#beach special

[quiet-girl-short-stories]

Beach Boys

Fuck. The. Beach.

Was something Cassie was thinking the entire time in the car as Quana, Keris and Annabel--her aunt--and her son, Thomas, talked about who the hell knows what because that shit they were playing on the radio was so loud and the window was open!

How are they even hearing each other?

"Cassie?" She looked at her aunt. "I know you don't really want to go to the beach, but how about we get something to eat before?" Cassie shrugged. Don't you fucking ask me- "what do you want to eat?" You bitch!

"I don't really know, anything's fine," Cassie eventually said.

Annabel made a face like she was hoping for an answer. You can go ahead and screw yourself because you know I have no idea how to pick on the spot like this. Plus, it's like nine in the morning, anything I want won't even make sense and then you'll all judge me so I don't wanna hear it!

"Well then, would all of you want?" Annabel addressed everyone else in the car.

Quana nearly threw herself to the front of the car as she leaned forward.

"Tuna sandwich!"

"Right before the beach?" Thomas said.

"No, we should just get drinks, like coffee or something," Keris said.

"I really don't like Thomas drinking coffee." Annabel mumbled softly.

"He's older than us and you still treat him like a baby?" Quana laughed a bit.

"Only about stuff she doesn't want me doing," Thomas said.

"Well, a mom's gotta look out for their kids when they won't."

Thomas laughed and they all returned to likely not being able to hear each other as the woman on the radio really wanted the listeners to call and say that damn word!

No wants to go to this fucking concert!

...

Eventually, they did just get something to drink. Cassie opted on having something cold since it was Global Warming temperatures outside and melting in the sun wasn't an option for her; once they got to the beach, everyone set up their chairs and towels.

Meanwhile, Cassie just simply put up an umbrella and sat on the sand under the shade, until they got the rest of the chairs out.

She wanted no part of whatever this trip was supposed to be and just wanted to think about writing. Her drink was melting and dripped on her leg. She sighed thinking that nothing could make this worse.

"What are the odds?" She heard someone say. "Cassie at the beach?"

Now she turned her head and nearly passed out from all the blood that just ran to her head. The nude body of a popstar!? Terumichi came over and got under the umbrella as he removed his shades.

"W-why are you here?" Cassie managed to get out.

"I got a day off. Plus, I was thinking about spending the morning here, but I'm glad you're here because there's something I wanted to tell you."

As much as Cassie would have preferred him to speak with a shirt on, she remained looking to his face. "What is it?" She pulled her lips into her mouth after every sentence she could barely get out.

"Amai met up with me, and you'll never believe it, we got put in the same group together! That means we'll be debuting together!"

Cassie hated this. Not her having a new favorite boygroup to stan, no. It was the fact that two people she knew were becoming poplar entertainers.

"I-is he here?"

He nodded. Fuck! As she thought that, Amai called out to them and now her eyes were filled with the sight of two people who worked out more than they needed to. Cassie wanted to lie and say maybe she should be with her family, but the even the remote thought of talking in their presence made her gag.

Amai eventually got to them, showing off the perfect thing he called a body to her. "Dude, I thought you were joking, but I guess Cassie got out of her shell."

The fuck I did. "My aunt asked me to go with her."

"Your family's here? I should go and say hi then," Terumichi said while getting up.

"Dude, if it's who I think it is, that's not her actual family."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, Cassie was friends with this kid named Thomas in school, his family liked her so much they pretty much adopted her." Amai explained.

"Really? I didn't know that," he said looking to Cassie, "still, all the more reason for me to meet them!"

Amai seemed more than fine with that. "Then I guess I'll just slide into-" those DMs. "-your spot and keep Cassie company."

Amai did in fact sit down, but Cassie was already motionless from Terumich, so his presence was more than the same.

Terumichi instantly returned after seeing that. "No, you're not staying here alone with her."

"Why not? She might need company." Terumichi looked as if he was about to kick him, Amai sighed and got up. "Fine then." He went to leave and as he did gave a small wink to Cassie. She pressed her lips together in order to resist fangirling. "Maybe we'll hang out later?"

Cassie could barely give them a functioning nod, but they accepted her effort and started to leave together. When they were finally gone, she let out a breath and told herself things were looking up... well, more like down, but things were getting better!

She sighed and got up to throw away the cup she had just finished drinking out of and much like a sick fantasy, someone else she knew was there.

"Cassie?"

She turned only to see the bright yellow hair of her fellow writer. "Koto, why are you here?"

He snickered. "I should really be asking you that." Don't make me kill you. "But seriously, I'm here on a business trip... that's at least what Mr. Wry said this was." That was likely why Terumichi was here. "Oh, but a bunch of other guys are here too. They weren't invited or anything, but Mr. Wry said somehow this trip got leaked and now pretty much everyone is here."

"Who leaks a beach trip?"

"I said we don't know," he got close and whispered; "but Mr. Wry thinks it was Akuma." Of course, "but who cares about that, why are you here?" He moved the conversation onward.

"My aunt dragged me out here."

"Why are you talking with short stuff over there?" They both looked behind them and saw the bright red hair of Shugi. He smiled at Cassie and stood beside Koto.

"Anna? Sounds like something Anna would do though." He snickered while saying that, "but if you're free right now, maybe we could-"

"I'm not short!" Koto yelled.

"Come on, you're only a head over Cassie and she's pretty short herself." Again, don't make me kill you. "Still, I saw you talking to her and couldn't help but think you were flirting."

Koto's face turned bright red at that.

"No." His words deflated. "I wouldn't flirt with..." He trailed. "I-I mean not because I- but because... Ah!"

Shugi laughed. "Look at you!"

Koto growled a bit. "You're the one who never shuts up!"

"Way to clap back, but if you're done talking, I could give Cassie some proper company."

Cassie shyly touched her hands together as their attention returned to her.

"I-I don't really know why you're here, but I shouldn't be in the way of whatever it is." She tried to excuse herself.

"Even if there was a reason why I was here, it wouldn't be enough for me to ignore you," Shugi said that while putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, Cassie doesn't like stuff like that."

"What, skin?"

"You know what I mean." Koto then pushed himself between them, moving Cassie to one side. He then took this chance to start pushing her back to the beachfront. "He's really annoying sometimes."

"Still here," Shugi said as he walked beside them, "besides, what makes you think you're any better than me? You might be pissing her off too."

Koto stopped. "You can see when Cassie's annoyed. She looked like it when you started talking."

Shugi glared at him.

You really can't tell anything on me, but okay

"Look, just let Cassie get back to her family and we'll both leave her alone okay?"

Koto said nothing, but while they were essentially eye fucking each other, Cassie noticed an extraordinarily pale body walking towards her.

No, this can't be happening!

Akuma got to her while Koto and Shugi were busy sizing each other up.

"I wonder what you're staring at?" Akuma said with a raised eyebrow.

He laughed sarcastically. "Good one, but you know me and the sun, not a good mix. I like how warm it is, but dealing with it isn't good for me." He paused. "Maybe I was a Demon in a past life and Hell was my home." God made a mistake on this one. "Anyways, why are you always surrounded by men that aren't me?"

I won't compliment you. "I was just confused to see a ghost out during the day."

Cassie sighed at the realization. "I don't know, I just go places." He laughed at her words. "But why are you here?" She asked.

"Didn't you hear? Ankara is having a business trip! I think he's really trying to work an angle on Terumichi and that other guy."

"So... you did leak this?"

"I can't say that, you might be an undercover cop." Denying is just as bad. "But maybe I should just stay by you so no other guy thinks to get near you."

Once more she had an arm put around her shoulder, this time she wanted to shove it off, but she instead just tried to walk away. Akuma however was on her tail and refused to move from her side.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Akuma spoke bitterly.

"Is that Akuma with another girl?"

Upon hearing that they both stopped, they turned and Cassie got a glimpse of the detail on Brayleigh's body, his shirt must have hated its job.

"Hey, I thought you hated the beach Cassie?" I swear to God, the next fucker who says that shit to me- "Still, I think you look really pretty though."

"Because I heard Koto was gonna be here, so I decided to go too. I actually invited Aki and Shugi here."

That's why he's here... but wait- Akihiko came over and joined them.

Her thoughts stopped instantly at his words that bled kindness. "Oh... well thank you."

"Complimenting someone is being whipped?" Akihiko rose an eyebrow.

Akuma let out a loud sigh. "Could you be anymore whipped?"

Like you aren't?

"Well, the way you said it made it seem like you wanted her outfit for yourself."

Akihiko just bit his lip and turned his attention back to Cassie, Brayleigh spoke up instead. "I only came over here because you looked like you were gonna take Cassie away somewhere."

"And that concerns you because?"

"I think my aunt is calling me, I'll see you guys later!" She nearly sprinted off and prayed that Akuma's big ego would be enough to allow her to escape.

"Because, I wouldn't want Cassie alone with anyone," Brayleigh said that with a smile, but they could all tell he could and would jump Akuma right now if he wanted and the thought of that caused Cassie to squirm.

She managed to get from Akuma's arms and spoke as she walked away.

She looked back as she ran, checked behind her, and then she looked forward again. She nearly ran into someone. Idiot! You see me running, why not move? She looked to apologize to the person, but her eyes immediately went down and saw, SIX? Her eyes went up and she said sorry almost immediately.

"N-no, I didn't hear anything about the leak until just now. I'm here on personal business."

"Oh, you're here? I really hope that leak didn't get that far."

She stood up and saw Ankara there in all his glory. She always wondered if a man in a suit worked out.

So is this how lawyers look too?

"No, they're just..." annoying as hell, "friends of mine. I'm really here with my aunt, her son and my friends."

He smiled. "Does that personal business involve those boys who were around you?"

Does that really concern YOU?

"Ah, I see. Well I'm currently taking a break, maybe you would enjoy a small walk back to your family?"

She shrugged. "I'd be fine with that."

Ankara was happy and began walking with her. "Oh, by the way," he began, "I was wondering if you used something like the beach to get your ideas. You're very good at describing scenery so I was always a bit curious."

Her head shook. "No, I actually hate the beach, but my cousin wanted to come and my aunt figured I should get out of the house."

Ankara chuckled. "At least she cares, but it's still amazing how you can give a perfect description of an area, especially if you dislike it." Cassie smiled a bit at the praise. "Oh and I finished reading your latest draft. You have the same issues as usual, but other than that, I don't really have any complaints about what you decided to write about."

Cassie looked at him fully. "Thank you for bringing that up! I was going to email you about it, but stuff got a bit hectic. You really don't think it's too ambitious?"

"Of course not. I have complete faith in you and even if this gets to be too much, what you have written will be good enough for at least a few months."

She couldn't help but smile. "Thank you so much!"

He returned the smile and Cassie felt like she had to jump into his arms... or something, but that was wrong and she knew it. Though, about halfway back to her umbrella, someone called out to her again and this time she saw Hayate and Chris.

How is it that all these assholes are here?

"Oh, it's Hayate," Ankara said.

"You know him?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, he used to work in the stunt department of our film studio. He works now as a teacher in the same department so he doesn't report to me anymore."

"Oh..." Was all she could say before they got to them.

"Mr. Wry, nice to see you... but isn't Cassie a little too young for you?" Hayate asked.

"I'd take offense to that, but me and Cassie aren't here in any way that's inappropriate." Hayate couldn't help but chuckle. "But I'll leave you now." No, don't! "Keep up the good work though Cassie," Ankara said as he walked off.

"Right..." She then looked to the two in front of her. "Before you say anything, can I ask why you two are here?"

"Oh, Keris invited us. She told us you would be here so that made it easy to know what we were gonna do today." Chris explained.

Cassie just closed her eyes. So you mean to tell me; Ankara is here on a business trip, he invited Terumichi who brought along Amai. Akuma leaked that this was even happening. Koto got word, invited Brayleigh who told Akihiko and Shugi about it and you two are here because Keris told you? This has to be a nightmare!

"But I really didn't think you even wore swimsuits," Chris said in her brief pause.

"I don't, but I had to," she said trying to hold back the obvious tone in her voice.

"See, I told you getting out of your comfort zone was a good thing. Look at how cute you are!" Chris used that as an excuse to touch her.

"I think Cassie should wear whatever she wants." Hayate spoke up. "That way she thinks of herself as beautiful and it'll only enhance what's already there."

