#i re-read transfigured tonight

[picascribit]

Sometimes I read my own fanfic, and you know what? There’s some pretty good stuff in there!

[kohanayaki]

.:Time and Time Again:. (Marauders Era x Reader) Ch 6

You continue the tale of how you, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter became known as The Marauders.

LINKS:   CH 1   CH 2    CH 3   CH 4   CH 5   CH 6   CH 7   CH 8

___________________________________________________________

Ch 6 .:The Making of the Marauders:.

~Previously~

“That was when they were first starting to put the map together,” you continued, “but that wasn't even the biggest secret they had. Of course, I wouldn't find out about that for another year. . .”

“So at this point I knew that they were hiding something else, but not what it was,” you told Harry, continuing on with your story, “But one night we had planned to meet up and use the invisibility cloak to map out the underground tunnels that ran through the storage cellars, and they never showed up. So I snuck into the Gryffindor common room through the secret passage and found their dorm completely empty. But what was there was our work in progress map. . .”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   1975  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This isn't going to work,” Peter said flatly, watching James and Sirius draw a large circle in chalk on the floor of the Shrieking Shack.

“Not with that attitude it's not,” James said, “if there's a way we can speed up this process I'm willing to give it a go. I don't know how long I can go on with this bloody leaf in my mouth.”

“Is this even real?” Peter sighed, “it looks like what muggles think magic is.”

“It's real all right,” Sirius said, “old, but real. I mean, Transfiguration was founded on the principles of magic circles! I'm not really sure what these runes on the side mean, but it's probably not important.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Peter retorted, “Remus, back me up here.”

He turned towards Lupin, but he had long since dozed off, arms crossed as he leaned against one of the nearly decaying walls in the corner. Peter sighed, taking a piece of paper from the ground and crumpling it into a ball before promptly throwing it in the sleeping boy's face. Lupin jolted awake, realizing what had happened and chucking the paper back at Peter in annoyance.

“Not a moment of peace,” he huffed under his breath.

“Sounds awfully boring,” James said over his shoulder.

“Blimey, what time is it?” Remus said, panicked as he noticed the light had completely gone from the sky, “It's long past sundown.”

“So?” Sirius shrugged.

“So, we told (Y/n) we'd meet them to work on the map at dusk,” Remus said, “They're probably looking for us right now!”

“Oh, they are,” you announced your presence, an unimpressed look on your face as they jumped, whipping around to look at you.

“(Y-Y/n)!” Sirius stuttered, “how did you—”

You held up the map, raising a brow at the four guilty looking boys.

“Right. . .”

“You snuck into our rooms?!” James said incredulously as he saw the map, which he was sure he had left on his bedside table, in your hands.

“You've snuck into my shower before, Potter,” you glared lightly at him.

“Point taken.”

“Okay, look, I'm sorry we didn't show tonight, and I know we've been acting weird,” Sirius sighed, “the truth is—”

“Lupin's a werewolf.” 

The color drained from Remus' face, slightly mortified that you already knew.

“Come on, guys,” you said, “the claw marks and you lot disappearing whenever there's a full moon kind of gave it away. You aren't exactly subtle about it.”

You could sense the intense nervousness in the room, especially from Remus. Ok, so maybe coming right out with it wasn't the best course of action.

“Look,” you said, “if you're worried about anyone else finding out, they won't. I mean, the only reason I even knew you were here is because I'm literally helping you make a magical map that details all the secret passages and shows where everyone is. I won't tell anyone, I swear.”

They still seemed a little unsure, and you bit the inside of your lip slightly.

“If it'll make us even, I'll let you know a secret of my own,” you said, “it can even be future blackmail me if you really don't trust me.”

“No, it's not that, (Y/n),” Remus said as he stepped forward, his throat feeling dry, “it's just, well, I've never really told anyone except the people in this room. Having someone else know. . . it's just a lot to process, but if had to be anyone I'm glad it's you.” He paused for a moment, feeling oddly self-conscious as he regarded you. “When I turn into a werewolf I can't recognize any human as someone I know. I have no control over myself in that state. In the worst case scenario, I could injure or even kill someone I didn't mean to. We originally started taking note of the secret passages and rooms to find a place where I could turn safely and not hurt anyone, and we settled on here. I don't remember much when I come out of it, but. . . I do feel this painful sense of separation each time. Werewolves are pack creatures by nature, so being isolated in that state is. . . agony, if I must be honest. They all figured, I can't recognize humans, but perhaps I could recognize other animals, so. . .”

“They're trying to become animagi,” you finished, “so you won't have to be alone. That's. . . that's actually really sweet,” you said, a breathy laugh escaping you.

Remus thanked Merlin the Shrieking Shack was as dimly lit as it was so his beet red face was at least somewhat less noticeable.

“I agree,” Remus said, turning to his friends and sharing a rare, genuine moment with them. “And, you don't have to tell us your secret,” he said, turning back to you, “it's okay.”

“Hey, I wanted to know,” Sirius said, Peter swiftly elbowing him in the ribs.

“I was actually planning on telling you anyways,” you said, “If you guys are trying to become animagi, I can help you.”

You took a few steps back, bracing yourself against the wall.

“Promise me you won't freak out.”

After receiving a few quick nods, you kicked off the wall. Your body seemed to morph in mid-air, shrinking and re-configuring so fast that by the time you landed on the floor you had been entirely replaced by a large, (e/c)-eyed wolf with fur reminiscent of your hair.

Peter yelped, instinctively putting Sirius in front of him who was gawking at the sight. Remus was in complete shock and you could have sworn you saw James' glasses slip down his face.

In your animal form your heightened senses could sense their fear, and you tried your best to assuage it. You padded around in a circle, sitting down and blinking up at them to try and show them you were in control of your actions. After you figured they'd seen enough, you crawled back into your robes, which had pooled on the floor when you'd transfigured, and willed your body to turn back.

James, Sirius, and Peter looked somewhere in the intersection of shocked and terrified, but Remus looked nothing less than impressed.

“That's amazing, (Y/n),” he said breathlessly, “your transformation was seamless, how long have you had this ability?”

“My aunt had me go through the process when I was nine,” you said, a bitter edge to your voice as you fastened your clothes back around you, “it's not fun, but obviously useful. And thank you, but trust me, it didn't come at all naturally to me. I spent a good part of my winter break stuck with a wolf's hind legs, which is just as inconvenient as it sounds.”

“But this proves that it's possible!” James said, a new rush of energy invigorating him, “we can actually pull this off.”

“If I can manage to keep this sodding leaf from choking me every ten minutes,” Peter grumbled.

“Here, this should help with that,” you said, drawing your wand and pointing it at Peter's mouth. With a simple sticking charm, he suddenly felt the odd sensation of the leaf in his mouth disappearing, only to find it had melded with the flesh on the underside of his tongue.

“It's a long process, but yes, it's possible,” you said to James. Your eyes drifted to the floor where the magic circle and pages of runes were still scattered about, “if you were thinking of taking shortcuts, you might have wanted to read the warning about this spell requiring a blood sacrifice.”

The quartet paled and you laughed at their dumbstruck expressions.

“Kidding,” you grinned, “but seriously, there's no shortcuts. Now look alive, boys. We have a lot of work to do.”

_________________________________________________________

From then on, you helped the four wizards along on their quest to become fully fledged shifters.

“In order to become an animagus, a wizard must keep a Mandrake leaf in their mouth for an entire month, even when eating and sleeping,” Peter read aloud from the book they'd snatched from the restricted section, “Next, under a full moon, the wizard must place the leaf in a vial full of dew that has neither been stepped on nor exposed to the sun. The resulting potion must be stored in a dark place, and the following incantation: Amato Animo Animato Animagus, must be recited every morning until an electrical storm arrives, at which point the potion can be taken.”

“Blimey, all that to turn into a bloody cat?” Sirius said, exasperated.

“Well we have the first part almost done,” James said, feeling the faintest outline of the leaf still under his tongue, “Next full moon we'll have to go dew-hunting, I suppose. Looks like you'll have to stick it out for a few more cycles, Moony,” he said to Remus.

“That's alright,” he said, “I've made it this far.”

“He won't be alone for those,” you said, “I'll spend the full moons with him until you guys are ready.”

“What?” James said, looking at you like you'd just told him you were off to join Voldemort, “not a chance, that's way too dangerous.”

“Aw, don't act like you're all concerned about me all of a sudden, Potter,” you smirked. When his expression didn't change it took you aback slightly. He was actually worried about you. “Look, I'm probably the best suited for it anyways,” you said, coughing a bit to coast through the awkward tension, “Remus and I are both wolves, or at least partly. If one of you end up turning into a sheep or something you might be dead meat, not to freak you out or anything.”

“That's reassuring,” Sirius said under his breath.

____________________________________________________________

“You really don't have to do this,” Lupin insisted as you sat on the floor together in the Shrieking Shack later that month.

“I want to,” you assured him, “take it as a thanks for helping me pass Arithmancy. Besides, it's a perfectly fine excuse for me to practice interacting with other animals in my animagus form.”

The boy beside you was quiet for a moment, shoulders tense and jaw set tight. It wasn't that he wasn't happy you were here, he was more grateful than you could know, but he was terrified that he was going to end up hurting you. On top of that was the fact that he didn't want you to see him as he transformed. It wasn't pretty, and it was visibly painful. He didn't want you to think any lower of him, though he knew that fear was irrational.

The calming jazz record that spun on the other side of the room was the only noise between you two for quite some time, but you understood that he needed time to gather his thoughts. This was something so deeply personal you were surprised and a bit honored he allowed you to be here at all. You noticed the photograph that he held in his hands; it was of Hogwarts, taken from the very edge of the forest. The sun was peeking over the horizon, spilling out between the complexly constructed towers that made up the castle's exterior, and casting a warm, golden hue over the landscape.

“It's beautiful,” you said, “the picture.”

“It is,” Remus smiled to himself and nodded, “James gave it to me, as a reminder. He said that matter what happens during the full moon, the sun will always rise on us again.”

“Huh,” you mused softly, “perhaps he isn't such an insufferable jerk after all.”

“Oh, no, he is,” Lupin chuckled, “but he is also a very good friend, and endlessly thoughtful even if he denies it.”

You let that sink in for a moment. You supposed he was.

“Well,” you said, laughing a bit as you shifted in your seat, “this isn't as deep and meaningful as the photo, but I brought something for you.” You reached into your bag, retrieving something that made Remus' eyes widen.

“Where did you get that?” he said, elated as you held out his favorite chocolate bar which had been out of stock at Hogsmeade for weeks now.

“You guys have a secret tunnel that goes right to the Honeydukes cellar and you've never taken advantage of their storage?” you grinned.

Lupin hesitated as he held the bar in his hands.

“So you stole it?”

“I left five dracma in the tip jar,” you rolled your eyes, “I'm not a death eater.”

His smiled returned at that, and he ripped open the familiar foil gratefully.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

“It's the least I could do,” you said.

“It's really not,” he said, turning to face you fully. You were left a bit breathless as the unexpected intensity of his eyes. “None of this is the least you could do, because the least you could do is nothing,” he continued, rambling, “we were so horrible to someone you consider a dear friend, and you were willing to look past that. You're risking your life by even being with me right now, (Y/n).”

“You don't—”

“I do know that,” Remus said sharply, “I've never been in contact with anyone as a werewolf. The one time I was, I. . .” he trailed off, and it hurt you to see his pained expression, “I just don't know how I'll react.”

“You're saying that as if something bad's already happened,” you said gently, “it'll be okay.”

“How can you be so sure?” he asked quietly, equally full of frustration and admiration.

“I'm willing to put my trust in you, Remus. I think it's time you put some trust in yourself.”

Lupin's heart pounded a little harder in his chest. Had you ever called him by his first name before? You looked at him so reassuringly, so confidently. He couldn't understand it, but your words reached him to his core.

“(Y/n). . .” he trailed off, blinking rapidly. A shaky breath escaped him, and your stomach dropped.

“Remus?”

Suddenly you saw something shift in him. His breathing became heavy and his pupils dilated, completely filling his irises in a matter of seconds. He braced himself against the wall as he stumbled to his feet, his skin slowly taking on a gray hue.

“It's happening,” he said, voice deeper and strained, his neck convulsing, “you have to transform, now!”

You didn't waste any time, taking the shape of your wolf form and padding away a cautionary distance. Your stomach churned as you watched Remus yell out, his expression full of pain as his body grew in size, his cries slowly becoming reminiscent of howls. His face contorted in agony as his head morphed into a more animalistic shape, ears growing from his scalp and fur appearing as if his werewolf was fully formed inside him, physically escaping through his skin. You've seen werewolves before, but seeing someone you know actually turn into one, it was completely different. Nothing could have prepared you for this. Seeing anyone in this much pain made your chest tighten harshly.

At last it seemed the transformation was complete. Remus Lupin was gone, and in front of you stood a creature of at least eight feet, perched on his hind legs and towering over you especially in your animal form. You could hear how ragged his breathing had become, his body convulsing with the motion; growing and retracting like a beating heart. You heard a whimper escape his throat, and you could tell he was still recovering from the pain.

You steeled yourself, making the decision to alert him to your presence subtly. You tilted your head upwards, releasing a similar sounding whimper to his. Immediately the werewolf across from you was on high alert, his head snapping towards you and his lips pulling back into a snarl as his ears lowered. You took an instinctive step back, lowering your head slowly. He seemed puzzled by your behavior, which made sense seeing as Lupin told you he never interacted with any other animals during the full moon. His head tilted inquisitively and he took a heavy step forward. You forced yourself to not back away, testing the waters. His eyes narrowed again as he saw you standing your ground, but you quickly sat down, your head tilting to expose your neck slightly. You made doubly sure not to show any signs of aggression; you knew you had no chance against a werewolf at full strength.

However, he seemed to take your queues well. His tail seemed to relax a bit, his eyes returning to their full, round shape as he looked at you with curiosity. You sniffed up at him and he hesitated, but eventually circled around you and did the same. You could almost see the turmoil in him, as a werewolf you doubted anyone he came across treated him with anything less than terror in their eyes, but you were completely relaxed.

He whimpered again, and you were shocked at the sign of submission. You rose to your feet, and he didn't back away. You let out a friendly yip, which he returned, and you felt the weight lift off your chest. You leaped to the side, and he followed you, running alongside you as you bounded across the room, practically leaping off the walls. You jumped at each other playfully, rolling across the floor in a mess of fur. You smiled inwardly as this continued throughout the night, no longer seeing fear or pain or aggression in his eyes when you looked into them. Even if he wouldn't remember most of this, you hoped he would at least feel better in the morning than all the times he had to go through it alone.

Exhausted from all the playing around, you padded softly back to your robes, crawling inside yours and and gesturing over to him with your head. He followed you, coming down to all fours before laying beside you. You weren't sure when sleep came over you, but it was like the world's most comfortable blanket had been thrown over your shoulders, and your eyes drifted closed of their own volition. . .

“Merlin's beard, just what were you two doing last night?!”

You and Remus both jolted awake at the sound of James Potter's aggravatingly loud voice but quickly came to your senses. Remus' arms were wrapped around you, your back facing him. You were just barely covered by your robes with nothing underneath as a result of your transformation. As you scrambled to get decent your face heated even more as you saw Remus was currently without a shirt, his pants ripped considerably. You scrambled away from each other, trying to make yourselves decent.

Peter was howling with laughter, James looking smug as ever. Sirius was oddly quiet, but you were too wrapped up in the embarrassment to notice his behavior.

“What was that about being 'endlessly thoughtful'?” you grumbled to Remus.

“Right, I completely take back what I said,” he scoffed, “ 'insufferable jerk' is much more accurate.”

“Close your eyes, you perverted git!” you yelled at James, who was blatantly staring at you, “toss me my clothes at least, would you?”

