#but please do share your own outrageous predictions for next season

[wolfiemcwolferson]

2023 F1 Predicts

This is based on my own person unhinged vibes and nothing else. 

Driver’s Champion: Obviously, as a Charles girlie(gn), I want to write Charles name here. But I think Charles’ fate is to be fated to always be second. He wants it more than anything and we slowly watch the realization over the next few season’s that it might remain out of reach forever before he gets it in the most unexpected way. Next year is Max again. He gets three and then never another.

Constructor’s Champion: Stay with me. It’s Ferrari. They put up a good car that does just enough to ensure P1 in the constructor’s and everyone ignores that it’s mostly because the infighting in the RBR garage has reached a boiling point and their second driver is not really second driving. They pull it out. Charles goes home and cries in Pierre’s arms in French because he thinks it’s the only championship trophy he’ll ever hold. Pierre is long suffering and lovely about it. Carlos fucks about it. You fill in the blank on just who he fucks.

Best Midfield Driver: Lando Norris. Lando won F1.5 this year. I did not fuck with Lando before this season. Everyone was talking about him and maybe I was just being resistant to be a stubborn bitch (because I do that), but this year, I have done a 180 on Lando. The kid drove that orange crayon around the track and he’ll do it again next year somehow and I’ll be happy for him. 

Biggest Flop Driver: I want to say Sargeant because I’m so mad about his existence in my happy place, but the reality is that he’s going to be in a Williams and unless Alex Albon makes a deal with a crossroads demon, we won’t be able to tell if he’s a flop or not. (Unless he pulls a Nicky, honestly.) There will be a “flop” in that someone from a top team will massively underperform from their teammate and everyone will be screeching for their heads. I’m not saying it’s Checo. But I’m not not saying it’s Checo. 

Most Improved Driver: Selfishly, I want to say to you all that it will be Pierre Gasly now that he’s away from AT, but unless Alpine fixes their reliability issues...and also, it’s not fair to say he’s “improved”, so I’m going to say it’s Yuki. He has a lot to prove. There’s no clear “driver 1 & 2″ at AT. He takes the winter break and gets his head on straight and decides that he’s going to make it work (and not just because he’s at risk). Pierre is very proud of him and finally gives him the address to his house. 

Biggest Team Flop: Aston continues to disappoint actually and we call it a flop because it’s the thing that breaks Nando and makes him leave the sport for good. Lawrence Stroll has a nervous breakdown. Lance sells the team and disappears into the sunset and we catch a glimpse of him in 10 years when Scotty and Chloe have a kid who wants to get in a kart and occasionally on Canadian French television coverage of hockey games.

Most Improved Team: The real answer is Mercedes who will be back in the fight next year. The team literally no one will shut up about is McLaren. Which still brings an embarrassing car to the grid, but Lando is dominating the midfield and Oscar is consistently in the points. Australia has a reckoning over who the best Australian driver is. Somehow, Scotty James gets invited and he ends up winning. Everyone pretends like it never happened. 

Best Rookie: It’s De Vries. Again, that name stealing bastard is driving a Williams and we won’t be able to tell. Oscar gets outshined by Lando and he doesn’t have the personality to make up for it. De Vries fully leans into the debris thing and he and Yuki try and out fruit each other so much and so often that Dr. Marko finally realizes the fruit factory he’s been facilitating for so long can not be dismantled. He also does well in the points and he’s just so fucking happy to be there. Everyone loves him. He gets three little gold star stickers during Max’s 3rd WDC championship celebration from Kelly because she thought he was an actual child and Daniel never forgets that and brings it up twice a year to Max until they die.

Best Race: Brazil delivers on both drama and at least one championship battle. Someone gets in deep shit in Las Vegas though so no one talks about anything else for an entire week. Singapore ends up being the most exciting race in terms of racecraft. Someone announces their unexpected retirement right before though so the Sky Sports commentators only talk about that instead of anything interesting on track. Sam Collins cries into his microphone.

Race Winners: Max, Charles, George, Carlos, Lewis. For sure. Lando Norris finally becomes a race winner. Carlos - purely self-indulgent - is P2. I cry like a baby on my couch while those two spray each other in the faces with champagne and Carlos cuffs Lando around the back of the neck and my partner looks at me and asks are we sure they’re not fucking and I eat my croissant in silence. 

Surprise Pole Sitter: We have a KMag situation but with Bottas. He does not win the race, but he texts Lewis before he gets in the car and says just like old times. Lewis cries and thinks about retiring. 

Points gap between 1 & 2: The Constructor’s championship is embarrassing and RBR gets flounced by both Mercedes and Ferrari. The Driver’s championship is a true fight to the end. Max wraps it up and when he and Charles shake hands in the cool down room (while George looks on like the awkward freak he can be), Max pretends he doesn’t see Charles’ tears and Charles pretends that he doesn’t see the way Max looks tired. 

Biggest Team Rivalry: Internal? Oh, next year is going to be bad. Max and Checo snipe at each other in interviews until Christian is forced to insert Danny into every single marketing video and be present every time the two drivers have to be in the same room. Christian has to keep giving him raises, but don’t worry. It’s not coming out of the cost cap. Surprisingly, Esteban and Pierre get along fairly well until Estie Bestie gives Pierre’s car a little love tap and they both crash out. Este says it’s not his fault. Fernando doesn’t understand why this kid (Lance) doesn’t actually give a shit about racing and it blows up. Zak realizes that he is forcing twink on twink crime and they turn on him. I become the Lucille Bluth good for her meme.

Most wins by one driver in the 2023 season: Max again. But it’s close and it goes all the way to the end. We all cry every single week and we get many many new blogs dedicated to the math of the championship standings. One of them gets cancelled for being transphobic. 

Wildcard predictions: We get an unexpected retirement announcement. A former driver gets outted and we all have to get on Twitter and educate the masses on how there’s likely a queer driver, but it’s not exactly safe for them to be out and holy fuck, why are we forcing people out of the closet? Mick has to fill in for someone who is too sick to drive and he finishes well in the points and he gets a full time seat offer for the 2024 season. Daniel never comes back to racing full-time, but he does regain all the weight he lost and we cheer for him and his silly little expensive merch.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXXXII (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: Only six chapters to go!! -Danny

Words: 5,233

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Listen to: ‘How To Be Yours’ -by Chris Renzema

Chapter Thirty: O.W.L.'s

It was chaos after Fred and George's departure. 

Mel didn't even have to lift a finger to make sure the school was having a good amount of incidents, everywhere she went something was always happening, people were eager to copy the twins' doings, and the teachers had no intention to stop them.

The Inquisitorial Squad was in hell, which was what Mel had been dreaming for months. Something not so great was Erick as the main target of people that didn't know he was helping. Despite this, the D.A. knew about his friendship with Mel and they were very careful to keep him safe from any major harm. 

"When Mum's next letter finally gets through Umbridge's screening process I'm going to be in deep trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if she's sent a Howler again."

"But —"

"It'll be my fault Fred and George left, you wait," said Ron. "She'll say I should've stopped them leaving, I should've grabbed the ends of their brooms and hung on or something... Yeah, it'll be all my fault..."

"Well, if she does say that it'll be very unfair, you couldn't have done anything! But I'm sure she won't, I mean, if it's really true they've got premises in Diagon Alley now, they must have been planning this for ages..." Hermione said.

