before falling, landing and exploding somewhere on the bottom of her robes.

She saw a shifting of wings, and then the creature soared up, flying out of sight as it circled behind her back.

But it reappeared, launching itself right onto her right arm and curling up around it.

(Y/N) found herself reaching with her left hand to touch the dragon, the gold embossing on her robes shimmering with its scales.

She meant to thank Dora, but all that came out of her mouth was:

“I miss him.”

Dora laid her hand right over (Y/N)’s.

“Me too.”

She turned from her and stepped up the steps.

“Dora?!”

She turned back.

“Thank you.”

Dora turned back, glancing back just once , smiling, before she stepped out into the Great Hall to a roar of cheers.

(Y/N) felt a few tears fall from her face, landing on her robes and making the golden parts of the fabric shimmer even more.

“Whenever you’re ready, Miss (Y/LN),” Professor Flitwick spoke from where he stood right beside the door.

(Y/N) took a long pull of breath, looking up.

“I’m ready.”

The crowd cheered just as they had when the others had entered the hall, and altogether, the graduates stood together on the stage, holding hands, before they were permitted to move to their seats and their house tables, right in the front. Honors were announced then, as well as students who received varying academic awards for various subjects. (Y/N) barely heard they announced her award for defeating and finally breaking the curse on all the cursed vaults in the school.

But she did hear when they announced the awards for Care of Magical Creatures astounding N.E.W.T.S. and honors.

Lizard Tuttle, Barnaby Lee, (Y/N) (Y/LN), and finally, Charlie Weasley, for the award of most outstanding caretaker of all magical creatures, demonstrating the most bravery and compassion in any field.

(Y/N) smiled, touching the dragon on her arm as she watched Professor Dumbledore make his speech to the graduates. At the end, he spoke four words that she had never heard him say before.

“Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”

The whole crowd cheered when the feast appeared before them, everyone found themselves filling themselves to their fullest, as well as traveling around the room to hug various other graduates, or in the younger students’ cases, hugging graduates that they would miss.

It was long after the sky overhead had turned to starlight, the candles floating in the air trying to reflect the light from the heavens that the heads of houses collected all the graduates, leading them out of the hall and through a side corridor first. They waited for a while, talking among themselves when Professor McGonagall finally let them all exit out a side door of the castle, into the starlight and out onto the grounds right before the Black Lake.

It was only then that (Y/N) realized what was going on when she saw the little boats on the shore, lanterns at their prows, and Hagrid standing on the sand before them.

She glanced back up at the castle, seeing the lights of dozens of lanterns and candles and the shapes of hundreds in front of the doors to the castle, notably among them, a candle lit a figure with long robes and a silver beard.

She could have sworn she saw him smile before she followed the others down to the beach and helped them all get into the boats.

“Forward!” Hagrid called and they all felt the boats lurch forward and they sailed across the Black Lake, under a sky of stars, and away from Hogwarts.

(Y/N) glanced back once more, glimpsing the sight of all the lights in the castle, the towers and turrets, and the crowd of people with lanterns and candles right before the doors, all of which she could only see the lights.

Then she turned back, gazing towards the other side of the lake and the train that she knew was there.

This is the end of Year 7! Stay tuned for more!Comment with the Hogwarts house you’re in and a description of your Mc!

#charlie weasley #charlie weasley fanfiction #charlie weasley x jacob's sibling #charlie weasley x mc #charlie weasley x reader #charlie weasley x you #harry potter fanfic rec #harry potter fanfiction #hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery charlie #hogwarts mystery fanart

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demig00ddess · 3 years

Text

Sleeping Beauty

Charlie Weasley x MC

A/N: I’ve rewritten this chapter several times, and I still don’t know what turned out.

————————————————————

CHAPTER THREE

TIMELESS GIRL

1998. Ginny sat in the Potions classroom and drew diagrams for her Quidditch practice on a notebook. The arrows crawled slowly across the paper, intersecting with each other. At first, she tried to help Slughorn and Hermione with the potion, but when the professor started talking about the fact that a natural-born potion master Harry Potter could easily cope with this potion, Hermione began to chop the dittany with such anger that Ginny decided not to get in the way. Now Ginny was throwing sympathetic glances at her friend and wondering how to get around the Ravenclaw’s defenses. The red circle with little G that marked herself couldn’t reach the rings at the other end of the field. “Oho! Anderson, think of it!” Slughorn patted his round belly, sniffing at the potion. “Of course, I’ve heard a lot about her. I once taught her father and older brother, he was a very gifted young man. No, no, two drops will be enough, my dear! It’s a pity I left the teaching post before her studying, I would like to gather their whole family!” Slughorn was in a rather talkative mood, talking incessantly about his former students. Ginny made a face at Hermione, it seemed to her that they were back in the Slug Club.

Slughorn’s story about the popular Quidditch player Ethan Parkin, with whom he still kept in touch, was interrupted by an embarrassed first-year girl. She looked around the office and, not noticing Ginny sitting on the desk, turned to Hermione. “Excuse me, are you Miss Weasley? Professor McGonagall asked to tell Miss Weasley that her brother has arrived at Hogwarts, he is at the Great Hall now.” “Finally!” Ginny jumped off the desk, startling the girl. She squeaked in surprise and nearly fell onto the ingredients cabinet. Ginny grabbed her at the last moment. “Professor, can I go?” she wasn’t sure whether it was necessary to ask permission and decided not to upset the professor. “Yes, yes, of course, go! We’ve got the potion almost ready, I’ll send Miss Granger to the hospital wing with it,” Slughorn said good-naturedly, stroking his walrus mustache. Ginny grabbed her things and ran to the stairs, nearly hitting the unfortunate first-year with her bag. She couldn’t wait to see her brothers. She looked forward to their reaction, because even she wanted to see Emma. Descending from the sixth floor didn’t take long, a lanky figure with hair gathered in a ponytail loomed in front of the doors of the Great Hall. “Bill!” Ginny flew up to her brother, hugging him. “I asked off and came as soon as I could. It’s true?” Bill looked Ginny in the eyes, as if not believing what was happening. Ginny smiled and nodded at him, noticing her brother’s relief. “We found her.” “Mr. Weasley, here you are,” Professor McGonagall hurried to them. “Is the potion ready yet, Miss Weasley?” “Yes, Hermione should have carried it in by now.” “Fine,” McGonagall nodded and began to say something to Bill. At this point, Ginny was distracted by Jimmy Peakes, a fifth-year Gryffindor Beater. “Ginny, hey! What’s with tomorrow’s training? Coote said you were preparing a new strategy.”

Ginny lingered (Peakes couldn’t figure out why she wanted training early Saturday morning) and lost sight of Bill and Professor McGonagall. She caught up with them only at the entrance to the hospital wing, they were fiercely arguing about something. “With all due respect, Mr. Weasley, I intend to speak to Miss Anderson myself first.” “With all due respect, Professor,” Bill held back with all his might not to rush into the hospital wing right now. “When she wakes up, she will need friends, not conversations and inquiries!” “What do you think you’re doing, speaking to me like that?”

The squabble was interrupted by a frightened squeal from Hermione outside the door. The three of them burst into the hospital wing, wands ready. Hermione huddled against the wall by the screened back bed where Emma lay, and held her head with both hands. Ginny rushed to her, helping her up, and Bill ran to Emma’s bed. Emma was unconscious and tossed about as if in a fever. “Emma, this is Bill, please listen to my voice…” Ginny and Professor McGonagall led Hermione to a nearby bed. “She was in my head!” shrieked a trembling Hermione. “Eat this, dear,” Madam Pomfrey handed her a piece of chocolate. “Eat, eat, it helps not only from the Dementors.” “Poppy, what happened?” McGonagall looked worried. “It looks like the girl is — ” “Legilimens. Emma is Legilimens,” Bill came out from behind the screen. “She calmed down, now she is sleeping. Hermione, how are you? Sorry, she didn’t mean to hurt you.” Hermione nodded softly, taking another bite of the chocolate. “If she’s a born Legilimens, it could be a defensive reaction,” Madam Pomfrey said. “I gave her the first portion and asked Miss Granger to look after her. I walked away literally for a minute.” “She started tossing and turning, I wanted to help, but as soon as I touched her,” Hermione spoke in a stronger voice. She waved her hands as if reading an invisible book. “I felt her in my head, she seemed to rummage through my memories. I couldn’t do anything! And then — ” Hermione frowned and fell silent as she shoved the last piece of chocolate into her mouth. “You will be alright,” Madam Pomfrey nodded busily. “However, Anderson needs a second portion.” Professor McGonagall cast a hesitant glance at the screen, which didn’t hide from Bill. “You want to keep her like this just because you’re afraid of her?” Bill spoke calmly, but his clenched fists betrayed him. “I just think we should take some precautions before Miss Anderson harms anyone else,” McGonagall said. “Harms?” Bill snorted. “Professor, you know Emma.” “She went into Miss Granger’s head in an unconscious state, who knows what she’ll do when she regains consciousness. Waking up will make her extremely receptive and impulsive,” McGonagall said anxiously. Ginny knew the professor was floundering between pity for her former student and fear for her current students. “Therefore, there must be a friend nearby. I won’t let her “harm” herself or anyone else. Please, Professor.” McGonagall sighed heavily and looked behind the screen as Madame Pomfrey poured Emma a second shot of the potion. “Fine, Mr. Weasley,” McGonagall nodded, pursing her lips. “But I want to talk to her when she’s stronger." “Thank you,” Bill instantly returned to Emma, McGonagall watched him go and walked away. “How are you?” Ginny and Hermione were silent before, watching Bill and McGonagall. “Harry said that occlumency is difficult, but I couldn't believe that blocking thoughts is so hard,” Hermione spoke a little distantly, thinking about something else. “I need to check something in the library.” “I’ll come with you,” Ginny said. “I’m fine, don’t. Go to them, there you are more needed now,” Hermione picked up her heavy bag and headed after McGonagall.

Bill sat motionless on a chair by the bed. For several minutes that seemed to last forever, they were both silent. “Why doesn’t it work?” Bill muttered to no one in particular. At that moment, Emma sighed heavily and opened her eyes with a slight groan. Bill jumped up and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked relieved and scared at the same time. Emma raised herself slightly and narrowed her eyes in displeasure. “Merlin, what happened to me? Have I been drinking?” She looked around and frowned at Bill sitting next to her. “Bill? Am I in the hospital wing?” “Eh... yeah,” Bill said in a voice hoarse with excitement. Ginny noticed that he had turned to Emma with a side where his scars were not so visible. “What I’m doing here? Wait, what are you doing here? Oh, Merlin,” Emma blinked frequently, still half asleep. “Head is splitting, I don’t remember last evening at all.” “Emma,” Bill tried to get her attention. But Emma cursed and sat up abruptly in bed. “We’ll miss the train! What time is it?” she looked at her wristwatch, frowned and tapped it with her fingernail. “Damn, the watch’s broken.” “Emma,” Bill called out to her again. Emma gave him a more attentive look now. “Listen…” “Your hair,” she pointed to his hair pulled back into a ponytail. “It's longer.” Emma sat up more comfortably in bed and turned to see Bill’s face. She gasped and raised her hand to his scars, but didn’t dare to touch them. “Bill, what happened to you?” her gaze ran over his face, noticing more and more changes. Bill placed his hand gently on her arm. Emma flinched slightly, as if a complete stranger was sitting in front of her. “Bill, I don’t understand…” “Emma, it’s not about me. The thing is, you slept for seven years.” Emma laughed hysterically. “Very funny. Whose idea is this? Tulip, Tonks?” hearing the last name, Ginny, who had previously been unnoticed by the wall, sighed sharply, attracting Emma’s attention. “Who’s that? “I’m Ginny. Ginny Weasley, remember me?” Ginny took a step forward, resisting the urge to run away and leave Bill. Emma looked closely and shook her head sharply. “Gin?” Ginny smiled and nodded, only Emma called her that. Emma looked from Ginny to Bill. “I don’t understand. This is the most stupid prank ever. You brought Ginny here, gave her an Ageing Potion. You even shifted my watch. Is Charlie also involved?” “Emma,” it hurt Bill to look at her, but he spoke very seriously. “You know I never lied to you. Besides, I would never trick you like that. And now I ask you to believe me. You have an infallible way of checking that I’m telling the truth. Emma shook her head and looked at him with resentment and even anger. “I promised that I’d never do it with my friends. I won’t get into your head! This is stupid!” “Please,” Bill said quietly. “Just a couple of memories. Trust me please.”

Emma’s cheekbones twitched and she nodded resignedly. She looked into his eyes intently, after a couple of moments her gaze defocused. Bill staggered slightly and clutched at the blanket. It all lasted less than a minute, but it looked pretty creepy. Ginny had never seen anyone use Legilimency, especially since Emma did it without a wand and spells. She had heard about Legilimency from Harry, and before that, as a child, some legends. It was said that natural-born Legilimenses could communicate with a person, even if the interlocutor didn’t utter a word. Ginny didn’t know what kind of memories Bill was showing, but when Emma finally broke the connection, she looked shocked and panted. “So, yesterday was seven years ago,” she said, as if she’d been doused with cold water. “What’s the last thing you remember?” Bill asked softly. “Charlie. I remember Charlie. We parted and I went to the bedroom to pack my things. And I found there — there was — oh Merlin… there was a black feather, a message from R,” Emma put her head in her hands and sighed tornly. Bill didn’t rush her. She looked at him intently, a single tear streaming down her cheek. Emma’s nose was twitching, as if she was not letting emotions spill out, her voice became deep and hard. “It is true, isn’t it? Those bastards finally got to me.” Bill nodded very slowly, not taking his eyes off Emma, and took her hand in his. Emma sighed again heavily and hid her face. “Seven years,” she muttered. “Seven years…”

Ginny felt a heaviness in her heart, it seemed to her that she was meddling in something too personal. She stepped imperceptibly behind the screen and sat down on the next bed. Bill was talking to Emma in an undertone. It seemed like an eternity when Ginny heard Emma laugh. At that moment, the door of the hospital wing opened and George came in, out of breath. Madam Pomfrey glanced discontentedly out of her office, but said nothing. George was wearing his trademark Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes robe, with a dark smudge of soot on his cheek. “Bill sent a message. Did you really find Emma?” “They’re talking now. Charlie’s not with you?” Ginny tried to wipe the soot off her brother’s cheek, but only smudged it harder. “He’s not here yet?” George raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I thought he’d be the first to come.” Ginny put her head behind the screen. “What do you think?” Bill showed Emma his earring. “Oh, it’s terrible! I like it!” “Can we join?” George leaned out too, smiling broadly. “Someone said our old friend has been found! So which of us is little one now?” Emma looked closely, trying to determine which of the twins was standing in front of her. Her gaze ran over his slightly narrowed eyes and freckled face. “Georgie!” she smiled happily and opened her arms to embrace him. “You're all grown up so much.” “Hey, whitehead!” George hugged her back. “Ron and Percy say hi, but since they are big dummies, they won’t be coming.” Emma laughed out loud, which Ginny thought was a little forced and unnatural, and finally noticed George’s missing ear. “Damn, you didn’t take care of yourself at all! Well, then you and Fred will now be easier to distinguish,” she smiled again, but the corners of her lips quickly crawled down when she noticed their faces. “By the way, where is Fred? Didn’t want to come too?” Ginny’s heart sank. George opened his mouth, but only a gurgling sound escaped from his throat, and he fell silent. Emma looked at them uncomprehendingly. “Fred died in the war,” Bill said quietly, squeezing her hand. Emma gave a nervous laugh and shook her head. “No,” she covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed. “No. Oh Merlin, why…” Bill put his arm around her, stroking her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, wiping the tears running down her cheeks with her sleeve. She lifted her head, looked into George’s eyes and said again, “I’m so sorry.” George nodded gratefully. He understood everything she wanted to say with this short phrase. Ginny thought he would have understood Emma without words. Over the past four months, each of them has heard a lot of condolences, people made long and meaningless speeches, clapped on the shoulder, shook their heads. People felt they had to say something to ease their pain. But the pain did not go away, it remained a huge wound, and any memory made it bleed. But Emma didn’t try to comfort them, her gaze seemed to say: “I know that you are in pain, and it will hurt for a very long time. And I’m sorry about that”.