James bit back a smirk as he grabbed your bag that was sitting in the corner of the room— clothes you had brought with the intention of changing into after returning to your human form when Lupin fell asleep. He tossed it over to you and you began to change under your robes. As his back was turned to you his mind began to wander. You'd always been attractive, sure, but since you'd always been his rival he hadn't really given you a second thought, especially when he'd been trying to get Lily's attention for ages. But just now, thinking about how downright adorable you looked when you'd yelled at him, something in him shifted. He shook it off quickly, turning to Lupin with a grin he'd managed to put on concernedly fast.

“You cheeky bastard,” he said to Remus, who was furiously changing into a new shirt, “you just wanted her alone, didn't you? Do you really need us to become animagi after all?”

“You're the worst, Potter,” the werewolf glared at him.

“Don't listen to him, Remus,” you grumbled, straightening out your tie as you slipped it on over your shirt, “he's an even bigger idiot than he looks.”

“Are you implying I look stupid?”

“Implying may not be a strong enough word.”

__________________________________________________________

It had taken months of brewing the potion and getting all the necessary preparations in order, but they were finally ready. Remus sat with you in the grass, wand at the ready to undo any untoward transfiguration that happened on accident. Peter, Sirius, and James stood across from you, standing at the edge of a stone ledge about five feet off the ground. You'd said that a leap of faith is what would best trigger their first transformation. They looked nervous, but they were prepared as they'd ever be. Over the last year you had grown considerably closer to the four boys you had miraculously come to know as friends.

“Remember, focus on your emotions,” you said, “you need to pick a strong one, let it fill your body and flow through you. If you block the magic off from any part of your body, it's not going to be pretty.”

“Right, but how do I—”

“James, I swear, I'm really rooting for you to be a mute animal.”

“But how do you choose-”

“Just do it already!”

“Oh, sod it,” James squeezed his eyes shut, not giving himself time to second guess before jumping off the ledge. For a moment he was certain he was about to land face first in the dirt, but then it happened— a moment where time seemed to freeze and his body felt completely weightless. He felt this sensation where his arms and legs vibrated with an intense, foreign energy. Images flashed through his mind in that brief moment in the air; Sirius manically laughing as they ran away from Filch, Remus snapping off a piece of chocolate to offer him after he'd lost Gryffindor a Quidditch match, and, unexpectedly, you. A feeling of warmth spread through his chest, and he grasped onto it, letting it flow through his body like you said. In an instant he felt torso shift, his shoulders narrow, his neck elongate; and when he landed on the ground he still landed face-first as he predicted, but in a completely different form.

He could see you and Lupin in front of him, mouths agape. He was about to say something when he found his vocal chords only allowed him a gruff whine. Shocked, he lifted his head, which felt much heavier than he'd last recalled, and as he looked down at himself he was taken aback to be met with a pair of hooves right beneath him. He staggered to his feet on wobbly legs, of which he now had four. As he tilted his head he could see the shadow of a pair of antlers twisting into brilliant shadows on the grass.

“Potter, you did it!” you exclaimed, “you actually did it!”

“Well how about that,” Remus chuckled, “a stag.”

“It fits him, I think,” you grinned, looking over at Sirius and Peter who looked determined and terrified respectively. “Well go on, it's your turn now!”

Sirius braced himself for the jump, but somehow he found no fear in his system. After seeing James shift in the air right before his eyes, he knew he could do it. He looked over at Peter who was nearly shaking.

“Come on, Peter,” he said, “we'll go together.”

“I-I don't know about this, Sirius,” Peter said, “I'm not ready, I don't think I can do this.”

“It's just a little jump,” Sirius said encouragingly, “you can do this.”

After a few nerve wracking deep breaths Peter gave him the smallest nod one could manage.

“We'll go on three,” Sirius said, “Ready? One—”

“AaHH!”

Sirius shoved Peter off the ledge, knowing he wouldn't jump on his own, before taking the plunge himself. Peter's screams became higher and higher pitched as he shrank at an alarming speed, almost an undetectable size by the time he hit the grass. A small brown rat scurried across the field towards you and Lupin.

The stag in front of you made a sound, dragging his hooves across the grass in what you could imagine as James' unadulterated laughter at his friend.

Sirius began to morph almost as soon as he left the ground, something you were surprised by. He landed on his hind legs, landing gracefully as his front two followed, and a shaggy black dog looked back at you with mischief in its eyes.

You couldn't help but go over and pet him. You laughed as he nudged you with his nose, a resistance that was quickly halted as soon as you started scratching him behind the ears.

“I have to say, I didn't think you would actually manage that on your first try,” you said, secretly prouder than they could have known, “but if anyone could have done it, it's you three stubborn goons.”

James huffed as he saw you continue to pet Sirius, using his antlers to prod the dog out of the way. Sirius barked, lunging at him playfully. It was quite a scene to see the two interact.

“Honestly, this is a pretty solid group,” you said, “you've got James who blends perfectly with the surrounding wildlife so he wouldn't be suspicions, Sirius who could probably do a fair bit of damage as a dog if he needed, and Peter who can fit through small spaces and snoop around the castle virtually undetected.”

“Quite an odd pack,” Remus chuckled.

“Definitely,” you agreed, “but a pack nonetheless.”

And that very week, Remus Lupin was able to spend his first night as a werewolf with his four friends by his side.

__________________________________________________________

“So, how did we choose which animals we turn into?” James had asked you the next day at breakfast, “I specifically tried for a dragon.”

“You don't get to choose,” you rolled your eyes, “You're a stag, that's the end of it. It's pretty much up to chance.”

“I'm sorry, you're telling me I could have turned into a fish and died right there on the ground?!”

“If only,” you sighed dreamily, earning you a playful shove from James. “Alright, it's not completely random, but you're definitely in the unknown the first time you turn,” you went on to explain, “and once you turn for the first time, that's it. That's your animal. A wizard takes on the animagus form of whatever animal most closely resembles their personality. So, a horny bastard for James, a loyal little puppy for Sirius—”

“A bitch for you,” Sirius quipped.

“Never heard that one before,” you scoffed, purposefully messing up his hair.

“Hey, watch it!” he shoved you off him, twisting each of his curls back into form.

“Well, look who's a high maintenance pup,” you chuckled.

Around the same time that year, you finally completed the map. It came together beautifully, each different way of folding the paper revealing a different level of the castle for easy navigation. You'd included the surrounding forests as well as the parts of Hogsmeade that applied for the secret passageways, all of which were marked with symbols and the unique names you'd all come up with. Every student and staff member at Hogwarts had a tiny scroll with their name that appeared in their location. Remus had added the nice detail of including footprints at the last second, so you could see which way they were facing and walking as well. It was fireproof, rip proof, and prone to insulting anyone else who tried to read it. It was the pinnacle of your magical (and slightly illegal) achievement.

“We should write our names on it,” James said, looking down proudly at the finished map, “it belongs to us, after all. We don't want anyone else taking the credit.”

“Yeah, fantastic way to get caught,” Sirius rolled his eyes, “what if Filch comes across it? That's like leaving your signature at a murder scene.”

“You should use code names, then,” you suggested, “I know you guys call Remus 'Moony' as a joke, but I kind of like it.”

The scarred boy blushed lightly at the compliment, a brow raised to his other three friends.

“Alright then, I guess you should all say hi to Rudolph over here,” Sirius said, jutting his thumb in James' direction. The bespectacled boy narrowed his eyes before shooting back.

“Right! And this is my good friend, Snuffles.”

Sirius lunged at him and James swatted him away in laughter.

“Come on, you two,” Remus said, “or we won't put anything down for you at all.”

“I've got an idea for Peter,” you piped in, “When my mom used to garden she said she didn't mind having rats there because their tails resembled worms, which were an old a sign of healthy soil, I know it's odd, but I think Wormtail sounds pretty cool.”

Peter seemed to perk up at your acknowledgment and nodded. It suited him somehow.

“Should we pick animal features too, then?” James mused, “I guess Antlers doesn't really sound that cool. What's another word? Horns? Give me some analogies, guys. What else do they look like?”

“Yours honestly kind of look like a couple of bent forks,” you snickered.

“Prongs?” Sirius snorted, the laughter that followed nearly splitting his sides.

“Oh, go on, what have you got then?” James scoffed.

“I was thinking Padfoot,” Sirius said, “like a dog's paw prints.”

“You know, for someone who was just making fun of code names a second ago you sure have given a lot of thought to yours,” you teased.

“Shove it,” he smirked, “What about you? Can't very well have a second Moony.”

You stared at him in momentary disbelief.

“Me?”

“Well, yeah,” Sirius chuckled.

“We couldn't have done any of this without you,” Remus reminded you with a smile.

“I think you've more than earned an honorary title as one of us,” James said.

“That is, if you want to,” Peter said timidly.

You looked at the four of them, genuinely touched.

“I. . . I don't know what to say,” you smiled.

“You could say 'yes',” James piped up.

“Alright, you loons,” you laughed, “if you leave Severus alone for good, then yes.”

“Hey, I think we've been pretty good about that lately,” James pouted.

“Yes you have,” you admitted, “It's the only reason I bothered to give you the time of day, but this time it's a promise.”

James rolled his eyes, but the smile on his face was undeniable. He'd never admit it out loud, but being friends with you was more fun than messing with Snape ever was.

“Alright, fine. (Y/n) (L/n), I solemnly swear that I will leave tormenting our dear old friend Snivelus behind us forever,” he said dramatically, putting a hand up at his pledge.

“Oh, bother,” you laughed, “the only thing you'll 'solemnly swear' to is that you're up to no good.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

“Then that's settled,” Remus smiled, “you'll need a code name too.”

“Let's see,” Sirius hummed in thought, “What other defining features do wolves have besides. . . well, their. . . fangs?”

“They're canines, you numbnut,” you huffed.

“Close enough, I'm writing Fangs.”

“Oi, I didn't agree to that!”

“Too bad, I'm already writing it~”

“Okay, well if that's the stupid name I'm getting saddled with them I'm going to write it myself,” you said stubbornly. You actually didn't mind the name at all.

“Well that's it, then,” James said, “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Fangs. We could join the bloody circus.”

“All we need is a group name,” you said, half joking.

“We've already got one,” James said proudly.

“Oh? Let's hear it, then.”

“The Marauders.”

“. . .”

You kept your face straight for exactly three seconds before you burst out laughing. The four boys flushed with embarrassment.

“The Marauders?” you chortled, “what are you, pirates?”

“It's what McGonnagall called us the first time we got ourselves into proper trouble,” James defended himself, his cheeks reddening, “You rowdy mob of marauders, she'd said.”

“Huh,” you chuckled, coming down from your laughing fit, “Well, then I suppose that would make this The Marauders Map. I'll admit, it actually kinda has a ring to it.”

And despite your group's joking quips and bickering, they couldn't agree more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wait,” Harry said, eyes wide at your story, “So, my dad was an animagus too?”

“Sure was,” you smiled warmly.

“This whole time I thought 'Prongs' was just because his patronus was a stag.”

“Your animagus form is usually the same animal as your patronus,” you explained, “In some very rare cases they can be different, but they work in the same emotionally driven vein of magical ability, so it would make sense that they'd be linked. Your father was extraordinary at both, because as much as he would deny it, he felt everything very deeply.”

Your eyes drifted to the wall opposite you in the living room, and a small but sad smile graced your features.

“Love is often the most powerful emotion a witch or wizard can draw from,” you said softly, “but you already know that.”

Harry followed your gaze over his shoulder. There, posted on the wall among a collage of photographs from the Order was a picture of his mother and father. It was one he'd seen a hundred times, and one he had his own copy of: them in each others' arms in a London park, autumn leaves swirling around them as they danced without any music. Even from this distance he could see the emotion in their eyes as they looked at one another— like they were the only two people in the world.

“Yeah,” Harry said, wiping a stray tear from his eyes, “I do.”

Read chapter 7 here!

Taglist:  @sleep-i-ness, @blackpinkdolan, @parker-natasha, @ornella0910 @undertaker1827 @thatwierdo-koemi @nxstalgicnxbxdy @calaryssia @aleksanderwh0r3 @juggysgirlfriend @beautifulsweetschaos @kattirin @mialupin1

[ayu-shiridara]

Fall pt.5 (George Weasley X Reader)

Another terrible thing to read.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

After your marriage, you and George stayed at the Burrow with Molly, since Ginny and Harry are living somewhere as well as Ron and Hermione you two decided to live with Molly for the meantime. After Fred's death, everything changed. George's mood is not always good. You can hear his sobs in the middle of the night. You don't know what to do.

"Am I not good enough to cheer him up?" You asked Molly while crying in her arms in the lounge.

"It's not like that dear, he's still grieving to his twin's death, " Molly said comforting you.

She wiped your tears and kissed your forehead.

"Let's make something that can make both of you feel better, " Molly said.

You nodded and both of you headed to the kitchen. She cooked your favourite food and gave you some tea.

"Eat and we will visit Fred's and Levi's graveyard after this, " Mrs Weasley said.

After lunch, you decided to go upstairs and

"Georgie?" You said and walked to him.

"(Y/N), " George said and he extended his arms asking for a hug.

"We're going to visit Fred and Levi, are you coming with us?" You asked in your softest tone.

"Sure, I'm just going to get ready, wait for me, " he said and released you from the hug.

You nodded and head downstairs to help Molly arrange the flowers you're going to bring on Fred and Levi's graveyard. After a minute Arthur arrives from work. All of you left the Burrow and walk to the graveyard. You holding the flowers while George's arms wrapped around your waist walking silently. When you arrive at their graveyard, Molly cleaned the gravestone and George placed the flowers on it.

"Freddie we missed you, both you and Levi missed a lot of things. I'm going to re-open the shop next week. A lot of customers want to explore the shop again. Isn't it great? I just wished you're still here with us, " George said.

He stands up and you buried your face in his chest while hugging him. After an hour you all went back to the Burrow.

--

The following week you and George went back to the shop. You helped him with restoring some stuff.

"Come on Georgie let's go and grab some lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, " you said.

He became more silent after Fred's death. He barely speaks or laughs. Both you and George walk to the Leaky Cauldron and order some food. While both you and George are having your lunch someone cleared her throat from the back. You and George turn around to look who is it.

"George!" The girl exclaimed.

"Angelina?" George asked.

"Yes, you still remember me, " Angelina exclaimed and hugged George.

You cleared your throat making them broke the hug.

"Who is she?" Angelina asked.

"I'm (Y/N) Weasley, George's wife, " you said proudly.

Her actions are different, you can sense that she wants George for herself.

"Oh, you're Harry's friend, (Y/N)(L/N)?" She said.

"Not only Harry's friend but also my wife, " George said and grabbed your waist.

Since both of you are done eating, George pays for the bills and both of you immediately exited the Leaky Cauldron leaving Angelina. You went back to the shop and both you and George finished doing your business. It's dinner and you're sitting on the dining table while waiting for your husband to finish the meal.

"I was surprised to see Angelina, I haven't heard anything about her since we dropped out of Hogwarts, " George said.

You didn't say a word because you hate hearing Angelina's name. It's obvious that she liked your husband.

"We're going to reopen the shop tomorrow right?" You asked, changing the topic.

"Yeah, I'm excited to meet new customers again. And a bit sad because it's only you and me, just missing Freddie, " George said and sighed.

"Everything is going to be fine, I missed him too Georgie, " you said and hold George's hand.

"Love, can you promise me one thing?" George said.

"Anything, " you replied.

"Please don't leave me like everyone I love did, " He said.

You smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Never, " you said.

The following day you reopened the shop. A lot of customers excitedly purchased George's products. It was a successful reopening. The day went well not until a woman entered the shop wearing seductive clothes.

"Georgie, can you tell me how this works?" She said in her flirty tone of voice.

"I can tell you how, " You said and frowned at her.

"Can't a customer request who's going to assist her?" Angelina asked.