"Yeah, but that's another thing, how did they get premises? It's a bit dodgy, isn't it? They'll need loads of Galleons to afford the rent on a place in Diagon Alley, she'll want to know what they've been up to, to get their hands on that sort of gold..."

"Well, yes, that occurred to me too, I've been wondering whether Mundungus has persuaded them to sell stolen goods or something awful..."

"He hasn't," said Harry.

"How do you know?" asked Ron and Hermione.

"Because —" Harry glanced at Mel. "Because they got the gold from me. I gave them my Triwizard winnings last June."

"Oh, Harry, you didn't!" Hermione gasped.

"Yes, I did. And I don't regret it either — I didn't need the gold, and they'll be great at a joke shop..."

"But this is excellent! It's all your fault, Harry — Mum can't blame me at all! Can I tell her?"

"You really are Harry's best friend, aren't you?" Mel snorted.

"Yeah, I suppose you'd better," said Harry. "'Specially if she thinks they're receiving stolen cauldrons or something..."

Once on the school grounds, she heard Harry and Hermione still arguing about it.

"It's no good nagging me, it's done! Fred and George have got the gold — spent a good bit of it too, by the sounds of it — and I can't get it back from them and I don't want to. So save your breath, Hermione."

"I wasn't going to say anything about Fred and George!" 

Ron snorted.

"No, I wasn't!" She insisted. "As a matter of fact, I was going to ask Harry if he's going to go back to Snape and ask for Occlumency lessons again! You can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams, because Ron told me last night you were muttering in your sleep again."

"You were only muttering a bit," Ron blushed. "Something about 'just a bit farther.' " 

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch," Harry lied. "I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit farther to grab the Quaffle." 

"Wow, that was brutal," Mel grimaced. "If I were you, Ron, I'd sneak some farting bubbles in his pumpkin juice..."

Ron's ears turned red from embarrassment and annoyance, Hermione pinched Mel's arm and she complained, but Harry looked very pleased about his own behaviour.

"You are trying to block your mind, aren't you?" Hermione pushed.

"Of course I am," said Harry, his eyes darting away from his friend's face. "Mel's been helping me lots, haven't you, Mel?"

"Sure thing," Mel lied. "He's making progress. Honestly, I think I'm a better teacher than Snape."

Truth be told they hadn't practised at all after Fred and George left school. Mel was busy with her homework and Quidditch practice, and not once Harry had asked her to help him with Occlumency. Probably because he didn't want her to look into some private memories again.

"You know," said Ron, "if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, we might be in with a chance of winning the Cup."

"Yeah, I s'pose so," said Harry, eager to change the subject.

"I mean, we've won one, lost one — if Slytherin lose to Hufflepuff next Saturday —"

"Yeah, that's right," Harry's eyes followed Cho's figure as she crossed the courtyard without looking at him once. 

"You know," Mel said quietly. "You shouldn't force it... When things are meant to be, they just happen."

The morning of their game against Ravenclaw Mel was a nervous wreck. She was stuffing herself with all the food she could reach.

"You'll throw up if you keep eating like that!" Hermione took the bowl of fruit from her hands.

"I need that!"

"You don't."

"I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?" Ron said anxiously. "Nothing to lose now, is there?"

"If you keep saying that I'll kill you," Mel groaned. "I'm going to pass out, I just know it..."

As she and Ron were leaving the Hall, Harry tried to catch up with them, but Mel was so entranced in her own thoughts that she didn't hear him yell until he tried another name.

"Dumbledore girl!"

Mel turned back, her eyes landed on Harry and her frown vanished.

"Oh," She blinked. "What's up?"

"It's your first game as Seeker," He shook her hand, squeezing a little. "Best of luck... Can I ask you a favour?"

"Okay?"

"Give hell to Cho," He smirked. "Only during the game, though."

She chuckled. 

"I'll do my best, Glasses."

Both of them froze.

"I'm sorry," She stammered. "I wasn't thinking, I—"

"It's okay," Harry replied softly, his eyes shining at the nickname.

A little voice whispered in her ear: 'Not again.' 

"I have to go," She said, turning hot on her heel and leaving a startled Harry behind.

"And here they come! The Weasleys! Johnson! Bell! Spinnet! Sloper! and Dumbledore! This is Mel's first game as a seeker — Cheers, Mel!"

"I'm so full of shit..." Mel whispered tensely.

"And they're off! And Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well... He's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot — and — and — Shit! And he's scored."

As predicted, the tune of  'Weasley is our king' started around the stands. Mel took a deep breath coming to terms with the fact that this was beyond her control, all she could do now was focus on catching the snitch. As Bradley plummeted towards Ron, the boy threw himself to the right and he... stopped the Quaffle.

A brief moment of stunned silence surrounded them, then, just as quickly, the Gryffindor crowd erupted into cheers. Mel shared a look of genuine shock with Ginny, then she looked back at her friend, who was frozen in disbelief.

"You got this, Ron!" She shouted.

Mel could only describe what happened next as pure magic. Ron stopped every single attempt to score from the Ravenclaws one after the other. He did all this with truly impressive manoeuvres as well. Angelina was beaming with pride, Katie and Alicia were at the top of their game too; even Jack was doing a decent job.

Ginny was having a blast, throwing the bludgers around to the opposite team. Mel and Cho would circle the game above everyone, and with every passing minute Cho started to look more and more anxious. Mel tried to keep a neutral attitude towards her, but apparently, Cho had witnessed the moment when Harry chased after her to wish her good luck personally. It wasn't Mel's fault, his loyalty was towards Gryffindor, not her! 

An hour after it had started what it was by far the best game of the season, Mel caught a glimpse of something golden at the end of Ravenclaw's side of the field. She flew fast towards it, but Cho was right behind her. She took a sharp turn when a chaser flew right in front of her, causing her (and Cho) to lose sight of the snitch.

The girls went back up with grumpy expressions, but then she looked down to see how the game was going and spotted the snitch two feet away from the tail of  Cho's broom. Mel swore loudly and gave another abrupt turn, circling Chang's broom. The tail barely grazed her shoulder as she chased after the tiny thing. Mel stretched out her hand and in one sudden movement, she seized it.

The game was officially over, and Gryffindor had won.

Mel stared down at the object on her palm as she landed, she was tackled into a hug by the whole team, Ron was in the middle of it, being the star of the match. Only then she realized the lyrics of the song had changed. 

Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He didn't let the Quaffle in,

Weasley is our King...

Weasley can save anything,

He never leaves a single ring

That's why Gryffindors all sing:

Weasley is our King.

Angelina was a crying mess as well as Alicia, this being their last game probably felt like a miracle sent from heaven. Katie and Ginny were euphoric, Jack couldn't believe their luck. Every girl in the team kissed Ron on the cheek and Jack patted his shoulder roughly. Mel got her own round of hugs and kisses, and they were both suddenly lifted in the air, guided to the stands so they could receive the Quidditch cup from none other than Umbridge herself.

Sure, instant gratification was all right, but nothing was quite as pleasant as the absolute outrage in Umbridge's face when the cup reached Mel and Ron's hands, both of them lifting the cup proudly for everyone to see. 

As the crowd guided them back to the castle, Ron shouted.

"HARRY! HERMIONE! WE DID IT! WE WON!" 

