#stylessemanticsYOF

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe in Magic ~* (ch.6)

- 6 - 1000 Year Old Talking Books and New Snow Boots.

The snow kept falling and piling up in what soon became ammunition for more snow fights as the days progressed. Snow fights Harry witnessed from his balcony when he allowed himself short tea breaks from studying.

His exam was coming up and he had kept his promise to lock himself in his apartment with no distractions. The thousand year old books soon stopped talking about burgundy which helped him to relax a lot, and his growth potion had worked on two of his winter flowers. He felt like he was ready to take his exam and ace it. It seemed like ages since Harry felt like his plans actually worked out for him, and it was a lovely feeling.

Only one thing was failing…

He was running out of excuses as to why he couldn’t go out to the snow with Y/N and the neighbourhood kids. One can only have the amount of work piled up that Harry had claimed he had, one too many times. So when she came knocking, Harry found himself opening the door for her and giving her a smile, and with little persuasion there he was getting pelted with snowballs once again. Playing in the snow was a very nice break from studying and worrying over his exam and for a short second he wondered why had he refused to come to the snow these past couple of days whenever he needed time off from his magic. The feel of snowballs exploding against his chest, the crunch under his feet and the children laughing. And the - now - usual complaint from y/n about her boots not being good enough to cover her toes from the freezing temperatures. “Just get new ones!” Harry exclaimed as they walked inside the building and removing their million and one layers on the way to the elevators. Y/N scoffed. “I’m fine like this! Plus I haven’t found a nice size seven pair so, I’m waiting patiently” she keeps saying that and then screaming about how her toe-nails feel like rocks and how she gets tingles from the frozen feeling, so Harry rolls his eyes at her and continues to peel off his coat and scarf, being specially careful when removing his left sleeve. It only takes 10 seconds in the small lift for y/n to notice the rash red looking mark on Harry’s arm. “What is that?” she exclaimed worried and holding onto his arm to bring it closer to her wide eyes. “Oh, uhmm” the tall lad was left without words. It was a self inflicted burn and a failed first attempt at a healing elixir. Who else was Harry supposed to test the curating powers of his brew on, other than himself? - Asking her to come over for it was simply a big no - but that was a bit of information he could not tell her “Tea accident?” he half questions, half assures her. The worry in her eyes is evident as the lift comes to a stop on their floor, and with a small tug she’s pulling him over to his place and sitting him on a bar stool in the kitchen, and asking for the first aid kit in a hurry. Lucky for Harry his bathroom didn’t have anything magical, as she went and came with the number one human household must have item.

It was, after all, a failed brew, which is why Harry hisses at the contact with whatever it was y/n had dosed a cloth with. “Stay still Harry” she scolds, like a mother trying to settle a child. “It burns” “It’s what you get for not treating it properly the second you got the burn!” her stern words come from a place of worry, and Harry’s stomach feels just like that day when she kissed his cheek. Like a heaping scolding brew of something he can’t control. Like he’s used three day old dandelions in his brug (the witch equivalent to non-witch’s beer) and still drunk it. She’s close to him, tending to his arm and Harry takes his time to focus on her eyelashes and her blemishes. She’s got spots, or freckles, or maybe something else, but he finds that they suit her, and he’s fortunately not thinking about the pain as she bandages up his arm.

Harry didn’t think he would relive the feeling of that Halloween night with the same force as he did back then. Specially not from just having her lips on top of the bandage as she places a kiss on his treated wound, the same way mothers do their kids, as if to seal some magical healing power no healing elixir could emulate. That feeling of having a boiling cauldron in his stomach had become a norm lately, and Harry didn’t know what to make of it. The same way he didn’t know where to run off to when y/n looked up and they found themselves close enough for her to count the eyelashes adorning his green eyes, close enough for Harry to tell that her nose was a bit curved to the left. The kind of closeness that came accompanied by silence. That close. And Harry didn’t know where to run off to, or even if he wanted to run.

One thing Harry’s always hated, is when other things or people make decisions for him. But in the middle of the confusion over how on earth could Y/N not hear his rumbling heart, he was glad that someone made the choice for him. He was glad that Nina had come in his flat, tumbling over a pot that crashed into a million pieces on the ground. No magical force could separate Harry and Y/N as fast as the ruckus did. And Harry sighed content and relaxed, and the sigh was heard perfectly by the sweet girl in his living room, who had crouched to pick up after her clumsy pet and didn’t know what to make out of the apparent relief in his tone. “Oh god, I’m so sorry Harry!” “No, no. S’fine.” He reassured her and indicated for her to get up, grabbing the nearest broom and sweeping up the mess to the side to pick up later - he could easily put it back together with a spell, but she’d seen it crash - “Was an old thing anyways…” the smile on his face doesn’t come with dimples and crinkles by his eyes, but y/n responds with a bland smile of her own, picking up her cat and deciding it was time to make herself scarce. “I should leave. Have some work to get back to” Funny, that sounded just like the excuse Harry had given her the days before. “Try not to get that wet!” she pointed to his wound and in a breath she was out. And the curly headed man was left alone in his living room, with weighted shoulders and a mind full of running thoughts. The slight aggravation towards the fact that Nina had come in when she did, starting to mix up his guts, and all he could do was stand, carefully staring at the pieces of broken glass, much like the broken moment he had just lived, and wondering if maybe the cracks and the mess left were some sort of metaphor of his ever confusing relationship with the girl from down the hall.

Fire.

Fire and smoke. Lots of it.

It was all Harry could see as he tried to turn it out in a hurry. It was all he could think about as he rode the bus back home, not in the mood to walk the beautiful stretch of land from Louis’ and Niall’s “place” as he always did, after being there for his exam. Stupid week-old Blue Salvia seeds, everyone knows they have to be planted straight after being collected from the older flower. He could tell from the second he picked them up, commenting to his elders he couldn’t use them for his exam, but they just nodded and asked him to continue, which he did hesitantly. Not even ten minutes later there was fire and flames and smoke and, without a doubt, a fucking failed potions exam and Harry was done with everything. He didn’t even wait for the result, he just knew. He smashed a pot of Red-flower Dust on his way out, letting out some anger; sure he was going to get yelled at by Niall soon enough for kickstarting the worst allergic reaction the blonde witch will probably experience since the red-flower plantation accident of 1843 - it was horrible, with just a whiff the lad got itchy skin - and Harry was sort of sorry for ever doing such a thing, although honestly, deep down, Harry couldn’t find it in himself to care enough to apologise. He had been preparing for this exam for ages, the chances of taking it are few and far between and he had failed it one out of the three possible times a young witch is allowed to take the exam. Make that two, he thought as the bus came to a stop near his flat and he quickly hopped out.

He slammed the door. That was the first signal. Y/N knew something was off. Maybe she and Harry weren’t best friends who knew everything about each other, but she knew Harry wasn’t the kind to just slam doors unless there was a reason, and if she heard it down the hall, it meant it had been a hard slam. Not much later she came to his door. Sign number two: she could hear his groan as he took too long to open for her. Sign number three: he was clumsily making tea. Dropping spoons, getting the wrong kettle, and opening a pack of chamomile tea when there was another already opened right before his eyes. She and Harry weren’t best friends who knew everything about each other, but she figured he needed a hug.

Looking down, suddenly all Harry could see was his mess of a kitchen counter that he had yet to properly clean from studying, and y/n’s hands wrapped around his torso. He could feel her warmth and the weight of her head on his back, as he stiffened in surprise. The embrace was somewhat comforting and the tall man took a deep breath in and out.

“Bad day?” she whispered letting go of him and moving to his side, setting the tea making as her task. Harry just stayed silent as he watched her maneuver around his kitchen preparing the brew. He was still very mad at himself and at the exam he had failed, leaving him with no energy to even reply back to the concerned girl in his flat. She got the message, though, and didn’t ask more questions, instead focusing on making the tea how she knew he liked it. “Jus’… A terrible day at work” he whispers before she pours the drink and gives her a small smile as a thank you. By the look on his face, she can tell there’s not much he wants to say about it, so she makes no move to put in her two cents into the issue. The silence consumes them while they just lazily half embrace each other, her hand around his lower back, and his finding comfort over her shoulder; and the clock ticks, making her, little by little, aware of the silence and uncomfortable with the knowledge that he’s upset and she knows nothing about how to cheer him up. “I have an idea” she chirps making his green eyes look at her, covered by the fallen strands of his chocolatey curls “Want to watch a movie?” She asks tired of them just taking slow sips and having nothing but slow breaths as soundtrack for about ten minutes. Harry’s a bit confused but finds himself agreeing as they move to his couch. In between sips y/n explains the movie she’s picked is one of her favourites and the one she watches when she’s down, while Harry closes the blinds stopping the afternoon sun to beat into his flat. She also mentions something about how cuddling under the covers to a good comedy is the answer to many many troubles, and Harry finds his hands itching to have her close under a warm blanket, so he busies his fingers playing with the wool decorations of the cushion that’s closest to him.

The nerves ease out of his body after the first joke in the film. He finds himself laughing at the silly pun and settling into the couch, mug of tea long finished and forgotten, and with some weird confidence in him that makes him spread out the blanket he keeps in the living room so that it covers both of them, but keeping his distance from her warm body.

It’s thanks to getting up for water or a snack and coming back to the couch that eventually leads them to sit shoulder to shoulder.

On the back of Y/N’s mind, it’s Harry’s fault. It’s his fault she felt this way. And can you blame her? He was the one that pulled out the blanket. He was the one that offered snacks. He was the one that turned off the light, making the whole thing a lot cosier and warm. He was the one who came back and sat just a bit closer. It made her think it was her turn so she got up for drinks and came back to sit closer. And then…

Then it was him who yawned. It was him that made her feel like she had butterflies in her stomach, because yawning during a movie when you’re sitting next to a girl means you’re going to put your arm around her, right? Who on their right mind just… Yawns… And that’s it. Just puts his arm down… During a comedy film that’s making him laugh, a film he’s clearly enjoying. He’d made her feel all these things and so there she went, over-analysing it all. Had he backed down cause of fear or was that a silent rejection? Was there anything to reject? Why did she itch for him to wrap her arm around her? Whatever it was, she couldn’t ignore it now. It was his fault that she felt like she needed to lean in and kiss him. And so she went on a mission. She wiggled herself closer to Harry in fake search for warmth and waited on the next joke to turn to him.

And then she froze. What was she thinking? What was she doing? The impulse that took over her, what the hell was it? Why is she still staring, and why is he staring back? Y/N suddenly doesn’t know anything. It’s like she’s just woken up and whatever happened up to this point was a dream, or some part of a movie she had not seen. And whatever it was she slightly thanked it when she found herself slowly leaning in.

Y/N doesn’t like when she’s interrupted, and if the world was a movie she would have thrown Harry’s loudly beeping phone out the window in a nano second, but instead, she copied his movements and jumped to the opposite end of the couch.

Harry paused the movie and searched through the mess of cushions and blankets for his phone. It was Louis. Thank God he had called and not just shown up, or worse, popped inside Harry’s mind. What Harry was thinking was something he could never ever say in front of his strict elder, and right before he answered the phone he replayed the event alongside the same one from the day before. What yesterday was Nina making him and y/n spring apart, was now his phone, with Louis calling for Merlin knows what.

But Harry was about to find out as soon as he got to Niall and Louis’ place. “What? Now?” “Yes Harry. Now. Teleport here if you need, but come now.” he heard his elder say. For a second Harry worried they somehow knew of his relationship with the mortal, but then again, what relationship? She was just his neighbour and nothing had happened between them. Harry turned to y/n, still holding the phone to his ear, and gave a sad smile as he spewed a quick “ok” to Louis before he hung up. “Everything ok?” she asked under her breath. Her face was red and she didn’t look him straight in the eye. “Y-yeah. Work emergency… hafta’… Go there right now” she nodded, gathered her things and picked up after herself quickly, heading to the kitchen to leave all the things there, and at least make the clean up easier for him. It also gave her an excuse to not look his way. In a brief moment, y/n was gone.

But her aura remained, and the ancient books, whom had been silent while she was here - something Harry was beyond thankful for - started basically screaming the moment she stepped out the door. Yelling the infamous colour Harry was fed up with. “Will yeh shut up about the colour!?” He exploded, and the books went silent as Harry put on his shoes and prepared himself to face Louis and Niall.

Niall’s face wasn’t as red as Harry imagined. That was good right? Meant his allergy didn’t act up as bad as Harry thought. Meant that he probably wasn’t as mad. A looming “Harry” was the first thing he heard coming into the room as Louis stared him down. For some reason Harry felt very scared, like the only thing they could tell him were bad news and he wasn’t ready for any, in fact he didn’t want them. He didn’t want today to be shittier than it already was. He thought about bolting but he knew very well it would be an impossible feat with witches as powerful as his elders in the room. So he sighed and walked inside sitting on the empty chair in the magical living room. “You left right after your exam, why is that?” Harry wanted to roll his eyes and scream at them. Why? Because he was embarrassed and angry, that’s why, because he’d done the worst exam possible and failed it a second time. Because he could already imagine himself slowly decaying and letting his powers fade, as a sad failure to the magical realm. “Everything exploded, what else was I supposed t’do?” he murmurs under his breath, not even able to look them in the eyes as he sulked. But there was silence in which Niall and Louis looked at each other… Confused. “Wait for the council to grade you?” Niall finished the thought. The council had to grade his performance and then send back the mail with the information and Harry’s new certificate that allowed him to legally make potions and sell them, and that legally allowed him to acquire ingredients other wise forbidden for apprentice witches. Harry scoffed. Why would he stay and wait for the council to grade him the lowest score he’s ever gotten in an exam. “It doesn’t matter anymore. M’taking it again whenever.” Again a look of confusion came over the young lad’s elders. He didn’t know, did he? “Why would you take it again?” Harry looks up to meet Niall’s blue eyes and soft smile. “You passed” The shock on his face is evident. He what? How? Everything went up in flames, how is that passing? “I, what?” Niall laughed at the jade eyed tall lad and his surprise. He had actually passed. “You were able to control your potions, and you knew your ingredients. You anticipated the explosion, and although your exit was quite dramatic” Louis grinned “You were graded on your skills, and you passed” Harry couldn’t hold in his excitement, this was the best thing that had happened to him in a while and it felt so good to have something this amazing! He hugged both his elders dearly, each of them giving him pointers on where his weak points were and reminding him to practice all of his spells, even if he didn’t like doing those and instead would rather stay behind and make helpful brews.

He couldn’t wait to tell… Let’s go with Salem. He couldn’t wait to tell Salem. The confusion was evident on his face. The urge to share good news with y/n quickly sprouted in his mind, and he replaced it just as fast. What was happening? He shouldn’t think about her, specially with Niall and Louis in the room, who could read him like a book if he showed any sign of discomfort, even more so after such good news… They could know what burgundy was and get…

Wait, that’s right! Harry needed to settle on what the hell could Burgundy mean, and maybe then he could find a way to get all these dizzying thoughts out of his head and live somewhat normally again. It didn’t hurt to try. “Guys, can I… ask yeh something?” Harry starts shyly, taking a seat in front of his friends. He could call them friends after all this time, and they did try and keep a young appearance so, it felt ok to call them his friends. But also as mentors, Harry knew they would have the answer to his question. Niall and Louis looked at him urging him to go on. Well, this was confusing, Harry’s happy mood had seemed to vanish just as fast as it came and the two older lads were very confused. “Liam sent me these books, and they… Uh they mention these… colours? Is there a definition in our realm fo’ the colour… Burgundy? Just curious, don’t think I’ve heard tha’ before…”

Suddenly feeling like a father, Louis sighed. He knew what it meant and he wondered how or why had Harry heard of such a thing, but alas, he felt like it was his duty to let him know, like a father telling a son stories of his times, trying to teach his offspring a lesson. So he cleared his throat and looked the part.

