#ch: John Murphy

[frecklesandfanfics]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41814891/chapters/105359340

Clarke, blessed Clarke, finally gets her door unlocked and asks, “wanna come in for a nightcap?”

A sober Bellamy would know this is not a good idea.

Unfortunately, he’s not sober.

“Yeah, let me just put my things down.”

So he throws his coat, scarf, and gloves down on the couch, just like the first night he met her, and crosses the hall to let the door click gently shut behind him.

“Whiskey on the counter, beer in the fridge,” she calls from the bedroom.

[fanfictalkdotcom]

Congratulations to all of our story finalists! Don't forget to vote for your favorite story by March 27th! Click here to access our voting threads.

Best Long Form Story:

After Destiny by @CambAngst

How to Retire in Regency England, A Handbook by @Nigel the Backpacking Hipster

In This Darkness by @quill2parchment

Stupid Alex Summers by @Lost_Robin

The Crofter and The Snake by @Oregonian

Best Short Form Story:

Call It What You Want by @RogueSlytherin

Paper Rings by @RonsGirlTuesday

To Know Your Heart by @Gallifrey Gal

Best One-Shot Story:

Friends Don't by @RogueSlytherin

Here's To Looking At You...Again by @Gallifrey Gal

Mouse by @Agent Michael Scarn

run, run, run away, run away darlings by @Zarquon

three summers ago by @quill and ted

Best Drabble/Flash Fiction:

In Light Of You (ch 1: The Boy Who Lived) by @quill2parchment

Limitless by @RonsGirlTuesday

microcosm (ch 2: walnuts and peaches) by @VaguelyCreativeName

Best Series/Universe:

all roads lead to you by @dreamthief

The Moonlight Quartet by @inmyownlittletemporalanomaly

Best Original Fiction:

even the iron still fears the rot by @grumpy cat

A Mourning in January by @blackholeballet

A Season For Wallflowers by @Gallifrey Gal

Best Angst:

The Heart is Hard to Translate by @Gallifrey Gal

Lying Josephine by @Agent Michael Scarn

The Outsider by @Nigel the Backpacking Hipster

pink porcelain by @Zarquon

stay with me by @singmetothesun

Best Slow Burn Romance:

blue skies by @quill and ted

Fish For Pearls by @Zarquon

The Pride of Burrough House by @RonsGirlTuesday

Witchful Thinking by @The Grim Leaper

Best Raging Fire Romance:

Call It What You Want by @RogueSlytherin

A Language All Their Own by @prideofprewett

What A Wonderful Night This Is by @Ineke

Favorite Lead Character:

Lavender Brown in blue skies by @quill and ted

Howard Sutton in The Crofter and The Snake by @Oregonian

Verity in Don't Quit Your Day Job by @Goatspeed

Josephine Adaire in Lying Josephine by @Agent Michael Scarn

Favorite Supporting Character:

Jasper Jordan in as the lights went out by @dreamthief

Remy Chadwick-Esposito in Days That End in Y @RonsGirlTuesday

Daniel Knapp in How to Retire in Regency England, A Handbook by @Nigel the Backpacking Hipster

Fred Weasley Lying Josephine by @Agent Michael Scarn

Favorite Lead Pairing:

John Murphy/Emma Rhodes in as the lights went out by @dreamthief

Aziraphale/Crowley in Come Fly With Me by @Gallifrey Gal

Eddie Munson/Chrissy Cunningham in (i think) you taste like rock candy by @grumpy cat

Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley in In Light Of You by @quill2parchment

Ted Tonks/Severus Snape in More Than Words by @inmyownlittletemporalanomaly

Not an FFT member yet? Check out our welcome post if you're looking for a writing community to join!

[husheduphistory]

Unknown and Carved in Stone: The Murky Mystery of the Moon-Eyed People

History and folklore live in the same neighborhood. They are spoken, documented, passed down, and sometimes they cross paths and give each other a knowing nod, the weight of which only they fully understand. Fort Mountain State Park in Chatsworth, Georgia is one of those places where history and folklore meet. The story is a strange one and it covers a lot of miles, stretching from Alabama all the way up to Delaware. But in Murphy, North Carolina the words are allegedly given a shape. Enclosed in a case inside the Cherokee County Historical Museum they rest, standing upright, with their eyes gazing out and inviting visitors to stare back just as intently. They look unlike any other ancient form of art found in the Southeast and their story is just as unusual as their appearance. They are an alleged stone representation of the ancient Appalachian Moon-Eyed People.

The Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Image via Wikipedia Commons.

The Cherokee people have a vibrant culture that is filled with deeply cherished myths, legends, and histories of their people and their ancestral home in the mountains of Southern Appalachia. According to the Cherokee, the Smokey Mountains were formed by a giant buzzard after the giant flood. The exhausted bird fell to the earth and the mountains erupted up from where the massive wings impacted the ground. In the years since the creation of the mountains the Cherokee interacted with many spirits, many creatures, and according to their oral tradition, a civilizations of people that was there before them with extremely pale white skin, fine hair, and eyes that were so sensitive to the sun that they spent the daylight hours living underground.

The first written account of these people comes from European botanist Benjamin Smith Burton (sometimes written as Barton) who wrote in 1797 that he learned about these people from the firsthand account of Colonel Leonard Marbury, an intermediary between the American government and the Cherokee tribe. Burton writes:

“…the Cheerake tell us, that when they first arrived in the country which they inhabit, they found it possessed by certain 'moon-eyed-people,'who could not see in the day-time.”

The Cherokee people had a strong belief in things most people today would consider supernatural, but in their stories of the Moon-Eyed People they were never referred to as something otherworldly. They were considered and spoken about as another culture of human beings, ones that were living in Appalachia before the Cherokee arrived. John Haywood was one of America’s earliest historians and he collected the stories that were passed down through generations of the Cherokee people. Among the stories he documented, some were similar to accounts reported by Burton, that the Cherokee arrived at the mountains and along the Tennessee River they encountered “white people” and fortifications that contained “hoes, axes, guns, and other metallic utensils.” Then there were the fortifications themselves, made of precisely arranged stone, and stretching all the way from the Tennessee River down to the Chickamauga Creek. Were these fortifications created for protection from nature or people?

The Cherokee stories do not mention finding any other civilizations of people along their travels and when these two groups met, they clashed. The text from Burton states “These wretches they expelled” and in his 1823 book Natural And Aboriginal History of Tennessee Haywood writes of “white people, who were extirpated in part, and in part were driven from Kentucky, and probably also from West Tennessee.” Writer James Mooney was familiar with the works of Burton and Hayward as well as the Cherokee oral traditions having collected stories from two Cherokee elders who told that when they first came to the region they encountered people who were “very small and perfectly white” that were then driven from the area and fled west. The story continues that the conflict took both groups of people to Big Chickamauga where an agreement was made that these “very small and perfectly white” people were not permitted back to their land and fortifications, but they were permitted to flee in peace.

The fortifications of Fort Mountain as they appear in modern day. Image via Wikimedia Commons user  Thomsonmg2000.

Descriptions of the “Moon-Eyed People” continue to appear in multiple accounts collected from the Cherokee with slight variations. Some describe them as being extremely small, others say they could only see during certain phases of the moon and that they lived underground, another version describes them as tall with light-colored hair and speaking a strange language. While many historians question if these people even existed, those who believe they did have another question to answer. Who were these people? Where did they come from? A popular theory says that that answer can be found by tracing a line that stretches from Georgia across the Atlantic Ocean to Wales.

When the governor of Tennessee John Sevier visited Fort Mountain, Georgia in 1782 he met with the Cherokee’s Chief Ocotosota. At the time of their meeting Chief Ocotosota was ninety years old and when discussing the large stone fortifications standing at Fort Mountain he told the governor that his forefathers "told of the fort being built by white men from across the great water." The accounts from Chief Ocotosota were enough to convince Sevier. There was another story that claimed to tell the origin of those in the Appalachia before the Cherokee and based on the accounts of Chief Ocotosota he believed the tale to be the truth. According to this version of events the mysterious Moon-Eyed People were the descendants of a Welsh prince.

