#and then gives you his wand to save his daughter

[sheeple]

Miracles don't exist | 35: The cellar

Genre(s): Riddle!reader / Slytherin!reader / kinda slowburn / little happy moments Fandom(s): Harry Potter Pairing(s): Theodore Nott x Reader / Harry Potter x Riddle!reader Summary: Being the Dark Lord's daughter and raised under the strict supervision of the Malfoy's is no easy life. Especially if you start crushing on your father's arch-nemesis, Harry Potter. And that while being engaged to one of his follower’s sons. Warning(s): Torture / mutilation / time is weird in this one [Masterlist] [Mini masterlist] [Playlist]

The Death Eaters drag you kicking and screaming down the hall. They've managed to disarm you before you could do sustainable damage to any of them. You trash in their hold, trying your best to get out and run. Maybe you even have a chance to snatch your wand.

You let out a groan as they throw you on the ground. A hand reaches out and grabs a fistful of your hair. You whimper and move along with the hand. Bellatrix has a sneer on her face as she presses her wand into your neck.

"For how long have you been spying on us?"

You shake your head as much as her hold permits. "I haven't-"

"LIAR!", she screeches and raises her wand. A hot red flash passes over you before your body contorts painfully. You let out a yell. The feeling of millions of knives piercing your body. "TRAITOR!"

By the time the curse had let up, you're breathless. Your head lulls to the side, tears in your eyes. And to be honest, the only thing you can think about is that you're glad Theo isn't here.

She shoves something in your face. A letter. The same one you wrote during the Ministry hearing. It must have fallen out of your pocket during the chase. Yaxley for sure must have picked it up.

"That isn't... mine." Determined, you look at Bellatrix and give her a sneer. 

Bellatrix raises her hand and strikes you. Your cheek stings and flares up as you feel your nose starting to bleed again. "You dare to betray the Dark Lord?! Betray your own kin?! You should be killed!" Bellatrix raises her wand again, a murderous glint in her eyes.

You don't flinch. If you're going to die, you'll die fighting. Collecting the blood in your mouth, you spit it in Bellatrix's face. An audible gasp goes around the room as they watch the red glob hit her face.

"Go ahead, kill me. You were never my family", you hiss, giving her a cold stare, "I wish you would have rotted away in Azkaban."

Bellatrix shrieks, going absolutely ballistic. She summons a knife and holds you down. First, you’re hit with another round of crucio so you stop struggling in her hold. You can handle that. But then… The point of a knife gets slowly pressed into the flesh of your collarbone before the spell has run its course. You try to wiggle away, crying and sobbing as the pain only multiplies as Bellatrix carves something in your flesh.

It feels like it goes on for hours. At one point you stopped moving, seeing no will to do so. You stare off into the distance, seeing the Malfoy's stand huddled together. Draco looks horrified while Narcissa clings to Lucius. 

Is there no one who would stand up for you? No one would save you from this torture? Yes, but you’ve sent that someone away. For his safety. Yes, everything for Theodore’s safety.

By the time Bellatrix is done, you're halfway passed out. You barely notice how you are grabbed and dragged somewhere. Somewhere dark where the door slams loudly and a heavy lock turns.

You lay curled up on the cold floor, your body twitching and gasping for breath. In between the ringing in your ears, you hear footsteps approaching you.

"Please", you gasp, "no more. Please..." Rolling to your belly, you do your best to crawl away from whomever it may be that is ordered to do your next round of Crucio.

"Miss Black?", asks a soft voice and you stop. You roll back and look at the person who said your name. Mr Olivander

A relieved sob escapes you. At least he won't hurt you. 

The older man — who looks worse for wear — gives you a small smile. "Miss Black- or should I say Mrs Nott? Cedar, almost 13 inches, swishy, with a core of unicorn hair, if I am not mistaken." Mr Ollivander nods and walks off, returning with a lantern. 

With much difficulty, you push yourself into a seated position. "Oh... you're bleeding, dear." He points to your collarbone. You reach out but hiss as the flesh is still tender.

You look around, your eyes adjusting to the dark. "Where are we?"

Mr Ollivander hands you a small bowl of water. Your hands still shake as you take it gratefully and take slow sips. "We're in the cellar." The old man groans as he goes to sit against a wall.

He looks deadly pale and his cheeks are fallen in. "How... how long have you been down here?", you ask carefully. He must be the one you've heard screaming a while back.

Mr Olivander's shoulders slump. "I'm afraid I do not know. Time moves differently down here. It's made so no witch or wizard can use their magic to escape." 

The wandmaker spoke the truth. Despite the once-a-day meals — at least, you think it is. Could be a once-in-many-days with the way your body aches — there is no indicator if it's day or time. 

Draco often sneaks you and Mr Olivander extra food. It's mostly in the form of an apple which he rolls through the bars of the door. You turn away every time he whispers your name, his hands clutching the bars tightly. Only after he leaves deflated, do you scramble to eat the apple. 

As time passes Mr Olivander and you get cellmates. At first, it's Griphook. He's a sour man who distrusts any who's a witch or wizard. He mostly sits in the corner and grumbles to himself.

Next is Luna. You're actually happy and at the same time sad to see her. You throw your arms around her and squeeze her tightly. "Are you okay? Are you broken? Does something bleed?" You turn her over and rake your eyes over her front to see if any blood has seeped into her clothes.

"I am fine. I however do not know where I am." She looks around before her eyes fall on Mr Olivander. She makes her way over to him and strikes up a conversation as if it's a normal Tuesday at tea time.

Running a hand over your face, you turn towards her. "What date is it?"

"The Christmas break has just started."

The shock dawns upon you when you count out the months. It's been three months. Three months trapped in this blasted cellar. You knew it was more than a couple of weeks, as your wound has healed and is only a scar now. 

Oh Merlin, Theo must think that you've died. That either Bellatrix or Voldemort have killed you. Tortured you before ending your life abruptly and too soon.

You slide down a wall, hand clasped over your mouth as tears spill out of your eyes. You stay like that for Salazar knows how long. The heartache of the idea that Theodore mourns your death makes you immobile with sorrow. It feels pointless to move if you can't communicate with him that you're indeed alive.

What you can only assume are months passing by before something happens. There is screaming from upstairs before someone's coming down the stairs. You hide in the dark, pressing yourself up against the wall as two people get pushed inside. 

The two figures rush towards the gate. "What are we gonna do? We can't leave Hermione alone with her."

Luna slowly creeps forward and calls out a name. "Ron? Harry?"

The two figures turn around and as a light flickers on, it indeed are Ron and Harry. Harry's face looks pretty busted up.

Slowly everyone comes out of their hiding spot now. The two boys' eyes fall upon you. Harry rushes towards you, wanting to hug you. But you flinch away, hiding behind a pillar. Harry stops with a frown on his face. "What happened to you?"

An agonising scream is heard from upstairs and your stomach drops as you recognise the voice. Hermione. "Oh no", you whisper, moving closer to the door. You flinch as she screams out. Involuntarily, a whimper escapes you. You can imagine what Bellatrix is doing with her.

"We have to do something!" Ron turns towards the group, a distraught expression on his face.

Mr Olivander shakes his head. "There is no way out of here. We've tried everything! It's enchanted."

Another whimper escapes you and you lean your forehead against the icy bars as Hermione pleads and screams.

Harry crouches down and takes something out of his sock. A shard or something. He speaks to it, begging for help. 

Wormtail comes scurrying down the stairs, wand in hand and pushing Ron and Harry away. He takes Griphook before he's gone again. 

Ron returns the light and at the moment Dobby appears. He stumbles a bit but is overall happy to see Harry. "Dobby? What are you doing here?"

"Dobby has come to rescue Harry Potter of course! Dobby will always be there for Harry Potter!"

You take a good look at the elf. It has been some years since you've seen him. Harry actually made Lucius free Dobby in your second year. You know that because your uncle loudly complained to the whole manor how annoying it was that they lost a house elf.

Dobby seems to spot you and bows to you. "Miss Black! It is good to see you alive."

You give him a small and tired smile. "Happy to see you too, Dobs."

"Wait- are you saying you can apparate in and out of this room?", Harry realises. Of course, the Dark Lord's minions didn't house elf-proof the cellar. They're idiots. 

And so a plan is hatched. Dobby firstly take you, Luna, and Mr Olivander to some address Ron provided.

"No", you protest, "I want to help. I want to fight. I want to hurt them like they hurt me!" Tears fill your eyes.

Harry shakes his head. "You're in no condition to fight. You have to go to safety."

Reluctantly, you hold one of Dobby's hands with Luna and you are pulled and squeezed before you land on something wett. Sand. 

Hurling, you puke up the joke of a meal you've been provided with. Falling over, you lay on your back and stare up at the sky. Never once in your life, you've been so happy to see it being overcast.

Pressing the balls of your hands into your eyes, the first whimper escapes you before you start to weep. You're okay. It's finally over. You're out of that blasted cellar.

The only clear though is that you have to find a way to track down your Teddy and hope he hasn't been doing anything stupid in your name.

Taglist (bold means I couldn’t tag you): @the0doreslover @lqndkxlmqma @st4rrry  @choppedpartymuffinwinner @ledtassoo @literallyobessed @lestat-whore​ @vanishingcherry @harrysnovia @pietrobae @ireallywannasleep127 @yeolsbubbles @fruityfrog505 @fluffybunnyu @theroyalmanatee @shinrjj @hegdus @kermits-bitch @m1kasawps @noah-uhhh-what @mypolicemanharryyy @fals3-g0d @decapitated-coffee @thatgirljas13 @slytherinambitious @raineisms @mastermindmiko @timmytime17 @regsg18 @supernatural-lover @bubybubsters @lafrone @hermionelove @the-sander-fander @akengii @aliciacat20 @unstablereader @burns-in-the-sun @rachelnicolee @damagelove @mqndrqke @llpovi @clairesjointshurt @222244445555 @jolly4holly @padf00ts-l0ver @fandom-life-12 @prettyb1tchsblog @pari-1 @f14ever @nopedefe @randomgurl2326

[rxmqnova]

Another one I have in mind.

Wanda x Reader, when Yn is spiderwoman, Wanda doesn't have powers, she is a normal person.

Yn needed to save the city and normally said to her mom and dad that she was at Wanda's or Nat's so for that they didn't suspect anything, they were a couple, so it was fine.

One day, Yn was dealing with a robbery in a bank and she told her parents she was gonna at Nat's so It was okay, but Wanda decided to come to Yn's house and asked for her and her parents said she was with Nat, so she decided to called Nat and she said Yn wasn't with her, when Wanda went to her house she was crying because she tought why was Yn lying? Was she cheating on her? With who?

Yn meanwhile was saving the city, when she finished, she went to Wanda's and she knocked the window and saw her crying, but she confronted Yn about why she was lying and then saw the bruises and scratches, the blood and a suit, so Yn had to explain that she was spiderwoman and apologize for lying to her, saying that she wouldn't do it again and then she changed her clothes and they cuddle and Yn gives Wanda a lot of kisses

Secret

Y/N: 16 years old Wanda: 16 years old ——————————————————

NO ONE'S POV "Where are you going, honey?" Y/M/N asks her daughter who suspiciously quickly rushed through the entire house to the front door.

"To Natasha's! I'm in a rush! See you later! Bye!" Y/N blurts out before her mother can say anything else.

The girl rushes to the nearest alley, taking off her clothes underneath which she has her special suit and hides her bag behind a trash conteiner.

Using her web shooter, Y/N makes her way to the bank where is currently someone trying for a robbery.

"Alright" Y/N breaths out, landing on the top of the bank.

Meanwhile Y/N's girlfriend walks over to the Y/L/N house. Wanda has planned a nice walk and a movie night for her girlfriend and is really excited to spend time with her.

"Oh. Hi, Wanda" Y/M/N gives Wanda a warm smile.

"Hi, is Y/N home? She's not picking up her phone" Wanda asks.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. She left about an hour ago. She went to Natasha's" Y/M/N explains, giving Wanda an apologetic smile.

"Oh. Okay. Sorry for interrupting your evening then" Wanda smiles back, trying to hide her disappointment.

The brunette starts walking back towards her own house, taking her phone out of her pocket and dialing Natasha's number.

"Hey, Wands. What's up?" Natasha picks up immediately, greeting her friend.

"Hey, Nat. Is Y/N with you? She's not picking up her phone"

"No, Y/N isn't with me. I haven't seen her since lunch" Natasha says which isn't the answer Wanda wanted to hear.

"But her mom said… whatever, I'll just try to call her again. Thanks though. See you tomorrow at school" Wanda tells her friend before quickly hanging up.

She tries to call her girlfriend again, but after another failed attempt she just sighs and decides to walk home. Thoughts start running wildly through her head while walking.

Could Y/N be cheating? She wouldn't, or would she? And if so then with who?

Tears fill the brunette's eyes as she's thinking about it again and again. She rushes home, quickly skipping every room and locking herself in her own bedroom.