In ancient times colours were often a strict and accurate indication of different things. In some fruits it would indicate ripeness; on a person they could mark sicknesses; and so on. It was very common to exchange terms for the respective colour that accompanied them. Like using red to express something strong, something related to emotions, and the colour of the softest of flowers in all of the land. And using purple as a term for something royal, real, pure, and even heavenly due to the tune the sky had once taken during the times where the first ever witches were born; or so tell the tales. Harry knew some of this, having heard the term red used before. He didn’t know they sometimes were used as definition to smells as well. Witches were able to prepare quick brews and call them green for the colour and smell they had, and people would understand. They were fresh and very helpful. In other words, it used to be common to call a smell by a colour.

“So Burgundy’s jus’ another colour used t’name something else?” Niall nodded with a grimace. It wasn’t all there was about burgundy.

Burgundy came as a mix of colours, a red changing hues and turning almost purple. And in sum, the colour acquired both definitions. “If red is emotion, something strong and delicate, and purple is realness, it means purity, well… There’s only one thing that’s all of those…”

Harry had to evade questions after the big reveal, and he managed to escape. He was in deep shit. Suddenly the dizzying feeling had somehow tripled - the opposite of what Harry could ever want - and he wished he would have stayed in the dark in regards of knowing what the stupid colour meant. He kept repeating that it was just tales and that witches didn’t use the colour-naming thing anymore for a reason. As he walked down the street something made him stop and look at the shops. He had a sudden urge, something he couldn’t control, something that he was willing to blame on this inexplicable force that had just been explained to him. This was the only thing he was allowing himself to do with this knowledge. Upon arriving home he questioned the box in his hands with all he could muster and let himself sink on his couch. If what Louis and Niall said was true, then there was no magic barrier or anything of the sort that was going to keep the bubbling in his stomach from stopping, so why even try. But he didn’t want it. He was scared. Was that not enough to make it go away?

There was silence in his flat. Too much silence for Harry’s own good. It irked him; it was like feeling as if the books were mocking him. As if they knew he knew and now they would shut up about the stupid colour, leaving him to peace and quiet and to drown in the million and one thoughts that ran around his brain. God, it all made sense now. It made so much sense. How it all feels so out of his control and new. How it all spurs naturally. But he didn’t want it, he didn’t ask for it, how was he supposed to act now that he knew of the stupid definition.

Stupid burgundy, Harry complained in his head. Stupid burgundy. Stupid the witch that decided the transition from red to purple was burgundy. Stupid the witch that decided their traits would join. Stupid the witch that claimed it ‘the smell and colour of a match made in heaven; Burgundy the clear hue for love.’

Y/N hadn’t come down to play in the snow with the neighbourhood kids that day or the day before, and in some ways Harry was glad, in others sad. For starters the kids asked about her and he didn’t have an answer to give them besides that she had to work, and frankly he didn’t know why she hadn’t been down to play with them, which was sad.

On the other side he still didn’t know how to feel about the whole Burgundy thing, other than guilty.

When you think about it, that’s silly, right? Why would he feel guilty? Well, because his mind kept spinning around the fact that if this was true and they were some sort of match that had to or should be together, that there was this external force making them get closer, he could only feel guilty that he knows more than she does about an issue that concerns her as much as him. And that, added to his other big secret, only served to make his stomach feel something that he can’t call butterflies, but more like wasps attacking and biting at him for being somewhat of a liar. It’s kind of crazy how he’s been able to keep his secret for this long, and it’s just now when he discovers some insane tale about… the L word, that he feels sorry for not telling someone about his powers and his nature. Y/N had been nothing but amazing to him since their first interaction when she baked cookies for the whole building after moving in. Surely they never spoke much until Nina came in the picture, but Harry had a good feeling about her since. Did whatever scent or colour begin then? Or did it start at some other point? Maybe he was cursed in some way during halloween… But then again the million and one thoughts of y/n had started before her invite to that party.

It was a heavy thought on his shoulders, and it seemed to him as if, after knowing of the whole burgundy ordeal — which had yet to be proven a fact in his eyes, or at least he was stopping himself from believing it fully — the feeling towards his neighbour had intensified. Whatever the feeling was. He was surprised he hadn’t yet burned a hole on his wall from staring in the direction of her flat when he sits on a stool at his kitchen island as he sips tea. His eyes darting to the box he had acquired a few days prior.

It was an impulse, one he was blaming on the fact that there was some force between them that stopped him from thinking straight. But it was nice for a moment until the box felt like it held something a lot more important than it actually did. He would find himself floating a few inches off the ground whenever he thought of her face if he manned up enough to give her the box, only to instantly fall back down and almost trip on his face when he was reminded of the secret he keeps from her.

Harry had no nails left; he had bitten them all off as he paced his floor. I have to tell her, I have to tell her, he kept telling himself, followed by reason after reason why he should not tell her anything. The secret started to itch, literally itch, he wondered if maybe he bought the wrong detergent and got one with lavender in it, but deep down he knew. He just couldn’t help feeling this way towards the thought of her, and also keep this secret from her. So he decided.

If he’s going to act up or let the power of this burgundy thing take over him, he had to tell her. He had to give her this huge part of him before he could fully allow himself to continue and see what the hell was it with this pure love scent crap.

And whatever that power was that stopped him from thinking straight is exactly what made him come knocking at her door, decided that he could hold this in, he could stay friends and nothing should or would come to light. He could defy this magic nonsense — strong words for a witch.— “Hey Harry!” she greeted cheerily. To Harry it was a bit more sad than her usual greeting but he wasn’t about to say a thing. Not every day can be the happiest day to be alive. Y/N held up one finger as the scent of something burning came over the two of them. Letting himself in he shut the door as she ran to her kitchen and tended the evident food accident. “Wha’ did yeh burn?” Harry poked knowing her baking was extraordinaire but everything else she managed to ruin. “A fucking sandwich! Can’t even make a proper sandwich, can you believe this?!” she screamed from the kitchen, hovering over trashcan as she scraped whatever burnt cheese was left on the pan. She looked frustrated and Harry decided he would not dwell on how cute she looked with her brows furrowed, alternately, he hoped that the box behind his back he had managed to hide until now, would put a smile on her face. He’d rather see her cute smile instead. Harry had never had to do a typical gift exchange before ��� not that this was one cause he’s sure she doesn’t have a gift for him — so he just decided to put the box on the kitchen island and wait for her to notice his awkwardly swaying body and shy grin. And when she does, she’s confused. “What’s that?” “A gift… Fo’ you” he pushed the box forth in her direction. “Why?” “Merry Christmas?” she laughed and rolled her eyes. “Christmas is a good three weeks away, H” there was a bit of a smile Harry couldn’t help but let out when she called him H, as he shrugged his shoulders and sat on one of her small white stools waiting for her to open the present she had yet to touch. “Then take it as a late thanksgiving gift” Harry grins and she grabs the box in her hands starting to tear away at the paper. “I’m still mad at you for not sharing some turkey leftovers” she points at him with a silly glare acting offended once more over the food he had kept from her, which made Harry lift his hands up in mock surrender. “Promise I’ll cook yeh some, now open.”

Y/N’s face lit up and she exploded into a fit of laughter after removing the cover and discovering a new pair of snow boots inside the box, the same colour hers used to be before they got as tattered and damaged as they are now. “Harry! What is this?” “Jus’ tired of your complaining and missing out on snow fights” he shrugged as if it was no big deal and grinned in her direction. It made him somewhat proud to receive the reaction he was hoping for and the butterflies co-existed with the wasps in his stomach as he held onto the island counter in his best efforts not to float away. “This is too much H, I can’t take-“ “Yeh’re taking them” Harry finalised the conversation giving her a pointed look. He wasn’t taking a no for an answer, and he was definitely not taking the boots back to the shop. Y/N laughed once again at his attitude and thanked him over and over. Her legs guided her to fall in between his arms as they hugged and she continued to express her gratitude and how he didn’t have to bother.

Harry’s voice trembled as he told her it was no big deal, mainly because he was still sitting on the stool and she stood hugging him tightly in between his legs. This was something new, something Harry hadn’t experienced yet. And separating from the hug only to keep each other at something a bit closer than just arms length was another thing Harry hadn’t experienced before, at least not with such force.

Harry had kissed and been kissed before. You don’t live to be his age and hiding amongst the mortals without having to spread a few kisses to fellow friends — witches and non witches — in various occasions.

What Harry had never done before is ache for a kiss. A kiss he couldn’t let happen.

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears; it was almost deafening. And his chest felt tight, like he didn’t have a single breath left and his heart had suddenly forgotten what its job was. Beat! You have to beat and send blood to everything! It’s not that hard! But it was, specially cause Harry’s chest also burned with the weight of a terrible secret that he could not go on without saying. He promised himself to stop this, to not let this happen and keep his life hidden like he has done for so many years.

And the stupid burgundy! He just wants to erase it from his memory cause maybe, just maybe, the knowledge of something so big is what activated his feelings, and this would have been so much easier to avoid had he not known about it. If he could witness the scene from an outsider’s point of view, he was sure he would see literal sparks between his lips and hers. You could kiss her, you could kiss her, he thought over and over as the moment developed in slow motion. He could… But he promised himself. He promised himself that if he was going to let the power of burgundy take over him, he had to tell her. Half of him just begged to keep things how they were, half of him believed him strong enough to do this and keep quiet.

Half of him was wrong. So he didn’t kiss her.

Instead he quickly pulled apart and sighed. “I… I have t’tell you something…”

——

Biggest piece of shit chapter in the history of BIM. I would say in the history of my writing but yuck I’ve done worse - which means i’ve written some serious crap, wow, even I’m impressed at the amount of shit i can spew -

Seriously took me a full on day to post cause I didn’t believe in it enough - still don’t - and am currently considering deleting it. Figured it would be a bit unfair to just not post it for the few of you that read it and do give some sort of feedback, but this might be deleted so… yeah.

BIG huge shout out to @ihearthemcallingxx @harrycarryme and @honeyskins for reading this in bits and pieces as I wrote it, and @causeitsweird for reading the whole thing today before I posted it. Thanks for giving me the support I can’t give my own damn self. Whoops.

Chapter 7 has no official date but believe me, if there is a chapter 7 it will be lengthy because this piece of shit chapter shouldn’t have even happened and it will be deleted. Also, just 2 more left? IDK there has been talk about a bit more of it if you guys are into it.

#BIM tag. ||  Intro Here. ||   Ch.1 * Ch.2 * Ch.3 * Ch.4  * Ch.5  ||   Schedule Here. yeah as if there’s a schedule *shoots self*

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Iv. xo All the cuddles, as always. whatever I’m not even in the mood to send cuddles i’m so disappointed in myself honestly T.T

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe in Magic ~* (ch.5)

- 5 - Potions 101.

The witch that controls or guesses the weather — Harry isn’t sure anymore, after all he is currently shaking snowflakes off his shoulders — she had made a mistake. It was an early snow this year, and Harry sighs at the sight of little piles of white collecting in different spots all around him, all over the neighbourhood. He’s slightly annoyed. For starters yesterday when it began to snow, he was on his way back from the library late at night and certainly under-dressed for it. And secondly, the reason why he rushed home and accidentally slammed his door against the wall when he opened it with such force upon arriving, snow meant his Blue Salvias were- “ Dead…” he muttered under his breath looking at the slowly withering stems. He’d left them by the open window, an old trick his aunt had taught him, because these specific kind really liked the afternoon breeze and it made them easier to mash into his potions. What they didn’t like was cold snowflakes slowly melting and/or sticking to their roots.

Which leads us to now, to a wool-mittened-snow-booted-and-heavy-coated Harry, as he huffs and puffs on his way to the library. After all, his book on fall flowers that he had taken home last week, was now completely obsolete to his potion practice; now that it was clearly winter and snowing, his focus had changed, he needed winter gardening. More specifically, snow flowers; while winter meant the death of loads of plants he normally needs, it also meant the birth of some that are very rare, and very useful.

He was happy the ancient magical delivery still worked, for his cousin Liam had lent him some books on snow flowers that Harry had yet to read, and that could help him a lot in his upcoming test.

We do remember Harry is a clumsy not very experienced witch, this is the reason why Harry was so hellbent on potions these past few days. Louis and Niall were giving him a small test soon, and Harry was studying. Potions were his favourite, even when he could only master grade 1 and 2 potions. They always caught his eye and he enjoyed growing his own ingredients to make them perfect. The problem was that with new potions, came different ingredients with different growth times. Time that Harry could easily help pass along, if he could only perfect his time-bending spells.

But one thing was certain. Harry’s specialty surely had to be and will be potions. Every witch had a specialty and since a very young age, this was the one Harry had chosen. It didn’t come natural to him as some other abilities came to other witches, but, half of every talent is interest, isn’t it?

The moment he steps into the library, he can hear them. At first they startle him a bit, but soon he realises what’s happening, and rushes to where they are. He’s amazed. Liam had also lent him some talking books, attached was a note from him. Talking books were these ancient books that every witch needs at some point in their life. Liam no longer used his, and had decided to let Harry have them for a while, saying that every witch should have some around, given the fact that they help a lot and give excellent counselling and tips, which Harry needed whenever he was to be tested in his magic. They always sensed when you needed some advice and helped you understand things you never had wondered about before. There were 3 large books, with intimidating dark spines, old looking pages, and red glowing edges. He stacked them along with his gardening notepads and potion papers.

Harry had heard lots about them and the smile on his face was all the indication needed to know he was excited beyond belief to read them or let them speak to him. Whatever it is they did. Salem could tell Harry was giddy about them. After all, he did let himself fall on his bed, like a teenage girl with a new crush, with them in hand and humming along some weird tune. Another indication was the potion book he’d thrown to the side, as if he didn’t have an upcoming exam. “ Did you get talking books so they could tell you more about your crush on this mortal?” “ Salem.” Harry rolled his eyes “ M’going t’act like you’ve said nothing.” Salem sighed and shook his head. He knew it was just a matter of time before Harry grew tired of the talking books.

And Salem was right. After three cold nights, Harry had learned that the talking books, when they have something to comment on, won’t shut up. Even during the wee hours of the morning. Soon he’d have bags under his eyes from all the studying and the not-sleeping he was doing. They were going to drive him insane. Which is the sole reason — at least that’s what Harry’s making himself believe — why, when y/n had come knocking and asking him if he’d like to go for a cuppa, he’d agreed without any questioning, quickly gathering a coat from the rack next to the door, and his wallet from the small entrance table, rushing to close the door behind him, careful not to have her hear the books sing behind him about colours, – burgundy, green, grey – or whatnot.

In the few days after the Halloween incident, which is how Harry called it in his head, Y/N had come over to hang out once, and he’d gone over for a cuppa twice. They would talk in the hallways and joke over the mail on Mondays, and they have walked together down the sidewalk for at least 2 blocks before going their separate ways once or twice in the past weeks, but this is the first time they’d gone out together, with the intention of doing something, together. Apparently she had ran out of her favourite tea, and instead of going alone to the cafe down the street and getting herself a brew, she had grown the courage to ask if maybe Harry wanted to tag along. For no reason whatsoever. Just to get something warm to drink. Together.

Harry could have easily told her he had some of her favourite tea in his cupboards — don’t ask— and could have easily offered her some and that would have been it, but he did have some talkative fellas in his room, of which he was not certain if they would shut up in the presence of a mortal, so he decided not to risk it. Which is why he’s now sat in front of her at a table, while they blow on their hot mugs, steam rising from the tinted beverages.