You sighed and just watched how an old schoolmate flirts with our husband which is too annoying.

--

Days passed and Angelina always visits the shop. Which annoyed you the most. One night you're sitting on the armchair reading a book waiting for him to arrive. He came home drunk.

"Where have you been?" You asked worriedly.

He didn't say a word and pressed his lips on yours harshly. His hands toured around your body.

"Love, I want you tonight, " he whispered to your ear.

"George you're drunk, " you said.

But that didn't stop him. You did it both of you had a long night.

--

After that night George becomes more affectionate to you. You felt more relieved that he won't cheat on you. He will never look at other girls. Today Ron volunteered to help George at the shop because you're going to visit Molly to the Burrow.

"I'll be leaving, I will come back tonight, " You said.

"Be safe love, " George said and before you leave he kissed you.

When you arrive at the Burrow, Molly welcomed you with a hug as well as Arthur.

"(Y/N) dear, how are you?" Molly said.

"We're doing great, we reopened the shop and it was successful, " you said.

"That's good to hear, " Arthur said.

You're in the middle of the conversation but suddenly you felt weird. You felt like throwing up. You ran to the sink and threw up.

"(Y/N) are you okay?" Arthur asked.

You nodded and wiped your mouth. Molly handed you a glass of water.

"Let's bring her to St. Mungos, " Molly said.

"I'm fine, " you said.

"No dear, I have a feeling that nevermind, come on, " Molly said bringing you to St. Mungo.

The healer checked you and you waited for hours for the results to come.

"Congratulations Mrs Weasley, " the healer said.

"Why are you congratulating me?" You asked confusedly.

"You're having a baby, " The healer said and left.

You don't know what to say. You and George are having a baby. Finally having a proper family. The best news you ever heard. You can't wait for the day to end and tell George everything. It's like a dream come true.

"We're happy for you, " Molly said.

--

The day went stressing for George. You're not around so he can't control his emotions. He went outside, it's hot outside he felt dehydrated when an Angelina showed up giving him a bottle of water.

"Thanks, " George said and drank it.

Not knowing that Angelina put an Amortentia in it. The day ended and Ron bid a goodbye. George was waiting for you in the shop when a Lady entered.

"Sorry ma'am but the store is closed already you can come back tomorrow, " George said.

But the woman didn't listen.

"Georgie, " Angelina said flirtily.

Then pressed his lip onto George's. George who was under a love potion doesn't understand, he thinks that the woman who's snogging him was you.

--

"I transfigured this letter to a ring, I'm sure George will figure out what's in this ring. I'm excited to tell him about our unborn child, " you said happily.

You put your wedding ring to a chain and wear it as a necklace and place the transfigured ring to your ring finger. Arthur sent you back to the flat and before you leave the burrow you gave Molly a hug.

"I can't wait to meet my grandchild, " she said.

When you arrive at the flat you thanked Arthur before he went back to the burrow.

"Thank you, Dad, " you said.

"Say hi to George for me, " Arthur said.

You smiled at him. You notice that the lights in the shop are still on.

"Perhaps George is still waiting for me," you said to your self.

You opened the shop and called for George but no one answered. You notice a familiar figure of two people on the counter. You walked nearer to the counter. You burst into tears. You can't believe it. George was snogging Angelina.

"How could you?" You cried.

They broke the kiss and looked at you. Your heart shattered into pieces. It feels like thousands of knives are stabbing your heart. You remove the fake ring and throw it to the floor and walk away from the shop. You ran as far as you could. You don't want to see their faces anymore. Your feet dragged you to Levi and Fred's graveyard. You cried you screamed.

"Why? Why do I have to suffer like this, " you screamed

You wish Levi was here. You wish Fred was here. Or you wish you died with them.

You knelt down and hugged yourself.

"I wish they're still alive too," a familiar voice said.

You stopped crying and you turned around and saw Draco.

"Why are you crying? Are you okay?" He said.

Once again you burst into tears and Draco hugged you.

"Go on, cry, cry until you feel better. This is what Levi used to do when I don't feel good, " he said and rubbed your back.

After an hour you finally stopped crying.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

You nodded. You don't know that Draco is nice. It shocked you but you're thankful that he is here to comfort you.

"I always visit these two every night. I love to talk to them. About what happened to me the whole day, " he said.

You didn't say a word and you rested your head to his shoulder. You're tired and don't know where to go. You don't want to see George or Angelina. You don't want to go home.

"Come on it's getting cold, I know a cosy place to stay for the night, you can tell me what happens when you're ready, trust me," Draco said.

Draco leads you a familiar forest. He opened a small cabin with a trapdoor only.

"Alohamora, " Draco said and the trap door opened.

The trapdoor revealed stairs. You walk down and Draco followed you. He's telling the truth this place is cosy. You looked around and saw a lot of pictures.

"This is Levi's home, before the battle of Hogwarts she brought me here and told me that I'm always welcome here, " Draco said.

It's unusual that Draco us being talkative and soft. But at least he made you feel better.

--

George stood there confused. Angelina soon left the shop. He picked up that ring and placed it inside his pocket. The next morning Ron visited the shop.

"Where's (Y/N)?" Ron asked.

"She cried and ran away yesterday, " George said.

"What happened? You didn't run after her?" Ron asked.

George didn't reply.

"What is wrong with you?" Ron asked.

George didn't answer. Ron just sighed.

"I have to go now, I'm going to visit mum," Ron said and exited the shop.

--

Months passed and Angelina is still flirting with George. George who has no idea was still trying to recall and think why you cried and ran. Your friendship with Draco is growing. He helped you a lot. He helped you and your unborn children. You just found out that you're carrying twins. You and Malfoy became the best of friends. But still, you can't change the fact that you want to see George. You want to feel his touch. You longed for everything about him. One day when you were cleaning Levi's home you notice a picture of you, her, George, Fred and Lee. The photo of the Yule Ball. You missed them so much. Then an owl arrives with a letter on its beak. It's a letter from your parents asking you to go to North America to spend time with them.

"Draco do you think I should go to North America?" You asked.

"Why not? Maybe your parents will help you clear your thoughts. Have time for yourself, " Draco said.

"Yeah, " you said.

Before you left you sent a letter to Molly. Draco promised that he will follow you to America on the day of your labour because you made him your children's godfather.

--

Today Molly told Ron and Ginny that you already went to America. So Ron and Ginny went to the shop to see if George went to America with you. The shop was closed but they still entered and went to the flat. When they opened the door he was shocked by what they saw. George was with Angelina cuddling on the couch.

"George? What is she doing here?" Ron asked furiously

"She's my girlfriend, " George said.

"Girlfriend? You have a wife! You're cheating on your wife!" Ginny said.

"I have what?" George asked.

"You better get out of here, " Ginny said angrily to Angelina.

"Do you think Fred will be happy if he sees you cheating with your wife," Ron said.

"Wait I don't understand, " George said.

"We better take you to mum, " Ginny said and glared at Angelina.

Angelina soon left and Ron, Ginny and George went to the Burrow.

"What brings you here? I thought you're with (Y/N)," Molly asked.

"(Y/N) ran away a few months ago, " George said.

"Is that the reason why (Y/N) is not visiting us, " Molly asked.

"She wouldn't run away if you don't cheat at her, " Ron said.

"If Fred was still here I'm sure he'd be disappointed, " Ginny said.

Molly stood silently went to the kitchen and made something. When she went back she made George drink what she made. After George take it he finally comes back into his senses.

"What happened?" George asked.

"You can't blame him, he's under love potion, " Molly said.

"You mean Angelina gave him love potion?" Ginny asked.

"The same thing happened to me when I was in Year 6?" Ron asked.

"Where's (Y/N)? Where's my wife?" George asked

Molly, Ron and Ginny stood silent. Molly handed him your letter.

Mrs Weasley

I'm happy to be part of your family but now is my time to leave. I'm going to America to live with my parents. Don't worry I'm doing fine. I guess we will see you after years. I always love your son. And our secret let's wait for him to find out.

-(Y/N)(L/N)

"She's gone?" George asked.

"Yo-you cheated on her, " Ron said.

Tears stream down on George's face. He lost his love one again. Without you, his world was nothing. You promised him that you will never leave but he can't blame you.

--

The following day Angelina visited the shop again. She walked to George and attempted to hug him but George pushed her away. He was furious.

"You ruined everything, I don't love you, I only love (Y/N), leave, I don't want to see your face again!" George yelled at her.

Angelina looked frightened it was the first time she saw George like that so she immediately left the shop. George pulled the ring you throw when you ran away. He kissed it and he cried.

"I'm so sorry (Y/N), I love you too, always, " George said.

[marauders-unite]

Study partners

Requested by night-sky-full-of-stars

Request: Hi! Could you please write a Remus x Reader imagine where she’s an adorable textbook hufflepuff who loves reading and Remus is super infactuated but is too scared to do anything because of self-doubt, so it takes James and Sirius interfering, and Remus and Reader are paired for a class assignment? Thanks!      

Pairing: Remus Lupin x hufflepuff!reader

Warnings: Fluff

Words: 1038

A/N: I love this, i just generally love remus, such an honest ang good at heart character. Also I myself is not a hufflepuff so it´s not my strongest ability to write about. Hope it´s not too bad.

Masterlist | Ask box

Remus walked into transfiguration with his friends and spotted her. Sitting at on of the desks reading a book. She looked so pretty where she sat. He glanced a little too long and James and Sirius took notice. James grabbed his arm stopping him from sitting down in his usual seat at the back. “Mooney she is sitting alone, the seat next to her I empty. Go for it.” He said nonchalantly “I can´t just sit down with her, I`ve barley ever talked to her.” Remus said, feeling his heart starting to beat faster. Sirius came on the other side of him grabbing his other arm. “She´s a hufflepuff. Do you really think if you sit down she´ll ask you to leave? You´ve been moaning over her for months now, do something.” He said. “It makes us miserable to watch you pine over her from a distance.” James added. Before he could protest he was being dragged forwards and then given a little push so that he bumped into the desk you were sitting at.

You felt your desk move and looked up to see Remus standing next to the available seat. “Hi” you said with a smile when he didn´t say anything. “uhm is, is this seat taken?” he said sheepishly and switched between looking down at his feet and up at you. He seemed nervous. “No, sit down.” You told him still smiling, trying to make him feel comfortable. It seemed to help.  “Thank you. What are you reading?”

You´d always thought Remus was cute though hadn´t given it to much thought, given that he was a Gryffindor who can sometimes be a little full of themselves. Prime examples of this is his friends Sirius and James. But not Remus, Remus was kind and patient. You spent the class talking when you had the chance, while still doing the required work. At the end you get paired up for an assignment seeing as you were sitting together. “So do you want to meet up at the library tonight? Do the assignment?” he asked as everyone started to pack their things. “Yeah how about after dinner? I´ll meet you there?” you answered. He started smiling “yeah, yeah. Looking forward to it.” Before you could say anything else your hufflepuff friends came up to you and when you looked back where Remus had been standing he was gone. You had really enjoyed talking to him and felt excited to get him more. He was something else, something good.

A few months had passed and you and Remus was nearly inseparable. You often studied together in the library or sat reading under the trees on the grounds. Yet nothing had happened, your bond had been strictly platonic thus far to everyones frustration. You´d figured out about Remus furry little problem as you´ve overheard James call it. Though you hadn´t asked him about it. As he tried so hard to keep it secret you wanted him to tell you himself when he felt ready. “Come on Mooney, its nearly been 3 month of you guys spending all day every day together yet you still haven´t made a move?” James said exasperated at he laid on his bed in their shared dormitories watching Remus getting ready to leave to yet another study session with y/n. “James is not that easy” “It is that easy!” James interrupted Remus. “No it´s not.” Remus said sternly. “Being with me is not safe, it´s not easy. To be something more with y/n would mean dragging her down with me and my problems.” He sat down looking defeated. The other boys shared a sympathetic look then Sirius made his way over to Remus putting a hand on his back and meeting his eyes. “Remus, y/n is wonderful, she is kind and accepting. She will accept you no matter what, I know it.” Remus looked up at Sirius in surprise. He never saw Sirius being this serious. “Do you really think so?” he said with a low voice. “I know it, you to belong together, its disgusting to watch you guys but I can live with that as long as you´re happy.” He finished. That’s more like the Sirius you know.

You were now sitting in the library as Remus came and sat down next to you. You gave him a broad smile. “There you are, what took you so long?” he started to open his book and returned your smile. “Sorry the boys kept me a little.” Then you started your work together. As you sat there writing you kept catching Remus looking at you more than usual. After an hour of this you turned to him looking him in the eyes. “What is it about you today? you keep looking at me. Is there something on my face?” you said with a small laugh. He then looked a little more serious and took your hand in his turning to you. This was a little odd and you felt a small lump of worry in your stomach starting to form. “y/n there is something I need to tell you. You can´t say this to anyone but there something I need you to know before asking you something.” He said with a shaky breath. He then used the muffliato spell on the people sitting within possible earshot. You remained silent holding his hands in yours. “I´m a werewolf.” He said then looking down not meeting your gaze. You let go of one of his hand and brought it to his chin lifting it up making his eyes meet yours again. “I know Remus, and I don´t care. You´re still you” He looked at you in shock, how did she know? Seeing the questioned forming on his face “You disappear a day or two every full moon and I overheard James talking to you about it.” Remus unable to say anything do to the shock of you not caring, you kissed him. It took a second then he kissed you back. After a few seconds he pulled away and you both rested your foreheads against one another looking at each other. “I´m so lucky to have met you” he said then kissed you again.

[adenei]

Gryffindor Bonding Tales

Percy Weasley comes up with a 'genius' idea to help the new Gryffindors get to know each other. What starts as an awkward meeting turns into a yearly occurrence, transition from ice breakers to typical teenage party games at the start of each year. 

...because the world needs more of Harry and the gang bonding as a whole group. Plus, I couldn’t resist throwing in some Romione revelations starting in the second chapter. First chapter is below. Read the rest (as I write and update) on FFN or AO3

“First years, this way!” Harry could hear Percy Weasley, the Gryffindor prefect call as everyone was disbanding from the welcome feast. He, Ron and the rest of the first year Gryffindors followed obediently up all the moving staircases. Harry was frantically trying to remember which way they were going and everything Percy was telling them. It was no use because he was thoroughly lost without a guide by the time they got to the staircase.

“Alright, alright, first years listen up, please!” Percy addressed them all again once they all stopped. “Behind this portrait is Gryffindor Tower. You’ll need the password to enter, and our first password is Caput Draconis.” The Fat Lady swung the portrait hole open to let them enter. All of the first years were taking in the sight of the large common room as Percy continued talking. 

“The boy’s dormitory is up the staircase to the left, and the girl’s dormitory is up the staircase across the room over there. You’ll be off to bed now, but tomorrow after dinner we’re going to meet once more for a ‘getting to know you’ activity. We’ll meet down here tomorrow at seven. Now, off to bed!” Percy said a little too harshly.

“All that power’s going to his head,” Harry heard Ron mutter as they climbed the staircase and entered the first year dorm.

“What activity do you think he’s going to make us do? We used to have to do these things called ‘ice breakers’ in primary school. They were awful.” Harry said.

“Not sure,” responded Ron. “None of my brothers have ever mentioned having to do something like that. Must be one of Percy’s ideas to make sure he stands out as prefect.” Ron rolled his eyes.

“Guess we’ll find out in the morning then,” Harry said as he lay down on his bed.

The following evening, Harry and Ron gathered in the common room with the rest of the first years as Percy entered the room swiftly and joined them.  “Good evening! I’ve blocked off this spot over here for the evening,” Percy said as Harry and Ron gave each other a look. He may have been new here, but Harry was pretty sure you didn’t reserve space in the common room. 

