#sara o'donnell x barnaby lee

[unfortunate-arrow]

𝒱𝒾𝑔𝓃𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒮𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃

A/N: For @hp-12monthsofmagic’s December prompt (“Merry and Bright”). Made up of two short scenes. Note the discussions of Hanukkah and Judaism may not be the most accurate, so apologies for any missteps.

One: The O’Donnell-Lee Cottage, County Donegal, Ireland, December 25, 2006

Sara O’Donnell-Lee watched the gentle fall of snow, illuminated in the color of the charmed baubles that floated outside around their cottage. Her eldest son, aged 5, was fast asleep in her lap with her fingers carding through his short red hair. Her eldest daughter, aged 7, was asleep on the floor, clutching the plush moon calf that she had received earlier that day. Sara’s younger two children, aged 2 and 7 months, had been put to bed earlier. The floor was strewn with the remnants of gifts that had been received earlier in the day, the lights on their tree sparkling. A calloused hand ran gently over her shoulder, causing her to look up.

“Happy Christmas, my love,” her husband, Barnaby, said, leaning over to press a kiss onto the top of her head.

“Merry Christmas, Barn,” Sara replied, wrapping her hand tightly around his. 

“Was this Christmas everything that you imagined?” 

“Yeah, I think it was. Dora and Declan were so excited for everything. I don’t think we’ll ever get this Ireland quidditch sweater off Dec.”

Barnaby laughed, fondly looking down at their son. Sara’s brother, Conor, had gifted their eldest boy an Ireland quidditch sweater, which their boy had quickly fallen in love with. The boy had even put the sweater on over his pajamas. 

“It was a good Christmas, Barnaby. Everything about it this year was good. Actually, I’m surprised at how smoothly this all went,” Sara said.

“Yeah. I thought it would be a lot more stressful with four. Brendan’s so laid back though,” Barnaby replied. 

“I hope you liked your gifts.”

“Those gloves are absolutely incredible. They’ll be so helpful in the cold. I love them, Sara. I really do. What about you?”

“The necklace is beautiful, Barn. I don’t know where you thought of the idea, but I absolutely adore it. Same with the little ornament with all six of our names on them.” 

Two: The O’Donnell-Lyman Home, December 24, 2016 

“Momma, why do we light all these candles?” Naomi O’Donnell, aged 7, asked, leaning over the kitchen table, watching as Ruth worked on setting out on the different candles.

“The purple and pink candles are for advent. That’s for the lead-up to Christmas. Dad can explain those better than me. The blue ones and white one are for Hanukkah, which is what my family celebrates,” Ruth explained.

“I like Hanukkah. The food is so fun and good,” Naomi replied.

“Yeah, Hanukkah has good food. We celebrate that because I’m Jewish, just like we have other traditions and holidays than Dad.”

“What’s Daddy, then?”

“Dad’s Catholic, so he has different holidays than I do.”

“Why?”

“Well, we have different beliefs from religions. For Dad, his religion says that Jesus is the son of God and very important. My religion doesn’t believe that. Only God is important, while Jesus isn’t very important and can be seen as hard to understand.”

“What do I believe?” Naomi asked.

“You can believe whatever you want to, Naomi. Dad and I don’t have any one way we want you or your brothers to believe. That’s why we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, Passover and Easter. We get to cover the important parts of each culture.” 

“Oh. Is that why we eat certain things sometimes?”

“Yeah, that’s right kiddo.”

The door to the kitchen opened, bringing with it a burst of cold air. Stamping feet immediately followed as Ruth looked up to her husband and two sons. Snow clung to their hair and Conor had taken off his glasses to wipe away the fog. 

“Got the potatoes you asked for,” Conor announced, lifting up a big bag.

“Conor, how many potatoes did you get?” Ruth asked.

A sheepish look appeared on Conor’s face. “Five pounds.”

[benscursedkid]

For the Valentine’s Day requests, what about my Hufflepuff girl Sara and Barnaby Lee, please? Maybe something with a meaningful gift, like Barnaby giving Sara something like a claddagh necklace or with another Irish symbol for a pendant, for a prompt. Thank you!! I enjoy your writing.

you got it! thanks for requesting!

happy valentine’s day! 💗✨

*please note, i did not have time to edit*

Barnaby sits quietly at his table, his lips sewn together tight. His nerves, however, remain frayed. Below the table, his leg bounces incessantly, his teeth digging into his bottom lip, and his hands playing with the silver ring on his index finger.

He checks the time on his watch, but he realizes there’s no point when he puts it back down to his side without actually having remembered what he saw.

Rationally, Barnaby knows he has no reason to feel this anxious. Valentine’s Day has always been one of his favorite holidays and his mind had been racing since New Year’s trying to come up with the best gift to give to Sara. It had been weeks ago when the thought to ask her siblings for help finally came to him. He had wanted to do it on his own, but he realized quickly that he would not let his pride supersede his desire to get her gift just right.

However, rationally speaking, Barnaby has never been the best at thinking rationally.

Still, as the entrance to the Three Broomsticks jingles pleasantly and Sara steps inside, a smile on her face and her cheeks and nose a cute rosy pink, Barnaby clutches the ring tighter in his hand.

Sara’s grin only widens as she makes her way over to their table, carefully unfolding the pink scarf from around her neck. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” She huffs as she sits down in front of him, keeping her jacket on as she rubs her hands together. “I wanted to finish up my charms homework early to clear the rest of the weekend and lost track of the time.”

Barnaby thinks back to moments ago. Yeah, he knows the feeling.

“It’s okay,” He shakes his head, a smile of his own cracking his lips apart though his anxiety makes it slightly harder than usual. “I haven’t been waiting long.”

Her blue eyes hesitate for a second, clearly catching the fleeting shake of his voice, but decides to ignore it in favor of reaching an arm across the table. Barnaby’s smile comes quicker this time and he mirrors her action to hold her hand. The iciness of her fingers don’t even bother him!

They stay like this for a moment, before Barnaby remembers himself and blinks out of his reverie.

Around them, patrons cheer and giggle, the romantic spirit of the holiday in the air. Quite literally, even, as Barnaby’s sure he smelt some variation of love potion when he stepped in the door. This, of course though, does not account for the amorous decorations strewn (rather tastefully) around the tavern. Banners and flowers and candles galore! It truly does make for a beautiful scene.

Though, not as beautiful as the one in front of him.

“So,” Barnaby starts, his voice cracking slightly already and he does his best not to wince at the sound. “I know we said no gifts, but.....”

“Barnaby!” Sara sighs, pouting a little, her tone somewhere between fond and reprimand. “You didn’t....”

“I did.”

The corners of her lips twitch as if they want to frown, but are simply not in the right state of mind to manage. It gives his courage a bit of a boost.

“Don’t worry! It’s nothing extravagant,” He assures, knowing it’s fairly likely she wouldn’t have accepted it if it were without gifting him something back. “But I did ask your siblings for advice since I’m not exactly an expert in this sort of thing and I wouldn’t have even known where to go for—”

Sara’s hand squeezes his tightly and Barnaby blushes, catching himself ranting.

“—Sorry,” She merely shakes her head, allowing him to continue. “Anyway, uh, here. I hope you like it.”

With a deep breath, Barnaby reaches up to drop the ring delicately into her open palm. Her eyes flick up to him in brief surprise before turning it over between her fingers, examining the thing with care. The Slytherin gulps, unable to take his eyes off the small piece of golden jewelry in her hand.

It’s a simple enough accessory. A heart in the front, a small crown on top of it, and the band wrapping around to connect on either side of the heart in the vague shape of hands. It was pretty, Barnaby mused, and he thought Sara would like it given that she had mentioned it once before.

“Barnaby...” Sara whispered, so quiet he had to strain to hear even from directly in front of her. “You got me a claddagh.”

“To be fair, I wasn’t exactly sure what it was when I heard about it, but...I figured you would’ve. Plus, the, uh, the symbolism I think fits us well! At least from what I heard anywa—”

“I love it, Barnaby.” Sara smiles and this time it’s softer around the edges, enamored. It makes his chest swell with pride and warmth.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Sara.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

[unfortunate-arrow]

Day 1: A-Age.- Sara and Barnaby

[This is the first installment for the 30 Day OTP Alphabet challenge by @uhmmsweetie. I was inspired to do this by @cursebreakerelmswood ‘s stories about Malcolm and Merula. Each day will say which of the six couples that I’m using for the challenge the story features. This is just headcanons about the time line of Sara and Barnaby’s relationship.]