Every time he’d seen y/n after the Halloween Incident (TM), which were quite a few, he was slightly reminded of the following Floating Incident… (TM). His mind would go back and replay that night. How she had drunkenly kissed his cheek, and it had kickstarted an array of bugs in his tummy that made him float. How he had to avoid Salem’s eyes for the rest of the night, not able to bare the fact that he had no idea why he was floating. “ Harry, do you like this human?” “ M’trying to sleep Salem. Shut up” And most importantly, he was always reminded of how this whole thing was completely one-sided. The next morning y/n could not remember a thing, and stopped by to just thank him for obviously taking care of her, because who else could have gotten her home safely, put out food for Nina, and left her a tall glass of water to drink for when she woke with a terrible hangover. Harry had to hold on to the door to avoid lifting up in the air again, but he’d muttered a small “You’re welcome. ’S no biggie” before asking if she’d like some tea, bold move, to which she refused because she felt ill, to which Harry answered by building up the strength to stop himself from floating away without the aid of a fixed object, and inviting her in, so he could make her some soup.

It was the first and only time y/n had been in his flat. And it was in that small conversation they had over the sound of things bubbling up into what smelled like a delicious soup, that Harry learned that she did not remember a single thing. She remembered the party, most of it. She remembered dancing and talking and being somewhat angry at him — though that she did not say out loud… Harry just knew. — She remembered Harry asking her to stop drinking, and then a few moments here and there made it so she could piece back the fact that they had taken an uber and that he’d helped her to bed. Other than that, y/n’s mind had erased, if it ever even grasped, the rest of the night.

He supposed he should feel relieved that she never noticed him floating as he ‘walked’ away, or that he’d gone stone-cold and very warm at the same time, at the feel of her lips on his cheek. But something felt off to him. He couldn’t completely feel relieved that she knew nothing. He tied it to the fact that he hated to be friends with her, or tried to be, and be keeping from her what felt like two of the biggest secrets he’s ever kept. But he refused to let himself think it over too much. Instead he focused on their small and growing friendship. Exactly what he’d promised he’d try. She remembers none of it, but Harry does, and that’s enough for him.

Y/N found herself smiling from ear to ear. It was a risk to ask Harry to join her for some tea, just for the fun of getting tea together. She had to admit it felt odd. Out of place even. Harry was suddenly being friendly, and more accepting of her. He was being more open and allowing her to cram his space. Well, compared to the Harry a month ago, she was definitely cramming his space. It was just weird to be able to talk to Harry like she had been for the last couple of days. She was glad, but sometimes she wondered if she had done something at the party that she couldn’t remember that made Harry actually accept her friendly advances. It’s not like they were best friends, or something like that, but it was a relief to be able to be friends with him after trying for so long. She was glad he felt comfortable around her the same way she started to feel comfortable around him a month ago.

On their short way back they both keep shaking their heads rid of little snowflakes as both the sun and the temperature fell. “ I love snow” she says smiling up to the clouds. Harry can’t help but wonder just how many people in the world actually like snow. As a witch that enjoys potion making and plants, snow was a bittersweet hit to his gut. Sometimes it felt more like a massage, other times it was a straight up punch. He shrugged slightly. “ S’okay. I like the snow, I jus’ don’t like to get cold” “ I feel you. My feet are freezing right now” she giggles and he drops his sight to her boot-covered feet as she kicks up some snow. She’s sporting some cute boots that were once light brown, and he lets out a small smile. On the sides are evident claw-scratches that nina must have left for y/n to wake up to. “Nina keeps scratching at them, plus they are really old so, it’s not like my toes are covered from the wind” she laughs. “ Why don’t yeh get yourself new ones?” Harry asks playing with the string of his hoodie and y/n shrugs. “ I don’t know. Haven’t got the chance. Maybe I’ll gift myself some for christmas” is the last thing she says before she reaches over to open the gate to the apartment complex and Harry is a bit shocked they had walked over so fast. Deep down he would have liked to talk to y/n a bit more.

Soon he finds himself back into his books and trying to find a good place to plant his winter flowers, while also studying up on his potions, most specifically searching for a potion to cure his floating.

He flips pages after pages of the large books, reading up on juices and mixes of leaves and seeds that could make him heavy, or make him feel less things, both of which scare him, and not much later he stumbles upon some of the more difficult brews. Love potions.

His breath catches in his throat. If there’s one thing he’s keeping off his mind as a reason for his floating issues, is any feeling close to…

He sighs. It wouldn’t hurt to read the chapters, after all some love potions serve both the purpose to make someone love you, and to make someone stop loving you, not that he’d ever use it on y/n… Or on himself to not like her…

The clock ticks close to midnight and Harry is in his third cup of coffee and fourth attempt at growing his Blue Salvias in the winter. The cauldron is boiling with all the elements necessary for a simple Poison, just for practice, as he reads up on the love potions in his book. He’s so into the words inked on the thousand year old paper, that he misses the pitter patter of Salem paws against his wooden floors. The small cat looks at his companion as he shuffles along in the kitchen excitedly throwing herbs into the boiling water. Salem hops on the counter and eyes him up and down. “If you’re going t’ask me about y/n, just go ask Nina” Harry says without turning to look at him, his eyes focused solely on the words on the ancient book. Thyme? In a Love Potion? Simple enough. Harry’s hands reach over for the small bottle where he keeps it, holding it close to his chest as he keeps on reading. Salem grins. “ Do you plan on sleeping, Harry?” “ I have an exam coming up, and winter catching up t’me. No, I won’t sleep” he mumbles still skimming his eyes over the pages. “ Huh… Ok… Do you reckon Niall and Louis know?” “ Know what?” Harry’s arm reaches over to shake some thyme into the cauldron, before he flips another page. His lips move as he takes in the words. Mashed up Hydnora Africana seeds, Harry scoffs. No way he can get that. “ Nothing… But hey” Salem smiles jumping from one side to the other and landing next to Harry’s book on the kitchen counter. "I promise I won’t tell if you don’t want to tell” Harry is lost but continues flipping pages. "Salem what the heck are you talking about?” " Ah come on. As if you're not infatuated with the human" " I am not" Harry groans under his breath. Salem needs to stop, if this were to slip in front of Niall and/or Louis, Harry would have to move to the next city, and cast a memory wipe spell so people don’t even remember his name in this one. Which tears at his heart a bit more than he thought possible. If he left she would forget him, she would have to. There’s just no way he can forget her. He stops the train of thought and continues throwing garlic cloves into the steaming mix.

" Sure thing.” Salem says, you could probably hear the smirk in his voice, a smirk he was carrying proudly, though you can’t really see the cat smirk physically. “By the way, you need more rosemary" "What?" Harry looks up from his book and to his hand, suddenly interested in the conversation. Rosemary? What for? He wondered as he saw the big chunk he’d just thrown in. "For the love potion you fool" Salem hops off the counter laughing, and Harry blushes deeply, slamming his potion book closed in a hurry. “I’m just practicing Salem!” But all he can hear is the cat scoff as he heads down the hall and towards Harry’s bedroom to doze off for the night. He groaned as he looked into the cauldron. Viscous green goo greeted him as his anger bubbled up. A perfectly good poison ruined all because he kept reading too much into the love potion. He turned off the heat and cast a spell to make the whole pot of this disgusting guppy goo he had created disappear without a trace. Somewhere in the magic realm, a big blob of nasty had fallen into a dumpster.

The lad decided to call it a day. Maybe tomorrow he could try again. Maybe tomorrow he could search in the library where to get Hydnora Africana seeds in the mortal world. Not that he even needed them for the poison.

As he lays in bed, wide awake, tossing and turning, some soothing but at the same time odd words help him find some ease. “ Between you and me. I quite like y/n” are the last words the cat mutters before going to sleep. Harry knows Salem hates everything, and it was already a shock to find out that Salem liked Nina. So Harry wonders if maybe both him and Salem had been bewitched by someone or something and it made Salem enjoy human and cat company, and it made Harry feel things and float… And in that moment, it seemed like the most reasonable, logic answer there was.

The snow crunched under the weight of Harry's boots as he took step after step in the direction of his home. A bag of cat food in his arms and a craving for a nice warm cup of hot cocoa in his gut. The closer he got to the complex, the louder the small voices became. Soon, he was stepping into what seemed like a snowball fight between some of the children from the block. He gave a small smile to one of them as he used Harry's tall body as shield to run from a pile of snow to the other. The kid received a snowball to the face the moment he stepped out of Harry's cover and the tall lad couldn't help but laugh. That is until a snowball exploded on his chest, the surprise hit sending him stumbling back a little. As he looked up there stood y/n laughing and giving a high-five to a little girl. Harry's shocked mouth turned into a smile at the sight.

"Yeh did not" he joked "Oh but I did" she grinned and winked. "Are you going to fight back or what?"

Harry debated the thought over. He couldn't. He had to study. But he'd done so much studying the night prior, and he could use a break from trying and failing to make a youth-elixir. But then again, Louis and Niall would have his head if he didn't prepare well enough for the test. Y/N sensed his doubt and her smile fell fast as she walked over. ”Come on... join us! The boy’s team need another one” she said smug and the little girl next to her gave her yet another high-five “ We don’t!” he could hear one of the boys say in the distance. Harry smiled at the interaction, but soon was reminded that he needed to answer when y/n cleared her throat. "I just... I have some stuff-" " Can't it wait?” she asked. It couldn’t… " Yeah. Join us sir!" A small boy tugged at his coat making Harry turn to him as he pouted. “We do need another boy.” Harry had to admit, the young child's puppy look did nothing on him. While he did like children and got along with them pretty well, their ability to pout and try to get their way didn’t really go through with Harry. But... slowly lifting up to find y/n's puppy look certainly did, for some unknown reason. Harry's mouth opened and closed over and over, no words formed, no words came out. “ Join us for a bit, H" she said with a smile and a hop. The cold tinted her cheeks red, a deeper red than her usual blush, Harry could tell.

One day, he was going to be put on trial for whatever reason a witch could be on trial. He was going to be judged, and there was going to be freedom at stake. There was going to be something extreme on the other end. He would be tortured and threatened beyond his strengths. And still he would never ever ever tell that, on a snowy November day, y/n calling him 'H' had made him so weak at the knees that he almost fainted.

He nodded slightly and both the little kid and y/n clapped and cheered excited that he’d joined the game. The tall lad quickly set aside the bag of cat food by the entrance to his building and hoped no cat owner passed by and stole it. That was dumb of him to think, this was after all a very friendly neighbourhood, consisting mostly of nice old people that would call the police over a lost bag of cat food instead of taking it for themselves, or their cats better said.

The open space between buildings and houses in the complex was actually quite big. It was something Harry really enjoyed when he moved. He could go for a jog in the little “park”, until it became too small for his limbs, and then he moved to an actual park where he could trot his heart out. The opening still left him speechless, specially in the fall when the trees took the most beautiful of oranges.

He hid as best he could behind a pile of snow that was obviously made to hide a small 7 year old. Jonas, the little kid who had tugged at his coat, sat beside him making snowballs and failing as they seemed to break apart before he could properly set to throw them. “ Hey, how about I make the balls, and you jus’ chuck ‘em at the enemy?” he said coming face to face with the young boy with extremely red cheeks. And it was just like that, how Harry and Jonas set an impenetrable fort behind a tree and a pile of white snow. That is until Jonas took off running, leaving Harry confused, though not for long, when he felt the harsh attack at his back. They had been discovered. It was y/n, on his tail as Harry gathered the small balls he had created and turned around to defend himself from her as he ran. “ Run!” he screamed and the rest of the boys around the area took of running, searching for new covers. The sound of laughter filled the air as they ran around and played with the biggest smiles on their faces.

“My toes are so cold!” y/n said between laughter. After a few rounds of snowball fighting, all the children started to head home as the afternoon fell, leaving only Harry and y/n to chase around each other until they tired and sat by the building entrance, right next to the untouched bag of cat food he’d placed earlier on. “ ‘M telling yeh. Jus’ buy new ones” he shrugged and smiled at her, but she shook her head. Stubborn one she was. “ I think I just need thicker socks and it will all be okay” “ I won’t say I told yeh so when they fall apart” he poked at the giving fabric of the boots and she pushed at his shoulder. “ Hey! No touching!” she giggled. Silence fell between the two young adults. Some winter afternoons are more beautiful than others, and this one was so pretty. The colours in the sky, the dropping temperature and slowly falling snowflakes. Harry felt the weight of y/n’s head on his shoulder short after. He had the same feeling as the night of the Halloween Incident, the warmth, the uncomfortable tickle in his gut, and the lack of oxygen, and he was reminded of his potion exam coming up, but for some reason, nothing in him wanted to move. He sighed playing with his fingers as y/n wrapped her arm around his arm, unknowingly looking for comfort and heat. Harry’s breathing was kickstarted by the soft feeling of her delicate fingers touching his.

Later that night, as the snow continued to fall and accumulate in piles that the kids would surely play with again tomorrow, Harry found himself in his kitchen, mixing away at yet another elixir. This one specifically was perfect for healing fire burns, which is one of the easiest attacks a witch could learn and it’s the reason why this elixir was a must have in the kit of a medic witch. The only problem is that it was hard to make, so witches would stock up on it. By adding certain seeds that made its healing powers last longer, it could be stored.

There was a soft hum of the talking books coming from Harry’s bedroom. It started to become annoying, specially because, since the moment he arrived home after the snowball fight, they had been whispering and repeating the same word over and over, a word that, to Harry, meant nothing. Burgundy. If he only knew what the word meant he would at least catch the clue or whatever it was they were giving him. But to him it was just another colour. Was he wearing burgundy? Was he eating burgundy? Did he have to be careful with Burgundy in his life? Was it even a colour? He didn’t know. He made a mental note to ask Louis and Niall, or to get a book and read up on the odd word.

Harry decided to call it a night, left the cauldron in the fire, for the elixir to cook to perfection while he rested. Three days until his exam, he couldn’t have any more distractions. No more outings, tomorrow he’d do the groceries, maybe stop by the library and back to his apartment to read up and prepare more potions. Maybe give another try to the love potion, and test his healing elixir. He just had to keep Salem, Louis and Niall out of his head to properly focus. He had to keep the talking books out of his head to focus. And he had to keep y/n out of his head and his day to focus. And in that short moment it was decided. He would be a hermit. He would perfect his abilities and increase his knowledge. It felt good to plan ahead and to make that decision, and in that moment late at night it was easy to promise keeping those things and people out of his head. He allowed himself one last thought of y/n, one last thought of how much fun it was to play in the snow. And that was it. Off to sleep.

That is until the books decided to add more words to their repeating chant that would surely keep him awake for hours. “ She is Burgundy.” they said.

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Witch!Harry is back! I hope! I’m trying to get back to loving this concept as much as I did when it first popped up in my head, and seeing some of you actually give feed back and say if you do like it or not has helped a lot, so thank you! Tell me what you thought of this chapter, it’s kind of long-ish. Longer than the first 3 anyways! and idk if chapter 5 will be this long, who knows. Tell me what your favourite part was. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IN CHAPTER 6? I WANT TO KNOW!!! What would you like to happen with y/n and Harry.

Chapter 6 has no official date but I WILL try my best for it to be ready as soon as possible!

#BIM tag. ||  Intro Here. ||   Ch.1 * Ch.2 * Ch.3 * Ch.4   ||   Ch. 6 

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Iv. xo all the cuddles, always!

