#sad thing is merlin's pretty enough it's bound to happen to him at some point and i hate that

[hh-rose]

James Potter and the Retelling of the True Story Chapter Six: Afterlife

ao3

masterpost

I don't want to talk about the sad parts. I don't want to talk about Remus being alone thinking his husband killed me. I don't want to talk about my son being abused. I don't want to talk about Sirius being tortured. I don't want to talk about Peter being that close to my son for more time than I ever had with him. I don't want to talk about those things, and I don't have to because this is my book.

Remus's life got a little bit of happiness when he started his teaching job. Sure, it wasn't great, and the reason he was there (to protect Harry from his murderous godfather) wasn't great, but Remus got some happiness, I got some happiness, and Harry got some happiness.

Hogwarts was the first place Remus ever felt safe and loved and like he wasn't a monster. It was never his home. His home was always Sirius, and it almost destroyed Remus to be there with Sirius, but he had to. He had to be there for Harry.

I don't know how he did it. Honestly, I don't know how he survived those twelve years. I certainly do not know how he was able to look at Harry without breaking into a million pieces. He did it though, and he did it well. He was the best teacher that boy had ever had. He should've been more. He should've been the one who raised him, but I really don't want to think about Dumbledore and his horrible plan right now.

Harry got his hands on the map that year, and I could not have been more proud of him. I cried for a while, actually. Then, Remus got it, and it was heartbreaking. He sat there for hours just putting in the wrong password to get us to say our little messages to him, and it broke my heart. My personal favorite was "Mr. Padfoot would like to remind Mr. Lupin that he created this map and his gorgeous ass should remember the password." That, however, was when Remus put the map away for the night.

I'm not going to lie to you, I was on the edge of my goddamn seat when Sirius and Remus met in the Shrieking Shack. It was so beautiful, them finally reuniting and Harry learning the truth. I was also pretty grateful that they didn't fuck in front of my child because I wouldn't have put that past them.

Now, this part is different than what you were told. I'm sure that you all thought that Sirius flew Buckbeak into the mountains and lived as a hermit for a year. Obviously, that didn't happen. That's just what they told Harry. Remus brought Sirius up to his office, very careful as to not be seen (which was something they were well versed in). They didn't say anything for several minutes.

"I have to go. I'll be right back," Remus told him before turning to leave the room. He quickly turned around when he heard Sirius whimper. "I will be right back, my love, and then I'm never going to leave your side again. I promise."

Sirius still hadn't said anything, but he nodded, satisfied with the promise. Remus quickly left his office and went to Dumbledore's.

"Ahh, Mr. Lupin, I was expecting to see you tonight," that horrible, evil, old man said.

"Don't you dare talk to me like I'm a child. How could you?"

"Remus, nobody could have known the truth," Dumbledore said, and I know that he knew he was lying through his teeth.

"I knew!" Remus shouted. "I told you! I told you to investigate. I told you he was innocent, but you didn't listen to me. Do you know how many lives that ruined? How many lives you ruined? We were married. He was Harry's legal guardian. He's broken. He's never going to be the same perfect man that he was before you ruined him."

"Mr. Lupin."

"I quit. I'm taking Sirius, and we're taking Harry this summer. You want to put us in hiding? Great. We'll go, but we're staying together. All three of us. Got it?"

"You'll need to live at Grimmauld Place."

"Oh, of bloody course, that's where you're going to send us, you fowl old man."

With that brilliant little speech, Remus left Dumbledore's office and went back to his to find Sirius still sitting on his desk. He was right, Sirius was never going to be the same, but that doesn't mean that he was any less beautiful than he was before.

"Alright, let's go," Remus said, pulling out his wand and packing the room up in seconds.

"What? Where are we going?" Sirius asked, following Remus over to the Floo.

"I'm really, really sorry, but we have to go to Grimmauld Place," Remus informed him, looking him in the eyes. "Are you going to be okay?"

"If you're with me, then yes," Sirius breathed out. Remus held his trunk in one hand and Sirius's in the other before stepping into the Floo.

They took a few hours to settle in and board up the paintings that were yelling at them. Remus then took Sirius upstairs.

"You said you weren't going to leave me, right?" Sirius asked when they stopped in front of his childhood bedroom. Remus bit his lip.

"If you want me to stay with you tonight, I will, but we're going to have to talk in the morning," Remus stated. Sirius nodded, and they both filed into the bedroom.

They started out on opposite sides of the bed, but obviously, in Wolfstar manner, they gravitated toward each other. It wasn't long until Remus heard Sirius begin crying. He grabbed Sirius and pulled him to his chest.

"Hey, shh, it's okay, love," Remus whispered. "It's alright. I'm here now. We're together. How about I sing to you? Alright. Anybody could be that guy…"

The next morning was awkward, and it almost pained me to watch it. Remus woke up first, obviously, and went downstairs. He was going to make breakfast, but then he remembered that there was a very angry house elf who worked at the manor. He sat down at the dining room table and waited for Sirius to come downstairs. Eventually, he did, looking somehow like his childhood self with his messy bed head. He yawned and sat down across from Remus.

"Kreacher is making breakfast," Remus said, not looking up from his daily profit. "I sent an owl to Harry this morning. He'll be coming here at the end of term. I should probably pick him up from King's Cross."

"Are we just going to pretend everything is normal?" Sirius asked. Remus finally put down the paper.

"I don't see a part of it that isn't normal, well besides our obvious new trauma. But, everything else is the same," Remus explained. "We're married, we live together, we love each other. Right? Am I wrong about any of those things?"

"No," Sirius breathed out. "But, Remus, I have to apologize for everything that happened before. I thought the worst things before everything happened."