[Do the otp+ plan on spending their lives together? How do they imagine their relationship years from now?]

Sara and Barnaby date from sixth year on after nearly two years of mutual pining and bets amongst their friends on how long it would take for them to officially get together. Once graduation happens, Sara has a few hesitations about being together so young and makes Barnaby promise that he won’t propose until they’re both at least twenty. (Although, there is a little on-again, off-again during fifth year, but Sara’s terrified of ruining their friendship and Barnaby’s confused about if Sara really likes him or not.) 

On November 18, 1995 (the anniversary of their first official date in sixth year) at a fancy muggle restaurant, Barnaby proposed. He doesn’t have a ring with a diamond or sapphire or emerald or any type of jewel. Instead, he proposes with one of the rings that he always used to wear at Hogwarts. 

“Sara Ailis O’Donnell, you have been an amazing light in my life. Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?” 

“YES! Yes, Barnaby, I will marry you!” 

Their engagement lasts about eighteen months as the Second Wizarding War starts to take center stage and the two become established in the Order of the Phoenix. Their wedding date is June 30, 1997. 

It’s a tiny ordeal and they get married in Ireland. The only guests are Sara’s siblings, Ryan, Cara, and Conor. Cara is Sara’s maid of honor, while Barnaby has Conor as his best man and Ryan walks Sara down the aisle. It’s also very informal. Barnaby wears khakis and a dark green collared shirt, while Sara wears a simple white sundress with a navy blue cardigan sweater. 

They use traditional Irish and Celtic vows as the wedding is not religious as a way to honor Sara’s heritage and respect the fact that Barnaby has not been raised with religion. 

Sara’s vows: “Ye are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone. I give ye my Body, that we Two might be One. I give ye my Spirit, `til our Life shall be Done. You cannot possess me for I belong to myself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give You cannot command me, for I am a free person. But I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.”

Barnaby’s vows: “May the gentle breeze bear witness to this ritual, and carry its message to all lands. May the sun warm their hearts, and its ever burning fire fuel their desire for each other. May the water provide for them from its bounty, and comfort their souls with their sounds. May the land lend its strength and reveal its mysteries.”

Their reception is a lunch at a fancy restaurant and Sara and Barnaby share a cupcake. Once they’re alone in a small thatched-roof cottage, they share their first dance as husband and wife. Their wedding song is Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley as it ends up being the first song on the first radio station when they turn it on. 

Their relationship is very domestic and soft. Even during the war, they make sure to kiss each other at least once and both try to make sure that the other knows when they’re going to be late. In late 1998, Sara discovers that she’s pregnant with their first child, a daughter named Valentine Cara “Val” O’Donnell-Lee.

Sara and Barnaby have three other children in addition to Val: James Ryan “Jem,” Ailis Rose, and Declan Conor. In addition to their four kids, they always have at least one pet. Just before Val started Hogwarts, they had seven pets: an owl, a cat, four puffskeins (one for each child) and a dog. Barnaby also tends to bring home injured baby creatures from the magical creature reserve he works at. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Hold Me In Your Arms

[Part 2 of dealing with Redacted’s death. Feel free to check out This Will Not Break Me in Ryan’s POV.]

Sara O’Donnell hadn’t entered her dorm in nearly two weeks, with the exception of changing clothes. She’d been sleeping in an armchair in the Hufflepuff common room since Ash’s death. She could barely face the devastated Rowan in classes, let alone in their shared dorm. Penny, Chiara, and Tonks had all tried to convince her that she could sleep in the dorm, but Sara hadn’t felt comfortable. Not when she watched Rowan’s brother be murdered. 

Her body ached, from exhaustion and sleeping in a chair, as she walked out of transfiguration. Sara didn’t want company, so she walked as quickly as she possibly could to avoid having to talk. She knew that her friends were worried about her, but she wasn’t ready yet. Therefore, she found herself in an empty classroom, pulling out Pride & Prejudice. 

A knock on the door, maybe twelve minutes later, pulled Sara’s eyes off the novel. She dropped it onto the desk and walked over to open the door. Standing there, looking quite sheepish, was Barnaby. He smiled awkwardly at her and rubbed the back of his head. 

“Hey,” he said. 

“Hi,” Sara said. 

“So, uh, how are you? Or, is that a silly question?” 

“Nothing you have to say is silly to me, Barnaby.” 

He smiled sheepishly, his cheeks reddening. “Thank you. I’m worried about you, though.” 

“Oh, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to worry you or anyone else.” Sara smiled sadly, and pulled him into the room. She wrapped one hand around his tie, stood on her tip-toes and pressed her lips softly to his. 

“I miss him, too,” Barnaby said, his voice soft when they broke apart. 

“I know. It’s just been too much. Ryan and Conor have clammed up. Cara’s having her own issues. I just don’t know what to do! I know I’m the ‘emotional’ one of the four of us, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to act!”

“Sara, love, you just have to be you.” 

“That’s easy to say, but I don’t know how to do that!” 

The tears welled up suddenly. Barnaby pulled her into his arms. Sara buried her face into his shoulder, and fisted his sweater in her hands, then breathed in the earthy scent of him, as the tears poured down her face. He wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. He also gently nudged Sara’s glasses off her face before they could start to dig into her skin. Her tears dampened his sweater, but Barnaby didn’t care. She made him feel like he was important and smart and most of all, cared for. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked, his lips pressed to her ear. 

“Just hold me in your arms. That’s all I need right now,” Sara said, her voice watery before another round of sobs wracked her body. Barnaby used one hand to rub gentle circles on her back as he held her tightly against him. He pressed another kiss to the top of Sara’s head and gently set her glasses down on top of her novel. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Birthday, Part 1: Gift Shopping

[Wendy @drinkyoursoupbitch , Alice @mizutoyama , and Betty @hphmbetty ]

Barnaby frowned. There was nothing in this book shop that made him think of Sara. Okay, that wasn’t actually true, but there was nothing that made him think that it would be the perfect birthday present to give her. Yeah, he’d told her that his sweater could be an early birthday gift, but he still needed to get her something! And it had to be perfect and not too romantic. No one actually knew that they’d been kinda dating. 

He glanced over to the four other members of his group. Betty and Penny were looking through some cookbooks. Alice stood in front of a large table that held some really big books. He wasn’t actually sure where Wendy was, though. The blue haired girl also stood out, and not only because of her hair. She was also tall. 

“I can’t figure out which one,” Alice moaned. 

“Irish! Always Irish. If there’s one about Irish architecture, go for that one,” Wendy called from behind one of the book shelves. 

“Sure. There’s one on medieval Irish architecture.” 

“He’ll think it’s brilliant. He’s already told Flitwick he’s going to be an architect!” 

Barnaby sighed. Conor O’Donnell was one of the most intelligent people he had ever met. Most people didn’t get that immediately, as the Ravenclaw boy had a stutter and often struggled to get his words out. It was their loss. 

“Does anyone want to get anything else at this bookstore?” Penny asked in her no-nonsense tone. 

“No,” comes a few exclamations and Barnaby shook his head, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. 

Barnaby, Wendy, Penny, and Betty stood outside of the bookshop while Alice paid for the big book. Barnaby watched the muggles walk by and thought hard. Maybe a necklace or is that too romantic? It’s Sara. She deserves something special!, he thought, running a hand through his hair. 

“What’s bugging you?” Wendy asked, nudging him in the ribs. 

“Nothing. Just thinking,” he answered. 

“About what?” 

“Just about what to get the O’Donnells for their birthday.” 

“Any O’Donnell in specific?” Wendy raised her eyebrows at him. 

His cheeks flushed and he itched the back of his head. “Uh… no.” 

“Really, not a certain Hufflepuff?” Betty asked, grinning as she joined in the conversation. 

Barnaby swallowed. He knew they were just pulling his leg, but his cheeks still flushed. “Well, I already got the other three something.” He scratched the back of his head, again.

“Okay, so what are you thinking about for Sara, then?” Wendy asked. 

“Maybe a necklace or something. I don’t know.” 

“How about a bracelet? There’s a small shop down the street.” 

“Okay. We could look there.” 

Once Alice had reappeared, carrying the large book in a bag in her arms, the small group made their way to the aforementioned small shop. It was a cute little, touristy type shop, but it was quite interesting as well. Barnaby had never seen a place with quite so many trinkets that had no real purpose but to look pretty. 

“Hey, what about this Barnaby?” Wendy called, pointing to a display. 

Barnaby walked over to the display case. It held braided leather bracelets like the ones that Sara and her siblings would wear. Only these ones didn’t have those little metal plates with the weird symbols that Sara and Conor said were Celtic. 

