#then it's really not a ravenclaw door knocker question at all

[bouwrites]

I love the idea of the Ravenclaw Eagle Door Knocker asking very pointed and purposeful questions to make the students think about issues they're currently struggling with.

But it is startlingly difficult to come up with decent questions. I'm not even that happy with the ones used in my Terry Boot/Harry Potter fic I posted today, even though I am quite satisfied with the role they play in the story.

But at least they're not fucking "what am I" questions. That always grinds my gears because they kind of massively miss the point of what the Knocker is there for.

Of course, people also typically massively miss the point of what Ravenclaw is about, too, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Just saying, I get it. The Knocker is hard to get right. But it's never been about logic or deductive reasoning. The questions have to be open-ended. If your Ravenclaws can't get into hour-long debates outside the door about why this answer is more or less right than that one, you're really kind of missing the point, I think.

[theostrophywife]

kiss with a fist | chapter four.

masterlist 💋 chapters 💋 playlist

pairing: theodore nott x reader.

song inspiration: bohemian rhapsody by queen.

author's note: i'm warning ya'll now this one is sugary sweet. i'm basically finished writing all the chapters, so i'll be pushing these out more often. as always, i hope everyone enjoys my mans.

The west wing of the castle was eerily quiet as you led Theo through the corridors. The spiral staircase leading up to Ravenclaw Tower snaked all the way up to the fifth floor, which was proving to be a feat to climb in the dark given that you weren’t able to cast lumos without being discovered. It didn’t help that a slightly inebriated Theo kept trudging on your toes during your ascent. 

“Oh for Merlin’s sake,” you hissed under your breath before grabbing hold of Theo’s hand. Even in the dark, you could tell that the insufferable twat was smirking. “Not a word, Nott. I either hold your hand like a toddler or keep suffering in silence as you stomp on my toes with your giant feet.”

“You know what they say about giant feet,” Theo whispered behind you. Moonlight streamed through the skylight, perfectly illuminating your scowl. His grin grew wider as he squeezed your hand. “Giant shoes. What did you think I was going to say, Y/N?”

“I’d prefer if you didn’t say anything.” 

Theo gave you a mocking salute as he quietly followed you up the stairs. You tried not to focus on the warmth of his hand or the way his fingers twined tightly around yours. You especially tried not to dwell on the strange but not entirely unpleasant sensation of Theo’s thumb rubbing soothing circles across your knuckles. 

When you reached the fourth floor, Theo made no move to release your hand as you walked up to the wooden door. It had no knob or keyhole, but a knocker in the shape of an eagle. Identical to the common room entrance, which was a floor above. But you had no plans on smuggling a Slytherin into the eagle’s nest. 

Instead, you gently rapped on the knocker. The bronze eagle blinked back at you. Theo nearly fell over in surprise as it rasped out a question.

“What breaks and never falls, and what falls and never breaks?”

“Day breaks and night falls,” you answered. 

The knocker nodded, appearing pleased before the door swung open. Theo chuckled softly. “Of course you Ravenclaws would require a riddle for entrance. Godric forbid you use something as simple as a password.” 

“Passwords are easily guessed, riddles are not.” You tugged him into the dimly lit hallway and gave him a sharp look. “Don’t get any ideas of sneaking in, either. The riddle changes every day and the eagle is prone to clawing intruders.” 

Theo shivered. “And yet everyone thinks that we Slytherins are the sadistic ones.” 

You smiled in satisfaction as the two of you walked further into the fourth floor. Theo trailed along after you, more than happy to let you take the lead for once. He stopped short when you opened the door to the music room. Starlight flooded in through the stained glass windows, drawing silver prisms across the crushed velvet couches, ornate persian rugs, and tiered choral risers. Instruments of every kind were organized into neat rows—harps, cellos, lutes, violins, and even a set of bagpipes. 

But you weren’t interested in any of them. 

In the center of the room sat a baby grand piano. Theo watched curiously as you sat on the bench and carefully lifted the mahogany top. 

“I didn’t even know we had a music room,” he remarked as he slid in beside you. 

“That’s not surprising at all.” 

Theo rolled his eyes. “So this is how you relax?” 

You nodded, resting your fingers on the ivory keys. “Like I said, I’m not really the type of person who can just turn their mind off so I have to occupy myself with something else. With music, I can focus on the chords and scales and patterns and eventually I sort of just get lost in the melody.”

“Play something for me, then.” 

You nodded and started playing a familiar piece. The music flowed through you like honey, each chord and note so vivid in your mind that you could practically imagine the sheet music floating before you.

When you first came to Hogwarts, you spent countless hours in this room. Every time you felt overwhelmed by the wizarding world, you channeled your frustrations and fears into this piano. You found that music was a universal language that was understood by both the magical and muggleborn. 

As you played, you felt the classics pour out of you. Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy. They were pieces that you learned from your father. You could almost picture it now, sitting in your sunny London flat and playing the piano together while your mother watched and listened. 

The melancholic melody of Swan Lake filled the room. It was the first piece you ever mastered when you begged your father to teach it to you after coming home from the ballet. A wave of nostalgia crashed into you as you closed your eyes and let yourself become one with the music. 

Each movement was fluid, the muscle memory embedded into you while your fingers flew over the keys. The piece built to its crescendo and it felt bittersweet as you delivered the final note. You had all but forgotten about Theo until you opened your eyes again. 

“Only you would find the morbidity of Swan Lake relaxing,” he said with a small smile. 

You quirked a brow. “You know Tchaikovsky?” 

“Of course. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a total degenerate.”

“But he’s a muggle.” 

“I’ll have you know that I received an Outstanding in my O.W.L. for Muggle Studies.” 

You gaped. “I didn’t even know you were taking Muggle Studies.” 

“Advanced Muggle Studies,” he corrected. “As much as I love a depressing classic, I think you’ll find this piece a bit more modern.” 

Theo scooted over and began playing a vaguely familiar intro. You strained to place the music and watched with complete bewilderment as he continued to play with a grin. 

Any way the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me. 

The realization set in just as Theo nudged you to play the next part with him. The ballad came naturally to you after having heard the song so many times. 

Mama, just killed a man. 

Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead.

Mama, life had just begun.

The two of you barrelled through the guitar solo and weaved through the operatic section. Your fingers were cramped by the time you hit the hard rock portion of the song. You hadn’t even noticed that you were singing along until you heard Theo laugh in delight beside you. Thank Rowena for the soundproof walls. 

You turned over, and sang the lyrics right at him. So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye? 

Theo delivered the next line with equal fervor. So you think you can love me and leave me to die? 

The two of you looked at each other and serenaded one another rather aggressively. Oh, baby, can't do this to me, baby. 

Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here.

Both of you were in stitches when you finally reached the outro. You couldn’t remember the last time you laughed so hard. 

“We did not just perform a godsawful rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.” 

“Speak for yourself. My vocals would’ve brought Freddie Mercury to tears.” He touched his heart, looking solemn. “Godric rest his soul. The man was a proper genius.” 

“I would not have pegged you as a Queen fan.” 

“You can peg me no matter whose fan I am, darling.” 

The snort came out of you before you had a chance to reign it in. Theo’s eyes widened in surprise as you covered your mouth in utter mortification. It had taken you years to control your snort, but sometimes it just slipped out. 

“Did you just—”

“Speak of it ever again and I’ll maim you, Theodore.” 

He raised his hands. “I’m not mocking you, I swear. I’ve just never heard you laugh like that.” 

“Yeah, well, I suppose all this faffing around has unearthed my shameful secret.” You tried and failed to conceal your smile. “Consider it a compliment. No one’s heard my snorting in years.”

“Maybe they should. It’s quite charming, you know.” 

You chuckled again, not bothering to hide your snorts. 

Theo grinned. “On second thought, I think I’d like to keep that laugh all to myself.” 

The flush that crept onto your cheeks was entirely involuntary. You stretched your legs underneath you and bumped your knee against his. “Congratulations, Nott. You’ve somehow managed to accomplish the impossible. I actually feel relaxed for once in my life.” 

“Relaxed enough for a midnight snack?” 

You shook your head. “No way. I’m not sneaking into the kitchens again. I barely escaped Winky’s notice when I nicked your muffin last time.” 

“Who said anything about the kitchens? I have my own stash of snacks back in the dungeons. How do you feel about gelato?” 

“I’ve never had it,” you admitted. 

Theo looked properly affronted. “As an Italian, I take that as a personal offense.” 

“Isn’t it the same thing as ice cream?”

“The same as—that’s honestly the most inconsiderate thing you’ve ever said to me.” He rubbed his temples. “This is no longer a matter of choice now. The reputation of my people is on the line until you’ve tasted stracciatella.”

Your mouth quirked. “Got any mint chocolate?” 

As you expected, he flung his hands around as though you’d just asked for feet flavored gelato. “Che palle! This is more dire than I thought. Mint chocolate? You might as well squeeze toothpaste on a chocolate frog and call it a day.”

Theo ranted as he led you out of the music room. You couldn’t help but giggle at the genuine distress in his expression. You made it all the way to the first floor of the tower before he stopped grumbling under his breath. 

“Well, gelato aficionado, I hope you have a plan because Filch is probably making his rounds as we speak.” 

He only smirked in response. “I may know a shortcut.”

You followed after Theo as he approached a portrait on the far end of the west wing. He produced the grimoire from his pocket and shuffled through the worn leather pages before he found the correct page. With a flick of his wand, Theo chanted something in Italian. The portrait, a young woman with dark hair and a mischievous grin, appraised the two of you. As her gaze flickered over you, the familiarity of those watercolor eyes struck you like lightning.

“Fai scelte intelligenti, cugino.” 

With that, the portrait swung open into some sort of secret tunnel. Theo’s lips twitched as he gestured for you to step through the threshold. As the portrait swung close, you heard the young woman sigh dreamily. 

“La storia si ripete.”

While your understanding of Italian was rudimentary at best, you were fairly certain that she’d said something about history repeating itself. Theo reached for your hand in the dark and you took it without question. You were deep within the secret passage before you even realized it.  

“Family of yours?” 

“How’d you guess?” 

“You have the same eyes,” you observed. “Plus, she called you cousin.” 

He seemed mildly amused by the comment. “Been brushing up on your Italian?” 

“Only enough to make sure you’re not insulting me.” 

Theo chuckled. “Fair enough. To answer your question, yes. The portrait is of Coletta, my second cousin thrice removed. She attended Hogwarts centuries ago. She was a Ravenclaw as well.”

“Why is that name so familiar?”

“She invented the enchantment for the moving portraits. Of course her first subject was herself.” 

“So narcissism and vanity is an inherited trait, then?”

Theo smirked. “Darling, when you’re as pretty as we are, then immortalizing that beauty for future generations to behold becomes a high priority.”

“Oh, good. I was worried that you were becoming too humble."

“Let’s just say that dear old Coletta won’t be the only one in my bloodline to be featured on a chocolate frog card.”

“I doubt that being the world’s most massive wanker constitutes the commissioning of a card.”

He rolled his eyes as you rounded a corner. Theo kept you behind him as he pushed on a depression in the walls. It gave way, swinging open to an empty hallway. 

“Speaking of massive wankers, welcome to the Slytherin dormitories.”

You smirked and nodded to the giant serpent statue at the end of the hallway. “Is that a basilisk or are you just happy to see me?”

“My poor little Ravenclaw. I’m afraid I’ve corrupted you past the point of no return.”

“Please,” you tutted, strutting through the maze of the dungeon dormitories like you owned the place. “I was depraved way before I ever met you.” 

Theo chuckled under his breath as he led you further into the heart of the viper’s nest. Through the windows, you could see the dark waves of the Black Lake ripple as you walked through. It was oddly beautiful, in a morbid sort of way.

“Here we are,” Theo said as you came to a stop at the end of the hall. “Home sweet home.” 

Before you entered, he muttered a series of privacy and protection spells that you’ve never even heard of. Magic weaved through the door and sizzled with evergreen sparks before it finally swung open. 

“Paranoid much?”

“You have no idea. You Ravenclaws may have your riddles, but learning how to hex your door from nosy snooping twats is a right of passage for every Slytherin.”

You peered through the threshold, suddenly feeling nervous. In the past year doing whatever it was you and Theo were doing, it had become a sort of unspoken rule to have sex anywhere but your dorms. For one, it was too much of a hassle to sneak each other in, but if you were being honest, the main reason why you've never even attempted was because seeing someone else’s room was strangely intimate. You tried not to think about how easily Theo invited you into his space as you ducked through the door. 

A mixture of envy and jealousy hit you full force when you walked into his dorm. It was a massive room with a four poster bed, luxurious velvet curtains, and a stained glass skylight. There was a mahogany desk littered with ancient tomes, cracked parchment, and half empty ink pots. The latest Nimbus model was propped up next to his nightstand with a green and silver scarf tied around its hilt. Leave it to Theo to use the expensive broom as a glorified hanger. 

You made your way through the elegantly decorated room and noted that it was far tidier than you would’ve expected. Theo was content to hang back and watch as you looked through his baubles. A picture on his nightstand caught your eye. Mostly because it wasn’t like the moving portraits you were so used to seeing in the wizarding world. This was a still likeness, a polaroid of a beautiful dark haired woman with little Theo. He was wearing a Cambridge jumper three sizes too big and showing off his two missing front teeth with a cheeky grin. 

The image tugged at your heart. “Is this your mum?” 

Theo nodded. “Yeah, that was the first time she took me with her to Cambridge.” 

“And there’s the infamous jumper you begged her to buy, huh?” 

“The one and only.”

You kept staring at the photo, noting how happy little Theo looked. It made you think back on that day at the lab when you watched him slip on his smirk like a mask. Like armor. You wondered if you’d ever see his unguarded smile, full of childlike wonder and joy, just like in the picture. You wondered why you even wanted to. 

“She was very beautiful,” you finally said, setting down the polaroid. 

“She was,” Theo wistfully agreed. “Clearly I inherited her good looks.”

Rolling your eyes fondly, you continued surveying his room. For some reason, you found it fascinating. You nearly squealed in delight when you came across the towers of books he had lined up against the wall. 

“Go ahead,” Theo said with a chuckle. “I know you’re dying to snoop, diavolina.”

He couldn’t have been more right. You loved going through people’s bookshelves. You could tell a lot about a person based on their books. In Theo’s case, his reads were nearly as chaotic and surprising as he was. 

As expected, there were a few books on quidditch, a rare potions tome that you were fairly certain cost a small fortune, a selection of mystery novels, all magical save for a lone leatherbound book on the top shelf. You carefully cracked it open and found yourself reading through the Divine Comedy. 

“Dante’s Inferno,” you said in surprise. “How terribly morbid of you.” 

“How so?” He asked, reading over your shoulder. “Alighieri composed it as a comedy rather than a tragedy. It does have somewhat of a happy ending.”

“I suppose, but the poem was mainly a raw commentary on the savage nature of human existence and delved into the ugliness of it all, from the banal to the depraved. The eternal torture chamber was a meditation on evil. Even purgatory explored the flaws of human nature and the fallen state society often finds itself in.”

Theo took the book from your hands and flipped to the last section. “Yes, but Paradiso was all about goodness. It explores transcendence, redemption, and virtue.” He smiled softly. “I know the concept of paradise might be a bit naive, but isn’t there a concept of heaven that we all hold onto to prevent ourselves from despairing? When you’re trudging through shit, you’ve got to hope that you’re clawing for something better on the other side.” 

You were silent for a moment. “What does Paradise look like for you, Nott?”

Theo smirked. “You’ll have to get me higher than this to answer that question, dolcezza.”

“Fair enough. Now educate me on gelato like you promised.”

A few minutes later, the two of you sat cross legged on his rug while indulging in decadent scoops of stracciatella. The creaminess of the gelato was perfectly complemented by delicious flakes of dark chocolate. The sounds you made while eating were borderline sexual.

“If I had known it was this easy to make you moan, I would’ve introduced you to gelato ages ago.”

You lightly kicked him in the shin. “I still can’t believe you enchanted a mini fridge to hold your fancy imported dessert.”

It was actually quite impressive. You hadn’t even thought of doing that yourself and you were the muggleborn one. 

“Perks of acing advanced muggle studies.” 

“Having a Gringott’s vault at your disposal helps as well.”

“Smart, rich, and handsome. I’m just an all around catch, aren’t I?”

“Someday you’ll make some poor unsuspecting witch very, very miserable.”

“Someday?” Theo asked, the corner of his mouth curving into a mischievous smile. “Why wait? I’m perfectly capable of making you miserable now.” 

With that, he took a dollop of his gelato and smushed it against the tip of your nose.

You gasped in surprise, squealing at how cold and sticky it felt against your skin. “You’re a dead man, Nott.”

Theo bolted to the other side of his dorm and you followed, trying to fling scoops of gelato at him. He giggled like a child as he dodged your attacks but there was only so much space for him to evade you. Finally, he gripped your wrists to keep you from retaliating. 