Please don't start this cock fight.

"Who says stuff like that?"

Cassie was about to run off, but as she was stepping back, she felt someone's hands on her arms. She looked back and saw Akihiko behind her, as well as everyone else she just ran into approaching her. They all surrounded her and the sight of so many half naked bodies caused Cassie to panic. She just tried to move to no avail.

"A gentleman, I would assume."

Chris rolled his eyes at Hayate.

"Are you okay Cassie?" She heard Akihiko's concerned voice.

"I-I am but-"

"Maybe she just needs to sit down." Ankara proposed.

"Yeah, my lap would be a good seat." Akuma offered.

"You always say stuff like that you pervert." Shugi remarked.

"No, Cassie just needs to relax and I can help with that!" Koto happily said.

"She'd be a bit better if she could just sleep for a bit." Hayate added.

"On the beach? She doesn't need sun burn." Chris commented.

"Oh right, do you have sunscreen on, Cassie?" Brayleigh asked.

"I bet she wasn't even planning on stepping into the sun. Which means I need to take her back to the shade." Amai said.

"I doubt if she needs someone who's just gonna stare at her like a piece of meat, I'll take her back." Akuma argued.

"Look who's talking..."

"You're all wrong anyways, she really does just want to sit under her umbrella with her family." Terumichi spoke up.

"Who should stay with you Cassie?" They all said in unison, but by this point they had all begun talking over each other, so even if she could answer she wouldn't be heard.

Cassie felt like she would pass out soon, but made a mental note to never have all of them in the same room together.

[critterbitter]

Undella bay, home to a variety of ocean pokemon, beach shenanigans, and the biggest bane to the patrat twin’s existence yet— hungry wingulls.

The local pokemon are used to people challenging them. Still amusing when it’s two children an eighth of their size doing so, though.

Masterpost for more shenanigans!

[thatpunnyperson]

According to NBC here in the US, the missing titanic sub has been found. As debris. Off the bow of the Titanic wreckage.

And it looks like the sub suffered what we all suspected, and what was undoubtedly the more merciful of the two options: a catastrophic implosion from the pressure.

Also, more info has come to light about the fishing trawler with the hundreds of migrants that sank cataclysmically off the coast of Greece, indicating that the greek coast guard knew about the vessel AND how much trouble the vessel was in, and were towing it at a speed that made it capsize, at which point they unhooked the tow line and watched the trawler sink without helping the passengers to safety. Despite a bunch of other ships trying to help as well throughout the whole ordeal.

So a lot of people are dead, all because of regulations (and the lack thereof) regarding sea-faring vessels and rescue protocols. People shouldnt be allowed to make a business charging a ton of money for a ride on an uncertified, unsafe, un-seaworthy ship going deep into the ocean with no distress beacon or tether to the mothership. People also shouldnt be allowed to enact laws that criminalize the ferrying of refugees, which then force the refugees to hitch rides on fishing trawlers, and which also prevent people from helping those fishing trawlers full of refugees due to fear of legal consequences.

Hopefully BOTH of these events spark changes on an international scale in terms of what is legally allowed to be sailed, who is legally allowed to be the passengers, and what the rescue protocols are in the event of disaster for any seafaring vessel, illegal or not. It shouldnt be just the global 1% who get 24/7 search parties and remote-operated submersibles helping rescue them.

[electrikorg]

PB 2Ds

[nori-no-name]

If Blue Diamond ever fused, I think Garnet should be at least a little petty about it

[crispywizardtale]

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

What a difference 85 years makes juxtaposition of Fiat Topolino A Garavini, 1939 & Topolino A Garavini , 2024. The new Topolino is a modern reinterpretation of a timeless classic, in the style of a sophisticated “spiaggina.” Garavini's 1939 Topolino had a race prepared engine with compressor and Abarth exhaust, their new Topolino electric beach car will be built in a edition of 10 units

[katsettee]

I got too silly guys

I still don’t even know what they’re saying but you better believe I watched it 6+ times

[bluetea-00]

TUMMYYYYYY TUMMY YAAAA WOOOO YEAAAH Im…..normal adjacent

Projecting onto Wukong my urge to say something every 2 seconds

[fishing-lesbian-catgirl]

I don’t know if there’s anything as explicitly horny In Arknights as Pudding’s operator record tbh

[donelywell]

May 5 2024

Just hit the watermelon as hard as you can, don't worry about the muffled cries for help.

Casino Nights! Au belongs to @sonikkublue!

[chubs-deuce]

An artwork I made for this week's update of "If you like Piña Coladas", a collab fic that I'm working on with the incredible @hazbinhobo <3

[sonia-the-hedgehog-2369]

Originally posted on 05/13/2024

HE DIDN'T LET IT ABSORB 😭

NOOOOO BURNT TO CRISP 😭

At least he had some fun!

Red Son is totally having a blast! He tries to come off as being tired of these guys, but he's actually having fun, and I love him for that!

The silliest ever!

[lunarlivs]

in -83 alice and cissy buy a cottage by the beach in cornwall and move there with draco, to give him a calm childhood filled with swimming in the sea, growing vegetables, food markets, story times and so much love their little home is bursting with it. here’s some of alice’s drawings of that <33

i hope you see the vision because this was so much fun for me

[myokk]

before it felt like a sin, ch. 2

ch.1

pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

word count: 6900

summary: Eloise never wanted to be different.

And yet, her differences are what have defined her life up until this point: growing up as a squib in one of the most prominent wizarding families, being exiled to muggle society, and then attending Hogwarts at the age of sixteen.

She finds herself thrust into the life she should have been prepared for from birth but was denied. As she navigates this new life and her new precarious position in her family, she must come to terms with the fact that maybe what she dreamed of her whole life isn't turning out how she ever expected it would.

a/n: here's chapter 2!! I just wanted to add these amazing beautiful drawings I look back on allllllll the time, by @kay9leo 🥹🫶 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH !!!!! 😙💓😙💓😙💓

I also want to reiterate that this fic is REALLY CANON DIVERGENT!!!!! I will NOT be following the game’s plot at all really with this (it really starts to diverge around chapter 6/7 maybe I don’t remember), and I don’t see Eloise as the game’s MC either.

