#its some sort of wizardry

[seefasters]

i have such a lovehate relationship with ted lasso s3 like how can one half of that season be so ass and the other half be so stellar

[dduane]

Hello! Do you think your conception of magic in YW is influenced at all by computer code? Between High Wizardry and some of the website admin stuff you discuss here, I'm guessing you've coded at least a little.

I'm an actor-turned-librarian who's cobbled together a little bit of coding competency through goofing off. The other day I tried to explain how I conceptualize a coding project and, well, first you need to figure out something's name -- and make sure you're properly specific for the context, you may need a lot of detail in how you name it -- and then you can start figuring out how to persuade it to do what you want ....

So I guess it's sort of a chicken-and-egg question: have I conceptualized coding in the image of my favorite fictional magic systems, or have I been generally drawn to magic systems with a sort of code-y, process-y inspiration?

I wouldn't like to second-guess your in-brain structure. But I can talk about my historical processes a bit, as they may apply to this.

Let me step back slightly. Before* I was a writer, I was a nurse. Before I was a nurse, I was studying to be an astrophysicist. Both of these arts/sciences require a certain sense of the hard structure of the universe—of the ways it requires you to put bits of it together if you're going to get anything useful done. This general outlook has determined, to a certain extent, how I interact with the nuts and bolts of the online world.

More historically speaking: I'm one of an unusual stratum of computer users who were technologically orphaned by the (bankruptcy) failure of the Osborne computer company in the mid-1980s. Those of us who had these machines, and who were at all techie-oriented, quickly became WAY more so in an attempt to keep our Osbornes running after the company went under. We learned how to keep our babies going without any available support, and when we moved on to other machines, we quickly became expert in fixing them... having learned the bitter lesson that when your computer fails, most of the time you're the only one you're going to be able to rely on to keep it going.

We learned to do things for ourselves, from the bottom up: hardware to programming. That mindset has remained with me from then until now.

After my Osborne, I moved from an early Apple (lent by our old friend Michael Reaves) to various early DOS/TRS machines when I moved over to this side of the Atlantic. I wrote Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative on a TRS-80 Model 100, gods bless its gentle hardworking heart. (I can still see in my mind the pale, pine-panelled interior of the ancient creaky London hotel, just south of Notting Hill Gate Tube, where I did most of the Trek work while I was in town on other business. I'd hooked the computer's modem to the hotel's phone system with alligator clips.) While Peter and I were later sorting out where we'd live on this side of things, for a long time—before portable computers, except for the TRS—the big machines lived in the boot of the Volvo while we migrated from place to place. And always the alligator clips were there.

Finally we settled in Ireland, and not too long after us, so did the Internet. (But not before I had to go up to Dublin one time, with the alligator clips again FFS!, and show the adorably clueless national telephone company guys how to hook up/in. ...I never pass that building without thinking of it: once Telecom Eireann, then Eircom, then Eir. Now it's a Starbucks. No matter. I remember where to hook the alligator clips in.)

And then, with the internet, lo, there came the (net-oriented) coding. Our first household web site went online in 1995. I handcoded our site's HTML. (Because what's a girl to do: wait for the techbois to make such work accessible or affordable? Bwahahahaha.) I continued to do that until the early 2000s, at which point I moved our sites to Drupal and learned its obscure ways. These days—having decided that Updating Damn Drupal Core Every Week is not what my mom raised me for—I've migrated all our household sites to WordPress, and I like it. I still pay a lot of attention to them, but at least I don't have to custom-code every whole damn page. I'm happy enough to let Elementor do that, while inserting occasional custom CSS, because (a) I have other writing to do, and (b) Life Is Too Short.

(I also used to hand-build our household computers, because (a) money was short and (b) why not know exactly what all your hardware is? But more recently I've started letting Scan in the UK do that. It's another Life Is Too Short thing... and Scan does good work. Lovely tight builds, and good customer service when needed.)

So: yeah, I code. :) Is the Young Wizards universe’s spell structure influenced by that? Uh, yeah. Inevitable, I’d think. Habit is such a taskmaster.

Meanwhile, summing up: I'm fluent in HTML. I'm nearly as fluent in CSS. I have enough PHP to be dangerous (to myself as well as others). I have memories of C that I can dredge up when necessary. I generated most of the Rihannsu language in MS-BASIC, gods bless it. ...And beyond that (as we say around here), deponent saith not. :)

*Or “while”, as I started writing when I was six or seven.

[k-hippie]

HOGWARTS ARTWORKS BOLD UPDATE + NEW ARTS ...

Well, well, well ...I know ... I was not supposed to make some artworks but as I build and manage terrains for 2 months now, I think I needed to make something else, for changing, as a break ;)

So here comes our Artworks update, since some of those artworks are 8 years long ! And this post is going to be long too :D

Let's face it : our Sims, the ones who are ex-students of Hogwarts and other schools of witchcraft and wizardry such as Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, are a bit lost when arriving into a new Sims World and some of them are eager to bring in their new home as many wizard stuff and things as possible ... These Artworks are some of these things and stuff ;)

But let's begin with something new ... Some of the Arts included into the game HOGWARTS LEGACY and let's rock in Hogwarts ;)

HOGWARTS LEGACY ART – 11 ARTWORKS x2 – SETS 1 & 2

Modern technology bringing back to life the history of Hogwarts ?! Well, if we can’t read History of Hogwarts, we’ll take whatever Hogwarts Legacy can give us … 

Those 22 Artworks all somehow related to Hogwarts history. Some are explicit, where you can see the castle or its grounds, some are completely up to your imagination with skulls or fruits. Some are pieces of lost tapestries, part of a larger story ( and fully based on Gryffindor dormitory in Harry Potter movies which are themselves based on vintage French Tapestry Hanging Needlepoint of the Lady and the Unicorn ). They are all beautiful and will enhance any room.

This object is a new mesh, it doesn’t override anything, and works fine in-game :)

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HOGWARTS PAINTING – 11 PAINTINGS – SERIE 1

UPDATE ! PLEASE GRAB YOUR UPDATE BEFORE JOINING YOUR DORMITORY !

We added 4 more paintings, we slightly modified the colorimetry and we refined the textures :)

Yes, we agree : enchanted paintings are superb and you don’t need to be an artist or art-lover to appreciate any of the paintings from the Hogwarts Staircases. In fact, the paintings don’t ask to be seen or admired. Wouldn’t be awkward for anybody to stand before a moving painting all day long ? :D

But art is art and the Artist behind the impressive gallery of headmasters deserves attention. Thus, we made a series of headmasters portraits. They have been painted by Rembrandt, Vemeer and Van Eyck ... They don’t move but they are just as beautiful. Incidentally a good topic of discussion at evening with friends :)

“ Is that brooding man your ancestor?

– Headmaster Snape?! By Merlin’s beard I hope not! ”

Attention please : we do not guarantee that you won’t feel judged by any of these portraits. Hang at your own risks ...

This object is a new mesh, it doesn’t override anything, and works fine in-game :)

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HOGWARTS VERTICAL ARTWORKS – 21 ARTWORKS – SET 1

UPDATE ! UPDATE ! GET YOUR UPDATE !

The Hogwarts Vertical Artworks have been updated with more artworks and diverse visuals. Wand permit from MacUSA or extract from a famous Howler, an artistic rendition of Dolores Umbridge torture ( can't believe that happened ), special editions of the Daily Prophet, Ministry of Magic recommandations and book covers and details. Now you have up to 21 artworks to choose from. Colorful ( or not ) and unique.

Many of those Artworks are based on the fantastic work of minalima ... the ones we admired in every Harry Potter movie ;)

Many Hogwarts students, after their studies, moved out to many different places, including some Sims Worlds ( yes, it’s true ! )

So, you can imagine how good it is to remember Hogwarts and its famous houses wherever you can live, as Wizard/Witch, and as Sim. And all the memories related to Platform 9 3/4, the Hogwarts Express, etc ... By the way, in which House the Sorting had sent you when you were 11 ? :D

This object is a new mesh, it doesn’t override anything, and works fine in-game :)

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HOGWARTS MORE ARTWORKS – 33 ARTWORKS – SETS 1-2-3

UPDATE ! UPDATE ! UPDATE !

The Hogwarts More Artworks series have been updated and augmented with new stuff and 10 more artworks. Yup, you read that right. More Daily Prophet front pages, education decree, book covers and various artworks ... International Quidditch World Cup poster or exemple of famous Howler. There's something for all taste in these complete sets. Wondering what the small characters are ? Zoom in ! Mesmerized by the details of the famous Marauder's map ? Have a look in big ! Studies in propaganda ? Oh boy are you in for a treat …

Framed posters are a good alternative if you are a wizard ( or witch ) living incognito in the muggle world. Who would suspect the Daily Prophet to be a "special" newspaper with its weird headline of a defeated dark lord named You-Know-Who ? Muggles might even think The Quibbler cover to be a nice modern art. And they haven't seen the sad Ministry of Magic propaganda when Lord Voldemort ( he's dead, we can say his name now ) took over the government.

As you can see, we added really a lot of Artworks ;)

This object is a new mesh, it doesn’t override anything, and works fine in-game :)

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Download Hogwarts Legacy Artworks here

Download Hogwarts Paintings here

Download Hogwarts Vertical Artworks here

Download Hogwarts More Artworks here

Have fun playing witch and wizard :D

Show your support ( we accept sickles and galleons ) : ko-fi // paypal

Made with Sims4Studio Dates of Release: August 28th 2015 Date of Update: February 5th 2024 Expansions: Base Game Category : Buy > Decorations > Paintings

[loneamaryllis]

Snarriet Rec List - Long fics (100k+)

Certain Dark Things

by evejenson (rentachi). Rated M. Nearly 900k, WIP. Slytherin Harry. Wrong-Boy-Who-Lived. Mentor Tom Riddle.

They sought her out for conversation sometimes, cornering her in the garden or at the park, not that they ever had much to say. Really, Harriet thought snakes were rather dull.

---------

Harriet Potter has always been odd. Between having a shadow that moves on its own and chatting with grass snakes, learning she's a witch really isn't the strangest thing to happen to the bespectacled girl with a lightning scar on her neck.

Harriet attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she makes new friends, encounters a prickly Potions Master, learns about the Boy Who Lived, and meets the enigmatic Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Tom Slytherin.

Why I rec it: This is the best HP fic, period. A retelling of the entire series, where Harriet is sorted in Slytherin in a world where Voldemort won (but not overtly so). Incredible character work, dense world-building fed to us in perfectly-sized bites, clever foreshadowing, and really, really great writing overall. Plus, if you love Voldemort, you'll love what the author did with him in this fic. I can't recommend it enough.

Saving Snape

by @loneamaryllis. Rated E. 206k. Auror Harry Potter. Sentient Hogwarts. Courting Rituals.

Severus Snape is receiving death threats. The Ministry decides that Auror Harrie Potter should be assigned to his protection.

Why I rec it: A self rec! Someone is trying to kill Snape and Harrie has to protect him. There's a mystery, some angst, some pining, a lot of smut in the later half of the fic, and a sentient Hogwarts who ships Snarriet.

Carrying Atlas

by @hirukochan. Rated E. 126k, WIP. (Underage) Daddy Dom Severus Snape. BDSM Contract. Collaring.

On a late night walk Snape stumpled upon no other than Harriet Potter who was once again in trouble. How deep the trouble ran and why none of those close to her realised how badly she was taking the loss of her godfather would remain a mystery but Snape had sacrificed too much to let her give up now.

Or

Harrie tries to cope through meaningless sex with strangers and Snape decides in order to keep her safe from depraved men only wanting to exploit her he has to become one of them and make it worth her while.

Why I rec it: The Snarriet BDSM fic! Harrie enters into a contract with Snape as some sort of therapy. The smut is ultra hot, Snape is very respecting of Harrie's boundaries while having to deal with his own issues, and while there's angst, there are also a lot of fluffy moments. Plus there's not a lot of Snarriet fics where Harrie calls Snape Daddy so if that's what you're looking for, you're in for a treat.

The Blood of the Enemy

by @rose-colored-glasses7. Rated M. 154k, WIP. (Underage) Blood and Violence. Morally Grey Harry Potter. Toxic Relationship.

Cedric Diggory is dead. Following the terrible ending to the Triwizard Tournament, Emma Potter has returned to the Dursleys to mourn the death of her boyfriend. However, soon enough, an attack on Privet Drive leads to her arrival at 12 Grimmauld Place - the headquarters to the mysterious Order of the Phoenix. The blood wards have fallen. When frightful visions begin to consume her mind, Emma's forced to take lessons with her hateful potions professor. Cruel, sadistic, dark, by any right the lessons should make her hate him even more. Only, as the lessons continue, she finds herself more and more drawn to him... Lord Voldemort has returned. As the latest Defense professor wreaks havoc on Hogwarts, Emma searches for answers about the terrible connection between her and Voldemort - and why, exactly, he came after her all those years ago. The web of truth and lies is unraveling… and she begins to wonder if Emma Potter was ever really alive at all. With war looming on the horizon and the Ministry in firm denial of his return, Emma begins her worst year at Hogwarts yet. The question is, can she survive it?

Why I rec it: Emma Potter is a great take on a female Harry. She's a bit darker, a bit more cerebral, and her connection to Voldemort takes more place than in canon. Her relationship with Snape is wonderfully multi-layered and so tense!

Gravity

by SlytherinsQuill. Rated E. 268k, WIP. Violence. Trauma. Eventual Happy Ending.

What if Harry Potter was born a girl and known as Rosalie Potter? How might it change the dynamics of life as the most famous teenager in the Wizarding World? At the end of Rosalie Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, war has broken out in the Wizarding World as a result the attack on Hogwarts. Forced to spend the summer at Grimmauld Place for her own safety, Rosalie learns more about herself and the people around her than she ever thought possible. Relationships form, friendships change and she learns just how much the people in your life influence who you are and who you have the potential to become.

Why I rec it: A great fic depicting the evolving relationship between Rosalie and Snape with the hunt for Horcruxes as a background. The smut scenes are so well-crafted, very emotional and both soft and passionate. Some scenes are so epic they'll stay with you for a long time.

The Never-Ending Road and its sequel No Journey's End

by @laventadorn. Rated M. 656k, WIP. Female Friendship. Protective Severus Snape.

AU. When Lily died, Snape removed his heart and replaced it with a steel trap. But rescuing her daughter from the Dursleys in the summer of ’92 is the first step on a long road to discovering this is less true than he’d thought. A girl!Harry story, starting in Chamber of Secrets and continuing through Goblet of Fire. Future Snape/Harriet. (OotP - DH will continue in a separate story.)

Why I rec it: An epic retelling of the series, starting at Year 2. My favorite thing in this fic are the description of Snape's eyes. Intense and so poetic! The world-building is great, and the relationships between the characters are well-developed.

Wearing Only a Sneer

by pluperfectsunrise. Rated E. 100k, WIP. Slow Burn. First Time. Love Confessions.

With the war finally over, Harry Potter is dead set on losing her virginity. What will happen when she decides that the perfect candidate for a partner in this endeavor is Severus Snape?

Why I rec it: I love the way Harriet slowly convinces Snape to get in bed with her. The smut is so tender and also so hot! Also the only Snarriet fic to feature Harriet pegging Snape, to my knowledge.

Grey Hours

by @spicedlantern. Rated M. 101k, WIP. Time Travel. Angst.

She'll need to put them in various boxes in her head to cope - constant reminders of where they end up, no matter where and what they are in her present - no matter what her eyes see. Lily Evans - murdered. James Potter - murdered. Sirius Black - murdered. Albus Dumbledore - murdered. Remus Lupin - alive - alive with a son, and that, at least, she has to hold on to -

Severus Snape -

Traitor.

--

Or: In June 1999, a group of rogue Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange breaks into the Ministry. They steal six "true" time turners.

In August 1975, Auror Harriet Potter appears in the middle of Albus Dumbledore's office. He offers her a job.

Why I rec it: Another one of spicedlantern's excellent fics. An original plot, some truly great tension between Harriet and Snape, one adult Snape, one teenage Snape, and a Lily who gets to shine as a lot of chapters are from her POV. The author weaves a plotty tale with deliciously smutty moments once the Snarriet happens.

[304blur]

midnight blue ribbon. - k.tobio

synopsis: muggleborn siblings, (name) and tooru oikawa, were seperated by a divorce, (name), stayed with her father, starting her magic studies at ilvermorny, and her brother stayed home in england, studying at hogwarts. but somehow, her parents work it out, (name) would be a transferee at hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. facing all sorts of new faces, and new obstacles. any obstacle, you would face head on, as long as the crow with a scroll of parchment tied shut by a midnight blue ribbon, keeps tapping at her dorm window.

warnings: foul language, suggestive jokes (of course, these are hormonal teens we're talking about.), fem reader

genres: fluff

notes: SORRY IF THE SYNOPSIS IS TOO LONG THIS STORY IS A LOT.. this is basically a movie-only harry potter fan makes a hogwarts au so sorry if i have misconceptions on how things work in the wizarding world. and for the sake of the story, oikawa and you are 6th years (both are 17), tobio is a 5th year (he's 16). also i have no idea how the dorm rooms will work so i'm freestyling, since j.k rowling did NOT mention anything about how many students there will be in 1 dorm room since how are there 5 gryffindor boys in their year..? this will start out as an experimental oneshot, and if i get asks to make this a series, i'll continue it! (with painfully slow updates), ALSO I'M FILIPINO I GREW UP WITH ENGLISH BEING A SECOND LANGUAGE SO IM SORRY IF I SCREW GRAMMAR STUFF UP!! definitions for unfamilliar creatures, potions and spells will be linked.

you thought silence was bearable. well, in fact, you loved silence, it gave you space to think, and relax. but the silence of sitting in the same compartment as your brother, tooru oikawa, is undoubtedly, uncomfortable. not because of the divorce of your parents, and so many years being apart, but because right in front of you, is a 17 year old tooru. he's grown taller than what you expected, and he's now a man. it's hard to find a topic that you'd think your brother would fully engage in a conversation for. you kept thinking of something to talk about, to break the silence, usually, siblings would chat casually, but you eventually forgot what it felt like having a brother. but before anyone in the room could speak, a group of three boys knocked on the glass sliding door of the train compartment, and welcomed themselves in. the boys are about your and your brother's age. a silver haired boy that's surprisingly tall and buff for a teenager makes himself home to the spot next to you, and the other two, a boy with brown hair and sharp green eyes and a boy with intentional bed hair and a cheeky smile sat at the spots next to tooru, sandwiching the poor guy between them.