She looked to where he was yelling and found their friends beaming at them. Mel's eyes fixed on Harry's expression, he hadn't looked that happy since last June. She was delighted to be part of the reason why he was smiling like that.

"Hagrid's keeping a what in the forest?" 

Hermione hushed her, they were in their room long after the party had ended, the girl had sneaked into her bed to talk about what they'd done during the Quidditch match. Turns out that neither she nor Harry had seen it, Hagrid appeared and asked them to follow him into the forbidden forest. There he introduced them to his half brother, which happened to be:

"A young giant?" Her voice came out muffled since Hermione was covering her mouth. "He spends his afternoons being his brother's punching bag?"

"He reckons he's helping him become... er... civilized," Hermione said. "It's awful, really. Grawp looks like he'd much rather spend his time chasing down centaurs than learning how to spell 'tree'."

"And he made you promise we would look after him? No. Absolutely not."

"We don't have a choice —"

"We don't even know if he'll get fired!"

"Do you really think Umbridge will let him stay? I mean, Harry and I were the ones who promised anyway, so you're not obliged —"

"Don't be silly," Mel rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't leave you alone — And let's be honest, I'm stronger than you when it comes to magical defense, I'm probably the one who's got a bigger chance to control a small giant."

"You're probably right..." Hermione sighed. "I couldn't bring myself to tell Ron — Neither could Harry! We couldn't..."

"I guess we can't do much besides sit and worry, can we?"

"Yeah, reckon so."

"I always said there was no use in sitting and worrying," She pouted. "But usually that's the only thing I'm able to do..."

"Well, I mean, I'd already let in that one of Davies's, so I wasn't feeling that confident, but I dunno, when Bradley came toward me, just out of nowhere, I thought — you can do this!" Ron was describing his first saved for the third time. "And I had about a second to decide which way to fly, you know, because he looked like he was aiming for the right goal hoop — my right, obviously, his left — but I had a funny feeling that he was feinting, and so I took the chance and flew left — his right, I mean — and — well — you saw what happened."

The boy pushed his hair back and made it messier. They were sitting outside, trying to enjoy the fresh air of the afternoon, the sight reminded her of a scene that though she wasn't originally there to witness, now was part of her memories.

"And then, when Chambers came at me about five minutes later — what?" Ron stared at her and Harry. "Why are you two grinning?"

"I'm not," Harry glimpsed at Mel and knew they were thinking about the same thing. "I'm just glad we won, that's all."

"Yeah... we won," Ron agreed wistfully. "Did you see the look on Chang's face when Mel got the Snitch right out from under her nose?"

"I suppose she cried, did she?" 

"Wow, you definitely didn't sound bitter at all," Mel snorted. 

"Well, yeah — more out of temper than anything, though..." Ron was right, but Mel didn't feel particularly proud of this, it wasn't like she wanted Cho to throw a tantrum, she just wanted to win. "But you saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"

"Er..." 

"Well, actually... no, Ron," Hermione closed her book. "As a matter of fact, the only bit of the match Harry and I saw was Davies's first goal."

"You didn't watch?" Ron visibly deflated. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?" 

"Well — no. But Ron, we didn't want to leave — we had to!"

"Yeah?" The boy started to get annoyed. "How come?"

"It was Hagrid," Harry explained. "He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants. He wanted us to go into the forest with him, we had no choice, you know how he gets... Anyway..."

By the end, Ron had forgotten he was even mad.

"He brought one back and hid it in the forest?" He whispered.

"Yep," said Harry simply.

"No... no, he can't have..."

"Well, he has," Hermione stated. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me," the girl snorted, "as Hermy."

Ron laughed nervously, Mel chortled.

"You didn't tell me about your nickname last night!"

"Because I knew you would tease me endlessly," The girl rolled her eyes.

"And Hagrid wants us to..?"

"Teach him English, yeah," Harry replied with a crooked smile.

"He's lost his mind," Ron concluded.

"Yes," Hermione responded. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. But unfortunately, he made Harry and me promise."

"Well, you're just going to have to break your promise, that's all. I mean, come on... We've got exams and we're about that far," he made a gesture with his fingers, a millimetre of space keeping them from touching, "from being chucked out as it is. And anyway... remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?"

"I know, it's just that — we promised..." Hermione pouted. 

"Well... Hagrid hasn't been sacked yet, has he? He's hung on this long, maybe he'll hang on till the end of term and we won't have to go near Grawp at all."

Panic rose over the fifth-years as June welcomed them into the busiest start of summer of their lives. Mel was sick of studying, so she spent her afternoons helping some classmates review their subjects. In exchange, Neville helped her with Herbology, he was a marvellous tutor.

Erick had seen her one time after the Quidditch final, the boy was preoccupied with studying for his own exams. Next year would be Erick's seventh and last, and he was determined to become the Headboy. Mel asked him if it hadn't lost its charm now that Umbridge was headmistress, but Erick merely shrugged and assured her there was no way that woman would be there next year.

"You know what?" Mel yawned. "I wouldn't mind chucking down my throat some doxy droppings to see if they can pull me out of my misery. I hate feeling like I'm not good enough, I don't know how my dad did this for seven years..."

"Cheer up," Ron tried to pat her shoulder, touching the wall instead. "You're only saying that because you have no patience. You're the smartest witch in our year right after 'Mione — You got this. Now shut up and let me worry in peace."

"Remember our vow?" She smirked, nudging his arm. "The one about us being awful together?"

Ron looked at her. "Well, if Miss Popular's done ignoring her old friends, then yeah, I remember."

"I admit I was a bit of a prat this year," Mel made a face. "But I would never change you for a stranger! You're my best friend!"

"You say that all the time," The boy rolled his eyes, but put his arm around her shoulders anyway. "Keep saying it, it's nice to hear." 

Mel snorted, elbowing his side playfully.

She did splendidly on her examination, she was the first out of the four to be called in for her practical exam. Professor Marchbanks was delighted to have her.

"Dumbledore, aren't you?" She asked eagerly. "Yes, yes... Oh well dear, what are you waiting for? Do your best..." 

It was the first time in a while that her routine was exactly like everyone else's. Their classmates were buzzing with anxiety and none of them looked exactly happy, some older students would try to sell them fake brain stimula but Hermione was quick to put an end to it. Mel was strangely thrilled about being part of it all. She was, at last, just another student trying to pass the year.

All in all, even if she was just another student, there was no denying that she had way more advanced knowledge in some areas. Mel outdid her D.A.D.A exam and the only time she hesitated when answering a theoretical test was during Herbology, which if anything, turned out to be humbling. She didn't want to have all her success inflating her head again, she wasn't planning on becoming the next James Potter, no matter how close she'd been to be one that year.

They had a whole weekend ahead before they had to take the rest of their O.W.L.S, Harry, Ron, and Mel sat in the common room and played chess to release some tension. Mel was watching them, but she was too sleepy to pay attention and ended up taking a nap on Ron's shoulder.

Hermione entered the common room in such an agitated way that Mel gave a start, bumping heads with Ron.

"How were the runes?" Ron mumbled as he rubbed the side of his face.

"I mistranslated 'ehwaz'! It means 'partnership,' not 'defense,' I mixed it up with 'eihwaz.'"