“Let’s all sit in a circle now,” Percy continued as they all sat down. “In order for you all to get to know each other a bit quicker, we’re going to go around the circle and answer the questions that I ask.” All the first years stared at him as if they were being subjected to torture.

“Er, Perce,” Ron interrupted, “Can’t we just do that on our own? Pretty sure we’re all capable of making friends.”

“Yes, Ron, I’m sure you are, but this way no one will be left out if we all do this together,” Percy huffed at Ron’s questioning of the idea. Harry noticed the bushy haired girl, Hermione was it?, sitting triumphantly with a satisfied smile on her face. Was this her doing? If she was muggleborn too, then she’d have to know how ridiculous these sorts of games were. Not that Harry had any friends in primary school because of Dudley, but that’s not how people made friends anyways. It was awkward for everyone.

“Shall we get started, then? Great.” Percy didn’t wait for anyone’s response. “The first question is, ‘What is your favorite chocolate frog card and why?’” he said as he referenced his parchment. “Ron, why don’t you start.”

“Er, alright,” Ron said with another eye roll. “Montague Knightley, since he’s a wizard chess champion.” Ron noticed the obnoxious bushy-haired girl’s hand shoot up in the air as it had done countless times throughout their classes today.

“Yes, Hermione? Would you like to go next?” Percy asked her.

“No. Actually, I was going to suggest that we should probably state our names at least before we answer the first question just in case we don’t remember who each other is.”

“Sure, it’s not like we heard roll calls five times today to learn them,” Ron muttered to Harry who chuckled at that. Harry could easily tell the names of all his Gryffindor classmates, so he wasn’t sure why she was being so persistent about this.

“Now, now, I suppose she has a point. Ron will you re-do yours, but with an introduction?” Percy asked.

“You can’t be serious!” Ron said, but Percy’s look proved him wrong. “Fine. My name’s Ron and my favorite chocolate frog card is of Montague Knightley because he’s a wizard chess champion, and I enjoy playing wizard’s chess. Happy?”

“Yes, thank you. Now we’ll just go around the circle. Harry, why don’t you go next.” Percy said.

“Er, I’m Harry, and I only just got my first chocolate frog card yesterday. It was Professor Dumbledore’s, so I guess that’s my favorite?” Harry wasn’t quite sure how this question was fair to those who were new to the magical world, but he didn’t want to question Percy. 

“Very good, very good. Next?” Percy said.

“I’m Neville, and I don’t really collect chocolate frog cards. If I had to choose one I liked, it’d be Beaumont Marjoribanks since he was an Herbologist, and I quite like the subject.”

“I’m Seamus, and my favorite’s Archibald Alderton. He’s famous for blowing his hamlet, and a lot of my underage magic had to do with accidentally doing the same,” Seamus sniggered.

“I’m Dean, and I don’t know much about chocolate frog cards, but I collect Football trading cards. West Ham’s my favorite team, and I have an Ian Bishop card!” Dean said excitedly.

“Er, right then, thanks” Percy said, not really understanding anything that came out of Dean’s mouth.

“I’m Lavender and I like Cassandra Vablatsky’s card best. I just think the idea being a Seer is so fascinating!”

“No way! She’s my favorite, too! I can’t wait to take Divination when we’re third years. I’m Parvati, by the way.” The two girls started giggling and talking quietly about their shared interest.

The bushy haired girl gave them a look. “Well, I’m Hermione, and I’ve never seen a chocolate frog card, so I have no idea what anyone’s talking about. If you told me these were magic specific questions, I would have researched it first so I had an answer.” 

Harry thought he sensed a bit of hurt underneath her haughtiness, but she was just so rude that he didn’t care at that point. Even he and Dean were able to make some sort of connection and give an answer, after all.

Percy ignored Hermione’s response and pushed on to his next question. “What do you think your favorite class will be? Same order to keep things simple.”

“I would say Defense seems pretty cool, but Quirrell’s rather odd, so I’m not sure what my favorite would be yet.” Ron answered.

“Same,” agreed Harry.

“Herbology,” said Neville unsurprisingly.

“Potions,” said Seamus.

“Transfiguration,” answered Dean.

“Charms,” both Parvati and Lavender said at the same time, followed by a bunch of giggling.

“Charms as well,” said Hermione stuffily.

“Excellent! One more question, and then I’ll let you off for tonight since I’m sure you’ve already had assignments set, and I have prefect duty anyways. This next question doesn’t have anything to do with school or magic, but it does require partners,” Percy said as he scooched back out of the circle. “Since I’m not a part of it, Ron you can be with Hermione, Harry with Neville, Seamus with Dean, and Parvati with Lavender.”

“WHAT?! Percy that’s not fair and you know it. You just don’t want Harry to be my partner since we’re already friends. That’s bollocks!” If Hermione was hurt by his words, she didn’t show it.

“Stop being dramatic, Ronald,” Percy scolded him. “The question is: What is something you have in common with the person next to you? Two minutes to discuss, then we’ll share.”

If looks could kill, Ron’s scowl would have done Percy in right then and there. He begrudgingly turned to the bushy-haired know-it-all who was waiting expectantly. In order to get this done quickly, and not draw things out, Ron said, “We’re both in Gryffindor. Easy.”

“That’s too easy. There must be something else we have in common. It wouldn’t kill you to talk to me, you know,” Hermione said with a scathing look.

She is so annoying, Ron thought. Why would Percy pair me with her. Why couldn’t he have just given us the person we were sitting across from. Even Parvati or Lavender with their incessant giggling would be better than Hermione ‘I think I’m better than everyone’ Granger.

She broke his thoughts by asking, “Well, my favorite color’s blue, what’s yours?”

“Orange,” he said.

“Hmm, we don’t share any similarities with family either, since I’m an only child and you have several siblings. Do you live in a city or countryside?”

“Countryside.”

“Hmm, opposites again. Favorite ice cream flavor?” 

“Chocolate,” Ron said simply.

“Mint for me,” Hermione said sullenly. 

Before she could ask any other questions, Percy interrupted. “Alright, let’s see what you all came up with. Neville and Harry, why don’t you go first.”

“We both have July birthdays,” Neville said happily.

Percy nodded approvingly. “Seamus and Dean?”

“We’re both fans of sports, whether it’s football or quidditch! There’s lots of similarities between them,” Dean said eagerly as Seamus nodded.

“Well, Parvati and I haven’t found a thing we don’t have in common yet, starting with our interests in divination, and our favorite color is pink!” Lavender said next.

“Excellent! Ron or Hermione?” Percy asked.

Hermione chewed on her lip and didn’t speak, so Ron said dully, “We’re both in Gryffindor.”

Percy looked a bit surprised, “Surely you could have come up with something?”

“We tried, and didn’t come up with anything in two minutes. Can we move on now?” Ron avoided Hermione as he tried to get Percy to move past them.

“Fine, I need to get going anyway. I’m sure you’ll all become rather close during your time at Hogwarts. Might I suggest getting a headstart on your homework now so it doesn’t pile up on you,” Percy called one last piece of advice as he took off out the portrait hole.

Hermione gathered her things quickly and took off up the girl’s staircase. Ron turned to Harry, “Percy can really be the worst sometimes. Care for a game of wizard’s chess?” Harry nodded as both boys quickly forgot about the awkward meeting they’d just been through.

[uzuuzuking]

Do you have any good drarry fic refs? I’ve been trying to find a good multi chapter fic to read over the weekend

*cracks knuckles so hard my fingers break* i’m very glad you asked, my dear anon! i spent the last 2 hours scouring ao3 for my absolute favorite completed multi-chapter drarry fics that i’ve read so far (and have spent an additional 3 hours compiling these fics) and boy do i have a list! why i don’t just log into my ao3 regularly and bookmark fics as i read them is a mystery to me and i regret it but past me is an idiot i’m willing to forgive just this once. i’m also including some single chapter fics that are long enough to be considered multi-chapter that are just too good to keep off this list

in order from highest to lowest word count + brief summaries/reviews:

Away Childish Things by lettered  words: 153k, ch: 13, draco takes care of de-aged harry while he scrambles to get him back to his original age and discovers a lot about harry’s less than glamorous childhood (my heart was broken in the best way and immediately mended with just the word “darling”)

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl  words: 114k, ch: 4, transfiguration professor draco, accompanied by the most charming stanley, navigates relationships and finds peace (tbh i’m willing to read anything by saras_girl)

Written on the Heart by who_la_hoop  words: 113, ch: 20, harry is draco’s soulmate but draco isn’t harry’s and the angst hurts so good (seriously, i was actually on the ground at one point reading this)

Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SquadOfCats  words: 104k ch: 15, the newly awakened veela in draco desperately wants him to take care of harry… by uncontrollably throwing food at and on him (i died laughing multiple times reading this, it’s brilliant)

Hermione Granger’s Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by waspabi  words: 93k, ch: 8, 4 gryffindors, a ravenclaw, a slytherin, and the boy who grew up muggle until he turned 17, or: how a rag tag team of hogwarts dropouts teaches a muggle-raised boy to slay a dark lord in a matter of months, or: i love everything about this fic

Running on Air by eleventy7  words: 74k, ch: 17, post-war mystery with beautiful, poetic introspection (i wrote more about why i love this fic over on my art blog)

Dear Enemy by GingerTodgers  words: 69k, ch: 74, epistolary shenanigans and some of the best acronyms and epithets, and the biggest love for the quick-witted banter, the lovegood-potter-weasley family, and the dron measley bromance of the century

I could be wrong, I could be ready by harryromper  words: 57k, ch: 4, harry and draco end up working together to restore the potter house in godric’s hollow, aka cool and fascinating wizarding home magic!

When It Alteration Finds by momatu  words: 55k, ch: 9, post-war set in the channel islands where harry owns a bakery that writer draco finds himself returning to and they fall in love, but they don’t know it’s each other (the drama!!)

Golden Age by zeitgeistic (faire_weather)  words: 52k, ch: 12, both draco and harry are re-sorted into hufflepuff for their 8th year, fall in love, and do some cool hufflepuff magicks in the woods (it’s so much better than how i’m describing it, i swear)

It actually hurts by parkkate  words: 51k, ch: 9, beautiful, gorgeous characterization of harry and draco as they struggle to overcome the only thing that keeps them from being together -  their insecurities

This Summer by Saras_Girl  words: 39k, ch: 1, summery romcom set post-war where everyone is living their best lives and harry pines and pines and pines (i love this fic sm i wanna live my life like a summer romcom)

The Moon Looks Lovely Tonight by Omi_Ohmy  words: 35k, ch: 1, harry lives alone in grimmauld place until he isn’t; suddenly he has owls and housemates and sharing a bed with draco malfoy (the fic tag: Sharing a Bed. me: oh my god are they gonna share a bed???? them: shares a bed. me: !!!!!!!!!!)

Beneath Boundless Skies by blamebrampton  words: 28k, ch: 2, harry and draco fuck off to australia to finish their education - oh my god they were roommates

The Godric’s Hollow Wizarding Parents Association by AhaMarimbas  words: 26k, ch: 1, draco and scorpius are new to the neighborhood and gets assigned harry (and james and albus and lily) as their welcoming committee in a super fluffy read about love and the art of single-parenting

Better Than Your Dreams by elyssblair  words: 21k, ch: 4, wonderfully unique fantasy au that i adore with all my heart(mate)

The Owl Who Came for Christmas by dracogotgame  words: 17k, ch: 1, animagus draco repays his life debts to harry by bringing him thoughtful holiday gifts (catch me crying in the club over how cute this is every time)

Harry Potter Totally Sucks by dracogotgame  words: 12k, ch: 7, draco malfoy and dudley dursley get absolutely fucking smashed at the same bar and form an unlikely alliance over their mutual hatred for harry potter (and i laugh my ass off every time i read this)

[allosaurusfragilis]

Homework

My attempt at representation in the Potterverse. 

The Forbidden Forest was, as she knew, well out-of-bounds for 4th years.

It was actually out-of-bounds for all students – hence the title “Forbidden” – but here she was, wandering the perimeter of the forest while the rest of Hogwarts slept.

Given that the Triwizard Tournament was underway, she had worried that there might have been teachers out patrolling the frozen grounds, but she seemed to be the only one slinking through tonight's shadows. She had given Hagrid's hut a wide berth, not knowing if Professor Grubbly-Plank had gotten rid of the enormous groundskeeper's horrible skrewts, or if she was keeping them somewhere nearby in the event that he came back to teach.

It was because of the substitute instructor for Care of Magical Creatures that she was out here, now. It had been a few nights since it had snowed, but she could remember the brilliant white of the unicorn's coat against the piled drifts, and how the snow had seemed dull in comparison. Professor Grubbly-Plank had warned the boys to keep back when the unicorn had first appeared, then ushered the girls forward. She had ached to join them, to prove herself to her classmates, but the fierce look from Grubbly-Plank, paired with the knowing side-eyes from Terry Boot and Michael Corner had kept her rooted. She had watched the other girls fuss over the magnificent animal with a yearning that bordered on tidal in its immensity.

And that was why she was here, breaking half-a-dozen school rules. She wanted – needed – to prove it to the others, to herself, that she was who she knew she was.

The depth of the snow lessened as she pushed forward into the forest, but if anything, the roots and loose debris underfoot made her progress even more awkward. When she was far enough in for the trees to block the light, she pulled her wand from her robe and whispered “Lumos”.

It took a little longer than usual, perhaps because of her shaking hands, but a soft light bloomed at the tip of her wand, illuminating the twisted branches and knotgrass surrounding her. Her breath hung in the air, a pale cloud.

She shivered. “This was such a dumb idea.”

Winter wind sighed through the gnarled sycamores and ferns, the eerie keening reminding her of all the terrible stories she had heard about this place; giant spiders, tribes of feral centaurs, vampires. A cursed Ford Anglia, whatever that was. Given the black, ominous shadows cast by her wand, she was only too ready to believe all of them. She wanted to get this over with quickly, but to do that, she had to go deeper into the forest. “Such a dumb idea.”

The shadows deepened as she pushed forward, and the scuttling sounds she swore she could hear just outside the range of her wand-light kept her head swiveling like Professor Moody's eye. Panic threatened to tangle her legs, but the growing fear she felt was tempered by her all-encompassing desire to prove herself.

She stopped in a wide clearing, drawing in a deep breath. She tried not to consider what might happen if the unicorn didn't see what she felt. Her fellow students had teased her relentlessly, but she didn't think anyone actually saw her aside from Luna. Would it hurt her if she were wrong?

Luna had been the one to help her work out the charm, to make tonight's gamble even remotely possible. Luna had offered to come, too, but the very real chance of failure made that offer too dispiriting.

She gripped her wand tighter, and tried to shake the shivers from her arms. Now came the truly scary part. She couldn't work the lure charm while her wand was maintaining the light, which meant she was going to have to stand in the darkness of the deep forest until the unicorn found her. She took one more deep breath, then whispered “Nox”.

Her surroundings were instantly plunged into absolute darkness. There had been a half-moon that had guided her over the grounds of Hogwarts, but that light didn't pierce the Forbidden Forest's canopy. The urge to re-light her wand was almost overwhelming. Instead, she raised it over her head, and spoke as clearly as she could manage, “Inlecebra unicorn.”

Faint rings of violet light began to radiate from her wand, spreading out into the forest. It had taken nearly all of last night and the night before, but after hours of trying, she had finally managed to attract the attention of Mrs. Norris with the charm, having adapted it for cats. Hopefully, now that she had the hang of it, it would work faster for unicorns.

It did.

Not five minutes had passed when she heard the gentle clop of hooves through the trees. For a second, she worried she might have been drawing a centaur to her, but the steps were just too... graceful.

Pale light drifted through the tangle of trees to her side, coming from the same direction of the hoof beats. She gripped her wand, lowering it to her waist. The light grew, and within seconds the unicorn stepped into the clearing.

It was somehow even more lovely than before; blue-white light radiating from its pearlescent horn, reflecting across its immaculate coat. Golden hooves, a remnant from its younger days, gleamed in the horn's illumination. It tossed its head, and a silken curtain flowed down across its powerful neck. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart broke.

Her concentration obliterated, the lure charm ceased its draw on the unicorn. It halted, and flared its nostrils, but then took another step forward. Her eyes tightened, and she could feel the prickle of tears beginning. “I...” She let her wand hand fall. “You're beautiful.”

The unicorn whickered, and took another step. Before she realized it, she was inching forward as well. Its eyes were a perfect, crystal blue, and looking into them she wondered if this wasn't what the unicorn had felt under her Inlecebra charm. She lifted a shaking hand towards its muzzle.

“Elias, stop!”

She froze, and the unicorn flinched, shifting its weight backward. The voice that had called out was not hard to recognize. She had heard it with increasing frequency this year, with the Triwizard Tournament in full swing. Her heart sank, and she turned slowly to face the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Professor Dumbledore held his wand out to his side, the light streaming from it far brighter than the Lumos charm she had cast. He peered down at her over his half-moon spectacles, his expression unreadable. She tried to convince herself it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that he knew her name.

“How... how did you find me?”

Dumbledore frowned, but when he spoke his tone was gentle. “As headmaster, I have certain responsibilities. There have been... mishaps with the unicorns of this forest before. The possibility of one being lured into danger again was particularly concerning to me.”

She grimaced. He'd sensed the charm somehow and had come running, and now she'd never know, and it would be a million points from Ravenclaw, and her housemates would hate her – the freak – even more, and she'd never have any proof.

“Imagine my surprise when I come to find it's one of my students who has decided to put himself in harm's way.” He smiled kindly. “Surely Professor Grubbly-Plank informed you of the unicorn's preference to witches over wizards?”

She grimaced, and the tears that had threatened before spilled freely down her cheeks. “I am a witch,” she muttered, her face burning.

Dumbledore sighed and ran a long-fingered hand down the length of his beard. “Elias– ” he began.

“Did you know–” she said, surprised to find herself speaking over Dumbledore. “Did you know that the sorting hat talks to you? It talks to you, sometimes when it's sorting you?”

Dumbledore nodded.

“Not everyone,” she continued. “I asked, and it doesn't talk to everyone, but it talked to me.” She could hear the unicorn behind her, its hooves crunching ancient, fallen leaves. She had a sudden desire for it to ram its horn through her heart.

“What did it say to you?” Dumbledore asked.

She rubbed a hand across her cheek, wiping at frozen tears. Her eyes flashed up to meet the Headmaster's but then returned to the forest floor. “It told me... it told me I was clever enough for Ravenclaw...” The tears started again, and it was nearly half-a-minute before she could speak. “But then it said that girls like me often had to be brave, and that I was brave enough for Hufflepuff.” She looked up again at Dumbledore, locking eyes with him. “Girls. Like. Me!”

To her surprise, it was the Headmaster who looked away first. She wiped at her cheeks again, wishing she had thought to bring a handkerchief. “I mean, I always knew, but it felt like then – then I knew.”

Dumbledore's shoulders sagged. “Professor McGonagall told me she was worried you were trying to find a way into the girl's dorm, or restrooms...”

She snorted, and regretted it immediately. She wiped at her nose with the sleeve of her robes. “I tried to explain it to her. I was just hoping there was a way to maybe transfigure myself... I just want to look like I should.”

Dumbledore's smile seemed to turn brittle. “You've spoken to most of the professors, it seems. They've all come to me with concerns.”

“Did any of them say they believed me?” It was hard to keep the bitterness from her voice.

“You're a good student, well-liked by the staff.” He spread his hands. “There was worry about hexes, enchantments. Curses.”

She shook her head. “Or me trying to sneak into the girls' rooms.”

“You have to understand, Elias.” Dumbledore said. “None of them have had any experience with anything like this before. It's hard to find any other reason that makes sense to them.”

She closed her eyes. “Do you believe me?”

Dumbledore shifted his feet, and glanced up at the limb-strewn sky overhead. It was a moment before he answered. “I do.”

She felt a sudden thrill go through her. “You do?”

The tall wizard nodded. “I read the muggle papers. Your situation is rare among them, but not unheard of.”

The muggles? Was this a muggle thing? Maybe Luna was right, and she should have spoken about it with Hermione. But she wouldn't need Hermione now, or have to try to talk to the terrifying Snape about transforming potions, not when Dumbledore –Dumbledore– believed her! “Then- then you can help me?” she whispered. “You can tell everyone I'm not lying? That I'm not crazy?” Her heart soared. “You can help me change?”

The Headmaster's brittle smile shattered, and Dumbledore looked away from her again.

Cold started to steal its way back into her heart. “Professor?”

Dumbledore's response was quiet, and she could feel the heavy regret it held. “With all my heart, I wish I could. But I could not do so without involving your parents, or the school governors, or possibly the Ministry of Magic. The negative attention this would receive would prove catastrophic to an already perilous situation.”

She blinked, confused. “I don't understand.”

His mouth twisted, as if he had just found the earwax bean in his package of Bernie Bot's. “The timing... I've pushed things too far with the Ministry and the Board already, and my position as Headmaster is hanging by a thread, Elias. It would take little less than a breath in the wrong direction for them to remove me from Hogwarts and none of us can afford that at this point in time. Too much has been set in motion, too many sacrifices have been made already.”

She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. “But, you've hired werewolves, half-giants! There are people who say Professor Snape was a Death Eater! The Head of my own house is a half-goblin! You help muggles, you... you help everyone. And - and you don't care what people think!”

“I wish that were true, Elias. But right now I have to care.” The Headmaster looked as miserable as she had ever seen him. “I flatter myself, but I really do believe that my positioning at this time is vital to the defeat of Voldemort! If I were to be removed now it could spell the end of the Wizarding world.”

She stared out numbly into the cold night air. “Every day is the end of the world for somebody, Professor.”

Dumbledore's nod was barely perceptible.

She felt like screaming, but she could hear the unicorn shifting nervously behind her. Instead, her tone was plaintive, almost pleading. “If you believe me then why don't you help me? You're the most powerful wizard in the world!”

“Even my power has its limits. I have to work so carefully within the limits that have been set for me.” He paused, seeming to weigh something, then continued. “For all that I can do, not even I get to be who I want to be. Our world just isn't ready.”

She flung her arms up. “But isn't that your job? As a teacher? As a professor? As a grown-up? Aren't you supposed to make us ready for the world, and make the world ready for us?”

Dumbledore's eyes were all the answer she needed. “Please believe me. I'm trying.”

She wanted to say more, but she knew there was no use. What was the phrase she had learned in Bagshot's History book about Muggle-born wizards, during the war? “Politically inexpedient”? She nodded her understanding.

Dumbledore started to move towards her. “If you could just give us a year or two, until everything with Voldemort is settled...”

She made a sound that approached laughter but had nothing at all to do with joy. “I can't wait. I'm dying now.”

And with that she turned, holding her hand out to the unicorn. Dumbledore's eyes shot open wide and he raised his wand. “Elias, no!”

She had closed her eyes, expecting the nacreous, spiraling horn to slam through her chest, but instead, she felt warm breath against her cheek. The unicorn nuzzled her neck, pushing against her affectionately. She laughed, and cried, and laughed again. The bits of her broken heart melted, and reshaped themselves into something strange, something new.

“I'll come back to school tomorrow,” she said, without pulling away from the unicorn. “I'll pack up my things and you can have my wand. Maybe the muggles can help me.”

Dumbledore sounded stricken. “Elias, there are other options, if you could just–”

For the second time in one night, she cut her Headmaster off. “I'm staying here tonight.” She felt the unicorn's ear flick, and she put her arms around its neck. “Tonight I finally am who I am, and I can't– I won't go back to being anything else. I'm sorry you're too important to get to be who you want to be, but I guess that's the good thing about being nothing.”

She let go of the unicorn, and turned to face the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. She was surprised to find tears in his eyes. She was even more surprised to find she felt sorry for him. She walked around to the side of the unicorn, and it knelt gracefully in the snow, allowing her to slip onto its back. The unicorn stood, and she gave Dumbledore a smile, and for the first time in years, it felt honest. “When you're nothing, you've got nothing to lose.”

“Elias,” Dumbledore said. “You're not nothing.”

She ran a hand along the velvet smooth mane in front of her. “Please don't call me Elias.”

Dumbledore offered his own weak, apologetic smile. “Miss Clarke, then. I wish things could be different for you. For us.”

She nodded, and slipped her wand back into her robe. “Me, too.” When she looked back up, Dumbledore was gone. She wondered if she would see him again before she left in the morning.

She let out a long breath then, one she had been holding for fourteen years. The cloud of it drifted around the glowing horn, tiny motes of light dancing through its center. She patted the unicorn, a proof she had always wanted but suddenly realized she had never really needed. She gave smiling a try again, and decided it was something she liked.

“Show me this forest, please,” she said. “I want to see something forbidden.”

The unicorn turned and trundled through the trees, its light fading from the clearing until only perfect darkness remained.

[lumosinlove]

I have a request! So Basically it takes place when the marauders are in school, maybe around year 5 and Sirius is distancing himself from the others, even Lils cuz his boyfriend is kinda abusive and controlling and Remus finds out and asks for help from James and Pete or maybe lils.... idk I just like the concept and maybe Sirius and Remus get in a fight and “Why do you even care about me, Re?!” “Because I love you, Sirius!” And they do that cliche kiss. Thanks if you do!

So, I sort of strayed a bit from the prompt but I hope you enjoy anyway!!

Remus was sure the thought that he would gladly murder Alex Silenson without even a blink entered his head at least once a day. It didn’t matter where they were. Charms? He’d be careful not to get blood on the summoning cushions. The Great Hall? Well, he supposed some people losing their appetite was a risk he’d have to take. The dorms? He’d close Alex’s curtains and worry about the body later.

They were dark thoughts, but since Alex was the someone who got to kiss Sirius Black on a daily basis, Remus deemed them appropriate.

They had just entered Transfiguration, and McGonagall was poised primly at the front of the room, a fluffy bird in hand that made Remus feel almost positive they would each be taking home their very own fluffy feather dusters at the end of the day.

“Settle down, please, and take your seats. You’ll each find an owl has been provided for you. Please do not extract them from their cage until I say so.”

Remus felt a shoulder bump his and he looked over, finding Sirius’ bright, gray eyes, “Wha’do you reckon Minnie will do if I set our two free?”

Remus raised an eyebrow, “You know Pads, people are going to stop recognizing you soon, you’re in detention so often.”

Sirius just laughed, sliding his bag off his shoulder and slouching down onto the desk bench beside Remus. Remus set his bag down more carefully, rummaging for his notebook, when a shadow fell over them.

“Sirius, what are you doing?”

Remus froze, fingers tightening around the binding of his Transfiguration book, and kept himself well bent over his bag, heart sinking.

He felt the weight of Sirius’ pause in response to his boyfriend’s question, and felt the even heavier, forced laugh that followed.

“What do you mean, Al?”

Remus straightened up then, setting his quill and ink in front of him. He felt Alex’s gaze flicker to him and returned it only briefly, flashing what he hoped was a casual smile. His shoulders, tense and nervous, were anything but casual. Alex looked back to Sirius.

“I think you missed the perfectly free seat next to me.”

Sirius set his textbook on the desk, “I just thought I might, y’know, change it up a bit.” He sent Alex another grin, but it faltered under Alex’s gaze, “I—I mean, just for today—“

“Come on.” Alex picked up Sirius’ textbook, and proceeded to stalk towards the back of the room with it.

Remus, inexplicably to himself, suddenly felt a strange sort of panic. They both watched him go for a moment, and then Sirius looked back, the light gone from his eyes.

“Pads.” But Remus didn’t know what he wanted to say. What could he say? You don’t have to go. Please stay. He’s not good he’s not good he’s not.

“I’ll catch up with you tonight.” Sirius supplied a weak smile, shouldering his bag. He dropped his voice to a whisper, just for Remus, “Kitchens for cake?”

Remus nodded, almost minutely, afraid someone might see. And he hated that, hated feeling like he was disobeying some law for wanting to be with Sirius. Alex was just a boy, and a bad one at that.

You don’t have to sit with him.

But Sirius was already gone.

~

Remus was glad, at least, that Alex wasn’t in their year. He was in the seventh year dorms, an entire staircase away from their sixth year ones. That also meant that Sirius was also generally a staircase away too. As he was tonight. While Remus put slippers and a sweater on to venture down to the kitchens, he looked at Sirius’ empty, unmade bed. That was the part that had been the hardest to get used to in the beginning. Surprisingly not Alex’s presence all the time, disrupting the dynamic of their group, but the lack of Sirius’ presence. He was almost never around anymore. It had gotten to the point where class was their biggest social event. Remus put his sweater over his head angrily, but the bed was still empty when he came out the other side.

He opened the dorms door, trodding lightly down the stairs and into the common room.

“Hey,” James grinned up at him from the loveseat by the fire, head in Lily’s lap, “wanna bring me back a slice?”

Lily looked up from the book she was reading, “Oh, me too?”

Remus rolled his eyes, laughing, “Well sure, but I don’t know how late it’ll be.” He nodded at James, “How was Quidditch earlier?”

James flopped his Charms textbook open on his chest, “Quid got cancelled. Something about rogue plants from the greenhouse…” He trailed off, then shrugged, “Didn’t want to get involved.”

“Huh.” Remus was only half listening, already moving towards the portrait hole, mind on being alone with Sirius, “Well, two slices of cake. Got it.”

Remus loved the castle at night. It was quiet, and he could trail his fingertips along the walls and swing around corners. He could get a good look at all the portraits without the portraits looking back. It wasn’t a long walk, just down a lot of stairs, past the Hufflepuff common room. As he eased the wooden door open, he saw only a few house elves lingering about, flashing him smiles, but no Sirius.

He got nervous for a moment, glancing around at the huge fire places and polished tables, mind automatically racing through how long he should wait before accepting that maybe Sirius wasn’t coming—

“Moons! Over here.”

Remus turned, relief flooding his system, “Oh, there you—“

Sirius winced, but whether it was from the look on Remus’ face, or the black and blue on the high of his left cheek, Remus wasn’t sure.

“Fuck.” Remus maneuvered around the tables quickly to get to Sirius, stopping directly in front of him. He reached out, unable to help himself, then stopped, fingertips inches from Sirius’ cheek, “What the hell?”

Sirius waved him off, he ducked away, instead pushing the cake towards Remus to slice up, “S’nothing.”

“Sirius.” Cool dread was starting to trickle into Remus’ veins. If this was what he thought, he thought he’d take all those stairs two at a time back up to the common room and strangle Alex in his sleep. “Sirius, what happened?”

“Nothing.” Sirius smiled up at him, shaking his head, “Nothing, Re. Fletchner got a little rough in Quidditch today, that’s all.”

And the dread wasn’t cool, it was ice, freezing over and thawing and freezing again. Remus saw James from a few moments ago, sprawled in the common room.

Quid got cancelled.

Remus didn’t realize he was still standing, inches from Sirius, until Sirius scooted his chair back, trying to play it off like he was giving Remus room to pull his own chair out.

“Should I cut the cake instead, then?”

Remus sat down slowly. He didn’t think he could even smell the cake, much less eat it right now, his stomach was in too many knots.

Alex put his hands on you. He wanted to scream, He knows everything you’ve been through and he put his hands on you.

I’d be better. This was the part of his brain he tried so hard to quiet, I’d love you so much, I already do.

Alex hit you. You’re lying for him.

“Why are you—“ Remus didn’t know why the words were stuck in his throat.

Sirius pushed right on ahead, “I’ll cut it then.” he pulled the plate towards him with a huff, picking up the knife with a white-knuckled grip.