“Here, let me clean you up.” 

As you squirmed in his grasp, Theo leaned over and licked the tip of your nose. You squealed in disgust as he lapped up every bit of gelato. Theo sneakily took your cup from you and set them aside before leaning back to admire his work. From this close, you could see the gold flecks in his eyes. They darkened as you glanced up at him, his blue green gaze turning stormy. 

“What?” you asked, brushing at your face. “Is my face all sticky and gross?”

Theo shook his head. “No—you look fine—more than fine you’re—“ He paused, stumbling for words. “Can I kiss you?”

The question suddenly made you feel nervous, which was ridiculous given the fact that you’d kissed Theo countless times before, but there was something about the way he looked at you now that felt…different. 

“You’ve never asked before.” 

Theo frowned. “Maybe I should have.” He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “Gods, you’re right. I can be a real wanker sometimes.” 

You smiled. “To be fair, I kissed you first. Mostly to shut you up, but still. I’ve never asked either.” 

He swallowed thickly as he ran his fingers through your braid. “Well, can I?” 

A knot formed in your stomach as you nodded. This was ridiculous. There was no need to be nervous. You repeated those words over and over again to yourself as Theo caressed your cheek, his gaze flickering over your face as though he was searching for that final missing piece of the puzzle. Then, gently, as gently as he ever had, Theo leaned in and kissed you. 

He tasted like cigarettes and mint, like dark chocolate and cream, like stracciatella and sin. 

But most of all, Theodore Nott tasted like your own personal unraveling.

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[siriusblackmakesmesoft]

Soft

Sirius Black X Ravenclaw!Reader

Warnings: Very fluffy, use of she/her pronouns, a few physical descriptions of height and hair, reader being a childhood friend of Sirius and Regulus, use of the nickname bunny, sad Sirius :(

Word Count: 2592

enjoy :)

Sirius was having a bad day.

Usually he was able to move through them with little friction, a little extra quidditch practice, a little harsher joke at Peter's expense. Nothing too bad, just getting it out in little ways all day long, and by the end of the day he felt better. But today started bad. He had a nightmare, and if you asked him he would say that it was less of a nightmare and more of a flashback. He woke up sweaty and sticky and crying. Gasping for air, hands waving frantically towards his sheets and his heart trying to find proof of it being over. The sun wasn't up yet, and even though his brain told him to wake someone up, he just took a cold shower. Put on his favorite sweater and went to the gryffindor common room. The red chair next to the fireplace was calling his name.

On top of not sleeping well, he got a letter dropped in his tea this morning. He knew from the nameless front of the envelope that it was from his mother. The green ink inside only furthered his bad mood. Remus' look of sympathy was met with a tight lipped semblance of a smile, and when James pat him on the back he felt the urge to hurl. Pity is really the last thing Sirius wanted, ever, but right now he couldn't stand it. Mumbling some excuse to leave, he went to the black lake. Alone and quiet, that's what he needed.

Of course, with his luck, it didn't last long. His mood hadn't improved in the half hour he was alone, and he was sure being by himself much longer wouldn't have helped either, but the presence of another person irked him. Looking up and seeing his brother lessened the annoyance, he was positive James venting about Lily would make everything worse.

"I see mummy dearest wrote to you as well?"

The scoff Sirius let out truly was unintentional. He had been trying to reconnect with Regulus, and while it wasn't his idea, he really was trying. Having someone who knew, lived the very same thing that made his day start so awfully, was refreshing. He didn't have to act like it wasn't so bad, especially on days where he needed someone to say that it was.

"Only called me a disgrace 4 times this time around, didn't even mention how I was a traitor."

This time it was Regulus responding, a soft hum of acknowledgement, and a deep sigh.

"I win then, she only said I was a disgrace once."

It got Sirius to chuckle, a deep chuckle that was laced with sadness. The silence that followed was comforting, no expectation for conversation was something Sirius rarely experienced, and he was glad it was happening with Regulus. Laying back so he was flat against the ground, Sirius heaved a large sigh, dramatically flopping his arm over his face. Regulus stretched, tapped his brother's knee three times, and stood up to leave.

"You should visit (Y/N) soon, she wasn't at breakfast."

Sirius' thoughts were flooded with the girl, instantly raising his bad mood. He ignored the part of him that got annoyed when Regulus spoke of her, as if they were close. While she had always been in the lives of the Black boys, she held a tighter grip on Sirius. And he knew, everyone knew. He relished in it.

Regulus started walking away in the middle of his thoughts, and over his shoulder yelled, "If you see her, tell her I say hello!"

The rest of Sirius' day went quite similarly to his morning. He failed a herbology quiz, got a detention in potions, made James upset when he spoke up about his obsession with Lily ("If she said never in a million years, prongs, that usually means she wants you to leave her alone!") and while he felt bad when James face dropped and Peter shook his head, Remus saved him by putting his hand on Sirius' shoulder and said quietly, "It's okay, he knows how your days been."

By the time dinner had come about, Sirius was ready to be eaten by the squid in the black lake. He stopped the facade of his typical self just after his talk with Regulus, and while he knew he should eat, he just pushed his food around his plate. He tried listening to Peter's story, and the summary of the most recently finished book Remus was telling, but his eyes were blank, and so was his head.

He left dinner without a word, going to walk through the halls until he felt good enough to sleep. His feet led him to the Ravenclaw tower door, getting nervous as he approached the eagle knocker. He let his breath out when the riddle was easy enough to solve (to be fair, (Y/N) had once said the eagle adjusted what riddle was used based on the immediate judging of the intelligence of the student, and while Sirius didn't think he was stupid, he appreciated a simple ego boost in the form of an easily solvable riddle.) and he walked in, dragging his feet to the stairs.

The Ravenclaw tower was structured differently than the Gryffindor, but the stairs to the girls dorm were the same. After muttering the simple charm to make sure the stairs didn't slide him straight back down, he walked down the hall to the head girls room, hoping she was there.

When his knock was met with silence he walked in anyways. Thinking maybe even her bed would help him in this moment. And while as desperate as it sounded, he knew she wouldn't mind. Opening the door he was met with the blissful sound of the shower, the light under the door and the light humming coming from the ensuite being the best thing his senses have experienced all day. Sirius walked slowly to the bathroom door, stopping to look at himself in the mirror on her dresser. He looked as tired as he felt, the remnants of a bad day hanging so obviously off of him. A crooked tie, messier than usual hair, dark circles under his eyes. He looked like the physical representation of a bad day.

When he got to the door of the bathroom he paused. This wasn't an unfamiliar routine, yet in this very moment he was anxious. Doubt flooded him. Scared of a rejection that wasn't going to approach him. Opening the door was relieving. Like a thousand pounds were suddenly lifted off his shoulders. Lavender and vanilla took over his senses, the warmth of the steam, the sounds of light music and water hitting tile. He was sure this is what heaven felt like.

"Sirius? Is that you?" He felt even lighter when she said his name. That soft tone, the one she only used for him. The same one she used every single time she spoke to him. It never failed to give him butterflies, even on the worst days. Somehow just her existing made his world a little brighter.

"Yes, 's me, bun." He couldn't find the energy to say much else, and the good part about her was that he didn't have to. The silence he left was welcomed, one she would gladly fill up with the melodies of Beatles songs he showed her.

"Reg said you were having a rough day, that I should expect you after a while." Her tone was questioning, leaving him the space to tell her as much as he needed. She always did that, let him take control in conversations about such things. He admired it truly, wanting to keep her in his pocket forever.

"Hasn't been the best day, no." Sirius took a seat on the counter, next to a few lit candles, and began fiddling with his fingers. Taking deep breaths, inhaling her scent that was stuck to the air all around him.

"D'you want to talk about it? 'Ve only got my hair left." He didn't want to talk about it, not really. He hummed as an answer, and she started singing as if she hadn't ever asked. The room lit up with the scent of her shampoo, a smell Sirius knew quite well. It was lavender, matched her conditioner, and lingered on the pillows he slept on in her bedroom. It was the kind of warm smell that encompassed you in a bubble of safety, and the feeling of home. Sirius began to think about all the times she ever made him feel like that. All the times she ever made him feel safe, content in being who he was. Because she loved who he was. And her own comfortability with that, with him, was enough to make him secure in it himself.

"'M gonna make you close your eyes now, no peeking." She giggled lightly under her breath as she turned the water off, moving the curtain to make sure his eyes were closed. He didn't say anything, and he really didn't peek. With his eyes closed his other senses got stronger. The smell of her shampoo mixing with that of her vanilla lotion, the sound of her brush running through her hair, the ever so quiet hum of the last song that had played. He felt his entire body calm down, being completely soothed by her entirety. All he could sense, all he could smell and hear, was her. And it grounded him.

"You can open your eyes now, Siri, 'm decent." He almost didn't want to. He suddenly felt very sleepy, wanting nothing more than to bury himself in her arms and sleep as long as she let him. Once he did open his eyes, his heart fluttered. She was wearing an old sweater of his, knit by an older Gryffindor and given to him as a Christmas gift the last year he stayed here for the holidays. It was shades of green, woven together to make a chunky knit sweater that fell just past her hips. She was wearing his old pajama pants too, ones from an impromptu sleepover at his childhood home. He wasn't shocked they fit her, considering she hadn't grown since third year, but he was shocked to see she kept them.

She blew out the candles next to him, smoke billowing up and out of the jar they were in. She put lotion on her face and her hands, grabbing his hands and putting the excess on them. She grabbed his chin very lightly with her thumb and forefinger, moving his head around, as if to inspect him, and for a small moment Sirius was afraid of what she would find.

"You haven't been sleeping well. Haven't been eating either." She said it so surely. As if she could see it written on his forehead in black ink. Sirius shook his head softly, not wanting the warmth from her fingers to leave his skin. She smiled nicely up at him, moving her hand to brush his hair out of his face. He reached up to hold her wrist, trapping her hand against his cheek, and she smiled softer. She had to stand on the very tips of her toes to kiss his head, and it made him huff, and almost laugh, and she smiled victoriously.

She pulled him into her room gently. Pushing him softly to sit on her bed while she walked to get him some pajamas. She pulled out a shirt he gave her and some pants he left in her room that Remus had given him for his birthday. He turned to change, facing the bathroom door just as he had when he came here not long ago. Swiftly changed into pajamas he laid down with a content sigh. Being head girl surely had its perks, and one of them was a king sized bed in a dorm with no roommates.

"D'you want some tea, lovey? Could make it with the honey like you like." How she made him blush with such simple words always baffled him. She remembered everything, she always has. Sirius shook his head, and instead opted for holding his arms up and making grabbing motions with his hands towards her. Her giggle made him smile, it made him notice he was in a much better mood, too. She walked over to the other side of the bed, laying right next to him, and pulled his shoulders to make him lay on her stomach. His arms instantly wound around her waist, shoving his face as deep as he could into her body, holding her as close as he possibly could. Her fingers found themselves weaving into his hair, running through the locks like they were strands of silk. The quiet that encased the room was a lovely type of silence. The kind that Sirius wishes he had more often. No matter how loud and obnoxious he got, times like these were where he felt most himself.

After a while of silence, (Y/N) started humming a song again. As sleepy as it made Sirius, he couldn't let himself sleep.

"I love you, bunny." It was mumbled into her shirt, a half-asleep induced speech mess. She hummed at him, running her hands through his hair while she waited for the perfect moment to say it back. It wasn't a long time before she responded, but while she was waiting he moved his head so his chin rested on her stomach, and he looked at her. It was a tired stare, half closed eyes and a dopey sleep smile etched into his features.

"D'ya hear me bun? Said I love you." She giggled at this, his insistence, and leaned down to kiss his hairline.

"Love you too, Siri. More than anythin' in the whole universe." Her voice was just as sleepy as his, and it made Sirius think that the moment meant that much more to him. That even in their vulnerable, tired states, they felt confident in loving each other. A satisfied hum left his throat, and as he was about to nuzzle back into her shirt, she pulled his hair to make him look at her again.

"'Ya gonna kiss me g'night, handsome? Or should I go get Regulus." A half-chuckle half-groan left his mouth, knowing it's a joke, yet not wanting it be said.

"Should know better than t'say that, bun. Gonna kiss you till y'can't breathe." She giggles as he shimmies up to her face, and she giggles even harder as he kisses all over her cheeks. She knows he feels better, can see that she got her Sirius back to normal, and it makes her feel accomplished. And it makes her think about how she'd do it every single day for eternity if he asked.

"Gimme one proper kiss so I can sleep, you big doof." He laughs into her cheek, placing one last kiss on each one, and finally landing on her lips. It was a long kiss, pressing the final bits of his bad mood into her. A few extra short pecks and one long dramatic smack of his lips later and he is back on her stomach, under the quilt she has charmed to stay warm, with her hands in his hair. Sometime in the night, after they've fallen asleep, his hands wind up under her shirt, searching for the warmth subconsciously. And sometime in the night, Sirius has dreams of her wearing his shirt in their bedroom, and he wakes up in a good mood.

[styleswithaseaview]

crazy, twisted, divine

Cedric Diggory x ravenclaw!reader

a/n: holy cow this is one of my favorites i’ve written. i present to you, the Bad Boy Piece of Information >:) tadaaaaa! hope you like it, lovelies.

taglist: @cedricsbrowncurls @hoe4cedricdiggory

warnings: SO much teasing, loads of swearing, kissing, implied smut. also this is REALLY LONG so read at ur own risk!!

---

Y/N scribbled down notes on a piece of parchment, eyes flicking back and forth from her textbook to the words on her page. With her quill, she drew out small diagrams of magical plants, constellations, and explanations of charms. She was the only person in the library, working into the long hours of the night. Being Head Girl as well as coordinating Ravenclaw’s prefect duties, no one questioned her midnight whereabouts this early in the semester.

Meanwhile, Cedric paced around the castle, memorizing charms and hexes in his head as he walked. With his N.E.W.T-level exams coming up, now was a better time than ever to start with his studying. Although it was only September, he wanted to be prepared by the time June came around. He wanted to be top of the class. He told himself it was for his dad to be proud of him, but he knew the real reason.

Y/N had received three ‘Outstanding’ O.W.L’s and two ‘Exceeds Expectations’. Cedric had obtained the exact same; Y/N was furious. Her best subject was Charms, and Cedric’s Transfiguration. The two constantly wanted to outdo the other; Head Boy and Head Girl usually weren't as competitive as they were.

Y/N’s parents were absent. They abandoned her as a child, leaving her with her Grandma who often couldn't take care of her. She'd luckily lived near Ottery St. Catchpole, where the Diggorys resided, so Amos and his wife had often taken Y/N in. She spent many nights up in their attic, sleeping over when her grandma had passed out and wouldn't make her supper. She was incredibly grateful for their services, but their son, Cedric, always seemed to be in her way.

Her and Cedric we're friends; they'd known each other since infantry. But there was a front rivalry between them; they both wanted to be top of the class, prefects, and eventually Head Boy and Girl. They achieved all these things throughout the years, but not without struggle. Diggory always seemed to try to outdo Y/N, constantly scheming ways to get an advantage. They constantly mocked each other, annoying the other to wits’ end.

As Y/N studied, she remembered her Prefect duties to do at precisely one a.m. She was to walk the castle grounds and make sure each door is locked as well as no students are out of bed; a nightly routine that threw off her sleep schedule. Now, being Head Girl, she had to do it with the Head Boy; Cedric Diggory. She dreaded it, but also looked forward to pestering the Hufflepuff.

She closed her textbook, slipping her items in her bag and pinning her hair up before leaving the library with a swish of her robes. She walked up the stairs, met by a certain brunette at the landing.

“Diggory,” she said curtly, rolling her eyes at the smirk plastered on his face. “Shall we?” said Y/N, swiveling her lamp and walking down the corridor.

“Where should we start?” Cedric said, falling into step with her.

“Oh, the Ravenclaw tower, perhaps? I'd be damned if you could figure out the riddle, ” she teased, turning to a flight of stairs.

“Oh yeah? But obviously, you can, since you're so clever.” said Cedric sarcastically, sticking out his bottom lip.

“I am, actually, yeah. Thanks for noticing!” Y/N responded with a sardonic smile.

“Prove it.” Cedric challenged, stepping ahead Y/N as they neared the tower door.

“Oh I will, ” Y/N replied as she lifted the golden knocker.

“Imagine you are in a dark room with no exit. How do you get out?” the knocker’s booming voice asked.

Cedric’s faced scrunched as he searched for the answer.

“Easy, ” Y/N said. “Stop imagining.” With that, the door swung open to reveal the common room.

“W- that one was easy. I could've gotten it.” Cedric insisted, pacing around the common room.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, pretty boy.” Y/N mocked, nodding at the room’s emptiness before swinging her hips as she walked out.

“Shut up, L/N.” Cedric said, closing the door behind him. She laughed dryly. “Fine. If you want to play it that way, let's go to the Hufflepuff common room next.” he huffed, storming down the stairs toward the kitchen with Y/N close behind.