"Ah well," The boy yawned, "that's only one mistake, isn't it, you'll still get —"

"Oh shut up. It could be the one mistake that makes the difference between a pass and a fail. And what's more, someone's put another niffler in Umbridge's office, I don't know how they got it through that new door, but I just walked past there and Umbridge is shrieking her head off — by the sound of it, it tried to take a chunk out of her leg —"

"Good," said the three.

"It is not good! She thinks it's Hagrid doing it, remember? And we do not want Hagrid chucked out!"

"He's teaching at the moment, she can't blame him," said Harry, pointing over at the window. 

"Oh, you're so naive sometimes, Harry, you really think Umbridge will wait for proof?" Hermione scoffed, leaving them there to storm off to her room.

"Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl," Ron murmured.

Since Hermione didn't abandon her constant state of anger and anxiety, Mel's friends designated her as the study guide so she supervised everyone. 

Potions passed rather easily, she was getting quite good at it, though she was far from being the best. Care of Magical Creatures was a different story, she'd always been good with animals. On Wednesday she had her Astronomy O.W.L, and that's when things got ugly, though not in the way she was expecting.

Even if her love for the night sky had been damaged thanks to Divination, she was still fond of the stars, not that they could tell her anything about her current situation, but they were a peaceful and bright constant. It was comforting, even if the world was about to end, little would change outside their planet, and eventually, things would move on.

As she looked down to rearrange her parchment, her eyes landed on several figures moving towards Hagrid's cabin, one of them with a particularly stiff way of walking. Umbridge knocked on the cabin's front door and Hagrid opened it. Hermione was right after all, the woman was ready to chop one more head before the end of the term.

Harry was watching as well. Professor Marchbanks walked behind him and he quickly returned his eyes to the map he was making, Mel stayed still, looking directly to the cabin instead of the sky.

Someone yelled. Several students turned their attention to the school grounds and Professor Tofty cleared his throat.

"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls — twenty minutes to go." 

Mel looked down and skimmed through her map, she had finished, she only needed to—

BANG!

The girl pushed her telescope aside and walked up to the railing, too worried to care about the points the Professors could take from her.

Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.

"No!"

"My dear!" said Professor Tofty. "This is an examination!"

"They're attacking him!" Mel responded.

"Be reasonable, Hagrid!" 

"Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"

Why was an Auror there if Hagrid was only being fired? Why bring law enforcement to something as silly as a sacking?

Mel blessed Hagrid's half-giant origins because they kept him from getting injured, the spells would bounce off of him when thrown in disorder, but the Aurors were trained people, they started to attack him at the same time. Hagrid grabbed one of the men and threw him in the air, leaving him limp on the ground.

"Look!" Parvati gasped.

"Now, really! Only sixteen minutes left, you know!" Professor Tofty insisted.

Mel turned to leave the tower, Ron grabbed a hold of her arm and stopped her.

"He needs help!"

"Look!" Ron pointed out.

"How dare you! How dare you!" 

"It's McGonagall!" Hermione gasped.

"Leave him alone! Alone, I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such —"

The girls around her screamed, McGonagall received a total of four stunning spells that threw her back, she didn't stand up again.

"Galloping gargoyles! Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!" Professor Tofty exclaimed.

"COWARDS! RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT — AN' THAT —" 

"Oh my —" 

Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers; judging by their immediate collapse, they had been knocked cold. 

Harry saw him double over and thought for a moment that he had finally been overcome by a spell, but on the contrary, next moment Hagrid was standing again with what appeared to be a sack on his back — then Harry realized that Fang's limp body was draped around his shoulders.

"Get him, get him!" 

"Ron, let me go!"

"If you go there you'll get expelled! What can you do against trained Aurors?"

"More than you can imagine!" She growled. "I said, let me go!"

Ron jumped back and held his hand with wide eyes. He had blisters on his palm as if he'd burnt himself on a stove. Mel froze, unable to know how on earth she'd managed to do that.

"He's gone!" Harry said out loud. "Hagrid's leaving!"

"That evil woman!" Hermione exclaimed. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!" 

"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," Ernie Macmillan responded.

"That cow," Mel was pale from both, fury and shock. Ron was doing his best to stand as far from her as possible. 

"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" He asked, careful to hide his hand from the others. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"

"It'll be his giant blood," Hermione frowned. "It's very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough... But poor Professor McGonagall... Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?"

"Stop," Mel felt an all too familiar coldness on the tips of her fingers. "She will get better, she's a tough woman..."

"Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, reminding her a bit to Lockhart. "Well, I'm off to bed.. 'Night, all."

"At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban," Ron continued. "I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?"

"I suppose so... oh, this is awful, I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid too..."

"I... I have to... bathroom..." Mel looked around desperately, squeezing the fabric of her robes between her hands to dry them. "This is not — sorry —"

She ran, already gawking by the time she managed to open the door to one of the stalls. Everything inside her felt unsteady, she wanted to help Hagrid but she couldn't, and now they didn't have him, nor Dumbledore, and who knew if McGonagall was going to recover... 

She'd hurt Ron without meaning to — just like Ariana Dumbledore, she'd felt a bit of herself slipping away in her frustration and anger, she understood why it had been so easy for that girl to lose control... But she wasn't crazy! This had been an accident, and she was going to fix it... But what if things escalated before she could find a way to stop? 

Someone walked in and followed the noises she was making, she hadn't even tried to close the door to her toilet. Mel closed her eyes tightly, taking a shaky breath.

"I'm okay!" She said, but it was quite obvious in her voice that she was sobbing. "Please go!"

"How many times do I have to tell you —" She jumped at the sound of his exasperated tone, "not to run when you have an attack? It makes it harder to breathe!"

Mel scowled at him without getting up from the floor. It was disgusting, she was unable to calm her breathing, she couldn't reply properly. Harry crouched down next to her and she tensed, but the boy raised both hands to ease her, supporting one on the wall to not lose his balance.

"I won't touch you if you don't want me to," He said, "tell me what you need — Don't ask me to leave you, though — can't be on your own..."

Mel shook her head, swallowing harshly. 

"I can't — I can't breathe —"

"Yeah, well, you ran all the way to the bathrooms," He stated. "But it's okay —"

"I wanted to help... but Ron —" Her voice broke. "I hurt him..."

"He showed me," Harry said, then quickly added. "He's not angry."

"I'm going crazy — I can't control it —"

"You're not crazy," Harry moved slightly so he could face her. "Look at me — Don't think about it, just look at me..."

She didn't want to, didn't want him as the witness of her frailty, but it was the only person around. Mel looked up and focused solely on him.

"You're not crazy," He repeated, his eyes fixed on hers. "Going to the school grounds would've gotten you expelled."

Mel shook her head in a sort of childish manner, her breathing was reaching a reasonable rhythm. She closed her eyes tightly and pressed her lips together to stop crying, but it didn't work.

"What's your cat's name?" He asked in a clear voice.

"What?"

"Your cat," He said. "What's his name?"

"Grey..?" Mel picked up on what he was doing and continued. "One... One, two, three, four letters... G— R— E— Y... and he's black... B— L— A— C— K..."

"That's right," He smiled a little. "Good job..."

The counting and spelling was a game her mother used to distract Mel whenever she was feeling anxious. Harry knew it since they were kids. 

"Did you know..." She said weakly, "you're the only idiot who always sees me cry like this?"

Harry snorted, sitting down with his back against the wall.

"That can't be true."

"It is."