Things were definitely not going as planned…not that Eloise had really known what to expect. Almost from the moment the portkey had brought her to meet Professor Fig, it seemed like everything had gone from bad to worse.

And it had all started out so well. He had handed her the provisional wand, and upon contact the magic coursing through her had been exhilarating. Finally Eloise was able to experience what she had dreamed of for so long. All too soon, however, she was putting the wand to use in ways she hadn’t imagined. Watching Mr. Ospric die had made her blood run cold but then she didn’t have the luxury of processing the shock as so much was happening at once and there was a dragon and death and then…another portkey? Before she knew it, she was fighting some sort of sentient guardians in some mysterious Gringott’s vault and there was concrete proof of the goblin uprising…it was simply too much to take in at once.

Now, she was standing in front of the ornate entrance to a room Professor Fig had called the “Great Hall”. He checked the pocketwatch inside his robes again, and muttered (more to himself than anything) “hopefully the sorting is still going on…” and then in a louder voice as he glanced at Eloise - “come along then, young Eloise!”

He peered more closely at her then, taking in her pale appearance and added in a kinder tone, “I’m sure you’re hungry. We’ll just head in and get you sorted into your house, and then an early night for the both of us. Don’t worry about the things that were lost in the attack - I’m sure one of your new housemates will share her things with you until they are replaced.”

With that, he pushed open the doors and ushered her in. In any normal circumstances, Eloise was sure that she would have been absolutely in awe of the breathtaking appearance that greeted her. It was simply…for lack of a better word, magical. The ceiling was enchanted to look like the night sky above the castle, stars glimmering through the wispy purple clouds that covered the ceiling. There were thousands of candles floating in the air, illuminating the hall in a soft, golden light.

She couldn’t focus on any of that.

As soon as Fig opened the double doors, the low chatter that filled the Great Hall slowly faded as everyone turned to look at who had entered. Eloise froze. Hundreds of faces all staring at her, filled with curiosity.

Judging her.

They must all know that she was a squib and didn’t actually belong there.

No. She had proved her magical capabilities earlier that day, albeit in a different manner than she had expected. She deserved to be here just as much as they did.

The teacher at the far end of the hall was saying something and the students surrounding her had begun to whisper amongst themselves. There was so much buzzing in her ears that she didn’t hear a word that was said. Then, a familiar voice - how in the world could it still be familiar after so much time? - broke through the fog and her head turned sharply to the side at the noise.

“Eloise?”

Her gaze met familiar hazel eyes as Leo quickly stood up, taking a step towards her before he caught himself and stayed where he was. If the shock hadn’t already been apparent enough in his voice, one look at his expression told Eloise everything. He hadn’t had any idea that she had been accepted to Hogwarts. After she had been burned off of the family tree by her mother, it was like she didn’t exist anymore. Of course he hadn’t known that she would be there.

Leo had changed since Eloise last saw him. Of course he did, she thought to herself. It had been five years, after all. The same unruly black curls, same eyes. And yet…he almost seemed a stranger to her. He was taller, face more angular and defined than it had been at thirteen. Voice deeper. But, the expression of vulnerability and guilt written all over his face was something she recognized well. It was the same expression that he had had the last time he saw her, the face she sometimes saw before falling asleep. Just as quickly as it flashed across his face however, it was gone, hidden behind a stony exterior. His expression hardened and he sat down just as quickly as he had stood up, quickly averting his eyes. The people around him were looking between them curiously, but before Eloise could even begin to process this new situation, she felt a gentle push on her shoulder.

Professor Fig had been talking to her. “…the Sorting Hat. You need to go up and get sorted into your house.”

She looked up at him and realized that he was gesturing to the front of the Great Hall, vaguely recalling how Leo had described the sorting ceremony in his first letter home from Hogwarts. Everyone was still staring.

Well, let them, she thought. Eloise tossed her braid over her shoulder and lifted her head high, straightening her posture in the meantime. Did it matter if everyone was staring at her? She determined that if people were going to be whispering about her, speculating about her, she would give them something to talk about. About the girl who was admitted in her fifth-year at Hogwarts. The girl who surpassed them all.

Eloise shook off Professor Fig’s hand and walked to the raised platform, where there was a stool and a professor waiting with an ancient wizarding hat in her hands. As Eloise sat down, a semicircle of professors behind her and the tables of students in front of her, the hat was placed on top of her head. It was so formless and well-worn that the faded fabric slid over her eyes and she was surrounded by darkness.

Hmm…interesting, a voice purred in her mind. Eloise jumped at the sound. Don’t worry, dear. I won’t hurt you, although I suppose that not everyone would say that. My, my. You have had a rough go of things, haven’t you?

It’s not often I get to sort a new fifth-year student. She realized that it was the hat talking to her. Always much more interesting, you see. The first-years are always fun because I get to see their potential and who they will turn out to be, but even that can be fallible sometimes. People are shaped by their experiences.

An older student, though? Someone closer to the person they will be, with more experiences that have shaped them? Oh yes, these are the ones I like the most.

Wait, thought Eloise. You’ve sorted others like me before?

Oh yes. A pause. The voice purred in her ear. I can see the hunger for knowledge in you. But…Ravenclaw seems too simplistic. Behind the intelligence lies great ambition. A desire to prove yourself. Prove you belong. Yes, you may have had a rough life but you have managed to use what’s around you to your advantage. So, you must be a…

“SLYTHERIN!”

Eloise started at the sudden shout, realizing that it must have been out loud. As the hat was pulled off of her head, she could see the students at the table at the far end of the hall, the one Leo was at, break into furious whispers amongst each other. The teacher with her smiled kindly and pointed Eloise in their direction. “That’s the Slytherin table, dear. Once you sit down, we can begin eating.”

Eloise got up numbly and slowly walked towards the table. The whispering got louder as she neared it, and the students kept shooting her glances. Most seemed simply curious about the new, older student who had just been sorted into Slytherin, but others looked at her with hostility. Two students moved aside and motioned to her.

“Figured you would rather sit with us than the first years.”

The girl who spoke gave her an appraising look, taking in her muggle clothing and mussed-up hair. Eloise sat down next to her, nervously smoothing her hands over her skirt. Now that the sorting was over and she was actually interacting with her future classmates, she felt exhausted and completely unable to keep up her facade of nonchalance.