Oconostota, Cherokee chief  from a painting entitled "The Great Warrior, Chief Oconostota-Cunne Shote" by Francis Parsons, 1762. Image and caption credit: Tennessee State Library and Archives

The story of Prince Madoc ab Owain Gwynedd is intriguing, but also murky. The story tells of the prince and his brother Riryd fleeing violence in his homeland and landing in North America in approximately 1170, over 300 years before the voyage of Columbus. Allegedly, they landed in what is now Mobile Bay, Alabama and made their way up the Alabama River and into the mainland where they decided to make their new home. Riryd stayed behind while Madoc returned to Wales where he amassed a fleet of ten ships filled with Welsh people who sailed away from their home and were never heard from again. When speaking about the fortifications with Chief Ocotosota, Governor Sevier was told these stone fortresses were built by those Welsh immigrants and they were all that remained of them after the Cherokee took control of the land.

There was a reason that Governor Sevier was familiar with the story of Prince Madoc and the theory of the Welsh in Appalachia, and that is because Chief Ocotosota was not the only person to speak about these early and mysterious fair-skinned inhabitants. In 1608 a crew member sailing under Captain Christopher Newport wrote a letter describing their interactions with a group of people who spoke a language that was so like his native Welsh that he served as an interpreter between the crew and tribe. Also noted was how different the customs and appearances were of these people compared to other Native Americans. Years later in 1699 the Reverend Morgan Jones reported that while he was traveling through the Carolinas he encountered and spent several months with a tribe called the Doeg who spoke and understood a variation of Welsh. Tennessee governor John Sevier took the “proof” far beyond spoken language and claimed that in 1799 a discovery was made far inland of six skeletons buried in brass armor containing the Welsh coat of arms. This claim was referenced years later by author and historian Thomas Hinde who wrote in an 1824 letter that six skeletons had “been dug up near Jeffersonville, Indiana, on the Ohio River with breastplates that contained Welsh coats-of-arms.” In another part of the country, closer to present-day North Dakota than the mountains of Appalachia, it was reported that instead of canoes the Mandan people used an ancient type of boat that originated in Wales called coracles.

The claim of a prince fleeing Wales, arriving in Alabama, and ushering in generations of Native Americans with Welsh backgrounds persisted but there was also evidence to disprove this theory. Welsh explorer John Evans spent the winter of 1796-97 living with the Mandan people who allegedly spoke Welsh and followed customs passed down through the generations after the Welsh arrived in Alabama. But, in July of 1797 he wrote to Dr. Samuel Jones “Thus having explored and charted the Missurie for 1,800 miles and by my Communications with the Indians this side of the Pacific Ocean from 35 to 49 degrees of Latitude, I am able to inform you that there is no such People as the Welsh Indians.” The argument for or against the existence of Native Americans with Welsh roots had far reaching repercussions. During territorial struggles this idea of Welsh inhabitants in the new world was proposed as a reason that England should have claim to it instead of Spain.

The problem that England had with this claim is the same problem faced today in that proving Prince Madoc arrived in Alabama all those years ago and began a Welsh settlement is a very difficult task. There is a large amount of spoken word and secondhand accounts, but the whereabouts of the skeletons encased in Welsh armor is unknown and the coracles of the Mandan people have disappeared. Tragically, the waves of disease that swept through the land with the arrival of the Europeans took a countless number of accounts with them. In 1837 alone the Mandan people were almost completely wiped out by smallpox brought in by traders.

If the theory of Welsh travelers arriving in North America and living in the Appalachian mountains before the Cherokee is false, than who were these “very small and perfectly white” people with fair hair that could not see in sunlight that were spoken of by so many different people? Another theory is that these people were not new to the land, that they were actually Native Americans with albinism. Albinism appeared among the Hopi people of the Southwest and can be seen in photographs from the 1800s showing children with light skin and hair.

Image of a Hopi child with albinism. 