"What about Hermione?"

"No," She pushed herself away from the toilet and sat on the floor fully.

"Fred?" Harry looked at her with scepticism. "Erick?"

 "Maybe teared up a bit, but... I only cry like this when... do you really think I'm not crazy?"

"It's me who everyone's calling mental."

"Yes, but that's a lie."

"Same with you."

"Dumbledore said —"

"Dumbledore can't know it all, can he? Or he would've warned Hagrid about Umbridge before leaving."

"...maybe," She cleaned her face with the back of her sleeve. "I didn't mean to hurt Ron."

"He doesn't blame you," Harry stood up. "He said it was a foolish thing to do... he should've known better than to try and stop you."

"Don't say it like that," Mel frowned. "Like it's not a problem — I shouldn't... I should have better control —"

"You do," He said, helping her to her feet. "But you have to make mistakes sometimes, genius and all."

"I'm not a genius," She scoffed. "I'm a twat."

"Who said you can't be both?" Harry taunted. "This is the boy's bathroom, by the way."

"Oh blimey," said Lee Jordan, covering his mouth. "It's me's been putting the nifflers in her office, Fred and George left me a couple, I've been levitating them in through her window..."

"She'd have sacked him anyway," Dean shook his head. "He was too close to Dumbledore."

"That's true," Harry fell back on his chair tiredly.

"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," said Lavender.

"They carried her back up to the castle, we watched through the dormitory window," Colin Creevey informed them. "She didn't look very well..."

"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," said Alicia. "She's never failed yet." 

"I doubt she would let herself die in such a way," Mel added calmly. "She won't leave this earth without making sure Umbridge gets fired... and neither will I."

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @kylosleftbuttcheek @reverse-hxlland @bloodorangemoonlight @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee​

[alj4890]

None But You

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) in a regency era romance as requested by @pixieferry​

A/N So sorry this took so long. Migraines and writer’s block are making life so pleasant. We are slowly coming to the end of our series. I have loved how Thomas is in a regency AU. That proud man oozes Mr. Darcy vibes. Let’s see how everyone reacts to the shooting and plans to depart the Rawlings’ residence.

@graceful-popcorn   @krsnlove   @alleksa16   @hopelessromantic1352    @pixieferry   @emceesynonymroll   @buzz-bee-buzz   @hopefulmoonobject    @rainbowsinthestorm   @lxaah11   @my-heart-beats-for-ya @everythingmarvelsherlockspn @friedherringclodthing   @aworldoffandoms   @ab1901   @i-bloody-love-drake-walker  

Masterlist

Summary: Everyone comes to terms with Lord Ryan Summers being shot. Was it an accident? Or, was someone else the intended target? We also begin our journey to Lord Hunt’s home, Kirkwood Manor for the wedding.

Part 12

"Shh." Lady Henrietta Rawlings held her daughter close. "All will be well, darling."

"Oh Mamma." Millie cried. "I cannot lose him. Not after I realized" She trailed off as another sob tore through.

Henrietta smiled softly to herself. It had come as a pleasant surprise to find that her daughter had fallen in love with the one man she and Lord Gabriel Rawlings wished for her.

When Millie burst into tears upon hearing the news that Lord Ryan Summers had been shot, she knew her daughter must truly care for the man. After leaving Lucy in charge of the guests, she took her daughter to her bedroom so that she could cry in privacy.

Her smile dimmed as she remembered that the young marquess might not survive his wound. She couldn't bear the thought of her daughter finding love to only lose it so quickly.

"Stay here." She ordered. "I'll go see what the doctor says."

Millie blew her nose while nodding. "Please find out all you can."

***************

Thomas and Chris decided early on to escape members of the house party. With Amanda in tow, the three claimed one of the empty parlors.

Guests were frantic with gossip and predictions that Lord Summers would die from his injury. Ladies were sniffling in their handkerchiefs, lamenting the loss of a young man of both excellent breeding and fortune. Some of the visiting gentlemen took advantage of the situation to offer comfort to the more desirable matches.

Once Sir Chris shut the door, the three relaxed as best they could under the circumstances.

"How is Lord Ryan?" Amanda asked "Have you heard anything yet?"

"The doctor was able to remove the bullet from his shoulder." Thomas poured a libation for himself and Chris and then a glass of sherry for his lady. "It was a miracle that it missed anything vital."

"That is a blessing." Amanda set her barely touched glass down.

"What I want to know is," Chris bit out, "how the bloody blazes, forgive me, my lady, do a group of seasoned grouse hunters manage to shoot a man?"

Thomas gripped his glass. "Ryan was standing beside me." He took a healthy gulp in the hopes the brandy would burn away the image of his friend bleeding before him. "He then stepped back to ready his rifle."

Amanda covered her mouth. "You would have been shot in the back if he hadn't moved."

He nodded. "Seems odd that after enduring days of tense encounters with the duke that a man next to me is struck down by a stray bullet."

Chis snorted. "Tense barely scratches the surface."

"Has any gentleman stepped forward, claiming they shot Lord Ryan?" Amanda asked, praying it was truly a fluke accident.

"Not that I'm aware of." Thomas quirked an eyebrow in question to Chris.

"I haven't." He answered. "I believe that Lord Gabriel and Michael are going to question everyone."

While Thomas and Chris continued to speculate the shooting incident, Amanda's attention was drawn toward a flurry of activity outside the window.

Carriages were pulling up outside. Some of the houseguests were taking their leave. There were many that hoped to be the first to share the gossip at the many ton events that awaited them in London.

Her eyes darted to the left. Duke Viktor Montmarte stepped forward after giving a farewell to a trio of ladies, tittering at his flirtatious comments.

"I believe we should corner Montmarte's valet." Thomas explained. "I find it strange that he accompanied his grace for the hunt."

Chris softly cursed under his breath. "I didn't notice he was there. What gentleman has a valet that is also well versed in reloading rifles?" He set his glass down in the midst of standing up. "Where is the scoundrel?"

"They've left along with others." Amanda replied. "I do not think we will ever know who truly shot Lord Summers"

***************

"Papa?" Millie whispered outside Ryan's chambers. "Are you certain he is being properly cared for?"

Lord Gabriel's lips trembled with mirth. "Feel free to check on him if you wish. I was planning on sending Sanders in periodically to make certain the marquess is resting comfortably."

"Periodically!" Millie gasped in outrage. "Lord Ryan should have someone at hand until he is strong enough to leave his bed."

Lord Gabriel decided to withhold the information that Lord Ryan had regained consciousness earlier and had no trouble whatsoever with getting up to find a softer shirt to change into.

He had already spoken to Henrietta about letting Millie nurse the gentleman in the hopes the two would finally see that they belonged together.

"My dear," her father said in a condescending tone he knew would spur her on to defying him. "He will be fine on his own for the rest of the evening. We have guests we must entertain and help prepare for their departure on the morrow. You should--"

"Hang the guests!" Millie snapped. "If they are too witless to know how to act when a man lies at death's door, then they deserve no such courtesies!" She opened Ryan's door and slipped inside.

Henrietta popped her head around from around a corner. "You handled that well."

Gabriel chuckled as he walked over to her. "I've learned over the years how to get my ladies to do exactly what I wish."

Hen's eyes narrowed on her husband. "What was that?"

He winked at her as he escaped downstairs. "How else do you think I managed to trick you into bringing up marriage before I did?

"You wretched beast!" Hen screeched.

He laughed as he dashed downstairs.

Her lips eased into a smug smile once he had disappeared. "Foolish man. If he only knew I knew that was his plan all along."

**************

Ryan's eyes flew open when he heard water being poured. He scanned his dim chamber and nearly bolted upright when he saw Millie wetting a rag.

Curious to what she planned to do, he closed his eyes and feigned sleep.

She tiptoed over and gently placed the cool rag on his forehead.

He peeked at her from under his lashes. Her teeth were tugging at her bottom lip as she observed him. There was a crease forming in the middle of her forehead as her eyes narrowed somewhat in thought.

He relaxed when he felt her fingers gently combing through his hair. It was a soothing, almost loving touch that he felt down to his toes.

It took all his willpower to remain still when he heard the click of his door opening again. If anyone were to catch Millie alone in his bedroom, the scandal would rock the entire ton.

Millie's head jerked up at the intrusion. When she saw who it was, she decided to not bother being kind.

"What the devil are you doing here?!"

Victoria paused before shutting the door. "I could ask you the same question."

Ryan flinched from the hiss in the intruder’s tone. Both women noticed the movement and lowered their voices for his sake.

"I am nursing Lord Summers." Millie ground out.

"I believe he would prefer my tender ministrations over yours." Victoria's smile was a touch brittle. "After all, he has made a point to spend more time in my company than anyone else's."

Millie bristled at her not so subtle meaning. "Be that as it may, Lord Ryan is a guest in my home. Therefore his care falls under my responsibility."

Ryan frowned somewhat at that statement. He didn't want her to feel obligated to care for him. He had hoped she was doing so for a deeper, more heartfelt reason. This irritated him even more that he desired such an emotion from the bane of his existence.

"Well, I have a way with men that helps speed their recovery." Victoria countered smugly. "Why don't you go and try to obtain that which you don't have."

The lady made a shooing motion with her hands as she approached the bed.

"And what exactly have I yet to obtain?" Millie's voice had lowered and sounded more sinister than Ryan had ever heard. He cracked open his eyes. Never had he been more grateful to not be the recipient of her temper.

Victoria was oblivious to the effect her provocations had on the young lady.

"Poor little Lady Millicent." She sadly shook her head. "It must be devastating to have your closest friend, who we must admit is not a great beauty, make such an advantageous match in the midst of her first season while you have yet to capture attention from any gentleman within the span of nearly three seasons." Her lips curved into a mocking smile. "Even now the less popular ones are not inclined to give you anything but a cursory glance."

Millie was practically shaking with her anger. "How dare you?!"

Victoria ignored her, moving to fluff Ryan's pillows.

Millie snatched her wrist and roughly pushed her away.

"You wicked little viper." Victoria snapped, wrenching her arm free. "Do you honestly believe he would choose someone like you over someone like me?" She narrowed her eyes on Millie. "You are nothing but an annoyance to him."

Ryan noticed the color drain from Millie's face. Her hesitation touched his heart. In that brief moment, he realized that she believed he wouldn't choose her.

"Millie, are you--," Victoria's laugh echoed in the chamber, "You are! You are in love with Lord Ryan."

The man fully opened his eyes to see how Millie would respond to what had to be a farfetched notion.

Her blush and twisting of the rag in her hands appeared to point toward it being true.

"Oh this is rich." Victoria snorted while laughing again. "You'll never be able to show your face in London again after everyone hears about this." Her malicious smile reappeared. "Not only have you caused a scandal, but you fell in love with a man that barely tolerates his acquaintance with you."

Ryan spoke up when he saw the tears building in Millie's eyes. "Leave my room. Now."

Both ladies jumped and turned to look a him.

Victoria smiled sweetly. "My lord, I've already told her that she is unwanted." She went to pull the covers up over his chest.

Ryan caught her hands. "You are the one that is unwanted, Ms. Fontaine."

She narrowed her eyes. "You must be delirious, sir." She forced another sweet smile. "I'll call for the doctor. A fever might be setting in."

Ryan's polite veneer that he had worn throughout his life was nowhere to be found. Millie watched in a state of disbelief as he set the misguided woman straight.

"Ms. Fontaine, I have unwillingly endured your forced company this entire visit." He began. "If not for my respect of Lady Cora and Lord Michael Rawlings, I would have cut any and every conversation with you." His words were clipped and held an edge sharper than a blade. "My patience has reached its end."

He turned toward Millie. "My dear Lady Millicent, will you please pour me a glass of water?"

She gave a brief nod and hurried to get him what he asked for.

Victoria, upon realizing she was being ignored, decided to leave and spread what gossip she could.

She was in for quite a surprise on learning that Lord and Lady Rawlings had already explained the situation to their remaining guests, making Millie's actions all above board.

"Here." Millie slipped her arm behind Ryan's shoulders.

Instead of admitting he could easily sit up, he decided to play along, struggling with every movement. He weakly grasped her hand that held his cup and took a long, slow sip.

"Thank you." He exaggerated a groan as he sank down against the pillows. "That altercation took a great deal out of me."

Is there anything else I can do for you?" She worried over him.

"What can be done at such a dark moment?" He asked, tinging his voice with sadness. "I have been brought to my lowest." He covered his eyes with his uninjured arm. "How does one go on after this?"

Millie hemmed and gently grasped his hand. "My lord, you will come back from this. I know you have a deep strength that will aid in your recovery."

"My life will never be the same." He said in a gravelly voice. "What will become of me?"

Millie swiped at her stray tears. "Ryan, I--"

"Nothing but a lifetime of pity." He wailed, getting into his role of injured gentleman. "No lady will ever wish to marry me for myself. I will only be desired for my wealth and title."

"That's not true." Millie argued. "You--"

"She won't be able to look at me without seeing a once dashing, handsome man wounded beyond repair." He continued, peeking from under his arm at her.

"Ryan, you're going to be fine." Millie insisted. "You must recover. I need--"

"This is the end of Lord Ryan Summers." He interrupted. "The man you once knew who made ladies' hearts race is no more." He let his arm fall weakly to his side. "I am forever scarred."

Millie narrowed her eyes. "Is that all you care about?"

He turned toward her. "Is what all I care about?"

"Your effect on women." Millie bit out. "One would think a brush with death would cause a man to rethink his life and strive for something more."

"Millie, I-" he began, struggling with his laughter.

"Perhaps Victoria should tend you." Millie stood up and threw the wet rag in his face. "I am not the kind to give you the comfort you so rightly deserve."

"Now Millie," Ryan tossed the rag on the table, "I prefer your tender--" he grunted when she pushed him back down on the bed.

"I cannot believe I worried over you!" She pointed at the bandage at his shoulder. "You're perfectly fine!"

"I was shot in the shoulder." He argued, sitting up once more. "And it hurt like bloody hell removing the bullet."

"Not nearly enough!" She snapped. "You deserve so much more discomfort."

"Millie!" Ryan scrambled off the bed and blocked her exit. "Now Millie, you know you love me."

"I do not!" She screeched. "Whatever," she searched for the appropriate comparison to her previous feelings, "weakness I might have felt, it has thankfully disappeared." She waved her hand. "Kindly move."

"No." He folded his arms, then winced at the pain it caused.