"You don't need to apologize. We knew there was a spy. I'm not going to pretend like I didn't suspect you for a moment. That's all it was for both of us. Just a suspicion. Neither one of us thought the other was capable of doing something horrible, right?"

"Of course not. I was just scared," Sirius told him. "But, then… then I left you alone for all those years."

"And that wasn't your fault. I left you alone too. We both suffered enough, Sirius. If you still love me, I don't see the point in not being together. In not being happy."

"Of course, I still love you. I never stopped, and I never plan on stopping. You still love me? Even after everything?" Sirius asked. Remus's eyes softened.

"Of course, I do, and I'll tell you that as much as you need to hear it for the rest of our lives," Remus assured him. "I know that things aren't going to be easy, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try for the best."

"I miss them," Sirius said, a tear falling down his cheek.

"I do too," Remus replied. "It's going to hurt a lot to be around Harry, but he makes it so much better. He's so much like them."

"This isn't the future we were supposed to have. We were supposed to have kids."

"I'll settle for any future with you."

...

They just had sex for a few days, and I don't really need to talk about that. I guess they were getting it out of their system because Harry was going to live with them at the end of the week. Remus, as promised, went to King's Cross to get Harry from the train.

"Harry!" he exclaimed when he saw my son get off the train. Harry jogged over to him with a huge grin on his face. "Ready to go home?"

"Home," Harry breathed out, and Lily and I both cried. "This is the first time I was excited to leave Hogwarts. I've never been so happy to get off the train."

"Oh, Merlin, please don't say that to your Godfather. He's going to sob for hours, and that's something I really don't want to have to deal with," Remus joked. He then helped Harry with his trunk before apparating them both to the outside of Grimmauld Place. He did all the hoopla to open the house, and then led Harry inside.

"Hazza!" Sirius yelled as he bound down the stairs. He crushed Harry in a hug. Then, he pulled away with a shy look on his face. "Sorry, I used to call you that when you were a baby."

"I like it," Harry stated. "I never really had a nickname."

"Oh, well that's not true," Remus said, as he levitated Harry's things up the stairs and into his room. The three of them began walking to the dining room. "We used to call you loads of things. Sirius called you Hazza or Haz. I called you H. Your dad called you fawn and planned on calling you Buck as you got older. Your mom mostly called you darling, which isn't technically a nickname."

"Oh wow," Harry replied, as they all sat down at the table. Sirius at the head, and Remus and Harry on either side of him.

"What else do you want to know about your childhood? Our even ours?" Sirius asked. I knew that it was going to hurt for them to talk about it, but it was something that they needed to do.  

"Were you really that close to my parents?" Harry asked, shyly. Remus and Sirius both smiled at him.

"I lived with your dad for five years, I think. He was my brother," Sirius stated. "And your mum, I wasn't as close with her, but she was amazing and brilliant and I loved her very, very much."

"I was your mum's man of honor," Remus stated, causing Harry to look at him with wide eyes. Remus chuckled. "Yep. A very good one at that. And, Sirius was your dad's best man."

"So were you closer with my mum?" Harry asked. Remus shook his head fondly.

"No. I was close with her for sure, but James was my best friend. He knew all of my moves before I even thought of them," Remus explained. "Sirius and your dad were brothers, but me and your dad were very, very, very close."

"So, why aren't you my godfather too?" Harry asked, causing Sirius to smirk at Remus. Remus just blushed.

"I am actually."

"What?" Harry asked, completely shocked.

"It's pretty typical for wizarding families to select a married couple to be their baby's godparents, and typically that couple is a man and a woman," Remus said. He looked at Sirius for a moment. Sirius nodded with a smile.

"As it happens Harry, I was in fact married to someone, and it was very fitting that that person was just as close with your parents as I was," Sirius told him. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Wait."

"How familiar are you with gay couples?"

"Um, well, I grew up in a very bigoted household," Harry explained. "But, I never…I mean I would never judge--"

"Oh, Haz, don't worry. We know you're not homophobic," Sirius assured him. "It's just a real fucking shame that both purebloods and muggles are homophobic. You'd think being polar opposites, one of them would get it right."

"That is so not the point right now," Remus told his husband. "So, yes, Harry, I am your Godfather too. We're your Godparents, and we are very happily married."

"Actually, we had a double wedding with your parents," Sirius explained. Harry loved that and wanted to hear all about it, so Sirius told him.

"Alright, loves, I have a very early Order meeting tomorrow, so I'm going to go to bed," Remus said, placing a kiss on Sirius's lips before standing up from the table. He walked over to Harry and stood awkwardly for a moment. "Harry, if you ever want to know anything, if you ever want to talk, please just ask. Goodnight."

"Thank you, Remus," Harry said. "Do you mind if I call you Moony? I feel like that's what I'm supposed to call you."

"Oh, of course. You, um, you used to call me that when you were a baby," Remus explained. He kissed Harry on the top of the head before walking up the stairs to his and Sirius's bedroom.

"You're not ready for bed yet, are you?" Sirius asked him. Harry shook his head. "That's my boy. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, yes," Harry whispered. Sirius looked at him expectantly. "I never told anyone because of my upbringing. I didn't know that people would react kindly, so I just thought it would be best to keep it in. But, I'm pretty sure that I'm gay."

"Oh, love," Sirius breathed. He was very well aware that Harry was gay. We all were. I mean, I knew two eleven-year-olds on the train were gay the moment I saw them. Of course, I knew my son was gay and in love with that Malfoy bloke. I always thought the whole Hinny thing was disgusting. That girl looked just like his mother. Despite all of us knowing about Harry's homosexuality, we had no idea he knew. I mean, the kid was as oblivious as they came.