“I was going to ask if you like quidditch but…judging by your clothes -“

“Gods, Imelda,” came a drawling voice to Eloise’s left. “Can’t you give the poor girl a break? Not even one second at our table and you’re already trying to recruit her for the team.”

The boy who spoke gave an amused look to Imelda before turning to Eloise. “You’ll want to watch out for that one - if she even gets a whiff of the fact you can fly a broom, she’ll be out to recruit -“

“It’s not my fault!” Imelda interrupted forcefully, smacking her hands on the table and leaning over Eloise to talk to him. “Our best players all graduated last year and I have it cut out for me -“

“- you to the Slytherin team,” the boy concluded, ignoring Imelda’s heated protests. She sat back with a huff and crossed her arms. “Just ignore her. It’s what we’ve found works best. I’m Sebastian Sallow and this is Ominis Gaunt. Two people you will actually want to spend time with.”

He stuck his tongue out at Imelda as he held his hand out to Eloise. The boy across from them snickered quietly to himself as he listened to Imelda splutter in denial. Eloise shook Sebastian’s hand hesitantly. “Eloise. And actually,” she added, turning to Imelda, “I do know what quidditch is. Unfortunately, I’ve never ridden a broom though.”

That got Imelda going again, this time about how it was absolutely impossible that someone could know about the existence of quidditch without ever touching a broom. She seemed to be of the opinion that knowing of its existence meant an undying desire to learn how to play. “So you’re not a mudblood, then? Oh, who am I kidding - of course you’re not. We’re in Slytherin, after all. But how…”

Fortunately, food started appearing on the table before Imelda could finish her thought. It was enough to move her attention from Eloise as she began to pile different foods on her plate. To be quite honest, Eloise was relieved. She wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell others about her circumstances, especially during this first night before she knew anyone. Would they think differently of her if they knew that she had been disowned from her family and presumed a squib?

Who was she kidding? Of course everyone would judge her for that. Besides, she knew she wanted to talk to Leo before revealing anything - maybe he could help her get a feel for how to approach the situation. If he wanted to even associate with her, that is. Once again, the thought passed through her mind that he could have changed through the years, just as she had. Their parents could be quite persuasive, and more often than not the two siblings had learned that it was easier to go along with them than against.

Leo had grown up with the adoration of their parents, showing magical prowess at the young age of three, when his favorite toys started following him around in a little parade. Eloise, on the other hand…as the years passed and she still wasn’t showing signs of anything at all, not even a measly show of a sneeze blowing her away, their parents started working to distance the siblings from each other. It hadn’t been very effective and yet…without her presence, she could see him moving on in his life. Just as she had tried to do.

A sharp poke to her side. Eloise jumped and looked at Sebastian. “Aren’t you going to eat anything? You need to grab the good things before they’re gone - it’s every man out for himself during the feasts.”

She looked around and, sure enough, the food on the plates was steadily going down. It all looked absolutely delicious - mountains of meat, bread, puddings…her stomach growled loudly as she took it all in. Eloise hurriedly started putting the closest food to her on her plate, reaching over to give herself a heaping serving of mashed potatoes on the side. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” he replied after swallowing the food he was eating. “I’m sure you’ve had a long day if you arrived that late to the sorting ceremony. As you walked up to the stool, Ominis and I had a bet about which house you would be sorted into. I told him, after my first glance at you, that I could tell you’d be one of us, but unfortunately, he - “

“Hey! I can hear you,” Ominis said from across the table, leaning forward slightly. Eloise realized that he was blind - his eyes had no pupils at all. His gaze was unfocused but his head turned in her direction. He explained, “I could only sense your form as you walked down the Hall. And, for the record, before Sebastian can say otherwise, I said I could tell you would be a Slytherin. Will the blind jokes ever get old?”

“As long as I have breath in my body - hey!”

Ominis had thrown a roll at Sebastian’s head which, surprisingly, hit its mark.

“I might not be able to see what just happened, but I know that I’ve just won,” Ominis said smugly, returning his attention to his plate.

Eloise just sat there, not really knowing how to react. This time, it was Imelda’s turn to say, “just ignore them. Luckily, we won’t need to see much more of them as the feast’s finishing up.” She wrinkled her nose in Sebastian’s direction, a gesture that was swiftly returned. Even though she had just met the three of them, Eloise couldn’t help but feel happy just listening to their back-and-forth. She did feel a twinge of…something, though, knowing that she could have been with them since their first year, if only her magic had shown itself sooner.

Mountains of dessert started to replace the remnants of the dinner: plum pudding, lemon tarts, cakes…it was more dessert in one place than Eloise had ever seen in her life. None of the students held back at all trying to get their favorites, especially if it was at the expense of another. The atmosphere was electric - everyone was excited to be back among their friends and catch up over everything that had happened the summer before, and Eloise was happy to just be among them.

She reached for a lemon tart, and when she looked up, she saw that Leo was staring at her intently. He looked away as soon as they made eye contact, but the moment didn’t go past Imelda’s notice.

“Do you know him?” she asked, nodding towards Leo. Eloise flushed and looked down at her plate, nodding reluctantly. She knew as soon as they went through role call the next day, everyone would know that she was a Babbit.

“Yes, he’s…er -“

Eloise broke off, grabbing the nearest goblet of pumpkin juice and drinking the whole thing in one go. When she came up for air, Imelda was still looking at her expectantly. Eloise took a deep breath and tried continuing, but… “I’m not really sure,” is all that came out of her mouth.

Imelda furrowed her brow, clearly trying to figure out how that answer made sense and Eloise wasn’t about to clarify for her. Although it wouldn’t be long before it got out that they were siblings, she wasn’t sure how much she wanted these new acquaintances to know about her at the moment. She had had enough pitying looks to last her a lifetime, and she just knew that once they found out she had been a squib…

“Hey Sebastian,” a pretty blonde girl said, leaning towards the group. She shot Eloise a curious glance but quickly looked back at her target. “Where’s Anne? Is she still gone this year? What a pity…the two of you are…were…sewn together at the hip and I was looking forward to finally being the one who gets between the two of you this year.” At this, the girls surrounding her started tittering and she flipped her hair over her shoulder and pouted. “I thought there would be more of a challenge. But if you’re going to be the changed Sebastian again this year…”

“Who’s…” Eloise trailed off as she saw Sebastian’s expression. It had changed into something almost unrecognizable - at least, to someone who had only known him for all of forty-five minutes. He was looking at the girl with a mixture of barely-controlled fury and…something else that Eloise couldn’t quite place. She shrank away from him as she took in his stricken expression.