The flash of anger Millie felt disappeared at glimpsing his actual pain. "Oh Ryan." She stepped forward and gently touched his cheek. "You must take it easy."

She slipped her arm around him and guided him back to his bed. She once again fluffed his pillows and covered him up. The entire time, she insisted he allow her to care for him.

Ryan's lips curved at her fussing over him once more. A man, he thought, could get very used to this.

***************

"Did you discover anything?" Amanda asked.

Thomas had pulled her off to an alcove after dinner. He kept her hand in his as they discussed his fruitless search for the shooter.

"Nothing pertinent. The few gentlemen that have remained for another night were all focused on the grouse." He lifted her hand to his lips. "Perhaps it was an accident after all." He grimaced with his next thought. "What if Montmarte's game was simply to cause me doubt and misery? To ruin our time together as a newly engaged couple."

"That is a possibility." She conceded. "Though I believe our original stance to remain guarded around him was wise. He does not strike me as a man that chooses inaction." She smiled softly as he brushed another kiss against her knuckles. "At least he is gone."

Thomas nodded, a hint of a smile forming. "Yes, and we will soon be at Kirkwood Manor." His eyes lifted to hers. "I am anxious to acquaint you with your new home."

"Oh?" Her teasing smile appeared. "Not for the wedding then?"

"That goes without saying." He grumbled. "You are very aware of how much I am looking forward to that."

She laughed, squeezing his hand. "I am looking forward to both."

Thomas hesitated, then leaned closer to whisper. "Even though Montmarte is gone, I would prefer keeping watch over you tonight." Before she could argue, he held up his hand. "I promise to rest during our journey tomorrow."

"Very well." Amanda conceded. "I see that you refuse to be swayed." Her breath hitched when he pressed a lingering kiss to the inside of her wrist. "I will see you later "

Thomas watched her wish her aunt and the Rawlings family goodnight on her way toward the stairs. His lips firmed in a frown as he wondered if they were truly once and for all rid of Viktor Montmarte.

******************

The next morning...

"Are you certain you feel up to leaving this morning?" Millie asked.

Ryan gave his thanks when one of the servants poured him a cup of coffee. "I do." His dimples deepened with his charming smile. "With you caring for me during our journey, I know that I will be fine."

His smile grew at the rosy hue forming on Millie's cheeks.

"Good morning." Amanda greeted when she and Thomas entered the dining room. "Lord Ryan! I am very pleased to see you up and about."

He stood and kissed her hand. "Nothing will stop me from seeing you and Thomas wed." He winked at her. "I have a vested interest in your marriage."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "I believe I was the one to actually court her."

"I'd like to think mine, Lady Millie's, and our closest friends' influence had a hand in nudging you toward the altar.

Chris and Matthew joined them at that moment.

"If I recall correctly," Chris grinned over his shoulder while filling his plate at the sideboard, "Our dear Thomas was very much against the notion of holy matrimony with any lady he came into contact with."

"He even encouraged other men to make a match with a certain lady." Matt added, chuckling at the glare Thomas sent him.

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at their teasing. She reached over and grasped Thomas' hand.

His eyes met hers. Seeing her warm smile, his frown disappeared. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Though he wouldn’t admit it, he was grateful they had such interfering friends.

Millie sighed at the tender action, thrilled beyond measure that all was how it should be. Nothing was standing in the way of those she cared for. 

****************

A few hours later, Millie was ready to commit a murder before the wedding. With Ryan injured, she had readily agreed to riding in his carriage with him. Lady Lucinda was riding with Millie’s parents so that Amanda and Thomas could enjoy some alone time in his carriage. All seemed to point toward a pleasant journey for everyone.

Then Sir Chris and Lord Matthew insisted on joining her and Ryan.

It might have been pleasant if not for their teasing and hints that Millie and Ryan felt something deeper than mere friendship. Then again, it most likely would have been a miserable ride. The man she thought herself in love with was irritable with every jostle to his shoulder.

“Perhaps you should have waited a few days before traveling.” Millie suggested.

“I am not about to miss a single moment of my closest friend finally settling down with a young woman I actually approve of.” He snapped.

Millie’s eyes narrowed. “Then perhaps I should have chosen to ride with my parents.”

“Heaven forbid you remain with me and help nurse me back to health.” He grumbled between gritted teeth.

“I can think of a few ways to nurse you.” she mumbled under her breath, imagining shoving a rag in his mouth. “Why don’t you try and rest?”

“Capital idea.” Chris interjected when it appeared that Ryan was about to bite their only feminine company’s head off. “Go to sleep, Summers.”

“You all make it sound simple!” He snapped. “And here I am, thinking that the movement of the coach makes this contraption a torture chamber on wheels.”

“If anyone is tortured it is us that are trapped with you.” Millie countered. She folded her arms and purposely turned so that her back was to him.

“You may leave at any time you wish.” Ryan pointed out. “I was a fool to think having you with me would be a comfort.”

Millie’s gasp of outrage caused the other two men in the carriage to shrink back within their seat. 

“I was more than ready to do all I could to ease your journey.” She hissed. “I had no idea though that not only are you stubborn but you are also prone to whining over every little thing.” She huffed and reached for a book to read. “I did not know I had chosen to travel with a petulant child.”

Ryan opened his mouth to deliver a crushing set down to the woman he thought he was losing his heart to. 

“Here we are, sir!” His coachman called out.

Millie peeped out the window at the inn they were stopping at for the evening. She scrambled down the coach steps when she saw her father helping her mother and Lady Lucy from their carriage.

Her eyes scanned the charm of the small town and she noticed that a number of carriages were stopping at the various inns that lined the main road.

Thomas and Amanda paused on their way inside to check on Ryan.

“I pray it wasn’t too difficult on you.” Amanda said once the gentlemen had made it out.

“I managed.” Ryan quickly assured her. 

Chris choked on his laughter. “He is a man to admire in how he suffers in silence.”

Millie was about to add her own cutting observation when she noticed how pale Ryan was. Sweat was glistening on his upper lip and he winced when he straightened his posture.

She stepped forward and took his uninjured arm. “Come, we should get you settled so that you can rest.”

Her sweet tone caught him by surprise. “Thank you.” He murmured, walking with her into the inn. “I do apologize for my rude behavior.” He grimaced at the pain throbbing in his shoulder. “I should have insisted you ride with your parents.” 

“I should have been more understanding.” She gently squeezed his arm. “I need to work on my patience.”

“And charity.” He added, grinning at her quick temper.

She met his gaze and reluctantly smiled. “That too.”

He leaned down to whisper to her. “Perhaps you shouldn’t work too hard. I will look even more churlish if you become too angelic.”

She laughed out loud, causing his smile to to grow. “Very well. I will only partially work on my lack of patience for your sake.”

****************

“Thomas!” Amanda whispered. “What are you doing?!” She carefully opened the window to her room and stepped back so he could climb in.

“I wanted to check on you.” He replied, looking around her room only lit by a candle. “I have gotten into the habit of being unable to relax at night unless I see for myself that you are safe.”

She walked into his arms to kiss him, snuggling closer when he wrapped his arms around her. “What am I to do with you?”

“Marry me.” He suggested, pressing another kiss to her lips. “Then I can rest easy.”

She shut her window and tugged him over to her bed. “Hopefully you will once we reach Kirkwood.” 