“Sure. But I also kind of want to get her one of those little creature things,” he said, picking up a bracelet that was woven light blue and green leather. It was pretty and reminded Barnaby of Sara’s eyes. 

He walked over to the small shelf of little ceramic animals. He gently picked up a small panda. It was adorable, even if Barnaby didn’t recognize what it was. 

“Uh, Penny, could you pay for these for me?” he asked, holding up the bracelet and panda.

“Sure,” Penny agreed. 

~

Penny sighed. They’d just exited a craft store where Betty had picked up an empty scrapbook. They had all almost gotten gifts for all four O’Donnells. Penny knew that she was the only one still trying to figure out what to get someone. Well, Ryan. She’d already gotten a few small things for Cara, Sara, and Conor, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what to get Ryan. 

“So, does anyone else still need to get something?” Alice asked. 

“I do. I need something for Ryan,” Penny said, raising her hand. 

“So, have you two started dating?” Betty asked with a smirk. 

“No. Ryan’s a friend.” Penny could feel heat rising in her cheeks. 

“Really?” 

“Yes. Okay, yes, he’s cute and funny and sweet, but we’re not dating!” 

“You went to the Celestial Ball together and he was your Valentine!” 

“We’re not dating, though!” 

“Do you want to?” Wendy asked. 

“I don’t know! Okay?” 

“Alright. So, Ryan likes muggle sports, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, quidditch…” 

“Wait. I remember him talking about football and rugby a few times. There’s a sports store nearby. We could look there to see if there’s a shirt or something I could get him.” 

The group of five, each member laden with at least two bags, made their way down the street, towards the sports store. The bell on the door rang as the group entered and a salesman hurried towards them. 

“What can I do for you?” he asked. 

“I’m looking for something to get a friend for his birthday,” Penny answered. 

“What does he enjoy?” 

“He likes football and rugby.” 

“We have a large collection of football jerseys. Do you know what team he supports?” 

Penny frowned and quickly turned to the others in the group. “What team does he like?” 

“I think I’ve heard Conor mention the Finn Harps or something,” Wendy offered. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. We don’t carry teams outside of the Premier League,” the man said. 

“Oh. Do you have an Ireland national team jersey?” Penny asked.

“No, I’m quite sorry. We do not. We do have rugby shirts and jerseys, if you’re interested in that.” 

“Sure. Do you have any red and yellow striped ones?” 

“Yes, we do. Right this way.” 

The man led the group to the back of the store where rugby shirts hung on the walls. Penny quickly found one she liked and held it up to her friends. 

“What do you think? Can you see Ryan in it?” she asked.

“Wait. I’ve seen Conor wearing these a lot,” Wendy said. 

“Yeah, and then Andre complains about it. Says they’re not stylish enough,” Alice agreed. 

“I could see Ryan wearing it. He and Conor dress fairly similar,” Barnaby said. 

“Yeah. Nice call on the Gryffindor colors,” Betty said smirking. 

“It’s not too expensive, either. I’ll be back in a moment. I’m going to go pay,” Penny said. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Fluff Alphabet

[I was tagged by @rosievixen @cursebreakerelmswood @samshogwarts and @cursebreakerfarrier. I’ll tag @sirfluffig @amerrymystery @drinkyoursoupbitch (know you have already been tagged but Ben and Wendy are adorable) and anyone else who’d like to do it. Did all four couples, so most of it is under the cut.]

A= Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

Ryan and Penny: Ryan finds Penny’s kindness endearing. He likes how she’s kind to everyone, even if they don’t necessarily deserve it. Penny finds Ryan’s courage attractive, most of the time. She doesn’t really care for it when it’s him not being able to turn down a dare, though.

Cara and Rowan: Personality-wise can be found here.

Sara and Barnaby: Sara loves Barnaby’s heart the most, and he loves her heart the most. They’ve both got big hearts, even though it’s expressed differently.

Conor and Ruth: Ruth finds Conor’s passion extremely attractive. She loves the way his eyes light up and that he seems to not care about his stutter. He’s also physically attractive to her, with his bright blue eyes and emerging muscles. Conor loves Ruth’s patience and kindness the most. He also really likes her eyes.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not)

Ryan and Penny: Yes, they do. Ryan adores his siblings and he knew that he did want to be a father at some point. Penny thought long and hard about whether she really wanted to be a mother and realized that she did. They have two children, Seán George and Beatrice Rosaleen.

Cara and Rowan: They do. Rowan knows a lot sooner than Cara though. It’s only after Cara’s niece, Ailis, and nephew, Seán, are born that she realizes she’d like her own child. They adopt a little girl they name Keira Willow.

Sara and Barnaby: Yes, they do. It’s something they agree on during their engagement, but they also agree to wait until after the war. They have four children, Valentine Cara, James Ryan, Ailis Rose, and Alexander Conor.

Conor and Ruth: Yes, they do. It takes Conor a long time to reconcile his fears about becoming a father. He desperately wants it but he’s just terrified about it as well. Ruth knew pretty early on that she wanted kids, and agreed to wait until Conor felt ready. Their first son is conceived during a trying-but-also-not-trying period. They have three sons, Rory Michael and the twins, Max Gabriel and Seth Oisin.

C= Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

Cuddling for all four couples can be found here!

D= Dates (What are dates with them)

Ryan and Penny: Ryan and Penny’s dates are usually pretty lowkey and normal. They’ll usually go out to eat and then find something else to do afterwards, whether it’s a muggle movie or just walking around.

Cara and Rowan: Cara and Rowan usually just have dinner together, and then watch the sunset if it happens after like 7 o’clock in the evening.

Sara and Barnaby: Sara and Barnaby’s dates are also pretty lowkey. Their dates usually depend on who plans it.

Conor and Ruth: Conor and Ruth’s dates are also pretty normal, just dinner usually or the occasional outing to somewhere they both enjoy or find interesting.

E= Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…))

Ryan and Penny: For Ryan, Penny is his light, if only because she kept his spirits up during the war and Conor’s disappearance. For Penny, Ryan is her home.

Cara and Rowan: For Cara, Rowan is her rock, especially during the war. For Rowan, Cara is her heart. Maybe not technically, but Cara reminds her not to be bogged down so much by logic and to follow her heart sometimes.

Sara and Barnaby: For Sara, Barnaby is her rock. For Barnaby, Sara is his family, especially after being disowned and having Sara and her siblings completely embrace him.

Conor and Ruth: For Conor, Ruth is his love. For Ruth, Conor is the love of her life.

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

Ryan and Penny: Penny’s realization can be found here! Ryan realized after a duel where Penny was nearly hit with the killing curse.

Cara and Rowan: Rowan’s not exactly sure when she realized that she was in love with Cara. Cara realized that she was in love with Rowan during Sara and Barnaby’s small wedding.

Sara and Barnaby: Barnaby was pretty sure he felt that way by the end of sixth year, but he wasn’t able to say it until a few months after they graduated from Hogwarts. Sara truly realized it right around graduation, but also decided to wait.

Conor and Ruth: Ruth realized she loved him when he told her the story behind one of his scars. She was in awe of how strong he was. Conor realized he loved her when she stayed late with him one night at his firm and didn’t seem to care that he had a million different things he needed to finish before they could go on a date. They ended up missing their reservation but it just solidified to him that she was the one.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

Ryan and Penny: Yes. Penny is very gentle with him because he’s not exactly the most gentle with his own body (his inability to turn down a dare well into his twenties). Ryan is also pretty gentle with Penny because of his experience with his uncle.

Cara and Rowan: Yeah. Rowan isn’t a rough person no matter what, but she finds herself being a little more gentle with Cara because she loves her so much. Cara is pretty gentle because Rowan has never struck her as someone that would enjoy roughness.

Sara and Barnaby: Yes. Barnaby especially is extremely gentle, as he’s terrified of turning into his parents. That fear definitely lessens over the years, but at the beginning he kind of acted like Sara was made of glass (and it was the same thing when Val was born). Sara is pretty gentle as well.

Conor and Ruth: Yeah. Ruth will walk on eggshells during his nightmares and at the very beginning of their relationship. Conor is gentle because he’s scared of hurting her. They are still fairly gentle years into their marriage, but have become a less cautious.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

Holding hands is here as well!!

I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

Ryan and Penny: Ryan thought she was pretty but knew too much about people. Penny was confused as to how he was related to the outcast Cian O’Donnell.