Image originally via The Huntington Library Museum and Botanical Gardens. Hopi Indians, Arizona. Albino in center. Hopi girls, Oraibi, Arizona. There are many Albinos among the Hopi Indians, photCL 312 (172), The Frederick Monsen Ethnographic Indian Photographs, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

 Although the Hopi lived in an entirely different region than the people spoken about by the Cherokee, some believe that the mysterious Moon-Eyed People may have been another community of people that also lived with albinism at that time. In 1699 Welsh explorer Lionel Wafer wrote about his experience with a tribe of people living in Panama:

“There is one Complexion so singular, among a sort of People in this Country, I never saw nor heard of any like them in any part of the World. [...] They are White, and there are of them of both Sexes; They differ from the other Indians chiefly in respect of Colour, tho' not in that only. Their Skins are not of such a White as those of fair People among Europeans, [...] but 'tis rather a Milk-white, lighter than the Colour of any Europeans, and much like that of a white Horse. For there is this further remarkable in them, that their Bodies are beset all over, more or less, with a fine short Milk-white Down, which adds to the whiteness of their Skins. The Men would probably have white Bristles for Beards, did they not prevent them by their Custom of plucking the young Beard up by the Roots continually. Their Eye-brows are Milk-white also, and so is the Hair of their Heads, and very fine withal, about the length of six or eight inches, and inclining to a Curl. And what is yet more strange, their Eye-lids bend and open in an oblong Figure, pointing downward at the Corners, and forming an Arch or Figure of a Crescent with the Points downwards. From hence, and from seeing so clear as they do in a Moon-shiny night, we us'd to call them Moon-ey'd. For they see not very well in the Sun, poring in the clearest Day; their Eyes being but weak, and running with Water if the Sun shine towards them; so that in the Day-time they care not to go abroad, unless it be a cloudy dark Day. But notwithstanding their being thus sluggish and dull and restive in the Day-time, yet when Moon-shiny nights come, they are all Life and Activity, running abroad, and into the Woods, skipping about like Wild-Bucks; and running as fast as Moon-light, even in the Gloom and Shade of the Woods, as the other Indians by Day, being as nimble as they, tho' not so strong and lusty. The Copper-colour'd Indians seem not to respect these so much as those of their own Complexion, looking on them as somewhat monstrous.”

Although there may never be solid proof of Prince Madoc’s involvement in the early days of North America there are locations that firmly believe this version of events. At Fort Mountain there are multiple markers that tell the story of the Moon-Eyed People and the arrival of the prince. This is the very place where Chief Ocotosota and Governor John Sevier discussed “the fort being built by white men from across the great water” and it is one of few places that can claim to have a physical remnant of this tale. The forts and wall spoken of by Chief Ocotosota are still standing here, stretching for 855 feet and varying between two and six feet tall at different points. Archaeological estimates state that the wall was constructed between 500 –1500 BCE and those who steadfastly believe the Prince Madoc theory quickly point out that the construction of one of the fortifications located in Alabama resembles those built in Wales during the same timeframe.

Marker in Fort Mountain State Park that tells the legend of the Moon-Eyed People. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Although Fort Mountain claims to have the fortifications left behind by the Moon-Eyed People, the Cherokee County Historical Museum claims to have a representation of the Moon-Eyed People themselves. Standing together inside a glass case are two figures, standing three feet tall and carved from soapstone, with no hair and eyes gazing. In 1838 North Carolina Senator Archibald Murphy began selling off parcels of land in the place that would become the town of Murphy, North Carolina. A man named Felix Ashley bought a piece of land and while digging in 1841 he discovered the incredibly strange statue that now sits inside the museum. The road from dirt to display was not a fast one though, Ashley took the statue home and leaned it up against one of his buildings until it eventually made its way to the museum where it sat in storage up until 2015 when it finally saw the light of day.  

The figures of the alleged Moon-Eyed People. Image via Strange Carolinas.