And Remus let him. His hand was steady, despite the grip, and Remus wanted to shake him, to pull the truth out of him.

“I…” Remus swallowed, “I was just going to say. Why are you always so reckless in practice?” His voice shook against the force of the lie, “You know how James will mother you.”

“You know how James gets in practice. Crazy lad.” And just like that, any sign of Sirius breaking, any sign of the mask cracking, was gone, spello-taped back together, and he was smiling, pushing a generous slice of chocolate towards Remus.

And Remus smiled back, almost feeling relief, because it was never like this anymore. There was always someone else around. He wanted to push, wanted to get Sirius to tell him what really happened, but at the same time he wanted to believe that it hadn’t happened. Because it was never like this anymore. Always a boyfriend, or a class to be getting back to. He hated it. He hated it, and he loved this. This, these quiet moments.

“Right.” Remus picked up his fork, “Right, yeah, I do.”

He felt Sirius’ eyes on him as he took a bite, but when he looked up they had flitted away.

“Anyway,” Sirius was saying, “it isn’t as bad as it looks. He wasn’t even going for my face he was just…” Remus watched Sirius’ expression get a little foggy, eyes far away, back in the moment of the hit, whomever’s hand it had been, “into the game I guess.” Sirius blinked, looking down and stabbing at his cake, “Happens to all of us, right?”

No. Remus thought. No, it doesn’t.

~

Remus barely jerked as his copy of the daily prophet was pulled from his hands. Alex grinned at him, food in his mouth.

“Mind if I have a look?’

Remus looked at him deadly, flicking away the small corner of newsprint that had ripped in his fingers, and picked up his fork, “Didn’t give me much of a choice.”

Alex laughed, and flatted the paper next to his eggs and sausage. He barely raised his head as he pushed his glass towards Sirius, “Poor me some pumpkin juice?”

Remus stabbed his fork into his eggs and looked determinedly downward. He didn’t want to watch Sirius get pushed around.

He heard Sirius’ voice with an edged, seemingly casual laugh to it, “S’right there.”

Remus couldn’t help it. He glanced up then, neck still bowed down, through his eyelashes, and watched Alex’s face change. He straightened, fingers drumming on Remus’ stollen paper. He was staring hard at the table, muscle working in his jaw, “So?”

Sirius was looking just as hard at his own copy of the prophet, turned slightly away from Alex. Remus could see his bruise more harshly at this angle, “So, I’m saying it’s perfectly in your reach.”

“Why are you being difficult?’ Alex’s teeth were clenched and the phrase came out a bite, “It’s just juice.”

“I’m not.” Sirius drained the rest of his own glass and made a move to get up, “I’ve got class—“

“Sit.”

Remus straightened in a second, feeling James do the same beside him. He had a feeling that both of their eyes were trained on Alex’s tight grip on Sirius’ shoulder, so high up that it was nearly his neck.

“He has class.” Remus heard himself say, “What’s your issue?”

“It’s just,” James parroted, eyes cool, “juice.”

Sirius closed his eyes, lowering himself back to his seat. His shoulders were hunched away from the grip, head turned awkwardly to the side. Remus was ready to lunge across the table.

“What?” Alex looked between him and James, eyes cool, smile verging on wicked, “It’s not big deal. We’re just sorting this out, right Siri?” When Sirius didn’t answer right away, Alex reached forward, palm against Sirius’ jaw, and stroked the greening bruise on Sirius’ cheek with his thumb, “Right, Sirius?”

“Stop.” Remus felt all the air leave his lungs with the word, “Stop.” He was standing, hands pushing the juice pitcher right into Alex’s lap where it spilt, sloshing its contents all over his robes.

“Jesus fucking—“

But Remus didn’t stop to hear his exclamations. His eyes were on Sirius, on the way he was still trying to make himself small. Remus felt something in him snap at the sight, felt some string inside his chest slowly springing part and unraveling. And he let it, suddenly wishing it had snapped a long time ago, and stepped onto and over the long great hall table in one stride, making it to Sirius’ side, and taking his bag from the seat for him.

“Pads.” He glanced nervously to where Alex was still spluttering, throwing vague curses at the laughing onlookers, then back to Sirius. Remus didn’t know how to tell him that he needed him to follow him. He didn’t want to sound demanding, not like Alex. He didn’t want to grab Sirius in any forceful way, but he needed, needed him to know, “Sirius.” He whispered, his fingertips just barely brushing the side of Sirius’ palm where it was flat against the table.

And Sirius looked up from the floor, saw Remus with their bags, and swung his legs out of the bench. He walked ahead of Remus out of the great hall, fist clenched. He didn’t look back to see if Remus was following him until they had made it a good four floors above the Great Hall and into an darkened hallway.

Only then did he turn around, cheeks wet, chest rising unevenly. And Remus was right there, dropping their bags to the floor carelessly. Remus wasn’t sure if he was allowed, he didn’t know what made him do it, but his hands were on Sirius’ cheeks, carefully avoiding the bruise.

“I—“ Sirius’ chest jump, breathing harsh and face breaking, “I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I don’t know why—“

And Remus’ own chest ached with the look on his face, like he’d done something wrong, like Remus would be mad. He was anything but mad at Sirius, if anything he was angry with himself.

“You didn’t have to tell me.” Remus shook his head, “I knew. I knew the second—“ Remus closed his eyes, dropping his head, “And I didn’t say anything. I don’t know why either.” He felt the burn of tears in his throat and he looked back at Sirius, thumbs stroking the new tears away, “I hoped I was wrong. I wanted to be wrong so bad.”

“I wanted it to have not happened.” Remus could feel Sirius leaning into his touch as he spoke, and his heart picked up, “I wish it never happened, I wish all of it never happened—“

Remus shushed him softly, thumb moving to press a curl of hair off his temple, trying desperately to make it better, “I know. I know, I…” His words trailed off, breath dying in his lungs at how Sirius had suddenly pressed their foreheads together. “Sirius.” His voice barely came out.

“You’re so gentle, Re.” Sirius’ hands came up to Remus’ neck, one resting at the back of it, the other pressing over the back of Remus’ palm, “Always, you’re so… It’s everything. With everyone, it doesn’t matter who it is, but I feel it so much. In the way you look and touch and speak.” Sirius let out a soft sniff. He was still crying, but he was practically cradling Remus’ face now, instead of the other way around, palm having moved to Remus’ cheek, Remus’ dropped to Sirius’ chest. Sirius’ words were quiet, even in the space between them, “What have I been doing? Remus, what have I been doing?”

Remus let out a breath, “I…” They were so close. Remus was desperate. He could just lean forward and…That was what Sirius was saying wasn’t it? But after what had just happened he pulled up short. His hands moved to Sirius’ neck, feeling his heated skin, but he willed himself back, “God, Pads, your cheek. You need—“ Remus shook his head, “I can’t believe he hit you.”

Sirius closed his eyes, “I can’t believe I let him. Jesus, I could stand up to my mother, and not to him?”

“It’s not your fault, Pads—“

“No, I know.” Sirius closed his eyes, lashes brushing his cheeks, “I know, I just. I feel—“ He looked at Remus again, really looked at him, eyes flicking to each part of his face. His gaze burned, “I feel awake. Or something. I feel like I’ve been wasting time.”

“Wasting time?” Remus whispered. Sirius pushed the hair off of Remus’ forehead, palm a warm pressure that made Remus’ eyes close, his voice shake, “What do you m—“

Sirius kissed him instead of letting him finish, hard and insistent, salty and gentle. His fingers held Remus’ neck softly, thumb brushing over Remus’ bottom lip when they broke for air, “This.”

Remus let out a breath and pulled their mouths back together, suddenly unaware of how he ever survived before this second. Sirius’ words were muffled against his mouth,

“I mean this.”

Remus’ back hit the wall and then they were pressed together, “God—“ Remus couldn’t help it, he started smiling, “Pads.”

Sirius’ lips moved from his lips to his cheek, his jaw, “What’s so funny?” He pressed a lingering kiss to Remus’ cheek, “I’ve wanted to do this for so fucking long, Merlin, there’s so many of them.”

Remus laughed, pure, giddy, relief-filled and borderline tearful, “What?” He threaded his hands in Sirius’ dark hair, bent to press a kiss just above the collar of his shirt, “What?”

“Freckles.” Sirius sighed, “I love them.” His lips peppered kiss after kiss, “I love them, I love them, I’ve been wasting so much time, Merlin.”

Remus shushed him, thumbing over his bottom lip, “We’ll make it up. It’s okay, god, my cheeks hurt.” They both laughed, “Those tides turned quickly.”

“Well.” Sirius brushed their noses together, “You always make everything better, it seems.”

Remus bit his lip, grin softening. He carded his fingers through Sirius’ hair a few times, felt the way he leaned into it, “I don’t really feel like sitting in class. Do you want to… I don’t know, grab breakfast in the kitchens? Maybe bring it back to the dorms…” His eyes trailed down to Sirius’ lips, and he watched has they parted slightly before shifting into a grin, eyes bright.

“That,” He leaned down, picking up their bags before lacing Remus’ fingers with his own, “feels like all I’ve wanted forever.”

Remus pressed a kiss to Sirius’ knuckles, “Well, we’d better go then.”

[chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie-blog]

It was the night before boarding; Riley had already packed everything in her trunk. Well, besides the textbooks she was reading at the moment. After dinner, she told her parents goodnight and retired to her room to finish up everything before the morning. She was now done with that and was laying on her stomach on the floor, reading through the last bits of her newest Transfiguration textbook.

Just as her eyes read the last word, her ferret and best friend, Squeegee, bounded over from his open cage and climbed on top of her back. She giggled softly and closed the book, putting it away in her trunk before pulling Squeegee off her back. Riley snuggled him close to her chest and sat on the edge of her bed. “Well hello there. Are you excited to go back to school tomorrow?” She asked him. He nipped gently at her nose in response. She chuckled again. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She retorted before placing him on the ground and walking over to his cage. 

She refilled his water and food as he ran over to her again. She picked the dark-haired ferret and pet him lovingly a few times before placing him back into the cage. “It’s time for dinner and then bed, understand? No funny business tonight.” She scolded him lightly. Squeegee simply yawned and began chomping on his food pellets. Riley rolled her eyes and walked away. Riley hurried through her nightly routine before shutting off the light and climbing into bed. Squeegee was already curled up on her pillow, nestling against her neck after she settled. She a goodnight to him and fell asleep. 

The next morning, Riley’s mother woke her early and then left the room to finish breakfast. Riley yawned, stretching, before getting up. She took a shower and got dressed then placed Squeegee in his cage. She brought her belongings downstairs and put them in their automobile, with the help of her father. Squeegee stayed inside by the door. The Edwards family then sat down at their table and enjoyed a quick family breakfast before climbing in the car and driving to King’s Cross Station. 

The ride was rather short and before she knew it, Riley was standing beside the train hugging her parents goodbye. Her mother was crying, as she always did whenever her daughter went off to school. “Please don’t cry mum. You know I’ll write everyday and come see you at Christmas.” Her mother sniffled and pulled her into a hug. “Oh I know, darling. It’s just that you’re growing up so fast.” Riley smiled. “I know, mum.” Riley gave her an extra tight squeeze before letting go and doing the same thing with her father. “Now Riley, you know how much we love your grades and how hard you work but do please try to make at least one friend this year? For us?” Her father asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he held her at arms length. She sighed as her gaze dropped to the floor. She was quite for a moment before looking up at her father again. “Okay. I will try. But I make no promises.” She said. He chuckled. “That’s all I ask for, kiddo.” He gave her another hug and kissed her head. “Be safe. Love you.” “Love you too dad.”

Riley then proceeded to put her trunk on the train as her parents left. She then came back for Squeegee, taking him out of his cage and placing him on her shoulder. As she was about to re-board the train, she caught the eye of some bright blue hair through the crowd. She bit her lip slightly as she watched it bob in and out of sight, getting lost in her thoughts. Soon enough, the train signaled that it would be leaving soon, scaring Riley out of her thoughts. Her cheeks turned a deep red and she boarded the train, finding an empty compartment. She bunkered herself down in a corner, Squeegee wrapped around her neck. The train lurched slightly before it began slowly moving forward. Riley watched out the window as the platform disappeared, more quickly as the train gained speed, and fell asleep. 

@thatbluehairedboy

[zinniapetals]

Ankko Week ☆ Day 2 ☆ Childhood

Rating: G

Words: 3448

Notes: AU where Akko is a onmyouji but still is in love with Shiny Chariot's magic. Andrew is the same as canon and due to circumstances, they meet as kids and it's all downhill from there.

(AO3)

“Atsuko-sama!”

Akko dodged her maid’s hand, bringing out her makeshift wand and transfigured the new maid into a tiny, fluffy dog. “Say woof.”

“Atsuko-sama!” The maid wailed, running around in circles as she tried to shake off the magic. “Your mother’s going to get angry if she sees you using that wand again! Please change me back.”

The six-year-old was not interested in the logic of her maid; in fact, she didn't like the latest maid her father picked out for her. How dare she forget that Akko only ate chocolate chip pancakes and tried to make blueberry ones, it was a penalty worse than death.

“Say woof and I’ll change you,” Akko demanded, crossing her arms as she impatiently tapped her foot. The sand colored dog stopped moving and turned to Akko, closing her eyes as she shouted woof. “Okay! Ready?”

The dog nodded and Akko squeezed her eyes shut, envisioning the blonde maid to return back to normal, with a poof, the maid turned back into a human, naked and with a dog tail.

“A-Atsuko-sama!!” She cried out, covering her breasts with her arm and crossed her legs. “Please tell me you can fix this!”

Akko stepped back, giggling nervously as she stammered out an apology, turning and sprinting away from the maid that was now attracting the other servants. She’ll be fine, Akko reassured herself. All Akko had to do was go back to her room, re-read the spell and see where she went wrong then she could fix the maid before her mother found out about it 

“Akko? What are you doing?” 

“Mother!” Akko froze, tucking her wand in between the folds of her obi. “I thought you were getting ready for the ceremony today?” 

“I will,” her mother replied, coming forward to fix the front of Akko’s kimono. “It’s later tonight and I thought it’d be nice if we spent some time in the tea room before I had to get ready.”

“Really?” Akko asked, smiling brightly at her mother, tensing when her mother’s hands brushed over the obi to flatten it. “I’ll go get the supplies! In the eastern tea room or west?”

“East.”

Akko waved back and sprinted down the hall, nearly bumping into three servants as her feet stomped loudly against the tatami mats. She passed the guardian scroll, immediately stopping and clapped her hands together, bowing her head and was off again. She reached the prepping room, announcing herself through the shouji doors as she waited for someone to open it.

“Akko-sama, you’re a mess.”

“Onsaki-san! You’re back!” Akko went to give her favorite cook a hug, tightly wrapping her hands around the black haired woman’s hips, breathing in her perfume as she snuggled even further into the woman’s apron. “You would not believe what happened this morning!”

“I heard,” Onsaki laughed, pulling Akko away and fixed the girl’s outfit. “Hopefully you didn't go too hard on her?”

Akko laughed loudly, and sniffed proudly, crossing her arms as Onsaki felt a bump in the obi, pulling out Akko’s makeshift wand. 

“Akko-sama! You didn't!”

“It was on accident,” Akko said, suddenly feeling guilty and tried to reach for her wand, the elder woman raising it higher from her reach. “Well, giving her a dog’s tail was by accident.”

Onsaki tsked loudly, putting the wand on a high self. Akko glared at the chief who was probably under her mother’s orders to keep anything western out of Akko’s reach but Onsaki was supposed to be on her side! Not her mother’s!

“What’d you come here for? I don't have any cookies ready yet, but they’ll be done in ten minutes if you’re willing to wait.”

“Actually,” Akko started, looking away from her wand and clasped her hand behind her back, “I’m going to drink tea with my mother so…”

“Oh? Well in that case we just got a new shipment of tealeaves,” Onsaki replied, walking over to the cabinet where the cups, bowl, and teapot were located. “Do you want to choose which one or should I surprise you?”

“There’s a ceremony later so make sure it isn’t something that will make her sick!”

Onsaki laughed at Akko’s caring but childish request, picking out Hanako’s favorite tea.

“Here you go,” she said, offering Akko a box that contained everything she needed. “Just leave it in the tea room and I’ll make sure someone gets it, alright?”

“Okay!” Akko chirped, grabbing the box and gave her wand one last longing stare. She left the room, running towards the eastern tearoom, passing the courtyard that the ceremony was going to be held at, decorations being put into place. 

“Akko,” her mother called out, opening the screen door with grace. “Come in.”

“Is it the minister of magic coming today or is it someone else?” Akko asked, staring at the western chairs that were being carried out to the courtyard. “I thought you were just going to perform a ceremony today?”

“Your father,” her mother paused at that rolling her eyes but tone filled with love for her husband, “decided to invite some western witches and your aunt invited some from the southeast as well. It became something of a party, I suppose.” 

“Are you tired?” Akko asked, frowning as her mother rubbed the bridge of her nose. “We don't have to drink tea. You can go rest.”

“Don't be silly, I want to spend time with you.”

Akko beamed at that. She walked to the middle of the room, taking the lid of the box and took out the dishes with practiced ease, careful to not make any mistakes while her mother was watching.

“I heard you turned a maid into an animal today.”

Akko clanked together the two cups, cringing as she checked to make sure there were no chips in the jade. She laughed nervously, focusing even harder on her task as her mother stared her down. At least that meant the maid was back to being completely human now. 

“Akko, I love you, you know that right?” Her mother asked, sitting down in front of Akko, feet tucked underneath her put and her kimono sleeves tied up as she reached to turn on the fire. “You do have magical blood in you, it’s just not the western type. Your spells will never be as good as someone from a western witch bloodline but that just means you excel in something else. You haven’t been forgetting your studies have you?”

“Of course not!” Akko huffed, handing her mother the teapot, which she drew a symbol in the air and water was placed into it. “I just think it’s fun and beautiful and I want to do flashy magic like that too!”

“So you don’t think being an Onmyouji is flashy?” 

“It’s scary mom,” Akko pouted, widening her eyes at the casual term. Her mother simply smiled, reaching for the tea leaves and sifted through it. “B-but I do like what we do! I just wish it was cooler…”

“Then that’s your job to expand on our magic right? If you’re complacent with mediocre magic, whether it be oriental or western then you’ll never grow as a person.” 

Akko bit her tongue as her mother went continued talking. She’s heard this lecture thousands of times. She knew it was her job as the only heir of the Kagari line to complete and perfect her oyunomiji studies but ever since she heard of Shiny Chariot, she wanted to delve into western magic.

“You’ll be coming out to see the ceremony right?”

Akko shrugged, picking at a loose thread in her kimono, stopping when her mother glared at her.

“I think you should, you might see something you like.” 

Her mother was wrong. She didn't see something she liked she saw something she loved. There, at the middle of the courtyard, surrounding by pillars of water and light, a beautiful blonde woman was dancing, her wand waving around artfully and the water followed. It became shapes, animals, flowers, and beautiful displays of powerful yet serene magic. It was everything Akko dreamed of doing.

“It’s a shame that that kind of magic takes too much resources,” her mother started, looking at the performance through the mirror as she fixed her headpiece. “I was talking to that man over there earlier and he said that this type of magic is becoming outdated, something that was left over from the Golden Age of Witches.”

“But-” 

“And when I was talking to Mrs. Cavendish, the woman who is performing right now,” her mother continued, trying to drive home her point. “She said that Shiny Chariot is a heretic in the witch world. Which doesn't make sense because I too believed her magic was wonderful. It’s truly a shame Akko. Seems like the western world of magic you so truly want to become a part of isn’t what it seems.” 

Akko pouted and ignored her mother’s words, clenching onto the curtain of her mother’s makeshift dressing room that had a perfect view of the courtyard, the water now evaporating into sprinkles as multiple people came to help Mrs. Cavendish. 

“Is it tiring doing all that magic?” Akko asked, frowning at the sight of a blonde little girl clinging to the woman, excitedly calling her mom. 

“She told me she had a frail body, but wanted to put on a show for her daughter,” Akko’s mother explained, stepping back from the mirror to give her outfit one last check. “But now it’s my turn, so be a good girl and applaud your mother loudly, alright Akko?”

Akko laughed and nodded, knowing that the performance must have set a flame in her mother’s competitive spirit.

“Good luck mom.”

Her mother looked back and winked, leaving the tent as she began to dance towards the middle of the courtyard to the sounds of the taiko drums and shamisens.

 Andrew leaned forward on his seat, mouth opening in awe at Mrs. Kagari’s performance. He knew what to expect from Diana’s mother, he’s seen her done a few spells before, however, this magic; this performance was something he had never experienced.

He snuck a peek at his father, the man focused on the tiny paper cutouts that were dancing around Mrs. Kagari, floating then falling, walking around the courtyard. He knew of his father’s distaste for witches, he often heard him converse with his mother about how annoying it is that he had to travel to Luna Nova to keep up appearances, but the calculating stare his father was giving made it seem like he could change his mind.

“Oriental witches,” he dad muttered, and Andrew leaned a bit to the side to catch what he was saying easier, “They could be useful after all…”

His stomach clenched at what that could mean, nothing good he presumed, and he slowly got off his seat, checking on his dad one more time to make sure he wouldn't get caught, and left.

He walked around the tables that was meant for the western officials, weaved in and out of the southeastern magician’s tables, and finally stopped in front of a red tent that had a perfect view of the courtyard. 

“Do you like it?”

Andrew jumped a little, searching around for the voice as he heard a giggle.

“Do you like the dance?” The girly voice asked again and Andrew blinked at the head that was peeking from the tent’s curtains. “Your face looks like you like it.”

Andrew coughed and tried to keep a cool face, his father always warned him about showing his true emotions to strangers. “I like it.”

“Well I love it. That’s my mother,” the girl proudly announced, smiling so wide that Andrew could count the amount of teeth she was missing. “Do you want to come in and watch it?”

Andrew looked around once more, focusing on the table where his father was sitting, no sign of him noticing Andrew missing and he turned back to the girl, her head tilted questioningly as she waited for his answer. 

“Alright.”

“My name is Akko, actually it’s Atsuko, but I like Akko better. What’s yours?”

“Andrew Hanbridge.”

“Can I call you Andy?” 

“No.”

“Okay!” And with that she opened the curtain all the way, a small bench placed right in front of the open flaps. “Come on in!”

Andrew gingerly sat on the seat, the plushness of it making him sink into it as Akko sat and squirmed next to him, trying to get comfortable.

“Can you do magic?” She asked, eyes shining brightly as smiled at him. 

“No,” he answered, looking away from her intrusive stare at back at the performance, where the music began to increase tempo. “Can you do magic?” 

“Yes.”

“Are you a witch?” Andrew asked, looking at Akko who was staring at her mom’s performance with a wide smile on her face. 

“Look! You don't wanna miss this!”

And Andrew looked, a flash of bright light then three big swords stood behind Mrs. Kagari, the floating paper gone as two huge and scary looking creatures stood next to the woman.

"What are those?!"

"Contracts," Akko said, looking away from the performance to gauge Andrew's reaction. "Aren't they scary?"

"Well, they are different from what I normally see," Andrew answered, the three big sword changing into five smaller ones with a command from Mrs. Kagari as the creatures began to dance as well. "Why are there weapons?"

"Onmyouji are exorcists."

"Onmyouji? Exorcists?" Andrew repeated, gawking as the scary creatures vanished and were replaced with two floating papers again. "What are those papers?!”

“Are you talking about the Shikigami?” Akko asked, knowing that her mother was getting ready for the final performance. "Look up at the sky!"

Andrew listened and looked up, a giant white pentagram glowed bright for a couple seconds, and suddenly, hundreds of swords filled the sky, and with a wave of Mrs. Kagari's hand, they began to move rhythmically in the sky.

"Amazing isn't it?" Akko whispered, clenching her outfit tightly. 

He nodded at the question because for all the scariness of the magic this woman displayed, the swords were being played with majestically. Every moved that Mrs. Kagari made, the swords listened, separating far then coming close, looking dangerously and intimidating to anyone who was watching.

"Can you do that too?"

"Not that," Akko said, laughing at the silliness of the question. "My mother is a genius. She can summon both weapons and contracts."

Andrew nodded as if he understood and watched as the show came to a close. "My question from earlier, you didn't answer it Miss Akko."

"Miss Akko?" She repeated, furrowing her brows at the strangeness of it. "I told you to call me Akko! And I did answer it."

"But what's Shikigami?" He asked, trying to get a better answer from her.

"Oh." She hummed and squeezed her eyes tightly, face scrunching as she tapped her lap rapidly. "I can't tell you!" 

"Why not?” 

"Kagari clan secrets," she said, pausing before giving him a secretive smile. "You’re funny! You know that?”

Andrew frowned at that, crossing his arms as she began to laugh. “Why do you say that?”

“You looked so upset that I couldn’t tell you!”

“Well that because,” he stopped and looked away, not wanting to tell her that’s because no one’s never said no to me. “I’m not upset.”

Akko laughed louder, finally looking away from Andrew as she saw her mother come towards the tent. She waved wildly, her mother hiding her smile with a fan, moving it to cool down her red face. Andrew moved his gaze away from the cozy moment, staring at his shoes, freshly polished earlier in the afternoon.

“Are you going to say hello?”

“I guess,” he muttered, Mrs. Kagari raising her brow at him and Andrew straightened up in his seat greeting her when she came closer.

“Hello there,” she easily replied, her voice gentle and stride graceful as she walked into the tent. “Did you enjoy the show?” 

“It was amazing!” Akko said, vibrating in her seat and she nudged Andrew to answer.

“Right Andrew?” 

“Yes, it was wonderful Ma’am.”

Akko’s mother turned slightly, an amused smile playing on her lips at the formalness of Andrew’s tone. She began to undo her intricate hairstyle, setting the clips, bobby pins, and hair ornaments on the vanity table. She reached into her long sleeves and pulled out multiple pieces of paper, setting them inside a small chest. 

“Ah!” Andrew blinked at the Kagaris that were staring at him expectantly, until he realized that he made that sound. Face and ears tinting red, he rubbed his nose and kicked his feet as he asked, “What are those?”

“These?” Mrs. Kagari asked, lifting a paper cutout in the shape of a bunny. “Akko didn't explain them?”

“But mother! You said to never tell the in-intri- the importance of the shikigami to people who don't know anything about it!” Akko huffed, crossing her arms as she pouted. “It’s his fault for not knowing anything!”

“Akko,” her mother said disapprovingly, grabbing a blank paper from out of the chest and walked over to the two kids, handing Andrew the blank paper. “This is a shikigami. It can contain a demon, a ghost, a contract, or even the user’s own magic. Can you perform magic Andrew?” 

“I don’t think so,” Andrew answered even though he was sure his father wouldn't have married his mother if she were a witch. “Why?” 

“Press the paper against your lips and breathe into it,” she commanded, and Andrew followed, kissing the paper lightly as he huffed on it. “Now give it to Akko.” 

“Why me?” Akko grumbled taking the paper with care and brought it to her lips as well. The paper fluttered against her fingers as she let it go, the bunny cutout floating in the air before gliding over to Andrew’s face. “It’s for him right?”

“I didn’t you could do it wordlessly,” Mrs. Kagari murmured, smiling softly at Akko. 

“I wanted to surprise you! Oh, don't pull too hard!” Akko shouted, reaching over to calm the paper that was frantically trying to get out of Andrew’s eager grip. “It’s yours now. Be kind to it. It’s part of you.”

Andrew scrunched his nose at the paper that seemed to be chastising him, the ears of the bunny cutout twitching anxiously. “Can it talk?”

“Not in words,” Mrs. Kagari said, reaching for the paper and touched it’s ears, the paper flipping around and moving fast near her face. “See, now it’s mad that I touched it without asking you first.” 

“Don’t be mad,” Andrew mumbled, trying to calm down the paper, feeling silly that he was talking to it in the first place. The shikigami paused and floated back to Andrew, staying near his knees as he stared down at it. “Will it always be moving?”

“Not always,” Akko answered, getting off the seat and reached into a bag that was tied around her waist, opening it to show Andrew papers that were laying flat on top of each other. “See, mine are calm because I’m calm. They sometimes go according to your emotions.”

“I see,” Andrew mumbled, touching the shikigami delicately and it nudged into a hand like a cat. He felt like there was more behind the secret of the shikigami but he supposed that was also the allure of it. “I like it, thank you.” 

Mrs. Kagari laughed softly and held the tent opened, waiting for Andrew to get up. When Andrew left the tent he thanked the Kagaris one more time, Akko threatening him to take good care of his shikigami and the older Kagari gave him a sly smile. 

As he went back to his table, his dad commented that Andrew took a long time in the restroom and Andrew smiled, his shikigami pressed flat against his chest, fluttering gently. 

9 years later: 

“Master Andrew, your father said you two would be departing soon.”

“Thank you,” Andrew said, dismissing the maid, looking at the mirror one last time as he fixed his tie. “What’s going on with you Atsuko?”

The shikigami floated around Andrew’s face for the hundredth time that day, it’s movements clearly expressing its happiness and excitement. “Are you that eager to go to Luna Nova? I doubt we’ll meet anyone that knows what you are.”

Atsuko stopped, and Andrew knew from experience that the small movement of its ears meant that it was laughing. “Oh? Do you know something that I don't? Well, in that case,” he lifted his lapel away from his body, the shikigami gliding over and pressed against his chest. “Let’s go see what’s in store for us.”

[willreadforbooze]

Hello!

Here’s our weekly wrap up from the WRFB crew =)

Sam’s Update:

I got a lot of reading done this week. I was in the Poconos for a friend’s birthday and it was super chill, then I made sure to dedicate some reading time since I have 5 (yes FIVE) more books to read to finish up my NEWTs.

What Sam finished this week:

NEWTs E-level Transfiguration: Age of Legend by Michael J Sullivan: This is the 4th installment of this series. This wasn’t my favorite of his books, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t exceptional. I love all of this man’s books. So much.

NEWTs O-level Transfiguration: Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian: this is the sequel to Ash Princess. I think this one was ok, but not nearly as good as the first. Suffered from 2nd-book syndrome I think.

NEWTs A-level Ancient Runes: All Systems Red by Martha Wells: This was a re-read for me since I had basically forgotten the plot. I knew I loved Murderbot but not what had happened. I’m pretty happy with my reread (also switched this out from Radical Candor because that one was too long for this readathon)

NEWTs A-level Arithmancy: Fireborne by Rosaria Munda: Picked up this ARC at ALA and damn it was a good choice. Great debut, great story. Full review to come.

NEWTs E-level Charms: Illegal by Eoin Colfer: A graphic novel about a boy from Ghana trying to get to Europe for a better life. This was heartbreaking to see the boy go across the desert, across the sea, and all its horrors. Flew through this.

What Sam’s reading now:

NEWTs E-level Ancient Runes: Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk: Another ALA ARC grab, but am listening on audio since it came out on Aug 6th. In this story, Robin Hood follows King Richard on his crusade and it’s Maid Marian who is steals from the rich to give to the poor. Only just started but I am excite.

NEWTs O-level Charms: The Future of Another Timeline by Annalie Newitz: Considering I’m only a chapter in, I will save the summary and my thoughts until next week.

Ginny’s Update:

I hope you’ve had a great week and are ready to jump in to Monday proper. I have a massage lined up for tonight so regardless of how the actual day goes, I know I’m gonna have a great afternoon!