He pulled her into a nook in the right side of the kitchen corridor, waiting expectantly.

“What now, Diggory,” she said, lips pursed.

“If you're so all knowing, how do we get in?”

Y/N glared at him, starting to search around the small space. All she saw was a stack of barrels.

“Don’t fucking ask me, it's not a riddle. You idiots need to be near the kitchens to even function.” she scoffed, staring at the brunette. He laughed.

“Funny one, ” he said, deadpan as he reached down and tapped a barrel in the bottom row to a rythym.

“See now that's dumb. At least Ravenclaw’s requires some thinking, not a weird ass tapping motion.” she said, glaring.

“You're just mad because you didn't know it.” Cedric said before crouching to crawl through a newly opened passage.

“Like you'd know what I'm feeling,” Y/N remarked before crawling in behind him.

Once they saw that the common room was empty, they continued their rounds about the castle. Finally, when they finished, they both parted ways to their respective common rooms.

“Have fun solving your riddle before you can go to sleep, ” Cedric mocked groggily as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Shut it, ” Y/N said.

“Make me.” Cedric scoffed, his expression somewhere between a smirk and a glare.

“Challenging me? You want me to hex you? I'll do it - I'm better at charms than you anyways, ” Y/N remarked, teeth close to bared.

“You wish, L/N.” Cedric remarked before walking away and off to bed. Y/N flipped him off as he walked away.

---

The next day, Saturday, was rather uneventful. Students milled about the castle, playing chess or in Y/N and Cedric’s case, studying. Y/N decided to take a long nap in the day, do that she could study as well as do her prefect duties in the night. Cedric, meanwhile, slept until noon.

“Ready, pretty boy?” Y/N teased as they met in the corridor. There were dark circles under the boy’s grey eyes, and his hair was dishevelled. He had chosen a jumper and jeans rather than robes; Y/N had done the same with a cream button up tied loosely around her and a plaid skirt.

“Readier than you are.” Cedric snapped, earning a dry laugh from the girl beside him.

“Creative. In your dreams, Diggory. Which you apparently didn't have, due to the terrible dark circles under those eyes of yours, ” Y/N responded.

“Oh, shut up, will you?”

“No, thank you.” Y/N smiled sarcastically, a crunching her nose.

They continued to walk down the hall, continuing to check each door as they moved. Suddenly, they came upon a door that Y/N hadn't seen before. It was tall, and upon further inspection, unlocked.

“What do you think is in there?” Y/N whispered, putting her ear to the door.

“Y/N!” Cedric practically yelled. She raised her eyebrows. “I mean- L/N you better not go in there.”

“What? It's our civic duty as a Prefect. We need to check it out, are you dumb?”

“No!”

“Don't lie to me, Diggory,” Y/N ridiculed, pushing open the door. Despite his conscience, Cedric followed with a scoff.

The pair entered the room, which was dusty and empty until further inspection. Y/N suddenly spotted a tall, dusty golden mirror. At the top said ‘ERISED’

“Great! A mirror! Just what I was looking for!” Cedric satirized, a sarcastic grin on his face. He deadpanned, looking at Y/N with a blank expression.

Y/N shook her head, walking over to the mirror and tracing the words that lined the top. She stepped back, looking into it and gasping.

“This isn't just a mirror, Cedric.” she murmured, looking into his eyes.

“First name basis, now?” he scoffed.

“Shut it. Diggory, I've read about this. It's the mirror of Erised. It shows you your deepest, most true desire.” Y/N said with a glare.

Cedric hummed in response, stepping so that his body was square to the mirror. Looking back at his reflection, he saw Y/N’s arm around his waist and head on his shoulder, leaning up to kiss him.

He gulped, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

“What do you see?” Cedric asked, looking away from the mirror.

“Oh, I can't tell you, can I? Or it won't come true, ” Y/N taunted, beginning to walk out the door.

“That's a muggle thing, isn't it,” Cedric said, remembering that Y/N’s grandmother was a muggle and she was raised only partially in a wizarding family.

“Yes, it's for wishes. But that's beside the point. What's life without a little mystery, hm?” She raised an eyebrow before walking out the door.

“Wait, Y/N!” Cedric called, closing the door as he ran after her.

“Ah, first name basis? Later, loser, ” Y/N called before walking up the stairs to the Ravenclaw tower.

Cedric was left stunned. He doubted she saw the same thing he did. She was too calm.

But Y/N had. She'd put up an extra nonchalant facade, worries of if he felt the same flooding her mind. She wished she could deny it, but the mirror was right. She didn't just want to be around him to pester him, although that was fun. She was in love with him. A crazy, twisted, divine version of love.

---

The next day, the pair had potions together. Y/N walked over and sat with her friend, Marietta, and Cedric was across the room with his Hufflepuff mates.

“What’s that smell?” Y/N whispered, furrowing her brow. Marietta shrugged, looking up at Snape.

“Can anyone tell me what the potion in the center of the table is?” Snape’s voice said. Y/N took in a sniff, realization dawning on her. She raised her hand.

“It’s amortentia, sir.” she answered, concern on her face.

“Care to elaborate, Miss L/N?” he said with a grimace.

“The strongest love potion in the world. Its scent mimics what you're attracted to most, sir.” she said, taking in another sniff.

“Care to tell us what you smell?” Snape said, pacing around the room. Y/N got closer to the pot, catching Cedric’s eye from across the room.

“I smell honey, wood, butterbeer, and a warm cologne, sir,” Y/N admitted, blushing, looking down at her feet.

“Interesting, ” Snape said, turning to the next student. What Y/N smelled was unmistakable. Snape went around the room, picking students at random to describe the scent, illustrating how different the smells could be.

“Diggory, care to say?” he said, looking down at the brunette.

Cedric looked contemplative for a second, eyes flicking to Y/N before he spoke.

“I smell vanilla, fresh laundry, and orange blossoms, sir.” Cedric said quietly, face going hot. Y/N looked at him in surprise. She used vanilla shampoo, always had an aroma of clean laundry, and her perfume smelled of orange blossoms and neroli. She blushed furiously, turning away.

“Fuck, ” she muttered under her breath. Marietta looked at her in confusion.

---

“L/N, wait up!” Cedric called after Y/N as she walked down the dungeon corridor. She stopped, turning around. There was an expression on Cedric’s face that was different; it wasn't a snarky smirk, or a glare. His eyes were soft.

“Hi,” she said simply, flashing a taut smile.

“W-what did you smell in your amortentia again?” he asked softly.

“Oh, uh...” Y/N trailed off, fiddling with her hands. “Mainly a woody cologne, honey, and butterbeer, I think,” she mumbled. He looked around, and back to Y/N, grey eyes baring into hers.

He hummed in response, nodding before abruptly walking away, leaving Y/N in the hallway.

---

Throughout lunch, Y/N pondered her amortentia. She sat in the charms classroom with Flitwick, not wanting to bother Marietta.

"Miss L/N, you did excellent on the last quiz," Flitwick told her as she twirled her pasta on her fork. She gazed into the distance, in a trance. "Y/N," he said, waddling over and waving a hand in front of her face.

"Oh! Sorry, what was that?" She jumped.

"Are you alright?" Flitwick asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just confused," she said.

"My best student? Confused? Must be some non-academic struggles," Flitwick said, jumping to get in the chair next to her.

"Correct." Y/N said, staring into the distance.

"I'll leave you to think," Flitwick said. "My guess is it's about love."

Y/N smiled. Suddenly, she heard a small whoosh of paper. A note had been slipped under the door. She got up, bending over to read it.

Meet me at the mirror at midnight.

-C.D.

Y/N looked at the paper in confusion. She assumed he meant the mirror of Erised. But why?

The day dragged on, nothing on Y/N’s mind but the tall brunette behind the note. Finally, when it came to midnight, Y/N looked at herself in the mirror before she left. She took a deep breath, walking out the door with a swish of her robes.

She wandered through the corridors, trying to find the room where they'd seen the mirror. Eventually, she came upon it. The unmistakable dusty door, hinges worn and golden. She opened the door.

“Diggory?” she called, looking around the room. She stepped towards the mirror, looking at her reflection. “Oh, there you are, ” she said, looking to her left side. But as her eyes flicked from his figure in the mirror, she saw nothing but an empty space beside her.

Suddenly, she saw writing appear on the glass of the mirror. Three words formed :

I SEE YOU.

Y/N whipped around, looking for a sign of the brunette. His figure stepped out of the dark, wand in hand as he put it away. He’d charmed it to write on the mirror, she realized.

“A-are you serious?” Y/N asked softly, stepping towards the boy. He nodded, an unreadable expression on his features.

“I smelled you, too. In the amortentia.” he said quietly.

Y/N looked into his eyes, seeing the same softness as she'd seen in the halls.

“Honestly, I don't know how I was so stupid.” Cedric said, turning to face the mirror.

“What?” Y/N said.

“See, I needed this mirror to tell me. I needed to see you holding me, touching me, kissing me. I wouldn't admit to myself until I saw it, I wouldn't admit to anyone-” he paused. “That I'm in love with you. Every year, I look forward to seeing you. I kept telling myself it's just so I can pester you. But it's not, Y/N. It's love. A crazy, twisted, divine version of love that hides behind a facade of competition.” he finished, looking at Y/N’s face in the mirror.

“Well, fuck.” Y/N said softly. Cedric chuckled. “I see you. And I smell you. And I love you, Cedric Diggory. Even if I annoy your ass off, and constantly try to one-up you. For fucks sake, I think a part of me wants to beat you because I want to impress you. Make you like me.” Y/N said, walking over to the boy.

He was silent, looking into the mirror with a mix of love and lust in his grey eyes.

“So, what exactly did you see?” Y/N said. “Did I do...” she trailed off, putting her arm around his waist and looking into his eyes. She put a hand on his cheek, kissing him softly. “...that?” She whispered into his ear. He leaned down and swiveled her waist, hands on the small of her back. He kissed her, harder, so passionate that neither could bear to break away.

“You did, ” he admitted as they finally pulled away. “And you smelled like that, too.” he added, voice quiet into her ear.

“What do you say, Diggory? Want to show me how to get in the Hufflepuff common room again?” Y/N said, as he kissed her neck.

“Gladly, ” was all the boy could utter before picking Y/N up and carrying her to his dorm.

[vivianweasley]

Rapunzel (Fred Weasley X Ravenclaw!Reader)

A/N: This is for @wand3ringr0s3‘s 1.9K writing challenge and the prompt is I See The Light from Tangled!

Summary: Fred is always there for you. No matter if it’s your birthday, or if you’re just having a sleepless night.

Pairing: Fred Weasley X Ravenclaw!fem!Reader

Warnings: insomnia (Fred comforting reader!), post-war trauma, mention of war

Word count: 1.8K

(Disclaimer: I do not own the gif)

Today’s your 18th birthday. Even though the atmosphere of the school was pretty intense with Umbridge in charge, you still had a pretty good birthday. Your friends threw you a little birthday party.

Everyone wished you Happy Birthday. Well, everyone except for one.

After the Weasley twins left the school, you’ve never heard from them since. You guys were good friends and you really missed them. Especially Fred. 

Even George sent you a letter wishing you happy birthday, along with some samples of their new products, but Fred never showed up. Did he forget about your birthday? Or did he just forget about you?

You weren’t sure when did your stupid little crush on Fred Weasley began. Maybe it was when he stood up for you when Umbridge was going to punish you. Maybe it was when he made you laugh when you were crying because you got a bad grade in potions. Or maybe it was long before all of this.

How you became friends with Fred was a funny story. It was two years ago, you were just on your way back to your common room, but suddenly you tripped. You dropped all of your books and the potion project that you spent the entire last week working on. Watching the potion bottle scattered into pieces, your heart broke with it. You looked up and saw a boy with ginger hair gasped and soon escaped.

You recognized that was Fred Weasley. You two shared a few classes together and you hated to admit it, but he and his twin always had their way to capture your attention. How could they not? They always had so many strange ideas that never failed to intrigue you.

The next day, you successfully cornered him in the hallway. “Weasley! Why the hell did you trip me! I worked on that project for an entire week!”

He was surprised that someone suddenly cornered him, but he still had that cheeky smile, “Oh I think you got the wrong twin. I’m pretty sure it was George. I’ll go find him for you-”

“Oh I’m sorry. I must’ve made a mistake then.”

“It’s alright, people mix us up all the time.” He smiled and soon tried to escape you again. But just when he started walking, he tripped.You waved your wand and tied his shoelaces when he was still busy trying to come up with some excuses and alibi. 

You walked in front of him and gave him a triumphant grin, “This is for my potion project. I know who you are, Fred Weasley.”

And then you just hopped away, leaving him still lying on the floor and that funnily, was the beginning of your friendship.

He was intrigued by your mind and your ideas just as how you were intrigued by his. You would always get him and George out of trouble just like how you could get them into trouble if you wanted to.

You felt ridiculous always checking the clock and fighting back the urge to check the owlery every other hour. If Fred couldn’t give you a birthday gift, maybe at least he could send you a letter?

Maybe his owl got lost. You knew the Weasley’s owl was a little silly. 

Or maybe he already forgot about you. He’s got a business and everything, who would have time for you?

The clock in your room finally stuck 12. It was officially not your birthday anymore and he never showed up.

You fell on your pillow and your mind drifted to last year’s birthday. The twins dragged you to the shrieking shack, telling you that they need your help for a grand prank. You opened the door and found Ginny and the twins actually prepared a surprise party for you. But this year, you only had Ginny.

A knock on the window beside you brought you back from your memory. You got off your bed and walked to the window, gripping your wand tight for you didn’t know what might happen.

But when you opened the window, the scene successfully put a smile on your face. Enchanted little pebbles were flying up to knock on your window. Along with the pebbles, there was also a little note that read “Oi Rapunzel, let down your hair!” You knew that carefree handwriting way too well. It was Fred’s.

You flipped the note and the back of it read “meet you at the door”. You chuckled as the butterflies in your stomach started to dance.

As soon as you rushed downstairs, you heard someone arguing with the door knocker, “Seriously, why are you so stubborn? If a serial killer is chasing after a student and that student just couldn’t answer your stupid riddles, are you just gonna let that student die? This doesn’t make any sense!”

You giggled and opened the door to see Fred with his cheeks flushed and still panting. You guessed that he must have ran upstairs just now.

“Oh thank Merlin! Y/N!”

“How did you get into Hogwarts?”

“Hmmm, my determination to be here for you on your birthday has made me unstoppable?”

Your heart fluttered at his cheesy answer, but you still kept a straight face, “Yet, you are still late.”

But instead of Fred’s explanation, you heard the portrait on the wall complaining first, “So do you want to get in or out? You can’t just stand here with the door open!” 

“Come!” Fred smiled at you and dragged you out of the common room.

“Where are you taking me!”

He brought you all the way to the astronomy tower. Thankfully, you guys didn’t run into Mr. Filch because Fred already knew the route too well.

You two sat down by the window. The weather was good tonight. The sky was clear and you could see the stars twinkling above. The chilly midnight breeze made the astrological instruments sing. You haven’t felt so peaceful in a while.

“Happy birthday Y/N.” Fred broke the silence first. He pulled out a bracelet from his pocket and placed it around your wrist. “I’m sorry I was late, but your present took me longer than I thought to make.”

“What is this Freddie?”

“Lumos.” He waved his wand and the bracelet lit up. Your eyes lit up too when you saw the bracelet on his wrist started to glow as well. “In case you missed the laughter and fun in your life, by that I mean, in case if you missed me, you can light up the bracelet and I will know.”

You stared at him, finding yourself speechless. A warm and tingling feeling started to rise in your heart and spread through your whole body.

“Don’t fall in love with me.” He laughed cheekily when he realized you were staring at him.

You looked at him and saw the light reflecting in his eyes. For a moment, it was as if your world has lit up, yet everything was in slow-motion.

Too late. That was the first thought that popped into your head

---

You woke up from the exploding and screaming in your nightmare. It was already three in the morning.

Nightmares and sudden palpitations were common problems that people who have been through the battle face and you weren’t an exception. You glanced at the calendar on your nightstand and felt slightly relieved when you made sure it was already a year after the war. Everything was fine. You were safe now.

You lied back and tried to sleep again, but the brutal scenes of the battle just refused to leave your head. After struggling for fifteen minutes, you finally gave up and got off bed.

You turned on all the lights in your room just to feel a little bit more secure, but the room was just so empty. You were craving for company. You missed Fred. You needed him.

You and Fred got together during the war, finally admitting that you couldn’t afford to lose each other. If the war left anything good in your life. There was that.

You wanted to see Fred, to talk to him, to hug him. You wanted to just apparate into his apartment right now. But you knew he was busy and had to wake up early tomorrow morning. Even though Fred told you that you could always go find him when you need him, but you just didn’t want to add to his burden. You knew it was your anxiety and insecurity lying to you, saying that you were a burden, but you just felt too exhausted tonight to shut them up.