Cara and Rowan: The first time they met, Cara thought Rowan was a little odd and very book smart. Rowan thought that Cara was rather aloof and was kind of star struck to be meeting Cian O’Donnell’s siblings and a set of quadruplets.

Sara and Barnaby: The first time Sara saw him, she thought he was cute and that she wanted to get to know him better. The first time Barnaby saw her, he thought that she really fit with Hufflepuff.

Conor and Ruth: The first time Conor met Ruth, he thought she was pretty and intelligent (and out of his league). The first time she met Conor, Ruth thought that he was way more amazing and intelligent than people give him credit for.

J= Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

Ryan and Penny: A little, mainly during their school years when they have a weird on-again-off-again thing.

Cara and Rowan: Not really. Cara has a few moments but for the most part, they’re very content and comfortable with their relationship.

Sara and Barnaby: Sometimes. Especially Barnaby at the beginning because he wants this terribly but is very confused about if she actually feels what she’s saying.

Conor and Ruth: Not really. There are a few moments, mainly during seventh year, but other than that not really. Catcalls will annoy Conor though, but he’s annoyed by those no matter who the woman is.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

Ryan and Penny: They can be fairly affectionate in public. It was a little more heated during their early years, but have become very subdued with mainly innocuous kisses in public. Ryan initiated their first kiss in the very beginning of sixth year.

Cara and Rowan: Their first can be found here!! They’re affectionate in private, and usually kiss one another before work and before bed.

Sara and Barnaby: They can be fairly affectionate, so they definitely kiss a fair amount, usually in fairly innocuous places like the cheek or forehead. Sara definitely initiated the first kiss. She pulled him down by his tie and just kissed him. She does that a lot during their Hogwarts years.

Conor and Ruth: Their first kiss is a bit of an accident. Neither is quite sure who imitated it and they both overthought it to the max. You can find their first kiss here! They usually kiss in private and it can get fairly heated fairly quickly.

L= Love (Who says ‘I love you first?)

Ryan and Penny: Penny did. She decided that once she was sure that Ryan deserved to know how she felt. She didn’t expect him to say anything back.

Cara and Rowan: Rowan did. She blurted it out by accident. It can be found here!

Sara and Barnaby: They said it at the same time. It took Barnaby a lot longer to accept that Sara really loved him for him, though.

Conor and Ruth: Conor, but completely by accident, and he was thoroughly embarrassed by it.

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

Ryan and Penny: A tie between Ryan’s proposal and the two days that their children were born.

Cara and Rowan: A tie between their vows and the first time they saw their daughter in that orphanage (that’s not really an orphanage).

Sara and Barnaby: A tie between their first dance as a married couple and the days that their four children were born.

Conor and Ruth: A tie between their wedding and the births of their sons (while really it’s holding each son for the first time).

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Ryan and Penny: Kind of. They usually go all out for Christmas, but are subdued the rest of the year. They have a competition one year about who can get the other the more outrageous, expensive gift.

Cara and Rowan: Not really. For certain special occasions, they’ll go all out. But Cara usually paints something for her and even tried making her pottery at one point. Rowan usually tries to make Cara’s favorite foods, as she’s the better cook.

Sara and Barnaby: Kind of. For birthdays or anniversaries or Christmas, Barnaby tries to find the perfect gift to give Sara to show how much he cares about her. Sara tries to do the same thing. The biggest way Sara spoils Barnaby is by letting him bring creatures home. Of course, limitations are imposed once their children are born.

Conor and Ruth: Not really. It’s mainly with physical affection and compliments. Although, Conor tries to find something special to give Ruth every year for Hanukkah.

O=  Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

Ryan and Penny: Yellow and a hazy gray remind Ryan of Penny, mainly because of her kindness, Hufflepuff, and the fact that Penny adores potions. Red is the color that reminds Penny of Ryan. Although, green also reminds her of his eyes.

Cara and Rowan: Yellow and brown remind Cara of Rowan. Yellow because of how kind Rowan is and Hufflepuff. Brown because of Rowan’s eye color. Pretty much all colors remind Rowan of Cara. Especially the odd colors that the sky can be because it reminds Rowan of Cara’s artistic abilities.

Sara and Barnaby: Green is definitely the color that reminds Sara of Barnaby, not just because he’s a Slytherin. She associates the color with nature. Green, yellow, and orange remind Barnaby of Sara. The yellow is because of Hufflepuff and how warm she can be. The green and orange because of her Irish heritage and how proud she is of it.

Conor and Ruth: Gold, silver and blue remind Conor of Ruth. She’s usually wearing her gold Star of David necklace and silver earrings and her eyes are blue. Blue and green remind Ruth of Conor. Blue because of his eyes and he’s usually wearing blue at somewhere and green because it’s his favorite color.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Ryan and Penny: Penny will call him “Ry” but a lot of people occasionally call Ryan “Ry.” She’ll also call him “honey” and “hun.” Ryan will call Penny “babe,” “sweetheart” and occasionally “Pen.”

Cara and Rowan: Cara consistently calls Rowan “Ro.” Rowan will call Cara love.

Sara and Barnaby: They use love and babe most often, but Sara will often call Barnaby “Barn.”

Conor and Ruth: Conor’s go to is mo grá, which is Irish Gaelic for my love. Ruth usually just uses love.

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

Ryan and Penny: They have a VCR and a bunch of video tapes.

Cara and Rowan: Old stories. They both really enjoy sharing different stories.

Sara and Barnaby: Elvis Presley. It starts during the war after their first dance as a married couple.

Conor and Ruth: Records with everything from The Who to R.E.M. to Irish folk music.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Ryan and Penny: They like to spend the day inside, curled up on the couch with a blanket and a good movie.

Cara and Rowan: They like to sit on the porch and watch the rain fall. Cara’s always enjoyed watching the rain and being wrapped up together while watching the rain is very comfortable.

Sara and Barnaby: Sara and Barnaby enjoy spending time curled up by a fire. They also will play board games with their kids.

Conor and Ruth: Listening to music, curled up on the couch with a book or journal or sketchbook with a mug of hot chocolate/tea/coffee/hot drink.

S = Sad (How do they cheer each other up?)

Ryan and Penny: Ryan will try and make her laugh or smile. But he’ll also take over some of the everyday chores so Penny can just relax. Penny will try and make him smile or will just hug him for a long time.

Cara and Rowan: Rowan usually makes Cara’s favorite foods and will find a book to read passages out loud. Cara will read passages out loud and wrap Rowan in her favorite blanket.

Sara and Barnaby: Barnaby will bring Sara a blanket and ice cream and just cuddle with her. He knows she’ll talk if she wants to. Sara will either give him some space and let him interact with the animals/creatures or will cuddle with him.

Conor and Ruth: Conor will make Ruth’s comfort foods, or just offer a listening ear. Ruth will run her fingers through Conor’s hair and let him talk if he wants to. She may also put a record on, usually by asking him which band he’d like.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Ryan and Penny: They can listen to each other talk about almost anything. They’ll talk quidditch occasionally or some of their muggle interests.

Cara and Rowan: Anything that they’re passionate about. Cara likes hearing Rowan talk about what she’s reading and Rowan will listen to Cara talk about art things. Rowan even reads a few books about art to talk with Cara about.

Sara and Barnaby: Anything from Barnaby’s creatures to music to their kids.

Conor and Ruth: Anything that fits. Ruth loves hearing Conor talk about architecture. His eyes light up and he seems less self-conscious about his stutter. Conor likes hearing about Ruth’s ideas for her children’s books.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Ryan and Penny: Watching movies will help them relax sometimes. They also like to just cuddle and be with one another. Sometimes they’re quiet, but other times they’ll talk about their days.

Cara and Rowan: Art really helps Cara relax, while reading helps Rowan relax. They usually talk together while doing this, but also will play music some days.

Sara and Barnaby: Cuddling really helps, but so does just talking about their day. Usually they do that either during dinner or right before bed. They’ll also watch the sunset or listen to music.

Conor and Ruth: Listening to music, reading, and just being with one another help them relax. They’ll ask about one another’s days sometimes, but Ruth knows when Conor just doesn’t want to talk.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

Ryan and Penny: Ryan and Penny are very proud of one another and their achievements. Penny sometimes brags about Ryan’s curse-breaking skills. They are also both quite proud of their two children.

Cara and Rowan: Rowan adores showing off Cara’s artwork. Cara is very proud of Rowan’s mind and her intelligence and determination. They also both are very proud of their daughter.

Sara and Barnaby: Sara is very proud of Barnaby and will talk about how sweet and amazing and smart he is. Barnaby is very proud of Sara and will talk about how kind and sweet and accepting she is. They both will brag about their kids in that way that says “I love them so damn much.”