"My mum and dad, they would still love me if I was gay, right?" Harry asked, and my heart shattered. I wanted so badly to hug him and tell him that I would love him no matter what, but I knew Sirius would do just fine with that.

"Your dad knew that I was gay years before I knew," Sirius explained. "He would try to get it out of me all the time. He would say 'Sirius, I'll love you no matter what,' but I still wouldn't tell him because I was stubborn. But, your dad loved me and Remus more than anyone on the planet. He was our biggest supporter, and your mum was a very close second. Also, your parents would love you even if you were a horrible, terrible, vile death eater. They were the most loving people, and they would love you no matter what."

"Thank you," Harry whispered. Sirius grinned at him.

"So, any blokes you have your eye out for?" Sirius asked, ever the whore, Merlin love him.

"Um, yeah?" Harry said, but it came out as more of a question. Sirius nudged him, and he blushed. "Draco Malfoy."

"My cousin Draco Malfoy?" Sirius asked, and Harry just nodded. "Well, you're certainly talking to the wrong Godfather. If you need advice about being in love with a Black, you need to talk to Moony."

I wish I could say that that moment was the first of ones to last a lifetime, but it wasn't. It didn't change anything. That should have been their happy ending. It should have been Dadfoot, Moomy, and Harry for the rest of time, but it wasn't. But that doesn't mean that it was all bad.

[weasleyimaginewheezes]

*Fred x (Slytherin) reader / The professor’s daughter*

Request: Heeey. Since today (may9th) is my bday I was wondering if you could do a Fred x reader where the reader is snapes daughter but she loves to prank people and is also in Slytherin. Snake doesn’t approve at first but then he sees how happy she is with Fred. And a lot of fluff. Thank you! (@slither-in-a-half)

A/n I’m sorry its late but happy belated birthday! I loved writing this and I hope you like it. It’s a whole lot of fluff. A/n

Word count: 2.5k+

Warnings: swearing.

If there’s one thing Fred Weasley couldn’t resist it was things that were forbidden.

Sneaking out after curfew, playing pranks, going into the forbidden forest and the list goes on. But at the top of the list, the very thing that Fred found impossible not to think about was his potions professor’s daughter. (Y/n) Snape had been on Fred’s mind for as long as he could remember ever since he’d bumped into her in the corridor on his first week and she’d told him to ‘piss off’. Besides her language choice, she was beautiful in every sense of the word. Every part of her was stunning and so was her personality even the sharp wit which could be mistaken for rudeness at times. Fred had fallen in to a trap of love with (y/n). The only problem was she was rather out of bounds to him, every time he got close enough to talk to her, it seemed her father would appear like he had a sixth sense. It was unnerving. But so, what if (y/n) was playing hard to get or rather was hard to get? It had never stopped Fred before and he wasn’t about to give up easy.

“Hey (y/n).” Fred’s voice was smooth, prompting (y/n) to look up from her meal. She looked as if she was trying to supress a smile at his appearance, the inkling of the said smile quickly turned into a scowl.

“What do you want Weasley?” She looked down to her bowl of cereal and began to eat again before looking rather annoyed as Fred took a seat from across her.

“You.” (Y/n) choked on her cereal as Fred fought the urge to laugh and instead tried his best to stay cool. Her eyes were wide as they met his rich brown ones.

“Fred, I…” She stammered with a blush as Fred became shocked at the use of his first name. She’d always stuck to Weasley, Fred had always thought this was because she couldn’t tell the difference between him and George. His heart raced as he realised she just had.

“How about Hogsmeade? Saturday?” Fred didn’t let his nerves show through his confident exterior, this may be his only chance since Snape hadn’t arrived for breakfast quite yet. (y/n) smiled in spite of her demeanour and just as she looked like she was going to agree, her eyes widened again and her head shot back down to her cereal.

“Weasley.” Fred huffed in irritation as the familiar drawling voice spoke his name. And suddenly he was standing up without a clue of what he was doing.

“For Merlin’s sake! Are you some kind of sneak or something?! I swear I can’t turn a corner without seeing your greasy head!” Fred shrunk back as his brain caught up with his anger-fuelled words. The professor in front of him glared so hard it was amazing he couldn’t see into the back of Fred’s mind.

“Detention Weasley.” Fred wasn’t surprised, he had saw that coming from the moment his voice came out in a yell. “And 50 points from Gryffindor.” Now that was uncalled for.

“What? That’s not-!”

“Shall I make it 60?” Snape slightly gritted his teeth. Fred shook his head with a roll of his eyes and then with a final hopeless look towards (y/n) went to sit back down with George at his own table, a defeated pout on his lips.

“Cheer up, mate.” George patted his shoulder with a sad smile. “It’s pointless, Snape will never let you date (y/n).” Fred sighed with a nod.

“Yeah, I know but shouldn’t she be allowed to make her own decisions, she’s 16 for crying out loud!” Fred argued defiantly and George just shrugged with a thoughtful nod.

“You would’ve thought so but with a dad like Snape and all. It’s best to move on Freddie.”

And so, he tried to move on. For about a day.  

But something always pulled him back to (y/n). No matter how many girls he made out with pointlessly or how many things George tried to distract him with, Fred’s mind was always on (y/n); the way she had almost agreed to going out with him, the way she had never been afraid to stand up for herself, the way she smiled.

The next class he had with the Slytherins that wasn’t potions, he got a seat next to (y/n) much to George’s protests. She acted disinterested almost like she hadn’t even noticed him but the way she bit her bottom lip to supress a smile as he pulled up a chair next to her was unmistakable.