"woah, that's rare of you to sit with some girl and not with us."

the one with the rooster hair spoke up, and slapped your brother's back with a little smirk, earning a pained groan from him. the others just snickered.

"heya, honey. i'm tetsuro kuroo, but you could call me yours."

he extends his hand to you, expecting a handshake.

"i'm—"

as you grab hold of kuroo's hand, tooru pinches him, forcing him to retract his hand.

"she's my sister, (name). and (name), the idiot next to you is kotaro bokuto, and this lad on my right is hajime iwaizumi."

tooru smiles at you, like it hasn't been years since you've seen eachother. the train engine makes its loud debut, the horns sounding, signalling that it's ready to go. the train departs the station, and your conversations with the 4 boys continue.

"well, if she's your sister, how come i've never seen her round the castle?"

bokuto examines your face with wide, curious eyes, and with a hand to his chin.

"that must be because her robes are blank. she's a transferee, i think."

iwaizumi just casually crosses his leg over to his other, and relaxes his back onto the cushion of the seat. kuroo smiled, he caught sight of the old trolley witch walking along with a cart filled with sweets, stood up, and bought something for himself. tooru had his head back, clearly fighting his sleepiness, bokuto on the other hand, is busy showing off his chocolate frog cards to you, but all the information just slipped your mind. kuroo returns to his seat, and hands you a cauldron cake in a small, colorful box.

"thought it'd only be right to give you a hogwarts welcoming gift."

you accept it gracefully. this guy's not so bad, not like his hair, at all. you space out, while looking at the box, and you smile at it like it's your first child.

all of the boys in your compartment, slowly fell asleep as time progresses on your trip to your new school. as the morning, turned into noon, nearing sunset. you got a little bored, and started to observe the students walking past your compartment. most were first years, with blank robes like you, exploring around. but one student caught your eyes. A boy with dark hair, slightly younger than you, angrily stomping around with a scowl on his face, a few black feathers flying out from.. wherever. you wondered, whatever could have caused that terrifying expression? but, you decided not to ponder on it a little more than that. you stayed awake the entire time so you could wake your brother and his friends just on time to hop off the train.

the train stopped at its one and only destination from king's cross; hogwarts. you woke the boys up, one by one.

"we're at hogwarts, get up everyone."

the four groaned, and eventually got up, to get off the train, with you following along. a giant man with an equally giant beard named hagrid, guided the students to where they needed to be. in a boat. honestly, it felt like you were in a can of sardines, since the boat you're on is filled with 17 year olds. you looked at the boat that's floating beside you, it's the guy who's running around with feathers up his ass, or something. he's a lot more charming, and a lot less scary than when you first saw him. sitting beside him, is a bright orange haired boy, you could've sworn you saw him as a big, spiky, floating tangerine that someone could've casted the levitation charm on in your peripheral vision. the orange little guy is bouncing around on the boat, causing little ripples to appear in the still water, an older silver haired boy that appears to be a seventh year, holds the boy down, in fear of the boat flipping upside down.

"they're a rowdy bunch, don't mind them, unless you'd love to lend an ear to their extensive, passionate talks about quidditch."

"i don't know about that, tetsu, that little shrimp there's pretty fun to talk to!"

bokuto waves at the boy he's talking about, getting a cheerful wave and a very loud "HELLO, BOKUTO!!" in return, before that same seventh year scolds him. kuroo notices you staring a liiiittle too long at a certain boy, that's now currently yelling at his.. friend? aquaintance? enemy? you don't even know. he chuckles, he's about to say something to tease you for staring, but he'll keep it to himself. for now, at least. the boats start moving towards the large marble castle, built atop an island. the boats dock at a safe spot for everyone to get off themselves, and the first years excitedly glance around, their eyes darting from place to place, with a sparkle of wonder in them. you were about to follow your brother and his best men directly into the great hall, but iwaizumi stops you.

"oh, uh. you're supposed to go with the first years. you haven't been sorted yet, so you'll go a bit later than we're going. and don't fret, transferees get sorted first, it'll be over within seconds."

you nod, and you nervously started to walk in the direction of the first years, nervously waving your new aquaintances, and your brother, goodbye. you follow the tiny children to a hallway, where bags, trunks, the cages and carriers of the students' pets are stacked, up some polished stone stairs, to a large door, which you assume is an entrance to the great hall. a witch stood there, presumably waiting for the first years. which would be the professor, stepped in front of the many tiny witches and wizards, you tower over them, making you stick out like a sore thumb.

"welcome to hogwarts. i am professor mcgonagall, the head of gryffindor house. now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors, and join your classmates. before you take your seats, you will be sorted into one of four houses. they are gryffindor, hufflepuff, ravenclaw and slytherin..."

professor mcgonagall stood with a graceful, and dignified stature, and continued to explain about the house cup, and its point system, based on the behavior and achievements of the students of a hogwarts house.

"the sorting ceremony, will begin shortly."

she walks away, leaving to enter the great hall. while you wait, you keep yourself occupied with a chocolate frog card, that bokuto gave you earlier on the train while he talked about his full collection. it's a card of godric gryffindor. you were busy assessing the design of the card, when a little girl with a head of familliar orange hair, tugs at your robes.

"i see you have a godric gryffindor card! uh, can we trade? i have a helga hufflepuff one, if you're interested. i have 5 copies of her, so don't worry. i reaaaaally need that one to complete my hogwarts founder cards!"

you smiled, and you gladly accepted her trade offer.

"of course, i'll take you up on your offer. here you go."

she beams, and she takes the card out of your hands, and replaces it with one that's of helga hufflepuff.

"my name's natsu! if you ever have a card of merlin or of ollivander's, you can easily find me if you wanna trade some more!"

"well, i'm (name), i can't completely guarantee i'll get those cards, i'll at least make sure to expand my inventory."

you laughed, and natsu reminded you of your own tiny 11 year old self, cheerfully chatting with your classmates at ilvermorny. professor mcgonagall walks in again.

"we're ready for you now, please follow me."

the professor leads everyone through two large doors, which proceeds to the great hall, where there are four long tables, hundreds— no, maybe thousands of students are sitting at. floating candles dot the ceiling of the hall, you overhear a student talking about how the ceiling is bewitched to look like the night sky. you, and the first years are led to the front of the hall, facing all the hogwarts students in the tables of their respective houses, some looked bored, and didn't bother observing the sorting ceremony, others excitedly waited for their younger siblings to be sorted, and a few people looked interested in the older kid in a sea of first years. you turn to your other side, you saw a long table similar to the tables you've just seen, but a little shorter. there, sat several professors, and professor dumbledore. then your eyes lead you to a small stool, with a hat on it.

"all right, will you wait along here, please? now, before we begin, professor dumbledore would like to say a few words."

mcgonagall stepped aside, for everyone to see the wizard, rising from the main table. it was just something about the third floor being a dangerous place, and about the forbidden forest being.. well, forbidden.

"when i call your name, you will come forth, then you shall be sorted into your houses, but, first, i would like to make an announcement to.. all students."

professor mcgonagall walked up to the center, and talked with a stern, and booming voice, enough to be heard from the end of the great hall,

"before we begin the sorting ceremony of the first years, i would like to welcome a new student from ilvermorny, being a transfer student, i, and the staff of hogwarts, expect you to welcome her with open arms. now, will miss (name) oikawa step forward to have your house sorted?"

you gulped, as you sat on the stool, mcgonagall picks up the hat, and places it upon your head.

"now what have we here?"

the hat spoke. the hat spoke. and you thought your life was magical enough, now there's a talking hat, on your head.

"quite the interesting girl we have.. let me ask you, what house would you prefer to be in?"

"... never thought about it, sorry, sorting hat."

"would you walk a path you create for yourself, or would you walk on the path that others paved for you?"

"... i would rather walk the path i create myself, i guess."

"you'll be great in.. hufflepuff!"

the students clapped, and mcgonagall pointed at the hufflepuff table, for you to know where you now belong. you stared at the helga hufflepuff card you traded your gryffindor card for. would this be some funny coincidence? you sat down at the table, and you were sat beside a blonde girl with hazel eyes, and a boy with long hair, tied into a bun, and facial hair. he oddly looks like an adult.

"i know what you're thinking, with the facial hair, stature, i know. i'm asahi, i'm a seventh year. nice to meet you, and welcome to hufflepuff."

he took your hand, and shook it.

"nice to meet you too!"

you felt like he was easy to talk to, despite his intimidating features.

"and i'm hitoka..!"

the girl beside you, yelled a little too loudly, and students from other tables turned their heads at her. she quickly sits down, and slams her head against the wooden table.

"oh my god, are you okay?"

you panicked, and put your hand on her shoulder, to make sure she's okay.

"god, that was embarassing!"

asahi, from beside you, sighs, and quietly pulls out his wand, and conjures up a spell.

"glacius."

the tip of his wand glowed a cool white, a small blizzard of snowflakes clustered up together, the cold breeze rushing into a cup, freezing the water, and they turn into ice cubes. the silver haired older kid you saw earlier while you were in a boat, quickly pulls out a handkerchief, flattens it onto the table on your side.

"wingardium leviosa."

asahi casts the levitation charm on the ice cubes in the cup, the ice floating seamlessly in the air. asahi lowers it down onto the small cloth that was laid down. he wraps it up, and hands it to the young girl beside you.

"you do this every year, hitoka, that head slamming's gonna turn you dumb, you've already earned a p in your defence against the dark arts o.w.l's!"

"that's because i missed studying for that! i was taking extra classes and i had too much on my hands!"

that same silver haired guy held genuine concern for hitoka, sort of like tough love from a mother. the blonde groans, the faint bruise on her forehead is already embarrassing enough to deal with, but it hurts like hell.

"if you're wondering, the student that is incredibly infuriated, yet worried about poor hitoka beside you, is koshi sugawara, the hufflepuff house prefect and head boy."

asahi introduces you to the student. he's quite the charmer, his face sort of looks.. refreshing. sugawara smiles at you, and opens his mouth to say,

"hitoka's fine, she's always gets like this whenever she meets someone new. last year, she's knocked down a full cauldron of draught of living death, onto a gryffindor student, yu nishinoya. she was partnered with him in potions class. it melted through his robes, and i had to help a prefect carry him to the hospital wing."

sugawara grimaces, remembering the time the potion melted a hole through his robes, and lightly burned nishinoya's skin. the sorting ceremony concluded, and the feast begins. silver platters filled with all kinds of food, suddenly appear at the students' house tables. you, of course, picked your favorites from them, you hear really aggressive muffled yelling from the gryffindor table. you raised you head from your food, and to the source of the commotion, that same duo from the boat, were eating really fast. that feathery, dark haired boy was eating fast, but he gives time to chew, and not look like a mess. meanwhile, the ginger that sat beside him, energetically stuffed his cheeks to the brim with all kinds of food, stacking platters upon platters.

"how the hell does hinata not get a stomachache after his eating competitions with kageyama? i'd immediately surrender within 7 full plates.."

asahi, sort of looked sick. though, you agree with what he said. you can eat no more than a few plates before feeling sick from being full, and begging for the food to digest faster.

"all that food, and none of that goes to his height."

you saw a blonde boy with a brown undercut at the slytherin table, snicker at the two, a boy with grey hair, and the same undercut that looks exactly the same as him, just doesn't bother looking at the two.

"atsumu miya, and his twin brother, osamu. they're slight assholes— actually, maybe a little more that slight, if there's a word for that. atsumu is a loud asshole, and osamu is just a little more discreet about his assholeyness, you know? but they're tooootally monsters at quidditch. maybe them being mean little dudes give them an advantage. oh! and i'm satori tendo, by the way! nice to meet a student from ilvermorny!"

another spiky haired student appears in front of you. and you'd be convinced if someone told you that hogwarts is a magnet for people with weird hair. you just smiled, and shook hands with the guy.

"also, oikawa? would that mean that you'd be the sister of mr. freaky pleasant face?"

tendo squints at you and tilts his head.

"mr. freaky pleasant face? does tooru hook up with girls or something?"

at the mention of his name, your brother turns to your table. he's a slytherin, so he's quite close to where you are.

"no, i do NOT get into those kinds of activities."

he defends himself with a sure and stern voice. and he glares at tendo, the look on his face saying 'if you say anything that's weird and absolutely untrue to my sister, i'll smash your face in with a quaffle.'

"well, he does have lots of girls pining after him, it'd only make sense if he'd done that with some of them. also, hey (name)! shame you're a hufflepuff, i would've loved showing you around the common room."

kuroo waves at you with a stupid smile, but immediately drops it when tooru elbows him in his sides.

"well, that's that."

tendo giggles a little at the situation. later, your house prefect leads you and the new hufflepuff residents to your dorms. sugawara suggests that you should be beside him, so you don't accidentally bump into a shorter first year. your group of hufflepuffs are lead to an underground passageway, the basement of the castle, decorated with lots of paintings of food.

"the paintings are there, 'cause the kitchens and the hufflepuff dorms are kind of in the same corridor."

sugawara says, beside you. this passageway is lit warmly, with torches. despite this being a basement, it gives off the most homely energy. you could hear the house elves behind the shut castle kitchen's doors chatter, and prepare recipes that could possibly be for tomorrow's breakfast. you could smell the familliar scent of baked goods wafting into your nose.

"other students drop by the dorms and common room regularly. it's pretty comfortable, and it feels like home. not just to hufflepuffs, but to all hogwarts students."

sugawara then stops in front of a circle door, framed by pretty vines, a pile of large barrels were stacked in a shadowy recess on the right-hand-side of the corridor. sugawara tapped on the barrel two from the bottom, a barrel middle of the second row in a rhythm that sounds similar to the name of the hufflepuff founder, 'helga hufflepuff'. the lid of the barrel swung open, and sugawara turns to all of you.

"(name), you go first, then i follow. the rest of you first-years, just follow along with us please."

"do i.. crawl through?"

"what else would you do? now go ahead."

you gulped, and entered the barrel, crawling along the sloping, earthy passage that seemed to travel upwards, revealing the common room, in its cozy, yellow glory. the hufflepuff common room is said to 'always feel sunny'. and it really does. no wonder why people love this place, the place has circular windows, that have a view of a vast land of grass and dandelions, the room is just the perfect place to be, the smell from the kitchens are making this place even cozier. there are interesting looking plants, their pots, hanging from the ceiling. sugawara snaps all of you out of your awe, and reminds you that you're here to look at where you'll be sleeping for your stay at hogwarts. the dormitories are reached through round doors in the common room. he opens the dormitory doors, to a stone staircase, one end, spiraling downstairs, and one end for upstairs.

"girl's dorms are up there, boy's dorms are down here. your belongings should've already been brought to your dorms. if there's anything missing, or if there's a mix-up in anything, let me know, and i'll help."

sugawara gestures you up to the girl's dorm, where you find that the dormitory is actually a tower, dorms seperated by years. the sixth years are on the sixth floor, so you head up there, alone. you arrived at what you assumed to be the sixth year girls dorms, there are several circular doors for you to go through, but luckily, there are names on small wooden planks for students and their roommates. you enter the dorm with your name on a plank, and only one other student. 'yui michimiya'. you immediately spot your cat, in her carrier. she must've waited for you, beside your own luggage and trunks, all this time. you immediately free your cat from her confines, and set down her food & water bowl. you notice that your roommate's immediately tucked in for the night, dozing off in her bed.. the lights were dimmed down to adjust to the night. someone knocks on your dorm door. you get up, to open it, and there standing before you, is sugawara.

"madam sprout wants you to be in the common room with the first years, it's mandatory. she'll just hand you the timetable schedules, and some guidelines, and the history of hufflepuff, and what not. i'm sure you already know your way, so i'll just head down to the boys dorms."

he smiles with his lips, and moves out of the way, his arms leading you out of your dorm room, sort of like a 'ladies first' gesture, and you make your way down first, and opening the door connecting the dormitories to the common room. there, you find around 10 first years, the amount of hufflepuff girls and boys split evenly into a 5:5 ratio, sat on the many couches and chairs. you make your way to an empty solo couch, and madam sprout clears her throat to turn the chattering students' attention to her.

"first years, i'm your head of house, madam sprout, and i'd like to welcome to your house, hufflepuff! now, before we go on to hand out your timetables for class, let's go over a brief introduction to the founding of the hufflepuff house, and helga hufflepuff's role in founding hogwarts."

she did exactly what she said, and touched on the topics she mentioned.

"helga hufflepuff was one of four founders of hogwarts, while the other founders, godric gryffindor, salazar slytherin and even rowena ravenclaw chose their favorites or, 'special students', helga hufflepuff accepts all witches and wizards of all backgrounds, whether you'd be a muggle, a pureblood, or a halfblood."

you were trying not to fall asleep immediately, but once the short history lesson ended, she handed everybody their set class timetables. the first years have transfiguration in the morning, and you have potions. madam sprout dismisses all of you, and you and the 5 other hufflepuff girls head into the girls dorm tower, and tucked in for the night. you quietly open your dorm door, careful not to wake your roommate, and you changed into a nightgown, a sleeping garment you thought was corny, but your dad insisted getting you lots of elegant nightgowns, as hogwarts is a castle, and you're a lady, and you'll fit right in like a character from a fairytale. well, he's certainly right about that, looking at yourself in the mirror, it felt sort of awkward, but it also felt right. being a student in a gorgeous historical castle wouldn't be that bad. and with those thoughts, you head straight to bed.

-

you jolt awake from the sound of metal dropping. you blink your eyes, to adjust to the sunlight, shining from the dorm windows, and you see.. your roommate. yui michimiya. she bent down on the floor, not noticing you, already awake. she picked up what seems to be her ring from the floor with a subtle smile, and proceeds to turn in your direction, and lands her eyes on you, with a shriek.

"good morning.."

you waved at her, a yawn accompanying your morning greetings. what a great first impression. you looked at your pocket watch. 5:24 am.

"merlin, you scared me!"

michimiya puts her hand to her chest, with a slouched pose to make it look like she's seen enough of things that scared her.

"i'm yui, i'm pretty sure you've seen the name on the.. thing?"

she adjusts her tie.

"uh, yeah. why are you up so early? don't classes start at 8?"

"oh, uh, i usually go for a morning stroll, but you could also take that time to freshen up, eat breakfast, and stuff.. sorry if i'm not a good hogwarts tour guide, i just have a lot going on. sugawara usually wakes up earlier than everyone, so he must be in the common room. you could ask him!"

michimiya quickly dashes outside. i wonder what's gotten her like that? you decide to change into some new robes, and get ready for the day.. and maybe make a stop at the kitchens for toast. you adjust your yellow and black tie in the mirror, eyes lingering on the hufflepuff patch on your robes. your first day in hogwarts, ever. you grab your leather book bag, not bothering to check what's in it and you head to the common room, to find michimiya, chatting with an older student in the same house, their fingers interlocking, and they look.. very in-love. you thought she went for a stroll.. but you'd rather not think on it. you find sugawara, on the common room couch by the fireplace, reading a book. he turns to you and he waves.

"good morning, (name)! heading to the great hall for breakfast? i'll come with you."

"i thought i'd need a good meal before doing anything."

sugawara chuckles, and guides you out of the common rooms, from the passageway, to the great hall. only a few students are eating, after all, it's only the beginning of the breakfast hours. sugawara leads you a table where his friends are sitting at. this time, the houses aren't divided by tables, but students are free to come and go from one table to another. you are sat at the gryffindor table, a house where majority of sugawara's friends are in.

"yooo suga!"

a loud student with a small stature greeted sugawara.

"oh, (name), this is uh, nishinoya."

"is.. is that the draught of living death guy?"

"ah, well, yes."

sugawara awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, since nishinoya's pretty embarrased about that incident.

"it's the transferee girl! i'm shoyo hinata, transferees are pretty rare around here. what's ilvermorny like? is the food different?"

the boy with a meadow of orange on his head eagerly asked you so many questions, and his friend pulls him down onto the bench by the robes.

"can't you stay still for a second? don't ask questions all the sudden."

"and this grump over here is tobio kageyama."

hinata pointed at the guy he was referring to. you looked over at him, and you waved with a friendly smile. he just.. didn't wave back? or say anything? he just stiffens and doesn't spare you a glance. sugawara looked at him with a knowing smirk.

"don't tell me.."

hinata looks at the both of them, confused, nishinoya deciding he'll keep to himself, his mouth is busy chewing his food anyway. the gryffindor's breakfast table sort of looked like a buffet, with a spread of all sorts of breakfast food. you let out an awkward sounding fake laugh, then grabbed some toast, and other stuff you like, and you ate your food, in silence.

"where's kei? thought he'd escape bokuto asking for homework answers."

the words of nishinoya's question were muffled, since he stuffed his face with seemingly one of all the food on the table.

"asking? that's borderline harrassment."

sugawara directs his head to a cheery bokuto asking all sorts of questions to an amazingly tall boy, with blonde hair and glasses and a blank face across the great hall, at the ravenclaw table. he makes his way to the gryffindor table, with bokuto sticking to him like glue.

"hey, hey, hey! it's (name)!"

he walks behind you and ruffles your hair. the beanpole sits next to you, and quietly continues eating, silently sending an apology to you, hoping that bokuto's attention would be diverted from him.

"hey, could you ask tooru if he's doing well in any of the subjects? i want him to catch me up on anything."

"oh, sure! nice to see ya again, and enjoy your first day (name)!"

you waved bokuto goodbye, and sighed. you liked his prescence, but you needed a little chill today.

"that was smart."

"thanks..? uh.."

the guy beside you praised your efforts at driving bokuto away, the ravenclaw notices how you were about to call him by name, but you don't even know it.

"kei. kei tsukishima."

"oh, uh. thanks, kei, i'm (name)."

he nods, and continues poking at the fried chicken on his plate with his fork. wow, this guy's pretty hard to talk to. sugawara leans in closer to your ear and says,

"don't worry about him, he's not used to interaction with girls, same with kageyama."

sugawara chuckles, he's a pretty good guide. after you were finished with eating (and chatting with all of gryffindor), you stood up, and pulled out a piece of parchment with your class schedule on it. you had a potions class at seven, it's now currently 6:47 am. you figured you'd get to class early. sugawara, tsukishima, hinata, nishinoya and kageyama got up with you too, all of them, except sugawara going ahead, it's just kageyama lagging behind the group.

"sugawara, could you show me where the potions classes are?"

"oh, i have divination, and i need to get there fast.. hmm.. oh! tobio has potions next, he could show you. tobio!"

he called out to the boy, and he came jogging back, with a menacing look on his face. scary.

"could you lead her to the potions classroom? i have divination, i'll think of something to pay you back!"

he froze up, again. does he really not like you? or is he just like that because you're an older girl?

"... sure."

"i'm counting on you, thanks, dude!"

sugawara ran to the exit of the great hall, waving to the two of you behind him. now, it's just you and mr. girl anxiety. he turns to you with a weird face.

"f..follow me."

merlin, his talking game with women is at rock bottom. compared to your brother, who could charm people to his advantage, this guy's charisma is abysmal. hopefully, he grows out of it. you apologise to him in your head for straight up insulting him. well, maybe his awkwardness is his charm. you two started walking out of the great hall. you're having trouble keeping up, since this guy makes crazy strides with his long legs. you were panting just from trying to keep up with him.

"w—"

you inhale, exhale.

"wait! merlin, you're fast."

he freezes in his steps. you were leaning on the stone walls, sitting on the dusty floor, just resting. he realizes he was walking too fast, and extends his hand towards you, averting his gaze.

"sorry. but we'd best not be late, i'll.. i'll walk a little slower this time."

looking up at him from this angle, he's bloody gorgeous. dark hair, eyes the color of the deepest parts of the ocean, you're almost tempted to dive in. his lips turning into a subtle pout, his unbelievably perfect eyebrows furrowed, disappointed by his mistake. you sigh, and get up, with the assistance of your grip on his hand.

"it's okay."

and this time, he adjusts to your pace perfectly, like you're walking with a reflection of yourself. freaky. you arrive at your classroom, and you enter, to be greeted by the sights of a low ceiling, shelves filled with potions, cauldrons, all sorts of glassware and equipment, and potion ingredients, students bringing out their books and their own cauldrons. professor snape turns his head, he stares down at the both of you, an intimidating energy emitting from him. but really, it's just him applauding the transferee for being early, usually new students would get lost inside the castle before they could make it to class. your wise decision to ask to get someone to lead you to the right place saved you from embarassment on your first day.

kageyama taps your shoulder, pointing at the cauldrons on the shelf. you had your cauldron in your trunk, and somehow its' whisked itself out of it and put neatly on the potions classroom's shelves. you both grab your respective cauldrons and found a table where you could make potions in peace, in the back. kageyama pulls out a chair for you to sit in, and made himself comfortable on the stool beside you. that's kind of him. you looked at the boy beside you, he has his book of advanced potions out, so you grab your book bag, and looked inside. your herbology book, history of magic, DADA and astronomy book were all in there, but.. you realize that you forgot your potions textbook. you look for professor snape in the room, maybe he has a spare book! but, he's quite scary to talk to, so asking him for a spare is crossed out on the list. so you turn to the only option left.

"uh, hey, tobio. could you share the book? i forgot mine back at the dorms, i wanna do some light reading."

"yeah, it's alright, i guess.."

he slides the textbook in your direction.

"don't you need it too?"

"yeah, but i don't find it to be necessary reading before class."

ouch, was that a jab at your habit of reviewing, or is he just this honest? he really doesn't sugarcoat things. you quietly open the book so you could read. suddenly, kageyama places his two long fingers onto the paper of the book, and gently moves it a little towards him. and under his breath, he mumbles,

"i guess i could use some reading."

odd. that's odd. he said that he didn't like reviewing before class, but now he's doing it. pick a struggle, man. you move your chair closer to his, so you could see better. your arms were touching at this distance. kageyama let out a quiet grunt, his eyes narrowing at the words printed onto the paper, his eyebrows furrowing in what seemed to be frustration, his cheeks blooming into the subtlest pink. if he's that bothered just by reading, why'd he volunteer to read with you anyways? a few minutes pass by, and class begins, kageyama pulling his eyes away from the book, and sighed in relief. snape warned every student in his class that 'there will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class.' and taking turns asking every student questions, including kageyama and you.

"where would you look if you were to find me a bezoar?"

"i— uh.."

kageyama aggressively flips the pages of his advanced potions book, but snape slams the book shut, almost trapping kageyama's whole hand in there, if it weren't for his reflexes.

"take this seriously, mr. kageyama. where. would. you. find. me. a. bezoar?"

"uh.. something about a goat stomach."

"so close, yet so far. you, new student. where would you find a bezoar?"

you jolted, and pointed at yourself with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

"who else in this room would i ask?"

"uh— a bezoar is a stone in a goat's stomach.. that can save you from.. almost any poisons?"

"end that sentence with a period, ms. oikawa. but alas, you are correct. five points to.. hufflepuff, and for that poor answer from mr. kageyama, five points will be taken from gryffindor."

snape narrows his eyes at you, before proceeding to continue with his lessons. you put your hand on where your heart would rest, currently beating as fast as a zouwu. and about as fast as a zouwu, the classes end, leaving students with free time after dinner. there was a windstorm earlier today, and the owl post was delayed until tomorrow afternoon. you're just strolling with kageyama and hinata, the carrothead wanted to show you the gryffindor seeker and the gryffindor beater's skills at the quidditch field, and you were making your way there, but a pretty girl with glasses comes up to the three of you, and hands you a poster for a stargazing event to welcome new and senior students to hogwarts.

"you guys should check out if you're interested! now, i've gotta go pass these on to the others!"

the girl ran, she ran at impressive speeds, like she was born to be a track athlete. you stared at the poster in your hands, the two boys peering behind you to see what's up.

'stargazing event for old and new students at 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm at the astronomy tower. food catered by the house elves! (professors agreed to let us do this.)'

there was an enchanted moving picture below the text, the stars were shooting across the night sky, above hogwarts. despite looking so hastily printed, it's still quite impressive. hinata showed amusement and showed amusement at the poster and the upcoming event that happens in an hour.

"ooh.. seems cool! wanna go, kageyama?"

"that's stupi—"

"i'd like to go, free food is free food."

you shrugged, hinata nodded and threw finger guns your way, and anticipated an answer from the boy with hair colored like the night sky.

"... free food wouldn't be so bad."

hinata quite literally jumped for joy, and you three decided to pass the time by slowly strolling to the astronomy tower, since you're pretty far from it, seeing as you're near the greenhouses. you continued talking to both of them, but you notice kageyama stop in his tracks, and he looks up at the both of you.

"i think i forgot something, i'll go back to the divination classroom, i think i'll make it on time if i ever find it immediately, you go on ahead."

as much as kageyama hates being left behind by his rival and friend, hinata, this time he strangely decides to not come along.

"well, you're gonna miss out on everything, since you couldn't even find your quill when you placed it under your book."

hinata commented. he was referencing to the transfiguration class earlier that afternoon, when professor mcgonagall wanted us to take notes, but kageyama couldn't find his quill.

"oh, fuck off."

kageyama huffed, and jogged straight for the divination classroom. when the time came, you were at the charms classroom's entrance, near the astronomy tower. there were already lots of students by the time you got there. hinata's eyes sparkled at how pretty the entrance of the astronomy tower looked. there were floating lanterns, with balls of light that looked like stars in them, and bright ravenclaw blue ribbons and sashes hanging above the entrance. the students seemed to have dates or have brought their romantic partners along. you see familiar faces, like the slytherin twins from earlier, atsumu and osamu miya, with gorgeous girls from the houses of gryffindor and ravenclaw, even kuroo, with a boy that looked like a girl, with short bob hair that looked to be dyed blonde, as the roots of his hair were black. he seemed to be best friends with him, he seemed disinterested in the astronomy event as a whole, since he's just reading.

"woah, good job, g.g.g!'

hinata said, with an impressed voice and crossed arms.

"g.g.g? what's that?"

"gorgeous glasses girl! y'know the girl from earlier?"

you laughed, hinata's got such a creative mind, making all sorts of remarks here and there. kuroo waved and greeted you with a smile, dragging the poor ravenclaw along, the boy grimaces, as kuroo takes his book, and sort of 'confiscates' it.

"heyy, (name)! and of course, hello, shrimpy."

at the mention of the nickname 'shrimpy', the boy beside him, became a little less disinterested, his scowl transforming into a blank face, his eyes sparkling in interest juuuust a little at hinata. you're willing to bet they're really close. hinata wraps his arm around the two tone haired boy's shoulders, and they continue chatting about quidditch, quidditch teams, and if he (pudding head) will continue being a seeker after suffering a major injury. it seems that the pudding haired boy broke his arm in his last quidditch match, and it hit his motivation really badly. but then, it hits you, hinata's distracted, and he's slowly walking toward the astronomy tower without you.

"hey, hinata! hey— ugh, it's no use, he's incredibly distracted."

"haha, when they're talking, especially if they haven't seen eachother in so long, it's almost like they're in their own world."

kuroo crossed his arms, and watched them walk away.

"besides, you've got me now! i'm interesting to talk to, y'know!"

"you're interesting when you're interesting, and that's not right now."

"ouch."

-

inside the tower, there were tables with roll-top chafing dishes in all shapes, similar to a muggle buffet. the food ranged from salads, pastries, meat dishes, desserts and drinks. the students were at the astronomy tower's railings, admiring the stars, there were a group of students who volunteered to sing on a built stage, dressed in shiny suits and dresses, singing songs in the genre of 'bossa nova'. kuroo had acompanied you in the tower, talking, or rather, complaining about how your brother's a little too charming for his tastes, and about how he's using that charm to weasel away from trouble, and left the blame onto him or his friends. well, that didn't sound uncharacteristic of him, you're speaking from experience, you didn't even bother to resonate with him since it's not like you've never tried to flutter your eyelashes a bit too hard to get yourself out of trouble. like brother, like sister.

but kuroo got a little caught up in the small crowd of his admirers, immediately healing his ego, and let you 'go on ahead'. you're fine with him just talking to someone and staying beside him, but this is still about the third time this has happened that evening. your mind wandered to the location of kageyama, and if he managed to find the item he's searching for, while swishing the party punch you've got in a glass, in your hands. some guys tried to get your attention, but you didn't bother. later, most of the girls in the room with you suddenly squealed. your brother, was fashionably late as usual. 'the best man in the room always comes late.' he always said that as an excuse when he's late for dinner, when he really just was snooping around your mum and dad's stuff from their time at hogwarts. oikawa approaches you, but you notice he has no partner. you look at him, confused.

"thought i'd show some decency and make a good impression on you."

"so you're only indecent when i'm.. not around?"

your brother hisses, obviously embarassed by how you took his words, but he knows you like to joke around.

"i'm surprised you're not in slytherin, seeing how your comments are."

"well, i know my limits."

"you know, we haven't had a proper conversation the entire day."

"i mean, i was busy with adjusting to a new environment."

he nods. then, from his robe's pockets, he takes out a box, one that's old, the printed red color on it is cracked, and he placed it in your hands.

"what's this?"

"the thing you gave me before you left with dad. you told me to return it to you when we meet again, but i couldn't find the right time to."

you look down at the box, and opened it. the specially enchanted mokeskin pouch that your parents had enchanted to share between yourselves, and a note, containing the promise of returning the box to you. you take out the pouch, and you opened it, inside was pictures of the two of you with your parents on vacation in romania, your mother's color changing gloves, and the invisible ink you bought with your first allowance of 40 galleons. your eyes softened at the items, and the memories that came with them, and you looked up at your brother with an emotional face.

"i thought you forgot."

"i certainly almost did."

you were slowly getting used to talking to your brother again, and it felt so warm being with family in an unfamiliar place. you look around, craning your neck to sort out a person in the crowd of red, yellow, green and blue.

"who are you looking for? you have a date or something, eh? eeeehhh?"

your brother squints his eyes at you, curious of who was able to convince his sister, despite your comfortable and chill personality, you usually refuse any advances that involve outright flirting.

"excuse you, i don't have one. just a friend i'm waiting for."

"that's exactly how it sounds like. a date."

"do you actually know what a date is?"

"you're asking the right person!"

you waved violently once you spotted the person you were waiting for—

"tobio kageyama! over here!"

"his full legal name, and everything. also, kageyama? that guy's your date?"

you lower your hand, once kageyama sees you, he was coming towards the both of you, then backs away a little bit once he sees oikawa.

"tobio, it's fine, just pretend he doesn't exist, did you ever find what you were looking for?"

"hey, you're not answering me!"

"oh, good evening, uhm, oikawa..? i never managed to find anything, so i'll have to continue looking before curfew."

"just call me (name), we're both oikawa, so it's kind of weird."

kageyama nods, but the tall toddler next to you is just looking between the gryffindor, and you. sort of like a 'what's your relationship with him???' you completely block your brother's prescence from your sight. he notices, and with a huff, he pushes the two of you away from eachother.

"you ought to stop.. being so.. so... frivolous!"

the chocolate haired boy you call your only sibling, sternly yells, and glares at the both of you, the other students glancing your way.

"what was that for?"

"it's almost to 10:30, so you two best be off to bed in your seperare houses, no boy and girl action shall happen between you kids, you hear?"

"hey, i was born 20 minutes earlier than you, you have no right to tell me what my bedtime is and the professors clearly allowed us to stay up past curf—"

the 20 minute younger oikawa sibling pushes both you and kageyama out of the astronomy tower, from the top, down the stairs, complaining about how he's acting like the older sibling, quite embarassing being babied by your younger by a few minutes brother. he heads back up and on his way up the stairs, he kept glancing at the both of you.

"he's weird."

kageyama remarked. you had nothing to say but you just gave him a nod to say that you definitely agree.

"should we go back up?"

kageyama looked down at you.

"no, i'm pretty sure tooru will stop us."

"fair point, i think that the professors might show up to interrupt to make sure that the party ends by 10:30."

he shrugged. at this point, you two were pretty tired.

"i'll just go to bed then, it's better if i sleep early anyways."

you raised your hand for a moment and dropped it, a lazy goodbye to the gryffindor behind you. but he calls out your name.

"(name)!"

you turn to the boy, a short distance seperates you two. you hummed to acknowledge his calling.

"i, uh.. isn't it rude to let a girl walk alone?"

"no? i don't think it is."

"oh, uhm, see you tomorrow.."

his cheeks were dusted with a light pink, and just awkwardly waved, and he walked in the seperate direction. weird. but you unknowingly turned down kageyama's very vague offer to walk you to your house's common room.

-

after a long walk from the astronomy tower to the hufflepuff girls dorms, you flop onto your bed, uniform still on, you're not even bothering to change into a nightgown. you rolled around in the sheets for a while, waiting for your eyes to feel heavy and fall asleep while practicing the spells of 'nox' and 'lumos'. the light flickers from the tip of your wand, as you say the required words for the spell to work, you were getting sleepy, your hand slowly letting go of your wand. before it slips through as your hands relax, a loud tap is heard on the glass of your window. you simply dismiss it. then, a louder tap echoes through the room, waking you up.

"oh, merlin's beard! what is that sound!?"

you drag yourself from your bed and assessed the window, the glass has been shaped, and you could barely make up what's outside. all you know is that the culprit of the window tapping is round. you open your window, to see a crow. a very beautiful one, its beak was holding onto a teeny tiny roll of parchment, a cloth rolled into it with very familliar patterns, tied shut into a neat bow, by a midnight blue silk ribbon.

"you got a message for me, little guy?"

you hold out your hand, so it can just drop it onto there and go back to its owner. it did, but it never left your side. you unroll the piece of paper, revealing the hankerchief your mother gave you before you went to america with your dad. the paper under it reads;

'you dropped this, be careful of your belongings.'

and nothing else was attatched. you were wondering why the crow wouldn't leave when messenger birds were usually trained to leave immediately after someone recieves something they brought. you squint at the object reteurned to you, and you look through your pockets to find they were empty. so you really dropped it.

"thank you, feathery friend. you can leave, but before you do.."

you tied the ribbon included with your missing hankerchief onto its neck, and the bird flew away. 'what a strange bird.' you thought. and you decided that was a sign for you to change into your nightgown and not sleep in your uniform.

-

the next day wasn't so bad, you were a little more familliar with the layout of the school, though you almost were late to charms class. speaking of charms, you just finished the class, and all of you were dismissed by professor flitwick early, since he figured that the next lesson would be too much to fit into one class. you had actually befriended the boys that you sat next to, the miya twins, though they were not your type of people, they were easy to get along with. one of your favorite moments in your first charms class would be when professor flitwick asked if you could magically persuade a pineapple to dance off your desk, and the miya twins just blasted their pineapples off the desk.

"well, professor, ya did say that we'd have 'ta get the pineapples off our desks, magically!" atsumu argued.

"and they did spin 'round a little.. wouldn't that count as a dance?" osamu backed his brother up.

"no, you blasted it using flipendo, and they didn't dance. two points from slytherin."

you chuckled to yourself at their ridiculous behavior. you felt a finger tap at your right shoulder, you turned, there was nothing there, then at your left, still nothing. you frantically turn and find the miya twins snickering at you.

"heya, pretty! ya ready for some lunch? we got great people to introduce ya to at our table!"

atsumu wrapped his arm around your shoulder. but osamu just stays by your side, students pass by, heading to the great hall or talking to their friends. you smile at atsumu, but in the distance behind him, was kageyama, with messed up hair, and a very disappointed professor mcgonagall scolding him for missing transfiguration, while on his way to the great hall. you look at him, he's pretty fucked up looking. his necktie isn't even tied, and he forgot one of his socks. then you notice, a silky, shiny blue ribbon, tied to his pinky finger. that very same midnight blue ribbon that you tied to the crow last night.

".. what the.."

-

SURPRISE HAPPY APRIL FOOLS I PRABKED U I ACTUALLY FINISHED THIS WAHAHAHAHA

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High Junior Year Ep 18

Oisin’s Family Reunion 

Welcome back to Fantasy High where it’s election night and there’s a storm a-brewin. Last we left off, pretty much every student at Aguefort (plus Ragh, Jawbone, and a hidden Eugenia Shadow) was at Seacaster Manor which Riz realized was tactically unwise right as Seacaster Manor was suddenly ripped from its foundations into the sky. 

Luckily, Seacaster Manor is still a working pirate ship with a ton of functioning canons, plus a ton of shields and other protective mojo put up by Aelwyn. Unfortunately, there’s a lot to worry about here:

Kristen is a shoe-in to win the election BUT that’s only if they can get everyone to vote and get the votes to school in time. This is complicated by the fact that–

Everyone will freak out if they realize what’s happening and if they freak out, they won’t vote. 

There’s a lot to be freaked out about, the first of which is that those ping pong balls Oisin left were a sort of homing beacon that’s drawing the attention of the NIghtmare King. When Kristen looks outside, she can see the storm has taken on the visage of the Nightmare King and it’s like they’re in his hand, being wound up to be thrown for a fastball. Total party foul. 

Seacaster Manor is a boat, but not an airship and it doesn’t have flight capabilities because Oisin got Adaine’s Mephits to break the Cloud Rider Engine during that first house party months ago. This is a problem both because they need to Not Crash but also ideally they need to be able to steer to get the ballots to the school.

Complicating things even further, they have another nasty present from Oisin to contend with–a whole horde of dragons, including big grandma blue herself!

So, yeah! Tons to contend with in this episode. Some good news though: In the center of town, they can see a shock of red lightning go up into the sky and then fizzle. The Rat Grinders are performing their little Porter promotion ceremony but it’s not working because they don’t have Ankarna’s name. Equally good news, Fig’s steed now had a name courtesy of Murph: Gerard Neigh!

The Bad Kids leap into action, both doing damage control on the party and controlling heaps of damage directed at the dragons gunning for them. Fig (who is actually in Wanda form right now so idk how this is working exactly lol) convinces everyone that this is just a sick music video that’s being filmed at the party while Gorgug and Sprek (aviation Goblin) get the Cloud Rider Engine running. Adaine is predictably SO excited to get to help with the canons (along with helping Fig) and Fabian gets people to vote. He also gets his surprise tattoo from Eugenia. Riz is using his insane action economy (boosted by Haste) to run those cannons like he’s in the navy. And Kristen (with help from K2) is keeping everyone up as they are buffeted by winds, physical attacks, and dragon breath weapons. 

Though this is a wild episode, not much happens plot wise so here are some standout moments:

Gorgug is still living in crit city and putting anyone who doubted his multiclass to shame.

Fig has Adaine strap GoPros on vultures to film this fake music video which she will probably turn into a real music video at some point. Maximum Legend Behavior. 

Adaine, in one of her coolest moments ever, blasts a dragon with a cannon then runs to the deck and one shots a blue dragon by punching its lights out. Defeating enemies by hitting them with her fists and shooting them with guns. The Adaine school of wizardry. 

At one point Kipperlilly, Jace, and Oisin Invisibly jump onto the deck from grandma’s back (which Adaine and Gorgug can see because of various magical effects, though they pretend like they can’t). Gorgug has to make two Wis Saves and he rolls 22 on both. Seemingly nothing happens and they use a Rune of Recall to teleport away. The Bad Kids figure that they were trying to mind read Gorgug to get Ankarna’s actual name. 22 is pretty high but we don’t know if it actually worked or not. 

Riz gets to add yet ANOTHER ancient dragon to his kill list as he cannonballs Oisin’s grandma out of the sky. Yikes my man. You’re probably out of the will now. 

At a certain point of the fight, Baxter the griffon shows up to meet then WITHOUT Sandra Lynn riding him which is *concerning* but we don’t get more info than that in this ep. Best case scenario, Sandra Lynn just sent him solo to help because she was busy with things on the ground but still wanted to send air support. Worst case scenario–we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

The last big thing that happens in this ep is the moment that broke Brennan and, I’m gonna be honest, as silly as it is it feels like business as usual from Ally to me (though I do understand why it would break a man--several years into the careful crafting of his world--who has been filming for 9 straight hours in a warehouse in Los Angeles). Kristen tries to make a Divine Intervention roll and fails. Then K2 tries to make a Divine Intervention roll–which she does by looking into the clouds and saying, “Blimey” in Ally’s atrocious British accent and THAT one succeeds. This is compounded by the fact that Brennan said that if this works, K2 will be vaporized and Ally randomly adding in that K2 is pregnant with Fabian’s child (which Lou both vehemently vetoes and also plays along with to mess with Brennan)

Brennan fully leaves the dome (Zac takes over for a few minutes) and then storms back in and declares that as weird Wizard clones, simulacrum are just made of stem cells and always test positive for pregnancy because of that. Then, he tells everyone to just wipe the past ten minutes from their mind so he can have some semblance of order for the end of the episode. 

The successful Divine Intervention brings Cass back to herself for a moment and Seacaster Manor flies into the maw of cloud Cass. They appear back in Elmville but everything is now an eerie red and lightning strikes fill the sky. Looks like another end of the year apocalypse!  If Riz doesn’t get into college after this the school board is gonna have to fight *me*.

Detention 

Eugenia Shadow for Giving Fabian a Secret Tattoo of a Ghost With Hairy Legs Showing Hole

Obviously I wanna give it to Oisin for siccing his grandma on his entire school and taunting my girl Adaine but she didn’t give him the time of day so neither will I. Instead, I’m giving it to Eugenia for the insane moving tattoo that Fabian will have to corral back into his otherwise lovely clock tattoo every day. Bonkers behavior. 

Honor Roll

Gorgug for Flying a House Full of Students With No Training and No Casualties 

And he wasn’t sure he could do it. Way to step up Gorgug!!!

Rat Grinder Notes

We still don’t have specifics on what actually happened to Lucy and how the Rat Grinders got involved with this mess in the first place. We have some guesses but nothing concrete and some options definitely make them more sympathetic than others. 

Tossing a house with ALL YOUR CLASSMATES INSIDE OF IT is such an unhinged move. I don’t know how nuanced Brennan meant for the Rat Grinders to be but man it’s hard to want anything for them besides a swift ass kicking followed by jail when they’re pulling shit like this AND we’re not getting anything mitigating to make us feel bad for them (ie: Aelwyn’s shitty home life or Ragh being manipulated by Dayne). Fascinated to know if they’re in a state where they can be “snapped out” of it or if they’re basically lucid but with heightened emotions (in the same vein of, “The shitty things you do and say when drunk are still your fault/responsibility). 

My updated list on how much I wanna see these kids get embarrassed in this fight are Oisin and Kipperlilly at the top followed by Ivy. Mary Ann I truly have no opinion on. Ruben I am warmer on than the rest but that’s admittedly because Fig has put time into investigating him and it’s entirely possible the rest of the RG’s would seem more sympathetic if the BK’s dug more into them. And then Buddy dead last because he’s pretty clearly a pawn here. Like he has other stuff to work through but the current apocalypse is not his fault and he doesn’t deserve to be lumped in with the rest of them. In fairness, Porter (+Jace) deserves to get smacked down more than any of them as the adult mastermind behind this but that’s not the list I was making. 

Random Thoughts

This is a side thing but I love that Aelwyn spent a ton of high level spell slots warding up Seacaster Manor. (She also made Fabian a cursed coin that would summon the gold tornado from Freshman Year if broken but he never used it.) She’s helping!  

Lmao at Murph being called in as the expert on honoring the cock and just being resigned to cock(ed dice) inspection. 

It was casually mentioned that Bucky might believe in Cass a bit which I'm mentioning in case it comes up later.

I love Brennan letting Gorgug use his Great Weapons Fighting feature while using the boat as a weapon. That’s such a shenanigan and Zac wasn’t even asking for it. 

I bet the Rat Grinders targeted Gorgug for the name/mind reading thing because they thought he was the dumbest one in the group. Newsflash! He’s been smart this whole time! Greatest Wizard of our Age! 

Being all, “Other kids at this school have it easier than me and it’s not fair,” and then having your trust fund baby friend send his ancient dragon grandma to attack everyone at your school so you can win an election is such loser behavior.   

Sending dragons to attack the kids who killed a dragon their first year of school and have just gotten cooler and more powerful since then seems like a profoundly shortsighted decision. Why not put their loved ones in danger like in Family in Flames if you want them out of the way? Like, they’re gonna be SO MUCH more mad at you when they inevitably come for you but it might actually slow them down whereas this did not at all. 

I imagine this is going to be a Promocalypse-esque situation where despite this being a school of adventurers, the Bad Kids aren’t gonna get much help from the rest of the student body but I hope they can at least get some cleric heals or pearls of power something before they have to go into this next fight because yeesh. 

I hope Adaine remembers that Oisin has a thing to steal control of summons because she’s been getting into summons heavily this season. 

I’m really curious to know how this fight will play out. Like if it will have a heavy RP element or not. Because if the Bad Kids had bonded with the RG’s in any way (besides the weird obsession w/ Mary Ann and whatever the hell is going on with “Wanda” and Ruben lol) I could see there being a lot of persuasion roles to try and get them to stop what they were doing. But as the story stands, this is coming off of the back of the Rat Grinders sending DRAGONS to THROW THE HOUSE THEY WERE IN. If I were them I would NOT be like, “Let’s talk it out.” I’m like, “OK cool, they can’t be reasoned with,” and casting my most devastating spell at the highest level. Of course, I much prefer combat eps when they have RP but I don’t know that the story so far has been conducive to that. We’ll see! 

[teal-fiend]

Mentor / apprentice duo, but the apprentice is a pred. 

The mentor is an artisan of some variety, maybe a cook, a sculptor, a blacksmith, or wizardry specialist. And they are in need of an apprentice to help them around the shop, and to impart their skills onto.

The mentor decided to take a chance on an especially pitiful-looking wayward vagrant. Maybe the mentor was in a similar state once, and they realise that this person already has some of the traits they’re looking for; a passion for their field of work. 

The mentor takes them in, this lanky, starved feral person. Their new apprentice is a little strange, but is immediately very loyal to them, like how a cuckoo chick is reliant on their host mother.

They bring their apprentice to their workshop, showing them around, and getting them to work on an easy, beginner’s task, like sorting through a messy drawer, putting different cogs and bits into the right containers. And that goes well. 

The problems start when a client comes over to the workshop. The mentor is busy in the back. They come out to find that the client is gone, and the apprentice is very stuffed, in a post-meal daze. 

The mentor had thought the apprentice was going to have issues, they did not expect this though. The apprentice (after coming to their senses) apologises profusely, begging their mentor not to fire them. 

The mentor decides that they’ll try to keep the apprentice. Even if it takes a lot of work, they can bring prey to their apprentice, keeping them well-fed so that they don’t go after their customers. It saves on groceries, at least. The feeding routine also improves the pred’s poor health, making them better able to work for their mentor, producing more, getting a boost in their skills and their ability to learn. 

The mentor has pride in their work, it’s like resuscitating a stray cat. domesticating it. Seeing its transformation into a friendly, happy feline.

They’re apprentice is a lot happier now, especially around their mentor, they are talkative, friendly and helpful. Around strangers, they’re a bit shy and a bit territorial of their mentor. 

Speaking of territory, sometimes the apprentice comes back after a night out covered in blood. Sometimes their own, other times someone else's. Often it’s a combination of both. When the mentor asks what the hell happened, the apprentice kindly explains that they were fighting to protect the area of other preds. They do this to keep their mentor safe. Their mentor has mixed feelings. 

Unfortunately, if the mentor falls behind on feeding their apprentice, They would keep eating the clients while the mentor is distracted. Sometimes the mentor will force the pred to spit them out (not that the client is grateful about the situation), and other times the mentor will give up and just let the pred have them. After they got used to it, the mentor would make jokes, telling clients if they didn't pay fairly and on time, their apprentice would eat them. The client would laugh, not knowing that it was a real threat (they’d only know the truth if they didn’t pay up).

