#but since he wasn't there was no sense in both Eyes being inside the carriage

[soraavalon]

DM: You retire all to bed and sleep as well as I'm sure you usually sleep on the road. Then in the morning Edmund has the carriage ready, and is intending to meet Vanessa up at the chapel and then head on out. -long silence- Tark: It's a very awkward silence as we're just going down the road. Everyone's avoiding eye contact. -laughter- DM: When we said 'don't talk about it' we also meant to one another. Tark: No one meant to take it that way, but everyone unanimously agreed that no one was going to start a conversation unless someone else did, but everyone else thought the same thing. DM: Yep. So you arrive back, Vanessa is saying goodbye to Lucier. Moriarty (OOC): The sneast? DM: The sneast. They're--- -laughter- Nathaniel (OOC): You sounded so tired. DM: Yeah. Tark (OOC): *laughing* Deep breath in. DM: They're speaking quietly to one another, they're nodding more than she is. They take her hands and kind of press them to their forehead and Vanessa nods and heads over to all of you waiting by the carriage. Edmund helps her in the back and you guys are free to load in as you please. Hunt: Unless someone says something, Hunt is gonna be back up at the driver's seat next to Edmund. Moriarty (OOC): Out of character, wouldn't it be better for her lungs to be in the carriage? Hunt (OOC): Theoretically yes, but that why I said unless somebody else says something. DM: Yes. Moriarty: Moriarty's going to pull Hunt aside, "Shouldn't you be in the carriage for the sake of your lungs? Hunt: There's a bit of a pause, "Yeah, yeah you're right." She just gives Moriarty a pat on the shoulder and goes into the carriage. Moriarty: Moriarty also goes into the carriage because he's not giving up his spot. Tark (OOC): Oh my god. DM: Valid. Hunt: What?! If you're going be in here, I'm going out there 'cause someone has to keep an eye out! Gods! Tark (OOC): *finished laughing* Oh my god. Moriarty (OOC): *laughing* Tark (OOC): You're the fucking worst. Hunt: I thought you were...You know what, no, nevermind! Eudora: I'll go up front if no one else wants to. Tark: Tark is doubled over laughing. Moriarty (OOC): Sorry, I missed everything that happened 'cause I was laughing.

[klutzyroses]

Ironic, Poetic And Beautiful

Fandom: Ikemen Vampire

Pairing: Drake x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2,094

Summary: Y/N is pregnant with Drake's baby and she can't help but think if he understands the irony of that. And if he'd be okay with it.

Tags: Female reader, fluff, Spoilers for Drake's route, pregnancy, morning sickness, post Drake's route, reader having a lot of thoughts while cuddling

⚓ 

The beautiful woman moaned tiredly, leaning back against the man she loved as he sat on the couch, catching her breath while the nausea subsided. She had not really wanted to kick off the morning by throwing up while Drake held her hair back, but the little one inside her had different plans. At 12 weeks, the morning sickness was very much going strong, in fact, it was kicking her ass like she owed it money. That was part of the reason she had agreed to live in the hideout that Drake once shared with his companion, Galileo Galilei. Mostly to be close to him and also because there was little sense in staying so far away from the father of her baby. And both the residents and Drake himself agreed that it wouldn't have been in Y/N's best interest to be traveling back and forth all the time…mostly because the previous carriage rides had sent her nausea and aches through the roof. Thus she packed her things and was living out the pregnancy with her beloved sailor and the father to be. She sighed in comfort as his hand rubbed soothing circles into her soft belly, his voice low in her ear.

“Feel better, little fawn?” His silky voice sent pleasant chills down her spine and calmed her nerves as she relaxed against him further, opening her eyes to look up at him with a faint but genuine smile. 

Her smile was returned, aquamarine eyes softening as the early morning’s soft gold rays reflected from the windows into the limpid irises, bringing out the warmth and love in his gaze. Her heart melted at the sight. There was once a time when Drake’s eyes were cold and empty, dark like the bottom of the sea, piercing like ice shards. She once shivered and quaked under that sharp gaze, but now, he looked upon her with care, like she was the precious treasure he had expressed that she was. And now she carried his child within her, a testament of their love and how far Drake had come, from the destructive, hateful pirate that he once was. She giggled to herself, she was sure that he himself wasn't entirely aware of his own growth. He'd always had such little faith in the kindness of others, as well as his own, even if she could see it plain as day. She knew that because she remembered how wonderful he was when she told him she was pregnant. At the time, she genuinely feared that he would run for it. Vanish out of her life, passing through it like a storm, leaving her in pieces.

'He's done it before, after all…' The melancholic thought struck her briefly, but dissipated when she thought of his reaction. She had never seen such a bright smile on his face as he picked her up and spun her around, his eyes brighter than the sky that day. It was then that she had realized that her fears, while not unfounded, were in fact, unnecessary, because he had fully accepted her and their baby, claimed them both as his own. She had since promised herself to trust him more. She bit her lip to keep her smile from growing larger, to little effect as she cuddled closer to him, listening to his heartbeat.

“Mhm. We’re okay now. Sorry…” She murmured, a bit sheepish, as she had woken Drake up with her retching earlier that morning and he had found her curled up on the floor, her hair a complete mess and her face pale. Not her finest moment, but she got cuddles out of it so...

“Whatever you’re apologizing for, it's okay, little fawn.” He shook his head with a wry smile before placing his hand on her stomach, feeling the beginnings of a bump starting to peek through.

“Hey kid, you’re being too rough with your mom, having her be sick everywhere.” He teasingly tickled her belly slightly, making Y/N laugh and squirm.

“Be nicer to her. Okay, Baby Drake?” His voice took on a softer tone, his thumb gently caressing her. Y/N blushed sweetly as she was soothed by his presence, by his touch, by his warmth, by his love as his words took pause in her mind.

Baby Drake. First born of Francis Drake, the dhampir and…last of the pureblood family. How funny fate could be. Remembering how she once witnessed the life of her beloved, she understood why family was a touchy subject to Drake. After seeing the frankly shocking way his supposed family treated him and his mother, she had been very hesitant to tell him of her pregnancy. But seeing how much he already cared about his child, she was confident that the hatred so prominent in the prejudiced household would not spill onto her baby. Thank goodness for that, though she herself could not help but note something funny about the whole thing.

In his pursuit of revenge, Drake had stolen the spear used to kill his mother and wiped the purebloods that shared his name off the map. None was spared if she recalled. She had witnessed him putting an end to the head of the family- who she wouldn’t have minded getting into the ring with, she had a pair of boxing gloves waiting, but that was probably the hormones talking- with that spear. Effectively ending the Drake lineage…save for himself. The only one remaining of the family of purebloods, a dhampir, the ‘stain’ on the noble house. She had to wonder what they would think of the fact that he was expecting a child…

Okay, she knew fully well what they would think of it, and what they would do about it, she saw it with her own eyes. She tensed up, feeling a wave anxiety at the idea of anyone putting her child through what Drake was subjected to. It made her sick to her stomach- for the second time that day- to even imagine it, though it wasn’t plausible. The Drake family was gone.

'But is it really?' The thought suddenly occurred to her as she glanced down at her stomach. Francis Drake was the last Drake…but that wasn’t quite accurate, was it? Her baby was a Drake. So the way she saw it, Drake ended the bloodline…and started it anew. She wasn’t sure what her child would be. Human? What was the half of a dhampir called? Either way, the noble purebloods, who so loathed the humans that were beneath them, were to be survived only by a hated dhampir and a human. The only way anyone would ever know the name ‘Drake’ existed was because of the dhampir child they persecuted. She felt a hint of smugness snaking in her chest. Oh, the irony.

“Irony of what?” Oh. Had she said that last part out loud? Y/N looked up to the inquisitive gaze of the pirate with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Ah…sorry, I was just thinking out loud…it’s nothing,” Her vague answer prompted Drake to tilt his head curiously, making her internally swoon from how sweet he looked, so sweet that she couldn't resist pressing her lips to his cheek, softly kissing it.

“Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind, or do I have to get it out of you?” His eyes narrowed slightly as he gave a sly smile, his fingers hovering on her sides with the silent threat of tickling. She squeaked.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you!” She huffed as he smirked at her. He always won. She hesitated for a second, it wasn’t exactly a happy subject, how was she supposed to bring it up?

…Oh well. Might as well rip the bandaid off.

“I was thinking about your family…Or, the Drake family. The purebloods, I mean.” She finished awkwardly as Drake’s expression gave way to surprise. She quickly spoke to clarify.

“I mean I…remembered what happened with…your mother…” She faltered when Drake’s expression grew blank, but pushed on. “And I couldn’t help but think about what they’d think if they saw you now…and that it’d be kind of…funny, in an ironic kind of way?”

“Ironic how?”

“Well…you, kind of…well, you got rid of them all.” She sighed, no point in skirting around it.

“And?” It didn’t really seem to faze him either way, seeing how his expression didn’t even stir. She occupied herself by looking down at her belly, which still had his hand on it.