“She’s still sick,” he said shortly as he stood up. His hands bunched into tight fists and his body was shaking. Sebastian quickly turned and stormed down the hall. They all watched him go in silence; once he left, the blonde girl turned to Ominis.

“Gods, what’s his problem? So what if she misses a few days of school?” She looked around at everyone, pouting. “You all know I’m right. Last year he was a mess but he should be getting over it by now.”

“You always speak before thinking, Victoria,” Ominis said tersely, getting up. “One of these days, it’s going to get you in trouble. If you keep this up, when that happens nobody will be around to help you pick up the pieces.” With that, he strode away after Sebastian.

Eloise blinked and looked around. The rest of the students were starting to get up and slowly move towards their respective common rooms having finished their dessert, and the prefects were starting to herd the first-years along. Victoria laughed weakly and turned to her friends, effectively ignoring Eloise and Imelda as if they weren’t there. “I think the summer holidays have made people extra sensitive this year. I honestly don’t know what their problem is.”

“Come on, then,” said Imelda, shooting Victoria a dirty look. “Let’s head to the dorms.”

Eloise stood up and started following Imelda’s lead. She was parting the students with ease as she walked through the crowd. Her strides were so long that Eloise had to half-jog to keep up with her. “Our common room is in the dungeons,” Imelda said, looking over her shoulder at Eloise. “The other houses are creeped out by it, but they haven’t actually seen it. You’ll see.”

Because of how quickly Imelda strode through the corridors and down the stairs, Eloise didn’t have much time to take in the rest of the castle. She did however realize that they were winding through the corridors in such a way that she would be hopelessly lost if Imelda weren’t with her. The two of them arrived at the Slytherin common room well before the other students due to Imelda’s fast pace. As they entered the common room after saying the correct password - basilisk - Eloise couldn’t help but look around in wonder. There was light piano music playing in the background - Chopin, Eloise thought she recognized it from her piano lessons at the muggle school. Even though the overall tones of the place were cool - blues and greens filtering through the tall glass windows and from the lamps, the checkered marble floors and columns giving off an air of cold elegance - the beautiful rugs and happily crackling fires made it all come together and seem oddly cozy. Various tables and desks were scattered around the space, and comfortable looking armchairs and couches crowded around low tables. Eloise could just picture it teeming with students studying after class or hanging out on the weekends. She knew that it was a place that could finally feel like home to her.

“I tried, Ominis,” came a hushed whisper from near the windows. Imelda and Eloise froze at the entrance to the common room and glanced at each other. “I just can’t do it. I know what you and Anne told me but…”

“Sebastian. Anne doesn’t want you to wallow and waste your time here worrying about her. I know that you’re worried for her. I mean, I am too. You know she’s like a sister to me.”

“You have no idea,” Sebastian interrupted fiercely. His back was hunched over and he was holding his face in his hands. “It should have been me. I can’t live with myself. With this guilt.”

“No, you -“ Ominis cut himself off as the sound of the other students filtering in started to fill the room. The boys abruptly sat up straighter, although they didn’t look at each other. Oblivious to the tension between the two, a group of second-years sat on the sofa right next to them, as they excitedly caught up with each other.

“I’ll show you our room,” Imelda said, turning to Eloise. “It gets pretty crazy here the first night back from any holidays, with everyone catching up. I don’t know about you, but I want to get some sleep! Quidditch tryouts are next week and I already know how exhausting it will be.”

Eloise really was exhausted, and nothing sounded better to her than finally going to sleep. The dorms seemed to be set up so that the stairs going up led to the girls’ dormitories, and the ones going down to the boys’. Imelda explained that it was due to the fact that boys weren’t to be trusted, and the stairs would turn into a slide if any boy attempted to go up them. It wasn’t something that Eloise had even considered, due to the fact that she had just come from an all-girls school, but she flushed at the implication.

As they reached the staircase, they almost crashed into Sebastian. Imelda had been marching towards the stairs with a single-minded determination and Sebastian had been heading towards his with just as much purpose.

Eloise bounced off of his shoulder. She grabbed her own, wincing slightly. He was more solid than he looked. He looked blankly at the two girls before shaking his head and realizing where they were. “Gods, I’m so sorry. I’m just -“ he gave his head another little shake and saw that Eloise was holding her shoulder. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s fine,” Eloise reassured him. She gave a small smile. “I’ve had worse, it’s really nothing.”

“Yeah, yeah,” interrupted Imelda. She shot Sebastian a concerned look. “Go to bed. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Imelda shook her head sadly and the girls resumed their path. “Poor boy. He hasn’t been the same since the summer after our third year. I mean, he was always kind of obsessive, but in a charming way. He was on the quidditch team with me, and always really determined to be the absolute best, always working hard to show all of the other students they don’t even know half as much as he does. That sort of thing, you know? It’s not like he was insufferable, his charm drew everyone to him.”

She held the door open and Eloise walked in. It was a cozy circular room, with five four-poster beds. A small fire in the middle of the room warmed the whole place up, and Eloise was relieved to see it. When Imelda had told her that their dormitory was in the dungeons, she had immediately pictured a dark, cold, slimy space. Only one of the beds didn’t have trunks placed at its foot, and Eloise went straight to it. Her trunk had been lost in the dragon attack. She was relieved to see a nightgown laid on top of the bed and a pair of green slippers neatly lined up on the floor; she hadn’t been sure what she would wear.

Imelda sat down heavily on the bed next to Eloise’s and started unlacing her boots. She continued talking. “Then, in our fourth year, he comes to school after summer holidays. Alone. He hasn’t been the same since. Nobody’s quite sure what’s going on with his sister, except that it’s bad. She’s not expected to live much longer.”

“Oh my god,” breathed Eloise. “I can’t even imagine.”