As the lesson began and they were made to work with their desk partner, (y/n) turned to him with a seemingly forced smile. Fred began to work, wanting to impress the Slytherin girl sat next to him and he could feel her eyes on him. He looked up and she didn’t look away with a blush like he expected her too. No, she met his questioning gaze steadily and quirked her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

“That was pretty brave, standing up to my dad the other day.” She said with a smirk. Fred nodded proudly. “I was starting to wonder why they’d put you in Gryffindor now I know.” Fred’s jaw dropped but his attempt at anger was broken by a laugh at the amused smirk on (y/n)’s face.

“You know (y/n) I’ve never met anyone quite like you.” Fred rested his cheek on his hand as he stared at (y/n) with a smile.

“I hope that’s a compliment Weasley.” (y/n)’s smirk remained as she diverted her attention to her textbook, absentmindedly flipping the pages.

“Of course.” Fred pretended to look at interest in his work as Flitwick glanced at their desk. Fred thought carefully about his next words before he decided to take the second opportunity and run with it. “So, I never did get an answer to Saturday?”

(Y/n) tried her best to not let her smile extend but it was difficult as she saw Fred’s eyebrows waggle comically. “That is if your dad lets you leave the castle.” Fred joked. And just like that the smile from (y/n)’s face faded as quickly as it had appeared. She now looked furiously at the redhead who became confused at the change.

“My father doesn’t make all of my decisions for me! I’m fucking 16 not 6!” (y/n)’s voice was just below a yell but loud and angry enough to turn the heads of fellow students and Flitwick himself. Fred was fully taken aback at her volume and raised his hands as if in surrender. “And to think I was just about to say yes to you.” And with a final huff of air, she got up and left the classroom. Fred got out of his seat to follow her but Flitwick shot him down and told him to resume his seat lest he have more detention so all he could do was watch confusedly as (y/n) stormed out of the room.

***

“She’s just as mad as her father, I’m telling you.” George’s tone sounded like an attempt at reassurance as they sat around the common room fire. (Y/n)’s storm out had been more than an hour ago and Fred was still reeling from it.

“George shut up!” Fred hit him with a pillow as the mixed emotions swirled in his brain. Excitement for the possibility of her saying yes, confusion for what happened and disappointment in the knowledge he’d most likely blown it with his dream girl.

Lee wanted to talk to them about an idea he had but Fred couldn’t have been more disinterested as he got caught up in his own thoughts. Maybe he should just leave (y/n) alone, maybe it would never work between them but he still had to try because otherwise she would forever be on his mind.

A quiet evening passed in the Gryffindor common room after dinner, most students were buckling down to do work or talk with friends. That was until the peace was ruined by a chorus of protests from near the portrait hole which had just opened.

“Hey! You’re not meant to be in here!” The Gryffindor prefect yelled from where she stood, Fred lifted his attention from talking with his friends to see the intruder only for him to see (y/n).

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” (y/n) crossed her arms and looked annoyed towards the prefect. “I’ll be out of your precious lair in a moment.” Just as the prefect was ready to say something, (y/n) walked over to who she had come to see. “Weasley, could I talk to you for a minute outside.” Her tough demeanour was still there but something else lay beneath the surface.

Fred, who was still in shock at her arrival, nodded feebly and followed the Slytherin out of the portrait and into a small alcove.

“Look, I wanted to say I’m sorry for earlier. I’m just sick of people defining me by who my father is.” Fred noticed (y/n)’s guard falter as she apologised and he smiled. Her eyes roamed everywhere but at Fred as he apologised back for his earlier joke.

“The thing is, I really like you (y/n) and I don’t know what it is but I can’t get you out of my mind.” Fred watched (y/n)’s gaze snap up at his confession, her breathing picked up pace as he crossed the small gap to be closer to her. Before he could even act on reaching up to kiss her, she beat him to it. (Y/n)’s lips met his own with a passion, neither holding back as the kiss deepened. Tongues collided, hands roamed until they both had to pull away to stop things escalating any further.

Their foreheads leaned against each other as they both grinned widely. “You know your father’s gonna hate this.” Fred laughed as (y/n) nodded with a shrug.

“What doesn’t he hate?”

****

Fred had recommended maybe they keep their relationship secret for the time being but (y/n) had rejected the idea before grabbing his hand proudly and walking down the corridor. “We have nothing to be ashamed or scared of Fred.” Her confident words almost made him feel better until they saw Snape at the other end of the hall and Fred quickly tried to retract his hand from hers but if anything (y/n) held on tighter as her father strode up the hall towards them.

“Weasley! What do you think you’re doing?!” Snape glared at the connection of Fred’s hand in his daughter’s and all Fred could do was gulp and stutter. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Snape but when he was currently dating his daughter, he had reason to be a bit terrified at his wrath. “(y/n) come on.” Snape turned swiftly around expecting his daughter to follow but when she stayed where she was defiantly holding her boyfriend’s hand, he turned to glare again.

“No. I’m going to walk to class with Fred.” (y/n)’s gaze was steady as she defied her father. Fred wanted to join her confidence but he was pretty sure that if Snape had his way, Fred would be expelled right now or worse. (y/n) pulled his hand to walk to potions, the lesson Fred has been dreading anyway.

And he had good reason to; Snape constantly kept a watchful gaze on their table. George had joined them and was feeling rather intimidated himself when he wasn’t laughing at Fred that was. As they began working, Fred accidently put the wrong ingredient in and the colour changed from a hopeful blue to a misty grey. “Weasley, 15 points from Gryffindor for not listening to instruction.”