“You’re the ‘disgrace’ on that family name, right? The mistake? Well…I think it’s funny that the child…the dhampir they thought was a flaw, is actually the only reason the name ‘Drake’ lives on.”

“...Huh?” His unreadable face became written with bemusement. She lifted her gaze to meet his.

“You wiped out the Drake family. That makes you the last one. But nobody would even know that last name if it weren’t for you. In the future, you’re the one who’s stamped in history, not them. You’re the one who made something of yourself. They were just a noble vampire family. Big deal, plenty of those out there. But you? You earned your greatness. It’s Francis Drake you find in the history books. Drake is your name, you just claimed it from the people who denied you. And I think that’s funny. Poetic actually.” She placed her hand over his, on her stomach, where new life grew inside her.

“And if that weren’t enough, the next generation of ‘Drake’ is going to be carried on by dhampirs and humans. That’s hilarious. You’ve permanently soiled their precious bloodline for centuries to come. That’s the ultimate revenge. And you, Francis the dhampir, accomplished that…” She smiled at him sweetly, a hint of mischief in her sparkling eyes as she tapped his nose with her finger. 

“By putting your baby…” She squeezed his hand on her stomach. 

“In my belly. So I guess what was on my mind, in essence, was just that…You’re incredible, Francis Drake. Thank you for being you, so incredibly you.”

“.....” She was met with silence and the stunned look he sent her way. She began to feel her face turn red. She got carried away. What business did she have to talk about his personal trauma in such an audacious way? She could only imagine how offended he-

“Pfft, hahahaha!”...Why was he laughing? She pouted as the broad shoulders of the pirate shook with badly suppressed snickering, moving away from him in a huff as she glared at him, indignant.

“You…you really thought of all that in 10 seconds? Your mind really wanders, huh?”

“Stop laughing at me!” He chuckles as his laughter dies down to beguile her with a smirk.

“And here I thought my revenge ended when I ended them…You just made it so much better. I never even thought of that.” Drake reached over, cupping her face and stealing his love for a kiss, which she readily melted into. He pulled back to look into her eyes, teasing.

“You’re more vindictive than you look, little fawn. Who thinks like that?”

“You do!”

“Heh, guess I do. I’m rubbing off on you, then.” He stole her lips once more, making her giggle as the expecting couple laughed between playful, mirthful kisses.

“So in other words, you’re my revenge, huh?” She blushed at the question, but bit her lip to suppress an ill-concealed smile. Not originally what her point was about, but she liked the sound of that. His happiness being the greatest revenge to those who hurt him so much.

“Yes…that’s exactly what I’m saying.” Her answer made a softer smile appear on his face as he kissed her again, much softer, much more loving and heartfelt, pulling away and pressing his forehead to hers, pulling her onto his lap as he enveloped her and their unborn baby in his embrace.

“I love you, Y/N. I love you. You and Baby Drake. My treasure, my beautiful revenge.” His tender whisper made her heart sing as she wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking willingly in the safety and comfort of his arms.

“We love you too, my incredible, fearless pirate…”

And she always would be there to make sure his never ending vengeance continued. That he would always be happy, that their child, and any future children, would be loved by their family, the real family she was building with the fearsome pirate.

🌸

[hajimeiwaswife]

SCALES

Word count: 2,1K

Warnings: mermaid sex, tail touch.

Summary: Prince Oikawa Toru wants you as his mermaid Princess.

Contrary to the popular believe, there is light at the bottom of the ocean. The sun's light and warmth does not arrive, but the lightbulb corals engage the dark water in beautiful and colourful rays that give life to the society of the deep.

Among the pink, turquois and yellow water you danced, your beauty surpassed that of the reef you lived in. Ever since you were born the reef had been your home, that little space of the ocean being your haven, your safe place. You wanted to die in the same place you were born, so you weren't planning on ever leaving the reef.

You knew everyone around, from your parents to the seaweed seller, from the librarian to the human-things seller. A little community of mermaids where no one was out of tune with the rest, a place in the ocean to live a peaceful life.

That was until the prince Oikawa fixed his eyes on you. There had been rumours for some time about him having to find a suitor, how he would be the next in the throne. His search had been intense, no one was enough for the strong and handsome merman, for the prince, for the next in the line of succession.

You were unaware of his decision; you didn't even know that he had passed your reef at all. Again, in the life you were living you really didn't care about princes or princesses, those royals were too far from your lifestyle for you to pay attention to them.

So why, why were you now under his custody? Why had he locked you down on his bedroom? What had changed so much for you to be away from your reef and family? No one did a thing to stop his army when they came for you.

"At the behest of Prince Oikawa Toru the First, you are claimed as the new bride and heir to the throne."

After that, the knights took you to the castle in a dolphin drawn carriage. You were aware of the danger these animals pose, even domesticated they were known to rape all species, under water or terrestrial, they didn't care. There many cases of mermaids pregnant by dolphins.

That thought occupied your mind the whole trip, taking you away for a moment from the horrible fate that waited for you on the Prince's chamber. You felt dizzy and nauseous, scare as the nights carried you along the place.

The castle was breath-taking, you had to admit. White walls and Corinthian columns decorated the hall. You could dissipate the statues of ancient kings and queens, the torsos build in white marble and the tails decorated in colourful gems. If it wasn't for the situation you were currently living, you would have admired with more deliberation the marvellous surroundings of the castle.

At the end of the corridor of the third flour, a giant wooden door stood. The brown and golden stood out among the white foundations. You knew, it was the door of the Prince's chambers. You didn't try to scape, there was no use; even if you tried you could get beheaded. But, wouldn't that be a better fate than what awaited in there? Only time would tell.

"Go in." ordered on of the knights, pushing you inside the room, "Prince Toru will be here in a few minutes. Don't you dare move."

They locked the door after leaving you near the king-sized bed and you ran towards the windows to see if there was any way you could swim out of there. What a surprised to see all of them guarded, what were you even thinking?

You waited there for some time, each minute agonizingly painful, thinking that at any moment the Prince could enter and that you would have to face your destiny. Millions of questions passed your brain, the next one more perturbed than the previous one. 'Will he just marry me and leave me be? Or will I be his sex slave? What if he makes me have hundreds of kids? Is that even allowed in monarchy?'

Anxiety was eating you alive, that was until a shiver passed your whole body when you heard the door opening. The enter the most handsome and ethereal being you had even seen; however, he was the most intimidating and scary monster under the sea at the same time.

Brunet hair moved along the dance of the water; porcelain skin shining like the corals of your reef; perfect nose scrunched as he smiled in a oh-so-beautiful smirk; his brown eyes gazed at you the same way a hunter looks at his pray, intense and amused. His broad shoulders paved the way to his muscular arms and veiny hands and to his toned chest and torso. His pectorals were defined, pink nipples greeting you from afar. His abs were those of a God himself, it was noticeable he took care of his body. But his tail, oh, his tail. Turquoise, light blue, white and light green were combined in his scales, bright and beautiful. His tail was one of a kind. Larger than any you had even seen, thicker, too. A golden aura surrounded his entire body.

Not a word could come out of your mouth, too occupied trying not to salivate at the sight of the man in front of you. He chuckled at your pathetic form, he expected that to be your reaction as he had had the same one when he saw you for the first time, even if he didn't want to admit it. Passing by your reef had caused him a hard-on the moment he laid his gaze on you.

"Good evening, sweetheart." he greeted, breaking the silence and welcoming you to the real world, "How was the trip?"

"Uh?" it wasn't what you were expecting, you thought he was going to introduce himself first.

"Oh, I see, too tired to talk." he chuckled again, mischief in his eyes augured no good, "And here I was, hoping to have a long night with you." he sighed, laying on his bed dramatically without tearing his eyes from you.

You stiffed. Yes, he was attractive, but you weren't going to sleep with him after knowing him for a minute and a half. He noticed your reaction and smirked, sitting up, his tail swimming from left to right.

"What a dirty minded we have here! I meant talking, honey."

He was teasing you, you could feel his amusement at 'playing with his food'. He knew that what he said could be taken in another sense. Then, why were you getting excited?

"Would you like anything to drink? I don't like to show off, but we have the best red seaweed wine of the seven seas."

"No, thank you." you said, not trusting drinking alcohol and less in his presence.

"You talk! And you have a very melodic voice, my love." Toru sighed again, smiling cheekily at you.

You shivered, the feeling of being in constant alert and of wanting to give in both in your mind. There was something about him that didn't let you at ease, but that was driving you crazy for his attention.

"Are you sure you don't want anything? After such a long trip you must be thirsty," he offered again, a fake pout on his lips giving him a childish aspect.

"... Okay." you finally accepted, the need for something to drink too strong.

"So, tell me, Y/N," he started, coming closer to you, "are you glad I chose you to be my future wife? You can say the truth, I won't be mad."

"How do you know my name?" saying you were shocked would be an understatement, you hadn't told him anything about you yet.

"Let's say that when I'm passionate about something I can get very... invested in knowing everything about it. In this case it's you, Y/N."