“Me neither.” Imelda shook her head. “He got into trouble left and right last year, there were even rumors of a duel…I don’t think there was a single week where he didn’t have detention. I mean, I don’t blame him, but - he was taken off the team! This year he better not, I can’t afford to lose my best beater again.”

The girls continued chattering quietly to themselves about other topics as they got ready for the night. Slipping into their nightgowns, braiding each others’ hair, and, finally, slipping under the freshly turned bed covers. Eloise turned towards Imelda and simply whispered, “thank you.” Although they had just met, Eloise felt certain in the knowledge that she had just made her first friend.

Imelda waved her off. “It’s nothing. Get some sleep, the first day of classes is always overwhelming. I can’t even imagine starting as a fifth-year.”

With that, she rolled over and soon Eloise heard her breathing deepen as she fell asleep. She stared at the canopy covering her bed for what seemed like an eternity. The low murmurs of the other girls as they came in and got ready for bed slowly morphed into drowsy good-nights, until finally the room was silent except for the steady tick of a clock and their breathing.

As tired as she felt, Eloise couldn’t stop the racing of her mind. It felt like the last few days had more action than the entirety of her life. Even though banished had, at the time, been incredibly momentous for her, it paled in comparison to finding out that she actually was a witch and had been admitted to Hogwarts. She had used magic for the first time today. The rush of power that ran through her body when she cast spells was unlike anything else she had ever experienced. It just felt right. Like some part of her that had been hidden away had finally made itself known and she felt whole for the first time. She wondered if everyone else felt that same rush, that same desire to know and master absolutely every aspect of magical knowledge. She had been given a gift that until now had felt like a pathetic little daydream and she wasn’t about to waste it now that she had it.

The clock kept on ticking lazily and still Eloise was awake. She eventually got up and after shrugging on a robe and slipping on the green slippers, headed towards the common room. She and Imelda hadn’t spent much time in it earlier, and she wanted to see it at least once without any people, maybe as a space just for herself.

As it was even later in the night - it must have been around three - the fire had been extinguished and the light filtering through the windows had turned an even deeper shade of emerald green. It covered the mahogany furniture with an eerie light, as if Eloise had stepped into some strange underworld instead of the empty Slytherin common room. She trailed her hand along the velvet back of a sofa, mesmerized by the stark contrast of the green highlights and black shadows as her hand moved. Lazily twirling a globe as she walked past, the room silent except for her muffled footsteps.

It was precisely the silence that absorbed her completely. Being alone had always been her favorite thing; there was just something so special about being the only person in a place, feeling as if you were the only holder of some great secret. Eloise made her way towards the tall glass windows as if in a dream, not really noticing anything of her surroundings and yet taking it all in. The feeling of being there.

When she heard the soft voice she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“You couldn’t sleep either?”

Eloise whirled towards the voice, feeling as if her heart was about to burst through her chest. The student - a male - was sitting by one of the windows. Since the only light source was the windows, his face was entirely shrouded in black. Eloise was suddenly very aware of how indecently she was dressed to be outside of her dormitory. The sudden change from complete, eerie tranquility was shattered and she wrapped her robe more tightly around her, keeping her arms hugged around her body.

“Who -“

The boy straightened up, tilting his head back toward the window and, with the aid of the green light, Eloise saw that it was Ominis.

“What are you doing down here, Ominis? You almost gave me a heart attack! You’re sitting in the shadows and I thought I was alone.”

“I could ask the same of you,” he said simply, the hint of an amused smirk gracing his features. “And, might I add, I didn’t mean to scare you on purpose. I thought you were purposely walking towards me. For all I know, it could be the break of dawn and I’m basking in the early rays of the sun.”

Eloise’s jaw dropped open in mortification. She had completely forgotten that he was blind. “How did you know that I was walking towards you?” She clapped her hands over her mouth in horror, the words leaving before she could stop them. What was wrong with her? With her sudden movement, her robes had fallen open again, revealing her nightgown, but she was too distraught over possibly having offended Ominis than continuing to follow the rules of propriety. “Oh Merlin’s beard, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

He just huffed quietly. They hadn’t spoken much at dinner, and Eloise was positive that he was angry with her. Maybe he had only acknowledged her presence because his best friend had seen fit to talk with her. Growing up blind, it would make sense for him to be sensitive to any comments regarding it…her face was flushed with mortification and guilt, and she slowly started backing away. Eloise figured it was better to just end the whole encounter being ruder still by making a hasty retreat, than to put her foot in her mouth once again and risk offending him more.

“No, wait,” Ominis said as soon as he realized she was walking away. His voice was choked with emotion and it seemed difficult for him to get the words out. Eloise froze and looked at him. His whole body was shaking, and she couldn’t tell if he was angry or…

Was he laughing?

“I might be blind, but I’m not deaf. In this silence, I would have been able to notice if anyone had entered the room even if they were trying to be sneaky, which you certainly were not. Stay, if you want.”

Eloise hesitated, then took the seat across from Ominis in the window. She nervously smoothed her nightgown over her legs. “Just so you know, you’re completely in shadow. If you hadn’t said anything, I probably would have walked right past you without realizing that you were here too.”

“I’ll choose a better spot to sit next time then, when I can’t fall asleep in the middle of the night,” he replied seriously. If not for the fact that he had just been teasing her, she would have thought that he was really taking what she said into consideration. “You never answered my original question. You can’t sleep?”

Eloise shook her head, then quickly added, “no. So much has happened these last few days…my brain always has a hard time turning off. Especially after a day like today.”

Ominis hummed in understanding, tilting his head towards her. The green light filtering through the water danced over his gaunt features, making his cheekbones and the dark circles under his eyes more prominent. His pupil-less eyes glowed eerily in the light. “I can only imagine. You arrived late to the sorting, and your aura was very unnerving as you stepped into the Great Hall. I immediately knew something was extraordinary about you.”

“My…aura?”

“Yes. I might not be able to see, but my wand does it for me. It’s hard to explain but…I can sense the people around me. I can’t make out features, but everyone has their own unique aura radiating from them. Yours is…different.”

Different? It must have something to do with the fact she hadn’t had any magical ability until recently. Maybe it was stunted or…maybe her aura was different due to the stress of the day.