So after debating in your head and listing out all the pros and cons, you decided to just light that bracelet. If you couldn’t cuddle him right now, at least the light from the bracelet could make you feel like he was right here with you.

Sleeping was probably not an option anymore tonight, so you decided to read a good book to distract yourself. But fifteen minutes later, you realized you were just staring at the pages without even reading the words. So you started to pace around in your apartment, trying to focus on all the corners that you didn’t pay attention to before.

Just when you were about to check that vase on your bookshelf for the third time tonight, you heard a knocking on your window. You immediately ran to the window, knowing too well what that meant. 

A little note with “Rapunzel, let down your hair” written on it flew into your hand when you opened the window.

“Darling, are you alright?” You turned and saw Fred has already apparated into your apartment. “I’m sorry I’m a little late, the bracelet went under my pillow-” 

His ramble was cut short when you rushed to hug him. He chuckled and lifted you up to carry you back to your bedroom. He placed you on the bed and tucked you in before joining you

You felt like you could finally breathe calmly as you were now secure in his embrace. You just felt so lucky to have him and a random question popped into your head.

“Freddie, when did you realize that you like me?”

“Hmm probably that day when you tied my shoelaces. I thought Merlin, this woman is going to be trouble.”

“Thank you very much,” you lightly pushed his arm to protest.

“I have a question for you too,” suddenly, he looked at you seriously, “how were you able to tell me and George apart at first?”

“Well, you are slightly taller than George and George’s voice is deeper than yours.” You simply listed out your observations.

“But these are all relative. That day when you tied my shoelaces, there was only me.”

“Or maybe it’s just cause I’m smart?”

He squeezed your waist at your cheeky answer and you squeezed his waist back. 

“It’s your eyes,” you finally admitted, “George’s eyes are soft, but your eyes are bright. It’s like my whole world has lit up when I see the light in your eyes.”

He looked at you with his eyes widened. You giggled when you saw his expression, “What? Are you feeling touched? Don’t fall too deeply in love with me.”

He squeezed your waist again. But when you were about to attack him back, he pulled you closer and pressed a kiss on your forehead.

“Too late, darling. Already did.”

[fandomscombine]

No, Not Like This [Part 2]

George Weasley x Reader

BG: Rewatched the New Girl S2x15. You know the one with the ICONIC Nick and Jess 1st  Kiss? Now make it the reader and Geroge!

a/n: This second part follows more on their realization of what tf just happened. As did in S2x16. (so they don’t have scenes together, just their brains going into overdrive thinking they screwed up. don’t worry I’ll bring them back in pt3 hehe but first here’s some chaotic fun!)

This part’s voices of reason are.... Cho and Fred!

WC:1330

Read PART 1

>>>MASTERLIST<<<

>>JOIN MY WRITING CHALLENGE!<<

George made his way back up to his dorm in a surprising cool calm manner. It was not until late the next morning did what he did sunk in.

What George had thought was a very nice, vivid dream- one he wish he would have the courage to act upon in real life, had actually happened, he panicked.  ‘OH MY GOD! OH MY-YOU KISSED HER! YOU IDIOT!’

Fred, who had just arrived in their shared dorm, toast in hand, laughed at his very dishevelled twin queries. ‘Kissed who?’

‘Y/N. I kissed Y/N’

‘ohhh…’ George’s forwardness made Fred drop his toast. ‘FINALLY!’ He exclaimed, scooting George over.

‘wait What?’

Fred places his palms under his chin. ‘Now tell me how this all went down. Y/n made the first move, didn’t she? Please tell me she did or else I owe Ginny 5 galleons.’

~

While George had a rather peaceful slumber, you on the other hand, did not.

Twisting and turning, mind still stuck on the same sentence. Ranging between the perplexity of ‘George Weasley kissed me?’ to the absolute euphoria of ‘GEROGE WEASLEY KISSED ME!’ .

You touch you lips, gently as if by the feeling of his lips on yours would be washed away if not treated with care.

‘I meant something like that. I didn’t wanna kiss you because of a game. I want to kiss you because you mean something to me’

His parting words echoed in your head.

You Mean Something to Me.

That means he likes you too right? He has to… the boy literally said it…well in the bare minimum implied it. Who in their right mind would deliver a world-shattering kiss to someone they do not fancy?

Though there is one slight detail that could offset this whole theory……

He walked away.

The boy kissed, professed his feelings then exited.

And people say that women are enigmas.

You sighed, you definitely need a fresh pair of eyes here.

The alarm clock on your bedside table flashes 6:39am.

‘Great…’ You muttered, the stupid kiss has kept you awake, overthinking for almost 4 hours.

Rolling over, you layered on a hoodie to your pyjamas. ‘Well, she would just have to deal with me this early.’

You silently make your way out, trying your best to not wake any of your roommates.

In your desperation, the fact that the Ravenclaw’s common room location albeit not a secret, it had completely flown pass your head that they had no password but rather a riddle.

‘Please, can I get an easier riddle’ you pleased to the eagle knocker.

‘Which came first, the phoenix, or the flame?’

You huffed, ofcourse it won’t go easy on you.

‘How would I know?!’ you scowled. The door not granting you entrance just further adds to tour irritable state. How many more things had to be confusing? First George and now this!

‘I wasn’t there! You didn’t even give me a time frame, you stupid door! Ouch!’ Recoiling back in pain, you were sent aback whether be it from kicking the door or it getting back at you for mocking it, you weren’t sure.

‘Give me the full picture. Like is the Phoenix dying? Then the phonics came first than came the flame. If not then it would be vice versa, only a pile of ashes is seen from which a phoenix would be born… or reborn.’

Gosh, were you thankful that it’s too early in the morning for someone to see you rant to a door.

‘You know what? Whatever!’ You sighed in defeat; you would just have to hide from George during breakfast.

However, as you turn to leave, the most extraordinary thing happened.

‘OH My---’ You gawked at the now opened door. ‘It WORKED?!?’

‘It was a valid argument to the constrains presented.’ The eagle knocker remarked, ‘Now it you please, enter quickly, you are letting a cold draft in.’

‘Th-Thank you.’

You’ve been into the Ravenclaw Common Room before and the rows of floor to ceiling bookshelves never fail to intimidate you.

Your eyes land upon the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and the surrounding intricate tapestries, the soft glow of the sunrise transforming the circular room into a gallery fit for a palace.

‘Y/n?’ A voice called from the dark staircase.

‘AHH!’ You placed a hand to your chest. ‘CHO! What the heck?!? Don’t scare me like that!’

‘What are you doing here? How did you get in?’

‘OH uh… I ranted.’ You told her honestly.

‘You ranted.’ She said in disbelief.

‘Yes. But more on that later, I have more pressing matters.’ You stated, shaking the poor girl. ‘I NEED ADVICE CHO. CODE RED.’

‘CLEARLY.’ Cho sassed, dragging along to the sofa but you stood your ground. ‘y/n?’ Her tone now softer upon seeing your distressed face.

‘George kissed me.’

‘Whaaaaaaaaa?!’

~

You are utterly grateful for Ravenclaws minding their own business, a handful of early risers had gone out for breakfast passing you by. Ravenclaws no doubt has multitude of questions on what a Gryffindor is doing in their common room but had decided to not go down that rabbit hole and are more intrigued in guessing what breakfast specials there’d this last meal before Christmas break.

Though the more straightforward answer could be seen on Cho’s face.

It is too early to be dealing with this, but a friend is a friend. Though that doesn’t mean it stops Cho from internally swearing that her eyes are going to be permanently crossed from keeping up with your pacing about.

‘George kissed me and I didn’t even kissed me back-’ Pacing left, you recounted the previous night. As if sensing Cho call your bullshit, you caved.  ‘okay fine! I kissed him back!’

Plopping face down onto the sofa, voice muffled by the pillow. ‘Is that what you want me to say?’ you demanded.

’I literally haven’t said a word for like over an hour’ uttered Cho matter of factly.

‘Sorry…’ You gaze up at her, pouting your lips as to make her forgive you faster before resuming to your grunts of ‘stupid George Weasley.’

Observing that your rant was over, Cho needed actual details in order to best help you. To help you out of this sticky situation or better yet some….realization, introspection…..That would be up to how honest you are with yourself. ’How was it though, was it…?’

You flop unto your back, mindless playing with your fingers as you recall, ‘It was like I was hit with a bunch of Cheering Charms.’

‘Really?’ Cocking her head, she continued.  ’George was that good? How did he do it then?’

‘He just,’ Okay how were you to describe that magical moment? Wracking your brain but no words could do it justice. ‘He just like, grabbed me.’

‘uh huh’

Cho was unconvinced, so you decided to act it out.

Still lying down, you reach to the ceiling, clenching into fists. ‘and he took me, I mean it was strength, confidence.’

’mm hmm’

You brought your arms close to you, letting your eyes shut as you did so. ‘It was firm, but tender.’

 ’oh damn.’ Cho gasped.

‘oh yeah’ You hate how hot your face has become in a matter of seconds. ‘I saw through space and time for a minute, but that’s not the point.’

‘oh man what are you gonna do?’ Prompted Cho. This was it, the homerun, she thought.

‘I don’t know.’ You truthfully say. There are so many uncertainties, you genuinely don’t know. Wrapping yourself into a ball, you slip of the seat.

Leaning forward, Cho does the last trick on her list. The question that has been implied but left officially unanswered. ‘I mean do you…like George?’

You fake vomit. Your automatic defence system taking over. ‘bah yuck George? Ahhhh’ You tried to play it cool, chuckling.  ‘Nooo!’

You’ve never told a soul! You and George are the best of friends-that’s the story.

Yet Cho’s unnerving brow challenges that narrative.

Halting, you swallowed.

‘Yes.’

~

Part 3, at the burrow will be coming up. So yeah.

It was supposed to be in this but I got carried away and got more inspiration from S2x16 where Nick and Jess had moments of albeit very panicked self-realization on the meaning of the kiss.

Taglist for this fic ‘No, Not like this’:

Thanks also for the support in part 1 and interest in reading more of the fic!🥰

@l0ttadreamz​ @vintagecherrypie106 @remmyswritings @jenniweaslee @iluvharrypotter172 @miaafrances @strawberriesonsummer @stressisakiller

Taglist [All/General]: @gruffle1​

[shitravenclawssay]

Hiyya

I was sorted into Ravenclaw in almost all the tests I've taken on internet and even a lot more times Pottermore, but I don't feel like a Ravenclaw. I mean you have to be pretty smart for it right? And also tha Ravenclaw dorms have an enchanted door that'd allow you in only when you answer it's question and the thing is I don't think I'm that smart enough, cause I'd be standing there for minutes trying to figure out the answers. But I've been told by my friends and acquaintances that I'm smart and I feel I'm a bit of a nerd too but I like to learn about a lotta things which are intriguing enough to pique my interest,like literally from ants to space. So please help me out here. And I really like the mysterious nature of Slytherin and I'm as righteous as a Gryffindor and as hardworking as a Hufflepuff. It might sound trivial but this is triggering me into an identity crisis.🥺

hey!!

okay, well first of all-- ravenclaws are characterized by enjoying learning! which isn’t necessarily the same as being smart! you don’t have to be good at something to enjoy doing it.

second-- there are lots of different kinds of intelligence. academic intelligence isn’t the only kind of smarts out there. street smarts, emotional intelligence, all of these are things that matter just as much.

third-- it’s canon that the questions the knocker asks can have more than one answer. it’s not necessarily about deducing the RIGHT answer, but rather coming up with An answer that works. you can argue your solution, and if the knocker accepts your logic, it’ll have to let you in. so, it’s not necessarily a scramble to find the correct solution just so that it’ll let you into the common room, but rather, an attempt to logically arrive at some kind of correct answer that you’re willing to hedge your bets on.

it’s really just about if you like to learn or not. if you spend your free time picking up stray bits of knowledge or trivia just for fun, etc. that’s really all. and it sounds like you do, so I think it’s safe to say you’re a ravenclaw, and apparently, I am something of an authority on it so :) hope this helps with the identity crisis

[hyuckles-chuckles]

riddle me this — n. jaemin

a simple riddle was the only key to get into the ravenclaw tower, if only hufflepuff jaemin could answer one correctly so he could finally ask you out on that date he promised to take you on once he answered a riddle.

pairing ; hufflepuff!na jaemin x ravenclaw!reader

other character(s) ; mentions of ravenclaw!moon taeil

genre ; fluff, hogwarts!au · word count ; 2k · rating ; pg · warning(s) ; me not knowing about astronomy, breaking curfew and almost being caught

request ; “jaemin + 14 : ‘don’t make a sound.’ + k : hogwarts!au” by anon

masterlist ; adobe’s 1500 follower celebration

a/n ; this is dedicated to my ravenclaw homies! i saw y’all in the comments and reblogs of my other harry potter based fics, and i finally wrote a ravenclaw reader since i’m a ravenclaw, i can’t believe i took so long to write one hehe! besides that, i hope y’all enjoy this:)))

riddle me this is copyright 2020 hyuckles-chuckles, all rights reserved.

You sat in the Ravenclaw Common Room, reading a novel as your feet dangled over the star covered, midnight blue carpet. With all of your homework done, you finally were able to relax in the Tower, the whistle of the wind calming you down from the day you had at Hogwarts.

You were turning the next page of your novel when seventh year prefect Moon Taeil sat next to you and pulled out his own books. “What’s up, Moon?” you mumbled as you focused on the words dancing on the page. You had a feeling as to why he sat with you, but you were too engrossed in your novel to pay him much attention.

“Nothing much,” he answered you, pulling out some Transfiguration scrolls from his bag. “But there is a Hufflepuff kid trying to get into the Tower.”

“A Hufflepuff kid?” you questioned, finally looking from your novel for more than two seconds.

The only student from the Hufflepuff house who was constantly trying to get into the Ravenclaw Tower was Na Jaemin, never being able to do so because he wasn’t able to answer the riddle correctly. Jaemin tried constantly because you had promised him a date if he was able to get into the Common Room without the help of a Ravenclaw student. When you had made that promise, you didn’t really like him all that much, only making the promise with the hope that he never answered the riddle correctly.

But after the few weeks of him trying and trying again, the moments when you exited the Tower to talk to him only got you to know him better as well as like him better. A few days ago, you even told him he didn’t have to answer the riddle and just ask you on a date. However, he was loyal to his promise and would only ask you on a date once he managed to successfully get into the Tower.

A faint smile appeared on your lips as Taeil confirmed it was Jaemin. You quickly abandoned the Common Room, running off to your dorm to drop your stuff off and run to the door with the Eagle Door Knocker to see Jaemin.

You opened the door, startling Jaemin with the abrupt action, only for him to smile when he saw that it was you who opened the door.

“How many letters are in the alphabet?” he asked you while he sat on the floor in front of the door you closed. Instead of greeting you normally, Jaemin would always ask you the riddle that the Eagle Door Knocker asked him.

You thought about the answer, already having one in mind, but you wanted to know what Jaemin said. “How many letters did you say were in the alphabet?”

“There’s 26 letters in the alphabet from A to Z, but the door won’t open,” he told you, pouting when you giggled at him and joined him on the floor. “Just tell me the answer please.”

“How many letters are in the word alphabet?” you asked him, giving him the final clue to answer the riddle.

“Who phrases a question like that?” he asks, annoyance dripping in his voice.

“It’s not just a question; it’s a riddle.”

“Well, then the answer’s 8,” he smiled, booping your nose before standing up, extending his hand to help lift you up.

“Na Jaemin, you can’t be so cute with me and then not ask me out on a date,” you pouted as you took his hand, standing closer to him than you normally would with other people.

“We made a promise, I will stay loyal to my promise even if you want to break it,” he smirked at you before walking down the stairs, laughing when he heard you follow him.

You rolled your eyes as you took his hand in yours. Before he could ask you why, you quickly gave him a witty reason. “I hold my friends’ hands like this. You shouldn’t worry about that promise.”

“I didn’t know that we were friends,” Jaemin chuckled as he went up another flight of stairs. You recognised this as the staircase that led to the Astronomy Tower, the tallest Tower at Hogwarts.

“I don’t let random boys take me to break onto the roof of the Astronomy Tower,” you tease him.

“I would never!” he scoffed, holding a hand up to his chest. “I got permission from Professor Sinistra to be here. I had to get an O on my last test, but it’s all worth it.”

You and Jaemin walk up the spiral staircase until you reach the top of the Astronomy Tower, the telescopes already pointing up to the night sky. You remember coming up here in your first year with your fellow Ravenclaws, identifying the constellations in the sky for practical exams. You’ve never been up here with anyone outside of your house and your professor, but you were glad that it was Jaemin you were with right now.

“I thought you wouldn’t be asking me on a date, Na Jaemin,” you smile as you walk over to a telescope to look into the sky, identifying one of Jupiter’s moons.

“Who said this was a date?” he asked you as he leaned against the wall next to you. “This is just two friends looking at the sky.”

“Sure,” you said sarcastically as you raised your head from the telescope, prompting Jaemin to look where you were looking.

“Europa?” he questioned as he looked at the same moon you were looking at.

“That is Europa,” you confirmed, beaming when Jaemin turned to look at you with a wide grin.

“I’ve got to thank fifth year Astronomy for that,” he said as he smiled at you.

“We learned that in first year,” you giggle at him, sitting down on the cold stone to look at the bright stars above you.

“Oops, I guess,” he mumbled as he retrieved his wand from his belt. “Accio, blanket.” Seconds later, a black and yellow blanket flew up along the tower and into Jaemin’s hands. He laid the blanket on the floor next to you so you could scoot onto the blanket to stop the cold from spreading throughout your body.

“Thank you,” you said as you laid down on the blanket, cheeks heating up when he moved down to lay right next to you.

“It’s my pleasure; I can’t have you getting cold.”

You looked from the sky to Jaemin who was already looking at you, thinking about how you ended up here. “Which is faster, hot or cold?”

“What?” he questions, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“It’s a riddle; I’m training your brain to answer the Eagle Door Knocker so we can finally go on a date,” you admit, turning on your side to give all your attention to the Hufflepuff in front of you. “Which is faster?”

“Uh, hot is faster?” he answered you, yet the hesitancy in his voice made his answer seem like a question.

“Why is it faster?” you asked him, curious as to how he came up with the correct answer.

“Because people get hotter faster than they get cold,” he suggested, a shy smile adorning his face for his reasoning. “Was I right?”

“Your answer was right but your reasoning was wrong.”

“Then why is hot faster than cold?” Jaemin asked, leaning on his elbow to get a better look at you.

“Hot is faster because you can catch a cold,” you inform him, laughing at the way he groans at the correct reasoning.

“Riddles are so dumb!” he complains, only causing more laughter to fall from your lips.

“They’re not dumb, it’s just a brain exercise,” you tell him.

“Well, I exercise enough on the Quidditch field,” he grumbled even though he had a small smile on his face as he laid on his back once more and closed his eyes.

“Well, if you answer my riddles correctly, I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek.”

“Okay,” he grins as he sits up. “Give me another one, I’ll get it right. I promise.”

For the rest of your time on top of the Astronomy Tower, you gave Jaemin three kisses of more than possibly twenty kisses on his cheek — each one getting closer to his lips. Unfortunately for you both, you had classes in the morning so you had to leave the Tower and go to your dorms. He insists on walking you back to the Ravenclaw Tower, and who were you to say no?

You walk hand in hand towards your Tower of residence, Jaemin’s Hufflepuff blanket wrapped around both of your shoulders as you walk down the many staircases and passages. It was just the two of you for a few minutes, until you hear someone walking as well. You feel the squeeze on your hand as Jaemin quietly runs to a corner and crouches down, bringing you with him.

“What’s wrong? I thought you had permission to be out,” you whispered to him.

“I did,” he whispers, his face extremely close to yours, “but not past midnight. So, don’t make a sound.”

You listen to the sound that slowly approaches where you and Jaemin hid, the echoes of a meow bouncing off the walls, indicating that it was Filch and his cat. If you got caught by him at this hour — especially with a boy from a different house — you would receive a huge punishment. You didn’t want him to find you, so you got your wand out and held onto Jaemin’s hand tighter than before.

“Expecto Patronum,” you whisper, pointing your wand in the opposite direction of where you two were. As soon as you utter the word, a Persian cat appears, the blue glow of your Patronus causing Filch’s cat to get distracted and chase it down the corridor.

“Mrs Norris! Get back here!” you hear Filch yell as he chases his cat down the corridor, completely ignoring the Patronus.

“Let’s go,” Jaemin whispers, quickly helping you up and running towards the stairs of the Ravenclaw Tower. You both laugh when you hear the echoes of Filch’s cries for who was out there, already long gone from the scene of the crime.

“So…a Persian cat?” Jaemin asks you as you walk towards the door to your Common Room.

“Yeah, what’s your Patronus?” you ask him, standing with your fingers interlocked with his.

“It’s a bunny rabbit,” he chuckles as he looks down at you.

He’s leaning in when the Eagle Door Knocker asks you a riddle. “What is at the end of a rainbow?” He pauses his moving closer to your face to think about the answer to the riddle. While at the Astronomy Tower, he realised that he needed to think about the question before answering the riddle.

Usually, people would say that a pot of gold was at the end of the rainbow, but the answer to this riddle was—

“The letter W,” Jaemin says as he turns to the door, waiting for its answer.

The door opens slowly and Jaemin jumps in the air, silently cheering for himself for opening the door by himself. You quietly clap for him, not trying to alert anyone inside the Common Room.

Once Jaemin is done celebrating his victory, he places his hands on your cheeks to bring your lips together in a sweet kiss. “Now I won’t feel guilty about kissing you before getting that door open,” he says against your lips.

“I’m just glad you finally opened the door,” you smiled, pressing another kiss to his lips.

“Lunch together tomorrow?” he asks you as he lets go of you.

“It’s a date,” you say, walking into the Common Room, waving him off as he took the stairs all the way down to the Hufflepuff Basement.

And even though Taeil reprimanded you for returning to the Ravenclaw Tower after curfew, the smile on your face never disappeared. “Why are you still smiling? I’m forced to deduct points from our house because you broke a rule.”

“Because I finally got my date with Na Jaemin.”

to celebrate getting 1500 followers on here, i opened up my requests! be prepared for more requested works from me!

© hyuckles-chuckles, 2020. please don’t copy or repost without permission.

[simpforsnape]

Sincerely Yours.

Severus Snape x OC/Reader

wordcount: 2599

warnings: none, minor errors.

credit to the creator of this gif.

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Chapter 7

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The clicking of Anah heels echoed throughout the halls of Hogwarts. 'Somehow' Sirius Black has found his way into the school. It’s already known how he was able to get in. Remus. Speaking of, he went missing. From what she was told by Dumbledore, he forgot to take his potion. So he would be gone for a few days or so.

Still, things weren’t looking so good for either of them.

She paced the dark halls on with her search. What would she do if she ran into him? Fight him? Cry maybe? Who knew.

Her eyes met with a panting that settled on the wall. Since the school is magical, there no doubt that it was alive.

“Has anyone lingered around this area?” Anah questioned as most of the paintings uttered.

”Why yes M'lady.”

She turned to an old painting. It was an old man sitting in a rocking chair smoking a pipe.

”Who was it?” She questioned holding her light wand near the portrait.

The man adjusted his pipe before giving off a cocky smirk.

”Sirius Black M'lady."

She placed her hands on her hips.

”Where did he go?”

The elder man pointed over at the Ravenclaws stairs.

”That way I presume.”

She nodded her head in gestures of thanking him before making her way to the tower.

Instead of walking.. she started running. But why?

The stairs were literal hell. It took her almost an eternity to reach the top.

She came to the door that stood between her and the common room. The knocker settled there. She gave off a gentle sigh bringing her hand up to knock.

Of course, how could she forget about the riddle?

The knocker spoke.

"Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

Anah felt her eyebrow twitch, honestly, no one had time for this.

"A circle has no beginning."

The door creaked opened soon after.

"Well reasoned."

Anah stepped into the quiet common room. She held her lit wand up motioning around the room. The moonlight filled the room mostly, so it was hardly needed. While she gazed across the room she couldn't help but embrace the silence that was overhauling it. She noticed a presence in the corner of her eye standing in the veer of the room. It was Sirius.

He slowly stepped from the darkness into the light unveiling himself to her.

"Anahstacia..." his tone was rough.

She made a face. Mixed emotions were running through her. What would you do if you haven't seen an old friend in 12 years?

"Sirius.." She allowed a slight smile to peer on her face as the two soon walked towards each other to quickly embrace.

"You've grown.." He mumbled as the two pulled away.

Anah turned her head, doing her best to not weep. Sirius, along with the rest of the Marauder's Crew were brothers to her. Only two were alive.

"I have no words, Sirius..." She mumbled to herself soon walking over to the nearest couch. Sirius stood there, still in his prisoner's clothes. Of course, he didn't have such an elegant appearance.

"It is alright to not have any..." he enunciates the woman who then turned to him, whipping the single tear she shed.

"Why are you here.." She questioned with her eyes still on him. She heard him sigh at her question.

He moved to the settee across from her.

"Do you believe that I'm innocent?.." His question almost hovered over Anah.

"Yes, of course...”

He clasped his hands together as he then looked down at the blue carpet.

”I didn't give up Lily and James location.. it was Peter. Peter Pettigrew..He framed me.. For everything. Their death, the muggles.. Everything..”

Anah cocked a brow with her arms tugged around herself. Hearing him re-explaining the whole situation was anguishing, but he was only speaking the truth.

”But he's dead?..”

Sirius gazed up at the young woman as he shook his head.

”He is alive.. he's here..in the castle. That's who I'm after..”

But how? The only thing that was left of the man was a finger.

”Are you certain that he's here?...” she questioned again.

”I’m sure.. I just need a chance.. A chance to confront him..”

Anah was sat back into the confronts of the chair. After all this time, It was Peter who betrayed the Potters..

”Where is he?”

Sirius leaned toward the chair.

”He’s in his Animagus form disguised as a pet.. I've seen him in a picture with the Weasly’s..”

Anah hummed against herself.

”So.. You need to get to him?...”

Sirius shook his head as Anah soon stood up from her seat to extend her hand out to the man.

”I’ll help you...”

She paused again this time glaring at him. "But only for the sake of my Godson."

Sirius looked at the woman before shaking his head, almost as if he was worried.

”I don't want you to get dragged into-”

”Sirius, shut up and shake my hand.”

Anah’s face remained the same as she gestured to him to shake her hand.

Sirius hesitate for a second. He knew he could rely on the woman.

The two then shook hands agreeing on the hunt for Peter Pettigrew.

He chucked a bit as he now tucked his hand beside him.

"You know, Harry Potter is my Godchild as well."

She rolled her eyes ignoring his statement. Well, after all he was.

”I’ll be on the lookout, until then Sirius... Please be safe.. And if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask alright?” a smile peered on Anah's face. The man in front of her stood up to embrace her once more.

”Of course Anahstacia, until then..”

She turned on her heels now heading out the door.

”And Anah..” Sirius called out as she quickly turned to him.

”Yes?”

”Thank you... For not attacking me.. Honestly, I was waiting for you to do so..” He grinned as his comment caused Anah to roll her eyes and smile.

”It was tempting, but.. I rather greet you with love than hate.. Now go before someone sees you..”

And like that, Anah left the Ravenclaws tower now heading back to the Grand Hall.

Once she arrived the entire hall was silent. There were sleeping bags everywhere. She noticed the Headmaster and a few other Professors standing on the other end of the hall. She must have been the last to return.

She walked past the asleep children approaching the Headmaster. Dumbledores hands were tucked behind his back as he then turned his head towards Anah.

“The west wing is clear..” she spoke making mere eye contact. On both sides of Dumbledore stood Severus and Minerva.

“Good.. I would desire the teachers to remain here until morning.”

Anah nodded her head now turning to look at Severus. He only returned the look. He knew something was up with her. It shouldn't take that long to search the west wing, or should it?

The night carried on as usual, by morning everything was back on schedule. Classes were delayed a bit, some teachers were able to sleep. On the other hand, Anah didn’t get much.

By the time she hit her third class, she was completely over the paperwork, and sad to say some of the students.

It was the evening and classes were let out. The big Quidditch game was coming up in no less than an hour. Anah, along with Harry and his two other friends Hermione and Ron were all in her classroom waiting until it was time to go down to the Quidditch field.

“Are you excited?” Anah asked while Harry turned to fix the Quidditch attire.

“No, and Yes..” his voice said it all.

The Professor was sat behind her desk watching the children in front of her.

“You know, your Dad would incredibly nervous before every game..”

Her comment got his attention fully.

”Really?”

She shook her head, propping one of her legs up on her desk. She had on muggle clothes. Black skinny jeans with a navy blue turtle neck tucked in. She still had a cape on, but it was also black. As old as she was, she still had insecurity about her body.

”Oh yeah, James was something else back then Harry..” she smiled adjusting her posture. ”He’d always make it seem like was all calm in front of the ladies, but when he was around us, boy oh boy..” She spoke making a face causing Harry to smile more along with the other two teens.

Hopefully, that was able to ease his nerves.

”It’s time Harry..” Ron called out with his hands in his pockets. Hermione was standing next to him. The two had on their regular muggle clothes on top of their rain attire, there was a storm going on already.

An arrangement was made between Severus and Anah. He would meet up with her before the game started so that they would sit with each other.

The three students left afterward. Anah did a lot of ’mother pampering’ to Harry and the gang before the big game.

The Professor has just finished straightening up until she heard the familiar heavy footsteps marching into her classroom.

”Are you ready?...” asked the tried man.

The man in black just eyed her. He had on his regular attire, but with a clock over due to the weather.

Anah turned around getting Severus with a simple smile.

”Yes, I am. How were your classes?”

She started to fix her clothes in the reflection of a window.

She heard the man pacing around, with his shoes clocking in the walk.

”Those daft dimbos will never get anything right.” He groaned while bringing his hands up to his face in the process. She turned to the man.

”Was it a potion?” She questioned. Her attention was still on herself. She was fixing her hair, along with her face.

"Lupin neglected to take his potion, so.. I was told to overtake his class until he.. returns." Anah heard the annoyance all throughout the man's words.

"It's not all bad isn't it?" The woman questioned now walked over to the Professor who was now sitting down in the nearest seat.

"It's quite vexatious if you ask me." Anah appeared behind him with on hand propped on his shoulder and the other gripping the bottom of his chin.

"You just need to relax.. That's all... How about this.. after the game, allow me to take you out for a drink.." She gave him a charming smile. He watched the woman utterly astonished by her movements. He should have expected it as always.

"And why.. should I accept this..?" He phased throughout his words.

She smirked leaning down to invaded his space.

"Because, I know you'd go.. exceptionally with me.."

He scoffed but he knew she was right. He turned his head now loosening the grip from Anah.

"Alright.. but.. I expect you-"

"To be on my best behavoir~ I know, don't worry. I'll do my best to not embarrass you~" She teased. The man turned his back somewhat satisfied with her response. The two were then off to the Quidditch game.

It was rather long due to the storms. The teachers were all in one reserved tower. It was raining cats and dogs, but not literally. Anah sat between Severus and Minerva. The had just begun. The players were out, the ball was set and the crowd took place with their roars of support. Anah's eyes were on Harry the entire time. Quidditch was a rough game, but every time she saw him getting roughed up, her anxiety only worsened.

For a point and time, Anah lost track of him. Anah sighed with her hands clenching onto the raincoat that was covering her. Severus eye's quickly looked down to see what the woman was fiddling with. "Something.. frettins you?" He spoke loud enough for her to hear. She glanced at him soon making a face. "Don't you think this game is a bit.. you know..severe?"

A chuckle escaped from his chest. "You're worried about him?.." She didn't bother to look at him. The rain was dripping off their bodies in the midsts. There were uproars of chatters going on around them. "Of course I am.. I'm his Godmother." He knew this. "Hmph." The conversation ended afterwards.

The game continued on a usual with the unlike disturbance of the storm. There was a lot of calamity going on. Some brooms were being strucked by lightning and catching on fire, while others.. well.. let's just say some will spend some time in the Infirmary.

The young witch noticed that Harry had been away for some time now. There were too many thoughts going through her head. Feeling like a mother at the moment, worry over buried her.

"Severus, He's been gone for too long now.." Her eyes soon met with the man who quickly dismissed her concern. He quietly sighed before speaking. "Anah, he's fine." He expressed hovering his hand over hers. For a moment the two went silent. Severus Snape just showed affection. In public.

He turned his head away, he was in no doubt timid. As soon as he tried to pull away his hand away Anah grasped it keeping it in place. Like mentioned before, he was never the one to show affection, but he was aside himself today.

Anah was just about to utter a word until gasps and screams spread throughout the yard. Someone was falling from their broom. It was Harry. The woman's heart stopped. Before the poor boy hit the ground the Headmaster saved him in the nick of time.

He and the other injured players were quickly rushed to Hospital wing. Anah left as quick as she could to check on the poor boy.

If it wasn't for Dumbldore.. Well, Harry would have taken a hefty fall.

Anah stood at the edge of the bed looking over the poor boy. He looked.. well. He didn't look so great.

Ron, Hermione and a few other students including the Weasley twins all came strutting in to check on their friend.

”Professor V?” Questioned the chestnut gal, Hermione.

”Hm?” Anah turned to greet the students.

Hermione went to go sit by the bed while the others hovered over boy.

”Is he alright? I mean, he took a bloody fall.” Ron added gleaming down at his bestfriend.

”How else would you look like if you were to fall 3,000 feet?” Fred added while George nudge at him.