You didn't know when he started, but his left hand was touching your tail. You could feel pleasure growing inside you, too aroused to tell him to stop, hands so smooth against your scales that everything you wanted was for him to touch... Wait, what?

"Prince Toru, what are you...?"

"Toru."

"What?"

"You can call me Toru, darling." you could feel his breath against your neck, his tongue licking it when he was wetting his lips.

"Okay, Toru, could you please stop?"

He moved a little so he could look you in the eyes, his brown ones so dark because of lust that his pupil was impossible to detect. You hissed at the sight, he really was beautiful, but you didn't know him, so why were you thinking about letting him use you?

"For the look in your eyes you don't want me to stop," he whispered, closing the gap between your faces and giving you a small peck, "I'll trust your body language."

Next thing you know, his lips are on yours kissing you fiercely. An unknown force within you pushed you to kiss him back, his taste too sweet for you to decline. His tongue licked your bottom lip, asking for you to give him access, something you needn't to think about. Tongues intertwined, his hands continued to touch your tail, fingers too close to your pussy.

At some point, maybe between his incessant kisses to your neck and his bites to your nipples, he stood with you to the middle of the room, swimming elegantly. When his abs touched your belly, you knew there was no turning back, but why would you want to?

His mouth around your right nipple, teeth biting it until he was satisfied. He locked his gaze with yours, desire clear in his eyes, something else in there. Was he asking for permission? Now? You just nodded.

He entered you with delicacy, his long and thick dick paving the way until he bottomed out. His breathy moans mixed with yours, feeling the veins at the base of his cock too much.

He started thrusting, the mating dance making it look as pleasurable as it was. Wet sounds from your pussy and the water around you accompanied the whines and groans you both were mouthing. His hands still touching your tail were too overwhelming, his delicious thrusts were making you mind foggy.

Up and down, snake like movements flouting in the middle of the room. "Moan my name, c'mon, don't be ―fuck― shy."

"T-toru," you whined, a wonderful feeling rising at your stomach, "I'm close."

"Let me cum inside," he begged, his movements sloppier, sweat mixing with water, bubbled forming around the two of you, "let me breed you."

"Fuck, Toru, yes, breed me please." you moaned, too dizzy because of the pleasure, "I want your child."

At that moment your orgasm exploded, the most delicious feeling you had ever felt wrapped you in the form of Toru's arms. He came not too much later, dying your walls in white, breeding you.

You both stood there, his dick pulsating inside of you, your walls clenching at it, a sense of euphoria in you. He pushed his cock out of you, looking at you with a small, genuine smile on his mouth.

"You want to have my child, uh?" he chuckled, bringing you to the bed so you both could lay.

"I didn't―"

"I know, it was in the heat of the moment."

Silence took over the atmosphere. You didn't know him one bit, but after the mating dance you shared, you were more at ease with him, calmer, maybe he wasn't that bad. However, that didn't mean you were going to marry him without getting to know him better.

His tail wrapped around yours, after your orgasm it was still too sensitive, but you decided to let him do what he wanted. Scales against scales, chest against chest, sharing the cold of the under-sea creatures.

"I was thinking about showing you around tomorrow," he commented, smiling a little at you. He was adorable, and you discovered in that moment that the facade he had shown you at first was nothing but fake.

"That sounds nice. But I won't marry you unless―"

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on forcing you."

"Excuse me, sir, we had just fucked because you touched my tail out of nowhere."

He felt silent, lips pressed in a line, his tail moving nervously as he giggled a little, like a kid who had just been caught playing mischief.

"I won't force you to do something you don't want to do."

"You're insufferable, Prince Toru."

"Just for you, future Princess Y/N."

[moon-riverandme]

And in the Beginning There was... Light, Film Rolls, and Controversy.

Watching old movies has always been one of my favorite pastimes. I love the cracks in the film, the oddly tinted placements of color, the quick, scattered movements of the actors, and the slice of an intertitle. It all just makes sense when I think of those first filmmakers who were trying to make sense of their new medium. In my journey through film, I will start at the beginning. Well, sort of the beginning. Our main topic of discussion takes place in 1903. So we’ve skipped over a few years… 15 to be exact. I’ll sum them up now because if I miss a beat I’ll ruin the scene.

Let's start in October of 1888 when Louis Le Prince has just recorded the very first film. It’s short yet scenic; his family gathers in a garden and for the first time ever - they move. A man walks across the screen, the rigid bustles and day dress of two women sway as they turn away from the camera - ergo we have a moving image years before Edison would invent the kinetoscope. Of course, most don’t know of Le Prince and in school I never heard his name mentioned. In fact, I only heard of him through a Buzzfeed Unsolved video. So what happened? Why did history remember the names Edison and Lumière but not Le Prince?

There were many entries in the race to create the first film. And of course, there are arguments as to what cinema is in comparison to a bunch of still photographs played one after another. Strange, I think is this argument. For film is a series of stills or frames played one right after the other. Nevertheless, in 1878, we have the famous images of a galloping horse caught by twelve cameras set up by Muybridge to capture motion and to study animal locomotion. Motion but not a movie. What we needed was a camera that had a single lens capable of capturing a point of view. That’s what Le Prince did. Unfortunately, as history would see it, he mysteriously disappeared on a train to Paris in September 1890 right before his first public screening in New York carrying luggage that contained all of his work. Neither Le Prince or the luggage has ever been found. Quite the coincidence.

There are a few theories: Le Prince committing suicide, Le Prince’s own brother killing him, Le Prince fleeing due to his sexuality being outed but none have stuck... except one. Le Prince’s widow, Lizzie, believed Edison, his biggest competitor in the race, had him assassinated. The evidence? The discovery of Edison’s journal containing the following entry, which has been proven authentic. It read:

“Eric called me today from Dijon. It has been done. Prince is no more. This is good news but I flinched when he told me. Murder is not my thing. I'm an inventor and my inventions for moving images can now move forward.”

Take of that what you will.

Today, we are taught that Edison’s kinetoscope launched the novel medium of moving pictures into our familiar. When it was invented in 1891 by Edison and Dickson, the kinetoscope was a peepshow-like device with a "sight opening" on top that one viewer at a time could look into and watch a moving picture. Think about it like looking into a microscope - very different from how we view films now both in method and price, it was 50 cents for access to all films at a given venue.

In 1897, an improvement on Edison's device arose. Invented by the Lumière brothers, the cinematograph contained both a camera, projector, and hand crank. Now, audiences could sit and screen films. I'll circle back to Edison as he connects to our 1903 topic. But first, let's take a stop with the Lumière brothers.

Auguste and Louis Lumière are credited as the first filmmakers. Their documentary-esque films Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory and Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat are milestones in cinema. Known as travelogues or actualités, they showed the casual and working life of people in the mid to late 1890's. These shorts were even screened to audiences who jumped out of their seats at a train onscreen because they thought it would actually hit them. The Lumière Brothers took their screening all over the world, from Paris, to India, and China.

Watching these films, it's hard not to put yourself in the shoes of a passerby, a random person whose name we don't know, who exists in a few frames before disappearing to time. Like a fossil, it's interesting to examine what life was like back then. I love seeing the clothing. Everyone is so formal, at least compared to the laid back air of today. Even so, in the 1890’s people were moving away from the Victorian Era and into the “New Woman” Era. High necklines and longer sleeves were replaced by the open neck and short sleeves as morning turned to dusk. High chiffons under feathered hats were popular as was the shirtwaist style for work. All of these visible in the Lumière films.

Where we jump from reportage to fiction is where we jump from Lumière to Porter. And back to Edison, who had Porter working for him. Projectionist and electrician turned director, Edwin S. Porter was the brains behind many of the mechanics and techniques that have become so highly engrained in the making of films that the idea of them being novel seems almost impossible. In 1899, Porter became head of moving picture production at the Edison Manufacturing Company and throughout his career, which spanned about 15 years, he made more than 70 short films. So lets look at a few of them in detail.

Jack and the Beanstalk (1902)

You'll see that a lot of the narrative ideas for these early films spun directly out of fairytales. For an audience, fairytales were a familiarity. Thus, they were able to stitch together what they already knew about the characters and stories and better understand these new moving pictures. And Porter knew this from his work as a projectionist. He knew what engaged the audience most. And that wasn't just story, it was technique. Porter's films were revolutionary for what would become known as editing, at that time just cutting film. Simplistic and impactful, he knew how to compact time and create magic. Objects and people appear and disappear in a single cut. The camera remains still, a wide shot, and on a tripod but what's in front of it changes slightly, making for magical realism. For example, once Jack makes it back down to earth after descending the beanstalk, he grabs an ax and starts chopping it down. He's got to do this or the giant chasing him will make it down too. So he swings the ax a few times with all his might. From a large beanstalk, ripe with leaves, reaching up to the sky, we immediately cut to a destroyed one. The fact that we end one cut with Jack in the same position as we start the next, keeps from disrupting the audience even though everything else onscreen has changed. We've condensed time, Jack has saved the day, and the Giant has fallen to his death. Porter would expand on this editing style, perfecting it, discovering cross-cutting.