Conor and Ruth: Ruth is exceptionally proud of Conor’s architecture firm. Conor is quite proud of Ruth’s career as an author. They’re both extremely proud of their boys.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

Ryan and Penny: Ryan proposes in a safe house in the middle of the war. They had a larger wedding in 2000.

Cara and Rowan: Rowan also proposes in a safe house in the middle of the war. They have a large wedding in 2000.

Sara and Barnaby: Barnaby proposed at a muggle restaurant in Dublin on the anniversary of their first official date (6th year). They have a tiny wedding right before the ramps up on June 30, 1997.

Conor and Ruth: Conor proposes in November 2001. Their wedding is late January 2002.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)

Ryan and Penny: In My Life by the Beatles. Both of them are massive Beatles fans, and they’re one of the few groups that they both like.

Cara and Rowan: At Last by Etta James is their wedding song.

Sara and Barnaby: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. It was the first song on the radio after they were married. It was their first dance song.

Conor and Ruth: Both I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash and Just Like Heaven by The Cure. Cash’s song was their wedding song, while The Cure’s song was the song playing when they kiss for the first time when they officially started dating.

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Ryan and Penny: Yes. They got engaged during the war in mid-1998. You can find the proposal here!

Cara and Rowan: Yes. They also got engaged during the war in mid-1998.

Sara and Barnaby: After graduating, they make an agreement to wait to get engaged until they’re at least twenty.

Conor and Ruth: Yes. Conor proposed in late 2001 and they married in January 2002.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

Ryan and Penny: They end up adopting a cat for their daughter, Bea, and an owl for their son, Seán.

Cara and Rowan: They have three cats (Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse) and an owl (Athena).

Sara and Barnaby: Sara and Barnaby have a revolving door of pets, from injured baby creatures/small creatures to cats, owls, and toads.

Conor and Ruth: They end up adopting a yellow Labrador retriever and an owl when their oldest son, Rory, starts Hogwarts.

[unfortunate-arrow]

Birthday, part 4: Sara & Conor

[Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3]

[Malcolm @cursebreakerelmswood , Paisley @paisleymills , Clara @lins-hogwarts-mystery , Arjun @hogwarts9 , Selene @no-moon-nor-stars , and Samantha @samshogwarts ]

SARA

Someone tapped her shoulder and Sara spun around to see Malcolm Elmswood. She smiled. 

“Hey, Mal,” she said.

“Happy birthday, Sara!” Malcolm said.

“Oh thank you. Thanks for the party as well.” 

“It was no problem. Anyways, I wanted to give you this.” 

He handed her a small package. Sara took it gently from him, and unwrapped it. It was a small stained glass trinity knot. 

“Oh, wow. Malcolm, you didn’t have to get me anything!” Sara exclaimed, before hugging the boy tightly. 

“I wanted to. You don’t care for quidditch all that much so I saw that and thought of you. You have the trinity knot on a lot of your jewelry,” he explained.

“Well, thank you very much Malcolm.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

“Uh, Malcolm, could I borrow Sara for a few minutes?” Barnaby asked, tapping Malcolm softly on the shoulder. 

“Sure.” 

Barnaby smiled softly at her and Sara felt her stomach flip. He looked good in that green plaid shirt. He held a small package and it wasn’t until they were on the other side of the Burrow, away from all the people that he took her. 

“Happy birthday, Sara,” Barnaby said. 

“Thank you,” Sara said. 

“I wanted to give you this.” He handed her a small neatly wrapped package. 

“Barnaby, you didn’t have to.” Sara gently took the package from him. 

“I wanted to.” 

“You already gave me your sweater.” 

“I wanted to get you something else as well.” 

“Oh, Barn.” Sara glanced around, and after making sure that no one else was around or watching, grabbed the lapels of his shirt. Standing on her tiptoes, she gently pressed her lips to his. 

They broke apart quickly, and Sara gently unwrapped the small package. Inside it was a blue and green braided leather bracelet and a small ceramic panda. Sara smiled widely at him. 

“I love it. Thank you so much. You still shouldn’t have, though,” Sara whispered. 

“You’re welcome and I wanted to. You deserve it,” Barnaby whispered back. 

The two smiled at one another and then walked back to the party. They split a few moments later, with Barnaby going to talk to Conor, and Sara standing by the food table for a few moments. 

“Happy birthday, Sara.” Sara turned to see Paisley Mills standing next to her. 

“Thank you, Paisley,” she said. 

“I’m sorry if this sounds a little odd and out of place, but did you know that Barnaby Lee and I are engaged? I’m only mentioning it because I saw you two walk off together.” 

Sara froze. Her eyes darted back to Barnaby, who was talking animatedly with her brother (who just looked overwhelmed), and then to Paisley again. 

“Really?” she whispered. 

“Yeah. It’s no big deal, though. Because I’m not interested in him,” Paisley said. 

“How long?” 

“Since as long as I can remember. It’s null, though. I’m not marrying him and he’s not marrying me.” 

“I just thought that arranged marriages were a thing of the past. Well, at least here.” 

“They’re not when it’s you’ve got a horrible pure blood family whose only goal is to extend their power and status.” 

Sara sighed. Life wasn’t fair. If it was fair, then Mum and Dad would be standing here with us and Cian wouldn’t have been such a jackass and Uncle Doyle wouldn’t be around, Sara thought. Paisley smiled sympathetically at her. The two fell into an amicable silence for a long period of time. 

“Happy birthday!” Clara Lin exclaimed. 

“Thanks, Clara,” Sara said smiling at her. 

“Are you excited for frog choir this year?” 

“Yeah. I hope we do a lot more at Christmas. I still think we should add muggle Christmas carols to our list.” 

“That would be so cool.” 

The two girls continued to discuss music for a long time after that. They touched on the music playing from the speakers, with Sara pointing out which tracks were her siblings’ choices. They exchanged which songs they hoped to sing in frog choir in the coming school year. 

CONOR

Conor pushed his glasses back up his nose. The heat in his cheeks was still there. He ran a hand through his hair. Jeez, he felt awkward. After all, Conor hated being the center of attention. Okay, it was fine on the quidditch field or with a small group of people (ten or less), but this was a little much for the reserved Ravenclaw. His mind was whirling a mile a minute, thinking of every possible conversation he could have, and okay, this was normal. He always played possible conversations in his head, mainly to figure out what possible sounds he would need. 

“Happy birthday!” Conor turned around to see Selene Clair de Lune. 

“Th-th-thank you,” he said, his cheeks darkening again as they heated. 

“No problem. Hey, do you know who sings this?” 

“This is ‘L-love Ain’t for Keeping’ by The Who.” 

“Really? Are they a muggle band?” 

Conor nodded. “Album’s f-f-from 1971.” 

“Wow. That’s rather old.” 

“Y-yeah. It’s my… preferred one.” 

“Ah. Have you seen Artemis, by the way?” 

“Uh. I th-think he’s over th-there.” Conor pointed to a white haired teen with long hair. 

“Thanks. Happy birthday again.”

Conor’s cheeks heated and he sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. 

“Hey, happy birthday!” a voice said, making Conor spin around, and pull his hands out of his pocket. 

He inhaled sharply, and counted backwards from five. “Thanks, … Arjun,” he said, offering the Indian prince a small smile. 

“You’re welcome. What is the purpose of that t-shirt you are wearing?” 

“Oh. It’s the F-F-F-Finn Harps. A f-football team.” 

“Ah. That’s a muggle sport, correct?” 

Conor nodded. “I don’t know how big it is in muggle India, but here it’s p-pretty big.” 

“Okay. Do you care much for muggle sports? I could show you some sword tricks.” 

“I like… r-r-r-rugby as well. But some ssssword tricks some time might be cool.” 

The two boys established a small timeline for when Arjun Singh could show Conor some of his sword tricks. The Irish boy swallowed as he listened to the other boy excitedly explain a few different tricks that he knew. 

“Happy birthday, Conor!” an Irish voice exclaimed and Conor turned to see Samantha O’Connell. 

“Thanks,” he said, silently cheering himself as he didn’t stutter on the word ‘thanks’ again. 

“Did I hear that you’re taking a bunch of muggle courses at a muggle school?” 

“Yeah. Th-th-that’s r-r-r… correct.” 

“Are you taking any physics courses?” 

“One. It’s needed f-for architecture.” 

“Cool. I really like physics. Do you like it?” 

“So far.” 