Like so many aspects of the story, the statue of the two figures are said to represent the Moon-Eyed People, but there is no absolute proof of this. And, like the Moon-Eyed People themselves, there are multiple stories circulating about the origin of the statue with theories ranging from it being a simple sculpture of two people to some believing the Moon-Eyed People were extraterrestrials and this statue was carved as a tribute to them. Museum Director Wanda Stalcup acknowledges the theory of the Moon-Eyed People and the statue’s alleged connection, stating “They were a legend of the Cherokee…The Moon-Eyed People were supposed to be people who only came out at night. They were light-skinned and had big blue eyes." However, Stalcup keeps the door open to all ideas, saying simply that everyone is entitled to their opinion because no one knows what they are.

The Moon-Eyed People have been appearing in spoken word accounts and theories for hundreds of years and despite centuries of speculation as to who they are and where they came from they remain a mystery, unable to be proven or disproven. Perhaps they were Native Americans living with albinism. Perhaps they were descendants of a Welsh prince whose legitimacy has disappeared along with the many years since his arrival. Many people and locations stand strongly by their opinion, but over all the years there is one thing we can say for certain about the Moon-Eyed People.

No one knows who or what they are.

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

Sources:

David Tibbs. Legends of Fort Mountain The Moon-Eyed People / Prince Madoc of Wales. The Historical Marker Database, 2008. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=11590

The Moon-Eyed People. North Carolina Ghosts. https://northcarolinaghosts.com/mountains/moon-eyed-people/

Exploring the Mysterious North American Moon-Eyed People. Ancient Origins Reconstructing the Story of Humanity’s Past. 2022. https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-americas/moon-eyed-people-0016334

Vicky Verma. Moon-Eyed People From Ancient America With Pale Skin Were Afraid Of Daylight, Why? Journal News Online. 2022. https://journalnews.com.ph/moon-eyed-people-from-ancient-america-with-pale-skin-were-afraid-of-daylight-why/

Beth Lawrence. Appalachia’s Lost Colony The mystery of the Moon Eyed settlers. The Sylva Herald and Ruralite. 2020. http://www.thesylvaherald.com/news/article_63be7a46-193a-11eb-bcb1-9b6452791b80.html

Ben Johnson. The discovery of America… by a Welsh Prince? Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-discovery-of-America-by-Welsh-Prince/

The Moon-Eyed People. Roadside America. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/51476

[theart2rock]

Vor 40 Jahren - Juli 1984

Ich möchte mir vornehmen, jeden Monat 40 Jahre zurückschauen und einen kurzen Rückblick zu machen. Dabei auch einmal über den Tellerrand der Rockmusik zu schauen. Events - 01. Juli - Während seines Auftritts auf dem allerersten Cornerstone Festival in Grayslake, Illinois, springt Steve Taylor von der Bühne und bricht sich den Knöchel. Taylor hüpft zurück auf die Bühne und beendet seine Show. Die nächsten paar Auftritte auf Taylors Tournee absolvierte er vom Rollstuhl aus. - 10. Juli - Das letzte Originalmitglied der Band Menudo, Ricky Meléndez, verlässt die Band und wird durch Ricky Martin ersetzt - 14. Juli - Eddie Van Halen kommt für einen Gastauftritt bei den The Jacksons in Dallas auf die Bühne. Dabei spielt er das Solo zu Beat it. - 28. Juli - Mit seinem Nr. 1-Hit „Angel in Disguise“ ist Earl Thomas Conley der erste Künstler in einem beliebigen Genre, der mit vier Songs aus einem Album die Billboard-Charts anführt. Es handelt sich um das Album „Don't Make it Easy For Me“, und neben „Angel in Disguise“ und dem Titelsong hatte Conley 1983 auch mit „Your Love's on the Line“ und „Holding Her and Loving You“ einen Hit. Diese Leistung ist Teil von Conleys beeindruckender Erfolgsserie in den 1980er Jahren, in denen er bis 1989 16 Nr. 1-Hits hatte. - 28. Juli - Die Olympischen Sommerspiele in Los Angeles werden eröffnet Wichtige Veröffentlichungen - The Last In Line - Dio - Victory - The Jacksons - Icon - Icon - Diamond Life - Sade - Primitive - Neil Diamond - The Yellow and Black Attack - Stryper - Hard To Hold - Rock Springfield - VOA - Sammy Hagar - Ride The Lighting - Metallica - Condition Critical - Quiet Riot - Projects In The Jungle - Pantera - All Fired Up - Fastway - City Of New Orleasns - Willie Nelson - In Rock We Trust - Y&T - King OF The Dead - Cirith Ungol - Signs Of Life - Billy Squier - Walkin' The Razor's Edge - Helix - Disillusion - Loudness - Zen Arcade - Hüsker Dü Schweizer Hitparade Platz 1 Single Charts - Self Control - RAF - Self Control - Laura Branigan Schweizer Hitparade Platz 1 Album Charts - Man On The Line - Chris De Burgh - Footloose - Soundtrack - Breaking Hearts - Elton John - Discovery - Mike Oldfield Schweizer Interpreten in den CH-Charts - Keine Schweizer Interpreten in den Single Charts US Billboard Single Charts - When Doves Cry - Prince US Billboard Album Charts - Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen UK Single Charts - Two Tribes - Frankie Goes To Hollywood UK Album Charts - Legend - Bob Marley and the Wailers Happy Birthday - 01. Juli - Jason Reeves (Songwriter) - 02. Juli - Eugent Bushpepa (CoreLeoni) - 04. Juli - Gina Glocksen (American Idol Finalistin) - 09. Juli - Jacob Hoggard (Hedley) - 12. Juli - Gareth Gates - 12. Juli - Jack Conte - 13. Juli - Ida Maria - 23. July - Matthew Murphy (The Wombats) - 24. Juli - Dhani Lennevald (A*Teens) Farewell - 04. Juli - Jimmie Spheeris - 14. Juli - Bill Spapleton - 14. Juli - Philippé Wynne - 25. Juli - Big Mama Thornton Lesen Sie den ganzen Artikel