Fred and George simultaneously scoffed knowing fully well why Snape was being worse than usual and knowing also that he had no right. But they didn’t protest, their house was already blaming them both for losing enough house points they didn’t need their prefect or Hermione screaming at them again.

“He only made a mistake.” (y/n) piped up from her adjacent workstation. Snape’s eyes narrowed to her.

“Yes, he’s not the only one to do that is he?” His voice still drawled with his words as (y/n) met her father’s gaze. “5 points from Slytherin.” (y/n)’s jaw dropped slightly in annoyance and shock as Snape resumed his place at the front of the class. She shook her head in annoyance and continued with her work before meeting Fred’s gaze and smiling sadly.

The lesson ended and it couldn’t have been soon enough in Fred’s opinion. He hurriedly put away his unused textbook and equipment before making a beeline to leave with his twin but (y/n)’s hand stopped him. She interlinked her own with his and smiled sweetly at him with a kiss to his cheek.

“(y/n).”  She huffed a sigh as Snape made his way over to the couple. His voice however didn’t have the usual tense drawl to it.  (y/n) questioned him with her eyebrows, not letting go of Fred’s grip. “Could I speak to you?” Snape’s eyes were intense as they almost pleaded with his daughter who at this change nodded. She let go of Fred’s hand and kissed his cheek again causing Fred to blush. She smiled with a small laugh at the colour of his cheeks before he left the classroom.

“Are you dating him just to spite me?” And the glaring eyes and harsh tone were back. (y/n) threw her head back in irritation.

“No.”  Her answer was defiant and sure, she had to make herself clear. “I actually really like him and believe it or not people don’t just date out of spite. Please dad just let me be happy.” (y/n) pleaded with her father.

“And Fred Weasley makes you happy?” His tone was disbelieving but softer than before.

“Yes. Now can I go?” (y/n)’s tone of impatience was purely so she could find Fred and kiss him again. It had quickly become her favourite activity, not that she would ever admit to that. Her father nodded and (y/n) left.

***

Fred had learnt to become less cautious around Snape when he was with (y/n). Sure, his palms still sweated a little and he became conscious of what he was doing but he didn’t feel the same pressure because (y/n) had reassured him of it all. So, he sat with her at meals like he had always wanted and kissed her whenever he could, things that made (y/n) all to happy. Snape noticed the increased smiles and laughter from his daughter and couldn’t deny that she was happy with Fred, happier than he had ever seen her be at Hogwarts. And although Snape sometimes got the urge to hex the redheaded boy into next year when he saw them kiss or be all flirty together, he’d remember that above all else he valued his daughter’s happiness and that he had known what it was like to be in love.

That didn’t stop him from giving Fred a few choice words of warning about what was to happen if the jokester ever broke his daughter’s heart or hurt her in any way. Fred nodded with widened eyes at the professor before assuring him that he would never ever let that happen. “I’m glad you make her happy.” Snape’s last words were so unexpected that Fred was shocked by them and all he could do was smile and nod before looking at (y/n) waiting for him across the room with a wider smile.

“Me too.” 

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[tigerroseblue]

Seven Deadly Sins Oneshot: Illusions

Hey, here's an angsty oneshot I wrote for something thestarrynightgazer drew. So, hope y'all enjoy it! Warning: Ban's potty mouth. And Meliodas seems to have caught it. Oops.

I still couldn't believe it. Ban was here, really here. In Purgatory. I couldn't decide what I was more amazed by–the fact he was here or the fact that he had jumped right in before finding out if there was a way out of this hellhole. I still felt like he was an illusion, something that would fade away as soon as I touched it and leave me here to become just another shadow of a soul, roaming the landscape.

We had paused in our search to find the exit and had killed another indigenous monster to eat. Even in Purgatory, where the landscape was toxic to anything that didn't belong there, Ban still managed to make the meat taste pretty damn good.

I could feel his eyes on me as I used my bone sword to skewer the meat. "Hey, Cap'n?" He spoke up, wary curiosity clear in his voice. I knew what he was going to ask. My body started shaking before he even opened his mouth. Tears welled in my eyes and started down my cheeks. "What exactly did your old man do to you?"

I didn't answer, trying to control myself. Damn it, I thought, upset. After all these years, trying to get a hold of my emotions so I wouldn't blow up every damn time I lost Elizabeth, I can't even stop myself from crying. What am I doing? Get a hold of yourself!

I could feel Ban blatantly staring at me by now, concerned. He obviously wasn't used to seeing me weak, something completely on purpose on my part. Even as a young child, I had learned to hide any weakness. Being weak led to being hurt. That was all there was to it. So, I did another thing I did all too well: deflect the shit out of the question.

"Aw, the old fart just kept me in a damn cage. Pretty damn boring, to be honest," I said, grinning painfully. Ban was not amused. "Cut the shit, Cap'n. No more lying. Give me the whole story, think we're past the deflecting shit by this point." I flinched. Damn. I had really spent too much time with this guy. Throughout the centuries, I'd been able to have friends, but kept them at arm's length. No one found out who or what I really was. If anyone got remotely close, I'd disappear. It was easier that way. Safer, for both me and them.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the sight of my best friend. And he was my best friend. The first in almost 3000 years. Right after the Holy War, it was all too easy for people to recognize me and no one wanted the last Demon anywhere near them. And as the years past, any friends I made eventually died. So, not only did I have to watch Elizabeth die over and over again, I also got to see what friends I'd made grow old and die while I remained unchanged. Some never asked why I didn't age. Others never stopped asking. And others grew fearful of the man who couldn't age and who had a past no one knew.

Damn it, I hated my old man.

"Why did you come down here?" I asked shakily. "What kind of question is that?!" Ban growled. "I came to get you!" I shook my head. Damn it...stop crying! You have no right to cry after all you've done! "Why? You could've just left me here," I said, leaning down, elbows braced on my knees. "Would've been a lot better for everyone." Ban snarled. "What?! No it wouldn't! What about Elizabeth?! Or the Sins?! We need you!"

"No you don't!" I yelled suddenly. Ban stopped speaking, stopped moving. I didn't straighten from my hunched over stance. In fact, I curled more into myself, trying to block the pain. Block the pain...? A voice inside me mocked. What pain? You're the Demon Prince, a monster whose killed countless people! You can't feel pain! You have to have a damn heart to feel anything, especially pain. I wanted to scream at it. All I am is emotions! I wanted to argue. I don't have my strength and my self control is shot to hell, as my freaking tears show! But I couldn't argue with that damn voice, cause it was right. Even if all I was was Meliodas's soul, I was him and he was me. I was the sum of his experiences, of his–our–stupidly long life. If he was that heartless, cruel Demon Prince, so was I.

"Twenty years ago," I started, filling in the silence my outburst had started, "a Red Demon attacked the Fairy King's Forest and killed Elaine, your lover and King's sister. I'm a Demon, remember?! I should've sensed it! I'm the fucking Prince of the Demon Clan! How did I not sense one of my own kind?!" I could feel Ban start to speak, but I bowled right over whatever he was about to say. "I let the love of your life die right in front of you! Great best friend I am! And King! King lost his sister, his kingdom, everything! He told me to my face I couldn't be trusted anymore! And how can I blame him?! There's so many things I could've–should've!–told you! But I didn't! Cause I was so goddamn afraid!"

I was shaking, tears running down my face in steady streams by now. I couldn't remember the last time I'd cried like this. The first time Elizabeth died, when I didn't let go of her cold, lifeless body for what must've been over a day, hoping that it was just a nightmare and I'd wake up and she'd be there, smiling down at me with so much love, I could barely believe that it was for me? When her first incarnation told me about the curse and I realized I was doomed to lose her over and over again? After I had been so fed up with everything, I attempted to kill myself in so many different ways, but nothing would work and nothing was going to free me from my hell?

"I was afraid of losing Elizabeth if one of you spilled the beans and she regained her memories. I was afraid of losing all of you, if you all knew the truth. If you knew what I'd done, what I had been, and decided I was just another monster, like the Demon that killed Elaine..."

"And the others?" I continued, my voice low and harsh. "Diane had her memories wiped and forgot everything about the person she loved, for the second time, because I didn't realize Gowther was losing it! Merlin's entire home was destroyed by my father when she was just a child, leaving her with nothing! Gowther has no emotions and lost one of the only people that ever loved him, trying to stop the Holy War that I started! And then lost the other one after he'd woken up after being asleep for almost 3000 years along with the dead body of his father! And Escanor's power that he hates was once a Goddess's that my brother killed!" I shook my head. "And that's just the Sins!"

"Elizabeth has died 107 times! Her Clan betrayed her! Her own mother murdered and then cursed her! Because she had the horrible luck to fall in love with my worthless ass! Britannia itself was almost destroyed by a war that I started! All the Clans were almost eradicated! The Demons and Goddesses were sealed away, the Giants and Fairies were almost annihilated, and the only reason the Humans survived was because they played both sides! And now it's about to happen again! I didn't protect the key to the Demon's prison well enough and now they're back and pissed off and ready to kill everything in their path in order to get their revenge! And all of you are in danger, cause I selfishly wanted to see my ends met, even if it meant sending people who were completely clueless about the situation into battle!"

I took a deep breath, winded from my continuous crying and yelling. "So tell me, WHY THE FUCK WOULD ANY OF YOU NEED ME?!?!" I screamed.

Ban didn't answer. I leaned over more, resting my head on my arms, covering my face with my trembling hands. I couldn't tell if the trembling was a result of adrenaline, rage, sadness, or a mixture of all three. I waited for him to respond. Maybe now he'd see that I wasn't worth it, that all I had done was hurt them.

"You're fucking stupid," was his response. That...was not what I was expecting. I finally looked up. He stared at me, determination burning in his red eyes. "Listen, maybe our lives have been fucked up all to hell. But that's not your fault. Maybe you should've told us what was going on, but not wanting to see the woman you love die for the 108th time is a pretty damn good fucking reason not to say anything, in my opinion. And I'm pretty sure King'll agree with me, he'd do anything for Diane. And whatever your fucking psychopathic family did has nothing to do with you. And the princess would tell you she didn't care what happened, she loved you, if she was here. And maybe you started that war, but the Clans sure as hell helped it along. And maybe you lost that damn key, but it was bound to happen anyway and you protected it good enough," his hand rubbed along the scar I'd given him. "So, your argument is shit. Let's move on to what your son of a bitch father did to you."

I stared at him, taking a moment to comprehend what had just been said. Then, I started laughing. It was a broken, strangled laugh, but it'd do. "Oh, you know, the usual. Just created illusions of my worst damn fears and tortured me with the fact that I'd fucked up in so many different ways, it's a damn miracle anyone gives a shit about me." I laughed again. "What the fuck did I do to deserve all of you?" He shrugged. "The fact that you dragged all of us out of our shit and gave us a purpose again?"

I shook my head, choosing not to address that comment yet. "At first, I was pretty damn confident, you know? Telling him I was getting out of this dump and making it back to you guys and we were going to kick his Commandment's asses. But he knew exactly what buttons to push. With his magic, he created illusions of all of you. The Sins, Elizabeth, even Little Gil... I knew all they were were illusions, but that didn't matter in the end. I still heard all the accusations. Of how I'd ruined your lives, how much I'd fucked everything up, how so many people would still be alive if it wasn't for me. And I did exactly what that bastard father of mine wanted: I cracked. Then, he didn't have to worry about me escaping, I was too mad with guilt and rage to do anything."

I closed my eyes, remembering all the illusions had said. "Elizabeth asked why she'd fallen for me, a monster who after all these years, still hasn't done what I'd promised. All you guys told me I'd destroyed your lives and threw you into a war that wasn't yours to begin with and that I was going to get you all killed. Little Gil blamed me for Zaratras's death and Hendy and Dreyfus's possessions. Zaratras's dead body then blamed me for leaving his son fatherless and forced to go against everything he stood for to protect the person he loved. Baltra blamed me for bringing his kingdom and family into a fight they had no chance of winning. My brother blamed me for starting the war and betraying them. And all those countless people I couldn't save...I saw all their faces again. I heard their screams. All the while, my father just had to chime in with his little tidbits and remind me of my days as the leader of the Ten Commandments and how much death and destruction I had left in my wake back then."

I pressed my palms against my ears, trying in vain to shut out the memories. "I hate who I was back then. I was a true monster that didn't care about what atrocious actions I was committing. Not a day goes by that I don't regret my past. I can't believe Elizabeth ever stuck with me. She should've seen a lost cause when she saw me, but she didn't care. She loved me anyway and I'm so lucky to have her. And you guys. After everything I've done, how I hid so many things from you, things that could've saved lives, how can you sit there and tell me this isn't my fault?!"

Ban sighed. "Damn, Cap'n. I'm not used to being the voice of reason. Listen, when you found all of us, we were nothing but broken bastards who didn't have the will to fight anymore. After Elaine died, I didn't want to do anything. We both know I could've escaped from that prison they had me in after Elaine died. But I didn't, cause I didn't have anything to live for anymore, but I couldn't die either. And while I don't exactly see eye to eye with the others all the time, I know they're the same. We might've not liked you dragging us from our shit at first, but you did it and made us get back up and start fighting again. If we die in this war, at least we'd die fighting for something, instead of just laying down and waiting for death to come."

He got up and walked over to me, slinging an arm around my shaking shoulders. "So, let's get out of this dump, save our women, end this damn war, then drink enough alcohol, it sends even you into a fucking coma, agreed? And I'll make sure to tell your father to go fuck himself while we're at it." I laughed, sounding slightly choked. "Only you, Ban. Only you." He laughed with me and stood up. "And after this is all over and done with, we'll open the bar again with all the Sins! And Elizabeth and Elaine too!" He said, walking off.

I stood up and wiped away the tears. "Yeah," I said, grinning. Maybe he's right, I thought, following alongside Ban. Then again, maybe they're just all idiots and I've screwed up for the last time and they'll hate me when we get back. But first of all, we have to get out of this damn place. The rest can just fall into place as it will...Though, cussing out my dad sounds really fucking fantastic right now.

[thelem0npie]

Hello, My Deer

You'd think that a magic school full of extremely powerful witches and wizards would have some kind of barriers or enchantments in place to keep students out of forbidden places, right?  

Well apparently not, as Y/N had discovered in her first year at Hogwarts, one could simply stroll into the forbidden forest with ease.  

Which she did, many times over the years.  

She found it was a good place to go when one wanted to be alone and undiscovered.  

She wasn't stupid, she knew what kinds of dangerous creatures dwelled within the mass of trees and the rolling mists.  

But she also knew that if she remained quiet and near the edges, she would be safe.  

The girl had seen wonderful things in that forest, from centaurs to fairies and even a unicorn on one eventful trip.  

Yet, as all children, she was tempted by that very same curiosity that had led her into the forest on that very first day. The curiosity to explore, to know more and to see everything.  

It was this curiosity that took her deep into the forest one bright summer day, further than she'd ever dared to go.  

The sunlight quickly disappeared as she delved into the mist that seemed to be a constant in the forest.  

It wasn't until her stomach started growling and she'd turned around to go to lunch when Y/N realized her own foolish mistake.  

She was completely and utterly lost.  

Three boys exited the castle, one of them walking faster and with an angry air about him while the other two tailed along, trying to calm their friend.  

"James! Mate, you're taking it too seriously!"  

"PURPLE PADS! MY HAIR IS PURPLE!" The boy gestured wildly at his own hair which was a disastrous mess of black and pastel purple locks.  

"It's really more of a lilac if you think about it."  

"SHUT UP WORMTAIL!" The two other boys yelled in sync.  

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize it would be so.... purple! Come back inside and we'll go ask McGonagall for the countercharm."  

"Absolutely not! No one else is seeing this until I'm back to normal!" With that, he disrobed and turned into a magnificent, purple stag.  

Peter let out a ridiculous shout of laughter at the sight, Sirius himself disguised his own laugh with a gravelly cough because before them, instead of James' usual brown and black deer, stood a bright purple stag, from its antlers to its hooves, everything was purple. The stag took one look at itself and wailed aloud. 

"EVEN THE STAG IS PURPLE! THE STAG!" James/The stag yelled before cantering off into the forbidden forest.

"It really is more of a lilac, you're right Wormtail."

Y/N was wandering the dark foreboding forest, hopelessly searching for a way out when she tripped over a tree root and hit the ground hard.  

"Freakin shit! This is such assatry!" She grumbled, glaring at the new rips on her favourite jeans, right over the knees.  

A twig snapped nearby and the girl, forgetting her jeans, jumped to her feet and raised her wand.  

"Who's there?" She called, already imagining scenes where acromantula burst from the trees and devour her, or centaurs would come in, arrows flying and slay her where she stood.  

None of this quite prepared her for what did come from the woods, a creature that took her breath away. A graceful brown, black and purple stag that regarded her with boredom tinged with curiosity.  

"Hello there," She whispered in awe, "you're beautiful."  

The stag snorted and tossed its head as if to say 'of course I am, peasant.'  

"Are you hungry, pretty?" She rummaged around in her bag and brought out a baggie of sugar cubes she saved for any run-ins with a unicorn or fairy.  

The stag clopped over happily, stopping a few feet away and watching as Y/N scooped out a few and held them in the palm of her hand.  

The girl watched in awe as this beautiful creature sniffed at her hand before gobbling up the sugar. "I'm gonna call you Pinkie." She smiled, giving the stag more sugar cubes. The creature huffed but ate the sugar cubes anyway.

"What are you? You look like an ordinary deer but you're….purple."

The deer huffed again and started snuffling at the remaining sugar cubes. "Hey!" She shoved the cubes into her bag and scolded the deer. "That's very rude you know, those aren't all for you."  

The deer huffed again and started trotting away. "You can understand me! Wait up!" Y/N hurried after the strange creature. "Can you show me the way out? I'm lost."  

It sighed and gave her an almost humanlike glare of annoyance before nudging her in a certain direction and walking that way.  

As they walked Y/N couldn't help but reach out to touch the beautiful stag. Its fur was smooth and she could feel all the muscle hidden underneath.  

It certainly was a powerful beast. As she watched its fur it occurred to her that the deer had been much more purple when she'd first seen it. "Hey pretty, have you been charmed?"  

The deer huffed again and she took that as a yes. "I'll bet it was those rude Marauders, it seems just like something they'd do."  

The stag made a rumbling sound that might've been… laughter?  

"A-are you laughing?"  

It stopped immediately, continuing its stroll while Y/N gazed at it in wonder, stroking her hand along its side.  

"You know, I could change you back to the right colour. I'm sure I know the spell."  

The stag stopped walking and turned to look at her hopefully. What a strange animal… She thought as she pulled her wand out and pointed it at the stag, who was looking at her with nothing but trust as the girl muttered the spell.  

Soon enough the stag was free of all purple and his true colours of black and browns was revealed.  

"You look like a normal stag, but you certainly don't act like one." The stag looked sheepish and continued to lead her.  

"Ah, you've probably got your own magic just like everything in this forest."  

It seemed to puff up with pride when she said this, something she'd seen someone do many times before.  

"You remind me of a boy I know." She chuckled slightly, aimlessly tracing patterns over the stag's side. "James Potter, the 'most awesome guy in Hogwarts' as he's known. But he's really not all that, he's an arrogant swine if you ask me." She laughed. "Although, I can't deny that he can be sweet when he wants. I've never actually told anyone this but, on our first day here James found me sitting alone on the train, freaking out about Hogwarts because I came from a muggle family, no idea what's in store for me, ya know? He talked to me and made me feel better, I doubt he even remembers it but on that day I saw a different James Potter that no one else seems to see. Sometimes I see him without his friends, that horrid Sirius Black and little Peter Pettigrew, he's such a brown-noser, and he almost seems like that James that I met all those years ago..." Y/N stopped talking, a small smile on her face. When she realised that the deer was staring at her with an unreadable expression she chuckled. "You're right, I'm being weird, I guess I just hope he's still in there because I have a huge crush on that guy and it makes me sad that he doesn't let people see that part of him and I'm literally pouring my heart out to a random animal I found in the woods okay…."  

The stag nuzzled her cheek and licked it. "EW THAT'S NASTY WHAT THE HELL, PINKIE!"  

She wiped her cheek on her robe, ridding it of deer saliva and glaring at the animal that was somehow managing to look smug.  

She was about to start complaining again when she noticed that they'd come to the edge of the forest. "You actually took me out of the forest! You really are magical." She patted the stag on its side. "Thank you, Pinkie, I'll come visit you again and bring more sugar cubes."  

She started making her way to the castle but stopped upon hearing the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. She turned and saw the strange deer following her. When she stopped it tilted its head as if asking what was wrong.  

"Pinkie, you can't come with me, go back to the forest."  

"Well that's a bit rude, I really thought we were bonding back there." She blinked, certain that she'd just seen the stag say those words…  

"…..did you just….. Talk?....." She stammered, eyes wide in shock.  

"What, you never seen a talking stag before?"  

That voice…. She could recognise it anywhere. It sounded exactly like the voice she dreamed about nearly every night.  

"What are you…?"  

The stag winked, of all things, and started… changing!??  

Its legs turned into human arms and legs, its body shifting and shrinking into a bare chest and the head morphed into a human's head until before her stood a completely naked James Potter.  

"MERLIN'S BEARD HIDE YOUR SHAME!" Y/N shrieked, spinning away from the boy.  

"Your crush is standing in front of you completely nude and you don't want to hop on?"  

Y/N felt her face heat up with the telltale blush creeping into her cheeks and was thankful for the fact that James couldn't see her face. "Fuck off, Potter."  

"Accio clothes." The sound of fabric whacking him could be heard followed by a rustling. "Okay, I'm decent."  

She turned around warily, muscles relaxing when she saw that he was, indeed, clothed now.  

"So….." She started, bringing him to cock an eyebrow expectantly.  

"So you're into me." He smirked.  

"Yeah… pretty much." She shuffled nervously.  

"Sweet." She looked up, surprised. "Well, I'm hot, you're hotter, it was bound to happen." He shrugged casually and started heading for the castle. "Hogsmeade tomorrow at 10, bring more sugar cubes."

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