The two continued to discuss Conor’s muggle classes for a while. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Pool Party

[For @chrisception13‘s HPHM pool party.]

“Ah, suck it!” Conor yelled, glaring at Ryan. 

The two brothers were waist deep in a pool, both dressed in swim trunks. Although Ryan's were a bright red, while Conor’s were a forest green. They’d been invited to a pool party by a Hufflepuff that they’d seen around. Apparently, all of their year had been invited. The quads had never really gone swimming. They’d barely even waded in the ocean by their house as it was in Donegal, and it rarely went above 70. 

“You suck it!” Ryan yelled back, sending a large wave towards Conor with his arms. 

“Hey, dumbasses! Try not to soak everyone!” Cara shouted, glaring at her brothers. 

“You’re as much of a dumbass as we are!”

Cara offered her brother the middle finger. Then, in a flash, Ryan and Conor were by the ledge where Cara was sitting. She wore a dark blue swimsuit. Two sets of hands grabbed her ankles and pulled her into the pool with a loud splash. She resurfaced and glared at the two boys. 

“That’s what you get for calling us dumbasses,” Ryan said, smirking. 

“Oh yeah?” Cara asked. She leaned over and pushed her brother’s head under water. “That’s what you get for calling me a dumbass. Don’t you dare think about getting away, Conor Lorcan. You’re next.” 

Conor froze, his blue eyes going slightly wide. “Why I didn’t call y-y-you a dumbasssss?” 

“You helped him pull me in.” 

Cara jumped and pushed her other brother’s head under the water. Conor sputtered as he resurfaced. It didn’t take long before the three siblings had entered a water war. It escalated quickly with more and more people joining in. 

Sara shook her head, laughing. She knew it was only a matter of time before Ryan, Cara, and Conor drew her into the war, especially as it looked like teams had begun forming. She wore a light purple swimsuit and her glasses. She was leaning against Barnaby, who had one arm slung around her shoulders. 

“Do you want to go join Ryan, Cara, and Conor?” he asked. 

“Nah. They’ll pull me eventually. Actually, I should just put my glasses with our bags. I mean Conor’s not wearing his and it’s not like it was at the beginning of last year, where he just hated them,” Sara said. 

“You’re rambling a little, Sara.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

A loud yell of “suck it” reverberated through the air and Sara groaned. It didn’t long for the other brother to snap back with “no way, you suck it!” 

“Are those your siblings?” a boy asked her. 

“Yeah,” Sara answered. 

“Are they always like this?” 

“Yep.” 

Ryan was half out of the pool when he called her, “Hey, Sara! Come join us! It’s us, Malcolm and Wendy on a team!” 

Sara sighed and pushed off Barnaby. “I’ve got to go help them. They’ll come pull me in if I don’t,” she said. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Day 16: P - Past.- Sara and Barnaby

[Link to the challenge is here.]

[The otp+ find something that reminds one or both/all of them of the past.]

2002

“Mummy? Daddy?” Sara looks up from her book to see her daughter looking up at her with wide eyes. 

“What’s wrong, Dora, honey?” Sara asks, as Barnaby bends down and scopes their daughter up into his lap. She pauses for a minute and listens. Thankfully, there’s no sound from the nursery where little Declan is sleeping. 

“Who are the people?” Dora asks, dropping a rather crumpled photograph into Sara’s lap. Sara smooths it out and gasps, her eyes meeting Barnaby’s green ones. 

“Okay, who do you know in the picture, sweetheart?” Barnaby asks. 

“Uncle Ryan!” Dora exclaims, pointing to the fifteen-year-old version of Sara’s brother. 

“Yeah, can you find Uncle Conor or Aunt Cara?” Sara asks, spreading the photo across her closed book. 

Dora nods and points to two different figures. Barnaby grins and kisses the top of the three-year-old’s head. 

“Who’s that?” Dora asks, pointing to a figure with bright bubblegum pink hair. Sara’s eyes slide shut. Tonks. It’s been nearly two years since the war ended, but it’s these little things that bring back the memories. 

“That’s one of our old friends. Her name was Tonks. She was in Hufflepuff with Mummy,” Barnaby says, one of his free hands coming up to draw circles on Sara’s back. 

“Okay, Theodora, it’s time to go back to bed. We can talk about this tomorrow, sweetheart,” Sara says. 

“But Mummy!” Dora whines. 

“Nope, kiddo, mummy’s right. Time for bed. I’ll lay her down, love,” Barnaby says, standing up and shifting their daughter onto his hip. 

“Thank you, babe,” Sara says. 

Sara sighs and stares at the picture again. They all look so young. Ryan’s grinning widely, his arms draped around both Ash and Rowan Khanna. Ben’s grinning as well and Penny’s there too, looking fairly subdued, as it was fifth year and Beatrice was trapped in the portrait. Conor’s between Ben and Charlie, with his glasses tucked into his pocket because it was early fifth year. She’s standing next to Barnaby, and Tonks is sandwiched between Cara and Tulip. Bill had taken the photo and his hand is the only thing featured in the photo. God, we were so young, so innocent, Sara thinks. They had had no clue of the war that was coming. They had had no idea that their numbers would be thinned. 

“Hey, love. Are you alright?” Barnaby asks when he reappears. 

“Yeah. How’d Dora go down?” Sara asks.

“She went down easily. Declan hasn’t stirred, either.” 

“Oh good.” 

“You know, I miss the ones we’ve lost, too.” 

“We were so young, Barnaby. We were so innocent.” 

“Yeah, but no one knows how life is going to turn out. I certainly didn’t know that I’d meet such an amazing, kind, loving woman or that I’d get to have two amazing kids, and maybe more.” 

“Oh, Barn. I love you so much.” 

“I love you, too. We can’t change the past, love. And even if we could, how would we know that things would stay the same.”

“When did you get so wise?” 

“When I met you.” 

“That was cheesy.” 

“I know, but it feels true. You let me know that I’m smart.” 

Sara smiles and leans over to kiss Barnaby, the photo forgotten as it drifts to the ground. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Double Date: Sara & Barnaby and Ben & Wendy

Requested by @drinkyoursoupbitch:  can I out in a request for a double date with Ben and Wendy for Sara and Barnaby? I imagine the world's best work partners would do double dates every now and then

Sara tucked her hands into her jacket as the winter wind whipped around her. She hadn’t done anything special with her hair, as a dark blue hat was tucked over her head. Barnaby’s old school scarf was the only thing keeping her neck and the bottom of her face warm, but it was also causing her glasses to fog. 

She was running a few minutes late. She was supposed to meet Barnaby, Wendy, and Ben at a local muggle restaurant for a double date. And if Barnaby hadn’t told Wendy (which he probably had told her), the extra ring on her finger would make this a very interesting dinner. The ring, appearance-wise, wasn’t anything special. It was just a simple silver circle. There were no diamonds or emeralds or any other type of jewels on it. It didn’t matter, though. She’d seen the ring on another, bigger finger for years before. It was touching as hell that he had decided to propose with one of his rings. It sat right below her claddagh ring. 

She easily caught her group standing inside the restaurant. Ben and Barnaby, both standing at roughly the same height, were both laughing. And, well, Wendy’s blue hair had never been easy to miss. Sara’s eyes were mainly for her fiancée, though. He wore an emerald cable knit sweater that beautifully brought out his eyes. 

“Hi. Sorry I’m late,” Sara said, walking up to them. 

“No problem, love,” Barnaby said, wrapping one arm around her and rubbing her arm. 

“Yeah, Sara, it’s no problem. You’re nowhere near as tardy as Ryan can be,” Wendy said smirking slightly. 

Sara laughed. “And no one can be as contradictory as either let’s-be-there-fifteen-minutes-beforehand or twenty-minutes-late Conor,” she said, causing Wendy to laugh as well. 

“Okay, well, let me see it,” Wendy said. 

“What?” Sara asked, blinking as she unwrapped the scarf from around her neck. 

“The ring.” 

“Oh.” 

Sara gently removed her hand from her coat and held it out to Wendy and Ben. 

“Your claddagh ring is beautiful,” Wendy murmured. 

Sara felt her cheeks heat a little. “Thank you,” she whispered. 

“The other ring looks familiar, though,” Ben commented.

“It’s one of mine,” Barnaby said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

“That’s very sweet of you, Barnaby,” Wendy said.

“Copper, party of four!” a woman’s voice called out and the small group was led to their table. Ben and Wendy sat on one side while Sara and Barnaby sat on the other side, and Barnaby pulled Sara’s chair out for her, and then kissed the side of her head. 