[pretttyvacant]

7.05  »  ❛  Welcome to Bardo  ❜

[herestoimagination]

The 100 “From the Ashes” 7x01

Have we learned nothing?!

[herestotheunknown]

#heisnotwrong

[richardsharmns]

[colin-farrell-daily]

Top 10 Colin Farrell Characters Countdown as voted by my and @coulditbemagicnow‘s followers!

9th place - TIE (Part ½)

Danny Witwer - Minority Report (2002)

“Looks like we won’t be working together after all, John. Now put the gun down. I don’t hear a red ball”

John McBurney - The Beguiled (2017) 

“What have you done to me, you vengeful bitches?”

Steven Murphy - The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

“I’ll bury you in the yard, and you’ll rot”

[robbstarkl]

Clarke Griffin

John Murphy

Octavia Blake

Nathan Miller

...and that’s it. Four. We have four of the 100 left.

[frecklesandfanfics]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41814891/chapters/105573198

Clarke extends a hand, but Echo pointedly ignores it.. “You must be Echo. I’m Clarke–”

“Griffin,” Echo finishes, “I know.”

“Oh, have we met?” Clarke looks slightly puzzled, blue eyes wide open, mouth pursed.

Echo forces a smile to her lips–Bellamy knows that look.

Clarke reminds him of a politician, but Echo reminds him of a politician’s wife.

[griefprofiled]

@sarcasiisms lowkey aurora sc

Life was funny sometimes. Sometimes you got put into a coma by your ex-lovers sister and woke up to the world being long over. It hadn't taken long for her to get the lay of the land.

"This is boring." Aurora declared, head tipping back with an irate sigh. But even the ceiling was boring, and her head came back up; eyes narrowing on him. Again it occurred to her, that she didn't care about anyone here. Tristan was still somewhere in a shipping container. "Would it be a great loss if I ate the pretty blonde one?" Claire? Clara? The name escaped her. Enough of this. She stood, walking past him. "I don't think it would be."

[10ksgirlfriends]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN’T HOW IT HAPPENED?

the 100 incorrect quotes (1/?)

[official-weasley]

The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley: Pt. 6, Ch. 2

PART 6: THE YEAR WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE Chapter 2 - The Captain and the Quit

Nova

I couldn't believe I thought we had more time this year than the year prior. We had fewer subjects but they were more demanding so the free time was just on paper. I still attended Advanced Transfiguration with McGonagall and I was now officially a proud owner of a Salamander named Pyro.