Currently Reading:

Normal People by Sally Rooney: I’ve heard such good things about this book and it finally came up from the library! It follows two teens, one popular/one not, as they start dating away from the public eye. I think it’s going to swap when they go to college but I haven’t gotten there yet. The characters are realistic and can be oblivious in the way I’ve always felt a little bit oblivious, so I’m enjoying it so far. 

Stormrise by Julian Boehme: I literally just started reading this so I’m like 20 pages in and don’t have much to say yes. Except apparently this is going to be Mulan but with dragons!!!!! I’ve been playing a lot of Skyrim recently so I AM HERE FOR DRAGONS!

Just Finished:

Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh: Yeah this is a series where I’m constantly either going to be reading one of the books, or will at least have it on hold at the library. This follows one of the secondary characters is the first book, and includes an F-psy who can forecast the future. There’s a lot of him trying to get her acclimated to physical contact which was not necessarily my jam. A little too much, i know better than her, which, ugh. Regardless, still a fun story and gets a 3.5/5

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer: I wrote a review. I have strong opinions. Book club for this is Wednesday… … … 

Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins: This will surprise no one but I follow a bunch of romance novelists on twitter. They are delightful and have definitely influenced my reading list. I’ve heard about this author forever and I’m disappointed it took me this long to finally read one of her books. Eddy is a badass and is slowly working her way towards California with both good and bad luck. Rhine is a former slave who is light skinned enough to pass as white and has decided to do so. They meet and there’s instant chemistry. Except Eddy shuts that shit down, she knows what happens between a mixed race couple after the civil war…. It’s delightful. 4/5

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow: I love a good portal novel and whoo boy. I’m definitely writing a review of this one because I would like to honor January’s love and honor of writing and the power of the written word.

Midnight Blue-Light Special by Seanan McGuire: This is the sequel to Discount Armageddon which I read last week. The worlds that she builds are SO GREAT! Quick summary. Verity has been warned by her quasi-boyfriend that the Covenant are coming to New York for a purge. Obviously this is worriesome. Review forthcoming.

The Attack by Yasmina Khadra: In my head I’m singing “One of these things is not like the other.” This was a look at what happens in a country that has dealt with constant low level terrorism. The main character’s wife is a suicide bomber in an attack that kills a number of people. He decides he needs to figure out what happened and where he went wrong. The search is interesting, but I found the ending to be a little bit abrupt. While that makes sense in the narrative arc of the book, I still found myself disappointed that there wasn’t some sort of ending that allows Amin to choose a side and make a directional shift. 3/5

Minda’s Update:

Oof. Still doing NEWTs, but it’s slow going.

What Minda is reading now:

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – Moving along, but it’s moving slowly.

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente – Expected to pick this up last week, but didn’t. This week it is!

Linz’s Update:

Oh god I felt so ready for DragonCon and now I feel woefully underprepared. I literally went into my calendar and blocked next Saturday off to finish work.

What Linz read:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: YOU GUYSSSSSSSSSS. UGH. EVERYTHING.

The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Asad: Middle East/central Asia-inspired debut fantasy, with djinn and lots of food and some great characters. (It was a solid debut and honestly I preferred it to City of Brass).

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson: So, a bunch of girls were kidnapped by a rich crazy guy, who makes them live in a hidden garden and tattoos butterfly wings on their backs.They get rescued (THIS IS LITERALLY IN THE GOODREADS DESCRIPTION NOT A SPOILER), and the FBI tries to pick apart what happened with a cagey survivor. You def already knew what happened so it lost some of the potential tension, and the survivor isn’t really that mysterious, just has a drama-heavy backstory. It was fine?

After by Anna Todd: NOPE. Review forthcoming.

What Linz is currently reading:

I actually had to take a little reading break to get stuff done, but I *did* just get Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree from the library, so likely starting that today, or my ARC of The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Melinda, Linz, and Ginny

Weekly Wrap-Up: August 11-18, 2019 Hello! Here's our weekly wrap up from the WRFB crew =) Sam's Update: I got a lot of reading done this week.

[thewriterwhodreamed]

Twelve Years Prior: Chapter Two

  A fifth year prefect was assigned to me, she was beautiful, blood red lipstick, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She was the image of perfection, in fact this whole house was.

   Everyone wore their uniforms pressed clean and tidy, a sign of perfection.

   The males had their ties tied all the same way, their slicked back and jelled, or combed properly. They were like something out of a book.

   And the females were just the same. Perfect lipstick, winged eyeliner that was so pointed and perfect that it could kill. Their hair was in a neat bun, or some stylish updo, and hardly any of them wore it down.

   They house had a different atmosphere when they came to the common room. They were warm, not cold, and they laughed and talked and acted like family. Something that wasn’t shown past these doors.

   I could hear the starts of an argument over what game they were to play, and monopoly was passed around, and then there was hissing and crying and all sorts of clamour, and it had me to wonder what had happened with a simple game.

   “Rhay.” The prefect called Aurora once again grabs my attention. “Let’s get you settled in and then you can join us for games, okay?” I nod and she leads me up the stairs and to the girls dorm room, and I can see the empty bed against a rock wall, the foot of it facing the magic glass that gave a view to the lake, indicating that we were somewhere close to the dungeons, or even right next to them.

   The odd thing about the rooms was that I half expected it to be cold, but the room was actually comfortable.

   “Your bunk is there on the end, and your schedule will be given to you tomorrow during breakfast, so for now, just unpack and get settled in and you’re more than welcome to come join us for games.” I nod my head, and open my trunk and put away clothes and other necessities and slide my trunk underneath the bed as far it would go before hitting the storage drawers underneath.

    This room was to be mine for the next seven years, and I'd be twenty when I left, probably one of the oldest ones to ever graduate from here, from Hogwarts.

    I should have been a second or third year, but even if I had asked to skip years, I haven't grown up anywhere near magic and would be left in the dust, so I was stuck as thirteen year old first year.

    Honestly, though, the dorm was amazing, filled with what seemed to be expensive furnishings and other objects. It was like something out of home goods magazine, and it was beautiful.

    "Hey new kid, come on down and watch how we play our games!" A kid called up to me, and I walked down the stairs and saw them gathered over a game of cards against humanity.  Someone offers me a pillow on the floor and I gladly take it.

    "Alright, for everyone old enough to play,  if you don't get chosen, you take a shot of Firewhisky, only people who don't have to, are the judge and the winner of the round." I hear a few whispers and then from the same brunette kid a "Let's begin."

    Needless to say, thirty minutes into the game everyone was drunk and most were passed out.

    The rest of us had gone to bed and I was the only sober person up, and I was wide awake and tuned into the last few people playing the game. Two sixth years and one seventh year. And out of the three of them, the sixth year female was holding her liquor down better than the two males seated across from her.

    Her lipstick was stained and her eye makeup was almost non-existent, but the wing of her eyeliner still remained. Waterproof is all I could think.

    "Tell me, Rhay." She says through slurred words. "Your parents, how powerful they are."

    "Muggles actually."

    "Learn your shit, kid." And then she passes out and shortly the other two had followed suit. I was the only one up and out of bed, and something by the window had called me over to it and I stood by it.

    It was the reflective eyes that I noticed first, and then it was the snake like tongue.

    A ten foot sea serpent appeared in front of me, and I could hear it speaking in my head.

    "Hello, puuure blood." It hisses in my head, and at first it seems weird, but then I remind myself I'm a witch and this is perfectly normal.

    "So, you talk then?" Yes, bravo, your first encounter with a talking creature and you state that it talks. Bravo, you idiot.

    "It isss obvioussss." I nod my head in agreement. "Although not many of your kind understand usssssss."

    "I don't think I follow." I can see the snakes beautiful body swimming in the ocean, struggling to keep him here. Maybe there was some way I could accommodate him, walk around the room with him, but the common area didn't seem to be big enough for me to pace, so, for now I settled on standing still.

    "Only thossse who can ssspeak parsseltounge can communicate with the likesss of me, I've only met one other in my life, and that wass nearly fifty yearssss ago."

    "How old are you then?" I cross my hands behind my back and seperate my legs into a more grounded stance.

    "Age hass no meaning to uss, unlike you humansss."

    "Right. That would make sense I guess, you aren't defined by what you can and can't just because of how old you are."

    "Then prooove them wrong." And I see it,get startled and swim away from the window back out into the inky depths of the freezing cold water.

    "Come on first year, time for bed. Trust me when I say that you don't want to be sleeping in your classes tomorrow." I turn to see Aurora standing at the stairs waiting for me to go over and get ready before going to bed.

    I walk over there with a small yes ma'am and nod of the head, but before she follows me I can feel her gaze drift towards the window trying to figure what what I was talking to. She didn't find anything, because as I pulled my covers up to my shoulders I heard her footsteps leave the common room shortly after.

    Morning came and along with it came another grand feast of food, and schedules were passed out. I had Transfiguration, Astronomy, and History of Magic were my first classes, proceeding with lunch, and then Herbology, Potions, and finally Defence Against the Dark Arts, or DADA.

    Finally dinner, which was then followed with personal time in the commons for studying and socializing.

    In all honesty, this seemed a rather long and tedious day, one that I wasn't looking forward to, except maybe DADA, the last class of the day. Maybe somehow, if the class was in any way interesting, I could survive the day by looking forward to this one class.

    And so rang the first bell, breakfast was over and classes were to begin shortly, and I was being pushed to somewhere, as to where, I wasn't sure, but I hoped it was in the direction of the Transfiguration class.

    The fortnight passed in a blur, and soon quidditch trials were upon us, and I had already been sought out by the Captains for our quidditch trials, they wanted me as Seeker. They said I had exceptional skills, and was quite fast on a broom for a first year, to which I replied that I was older and more mature than first years, and all they did was grin and nod in response.

    Needless to say, I became seeker, and I was expected to practice with the team everyday after school for an hour or two.

    Yet, somehow, i managed to keep both my studies and extracurricular activities up.

    I didn't have a hard time with studies, in fact I exceed everything set before me, and I had gotten to the point I was bored of school and it was nothing more than a few minutes of homework and a quick read. This school, and no school yet was fast enough to challenge me, and because of that I would let my studies slip, often finding other ways to better interest and challenge me.

    And I even had my parents sending me juggle studies just to keep me from doing something stupid, but even those bored me.

    So, often times late at night I would find myself in the library, so deep within a book I'd forget what time it was and would have to sneak back to the dorms.

    But tonight, tonight was different, tonight I had been caught by Flich, and tonight was when I would once again meet the Head f Slytherin…

    Professor Snape.

_________________________________________

Chapter one to be re-posted shortly.

R.T

[marauders-unite]

I care

Requested by wishingtobeforeveryoung1994

Request: Could you do a Fred Weasley imagine where the reader has low self-esteem from being bullied a lot. Her and Fred are either best friends, best friends that become something more by the end, or already dating. All Fred wants to do is see the reader smile and he’ll do anything to make that happen. Thank you!

Pairing: Fred x reader

Warnings: none

Words:1151

A/N: Sorry I haven't been posting much lately but I've been busy with school. But we hit 100 followers, thank you so much for the support!

Masterlist | Ask box

The tears felt warm against your skin. You were sitting in the library in a faraway corner, people usually left you alone over there. You had started at Hogwarts but still didn`t have any friends, and it had been 3 months since you started. At your old muggle school, you were always bullied for being weird and always reading. You`d never really had any friends, you felt like you were alone, you always felt alone. You sobbed quietly just thinking about how pathetic this sounded, you always tried to keep a smile because you were sure some people had it worse. That`s what you always told yourself, people hadn`t bullied you at Hogwarts, yet you thought. It was only a matter of time before people saw how weird you were, some had already noticed how you were always alone. You just didn`t know how to make friends, you weren`t good with people in general, you were always afraid of saying something wrong. You dried you tears with you sleeve and decided this was enough self-loathing for one day, and you were already late for class so you quickly found your way to the classroom.

When the day was finally over you found your way back to the library. You decided to get your homework done rather sooner than later, so you sat down and got to work. Same boring routine that you had developed since starting here. However, tonight something would break that routine.

You had almost finished your transfigurations essay when someone interrupted you. “Excuse me.” Someone said beside you. You looked up to see a boy, with ginger hair. His eyes met yours and he smiled gently. “Hey, you`re in my transfiguration class right?” He said looking a little surprised. “Oh yeah, that`s right. You`re one of the twins.” Yo u said returning the smile. Neither of you spoke for a few moments. “Well, nice to meet you, but I was actually just wondering if I could borrow the book you have there? If I don`t do this transfiguration homework, Mrs. McGonagall is going to kill me.” He told you with a little laugh, you laughed with him. “”We wouldn`t want that would we. I`m just about to finish my homework myself so I can bring it to you in a few minutes when I`m done.” “Thanks.” He said then walked back to the table were his friends were sitting.

He sat down across from George and Lee, with an unusually big smile on his face. “I think you forgot something. Where`s the book we need?” Lee asked looking a little confused. “Huh? No, she was using it, said she`ll bring it over in a few minutes.” He told them, still looking like he was in a daze. “What`s up with you? You`re acting a little weird.” George said raising an eyebrow at him. “I don`t know what you`re talking about.” He told him, quickly trying to look super busy with his parchment, which we all know he wasn’t. “Here you go.” All the boys turned to see you standing putting the book down on the table. “Thanks, you leaving?” Fred asked noticing the backpack hanging over your shoulder. “Yes, finished the essay so I thought I would go and get an early night.” You told him. “You know what join us, you could help us with the essay” Fred started, George caught up quickly what Fred was thinking. “We could really use it” George finished. You smiled and sat down next to Fred, When George and Lee saw the look on Fred face right then, they just knew they would be seeing a lot more of this girl.

Over the next five years, your friendship with the boys grew. You would meet up after classes, hang out, plan pranks and have a laugh when they worked. It was great, you felt like you for once finally had people that actually cared about you. The four of you were best friends, though you and Fred’s relationship were a bit more, confusing you could say. However, you always felt on some level, that they only hung out with you out of pity and that no one would ever love you, not really. Sometimes you thoughts just took over, you had never told anyone that you from time to time felt like this, you would make sure to hide it well. You didn`t want anyone to think you just wanted attention. So one day the feelings had just gotten too much, this girl and her friends had ganged up on you. Asking were my friends were, did I even have any except for the three boys, how I looked pathetic always walking alone etc. You had hid yourself in a room in one of the abandon places at Hogwarts that no one ever used. You sat on the stone floor in the empty room, crying in the corner with your knees up to your chest, and your arms tightly wrapped around them. She`s right I am pathetic you thought. “Y/N?”  You looked up to see Fred standing in the doorway, looking at you with a sad expression. You quickly dried your tears with you sleeve and tried to fake a smile. “Hey Fred.” He rushed to you and sat down in front of you. “What`s wrong Y/N?” seeing you this sad broke his heart. “It`s not important, don`t worry about it.” You told him with your fake smile. He moved closer to sit beside you and put his arms around you. “I do worry. I care about you Y/N. You don`t have to tell me what`s wrong if you don`t want to, but I`m going to be here to comfort you. Always.” You didn`t answer. You just put your face in his shoulder and started sobbing.

After you had calmed down a little you told him everything. All of it just came pouring out. When you were finished he looked at you and put one hand on your cheek, you leaned into it. He smiled a little. “Don`t you ever, not even for a second, think that I don`t care about you. Since that first day when I met you in the library, I knew I wanted you to be a part of my life, and that will never change. I love you Y/N” At this, you leaned closer to him, putting your arms on his chest. The kiss was soft and gentle, and then you pulled apart and said the thing you had always known were true. “I love you too” you both smiled looking at each other. “How did you find me by the way?”You asked curious, you hadn`t told anyone about this place. His face lit up like he just remembered something, he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out an old looking folded map. “You need to see this.” He said with a mischievous smile.