”Yeah, Why don't we push you off the astronomy tower and see how you would look Ron?”

Ron made a face at the two brothers before rolling his eyes. ”Shut up..”

A smile peered on the woman's face watching the interaction going on between the teens. Her eyes soon hit the clock when she had seen what time it was. It was rolling into evening and she had some ’Business to attend to.’

Anah gave one more glance at the boy before turning to Hermione. ”Tell him I waited for him, alright?”

”Yes Professor V.”

Anah bid well to all of the students as the headed to her Chambers to change into something for ’fitting’ for the evening. When she finished changing she glanced into the mirror once more completely satisfied with her look.

When she looked at her she noticed a few tweaks. Her hair was a mess, along with her dress. It looked as if.. hm.. that’s interesting. Was tonight the night Severus would finally give in? The mirror only gave minor hints.

Tonight was going to be something after all

[fermented-writers-block]

Just recently, I stumbled across @owls-house‘s post on MSN’s article about some of the first look details of The Owl House while looking through some of the older posts about upcoming news on the show before it came out, and this particular section caught my eye in light of everything we currently know about the Boiling Isles and the cast of the show:

The Owl House:

The Owl House is a living structure that Eda has charmed so that she could live there and be safe from outside forces. Quaint and cottage-like on the outside, with a storefront facade, the inside of the Owl House is full of secret rooms, with a labyrinth for a basement. Hooty, the door knocker, serves as the home’s defense system.

Given how the Owl House is supposed to be Eda’s safe haven and how she hasn’t really shown that much of an interest in puzzle solving and mysteries, the two bolded details immediately stood out to me. 

I mean, from what we’ve seen of her, Eda has never really struck me as someone who’d construct or even want to deal with a labyrinth in the first place - particularly one that’s completely unnecessary if its supposed to be a basement to simply just store things in - and I very much doubt Eda would install a whole bunch of secret rooms into her house that presumably go unused when she likes to collect things so often, let alone go through all the trouble of making entire rooms dedicated to being secret when we’ve seen her be content with the amount of rooms she already uses.

And that’s without asking where and what the heck these secret rooms are supposed to be about specifically, as while they are secret and thus understandably not generally supposed to be easily found, they would have to be VERY small rooms to fit inside with the relative dimensions of all the rooms we’ve seen so far compared to the size of the exterior, and that’s without asking about what purpose they would even serve.

As for the apparent labyrinth, such a word tends to evoke the image of some incredibly huge and complex maze-like structure with single overall path and no dead ends - although it’s often been used interchangeably used with ‘maze,’ which is basically a labyrinth with dead ends, so who knows what it actually looks like here - and yet there is no sign of any kind of tunnel when an animated Hooty stood up in Hooty’s Moving Hassle let alone hardly any implied space for the kind of grand, sprawling structure the word ‘labyrinth’ evokes.

Now, I’ve brought this up in my last theory about the Owl House as a structure, but as a brief summary, I deduced that it is not a place that Eda had constructed completely all on her own, but rather an amalgamation of a bunch of parts of different buildings that had gotten attached to one center section: aka the middle part of the house with white brickwork - or the Owl Temple as I’ve dubbed it before.

And after looking through the flooring and walls of the rooms we’ve seen so far of the Owl House, I’ve concluded that the labyrinth at the very least is located or accessible from either underneath the carpet in the living room:

Or somewhere inside the parapet/battlement thing that serves as the floor of Eda’s balcony:

Obviously, considering the likely size of both of these rooms in relation to the dimensions of the house, they must be hidden away by magic, whether it be through magical pocket dimensions or the like, but this just raises the questions of why these rooms exist in the first place.

For me, I can see only two possible explanations for both questions, both of which I’ve outlined extensively down below:

TLDR: Either the original people who used the Owl Temple a long time ago had build those rooms into it, or they are a potentially significant part of Hooty’s biology as the house itself

Option 1: They were built by the original inhabitants of the Owl Temple

Like I’ve discussed before, I suspect that - from the owl mural and the way the curtains are arranged - the living room used to be used as an altar or ritual room for some kind of owl spirit/deity, so following off that kind of conclusion, it’s possible that the rest of the temple was designed in a similar fashion related to the Owl Deity.

Perhaps these secret rooms are only unlockable through puzzles and riddles to play into how owls are usually portrayed as wise old creatures, hiding away ‘treasures’ not of gold and wealth, but rather of information and books. Maybe these secret rooms could have been like places of study where one could peruse ancient tomes or collect knowledge without being disturbed, or they could simply be full on ordinary rooms that people lived and slept in but with doors that can only be unlocked in a particular way ala the Ravenclaw dorms in Harry Potter.

As for the labyrinth, it could have been meant as a way to test one’s mind and observation skills/as part of one’s initiation, requiring an attentive eye to detail or such to figure out the one single route in and out of it. Maybe it holds some kind of great secret of knowledge or an important ancient artifact that only those who can figure out the path can find/use.

Of course, there IS the small chance it functioned more like a quirky cult with the labyrinth posing as part of kind of bizarre ritual or being used for sacrificial duty, but I very much doubt that this would even get past the censors let alone even got implemented with how un-cult-like the glimpses of the base design of the Owl Temple has been so far.

That said, given how I’ve speculated that something happened that led to the Owl Temple being abandoned, falling into disrepair and obscurity long before Eda first discovered it, she likely has next to absolutely no idea about the existence of at least most of these rooms, so it would be interesting to see exactly how the cast will eventually and inevitably find and explore these hidden rooms and labyrinth, especially with the chance at discovering long-forgotten knowledge or even uncovering dark secrets and old truths that have been suppressed and forgetten by the present day.

However, though I think this explanation and ramifications thereof would be interesting to explore in its own right, I can’t help but think that the second, more likely explanation would easily expand upon and add quite the intrigue to a particular character I’ve had my eye on for a good while:

OPTION 2: They are a part of Hooty and are only increasing in size and number as he grows

We all know that Hooty IS the house itself as demonstrated by his manipulation of various parts of the structure and from statements by Eda, but whereas the prior explanation was based on the idea that the old inhabitants had created the secret rooms and labyrinth themselves before Hooty came into the equation, here I’d like to propose that the rooms are a side result of Hooty slowly regenerating back into a full sized Owl Temple.

With the kind of importance and likely amount of people that would be present or living in such a place, it seems rather likely that what we see of the Owl Temple in the Owl House is but a small-ish remnant of the entire thing, especially with the doorframe in Eda’s room that most likely connected to another section or large area that she either couldn’t salvage in an intact-enough state or didn’t care about to bring with her.

However, though Eda’s additions seems to have been integrated relatively neatly with what she found of the Owl Temple for Hooty to probably be able to affect them, they are likely nowhere near enough to make up for the rest of the missing Temple. 

As such, Hooty could potentially and unknowingly be growing new rooms to make up for the rest of the Temple - kind of like a yolk becoming a baby chick inside of its shell, forming organs and bones and etc until it’s big and strong enough to emerge. 

Though here, instead of breaking apart the foundations and outside of the Owl House entirely, perhaps this transformation would be more like the structure suddenly expanding outwards and quickly stretching everything about itself similar a video about plant growth on fast forward, up until the outer dimensions match the ever increasing inner dimensions. 

With this kind of analogy, it’d make sense why Eda wouldn’t know about these rooms and why Hooty wouldn’t bring them up, as to the former, they literally weren’t there when she salvaged what she could of the Temple, and for the latter, they’re just such a natural part of his body that he simply doesn’t notice.

Now, why I think that this would add an interesting layer of mystique to Hooty’s character is because of the important question of - if and when he finds out about these rooms - whether Hooty would be able to consciously control their structure and arrangement however he wants. 

After all, if the answer is YES, then we might get to begin to see the full capacity of both Hooty’s power and his patience if he gets ticked off and decides to turn the inside of the house into this:

It would not only be an amazing opportunity for some glorious mind screwy animation with the transformation of a location we’ve all become accustomed to into something straight out of M C Escher’s nightmares, but would also give an opportunity to build Hooty’s character MUCH further beyond the complete butt monkey he’s been portrayed as.

Outside of Eda calling him a “state of the art defense system” in the first episode, he has barely gotten any respect and has never been treated seriously compared to even King. And even when he seems to have temporarily died in The Intruder given the crossed-out eyes and the lights going out in the house when they’re apparently directly controlled by him, Luz and King didn’t really stay that concerned for long. Heck, King was more annoyed at hearing Hooty’s voice again rather than being happy that he was still alive.

After enduring all of that, it’s a wonder that Hooty hasn’t snapped any sooner, so how he’d react when he finally can get people to listen to him without them being able to just simply ignore him or leave would open up the gates to his inner psyche and how he really feels about everyone and the way they treat him. 

Exactly how he’d manipulate the interior dimensions would be extremely telling of what kind of character he truly is at heart, what with the sheer kind of power trip from being in complete control over such a space vs how he would be calmed down from it, AND it’d mark a major and permanent shift in how everyone treats the being they live in on a daily basis due to how much mutual trust and respect both Hooty and his inhabitants would likely have to rebuild in each other to be able to go about their day and keep their relationships intact.

That, and it’d be a REALLY interesting glimpse into the full eldritch nature of a house with many more rooms on the inside than the outside suggests, one that actually has a mind and consciousness to drive it and thus one that you don’t really want to piss off if you can. Just think of all the fun horror/mind screw that could be done with such an episode about this.

Of course, this does bring into question exactly what is the deal with the labyrinth, but running off the seemingly one-time joke from the first episode where - instead of simply opening the door like he’s done in every other episode - Hooty lets everyone in by opening his mouth and even burping, the entire living room could easily be equated as Hooty’s stomach. 

I’ve discussed this with @sepublic​ a bit, but because of how he can stretch vertically instead of just his neck as shown above, as well as the likely placement of the labyrinth underneath the living room, I suspect that the labyrinth might be doubling as Hooty’s intestines given the way real intestines fold and twist around while also having one single route through them like a labyrinth does.

That, and that Hooty may have gained Eda’s trust as a good enough defense system for her to rely on by being able to do this to whoever tries to attack the house from time to time:

I would not be surprised if Luz or Eda or whoever checks out the labyrinth later in the series might find the remains of some of Eda’s old enemies down there.

That said, considering how much bigger the original Owl Temple might possibly be than the Owl House, Hooty would likely require quite a LOT of material/energy to build back those rooms and other parts of the Temple. And given how he doesn’t exactly seem to passively be feeding off ambient magic or something alongside the comparison to intestines, well...

It just makes one wonder just what state those remains are in, let alone how recognizable they even still are in the first place.

[jensonsbuttons]

so basically after a long discussion of hogwarts houses and all that i got inspired cause why not!!! then we came up with this cute little scenario and fitted it for sebson and i wrote it and ta da!!!

this is.......so not in line with hogwarts idk lore??? i guess. Cause i know there are curfews and prefects that get you if you’re out late but and you probably can’t just go to other common rooms this easily that doesn’t matter!!! its a cute little scenario i wrote up at 2am this morning so suspend your disbelief and enjoy :D (Also jenson is absolutely not a ravenclaw i just needed him to be for the story)

Jenson lightly hit his head against the wall once again, falling to answer the riddle the eagle had given him once again. No one had come back to the room in such a long time that Jenson was about to give up. But where was he going to go?

Suddenly, a metaphorical lightbulb flashed above his head as he gathered his materials and made a mad dash for the kitchens. Not surprisingly, he found who he was looking for: Sebastian Vettel.

“Seb!”

“Jenson! It’s late. What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be in your room?”

Jenson blushed at this. How was he supposed to explain that he got frustrated with a door knocker?

“Uh, well,” Jenson started as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Do you need somewhere to sleep?” Seb guessed, a gleam in his eyes as he figured out his friend’s problem for him. Jenson sometimes had to wonder how the witty German hadn’t been sorted into Ravenclaw himself.

“If you don’t mind.”

“Oh, I don’t mind! I think you might get some odd glances but after all, we are the most—”

“Accepting house. Yes,” Jenson completed for him. Seb raised his eyebrows though and Jenson could see he’d need to add a little something extra as gratitude for spending the night. “And I'm grateful that I have such an awesome friend who is so cool and smart and everything else nice that I can say about you.”

Seb bobbed his head back and forth as if he was actually thinking about it before tapping Jenson on the shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go. You look exhausted from having to use your brain all day.”

Jenson tried his best to be offended but found it impossible as Seb led them over to the barrels in the corner of the kitchen. Jenson gave a quick smile to the portrait of the renowned Helga Hufflepuff above the entrance. She gave a slight one back but Seb smiled at the interaction so Jenson figured he was still okay to enter… until Seb cleared his throat.

“Am I not allowed?”

“What? Of course you are. You have to turn around though and put your hands over your ears, though. I don’t want you sneaking in here all the time!” Sebastian joked but Jenson understood. Each house had their own secretive entrances so Hufflepuff was no different.

The Ravenclaw did as instructed and turned around, squeezing his eyes shut and lightly placing his fingertips over his ears to block out the sounds of Sebastian’s wand tapping on the barrels.

Moments later Jenson heard a large shift and felt a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to see a large opening in the barrels and what looked like a long hallway softly flooded with yellow light.

“I will never repay you for this.”

“Just read up on your riddles for next time,” Sebastian joked.

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

Jenson thought that that first night was also the only night. However, his luck turned worse as several more nights he couldn’t solve the riddle and no other students were out as late as he was. So, he often found himself making his way down to the kitchens with Sebastian somehow knowing he’d show up.

Some times Seb would say things like “oh I heard other Ravenclaws talking about how tough the riddle was today” or “oh I just had a feeling.”

There was a part of Jenson that accepted these answers. But, there was also a part of Jenson that wanted Sebastian to feel the same way he had. He didn’t know when it changed but, now, anytime he got the riddles wrong, Jenson looked forward to going to see Sebastian. (There might have been a few times that he got them wrong on purpose but he wouldn’t dare tell anyone that.)

One particularly long night, Jenson had stayed up late again studying for exams. When he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, he packed his bag and had to stop himself from heading down towards the kitchen on autopilot. It was too late and Sebastian would already be in bed.

So, instead, he went to climb the thousands of stairs that led to the Ravenclaw tower. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the bronze eagle called out “what keeps wet as it dries?”

“A towel,” Jenson mumbled and the door began to creak open. He furrowed his brow looking down the stairs once more but then dragged himself into his bed that he had neglected for too long.

Jenson plopped into the cozy bed and sighed as he curled up, ready for good sleep.

Thirty minutes later, his eyes shot open and he groaned. He hadn’t gotten one bit of good sleep. He felt restless, the person in the bunk next to him was snoring too loud and he was cold. Jenson shivered as he threw a pillow over his ears and curled up, hoping to solve one of the problems.

Another thirty minutes later, nothing had changed. Jenson’s legs had begun to move erratically, seemingly uncomfortable with whatever position he tried to keep them in.

As Jenson took the pillow from over his ear and clutched it against his chest, he already could feel more relaxed.

“Shit,” Jenson muttered to himself, knowing why he became so calm with a fake presence to hold onto. He’d tackle that one for the morning. For now, it was time for sleep.

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

The early morning did Jenson no good as all the alarms and bells and whistles rang out to alert him of a new day. He (somehow) makes his way out of bed and does his best to run a hand through his hair to look somewhat decent.

As Jenson trudged into the Great Hall for breakfast, he spots Sebastian. He has his chin propped up on his hand and looks fast asleep from where Jenson’s standing.

It makes a slight smile appear on his face when he realizes that Sebastian might not have slept well either the night before. Maybe Jenson wasn’t wrong about Seb’s reasoning for waiting for him in the kitchens.

The day went on and night quickly arrived with Jenson once again making his way to the library to study. As much as he wanted to sleep properly that night, he also knew he couldn’t bear to fail his exams.

Just like the night before, Jenson let time slip out from under him and the new day had begun. Knowing he needed proper sleep, and thinking that his exhaustion would help put him under, Jenson once again made his way up to the Ravenclaw tower. And, once again, the bronze eagle squawked out a riddle.

“What goes up but never comes down?”

“Uh, stocks?” Nothing. “Air.” Nothing. “Balloons.” His frustration began to surface as he groaned and shook his head.

“I’m a moron… ” Jenson whispered as he quickly gathered his things. He flew down the stairs knowing that even if he did get into his room, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He wouldn’t know how. He might not know the answer to the riddle but he knew he needed Sebastian and that was good enough for him.

Jenson burst into the kitchens and heard a gasp upon his intrusion. It was Sebastian. The young German quickly brought his head up from the table, eyes wide and looking like he just woke up. In fact…

“Did you just wake up?”

“Maybe,” Seb grumbled back.

“What were you doing sleeping out here?” Jenson asked, already knowing the answer. There was that large part of him though that knew he needed to hear the answer for himself; to confirm what he’d been thinking.

“I… well, I fell asleep.”