The first day after the classes began, I went to talk to Professor Kettleburn to show him my O.W.L. result for Care of Magical Creatures and to convince him to let me take care of a Salamander. He was over the moon when he saw my results and took me to see one immediately.

I jumped for joy when I saw the little guy and I couldn't help but fall in love. Kettleburn told me that they are a big responsibility and if I will take good care of him, I would get extra credit in his class at the end of the year. I assured him that I would be good with the animal even without the extra credit and I was sure that is exactly what he wanted to hear.

With our lessons being so demanding and the ton of homework we got in each class, I've made a decision to quit Quidditch. Andre wasn't happy about it and neither was Orion. But after I told him that I didn't bring them that many wins last year due to that Bludger hitting me in the back, he stopped trying to get me back on the Team.

I knew Charlie was going to be disappointed as well, as he couldn't wait to play against me this year. He talked about it a few times when we were at the Burrow. I, on the other hand, realized that I don't miss it all that much and that I have other talents that are much better than my flying.

After telling Orion, I wanted to find Murphy and tell him as well. I felt so bad the other day when he asked to hang out with me and I turned him down. I didn't do so just because Charlie was sitting right next to me but also because I don't know how I feel about him anymore. He still gave me butterflies and I still couldn't get enough of his blue eyes but the problem was, the same thing was happening to me with Charlie. I was so confused the entire Summer as I didn't know what was happening inside my head. Truth be told, I still don't know.

I thought about Murphy and I felt my cheeks flush red but being around Charlie made me feel something entirely different that I haven't felt before and the way he was acting around me made him more attractive each day. I liked his calmness and the fact that I couldn't figure him out. It was like he was hiding something from me all the time.

I caught myself daydreaming about him almost every day and when the boys were playing Quidditch at the Burrow I couldn't take my eyes off him. I was ready to admit to myself that I have feelings for my best friend, for which I am not sure how I feel about, but then Murphy asked me to hang out and made my heartbeat raise and that confused me even more. I can't like both of them at the same time, can I?

I couldn't find Murphy anywhere so I decided not to push my luck. He will find out at the tryouts anyway and I didn't know if I wanted to be around him or not. I didn't want to give him false hope in case he fancied me because I didn't know where I stood with my feelings and it wouldn't be fair to him in case I would realize that I don't like him like that anymore.

The day I quit Quidditch I sent Charlie an owl to meet me down by the Lake. I wanted to tell him in private and I wanted to know if he was made Captain of the Gryffindor Team. He was their best player and I doubt they would pick anyone else.

“Pip, I can't always draw you.” I smiled at my owl when he hooted rather disappointingly when he saw I was drawing a Salamander. “He is not going to replace you. I am only looking after it. I promise.” Pip was skeptical and I knew I was going to have to visit him a lot this year to stay on his good side.

“Here's my favorite person!” Charlie sat down next to me on the blanket.

“Hi.” I greeted him, moving my pencils.

“I meant Pip.” He said with a serious face. At this point, I really couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Pip obviously didn't care as he hooted cheerfully and started picking at Charlie's hair. I couldn't stop myself from wanting to go through his hair too, it was so soft.

“Nova, I'm joking.” He said gently when he saw my stunned face. I shook my head. I have to be more focused around him. “I'm happy you invited me to hang out.” He smiled and I felt like melting. FOCUS!

“Pip wanted to hang out not me.” I teased him back.

“Then Pip and I will take this elsewhere.” I stuck my tongue out at his smug face as he was pretending to get up and leave. Pip was hooting happily, enjoying this as much as we were.

I knew we were both glad things went back to normal between us even though I still had a feeling something changed in the Forest. We had this energy whenever we were together that I am not quite sure I can explain. It's like everything is falling into place and I feel more comfortable around him than I did before.

“I actually have to tell you something.” I didn't know why I felt nervous, I knew he was going to understand.

“Go ahead.” He turned to me, reached for my hand and placed it in between both of his. Was I reading too much into this or was he more affectionate?

“I decided to quit Quidditch.” He let go of my hand.