“So, have you guys thought of a date yet?” Wendy asked, after they had placed their drink orders. 

“Not yet. Look we’re kind of a disaster at the moment. Fudge is being a giant stick in the mud and well, things are only going to get worse,” Sara said.

“Yeah, I suppose that makes a lot of sense.” 

“Sara wanted to wait until we were at least twenty before we got engaged,” Barnaby said, as one of his hands covered one of hers. 

“That makes sense as well,” Ben said. “But you two have been together since forever.” 

“We’re still young, all of us. And we know the war is coming,” Sara said. 

The group fell into a bit of an awkward silence. A war was looming over them and they all knew it. It was only a matter of time before Voldemort resurfaced and the majority of the population would be forced to accept that. Barnaby gently squeezed her hand. 

“Well, this got depressing fast,” Wendy commented. 

“Yeah. How’s Matilda?” Sara asked, referencing Ben and Wendy’s baby daughter. 

“She’s great. Amazing. I love her so much,” Ben said, before launching into a story about something Matilda had done earlier that week. 

“Are you two planning on having kids?” Wendy asked, before adding, “No pressure.” 

“Yeah, we are. We don’t have a timeline or anything, but we’ve discussed it a few times before,” Sara answered. 

“We’d like to plan for after the war,” Barnaby added. 

They stopped to order dinner and changed the topic to lighter things like work or what Sara’s siblings were up to. It was hard not to touch on the deeper topics but they managed. 

“This was nice. We should do it again,” Sara said, as they stood outside in the cold. 

“Yes, we should. It was nice checking up with you guys. I think we should try and get Conor to come,” Wendy said. 

“Yeah. He really could use some unwinding.” 

They exchanged hugs and Barnaby wrapped one of her hands in his as they made their way back to their London apartment, and Ben and Wendy went their own way to their home and baby girl.

[unfortunate-arrow]

Day 20: T - Token.- Sara and Barnaby

[Link to the challenge here.]

[Person A gives person B and/or C+ something of theirs. Or arcade tokens. Or both??]

The wind blows gently, making the water of the Black Lake ripple. OWL exams had finished earlier that day, and the fifth year students were all breathing a deep sigh of relief. Sara lay on the grass, her head in Barnaby’s lap. They haven’t officially started dating, which just means that none of their friends and Sara’s siblings know that they’ve kissed a few times and spent some alone time together. 

He’s playing with her hair and her glasses are tucked into a shirt pocket. Sara sighs softly. She’s not exactly looking forward to another summer with Uncle Doyle. At least it won’t be nearly as bad as the previous summer, as she and her siblings don’t have a giant year long detention hanging over them. She knows that Barnaby has similar feelings about going home, and his parents almost certainly must be worse than her uncle. And to top it off, he doesn’t have three awesome siblings to lean on. 

“You alright?” Barnaby asks, gently. 

“Yeah. Just thinking about the summer holidays. I’m not thrilled to be going back to Uncle Doyle,” she says. 

“Yeah. I understand that. Isn’t Conor doing something with muggle things?” 

“Yeah. He’s doing a crash course or something in math and physics at the closest muggle secondary school.” 

“Ah. Why does he want to learn over the summer?” 

“He wants to be an architect.” 

“What’s an architect?” 

“They design buildings and stuff.” 

“Why does he want to do that?” 

“I don’t know. He’s always been interested in it.” 

“I guess he’s in Ravenclaw for a reason.” 

They fall silent again. Barnaby’s fingers still run through her hair. The wind blows through again and Sara shivers. She’d ditched the robes and a sweater because of how warm it had been earlier, but as the wind blows across the water, she shivers again. Barnaby moves slightly, and the sweater he’s wearing suddenly appears in her view. 

“Here,” he says, offering her the sweater. 

“Barnaby, I can’t take your sweater,” Sara says. 

“Please. You’re cold. I don’t need it. I want you to have it.” 

“Barn, I don’t want you to get in trouble for losing a sweater.” 

“I don’t care, Sara. It doesn’t matter. I’d like you to have it.” 

Sara sighs. “Okay. I’ll give it back to you at some point.” 

“Keep it.” 

Sara sighs and ignores him. She takes the sweater though, and pulls it over her head. It smells like him, like soil, and something that’s distinctly masculine, rather similar to the way her brothers’ shirts smell, but a lot different and a lot more pleasant. It’s also a little big, given that Barnaby is nearly a head taller than her. It’s a lot less annoying having him be taller than her than it is having Ryan and Conor be taller than her, though. 

“Wow.” Sara blinks up at Barnaby. 

“What?” she asks, feeling suddenly self-conscious in a sweater that dwarfs her. 

“Sorry. It looks really nice on you,” he answers and Sara swears he mutters “a lot nicer than I expected.” 

Sara feels the heat rise into her cheeks. “Thank you.” 

“Keep it, please. Think of it as an early birthday gift.” 

“Barnaby, my birthday is towards the end of August. It’s barely June.” 

“So? I said early.” 

Sara sighs, and pushes herself up to kiss him. It’s soft and sweet and short. I’m going to lose this argument. Maybe it shouldn’t matter, Sara thinks. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

OTP Cuddling

[Original is here. Inspired by @drinkyoursoupbitch. Cara and Rowan, Sara and Barnaby, and Conor and Ruth are under the cut.]

Ryan and Penny

What position do they like to cuddle in? They usually like the big spoon-little spoon position with Ryan usually being the big spoon. (Purely because he’s six feet exactly). 

Where do they cuddle the most? Usually it’s the bed, but the couch or a loveseat is also fair game. 

Who snuggles up to who? It’s generally a toss-up between the two of them. It usually depends on who had a bad day or who just wants to touch. 

Who likes to give butterfly kisses to their partner when they are cuddling? Ryan. He likes watching the goosebumps form. 

Who nudges their nose against the other’s neck? Penny, if only because Ryan’s a little squeamish about people touching his neck. 

How do they hold hands? Palm-to-palm with their fingers entwined. 

Who likes to run their fingers through the other person’s hair? Ryan. He really enjoys taking Penny’s braids out and her hair is always silky. 

Do they cuddle with others around or are they too shy? They do cuddle around others, but it’s generally pretty subdued. For example it’s holding hands or wrapping an arm around one another. 

Who traces hearts onto the other’s skin? Penny. She’s definitely that type of sap.

Who rests their head against their partner’s chest? It depends. Penny’s more likely to rest her head against Ryan’s chest. However, when he’s had a bad day or is sick or overwhelmed, Ryan will rest his head against Penny’s chest. 

Who gets as close as possible to their partner? Penny. She’s definitely the more touchy of the two. 

Do they cuddle when watching a movie? Usually. It’s mainly just an arm around one another, unless they’re watching it alone and then it’s a little less PG. 

Who sits in who’s lap? Penny sits in Ryan’s lap as again he’s six feet tall as an adult. 

Do they cuddle before they fall asleep together? Most nights they do. 

Who likes to cup their partner’s face in their hands? Ryan. He usually does it right before he kisses her. 

Cara and Rowan

What position do they like to cuddle in? Cara and Rowan also like the big spoon-little spoon, but also the rest-your-head-in-my-lap. 

Where do they cuddle the most? On the couch, and then the bed.

Who snuggles up to who? Cara usually snuggles up to Rowan more often. 

Who likes to give butterfly kisses to their partner when they are cuddling? Both. It just depends on which position it is. 

Who nudges their nose against the other’s neck? Both again. 

How do they hold hands? Palm-to-palm, but without their fingers entwined. 

Who likes to run their fingers through the other person’s hair? Both, but Rowan’s more likely to play with Cara’s hair. 

Do they cuddle with others around or are they too shy? It depends on who they’re with. 

Who traces hearts onto the other’s skin? Cara. She’s a sap, who has made Rowan promise not to tell her siblings. 

Who rests their head against their partner’s chest? Both as it depends on which position they’re in. 

Who gets as close as possible to their partner? Rowan.

Do they cuddle when watching a movie? Yes, but it usually depends on who’s watching the movie with them. 

Who sits in who’s lap? Both. They both sit in one another's lap. It usually depends on who they’re with though.

Do they cuddle before they fall asleep together? Yes, especially if one of them has a nightmare. 

Who likes to cup their partner’s face in their hands? Rowan likes to do this to Cara. 

Sara and Barnaby 

What position do they like to cuddle in? They do pretty much any comfortable position for them: whether it’s face-to-face or big spoon-little spoon 

Where do they cuddle the most? In bed, in an oversized armchair, on the couch. 