“Waiting for me?” Jenson quietly questioned as he made his way over to the table Seb was seated at.

Seb’s cheek glowed red as he lowered his head. “Yeah, actually. I didn’t know if you solved the riddle or not so I tried to stay awake. Keyword, try.” Jenson snorted at this and shook his head.

“Well, I’m not smart,” he started. “I couldn’t get it tonight.”

“Oh. Well, come on. Don’t put yourself down like that.”

Jenson felt wide awake now as he started to mess with his hands, knowing what was going to come out couldn’t be stopped if he willed it to.

“I don’t think I tried, Seb.”

Seb cocked an eyebrow at this friend. “What? What do you mean?”

“I think I wanted to get it wrong. That way I could sleep in your bed again.”

Jenson watched as the German put two and two together, Seb’s mouth falling open at the realization.

“You… really?”

“Mhmm. I couldn’t sleep at all last night. You know, away from you. Thought that was maybe my body trying to tell me something.”

Sebastian couldn’t stop himself from the smile that crept onto his face upon Jenson’s confession. “Good.”

“Good?”

“No, wait. Not good. I meant, good as in I couldn’t fall asleep either. I got terrible sleep last night too cause I think you weren’t in my bed.”

Jenson, who was now sitting in front of his Seb, smiled and reached out to lace their hands together.

“You know what my body is telling me now?” Jenson quietly asked, making Seb’s eyes go wide. Jenson caught onto his friend’s train of thought and chuckled. “No, no! Nothing naughty. I promise.”

“Oh,” Seb softly said, “what is your body telling you then?”

“Let’s get some sleep.”

[onewfantaesy]

"no I'm telling you the egg came first that's a matter of evolution you silly piece of canvas, now LET ME IN"

(So it finally occurred to me to actually look up whether or not it’s a portrait that guards Ravenclaw. It’s not. It’s a bronze eagle door knocker lmao but I guess in this au all the dorms use portraits to enter oh well)

“Listen, you stupid bird-man, I’m telling you the egg came first!” Taemin, now three months into his fourth year, seethes at the humanoid eagle painting guarding the common room. “You’re simply being silly. It’s probably because you’re a half-bird half-man thing. Now, once again, the answer is the egg came first, SO LET ME IN!”

The portrait just crosses his arms at Taemin and turns up its beak. What a prick.

“I’ll ask again,” the portrait says in a haughty tone. “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?”

Taemin lets out a cross between a groan and a scream, and he stomps away, shouting, “YOU STUPID BIRD I HATE YOU!”

He’s seething in the library after that, aggressively taking notes on the potion they’re supposed to brew next week to get a head start. He’s already decided that crushing certain ingredients would work better than cutting, but he’ll have to make sure the professor doesn’t catch him modifying the instructions again.

“Good afternoon, Taemin,” an amused voice calls, and he looks up to see Heechul, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, standing across the table.

“Hello, Professor,” he mumbles, and he ducks his head back down to continue scribbling out ideas on how to make the potion better. It’s still weird, calling Heechul a professor. They are, after all, first cousins on his mother’s side. He only became a teacher this year.

“Heard you had trouble with the riddle again today,” Heechul says, sitting down at the table.

“The stupid portrait has it wrong,” Taemin insists. “It’s science, not a riddle.”

“Humor me.”

Taemin puts his quill down and turns back to Heechul.

“What came first: the chicken or the egg?” Taemin imitates the portrait’s voice. “It’s the egg. I don’t know what else to do. I’ll probably just sleep in the astronomy tower again tonight.”

“Now don’t do that,” Heechul sighs, and he leans back in the chair. “Taemin, I want you to just take a moment. Really think about how the portrait worded the question.”

“What?”

“Taemin,” Heechul says, his voice soft. “In the riddle, which did the portrait say first?”

“The chick- GODDAMMIT!” Taemin shrieks, only to get instantly scolded by the librarian.

Taemin just lets his head fall into his potions book, tugging at his hair. Heechul is chuckling across from him, but he does his best to comfort Taemin.

“You think too much about it sometimes,” Heechul tells him. “Sometimes the answers are really right in front of your nose, but you can’t see it because you’re too busy looking at the sky.”

“That was a weird analogy.”

“You still know what I meant.”

They’re both quiet for a moment, until Taemin pokes his head up to look at Heechul through his bangs.

“I really am the world’s worst Ravenclaw, aren’t I?” he whispers.

“Not even close,” Heechul assures him, moving to pat Taemin’s head, then laughing when Taemin whines and pulls away. “I think you just think too much. You’re too far in your own head.”

“I really am trying to get better,” Taemin mumbles.

“I know you are,” Heechul says. “Everyone knows you are. And really, no one who matters thinks less of you just because you’re not the best at riddles.”

They stay there for a while, Heechul carding his fingers through Taemin’s hair and just silently reassuring him that everything would be okay. Taemin was grateful Heechul took the teaching job, really. It was nice having someone he was actually really close with on the staff. Flitwick is great, but he’s known Heechul his whole life.

“Now come on, let’s get to dinner,” Heechul says, patting Taemin’s head again for good measure. “Heard dessert tonight is ice cream cake.”

“In December?” Taemin perks up, and he’s quick to close his books and shove them in his bag. “They almost never have cold stuff in December.”

“I may have told a few house elves that I know a certain dejected student who would really brighten up if he could have his favorite dessert.”

Taemin grins at him and follows after him to go to the Great Hall.

“Thank you,” he says softly, walking along with him.

“Anytime,” Heechul assures him, draping an arm around his shoulders. “And be sure to tell all your little friends how cool I am.”

“You’re the coolest,” Taemin gushes. “The absolute best.”

“I know I am.”

Taemin just laughs, and Heechul has a little smile on his face as he winks at him.

[harrypotterwholock]

Chapter 1: Actio Reactio

Summary:

When Angie comes back to Hogwarts this year, she is faced with her darkest demons. Only one teacher notices her pain: her defense against the dark arts professor Remus Lupin. While he helps her to come to terms with her mental health, the two grow closer together and their relationship becomes more intimate. Will she be able to fight her demons with the help of Professor Lupin or lose herself in the darkness?

Trigger warning for self harm.

Angie felt instant relief when she finally pulled the cold, sharp blade over her pale wrist. Hypnotized by the pain that made her feel for the first time in days, she cut deeper and deeper without noticing the stream of blood running down her white blouse. She was sitting in the back cabin of the girls' toilet, hoping that the moaning myrtle wouldn't notice her.

Minutes earlier, she had rushed out of the transfiguration classroom, struggling to keep herself from bursting into tears in front of her classmates. Not that they would care about it, most of her friends had turned away from Angie a long time ago.

Angie didn't want to be seen alone, so she usually spent the time between breaks in a girls' toilet or under a tree in the meadows around Hogwarts, where no one could find her. The other girls from her house mostly scoffed at her when she passed them, and did not make an effort to hide their dislike for her.

Angie had always been a bit of an outsider, but at least she had two friends. A few months ago, however, the two had conspired against her and now she felt more lonely than ever.

Professor McGonagall had passed out the exam last week and Angie had done unusually poorly. When Professor McGonagall put the test on her table, she said to Angie: "I really can't understand what has been going on with you lately, you no longer work in class and the other teachers also tell me that your performance has dropped significantly. If you don't start trying again, Mrs. Woods, you won't be able to keep your average. I strongly advise you to put more emphasis on your grades from now on, rather than spending your free time reading in the school yard "

The words had brought tears to Angie's eyes. If only Professor McGonagall had known that Angie would never allow herself to read a book for entertainment because she was far too afraid that her grades could drop. If she was reading a book, it was most definitely a textbook, but she just couldn't focus on the words. The letters blurred before her eyes and her thoughts got caught in her worries. The pressure to perform had turned her into a wreck. Angie was rarely able to concentrate on a certain thing, too often she lost herself in an apathetic state from which she could only be freed by repetitive addressing.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time had gone excruciatingly slowly, and Angie had had difficulty holding back the tears that welled up inside her. "My parents will think I'm a failure. How can I tell them, I'll never be able to look them in the eye again!" In her head she already heard the howler that she would soon receive at the breakfast table: "Young lady, what are you thinking, telling your parents about such bad grades! What should become of you if you do not score outstanding, our daughter is made for better. Ensure that your grades improve quickly, otherwise we will have to have a serious talk with you! " Angie had tried desperately not to let her eyes wander out of the window. Professor McGonagall had apparently decided to bring Angies attention back to class and called on her every other question.

After another endless 50 minutes, the bell had finally released Angie from her tension. As quickly as she could, she had gathered up all of her books and hurried out of the classroom. When she looked back at the door, Professor McGonagall had watched her with a disappointed look.

She felt her eyes go black. Panicking, she tried to press her black sweater against her bleeding wounds to stop the bleeding. Several curses crept over her lips when she noticed how much blood had got on her clothes. Most of her uniform was black, but her white blouse was dripping with blood. "How could I lose control so far? I have to burn my blouse, otherwise a girl from the dorm might discover that I'm cutting myself."

Angie tried to wipe as much blood as possible from her clothes and the floor and washed down the red colored toilet paper. Then she unlocked the cabin and went to the sink. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face looked strangely puffy. As terrible as she looked, she felt alive for the first time that day. Most days of the week passed uneventfully. With horror she had noticed that events or statements by other students that would devastate other people did not stir her any more. Even when her best friends Sophie and Lauren turned away from her, she couldn't manage to shed a tear. She felt like an empty wreck, unable to be happy. It was like being accompanied by a dementor day and night. But at that moment she felt like herself again, felt her body and could think clearly again. The water from the taps at Hogwarts was freezing cold, but in this situation it was just right for Angie. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, tried to straighten her hair, which she had previously desperately ruffled, and pulled on her black sweater to cover up her bloody blouse.

She peeked carefully out into the hallway. To her great relief, it was completely abandoned. It was better if nobody saw her in this state, as it was already getting late and the teachers didn't like to see students sneaking around in the corridors late at night. Just as she turned the corner, the door to Professor Lupin's classroom opened. "Just greet him as usual, he probably won't notice your condition at all if you keep calm!" She thought. When she approached him, she tried to keep the distance between her and Lupin as big as possible and put on a fake smile.

"Good evening Professor Lupin!" "Good evening Mrs. Woods! ... are you okay? You look pretty ... exhausted." "Damn, do I really have to run into him, couldn't it be Professor Snape who is only interested in his Slytherins?" She thought. "Don't worry Professor, Ι worked on an essay for Professor Snape until late at night, he once again gave us an exaggerated number of parchment scrolls. I'm just a little tired, but if I catch up on sleep tonight, it will have subsided until the morning" "But it rather looks like you cried. Are you sure you are just tired? If you have a problem or just need to speak to someone, you can come to me at any time. You know where you can find me. " "Thanks for the offer Professor, but it really is not necessary. I am very well." "Well, if you think that everything is fine ... I would still be more comfortable if I accompany you to your common room." "Really, everything is fine Professor Lupin! But if it is so important to you, you can come with me." Fortunately for Angie, the way to the Ravenclaw Tower was short and Professor Lupin made no further attempt to ask her why she was feeling unwell. When they got to the top of the tower, Angie said: "Thank you for your company, even if it really wasn't necessary. Good night professor!" "Good night Angie, have a good rest!" Professor Lupin gave her one last concerned look, turned away, and headed back to his classroom. Angie started up the stairs and felt tears gathering in her eyes again. "I have been hiding my problems for so long and it is precisely because of this one exam that I am discovered! And then of all things by Professor Lupin, the over-caring teacher. He will not let me out of sight any time soon ... I have to be more careful than before, to prevent him from also discovering my cuts!"

When she got to the magical knocker, it took her a long time to decipher the riddle, she was too distraught from the encounter with the emphatic professor. It was a long time ago that someone really saw her and worried about her. Now late at night, the fire in the fireplace in the common room was faint. The girls in her dormitory were already asleep, and in the darkness she hid her bloody blouse in the far corner of her chest. Angie lay exhausted in her bed and closed her curtains. For a long time she thought about the events of the evening and considered how she should behave in front of Professor Lupin the next day so as not to further catch his attention. When she finally started sliding into sleep, she saw the room light up from the rising sun.

[writings-of-dumpy]

George Weasley and the Girl in Ravenclaw: Part 3

A/N: It’s so fluffy I’m gonna dieeee

George rehearsed over and over in his head what he’d say to Raven once he found her. The three of them had only discussed the Yule ball once after McGonagall and Flitwick had given their houses dance lessons. Fred hadn’t mentioned asking Angelina and Raven hadn’t mentioned anyone she’d want to be asked by (or ask herself). He looked at the time and surmised that she’d be in the astronomy tower at this point in her day. His heart pounded in his chest as he got closer and closer to the tower. Once he climbed it, he found her sitting next to the telescope at the desk.

“Hey, I thought I’d find you here,” he said with a smile. Raven jumped and turned around with a startled expression.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” George chuckled as he got closer to her.

“It’s okay, just usually nobody is up here at this time in the evening… Is Fred with you?” she asked. George’s heart sank slightly at the mention of his brother who once had a crush on the girl that he had more than a crush on.

“No, it’s just me…” George said. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“Not a disappointment at all. You two are usually together is all,” Raven said and motioned for him to sit. He smiled and took his place next to her.

“A little chilly up here, hm?” George noticed.

“A little, yeah. The fire keeps this area warmer, though,” Raven said and smiled at him. “You okay?”

George swallowed. “Yeah, I’m, um… I just wanted to ask you something.”

“No, I will not write your potions essay for you,” Raven said with a smile.

George chuckled. “Well, guess I’ll go then.” He feigned getting up to leave and the pair laughed as he sat back down. “No, um… What I really wanted to ask you was, uh…”

Raven looked at him expectantly.

“Well, the Yule Ball is in like two weeks, and you hadn’t mentioned going with anyone, so I was wondering if you and I could go together, er... if you want to go to the ball with me, that is,” George fumbled through.

Raven smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds really fun!”

George’s heart beat out of his chest and he was sure she could see the contractions through his shirt. “Great! Um… it’s a date, then.”

Raven’s cheeks turned slightly pink and she smiled. “I suppose it is.”

~*~

The night of the Yule ball was a highly anticipated one for George. He felt bad for Ron, who inherited their fathers horribly dated dress robes, but only thought for a moment on that in the common room. He was mostly focused on imagining what Raven would look like. He had no idea what dress she was going to wear and aside from the week over the summer that she spent at the burrow, he hadn’t seen her in anything but school robes. As he and Fred were getting ready, they smiled at each other and complimented their matching robes.

“Are you nervous, Fred?” George asked as they headed down the hallway towards the great hall to meet their dates.

“A little. Are you?” Fred responded.

“A bit,” George lied. He was absolutely petrified. Not because he thought the date would go badly, just that he was worried that Raven would see him and laugh at his dress robes or think he looked somehow worse now than in classes.

The twins waited in mostly silence save for a few people saying hi on their way in. Angelina was the first to arrive and George had to admit that she looked perfect tonight. He had never seen her look so pretty, even during the after parties of the quidditch season at Hogsmeade. He looked up and saw a familiar face on the staircase. His stomach dropped and his heart stopped as he saw Raven descend the stairs in an elegant and full floor-length gown. It was a royal purple gown with black and mauve accents and the skirt had handkerchief cut ruffles that sparkled. It fit her perfectly. He knew she had an affinity for dark colors, but he never knew how well they’d compliment her. When she reached him, he noticed she looked slightly taller than usual and he smiled widely at her.

“You look like a princess,” George complimented. “Absolutely stunning.”

Raven blushed and shook her head with eyes closed and a shy smile. George noticed the matching purple and black on her lids as she did so.

“You’re too much, George Weasley. And you look very handsome,” she said and bit her rosy and glossed lip for a moment. He smiled and blushed at her compliment. He smiled and offered his arm to her, which she took with a grin.

“Did you grow a few inches, or am I just that daft?” George winked at her.

“I’m wearing high heels. I actually enjoy getting dressed up, and given how freakishly tall you are, I figured I’d be able to wear them with no problem,” Raven grinned.

George made his lips into an ‘o’ and raised his brows. The pair laughed and strode forward through the entrance to the Great Hall.

“Thank you for coming with me, by the way,” she said as they entered the ornately decorated space. George scoffed.

“I wanted to come with you, so thank you for agreeing,” George said with a smile. George and Raven stood off to the side while the four champions danced with their dates, then joined by Dumbledore and McGonagall, then the entire room erupted in dance. George took a deep breath and pulled Raven by the hand onto the dance floor. He smoothed his hand around her middle and their hands joined together and they danced as they both had rehearsed in the mandatory practices. George’s chest pounded as they moved, and he felt Raven so close. He could barely hear the music as he looked down at her and smiled widely. They danced until Raven said she needed something to drink, so George went with her to grab some punch.

“Are you having a good time, love?” he asked her once they had their drinks.

“Very much so! Who knew George Weasley was such a talented and handsome dancer,” Raven joked with him. George smiled and took a drink from his cup and managed to spot Fred and Angelina dancing wildly to the upbeat music playing. He laughed to himself and then pointed them out to Raven, who giggled as well.

After another hour of George and Raven sitting and talking, he noticed the hall had started to clear out and looked at his watch. It was nearly one in the morning by now, but he didn’t want the night to end just yet. A slower song started to play, and George stood up.

“Care to dance, m’lady?” he asked with a cheeky grin and held his hand out for Raven.

“You’ve been waiting all night to say that, haven’t you?” she said as she took his hand and they made their way to the dance floor.

“Maybe,” he confessed. After a quick observation of how the other couples were dancing, Raven placed her arms around George’s neck, and he pulled her close to him. Their bodies were hugged together and their faces were merely centimeters apart at this point. George could smell the punch on Raven’s breath he was so close, and he wanted her closer, but feared his tightening trousers would give him away and make Raven uncomfortable. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have thought the punch had firewhiskey in it with how he was feeling. The two of them swayed back and forth for a while in comfortable silence before George rested his head on hers in a bold move that was driven by his need to feel more of her.

“I’m really glad we had this night together,” he said lowly to her. His eyes had closed at the feeling of her so close to him, but he could tell that she had smiled at his words.

“I am too…” she said. George’s courage peaked as he pulled her closer to him and her hands rested on his chest. He loved the feeling of her in his arms this way, and he memorized the way her hands had slid from the back of his neck and somewhat in his longer locks to his chest that had been toned from years of Quidditch. His breathing became irregular as the distance between them grew shorter and shorter. Now or never, Weasley… he thought to himself.

“You’re… incredibly beautiful. Not just tonight, but always,” he confessed to her breathlessly. He felt her freeze for a moment, but then her delicate fingers rubbed a small circle on his chest where her hand rested. “And I—"

“Alright, boys and girls, that’s it for tonight. Thank you so much for staying through the set, you’ve been a wonderful audience!” the band’s vocalist said loudly and destroying the moment for George as he and Raven separated and clapped for the band.

George walked hand in hand with Raven back to her common room and before the eagle knocker could ask her the question, she smiled up at George.

“I had a really fun time tonight. Thank you,” she said and gave George’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll see you in class.”

“Yeah…” George said with a dazed expression.

After the door closed, he cursed himself over and over. “’I love you.’ That’s all you had to say, George. Just… ‘Raven, I’m in love with you.’”

[random-imagines-blog]

Bliss {Luna Lovegood X Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 3192 Summary: You’re on a quest for something you’ve only read about to show Luna, and she takes you for a day on the lake.

The portraits that lined the walls of the moving staircases winced as they saw you limping forward. “You really should go to the hospital wing, my dear.” “As soon as possible too, that foot isn’t looking too good!” “You should learn a few healing spells, weren’t you limping up here last week too?” You groaned in response to all of their well-meaning comments, but ignored them and continued up the staircase before it could move and take you in the entirely wrong direction. The Hospital Wing wasn’t very far but instead of turning onto that floor, you continued your ascent to the Ravenclaw Tower where Luna Lovegood would be waiting for you. It wasn’t a guess that she was, it was a given - she always waited in the Common Room for you to come back from your flying practices, and each time, she’d ask if you flew close enough to touch a star.

It hurt more and more with each step that you took, and you cursed yourself for not being able to remember that temporary numbing spell that you learned in Charms class. It was your toes this time, rather than a twisted ankle - you were pretty sure you landed with your foot arched, so on your toes rather than the balls of your feet. You managed to make your way up those stairs - your cardio was at its peak because of how high you had to climb everyday - and listen to the riddle that the entranceway gave you.

“You can see me in the water, but I never get wet.” The Eagle knocker asked. It always seemed to have a cocky way about it, you noticed, despite being an inanimate object without a personality.

“Ahhhh-” You said, attempting to think about it despite the pain coursing through your body. What you thought of first was the sun since there was no way that was getting wet and you could see it’s - “Reflection!”

The door swung open to reveal the common room, and you continued your walk inside. A mane of blonde hair was the first thing to catch your attention because it’s bright color so contrasted with all of the blue and bronze that were the room’s colors. The bright orange sweater and the green skirt also stood out - but that was the very essence of Luna Lovegood. You attempted to smile at her but it turned out to be more like a grimace. Not hesitating at all, the blonde calmly walked towards you, and went under your arm to support your weight.

“You really should be more careful, you know.” The sweet voice chimed. “Well, did you at least get close?”

“You should have just a little more faith in me, I’ll get you a starbird eventually.” You told her. She brought you over to one of the plush velvet couches and helped you sit down on it. At the relief of being off of your injured foot, you sighed in relief and leaned back against the opulent pillows that had little moving stars embroidered on them. There was a small squeak as Luna attempted to take your shoe off, and ended up pulling too hard and landing on her butt on the floor.

“Y/N, you really shouldn’t tie your laces so tight, your feet will suffocate,” Luna chided you. She always had the ability to make you smile, no matter how much pain you were in - and this was one of those times. You grinned and rolled your head around to look at her. It took away the ache in your toes for a minute to see her try to pull her long hair out of her face and help to take off your sock at the same time.

“Two are broken I think,” You said, wincing as the cool air touched your bare skin when she got your sock off. You probably could have done that bit yourself but Luna wasn’t bothered by removing your clothes, though it did make you blush whenever her fingers touched you. The two toes in question were already swelling up, and bruised. Most of the time, you only sprained them, but this definitely felt like a break. You watched as Luna pulled out her wand, and prepared yourself for the split second of pain that was going to ensue.

“Episky.” Luna said, pointing her wand at the two broken toes. You heard the sickening sound of bones fusing together. You had felt the wiggling sensation of them snapping back into place. “Well, how do you feel?”

“So much better, thanks Luna.” Now that the pain was lessened, you put your sock back on in a hurry, but you did remove your other shoe for now. Luna continued to sit on the ground, with her legs tucked under her, a smile on her face. She always seemed so happy to help, and you were always glad to accept it. “You’ve gotten pretty good at that spell, have you had to use it many times?”

Luna nodded a couple of times, and ran her hands across the rug that was beneath her. “Friday, I broke my own toe while swimming in the lake.”

Friday - yes, you remembered Luna coming back to the tower in her swimming costume with her hair in a damp braid. But you hadn’t thought about where she might had been swimming. “You didn’t invite me? Luna, I thought we were best friends,” You teased.

She tilted her head at you, and looked worried for a second, until she realized that you were indeed joking. “There can be a next time,” She said, smiling softly.

-

A next time came on the next Friday afternoon. But the weather wasn’t the most ideal, it was overcast and muggy - a typical Scottish day, and not a great one for the beach. And of course, it looked like it might rain but Luna had invited you nonetheless and you agreed to go along with her.

The grounds were deserted, most other students had decided to stay inside on a day like this. It was blissfully quiet with only the wind and then the splashes of the mermaids and the Giant Squid inside of the lake. You had your swimming suit on under your robes along with a rucksack full of snacks for the both of you to enjoy. They were mainly from Honeydukes but you managed to sneak a few tarts from the kitchen with the help of a Hufflepuff.

The lake was a gray-green color today, and didn’t look particularly tempting. When it was a sunny day out, and the water looked as blue as the sky, that was when you might be tempted to dip your feet into the water. “You sure you don’t want to come back another day?” You asked Luna. But no, she shook her head - blonde curls everywhere - and continued to the lake’s edge. You paused a few meters away and set down the rucksack and took a seat on the grass. Honestly, you weren’t surprised that she would still want to go - once she made her mind up, she stuck to it.

“Hey, let me know how the water is,” You asked Luna as she made her way to the water’s edge. There were small pebbles and shells that could be found under the water, buried in the dirt, so it was easy to see how she had hurt her own toes going out there. A minute later, the water was past her ankles, and she had her arms stretched out, the breeze blowing her hair back behind her. There was something beautiful about the scene and you wished that you had a camera to take a picture of it. Next time you came out, maybe you’d slip that Gryffindor Creevy boy a couple of sickles to borrow his for the afternoon.

“The water is sublime,” Luna told her. Thankfully so, there would be no chance of you getting in if it were freezing. Luna went a little further, until it was up to her knees, and started to reach down to the ground to pick up the shells that she saw.

You stood back up, remove your robe to show off your swimming costume, and took a few hesitant steps towards the water. Luna’s hand was already filled with shells and she urged you over to show you. You put one foot into the water, where it sunk into the dirt, creating little clouds of mud that brushed past your skin. The water was not sublime in your opinion - it was still far too chilly for you to be comfortable, but you put your second foot in as well, and wandered forward slowly until you started to grow adjusted to it. Soon, you were at the same spot as Luna and looking into her hand to see what she had found.

You didn’t have the same creature-identifying skills that she had, so to you, it all just looked like a bunch of shells. Wrong. The shells turned out to house some things that you had never even heard of. “This one is a Roslia,” Luna said, picking up a pick shell and put it into your hand. Your eyes barely caught sight of the hot pink thing disappearing inside of it. “They’re known to be really good luck.”

“Ever think about doing something with magical creatures when you graduate?” You asked, turning the Roslia back over so it wasn’t exposed to the skies.

“Sometimes.” Luna said, taking the Roslia back and put a different shell into your hand. This one looked to have dark stripes on it’s cream colored surface. You peered inside to see two eyes blinking out at you. “Alba magna,” Luna explained. After a minute, whatever was inside started to come out, three little legs appearing from a groove. It had the same markings as the outer shell, and was bigger than you had expected it to be. In it’s face, you saw a very human emotion - shyness. It made you smile and you laid your finger next to it. You were happy when it’s legs wrapped around your finger, as if it was hugging you. You didn’t make any quick motions, just gently moved it back to Luna’s hand, where it let go and crawled over to the Roselia and settled down next to it.

Luna put them back where she had found then, then waded further into the water. The Squid could be seen off in the distance, but it’s tendrils could definitely reach you if it wanted them to. “Your luck is going to change soon, that’s what the Roslia means.” Luna said once you were both waist deep. You smiled and chuckled.

“I hope so - maybe tonight will be the night I catch the starbird.” The stars may be covered by the clouds tonight, but you were still going to try it.

“I would like it if you did. Then you wouldn’t be out after hours trying to catch it anymore.” Luna said, running her fingers under the water. She then surprised you by leaning backwards, and raising her feet, arms outstretched so she was floating on the water. It was like she was one of those muggle rendition of mermaids in that moment. She looked so happy, so serene and free, all you could do was put your arms under her in case she started to slip under the ripples. “It’s okay, I’m really good at floating.”

Soon, you had joined her, since it did look like fun. The sky above was lighting up as the clouds were being pushed away by a gentle breeze. If the sun came out, it might even be a beautiful day. And that would only add even more to the experience, though you were in a state of bliss already. Like an otter, Luna had taken your hand so that you wouldn’t drift away from one another, as the two of you floated a little deeper into the lake.

It was two hours later, once your skin was all wrinkled and pruny and the smell of the lake was stuck to you like a cheap cologne, that you two finally left the water and had the picnic that you had packed. You paused when Luna started to reach towards you, tongue sticking out in concentration.

It was a Roslia. Somehow it had gotten caught up in your hair while you were swimming. You were glad that Luna had caught sight of it before you did the spell to dry your hair and style it back into the way that you liked. It’s little face was revealed, it’s tiny mouth made it look like it was smiling. Luna placed it on your shoulder instead, so it could crawl around in safety, it’s shell dragging behind it. “I think that it likes you.” Luna smiled, and brought the pudding - her favorite - out of the basket.

“You said it’s good luck right?” You questioned, letting the shell stay on your shoulder for as long as it wanted to. It felt a little odd, the small legs of the creature within going over your skin, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

-

The Roslia didn’t want to leave. It stayed on you even after you put your robes on, and had crawled into the crook of your neck and nestled there. You had put it back into the water, but it came scuttling after you and held tight to the hem of your robe, which you didn’t discover until you were back in the tower, getting ready to go out for your nightly flight to catch the legendary Starbird. You decided to take it along with you, since it was supposedly luck, and it attached itself to you no matter where you went.

“Hope you’re not scared of heights, little Rose.” You said to the shell, using a sticking charm to keep it on your chest so it wouldn’t fall when you got up high. Except for the counter-spell, nothing was going to get it off of you. You put your broom between your legs and kicked off, headed towards the Quidditch pitch where you weren’t as visible from the castle. The night had cleared up, and there were few clouds in the sky, which did mean that there was less cover and you could get into trouble, but it also meant that you had more of a chance of catching the starbird.

You went up as high as you could until the chill started to set in. You cast a quick warming charm, then looked down at the Quidditch pitch below. You could barely make out the golden hoops, they were so small below you. You took a deep breath and pushed yourself further up to where the air was thinner. You had to close your eyes so you could focus on your breathing, your knuckles white with how hard you were clenching the broomstick. Until you felt something fly past your past.

The instinct and excitement took over, and you let go of the broom with one hand, clenching your legs around it tighter to make up for the lack of contact. You shot your hand out in the direction that the thing flew, and felt your hand wrap around a warm, feathered body. Even if you had just caught a pigeon, it was still an accomplishment in your books.

You lowered down until you were about level with the Ravenclaw tower in the distance before you finally were able to get a good look at what you had caught. It was difficult to see in the darkness, and casting Lumos would undoubtedly have gotten attention from a teacher looking out the window of the castle, so you had to settle for squinting at it.

The bird was as dark as the night sky - not quite black, but a dark indigo color. As you loosened your grip, it lifted it’s wings and revealed the speckles of white on it’s stomach and feathers. Your breath caught in your throat. You had never seen a Starbird before, only heard about them in the Quibbler and through Luna but - but there was no way that this bird was anything but. A Starbird! In your very grip!

Without thinking of the consequences, you flew towards the Ravenclaw tower, grinning like a maniac. The Roslia really had brought you outstanding luck. You circled around it until you found the window that looked into the dormitory where Luna was bunked. You peered in and saw that there was a light on beside her bed, and she was reading the newest edition of the Quibbler - sideways. You knocked on the window lightly so as not to startle the other girls, and got her attention. She walked over to the window and opened up, revealing you and the creature that you had caught and were still holding onto gently.

Luna had never seen such a smile on your face, nor have you ever seen one like this on hers. She reached out and pet the bird, her eyes wide with excitement. “What a lovely little bird you found, y/n.”

“Memorize the look of it because I don’t think I’ll ever get this lucky again.” You said, then as slowly as you could, you set the bird on the windowsill then let it free. It hopped a little to the right, then leaned right into Luna’s face as if it were examining her the way that she was examining it.

“I see Perseus, right here,” Luna said, stroking the stomach of the bird as it once more showed off it’s impressive wingspan. “And the giraffe.”

The stars just looked random to you, but you didn’t take Astronomy like she did. You tilted your broom a little to one side so you could get a better look but the bird started to flap it’s wings and flew into the sky, soaring up high until it was entirely out of sight. You had to admit, it was one of the prettiest things that you had ever seen. “You should come back in now,” Luna said, opening the window wider. “There’s no need for you to risk getting caught out after hours anymore.”

“That’s fair,” You grinned, and went in through the window then dismounted as quietly as you could. Once the broom was leaned up against one of the bed’s, you felt Luna’s arms go around you. Her hair managed to find it’s way into your face, as it always did.

“Thank you. That’s the best thing that anyone’s done for me.”

“Anytime.” You grinned sheepishly, knowing that if she had asked you to, you would go right back out the window to find another rare creature to show her.

[reyneclaw]

Several Ravenclaws lined up in front of the door. 'What would you see if you stood on the edge of the Universe?' 'The Universe is infinite', a tall, purple-haired student replied on the spot. 'You didn't answer my question. Declined'. A scrawny boy carrying a messenger bag bursting with books stepped forward. 'Time', he tried. 'It's the fourth dimension'. 'What makes you think the Universe is three-dimensional?' The brass voice could have been said to be amused, if it showed any change at all. 'Unfair. I gave you an answer, and this is a personal question. However, if you insist, then pure convenience'. The door swung open.

'Incidentally', he addressed the Prefect, 'do you think students can ask in turn ask questions to the knocker?' 'It is a student's nature and purpose to ask questions. Accepted'. The Prefect snorted. 'You aren't the first one to try and outsmart the castle. Keep in mind the knocker is liable to moods, though'. 'Does AI really have free will if it's powered by magic?', asked a geeky seventh-year wearing glasses. 'It can surely claim to' 'And if yes, can it be considered alive?' added a red-haired girl. The Prefect showed an interest in the discussion, however, the Ravenclaw held her up. 'Thank you Sheila. I was just thinking...' 'It won't tell you where the Diadem is, in case you mean that' 'No, no, it's something else. Thanks'.

After everyone was out of earshot, he leaned closely to the lock and whispered 'Um... what do you know about...' 'Horcruxes, my dear?' 'No, not my field. Um... time-related magic'.