“Why?” He asked concerned.

“After last year's accident, I kind of got scared. I still need healing sessions with Madam Pomfrey and I don't know...I guess I lost interest.” I shrugged and looked into his eyes to see how he was feeling about this.

“Okay.” He said, gently. “Is that the only reason?” He knew me too well.

“No.” I shook my head. “After everything that happened with us last year, I am trying to manage my time better. You know how much school work we have this year and between taking care of Pyro,” his lips curved as I said my Salamander's name, “and Advanced Transfiguration, I would rather spend more of this year with friends and with you.” I smiled and I knew there was no way to hide my red cheeks.

“You have to stop blaming yourself for last year, Nova. It's behind us, we're good.” He pulled me into a half hug. He always smelled so nice. He smelled like home.

“I know.” I sighed. “But I'm not changing my mind. What I did to you last year was horrible and I will never forgive myself.”

“I forgave you.” He pulled away and looked at me. His eyes were full of understanding as if last year didn't happen. I, on the other hand, still couldn't get over how much I hurt him. How could I do that to my best friend?

“Thank you.” I tried looking him in the eyes but I kept looking away. Suddenly his gentle smile turned into a smirk.

“Look on the bright side, you will have one more match to stare at me.” He winked and my heart skipped a beat. Why was he doing this to me?

“Oh, no! You found out my real reason for quitting.” We both started laughing.

Every moment I spent with Charlie, I held close to my heart. I know I am never going to take him for granted again. He was the most wonderful person I know and I was the luckiest girl to call him my best friend. He was understanding and always put his friends before himself and the fact that he was able to find it in his heart to forgive me last year was something that I don't think anyone else would be able to do.

“What did Orion say about it?” He asked. I think I was beginning to freak him out by staring at him so much.

“He wanted to persuade me to stay, of course.” I chuckled. “But I made it quite clear that I wasn't the best Seeker and they will probably do better without me. When I reminded him of every time I didn't catch the Snitch, he gave up.”

“And Skye?” He mocked. He knew Skye and I were usually not on the best of terms. She was shouting at me more than smiling and I never knew if she was serious or if I could relax around her.

“She didn't want to show that she was pleased to see me quit, even though she did a really poor job hiding it.” I laughed.

“I am really curious who they will pick to replace you.” He laid down on my legs, looking at the sky, probably wondering who it will be.

“Oh, I didn't tell you!” He said suddenly. “I was made Captain.” He said casually as if predicting the next day's weather.

“What?” I screamed in excitement. “And you let me go on and on about me quitting!” I poked him in the ribs.

“Your thing was more important.” He smiled.

“Nothing is more important than you being made Captain, Char!” I was so proud of him and I knew he was being modest telling me so casually as I knew he wanted the position.

“You are.” Seriously, when did he get so smooth? It was moments like this that made me question my feelings for Murphy.

“Well, congratulations! I am so happy for you! When are you holding tryouts?” I ruffled his hair. He chuckled as I changed the topic back to him.

“Saturday morning. I am really curious about my applicants. I am thinking of keeping all of the teammates as we work really well together, but I do need to find a new Keeper, John was a Seventh Year like Bill.”

“I'm sure you're going to do great, Cap!” I smiled. “And I can stalk you with Penny from the stands.” I smirked.

“I'm counting on it.” He grinned.

Even though we had so much work and at this point, I was dreaming about McGonagall and Transfiguration, I found time to spend with Charlie and all of my friends. Even though I barely saw Tulip except in our dormitory and Penny was Merlin knows where, probably with Andre. I felt like I was studying more than her this year! And Tonks was so busy developing a new product with Bilton that I don't even know if she was sleeping in her dormitory.

But I didn't mind. It gave me time to focus on my studies and suddenly I had more time to draw which I don't remember when the last time was. I also visited Pip at the Owlery more and invited Charlie to tag along when I went to take care of Pyro. I was feeling more like myself than I did in two years and I promised myself I will do everything to keep it that way because last year, I was a disaster.

[pretttyvacant]

The 100 + A Softer World

[herestoimagination]

Group tropes + The 100 (insp.)