[barbatusart]

putting this below a cut cus it's a whole lot of me yapping about Hypothesized Vampire History lol but some de rerum natura-related thoughts below!

came upon these Wonderful thoughts in response to my last page chunk post, and right off the bat thank you So much for the thoughts folks i love thoughts on the nonsense im sculpting lol. with the matter of casting donnela as emin's (cazador's baby elf name that i picked out of a hat) mother, idk if its ever going to openly come up in de rerum natura, but personally i had it in mind that she explicitly did Not want to turn him into a vampire. im trying in this comic to avoid black&white characterizations and present people as multifaceted as possible, & in the spirit of that i figured that donnela Very much did not want to pass the curse of vampirism on to her son & deliberately kept him mortal, in fact planning on outliving him. maybe out of love, maybe out of not wanting to give up any sort of held power by even risking having her son as a spawn - maybe a fair mix of both, i dont know. vampires kind of present themselves as having a glamour of immortality & eternal youth & all that, but the tragedy of vampirism imho is being forced to step out of time & exist forever in a sort of stasis while the world and its people change around you. i think somewhere deep down, power-hungry ideals aside, i think at her core even though she was a monster in other ways, she couldnt bear to force her boy to suffer the same fate. maybe in her way it was her trying to break the cycle but not being clever enough to fully disengage from it, since she still was making spawn & still was treating them like dogshit. A for effort i guess? also with all that in mind, hopefully that sheds even more light on vellioth going out of his way to turn emin into a spawn & his motivations as one last final fuck-you towards her 😬

with regards to emin's eye color also, i just picked blue as the most opposite of red just to showcase in the very rough roughs that he was still mortal lol but thats subject to change to whatever color. are the szarrs a family of moon elves?? i guess theyre moon elves but they could be sun elves made really pasty by vampirism, who knows lol

also on the matter of "how did a vampire have a kid" - it's DND baby wizardry exists dont worry about it LOL

[rasmodiusofficial]

Did you happen to know the farmer's grandpa at all? Rumor has it that he had some sort of magic, physics-defying, four-dimensional bed. Also, he's definitely communicating with his grandkid from beyond the grave, but that's less exciting imo.

That bed possessed an aura I've only seen the once before, and I suspect I'll never see again. What masterful wizardry it would take to build something so mundane into its current state.

I thought he was a lovely man. I won't see the likes of him again, either.

[hisunshiine]

—tri-wizard trials | myg

→ posted: dec 26, 2022 → pairing: slytherin!yoongi x gryffindor!reader → au/genre: hogwarts au, brother’s best friend, smallest of angst, fluff, smut → chapter rating: +18 / M for Mature → wc: 7,251 → warnings: everyone involved in smut is OF AGE. events of harry potter’s stories did not happen. Dumbledore is retired from being headmaster, but all of the other professors we know and love are not dead, everyone’s ages are different in this story, some members are not seen but are mentioned, some house banter and teasing, use of wizarding world phrases, oral (m & f receiving), loss of virginity, penetrative unprotected sex, overstimulation, second hand embarrassment → credits: story written for Toci as part of the @bangtanwritershq holiday event “Christmas Love”, thank you to my beta readers, whippedbywonho, @noonastoand @peachiilovesot7​ for all of your help! → summary: As a seventh year, this is your final year to spend with your friends. It’s also a triwizard tournament year—the tournament is known as being dangerous—and it's common for some injuries to be fatal. When your brother’s best friend and fellow seventh year, Yoongi, is chosen as the school champion at the feast, you lay out your feelings and give him a prize worth much more than the cup. → an: as a gryfferin/slythindor, i approve of the slander in the story lol! i included a key terms to help muggles, and i’m very excited to have a hogwarts au story! 

Key Terms for Muggles:

Abraxans - a breed of winged horses, gigantic and extremely powerful with an appearance akin to that of a palomino horse Common Room - “living room” for students; each house has their own  The Entrance Hall - entryway of the castle that has access to the great hall, staircase to the higher floors, and dungeons Fiendfyre - enchanted fire from an advanced dark magic curse that creates flames of immense size and heat that are capable of destroying nearly anything in its path The Great Hall - “cafeteria” of sorts, where all students and professors eat meals Hippogriff - a magical beast that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse Room of Requirement - also known as the Come and Go Room is a secret room that only appears if you are in great need of it Veela - semi-human magical beings; beautiful women with white-gold hair and skin that appears to shine moon-bright

OCT 30th — 11:47 PM

Seven years ago you were eleven turning twelve, and just starting your life here within these castle walls. Dragging your fingers along the cold stone bricks, you smile softly as you pass a coat of arms hanging from an archway. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry has been your home for so long, and now, in your final year, you can’t believe that you have less than eight months until you’d be graduating and moving off into the world. 

Since returning back in September, you’d sometimes get this overwhelming bittersweet feeling about leaving this place next June. You’re supposed to be in bed, as it wasn’t your night to patrol the halls, but instead your feet have led you down the many flights of stairs to the entrance hall on the main floor. The soft glow of the lowered flames lit the corridor just enough for you to not trip over the trick step on your way down from the Gryffindor common room, but as you enter the entrance hall, the light changes briefly.

Your eyes flicker up, taking note of Min Yoongi standing within the age line that Professor Bang Si-hyuk had charmed around the glowing goblet in the middle of the hall. Blue flames return the corridor to a somber mood as Yoongi’s arm drops back to his side, hands tucking a sheet of folded parchment and a quill back into his robe pocket as he turns to exit.

“Hey.” 

His cool demeanor as his eyes avoid contact with yours is something you aren’t used to anymore; as your twin brother Jimin’s best friend, you’ve grown close to the blond over the years despite being in different houses, but having you as a prefect and now Head Girl has saved them from losing several house points along the way.

“Hey. I didn’t know you were going to enter?” you question as an attempt to warm his attitude, but he just grunts, moving to walk past you and back towards the hall that leads to the dungeon common room. 

Turning his direction, your hand shoots out to grasp his wrist, but upon looking at his face, you drop his arm.

“Yoongi?”

“I’m really tired YN, I’ll talk to you later.”

Yoongi’s robes billow around him as he disappears into the shadows of the castle walls, descending into the dungeons and leaving you to the chill of the midnight hour. 

OCT 31st — 2:11 AM

Back in your dorm room on the seventh floor in Gryffindor tower, sleep continues to flit from you like the golden snitch: teasing you to your face, just to disappear out of sight in a blink of an eye. 

Min Yoongi entered the Triwizard Tournament—one of the most dangerous tournaments for students that exists, with fatal injuries a common thing. Sure, the previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had seen to it that students had to be of age to enter, but did age really matter in the end? 

You roll over onto your side, flipping your pillow to the cool side and think about the chances of Yoongi being selected. There are several other seventh years that you know will be entering, and you attempt to quell your growing fears. Why would a Slytherin be chosen over a Gryffindor? Could hissing, prong-tongued, dungeon dwellers really be more worthy as the school’s champion over a fierce, courageous and proud lion? 

You aren’t normally one to believe the propaganda spewed about each house, but the thought surprisingly aids in calming you down enough to allow sleep to overtake you, and you dream of dark eyes, light hair, and a gummy smile that refused to show itself to you tonight, and you have a sinking feeling it has everything to do with the conversation he must’ve overheard. 

OCT 30th — 5 - 8 PM the Welcoming Feast, several hours earlier 

You stand in the front of the castle with the other students, awaiting the arrival of the two other magical schools in the region, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Of the three magical schools, you were at the one led by Professor Bang Si-hyuk, and in your opinion, it was the best school to attend. Beauxbatons was headed by Professor Park Jae-sang, a lively man who enjoyed working with his students. Professor Park Jin-young, the Durmstrang headmaster, was less concerned with his students, and more concerned with his own vanity. 

Watching as the Great Lake ripples with life, a large boat pushes through the water to sit atop the waves. A large ramp lowers itself to the shore, and a small group of young men disembark behind a toadly looking man and make their way toward you all.

You notice a grinning man leading the group of students and he’s quite striking in a tall, dark, and handsome way. His smile has dimples and is easily given, and exactly what you’re used to if you look at your ex. Shaking the thought away, you hear the whispers of the other female students who can’t believe how tall and cute the men arriving are. 

Soon after Park Jin-young greets Headmaster Bang, the group of men retire inside to wait for the welcoming feast. It’s not more than five minutes before a large carriage arrives, flown by magnificent winged beasts, Abraxans by the look of it.

Park Jae-sang appears to dance across the grass once he’s out of the carriage, a small group of students following him as Hagrid leads the Abraxans to the grassy paddock. You’ve heard that his school is quite small, and by the looks of it, he may have brought every ‘of-age’ student with him. You can’t help but notice only one blonde girl in the group of young men, spritely but proud as she walks with her head held high.

Once the Beauxbatons students are in, Headmaster Bang leads the rest of you into the Great Hall, where the decorations for tomorrow have come to life. Bats and orange streamers line the corridors and you hope that the visitors will enjoy their time here. Seeing your twin brother, you grab his sleeve to keep up with him amongst the crowd. Jimin sees you and smiles, eyes half moon as he wraps his arm around your shoulders in a side hug.

“YN, this year is gonna be fantastic, innit?”

“I mean, so far it already has been, Gryffindor is in the lead for the house cup thanks to that win against Slytherin last week,” you tease.

Jimin pouts; as Slytherin seeker, they lost by only ten points when your best friend caught the snitch before he could. 

“Jeon got lucky, that’s all.”

You giggle, linking arms with him as he shuffles down the hall towards his best friend. Not to say you and your brother weren’t also best friends—you shared a womb with him—but outside of your twin bond, you each had a best friend in your respective houses.

Yoongi stood along the wall next to a suit of arms, well out of the way of the crowd. As you approached, he gave you one of his rare smiles. 

“Well, if it isn’t Park-squared.”

“Ohh, Yoongi, I didn’t know you could do math.”

“Ha-ha. Anyways, what do you think of the potential champions from the other schools?” he asks, looking at your brother. Jimin answers as you turn your back to the wall, eyes on the crowd to help direct the younger students. Head Girl duties and what not.

“Well, Durmstrang looks pretty fit, I think any of them could be champions. Beauxbatons had that girl…she was quite stunning. I felt like I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.”

“Oooh, I felt that way too,” you chime in, “you don’t think she’s part Veela, do you? You know near Beauxbatons, it is more common for magical creatures like Veela to mix with wizards.”

“She could be. I didn’t quite care for her, though.” Yoongi shared, staring at you while you looked away from him across the crowd of students still lingering in the hall.

“Mmm, do you ever care for anyone though, Min? I’ve never even seen you look twice at a girl our whole time at Hogwarts,” you taunt back.

“I just have impeccable taste, and maybe the people who meet it haven’t noticed me yet.”

Giggling, you turn back to look at him.

“Min Yoongi, have you seen yourself? Even I went through the ‘I’ve got a crush on Min Yoongi but he’ll never notice me’ phase when we were in fourth year, along with half the school. I highly doubt there’s anyone left in the school who hasn’t noticed you.”

Yoongi opens his mouth, ready to question you more about this phase he had no idea you went through, but Jimin speaks first, pulling you along with him towards the now clear doors. You reach for Yoongi, who allows you to loop your arm through his own, eyes burning into your skull.

“Anyways, thank God you aren’t still drooling over my best friend, god that was such an annoying time of my life, hearing you talk on and on about him. So, who from Hogwarts do you think will enter?”

“I don’t know…” you think, “I guess I expect most of the seventh year boys will enter. Probably quidditch players, like yourself, twin. Maybe some of the other Head Boys and Girls, like Jung Hoseok in Hufflepuff. Not me, though.”

“No, no, I’m not going to enter either. Can’t mar this beautiful face of mine. One Park twin has to be beautiful.”

You shoulder him lightly at his joke, jostling Yoongi into your side more, as your group abruptly stops by the Slytherin table.

“What do you think about someone who would enter the tournament?” Yoongi quietly asks you as another person begins talking to your brother. 

“I guess…I don’t know what I think. I think they would be brave. Or maybe foolhardy. Definitely would make them hot in my eyes. Imagine seeing them take on dragons or rescue a family of unicorns in the Forbidden Forest?” you practically swoon as you imagine that one tall Durmstrang boy shirtless, lifting a baby unicorn out of harm’s way. “Why? Do you plan to enter Yoongi?”

“Yoongi? Enter? There’s no way this brooding hunk would ever be chosen as the Hogwarts Champion in the first place, even if he did enter.”

Choi Sung-ho, the Slytherin you hated the most, has the audacity to cut into your conversation with Yoongi.

“And you think you’ve got a chance, Choi? Fuck off.” You flip him the bird, turning back to Yoongi, whose features have schooled themselves into a look of indifference.

“Park, I’d gladly fuck off if you fuck off with me. I hear you can ride me like a hippogriff.”

“You’re disgusting Choi.”

“Hey, I heard you like to do nasty things in between classes, Park. The Kim brothers sure do talk a lot.”

You reach for your wand, ready to Bat Bogey Hex the fucker for bringing up your ex-boyfriend, but Jimin beats you to the punch. Literally. 

“Choi. Keep my sister’s name out of your mouth, if you know what’s good for you. I recommend you head up to the infirmary and let Madame Pomfrey fix that broken nose.” 

You glance around, looking for a teacher to appear and reprimand you for the scuffle, but you see Yoongi lower his hand, and the silently cast spell fades, allowing your small group to be seen once again. Sung-ho hastens from the Great Hall, his green and silver scarf bunched up to stop the bleeding.

“You and Jimin must beat up people a lot, you cast that charm without any warning!” you glare at the two, not sure you want to know how they became so good at timing that. “God, I can’t stand Sung-ho. He’s only sour because he asked me out in fifth year, but I turned him down.”

“He did?” Yoongi inquires quietly as Jimin inspects his hand for damage.

“Yeah, but I told him no because I liked someone else…” you turned your eyes down away from Yoongi’s searing stare, choosing instead to pick at an invisible thread on your school robes. 

“That’s why he was such a bitch to you during fifth year, Yoongi. ‘Cause she turned him down because of you.”

“What? That’s why he hexed me in Charms class?”

Headmaster Bang stood and motioned for everyone to sit before anyone else could answer. Jimin pulled Yoongi away from you to take a seat at their table, parting from you with a small wave and you were left to walk over to Gryffindor table alone, mulling over the way Yoongi eyes had bore into yours as revelations came to light of your crush from several years ago—had it ever gone away?

Sitting down, you blink several times as two people you haven't seen in ages appear. Kim Seokjin and Kim Namjoon, recent Hogwarts grads who now work at the Ministry. Seated among the professors, the reason for their appearance back at the school is revealed as Headmaster Bang introduces them to announce the Triwizard Tournament. 

“Hello everyone! Many of you might remember me, Kim Seokjin, Gryffindor house alumni and the youngest ever Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I am here with Kim Namjoon, former Head Boy and Ravenclaw alumni, AND also the youngest in his role as the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. We would love to announce the start of the Triwizard Tournament! The two of us have worked with our teams to bring back this legendary tournament, and we look forward to experiencing this with you all!”

“Yes, my brother is right!” Kim Namjoon, your ex, approaches the podium to speak next to Seokjin, and when his eyes meet yours, he smiles at you lovingly. You don’t know how to feel at the moment, with feelings you thought had been buried resurfacing randomly. “This tournament helps to bring wizards and witches across the globe together, and we are so excited for this act of cooperation at the secondary level. We believe cooperation starts at a young age.”

“Professor Bang has graciously agreed to host the event this year, and now, we will allow him to present to you the artifact that will set this whole event off!” The two brothers make their way back to their seats as the headmaster returns to the podium.

“Before we eat, our guests will be able to submit their names, since they will reside outside of the castle, and Hogwarts students can submit once the feast is over…”

Your eyes drift towards the far side of the hall, searching for those dark and brooding eyes. When you find them, it’s like you’re locked into his gaze by a spell, and you don’t hear a word of what the headmaster says of the rest of his speech, unable to take in anything but the pouting face of Min Yoongi until applause surrounds you.

The Goblet of Fire has been revealed, the age line drawn around the stand, and members from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons rise to enter their names. The feast commences, and around you people are eating and talking, but all you can think about is what those eyes are trying to tell you. 

You barely remember eating, but you take your spot to make sure all of the students clear out from the Great Hall once the feast is over. Seeing the last of the stragglers heading to the entry hall, you move to follow them out, stopping when you feel a large, warm hand wrap around your wrist gently. 

“YN, it’s so good to see you.” Namjoon’s dimples light up the space as he smiles down at you and you can’t help but to smile back.

“Hi, Namjoon. I didn’t know you would be here for this.”

He scratches the back of his neck bashfully.

“Yeah, I told Taehyung not to tell you, in case you tried to hide from me.” 

“Oh really? And why would I hide from you,” you challenge.

“Well, I know that we didn’t break up on the best of terms…”

“Yeah, hearing all of my business across the castle grounds was not the greatest thing to experience.”

“It wasn’t me—this is one of the reasons I’m glad I came. It didn’t feel right sending it via owl, and well… yeah. I figured I owed you the truth in person. I found out afterwards that Peeves was snooping on us that night. He was singing some vulgar song about it in the halls—”

“Yes, I vividly remember that Ravenclaw with the crush on you enjoyed singing it.”

“I just wanted you to know that it wasn’t meaningless to me. I just, I was leaving school and you would still be here another year and I’m the youngest to be in this position. I didn’t know Peeves was there that night, watching everything. I didn’t think anyone would know about the breakup.” 

You look up to the bewitched night sky, not really wanting to relive that night. 

“I’ve forgiven you. Peeves does what he does best, and I know it wasn’t anything personal. It just sucked because…well, I thought we were in love back then.”