Who snuggles up to who? Barnaby snuggles up to Sara, as his love language is definitely physical touch. 

Who likes to give butterfly kisses to their partner when they are cuddling? Barnaby.

Who nudges their nose against the other’s neck? Both. 

How do they hold hands? Palm-to-palm with entwined fingers. 

Who likes to run their fingers through the other person’s hair? Barnaby really likes running his fingers through Sara’s hair. 

Do they cuddle with others around or are they too shy? Sara and Barnaby are very affectionate to one another. 

Who traces hearts onto the other’s skin? Sara. 

Who rests their head against their partner’s chest? Both, it just depends on which position their in. 

Who gets as close as possible to their partner? Barnaby. His love language is physical touch and he really likes touch that isn’t malicious. 

Do they cuddle when watching a movie? Yes. 

Who sits in who’s lap? Sara sits in Barnaby’s lap. 

Do they cuddle before they fall asleep together? Yes. 

Who likes to cup their partner’s face in their hands? Sara. 

Conor and Ruth

What position do they like to cuddle in? They like big spoon-little spoon or head-in-lap the most. 

Where do they cuddle the most? Either in bed or on the couch. 

Who snuggles up to who? Ruth is much more likely to snuggle up to Conor. 

Who likes to give butterfly kisses to their partner when they are cuddling? Both, but Ruth does it more. 

Who nudges their nose against the other’s neck? Both, but again usually Ruth does.

How do they hold hands? Entwined fingers and palm-to-palm. 

Who likes to run their fingers through the other person’s hair? Ruth likes to run her fingers through Conor’s hair. It’s something they’ve discovered helps when he has nightmares. 

Do they cuddle with others around or are they too shy? They don’t really cuddle when others are around. They hold hands and will touch one another, but they won’t usually cuddle. 

Who traces hearts onto the other’s skin? Ruth. It’s another thing that helps calm Conor down. 

Who rests their head against their partner’s chest? Both, but Conor secretly likes it a lot. 

Who gets as close as possible to their partner? It depends on what their day has been like. 

Do they cuddle when watching a movie? Only if they’re alone or with people they care about it. 

Who sits in who’s lap? Ruth sits in Conor’s lap, but not very often. (He’s 6’3” as an adult). 

Do they cuddle before they fall asleep together? They try to, but sometimes Conor works late. 

Who likes to cup their partner’s face in their hands? Conor, as it’s usually followed by him kissing her. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

Day 26: Z - Zoo.- Sara and Barnaby

[Link to the challenge is here.]

[The otp+ spend some time observing and/or interacting with animals.]

~August 3, 2013~ 

“Wow,” Barnaby whispers, observing the large exhibit. 

It’s supposed to represent the plains of Africa, with giraffes and zebras and ostriches and many others. It’s fascinating. Barnaby had never really realized how interesting non-magical creatures were. Barnaby, Sara, and their four children are currently visiting the Dublin zoo. Declan is sitting on Barnaby’s shoulders and he’s got a tight grip on his five-year-old son’s legs and ankles. 

“Cool, right?” Sara asks, smiling widely at him. 

“Yeah.” 

“What do you think guys?” Sara’s question is directed to their children. 

“Why couldn’t we have gone to a football game?” Jem whines. 

“You do that with Uncle Ryan and Uncle Conor, kiddo.”

“Still, this is kinda boring! There’s no fire or anything.”

Barnaby smiles and reaches one hand out to ruffle Jem’s dark hair. The twelve-year-old gives him an annoyed look that makes Barnaby grin. Jem is currently in the everything-that-I-don’t-want-to-do-is-boring stage. He hadn’t exactly wanted to come to the zoo, but sports games were done with his uncles and some of his cousins. Jem knew that very well.

“What do you think, Val, Ailis?” Barnaby asks, directing the question to his 14-year-old and 10-year-old daughters. 

“It’s alright. I think it’d be more exciting if I was Declan’s age,” Val says, and Barnaby smiles 

“That’s okay. It’s awesome, right, Declan?”

“YEAH!” the five-year-old shrieks, making Barnaby wince slightly. 

“What about you, Ailis?”

“I wanna see the elephants,” Ailis says.

Barnaby nods and smiles. He glances at his watch. It’s barely one in the afternoon, which means they’ve only been at the zoo for about an hour and a half. Plus, it hasn’t started raining and given the years that Barnaby has lived in Ireland, he knows that rain is liable at any time. It doesn’t matter if it rains, though. This is pretty much the perfect day for him. He’s got his beautiful, amazing wife, their four awesome kids, and a ton of animals that he’s never seen before. 

A few hours later

Barnaby shifts the sleeping boy in arms. Declan had passed out the moment that they’d gotten onto the Knight Bus. He had one hand wrapped tightly around the neck of the plush giraffe that Sara had purchased for him. And Sara had purchased it for him, as Barnaby still didn’t understand how to use euros. Although, in his defense, he didn’t understand how the British pound worked either. 

Val, Jem and Ailis are sitting across from them, all occupied with what they had chosen in the gift shop. Barnaby smiles, and wraps one arm around Sara’s shoulders. 

“Did you have a good time at the zoo?” Sara asks, kissing his cheek. 

“Yeah, it’s still amazing how fascinating muggle creatures are,” he says.

“Animals, babe. They’re called animals.”

[unfortunate-arrow]

Day 10: J - Just in case.- Sara and Barnaby

[Link to the challenge is here.]

[The otp+ has all their bases covered. Or at least they think they do…]

“I can’t believe I forgot the rain jackets,” Sara groans, resting her head against Barnaby’s sweater-covered shoulder. 

“It’s alright, love.” Barnaby kisses the side of her head. 

“I spent my whole life here. I knew that there was a good chance of rain.” 

Barnaby sighs, but moves his arm, so that Sara is pulled closer to him. He can smell the rain on her hair and he can feel the wetness from her hair seep into his already damp sweater. She’s tucked her glasses into a pocket and is snuggled close to him. He grins. 

They’re currently sitting on a bench underneath a covered bus stop. Sara had wanted to show him Donegal Castle in Donegal Town. Barnaby had mostly heard of the castle from Sara’s brother, Conor. Apparently, Sara’s grandfather had taken Sara and her siblings to the castle one summer. It was one of her last clear memories of the man. It meant a lot to Barnaby that his fiancée had wanted to share this place with him. However, the castle had been closed to visitors and it had started to pour. 

“Sara, love. It’s alright. I don’t care that we got a little wet,” Barnaby says. 

“Barn, I had this beautiful idea about us walking through Donegal Castle and a nice day,” Sara explains. 

“Oh, love.” He sighs and kisses the side of her head again. He fiddles with her hand, admiring the ring that currently sits on her finger. 

He watches the rain fall. The early harshness of it has faded off so that it’s more of a drizzle. His mind is running a mile a minute. 

“Would you like to get some ice cream?” Barnaby asks after a prolonged silence. 

“Huh?” Sara’s blinking at him and Barnaby suddenly feels extremely self-conscious. 

“Ice cream. Would you like to get some? I think I saw a place by the water. You always say ice cream makes everything better.” 

“Sure. Let’s go get some ice cream. Maybe we could go out on the bay. We might be able to see some seals.” 

“Seals?” 

“Yeah. I remember seeing seals out in the bay. Plus, we can stay dry in the cabin.” 

“Love, I don’t care about the rain jackets. So what if we get rained on?” 

He grins widely at the small smile that forms on Sara’s face. He kisses her cheek and offers her his hand as he stands up. Sara’s small, warm hand wraps around his much larger one. She uses her free hand to put her glasses back on. They walk quietly through the streets of Donegal Town, making their way to the bay. 

They stop for ice cream, with Sara getting chocolate chip cookie dough and Barnaby opting for vanilla. Sara handles all of their payments as Barnaby is befuddled by the euro. He’s seen the coins and bills before but doesn’t quite understand how they work. He understands why they’re different from the British pound, though. 

They stay in the cabin, until the boat (?) comes to an area near a sandbar. Barnaby gasps at the many gray bodies resting on it. He nearly bolts out of the cabin, but Sara’s got a tight grip on his hand. Together, they walk out of the cabin and onto the deck. The rain has stopped, but the sky still looks pretty gray and gloomy. 

“Those are the seals, babe,” Sara says. 

“Wow,” is all Barnaby can get out. He hasn’t expected non-magical creatures to be so fascinating. He wraps an arm around Sara and pulls her close. He presses his lips to the side of her head. 

“I know this didn’t turn out how you wanted it to, but this was really fun,” he whispers into her ear, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear.