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[tealeafgrimm]

Wrongly Accused

Fred Weasley x Reader

Words: 1.1k

Summary: You didn't like him. And for a good reason. At least that's what you thought. But as it turns out, the reason for your quarrel is not his fault at all.

A/N: I am so sorry! I'm very stressed with my job at the moment and just can't find enough time to write. I really want to get back to my schedule, but for now I think I'll just post whenever I can. So please bear with me. I hope you still enjoy this one-shot.

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That was just your luck. Of all people, you had to work with HIM. Of all the people in the class, he was the one. You didn't know whether to laugh hysterically or cry. If you hadn't been completely wrong, you could have sworn that Professor McGonagall had even smiled slightly when she had read out your names. The old witch knew exactly what she had done. You were sure of that.

While the whole school (apart from maybe the Slytherins) loved the Weasley twins, you were at war with them. Well, actually, only with Fred Weasley. Since your first year at Hogwarts, you couldn't stand each other and you always clashed. And he was the one you were supposed to be with, preparing your transformation project? You would have been better off with Moaning Myrtle. You'd have been able to stand her better than Fred Weasley's face.

And Fred, too, was thunderstruck at the mention of your name as his project partner. While his twin brother laughed, Fred gave you a scathing look, which you were only too happy to return.

"Now that the groups have been divided, please get together to discuss the next steps. Remember, the grade of the project is one third of the final mark. Therefore, I advise you to make an effort. Transformation classes will be cancelled for the next three weeks so that you can use the time to complete your project. If you have any questions or problems, please see me in my office hours," Professor McGonagall announced, before gesturing for you to get together in your respective partner groups.

Neither Fred nor you moved. Only when Angelina Johnson hinted to Fred that she needed his space to work with George did he reluctantly stand up. Inwardly you grinned that he had to make the first move. Your pride wouldn't have allowed it. With an expression on his face as if he had been told he was to spend the next three weeks alone with Professor Snape, he dropped into the chair beside you without saying a word.

There was an unsettling silence between you before you decided to say something.

"Okay, listen Weasley. I know you don't care about your grade. But I do. And I'm not going to let your incompetence get me a bad grade at the end of the semester, understand? So, if you still want to enjoy your life, I suggest you follow my rules and at least use your remaining brain cells on this project."

"And why should I do that?" asked Fred, annoyed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Because you don't want to know what happens if you don't. I'll meet you in that empty classroom on the third floor during normal hours, understand?"

"Like I'm scared of you," he laughed maliciously, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I never said anything about being scared. But I happen to know all those secret passages you always use. And it really would be a shame if the teachers knew about them, wouldn't it. And I also know that the little 'accident' the Slytherins had last week wasn't Peeves' fault. Maybe I should clear that up sometime too," you hissed at him. With satisfaction, you could see the colour drain from Fred's face.

“You wouldn’t”, Fred hissed. “Try me and find out”, you shrugged your shoulders, clearing your desk, ready to leave the classroom. “Don’t be late Weasley.”

~~~

You didn't know how you had survived the next few days without being at each other's throats. But with each day your emotions bubbled more and more.

After barely a week, you finally had enough.

"Say that again and I swear to you Weasley, you'll wish you'd never been born!"

"Sitting here with you makes me wish that all the time!"

"You're such an ignorant idiot do you know that? Life is not just a joke!" Your voice was getting louder and louder and you could hear the vein at your temple throbbing.

"And you're obnoxious! Do you even have friends at this school? I don't think anyone likes you anyway!"

"I have friends! Imagine being friends with people without constantly doing something at someone else's expense!"

"You're one to talk! You're always up in my business!"

"Well, YOU deserve it! After all, you started it!"

For a few seconds Fred looked at you in amazement before exploding.

"I started it? You're just way too sensitive. How vindictive are you? Just because I threw food at you once when I wanted to hit Lee?!"

Now you were speechless. Perplexed, you looked at Fred.

"What are you talking about?" Your voice took on a normal pitch.

"Well, the first year Halloween feast? George and I wanted to start a food fight. I wanted to throw mashed potatoes at Lee, you leaned forward over the table and I hit you right in the face?"

You remembered the situation that you hadn't thought about it in ages and began to laug out loud.

"I haven't thought about that at all!", you snorted as Fred looked at you open-mouthed.

"I don't understand. I thought that was the reason we were fighting?", he finally asks as you wiped away a tear from the corner of your eye.

"What, I wouldn't have been mad about that! I'm all about that Potions lesson where you deliberately threw that stinky tincture at me that made me come out with pustules all over my face!"

Now it was Fred who started laughing.

"Oh, you think that's funny huh?" you asked angrily. You had spent hours in the hospital wing before Madame Pomfrey could make the painful pustules disappear.

"That wasn't me! That was George!", Fred finally replied, trying to suppress another laugh.

"That wasn't you at all? It's still not funny!

"I'm sorry, you're right. I just can't believe that all this time we thought the origin of everything was two completely different things. And in the end, I wasn't even involved. And just so you know, George felt awful afterwards, he just thought your hair was changing colour. He wanted to apologise but he didn't know what to say."

For a while you sat next to each other without saying anything. Finally Fred held out his hand to you. Wonderingly you looked at him.

"Well, I guess now that we know that I never actually did anything to you, we can bury the war hatchet, can't we?" he asked and winked at you.

"Hmm, I don't know, depends a bit on how the mark turns out for our project," you replied, smiling at him before returning his handshake.

"I still think you're taking the whole grade thing too seriously. Maybe we should just..." But before he could finish his sentence, you raised your hand to silence him.

"Don't finish that sentence Weasley. You may not have done anything then, but that doesn't mean I can't change my mind. So get to work and you're not dismissed until we finish the assignments."

[tealeafgrimm]

A (Nearly) Perfect Date

James Potter x Reader Words: 971 Summary: To surprise you, James has planned a date. But on the actual day, everything goes differently than he had imagined.

He wanted it to be perfect. He had taken every precaution for that. He had thought carefully about what he wanted to do.

James Potter may not have been the most romantic person in the world, and he may not have been the best at planning a date, but he had made every effort. He loved you and he wanted you to know it.

A couple of days ago he had come and warned you.

"Don't make any plans for Sunday. I have a surprise for you," he had told you over dinner. And he had been in planning mode ever since. You thought it was sweet how much effort he was putting in. You would be perfectly fine if you just had a cosy movie night at home, but that was ABSOLUTELY not enough according to James. And so you since watched him go back and forth mumbling and jotting things down.

Although it might not have been the most creative thing to do, James had decided to organise a picnic for the two of you. He had searched all over town to find the perfect spot. Finally, he had discovered a small park on the outskirts of town. It was perfect. A blanket by the little pond, your favourite food, sunshine.

But unfortunately, his vision did not quite match reality. To be more precise, everything went the opposite way. When you got up on Sunday, everything still seemed to be perfect. While you were getting ready for your date, James was in the kitchen preparing the last things. 

The only problem with the whole thing, though, was that James wasn't much of a cook, whether in the Muggle or Wizarding way. And so most of the food was burnt.

"That doesn't matter. We still have plenty James," you reassured your boyfriend, pointing to the packed picnic basket.

And so, with less food than James would have liked, you had made your way to your picnic spot.

"You'll like it. It's a very small park. I don't think many people know about it at all. We can be completely undisturbed," he told you on the way, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. You nudged him and just shook your head.

But this part of his plan also went down differently than James had imagined. As it turned out, some people knew about the park. Especially families with small children. The park was so crowded that you had trouble finding a free spot big enough for your blanket. Eventually you found yourselves sandwiched between five families with screaming children. You could see James' frustration, but you found the whole thing amusing.

You tried to make the best of the situation and focus on each other and your picnic. But that was easier said than done when kids kept wandering onto your blanket, followed by exasperated parents trying to catch them again.

"This isn't exactly how I imagined it," James grumbled, scowling at a little boy who had come up to you, stolen some strawberries without a word and was now strolling back to his parents.

"Oh, it's not so bad. I think it's nice here anyway," you replied and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

That seemed to appease James. After all, he had organised the whole thing for you. You had been in the park for barely an hour when the sky suddenly darkened within minutes.

"Oh no. Please don't," James groaned as he felt the first drops on his skin. Around you, most of the families had already packed up their blankets and were on the move.

But it didn't stop at a few drops. It started pouring down. As fast as you could, you threw your things into the basket, grabbed your blanket and started sprinting.

"Come on! Quick! I saw a bus stop on the way, we can shelter there," James shouted over his shoulder as he ran ahead. He had grabbed your hand and was pulling you along behind him. The rain made it difficult to see the way ahead. And so you missed a root.

With a short yelp, you tripped over the obstacle and fell lengthways. As James was still holding your hand, you dragged him to the ground with you.

You heard the splashing before you felt the wetness. You had come to rest in a puddle of all things.

"Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?" asked James concerned when he had recovered from his own shock.

But instead of answering him, you could only laugh. You helped each other up.

"Wow, I didn't know we had an adventure picnic planned," you grinned at your boyfriend and tried to brush the dirt off your clothes.

Since you were now soaked from top to bottom anyway, you had given up trying to get into the dry as quickly as possible.

"I'm really sorry. This is not how I had imagined the whole thing. I wanted it to be perfect and instead it went...well not so perfectly," James muttered as you reached your flat.

"What? It was one of the best dates we've ever had! I thought it was perfect, even though it might not have been exactly how you imagined it. The main thing is that we spent time together."

"You don't have to pretend you had fun. I appreciate your effort, but..."

"I would never lie," you said in shock. You took his face in your hands and forced him to look at you.

"I mean what I said. I had a great time. And you know what? Now that we're soaked and cold, we can have a bath together, but if you'd rather sulk..."

With that, you left him standing in the hallway. James just looked after you, puzzled, before shaking his head, realising what you had said and sprinting after you.

[tealeafgrimm]

That's Treachery

Brother!Sirius Black x Sister!Reader (x Severus Snape) Words: 917 Summary: All Sirius really wanted to do was tidy up. But instead he has to find out that his own sister is dating Severus Snape. In his opinion, that is treachery. A/N: Welcome to the first OS of the new year. I thought I start of with a little sequel to one of my first posted story called On The Fence. I hope you enjoy this.

You loved your brother. You really did. Even if sometimes it didn't seem like it. Or sounded like it. But in your childhood he had always been your anchor. Growing up together in that horrible house and not living up to your parents' ideals had bonded you. When Sirius was sent to Azkaban, a world had collapsed for you. You knew he would never have betrayed James and Lily. But your hands were tied. You were all the happier when you were able to hold him in your arms again almost two years ago.

But then there were days when you felt like killing Sirius. With your bare hands. Painfully and slowly.

Today was definitely one of those days. Your brother was too curious for his own good. He had assured you that he just wanted to 'tidy up'. Why he wanted to clean YOUR room, of all things, remained a mystery to you.

And so it came to pass that your nosy brother had wrung letters that you definitely did not want him to ever see. Not because the contents were embarrassing, erotic or of any other nature. But much more because you knew that the sender of the letters would put Sirius in an existential crisis.

And that's exactly what had happened about an hour ago. Since then, he had been following you from room to room to confront you with his find. The discussion on your part had actually ended two minutes after the outbreak of the confrontation, but Sirius saw the whole thing somewhat differently.

So now he was still sitting in front of you while you were preparing the vegetables for dinner. Sirius angrily stared at you from the other side of the table, lips pursed. You could literally hear the words on the tip of his tongue.

With a roll of your eyes, you looked at your brother.

"Stop looking at me like that," you admonished him.

"That's treachery!", he exploded again. His vein at the temple pulsed worryingly. With a deep sigh, you got up from the table and went to the kitchen sink. You would simply ignore his attempt at a new discussion.

But Sirius followed you yet again and leaned next to you against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Why? Why him? Why you? Why?"

"My goodness Sirius. You're behaving like a little child. It is none of your business why. I'm old enough to make my own decisions," you hissed at him.

"Apparently not. Because no one in their right mind would want to be with Snivellus!"

"Stop calling him that!"

"He slipped you a love potion, didn't he? That's the only reasonable explanation for all this," he finally whispered, more to himself than to you, before looking at you worriedly.

Frustrated, you threw your hands in the air and turned to your brother.

"How many times do I have to tell you before you get it through your thick skull. I can make my own decisions and I don't owe you an explanation for anything. I love him. You don't like it. End of story. And you know what? I don't give a damn what you think, Sirius! Now move aside, the others will be here soon and dinner should be ready then."

And so you spent the rest of the time in silence with tension hanging in the air. Finally, the first Order members trickled in. While you tried to greet the others in the usual way, Sirius only grumbled a welcome.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" asked Tonk, dropping into one of the empty chairs at the long kitchen table. Remus took a seat beside her.