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe in Magic ~* (ch.4)

- 4 - HALLOWEEN IS TRULY MAGICAL

Once upon a time there was a witch, mighty and powerful, with a deep hatred towards witch hunters and most of the mortal world. She stood high and proud, walking herself through the villages and scaring the poor souls. It was her way to establish that witches were of course much better than mortals. And then one day the witch fell in love, with another witch, he wasn’t as powerful, but he was warm and nice, which shocked her. How come he wasn’t using his powers to avenge his fallen brothers and sisters. How come he tried to mix in with the mortals, instead of claiming a superior state. She never knew, all she was certain of was that they had fallen for each other. Opposites attract do they not? It didn’t take long for a witch pregnancy to ensue, and a beautiful baby girl was born, grew up to be like a princess, powerful like her mother but kind like her father. This girl was one of the best accomplishments the witch had, and her heart slightly softened, no longer did she chase humans for the sake of it, no longer was she considered the scary mom by the mortal friends her daughter had made.

And then the witch was pregnant once more… This time birthing a boy, a beautiful baby boy, that would grow up to be nice like his dad, and clumsy like his dad as well. His magic got him in trouble and his mother sneered. This boy definitely didn’t get all the good genes her daughter had, but she loved him anyways. Although her way of showing it was weird, she truly cared for her clumsy baby boy. Her dorky Harry.

Harry opened his eyes, his alarm clock startling him awake. He sighed and groaned, not ready for the couple of days that lay ahead of him. He got up, swayed on his way to his bathroom but eventually got there. With a long hard look at himself in the mirror, he started his routine. Soon Harry was out, all clean and much more awake to face the day. Coming out into the hallway was a quick reminder of what he had to do. Y/N’s flat was decorated to the brim. Her door had, among other various festive things, spiderwebs, with plastic spiders on it, and there was a small cauldron bubbling and lighting up different shades of green. God, she really liked Halloween.

Harry sighed. When was he going to get any rest? If it’s not Salem getting him in trouble, it’s Nina making Salem go crazy, or the fact that he doesn’t know where he stands with y/n. And to top it all off, he hadn’t heard from his mother.

God, his mother was going to have his head. You see, Harry had decided that he needed to stay and make sure y/n doesn't get eaten alive by demons lurking during the festivities, rash decision, even Salem had his say on how wrong that was. But the worst thing wasn’t really the reactions, or how the hell was he going to insert himself into whatever she was doing the next day. The worst thing was his mother. He was too scared to call through the cauldron, or to travel to her to let her know that he was not going to be attending to the Witch Family Reunion as he did every year, as he was supposed to, not that he fully mastered the teleportation spell anyways. So what did he do? He sent a letter. “ Oh, that’s grand.” “ Shut up Salem, don’t try t’ talk me out of-” “ No, no… I really want to see how this goes. Your mother hates letters” Salem scoffed before hopping off the table, graciously onto the ground and over to his bed, getting comfortable. “ I think this is going to be a hilarious Halloween”

Y/N came up the stairs as Harry trimmed the small tree outside his door. She was carrying more bags - groceries, maybe even more decorations- it took everything in Harry not to roll his eyes and smack them out of her hand. It was annoying he couldn’t tell her just how bad this was, how badly she had to stop before demons took over her or something. Well that was dramatic but still kind of true. “ Hey there! ” he found himself starting the conversation.

Lately, y/n had been feeling a lot happier than usual. Her already smile-y self turned even… Smilier? Anyways, she was happy Halloween was coming up, she loved it, she got to bake really delicious and pretty treats, she got to dress up and watch scary movies, she already had started her marathon! She liked them, a lot. But it wasn’t just Halloween that had her excited.

She had to admit it was him. Her neighbour. Harry.

Y/N was the kind of person that liked everyone to be friends with everyone and comfortable and smiling, it was one of her goals in life that everyone she came in contact with, left with a nice impression of her. She wanted people to be happy, was that so bad? Not one bit. Which means that finally getting to talk to Harry meant a whole lot to her. She felt like she accomplished some impossible mission, as if this were some sort of movie, because she cracked the tough code of Harry. Even though nothing was set in stone, and it wasn’t like she knew all about him or they interacted enough to consider herself a friend, she was happy that there was so much progress that had been made between them. I mean, Harry did just start a conversation with her. “ Hello neighbour!” she smiled at him opening her door. For a second she stopped, looking over at Harry’s door and back at hers. The spiderwebs and silicone ghosts, spooky gooey numbers and letters, the light she’d left off on purpose so that it seemed scarier… This was truly an indication that Halloween was just a day away. Turning to Harry’s though. It was another story. He had… nothing. “ Uhm… Not doing any decorating?” she pointed. In her head it was impossible that Harry could just skip decorations, it was impossible that someone could dislike halloween. I mean, she thinks, it’s one of the best holidays the year has to offer. Harry stops trimming his small tree to look at his bare door and walls. He shrugs. “ Nah. I don’t do the whole spooky house thing” y/n’s mouth opens in shock… What? “ I… You know I thought you’d like halloween…” “ Uh, why’s that?” suddenly his palms are a bit sweaty. Could it be that she’s figured out he’s a witch? Maybe she’s smelled the potions? Or heard him conjure some spell. Fuck, this was it, he was doomed. “ Well, you have a cat named Salem for god’s sake” y/n giggles and Harry lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Of course. How could he forget he had a cat with the most obvious witch name possible. Harry shrugs “Jus’ seemed fitting… Black cat and all” “ Then I suppose you’re not doing much tomorrow night?” Harry shakes his head. All he was doing was hiding behind walls so he’d be able to ward off demons. That’s all his plans consisted of. “Would you… Forget it” “ Wha’?” Harry chuckles leaning against his door frame. Harry doesn’t think he’s seen y/n get flustered before, but he discovers it’s a dangerous sight. Makes him want to… Nothing. He’s being silly. Witches don’t feel those things humans do, and he’s going to stop his brain right there. “ There’s this party. Maybe you’d like to tag along?” she says. It takes unbelievable effort to put those words out, but finally she does it. Sure she’s made progress, but not that much. He’ll say no, she thinks to herself, that was stupid of me to ask. The fact that y/n thought Harry had little to no friends, since he never had anyone over or seemed to go out with people, had led her to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could be that. Inviting your almost friend to a party is not weird, is it? After all, Spencer did say she could bring a plus one.

Harry on the other side, can only think about how this, right here right now, is horrible. Him? At a party? Surrounded by mortals on Halloween? It was a recipe for disaster, but something inside him told him 2 things. 1. Even if he said no, she would go, and that would complicate things for him. And 2. What better way to blend in and be able to keep an eye on her than going with her to this party? “ Sure” he finds himself saying without much thought. Y/N seemed shocked, and for a moment, so did Harry. “ Uh, great. Uh so… We can leave at 10… I’ll… I’ll just, uh… come over and knock, then… And we could… go… t-together” Again Harry thinks the air conditioner in the hallways has got to be ruined. His palms are sweaty and his stomach feels weird. Does anything in this building ever work properly? “Sure…” “Oh! It’s a… It might sound silly, but it’s a costume party so, uh…” He just nods at her and moves from his plant to enter back into his apartment, he gives her a short thumbs up before stepping fully into it. The door is shut tightly behind him and he rests his forehead on the hard wooden block. He was going to need a costume.

There’s only a couple things one can find 24 hours before a costume party. That list is really limited, and Harry had learned that last night. Running to the closest party shop that was open and getting whatever fitted him best. He didn’t pay it much mind; it would have to do.

He flips himself a pancake and takes sips from his juice as he hums Tiny Dancer to himself. It was officially Halloween. The moment he woke up, shivers went up his spine, the rise in his powers, the feeling that there was something around. What, he wasn’t sure, but it was the same thing every year. The same feeling he was experiencing now, as he plated his breakfast and licked his fingers clean of syrup. He was in a good mood, hips moving clumsily from side to side as he got everything ready.

Harry didn’t know he was about to find out why the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, chilly and fuzzy. He turns around with his food, ready to sit by the balcony and get some yummy breakfast in his system when. “AH!” Harry finds himself screeching, screaming even, and dropping his plate that shatters into a million tiny pieces and a syrup-y mess on his wooden floors. “Mum?!” In front of him stood his mother, dressed in her usual long, drape-y dress and with her smile big and bright. Gemma was also there, with her short blonde hair, all black attire and usual fierce red lipstick, she was looking around his apartment when the noise startled her. “Oh, Harry, look at this mess” Anne rolled her eyes shortly and proceeded to pick up the broken pieces, with magic of course. There’s a strange thumping in Harry’s chest at the sight of floating glass and pieces of soaked pancakes. And the thumping matches the thumping of someone’s steps on the hallway. Harry feels her before he sees her and he panics looking at the door. Fuck. Before he can tell, y/n’s opening his door in a frenzy. He jumps and pushes at his mother’s hands, slamming the flying shards of glass back to the ground. “Harry are you ok?! I heard screaming! Oh-“ y/n finds herself a few steps into Harry’s apartment when she stops to take in the scene in front of her. The smashed plate on the floor, Harry’s shocked face and awkward stance, and the two pairs of unknown eyes that were staring her down. She could feel herself shrink at the stance of the two women in Harry’s living area. Although their eyes looked familiar, too familiar, she could place that they were in some way related to Harry maybe, they were too similar not to think so, the way they seemed to be judging her or scanning her ready to pounce as if she was prey, made her fear for her life more than they made her trust them, something Harry’s eyes often did. “ I-I’m fine!” He states walking over to y/n slowly. What was he going to do? He could feel his mom already analysing y/n and quite possibly thinking about how to eliminate her from Harry’s life. He knew his mom too well to know that she’d figure out y/n was partially the reason he wasn’t going back home for Halloween. But everything was fine as long as his mom didn’t place that y/n was the reason he wasn’t going back home for Halloween. “ Harry” his mother said and he winced at the tone. Fuck fuck fuck. “ Yes mother?” “ Who’s the lovely young lady?” Harry panics even more. What, oh lord, how was he to explain to his mom that this mortal was his friend? Was she even a friend? They have gotten close over the months but his mom would never take it, his mom would never understand. There’s no way y/n would leave unharmed by his mother’s spells then. Anne wasn’t the nicest witch when it came to humans. She never really believed in hiding and blending in, she believed they were powerful, and humans not so much. Maybe Harry’s dad had changed a bit of her opinion on the humans, but even that wouldn’t really apply if Harry had a mortal friend. Not her little Harry, lowering himself to the same level as a petty mortal. She never let him and she never will.

“ Uh…” there’s no way he can say that. There’s no way he can make this scenario have a good outcome. Y/N can’t be his friend, so he doesn’t make her one “This is… This is just one of my neighbours, mom” he sighs and finishes the walk over to y/n, grabbing her softly by the arm and rushing her to leave his apartment. It’s surprisingly easy to lead her out of his house, as she’s still in a bit of shock. Harry doesn’t blame her, dealing with his mum isn’t the easiest task, specially when you’re under her strong magical gaze. He quickly closes the door after a short “It’s ok. G’morning” to y/n, and turns back to find his mom with her arms crossed over her chest and Gemma biting on her nails. Fuck. He’s in deep trouble. Anne scoffs and turns, going back to lifting up the pieces of glass from the floor and throwing them in the trash. Salem casually walks into the room, tail waggling high and with his majestic strut. The moment he sees Anne though, his tail lowers and he turns right around. Harry knows very well that even Salem, no matter how much he says he isn’t, is a bit scared of his mom.

“ So Harry, I assume you know why I’m here?” There’s a debate in his head. Lie and say he’s surprised to see her, not knowing why she’s around, or… Harry opts for saying the truth. After all, his mom will definitely catch him in a lie like that, such an obvious one as well. “ Yes mum” he mutters lowering his head and staring at his bare feet. His thumbs play with each other as he fidgets. 23 years, a 123 actually, and he can’t deal with his mum’s moods. But then again, who could? His dad only, maybe. “ Can I know why you’re not going back home this year?” “ Mum” Gemma is quick to jump in the conversation. One thing Harry will always be grateful for, is the strong bond he shares with his sister. A quick glimpse and she could read him, even faster than his mum ever could. It’s like they are twin witches. “It’s not a big deal, is it? I mean… I missed my first Halloween when I was 23 as well…” she tries to soften the path so Harry can walk a bit more secure. Anne looks at her with a pointed bored look “well ok, 123. You know what I mean” Of course, witch years weren’t the same as human years but, if we’re acting like Harry looks like a 23 year old lad, then might as well throw in the fact that he’s a witch, living in a mortal world, and acting like he’s 23. Anne sighs and Harry rushes to give her a hug, trying to soften the blow before meekly asking if they would like a cup of tea and to sit and talk about things. With a doubting face and her nose pointed high, she agrees.

He doesn’t know how he does it, but between showing his mom how well he’s kept his apartment, his magical plants and his books, making some more magical tea, and of course a few little comments here and there about Salem’s adventure when he was missing and how Louis and Niall have given good reports about him, he finds himself hugging his mom and sister goodbye while the cauldron boils in the kitchen for their travels. “ I just…” he starts “I want t’figure out some things, and… I thought this was the best time o’year to get it done, mum.” by some things he completely doesn’t mean y/n. Nope. Maybe if he doesn’t think about it, it’ll be true by the end of the night. “ I don’t understand it. But I’ll try to be a good mother.” Harry has to keep himself from jumping. 3 hours. It took him 3 hours to divert his mum’s attention enough so he could settle his thoughts and properly explain to her why it was better for him and his development as a witch, to stay here for the holiday. Harry has never been more glad to suck at the teleportation spell than today, because it was his main argument. “When I was your age Harry I could do a lot more” “Which is why I think I have t’stay… There’s something happening today… can feel it” “Well, yes there certainly is, I feel it too.”

He bids his mom farewell before she casts a spell and teleports herself through the cauldron to god knows where. The moment she’s gone Harry lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, forgetting completely that his sister stands right there. “ So…” Harry jumps up scared, her voice startled him, but he turns to his sister with a smile. “I hope you know what you’re doing” Harry is confused. “ I… I thought you’d scold me?” Gemma has to know something is happening. The sibling connection is too strong for her not to sense Harry sort of lied to their mother and surprisingly got away with it. Gemma sighs and pats him on the shoulder. Her eyes speak a million words and have him feeling at ease. Gemma could always calm him down, read him easily and bring him back when his mind drifted. “ There is something Harry. I feel it. Don’t know what it is but I feel it… I just don’t know if you feel it too” She gives him a quick peck on the cheek before teleporting herself out of his room.

The thing with Gemma and Harry’s sibling connection is that, sometimes, she knows Harry better than he knows himself.

Y/N is giving the finishing touches to her costume and makeup. She tightened the bun a top her head and smiled at her reflexion in the mirror. This year she had outdone herself with her best rendition of one of her favourite Disney characters. Decorated her shoes herself and all. There’s a knock on her door as she finishes throwing her essentials into a small cross-body purse, and she sighs before walking to it. The fact that she had gotten him to agree to go to this party with her had her over the moon. The biggest progress she’d had with her friendship with him. But after… whatever that was this morning, and he shoved her out of his apartment, called her just another neighbour… Yeah… A friendship wasn’t exactly what it was, and that morning’s incident had made it clear for her. She shook her head, throwing away the thought. She had to enjoy her night and she would. It just hurt a small bit that she’d tossed away all of her lavender products, in hopes he would be able to come over, if he ever needed or wanted to, and wouldn’t end up sneezing until his heart couldn’t take it anymore, and then there he goes, completely smashing the thought that she was getting closer to him. She didn’t know why she cared so much, but she figured that after the past month, almost two of whatever interaction she’d had with Harry, it was about time she could consider herself a friend. Today had been horrible so far, and her mood was on the ground. She needed a good party and some time with friends… And the idea of a friend that could have been was not going to spoil one of her favourite nights. She smiles in the mirror. She will keep smiling.