Suddenly Emma frowned, looked at Bill, Ginny and George in turn, cast a frightened glance at the empty chair by her bed. Her eyes filled with tears again. “And Charlie — Is Charlie too — ” a trembling voice broke and Emma began to shake slightly. “No! No, no, no!” Bill grabbed her again, hugging her. “Charlie’s fine, he’ll be here soon! He’s alive, Charlie’s alive, Charlie is alive…” Bill repeated this, rocking the trembling Emma, who was shaking her head lightly, as if trying to push away the reality mixed with her fears. This was the last straw of emotions overwhelming her. All this time, she hadn’t let them get the better of her, but everyone had weaknesses. Charlie was Emma’s weakness, and Ginny knew for a fact, Emma was Charlie’s main weakness. Tears rolled down from her eyes like a hail, she was sobbing and hungrily gasping for air, unable to stop the hysteria. “Emma, drink this,” Bill’s voice sounded soothing and quiet, he handed Emma a glass of calming potion. “You need to get some rest.” But Emma didn’t seem to hear him, her trembling fingers slid over the glass and fell helplessly. Bill, holding her head, helped her take a couple of sips and put her to bed. A minute later, Emma’s breathing evened out, her face took on a serene look, she fell asleep. Bill carefully wiped the tears from her face, straightened her disheveled hair and covered her with a blanket.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, then finally Bill carefully got out of bed, trying not to disturb Emma. He looked at George and Ginny defiantly, as if expecting taunts, but they both stood with mournful faces. Ginny brushed away the tears that had come to her eyes, only now beginning to realize the nightmare that Emma was in. If her return was a miracle to her friends, it was more of a curse to herself. “I think I’ll go,” George said awkwardly, Bill nodded. “I’ll go talk to McGonagall. I want to take Emma to Fleur and me when she gets stronger.” Already on the way out, he muttered under his breath, “Where the hell is Charlie?”

Ginny was left alone in the room, looking at Emma. The sun was shining through the windows in rare rays, shadows lay like wrinkles on the tear-stained face of the sleeping girl. It seemed that Emma had aged in a moment for the seven years that had disappeared from her life. Ginny tried to imagine what it would feel like to wake up a few years later and find out that her friends had grown up or died in the war. What it’s like to not belong to this time, and not be able to go back. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice how time had passed. Madam Pomfrey clinked some jars and Ginny, throwing another glance at Emma, headed out of the hospital wing.

#sleeping beauty #emma anderson #emma anderson x charlie weasley #bill weasley #ginny weasley #hermione granger #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm mc #hphm au #jacob's sibling #harry potter #harry potter universe #hp

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sparring-hyena · 4 years

Text

our love will blossom.

welcome to another instalment of me getting poetic and romantic about random things. this time: flowers!

OR, the one where i tell you a love story through flowers.

Petunia.

there’s duality to the Petunia.

first, it can mean anger and resentment. which is befitting because that’s how Poppy and AJ started.

there’d been icy glares and sharp words thrown at each other when they met for the very first time on the quad. they’d fought and fought to win each and every confrontation. and once it was over, it was still unclear who had won. had there even been a winner? does it matter?

...

probably not.

when Zoey pulled her away on that first day, AJ saw Petunias lining the front of a garden bed. she’d scoffed. figures.

but then there’s also the feelings of desire and hope that the Petunia represent. those feelings hide beneath the anger and resentment—a way to shield, to protect. and this works for them, too.

because as the year carried on, and they fell into their casual arrangement—AJ had called them fuck buddies, Poppy rolled her eyes as she tried to suppress a smile—hope for more nibbled at AJ’s heart. she always pushed it away though. masked it with witty remarks.

and then as AJ’s first year at Belvoire came to a close, they stood in a fountain and shouted and cussed and kissed so hard, desperate to prove that whatever they were meant nothing at all. and then they’d just laughed until they couldn’t breathe.

that was when AJ saw the Petunias in a garden bed nearby. she smiled. figures. and then she felt the desire and hope for more consume her whole.

Gardenia.

there are a few meanings associated with the Gardenia. but the fact that one of those meanings is secret love? well, it’s as though it bloomed just for them.

it was over the summer break between their junior and senior years that their relationship changed. they started to text. not about anything real. mostly playful little jabs that lacked any real malice.

AJ had been sitting in her parents’ kitchen when her phone buzzed with another text from Poppy. then when she looked up, she saw some Gardenias in a vase on the counter. an easy smile settled across her face and she thought maybe.

and then when a new semester started up in late August, they fell into something new. something quiet and just for them. they’d meet off campus for dates. someplace where the prying eyes of Belvoire students would never see them.

one time it was some hole-in-the-wall bar with sticky floors, too cheap beer, and bowls of stale pretzels. but they’d laughed and talked all night, so they hadn’t cared one bit. there had also been movie dates, coffee dates, and spend-all-night-in-bed-sharing-kisses-and-laughs-and-falling-very-much-in-love dates.

when AJ snuck over to see Poppy late one night, she saw Gardenia’s in the garden bed out front the Zeta house. she stopped and stared. wondered how in the hell she’d never noticed them before. she smiled and thought definitely.

Crocus.

it’s a winter blooming flower. giving colour and live to a long dreary landscape. so, it represents hope. hope that the cold will eventually end.

it was at the end of December when they started to unravel. when all the secrets and sneaking around finally began to be too much. they took some space. some time apart. time which was only supposed to last a few weeks but very quickly became two months.

they crossed paths again on the front lawn of some frat house. a party raged on inside, but everything else fell away when they locked eyes. something simmered between them. almost warm enough to melt the snow around them.

and then in a moment, it snapped.

they’d shouted and cussed, thrown razor-edged words that were soft and sincere at the centre. they’d probably drawn a crowd through it all, but who the fuck cared? and then they stopped. they stopped and stared, and AJ glanced to her right and saw a Crocus peeking through the snow across the road. she felt herself smile for the first time in months.

“i miss you,” she said.

“i miss you, too.” Poppy reached forward to take AJ’s hand in her own and squeezed. they shared a smile meant only for the two of them. and there had definitely been people watching, but again, who the fuck cared?

Daffodil.

the Daffodil. it’s a Spring flower—one of the first to bloom in the season. so, it symbolises rebirth and new beginnings.

they’d finally talked. finally said everything that needed to be said. and then in the quiet moments the followed, AJ had asked a question:

“what are we then?”

Poppy had shrugged, sheepish. she stepped closer to AJ, draped her arms over her shoulders. “i’m all in.”

AJ smiled. “me too. i guess that makes you my girlfriend then.”

“i guess it does.”

they’d kissed and AJ felt something calm and warm settle in her heart. and when she’d woken up early the next morning, AJ ducked out to the nearest florist, and returned with a bouquet. a bouquet of Daffodils.

“they for me?” Poppy had asked with that all too knowing smile. she slipped out of her bed and slowly stepped closer to AJ.

“mhmm.”

“interesting choice.”

“how so?”

“most people go with Roses or Tulips.”

“so i’ve heard.”

“but you picked Daffodils. why?”

“i thought they were a better choice.”

“why’s that?”

“you’ll see.” AJ dipped her head to kiss Poppy. and when they pulled apart, they rested their foreheads together, and AJ said, “i love you.”

“i love you, too.”

#my writing #poppy x mc #poppy min sinclair #queen b #playchoices #i have elected to ignore canon #but what else is new?

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fischerfrey · 4 years

Text

hphm fic: 'til tonight do us part

fandom: harry potter: hogwarts mystery

pairing: mc/merula snyde

word count: 2.2K

summary:

A party in the Slytherin common room leads both Verna and Merula to confront some things about themselves...

“You don’t know shit,” was what Merula spat back at her and Verna didn’t know what she said wrong this time. “You prance around like you own this school and think you’re so damn special!”

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” Verna arched an eyebrow at her nemesis. “You’re the one proclaiming to anyone who will listen that you’re the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.”

warnings: underage drinking, swearing, merula being mean

author’s note: no proof-reading, we die like men! aka i wrote this thing at 3am in my notes app and english isn’t my native language.

hphm fic: 'til tonight do us part

“I’m not sure about this,” Ben Copper said and caught up to Verna. He had been tailing behind her and Charlie for the past several staircases. “Maybe I should’ve stayed in the common room studying with Rowan…”

“Cheer up Ben, this is gonna be fun,” Charlie attempted but Ben still didn’t look convinced. He had been trying hard to step out of his comfort zone with varying degrees of success.

“Hush the both of you, we’re almost there.”

The three of them were approaching the Slytherin common room entrance in the dungeons and the utmost care was needed. Parties in Hogwarts were notoriously difficult to organize if you wanted anyone but your own house members to attend. This one had coordinated times at which someone from Slytherin would let students belonging to other houses in. Barnaby had agreed to open the door for Verna, Charlie, and Ben at 9.30.

“Why are we even going to a Slytherin party…?” Ben asked as they reached the entrance.

“Because Barnaby invited us and I can’t say no to him, it’d feel like kicking a puppy,” Verna answered and glanced around to make sure no one else was in the corridor. “Besides, I think all of us need to let out a little bit of steam.”

“You are aware that most Slytherins think we’re the worst?”

“Yeah, that’s part of the fun,” Charlie said as the door to the Slytherin common room swung open.

“Verna! You guys made it!” Barnaby greeted them with open arms, spilling a bit of the contents of his pint.

“Well Ben almost stayed behind to study but I’m very persuasive!” Verna announced and dragged both of her friends inside past Barnaby.

“Don’t say the S-word Verna, it’s forbidden,” he said with a grimace.

“Oh shit, sorry.”

They had all been extremely tied up with studying for their O.W.L.s for the past weeks and it did sound appealing to just forget the exams for the night. The common room was dark and illuminated by a green glow. Verna wasn’t sure what its source was, but it did create certain menacing flair for the party. The music was loud, and many of the attendees were dancing to its beat.

“So, where’s the fire whiskey?” asked Charlie and Barnaby pointed them to the direction of the drink selection before going off to talk to some of his friends.

“See, Ben, no worries, there are plenty of people from other houses in here,” Verna said observing Tulip and Tonks chatting with some 6th year Slytherins, as well as Penny and André sitting on a couch, heads close together, obviously deep in conversation.

“Is that… a thing now?” asked Charlie.

“Last week I asked André if he was seeing Penny and he said no,” Verna muttered.

“So, you think it’s a new thing? Or is André just full of shit?”

“Guys… I hate to interrupt your gossip club but…” Ben yanked Verna’s sleeve to get her attention. She turned to look where Ben was glancing. Merula Snyde was walking towards them, looking like a storm cloud.

“Oh, here we go…” Charlie whispered, and Verna gently punched him in the arm.

Merula stopped short in front of Verna and glared at her. She seemed taller somehow and Verna noticed she was wearing platform shoes. “What the fuck are you doing here, Malinda?”

“I came to party.”

“Nobody wants you and your loser friends here.”

“Barnaby invited us,” Verna said simply and waved at Barnaby, who waved back, smiling.

“Lee couldn’t read a room if it punched him in the face with a book made for toddlers.”

“Don’t be rude Merula, we’re just here to get drunk and hang out with our friends.”

Charlie saw this as an ample opportunity to poke the hornet’s nest and added: “At least we have some of those.”

Merula snapped her death glare to Charlie. “Shut up Weasley.”

“Anyway! We were just about to go talk to Penny, so I’ll be seeing you Merula!” Verna interjected, handed Ben and Charlie drinks, and ushered them towards Penny and André. “Just pretend I don’t exist, if you can,” she added with a wink, grabbed a drink for herself and followed her friends. When she glanced back, Merula was still standing there, staring daggers at her back. Verna couldn’t help but be amused.

It turned out both André and Penny still vehemently denied being involved with each other romantically in any shape or form, so Verna let it slide. They spent a good couple of hours drinking, talking, and dancing. Verna hadn’t realized how much she needed a night off until she finally got one. Between her studies, detention, and trying to find the Portrait vault, her free time was sparse.

“Vernaaaa… can you bring me a glass of water?”

She was called out of her thought by Penny, who had, to be fair, downed quite a few drinks by then.

“Sure, sit tight,” Verna got up and navigated to the table filled with various drinks. Penny had not been herself ever since her sister got trapped in the portrait and Verna knew she was frustrated by how long it was taking to break the curse.

As she was filling a cup with water, she heard a familiar voice behind her: “Water? That’s weak.”

“Hi Merula…”

“Don’t tell me you can’t hold your liquor,” Merula mocked as Verna turned to face her. Her makeup had smeared just a little in the corners of her eyes.

“It’s not for me,” Verna tried to move past Merula. The latter stepped in front of her to block her path.

“Maybe you should take Haywood to sleep, she looks like she’s about to pass out any second now.”

“Maybe you should mind your own damn business,” Verna suggested and started to feel annoyed.

“What? I’m just worried about my fellow students.”

“You’ve literally tried to kill me.”

“Bygones,” Merula smirked and took a sip of her drink.

“Maybe after you apologize.”

Merula had the audacity to laugh, she truly was infuriating. “Don’t hold your breath, Malinda.”

Verna had had enough and pushed her way past Merula, ignoring her grunt of protest. She was beginning to think Merula enjoyed pissing her off.

“Did Merula give you trouble?” asked André once she got back.

“No more than usual.”

“Maybe we could curse her hair to fall off or something,” suggested Charlie lazily, having taken up most of the couch for himself, leaving just a small spot for Penny to sit in and sip her water.

“Chaz, as much as I would love to do that, I think we’re better off just keeping away from her tonight. After all, I’m actually supposed to get along with her for professor Rakepick’s sake.”

“Aren’t the both of you prefects…?” André asked, amused.

“Well yes, but that doesn’t really mean anything, I mean Merula is a prefect too!” Charlie protested.

André shook his head and returned to his conversation with Ben. Something about his gobstone collection.

“Guys… I feel a little sick…” came a quiet voice from Penny’s direction.

“Shit, don’t throw up on me,” Charlie quickly sat up and pulled away from Penny’s immediate vicinity.

“Okay, maybe you should call it a night,” Verna said and set her drink down on one of the tables. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back to your common room.”

“Oh… you don’t have to…”

“Shush, it’s no trouble… c’mon,” Verna took Penny’s hand and pulled her up. She swung on her feet for a second or two but seemed to be able to walk at least a little bit. “Charlie, can you tell Barnaby to let me back in in like… 10 minutes?”

Charlie saluted her and said: “Sure thing.”

That meant there was approximately 50% chance he’d forget and Verna would have to miss the rest of the party.

Getting Penny to walk in a straight line was a bit more difficult than Verna originally thought, but they managed to get out of the Slytherin common room and headed towards Hufflepuffs’.

“I don’t think I should have gone to that stupid party…” Penny mumbled. “I feel guilty enough as it is doing anything other than researching the vaults…”

“We’re doing everything we can, Rakepick is trying to find a way to break the curse right now,” Verna said, trying to sound confident but honestly, she wasn’t sure which one she was trying to comfort, herself or Penny.

“You don’t understand, Bea is all alone…”

Verna bit her lip. She knew Penny was taking this hard. “Penny, I get it. My brother is missing, I want to find the Portrait vault just as much as you.”

Penny let out a stifled sob. “Merlin, Verna I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“I know, I know it’s okay…”

Verna managed to get her friend safely to the Hufflepuff common room and started to make her way back to the party. She felt a little bit drunk and, being absolutely honest with herself, she would’ve preferred to feel a lot drunk. Before she could make it halfway back, she heard another pair of footsteps in the silent hallway. She was expecting to see other people heading to bed from the party, but instead it was Merula Snyde, who rounded the corner.

“Are you following me, Snyde?” Verna asked.

Merula’s face transformed into a scowl. “Stop flattering yourself, Malinda.”

“Well, I just think that you mysteriously run into me a lot these days…”

“Shut up.”

Verna lifted her hands in the air as a sign of surrender. “Suit yourself, can you let me back into the party since you’re out here?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I despise you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Is that what you have to say?” Merula asked and her hands balled into fists.

“I don’t really care, honestly. You’ve been on my case for four and a half years, I know you hate me,” Verna explained. She was fed up with Merula’s constant provoking.

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” Verna arched an eyebrow at her nemesis. “You’re the one proclaiming to anyone who will listen that you’re the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.”

Merula blushed and that made her even angrier. “I don’t do that anymore!”

“Sure, but you used to, while I’ve always just wanted to mind my own business.”

Merula took a few quick steps closer to Verna. “You think you’re better than me, huh?”

“That’s so not the point.”

“Then what is the point? Please enlighten me, illustrious Verna Malinda.”

“The point is, that you’re mean. And arrogant. You go out of your way to make people feel bad,” Verna made sure to stress each point, so they’d maybe sink in. “I’ve tried to be your friend more than once.”

Merula let out a mocking laugh. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“The what the devil do you want?”

Something blazed in the purple of Merula’s eyes at the question, and before Verna could react, the other girl had pushed her against the wall. Vaguely, Verna thought about how easily she could free herself from the grasp, but she found herself not really wanting to. Oh.

“Merula what- “

“Shut up,” Merula grumbled. “Just shut up, you’re ruining everything!”

Confused, Verna studied Merula’s features. The colovaria-spell keeping her eyes purple had started to fade out the littlest bit and if you looked closely, you could see specks of brown. Merula had tiny little freckles dotted across her cheeks and nose that Verna had never noticed before (If her gaze also dropped down to Merula’s lips, then that was neither here nor there).

“I don’t want to fight,” she told the shorter girl. Merula’s expression remained unchanged. Verna sighed. “Just let me back into the party, I promise I won’t bother you.”

“No.”

“Fine, I’ll go to bed then, this isn’t worth it.”

That seemed to change something for Merula again, because she moved, grabbing Verna’s shirt to pull her closer. Verna tried to ignore the excitement in the bottom of her stomach, but it turned out she didn’t have to, because Merula didn’t hiss out any more thinly veiled threats or insults. Instead, she kissed her. There was something ferocious and hungry about the kiss that made everything inside Verna twist into knots. She pulled Merula closer by her waist and found herself not giving a damn if someone happened to walk by right then. For a blissful moment, Merula had her hands in Verna’s hair and was kissing her like she actually wanted to be there with her, and then just as quickly as it started, she pulled back again. The girls stared at each other in the silence of the corridor. Verna’s heart was beating its way out of her chest.

“Barnaby’s gonna open the door for you,” Merula only said and then turned her back to Verna, hurrying to the opposite direction along the corridor. Verna stood there for several seconds, dumbfounded. She raised her fingers to her lips and wondered whether she’d just imagined that. Slowly she forced her jelly-like legs to walk back to the Slytherin common room.

Like Merula had said, Barnaby was there to let her in, as cheerful as ever. Verna went back to her friends who had migrated to talk to Tonks, Tulip, and Liz. Charlie handed her abandoned drink back and assured her no one had messed with it. Verna wasn’t feeling particularly up for the party anymore. Her mind kept wondering to the dark corridor, messy mascara, and hot, fire whiskey-laced breath on her skin.

fin.

if you read the whole thing i’d love to hear what you think! this is the first time i’m actually publishing any of my fics, despite having written them for years so this is kind of like a moment for me, personally :’)

#hphm #hphm fic #hogwarts mystery fic #merula snyde #mc x merula #verna x merula #verna malinda #*my writing #i'm TERRIFIED #i've never published any of my fics before but apparenty that's #gOoD fOr YoU or whatever #so here i am #im rly sorry about the nonexistent british 80s slang i rly didnt even try #*oneshot

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lifeofkaze · 4 years

Text

An Art of Balance #7

Orion Amari x MC

Warning: mild swearing

Word Count: ~ 2.800

______________________________________________________________

Chapter 7: Amortentia

“… which is why, to the unbeknownst, this potion is particularly hard to detect.”

Lizzie found it hard to follow Professor Snape’s lecture. Today’s class was about potions most commonly used for drugging unsuspecting people. Under normal circumstances, Lizzie enjoyed lessons like these, where they were getting to know some real-world applications of the things they were learning at school. She had been looking forward to this class for days.

Snape was currently explaining the effects of the contents of the golden cauldron in front of him. As if the class huddled around it wasn’t acutely aware of what this potion was meant to do. The bubbling, mother-of-pearl coloured liquid illuminated the stuffy classroom with a soft light, emitting the loveliest fragrances imaginable. Lizzie constantly had to reign her wandering mind in.

While Snape was droning on about the ingredients of Amortentia, all she could do was to dream about the distinct smell of a summer evening after a thunderstorm and the wax she used for grooming her broomstick. Another scent was hinted at in the bouquet, something fresh but also spicy and woody at the same time, a bit like incense. It reminded her of Quidditch matches, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

She nudged Rowan, who was standing next to her. “What does it smell like to you?”

Rowan tore herself away from her notes, staring dreamily into the distance. “Parchment and the library. Such a lovely smell…” Her voice trailed off, too enamoured with her daydreams to even ask about the scents Lizzie apparently loved the most.

Lizzie turned to Skye, standing on her other side. “What about you?”

But Skye wasn’t listening to her. She was staring at the cauldron intensely. Snape was explaining something about the procedure of sourcing the ingredients and Penny, attentive as always, was hanging onto his every word, diligently scribbling down the information given to her.

A soft, giddy laugh escaped Lizzie. The fumes emanating from the cauldron mixed with the heat of the many fires burning in the classroom were starting to get to her head.

“Earth calling Skye? You still with us?” She poked her into her ribcage.

“What is it, Jameson, I’m trying to concentrate here!” Annoyed with Lizzies constant prodding, she had raised her voice a little bit too much. Professor Snape fell silent, giving the two girls the most chiding stare, as the heads of their classmates spun around to face them.

“I take it, Jameson and Parkin object? Do you have anything to add?” His voice was freezing.

“No, Professor,” Lizzie and Skye replied in unison, both looking utterly embarrassed.

“Excellent.” He brusquely jerked his head to where Penny stood next to him. “Parkin, get over here and take a leaf out of Haywood’s book on how to be attentive. Jameson, one more word from you and it will cost you house points.”

He abruptly turned around and continued his monologue while Skye shuffled through the crowd towards the front of the class.

Rowan tapped Lizzie’s shoulder. “What was that about? Was she actually paying attention for once?”

Lizzie shrugged. All of her friends seemed to be out of their mind lately. “I don’t know. She has been in kind of a strange mood for some time now.”

Rowan opened her mouth to reply but Snape’s sharp voice cut her off, brimming with ice cold rage.

“Khanna, Jameson! Your memory seems rather short-lived. Five points from Hufflepuff each. Next time, it’ll be five points per word. Now, everyone pair up and examine the consistency of Amortentia one couple at a time. No shoving, no mindless chattering.” He directed his last words explicitly at Lizzie and Rowan. Rowan pushed her glasses up her nose, looking mortified for losing House points, as a prefect, nonetheless.

Lizzie apologetically shrugged at her flustered friend, not daring to utter another word as long a Snape was in such a foul mood.

Rowan and she were just lining up behind Merula and Barnaby when one hand fell on her and Rowan’s shoulder each. Tonks’s head appeared between the two of them, gently holding them back.

“If I were you, I would wait with lining up.” A mischievous smirk spread on her face. She snickered as Rowan grabbed her arm, obviously alarmed.

“Oh no, Tonks, what did you do? This might cost us even more points!”

“Relax, it’s nothing major,” she chuckled again. “I bewitched Snape’s scales while you were all gawking at the Amortentia. Watch!”

They turned their attention back to the front of the classroom. The silver scales they all used to weigh in their ingredients, were suddenly coming to life. Rattling its plates, it jumped off the table, hobbled over to one of the shelves and started swinging itself up on it.

Snape dived in to catch the rogue instrument, but it just hopped onto his head and from there onwards towards another shelve just above the guffawing mass of students. It started spinning on the spot as if it was dancing, before losing its footing on the wood, that had become slippery from the condensed fumes. It flailed about with its plates, but it was too late. It lost its balance and came crashing down on them, right into the bubbling cauldron full of Amortentia.

Penny, whose turn it had been to take a closer look, dived out of the way with a shriek. The splash sent up by the falling scales hit Skye, who had been standing right behind her, full in the face.

The scales were slowly clambering out of the cauldron, dripping with the mother-of-pearl-coloured liquid and shaking themselves like a wet dog. Snape seized his chance. He pointed his wand at the instrument, barking “Finite incantatum!” With a soft jingling, the once again lifeless scales fell back into the cauldron, sinking to the ground.

He spun around to his class, whose laughter had all but ceased. His face was storm and thunder.

“If I ever find out, who did this, I will have the miscreant clean all the cauldrons in this castle every day until after Christmas,” he snarled from behind his gritted teeth. He searched the faces of his intimidated students for any clue on the identity of the prankster. His murderous gaze rested particularly long on Tonks, who tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. His eyes narrowed on her for a moment, as if deciding whether to accuse her or not.

He turned his attention to Skye, who still stood in front of the cauldron, looking oddly pale. “Did you swallow any of it, Parkin?”

It took her a moment to answer him. “Yes, I think so,” she whispered, a vacant expression on her face.

“Well, Amortentia is not toxic. I know this might prove impossible for you, but try not to do anything stupid. If you start feeling faint, come see me at once.”

Then he barked an indignant “Class dismissed.”

Everyone hurriedly gathered up their things and shuffled out of the classroom.

Skye had taken a detour to the dormitory to get changed before their next class. When she didn’t show up for Defence Against the Dark Arts though, Penny offered to go check on her. When it was time for lunch, she hadn’t returned either.

Rowan, Tonks and Lizzie were headed towards the Great Hall. Tonks was still basking in the success of her prank in Potions earlier, while Rowan was torn between amusement and sense of duty.

“That will show Tulip who is the one and only master prankster in this school. I set the bar high for her.” Satisfaction was dripping from her voice.

“But imagine if Snape finds out, he will deduct so many House points from Hufflepuff!” Rowan groaned.

“Come on, even you laughed at Skye’s face when the potion hit her,” Tonks teased. Rowan couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“Speaking of Skye, I wonder where she and Penny have gone to. It’s been ages since Penny went to check on her,” Lizzie wondered.

“Maybe Skye didn’t feel well and Penny brought her to the Hospital Wing,” Rowan suggested.

A dirty grin had spread on Tonks’s face. “Or maybe they have a bit too much love potion between them and got all distracted.”

They had reached the end of the Hufflepuff table, where Orion and McNully sat in their usual places. McNully’s eyebrows perked up at Tonks’s last sentence as the girls sat down beside them.

“What did I miss? Who has drunk a love potion?”

Lizzie waved her hand in dismissal. “Not like you think, McNully. Sorry to disappoint. Skye got hit by a wave of Amortentia this morning. Don’t ask,” she cut his questions off preliminary.

Orion looked puzzled. “Love comes to us in the strangest forms; time and place can never be predicted.”

He seemed to be completely oblivious to Rowan’s deeply blushing face. Lizzie noticed, however, trying not to let her grin gain the upper hand.

“Is Skye alright, tough?” Orion sounded concerned.

The girls exchanged glances, before shrugging simultaneously.

“We don’t know, really. She went off to get changed after Potions and we haven’t seen her since. Penny went to check on her, but she didn’t come back either,” Rowan explained.

Murphy spotted Penny approaching them. “Chances are at 98,4 % we’re going to find out in the next five minutes.”

Lizzie shuffled closer to Orion to make room for Penny to sit down beside her. Her face was pale and looked like something had seriously rattled her.

“Penny, are you alright? Is everything okay with Skye?” Lizzie asked tentatively.

She didn’t answer at once, busying herself with filling her plate. “Yes, I think so. I mean, she will be, I guess. Enjoy your meal.”

She avoided Lizzie’s questioning gaze. When Lizzie opened her mouth to question her further, she shook her head.

“Give it a rest, Lizzie. Let’s just eat in peace, alright?”

They sat in silence for a while, every one preoccupied with their food. Lizzie couldn’t fully enjoy it, though. Her mind was still circling around Skye’s absence and Penny’s odd behaviour. Something had happened between the two of them, and she very much intended to find out.

When Skye neither showed up to any of their afternoon classes, nor the strategy meeting Orion had set for the evening, Lizzie’s resolve turned into actual worry. It was unlike Skye to miss a meeting or endanger her position on the team in such a way as skipping multiple classes in a row.

After conferring with Orion about what to do, Lizzie bundled herself up against the cold October winds and set out towards the Quidditch pitch. The light was fading fast and the clouds racing across the skies made her long for the cosy fire back at the Common Room.

She found Skye where she had expected her to be, huddled up on the Hufflepuff stands. She sat on one of the benches, hugging her knees and looking thoroughly miserable. The only time Lizzie could remember seeing her this downcast was in Lizzie’s first Quidditch season, when a stray bludger from Rath had prevented her from playing in the final match for the Cup.

Lizzie hesitated for a moment, hidden in the shadows of the wooden stairs leading down to the pitch. She wondered how to best approach her friend. Skye and she had been friends for a long time now, but not without their ups and downs. Skye was prone to shutting people out when dealing with her emotions and Lizzie wanted to take no chances.

Eventually she approached the wretched looking girl and silently sat down beside her. Were it not for the quick side glance Skye gave her, Lizzie couldn’t have even been there for all that Skye acknowledged her presence. For a few moments, neither of them spoke until Lizzie chose to break the silence.

“You missed the team meeting earlier.”

Skye shuffled uncomfortably next to her. “I know.”

“And class as well. We covered for you. Told the professors you were at the Hospital Wing because of adverse reactions to the Amortentia.”

Skye swallowed audibly. “Thanks.” She was still staring down at the pitch. The light was fading fast and the commentary box opposite to where they were sitting was almost indiscernible. The cold was creeping up from the damp wood they were sitting on. Lizzie shuddered.

“No need to thank me. You know what happens when we bunk off class. Can’t have you kicked off the team when the Ravenclaw match is so close.”

“I guess so.”

Again, they sat in silence. Lizzie was still trying to figure out how to go about this when Skye spoke up on her own accord.

“I really botched it this time, Lizzie,” she muttered. Her voice was agitated.

Lizzie pulled the sleeves of her Hufflepuff sweater over her increasingly freezing hands and turned slightly so as to better face her.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Skye buried her face in her hands. “I asked Penny on a date.”

Lizzie’s eyes went wide at that. “You did what?”

Skye ran her hand through her dark hair in a distraught manner, her signature plait almost coming undone. Lizzie had never seen her so upset before.

“All this because of that bloody love potion! I swallowed quite a bit when those damn scales fell into the cauldron. Got me all funny in my head. When Penny came to check on me after I missed class, I was lying upside down on my bed, giggling like a little girl,” she snorted in contempt. “She was so sweet to me – she always is – and I just couldn’t hold my tongue. So I asked her out.”

With a groan at the memory, she buried her face into her hands once again.

Tentatively, Lizzie placed her hand on Skye’s arm. “What did she say?”

Skye’s head shot up again, an incredulous look on her face. “Why do you think I’ve been hiding up here? Of course she said no!” She started imitating the sorrowful tone Penny used when one of her friends was troubled. “’I’m so sorry Skye, I like you so much, but I’m not attracted to you in that way’.” She let her head drop onto her knees with a dull thump.

Lizzie didn’t know how to respond. She’d had no idea Skye had a thing for the blonde, bubbly girl. Thinking of Rowan for a second, Lizzie began severely doubting her attentiveness towards her friends’ emotions. It also explained the increasingly strange behaviour Skye had shown lately whenever Penny had been around.

“I’m so sorry, Skye,” Lizzy said softly. “I wish you had told me before. I knew Penny isn’t into girls.”

Anger flared up on Skye’s freckled face. “You’re telling me now? Thanks for keeping this small detail from me.”

Lizzie flinched. It was exactly as she had feared. When hurt, Skye had a tendency to lash out at the next best person she could deflect her anger upon, no matter if warranted or not. It was not the first time Lizzie had become the target of her emotions.

“Skye, calm down, I didn’t know you had any feelings for her.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down! I just made myself a complete idiot in front of her. And it’s not like I can just avoid her or anything as we happen to share the same bloody dorm!”

Her mortification seemed to have completely turned into a burning rage she now directed at her helpless friend.

“Yes, I know, but this is not my fault. So please stop yelling at me.” Lizzie ran her hand over her hair, brushing away the rogue strands the wind had pulled out of her ponytail. This was not going the way she had imagined.

She sighed. “Who could have known Tonks pulling a prank could end in such drama?”

Skye shot up off the bench. “Tonks hexed the scales? And you knew and never thought to warn me? All this fuss needn’t have happened had you just opened you goddamn mouth!”

Lizzie’s felt her exasperation beginning to turn into anger as well. “There was nothing I could have done! Tonks only told us seconds before it happened, so get a grip,” she snapped impatiently.

“Whatever. I’m done with this.” Skye pushed past her and made for the exit. Without another word she hopped down the stairs and vanished into the darkness.

Her anger fading as quickly as it had come up, Lizzie let herself fall back onto the bench and pinched the bridge of her nose, suddenly feeling very exhausted.

This was going to be a problem.

#art of balance #lizzie jameson #orion amari #orion x mc #orion amari x mc #hphm #hogwarts mystery #skye parkin #penny haywood #quidditch #quidditch squad #the quidditch squad

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k-writer1998 · 4 years

Text

Stepping Back

Prompt fic: baker! seungmin x florist! reader

angsty fluff

w.c: 2.2k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Seungmin you’re always so rough with the dough. If you keep that up the bread is gonna be tough again,” Felix pointed out as he passed by the boy’s workstation.

With a groan Seungmin threw the dough back into the bowl right before the front bell rang. Felix shooed the boy to the front as he went to handle the abandoned dough. Seungmin and the kitchen never seem to get along yet how he ended up working at a bakery is a mystery. The pay was good and the work wasn’t that bad, except for the need to bake things and a few weird customers. The top of his list being the owner's niece who stops by to help her uncle tend to the plants in the bakery. As he puts it "her mom took all the gardening genes leaving plants to die under my care." She as a person wasn't weird, many would say she's endearing with her bubbly personality, the weird part is her "usual" she asks for every time she comes in. The usual is whatever was freshly made the night before but it took a bit for Seungmin to learn that so whenever her voice says "the usual" there is always the slightest hint of annoyance that jabs at him. Why she asks for those goods specifically was beyond him as he knew that usually it's Felix and him making those.

If it hasn't been noticed yet, Seungmin was in a particularly foul mood today. I mean as a stressed college student who barely gets sleep he's never quite in a pleasant mood but today was more than usual as he has back to back exams and project deadlines approaching. The poor dough was the first victim and unbeknownst to all the second was the poor girl who walked through the door. As always she gave him a sunny smile before she said those four cursed words to Seungmin.

“I’ll have the usual.”

“You say that every time.”

Due to the stress, his self-restraint lacked as the comment fell from his lips naturally but Y/n was unfazed. Her smile stayed in place as she walked around the counter to grab the watering can and started to water the shop’s plants. If he didn’t have school consuming his mind then maybe he would have understood the meaning behind the little glances she stole at him or the light blush that danced across her cheeks when she locked eyes with him. Instead it only further annoyed him but the pushing force was the small giggle that escaped her lips as she took a bite.

“I get that you like to come here and make fun of me but could you at least make it not so obvious?”

At his sudden burst y/n jumped before a look of confusion crossed her face. She had just giggled in glee at the realization that Seungmin had made this batch because as the baker’s niece, y/n had seasoned taste buds. Why was he so mad?

“Make fun of you? Seungmin I would never do that.”

“Yeah, okay,” he rolled his eyes as he turned to walk away but she got up and grabbed his wrist.

“Wait, I’m being serious. Why would you think that?”

“Just give it a rest y/n.”

“No, Seungmin-”

“Well obviously I can feel you watching me and half the time I bring your order you laugh at me. You order a “usual” as if there was anything usual about your order. If anything you just like messing with me and just hide behind the fact you’re the owner’s niece,” he snapped.

“That’s not the reason I- Do you really think that of me?”

In that moment, as y/n looked at him with a pained expression, Seungmin snapped from his irritated state, guilt flushing his system instead. Both parties were frozen there for a moment. Neither of them knew the other well enough to understand that y/n hates being accused because of a misunderstanding and Seungmin will bite back if backed into a corner. Y/n was the first to drop her gaze and her hold on his wrist, sadly he didn’t know what else to do but to remove himself from the situation. Another beat passed before the weight that seemed to be crushing y/n released and she quickly took the chance to escape before the tears fell. Felix wondered why Seungmin flew past him in a flurry but catching y/n leaving in the same manner with the pastry abandoned on the table, and the fact he heard the male’s raised voice, it was easy to tell what went on.

After that she stopped showing up around Seungmin’s shifts and as the days passed the guilt grew. His nights were spent trying to figure out how to apologize, beating himself up, or wondering how much she must hate him that sleep wasn’t really an option. That took a toll on him though so one night as he and Felix were prepping for the next day and waiting for the oven to finish cooking the tart shells, Seungmin ended up falling asleep in the front. There was the slightest click as the lock opened and y/n slipped in, grabbing the bells to stop the soft jingling that would alert the boys. She just needed to grab her forgotten notebook, from when she came in earlier. She rounds the counter and sees it tucked under the register like her uncle said but she was not prepared to see the sleeping boy when she whirled around. She silently grabs her chest in surprise but when she noticed his gentle breathing, she relaxed. Her eyes softened, regardless of the fact she was avoiding him, she still missed him. Y/n's body moved closer before her brain had time to resist and squatted at the end of the table to be level with Seungmin. As she was fighting the urge to reach out and touch his hair, a voice called out which made her stand and snap her head in the direction of the voice.

“Y/n? What are you doing here so late?”

“ … I forgot my notebook when I stopped by to water the plants earlier.”

“How are you holding up?”

Y/n knew what Felix meant by the question as his eyes darted past her to the boy who was still asleep. She looked down, her hands suddenly looking so much more interesting.

“It’s hard. I acted on my own whims, not even taking into consideration how he would feel…”

“I’m sorry he’s so dense, but he didn’t mean what he said. Even if he won’t admit it, his eyes keep looking for yo-”

“Felix don’t. Not the false hope…”

She cuts Felix off before she turns to look at Seungmin’s sleeping figure. Her hand moves to touch his hair but freezes mere centimeters away.

“Even this is too much. I like him so much it hurts,” y/n’s voice trembles as she hesitantly pulls her hand back and gives Felix a weak smile. “I’m sorry, I should go.”

She quickly collected her things and exited the bakery. With a gentle shake of his head and a sigh, Felix went back to the kitchen to take the tart shells from the oven which left a guilty Seungmin to finally raise his head. He had woken up mid-conversation, meaning he heard the indirect confession and the pain behind it. The guilt he felt for snapping at her now grew by tenfold. The next few days Seungmin continued to wait to hear her cheerful voice enter the bakery but it never came. Felix, tired of watching two of his friends play this stupid game of cat and mouse, decided to step in.

“I seriously can’t with the two of you. If she doesn’t come here why don’t you go to her?”

“I- What are you talking ab-”

“Seungmin who do you think you’re kidding here? You miss having her around whether you admit it or not. You aren’t one to sit back and wait, so why are you doing it now?”

Felix had a point and Seungmin knew it. He wasn’t one to let things fester like this and he wasn’t quite sure why this was different than any other situation. He wasn’t sure of what he felt towards y/n right now but he didn’t like where they currently stood. Felix said that he could watch the bakery on his own before pushing Seungmin out the door, leaving the boy no more room to hesitate. Running into a situation without a plan wasn’t like Seungmin but he liked the spark of spontaneity as his feet broke into a run. Before he knew it he had burst through the door of the flower shop, giving y/n quite the shock by both the loud entrance and the boy who caused it.

“Seungmin? Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, he struggled to catch his breath. Concern swelled her body as she rounded the counter and was beside the boy in seconds, looking out the windows in an attempt to catch a glimpse at what was apparently chasing the boy. The fact that she was hiding from him was thrown to the wind but it came back the moment she felt his hand on her shoulder as he stood tall. By then it was too late because she was now stuck in his grasp but as much as she started to panic so did Seungmin. He charged over here with no plan whatsoever and he had no idea where to start. As his eyes quickly scanned the interior of the florist shop his eyes landed on the bouquet in process sitting on the counter and everything clicked in his mind.

“I’m fine, didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just in urgent need of a bouquet.”

“Oh… what’s the occasion? You seem in a rush so I can pull something together really quick.”

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Sounds like you caused trouble,” she responded with a small laugh as she went to grab a few flowers. “Tulips for forgiveness and new beginnings, a touch of ivy for support, and a few pink roses to show you appreciate them… How bad did you mess up?”

“Well they aren’t talking to me so I would say pretty bad.”

“Then we are definitely going to need to add some white orchids to show your sincerity.”

As Seungmin watched her move around the flower shop he realized how much he missed seeing her in her element like this, even if he pretended to find her annoying. It was also a show of how little he truly knew about her other than the basic things he heard from her uncle, and there it was that guilty feeling again. He swallowed it down as he watched her put the seemingly odd array of flowers together. Y/n on the other hand felt the heat of his gaze on her as she worked and she realized how Seungmin must’ve felt when she watched him, it made her nervous. With a final tie of the ribbon Seungmin’s bouquet was finished and as she handed it to him she couldn’t help but ask. She justified her curiosity as normal questions she would usually ask customers.

“Here they’re on the house. Hope the person forgives you, who are they anyways?”

“No you have to let me pay,” he demanded as he pushed the cash into her hand before he shoved the bouquet back onto her. “I can’t let you pay for your own apology bouquet.”

Her mouth fell agape as she looked wide eyed at Seungmin. She was able to recover her wits enough to shake her head in confusion.

“Why are you apologizing? I was the one who was making you uncomfortable at work.”

“You really weren’t. It’s no excuse but I was extremely irritable that day because of all the stress from school and I just so happened to take it out on you. Y/n you didn’t deserve me speaking to you like that, I’m sorry.”

The sincerity in his eyes burned the blush onto her cheeks so she had to break the eye contact before he noticed. Looking down at the bouquet she had a bright idea because she still felt a bit apologetic for her own actions that day as well.

“Thanks… I’ll accept your apology but you have to accept this as well,” y/n held out a white orchid to the boy with a soft smile. “I am partially responsible cause I kept pushing you and that’s my fault.”

“Deal.”

As they both smiled at each other, both holding their own flowers, the tension between them melted and something in Seungmin changed. Did her smile always make him feel like this? His hands felt clammy and his heart started to pick up speed as he felt warmth creep up his face. Apparently he was full of impulsive decisions today and this one really was the cream of the crop as the words tumbled from his lips.

“Actually there was one more thing I wanted to tell you...”

I mean things work out… they just don’t know it yet.

#skz gc prompts #stray kids #skz #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz scenarios #kim seungmin #seungmin scenarios #seungmin imagines #seungmin oneshot #stray kids oneshot #skz oneshot #my writing

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averagesmw · 4 years

Text

Penny Haywood x MC- The way I see you

Game: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

A/N: This takes place in a universe where Bea didn't get snatched by the portrait curse and had a normal year

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A pair of beautiful blue eyes slowly opened and blinked a couple of times to adjust to the light of a new day

These were the eyes of someone who had just woken up in a mess of blonde hair and still managed to look so cute despite not being properly dressed

Making her way through the sheets, the young Hufflepuff sat on her bed, yawning and stretching when her mind brought her the sudden reminder

This was the day she was craving for

A big smile appeared on her face the minute this realization hit her

You see, this day marked the second year of Penny Haywood's formal relationship with Y/N L/N

Well, as formal as a relationship in Hogwarts can be

And speaking of, there was an object in her nightstand, something that's not supposed to be there normally

The blonde looked at the novelty in her piece and discovered a cupcake made of her favorite flavor with a small note attached to it

"To start your day the way you like it"

In order to contain her excitement, Penny grabbed her pillow and muffled her happy screams in it. Thankfully, not many were around to hear it anyway

She knew exactly who had left this gift. This day was already proving to be brilliant

Without further due, she changed into her robes and did her hair, taking less than a minute to do her iconic braids. So many times she had done them, it just came to her naturally

And so, she walked off to the common room, where she saw the house ghost looking at the plants

"Good morning, Friar"

The ghost turned around to look at her, a smile immediately appearing

"Good morning, miss Haywood. I trust you had a good sleep?"

She nodded eagerly, that's when the friar noticed the pastry in her hands

"Is that from who I think it is?"

She raised the object so her friend could get a better look at the freshly baked object

"It is! Today's the day"

A joyful laugh came from the Friar upon hearing the news

"Then allow me to congratulate you on your second year together! You two are the purest couple I've seen in decades"

Haywood found herself flattered by this comment. However, it wasn't the only one of its kind

Practically all of Hogwarts cheered on the two of them, some going as far as to call them the "power couple" of Hogwarts. It was funny how easy they warmed up to Y/N after being saved a couple of times

Some others were insistent that they could be a better suitor for Penny, or that hanging out with curse breaker would only result in tragedy. While things did get interesting, every situation could be handled by their combined effort

With the help of their friends too, of course

"Well, if you want to know where your lover is, try looking at the courtyard"

"Will do, thanks, friar!"

With that, she left the common room and headed straight to the place suggested to her

Penny was excited, not only because this date meant a lot to her, but her curiosity was piqued. Her relationship with Y/N was unique, and as some sort of tradition, one of the two would give a present to the other

The first year was an enchanted bracelet that Penny gifted Y/N that would bond them even at the distance. This year, however, the curse breaker insisted on being the one that gave her something, and judging by the way they talked about it, it would be incredible

Walking down one of the halls, the young Haywood was met by her sister, Bea

"I see you finally woke up! Thought I'd have to call Tonks to set up a prank on you"

"Good morning to you too, Bea"

They shared a laugh as they kept walking. Bea had just started her year at the school but she was adapting surprisingly well

While the Haywoods made their way to the courtyard, memories began to flood Penny's sweet mind

Memories of the night it all began, the Celestial Ball. Y/N agreed on setting up the dance and chose Penny to be their date for it

Little did she know, they had a surprise for her at the event. Gifting her a necklace, the star of Hogwarts asked her to be their partner in front of the people at the party

She almost teared up at the question, but it was a yes ultimately. Everyone cheered at this and the dance that followed was just as breathtaking

The sound of music and chatter brought Penny back to reality, seeing as they had reached their destination. However, her eyes sparkled when she found a certain someone not far away from her

"There you are!"

When they heard her voice, they welcomed her with open eyes

"Goldie! Good to see you!"

She ran towards her lover, who caught her in a hug and even spun them around in a playful manner

All the while, the other person that was with Y/N used a spell to conceal something. Bea saw what it was, but agreed to "look away"

"Tou liked the cupcake?"

"I loved it! Thank you so much"

She gave them a tender kiss on the cheek before breaking the hug to see what was Y/N doing in the courtyard. That's when she spotted an unusual figure there as well

"Badeea? Good to see you" she received a gentle smile from her

"Likewise, Penny, and congratulations"

She smiled and then gave her lover a curious look

"What are you doing here?"

"We're... "

They stopped to look at Badeea in hopes of getting some help, but she just shrugged

"...Working on something important. It's for later!"

"Can I see?"

Without losing their smile, Y/N shook their head

"I said it's for later, Penny. You'll have to wait"

A saddened Penny tried her best to bribe Y/N into confessing by making puppy eyes. It almost worked, if not for another voice to join the scene

One could argue that the whole scene was saved by...Tonks

"Finally, we were looking for you!"

The voice came from the pink-haired girl, who was accompanied by Tulip, both glad to see their blonde friend

This sudden change made Penny drop her act to welcome heir friends

"Girls? What can I help you with?"

"We need your help to choose some ingredients!

"Ingredients for what?"

"For a prank, of course!" Tulip chimes in

"Did we mention there is a discount on potion-making equipment?"

Upon hearing Tonks's words, Penny's eyes went bright like a kid in a candy shop

However, as good as this offer was, the memory of her agenda came back to haunt her

"It's tempting..."

Then, she looked back at her lover with a saddened smile

"But I wanted to spend the day with Y/N"

While the curse breaker was touched by this heartwarming statement, they smiled tenderly at her while putting a hand on her shoulder

"Oh Penny, don't worry, I'll be waiting for you!"

"Are you sure?"

She got a nod from them

"Just promise to have fun"

Penny was surprised by their attitude, but she appreciated that she wouldn't have to choose, so she approached them and gave them a quick peck on the lips

"You're the best"

With that, she walked out of the courtyard along with Tonks, Beatrice, and Tulip. All while Y/N waved them goodbye

Once they were out of sight, however, the kind smile turned into a sigh as they turned back and made the object reappear

"What do you think? Is it ready?" He asked Badeea

She approached it and inspected closely, with her hand on her chin

"I think it's almost done! Just cast the spell and then we wait for it to take effect"

They nodded and with their hand at the ready

"Capillum fluit"

Then, something started to move within the object, a graceful wave that was almost hypnotic

" It's beautiful, brilliant job, Y/N!" Badeea clapped

"Thank you!"

Y/N took one last look at this, their proudest achievement yet, aside from solving the vaults

"I just hope she likes it just as much"

...

Meanwhile, at Hogsmeade, Penny walked in the company of her sister, Tulip, and Tonks, the latter being the guide

"So, what prank are you going to pull?"

Penny asked deciding to break the ice. This question made Tulip and Tonks look at each other before nodding

"That may or may not be a lie, Penny" The redhead started

"We do need your help, but it's something much more akin to your expertise as a potion-maker!" Tonks added

They stopped to give Penny a small piece of paper containing a colorful add

"See, we heard that Honeydukes having a competition"

"It's to encourage students, but the reward sure is something!"

"What is it?" Bea inquired

"Six months' worth of chocolate frogs!"

There were gasps after hearing that. Those were some of the best treats Honeydukes had to offer! There would be more than enough to share with their friends

Penny looked away from the piece of paper and now focused on Tonks, with that determined look on her face

"And what do we have to do?"

Hearing this earned a smile from the girls, Bea even cheered a bit to see her big sister on board for this

"The team that creates the potion that smells the sweetest wins!"

"That's where you come in, you get to be our brilliant leader!"

"I don't know Tulip, I-"

"Too late! We've arrived!"

The sound of a nearby crowd ended the conversation. Those must be the other participants

Penny froze for a second, looking at all those people competing to get the same reward. She had won intern tournaments, but this was something else entirely

Then, she felt her robes being tugged, the cause being her younger sister

"Come on, it will be fun! Plus I want to see you in action"

"I...I don't know if I can do this"

" You're Penny Haywood! You knew most potions before they even taught them!

"Girl, you know how to do most of them on your sleep!"

"See? You got this, sister!"

The way the girls talked about her made Penny's cheeks turn red. Of course, she had received compliments before, but they just sounded so confident in this, even made it sound like it would be a walk in the park for her

It was true that she was one of the most proficient at school. Perhaps it would translate well into this competition?

Who knows, but it was an idea worth entertaining

"... alright, let's do this"

The girls cheered in unison before taking Penny to them to register their team for the upcoming challenge

Tonks got them a place in the contest, the last one available. While still unsure of this decision as the teams were announced, the blonde saw the look other people were giving her

Some seemed to recognize and were in awe, some others saw her as a rival to be dealt with. It was just like Hogwarts

So she would handle it as such

As soon as the competition started, Penny started barking orders to her teammates, making sure they understood what they were doing and most importantly, cheering on them

And so It begun, Tonks gathered the ingredients while trying her best not to drop any of them on accident

Tulip kept assisting Penny in the process of making the bomb. It was new for her, making something that wasn't intended to smell putrid

Bea followed in her sister's footsteps and acted as some sort of cheerleader while also assisting where needed...also keeping Tonks away from fragile things

While listening to what she was saying and how she was encouraging her teammates to do their best, one could see the indirect influence of a certain curse breaker

They were, after all, the most convincing person at Hogwarts. Who else could convince a student to fight a bloody troll?

After thirty minutes, the alarm sounded, echoing through the establishment and forced everyone to stop what they were doing, but it also gave everyone a chance to catch their breath after such an exhausting experience

The judge approached every team and smelled every potion until he reached the girls' stand and took their potion. His expression changed for the better when he smelled it, he raised the vial and proudly proclaimed

"Everyone, I think we have a winner!"

They gasped when they heard that, they couldn't believe that their team effort had taken them that far. Claps from the other competitors and the crowds of spectators came their way

"We...we won..."

Penny stood breathless, adjusting to the news when she was suddenly hugged by Bea, then Tonks and sure enough, Tulip

"All thanks to our brilliant leader!" Stated her sister

"Thank you so much for your help, Penny!" Added the metamorhmagus

"Bringing you here was the best decision by far!" Tulip admitted as well

They hugged her as if they were a Quidditch team embracing their most important player after winning the finals. To think that it wouldn't have been like that if she hadn't chosen to tag along in the cursed vaults

Penny knew she was lucky to have so many true friends, and she hugged them back like so

After having their photograph taken, the announcer approached them and gave them a certificate that would serve as a trophy for them, but also ensure that they would get their prize.

Shortly after, they celebrated their victory at the Three Broomsticks, the first round being courtesy of Madam Rosmerta

It had been so much fun, it was so easy to forget that the group had spent two and a half hours away from Hogwarts

Tonks suggested going back to Hogwarts to make sure nothing would happen to the certificate, but that Penny would keep it since she had led the team to a smashing victory

And so, they boarded the train back to their welcoming school, chatting as they traveled

When they entered the main hall, however, the atmosphere drastically changed

"This way, hurry!"

Badeea's shaky voice echoed through the hall, catching the girls by surprise

Then, the artist herself came rushing at them with a worried look to her, and behind her, was Y/N being practically dragged by her

They rushed past the group, without even stopping to talk, but straight out the doors and out of Hogwarts, leaving the four students beyond astonished

Penny wasn't surprised to see that, Y/N would get into an adventure without even looking for one

What surprised her was the fact that they were holding hands

It wasn't that big of a deal

Right?

It was just Y/N hanging out with Badeea and solving something

Like the past three months that they've spent together working on something that she couldn't see

Again

"That was... unexpected" Tonks was the first one to break the silence

"Should we follow them?" Bea asked, preparing herself for another adventure

Tulip shook her head in disagreement

"I didn't even see where they went"

But then, they noticed the silent blonde, who stared at the door longingly

"Penny, are you alright?"

"I...I don't know. I was expecting Y/N to at least say hi."

The pink-haired girl then wrapped her arm around her

"You know how it is with Y/N, sometimes they have to go and save everyone with just seconds of anticipation"

"You're right..." A sigh followed this reply

"Don't be sad, sis, I'm sure Y/N will have something for you!"

"And we'll stand by you until they come back"

Tulip stood proudly in front of her, making the others nod in agreement. Penny couldn't help but smile at this display

"Thank you, girls"

And so they sat at the staircase, already chatting to find a way to keep themselves entertained in the meantime

It wouldn't be long before Y/N returned, right?

...wrong

Four hours later

Tonks had fallen asleep, Tulip was casting sparks of the top of her wand to keep herself entertained and Hagrid had asked Bea for her help with some Puffskeins

"Yeah, until they come back..." Penny whispered

Her voice made Tulip sit up, finally listening to something after so much silence. Wonder where everyone was at this time

"You know Tulip, you can go now if you wish, I don't want to keep you waiting here all night with me."

"Are you sure? It's not a problem"

She got a nod from the saddened blonde

"Yes, don't worry about--"

That's when the doors were heard again and this time, it was loud enough to wake Tonks up and make the rest of them stand up and at this person

It was Y/N, with their clothes dirty and tattered, scratches all over them, and even some small cuts

Penny hated a few things. Being late to a class, werewolves, and above all, seeing Y/N like that

"Hello, girls" Y/N smiled with whatever energy they had left

"What happened to you?" Tulip asked directly

"I... It's a long story. Do you mind if I steal Penny?"

This caught the Hufflepuff by surprise. Now they wanted to see her?

Their friends gave her a thumbs up and sighing, Penny looked back at Y/N

"Yes?"

"I need to show you something"

Y/N took their hand and tried to move but was stopped by Penny herself

"No, you need to tell me what happened with Badeea and to you"

"I will, but in private. Please"

They locked eyes for a moment, her stern gaze couldn't hold against Y/N's subtly pleading eyes and that simile, that smile she couldn't deny

"...fine"

So she allowed herself to be taken away by Y/N. She was a bit mad because Badeea took them away, and by the hand nonetheless

It didn't help that they frequented each other quite a lot recently

But also because they were away for so long. Penny at least remembered she had something special today

But her thoughts were met with a heartwarming reveal. It was Y/N's bracelet, the one gift she had given him

As they were holding hands, she could get a clear view of it. Despite Y/N's roughed look, this accessory still looked as good

It was as if it had been enchanted with a protective spell every day

This didn't align with her theories, why would Y/N keep it and take care of it so dearly if they were with the other girl so much

The doors of the secret room took Penny out of her thoughts and by the time she knew it, she was in that special room that Y/N's brother used as a headquarter before disappearing

Y/N themselves would use it whenever they needed to review something in private

However, they had changed quite a few things. They organized the notes that were just scattered all over the floor and even managed to sneak in a bed for those times that they were too tired to reach the common room

Once they were in the area, Y/N let go of her hand to stand in front of Penny, scratching the back of their neck

"First, I'm incredibly sorry I arrived so late here"

"I'm sure there is quite a story behind that" The blonde answered with her arms crossed

"There is, but first, I want to show you this"

Y/N took a couple of steps back and turned towards something covered in a gray cloth

"I've done a few brilliant things in my time here, but this one is my favorite one by far"

They grabbed the cloth and removed it to reveal a portrait of Penny herself, enchanted so that her beautiful blonde hair would continuously flow as if blessed by a gentle breeze

Her blue eyes sparkled with hope and her tender smile was enough to turn any bad day into a good one

Penny's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth when she saw this painting in front of her. She tried to study every detail of this sparkling portrait but found herself too distracted by the fact that she was looking at a depiction of herself

"You...you made this?"

She asked almost breathless. Y/N was eager to hear her voice again

"Yes, and that's when the story chimes in."

Penny moved her gaze slightly so that she was now looking at the curse breaker, without losing her shocked expression

"You see, Badeea offered to tutor me in this painting when I told her that I wanted to give you something big, that's why we spent so much time together, we even invented a spell for this specific portrait"

Then, Y/N sighed, recalling the next part of the story

"But then Peeves stole it and we ended up going to the Forbidden Forest to get it. I had to duel an Acromantula to get it and--"

Y/N found themselves unable to finish their story due to Penny's soft lips crashing into them, she even brought their head closer with her hands

Of course, they returned the kiss as soon as they were able to process what was going on

"You went through all of that trouble, just for me"

Penny thought out loud, in awe of what she had just heard. This boosted Y/N's confidence, and they moved her hair to the side while looking at her in the eye

"I...I wanted you to see yourself the way I do"

This time it was Y/N who leaned in for a kiss, getting a taste of her warm lips that just craved theirs

"Although I'm sad that it took all day to show you. There was so much I wanted to do"

The curse breaker admitted with a hint of shame, making Penny giggle. It was astounding how they could be incredibly confident to steal a kiss and then be as cute as a child just seconds later

Then Penny looked at the bed beside them, an idea immediately came to mind

"Well, we can always cuddle"

And cuddle they did. It was a good thing that they didn't have classes the next day, so they could spend a bit more time in each other's warm company

Penny Haywood had it all, beauty, intelligence, unrivaled charm, and yet, she couldn't help but feel like she was the lucky one

And as she snuggled against her lover's chest, she allowed herself to rest, knowing that even if she might fear from time to time that someone could take Y/N away from her...

...They would always find a way back, always

#penny haywood x jacob's sibling #penny haywood #penny haywood x mc #hogwarts mystery

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uomo-accattivante · 4 years

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Several people have asked me about the Juilliard classmate who co-starred with Oscar in the school’s production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Her name was Sarah Fox, and she was destined to become a star, in her own right, before sadly becoming a victim of a still-unsolved homicide in May, 2004.

The following is a quote about Oscar’s statement to the New York Times and the article it originated from:

“Oscar Isaac, a fellow third-year drama student, said Ms. Fox was known for her constellation of hugs. The one reserved exclusively for Mr. Isaac would require each of them to tickle each other's backs while embracing.”

(📷: Serena Reeder)

Her story has much of the familiar ring of the young aspirant's tale. She was a radiant young woman with a repertoire of special hugs, imbued with talent and brimming with hope. From the far reaches of New Jersey, she came to study at one of New York's fabled cultural institutions and to wonder if one day destiny might find her. People took notice. She glowed.

Sarah Fox's story ended when her badly decomposed body was found on Tuesday by a volunteer search party in the thickets near a jogging path in Inwood Hill Park in northern Manhattan. Positive identification was made yesterday, law enforcement authorities said, after her mother presented dental records to the medical examiner's office.

The police said that she had been strangled, though they were uncertain whether by hand or by another method, and they could not determine if she had been sexually assaulted. The bizarre placement of petals and branches from a tulip tree around the body raised the question that the killing may have had a ritualistic element. The police said they were without suspects but were casting a wide net.

Ms. Fox was 21, 5 feet 2 inches tall, with blue eyes and strawberry blond hair that she wore short on the sides and spiked on top. She was a student in the drama department at the Juilliard School, the performing arts conservatory at Lincoln Center. The rarefied air of its sleekly modern buildings have produced a long list of hallowed names including Miles Davis, Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Nina Simone and Robin Williams.

Ms. Fox was starry-eyed with her own high aspirations for a stage career. She drew a favorable response for her versatility, just as convincingly playing the conniving Natasha in Chekhov's ''Three Sisters'' as she did a bird in the Aristophanes play ''The Birds.'' A fellow drama student at Juilliard remarked on how ''brave, open, accomplished'' she was as an actress.

Recently, though, she had taken a leave from the school. Her relatives said she had found Juilliard very demanding and simply needed a brief interlude to replenish herself. She intended to resume her studies in the fall as a third-year student.

The abrupt and jarring end to her life left Juilliard bewildered. The discovery equally stunned the city itself. Though Ms. Fox's movements in the hours leading to her death remain unclear, it appears that a young woman went out to jog well before dusk, in a park where children played and people walked their dogs, only to encounter a murderer that no one saw.

For an hour and a half yesterday morning, members of the Juilliard drama department gathered to collectively address her death. This took place in Room 304, a classroom that has become something of a designated grieving room. In recent years, similar grim assemblages occurred. Several years ago, another third-year drama student was found dead and the room filled up. It did again last year when a student's sister was murdered. It was the same place where students gathered after Sept. 11.

In the room that one student characterized as ''an emotional vortex,'' more than 150 people mourned Sarah Fox, an astonishing number given that classes had ended for the academic year a week ago and many students had dispersed. A second-year drama student who attended the session said the event was ''uplifting'' even though virtually everyone was in tears. Ms. Fox's boyfriend, a Juilliard drama graduate, was among those who spoke.

Later in the day, about 70 students and faculty members returned to campus for a half-hour memorial service in one of the dance studios. Filing out of the building, Jane Cho, 31, a former piano student and now a career counselor at Juilliard, said, ''It was dark and a lot of people were crying.''

Joseph W. Polisi, Juilliard's president, issued a statement saying: ''She reached out eloquently to others through her exceptional ability as an actress. Her senseless loss leaves us all feeling a profound sorrow.''

Ms. Fox grew up in a family of modest means in Pennsauken, in southern New Jersey. She had an older sister, Samantha. Her father, a car mechanic, died of cancer 10 years ago, and her mother sometimes held two jobs to raise the two girls. She currently lives in Gibbstown, N.J., and is a manager for a mortgage company.

Ms. Fox caught the acting bug as a girl and filled her summers performing in shows. She also developed a strong interest in music, and she liked to jog to keep fit.

In an interview with The Courier-Post of New Jersey before her daughter's body was found, Lorraine Fox recounted how she had impressed on Sarah the dangers of the world. When Sarah was little, they played a game called ''What If?'' Her mother would ask a question like, ''What if a stranger came up and asked you to help find a dog?''

Ms. Fox would learn the answers, which were always, ''No.''

During high school, she was a member of the first class of the Southern New Jersey Academy of the Performing Arts, a division of the Gloucester County Institute of Technology in Sewell. Eileen Shute, a spokeswoman for the school, said Ms. Fox was an A student and a ''quality young lady.''

According to the school's yearbook, she belonged to the fine arts club and the thespian society and had leading parts in a number of major productions, including Rosalind in Shakespeare's early romantic comedy ''As You Like It.'' Classmates were amused when she and her date once showed up at a dance dressed as Sonny and Cher.

At the back of her 2001 yearbook, she is pictured in the front row of her graduating class. The headline over the photo reads: ''The perfect end to a beautiful beginning''

Her talent gained her admission with a full scholarship to Juilliard in the fall of 2001, where she seemed to have become well-liked and admired by students and teachers.

Several classmates said she had a knack for knowing when other people needed a jolt of confidence. When one student assumed that no one had remembered his birthday, Ms. Fox put up on a drama department message board a brown paper bag on which she had scribbled, ''We haven't forgotten, Happy Birthday.'' Another time, she cheered up a student having trouble mastering his character in a play by leaving a note on a blackboard that said: ''Don't beat yourself up. You're immensely talented.''

It was her abilities on the stage as much as her robust personality that attracted attention. A number of students praised her leading performance in last year's production of Brecht's ''Caucasian Chalk Circle.'' ''She was 19 years old and was not a parent, but she played the mother so convincingly,'' said one recent graduate. ''It made you wonder where someone could get that sort of poise and wisdom.''

When she played a bird in ''The Birds,'' many who saw the performance said they thought it was enlightened casting. ''She was so light-spirited and in touch with her animal instincts,'' said Jess Weixler, another recent graduate.

Her family felt certain of her future. ''I have no doubt that we would have seen her name in lights one day on Broadway,'' said an uncle, Isaac Porter.

Oscar Isaac, a fellow third-year drama student, said Ms. Fox was known for her constellation of hugs. The one reserved exclusively for Mr. Isaac would require each of them to tickle each other's backs while embracing.

Ms. Fox shared an apartment in the Inwood section not far from where her body was found. It was in a five-story walkup building in a neighborhood whose relatively low rents have drawn an influx of younger people embarked on careers in the arts.

Her roommate reported her missing last Thursday. The last time her roommate saw her was at 5 p.m. the previous day. Wearing workout clothes and carrying a compact disc player, Ms. Fox was apparently on her way to her gym or to jog.

The police sent officers, helicopters and dogs to root through the thickly forested parks of Inwood. News of her disappearance galvanized her friends and family to do what they could. They tacked up hundreds of posters bearing her photograph. To further assist, Mr. Porter, an electrician from Millville, N.J., assembled a volunteer search party, composed largely of people from South Jersey, to fan out through Inwood Hill Park. The police had been there. But the family sensed that if anything had happened to Sarah Fox, it had happened there.

Early Tuesday afternoon, members of the search party sifted through a tangled area near a jogging path and found what they had hoped they wouldn't find. They found the end of Sarah Fox's story.

###

#oscar isaac #juilliard #sarah fox #group 34 #anton chekhov #three sisters

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third-generation-female-warrior · 4 years

Text

The Path we Walk

Talbott x Ravenclaw!Alexus oneshot

I just wanna see if anyone wants to read my writing (4,318 words) They’re idiots in love, you’re honor, with one count mutual pining in the 1st degree, and multiple accounts of angst/comfort in the 2nd degree.

Talbott Winger had never been an emotional person. Ever since he lost his parents when he was a child, he had no need nor want for emotions, or attachments to other people for that matter. He didn’t want that pain again.

So when Mr. Winger found himself feeling a romantic pull towards Alexus Johnson, a Ravenclaw girl in his year, he was torn perfectly between fear and annoyance.

He hadn’t initially thought there wasn’t anything remarkable about Alexus when he first met her when she was inquiring about being an animagus. Now, he knew otherwise. She was determined and clever, almost dangerously so. She had an annoying determination to be his friend, a dedication to him that had become endearing over time. He looked at her, and he saw someone he actually trusted, someone he let himself care about before he realized he cared about her. He furiously reflected on remarkable Alexus as he trudged up the snowy steps to the Owlery.

‘She’s annoying,’ he thought. ‘She’s insufferable, persistent. Too persistent. She’s quiet, comfortingly so. Clever. Too clever and too kind to the point where she seamlessly weaved through the obstacles and barriers that I had put up to keep the rest of the world out. Clever to where she could match wits with me, I didn’t even know I admired that…’

Talbott nearly screamed in frustration. As much as his head told him to resist, as much as he was reluctant to allow it, he’d only get hurt again, Alexus had definitely become one of his best friends before she became someone he was attracted to. Her closeness to him only intensified his feelings and he wasn’t sure if he hated it.

He shoved his hands into his pockets as he reached the entry to the Owlery. He looked forward only in time to see a face right before he collided into that person, chin first.

He stumbled back, clutching his jaw, brief yelling muffled into his palms. He glared down at the person who had stumbled back opposite to him. Then his expression softened when he saw that it was, of course, Alexus Johnson, like his life was a cliché novel that he himself wouldn’t bother to read.

But he didn’t let her see the waiver in the mask he wore, hardening his expression again into that of annoyance.

“I should have known it was you,” he snapped.

“Oh, sod off and watch where you’re going,” Alexus retorted, holding a hand to her forehead. That must have been where his chin collided, which made sense, since, not only was he considerably taller than most students, but she was rather shorter than most their year. This had led to more than one occasion of him daydreaming about holding her in his arms so she could tuck her head perfectly under his chin.

He let a small smirk cross his sharp face as he looked at her.

“Come here to sulk?” she continued.

“Only if you are,” he replied, earning a small laugh out of her.

“No, I was actually sending a letter to my mother…” she muttered the last bit, knowing the topic of mothers were rather touchy for the both of them.

Talbott imagined it was a rather large possibility that he was the only person who knew that her mother was almost totally despondent, ever since the infamous Jacob Johnson disappeared. There was also the mysterious fate of her father she grappled with. Though, what that fate was, Alexus still had not revealed to him. Her mother was a topic that Alexus had not divulged to him so easily, only in a moment of softness, when he revealed the tragedy of his parents. It was solid grief they felt for each other that night. Missing their family was another thing they had in common.

He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement, the silence between them that of a knowing air that no more words of the topic needed to be discussed.

“So, any new information on the Vaults?” he asked, changing to a topic that he knew she had no qualms talking about.

She shifted on her feet, thinking about her answer. “No. Not really. Cold leads, for a majority, but there is something promising that Jae Kim is looking into for me.”

“Yeah? What sort of things?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s… it’s probably for the best if you don’t know. The less you know, the safer.”

He scoffed at her words, but he didn’t press more. He had heard a rumor or seven about Alexus and Jae Kim’s exploits to spots with dark wizards. “Do you have anything you’re doing in the meantime?” he asked.

“Just regular student activities. Gotta do something to make the professors think I’m normal. Friends as well. Valentine’s is in a couple days and it seems some of the Circle is rather concerned. I should do things to take my mind off the Vaults, you know, and romance seems to be their answer.” She spoke with a hint of disdain at the prospect of her entire scenario, and Talbott wished he could sympathize, but no one was particularly interested in his own dating habits enough to berate him. But he would still imagine it was annoying.

“I’m sorry,” he said, grimacing at the prospects of forced social interaction.

“It’s all fine, but the worst of it is that they seemed determined to find a date for me rather than ask me whom I would like to be with.”

His heart faltered for just a second before fluttering. He swallowed before he spoke again, hoping nothing about him was betraying his internal eagerness. “Any likely candidates?” he asked, voice even.

“Actually, yes. For them, they seem to think Barnaby Lee would be a good distraction.”

Talbott heard glass shattering in the distance, but he knew it was just in his head. “Oh?” he pressed.

“Yes. I admit, he would be good at lifting my spirits, but… he’s more a brother to me than anything else. Well, he has been something of a brother to me, since Jacob… you know. Barnaby is sweet, he’s kind and funny, but… I just don’t feel anything romantic for him. He’s a bit too energetic for me. I like someone more…” she trailed off for a second before focusing on Talbott. “Someone more… calm,” she spoke, resolved.

Talbott swallowed again, his throat drying up rapidly right now. “Seems like you have an unlucky lad in mind already,” he remarked.

She smirked and folded her arms over her chest. “Actually, I do.”

He was hoping his blush was not so visually obvious as he felt it was, his face was burning. “Anyone I know?” he asked.

She stared up at him for a second, her emerald green eyes meeting his piercing scarlet ones.

“You are… so daft!” she shouted. He jolted back, her voice resounded across the snowy sky, muffled by the weather, but still loud enough to shake the nearby owls, the fluttering of many wings resounding through the air like a shaky echo of her exclamation.

“I’m describing you! I’m thinking about you! It’s always been you! Merlin knows why, you’re thicker than a brick wall!” She threw her arms up in frustration as he slowly processed what she was saying.

Then, a slow, mischievous smile crossed his face. It was a relief that she felt the same way, but it was also a sense of victory that he had over her. She admitted her feelings first.

“You fancy me?” he started as Alexus realized the ammunition that she had handed over to him.

He almost laughed. “You call me thick, but you’re the one who just confessed from pure frustration!”

She pulled out her wand and made a quick job of knocking him down onto his bum. He just laughed, out loud.

“You’re the worst! You’re insufferable!” she yelled again before walking past him, disappearing down the stairs of the owlery.

He watched her leave, the smile never leaving his face. He will talk to her later today, apologize, maybe confess his returned affections, but for now, he felt like flying. Someone liked him. Someone whom he himself liked very much.

~ ~ ~

Night came, and so did curfew. Talbott waited in the corner of the Ravenclaw common room anxiously, waiting for Alexus to return. He had not seen her since their encounter earlier that day, but she was bound to return. Though, he did consider the idea that she might not. Her disregard for the rules and intellectual prowles had led to her spending the night in the library in secret, doing research on a miscellaneous number of things all throughout their six years at Hogwarts. He hoped that this was not a night where she needed to be gone.

Talbott almost had an overwhelming instinct to apologize for laughing, but they both knew it was the nature of their relationship. Chiding wits and quips, mixed with heavy sarcasm. It has been that way since they’ve known each other. He took another deep breath as he waited. He looked up every time someone came in, but none of them were Alexus.

Slowly, the number of students filing into the Common Room started to dwindle until no one was coming in anymore.

Talbott was feeling uneasy when Badeea Ali and Tulip Karasu came from their dorm room, the same dorm Alexus would be in. He stood up and silently made his way over to them. He almost felt apprehensive when they stopped talking as he approached, but he persisted nonetheless.

“Is Alexus in her dorm?” he asked tentatively, “I have something I need to tell her.”

“I haven’t seen her since dinner,” Badeea replied, almost in a contemplating way, some subtle emotion in her voice, and Talbott did not miss the small gleam in Tulip’s mischievous dark eyes. He remembered Alexus storming off, so it was not an illogical step that she told her friends a filtered version of what had transpired between them. Then he remembered the whole complaint about her friends in the Circle trying to set her up with someone for a date, Tulip would definitely be one to tease Alexus about her romantic quests, especially with Talbott.

“Oh, sorry, I’ll just… head up, then,” he started to excuse himself, making his way to his own dorm, but they stopped him.

“At dinner, Jae Kim came to the table, told her that his “contact” or something was ready to meet her,” Tulip recounted.

“Uh… did he happen to mention where this meeting was taking place?” he asked, but the fact that it was Jae, the fact that she told him it was safer if he didn’t know, it wasn’t hard to draw a conclusion as he had done earlier.

Alexus was a smart girl, one of the brightest students in their whole year. But she could be the thickest person in all of Hogwarts when the Cursed Vaults were in her mind.

“It’s hard to say, she’s rather secretive when it comes to her exploits with Jae. But for specific locations, she did not say a word. She just took off,” Badeea explained.

Talbott pursed his lips and gave them a nod, collecting himself without another word before he went upstairs to his own dorm. No one was in there, which was what he needed before he opened the window. He took off into the night sky as he assumed his animagus form, an eagle. He had a strong idea where Alexus currently was, and that gave him an educated guess as to where she was going to end up before the night was through.

He flew through the castle, elegantly, weaving between the highest walls with practiced ease, navigating the way to the Hospital Wing, or, at least, the outside of it. If Alexus had gone exactly where he thought she had, he imagined that the smartest girl in their year would have said something just as smart, more than likely to the wrong wizard. Or, maybe she was pursuing one of the dark wizards of ‘R’. It wasn’t so long after she was attacked by the black lake, she could very well be attacked again. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to Talbott that she was going to be turning up in the Hospital Wing.

He circled a small thicket of trees outside the wing before he landed on a branch, perching close enough to the windows to where he could see a majority of the interior.

He waited now, every person moving had his head turning, every sign, any sign, he watched.

For an hour, there was no sign of Alexus, however, and no sign of anyone really, and the moon was slowly crawling higher into the sky. Talbott entertained the possibility that maybe Alexus would seek alternative help for healing, if she needed it, maybe to avoid the suspicion of the teachers. If that was the case, he would bring himself to inquiring Chiara Lobosca at breakfast.

For an hour, he waited, not quite ready to go back to the dorm yet, when the doors of the Hospital Wing were thrown open, and three people came in, one of them unconscious, carried on the back of another while the third urgently enlisted Madam Pomfrey.

Talbott immediately recognized Alexus being carried by Ben Cooper, Jae Kim running to Pomfrey. He watched as she was carefully lowered onto a bed. From what he could see, she was not bleeding, but the finer details were a bit harder to make out, and no blood wasn’t a definitively better sign.

Ben and Jae stepped back, and after some small exchange with Pomphrey, they left.

Talbott watched for another second of Pomfrey caring for Alexus before he resolved himself and flew away. He was worried, yes, but he knew Alexus. She was strong, and was bound to be okay. She had to be okay, it wouldn’t have made sense otherwise. He would be there for her, when she wasn’t okay, he would see to it himself that she was okay.

~ ~ ~

Alexus’s eyes shot open and she gasped, moving to sit up and whip out her wand to send a quick spell to the nearest danger, but was pushed back down when an explosion of pain raked through her body.

“Easy, easy,” she heard a soft voice next to her say as she was slowly pushed back down.

She took a calmer breath and looked around. Hospital Wing, not Knockturn Alley. Daytime, the morning judging by the position of the shadows being casted by the natural sunlight fluttering in from the windows. No dark wizards inflicting curses on her.

She blinked a bit, focusing her vision before slowly turning to the person at her bedside.

“Talbott,” she whispered, her throat sore, unable to speak much louder at the moment. But it was unmistakable, the sharp-featured Ravenclaw boy whom she fancied, his red eyes filled with concern and worry.

“Yes, unless you were expecting someone else,” he muttered as he reached over to the nightstand. He did not miss the strain in her voice, and grabbed a small glass of water perched there. She took it carefully, hands shaking, but grip not so weak. She took the water in small sips, drinking enough before handing the half-empty glass back to him.

“Better?” he asked.

She nodded and let herself relax into the bed. It was hard to relax, being tortured for an indistinguishable amount of time by the Cruciatus Curse in a dark alley could have that effect on a witch.

“You were actually one of the last people I expected, after you laughed at me,” she muttered.

Talbott smiled softly, despite himself. “It was a laugh of relief, Alexus.”

She had half a mind to tell him to leave. “What would you possibly be relieved about?”

He leaned back into his seat, and she looked up at him. “You mean it’s not obvious?” he asked, “It’s a mutual feeling. I… fancy you too.”

She sat up abruptly again before pain pushed her back down. “I ought to hex you!” she whispered harshly, unable to raise her voice into a proper yell.

“You’re in no right shape to do so,” he chided.

“Careful, Winger, I won’t be in this bed forever.”

His face blanched at the smug look that crossed her face, but he steeled himself. “You’re uncharacteristically temperamental right now, emphasis on mental.”

“You get tortured, see if that doesn’t make you a little mental.”

He sighed and watched her face. She looked cross, brows furrowed, lips tugged down, but in her eyes, it was different. He’d seen that look before, the look of frayed terror and exhaustion. The ordeal weighed on her more than she was willing to admit, and he understood. The pride, the expectations, the appearance. She’d been through too much before she stepped foot on Hogwarts, they both had. But her life had not gotten easier, not with the betrayal, the death, the attacks. She found Jacob, but at what cost? She had lost him, and she was looking for him again.

Talbott knew that Alexus’s pursuit of the Vaults was no longer just the pursuit of knowledge that no one had obtained before. In her heart, in her pursuit was all just for the chance to see her brother, one more time. Talbott would give anything to see his mother just once, if only for a second.

He slowly slid his hand over hers, gently linking his fingers with hers, a gesture that she reciprocated.

“You know… it’s… it’s not the torture that was the hardest part. It’s not the hardest part of this journey, of this path that I’m walking. N-not by a long shot,” she whispered, faltering at her words, lacking the strength to speak, but not for the reasons that were obvious.

He just tilted his head in a silent inquiry for her to say whatever she needed to say. He would listen.

She took a shuddering breath. “It’s… it’s hard finding people, finding friends who will still want to walk with me, once they realize how serious my path is.” She let go of his hand, slowly moving it away. She turned away from him, not able to meet his eyes anymore.

He kept watching her. She spoke vaguely, she spoke seriously, and he read between the lines, maybe the rehearsed speech she prepared for him, prepared for anyone who dared to get close. She was asking him if he would be someone who still wanted to walk with her. Not just in a path of friendship, but if he liked her, she was terrified of him getting hurt. Worrying about him, making him relieve the one thing he wanted to and had been trying to avoid for a majority of his life because of the choices she made.

This was something he thought about, often. More often than he cared to admit, wondering what his feelings met in the long term, knowing full well that Alexus may walk out the door and never come back. She could very well die in front of him, and he knew that.

“Everything… is with risk in life, Alexus. I know that. It’s just a matter of knowing which risks to take, the one’s you’d be willing to take. I know which ones I want to take unwaveringly so.”

“That doesn’t mean that I should risk the lives of others in my own pursuit of knowledge.”

“No, you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t even be risking your life for that matter, but here we are. That said, I know why, Alexus. I know why you’re doing this. And I hope you realize that I’m not the only one who thinks you’re worth the risk.”

Alexus looked back at him, mouth agape, eyes wide, trying to speak, but nothing came out. Eventually, she closed her mouth and looked down, hiding her face. “I can’t abandon the path I’m on,” she whispered. He noted her fists clenching the bedsheets, the slight shaking of her shoulders.

She was crying.

She was crying, and she didn’t want him to see.

Soft sniffling came from her before she looked up at him, eyes glistening. “I’ve come too far. I can’t give up on him…”

Ordinarily, he’d be looking for any excuse to leave immediately the second anyone gave any indication they were about to have a heart to heart, but Talbott felt an even greater pull to Alexus, a compelling force to comfort her, to make the tears disappear.

“I know you can’t. If I was in your shoes, I know I wouldn’t be able to either. So the best thing I can do is stay by your side. Walk your path with you, because you are someone I can’t walk away from. Not anymore.”

Her expression relaxed before she furiously wiped the tears away with her thumb. “You’d do that?” she whispered.

“I would.”

“Thank you.”

He looked at her, his eyes piercing at her with a certain sharpness, almost calculating. Then, they weren’t calculating. Every so subtly, his expression softened, a quiet admiration, still easily mistaken for something steeled. He did have a reputation, afterall.

She smiled, finally. He felt some pride, having contributed to that.

“So,” she started, her smile turning into something a little more mischievous, reminding him of Tulip’s persistent presence at breakfast that morning, and he had a sneaking suspicion she had correctly guessed his emotions for her.

“So…?” he repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

“So, would you be willing to walk the path with me… on Valentine’s Day?”

His face heated up immediately, and he pressed a hand to his mouth, trying to hide the blushing. “I’d love to,” his muttered utterance stifled by his hand.

She grinned more. “Don’t worry, Winger, it’ll be somewhere quiet. Hopefully, the Hospital Wing is quiet enough for you.”

“Oi, I didn’t think you’d stay here for that long!”

“No, I plan to be out by tonight, but… well, nothing is certain in the future.”

“Well, I’ll have you know, the Hospital Wing is plenty quiet, but don’t you go and take that as an invitation to go and get trampled by a hippogriff or whatever you do in your spare time.”

“You’re stupid,” she said, almost laughing. “But I take risks, as we said.”

“You’re the stupid one,” he shot back. “Take risks, but just be fine. For three days, be fine. Okay? You need the rest.”

She gave a small nod. “Okay.”

He gave a small sigh before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek, only for a second, but a good and soft second.

He pulled away, and they were both satisfied to find that the other was visibly flushing red.

It was pride that made them blush. A sense of things such as reputation and unfamiliarity to vulnerability and fear that created that pride.

It was a display of affection that was tremendous to him. Unfamiliarity in the sense that it had been years since he had done like that. Talbott had not kissed anyone on the cheek since he was kissing his mother goodbye. That memory brought fear, and he couldn’t show anyone he was afraid. That was his pride. He could be afraid in front of her. He could display tremendous actions to her.

It was warmth in her chest and the secure feeling the action signified to her that was unfamiliar to her. Alexus had not been kissed on the cheek since her mother was coherent. The memory, to her, was a bittersweet rage that was more bitter than sweet. No one had cared for her, no one to care about her, to give her comforting gestures, to make her feel safe. She had to let the world know she was unflappable, perfectly in control unlike the speculation of her maddened brother. That was her pride. She could be vulnerable to him. She could let him get close enough to give her a sense of security that she had feared would never envelope her again.

He slowly slid his hand over hers again before he reached into the bag at his feet. “Would you be bothered if I read to you?” he asked as he pulled out a blue-leather bound book. He held up the cover so she could read it. A collection of poems from a particular author. She was familiar with the book, actually on the waiting list in the library to check it out, poetry being something she was very fond of.

She looked at him, and he flushed again. “I-I have imagined reading allowed to someone I cared about. Something about sharing the feeling of a good poem always attracted me.”

She smiled. “I would love that.”

He returned her smile, and, with one hand, flipped to a page he had marked previously. “There’s a few I thought you would enjoy,” he muttered before clearing his throat.

“The sun was hot You were cool My mother's flowers were beautiful My mother's flowers were safe Your flowers were new Your garden a gift Your love is mine My love is yours

You're a winter husband I'm the summer's daughter My mother's flowers were safe My mother's flowers were a cage Your flowers were a life Your garden a haven My love is yours Your love is mine

You were strong I was helpless My mother's flowers bloom for me My mother's flowers are a gift Your flowers are ours Your garden is ours Our love is ours Our love is life”

He looked at her when he finished. Alexus had a soft smile on her face. “That’s Persephone’s Husband, isn’t it?”

He nodded.

“That’s one of my favorites. Any poems about Hades and Persephone have a place in my heart.”

He almost snickered. “I never took you for being romantically inclined, you’re so logical.”

“Just shut up and read, Winger.”

28 notes · View notes

unknowncountrygirl · 3 years

Text

The New Chaser Pt.4

Iris walked into the common room and Murphy spotted her immediately. Wearing high waisted denim jeans, and he had never been so happy to be ass level with the world. What made his brain almost shut down was an all too familiar hand knitted sweater, with a predominant W on it.

Freaking Weasley.

He didn't even care which one, Charlie or Bill. Most likely freaking Bill. Stupid, brave, and stupidly handsome Bill. He knew they were close, but he wondered the situation that would arise for Bill to give her his sweater.

Iris spotted them all gathered in a corner and made her way over, looking a bit sheepish.

“I thought I was meeting just Skye, about the Quidditch tryouts.” She admitted.

“Right, about that-” Skye started.

“Not all who aspire to play Quidditch make their House team on their first try.” Orion cut her off in his firm, yet still dreamy and far off tone. Iris's whole posture fell.

“I see.”

Murphy couldn't stand it. “But you did!” He yelled excitedly.

“I did! I made the team!?” Iris asked, her eyes bright and a smile upon her lips.

“Congratulations. You are our new chaser, Iris Rosewood.” Orion conformed for her.

“Smashin, right?” Skye punched her shoulder.

“If you could see your face, Iris. Did we fool you into thinking you hadn't made the team?” Murphy asked her, hoping she wouldn't take the tease personally. She placed a hand over her chest and let out a long breath.

“It was hard to tell,” she admitted honestly. “But I was holding onto hope that I'd made the team.”

“Hope won't get you anywhere in Quidditch, Iris, your hard work got you the chaser position.” Skye told her.

“Well I was 81% sure we had you fooled.”

“Numbers aren't worth much unless they're on a scoreboard McNully.” Skye retorted to him, earning her a glare.”

“Quidditch is not about keeping score.” Orion mentioned offhanded. That earned a odd look from the other three in the circle.

“It literally is, if we're going to win the House cup.” Skye explained as if she was talking to a child. “And those chances just got better with you playing Chaser alongside us, Iris.”

“Well it's brilliant news to me! Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you.” The blonde smiled at each of them warmly.

“No problem!” Skye chirped.

“I know!” Murphy could have slapped himself.

“You are welcome.” Orion said, smoothly as fine silk. Murphy, Orion, and Skye all looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

“Hold on,” Skye held up a finger, “which one of us do you mean, Iris?”

“Couldn't I have been talking to all of you?” Iris asked innocently.

“Indeed. We are all of us. And all of us are one.”

“How do you not drive yourself absolutely bonkers, Orion?” Skye retorted in her typically crass way.

“How does anyone find mental clarity amid chaos?”

“Knew you'd answer my question with a question...” She huffed and blew a piece of her blue hair out of her eye.

“Was it not a hypothetical question?”

“Well, let's see... Skye asked, how do you not drive yourself absolutely bonkers, and then Orion asked, how is it that anyone finds mental clarity amid chaos. Then Skye said, knew you'd answer my question with a question. And then-”

“You're an interesting one McNully.” Skye cut him off with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Shall we get back to celebrating Iris joining our Quidditch team?” Orion asked.

“Yeah, it's funny, I just realized that this is the first time I've seen you three together in one place at one time.” Iris smiled, trying to redirect the conversation. Even though there was obvious DO NOT ASK and blinking red lights in his minds eye, Murphy opened his mouth and immediately regretted it.

“And what do you think about that?” What if she answers and says its rotten, smooth move.

But in typical Iris fashion, “I think it's wonderful having all my new Quidditch mates together.”

“Quidditch brings together witches and wizards of all kinds.” Orion told her with a smile that made Murphy want to punch him right in the groin. He was beginning to get a very uncomfortable feeling that perhaps Iris's kind nature and beauty had allured more then just him.

“All kinds for sure.” Skye agreed.

“So we're Quidditch mates. Does this mean you're going to start calling me McNully now?” Murphy asked. Iris completely ignored him and asked,

“So what now? How should we celebrate?”

“With Quidditch of course!” Skye said with a murderous glint in her eye that would strike fear into most people.

“Let us head to the Pitch. It's time for your first official team practice as a chaser at Hogwarts.” Orion told Iris, placing a hand on her shoulder, turning her towards the door. Again the flame of jealous rage burned in Murphy's stomach as he watched Orion snake his arm around her shoulder's.

He had never had a bad thought or feeling towards Orion, but in that instant he did. What he really wanted to do was reach up, rip Orion's arm off and slap him with his own hand and maybe punch him in the crotch while he was at it so that he doubled over, making them eye level so he could hit him again.

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Murphy made himself at home in the commentators booth with some books and a notepads, he knew this was going to be a long 'special' practice and what Orion had in store. See who could balance on a broom and break the record. He had no idea what good it would do, but he was ready with a stopwatch.

Iris and Skye were both easy to spot on their brooms, Iris's white blonde hair all piled on top of her head in a huge knot and Skye's bright blue hair made the two girls hard to miss. There must have been a joke passed because the high giggling of the two girls picked up on the wind and blew the noise his way.

He looked up and saw they were both still standing on their brooms. He had to admit, it seemed that the two girls were genuinely getting along not just as a mentor and student but as two people who enjoyed one another's company. He smiled as he scratched something down, he felt that Iris would be a good for Skye in the way that perhaps the blonde's less volatile nature could rub off on Skye. He honestly had no idea how Skye was sorted into Gryffindor, she had Slytherin written all over her.

Iris was very easy going, but he had seen her fired up before and he had loved that little wild spark in her. There wasn't much he disliked about her, he knew that eventually something would arise that would make her seem more human to him, something that would grate on his nerves but as it stood she was in his eyes the perfect female.

One thing he had grown to truly admire is that she saw people it seemed by their heart before she saw what they looked like, most people saw the chair before they actually saw Murphy. He also noted that her friend group was very much like a patchwork quilt, full of clashing patterns and colors that somehow all melded together to make something warm and comforting. He knew that Rowan Khana, the girl who wore hand me down clothing, oversized glasses, and always had her nose in a book was her absolute best friend and closest confidant. She was also exceptionally close to Ben Copper, who he knew because they roomed together, a muggleborn who had been afraid of the world had befriended her and she had helped him navigate the world of Wizardry. She had befriended the eldest Weasley, Bill, and every Weasley since, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, which made him wonder if she knew the family and subsequently the other younger Weasley's. She was also friends with the ever popular Penny Haywood, and the trickster twins Tulip and Tonks.

Then there was Barnaby Lee, while he seemed a decent fellow he was awfully dense and Iris had nothing but patience and kindness when it came to him. Andre who he had talked with about quidditch also had nothing but dazzling things to say about the girl, admitting also to Murphy that if he was straight, he would 100% be chasing Iris's skirt. Then there were her friends he knew less about, such as Jae Kim, Badeea Ali, Liz Tuttle, Diego Caplan, Cedric Diggory, Talbot Winger, and Chiara Lobosca. He knew that Liz, Talbot, and Chiara were exceptionally quiet and reserved people and somehow, someway Iris had used that gravitational charm of hers to even pull them out of the rock they had been living under.

These were all people that under normal circumstances would not be friendly with one another let alone actually call themselves friends. The only thing they had in common was the shared friendship and subsequent philia form of love that Iris had flourished in all of them. She was the gravitational center that held them together and she had no idea just how valuable and loved she was. That was what he admired the most about her, he had been charmed by her looks but had fallen for the heart she had. She put everyone else before herself and he knew there were few people that were so self sacrificing as she was.

He was falling in love with the girl, and it was terrifying.

He had nearly worried his lip bloody when he checked the watch and seen they were closing in on nearly 3 hours. It was no surprise that Iris and Skye were the last two left on their brooms.

Iris was the last to loose her footing on the broom and fall, clocking in at 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 4.9 seconds. Perhaps now he could focus on his notes and stats.

Unfortunately, all thought cleared the room when a little enchanted paper bird flew into his commentators box. A note, from Iris, asking for him to meet her in the changing tent in a few minutes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iris entered the tent after the unorthodox practice session and cracked her neck.

“And now entering the changing room, the new record holder of the broom balancing challenge! Clocking an impressive 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 4.9 seconds... Gryffindor's newest Chaser, Iris Rosewood!” Murphy shouted, and she smiled over at him.

“That's quite the Quidditch introduction to live up to, no pressure.”

“You're on the Quidditch Team, it'll be nothing but pressure from now on.” He joked, “so, what did you want to see me about?”

“I've learned our first house match will be against Slytherin. We've been practicing plenty, but I thought you'd know how to strategise against their team best.”

“I always know best! Direct your attention to my blackboard dearest Iris.” He wanted to slap himself. Dearest Iris, it sounded even cornier then he thought it would.

“There's nothing on it.” Her gentle voice stated.

“Yet. You know how this works, Iris” He picked up his wand and flicked it at the blackboard, drawings, numbers, and patterns coming to life on the black surface. “This is how you defeat Slytherin, but you didn't hear it from me. I'm just the impartial commentator.”

“Oh come on now Murphy,” Iris drawled with a sly grin. “We both know how impartial you are not.” Was she... Was she teasing him? “But, all right, talk me through it.”

“Talk? Perhaps my favorite thing to do!”

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“And so, now you know... That is how you crush Slytherin in the first match.” Iris looked incredibly perplexed as she studied the blackboard.

“Murphy... This is... This is just the Thimblerig Shuffle. You already taught this to me. You watched me try it at practice.” She stated with a pout.

“Right,” he affirmed. “But you haven't tried it in a house match yet. That's where it matters! That's when it will count! That's your true test-”

“The true test of your Thimblerig Shuffle strategy? Or are you testing me personally?” There was a firmness in her voice that alerted him that she was put off by this. He felt a bit sheepish and rubbed his neck.

“Perhaps both? No Pixies will be released, if that helps.”

“I thought I was done being tested once I made the team.”

“You were tested so that you could make the team. But you'll be tested again and again.” he informed her. “Navigating the house alliances and rivalries, the team politics and policies. Just the clash of wills between Skye and Orion alone.”

Iris rolled her eyes and let out a huff as she plopped onto the bench nearby.

“Yeah. I'm starting to see some of that already.”

“Sometimes I'm their mediator... Sometimes the instigator.” He winked.

“That shouldn't surprise anyone.” She rubbed her forehead.

“Listen, Iris, do I believe the Thimblerig Shuffle will throw off Slytherin's defense? Yes. Would I like to see my strategy put to the test? Also yes.” He admitted honestly.

“I came to you for some insight into the competition, Murphy. But to pul off your original strategy in a House match... I'm brand new to the team, I won't be calling the shots.”

“Bingo! That's your test: convincing Orion to give the Thimblerig Shuffle a chance in a house match.” He exclaimed.

“I could give it a try, but Orion could say no.”

“And then you could go rogue and try the strategy anyway. Think of our house!”

“Uhuh.” She gave him an unimpressed look. “I'll go and talk to Orion. You do know you're perhaps the most partial impartial commentator ever.”

“That's what my mum says.” He gave her a wink but he could tell she was stressed and not as receptive to the flirtatious banter.

#hphm #hphm murphy mcnully #murphy mcnully #hphm quidditch #hphm jacobs sibling

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