Life of an American Fireman (1903)

Cross-cutting or parallel action is so integral to editing that it happens in just about every film. Simply, two separate events are occurring - say, a woman trying to escape a fire inside of her house and firefighters rushing in a horse carriage to save her. These two events, perceived to be happening at the same time, are stitched together through editing so that the audience experiences both. Cut to the woman in her house as the fire inches closer to her. Cut to the firefighters rushing up the stairs. Will they get there? Will they save her? Cross-cutting serves to create tension and set the rhythm of a scene. Eventually, the two spatial points of view merge and the conflict should be resolved. This originates in Porter's films and Life of An American Fireman is the first one that shows it off.

Let's cut back to the first shot of this film, it's a trick shot. A sleepy fireman dreams of a mother putting her daughter to bed. Abruptly, the fire alarm is set off and he wakes up. Instead of cutting from the fireman dozing off in his chair to a separate shot of the mother, which would create confusion on whether the fireman was dreaming, Porter uses double exposure to frame the dream above the fireman shoulder. Double exposure had been employed by photographers since the 1860's to produce dreamy situations in otherwise ordinary places but in film, it first appears in Georges Méliès Four Heads are Better Than One. When we see the house aflame for the first time in Life of an American Fireman, the same mother and daughter from the dream pair reappear. The fireman's premonition connects back to the main drama of the story.

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

In this film we take the leap from a theatrical approach to cinematography, where the camera simply watches the action at a long-shot or observing eye, to being involved in the action. One way that Porter does this is by integrating the pan.

Panning is a technique that moves a camera side to side in a fixed location. We haven't taken the camera off of a tripod or stepped forward in anyway, we are simply turning left or right on the horizontal axis. If we took a step forward and followed a character or action we'd have a tracking shot. But we aren't there yet so plant your feet in the ground for now. Porter uses pans to reveal. The first pan is executed about six minutes into the film. The robbers jump off the caboose with their stolen goods and make a run for it. But where are they going? Queue the pan and we find out it's down some steep hills and into a forest. The subsequent shot is them in the thicket of a forest. Running passed the camera until all but one have exited camera left. But how will they get out? Queue the second pan to reveal horses - their getaway plan. This pan is masterfully done. I love the way Porter keeps his camera static and just observes the tumbling, running robbers until only one is left onscreen. Then and only then does he pan left to reveal the horses. By leaving only one person onscreen, not only does the audience have less to track but so does the camera. Simplifying the frame down to only the necessities of the action, one robber running away in a forest, amplifies the pan and makes the reveal feel complete - we reunite with the group of robbers and horses.

Depending on which version of the film you watch, you might be surprised by waves of color among a sea of black and white. Tinting whole films blue, amber, or sepia has been around since the origins of moving pictures, but in The Great Train Robbery, Porter selects specific actions or objects to tint. This was all done by hand.

Color is one big manipulator. Think of light blue and you'll likely picture endless summer skies; an air of calm. How about Green? I picture the tangled tree webs of a jungle - adventure, growth, the smell of dew on fresh leaves, nature. Now red. Explosions, fire, burst of emotion. Yellow? A bright, morning sun, a blooming sunflower, happiness, positivity, a new start. Early filmmakers used color to bring attention to specific objects, people, and actions. They used it to draw out an emotion from the viewer. They used it to connect themes of violence, love, and happiness. And they used it to spice up their frame.

Porter hand paints the explosion of a train lockbox bright orange and a deep red. The smokey pops from gunshots are also a fiery red. The dress of a dancing woman is bright yellow. The coat of another girl is a rich purple. The addition of color cultivates realism but also gives the film a flair of the imaginary.

So, we have the creative process of tinting to enhance the visual characteristics of a story and we have panning to push forward the important aspects of a narrative. Let's add a few more ingredients to our recipe.

Because the story cuts back and forth between the robbers, the operator, and the posse of men who will eventually hunt down the robbers, it has parallel action. Three separate storylines, integrated through the edit, that coverage at the end. Now that we have the way in which the story is cut and delivered, how about some specific effects?

In shots where the action occurs inside the prop train, which is not moving but the audience is meant to believe it is, Porter uses double exposure to ground his location in reality. He filmed exterior, moving shots and layered them onto the static train shots. In the '30s this would become known as "rear projection".

Additionally, Porter creatively placed his camera in new ways to produce frames that diverged from the typical wide shot; bringing the viewer closer into the action. For example, at about 2 minutes and 50 seconds in, the camera is propped on top of the engine car roof while a sneaking robber crawls passed and kills a fireman.

At last we arrive at the final shot. Diverging from the narrative, Porter set this up to look like a wanted poster. It is filmed in a medium close-up, which serves to focus all attention on the subject by filming them waist-up, having them fill up most of the frame, and blocking out the surrounding environment. The robber points his revolver right at the camera and shoots six times. If you've ever seen Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese recreates this at the end with Joe Pesci. Seemingly, the purpose was to shoot the audience. To tell them even though all of these robbers were killed in the end, their spirit doesn't die. It says "I'm warning you- it's still dangerous out there." Funny enough, this wasn't even the original intention. The shot was promotional and where it ended up in the film was entirely up to the projectionist. It could've just as well been placed at the beginning if they wanted. Even so, the break in the fourth wall and punch of dramatics that ended the film still prevail through cinema history today. Completing the recipe for one the first Westerns, ripe with shootouts, chase sequences, bandits, and suspense.

The Kleptomaniac (1905)

When moving pictures are void of sound and spoken dialogue it's a bit difficult to understand what characters are doing onscreen. Heightened emotional and physicalized acting made up for this. Through facial expressions and over the top, exaggerated body movements, audiences could connect the dots to figure out what was going on in a scene. But in 1903, Porter directed Uncle Tom's Cabin and introduced intertitles, words that would appear printed onscreen. Early iterations of intertitles read like book chapters. They described the main action that was about to take place in the scene. In Uncle Tom's Cabin some examples include: "The Escape of Eliza", "Rescue of Eva", and "Tom and Eva in the Garden. In The Kleptomaniac, intertitles state location and give context to where we are, which is helpful because without them, I don't think I could follow what was going on - at all.

Location is such a main element in this film that intertitles are practically non negotiable. "Leaving Home", "Arriving at the Store", "Home of Thief", and "Court Room Scene", prepare us with the information that is necessary to fully understand the purpose of each scene. The department store shot isn't clear-cut. It could've been a mail room or an office. If we miss that it's a department store that our main character is visiting (and stealing from), we miss the connection to the thief stealing food later on in the film and thus miss the whole theme of class disparities. The intertitles supplement for lack of onscreen information and sound. They would be used regularly in the silent era, branching into dialogue intertitles and expositionary intertitles before dying out with the advent of sound.

[inkshifter21]

Chapter 1

A little sparrow was perched on a lamppost inside the train station. She saw students entering platform 9 ¾ with glee on their faces, ready to start another year. She watched below as her friends Elijah Perkins, Chloe Perkins, and Jasper Scrivens were getting ready to run through the platform. 

"No fair!" laughed Chloe to her brother. "You can’t go first! You went first last summer!" 

"That’s because I’m the oldest," replied Elijah.

"By a few minutes." She punched him in the shoulder. 

"Ow!" 

Jasper was not really paying much attention. He looked around. 

"I thought we’d all be meeting here." 

"Alisa said that she would meet us on the Hogwarts Express." she answered. "Let’s go, or we’ll miss it." 

(Note: Alisa pronounced as a-lee-sa)

She raced ahead, going through the platform first. Elijah pointed out. 

"Did you see what she just did?" he asked. 

"Well, you were too slow." chuckled Jasper. 

Elijah groaned and jogged through the platform. Jasper was about to follow when he looked up, seeing the sparrow, almost as if he thought it could have been Alisa Berman. Alisa turned her tiny feathered head away, forgetting that he did not know that the sparrow was really her. Jasper had no idea about her shape-shifting abilities. He shrugged and went through the platform. Now it was Alisa’s turn. She took off from her perch and flew through. She entered platform 9 ¾, flying above the students’ heads. No one seemed to notice. She flew through an opening in the train window and shape-shifted back to herself, sitting down in the carriage with her suitcase on her lap. People began to board the Hogwarts Express. Then the carriage door opened, and Jasper, Chloe, and Elijah entered. 

"Hi, Alisa!" Chloe grinned, hugging her. 

"Hey," she smiled. "Are you excited for your fourth year at Hogwarts?" 

"Yes!" she said excitedly. They sat back down as the train lurched forwards.

She, Chloe, Elijah, and Jasper have been friends since their first year. Chloe and Elijah were in Gryffindor with Alisa, while Jasper was in Ravenclaw. During their first year at Hogwarts, they didn't become friends right away. Alisa only noticed them from time to time in the corridors or in the dorms. Besides Alisa, the three of them came from Wizarding families.

Elijah and Chloe, both siblings, do have their differences and similarities. They both love to play Wizarding chess, which Elijah had learned in his first year from a seventh year student who learned it from Hugo Weasley, the son of Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger. Elijah taught what he learned to his sister, and both of them enjoyed playing the game to pass the time. Elijah also played Seeker for Gryffindor, while Jasper was a Chaser for Ravenclaw. 

While Chloe enjoyed competing with her brother in chess, she also did very well in her subjects. Though she was never really serious about studying, she had a knack for learning things quickly. She preferred to spend time with her friends and had seen Alisa a few times in the library, usually with a stack of books next to her and a quill and notebook in hand. She had thought about coming over and introducing herself, but usually, before she could, as if Alisa sensed what she was about to do, would stand up and walk off to the shelves. Chloe noticed that she wasn't doing it just to her, but to anyone else as well who dared approach her. Chloe figured that maybe she was just shy, after all, they're both first years. It wasn't until halfway through the year that she introduced herself. Alisa was struggling in potions, so she asked Chloe for some help with the subject, and she helped her along with Jasper. After getting to know each other while studying, they soon became friends. 

Jasper had first met Elijah through Flying class, and soon became friends with Chloe and then Alisa as well. Despite his shy nature, Jasper taught Elijah what he knew of flying, having flown on his first broom at ten. He was taught by his grandfather, who was a professional quidditch player back in his day. Like Chloe and Elijah, he also lived in London as well with a Wizarding family, but he had never met them before until they entered Hogwarts. 

Although Alisa was glad to have them as friends, she sometimes wondered how she even made friends in the first place, having spent much of her time either in the Owlery or the library, not talking to others in fear that her secret of her being a shape-shifter could slip out. She even questioned why she was placed in Gryffindor. Before being sorted, she expected to be sorted into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but the Sorting Hat sensed something else. During the sorting, the Hat pondered, speaking to himself. 

"Hmmm...very smart I see," he muttered. "quite intelligent, suitable for a Ravenclaw. Though also very brave, and you are compassionate, but to a different kind. You do have a sense of justice as well, and patience, qualities of a Hufflepuff. The only quality I see for a Slytherin is resourcefulness. You seem to be a better candidate for either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but I've sensed you have had some encounters to prove your bravery. So it must be...Gryffindor!" 

"Did you have a fun summer?" asked Jasper, petting his Eurasian eagle-owl, Soren. 

Alisa turned back, no longer gazing out the window. 

"Nothing much," she shrugged. "I stayed over with some relatives in the highlands for a while, taught me some spells and stuff." 

That wasn’t exactly true. She didn’t have a family, something that she never told her friends. All she knew was that her real parents left her at Wizards and Witches Orphanage in Barnton at two. They did not like that she was a witch, much less a shape-shifter. Even in the orphanage, it probably would have been similar to living with her parents. No one, not even the staff, would ever talk to her. The other children were terrified of her, so she often would spend time by herself in a large willow tree just next to the orphanage and be accompanied by birds and other small magical critters. Alisa never told her friends that she was a shape-shifter, who she feared would have a similar reaction, though she figured that they would likely be alright if they knew she was Muggle-born, but she never told them that either.

What she told them about what she did over the summer was partially true. By "relatives," she meant griffins. During the summer after her first year, she was accepted into a small family up in the highlands in Scotland where they stayed in the Wizarding world, though it was not easy at first. She had to prove her loyalty to them, which took three months of her helping care for her now "siblings'' under the watchful eye of the mother. Alisa did not live in the cave with them but was more of a neighbor, living in a small hut carved in a hill that was close to the cave, almost like a Hobbit hole. This hut became her new home, after hours of cleaning and fixing it, as it was very old and was on the verge of collapsing. Because she was in a territory where Griffins and other creatures were abundant, she suspected that another wizard possibly made this home long ago. 

Having spent much time with the griffins during the past three summers, they did not mind when she transformed into other creatures, finding it helpful for the family when gathering food. After having gained their loyalty, much of the time, she was in her human form. While staying with them, she also created a small carving of a head of a griffin on the bottom of her wand. This summer, she had gained enough trust to allow her to ride, a feat which few witches and wizards have achieved. She always had an interest in creatures, ever since she was a child. A while after befriending the griffins, she dreamed of becoming a Magizoologist and used her hut not as a home, but also where she could study and work to become one. 

As Alisa drifted away from her thoughts, she looked in between Elijah and Chloe, noticing the carry-on that they had brought with them had now been changed into a kennel, using a special switch. The kennel moved a little and hissing could be heard inside. 

"I thought you got rid of him." she groaned. 

"We wish we could, too," replied Chloe, lifting the blanket off the kennel, revealing their Kneazle, glaring at them and hissing. He started to scurry around the inside of his cage, making it shake. Elijah and Chloe quickly put their elbows on top of the cage to keep it from jolting. 

"We tried," Elijah grunted. "but you know our mum and dad gave him to us as a gift in our first year." 

"Some gift that was," said Chloe. 

When this Kneazle was first given to Chloe and Elijah, at first they were excited. Pets were no longer limited to owls, cats, and frogs. Now you could also bring Puffskeins, lizards, snakes (nonvenomous, but a popular pet among Slytherins) and of course, Kneazles. Chloe and Elijah’s parents thought that this pet would be perfect for them, and did not seem to mind even when he ripped the couch or chewed on the table leg. They thought Fonzie just needed to get used to his new environment and always doted on him, even if he was being naughty, which was always. This turned him into somewhat of a spoiled brat. 

Shortly after Elijah and Chloe received Fonzie, their excitement soon diminished when Fonzie also showed aggression to them, always wanting to create messes and destruction. So Chloe and Elijah named him Dastro, because he was a disaster to deal with. Although Kneazles are aggressive and highly intelligent by nature, they become loyal to their owners. This one, however, lived to make trouble. Elijah and Chloe had tried countless times to convince their parents to take Dastro back, but they keep saying that eventually he will warm up to them and be an excellent pet as Kneazles have been to wizards in the past. Elijah looked down angrily at Dastro, who continued to gnaw on the cage bars. 

"Dastro, stop that! I have half a mind to throw you out of this carriage!" 

"If you throw him out, I bet he’ll just hang onto the side of the train and claw his way back to us to scratch our eyes out." Chloe said. 

"Yeah," replied Elijah, eyeing Chloe, thinking back on what happened last year. "let’s not forget when you suggested that we let him out into the Gryffindor common room to play with a toy. ‘Take him out of his cage and let him play with his new interactive rat toy,’ you said. Dastro ended up knocking down the furniture and climbing up the chandelier. We had to stuff him back into his cage before he could pull out one of the burning logs in the fireplace, and he chewed his toy to smithereens!" 

"Well, I thought he would have liked to have something else to interact with that wouldn’t get him into trouble." Chloe frowned, crossing her arms, slumping into her seat.

"Trouble?" cried Elijah. "We were the ones in trouble, not him! We had to convince our prefect not to report this to Professor Longbottom." 

"Well, I don’t think we would have been in much trouble if we were reported to the Head," replied Alisa. 

"What if he then told the Headmistress?" asked Jasper. "Professor Granger would have given us detention, I’d imagine." 

Jasper has a slight worry in his voice, but this all happened last year. There was no way that they were going to be in trouble for something like that. As they talked, the train continued to lurch its way to Hogwarts. Jasper rummaged in his bag for something.

"I've been having some difficulty with this spell, but we haven't learned it in Transfigurations yet." 

He took out from his bag, a teapot, placing it on his lap. 

"What did you turn into a teapot?" Chloe joked. "A mouse?" 

"Worse," he answered. 

"Oh no, you didn't," Alisa replied in realization, chuckling a little. 

"Well, I didn't mean to," he said. "I was staying with my aunt over the summer, practicing on snails in the garden. I was trying to turn one into a teapot, and eventually, I did." 

"And?" asked Elijah.

"Well," His face became flustered. "I brought it with me into the house to my room to try to turn it back into a snail. But when I left to get some things, I came back to find that it was gone and saw that my aunt was preparing tea for us in the kitchen. I couldn't tell her what she was really drinking from, I would have gotten into trouble. And she wonders why I don't drink her tea anymore."

The others couldn't hold in their laughter. 

"It's not funny!" he snapped. "Look, I just need to turn this back into a snail and let it out somewhere. I managed to snatch this pot after swapping it with a similar-looking one. I've been trying all summer to turn it back."

"Alright, alright." 

They each took out their wands to give it a go. Like any wizard, they received their wands from Ollivander's, now owned by Ollivander's grandson. Jasper's wand was made of willow and contained unicorn hair. Elijah's was made of rowan wood and phoenix feather. Chloe's wand was made of alder wood and dragon heartstring, while Alisa's was made of ebony and thunderbird tail feather. 

"Now the counter spell is nonverbal, but from what I've read, you have to wave your wand in a circular motion three times. That's how I transformed it in the first place." 

They each tried the spell a few times, but the teapot did not change. Then on Alisa's second attempt, in Jasper's hand was a slimy snail. 

"No wonder you've received top marks in transfigurations," Jasper chuckled. "considering what your wand is made of." 

"Yeah," Alisa sighed a little, looking down at her wand. "but I kind of wished I had something else, like dragon heartstring. Would make some of my other classes easier."

"Well, the wand chose you, so there's nothing else you can really do about it," replied Chloe.

Jasper placed the snail in a jar with some lettuce, planning to let it out once they were off the train. Soon it was twelve, and a woman slid back their door. 

"Anything from the cart, dears?" 

They fumbled in their pockets for their money. Alisa managed to save up enough to last the school year, using her shape-shifting to do some part-time work as an apprentice with a breeder who was taking care of creatures like giant dung beetles and owls for Wizarding farmers to use. They bought some chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasty, jelly slugs, and of course, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans. They played the Muggle game of Jelly Belly Bean Boozled with the beans, each team member taking out two similar-looking beans, and receiving a point each time they got one that wasn’t an awful flavor. When they decided to no longer test their luck halfway through the box, they took out their chocolate frogs. 

"I got Granger!" Chloe said, happily showing off her card. 

"Don't you already have one?" asked Alisa. 

"I do," she said. "but I like her. She created the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and she's also our Headmistress. I think she's one of the best we've had."

During the time that Hermione Granger worked in the Ministry, she had helped make it illegal for house-elves to be enslaved by wizards, but the Dailey Prophet has reported of some wizards that were caught committing elf-trafficking. They were now able to have their own clothes and have well-paid jobs. Because of the new reforms, house-elves were no longer working in the kitchens in Hogwarts. Instead there were wizarding chiefs.

Alisa opened her chocolate frog to see Ron Weasley on the card, with his description of his work as an Auror. Jasper opened his and moaned in disgust. On his card was a man with a shiny smile on his face, wavy hair, and a golden jacket.

"I got Lockhart. Trade you for Granger?" 

"Not a chance," replied Chloe, holding onto her card tightly.

Jasper stood up, opened the carriage window, and flung the card out. It blew in the wind over the fields, landing in the lake below. 

"What did you do that for?" asked Elijah. 

"No one likes him anyway." replied Jasper. "At least I don’t." 

"Well, there are still some fans." Chloe shrugged. "You could have gotten a better card if you found someone who wanted Lockhart."

"I don't think he really did any of that stuff," Jasper said, sitting back down in his seat. "probably just made it up, or someone else did those things and he took credit." 

All anyone really knew about Lockhart was that he was no longer at St. Mungo's, now in a Wizarding retirement home, and that a memory charm backfired while he was with Harry Potter and Ron Weasly in the Chamber of Secrets. Some fans think that he probably did something extraordinary while with Harry in the Chamber, and that it was unfortunate that he had lost his memory about his grand adventures. He didn't have as many fans as he used to. Nowadays if you mention the name Gilderoy Lockhart, many would roll their eyes or ask, "Who? Never heard of him."  

There was even a portrait of him that once hung in one of the corridors with the other portraits, which portrayed him having a foot on his chair, his golden vest hung over his shoulder and a white-toothed grin. This was donated to the castle by Lockhart, along with his copies of Who Am I? The portrait hung in the castle for a few decades, but no one really paid heed to the portrait and ignored his boasting of having already learned something, as well as his talents, or what little he knew he had. Sometimes he would even brag about impressive feats almost as grand as the ones discussed in his previous written works. 

Because of his boastful attitude, in Chloe's second year, she came across Lockhart's portrait, which now had genitals drawn in between his legs, his foot still on the chair, and an arrow pointed at the new addition with the words, "Kick me." No one knew who used their paintbrush to add their own artistic touch, but the professors were glad to have an excuse to get rid of the painting, also tired of his constant gloating. 

Elijah opened his chocolate frog and his eyes grew wide. 

"I got Harry Pot-" but quickly stopped himself, not wanting the whole carriage to hear.

He turned the card, showing it to them. There indeed he was. Harry Potter, on the card, smiling. The others looked in amazement. Anyone would go to immense lengths to have his card. If you asked someone to go into the Black Lake with only Gillyweed and no wand for an hour to get that card, they would do it. Chloe quickly took out her extra card.

"I’ll trade you Hermione Granger for it." 

"Not a chance, sis," he replied, grinning, and placed the card in his inner coat pocket. 

The Hogwarts Express continued to steam past the fields and they were making their way through the woods. As they ate their sweets, Alisa watched as she saw some centaurs galloping by the train. As they continued deeper in the forest, in the distance she could see a giant, and later a unicorn and her foal. 

A small sigh escaped Alisa as she looked outside. Another year, another worry. Now she would be surrounded by many pairs of eyes. It's not as easy to shape-shift at Hogwarts as one might think, especially when you have to be careful to not let anyone see you. Ironically, it was easy for her to shape-shift in the Muggle world. She could turn into anyone or anything and not arouse suspicion. Muggles rarely paid attention to everything around them, absorbed in their phones, watching the news, listening to music, Muggle things. Even if she was seen by security cameras, they would think it was a glitch. Some would say supernatural. Some would bring up conspiracy theories, thinking it has to do with some secret Muggle government organization. 

Alisa often felt a sense of unwelcomeness at Hogwarts, sometimes wishing that the school year would go by more quickly so she could have the freedom of summer, but still enjoyed having her friends to talk to, though she could not tell them everything. Soon the train reached Hogsmeade Station and they put their robes on. The four began to jostle off the carriage, bumping into the others, and got off, seeing Hogwarts in the distance. Jasper took out the jar and let the snail go on some grass. Meanwhile, Alisa could sense someone else familiar standing close. She could sense Selene Serpens, Helen Graves, Oliver Wright, and Grayson Faulkner. Since first year, Selene and her friends have always picked on Chloe, Elijah, Jasper, and soon Alisa after hanging out with them more. They didn't know about Alisa’s secret. No one did. Selene shot a glare at her, and Alisa looked back at her in the eye. She wasn’t exactly scared of her, but cautious. Selene then turned away, snickering back to her pals. 

Evening was arriving. As everyone else was getting off the train, first years were getting on the boats, accompanied by Professor Longbottom, who was telling them about the amazing properties of Gillyweed on the journey across. The other students went down a small path through the woods to see the carriages that arrived to take them, but to Alisa’s surprise, there was nothing pulling them. A professor sitting in the first carriage leading the trail smiled and looked at Alisa and her friends. She had silver eyes, her hair was dirty-blonde. She wore a dark turquoise jacket and a long, dark cranberry skirt with black leggings and red checkered shoes. Her shoes were something that most professors wouldn't wear, usually wearing black shoes. Dangling from her neck were some blue stones and a cork. 

"Don’t worry." she said, speaking in a soft, dreamy voice. "you’re not going insane if you can’t see it. You’re sane like me." 

Chloe, Elijah, and Jasper squint their eyes as if trying to see a Billywig pulling on the carriage. 

"You can’t see a Thestral unless you've seen death," answered Alisa. 

"You can see them, too?" asked the woman. 

"No," Alisa said. "but I know about them." 

Even though she couldn’t see it, she knew a little about them. They got on the carriage and they started to ride off, the other carriages following. As they rode, the woman smiled, humming lightly. She seemed to have forgotten they were with her. Chloe was deep in thought, trying to remember something, and then realized who the woman was. 

"You’re Luna Lovegood, aren’t you?" she asked, astonished. 

"Oh," she replied, questioningly. "I thought I mentioned that. Well, yes. I’m Professor Luna Lovegood. You’re third years, right?"

"Um, no. We're fourth years."

"Well," she smiled. "this will be an exciting year then. I will be your new teacher for Care of Magical Creatures, or Magizoology as I sometimes call it." 

They knew last year that they were going to be having a new professor for this year's Care of Magical Creatures class, since their previous teacher, Professor Erwin Thornaby, retired.

"Are any of you thinking of being a Magizoologist?" she asked hopefully.

Alisa smiled shyly. 

"Well, yeah," she answered. "I’m thinking about working with magical creatures." 

Professor Lovegood smiled proudly. 

"Well, you must really enjoy it. There are a number of different creatures living in the forest, some in other regions, but are kept here. It would be difficult to send some of these creatures back to their proper habitat, without the risk of Muggles seeing them. But you will be seeing creatures like Firedrakes, Hippogriffs, Graphorns..." 

She trailed off. Chloe and the others were interested for a little while, but soon began looking off to the sides. Alisa listened, intrigued and excited by what she would learn this year. Last year, they learned about small creatures like Nifflers and fairies, and this year, they were going to learn more exciting things. Over the years, the forest in Hogwarts has become a type of sanctuary for magical creatures who could not return back to their place of origin, most of them having been rescued from wizards who were selling illegal and dangerous creatures in the black market. So Hogwarts would often take and raise them, using them for classes. The only creatures that Hogwarts could not take were dragons, as it is still illegal for them to be traded and bred by inexperienced wizards. The closest thing they had to dragons were Firedrakes, as they did not grow to be the size of a house. As the carriage stopped in front of Hogwarts, Professor Lovegood turned to Alisa, having her same dreamy smile.  

"See you in class." 

Alisa grinned. She, Chloe, Elijah, and Jasper got off the carriage, stepping into Hogwarts. They ran up the steps of Hogwarts, excited to be back after another summer, and entered the Great Hall, where Alisa, Chloe, and Elijah took their seats with the other Gryffindors, and Jasper went to the Ravenclaw table to catch up with his friends. Selene and her cronies were also sitting down at the Slytherin table, continuing to stare and whisper. For a moment, Alisa grew worried. Did she find out? No, if she did, she would have told the whole school by now, and the Great Hall is the perfect place for public humiliation. Then the Sorting Hat began to sing. All everyone wanted to do was eat dinner after a long train ride, but they had no choice. 

"I may be old and tattered in sight

With little to do but sort you all

But I can offer you some advice

And here is my song 

Gryffindor as brave and true 

With courage and loyalty

Ravenclaw where intelligence is a cue

They are wise and a creative novelty

Hufflepuff, though have kindness 

Are hard workers and seek justice 

Slytherin, cunning and ambitious

Can be resourceful and have influence

Though each house is different 

To achieve together they merge

To be Muggle-born is not insignificant 

Nor a werewolf should you scourge

We are all magical beings

With experience and knowledge 

And continue to bring our teachings 

Into greater heights and callings."

The professors and students applauded and watched as the first years were sorted to their houses. Then the Headmistress, Hermione Granger, smiled as she walked to the podium. She welcomed them, saying a few words about studying and reminding the fifth and seventh years about their upcoming O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. 

"So remember," she said, "continue with your studies, and you will be the best you can be. Thank you."

At the Ravenclaw table, Jasper leaned over to Ralph Easton, motioning to the newcomers. 

"Remember when we were their age?" he laughed. 

"Yeah," he replied. "you wanted to be in Gryffindor so badly." 

Jasper shrugged. "Well, at least I’m not in Slytherin." 

"A lot of people wish to be in Gryffindor," said Ralph. "but for me personally, I’m glad to be a Ravenclaw. Not many Slytherins are out to get you when you’re not in Gryffindor." 

True, but besides having the reputation of bravery and courage, Jasper had lately desired something, or rather, someone else. If he had been sorted into Gryffindor in his first year, he would be able to spend more time with Alisa. A while after they became friends, in their third year, Jasper began to have feelings for her. Ralph elbowed him. 

"What did you do? Take a love potion, lover boy?" 

"What?" he asked, confused. 

"You were staring at her again. It’s fine if one member of a house has a crush on another member of a different house. But hey, if you want to tell her, tell her!" 

Jasper quickly put a hand over Ralph’s mouth. 

"Shush!" 

He glanced over to see that no one had noticed. The other Ravenclaws were too busy talking to the newcomers. 

"I know, but I can’t. See? This is why I’m not in Gryffindor." 

He placed his forehead onto the edge of his plate on the table. 

"I’m too shy for my own good." 

"You’re getting food in your hair." 

Jasper couldn't hear his friend, his mind filled with his desires and worries. 

"I mean, she’s pretty, smart, brave. I’m smart as well, but I don’t have the guts to tell her how I feel about her." 

"Jasper, you should pick your head up-"

"When I see her, I can have a conversation with her just fine, but when I think about telling her how I feel about her, my anxiety builds up." 

"The plate is tipping, you should really pick your head up." 

"What if she rejects me?" 

Before he could continue, Ralph pulled his collar back, lifting his head off his plate. Bits of chicken, corn, and pasty dripped onto his forehead. He handed him some napkins. 

"What’s this for?" 

"You have dinner in your hair." 

As Ralph helped Jasper get food out of his hair, Alisa watched, chuckling a little, but then frowned. She had known since the end of last year that Jasper liked her more than as friends after overhearing him at the lake where she was flying there to take a swim. He was at the shore, talking to himself, trying to bring up the courage to tell Alisa how he felt. She didn’t feel that way about him, though. She preferred to just be good friends, but could never imagine them together. Alisa wasn’t sure how to break it to him, worried that their friendship could fall apart. Her thoughts were interrupted when the ghosts began to appear at the table to greet the new students. Nearly Headless Nick appeared, poking his head out of the turkey. 

"Welcome back, Gryffindors!"

"Hi, Nick," replied Chloe. "How have things been?" 

"Oh, the usual. Drifting and chatting with the other ghosts all summer, but it does become rather boring with nothing new happening," His smile widened. "but I'm glad the summer's over. Anything could happen. It's more exciting with students around." 

"Like when Fredrick Columns was on a runaway broom and flew through the corridors." chuckled Elijah. 

"Well, he could have destroyed the Hogwarts paintings," Nick frowned. "but at least no one was hurt. I hope this doesn't mean that you will be up to mischief, but I highly doubt it." 

He drifted off to the other students. Besides the teachers and students, none of the ghosts even knew that Alisa was a shape-shifter. Except for Moaning Myrtle. In her first year, she caught her shape-shifting in the girl's bathroom when she thought no one else was around, getting ready to fly out the window to get to class more quickly. 

"What are you doing?" Myrtle moaned. "Are you trying to play a trick on me again? You bewitched balls to fly through me to score points, and now birds?" 

She explained to her that she was a shape-shifter and that she wasn’t playing tricks. 

"Oh," she said. "so you’re not going to fly through me?" 

"What? I would never do something like that." 

Alisa explained to her that she didn’t want anyone else to see her shape-shift, and made her promise not to tell anyone else, even the other ghosts. Ever since then, Moaning Myrtle had kept her secret, but Alisa was still worried that she could tell someone. Her attention turned back to Nearly Headless Nick, who began to sing his ballad to some first years. He would sing this when a student asked what happened to him, but quickly regretted ever asking, not wanting to hear his singing, which was out of tune. The Fat Friar was going around, introducing himself. Even the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost appeared, drifting along the sidelines, smiling a little and greeting them. Meanwhile, Peeves was juggling pasties, letting them fall onto the tables and floor. 

"Stop that!" roared the Bloody Baron. 

Peeves dropped the pasties, terrified, and quickly flew out of the Great Hall. A scream could be heard followed by a cackle. As the feast continued, Alisa and her friends could overhear a first year talking to one of the older students. 

"My mum and dad were happy to find that I had magical abilities," he said, excitedly.

"After I fell out of a boat and didn’t sink, they realized I was a wizard!" 

He leaned over to them. 

"When did you find out?" he asked. 

"Well," Chloe said. "my brother Elijah and I got into a fight about what movie we wanted to watch. Somehow, I gave him purple hair, and he gave me the snout of a pig." 

"Oink oink!" Elijah snorted, pulling up his nose.

Chloe yanked on his nose, making him stop. 

The boy turned to Alisa. "When did your parents find out?" 

"Oh, um…" She wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t remember what magic she did that made her parents not want her and sent to the orphanage. She felt slightly sick just thinking about it. "Well, I don’t remember. But my parents...found out when I raised an object without using anything." she lied. 

The boy then moved on to talk to the other students. Alisa no longer felt like eating. After the meal, the students were then reminded of the rules. No going near the whomping willow. Students were to stay away from the forbidden forest, but could go to the safer areas of the forest where Care of Magical Creatures class was being held, as well as the lake. The caretaker, Crane, would make sure all students are in their common rooms by curfew, as well as no magic being used between classes. Similarly to the previous caretaker, Argus Filch, Crane was usually grumpy and unpleasant, but was not as creepy as him. He did not have a desire to use cruel punishments on students like sending them to the forbidden forest, a punishment no longer used. Instead, he was more like a commander, yelling at students who stepped out of line in the corridors, making them stand straight, and telling them to repeat after him the rules they broke. They were then led out towards their dorms by their prefects. They soon arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady. 

"Password?" 

"Niffle Truckle." one of the prefects said. 

The portrait swung open, and they entered. The prefect led the girls up to their dormitory and the other prefect led the boys to theirs. The girls entered their dorms. Chloe had Elijah take Dastro to his dorm room, and wished him luck. Alisa laid on her bed, but did not feel tired. 

"Well, goodnight." Chloe yawned, having already changed into her pajamas. 

"Night," replied Alisa. 

She stared at the ceiling as the others fell asleep. She couldn't sleep after being reminded of what she'd rather forget, her mind filled with thoughts and questions. What did she do as a toddler that made her parents not want her? Her parents were Muggles, but from what she vaguely remembered, some of her family members were also witches and wizards. But she did not know where she got her shape-shifting abilities from. Although there have been wizards and witches who have also shape-shifted in the past, there have been very few. She figured someone in her line was a shape-shifter at some point a very long time ago, but no one really knew what exactly created a shapeshifter. 

She was told little about her life before being sent to the orphanage by one of the staff who would dare talk to her. She mentioned that Alisa would often turn into different animals when sleeping, and while being taught to walk, books suddenly flew off the shelves, flying like birds. That was when her parents realized who she was. It was harmless. She could not recall anything that would have made her parents send her to the orphanage other than their despise with magical beings. She sighed. It was getting late, and she needed to sleep. Alisa decided to think about something else, distracting her mind with memorizing the order of classes they had for the semester, and soon managed to fall asleep. The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes to see Chloe staring at her, inches from her face. Alisa yelped. 

"Well, that got you up quick." Chloe said, proudly. "We decided to let you sleep in for a bit since you were still out of it." 

"Wh-what? Time-class-breakfast-" Alisa leaped out of bed, quickly changing. 

"We have twenty minutes until we should go to class," answered Chloe. "We are starting with Charms-"

Before she could continue, Alisa raced past her, darting out of the common room, and down the grand staircase, jumping to a few staircases as they began to move to get down faster. She looked down to realize that her legs had changed into those of a cheetah. 

"Crap!" she muttered, and quickly forced her legs back to human legs. 

No one seemed to have noticed with her pants and robes covering most of it. She soon arrived in the Great Hall and ate breakfast. She didn’t realize how hungry she was, having not eaten much last night. Chloe eventually caught up to her. Jasper, sitting with them, looked confused. 

"What took you so long?" 

"Slept in," Alisa said, drinking some juice. She noticed that Elijah had a bandaid on his cheek. 

"Dastro?" she asked. 

"Yeah, that perverse little devil woke up really early in the morning and made a racket in his cage. I tried to reach his food bowl to give him some food so he could be quiet for a bit, but he scratched me." 

"Honestly, I don’t know why you still have him," Jasper replied. Chloe sat down next to her brother, looking at the cut. 

"Well, I can clear that up with Episky.” 

She took out her wand and did a little motion. Elijah’s cut cleared as if it was never there. 

(Note: this is what I have written for the first section of Ch 1. Please leave a like and/or reblog it. Reblogs are especially helpful for us fanfic writers)

[littlemisswriter]

Utterly Blindsided - Final Part

Summary:

Having saved Jacob from a fatal wound, he lay resting on the train for days, Lily doing nothing less than keeping an eye on him. When he wakes up, is she ready to speak the lingering thoughts in her mind? To finally forgive the man and claim him once more?

[What did you think? Did you like this series? My brain racks with Jacob Frye everyday and I’m always one to write, so there will be more :) This is the final chapter to this series, I hope you all enjoyed it x]

Bertha had persistently chugged away on the tracks, enduring all kinds of weather as she made way through the city of London and all that around it. The carriages were quiet, no Rooks occupying the locomotive as neither did much sound. Light rain had made the city a light grey, the patter of raindrops against the rooftop acting to soothe the woman that sat idly inside.

Lily had been in the carriage alongside Jacob the moment he was procured back into safety. With a medical opinion and regular checkups, the assassin would find himself to live through the chaos. It was a relief to hear the good news, and now all had waited for the Rook leader to make consciousness once more.

In the time of his recovery, Lily had time to sit and reflect on everything. What had caused this mess completely, the emotions, the avoidance... it all added up at one point. But when she almost lost Jacob? When he put himself in front of danger for here, that's when all of that built up anger had simply vanished.

Though his betrayal had torn through her, he had done nothing less than to change every day since. He truly was remorseful for his drunken actions, not knowing how to prove that to his love. Words hadn't been his forte nor emotions Lily's, but the intention had been all the same. And the moment she held Jacob close after the fatal shot, she came to realize that none of it mattered; that she could choose how to continue living her life in London.

And she chose to do it with Jacob.

The fire flickered lightly in its place though the sound of rain resonated louder through the carriage. Her head lay back against her seat, the velvet armchair having acted as her place of rest while she remained close to Jacob. Her body had become sore over time yet hadn't been of importance. All her mind could comprehend was Jacob waking up, and not knowing when, had been nothing short of unsettling.

But finally, after a many days, a groan had caught her ears. Eyes wide and she immediately came to her feet to glance over at Jacob. He roused from his slumber, face scrunching up as his head began to turn. She heaved an excited breathe and came to his side, kneeling beside the bed and lightly taking one of his hands in her own. Subconsciously, his fingers flickered to her touch before grasping back weakly. She could almost smile; almost.

"Jacob?" A whisper slipping by her lips as she kept attentive to his movements. He was coming to slowly, the curtain against the window acting as a barrier to any protruding light that hurt his eyes. Confused at first as to where he was and what had happened, the assassin gave himself a while to adjust, head turning until he could identify that he was back on the train. The rain noise hadn't been obvious at first, but after hearing the flickering flames, his senses began to switch on again.

"Ah," his hissed, lifting a hand to his chest as he tried to sit up.

"Be careful," Lily uttered, unsure if he could understand her or not. But her voice had caught his attention, the man laying his head back against the pillow and turning it over to the figure beside him. Blurry at first, he took a moment to depict who was in front of him. The feeling of warmth in his hand was the first to come to notice as he turned his eyes to it. Another hand held his, a thumb rubbing back and forth along his skin causing his breathe to hitch.

"Lily?" He weakly called, hoping that she had been the one beside him. The hand on his stopped to tighten its hold before another was felt to his forehead.

"I'm right here," that familiar voice had Jacob turn his gaze to the person kneeling above him. The features slowly came to focus, the long brown hair cascading over her shoulders, the green red robes adorning her body, and those emerald eyes he knew anywhere. Lily kept lightly stroking a hand to his forehead, content when Jacob had finally recognized her with a weak smile.

"You're here," his words had taken her back. To think that she wouldn't be here after all that happened was a stab to the heart; yet she had been avoiding the man weeks prior, and guilt sat deep in her chest.

"I'm here." With a faint smile, she leant down to kiss his forehead, hand now in his locks as he moved around. His hand tightened to hers, tugging her closer with what little strength he had, and she obliged. Now sat on the side of the bed, she leant up once more and watch Jacob open his eyes wider, looking up at her warmly as if she had been the angel sent from heaven to collect him. "How are you feeling?"

He attempted to sit up again and groaned, though resilient to being bed bound, forced himself up against the head of the bed with the aid of Lily. A light pant with a sore torso had rendered him unable to leave just yet, though he hadn't of minded to stay with the current company. "Terrible." Lily could only dryly chuckle at his response.

"Don't worry, you'll get better in no time." Speaking to him so softly had his heart churn, finally able to look onto her face properly now they sat at eye level. He couldn't help the smile as he pulled her hand into his. His own thumb caressed hers before his mind began to relay recent memories, causing his expression to fade. It was something that hadn't gone unnoticed by the woman beside him. "Jacob, what's the matter?"

He remained quiet, though his hold on her hand only tightened, both hands securing her own to him as he slowly lifted his head once more.

"Are... are we...?" The question hadn't been finished, but she understood. The worry in his eyes returned, wandering if Lily would pull away and ignore him again. He couldn't take it, not after seeing how close she had come to her end.

"Jacob, look at me." She inched closer, bringing one hand to his cheek to turn it towards her. He followed easily, their gazes meeting once more as Lily grazed her thumb against his stumble. There was a moment, the assassin unsure of what was to come, but only hoping of an outcome to continue to claim Lily as his own. "You are the love of my life." Her words had his heart stop, fists tightening around her hand as he took a moment to grasp the concept of her words. Though she continued, "and I forgive you. For everything. I just," she sighed, lowering her head to look at the bed beneath, "I can't make up for lost time or foolish decisions."

Were things ever going to be the same again? Perhaps even stronger than before? The possibilities were endless, and usually the future hadn't been so scary when Jacob stood by her side. But without him, on her own again? She wasn't certain.

With a bite of his bottom lip, he leant forward. Ignoring the pain of his body to grab the back of Lily's head and pull it close to his own. There had their lips attached, Jacob rubbing his hand to her jaw and keeping it there as he indulged in his lover once more. She had wanted him back, and there wasn't a thing in the world to mess this up a second time.

Gradually, feeling his familiar affection once more, she couldn't help but feel tears brim to her eyes as she kissed him back just as eagerly. She hadn't ever cried as much in her life than she had in the past few weeks. And she hadn't planned on it happening again.

Jacob tugged Lily again to come closer, wanting her to lay on his chest as they indulged in one another, but she was well aware of his wound and hadn't wanted to slow his healing process down. So she declined, opting instead to lean up and simply wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I missed you," he lightly gasped between kisses, his hands roaming over her torso to lay on her sides.

"So did I." She nodded, pulling away slowly to look at the man clearly once again. He sighed, lifting a hand to wipe away the loose tear she hadn't known had fallen. They had been touch starved, aching for closeness through it all, and to finally cure that ache had been overwhelming.

"I'll never do anything like that again. Never." Jacob pressed his forehead to hers as she sat comfortably beside him. His hand running through her hair the best he could as the other kept hold of her own, reminiscing in her touch again. To simply be here by her side like this was euphoric, and he had never planned to leave it.

She was the one, no doubt. And they would remain at each other's side, no matter to threat.