Wanda sits on her bed, letting her tears fall. She knew her girlfriend had some sort of secret, but could Y/N really be cheating?

———

Y/N lets out a sigh of relief after finally catching the theif and leaving the bank. She uses her web shooters to get back to the alley where she left her stuff.

She takes her bag out of her hiding spot, just putting on her hoodie and sweatpants, leaving her suit underneath. The girl checks up the time on her phone, her eyes widening when she sees how many missed calls she has from Wanda.

Y/N immediately calls Wanda back, but no one picks up. She sighs and decides to walk over to Wanda's house and check up on her girlfriend.

She climbs the emergency stairs, mentally slapping herself when she sees her girlfriend sitting on bed with tears stained cheeks and red puffy eyes.

Y/N knocks gently on the window on which Wanda just rolls her eyes and pulls down the blinds.

"Oh come on. Wands, let's talk please" Y/N knocks again. "I'm not leaving until we talk!" She knocks again, stubbornly sitting down and knocking.

"Can you stop?" Wanda sighs, finally opening the window and letting Y/N in.

Y/N carefully gets in, trying not to let her girlfriend know about the pain she's currently in. She sits on the edge of Wanda's bed, watching as the brunette's walking around the room in circles.

"Y/N tell me honestly… Are you cheating on me?" Wanda stops, crossing her arms over her chest and waiting for Y/N to speak.

"What? Cheating? No. I'd never do that, Wands. How did that come into your mind?" Y/N asks, tilting her head in confusion. She'd never ever cheat on Wanda.

"Then why aren't you picking up your phone? And why are you lying? You told your parents you're going to Nat's when you weren't and then don't even bother to pick up your phone. What else am I suppose to think?!" Wanda asks, the sadness turning into anger. "Oh my god, Y/N, you're bleeding" The brunette gasps, immediately taking a tissue and wiping away the blood that's dripping down Y/N's forehead.

"I'm fine, Wands. I just hit my head when I was climbing the stairs" Y/N lies, trying to sound convincing, but Wanda knows her girlfriend too well.

"You're lying again, Y/N. I want the truth… Oh my… What happened to your hand?" Wanda gasps, seeing how swollen Y/N's wrist is. "Did you get into a fight?… Take off your hoodie" Wanda orders, noticing how's her girlfriend trying to act like she's all fine while her body is clearly in pain.

"What? That's not necessary. I'm fine. It's nothing" Y/N sighs.

"No, it's not. Take off your hoodie" Wanda orders again, this time slightly tilting her head which is never a good sign, so Y/N better listens and takes off her hoodie, revealing her spiderwoman suit. "Y/N, you are-"

"Yes, I'm Spiderwoman" Y/N admits, looking down to avoid eye-contact with her girlfriend.

"Why didn't you tell me? I… I could have helped you somehow or at least take care of you. Look how bruised you are" Wanda sighs, cupping her girlfriend cheeks and rubbing them with her thumbs.

"I just… I didn't want to put you in danger, Wands. There are so many people out there who are after me and I just can't let anything happen to you" Y/N admits, her eyes filling with tears.

"Y/N, I can take care of myself… Don't ever lie to me again… okay?" Wanda asks seriously.

"… I'm sorry. I won't lie to you again, but I'll keep protecting you… always. I will never let anyone hurt you" Y/N says, taking Wanda's hands in hers and giving her knuckles a rub. "I love you"

"I love you too" Wanda smiles, pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss, but Y/N immediately hisses in pain. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Wanda panics.

"Yeah, it just hurts a bit" Y/N admits.

"How about you take a quick shower, then I'll look at those wounds and then we'll just watch a movie and cuddle?" Wanda suggests with a smile.

"Sounds good, I'll be right back" Y/N smiles back, pecks Wanda's lips and steals a hoodie and sweatpants from Wanda's closet before disappearing to take the shower.

———

"Okay. Done" Wanda says after finishing taking care of Y/N's wounds and presses a kiss to the top of her girlfriend's head.

"Thank you" Y/N smiles, taking Wanda's hand in hers and giving her knuckles a kiss. "Movie and cuddles?" She asks, comfortably laying down on bed which makes Wanda chuckle.

"I can't say no to that" Wanda smiles, taking the remote and joining her girlfriend in bed, cuddling up to her. "The Dick Van Dyke Show?" The brunette questions, looking up at Y/N who gives her a nod and a huge smile.

"I love you" Y/N whispers to Wanda's ear as soon as the sitcom starts.

Wanda smiles, her cheeks catching a bit of red. The girls have used this 3 words so many times, but always mean it by heart.

"I love you too"

----------------------

Currrently working on the Venom reader request :)) Hopefully I'll finish it soon, so it could come out next week <3

I've seen The Eras Tour film two days ago and it was amazing!! I made a new Swiftie friend and we decided to go and see it once again next week!! I'm so excited <33

Wanda Maximoff masterlist

Masterlist

[slitheringghost]

“When Lily Cast Her Life As A Shield”: Analysis of the Shield Charm

Some busily burnished the aegis Athena wears in her angry moods—a fearsome thing with a surface of gold like scaly snake-skin, and the linked serpents and the Gorgon herself upon the goddess's breast—a severed head rolling its eyes (Virgil, Aeneid)

The recurring use of the word “shield”, the Shield Charm (Protego), and the Invisibility Cloak are all a reference to the Aegis, which Zeus god of lightning lent his daughter Athena in battle ("daughter of aegis-bearing Zeus"), in some variations of myth depicted as a shield or breastplate and in others a cloak; it's described as producing "a sound as from myriad roaring dragons" and often features Medusa's head whose gaze turns people to stone (like a basilisk, like Lily and Harry's killer green eyes).

JKR also predictably incorporates it in misogynistic ways to indicate "ideal" vs. "warped" motherhood - i.e. "Aunt Petunia screamed worse than ever and threw herself on top of Dudley, shielding him from Mr. Weasley", "Umbridge gave a little scream and pushed him in front of her like a shield", Narcissa in DH "her lips were an inch from his ear, her head bent so low that her long hair shielded his face from the onlookers", the German family LV kills "She screamed. Two young children came running into the hall. She tried to shield them with her arms.", etc.

But much more interestingly, it shows up across the narrative in several dynamics.

I. Voldemort, Harry, and Lily

The word “shield” is repeatedly used for Lily’s sacrificial magic/deflection of the Killing Curse (for elaboration on how Priori Incantatem is related to Lily’s magic, see this meta):

Voldemort had advanced on Lily Potter, told her to move aside so that he could kill Harry… how she had begged him to kill her instead, refused to stop shielding her son... and so Voldemort had murdered her too, before turning his wand on Harry (Ch 14, GoF) [...] the golden thread broke; the cage of light vanished, the phoenix song died — but the shadowy figures of Voldemort’s victims did not disappear — they were closing in upon Voldemort, shielding Harry from his gaze (Ch 34, GoF) “Your mother’s sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you” (Ch 37, OoTP) The green light filled the cramped hallway, it lit the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut... He could hear her screaming from the upper floor, trapped, but as long as she was sensible, she, at least, had nothing to fear [...] [...] and there she stood, the child in her arms. At the sight of him, she dropped her son into the crib behind her and threw her arms wide, as if this would help, as if in shielding him from sight she hoped to be chosen instead (Ch 17, DH) Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort’s soul was blasted apart from the whole (Ch 33, DH)

Note that in the last quote, Dumbledore doesn't say that Lily "died to save" Harry - he instead uses active phrasing, and very similar to the phrasing he uses for the death of Ariana ("It was the truth I feared. You see, I never knew which of us, in that last, horrific fight, had actually cast the curse that killed my sister.")

Despite it being James's Cloak, it's textually linked to Lily in DH, as Death's Invisibility Cloak (and Lily and Harry both implied as the “true owners”, as the conquerors of death - see my meta Unweaving Canon Lily: Master of Death) and also representative of the Aegis. Harry received Death’s Invisibility Cloak the same day he first found the Mirror of Erised - on Christmas Day - in which the text focuses on Lily (Harry’s true reflection - “his deepest nature is more like his mother’s”), and in front of which Lily’s blood magic saves Harry from death.

Christmas is also when we finally see the full memory of Lily’s murder/vanquishment of LV in DH (“he screamed with rage, a scream that mingled with the girl’s, that echoed across the dark gardens over the church bells ringing in Christmas Day”) and the Invisibility Cloak is mentioned in Lily’s letter, part of what leads Harry on the trail of the Hallows.

“Both of us could conceal ourselves well enough without the Cloak, the true magic of which, of course, is that it can be used to protect and shield others as well as its owner. I thought that, if we ever found it, it might be useful in hiding Ariana [...] (Ch 35, DH) “But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.’” (Ch 21, DH)

Lily is aegis-bearing Zeus (and the third brother, and Death himself), passing down her shield and her cloak - Death’s cloak - to her son.

Hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Harry cast a Shield Charm between Neville and Voldemort before the latter could raise his wand. Still hidden beneath the Invisibility Cloak, Harry was buffeted into the entrance hall: He was searching for Voldemort and saw him across the room [...] still screaming instructions to his followers as he sent curses flying [...] Harry cast more Shield Charms, and Voldemort’s would-be victims, Seamus Finnigan and Hannah Abbott, darted past him he saw McGonagall, Kingsley, and Slughorn blasted backward, flailing and writhing through the air, as Voldemort’s fury at the fall of his last, best lieutenant exploded with the force of a bomb. Voldemort raised his wand and directed it at Molly Weasley. “Protego!” roared Harry, and the Shield Charm expanded in the middle of the Hall, and Voldemort stared around for the source as Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak at last. “Potter doesn’t mean that,” he said, his red eyes wide. “That isn’t how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?” “I’ve done what my mother did. They’re protected from you. Haven’t you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can’t torture them. You can’t touch them.” (Ch 36, DH)

Another allusion is when Harry finds Tom Riddle's name on the Award for Special Services shield, this quote right after the passage when Harry thinks of Riddle as "a friend he'd had when he was very small", establishing the dynamic as familial (and the shield first mentioned by Ron, right after which Harry points out T.M. Riddle must've been Muggleborn - like Lily):

Riddle's burnished gold shield was tucked away in a corner cabinet. (CoS)

Note how "burnished gold" matches the description of the Aegis in the first Aeneid quote. Shields are mentioned in relation to the founders, as LV's replacement parental figures, by Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's diadem, and LV mentioning Slytherin's shield:

Harry’s wandlight passed over shields and goblin-made helmets [...] higher and higher he raised the beam, until suddenly it found an object that made his heart skip and his hand tremble. “It’s there, it’s up there!” Ron and Hermione pointed their wands at it too, so that the little golden cup sparkled in a three-way spotlight: the cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, which had passed into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, from whom it had been stolen by Tom Riddle. (Ch 26, DH) all around them the last few objects unburned by the devouring flames were flung into the air, as the creatures of the cursed fire cast them high in celebration: cups and shields, a sparkling necklace, and an old, discolored tiara — (Ch 31, DH) “There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won’t they, Neville Longbottom?” (Ch 36, DH)

Then there’s Voldemort in the DoM battle - which is likely meant to indicate LV having a weak shield game; realistically though, he can do an excellent Shield Charm, but his conjured Shield is weak, because, well, Dumbledore was his Transfiguration teacher:

Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Harry, though shielded by his stone guard, felt his hair stand on end as it passed, and this time Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. The spell, whatever it was, caused no visible damage to the shield, though a deep, gonglike note reverberated from it, an oddly chilling sound... “You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?” called Voldemort, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. “Above such brutality, are you?” “We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom,” Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world [...] “Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit —” “There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!” snarled Voldemort. (Ch 36, OoTP)

This conversation between Dumbledore and LV happening in tandem with the shield mention is significant, because Lily deflecting the Killing Curse landed LV in a state of suffering that the series intends us to read as "worse than death": the despair caused by the dementors (grief, trauma, abuse, isolation, imprisonment, helplessness, etc.), and LV was trapped alone in Albania in that state, in his own personal "Azkaban" - which is also the state LV inflicts on his victims, the "other way of destroying someone" (of course, a result of the horcruxes and not Lily's intent - unlike Dumbledore, merely killing LV would've satisfied her).

II. The Golden Trio

In PoA, Ron gets his willow wand - the same wand wood as Lily - and embodies Lily in the Shrieking Shack by physically shielding Harry and echoes her last words disobeying Voldemort's orders to stand aside ("Take me, kill me instead"):

Ron, however, spoke to Black. “If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us too!” he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. Something flickered in Black’s shadowed eyes. “Lie down,” he said quietly to Ron. “You will damage that leg even more.” “Did you hear me?” Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. “You’ll have to kill all three of us!” (PoA)

Hermione’s the one to teach Harry the Shield Charm while training him for the Triwizard Tournament, which Harry then teaches the whole DA (Neville, the other Chosen One, mastering the Charm faster than anyone other than Hermione), which permeates throughout the wizarding world via the Weasley twins’ Shield line (the narrative significance of this and how Hermione starts performing the part of Lily elaborated further in my meta Hermione As Teacher and Connections To Lily). Then we have the trio in DH:

“It’s all right for you two, isn’t it, with your parents safely out of the way —” “My parents are dead!” Harry bellowed. “And mine could be going the same way!” yelled Ron. “Then GO!” roared Harry. “Go back to them, pretend you’ve got over your spattergroit and Mummy’ll be able to feed you up and —” Ron made a sudden movement: Harry reacted, but before either wand was clear of its owner’s pocket, Hermione had raised her own. “Protego!” she cried, and an invisible shield expanded between her and Harry on the one side and Ron on the other; all of them were forced backward a few steps by the strength of the spell, and Harry and Ron glared from either side of the transparent barrier as though they were seeing each other clearly for the first time. Harry felt a corrosive hatred toward Ron: Something had broken between them. (DH)

We see the memory of Lily's death in the center of these two instances of the Shield Charm - and Lily echoes Hermione, throwing herself as a shield in between the two "brothers" Voldemort and Harry, with the fight between Harry and Ron echoing that dynamic, while Harry then follows in both Hermione and Lily's footsteps when it's Ron and Hermione fighting:

“You — complete — arse — Ronald — Weasley!” She punctuated every word with a blow: Ron backed away, shielding his head as Hermione advanced. “You — crawl — back — here — after — weeks — and — weeks — oh, where’s my wand?” She looked as though ready to wrestle it out of Harry’s hands and he reacted instinctively. “Protego!” The invisible shield erupted between Ron and Hermione: The force of it knocked her backward onto the floor. Spitting hair out of her mouth, she leapt up again. “Hermione!” said Harry. “Calm —” (DH)

There's also Harry throwing himself between Sirius and Snape like Lily does in SWM, and between Ron and Ginny fighting and drawing wands on each other in HBP, and Percy "shielding Fred's body from further harm" in DH.

III. Snape, Harry, and Lily

Chapters before this, Snape saw Lily in the Mirror of Erised through Harry's memories ("His father and mother were waving at him out of an enchanted mirror"), and when Harry performs the Shield Charm, he then glimpses Lily in Snape’s memory for the first time:

He raised his wand. “One — two — three — Legilimens!” A hundred dementors were swooping toward Harry across the lake in the grounds... He screwed up his face in concentration... They were coming closer... He could see the dark holes beneath their hoods... yet he could also see Snape standing in front of him, his eyes fixed upon Harry’s face, muttering under his breath... And somehow, Snape was growing clearer, and the dementors were growing fainter... Harry raised his own wand. “Protego!” Snape staggered; his wand flew upward, away from Harry — and suddenly Harry’s mind was teeming with memories that were not his — a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner... A greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies... A girl was laughing as a scrawny boy tried to mount a bucking broomstick — (OoTP)

The wording here evokes the idea that Snape is like a patronus, driving the dementors away from Harry (a patronus described as “a kind of anti-dementor - a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor”), foreshadowing the appearance of the doe patronus in DH.

(Later in OoTP, similar wording is used for Snape as for Lily - lilies called the "white-robed apostles of hope" - "A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope" when Harry first finds the Mirror of the Erised // "He closed the door behind him with a snap, leaving Harry in a state of worse turmoil than before: Snape had been his very last hope." // “'while that enchantment survives, so do you and so does Voldemort’s one last hope for himself.'”)

“Well, Potter... that was certainly an improvement...” Panting slightly, Snape straightened the Pensieve in which he had again stored some of his thoughts before starting the lesson, almost as though checking that they were still there. “I don’t remember telling you to use a Shield Charm... but there is no doubt that it was effective...” (OoTP)

Then a paranoid Snape checks the Pensieve, where he's stored his memories of Lily, because of Harry managing to glimpse her in Snape's head.

He turned his wand on Harry so fast that Harry reacted instinctively; all thought of nonverbal spells forgotten, he yelled, “Protego!” His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance and hit a desk. [...] “There’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Professor.” The words had escaped him before he knew what he was saying [...] “Detention, Saturday night, my office,” said Snape. “I do not take cheek from anyone, Potter... not even ‘the Chosen One.’” (HBP)

Chapters earlier in HBP, we were told that Lily gave "cheeky answers" to another Head of Slytherin house, and it’s right after Harry uses the Shield Charm that Harry mirrors Lily in his sarcastic answer to Snape - and right after that, Hermione points out how Harry mirrors Snape ("I thought he sounded a bit like you"). Then, Snape in the final battle:

Snape looked into her eyes. “Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have, I must insist —” Professor McGonagall moved faster than Harry could have believed: Her wand slashed through the air and for a split second Harry thought that Snape must crumple, unconscious, but the swiftness of his Shield Charm was such that McGonagall was thrown off balance. (Ch 30, DH)

This is also the scene Snape uses the suit of armor implied to be the one by the door where Harry first found the Mirror of Erised, and then flies unsupported, like Lily:

[…] Harry spotted the suit of armor. "It's here - just here - yes!" They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the Cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror. There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him. (PS) From behind a suit of armor stepped Severus Snape. [...] Snape avoided them only by forcing the suit of armor in front of him, and with echoing clangs the daggers sank, one after another, into its breast — [...] Flitwick’s spell hit the suit of armor behind which Snape had taken shelter: With a clatter it came to life. Snape struggled free of the crushing arms and sent it flying back toward his attackers: Harry and Luna had to dive sideways to avoid it as it smashed into the wall and shattered. When Harry looked up again, Snape was in full flight (DH)

IV. Sirius, Bellatrix, and Harry

In the DoM battle, these three mirror each other (and Harry and Bellatrix also mirror LV):

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked, “Accio Proph —” Harry was just ready for her. He shouted “Protego!” before she had finished her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers he managed to cling on to it. “Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter,” she said, her mad eyes staring through the slits in her hood. (OoTP)

He made the same slashing movement with his wand that he had used on Hermione just as Harry yelled, “Protego!” Harry felt something streak across his face like a blunt knife but the force of it knocked him sideways, and he fell over Neville’s jerking legs, but the Shield Charm had stopped the worst of the spell. Dolohov raised his wand again. “Accio Proph —” Sirius hurtled out of nowhere, rammed Dolohov with his shoulder, and sent him flying out of the way. The prophecy had again flown to the tips of Harry’s fingers but he had managed to cling to it. Now Sirius and Dolohov were dueling, their wands flashing like swords [...] (OoTP)

“Potter, you cannot win against me!” she cried [...] He backed around the statue away from her, crouching behind the centaur’s legs, his head level with the house-elf’s. “I was and am the Dark Lord’s most loyal servant, I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, pathetic little boy, can never hope to compete —” “Stupefy!” yelled Harry. He had edged right around to where the goblin stood beaming up at the now headless wizard and taken aim at her back as she peered around the fountain for him. She reacted so fast he barely had time to duck. “Protego!” The jet of red light, his own Stunning Spell, bounced back at him. (OoTP)

Sirius reflects Harry at the same moment Harry next performs the Shield Charm, "shielding" Harry physically with his body. Bellatrix echoes this after Sirius's death, when right after gloating about her Dark Arts lessons from Voldemort, Bellatrix doesn’t use a powerful Dark curse - she uses the Shield Charm, the spell she witnessed Harry using earlier. This mirroring also occurs in the “mad laughter”:

“Laughed,” said Stan. “Jus’ stood there an’ laughed. An’ when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, ’e went wiv ’em quiet as anyfink, still laughing ’is ’ead off. ’Cos ’e’s mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?” (PoA) “Get it himself?” shrieked Bellatrix on a cackle of mad laughter. “The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?” (OoTP) Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix’s jet of red light: He was laughing at her. “Come on, you can do better than that!” he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest. The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. (OoTP) “Potter, I am going to give you one chance!” shouted Bellatrix. “Give me the prophecy — roll it out toward me now — and I may spare your life!” “Well, you’re going to have to kill me, because it’s gone!” Harry roared — and as he shouted it, pain seared across his forehead [...]And he knows!” said Harry with a mad laugh to match Bellatrix’s own. “Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it’s gone! He’s not going to be happy with you, is he?” (OoTP)

And the other instance Harry laughing madly in OoTP is when he's feeling LV's happiness at Bellatrix escaping Azkaban (and Bellatrix's scream when Sirius dies is echoed by her scream when Voldemort momentarily disappears):

Maniacal laughter was ringing in his ears... He was happier than he had been in a very long time... Jubilant, ecstatic, triumphant... A wonderful, wonderful thing had happened... “Harry? HARRY!” Someone had hit him around the face. The insane laughter was punctuated with a cry of pain. The happiness was draining out of him, but the laughter continued... He opened his eyes and as he did so, he became aware that the wild laughter was coming out of his own mouth [...] [...] “He’s really happy... really happy [...] Something good’s happened [...] Something he’s been hoping for.” (OoTP)

[spaceyaceface]

Hogwarts Legacy Masterlist

Link to blurb masterlist for Sebastian, Ominis, and Garreth

Sebastian Sallow

Snow, Scarves, and Schemes - Oneshot. Y/N is sick of Leander Prewett trying to court her. Luckily, she has a best friend named Sebastian Sallow who would love to help put an end to it. They devise a plan to pretend to court up until the Yule Ball. Should be simple, right? If only. Or, the classic friends to lovers, idiots in love, fake dating scenario. Warnings: None. 

What Could Have Been - Twoshot. She had been in love with Sebastian Sallow for some time. And she was afraid of having something to lose. After all, she knew all too well that good things always came to an end.Now it was their last night together. What were they willing to lose? Warnings: Heavy Angst.

What We Are Now - Twoshot. Sebastian Sallow went to America for a year in hopes to find a cure for Anne. As he returns home, he faces the possibility of seeing the girl he loves again. Part two to “What Could Have Been,” but could also be read alone. Warnings: Some Angst. 

Losing Patience - Oneshot. Ominis is sick of seeing his best friends pine for each other, so he takes it upon himself to force them to get together. Warnings: None.

A Little Reminder - Oneshot. After a big fight, Sebastian and her haven’t talked for almost a week. Rumors have started to go around that they’ve broken up. Warnings: Possessive!Sebastian.

I’m Right Here - Oneshot. Just before Sebastian killed his uncle, she was injuried. Now Sebastian has to deal with the guilt of not only the life he took, but the life he almost couldn't save. Warnings: Murder, Guilt, Injury, Depression.

Ominis Gaunt

you are a wildflower garden growing in my head - When she learns that Ominis Gaunt is well versed in floriography, she insists on him giving her lessons to learn the language of flowers. Thankfully, he ins't too hard to convince. Warnings: None. 

Right Direction - Oneshot. After defeating Ranrok, MC is riddled with guilt over the pain they caused and the lives sacrificed to save them. They've cut themselves off and refused to heal their injuries. But perhaps Ominis was the one person who could understand the pain they've gone through. Warnings: Minor Injuries. Self Destructive Behaviors. Survivor’s Guilt. 

One Day At A Time - Oneshot. Sequel to Right Direction. Mc has been improving, but still has bad days. They find comfort in going to Ominis for help. Warnings: Self Destructive Behaviors/Tendencies. Feelings of Guilt. Brief Mentions of Minor Injuries.

Flustered - Blurb. After living with Anne for the summer, MC has heard a lot of stories about her, Sebastian, and Ominis. When Ominis and Sebastian come to reconnect with Anne, MC is eager to ask Ominis about some of the stories she's heard. Warnings: None.

Only In Dreams - Oneshot. She spent her days in love with him, and her nights wishing they were together. But she knew it would never be---Ominis Gaunt had sworn off love for the sake of ending his family's legacy. She knew she wouldn't be an exception to that. Warnings: Angst (with a happy ending).

You Were The First - Oneshot. Ominis Gaunt has never known affection. He has never known how it felt to love---to be loved. She came and changed all of it. Or, Ominis gets love because by god does he deserve it. Warnings: Implied/Referenced child absuse.

Safety - Series. Ongoing. Y/N L/N had always despised Ominis Gaunt. He was everything she hated about her life. As the only daughter to a wealthy pure-blood family, she knew it was inevitable that she would someday find herself in an arranged marriage. But why did it have to be him? Warnings: See individual chapters.

--> Dread | Hatred | Truce | Fear | Anger | Sorrow | Gratitude | Worry | Absence

Prove You Wrong - Oneshot. After being stood up on a date, Ominis decides to prove MC wrong when she feels like no one will ever love her. Warnings: Being stood up, feelings of inadequacy. 

A Black Walnut Wand - Oneshot. A wand made of Black Walnut can be a finicky thing---if the wielder isn't truthful, whether with themselves or with others, it's power diminishes. So it's just absolutely perfect when her wand starts acting up right before N.E.W.T.S., isn't it? Warnings: None.

Sebastian Sallow x MC x Ominis Gaunt (Platonic)

All I Need - When MC was injuried, she knew her two best friends would get after her for it. But they’ll always be there for her. Warnings: Injury.

Sebastian Sallow x Ominis Gaunt 

Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow - Oneshot. Sebastian can't give up. Not even after he's killed his Uncle. He's determined to save Anne, and won't take no for an answer. Or, a brief exploration into the broken(?) friendship between Sebastian and Ominis after everything happens. Can be read platonic or romantic. Warnings: ANGST

[yourtouchismidas]

could you write matth and rg taking the girls trick or treating for the first time please?? 🥺

so i think you take gigi trick or treating every year when she is very little, too little to remember, dressing her up as an avocado when she is a five month old and has only just learned how to hold her own hear up, and then as a spider when she is one, with big stuffed legs that she chewed on while held her in your arms and matty rand doorbells for her and smiled proudly as everyone cooed, then took all the candy round to georges to eat when they got high. when she is three she chooses her own costume, a witch, and asks for the sweets herself. matty still eats most of it, "to save her little teeth" and you share a few chocolate bars with her.

gigi's fourth halloween, you are with matty on tour in america, lounging in the hotel room the morning before his halloween show. you've talked about the fact that it's halloween, obviously, over gigi's head, and the boys have picked out their costumes for the show. gigi hasnt really said anything about it all day, you're not sure she even remembers halloweens past, or if its all just a hazy dribbly chocolate blur. but while you and matty are cuddling in bed watching telly, gigi hitches herself up to look out the hotel window.

"its scary day!" she says.

"yeah, gi," you say, "it's halloween."

she runs back over from the window and jumps on you both "we need to get my costume!"

you peer out the window yourself and see a bunch of school children waiting at their bus stop, all dressed in cute little costumes.

"we can get you a costume" matty says.

"will we have time?" you fret, worried about getting to the venue and sound check and everything.

"yeah, definitely."

"then we can knock on people's doors?" gigi says, "thats what you do on halloween"

you and matty look at each other. there will not be time for trick or treating, you know that. you break this news to gigi, and she starts sobbing into matty's chest, and he strokes her hair but he can't change anything, you simply dont have time. he feels like the worst person in the world.

gigi is still crying when you meet the rest of the band for breakfast, and she holds her hands up to george and he lifts her up and asks whats wrong. she just buries her head in his shoulder.

"we dont have time to go trick or treating," you explain.

"oh dear, gus," george says, as she sobs into his shoulder, "it's a hard life isnt it love?"

you take gigi to walmart while they sort venue stuff out, and she picks a skeleton onesie and you take her back to the hotel room and draw more bones on her face with eyeliner. she giggles with delight.

matty texts, can you bring gi back stage before the show? everythings done, wanna hang.

so you set off. when you get back stage, it's oddly quiet, like no one is there. you cant hear voices. the stage set looms like an empty house, the arena echoey. you take gigi and go and try and find matty's dressing room by yourself, with no one to ask. you find it, in a corridor of dressing rooms, the first one with matty's name taped on the front. you knock.

matty opens the door in his costume. he's dressed as a magician, with a black suit with coat and tails, a top hat, and a wand.

"oh hello there, can i help you?" he asks, looking surprised. you and gigi side eye each other.

"matty," she says, "it's me. your daughter."

"i'm just a person in my house on halloween. ready to give treats to the children who knock" he says, "or tricks," he says, poking gigi with his wand and making her squeal. he disappears behind the door and hands her a plastic basket shaped like a pumpkin, and then tips out a bag of sharing candy into it.

"yay!" gigi says, and you smile knowingly at matty, kissing him on the cheek and wrapping your arms around him.

"no time for this affection young lady," he says, unwrapping your arms from him, but kissing you quickly on the side of the head, "plenty more houses to visit." he gestures down the corridor at the unopened dressing room doors. you grin. matty waves his wand dramatically at the both of you, then closes his door slowly behind him, saying "have a good night," in the most creepy voice he can muster.

you go from door to door, and behind each is another member of the band, or their partner, or a manager, or a security guard. george is dressed as frankensteins monster and chases gigi down the halls with his arms out in the front of him. Ross is wearing red lycra as the devil, a tail pinned to his bum, his long hair all out and down his back, two red horns sticking up out of his head. he's bought way too much candy for gigi and she throws herself at him in gratitude, screaming "i love the devil!" and making you both split with laughter. adam jumps out dressed as a ghost and gigi screams and then pretends not to be frightened at all, and ends up chasing adam round the halls with ross' red plastic pitchfork.

you have gigi say thank to the boys, for making her her own trick or treating street backstage, and she kisses her daddy with her black lipstick before he goes on stage, and he leaves the print there the whole show, while you watch in the audience and your little skeleton falls asleep in your arms, happy as ever on halloween.

[george-weasleys-girl]

Hi! Could you write a little something on the war? Fred survives but Y/N ends up with a life long injury by saving Fred from a curse/torture spell and taking the curse/spell herself. They are best friends, spending all her time with Fred and the boys in their common dorms rather than the girls or doing any homework/revision which annoys Hermione as she's just as clever as her but doesn't do any work for it, and spends every break with the Weasleys (as she doesn't get on with her own family so she does casual work at the Ministry to secretly pay Mr and Mrs Weasleys mortgage as a thank you) which they learn when she's in hospital getting medicine to help live with her injury when the he's so she's practically a second daughter to them. They find out when Kingsley Shacklebot (as she's his Personal Assistant) comes to check on her, and gives her some time off work despite her offering to return back to work to get all the paperwork in order about the war, for future generations. George pulls Fred away to check on him as he knows how Fred feels about you, and says he has to say how he feels about her as he could've lost you without telling you how he really feels. Later on, as they head back to the burrow, Fred and reader follow behind slowly because of her injury and they admit their feelings for one another.

Aftermath

Thank you for your request. Enjoy!

~•~

Wave after wave of blinding pain overwhelmed her. Every cell in her body screamed. Maybe she was screaming, too. She tried to focus, but nothing existed beyond the red haze of agony. Another wave slammed into her, stealing her breath and setting fire to her veins. It was more than she could take. Her body spasmed once, and then oblivion took her.

~•~

There were voices. Familiar voices. Kind and worried.

"Please don’t move."

"The healer is here."

"...giving you something for the pain."

Y/N felt a small prick on her arm, and then a sudden, heavy drowsiness overtook her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't speak or open her eyes, but she could move her hand a little. Just enough to let them know she was okay. She squeezed, and the trembling hand that held hers squeezed back. A voice spoke, soft and reassuring. It was one she knew very well but couldn't quite place. "I'm here, love. You’re gonna be okay."

'Good,' she thought. 'They know I'm okay. I can sleep now.'

~•~

Y/N blinked her eyes open, squinting at the bright room around her. There was a draft coming from somewhere, and it chilled her. She tried to pull the blanket tighter around herself, but arms were too heavy to lift.

"She's awake!" Someone yelled.

Within seconds, freckled faces surrounded her, all smiling smiles that didn't quite reach their worried eyes.

"Stop hovering over her like a pack of vultures," a voice commanded from the other side of the room. Seconds later, the owner of that voice appeared and pushed her way through to Y/N. "How are you, dear? I'm so glad to see you awake."

"Hi, Molly," Y/N rasped. "I'm so cold."

"Oh no, you poor thing!" Molly pulled the covers over her shoulders. "Why did no one put a warming charm on her blanket?! She's freezing!" Mrs. Weasley grabbed her wand and pointed it at Y/N's thin blanket, "calidum stratum." Y/N relaxed as the warmth seeped into her bones.

"Better dear?" Molly asked, brushing hair away from Y/N's face.

"Much better. Thank you." Y/N smiled and then blinked when the face of her best friend suddenly appeared, blocking out everything else. "Hey there egghead, how you feeling?" Fred asked, using the nickname he'd given her the day Hermione had an existential crisis after discovering Y/N made top marks in everything despite almost never cracking open a book.

Y/N wore the title with pride.

"Tired," Y/N gave him a small smile. "Really weak."

Fred didn't respond at first, opting instead to fuss with her blanket needlessly.

"I owe you one, love," he said after a few moments.

Y/N's eyebrows crinkled together. "How so?"

Fred froze, staring down at her. "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"The battle... you were hurt."

"Well, that explains why I'm lying in a hospital bed," she replied, trying to make light of the situation. But, when Fred barely grinned, she knew things were far more serious than anyone was letting on. "I remember Death Eaters coming at us from every direction, and suddenly, there was this loud boom and a blinding light. Then I woke up here."

"That's it?" Fred asked. "That's all you remember."

Y/N chewed on her lip. "Yeah, that's it. Sorry."

Fred looked up at Percy, who pulled up a chair and sat next to Y/N. "There was an explosion. It knocked out everyone in the vicinity, except for you. Or maybe you were just the first to wake up, we don't know. Anyway, when I came to, Fred was still unconscious, and you were lying over him, shielding him from a Death Eater who kept hitting you over and over with the Cruciatus curse. You were scr--" Percy shivered, his face going pale. "I was trying to find my wand when someone ran in and disarmed the guy."

Fred took her hand, "By the time I started waking up, you had fallen unconscious. We didn't realize how badly you were hurt at first."

"At first? H-how badly was I hurt?"

Fred looked away, wiping his eyes.

Y/N mustered up enough strength to give his hand a light squeeze. "Whatever it is, just tell me. I'll be alright."

The older twin shook his head. "You have nerve damage," he said bluntly, before rushing out of the room, with George following close behind.

"Nerve damage?" Y/N looked up at Mrs. Weasley, who'd sat down on the empty chair.

Molly took Y/N's hand in both of hers, patting it gently. "Your hip was fractured in the blast, but it's been fully healed. That's the good news," she gave Y/N a brief, encouraging smile. "But," she continued, her smile fading, "the Death Eater who attacked you must've known where you were hurt, and he focused the curse directly on your injury." Mrs. Weasley's chin quivered, "You were so vulnerable, my dear, and his repeated attacks--well, they permanently damaged the nerves in your hip."

"Ok. So--what does that mean?"

~•~

Fred sat on the small bench just outside the room, his head in his hands. He didn't hear George step out behind him.

"Hey mate," George said, sitting next to his brother. Fred jumped, wand up, ready to fight. "Woah, Freddie, it's just me," the younger twin coaxed, hands in the air. "It's just me."

"Shit, sorry, Georgie. Guess I'm still on edge from‐‐everything." Fred ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"We all are," George patted his twin's shoulder. "It's alright."

They sat in companionable silence for a while before George spoke again. "Y/N's gonna be okay, you know. She's as tough as they come, that one."

Fred sighed. "I know. But I want her to be more than just ok." The older twin stood and walked to gaze out the tiny window across from them. "She's gonna have life-long pain. And what if she never walks again? She doesn't deserve this, George. Why the fuck did I have to get knocked out? I could've protected her--" Fred's voice cracked, and he went silent for a few long moments. When he spoke again, there was winter in his voice. "Azkaban is too good for the worthless piece of shit who did that to her," he growled. "If I ever get my hands on him I'll rip his fucking lungs out."

"You'll have to get in line behind mum."

Fred turned around to find George watching him with a wry grin. After a few seconds, a small grin of his own appeared on the older twin's face, the first genuine one since he awoke two days ago on the castle floor with Y/N unconscious and crumpled across his chest.

"I don't know why the Ministry bothered having dementors guard Azkaban when they could've just sent mum over instead."

George chuckled, then turned to face his twin. "So, when do you plan on telling her?"

"When do I--what are you talking about?"

"Tell Y/N that you love her."

"Oh. That." Fred muttered. "Wait. How did you know?"

"I'm your twin," George said, matter of factly.

Fred snorted, then rubbed his eyes. "I don't know. I wanted to tell her before the war, but I chickened out. And now--"

"‐‐would be the perfect time," George said.

The older twin looked incredulous.

"You almost lost your chance to tell her because you were afraid she didn't feel the same way," he continued when Fred remained silent. "Well, it's pretty obvious at this point that she loves you too. And besides, she's going to need you in the coming months. I think it'd really help her to know."

George stood and stretched. "Just think about it." He gave his twin another pat on the shoulder and headed back into the room.

~•~

"I'm going to walk again, even if it kills me." Y/N stood, teeth gritted, left hand holding onto the bed railing and the other clinging to Fred's arm. Her right side had taken the most hits and was causing tremors to shoot up and down her right leg.

"Wouldn't that be defeating the whole purpose of walking again?" Fred joked.

Y/N stuck her tongue out at him. Her face was red with exertion, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Okay, I think that's enough for now," Fred said. Y/N simply nodded and let him help her back into bed.

"How long?" Y/N gasped.

George held up the stopwatch, smiling. "Three and a half minutes. Half a minute longer than last time."

"Awesome," Y/N smiled and grabbed her water bottle from the bedside table.

"How's your pain?" Fred asked, pushing her sweat soaked hair from her forehead.

"Tolerable," Y/N answered. "My foot keeps going numb, though."

Fred nodded. He'd barely left her side since they'd arrived at St. Mungo's four days ago, and neither had most of the rest of the Weasley family, which was why George chose this moment to go take a walk.

"See ya later," he said, giving Fred a pointed look before he walked out the door.

~•~

'Well, now's as good a time as any,' Fred thought.

"You up for a chat, love?"

"Of course," Y/N smiled up at him.

Fred pulled his chair closer. "There's something I've, well--" he paused to clear his throat. "I've been wanting--"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by a cheerful, "Hello!" And Kingsley Shacklebolt's smiling face poking through the doorway. "Up for a visit?"

"Come on in," Y/N waved him inside, then looked up at Fred. "Talk later?"

"Absolutely," he ruffled her hair. "Think I'll go catch up with George."

"Good idea. It'll do you good to get some fresh air."

Fred gave a quick nod to Shacklebolt and headed out. 'Dammit.'

~•~

"They're releasing me tomorrow," Y/N said. "I can come back to work the day after."

Shacklebolt chuckled. "I appreciate your tenacity, but you need to rest and recover."

"I'll be fine. I have medicine. I have a wheelchair," she explained. "You've got to be swamped. There's so much that needs to be sorted and cataloged concerning the war."

"The Ministry's brought in some temps."

"No one knows your system better than me. It'll take forever to train someone new."

"I'll manage," Shacklebolt said. "You're taking time off whether you like it or not, Y/N. I'm not replacing you if that's what you're worried about."

"What about the Weasley's mortgage?"

"Their payments will still be covered," he assured her. "Now stop worrying so much and use that energy to heal, please."

Y/N had started to respond when someone cleared their throat, making Y/N jump.

Arthur was standing in the doorway. "What are you talking about? I was told that I'd paid our mortgage off."

~•~

"It was the least I could do to thank you--for everything you've done for me," Y/N explained to Arthur and Molly. "You took me in when I fell out with my family and had nowhere to go. You didn't have to do that, but you did. And you've become my family now. Please, just let me do this one thing for you."

~•~

The family was headed to the Burrow, but first, George wanted to grab a few things from his and Fred's apartment, and Molly needed to stop by Potage's Caudron Shop. The rest of the family, craving some semblance of normalcy, decided to tag along.

Fred and Y/N hung back a bit so they could talk. "Mum told me what you've been doing," he said. "About the mortgage and everything."

Y/N nodded. "They're not entirely comfortable with the concept, but I think they understand why I'm doing it and have agreed, albeit reluctantly, to let me continue paying half of it."

"So that day dad came home saying there had been an accounting error and the mortgage had been paid off a few years earlier than he expected, that was all you?"

"Yup."

Fred was not one to get weak in the knees. But in that moment, he was very glad he had her wheelchair to hold onto. Y/N kindness and generosity staggered him, and if there was ever a time he thought he couldn't love her more, today she proved him wrong.

"You two coming in?" Ron called back when they got to the shop.

Fred looked down at Y/N, "What do you say we soak in the sun instead?"

"Mhmm..." Y/N smiled. "I'd really love that."

"We're just gonna hang out here," Fred replied.

Ron gave them a thumbs up and followed the rest of the family inside.

~•~

Rather than pushing her wheelchair beside the little bench outside, he positioned it so they could sit face to face.

"There was something I wanted to tell you yesterday," Fred began. "But then Shacklebolt conveniently showed up."

"I remember," Y/N giggled. "He has impeccable timing."

Fred snorted and took her hands in his. "I'd like, if it's okay with you, to talk about things now."

"You have my rapt attention," a smile spread across Y/N's face.

"Okay, so there's this thing I've been wanting to say for a long time," Fred began. "But I didn't know how, because I'm not very good at this sort of thing. And I should've told you before now. And George said‐‐"

"Freddie," Y/N cut in. "You're rambling."

"Oh, right." Fred's face turned a brilliant vermillion. "Umm, so. The thing that I want to tell you is that I love you. I've loved you for a long time and I really hope you love me too."

"I--um--oh," Y/N stuttered, looking down.

Fred bit his lip, watching her for a few moments before speaking. "Does this mean you don't--"

Y/N's head snapped up, eyes wet with tears. "No, it's not that. It's just‐‐"

"Just what?"

She shook her head, looking away again. "It's just things are different now." She glanced down at her legs. "I--I'm broken now. I don't want you to have to, you know, take care of me. I can't let you--"

"Love, stop right there." Fred interrupted. "You're not broken, Y/N. Do you understand me? You. Are. Not. Broken. Ok?"

Y/N nodded, wiping at her tears.

"And I wouldn't be sitting here telling you I love you if I didn't want to take care of you."

"Well, yeah but--"

Fred clasped her face in his hands and pulled her into a kiss, drowning out every other thought in her mind except the heat of his lips on hers.

"Well, it's about damn time." A shadow fell over them. Fred pulled back, letting his mouth hover over Y/N's for just a second before turning to his twin.

"Don't you have something better to do, Georgie?"

"Nope. I've been waiting for this to happen for a long ass time."

Fred cocked an eyebrow.

"Ok, ok, I'm going!" George laughed and headed toward the cauldron shop.

Y/N and Fred watched him go before they turned back to each other.

"So, what d'ya say? Give us a try?" Fred asked her

"Y-yeah. If you're sure."

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

~•~

Y/N nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "Then I guess I should make it official." She leaned toward him, pausing just before their lips touched. "I love you too."

Sequel:

If your url is crossed out, I'm unable to tag you.

@milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley @imshiningjustforyou @nighttimemoonlover @jsjcue @wzrd-wheezes @fredweasleyyyyy @hufflepuffie @alexistonks @princess-paramour @anvaaryn @lastwandastan @samshifts @asuperconfusedgirl @superduckmilkshake @mysticsheepsoul @gemofthenight

[darlingssaturn]

Sleeping Beauty

(jujutsu kaisen x tokyo revengers)

ONCE UPON A TIME in a far away land, lived a head clan with his fair wife. They had been bestowed with a son that held a powerful power in his eyes. They named him, Satoru. But the father, along with the entire clan, had been wishing for daughter for as long as 300 hundred years.

The clan had always birth a son but never a daughter for such a long time. So when the wife birthed a daughter after wishing for so long, they rejoiced with excitement. Especially with how the little girl have a powerful eyes, just like her brother, the family couldn't be more happier.

But unfortunately the body of the girl could not withstand the cursed energy inside her since she is born prematurely. The bad news did not end just that, not only did she inherit an incurable illness that has passed down from the women of her maternal family, she is also given a curse from the King of Curses himself thousand years ago.

"I shall curse you for fooling me. If you bore a descendant that is a woman, she will suffer in place of you." said Sukuna to Gojo ancestor.

A curse where where she will die if she prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. He placed this curse upon her because of his unrequited love that he had for one of the past Six Eyes User.

With a terrible curse looming around the precious princess, the three good fairies, who retired from sorceress life, came to give their assist. It's a thank you gesture because they were saved many times by the Gojo Clan.

Mistress Flora, Mistress Fauna, and Mistress Merryweather bless the little princess with one gift each. No more, no less. To help the princess with breaking the curse that Ryomen Sukuna placed on her.

"Little princess, my gift shall be the gift of beauty." Mistress Flora swing her wand while muttering magic spell under her breath.

One gift.

Beauty rare.

White snow in her hair.

Lips that shame the red, red rose.

She'll walk with springtime, whenever she goes.

"Tiny princess, my gift shall be the gift of song." Mistress Fauna softly told the little baby. Golden magic dust flies around as it goes to the baby's mouth, as if the baby is swallowing the blessing.

One gift.

The gift of song.

Melody her whole life long.

The nightingale her troubadour.

Bringing his sweet serenade to her door.

"Sweet princess, if through this wicked curse's trick, a spindle should your finger prick. A ray of hope there still may be in this, a gift i gave to thee. Not in death, but just sleep. The fateful prophecy you'll keep. And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love's kiss the spell shall break." said Mistress Merryweather.

For true love conquers all.

[justabackroundcharacter]

Thoughts while watching Wish:

- base princess personality trope

- Never getting over the face that the goat is named Valentino

- 7 dwarfs vibes with the friends

- Hans type character

- Weird ass love song to wishes

- Evil Chris Pratt went from 1-100 really fast

- The wife was 1000000% the kings wish and he used magic to get it

- Angry guy is played by GIZMO MY BELOVED

- 100 year old man move like a 60 year old fr

- Asha also goes from 50-100 real fast

- My favorite song was a little disappointing:(

- What she’s singing and what the animation gives dosent match

- Wifey is CLUELESS

- We could’ve had A STAR BOY INSTEAD WE GET THIS THING

- Star is still cute

- When you are a Star and accidentally make a devils trap in the tree lol

- IM A STAR ⭐️

- thanks for not eating me John

- Throwing books like your cramming for a test

- King is bipolar like actually tho

- EVERYTHING IS FINE

- What are you five ?

- DANCING CHICKENS

- Best friends help each other commit crimes against the kingdom

- King really is evil he made everyone go to an assembly and they aren’t even in school

- WAIT WAS KING SUPPOSED TO BE AN ALIEN

- how old is the king ? Do we know at all ?

- Casually dooms yourself to an eternity of pain because you got insecure

- HE HAS A SECRET LAIR LIKE HAWKMOTH

- ok how do wishes work again ? Was gramps not free to still inspire people

- Not the mom pleading for her daughter to only get her wish trampled on (definitely don’t need to look at how accurate that is)

- Star said SQUARE TF UP

- He’s literally just your king hit him with your bookshelf

- Returns to your stable if anyone asks pLaY dUmB

- when you have to speed run the 5 stages of grief bc you are the main character damnit

- I know what your thinking- WELL I DONT girl that star doesn’t have an expression on his face

- I can not swim *proceeds to jump into the water with reckless abandon *

- You’ve been hit by, you’ve been stuck by LOSS OF YOUR WISH

- ‘AMYIA darling your just in time come meet my new TOY’ why would you WRITE IT LIKE THAT

- Hot take anyone who calls their partner darling is on THIN FUCKING ICE

- King man went insane that is fun

- HANS KNOCK OFF BETRAYED THEM I FUCKING KNEW IT

- Dont worry im a talking mouse but very clean

- When you only want to be a loyal knight but you end up betraying your friends- happens to the best of us dude

- Good find Valentino - my butt found it

- introverts deserve sanctuary— louder for the people in the back

- STRIKE, STRIKE newsies vibes

- YES fulfill your Sabos wish

- doc and dopey slayed

- They all did

- They are like any queer friend group fr

- the chase scene is cool

- YAZ QUEEN GET YOUR HUSBAND

- I was fooled by the love I felt- Its ok queen you were definitely manipulated not your fault

- Don’t destroy never land you bastard

- A stick ? What am I supposed to do with this ?

- The MUSHROOMS 🍄

- Poor gizmo can’t catch a break no matter what universe he’s in

- a dress on a tree more likely than you think

- Dude bro dear got into the mushrooms fr

- Sometimes a plan is just you and your six friends jumping from a high place

- FUCKING HANS GOT ME AGAIN

- thanks John

- Your so right bunnies are terrifying

- Nope nope nope nope nope

- StAr GeT aWaY fRoM tHeRe

- WAIT IS HE MAGIC MIRRIR GUY

- Yay singing again

- THE power of collective singing will always save the day

- GREEN SMOKE

- MyWiShEs dude get a grip

- Simon and queen should be besties now

- LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

- Peter Pan origin story 👀👀

- ZOOTOPIA ?!?

- bippty boppty boo the magic wand is fixed

- Give GIZMO THE WAND 😭he deserves it

- Fireworks yay

- 5/10 movie

[kuroneko1815]

The Amulet

Judith was a child whose curiosity was encouraged and nurtured by her loving and doting parents. As the (currently) only child of the Emperor and Empress who were known to be madly in love with one another, as well as being the only grandchild of the only Duke who favoured his adopted daughter over his blood born sons, she was indulged overly so. Had it been anyone else, perhaps the child would grow up mean spirited and self obsessed but her sweet nature won through.

One day as she waited and played inside her parent’s room, the little four year old decided to use her wings to fly around a bit, before spotting a box on one of the tables on her father’s side of the room. Deciding that she wanted to see what was in it, she flew close and grabbed the ornate wooden box and flew back to where her mother was resting on the bed as she often did these days as her pregnancy progressed.

Landing back on the bed with the box, the movement seemed to have woken her mother. “Hmm… Judy?” Her Mama called out with a yawn as she sat up.

“Mama, wanna see the box.” She gave the box to her mother who took it without hesitation.

She smiled as she touched the box. “This is your Papa’s box but I don’t think he’ll mind us looking through it. But you’ll have to ask him about everything here, I don’t know about the stories behind them that make them special.”

She opened the box slowly. There were letters and amulets, brooches, and small portraits. Her Mama smiled when she grabbed the one on top, the cracked ruby in the middle and the gold that had tarnished made it look so old. “This one though, I wanted to give it to your Uncle Reynold but your mean Papa took it out of my hand and said it matched him more before he put it on.”

“That’s mean of Papa!” Judith said solemnly but she smiled at the feeling of magic that was in it, faint and barely there. The door swung open and the man himself entered.

“Oh, am I mean?”

Judith looked at her Mama with a smile before she turned back to her father. “Very mean, Servant Emperor.”

“Tch, call me Father.” He joined them on the bed, pulling Judith on to his lap and gazed in the box. “I came here to make sure you weren’t bothering your Mother but it seems you have.”

“I don’t mind.” Mama said as she lay back down.

Her Papa turned to her Mama and sighed. “Go to sleep, I’ll watch over her.”

“Just stay in the room and talk to her, it’s nice hearing your stories.”

Her Papa gave up after that and began telling stories about the trinkets in his box, all of them were from her Mama or from Grandma, some of them were her drawings too. Mama fell asleep immediately and Papa began to tell his stories in a whisper.

She found one amulet that had very powerful magic and was so pretty. It was also very very old. As old as her Mama’s mirror wand.

Her Papa caught her staring at it and he took it out and handed it to her. “This was your Grandmother’s, she gave it to me when I was very small. It broke when I got a little older but your mother found it and fixed it for me.”

“It’s pretty.” Judith admitted as she touched it reverently.

“If you want it, you can have it.” Her Papa said.

She smiled at her Papa. “Judy wants it.”

Her Papa pinned it on to her dress with a smile.

None of them knew the true history of the amulet. They didn’t know that it once belonged to a family of travelling merchants, the last of the Ancient Mages. Or that the patriarch, in a desperate need for money for his only daughter’s medicine, had pawned it off to a young noble woman who would later marry the future Emperor and give birth to Callisto. They also didn’t know the true extent of the amulet, only that the base spell was a protection spell that had once saved Callisto’s life from an arrow during his first hunting competition.

Judith wore that amulet everyday since. One day, she had pricked her finger on a rose’s thorn and she had accidentally smeared some of her blood on the amulet the same way her mother, father, paternal grandmother, and so many of her mother’s ancestral family had done at least once throughout their life. The magic in the amulet recognized the inherent nature of the blood and it activated.

A blinding light engulfed her, all the onlookers were forced to shield their eyes. Penelope hadn’t been too far and she had braved the light to search for her daughter.

Callisto had arrived, sword drawn at the feeling of the powerful and unfamiliar magic that was emanating from the garden. His wife and daughter nowhere to be found. When the light died down, he froze. Mother and daughter were crouched down, his wife’s arms encircling their daughter, but right behind them, staring blankly around, eyes shifting side to side was…

“Mother?” He called out to the tall woman standing behind his family.

She turned around slowly and looked at him. “Who are you? No… wait… Callisto?”

Basically the beginnings of a fic idea about what would happen if the Empress met a grownup version of her son and his family not too long before her death. And I also like the idea of tying the two families together with the amulet. And in this story, she makes a wish to see what her son’s future would be like, wants to assure herself that no matter what happens to her, her beloved son would be alright in the end. So the amulet takes her to a point in time where he was okay.

When she returns to her time, she gives him the amulet to protect him and complete the loop. It does have an adverse effect where she gets to see what’s happening in real time the way the ancient mages were watching Penelope. And she watches in anger and frustration as her daughter-in-law was killed over and over, wondering how the future she had seen had come about if Penelope was doomed to die in every loop. And her opinion of Penelope, who she had been hesitant about due to her commoner blood, changes throughout the loops. Sympathy and motherly love come about even as she begins to think that her beloved son was the one unworthy of Penelope.

What do you guys think?

[merlinsbudgiesmugglers]

Ghost Stories

Harry Potter has no luck with camping.

Written for @fluffbruary prompts Ghost and Tent

Read on AO3

The thin beam of light from Harry’s wand cuts through the darkness, lighting his way to the tent. The fallen leaves crunch under his shoes, joining the sounds of the night and the murmurs he can hear coming from the tent ahead of him.

As he gets closer, he can start to make out bits of the conversation inside, catching a few words here and there, ‘…coming for them…need to be ready…’

Harry rolls his eyes, and with a huff of annoyance, he reaches the tent, flicking the flap aside just as he hears James yell, ‘but her head was gone!’

Al and Lily’s screams greet him as his wand light falls on his three children, all wide-eyed and huddled together on one bunk. 

‘Right,’ he says firmly, ‘James, what have I told you about telling ghost stories to Al and Lily?’

‘She asked me to tell it!’ But even before James can finish speaking, Lily darts across the tent and wraps her arms around Harry’s leg, her favourite bunny tucked firmly under one arm. 

‘I’m scared, Daddy!’ she whispers when Harry lifts her up, tucking her against his hip, but the look on her face is more excitement than terror, and he’s fairly sure that his arrival scared her more than any story her brother had told.

Deciding that separating the three of them is the best idea (and knowing that only having Al as an audience is far less interesting to James), Harry gives an indulgent sigh. ‘Right, boys, if you can’t behave, you’ll have to come sleep with me and Mum.’

Lily curls sleepily against Harry’s shoulder during the following argument, both boys claiming they’re too grown up to share a bed with their parents. Harry agrees, mostly because the arm carrying Lily is starting to go numb, as long as they go straight to bed.

He manages to balance Lily on his hip while he helps settle the boys. James says that he is too old to be tucked in but lets Harry do it anyway, and Al quietly promises that he ‘wasn’t really that scared, Dad’. 

They look so peaceful like this, so innocent. But Harry knows his sons, and he’s sure they won’t stay that way for long.

Back in the other tent they had set up for the weekend, Ginny is exactly where he left her, sitting up in bed, reading one of those trashy romance novels that she and Hannah love some much. Harry crosses the small space and drops their daughter onto the bed, who giggles when she bounces. 

‘Ghost stories?’ Ginny asks, looking over as Harry joins them.

Lily nods, ‘I was really, really scared.’ she says earnestly, and Harry and Ginny share an amused smile over her head. Even at five years old, Lily has taken a liking to scary stories.

‘Really?’ Ginny asks with an over-exaggerated look of concern, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t ask James to tell them.’ 

Lily seems to consider this for a moment but shakes her head and snuggles down further until her voice is muffled by the covers. ‘No, s’ok, 'cause Daddy always comes an’ saves me.’

‘He’s pretty good at that, isn’t he, sweetheart?’ Ginny asks, looking over at her husband with a teasing grin as she runs a hand over Lily’s hair. Their daughter yawns widely and nods, curling up to Harry, her eyes slipping shut as she falls asleep.

The tent is quiet as Lily's breath starts to come deep and even. With a glance down at the little girl between them, Ginny then turns her attention to Harry, ‘How long until the boys join us?’ she asks quietly.

Harry chuckles softly and glances at his watch. ‘Give it a couple of minutes.’ He tells her.

Sure enough, it’s not long before a small hand pulls aside the flap of the tent, and Al and James shuffle in.

‘Al was scared.’

‘No I wasn’t,’ Al says hurriedly, ‘Jamie didn’t want to walk over here alone.’

‘Come on then, in you get.’ Ginny says, cutting off any argument before it can start. She and Harry shuffle to the edges of the bed, leaving space on either side of Lily for the boys to climb into. It takes a bit for them to settle down, but it’s late, so it doesn’t take too long for the two boys to fall asleep. Lily slumbers through it all. A herd of stampeding hippogriffs couldn’t wake her once she goes down.

‘What was that about a nice, relaxing holiday?’ Ginny asks quietly, moving Al’s hand from where it had suddenly flung out and landed on her face. ‘‘Peace and quiet’, you promised me.’

Harry bites back a laugh as James starts snoring, right on cue, ‘We should have known better than to go camping.’

[sakebytheriver]

One more Disenchanted thought, but the wish should have been Morgan's, have her steal the wand when she's mad at Giselle and jealous of her little sister for being a "true daughter of Andalasia" and make a wish for her life to be just like Andalasia praying it'll work for her maybe even trying to sing a broken little melody that she tries to make sound like how Giselle sings her songs and then when the wish doesn't work she gets even more angry and frustrated at thinking she's not good enough for Andalasia throwing the wand away and losing it to be found by Malvina and the evil HOA, before the next morning Morgan wakes up in complete 2D animation and so is the world around her, have Monroeville relocate completely to the 2D world give it a magical force shield that separates it from Andalasia as it siphons magic from the kingdom making the B-plot Edward and Nancy having to protect their subjects and fight against this new threat that landed on their doorstep and develop their relationship past the beyond lazy surface level bullshit both movies have given us for their romance, meanwhile Giselle's transformation into the wicked stepmother is all Morgan's fault, a self fulfilling prophecy she made come true that as she celebrates the fact that her wish worked and she is really truly a "true daughter of Andalasia" the wand proved it, Giselle is getting corrupted turning into a monster that locks her away in a tall tower or maybe even in Giselle's own childhood tree house, Morgan is now able to talk to all the animals while Giselle can only hear their squeaks and then Morgan has to go through an emotional arc learning that she is a "true daughter of Andalasia" but not because a wand told her so, but because of Giselle, because of her mom and the relationship the two of them have and while Giselle is off battling with Malvina, Robert is on his way to rescue Morgan from the tower having been held up by dragons and monsters and huntsman all trying really hard to kill him, because as the remarried father in this Cinderella tale he's slated for the narrative chopping block and so his aimless wandering turns into an actual B-plot for his character to engage in that also subverts genre cliches like the original and then the two of them race into the end battle and Morgan saves the day, by giving a big emotional speech to her mom that brings Giselle back long enough for the two mother and daughter center of the plot to save the day together, concluding with a scene where Nancy and Edward on the other side of the barrier not knowing exactly whats happening inside think they're about to die and give big emotional romantic speeches and possibly have a sad duet about loving each other and their kingdom so much they'd die in each other's arms with one last kiss as the clock strikes midnight and Giselle and Morgan put their foreheads together as mothers and daughters do and the magic swirls around them before animated Monroeville blinks out of Andalasia and Nancy and Edward are left standing in a perfectly clear serene forest shocked for a second before their subjects all errupt into cheers behind them and they decide to celebrate and to maybe ask Giselle about that wishing wand they gave her on their next visit meanwhile in the live action world Giselle, Morgan, and Robert wake up back in normal Monroeville and Morgan cries and asks her parents to forgive her and they hold her and tell her she's their daughter and no mistake no matter how big could change that and the movie ends not on a happily ever after, but on a family holding each other close contrasting the end of the first movie where they're running around having fun showing the whimsy within the live action New York instead this time showing the grieving period after going through the whimsical fairytale journey you always thought you wanted as a kid

[sheeple]

Miracles don't exist | 37: Heartbroken and vengeful

Genre(s): Riddle!reader / Slytherin!reader / kinda slowburn / little happy moments Fandom(s): Harry Potter Pairing(s): Theodore Nott x Reader / Harry Potter x Riddle!reader Summary: Being the Dark Lord's daughter and raised under the strict supervision of the Malfoy's is no easy life. Especially if you start crushing on your father's arch-nemesis, Harry Potter. And that while being engaged to one of his follower’s sons. Warning(s): Nothing really [Masterlist] [Mini masterlist] [Playlist]

You crawl on your hands and feet out of the lake, spluttering and coughing up some of the nasty lake water. You wipe your face in an effort to get rid of the lake bits while you find your footing. 

You cast a drying spell on your clothes as the Golden Trio pulls clean clothes out of Hermione's beaded handbag and discuss the visions Harry saw and what their next step is. 

Suddenly, the trio turns to you and you halt like a deer caught in headlights. Your eyes flicker from Harry to Hermione to Ron and back. "Sorry?"

"The next Horcrux is in Hogwarts."

You shake your head. "Snape's headmaster now. There is no way you can just waltz right in. And my cover is blown so I'm not much help either with sneaking you in."

Harry turns to Ron as he tugs down his shirt. "Uhm... well, we'll go to Hogsmeade, to Honeydukes. Take the secret passage in the cellar."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? The Dark Lord knows you're destroying Horcruxes. He knows which ones you've already managed to get rid of. Don't you think he has sent a horde of Death Eaters to police the streets?"

A chill runs down your spine as your head twitches to the side. Pain flashes through your neck and you bite down a groan, your hand shoots up to massage the sore spot. Hermione frowns as she watches you intently but chooses to stay silent.

By the looks of it, the trio has decided to go to Hogsmeade. You sigh. "I'll... I'll go to Sirius, alert the Order that you're on your way to Hogwarts."

Hermione jumps forward and engulfs you in a hug. You give her a small smile as you don't know if they survive this. With one last nod to the boys, you turn around and disapparate. 

You stumble into the foyer of Grimmault Place, finding your footing as you catch yourself against the stair railing.

"Sirius?", you call out, pocketing your wand.

There's some noise coming from upstairs and when you look up, you see Sirius hanging over the railing. Once he recognises that it is you, he races down the stairs and halts just before you. His eyes rake over your face with a sorrowful look. He lays a hand on your cheek before engulfing you in a bone-crushing hug.

"Never EVER let me think you've died! You gave all of us quite the scare." He cups your face with tears in his eyes.

You sniff with a watery smile on your face. "Sorry, I'll try not to be dragged down the Malfoy cellar the next time." 

The long-haired man before you gives you a look as he drags you into the kitchen. "First of all, you need a good meal. You look as thin as a sheet. Secondly, you gave me quite the scare young lady when Theodore ended up on my doorstep. Alone."

Casting your eyes down guiltily, you tug at the hem of one of your sleeves. "I've... I've heard he's out on a mission for the Order. In Europe."

Sirius' face softens. He takes your hands in his, making you look at him. "What you did was brave. I know how my cousin is and I wouldn't put it past her to murder him if he were there. To hurt you."

You do your best not to cry. You've cried way too much lately and you want to save your tears for when you really need it. 

"How's Teddy?" Your voice sounds small.

"He... he believed You-Know-Who killed you. Begged Shacklebolt for a mission. To keep his mind busy, he said. But everybody knew he was heartbroken and vengeful."

Chewing slowly on your bottom lip, your eyes downcast. Does Teddy really think you are dead? The thought makes you sad. And sick. You lick your lips and take a step away from Sirius. "I need him to know I'm alive."

But Sirius shakes his head. "Shaklebolt has given us a strict no-contact order with Theodore. The Order is crumbling down anyways."

"So Shacklebolt sent Teddy on a suicide mission? You mean to tell me that my husband is out there somewhere and we can't contact him? Fuck that! Harry, Hermione, and Ron are on their way towards Hogwarts and they need every help they can get!"

You grab your wand and conjure your Patronus. "Find Teddy and tell him I'm safe and to come home", you say to the Hippogriff. The slivery creature bows its head before spreading its wings and flying away.

Sirius looks at you with his mouth agape. You raise your brows at him, a silent dare for him to question your actions. 

"We have to collect what is left of the Order and send them to Hogwarts", you pocket your wand and run a hand over your hair, "The war ends today."

You stand next to Sirius as the Order makes its dramatic entrance into the Great Hall. Snape brandishes his wand but the students all dive away once McGonagall stands in front of Harry. She is the first to attack.

But the weird thing... Snape doesn't attack. He only casts defensive spells and lets the spells bounce off to the two Death Eaters behind him, rendering them unconscious. 

A cheer echos through the Great Hall as Snape flees out of a window. But the cheerful mood is soon dampened by screams from every corner of the Great Hall.

"I know that many of you will want to fight", comes the whispering voice of the Dark Lord, and your head twitches involuntarily. "Some of you may even think that to fight is wise. But this is folly."

You make eye contact with Sirius to make sure you're not the only one who's hearing this.

"Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have one hour."

A student from Slytherin steps forward and points at Harry. Of course, it's Pansy. "What are you waiting for? Someone grab him!"

You pull your wand out of your coat and point it at the girl. "Shut your bitch ass mouth, Parkinson."

Professor McGonagall looks quite shocked at your foul mouth, and so does Pansy. Gaping like a fish on dry land. 

With a deep huff, you march toward the professor. "If I may, Professor. A fight is coming and I don't think it's fair to have to fight one's parents. And it's not safe for the younger ones. Wouldn't it be wise to let the Slytherins and junior years take shelter in the dungeons?"

Professor McGonagall's eyes travel over the student body and she nods. "You are right, Miss...", she trails off, unsure what to call you.

"Nott."

"Right. Mrs Nott is right. Mr Filch, if you would, I would like you to escort the Slytherin's and junior years to the Slytherin common room."

Mr Flitch reluctantly agrees and leads the students towards the dungeons. 

You quickly grab Blaise's sleeve and stop him and Lorenzo. "Please stay stationed at the door. Keep the kids safe." Both boys nod and Blaise gives your shoulder a squeeze. Good luck it says silently.

"I presume you have a reason for returning, Potter", says McGonagall when Harry approaches the two of you. "What is it that you need?"

"Time, Professor. As much as you can get me."

The professor nods. "Do what you have to do. I'll secure the castle."

Harry gives you a look and you follow after him. 

"Potter", McGonagall's words stop the two of you, "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Professor. Hold the fort, Neville." And with that, he's off. 

You pass by Sirius. "I'm going to help Harry. Promise me to keep yourself safe. Please keep an eye out for Teddy."

Sirius nods and gives you a tight hug. "Of course."

The castle is in chaos as students run from here to there. It's mostly last years helping the youngest children find their way to the dungeons and others readying for battle.

"Harry. Hermione and I have been thinking. It doesn't matter if we find a Horcrux."

"What do you mean?", asks Harry confused.

Hermione glances at you. "Unless we can destroy it."

"So, we were thinking..."

"Ron was thinking. It was Ron's idea. It's brilliant."

Oh, dear Salazar... you don't have time for this lovey-dovey stuff. And by the looks of it, neither does Harry.

"You destroyed Tom Riddle's diary with a basilisk fang, right? Me and Hermione know where we might find one."

An imaginary light bulb goes off above Harry. "Okay. Okay, but take this. That way you can find us when you get back." Harry presses some parchment in their hands before giving your arm a slight nudge, motioning you to hurry up the stairs after him.

"Where are you going?", you ask, rushing after him.

"Ravenclaw common room. We have to start somewhere! For the search for the diadem"

"So, the lost diadem of Ravenclaw is the next Horcrux? If I were the Dark Lord I would hide it somewhere in the castle where lost things are. You know, the lost diadem, it's in the name." You raise one eyebrow as you also wave a hand around, stating the obvious.

Harry gives you a surprised look. You cock your head to the side. Hasn't he really not thought about it?

"Okay. So... The Room of Requirement it is."

While climbing to the seventh floor, a sharp pain shoots through your head and you brace yourself against a wall. "They've done it", you whisper, looking at Harry. Harry shares the same look. He felt it too. "We have to hurry."

A loud explosion is heard in the distance before Death Eaters start flying around. You dodge a spell before sending it on to a passing-by smoke cloud. It hits Bullseye and the Death Eater lays petrified on the ground.

Finally, you and Harry reach the empty wall that houses the Room of Requirement. It's early quiet inside. Even the broken record has stopped playing.

"You take left, I take right. When we find something, we call out."

Harry nods in agreement and splits up from you. Your eyes scan frantically around. Between the stacks of old furniture and useless nicknacks, there is no sign of the diadem. But there is a faint high-pitched ringing. Somewhere in the distance. 

You follow after the sound and when whispers prickle the back of your neck, you know you're close. Harry also seemed to pick up the ringing, as both of you end up at the same table.

Harry removes some ropes from the top of a wooden box. You chew on the inside of your cheek as he reaches out and slowly flips open the lid.

"Merlin's saggy balls, we found it", you whisper in amazement.

The blue jewel in the middle shines brightly. Almost too brightly for how dim the room is. Harry touches it, admiringly.

"Well, well. What brings you here, Potter?"

Taglist (bold means I couldn’t tag you): @the0doreslover @lqndkxlmqma @st4rrry  @choppedpartymuffinwinner @ledtassoo @literallyobessed @lestat-whore​ @vanishingcherry @harrysnovia @pietrobae @ireallywannasleep127 @yeolsbubbles @fruityfrog505 @fluffybunnyu @theroyalmanatee @shinrjj @hegdus @kermits-bitch @m1kasawps @noah-uhhh-what @mypolicemanharryyy @fals3-g0d @decapitated-coffee @thatgirljas13 @slytherinambitious @raineisms @mastermindmiko @timmytime17 @regsg18 @supernatural-lover @bubybubsters @lafrone @hermionelove @the-sander-fander @akengii @aliciacat20 @unstablereader @burns-in-the-sun @rachelnicolee @damagelove @mqndrqke @llpovi @clairesjointshurt @222244445555 @jolly4holly @padf00ts-l0ver @fandom-life-12 @prettyb1tchsblog @pari-1 @f14ever @nopedefe @randomgurl2326 @rinalouu @yazminetrahan @ellen3101

[duoduotian]

sugar sugar rune anime vs manga

finished ssr so now i'll post these... why was i so invested in making this. it gave me stress digging through the chapters

keeping track of the differences i notice in the anime vs what i've read in the manga

1. chocolat and vanilla's class

in the manga, they were in different classes

chocolat was in 5A while vanilla was in 5B. however, in the anime, they were both in 5A which i presume was for it to be more convenient to add in filler episodes regarding their school life

2. these pierre scenes

these were from as early as ch. 2 right after rockin robin told chocolat about the piss coloured hearts. it's giving antagonist vibes. as of now, i've watched 4 episodes. haven't seen these animated yet so i presume the anime is just giving him the ~cool, popular senior student~ image for the start of the series, they'll get to the antagonist part later

'i met a girl today.' yeah you met cerunos' (cinnamon) daughter

3. vanilla's first heart(s)

in the manga, it was when she met akira and hiroshi and the reason his heart was orange was bc he saw her panties 💀 idk if this is in the anime but i don't want it. in the anime, she got her first few from some of her classmates after their PE lesson

4. when they got their familiars

in the anime, it was as early as ep 2. duke's first appearance was in ch 5 of the manga when the prank took place. the actual summoning for their familiars only took place in ch 6 after chocolat and vanilla got the basic wand to look further in the catalog.

5. chocolat indirecting pierre

this was during nishitani's interview with chocolat in the manga. unfortunately, we couldn't get this scene in the anime as chocolat had not met pierre during lunch. in the anime, pierre still walks past them during the interview. chocolat glances at him but says she has no ideal type :v

oh and chocolat didn't have to conjure a ghost for him like in the anime he just went back to the club room and everyone made up

6. presence of transformation and wand usage for picking up hearts

i only realised this when they were going through the magic item catalog in the manga and was like 'oh, they didn't have a wand?? fr?' using an example from the manga when chocolat takes nishitani's heart she is seen in her uniform casting the spell:

in the anime, they'll do their magical girl transformation before casting the spell

7. chocolat's return to the magic world

we're going back very early in the anime (ep 7) as compared to the manga (ch 10) we're missing a few things in between regarding the manga. what happens in both media was totally different though like in the anime, vanilla also comes to the magic world to save chocolat and chocolat gets cinnamon's diary from queen candy. but in the manga, she learns about the ogres. also in the manga, cinammon's diary was seen with chocolat in ch 1 so we can infer that it has always been in her possession

8. when a green heart is introduced

in the manga, it was shown in ch 23 and in the anime, it was in ep 9 (quite the jump but it's quite fitting for akira's relationship with chocolat)

9. timing of when houx and saule join moegi academy

manga: sometime after vanilla joins the ogres

anime: after the anime-exclusive midterm when chocolat organised the sugar rune festival ft. bonus tennis match against pierre

10. the heart-shaped hairpin

in the anime, chocolat bought it from the magical catalogue when vanilla told her about the item but in the manga, it was a gift from queen candy from the time when chocolat crashed the palace roof.

vanilla was supportive of chocolat in the anime since she wanted to help her friend. her behaviour was the opposite in the manga as 1. it was something from queen candy and 2. chocolat's sudden appearance ruined her own chance to get sasaoka's heart

chocolat's self realisation that she needs to put in effort in the manga vs how she needed robin to point it out for her to realise it in the anime

[coffeeandritalin]

Reactions and questions as I watch episode 5 of Cang Yue Jin Ming/Till the End of the Moon. (Possibility of spoilers ahead)

NUUUUUU don't hurt your birdie friend!

You a**hole!

Okay... I'm glad that birdie friend didn't get hurt. But also, it's real sus that birdie friend didn't get hurt......

Apparently we're in spring now?

Oh I guess the power he used was one that allowed him to see from a bird's eye... but still... surely he didn't know that... sigh...

He's cutting fire?

Oh I guess this is where he starts demonic cultivation? ... or at least starts thinking about it

Okay... i shouldn't laugh that he has a daydream about killing her, but the music they used to bring things back to reality was just too amusing for me

Yeah! That's right! Remember how she saved your life dumdum

KItty!

Ok. I'm legit curious how this story between Xiao Lin and Ye Bingchang plays out. Also, why is she infested with a demon thing?

Ooooh that's why YBC's status is lower than YXW and why YXW is more spoiled. YXW must have been the main wife's daughter.

Xiao Lin just confessed to her... Why doesn't she seem happier? *eyes narrowed in suspicion...*

X-D *DIES* he sent his crow to spy on their conversation X-D he cares and definitely minds that they're alone <3

T.T he was hoping Xiao Lin actually saw him as a friend

But the tea!!!!

Of course... gotta up the drama T.T. Demon/devil boi just wants to be liked by someone T.T

!!! !!! !!! He cried!

?? YBC seems very upset about hearing about Xiao Lin's title. I don't understand enough about Chinese politics (past and present) to understand what this means... On nevermind. It's because she's relegated to only being his concubine.

Of course, they have to make her think it was her older sister and grandma that sabotaged her future status. Gotta give her reasons to turn evil (probably).

*snorts* of course. he's wearing black and red. That wardrobe switch is a little too quick ^_^".

Did he create a death note? Like... is he worried he's going to forget which people he hates? (I mean that's not unheard of IRL but...)

Why is he sniffing his brush? Is this actually a thing cultured people did back then? Or do now? Like... why is he sniffing his brush?

Why is he carrying that brush around? Is it a weapon? Is it his comfort object?

And this is why people are terrified of birds. Fair enough, YXW. Fair enough.

I mean is the fancy wand/brush waving actually necessary? Or is he just having fun? Like, all good if he's just having fun. Just crious...

Oi YBC... Like... I get your abandonment concern and worries here, but it's not like you didn't know the many you married is like super uprighteous... or maybe you didn't know... They did a good job of turning her from a decently likable neutral character to one you want to knock a few times on the head. One can understand why she is the way she is, but one also wants to shake her into regaining some of her sanity.

T.T he stayed his hand when it came to YXW <3

Like it's sad because she's about to be real disappointed, but I think it's really sweet that YXW is concerned for TTJ's safety and doesn't immediately assume he's the one controlling the crows.

I mean... it's sweet that she's trying to protect him, but bye bye birdie friend T.T

Like how she's not sus over how the crows all suddenly disappeared is... i mean i guess... adrenaline is actually one hell of a drug tbf

Did y'all not come home together? Where are you coming from now that you're just now checking him for injuries?

Ah yes... a relationship built on mutually lying to each other. This is going to work out excellently lol

Can't believe I watched 3? 4? Episodes today... Whoops. Oh well.

[emmajh97-mumaji]

What My Tarot Deck Says About My Blorbo?

💚Kotetsu Kaburagi💚

...

1st Card: King of Cups

Much like the King of Cups, Kotetsu is a father figure and master of his emotions. He has been through it all- love, excitement, loss. He has an earnest appreciation for the turbulent waters of life and likes connecting with others. However, he wears his heart in his chest and not on his sleeve. If you look at the King, his smile is stern and his eyes are closed. The windows to his soul are guarded. Unlike the Queen of Cups, who knows the importance of letting feelings flow freely within her court, the stoic King takes into account how his emotions effect others and thus controls them strategically. This reflects in Kotetsu, who will purposefully hide when something is wrong because he doesn't want to worry other people. But despite this facade, we know that Kotetsu frets and worries constantly about the people he loves and his own perceived shortcomings. We also know that Kotetsu copes with his intense feelings by drowning himself in alcohol. In that case, the King's cup could represent literal drinks, and his executive status represents how Kotetsu's relationship with alcohol is functional (most of the time). On a lighter note, the raised cup could represent how Kotetsu likes to invite people out drinking as a way to socialize. He wants to raise a toast to celebrate his friends!

2nd Card: Two of Wands

Like the figure on the Two of Wands, Kotetsu is ambitious. Becoming a hero has been his dream ever since he was young-- and it sparking so early in his life reflects in the low number (only two out of ten; this is the start of a journey). When your powers make you 100% larger than life, it takes a lot of control to not crush everything. But look at how the world is gently cradled in the man's hands. This reflects how Kotetsu feels like he must protect everyone. However the unfortunate reality is that being a hero is much more than just saving people. Look at how the man is facing away from the world behind him. This reflects how Kotetsu struggles to put on a show for a camera and meet the social demands of being a televised hero. The number two is all about balance and choices, and for Kotetsu those choices are: to keep following his dream of being a hero at the expense of his home life, or to give up on his dream and focus on being a good father with a steady job. What the fiery two of wands suggests is that Kotetsu's passion for being a hero will always burn him, even if he couldn't do it anymore.

Conclusion:

Kotetsu feels constantly at war with himself. Deep down, he wants to keep following his childhood dream of being a hero, but he knows that the person he is now is not the same man who was once one of the top-ranking heroes years ago. He's a father and a widower; his heart has grown deeper, for better and for worse. He's an earnest goofball, but he's not naive. He wants to be there for his daughter, but he also wants to prove to his late wife-- and to himself-- that he can keep fighting till the end. The conflict makes him drown in emotions, but he tries his best to cope with those feelings and keep pressing onward.

...

Bonus:

The stone from my collection that makes me think of Kotetsu most is--

--this green Dalmatian Jasper!

...

Thank you for reading~ Information about my cards can be found in this post! A list of my favorite characters can be found here!

[sl-newsie]

Spelled (Carlos de Vil x Sanderson Daughter) Descendants 2- Ch. 9: Sins of the Mother

Jay drives the limo behind some hedges and we all scramble out. “Ok, we gotta make it back to Mal and Evie by daylight. Let’s go!”

When we sneak through the front door it’s dead quiet, meaning we might be able to go unnoticed. But I still slip my invisible cloak on for good measure. Once we make it to the second floor we are greeted by an excited Dude.

“Hi! Sorry I’m so late, Dude. Ben got captured-”

“Why’s your door open?” Jay asks anxiously.

Uh-oh. We walk into the doorway to find Chad standing in front of the printer.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Carlos huffs.

Chad whips around and notices us. “I knocked?” He shrugs as he hands Carlos another copy of the room key. I also notice he’s clutching a tiny figurine- without a head.

“What in the name of Auradon is that?” I say in a disgusted tone.

He holds it up proudly. “Chad action figure! Minus the head.”

“Sounds like an improvement. Excuse me!” Carlos pushes him aside and gets right to printing the wand.

“Why are you guys making Fairy Godmother’s wand?” Chad asks from behind.

We all tense up and share frantic looks. Um… lies, lies, lies- what to tell-?

“Why are we making Fairy Godmother’s wand?” Carlos asks Jay.

Jay tried to answer. “Because, um…”

“Ben’s been captured!” Dude speaks up from his bed.

Chad’s jaw drops. “What? Dude can talk?”

“I was stalling!” Carlos hisses at the small mutt.

“I thought you forgot!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lonnie in the hallway taking a sneak peek at our discussion. Great, guys. Let’s just let all of Auradon know what we’re doing!

“Don’t tell anyone,” Jay warns Chad. “Ben’s life depends on it.”

Suddenly Chad gets an evil look in his eyes. “Really? So, like, if something were to happen… You know… Who’d you think would be in line to be king?”

I gawk at his arrogance. “How dare you. How dare you! How dare you mock Ben with your hopes of death! Be gracious I do not make your head replicate the one on your action figure!”

Chad takes a minute to let my threat sink in. “But, there’s no head…?”

“Exactly!” I snap.

He shutters and winces away from me with fear-struck eyes. “Stay away from me, freak!” He gives Carlos and Jay a stern frown. “I’m keeping this!” He storms out into the hall. “And if you think I-!”

Jay slams the door shut in Chad’s face.

“Thank you!” I slap a hand over my face. “If I hear one word out of him I’m going to hex his hair to pink!”

“Do it,” Jay says immediately. “He’d look better anyway.”

“O-K! On with the wand…” Carlos finishes punching in the wand blueprints and the printer whirls to life. “Should take maybe an hour or so. I’m gonna rest my eyes a bit.”

“Me too.” Jay joins Carlos on the couch.

“You’re just going to fall asleep,” I warn. “I think I’m going to walk around a bit to keep awake.”

Already the boys are starting to doze off. “Stay safe…”

So much for chatting. I guess no one missed me after all. 

Taking my que to leave, slip out onto the balcony, and hold my hand out to summon a broom.

“Fly!” In an instant I’m levitated into the cool night air and fly off towards the museum of Cultural History. Time for some recollections. Same as last spring the museum is ridiculously easy to sneak into, and when I ascend the stairs and find the Sanderson Sisters exhibit I feel a chill go down my spine.

“Alright, Aunt Winnie. What should I be ashamed of…?” I start scanning the plaque.

In 1693, the Sanderson sisters drained the life force of Emily Binx and used it to brew a Life Potion to keep them young. In a failed attempt to save Emilys life, her brother Thackery Binx was cursed into black cat who must live forever. Before the sisters were hanged, they cast a curse saying that if a virgin should light the Black Flame Candle on All Hallow’s Eve with a full moon, the sisters would return for revenge.

I swallow hard. Yes I’d heard bits and pieces of mother’s backstory and the coven’s crimes, but never had I known how dark it was. No wonder people are afraid of them, of me. Black magic is nothing to be toyed with.

I read on.

300 years later in 1993, Max and Dani Dennison visited the Sanderson cottage with their guide Allison. Max lit the Black Flame Candle and allowed the Sanderson coven to reenter the world of the living. By teaming up with Binx, the group was able to stop the witches from almost succeeding in brewing another potion using the lives of Salem’s children. When the morning sun rose, the evil witches turned to dust and the spell over Thackery was supposedly broken.

Supposedly. I wonder what they’d think if they found out their history was wrong.

The witches went into hiding, and there was no word of their existence until the recent scheme of Sarah Sanderson sixteen years ago. The siren witch seduced the Evil Queen��s Huntsman and distracted him so she could steal a life elixir. Legend says that before she was banished to the Isle, Sarah Sanderson hid her most powerful possession somewhere in Auradon, awaiting for its owner to return and wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims.

“Getting a history lesson?” A voice behind me asks.

I don’t stir. “Binx… I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“For everything they did to you.” I slowly turn my head to look at the black cat with teary eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He lowers his head. “You were so young, so innocent. Your father made me swear I’d never show you just how evil your aunt really is. You don’t deserve this, to think-”

“What?” I ask sternly. “That I’m the daughter of a siren and the niece of a murderous satanist? God Binx, it’s no wonder people want me locked up! If they think I’m just like them, that I could do something like that…” Uma’s vision. 

“Magica, listen to me,” Binx says in a stern voice as he hops up on the table next to me. “You are nothing like your mom or your aunt. You are so much better! You’re kind, sweet, and put everyone before yourself, even if some people are too blind to see it.”

Deep down I know he’s right, but there’s still a part of me that fears the growing darkness I’ve been pushing down inside me.”

I avoid his gaze and look up at another sign on the wall.

Some tips for fighting witches:

Witches cannot set foot on hollow ground

A circle of salt can protect from witches’ spells

Never listen to a witch’s siren spell 

Good to know if I ever get in a pinch. Another exhibit I notice is an emerald green brooch glowing behind a glass case.

“What’s that?” I point at the malicious-looking jewelry.

“Oh. That’s Winifred’s magic brooch. Legend says she stored her most powerful magic within it just in case she were to ever lose her powers.

“I see…” Better remember that just in case. “Well I better get back to the boys. Are you staying here?”

“That depends. Are you planning on coming back?”

Ugh. I knew he was gonna ask that!

“You know I can’t stay, Binx. After comparing how people treat me here to how I’m treated on the Isle is a no-brainer. But you cannot come with me! If Aunt Winnie catches you again she’ll skin you alive!”

The thought makes Bix shutter and I can tell he doesn’t share my enthusiasm for returning.

“If that is what will make you happy, I can only wish you best of luck.” Binx paws at my sleeve. “I will remain here in Auradon to speak on your behalf.”

I smile warmly at his acceptance. “Thank you, old friend.”

When I get back to Carlos’ room, both he and Jay are passed out on the couch.

“Um. guys?” I snap my fingers and they spring to life.

“I’m awake!” Jay gasps.

Carlos goes to examine the finished wand, which is almost an identical copy.

“Impressive,” I say with a nod.

“Let’s go!”

“What about me?” Dude calls from the bed.

Carlos turns back and says in a firm voice: “I want you to stay, Dude. I mean it! Stay! I’ll be back later. I love you, buddy!”

Dude grumbles but complies, giving me a hopeful look.

“Don’t look at me. You heard him. Stay.”

I follow the boys and we’re almost out the door when-

“Oh, hey. Have you seen Evie?”

Uh-oh. It’s Doug!

As much as I don’t want to lie, we can’t risk getting more people involved with this delicate situation.

“Uuh…she went camping!” Carlos tries to fib.

Doug doesn’t buy it. “Evie ‘I wanna live in a castle?’ Sleeping on the ground with no place to plug in a hairdryer?”

“You know how spontaneous she is,” Jay waves it off.

“Later, Doug!” 

We go to turn back towards the car-

But then Lonnie pops up carrying swords.

“I’m coming with you guys,” she says confidently.

“Uuhh. what? We don’t need swords at the… waffle hut.” Real smooth, Carlos.

“You’re going to the Isle to rescue Ben. So you either take me, or… I tell Fairy Godmother.”

Oh. She’s got us there. We all exchange troubled looks. I’m trying to think of a solution that doesn’t involve magic, but nothing comes. Guess she’s in.

Lonnie takes our silence as a ‘yes’ and squeals.

“Let’s go!”

We get back to the limo and all pile in, and I take one last moment to wave goodbye to Binx.

“I don’t know when I’ll- if I’ll see you again,” I call in an uneven voice.

“Let’s just keep it at when and hope for the best!” The black cat shouts over the noise of the engine as we start driving away.

“Goodbye, Thackery! I will never forget the kindness thou hast shown me!"