“I really did love you, YN.” Namjoon steps closer to you, reaching for your hands. “I think I still do.”

“Oh.”

You feel weird having your ex confess he still has feelings for you, especially when feelings for a certain Slytherin have just made themselves known to you once again. You remain silent, staring at your joined hands. 

“Look, I know you weren’t expecting to hear this, but just think about it. I’ll be here quite a lot over the tournament…” Namjoon blushes, eyes looking behind you. “Hey, Min. What's up?”

“Jimin was looking for YN, and Taehyung said he thought she was still in the Great Hall.”

You turn to face Yoongi, noticing the way he and Namjoon are having a staredown that doesn’t seem all that friendly despite the way their voices sound.

“Yeah, I just wanted to talk to her real quick.” Namjoon turns back to you, leaning down to kiss your cheek softly.

“Just think about it, YN.”

You nod, unable to answer him as he releases you and turns, disappearing into the side door the rest of the professors had retired to for after dinner chatting.

Finally feeling your body able to move again, you turn to tell Yoongi about the weird conversation, but he’s gone, leaving you alone in the Great Hall.

OCT 31st — 6 - 8 PM

The second feast in two days commences right as the sun begins to set on Halloween. The castle is decorated to your heart’s content; next to Christmas at the castle, Halloween is your favorite time of the year. The knights' armor lining the hall is shined and sparkling and the candles floating above the house tables send a warm, yet haunting glow throughout the Great Hall. 

Walking side by side with your brother, you watch as he easily melds into his green and silver crew, the lot of them side-eying you in your maroon and gold as they welcome your brother into their folds. 

“Over here!”

You look farther along where your table is positioned at the opposite end of the hall from your brother’s, seeing your best friend, sixth year Gryffindor seeker Jeon Jungkook waving you down to sit. He pats an open spot as you climb over the wooden bench and plop down next to him. 

“Sorry, I had to run as soon as I was released from Herbology, Professor Sprout kept us a bit late, and Nabi called a last minute practice, you know how she gets when players are late.” Jungkook greets with a sly grin on his face.

“Nabi wouldn’t dare punish her honey, Jeon. You could arrive late to a game and she would still shower you with praise.” You retort, leaning past Jungkook to smile at the girl seated on his other side. Nabi, captain of the quidditch team and a fellow seventh year student, has been your best friend's girlfriend for several years now. “Hey Nabi!”

“Hey good twin! Is everything okay?” she asks, and Jungkook shoots her a puzzling look.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Well, it wasn’t your night to patrol and you weren’t in bed last night when I got in—” she says, Jungkook elbowing her in the rib lightly with a cough.

“I mean, I had gotten up to go to the bathroom, and you weren’t there when I left or returned, I was worried about you.”

“Oh!” you laugh to yourself, ruffling Jungkook’s hair as his ears turn pink, confirming that Nabi made a slip up about their whereabouts the previous evening. “I couldn’t sleep, you know how I get. I was just wandering the halls until I felt tired enough to fall asleep.”

She nods, leaning into Jungkook to plant a loud kiss to his reddenning cheek, but the words she says to him go unheard as a loud roar rips through the hall. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students stream through the massive double doors to a loud applause, and you turn your head to watch as they wait patiently in two lines as Argus Filch, the caretaker, pulls a wheeled platform with the Goblet of Fire onto it towards the front of the teacher’s platform. 

Headmaster Bang stands, asking the students to be seated wherever there is space at the house tables, and in moments the hall is quiet as he finally approaches the podium. 

“Tonight, we will learn the names of the three school champions to take on the three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. Before the Goblet announces the champions, are there any last minute students who would like to enter?”

The Great Hall is quiet as everyone looks around, the air suddenly tense. All eyes turn to the Goblet of Fire, which begins to spark as the flames shift, dancing in wild delight. Headmaster Bang steps towards it, where the first bit of parchment flies out from the flames. 

“The first champion, from Durmstrang, is Ok Taecyeon!”

The hall breaks out into noise as the tall man you saw the previous day leading the Durmstrang students stands and walks up to the podium. He shakes hands with all three headmasters, as well as both Seokjin and Namjoon, and then disappears through the side door you saw Namjoon go through last night. 

As the cheers die down, the goblet once again begins to cast sparks as it flares up, another charred bit of paper floating down slowly after being spit out.

“Next, from Beauxbatons—Jang Da-hye!”

You applaud with the others as the blonde, Veela-like girl rises from the Ravenclaw table and approaches the podium to copy Taecyeon, shaking the three headmasters hands before heading into the other room.

A hush grows over the students as you all wait for the goblet to announce the final champion—the Hogwarts champion. You can feel the palpable silence, sitting tensely until it gives way to the sounds of the fire beginning to vacillate, and the flames seem to shift between the brightest shades it could burn. The last piece of parchment paper shoots out of the now white hot fire, and as the headmaster reads the last name he’s just snatched out of the air, you feel your heart drop.

“Hogwarts champion, Min Yoongi of Slytherin House!”

The table at the far end erupts with proud exclamations, chants of his name as he clambers over the wooden bench to take his rightful place with the other champions. 

“YN, you’re kind of hurting me.”

Jungkook’s arm is gripped in your hand, and you release him once you realize. 

“Sorry, I’m just shocked is all.”

“Are you sure?” He leans towards you so only you can hear him. “Is this fourth year all over again?”

You look at him, scandalized that he so easily read you. From across the Great Hall, Jimin also takes note of your reaction. 

OCT 31st — 10:13 PM

It’s that very reason that Jimin summons you to meet him outside of your common room after most of the students had all turned in for the night. You’d just taken a bath, and your hair was still pulled up out of your face from where you’d scrubbed it clean. You swing open the portrait to step over the ledge, tugging your night robes around you to keep the chill out as you shuffle over to where Jimin is and away from the warmth of the common room.

“Jimin, where’s the Fiendfyre?” you ask, confused at the urgency of the message.

“I saw your reaction tonight. You should talk to him.”

“This is what you’ve called me out of bed for?”

“Yes, because Yoongi has been weird all day and he won’t say, which means it has something to do with you.” Jimin glares at you as if you’ve done something wrong.

“What in Merlin’s beard? I didn’t do anything to Yoongi!”

“Yoongi doesn’t hide anything from me unless it has to do with you. I’m not stupid. I saw the way he was looking at you yesterday after you let slip about your past crush, and I saw the way you reacted to hearing his name being called.”

“Okay? I still didn’t do anything! If anyone bothered him, it was Namjoon.”

Jimin’s eyebrows rise into his bangs. 

“Namjoon? What’s that smartass got to do with anything?”

“He wanted to talk to me about the breakup…and he might have mentioned that he’s still in love with me. While we were talking, Yoongi appeared, looking for me. The two of them had a staredown, but I didn’t get to talk to Yoongi afterwards.” You think back to last night. “I even saw him entering his name, but when I tried to talk to him, he basically dismissed me.”

Jimin rolls his head back with a heaving sigh.

“Well then, I feel a lot better about what I’m about to do.”

With a firm grip, Jimin takes your wrist and all but drags you down the left corridor and away from Gryffindor landing where The Fat Lady snores in her golden frame. You twist your arm in his hold, trying to free yourself, but Jimin is quite strong.

“Jimin, what the fuck?”

He reaches the weird tapestry with Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet and walks back and forth past the opposite wall three times, face deep in thought, still never releasing you.

You quiet down your complaints and curses as a large door appears, feet unmoving as Jimin releases you to step forward and open the door. You can hear loud pounding from the other side, a muffled voice unclearly shouting words. Flinching as the door opens, you prepare for an attack.

“Park, I swear I’m gonna kill you—”

Yoongi appears in the doorway, chest heaving as if he was out of breath and his face contorted in anger that dissipates as soon as you two lock eyes. Both of you are so caught off guard and confused that when your brother shoves you into the doorway, you stumble into Yoongi’s arms as he catches you from an impending faceplant.

“Listen, this is for your own good. The door won’t unlock until you talk and figure it out. I love you both, so don’t hate me.” Jimin grimaces as he looks at the two of you before expressly shutting you in.

Shocked, you remain in Yoongi’s arms for several minutes as his breathing slows down and you take in what just happened. He seems to come to his senses, releasing you with a step back and you’re able to observe the walls around you in an attempt to ignore the other person in the room.

It’s a simple space, much like a stay at the Leaky Cauldron except it looks as if Madam Puddifoot decorated. Did Jimin lock you into a sweetheart suite? 

“Your brother is the worst. Slimy git deserves to be boiled in frog spawn.” Yoongi sits on the bed, his head in his hands.

“Hey! That’s my brother, and your best friend, need I remind you.”

Yoongi’s head snaps up to face yours, and you see a flash of remorse as he attempts a deep breath. 

“I know. He’s still a slimy git for this.” Clutching your night robe around your body, you’re inclined to agree. You also have no idea how long Yoongi was being held captive in here before you arrived, so you ask as much.

“Since I was finished being briefed. He literally came and grabbed me and said it was urgent that we come to the seventh floor because—” Yoongi stops speaking as his alabaster skin turns pink. 

“Because what?”

“Nothing.”

“According to Jimin, it isn’t nothing, and we won’t get out of here until we talk about ‘nothing’.”

Yoongi stands, walking towards a door you hadn’t noticed earlier. 

“We’ll talk later.”

The door slams, and you hear the tell tale sounds of water running. With a sigh, you take off your robe and plop down onto the other side of the mattress, spending the next 30 minutes gathering your thoughts. The same thoughts you were viciously pulled from as Yoongi stomps back into the room, blond hair wet and sticking to his forehead as steam billows out of the room behind him.

He’s dressed in pajamas, a black t-shirt and dark green plaid pants with silver and black crisscrossing. He’s a lot more covered up than you had been under your robe; not having expected to be seen by anyone but your dorm mates, you had dressed in tiny shorts and a tight tank top. Thankfully you had enough sense to pull on a robe before running out to meet Jimin. 

Yoongi shuffles around, slippers dragging along the plush carpet as he ignores the fact that he’s locked in the room with you.

“Yoongi?”

“YN?”

“Are we really going to do this?”

Yoongi steps closer to where you’ve just sat up, “YN, I really don’t want to—”

“I don’t care what you do or don’t want to do.” You stand from the bed, walking closer to Yoongi. “We can’t get out of this room until we talk about it, so we’re gonna talk about it.”

Yoongi lets out a huff, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back off his forehead. He seems to waver between having the conversation you’re pushing for, and you see when he makes the decision to go for it, preparing to give you the honest truth.  

“What is there to say, YN? I saw the way Namjoon was looking at you, I heard him declare his love for you. He’s the youngest in his department in the ministry, what have I got to compete with that?!”

“None of those things matter! Why do you even need to compete with him?” He was confusing you. No, he was getting your hopes up, but you weren’t sure he was talking about what you were thinking he was talking about.

“Why? Because what can I do to prove that I’m the better choice? Shit, even me getting chosen as Champion doesn’t mean I’ll be able to prove anything.” 

His words continue to raise your hopes, but you play dumb, wanting him to spell it out for you. You close the space between you and him, just a hair’s breadth apart now.

“Yoongi, I don’t get it. Better choice for what?” 

“For you! I think I’m in love with you, stupid!” His hands reach for you, cupping your face firm but gentle. “I think I love you. I think I have for a while.”

Instead of a reply, you press onto your tiptoes, lips meeting his in a soft kiss to show your affection for him as well. Surprised, it takes him a few seconds to kiss you back, responding once you swipe your tongue across his bottom lip. One hand moves to the small of your back to pull you closer, and you place your hands against his chest to clutch at his shirt and hold him to you.

“Why would you join this stupid tournament if you think you love me? You could die!” Your voice is a harsh whisper, half breathless from the kiss and half choked up from holding back your emotions. He presses his forehead to yours, his deep almond eyes burning into you, now lined with tears.

“Because I wanted to prove myself to you. I want to prove to everyone that I deserve you.”

“Yoongi, you don’t have to prove anything.”

“Please, you’re Head Girl of Gryffindor. Your ex was Head Boy of Ravenclaw, youngest in the ministry or whatever slug shit they were spewing earlier at the feast. People don’t expect us to be—you know—an us.” 

“I don’t care what people expect. I want to be with you. I have wanted to be with you since we were stupid fourth years sneaking around the castle to skip class and daring each other to skinny dip with the Giant Squid.”

He laughs, a bright sound straight from his stomach. It warmed you up, made you want to hear it more. 

“Don’t be the Triwizard Champion. Be with me instead,” you whisper, your fear palpable as reality settles back in. A single tear escapes your eye and you sniffle. Yoongi can’t bear to see you like this, but there’s nothing he can do.

“I..I can’t. Didn’t you hear what Bang said? Once your name is drawn from the goblet, it’s a binding contract. I have to compete.” Yoongi brushes his lips to yours, attempting to cheer you up with kisses. His voice is almost a raspy whisper as he continues. “But I’ll do whatever I need to in order to come back to you after every task.” Another kiss, longer this time. “I’ll fucking win the whole thing, too. Use the winnings to get you whatever you want.”

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he holds you close, large palms gliding up and down your skin as he kisses you again, deepening it so that you can’t help but release a moan that he swallows down. Stepping you backwards, he lowers you onto the bed once he feels you reach the edge, his hand protecting your head as he maneuvers you to the pillow. 

You can feel his hardened length against your thigh, pressing against his pajama pants and you squirm, desire coursing through your veins to have all of this man. Your hands move to pull off his shirt and he follows your lead, removing the counterpart to every article you remove from him off of you until the two of you are naked under the sheets.

“Promise me, Yoongi,” you say lightly, brushing your lips across his. Nudging his nose against yours in the most sensual way, he captures your lips in a brief kiss before answering.

“I promise, I’ll come back to you. After every task, you’ll be in my arms like this.”

Kissing down your neck, you sigh out as his hands knead at your breasts, lithe fingers pinching your nipples into peaks. Tongue swirling around each nipple, one at a time, you can feel yourself growing wet as he slots a thigh between yours. Pressing his leg into you, you grind for friction, light moans as your clit begins to slide easily from how drenched you are. 

“Can you cum for me, baby? My perfect Head Girl, you sound so pretty under me like this.”

You rock your hips harder, faster, building the coil in your lower pelvis as he continues tonguing at your chest and neck, sucking marks into your skin as proof that he was there.

“I need more, Yoongi,” you plead, and when he removes his thigh, you whine at the loss of touch. He just chuckles, a mocking sound that has you wanting to take ten points from Slytherin until you’re letting out a hiss as his warm tongue delves into your dripping center. He wastes no time, sucking and flicking his tongue on your clit, fingers circling your opening as he teases your folds. 

“Fuck, Yoongi, you feel so good, just like that!” A hand buries itself deep into his hair, gripping to keep him where you want him and he is happy to oblige. Wrapping one arm around your thigh, he splays his fingers wide to keep you open and in place for him. The feel of his hand spreading you wider as his tongue swipes back and forth quickly has your body shaking as an orgasm rips through you. He continues to eat you through it, lips and tongue sloppily kissing you until your hands are pushing at him from overstimulation. 

As the aftershocks run its course through your body, Yoongi kisses his way back up your heated skin, his hands soothing as they follow the same path. You taste yourself once he reaches your lips again, and he pulls your body on top of his as he continues to kiss you lazily, enjoying the happiness of knowing he made you feel good.

Heartbeat no longer racing, you relax in his hold, mind still blown over the orgasm he gave you. Wanting to return the favor, you sit up to move down his body trailing little kisses on all of the spots that stand out, like scars from fights and cute moles usually hidden under his robes, until your hand finally grasps him. He hisses, sucking in air through his teeth wetly as you stroke him lightly. Taking your thumb, you spread the precum around the tip, teasing him with kisses in the divots around his pelvis. 

Yoongi’s hand strokes your hair, a gentle touch that is in juxtaposition for the lewd things you want to do to him, but it warms your heart anyways, fluttering butterflies filling your tummy at the cute gesture. Opening your mouth, you take him into it fully, enjoying the low groan as his hips buck up in response. You slide your lips back, tongue providing extra friction as you begin to bob up and down along his shaft. You balance yourself on his thighs, eyes focused on his reactions to the things that you do to see what he likes and doesn’t like. 

The intake of breath every time your tongue runs along the frenulum, the way his stomach sinks in when your lips tighten around him, the hip thrusts whenever you deep throat him, nose to his pelvis as you swallow around him…Min Yoongi is falling apart because of you and you’ve never felt so powerful. 

You take him fully again, holding yourself firmly to his pelvis as you swallow repeatedly and his hands grip your face, holding you there as he lets out little moans of pleasure when you take one hand to fondle his balls, spit leaking around them making it easy to massage him. 

“Not yet baby, I want to..can I feel you?” he asks, popping you off of his cock with a lewd smack of your lips. 

“I’ve never, I mean, I haven’t ever gone that far before,” you hesitate, wanting to fuck him but also nervous about it. 

“Me either, I’ve been waiting for the right moment,” he admits, and his eyes tell you what he’s not saying: he’s been waiting for you. 

His admission calms any fears you have, and you nod fervently, allowing him to manipulate your bodies into something more comfortable. Lying on your back, he hikes one of your legs up at the knee, widening your hips so he can align himself to your entrance. You watch, wide-eyed, as his hardened length breaches you, slipping in inch by inch as he braces his weight above you. You’ve never felt so full, and he peppers your lips with kisses until you tell him you’re ready for more.

Rocking his hips, your bodies move in a push and pull that allows the friction of your bodies to intensify the pleasure until you’re clutching onto his shoulders, meeting him thrust for thrust as you chase the high. Teetering on the edge, your lips seek his skin, anything that you can lick, bite, or suck as you mount closer to your peak. It’s these actions that cause Yoongi to make the sounds you needed to send you into climax, legs shaking as they wrap around him to keep him close. 

“I can…I can feel you, so tight baby, I can’t—” Yoongi releases in you, unable to hold back from the tight grip your walls have on him.

Laying on his chest, you bask in the post-sex glow of your first time, his hands playing in your hair as he talks to you about when he first realized he thought you were pretty, when he first realized he had feelings, and how oblivious he was in fourth and fifth year. 

“Honestly, I could die happy right now.”

“Hey! No dying on my watch. You promised.”

“Maybe I can convince Professor Bang to let me forfeit, I think you gave me a prize much better than the Triwizard Cup.” Yoongi can’t help but to joke during such a serious conversation to try and calm your fears. 

“What about the thousand galleon prize the winner gets?” you tease back, “was this a much better prize still?”

Yoongi strokes his chin playfully as he pretends to think about it, and you stare at him in mock upset at his hesitation. Laughing, he wraps you in a hug, pulling your naked body more level to his.

“You know, I think I need a second time to make sure…”

You playfully swat at his chest as he brings his lips to yours once more. 

“Of course you are. You will always be better than all of the prizes and the ‘eternal glory’ promised to the winner.” 

Luckily the two of you are covered by the sheets when the lock to the room clicks and the door swings open to reveal your brother with his hand over his eyes. 

“I said talk it through! Imagine the Head Girl getting caught in such a compromising position.”

“I mean, you locked us in the Come and Go room, we just wanted to follow the directions.”

You bury your face in Yoongi’s neck, hiding your awkwardness at having been caught as your brother groans and shuts the door as he leaves.

“Is my girlfriend embarrassed?” Yoongi asks playfully, his hand soothing your hair down. 

“Yes, mortified.”

“At least he approves.” He continues to joke as he pulls you up from the bed to get dressed once again.

“He better! He’s the reason you’re mine now.”

Yoongi wraps his arms around your waist from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder as you gaze into the small mirror in the corner of the room.

“Don’t give him so much credit, baby. I put in a lot of hard work tonight.”

“Yes, you did, Triwizard Champion. It was all the proof I needed.”

His eyes soften at your reference to his feelings of inferiority, and he loves you that much more for reassuring him.

“I love you, YN.”

“I know.”

“Brat.”

“Let’s go, before we get caught.” You grasp his hand and pull him along back into the seventh floor corridor. “I love you too, Yoongi.”

He walks you back to the Fat Lady, kissing you goodbye sweetly before he descends to the dungeon, in hopes of getting a couple hours of sleep before he takes on his new roles as the Triwizard Champion, boyfriend to the Gryffindor Head Girl, YN.

thank you for reading! feedback is greatly appreciated! i hope all of my magical people enjoyed this one!

© hisunshiine 2022. All rights reserved.

[doodstormer]

IT'S WEBCOMICS DAY

LETS BLOW THE DOORS OFF

ARKIN BLADE

Arkin Blade is an action-fantasy comic that oozes its fighting game influences from every pore, there's plenty of down time between the fighting but it's the awesome fight choreography you're here for

IKON

Ikon is a fascinating supernatural crime drama story set in a meticulously researched 90s Russia setting. Every panel is heavily detailed and there is a ton of craftsmanship in every little brush stroke that makes it a delight to read!

ADVENTURE CLUB

If you are any kind of fantasy or tabletop RPGs enthusiast Adventure Club isn't just a recommendation it's practically required reading! Wonderful characters and a great cozy blend of humor and heart!

SOMEWHERE FAR BEYOND

Somewhere Far Beyond is a dark fantasy comic about a monster slayer that has not yet gotten very deep into its story but is already incredibly immersing. The markerwork alone makes it a blast to read!

UPIÓR

Upiór is a Polish supernatural fantasy story steeped in folklore and pagan myth, coupled with a lovely art style that really evokes its cultural origins and makes each page a feast for the eyes.

TALES FROM ALDERWOOD

Tales from Alderwood is a magical adventure story about a misfit mage and her journeys through the bureaucracy of wizardry and her encounters with the kinds of insane people that regard adventure as a profession

DEAD OR ALIVE

Dead or Alive is a nice easy read about coping with death and trauma, told through the vehicle of a mysterious bandit and a card-counting cheat who set out on a journey across the great southwest. Hijinks ensue.

TOWER IN THE SKY

Tower in the Sky is a nice little magically themed story about wizards in love and the immense pressure put upon them by their particular jobs that has made it difficult for them to cut loose.

ARCANE FRONTIER

Arcane Frontier is a story set in a very unique post-apoc world that really is post apocalypse, featuring all sorts of strange and wonderful contraptions and creatures and a protagonist with anger management issues.

NOW HIRING

Now Hiring is set in a world where space aliens have become an everyday part of society, though some, like Maks, struggle with trying to survive in that society and become easy targets for trouble…

BEYOND THE LANTERN LIGHT

Beyond the Lantern Light is a really unique spin on the fantasy genre featuring an elderly adventurer who is coming to terms with a past failure and now has set out to try it all one more time.

SILENT JEAN

Silent Jean is a low-fantasy world where by a convenient doctrinal loophole nuns are allowed to wield weapons and work as monster-slaying detectives. The comic oozes with style and the stark inkwork and halftones really drive the tone home

[utterdisaster1]

It's going to be a series of one-shots, going through the years at Hogwarts and beyond. This chapter is a sort of introduction, next one will be just for the relationships to establish etc. Later I'll advance to fluff and smut, and there's the war so angst as well. Of course, you can send in some requests, preferably to do with the story, but I guess some independent things will be ok as well (though I will rather stick with the marauders era characters only as the MC), that is if anyone reads this in the first place lol. And most importantly, it is an x MALE READER story. Anything I write will be x male reader/gn. Sorry to all Fem ones, but, being fully honest, you already have more than enough on here. I'm sure you'll be fine lol. NB/GenderFluid ones, I will be honest, I would be a little anxious to write, because I don't know if I would be able to depict it well.

The Beginning

Peculiar things always seemed to happen around you as a kid. The animals from the forest next to your town would flock to you and act tame. Sometimes, you could swear, you heard people's thoughts or made objects you were looking for just appear where they hadn't been a moment before. Whenever you told your parents about those occurences, they usually laughed, sometimes with concern laced beneath the chuckles.

But you knew you were right. And you got your proof one day when you were tending to a doe with her little fawn. An owl swooped and perched on your shoulder. Not that this hadn't happened before, but this time, it had a letter in its beak.

The barn owl didn't resist when you took the letter from her, and you started to inspect it with utmost scrutiny.

The envelope adressed to you had your very specific address on one side, and a crest with a wax seal on the other. It felt heavier and rougher than a normal letter, perhaps due to humidity in the air or some other factor, the paper shrivelled as the owl flew. You had no idea.

The crest had big word reading "HOGWARTS" above and some latin motto beneath it. From your very basic knowledge of French, you recognised "dormiens", meaning sleeping, or something similiar. As for the rest you came up blank. The animals weren't of much help either. A lion, a snake, an eagle and a badger. To your knowledge, none hibernated, and you doubted that someone would make a crest just to say "o yeah, that one likes to sleep in the winter".

The wax seal had the same crest on it, and after a second, you broke it, revealing the contents inside.

You pulled out two pieces of paper (though now that you thought of it, maybe it was parchment. You'd never held one before), and on the first page it read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.) Dear Mr. L/N We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will receive a visit from the Deputy Headmistress on 13th July at 10 a.m. where all the questions you may have will be answered. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress

On the other page you found a list of required items.

"Bewildered" did not quite capture your feeling. There was some vindication in knowing that you couldn't just imagine reading and holding this letter. It was real. Palpable. Physical.

There was also apprehension. After all, you'd never received any post before, let alone from an animal, no matter how friendly you were with them. But most of all, you felt excitement.

There were people like you. You weren't some freak of nature after all. You weren't mentally impaired, as you had some individuals imply or tell you straight to the face.

You quickly said goodbye to Beatrice the doe and her fawn and ran back to your house.

Your parents, unsurprisingly, did not take you seriously. After you insisted, that you were, in fact, serious, they told you they didn't have time for your games and that you could practice your penmanship without bothering them. They thought it was a joke, of course. You wanted to argue, but it wasn't like you hadn't gone through similiar scenario before. This time, however, you knew someone would validate your claim, confirm what you've spent so long trying to convince them of. The letter hadn't given any implication that the visit could be rejected or even postponed, so you simply had to wait.

Patience had never been a problem for you. It was just a week. It would fly by.

______________________________________________________________

You were wrong. Each day that wasn't the day felt like a slap in the face, like the universe itself was mocking you.

You heard your parents rely to their friends how you took up caligraphy somehow, and tried to use it for a practical joke on them. You also overheard a hushed discussion from their bedroom about reconsidering a visit with a medical specialist. Nothing new.

But finally, the 13th of July arrived.

You could barely sleep, because who would be able to really. You gave up trying at 4 a.m., watching the sunrise from your garden and taking a really long walk. Suddenly, there was only an hour to go.

Your mum liked to keep the house clean, so you weren't afraid of making a bad impression in that regard. Your parents' reaction was another matter. You'd tried to remind them of the letter the day prior, but they quickly dismissed you. Maybe out of spite, you wanted them to feel foolish when the Headmistress arrived.

By 9:45 you were asked if you had some parasites in your bowels, seeing how much you could not sit still. Every second felt like an eternity.

But finally, after the most excruciating quarter of an hour of your life, the clock chimed 10 times. You waited in trepidation. Any second now...

And there it was, the doorbell. At that moment, it was the most beautiful sound you had ever heard. Your mum, clearly unsuspecting opened the door. She hadn't expected any guests, and the postman had arrived earlier already.

In the porch stood a tall, dignified woman in an old-fashioned, forest-green dress. Her facial expression was probably supposed to be friendly, but there was some inherent sternness to it, that commanded respect. Your mother invited her in without a second thought.

Soon enough, both of your parents, you and the Professor were sitting in the living room, each with a cup of tea quickly prepared by your mum, and a tray of biscuits on the coffee table.

"I assume you are aware of the reason for my arrival today" said the Professor.

You immediately tried to affirm but were quickly interrupted by your father.

"I'm afraid not. I'm not entirely sure why my wife even let you in. You're not from my son's school, and it's summer holidays nevertheless. If you're here to sell encyclopedias or whatever else that we have no need for, you might as well leave now."

The Professor remained unperturbed "I am from your son's school, the one he's going to attend come September 1st. You have received the letter, after all."

At that, both of your parents went rigid. "This is- How dare- Hiring a woman to ridicule your parents, that's a new low for you!" said your father to you and turned to the Professor "I don't know who you are or why you agreed to indulge my son in his shenanigans, but let me make it abundantly clear: Get. Out. Of. My. House. Or I will call the police. I have a son to set straight."

You were surprised. Your father was a man of few words usually, a monument to stoicism. But he did say the last week had been exceptionally draining, so perhaps fatigue and pent-up stress and frustration were causing him to lash out on you and a total stranger.

The Professor's expression became much more severe. "What the letter stated was no fallacy or deception, sir. Your son is a wizard He was accepted to Hogwarts the day he was born. If you have not noticed signs of it so far, let me prove it to you now."

At that she took out a stick, a wand, from her sleeve, and waved it above the coffe table in a circular motion.

What was once furniture turned into a big lion. A lion. In your house. Your first instinct, as with all animals, was to pet it. Unfortunatelly, your mum, aware of your enthusiasm for all fauna, gripped your wrist tightly and said through her teeth "Do. Not. Move. Please".

The Professor seemed sattisfied with the reaction of the family -terror, awe, amazement and shock, all mixed together - and turned the docile, giant, adorable, cat back into a table.

"Now," she said pointedly, "will you listen to me, or should I transfigure more of your house into living beings to make you certain of my sincerity?"

At a nod from your parents, she continued "I can understand the shock and confusion you are experiencing, but we do not have all day. My name is Minerva McGonagall, and I'm the Deputy Headmistress as well as the Transfiguration Professor of the school your son has been admitted to. On September 1st, a train will depart for Hogwarts from King's Cross Station. Before that, your son must acquire all the necessary supplies from the magical neighbourhood in London. His attendance on the trip there with me is mandatory, yours," she looked at your parents "is optional. You are responsible for the funding of Mr. L/N's supplies. However, there is no tuition fee. The wizarding world uses different currency that the non-magical population of Britain, but the exchange at the wizarding bank will be swift and simple. The total cost of supplies varies from the equivalent of 500 to a 1000 pounds. If you are unable to cover such financial figure, there is a stipend option."

Your father, in a calmer tone, responded, "Does this house seem like it belongs to beggars and tramps? The financial sum is trivial. However, I am not sure why you are assuming my son will be attending that school in the first place".

You didn't give the Professor a chance to respond and burst out "What do you mean I won't be attending!? This is clearly where I'm supposed to go! All my life I've been different, alienated and alone. And now it's clear why! I don't belong here, but I belong somewhere." After a short pause, you added with a smirk "And if you think I'm not going to try to turn all our furniture into kittens if you don't let me go, you're surely mistaken."

Your father huffed at that, and your mum squized your hand. "Honey, of course you belong with us." she said, turning to your dad. "But maybe that school wouldn't be such a bad option. I know I don't want to live in a house made of felines, do you?"

Your dad, ever proud, simply huffed "No" and then turned to you. "So, I suppose you weren't lying about other things earlier". He seemed to think for a moment. "Fine, you may go, but you will not use anything you learn there here. You will at least try to act approprietly. I'm not going to be the father of a son who flies on a broom instead of riding a car."

"I think that's just from the children's stories, Da."

"Actually, we do use brooms for flying and sports," said the professor with her lips slightly curving upwards "But the use of magic outside of school before becoming of age is strictly forbidden unless under the most dire circumstances. It is absolutely essential for you to understand that, Mr. L/N. If you neglect to follow the wizarding laws, you may face most extreme of consequences".

You gulped and nodded, quickly wanting to change the subject. "So, about the shopping..."

"First of all, will your parents want to accompany you?"

Your parents seemed to have a silent conversation with each other before your mum asked "Will Y/N be safe while under your watch?"

"Absolutely"

Then your father said "In that case, I think Y/N can go there alone with you". You were a little dissappointed at that response, but not truly surprised. The fact that they at least seem to believe you now will have to be enough.

"Well, my Dad already said that the holidays have begun, so I'm free to go whenever you are" you said, quickly adding "Professor".

"I think the same time next week would be most plausible." she replied.

[dduane]

I graduated with a meteorology degree recently and I’m curious: have you ever thought about how wizards would respond to climate change?

The short answer: very carefully.

The longer answer:

As would befit a wizard setting out to solve a problem, one has to first fully tease out the various associated difficulties attached around the fringes of the problem... so that you don't (a) make the main problem worse when you start to intervene, and (b) make the ancillary problems worse too. (As one of those unwritten rules of wizardry is There is never just one problem.)

The first thing that becomes obvious is that "climate change" is way too big a thing, with too many causes, to just sit down and construct a wizardry to make the whole thing go away. (Or back to some arbitrary "reset" point.) You have to pick a spot—in the problem-solving sense of the term—to start an intervention that's within your power, or the ability of the group of wizards you're working with, to successfully complete. You also need to check that the wizardry you're planning won't interact badly with one that might already be running in the area, or (later) with a different one that's still in the planning stages. You're going to need to find a way to make it self-sustaining, or to channel sustenance into it from some other aspect of the ecosystem that's already working, with no danger of that other aspect's own persistence being threatened. And if your wizardry affects a large enough region, biome, or number of lives, you're absolutely going to have to clear it with Earth's Planetary wizard.

This isn't just a matter of keeping spell logistics from colliding, either. There are always ethical constraints to consider. And one of the main ones, since we're working in a planetary culture that's mostly sevarfrith, is that whatever intervention you're planning must not be liable to attract attention to itself. When running and producing its desired effects, it must appear (at least on the surface) to flow correctly from the presently understood science surrounding climate change.

For example: if it was possible to construct a wizardry powerful enough to immediately reduce the global average temperature by, oh, half a degree Centigrade—leaving aside the godawful storms and other climatic results that would more or less immediately ensue—such an intervention would play straight into the hands of climate change deniers. These people would (with reason, which you gave them!) promptly start bleating triumphantly, "See, we told you it was a blip!" And in the aftermath of this, sure enough, everybody goes back to their naughty carbon-spewing ways, and you've blown a lot of energy on a wizardry that's come to nothing in the long term... and your Planetary is very out of sorts with you.

What would be seen as far better practice would be to find ways to enhance already-working efforts at specific, targeted reductions or repairs. A wizardly intervention that boosts something of this sort into working a little better, a little faster, than it might have otherwise, will potentially attract far less attention than bolder or more speedily effective moves... and will also in the long run prove far less culturally destabilizing.

(There's a throwaway mention of something thematically similar to this approach in A Wizard of Mars. In this brief bit of background, it's revealed that wizards with puffer brushes and carefully-protected cans of "canned air" make a habit of popping up to the Red Planet in the wake of known dust storms, and blowing clean(er) the solar panels of Mars probes that need a little help of this kind to keep running. The dust storms provide perfectly plausible deniability for the improved operational status: the scientists back on Earth are pleased enough that their probes are able to keep running that no one bothers to question the circumstances too closely: and the wizards get to reassure the probes, en passant, that their ongoing efforts are appreciated. It's a win-win situation all round.)

On the other hand: in situations where current science is as yet unable to detect changes occurring, there's still some room for maneuver. For example, again in Wizard of Mars, there's some discussion of the great 19th-century wizardry now referred to as the Gibraltar Passthrough Intervention. At the time the famous hydromage and Planetary wizard Angelina Pellegrino enacted this work, no Earthly science was capable of detecting except in extremely gross detail exactly what had been going wrong with seawater exchange between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. And no science then extant was capable of detecting what was going on down by the Camarinal Sill to put the problem right... or at least keep it from getting any worse.

Nowadays, of course, the Passthrough (which I gather from the Errantry Concordance entry is still operational in YWverse-canon) has been running for so long that it's routinely mistaken by oceanic specialists for a natural phenomenon: some kind of historical shift in the thermohalic flows between the Atlantic and the Med, kicked off secondary to (insert handwave here) European subsurface tectonics, or previous ill-understood and undocumented solar mechanics, or some other damn thing. ...Sunspots! That's the ticket; let's blame sunspots. At least the flow between the two bodies isn't getting any worse, and that's what counts, isn't it? :)))))

So the whole point, from the wizardly point of view, would be to enact beneficial change to our planet's current nasty situation in some manner that can't be spotted happening... but also won't upend or cast into disrepute what we already know about climate science. Because seriously, there's a lot to do, and as this emergency unfolds, the planet needs all the help it can get. And sometimes the work of nonwizards of good will is the best, and least entropic, intervention available.

Hope this has shed some light!

[arthenaa]

Upcoming Auror! Sebastian Sallow x Auror! Reader Fic Details <3

Hi guys! As some of you may know, I'll be doing a Seb Auror Fic soon which will be based in the Philippines <3. Since there's no wizarding lore yet in the PH, i've decided to set the setting first before moving w the story. Here are the details below!!

MOODBOARD

Setting:

Mid-1800s, Philippines.

Hogwarts Legacy Setting will be adjusted slightly before the events of the fiction. (At this point I suggest just not getting into it too much im getting confused as well lmfao)

Details:

(About the Filipino Wizarding Community)

Philippine Magic has deep roots in the dark arts. Wizards and Witches back then often used and were masters in the arts of dark magic. It was often a misconception that the dark arts were inherently evil and while it did hold some truth to it, it all depends on how it's used. Filipino Wizards and Witches value the proper use of dark magic to use it to help people rather than harm them. However due to the misuse of said magic because of its great power, there is then a rise of magic users who seem to use it for personal gain. So these Wizards and Witches adapted their form of dark arts into the magic that can help combat sinister magic. This evolved into healing magic which is the main core of Filipino wizardry.

Marahuyo en Mahika Akademya | Philippine School of Wizardry

(place of reference: University of Santo Tomas)

A school formed to preserve the ancestral magic and history of Filipino Wizardry, Marahuyo en Mahika Akademya is a School of Magic for Wizards and Witches in the Philippines. Founded by Maria Ana Flordeliza Santos, she opened the gates to magic users so that they may expand their knowledge, academic prowess, and capabilities in the field of magic. The school's patron deity is Bathala, the god of creation and the being who granted mahika to the people.

The process of acceptance is quite peculiar. At the young age of 11 is when young wizards and witches will be doing a sacred ritual also known as Pagtawas. While the ritual is used to detect supernatural illnesses, it also detects magical traces within the person. It is a form of healing and a sacred ritual to determine one's fate. A piece of the person's hair will be burned on a special type of candle and then its wax will be poured into a basin. If the wax produces an image or a form according to the person's true self (some form a type of animal or plant) then the person does indeed have magic. If nothing happens, there is no magic within them. From then on, their parents will be responsible for the basic magic curriculum. At the age of 15, they will then be brought to the Akademya by carriages driven by the Tikbalang tribe. They have 5 years of magical curriculum to learn during their stay there. There are three houses to be sorted in Marahuyo en Mahika;

Mayari

known for their bravery, strength, determination, ability to excel in their most desired fields and leadership. They are categorized as the warriors.

Colors: Navy Blue and Beige

Hanan

known for their optimism in the unknown, courage in taking risks, perseverance amidst challenges, and an open perspective in life. They are categorized as the pillars.

Colors: Gold and Bronze

Tala

known for their willingness in helping others, their need for knowledge, vast creativity, and wisdom. They are categorized as the shepherds.

Colors: Cyan and Silver

Philippine Bureau of Magic and Wizardry (aka PhilMaj)

(place of reference: Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar)

The official governing office of the Philippine Wizarding Community. Inspired by Britain and America's Ministries of Magic, the PhilMaj was to be open not only to the PhilMaj community but to wizards all over the world thus the name in English. Founded by the 5 great Maharlikas (aka Aurors), the organization was created to protect the Filipino Wizarding Community from outside threats which includes 'SeroMahi' (Sero (Zero), Mahika (Magic) or the Muggles basically).

The PhilMaj exists independently and separates themselves from their seromahi counterparts as they see seromahis as a threat to their existence if they are to be found. With the Philippines experiencing a great force of oppression from outsiders, PhilMaj has done its best to stay hidden and away from its affairs (they are specifically known to hide too well that they have not encountered any type of exposure to the seromahi community. They, unfortunately, have strict rules regarding wizard —seromahi relationships and usually wizards or witches with mixed bloodlines take long processes to enter PhilMaj. MaraMahika (school) is an exception as it accepts all magic users despite their blood lineage).

Aurors also known as Maharlikas are divided in Divisions. Division I is for investigation, Division II is for order and Division III is social relations.

PhilMaj has different departments to tend to concerns.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Department of Protection of Magical Tribes and Folk

Department of Control and Care for Magical Creatures

Department of International Social Relations

Department of Magical Education

Department of Magical Businesses and Endeavors

Department of Magical Transportation and Building

Department of Recruitment and Referrals of Wizards and Witches

Department of Mysteries

Current location of PhilMaj is in Manila, Philippines. (Guarded by the Siyokoy Tribe in the waters of Manila Bay, the waters open like a door as it parts the way underground where the PhilMaj Headquarters reside)

____________________________________________

A/N: i have a shit ton of details in my notes but im sharing the general lore or idea of the magic world in the philippines. this counts as a teaser as well 😎 lmk if i've miswritten something or if some things dont line up. you guys can add ideas as well and ill add them in my notes hehe (if you wish to be included in this fic's taglist, reply to this post or any of my posts regarding this fic ty !!)

[whatwouldvalerydo]

The theory of blow magic - Your mischief is showing - 1/9

Well, here it is, my crack fic mini series. Don't ask, i don't know and will probably never know. Short chapters just for fun.

Extra OCs mentioned belong to: @kc-and-co and @that-scouse-wizard

Warning: minor sexual references (nothing major)

Year seven for the students of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry always represented a finality of sorts. Each and every one in that year was looking forward to the last of everything: exams, Quidditch game, dance. It brought them to the end of their academic journey before they were thrust out into the world, each running after the career of their choosing or the life that was promised once they came of age.

But while there were still a few exams left, the last year students were still busy reviewing notes for the upcoming tests, majority taking over the library like a storm filled with stress, anxiety and trepidation hanging heavily in the air. However somewhere in that sea of people hunched over their notes, between the gentle scratches of the quills scribbling frantically on paper, there were a few who had other matters to discuss.

“You are telling me that you have not heard of such a book?” Gareth asked in a hushed voice as he leaned closer to Jin, holding in his hand a yellowed page.

His brows lifted slightly before answering “Precisely. While I am not saying I have read all the books this world has to offer, that is not on my list and neither is it on my to be read list.” Taking one last glance at the miniscule tittle printed on the paper, he searched his mind once more “Perhaps you could ask misses Scribner?” however he tried not to focus on the page, eyes instead doing a quick sweep of the library.

Rolling his eyes, Gareth sank in a chair next to Cledwyn who has not lifted his eyes from the notes he was reviewing “I did and she told me there is no such book, but with the page there were instructions that have vanished mysteriously from my dorm.”

“And what did those instructions say?” Jin asked faking genuinely curiosity.

“That all pages of the book must be assembled in order to break the curse. If not the pages will disappear from out possession at the end of the year and the next seven year generation will have to go through the entire ordeal again.”

“What curse are you mumbling about now?” Cledwyn asked annoyed, his brows lifting slightly when he saw the page Gareth was holding “Is this another one of your jokes?”

“I can assure you” He said tipping the page against his nose “that this is no fault of mine. This is not my doing, however since I came in its possession, I do not wish to have this curse loam over me. What if something strikes me down?”

“Or blows you away.” Cledwyn scoffed.

“Or and to be fair studying is dreadfully boring. I could use a distraction and a much needed break.”

“The only thing you managed to break was my concentration. Now go bother someone else with your theory of blow magic.”

Gareth cracked a smile “Sounds funny coming out of your mouth.” Turning back to Jin since he was the only one willing to entertain his wild hunts and theories, he spoke again “Could it be some magic spell?”

Jin shrugged his shoulders but also leaned closer “It very well might be, certain cultures refer to magic as being part of the four elements, fire, water, earth and wind. It very well might be an old representation of a known spell, or a new one entirely. Not that far fetched considering all that has happened in the past years at this school.” Stealing another glance at the page, he added “There is some…unique magic contained in that page, just so you know.”

“You are certainly right on that front my friend, since it is a curse. Well then, I shall be off, see if I can discover other pages or if anyone else knows more.” Dipping his head, he excused himself.

“He’s incorrigible.” Cledwyn said shaking his head.

“But what fun he is. Blow magic.” Looking back at his book, he suppressed a chuckle since the librarian was getting closer to their table.

Taking a book from the second shelf, Leila returned back to the table she was sharing with Siobhan, her friend frowning as she absentmindedly twirled an unruly lock of hair around her finger. Hearing the chair scape against the hardwood floor, she looked at her petit friend “Took you long enough, I thought you got lost or something.”

“Far from it, I was eavesdropping on a very interesting conversation and trying not to laugh and give away my position.”

Pushing aside her papers, she provided Leila her full attention “Do tell. Anything is better than this abomination of a subject.”

Shrugging, she said “Oh nothing much, just that the school will be in a frenzy trying to discover what the theory of blow magic is about.”

Cocking her head to the side, Siobhan tried to maintain a straight face “I know what it is, you know what it is, but why will the entire school try to discover what it is?”

“Simple” Leila smiled revealing sharp fangs “because Reuben pissed me off.”

“What did he do?” lifting her hands, she backtracked “On second thought I do not wish to know. What did you do?”

“Sparked the curiosity of the right group of people.”

Cocking a brow, Siobhan leaned even closer “Please tell me the entire school won’t be talking about blow magic until the end of the year.”

Shrugging her shoulders Leila feigned interest in the book she brought over “That or it will all blow over.”

“At least this year won’t blow entirely.”

Both took a second to look at each other, laughter erupting from their table, several people hushing them, the librarian as if materializing next to their table.

“Another outburst like that and you two shall be banned until the end of the year.”

“Yes misses Scribner.” They both said in unison.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Leila looked over her shoulder, whispering “Blow me.” The girls fighting another fit of laughter.

[pixelgrotto]

D&D Deconstruction, via Goblins

Around the end of last year I made the decision to get into Goblin Slayer, and I've now gone through every chapter of the manga released in English, including all of the spin-offs. I've also skimmed parts of the light novels and anime, and I even did a readthrough of the Goblin Slayer roleplaying game with my buddy Daniel of Asians Represent, mostly to see how well it translated bits and pieces of Sword World, the most popular fantasy TTRPG in Japan.

In short, I know the franchise well by this point, and I like it, which is not what I expected. In fact, I steered clear of Goblin Slayer for years because of its reputation. If you're unaware, when the anime adaptation came out in 2018, it turned heads for depicting sexual violence in the very first episode. Basically, newbie adventurers go down into a dungeon, attempt to fight some goblins, and suffer terrible consequences, with the women of the party facing the sort of fate you might expect. It's a plot point intended to communicate to the viewer how awful goblins are in this world, and it also offers justification for the titular Goblin Slayer to show up on the scene to save the only survivor, Priestess. Goblin Slayer kills all of the goblins responsible for the attack, and he even goes the extra mile to unearth a hiding spot of goblin children. When Priestess shows some reservations at slaughtering kids, Goblin Slayer remarks that there's no such thing as a good goblin before stomping the little ones to bits.

In case you didn't know, Goblin Slayer is based on Kumo Kagyu's Dungeons & Dragons adventures. There's probably some influence sneaking in from Sword World, Tunnels & Trolls, and Wizardry, since those are the often-cited building blocks of Western fantasy tropes in Japan, but D&D is definitely at the forefront of the recipe. And knowing that Goblin Slayer evolved from D&D is what made me want to read it. (Well, that and the main character's armor design - dare I say that GobSlayer possesses one of the simplest yet coolest armors in all of existence.)

However, when I run D&D myself, I always say that all three of the things that this franchise begins with (bioessentialism, sexual violence, and violence against kids) are off-limits. So why does Goblin Slayer get a begrudging pass from me?

It's probably because I see the series as a meta analysis of D&D, right down to the tendency of most Dungeon Masters to get needlessly edgy with their campaign story arcs. Put another way, this is a 3.5e campaign where the star player has min/maxed himself around only one thing: the best possible build required to kill goblins. He's somehow managed to gain 15 levels by doing this, and he comes up with incredible battle strategies that the rest of his party quickly fall in line with. Every time I see GobSlayer pull off some ridiculous tactic to take down a foe, like the time when he links a portal scroll to the bottom of the ocean and proceeds to unleash the raging tides of the sea against an ogre, I can't help but shake my head and mutter to myself, "Damn, that's cool."

Then there's the more obvious fan service. And I don't mean "fan service" in the sense of pantsu shots or big boobed femmes, though Goblin Slayer does have a lot of that. (Hi, Cow Girl, childhood friend of the main character.) No, I'm talking about the fantasy roleplaying fan service. For instance, GobSlayer and his buddies fight creatures out of every edition of the Monster Manual. There are obviously goblins up the wazoo, but you can also expect beholders, drow, liches, oni, and even a mythologically-accurate tarasque, which shows up in Goblin Slayer: Year One.

There’s also a dungeon crawling aspect as GobSlayer and his party systematically plan out their roles and tactics everytime they delve into a hole in the ground. There's constant talk of who needs to be in the "frontline" and "backline," which are terms right out of Sword World, and Dwarf Shaman and Priestess are often chatting about how they can only use their spells a select number of times a day, which is that Vancian magic we all know and love/hate. Dai Katana, a franchise prequel that tells the story of a samurai and his comrades, outright feels like Etrian Odyssey in how it systemically shows the party tackling a megadungeon level by level, mapping as they go. (This does get repetitive over time, and I liked Dai Katana the least out of all the Goblin Slayer spinoffs. The characters have cool designs though, especially the mantis-like myrmidon dude.)

Finally, there's the idea that GobSlayer's realm, the Four-Cornered World, is a literal four-cornered game board lorded over by "gods" who are just enjoying a cosmic tabletop campaign. The more you read, the more this becomes clear. Everyone's referred to by their class or job titles rather than their names, after all, and a major arc in Year One involves GobSlayer assisting a mage who wants to enter the realm of the gods and "travel beyond the game board." After the pair ascend to the top of a seemingly endless tower (I do dig a reverse dungeon crawl that goes skyward rather than downwards), the mage disappears as her role in the campaign narrative that the "gods" have developed presumably ends. And last but not least, GobSlayer himself is constantly referred to as an average miniature on the battle map who somehow took on a life of his own by surviving whatever threats the cosmic GMs tossed at him. "He does not let anyone roll the dice," the tagline for the franchise goes.

I love all of this stuff. Maybe I'm giving Goblin Slayer too much credit, but I see this series as a deconstruction of what it means to sit at a table and imagine lives and stories for a diverse cast of characters, riffing off of fantasy concepts first assembled by Gary Gygax and his contemporaries back in the 70s. I can't be that off-base with this assumption, seeing as how characters in Goblin Slayer regularly "curse Gygax" when stuff goes wrong.

But just as Gary Gygax had questionable views when it came to a wide variety of things (like women, for instance), Goblin Slayer's got icky bits that can't be swept under the rug. This is a franchise that depicts female victims in titillating poses when they’re being abused. Goblin Slayer isn't alone in this regard - plenty of other seinen manga exhibit this nasty habit, including fan-favorites like Berserk - but it feels all the more annoying here because Goblin Slayer presents its assault scenes mostly at the very beginning for the sheer sake of shock value. As the series goes on, sexual violence disappears from the narrative almost entirely, as if Kumo Kagyu and his collaborators realized that it shouldn't have been emphasized in the first place. Instead, we're left with an interesting tale about GobSlayer moving through trauma (his family was killed by goblins when he was a kid, you see) and slowly learning how to feel again as he surrounds himself with the found family that is an RPG party. That's a good story, and a heartwarming one. Unfortunately, it's buried under a veneer that will likely turn many away.

I can't blame anyone for noping out of Goblin Slayer due to the sexual violence. I also can't blame anyone who doesn't play TTRPGs for not fully understanding the appeal of witnessing GobSlayer and his buddies strategize about the best way to defeat hobgoblins. But personally speaking, Goblin Slayer hit me in some good places, warts and all. I was fully prepared to write the franchise off as grimdark schlock, but it surprised me - and after reading up on some of its contemporaries, like Redo of Healer (which really is schlock) I'm further convinced that the series is smarter than it appears. It's just a shame that the smart bits are held back by the same problematic tropes that often cause D&D itself to falter. (Remember that whole orc discourse from 2020?)

For better or for worse, Goblin Slayer is representative of all sides of traditional tabletop roleplaying: the critical successes that celebrate imagination and comraderie, the critical failures that dehumanize women and veer too far into edgelord territory, and everything in between. The franchise has its problems, for sure, but there are moments when it shines - just like the glint of a well-painted miniature resting on the edge of a four-cornered game board.