Opening the door, she comes face to face with an awkward smiling Harry, dressed like… “ Really?” “ Wha’?” he says looking at himself. The black drape-y robe, pointy hat and characteristic wand, and a fake mole at the tip of his nose. “ A witch?” she says giggling “ok.. nice…” Harry looks up at her in panic. Maybe she knew? Oh lord had he given it away? Was it too obvious. Harry’s thoughts are interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, y/n was pushing him to move so she could come outside and close the door. “I don’t know, I just never pegged you for the type” Harry stops in his tracks confused. She didn’t think of him as a witch type. Well that was a relief certainly but… Why? “Really? What did yeh peg me fo’ ?” “ uhm… A werewolf maybe” she says shrugging and walking towards the stairs. Harry stands in shock and nods slowly. “ Huh… Would yeh look at that” he says before walking behind her. He rolls his eyes. Ugh, he hated werewolves, and he seemed like the werewolf type? He scoffs under his breath before shaking his head slowly and continuing to follow her down the steps.

The only problem of the witch costume was that Harry was getting a bit cold while they stood on the sidewalk waiting for the UBER y/n had ordered. It was the best he could find on such short notice but the fact that he’d worn just black everything under - black shirt, jeans, and boots - with the robe as his cover, left him slightly underdressed for the quickly dropping temperature. He was a bit nervous about the costume, happy when he bought it but nervous when he found himself just 5 minutes shy of walking over to y/n’s flat, and with Salem laughing hysterically at his look. “ You.. you’re a witch…” and then proceeded to roll around laughing. Harry rolled his eyes at his cat while he applied the sticky black mole on his nose. He didn’t completely get why the costume brought that attached on a little plastic bag until he remembered that mortals saw witches this way… Absurd.

He moved his nose around, it was so sticky. He played with his wand as he stood, still waiting for the car. Surprisingly, y/n wasn’t being really talkative tonight and Harry sort of thanked all he had for it. He doesn’t think he could make out a full sentence to her. And it had nothing to do with her cute Tinker Bell costume. Harry sighs lowly as she bounces on the balls of her feet, pretty y/n like, pretty Tinker Bell like. Although it felt weird without her talking and making small conversation, harry was shockingly at ease. He had never been to a costume party before, and fortunately no spirits had shown to cause any harm to y/n or anyone in the building, that he knew of.

Getting in the car, Harry decided that he had to say something. “ So… I’ve never, uh… been to a… costume party” “What?” she asks as she settles in her seat and greets the driver. “No way!” Harry shrugs and shakes his head. As a witch, halloween parties consisted of something completely different. And no one else really threw costume parties at some other point of the year, so no, Harry had never been to one. “ Well then we have to make sure you enjoy your very first!” she says smiling from ear to ear. That was the y/n he knew. Always chirpy to where it sorta irritated him. But it certainly irritated him a lot less than when she wasn’t smiling.

Arriving at the place without a sticky nose - “ just take it off. It’s a bit gross looking” y/n had said and he needed no more convincing- Harry took a look around. It looked like those young people parties he saw in movies, nothing like a witch party. People walked around and mingled, with red cups in their hands. Girls sported short costumes and guys sported… Well most sported “no shirts” and Harry felt out of place. The scent was immediate. Harry looked around while slowly walking up the pathway behind y/n. There was something here. He gulped. He wasn’t nearly as strong of a witch to fight everything off of everybody. He looked at y/n as she pulled him by his hand through the mesh of dancing bodies. He’d fight them off her, for sure.

It took around 15 minutes for Harry and y/n to wound up in different corners of the house. After a bit of forced conversation and Harry worrying over people coming too close, shining his eyes to dark spirits that just looked at him and walked away, he ended up with some kid named Matt and some of his friends as they told jokes in a small circle, overlooking the crowd of bodies every once in a while to check up on y/n. Every time he looked she was taking a sip of some drink. Then she started dancing, though he doesn’t want to think much about that, since when did Tinker Bell looked so cute? Soon Harry could tell she was more than tipsy, and that’s when he started getting closer and closer to her. So far two guys had come over to her as well and Harry’s eyes shone golden and blue, marking territory, making the evil spirits walk away, at least they were decent enough, Harry thought. He grabbed her by her shoulders and made her turn to him. He was quickly taken aback by the fact that she rolled her eyes at him and scoffed in his direction. What had he done? “ Y/N, hey hey… Listen t’me” She pushed him off her shoulders and walked to the kitchen of the house, pouring herself another drink. Wine this time. She downed it with fury, in 3 quick gulps, only to continue shaking her hips. Harry sighed and followed her, making sure to take the bottle of wine off her hand. Harry felt so lost. What was happening? Was she possessed or something? Had he not noticed when someone put a spell on her or something? He was starting to get annoyed at the amount of people crashing with him in their drunken haste to try and get to dance. It was bump and bump and bump. This had certainly filled his human interaction quota for a century. “We are leaving!” He screamed over the music and reached to grab her phone from her purse. All it took was a simple trick and he had unlocked it, focusing on the uber app. Now how did this work? Request… Ok, the destination… There.

Unbelievable. He turned for 10 seconds tops, to figure out the sleek application and then, before he can even blink, Y/N’s being sweet talked by a guy with a… Very distinct smell. Harry groaned as he walked over slightly pushing the guy off her with a quick shove to the shoulder. Just one look and he knew. Stupid werewolves. He hated them. His hatred for them and the fact that he was a bit annoyed at how the night was turning out, how so many spirits just lurked around her, and how she’d gotten drunk and seemed mad at him made his blood fire in his veins. He was… He was angry, really. He was truly angry, which doesn’t happen often to him. “ Fuck off wolf!” he says harshly, pushing at his shoulder again, this time with his magic touch that immediately burned holes at the wolf’s shirt making him scurry along, not before giving him a snarl and barking, his eyes shining. Harry rolled his eyes, it’s not a full moon, witch wins, wanker, he thought and grinned. The phone beeped in his hand signalling their ride was close, thank heavens, now his task was to get a drunk y/n to obey him and follow him towards the front of the house.

He was lucky that getting her into the car wasn't the biggest of his problems. After she was settled in, her wooziness made her talkative again and Harry felt a bit more at ease. Surprisingly. Even when she kept talking nonsense and got amazed at every single thing “ Look! I can make the air hot… or cold!” “ I see, that’s cool…” Harry entertained her distracted mind, the way you would a child who’s curious, discovering new things, and holding in his laughter.

She allowed herself to be carried out of the car when they arrived at their complex, after all her legs were wobbly, and she wrapped her arms around Harry as he accommodated her in his arms. His cheeks felt like burning but he wasn’t allowing much of that thought in his brain. Instead his main thought was that she was safe. Halloween had been ok, with the exception of the few pricks -magical or not- that hovered around her through the night and her drunken self. It had gone so much better than if he had left her alone. The other only thought in his head, he can’t help it, is how smooth her skin is, how he’s touching her after wondering for weeks if she’d feel as soft as her rug looked back on that day. “ You know?” she started as he walked inside the lobby “it’s not fair, and it’s annoying” “ Wha’ is?” he asked mindlessly. He figured he’d continue her conversation, but his mind drifted… How was he going to get her settled into her house without having to rush cause of the Lavender attack that was going to fall on him. “ That you’re a dick” this made him stop in his tracks up the stairs. What? “ W-why do yeh say tha’ ?” “ Cause I try and try to be nice, and then you have friends or family over and say I’m just a neighbour” Harry breathes in deeply as he continues his trek up the steps and reaches her door. “I thought we were friends!” she wails. “ I… I just…” she scoffs in her drunken moment. She’s so drunk. He didn’t give much thought and opened the door with a small spell.  “ To think I cleaned my apartment. For you” He stepped bracing himself for the whiff of air that was going to put him into three weeks of sneezing, but was struck with a surprise when he took a big gush of air in his lungs.

No lavender…

His nose didn’t itch and his eyes didn’t water. He looked in awe at the girl in his arms, with her cute small dress, rosy cheeks and pouty face, legs crossed and the pom-poms atop her shoes looking as soft as her rug, the one Harry still feels like running barefoot through. She… She had removed the dangerous smell from her house… For him? “ Do you know how much I loooooooooovee lavender?” she drunkenly pouts even more as Harry awkwardly steps further than he’s ever been inside her house, if her corner apartment is anything like his balcony one that means her bedroom must be… He opens the door to the left and finds himself in the bathroom. Well, to the right then. “ I just want us to be friends! Like Salem and Nina” she giggles. It’s almost as if she casts a spell because Salem comes speeding through Harry’s legs as he places one drunk y/n on her bed. She refuses to let go of his neck and he ends up sitting with her on the bed. It’s every little bit like Harry imagined. Well maybe a few things surprise him, like the kind of books that litter her space, and the vinyls on the bedside table, and the colour of her walls. But the bed… Lord the bed is as soft as he had imagined and the smell is… It’s not lavender for one, but it’s something else, strong but sweet and delicate. It isn’t feminine, but it’s a girl smell. He can’t place it. Apples? Cinnamon? Both? Vanilla? He doesn’t know the name for it so he calls it ‘Y/N’. It is so incredibly ‘y/n’. “ Ugh” she groans snapping Harry out of his thoughts as Salem hops on the bed. The cat gives the man a look like ‘is she okay?’ and he nods. “I hate drinking. It makes me sleepy sooooo quick” she giggles “… Like a potion” “ Yeah… Magical, isn’t it?” Salem says rolling his eyes as much as a cat can roll its eyes. “Harry, I think I had too much wine. Your cat is talking to me” she whispers giggly. Her eyes are open but she’s thinking a million things, and Harry’s hands come to shoo away the black cat who scurries down the hall and possibly out the door. She can’t tell, Salem’s really silent, and all she can focus on is that she’s sleepy and she wishes with all her might that Harry would stay with her for the night, but something keeps her from asking. “ Harry?” “ Yeah?” he says in a voice so soft and low it’s making her float almost. “ Can… Can we be friends, please?” she mutters before closing her eyes, slowly and, without wanting, falling asleep, or half asleep? He sighs as he dares himself to reach over and caress her cheek. It’s soft. Must everything about her be soft? Pristine and perfect? Nice and warm? He reaches over to undo, however he can, the bun on her head, letting her hair cascade freely, out of the -he thinks- uncomfortable do. Placing the bobby pins on her table he sighs. “ I… I want to be your friend…” he smiles softly. “Let’s be friends. I’ll try. I promise yeh. I’ll try t’not be so… me…” It’s incredible how he finds it so easy to talk to her now. Maybe it’s cause she’s drunk and wont remember a thing, so Harry allows himself to be a bit more open. Maybe it’s cause he feels like he’s inches away from her, when in reality he’s a good arms length away. Maybe it’s cause there’s this magic of Halloween that’s given him some sort of power. “ Harry” she says after a moment, sitting up however she can on the bed. For a short moment he worries she might feel sick, or she might push him off. He doesn’t really know what’s happening or what to say or do. “ Wha’ is it?”

Witches don’t feel things the same way humans do. They don’t get this anxious feeling in their guts when they ride a rollercoaster and are at the very top, seconds from falling down. They don’t get nauseous when they are nervous, if they get nervous at all. Or that weird gut feeling when things go wrong. They don’t get… They don’t get butterflies in their tummy, and they don't get rushes of heat when someone’s lips touch their cheeks.

Y/n leans back after drunkenly pressing her lips to Harry’s unusually hot cheek and she lets herself fall on her bed, officially passing out and softly snoring, more like letting out puffs of air as she cuddles up to her pillows. Harry breathes in and out slowly, shakily, trying to get himself to react. All he does is silently remove her cute shoes and wrap her up in her blanket. He heads to the kitchen and makes sure to leave a glass of water by her bed, he’s read it helps human hangovers, and he’s seen it in countless movies. Usually they leave pills too but he doesn’t feel like he should start rummaging through cabinets for a pair of advil, and if only he suffered from the common headache the way mortals do, he would have some at his place that he could just bring back to her, but he doesn’t so he settles for water only.

He takes the softest of steps as he leaves her apartment making sure to lock the door on his way out. They literally are the softest he can take and he makes not one sound. What a night. He smoothly walks back to his apartment, his head everyplace, thoughts running wild and he can’t seem to grasp one for more than a spare second. His stomach feels weird, fuzzy even, like he’s had something bad or like he’s scared. He doesn’t know where to place the small feeling. After all witches don’t get butterflies in their tummy the way humans do. He doesn’t wait much longer after coming into his house and he’s removing his robe and his shirt. Weird, he thinks as his knuckles graze the textured ceiling of his flat. No way he was that tall… Maybe he’d stretched too far “ Harry!” he looks at his cat startled by the loud screech that he’d let out as he mindlessly and without looking steps out of his boots pushing at each with the opposing foot. Salem looked shocked, like he’d seen a ghost but worst or something. “Harry… y-you are…” the black cat looks at Harry’s feet and he just gawks. The tall lad is instantly concerned. Is something wrong? Had he stepped on something? He hadn’t felt a thing…

He gasps when he looks down at his feet. He hadn’t felt a thing because he was… He was… “You’re floating!” Immediately Harry forces his body to drop and he tugs at his hair letting out huffs and puffs of desperate breaths.

A witch with butterflies in their tummy can be a strong and dangerous thing. You see witches didn’t get butterflies in their tummy, at least not the same way humans do. They get them, and when they do it’s always obvious because… The small insect makes them… Float.

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Witch!Harry continues! Halloween is here and it was NOT what either of our characters expected! Oh fuck! Butterflies? In a Witch? It can’t be! Tell me what you thought of this chapter, after all it’s the longest chapter so far and idk if chapter 5 will be this long, who knows. Tell me if you’d like it to be, or what your favourite part was. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IN CHAPTER 5? I WANT TO KNOW!!!

Chapter 5 : Coming Monday, February 6th *Disclaimer it might not be on time next week, I’m trying my best but I made some mistakes (cause i’m a piece of shit) and my laptop got all funky as well and chapter 5 is suffering...But I promised and forced myself to keep a schedule and I will!!!

#BIM tag. ||  Intro Here. ||   Ch.1 * Ch.2 * Ch.3 * Ch.5 *  ||   Schedule Here.

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Iv. xo all the cuddles, always.

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe in Magic ~* (ch.3)

- 3 - BY THE MAGIC OF... FRIENDSHIP?

Harry’s keys jiggle and clink together as he opens the small box where his mail arrives every Monday and Thursday. Bills, bills, coupons, bills. He lets his body rest against the wall of small lockers and opens up a small letter, it’s from his cousin Liam. He doesn’t get to read much of it when the peculiar voice he knows too well greets him. “ Morning Harry!” y/n says happily. Though Harry had learned many things since the day when Salem seemed to fall for her cat, Nina (one of them being that Salem and Nina really really liked each other), the one thing he didn’t learn was how to casually talk to y/n. Something about her always threw him for a loop, like he was suddenly floating or lost at sea, not knowing where he was going at all. That kind of loop. Not the one that gives you butterflies in your tummy and makes you flustered with sweaty palms. Definitively not that kind of loop. When she comes up all he can muster is awkwardness so he’s trained himself a bit. So he just nods and smiles shortly at her.

Y/N is left to sigh, as usual, she doesn’t understand why it’s so hard to talk to her neighbour but at least she’s making some progress… Not much, but progress nonetheless. She opens her small locker, looking for her mail.

She remembers after Salem and Nina met, how she went ahead and tried to convince him to have small cat play dates. A nerve wracking thing to ask due to the fact that Harry never seemed like he’d like to talk to her, but she braved up and went “Nina would love to play with another cat” to which Harry had meekly agreed. To him it was absurd. What were they? Dogs, or babies instead of cats? Who in their right mind settles cat play dates? Though Harry had to admit, it left Salem with little to no time to go annoying the rest of the world and getting Harry in trouble. That was the only plus.

Harry barely looked at her when she came over to his place, looking for Nina, or when he came, knocking so softly at her door she could barely hear it, asking if Salem had sneaked over because he hadn’t seen him in a bit, it was as if he wanted to interact with her the least amount of times possible. At least now he bares a small smile. She’ll call that progress.

Sometimes she worries for Harry. He seems to be always cooped up in his apartment, and she has yet to see him have people over. All he does is stay there and read and play with his cat… And cook. Y/N could sometimes tell when he was cooking, the smell drifting and hitting her apartment. She wishes she could cook. Baking? That she can do, but cooking is just a no. Sweets are her forte, but when it comes to savoury dishes, she could use some help. More than once has she found herself wishing Harry would teach her how to, or maybe share some nice leftovers, or having her over for a meal. But then again, Harry never has people over. Maybe he doesn’t have friends? No. That’s so sad. She can’t bare the thought, but everything unfortunately signals to Harry being a lone-wolf. She’d be his friend, in a heartbeat, but well, all he ever does is give her a tight smile.

It’s a bit of an awkward moment, that definitely carries on when both of them put their mail, read or not, inside the bags they had donned for the day, and walked towards the main building door. Harry found himself clearing his throat when he noticed they walked together, in silence. Awkward. He opened the door for her, letting her walk out first and shook his head taking in a deep breath. He was never ready to interact with y/n. Under any circumstance. He took his first steps onto the sidewalk and she’s there still. “Uhm just wanted to tell you that Salem went in my apartment before I left.” Harry groans, there he goes again. Y/N, surprisingly, gives him a smile “Don’t worry. Left enough food for both of them. And I’ll be back early today” she says wrapping a scarf around her neck and cozying up into her sweater. All Harry can do is smile and mumble a small “thank you” under his breath, turning on his heel to head towards his destination of the day. The library.

Stupid, he thinks to himself, she’s doing you a favour and you run. He finds himself huffing and kicking rocks at his incredible lack of social skills. It’s already bad enough to be a shitty witch, and then have his cat fall for the neighbour’s cat, and then the neighbour is really nice, but then again, Harry can’t deal with people. She’s something else, Harry thinks, which is exactly why he’s directed to his library.

Coming inside, he sighs. It’s nice to get rid of the coat and the scarf he had donned the whole walk through. It’s getting cold fast and he rolls his eyes at the thought of snow coming early this year. Stupid weather witch, getting her readings all wrong and promising late snow. Now all of the realm had no idea when it was coming and it was certainly the worst part. Although he liked winter, he didn’t want snow just yet, he needed the orange-tones of fall for a little longer. They were soothing, they helped him cope, and the leaves tasted great in his teas.

The library, one of Harry’s favourite places, seemed empty. Just how he liked it. You see, Harry really loves reading. If witches were measured by the amount of knowledge and books they’ve collected over the years, Harry wouldn’t be the clumsy beginner he is, wouldn’t need both Louis and Niall to look after him and teach him stuff. But unfortunately, his worth as a witch doesn’t relate to the expanse of his book collection. Where does he keep it? Right here. In the local library. It’s the first thing he scouts when he reaches a new town. A good library, big enough so he can hide behind shelves and make his own passage to his secret stash of books.

Reaching the science fiction aisle, he walks all the way to the back of the tall building, looking left and right over and over, making extra sure nobody was around to see him cast his spell. He mutters the words under his breath and quickly walks to the wall, phasing through it.

It’s a wonderful place, his library. His hidden paradise. He enjoys the smell of new books almost as much as the smell of his old books. The ones he’s carried since he was a baby witch, previously owned by his father, and his new catches. The shelves are full with witch and non-witch related things he just really enjoys reading. He takes a few steps and looks around him. For some reason the library seems bigger, though full with books as he knows it to be. Harry dashes through the stacks of pages in a quick search for his old talking books, and some about myths and legends of the witch world.

Wizardry volumes 1 through 20, Myths and Legends, The art of Hiding, Spells for the ill, Spells for the lost, The history of Spells.

Harry takes some of the books with him back to his place, for a bit of a night read, and some for the better understanding of mortal interaction. Harry sets them on his bedside table and lets himself flop down on his bed. It’s a bit dark out, just barely after sunset, when some rays are still shining through. He can hear Salem moving pots in the kitchen, maybe looking for his cat treats. He sighs and slowly falls asleep, with the distant thought of Y/N also falling asleep in what he imagines is a comfortable bed. Soft like her voice but all together firm like her ever so present smile. He hears the small roar of one of his ancient talking books, as if it’s humming, and lets himself completely go into dream land.

It’s awkward mail encounters with y/n all over again on Thursday. The tight smiles and shorter than a second small chats. Harry surprises both him and y/n, with her nice leather jacket and knit sweater, when he actually responds back with a  “Good morning y/n”. She’s almost 100% sure she hasn’t heard him say her name ever, she could have sworn he forgot. The blush on her cheeks and the smile on her face are impossible to hide as she walks away after wishing Harry a nice day, and Harry can only stare. He’d done that. Successfully answered back to her. He pats himself on the back for reading so quickly through his book on mortal interaction - at least on the bits about being nice, not about hypnotising them to work for him - those parts he skipped.

It’s not like it pained him to admit but he was still wary of the fact that he was getting a bit more comfortable with y/n the more the days passed. Whenever she came by asking for Nina, he’d open the door fully and pet the small cat before it walked out. He also gave her more than just a tight smile, he started to actually say “Bye” or “Good night” to her as she walked the few steps to her apartment. It was a christmas miracle, before christmas of course. As days passed Harry found himself a bit more comfortable about seeing y/n every other day.

Mail days in, and mail days out, Harry’s and y/n’s schedules seemed to click to a point where this small interaction became their moment to talk about… anything really. Their days… “ Yeh’re going t’be gone long today?” “ Not really. The door will be open, Salem can come” “ Thank yeh”

Their preferences and hobbies… “ Wait. You get recipes on the mail?” “ Yeah. Yeh want some of’em?” “ Would love them, but I can’t cook for shit, Harry”

And any random thing… “ What yeh got there?” “ Bills. Times twenty. Going to be broke by the end of the month” “ I’ve started to consider selling Salem” “ Finally. He’s starting to piss me off” “ Hey!” “ Hey back!”

It’s a bit past six when Harry comes back after visiting Louis and Niall, a small smile on his face. It’s not always that he leaves their place with a such a happy mood, but after the small talk he had with them, there was no reason to be sad or angry or pissy. Halloween was coming, and Harry liked Halloween. He got the chance to leave for the day and get together with his family. You see to the witch world Halloween is like christmas. Time to get together and be mischievous and roam freely. A lot of dark spirits rose and took everything as a small vacation from having to hide in-between the mortals. Harry got to visit his family in their town full of other witches, a town where he didn’t have to put spells on his cauldron or sing old ancient magic songs really low so no one could hear. He did, otherwise, have to deal with his mother, which was always a bit of a fuss.

Though Harry loved his mother, and Anne was certainly a lovely witch, that’s precisely what she was. A witch above all else, and Harry was a clumsy witch, to a degree where Anne couldn’t really understand how it happened or what went wrong. Because Harry is not like Gemma, who’d apparently gotten all the good genes. Anne was also a bit demanding, treated him like a baby and… Well she didn’t care much for being discovered, for she could put a spell on anyone that they’d forget her face. Forever. She definitely didn’t skip the parts on hypnotising a mortal on the book. It was easy for her. She didn’t understand that it wasn’t easy for Harry. She’s like that high class mom who wants only the best for her children, and when they don’t get it, she judges and gets easily pissed. Demands only the best cause she believes her children can deliver something more, as if what they already do isn’t their 100%. It was like dealing with an uptight queen most of the times and sometimes, no matter how much he loves her, there was so much Harry could take of that.

Once again the warm water didn’t seem to work, and Harry found himself heating it up with a spell. The hot drops felt good against his skin as he let the shower consume him and his thoughts. He’d have to leave somethings prepared before he went to his family for the “holiday”, he’d have to come up with an excuse as to why he was leaving for just a day, to y/n. Salem was coming with him, so y/n and Nina would be alone for a day. He was surprised with the thought. First thing being he had never in his 5 years living here, had to explain to anyone why he left for a full on 30 hours. The second thought being that he cared that Y/N and Nina will be bored or something without them.

After stepping off the shower Harry was greeted with Nina running around his flat and between his legs. He chuckled covering his lower half with a towel and dripping wet still. “Salem. We’ve got to get ready fo’ Halloween” “ I know!” He heard the cat scream back at him. Harry stepped into the hallway of his apartment to find Salem on the counter top, eating his food. “ I put your bowl on the floor for a reason” “ Yes. So that your mortal human friend didn’t see me on the counter top” Harry rolled his eyes “ It’s just a matter of days before you treat me like a mortal cat” “ Mortal or not, you’re still my cat.” Harry grabs the bowl of food ready to place it on the ground. “ Cat companion!” “ Cat…” Salem is left to scoff. He wasn’t just a cat. He was a Magical cat, and he was a good one at that. He scoffed. “ Put my food back here before I scratch you. I am a cat after all.” Harry lets out a throaty laugh and pets Salem on the head, right as he hears the clank of pots hitting the ground. Nina. The small black cat, though Harry had also learned that she had a white underbelly, was running around the room, hissing and pawing at… was that a mouse? “ Oh my. Nina! No, stop it!” His legs took him to chasing after Nina as she chased down the small animal. Straight out of Tom and Jerry if you asked him. The small creature squeaked and hid in different places only to run out again, fearing for its life, when Nina came close, and Harry was afraid to reach out in case the mouse jumped at him, or Nina scratched at him in her hunt. “ I take it back, I’m not a cat” Salem says laughing and getting himself comfortable to watch the action that was taking place before him. As a magical cat, he had no interests in chasing mice. He had done it once or twice, for show, ending up completely out of breath right after, and telling Harry that never again will he chase a mouse. Not the way Nina was doing right now as she zoomed past Harry and through the small cat door on his front door. “Nina!” He said, curls shaking when he stomped towards the door and out to the hallway where he found her clawing at a corner. This was his chance to grab her. “ What happened?” the voice behind him said, the voice that belonged to none other than the owner of the cat he was holding close and trying to calm down. Harry turns towards y/n with Nina in his arms. She’s standing by the stairs with bags upon bags of… Items. Harry can’t quite tell exactly what yet. “ She was chasing a mouse” Harry answers and turns back to look around for any trace of where the small rodent could have gone. It takes a moment for y/n to answer. She had stumbled into a baffling discovery. Harry had tattoos… All over. Well, not all over, but from what she could see his arms had lots, and his chest, and the butterfly on his stomach. She breathes in deeply. The last thing she was expecting when she came back, was to find Harry slightly wet from an evident shower, and clad in a towel that’s just wrapped around his waist. It wasn’t what she had envisioned, not now, not ever, but for a second she told herself she had something to be thankful for this upcoming thanksgiving. The thought was there for only a brief moment and she chucked it away. No. Not happening. You’re not going to give this a second more of thought; she tried to tell herself as she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “ Oh lord. Don’t think we’ve had any mice over at mine. She must have gone insane. Where’s Salem?” “Oh, he, surprisingly doesn’t chase after mice” y/n nods opening her door balancing shopping bags however she can. Harry hurries along, holding Nina in one arm and taking a bit of the weight off y/n’s shoulder “Allow me” he says grabbing as many bags as he can so that she can comfortably open her door. Weird. Her cheeks are so extremely rosy… Harry wonders, and quickly deduces it must be the cold air outside. He manages to hold onto his towel as well. Y/N is grateful for that. “ Thank you” “ If… If yeh don’t mind me asking…” he motions to the bags he’s holding. “ Oh. Well Halloween’s coming up” is her response. Harry peeks inside the bag and finds what seem to be small ghost stickers, spider webs and basically the entirety of Target : Halloween edition. “ It’s one of my favourites and I’m always ready for it” If the bags where any indication, yes. She was really ready for it. Harry laughed at the excitement on her eyes as he carefully put down the bags inside her place without really going in. No way he’s risking a repeat of the Lavender issue, he was sniffling for 2 weeks after, that he’d very much not like to go through again. “ I can tell. Expecting some demons, are yeh?” he jokes with her and lets Nina go.  Y/n laughs and nods. As he turns to go to his apartment, he quickly remembers something he used to hear a lot when he was younger, and in the good spirit of Halloween, smiles and turns back to y/n “Know… My mum always says those who are the most excited for Halloween, are the easiest prey for demons” Harry wiggles his fingers in her direction, jokingly scaring her and he can hear her laugh as he walks inside his apartment… And stops dead in his tracks. His face showing fear and worry. Oh fuck.

“Shit!” He hisses. The sudden realisation that indeed what his mom says is true. The ones that are the most excited for Halloween, are the easiest prey for dark spirits and black magic. They are basically calling it by its name. Harry pulls at his hair. Y/n is more than likely going to get attacked. “ Something wrong Harry?” he hears Salem murmur. “ I…“ the thought is quick. He can’t just leave her knowing she’s basically a magnet to any and every bad thing that happens during the holiday. And then it’s decided “ Salem, we can’t leave this Halloween” Harry says sighing. He’s also, more than likely going to get attacked.

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Witch!Harry continues! Halloween is getting quite close!  Chapter 4 : Coming Monday, January 30th #BIM tag. ||  Intro Here. ||   Ch.1 * Ch.2 * Ch. 4 * ||   Schedule Here.

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Iv. xo

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe in Magic ~* (ch.2)

- 2 - SO CATS FALL IN LOVE?

It’s cold outside. It’s a surprise to Harry it’s not snowing already, but the witch that controls the weather did say she planned a late snow this year. Also it’s barely October, there’s no way it can snow right now, even with the cold wind nipping at Harry’s red nose and blowing his short curls in random directions as he walks down the road. His eyes are open and focused, searching left and right for the small cat and kicking stones on his path. The conversation he had with his elders not long ago had surely sunken what was left of his spirits ever since Salem had gone missing, not to mention he was still feeling the aftermath of the lavender attack from y/n’s apartment. Harry sighed thinking back to it.

Delivering bad news to his elders was top of his “things i’d rather die a slow painful death than doing" list.

The look on their faces and their scolding, low voices…

“You what!?” was the first thing Louis said, and Niall fainted briefly. Harry cursed under his breath, this was going a lot worse than he imagined. “I’M SORRY!” Harry’s wails of despair rang all around the room, his eyes going back and forth between Louis who paced the room, his small figure and young looking face, not at all intimidating, but oh, Harry was terrified. Louis tends to have a bad temper and volatile reactions to everything, and being a clumsy witch as himself, Harry had heard more than enough shares of cruse words and screams in his life. Louis was the one he feared the most, even when he looked just a couple years older, but Harry knew deep inside him he was a lot older than that, and he had a lot more power than he seemed to let on. Harry visibly gulped. “ Harry, you can’t just come in here and tell us you’ve lost Salem” Niall said from his seat, seemingly snapping out of his fainted state. Niall, unlike Louis, didn’t scare Harry. Well, yeah, he scared him. The blonde lad was definitely scary, but a bit more sentimental than Louis, which had allowed Harry to breeze through a few mishaps without a scratch. Harry didn’t doubt though, that this time he wouldn’t get off easy. Losing one’s companion cat is at the top of the list of things witches should never let happen.

Although in Harry’s defence, Salem was probably the sneakiest cat, the one who cause the most trouble, and it wasn’t his fault he got paired with a cat that worried more about his next prank, than the fact that they were hidden in between humans.

And well, of course his elders were not taking that as a valid excuse. “ Have you got any idea what this means?” “ I -“ “ No you don’t Harry, or else you would have not let it happen” Comes in an angry yell from Louis’s parted lips. Niall sighs behind him, placing a hand on the dark haired lad. “ How do you let a cat like Salem escape from your sight?” “ He’s sneaky” Harry yells, stomping his feet like a little child “He’s always getting himself, and me, into trouble, and you know that” “ Exactly why Salem should never be unwatched” Harry sighed. This was not going to work out for him, there is no possible way he could come out victorious from this one. His best chance was to hope for only some scolding and no reporting to the Ministry of Magic. Losing a companion cat was a disaster waiting to happen. Both Salem and/or Harry’s powers could weaken or explode out of their control. Salem could be taken away by some animal control agency, and not be able to escape due to his powers weakening, or worse. He could die out there and Magical Cat Death’s are not your typical cat deaths.

Harry walks down the road taking turns left and right, still looking for a sight of Salem, and with the roaring voice of Louis that just plays on repeat in his head

“Find the cat. NOW”

He was trying. He was trying his very best to sense Salem’s magic, and to see past maybe a hiding spell he could have cast, that is, if his magic is still intact. It takes all of Harry not to break down and cry over his lost cat, even when the black ball of fur gets him in trouble more often than not, Salem was way too important and dear to Harry already.

The bell chimes when he walks into the small store, picking up a basket and deciding to at least do something else productive with his time. There’s a few things he needs to get at the grocer’s.

If there’s one thing that Harry can’t stand from mortal’s routines, it’s grocery shopping. It’s the most mundane thing ever. Walking down aisles, having to carry a list if you don’t want to walk around like a lost puppy, and if you don’t want to keep coming everyday. Also the jukebox like music in the background and the fact that it’s incredibly cold all around, not just the meat section. Why can’t they all just make apples appear at their door? Harry thinks this is completely fine, seeing as most mortals also think grocery shopping is the worst, he can blend in perfectly with the never ending amount of bored faces around him. Though, as a witch in a human world, Harry knows perfectly, there’s always an exception. “ Hey!” he turns around to find that, chirpy as always, y/n is standing right there behind him, wearing a cute cardigan, sweater dress and tights. And as usual her smile is the only thing on her face, not much make up, just the brightest smile Harry has ever seen. The grip on the small basket he carries falters, and he wonders if his hands have been this sweaty all this time. Maybe he should keep them out of his pockets, they get too warm.

“ I was hoping to see you today” her voice is like honey, it’s so sickeningly sweet, something Harry really can’t stand. During all the time he’s known her…  - Can you really say he’s known her at all? - Well more like observed her, as he did with all his neighbours in the past 5 years, but nonetheless, there was bits and pieces of her that Harry knew just by observing and listening through the walls - never did he sit through something personal though - just by being cautious. She was terrifyingly nice. Too nice, it completely took Harry for a loop. She was nice and sweet and chirpy. Surely she had her bad days but more often than not Harry could hear her giving herself pep talks, and talking herself out of bad moods before she had to leave the house. It was fascinating really. And annoying? Yes, a little bit. Another thing Harry couldn’t stand from the mortals was how they could be so mean, but her, y/n, she was too good for her own good, and Harry was a bit disturbed to say the least. Well, it’d be a lie to say it was oh so refreshing. Sweet sugary people often made him mad as well, if not more, it was too much flowers and spice for his liking, and he always passed as a grumpy lad, though he was just shy and would rather keep to himself. Chirpy people always turned out to be clingy and nosey and preppy and, simply, it disgusted Harry. Y/N, on the other hand was bit more intriguing. Confusing.

It took Harry a bit to notice she was still there, even when his mind drifted to the countless amount of time he spent trying to get to know her, without really interacting with her. He stumbled and stuttered. “Why?” he rudely asked her. Good one Harry. He hadn’t meant for it to come off as rude, he genuinely wanted to know why she had hoped she ran into him today. They had never ran into each other for the past 5 months, thanks to Harry’s mortal avoidance strategy, even when she’s been living down his hall all that time. The smile on her face didn’t falter, or at least Harry didn’t notice. See? It’s annoying how she’s always happy. Harry wonders if he were to push her down the stairs or cast a floating spell on her, would she keep the smile on her face. Immediately after the question goes through his head Harry finds himself clutching the shopping basket tighter to his body. God, no. He thinks to himself, he would never. Why was he thinking about such dark things? For some reason the thought of a tear ever running down her cheek was enough to almost make him puke.

The loss of Salem was affecting him a bit and his day had been the worst so far, his mood wasn’t up for any sweetness.

And all things considered, Harry was still beating himself up for thinking about ever hurting the fragile looking girl, and something told him that if he were ever to make her float she would giggle. “ Had a cat related question” she was fast to answer before Harry started thinking about her giggles. They were cute. He’d heard them more than once and made a vow to never think of them much. They were too cute. Stop. “ Uh… S-sure” And again, Harry was never good with human interaction. He was never prepared enough to talk to a mortal. There was no way he would ever be comfortable enough talking to them. He was always on edge, it surprised him how he hadn’t been found with his fidgety words and hands always tousling his hair to and fro. “ What cat food should I buy Nina?” “ N-nina?” “ Oh! yeah. I named her Nina, cute, eh?” “ S-sure” What kind of name was that for a cat? Well who was he to judge? Magical cats have the weirdest of names, but to him it was normal, the same way Nina was apparently normal for her. “Uh…” Harry looked into her shopping cart “that one’s fine. I u-used to get that one f-for Frisk-uh…” Harry’s hands come to scratch at his head. “ Frisk?” “ I-it was m-my cat. Before Salem.” “Oh. Okay then!” She nods and pats down the pack of Kitty food in her cart. Then she grabs a pack of toys “On to toys… Never owned a cat before. Just a fish. And they don't really play” she giggles. Fuck, it’s cute. Y/N takes a deep breath, she can sense herself talking too much. It was a feat already not to ask about Frisk, she just dropped it. For some reason she feels as if she’s not Harry’s favourite person, so she’s trying to make this interaction quick. He’d obviously didn’t mean to run into her, although she ran into him technically, so of course he had things to do, places to be, and she was not on the list. As usual, she was trying not to talk for days and get side-tracked. “ C-Cats like just a-about a-anything… Uhm, just… Just make it f-fluffy, a-and uh, laser pointers?” Harry had to admit he had little to no knowledge on normal cats, but the laser pointed worked even with Salem, so that must be a good thing. “Yup” she said chirpily as she took out a small object from her shopping kart, it was a small laser, she giggled at the sight of it. Does she giggle at everything? That’s got to get annoying quick… Harry stops himself from thinking about how much time it would take for him to tire of the sound, assuming he’d be with her enough time to even get to hate it.

Harry turns awkwardly in his heels to continue his shopping, and y/n, giggly as ever, bids him a small goodbye and thanks, continuing her way as well.

The keys in his hand jingle as he comes up the stairs with bag after bag of groceries, thankfully none too heavy. It takes Harry just a minute to open the door and drop all the things around the kitchen counter, and it takes him about 15 seconds to feel Salem. He’s close, really close. Without much care, Harry follows the feeling down the 6 floors and out into the small exterior parking lot of the complex, where he senses Salem come closer and closer. Soon, like a lightning bolt, a black cat comes running down the street turning sharply into the complex and the smile on Harry’s face reaches from ear to ear. It’s Salem. It really is him this time. “Harry!” the cat screams as he reaches the young man’s legs and hops on him as best he can. Harry has to admit, he’s about to cry. If you were to tell him that one day he would miss this sarcastic ball of fur, he would have laughed at your face, but here he is, with Salem in his arms and tears brimming his eyes. “ Fuck sake Salem…” He whispers. Soon his powers feel like flowing normally again, it was amazing to have Salem back, both of their powers levelling down and calming. Harry drops Salem, who still wraps himself around his legs. “ I was so far, some neighbourhood I had never seen before, and then I found that small, horrid bakery you like so much. Oh I’ve never been happier to see old Mrs. Higgins!” Salem starts to explain as Harry and him come up the stairs. The tall lad listens carefully, paying attention to his cat’s tale and making a mental note to call Louis and Niall ASAP, let them know Salem was back and that there was no need to contact no council. Although, knowing Louis and Niall, they probably already knew they had been reunited. It’s good to be back some sort of sense of normality, it’s glad to be back home and with Salem. And then Salem stops. “ Sal, buddy what-“ Harry turns around, only to find Salem stopped in his tracks, staring at the opening door of apartment 6A, y/n’s apartment. Y/n’s there, her small cat following suit. Although if you were to ask Salem, all he could see was the small Nina.

Almost instantly the two cats run to each other and play around the stairs. Harry’s eyebrows fold up in pure confusion. Salem hates mortal cats. All of them. “ Oh! Salem’s back yay!” Y/n says closing the door behind her. Nina and Salem continue to roll and paw at each other. She turns to look at her neighbour only to find him completely stumped. He should be happy his cat found his way back home without a scratch… “Is something wrong?” “ Nina… and Salem…” Harry murmurs still in shock. This can’t be possible. Salem’s basically behaving like a dog, a dog smelling another dog in heat. “ Seems like they like each other” y/n sighs happily. This was cute. Her small Nina could have another cat to play with. This made her happy, Harry on the other side… It’s not that he isn’t happy, he just doesn’t understand, he doesn’t know what to feel or say. “ Salem… Hates basically everything…” Salem was the darkest, most pure representation of a black cat. Hates everything and would rather set it aflame or prank it. It was the way Salem rolled. Not like this, on the ground with another cat. Harry turns towards his apartment and leaves the door slightly open behind him, not giving much thought to the confused girl and playing cats he had left outside. He didn’t know what to think. He didn’t understand.

Could cats fall in love?

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Witch!Harry continues! Let me know what you think and if you’re liking it so far? I have up to chapter 6 ready so I’ll try to make the last few a bit longer if you guys would like that :) also since their relationship develops there will be more to talk about. Chapter 3 : Coming Monday, January 23rd Check out the #BIM tag. ||  Intro Here. ||   Ch.1   ~   Ch.3  ||   Schedule/BIM Navi: Here.

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Iv. xo

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe in Magic ~* (ch.1)

- 1 - Lavender-less Potions. Salem-less Times.

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Harry is just a shy witch he's doing all his magic in a back room, or any room, at his beaten up apartment in the old complex, though his flat actually looks amazing on the inside. He has lived there for ages. Literal ages. He has a black cat, Salem, magical as well, of course, that loves getting in trouble almost as much as he loves getting Harry in trouble.

Mostly, Salem is sneaky. Goes on a hunt one day and doesn’t come back till the next day. Or goes around doing his thing and then Harry gets a knock on the door about how Salem did this or the other, all of it without Harry noticing. He just likes to stroll about town and have a good time. And that’s fine until one day, Salem realises that he doesn’t know where he’s at, and his magic doesn’t have the same reach while he’s far from Harry. He looks like a stray cat, and he’s new to this neighbourhood. Ultimately, Salem is fucked. Left to walk in any direction until he feels Harry near enough for him to try to get back to him.

Harry isn’t completely used to Salem after the time he spent alone with no where to live but his old apartment, after Frisk died. In fact he was just getting used to Salem being a trouble maker and a witty cat. Despite making it 5 years in the building, all Salem continued to do was either get himself in trouble or get Harry in trouble, so, on that day, unfortunately for Salem, Harry had yet to fully notice his absence.

There’s a knock at Harry’s door and it’s weird. Normally no one knocks. He doesn’t have much interaction with the people in this building and who ever might visit him, wouldn’t just knock. They’d phase through the wall, and always sending him a warning that they were coming beforehand, and not this unexpected knock that startles him while he mixes in some raspberry into his potion. He was just practicing, trying different ways to get his sleeping potion to look and taste like tea.

He hides his “lab” with a small spell, to open the door revealing his neighbour. It’s the cute girl that moved in about 5 months ago and with which Harry hadn’t had much interaction with either. She’s nice and bubbly, he knows this, he can hear her at night and when she comes by in the afternoon. He has to admit he has seen her and paid a smudge of attention to the soft looking girl with big brown eyes and round button nose and teeth that line perfectly until the small crooked one that keeps her smile real and not tv commercial fake perfect, which was something harry had immediately liked. But that was it. He hadn’t really snooped or paid any more attention to this girl after that day when she arrived. Maybe he knew she came around in the afternoon after work or college in the morning, only to spend around two to three hours in her flat down the hall from his, and then leaving, for either college or work, until around 8pm.

Harry wouldn’t have any problems talking to her, had he gotten the chance before. She seemed ok and he knew she was nice and perky, which was exactly why he didn’t really seek her out. She was spry and bubbly, maybe a bit too much for him. He’s not a douchey witch, he’s just a bit tired of humans, both mortal interaction, and human behaviour, sometimes got the best of him, specially after having to deal with the same kind of people for over 80 years.

She stands there with a nice dress that’s a bit too lacking in fabric for the weather outside, but Harry refrains from paying any more than needed attention to the outfit she sports. Instead focusing on the black cat in her arms. Harry’s mouth turns into an O shape. “ Hey, I think this is your cat?” “ Oh, lord” Harry turns around quickly to look at his flat. No signs of Salem anywhere. When did he? The sneaky bastard. Harry rolls his eyes quickly and switches back to the girl, taking Salem from her hands. “uh… Thanks for… Bringing him back” The thing is humans are all the same, yet so different, leaving Harry with little to no human interaction skills. His feet carry him to the kitchen where he sets Salem on the countertop. He’s about to give him a downright scolding. Sneaking like that. Only getting him into so much trouble. What if someone saw Salem talking? Or his shiny eyes as he pulled another prank on the old lady downstairs. “ Uhm. Kay. Thanks” is all Harry can say in his quick haste to get rid of the girl at his front door that was so kind to bring back his cat. But his small hiding spell is about to run out and she’s still all prying eyes into his flat. He panics slightly, closing the door.

She’s left to frown at the weird guy living in apartment 5F, and she could have sworn he had closed the door with his mind, as he was too far to have reached with his extended arm. She shrugs off the weird notion and the weird neighbour and picks back up on her way to her flat.

Inside, Harry sighs as his cauldron comes back to view and it’s basically over boiling. He rushes to set down the flames. Traditional potion making is such a hassle. He’s a bit mad at the interruption but glad that someone found Salem before Salem exposed himself, costing both their statuses. “ Salem,” he says and comes to level with his cat. Salem looks at him innocently. “why were you at the neighbours?” but Salem is quiet. He’s sighing under his breath, Salem is going to be like that then… Harry’s about to cast a small spell that will put Salem upside down for an hour, something he knows the cat hates, when he hears a small mewl. Harry’s face is shocked and he snaps in the direction of the black animal. Was that a…? There it is again, the small meow… The typical sound of… a normal cat. Harry’s eyes switch colours, from his usual shiny green, to a menacing gold, as he levels once more with the cat who’s now obviously not Salem. Words of a spell leave his mouths as he now focuses on talking to this normal cat. The poor thing is scared, and most importantly, a female cat. Not at all Salem. The cat is confused, not knowing what to do or where to go, not knowing where it’s at, as it cowers away from Harry’s stare. “ Don’t worry. It’s safe here” Harry reassures the kitten. “I’ll find you a good home” he sighs as the cat jumps in his arms and he removes the spell, eyes back to normal and kitchen smelling like rotten raspberries.

So Harry does what first comes to mind and takes this cat, over to the lovely neighbour at the end of the hall, looking at the big 5A and a small silicone removable sticker of a pumpkin she’s plastered on the wooden door.

She’s startled. She hasn’t really made friends with anyone while she’s been here. She’s probably the youngest in the building, not that she would have any problems talking and befriending the nice old ladies from 6A through 6C, and the doorman always knows her delivery orders and sets aside her mail for when she leaves in the morning, and she brings him his favourite coffee when she comes back before he’s gone on the shift switch, but that’s not really enough to consider a friendship. The only other person who could might have the same interests as her and maybe would go out with her to have fun, catch a movie, or just hang out at her apartment, is the tall, english major looking dude in 5F. He’s got to be around her age. Oh how wrong she was.

She’s surprised to see him, the guy from 5F, holding his cat in his arms. She had found the cat walking left and right outside by the dumpsters of the complex, and immediately recognised it as her neighbour’s cat, the one she had seen multiple times run down the hall and come up and down the stairs, only to make a sharp turn and rush back into the lad’s apartment by the small dog-opening. Funny that a cat went in through that, but functional she supposes. She never thought the kitty would be ok with her approaching it, but the little black ball of fur let itself be carried by her with no problem, allowing her to give it back to its rightful owner.

She looks at the curly headed man in front of her and gives him a warm smile. Maybe he’s there to properly thank her for finding his pretty cat, after all he was a bit rude when she brought him back. “ Hey, uhm. This isn’t my cat” are the words that escape his lips and she frowns in shock. What does he mean? How can that not be his cat, it’s identical. The crazy thought that maybe it’s his cat’s twin passes through her brain, but she’s quick to swallow it, stowing it away to laugh at later by herself. She stutters and Harry’s a bit annoyed, overall concerned over the fact that this was not Salem, neither was it a trick by Salem with a decoy cat. And then the young neighbour is opening her door wider and asking him to please come in. Harry hesitates. He’s awkward around humans as it is. And now she’s inviting him in after he was a bit rude to her and when he’s had no previous mental preparation for any human interaction longer than needed. His palms are sweaty. Maybe it’s cause she’s wearing the cutest pijama bottoms he’s seen, they look soft and they end above her knee, allowing him a quick look at her legs up-close. And her socks have little cherries on them, matching the pants. No. That’s definitely not it. Maybe his palms are sweaty because he’s rusty in human interaction. He’s really rusty. That’s it.

He puts one foot in front of the other, slowly coming in, the small cat meowing and purring.

Her flat is nice. There’s not much in it. Harry sniffles a bit after walking in. Minimal looking couch, a small tv, and a large bookshelf. Also some nice art decorating her walls, and the rug… The rug looks soft. Harry kind of wants to remove his boots and socks and just stand on it and feel the material under his toes. Wiggle them. Also her walls are a very light beige. Almost white, with an accent wall painted blue right before you enter the kitchen. Harry doesn’t know much about her, other than what he’s gathered from quietly listening in through the walls or peeking through his blinds, but immediately this flat screams “HER” so much. Harry sniffles.

“ Have a seat, would you like a cuppa?” She asks politely and Harry declines. Though he would love a cuppa, right now he would like to escape as quickly as possible. “ No… thanks…” Harry bounces on the balls of his feet and sniffles. “So. This isn’t… Salem” Harry grimaces. The stupid name of his cat is so obvious. But all she seems to do is smile and pour him a cuppa anyways. “ How do you know?” she asks and Harry opens his mouth. For starters it’s a female cat. Secondly… It doesn’t talk and it won’t do any magic… Just saying it’s a female cat will do, right? It’s also missing the small collar Harry had donned Salem, just human formalities, so Salem did look like a real cat, with a real owner. And just in case they ever needed or had to be apart, Salem could let any witch know where he belonged. But she’s quick to continue talking “Oh jesus, Y/N you’re dumb. Of course you know it’s not your cat. It’s your cat for heaven’s sake.” She slaps a hand to her forehead, as if scolding herself, though Harry can only think ‘Y/N… Fitting name’, as he sniffles once more. His nose a bit runny. Probably the cold air outside. “ I’m Harry, by the way.” he feels awkward not introducing himself so he drops it slightly. She’s quick to catch it as she sips her tea and pets the small cat’s head “So.. Uhm… This isn’t my cat…” Great Harry, you already said that. “This is a girl. Salem’s a boy. And the collar…” his voice trails off. The collar only works with other witches and magical creatures. Note to self, Harry, buy Salem an actual human world collar. “I was wondering…” He’s quick to continue, before she can ask much about the collar. Thought why would she… it’s only normal for a pet to have a… Ah, fuck sake Harry you’re getting yourself in even worse shit. “W-would you be willing to… keep this… ca- At-cHOO!” “Oh, bless you!” she says in her sweet voice. Y/N is quick to hand him a napkin and take the small cat from his arms. Of course she would be willing to keep this cat. She would need to buy food and a bed and a lot of cat related stuff, and she’s never had a cat before, ever in her life, having always been more of a fish person. But she’s up for it. She’s about to tell him just that when “ At-chhOOO!” “ Lord, bless you” “ Do… do you… at-CHOO!” Harry can’t talk. There’s something tingling his nose, making goosebumps rise and tickling his throat, as he can’t hold in the next sneeze, and the next, and the next. His eyes become glossy and red as he stumbles about, covering his face with the napkin she provided and breathing harshly. He can now fully sense it. “Laven- at-CHOO!” “Pardon me?” “ I’m allergic to-to… Lavender ah… AH-“ the sneeze doesn’t come out, leaving Harry with tingles on the tip of his nose. Y/N gasps and takes the napkin form his hand. Lavender is her favourite. She buys lavender scented napkins, and lavender scented detergent, and she sprays her bathroom with lavender, left and right. In conclusion, this flat is just an allergy bomb waiting to explode for Harry. He avoids lavender at all costs, it’s unfortunate, for it’s sometimes an essential part of many potions, but he just has Salem drop them in the cauldron and he’s glad it doesn’t cause any rash or something when he takes a sip of the potions, just the smell of it makes his eyes water, throat burn a slight bit and “at-cHOO!” “ Jesus! Harry, leave right now! Oh my god” Y/N’s freaking out, pushing him out of her flat and quickly shutting the door behind him. She quickly makes a mental note to eliminate all lavender items from her house, that is if she ever wants Harry to come back around. Wait… Does she?

——

Witch!Harry has started. I have to admit I’m not as sure about this as I was before. Let me know? Chapter 2 : Coming Monday, January 16th. #BIM tag. Intro Here. Schedule Here.

Ch.2 here

——

Also: Inspo: Can I just say Harry sneezing is the cutest thing? I mean I’m sorry cause it means he’s sick but... awwwww look at it. LOOK AT IT.

—— Iv. xo

[stylessemantics]

*~ Believe In Magic ~*

//  INTRO // For The New Witch In Town 

It was a long drive. The big road kept narrowing the closer he got to his destination. He sighed once again. He hates driving, but he had to. He couldn’t just fly his broom to the new house, neither could he fly his car there. The Rules kept changing, he couldn’t just teleport himself there now either. Besides, just how weird would that be? New neighbour getting there and no one noticing… The closer he got to the small town, the more “natural” he had to appear. Specially in these times when people just hunted his kind for fun, not even for religious beliefs anymore. Just for the fun of finding a witch. Hatred. Judgement. Just cause he was different.

Harry turns a left and then a right, seeing the entrance of the not so small town and remembering the previous towns he had been in. Specially Saint Orum; It was bigger but cosier all the same. A lot more lively and nicer looking. Even the aroma was sweeter than this new town’s. He concluded the first town he lived in was better. Or maybe it was because he had lived there for 100 years. He’s a bit biased. “ So is it a house? Or another measly apartment?” The voice startles Harry. For a second he had forgotten he was travelling with a companion. He turns to look at the stretching cat that nips at the seats and scratches at his leg. Salem. His new cat, the mandatory companion for a witch like Harry. The replacement to his old cat. Another reason he liked the other town a lot better. He had Frisk, his “original” cat, the one he sorta grew up with, his first ever cat. Sadly, witch-cats don’t last as long as witch-people, and can’t just cast a spell to rejuvenate once year 100 hits.

Salem was ok, Harry decided when they first got paired. It was better than having no cat and mourning over the loss of Frisk. And, hey, it meant having someone to talk to no matter what town he moved to. It meant he didn’t have to be alone until he made some human friends. If he ever made any.

But after 25 years and a fresh restart, Harry decided that Salem, and his relationship with Salem was… different. Salem turned out to be annoying at times. He was a bit of a rebel cat, going his own way and not always helping Harry. Sure they have bonded a bit over the years and there’s a sort of love hate thing between them, with some nice moments; like when Harry tended to Salem’s broken paw for weeks, and when Salem helped Harry with his potions written in a language so ancient Harry could’t comprehend but Salem had learned while being a kitten, and some not so nice moments, like when Salem got Harry in trouble and caused him to cast a spell and have to move towns, settling them in the present predicament. With this move, it marked the 3rd town Harry had lived in with Salem in the past 25 years, and after the hard reset spell he cast last, this made Harry a very fresh looking 18 year old. Wasn’t that nice?… No. It wasn’t for Harry. “It’s an apartment” “Good heavens. Why can’t we have a nice 3 story house like we did back in Fresno?” Salem groans in his raspy english accent. “ It’s not my fault someone burned down the house next door…” Harry looked at his cat side-eyed, giving him a pointed look. The elders had been furious. And where one went, the other as well. “ Fine. Apartment it is”

Settling into the new apartment wasn’t hard. It was small, but not that small. In fact the perfect size and a bit more than needed. Considering Harry didn’t have a lot after dumping, with a lot of pain, most of the old books he carried at the International Library of Witchcraft, and casting a spell that enlarged a room, one of the few spells Harry can master with eyes-closed and half asleep, the apartment was perfect. The building was old looking on the outside. Of course, Salem groaned, quickly covering it with a meow at the sight of an old lady. But on the inside it was fairly modern. Harry thanked his elder Louis for locating him in such a nice place, and low-key, very quiet neighbourhood.

Neither Niall or Louis, Harry’s elders, and not even Harry and Salem themselves know how they have made it, but soon Harry’s cutting himself a slice of cake on his 23rd birthday, and he looks around, noticing he’s still in the same town. People don’t know anything about him, and his powers, and Salem has gotten into trouble, yes, of course, just none as bad as he has in the past. No one knows how they have done it, but Salem and Harry celebrate that they have turned 5 years living in St. Winston, with no need for a reset spell, and no need to pack up and escape. It’s not like this is the longest they’ve been in one place. But it’s long enough to celebrate after lasting just 16 months in Fresno. Where someone had accidentally burnt down a house…

Harry was a nerd. That was stablished since day one. He was a clumsy witch, he just really liked his books, but no matter how much he read, his magic just wasn’t that strong. His powers weren’t at all mastered. But that didn’t stop him from eating books with fervor. Both on magic and non-magic topics. Nicholas Sparks’ novels littered his space, any type of literature in piles around his bed, and his reading glasses that Salem levitated off Harry’s face whenever he fell asleep reading Bukowski, Austen or something else.

So when Salem stops licking himself to look out the window and he notices something and then gasps, someone actually; Harry isn’t phased, he’s too into the words that enter his eyes, avid reader he is. “ Seems like we have a new neighbour” He says, already plotting how to pull a prank on them. Harry is uninterested, truly uninterested. His nose is deep in a book about ancient mythology and it’s too good to put down, as he walks around munching on an apple and slipping his glasses farther up his nose. “ Harry!” Salem says coming up and scratching at his sock-clad feet. “ Ow! Salem, watch the claws!” “ We have a new neighbour!” Now Harry’s attention is on the small black cat. More often than not, a new neighbour meant the possibility of another witch, or a witch hunter. It was also another person Harry would like to research and keep an eye out for, as he did with everyone else in the building. Witch or not.

Harry and Salem both lean over the couch to look out the balcony without being spotted. Parked in front of the building is a moving truck and the man from the moving company carry boxes in and out. There’s a bit of ruckus coming from the hallway. ‘They are moving to this floor’ Harry deduces. He’d learnt something from the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Not enough to be even close to Holmes. “There!” Salem says, making Harry turn around so fast it almost gives him whiplash. He spots the person amongst the working man. It’s a girl. She’s got her hair tied up in a high ponytail and she wears something that looks like a dress, or a shirt and a skirt. He can’t be sure from this height, from this angle. “Go on! Cast it!” the cat says and Harry snaps out of his thoughts, quickly casting a spell only other witches could see and respond correctly to. The small specs of green float around the girl, though she doesn’t seem to notice them. Any other witch close by would see them and respond by changing the color of the magic dust, though all the girl does is continue to carry boxes and talk to the working men. “ Bah, no fun” Salem is instantly discouraged. She’s not a witch that he could play with, or talk to besides Harry. Being the only magical talking cat in the neighbourhood, quite possibly the whole town, is not as boring as Salem thought. It’s 100 times worse. “Just a petty mortal, I was hoping for something fun” Salem is quick to lift his tail in the air and hop from the balcony edge back into the house, walking over to his pillow on the ground where he sleeps. Just a petty mortal, case closed, not relevant enough to keep the attention of mighty Salem.

Though for some reason, Harry just stares for a while longer. There’s… He’s scared to say there’s something because she clearly isn’t a witch. But for some reason his new neighbour doesn’t seem as boring as all the people in the building are to him. For some reason Harry wants to know just a bit more, and he looks further on. He’s intrigued, and he can’t even make out her face from where he’s sat… “ I wish another witch would move in, you know? To stop being the new, and only witch in town. I’m so bored” Harry can hear his cat say from behind him as he slowly steps off the balcony. Right as she looks up to him. Maybe not him, maybe just the building in general. And maybe she could feel someone looking, and she catches the shape of a man in a balcony, and he’s there for a moment, then he’s gone. “I’m tired of petty mortals.” Harry’s gone, turned behind the curtains as he lets out a sigh.

“ Yeah…” he responds to Salem “…Same” Harry shakes his head and places his glasses on his face again, to continue reading as he lets himself drop on the couch next to Salem’s bed. Just a petty mortal…

Find anything Witch!harry related under the #BIM tag. Check out the rest of my work here. Let me know what you think will happen in the next upload.  Smooches, Iv, *casts a magic spell*

[stylessemantics]

Believe In Magic - Upload Schedule

DRUM ROLL! Here’s the schedule for Believe in Magic, a witch!harry short fic by Iv, a.k.a @stylessemantics​. 

The intro for this short fiction can be found here... During the rest of the fic, the chapter names will be revealed the day before they get uploaded (Sundays). #BIM will be released one chapter a week, on Mondays as follows:

Monday, January 9th                1. Lavender-less Potions, Salem-less Times Monday, January 16th               2. So Cats Fall In Love? Monday, January 23rd               3. By The Magic Of... Friendship? Monday, January 30th               4. Halloween Is Truly Magical

BELIEVE IN MAGIC / WITCHHARRY IS CURRENTLY ON HOLD. It will be back, though.

?? hopefully 2017               5. ---- ?? hopefully 2017               6. ---- ?? hopefully 2017               7. ---- ?? hopefully 2017               8. ----

There will be links to every chapter added so you can use this as your “Believe In Magic Navigator" as well. You can find the anything else related to this fictional work, under the #BIM tag. For the rest of my work and a list of the fics that will be coming up, in my Year Of Fics (YOF), click here. And that, ladies and gents, is Believe in Magic ;) enjoy.

Smooches Iv, xo