“I saw someone murdered in front of me today,” Eloise blurted out before she could stop herself. Ominis didn’t look surprised by her sudden outburst, he merely remained still as he waited for Eloise to continue. “It was…shocking. A dragon came out of nowhere and just ripped our carriage in half, taking Mr. Osric with it. The worst part is…I’m-I’m shocked because it happened. But I’m not sad. I don’t feel the horror I think I should be feeling, and that is more horrifying to me. When I was lying in bed, the events of today kept replaying in my mind on a loop and I kept on trying to make myself feel the correct emotions. But I couldn’t. Something inside of me is broken.”

Eloise looked down at her hands, fingers wringing and untwisting together in her lap. She tried to force herself to sit as still as Ominis, but it was impossible. She couldn’t believe how easy it was to unload all of this onto a stranger, but he didn’t seem to mind listening. There was silence for a few minutes, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one. Eloise peeked at Ominis from under her lashes. The boy appeared to be deep in thought.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” he finally said. “It’s normal for me, though. I also have a hard time turning off my thoughts, especially at night. This little corner of the common room feels like mine, in a sense. I’ve been coming here to think since I was a first-year. Maybe I subconsciously chose this place because, if you’re right, it’s more hidden than the rest. Nobody will see me if they’re sneaking around late at night, and it’s so peaceful.”

“That I can agree with,” said Eloise. “I actually came down here to see what it was like when it’s empty. I don’t quite know how to explain it, but this place already feels like home to me. A far sight better than the place I left behind. Places.”

“If you want me to leave, I’m fine with giving up my hiding place for a worthy cause.”

“No,” Eloise said quickly. “I…I like having you here. With me. It means I don’t have to be alone with my thoughts.”

Ominis smiled and tilted his head, not quite looking at her in that odd way of his. “It’s nice, talking to you. Most people avoid me. I can’t imagine why.”

Eloise huffed in quiet laughter. They sat in silence for a while longer, until Ominis broke it again. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But…am I correct in guessing that you and Leo Babbit know each other?”

Eloise’s breath hitched in her throat. She still wasn’t sure how much of her past she wanted people to know…but she also knew that as soon as the day broke the castle would be swirling with rumors. And, as much as she hated the thought, the truth would come out one way or another. She had been lucky enough so far…her name hadn’t been said at the sorting due to the unusual circumstances. But, come morning, everyone would put the pieces together once her name was called out by a teacher.

She could test the waters with someone like Ominis, who seemed like the sort of fellow who would take it in stride.

“I…like I said, you don’t have to tell me,” Ominis said softly.

“No! No, it’s fine,” Eloise assured him. “It’s…complicated. I would prefer if it never came out but…if the school I was at before is any indication, everyone will know by lunch tomorrow regardless of if I say anything or not.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “My full name is Eloise Babbit. Leo is my brother.”

Ominis showed no reaction. It gave her the strength to continue.

“I was rejected by my family. As the years went by and I still wasn’t showing any signs of magic, I was ignored by my parents in favor of Leo. When my eleventh year came and went without any acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was actually a squib. Up until then, I had held onto the hope and the day I lost that, I lost everything. I was banished and burned off of the family tree, like I never existed. Until a few days ago, I was learning how to become a perfect muggle wife at one of their horrid finishing schools. My family had already prepared a marriage for me to a prominent muggle family, reasoning that I could at least give them important connections.” She spat that last word out. Even speaking the words was a bitter reminder of the life she had almost led. “Based on Leo’s reaction, he definitely didn’t know that I had been admitted to Hogwarts. I don’t even know what’s worse: if my parents knew and decided not to tell him, or if the fact that I was burned off the family tree means that they wouldn’t have received a notification.”

She stared at her hands again. What was it about this boy that made her want to unload everything to him? Yes, he had asked her about it, but she still felt guilty for talking to him at all. Like somehow, telling him would make it his problem as well.

“If there’s anyone in this school who understands the horrors of one’s family, it’s me,” he said. Eloise looked up at him in surprise. He chuckled quietly, as if he could see her expression. “My family are direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Absolutely stark-raving mad, pureblood fanatics. We’ve gotten quite reclusive in the past hundred years or so, and don’t have much contact with the outside world. Your family’s inbreeding resulted in fear of giving birth to a potential squib. Mine, in the form of a useless, blind son who has no interest in continuing their crazy beliefs. I guess you could say we are two kindred souls. Maybe that’s what your aura was trying to tell me earlier this evening.”

“I guess so,” Eloise replied. Both could tell that the other wasn’t saying everything on their mind, but she wanted to give him the same comfort he had offered her and decided not to pry. “Thank you, Ominis.”

He inclined his head towards her and then moved his unseeing gaze to the large stained glass window. They sat there for quite some time, at least it felt that way to Eloise. The passage of time seemed not to exist as she and Ominis sat there, deep inside their own thoughts. Formless shadows danced behind the window, their regular movements helping to calm her thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity, Eloise found herself stifling a yawn.

“It seems your day has finally caught up with you,” Ominis said, smiling softly. “I think it’s best if we head to bed. Hogwarts might be more progressive than the muggle school you’ve just escaped, but if anyone sees us here together it would just further the rumors already swirling around you.”

Eloise nodded her assent and stood up slowly. She hadn’t realized how much time they had spent there until she felt the stiffness in her muscles that only comes from remaining still for a very long time. Ominis also got up slowly, gracefully stretching out his long body in the process. As he stood, she saw him grab his wand out of his pocket, and it began glowing a faint red as he walked. That must be how he gets around, she thought to herself. He did say his wind has a mind of its own.

She followed him and they slowly made their way to the two sets of stairs leading to the dormitories. They paused once they were about to part. “Goodnight, Ominis.”

“Goodnight, Eloise. I’ll see you tomorrow. Or rather, I’ll sense your presence later on this morning.” He gave her a faint smile and then turned to head down the stairs leading to his dormitory. Eloise stood there, watching until she couldn’t see the red glow of his wand anymore. With a yawn, she turned towards her room and soon slipped under the covers, sleep finally coming. Before she fell asleep, she had only the fleeting realization that Ominis had not actually answered her question.

The title is a link to everything on ao3, but just in case you didn’t catch that, here it is🫶

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