He removed his coat and cravat before settling beside her. “Hopefully.” He reached out to hold her, repositioning her until her head lay on his chest. Thomas closed his eyes as peace seemed to seep into his very bones with the feel of her in his arms. Her hushed whisper of her love for him made him even more grateful that she would soon be his for the rest of his life.

****************

Across the street, a man cloaked in shadows kept his eyes on the window that held the young lady and the man she was engaged to. He remained there, long after the candle was snuffed. Once he believed the man was not going to return to his own room, he left his post and reported all he had witnessed to his employer.

“So he is still keeping his nighttime habits, eh?” The duke chuckled while swirling brandy in his glass. He took a sip before returning his attention to his valet. “We will need to rethink our plans for the viscount and his lady.”

[screensandmelodies-blog]

3 Televsion Shows That Fell Off

By Jared Leal, Anastasia Rafalska and Steven Le

SHERLOCK

By Anastasia Rafalska

“Help me please, I’m on a plane and everyone’s asleep.”

I really like how BBC has interpreted and turned into a movie novels of Arthur Conan Doyle, but honestly, the last episode is just a piece of crap. Some people think it’s a great finish, as Sherlock is revealed as a human, not a detective, but let me explain you something: Sherlock Holmes is the most genius detective in London. He is a legend, he is a person who with just one glance at a piece of paper can recreate an apartment where it was and in seconds determine if there is a weapon in the bag just by analyzing it’s weight, he can predict behaviour of the people couple weeks before.

And now, his character with exceptional intellectual ability is playing in the “real-life quest” done by his sister Eurus, where he was blackmailing by the phone calls from a little girl alone on a passenger plane, where everyone is unconscious apart from her.  I’ m not even taking into account the fact that he could refuse playing this game, as it must be clear to him that something doesn’t add up –the girl doesn’t know where she’s coming from or going, she seems relatively relaxed about the huge passages of time passing between their conversations. Surely he’d be able to deduce that she wasn’t really on a plane, yet he never appears to doubt the veracity of her call, consequently under the pressure Sherlock is almost ready to kill his brother and other people. 

The next important thing: from the second episode we were convinced that Eurus is the most dangerous prisoners in the world and according to Mycroft, she is “an era-defining genius beyond Newton”. She uses a lot of smart words, but if you just take a look on what she is doing during the whole episode, you’ll understand that there is nothing genius or original, there is no sense in her actions.

We love Sherlock Holmes for his deduction, extraordinary cases, unusual things that have a logical explanation, but unfortunately none of it was used in the last episode. 

THE 100

By Steven Le

There were many things in the story of the 100 that captivated us. The 100 is a story based on the post apocalypse of Earth after having radiation spread all over the world killing off mankind like a plague. Mankind had to create an Ark spaceship to send themselves into space to live until the Earth was freed of radiation and become inhabitable again. After 10 long years of living in space, the crew members had made a decision of sending 100 delinquents and misfits down to Earth to ‘test’ if it was safe to inhabit again. Throughout season 1, this plot had captivated many people as we would be following along with Clarke, the leader of the delinquents and see how they would prevail in the trials that await them. From the grounders who were used to the radiation to the surviving humans left in the mountains 10 years ago, seasons 1 to 2 had kept viewers entertained for months.

However, after season 2 was the start of where The 100’s storyline worsened. Throughout season 3 we find out that one of their own went out to look for salvation on Earth, only to become inhabited by an artificial intelligence bot named “Alie”. From this point, the story seemed way more farfetched than it was from the start. Having a mind controlling artificial intelligence infect people’s minds by simply eating a microchip that would attach itself at the back of your neck was just plain unreal and stupid. The affects that this microchip would do to someone was allow them hallucinate throughout their subconscious imagining a city called ‘The City of Light’, where no conflict would happen, and no hate would consume the hearts of man.

However, this was not all to the fall of The 100. After season 3’s crazy plotline, comes the current season, season 4. The plot was briefly touched upon at the end of season 3 where Clarke and the remaining people of the Ark found out that the Earth was doomed to radiation once again. When the problem was explained to their allies, the grounders and the rest of the Arkadian’s, no one had a surprised expression. The Arkadians seemed as though they felt no real imminent danger of possibly getting wiped out by the Earth’s radiation AGAIN! All in all my disappointment with the show currently is that they are lacking in certain details within the story that should be more carefully explained to allow viewers to fully understand the situation at hand. The show should also reveal more emotion as to how distressed our protagonists are feeling towards the current situation in season 4.

THE OFFICE

By Jared Leal

Note: May be difficult to understand without prior knowledge.

Note: I get heated in this one, bear with me and don’t take it too seriously, enjoy…

“Today, smoking is going to save lives.”

The quote by Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) before one of the most outrageous pre-shows I have ever seen, sticks to this day. NBC’s adaptation of BBC’s “The Office” is one of the few shows that I consider a part of me. This comes from its more documentary type of presentation. The setting an ordinary workplace of supposedly ordinary people. The format would include monologues in the form of interviews of each character in between plot points. I’m no nerd, I don’t know if this format has been used before The Office and Parks and Recreation, but it definitely softens that veil of disbelief everyone has when consuming fiction. In other words, it feels real. Mix this with a dry sense of awkward, character-driven humour from its primary comedic engines in Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) and Dwight Schrute, and all I see is my favourite comedy television show of all time.

They glory is there from the very beginning, introducing main characters Michael with his unrelenting but genuine incompetence, Dwight and his arrogant but naïve superiority complex (as far as we think...), and the sustaining unresolved romantic tension of Jim Halpert (Jon Krasinski) and Pam Beasley (Jenna Fischer). This glory is sustained through 7 seasons of wonderful ups and downs that all the characters shared and fought through. Then Michael Scott leaves.

I actually watched the 8th season, the first full season without Steve Carrell as the primary character. Ed Helms’ Andy Bernard takes over Michael’s managing job and the show’s attempts to restore former glory without shamefully replicating it, commence. This season wasn’t good but it definitely wasn’t horrid, but without the driving force of the show, it was evidently missing something. I am actually part of the group of viewers that actually enjoyed Andy and Erin Hannon’s (Ellie Kemper) romance; the previous season setup several subtle but sweet moments which were resolved this season, much to my satisfaction (we’ll get back to this).

Which leads us to the 9th and final season, which I could not bear to complete. I can’t really say how bad it is or even if it is actually bad, but I can say how my optimism was gutted. Introducing a plethora of new characters I don’t care about, this late into the show, is the first mistake. Evidently, I don’t remember their names and don’t have the dignity to search them up, but they were two young office dudes I think. The asshole-ification of Andy was the second mistake: making him act like an ass to his employees and making him neglect Erin (who he worked so hard for) is just not something I saw him doing when he was first introduced in the 3rd season. This of course led to end of their relationship, which I thought couldn’t get much worse until she rebounded onto one of the two new nobodies I mentioned before (for the record, I’m sure they’re nice guys). This is of course is where the thrill was gone completely; actually I stopped before this happened (thanks to Wikia for softening this blow).

So yeah, I guess my disappointment with the show and the fact that I could not receive proper closure to one of my favourite shows of all time got me heated in this post. But the beauty of fiction is that I can choose to stop my suspension of disbelief whenever I want. And I can still enjoy the first seven seasons as I did before because it makes me happy. And I’m crying now, goodbye.

I aint don’t worry.