"Why don't you ask my lovely sister," your brother replied, giving you a withering look.

"Sirius!", you hissed. Your family discussions didn't need to be argued out in front of the whole Order as well. Sirius apparently saw it a little differently.

"Why? Don't want anyone to know you're screwing around with our Potions Master?"

"You told him? I thought you were never going to tell him?" Tonks turned to you in shock. Annoyed, you slapped your hands in front of your face.

"I didn't tell him. But Sirius never learned how to keep his nose out of other people's private business, I'm afraid."

"Hold on, hold on, hold on! What do you mean 'you told him'! You knew about this?" Outraged, Sirius turned to Tonks and Remus.

"Of course we did. And even if Y/N hadn't told us, it's pretty obvious," Remus replied, slapping his friend on the shoulder comfortingly while looking at you with a smirk.

"Wait, so you knew about this and didn't think to inform me?"

"Well, we knew you would react like a five-year-old child," Remus replied.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Order had arrived. All of them, that is, except for Severus. Sirius' mood grew more sombre by the minute as he realised he was the only one who didn't know about your relationship.

After a few minutes, the front door was heard to open again. As soon as the door shut, Sirius jumped up from his chair and grinned diabolically at you.

"I think I need to talk to someone." Before you could hold him back, he had already scurried out the door.

"Sirius! You're not going to do that," you shouted and ran after him.

"I'm glad I'm an only child," Tonks whispered.

"You're so right about that," Remus grinned at her.

[tealeafgrimm]

That's Treachery

Brother!Sirius Black x Sister!Reader (x Severus Snape) Words: 917 Summary: All Sirius really wanted to do was tidy up. But instead he has to find out that his own sister is dating Severus Snape. In his opinion, that is treachery. A/N: Welcome to the first OS of the new year. I thought I start of with a little sequel to one of my first posted story called On The Fence. I hope you enjoy this.

You loved your brother. You really did. Even if sometimes it didn't seem like it. Or sounded like it. But in your childhood he had always been your anchor. Growing up together in that horrible house and not living up to your parents' ideals had bonded you. When Sirius was sent to Azkaban, a world had collapsed for you. You knew he would never have betrayed James and Lily. But your hands were tied. You were all the happier when you were able to hold him in your arms again almost two years ago.

But then there were days when you felt like killing Sirius. With your bare hands. Painfully and slowly.

Today was definitely one of those days. Your brother was too curious for his own good. He had assured you that he just wanted to 'tidy up'. Why he wanted to clean YOUR room, of all things, remained a mystery to you.

And so it came to pass that your nosy brother had wrung letters that you definitely did not want him to ever see. Not because the contents were embarrassing, erotic or of any other nature. But much more because you knew that the sender of the letters would put Sirius in an existential crisis.

And that's exactly what had happened about an hour ago. Since then, he had been following you from room to room to confront you with his find. The discussion on your part had actually ended two minutes after the outbreak of the confrontation, but Sirius saw the whole thing somewhat differently.

So now he was still sitting in front of you while you were preparing the vegetables for dinner. Sirius angrily stared at you from the other side of the table, lips pursed. You could literally hear the words on the tip of his tongue.

With a roll of your eyes, you looked at your brother.

"Stop looking at me like that," you admonished him.

"That's treachery!", he exploded again. His vein at the temple pulsed worryingly. With a deep sigh, you got up from the table and went to the kitchen sink. You would simply ignore his attempt at a new discussion.

But Sirius followed you yet again and leaned next to you against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Why? Why him? Why you? Why?"

"My goodness Sirius. You're behaving like a little child. It is none of your business why. I'm old enough to make my own decisions," you hissed at him.

"Apparently not. Because no one in their right mind would want to be with Snivellus!"

"Stop calling him that!"

"He slipped you a love potion, didn't he? That's the only reasonable explanation for all this," he finally whispered, more to himself than to you, before looking at you worriedly.

Frustrated, you threw your hands in the air and turned to your brother.

"How many times do I have to tell you before you get it through your thick skull. I can make my own decisions and I don't owe you an explanation for anything. I love him. You don't like it. End of story. And you know what? I don't give a damn what you think, Sirius! Now move aside, the others will be here soon and dinner should be ready then."

And so you spent the rest of the time in silence with tension hanging in the air. Finally, the first Order members trickled in. While you tried to greet the others in the usual way, Sirius only grumbled a welcome.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" asked Tonk, dropping into one of the empty chairs at the long kitchen table. Remus took a seat beside her.

"Why don't you ask my lovely sister," your brother replied, giving you a withering look.

"Sirius!", you hissed. Your family discussions didn't need to be argued out in front of the whole Order as well. Sirius apparently saw it a little differently.

"Why? Don't want anyone to know you're screwing around with our Potions Master?"

"You told him? I thought you were never going to tell him?" Tonks turned to you in shock. Annoyed, you slapped your hands in front of your face.

"I didn't tell him. But Sirius never learned how to keep his nose out of other people's private business, I'm afraid."

"Hold on, hold on, hold on! What do you mean 'you told him'! You knew about this?" Outraged, Sirius turned to Tonks and Remus.

"Of course we did. And even if Y/N hadn't told us, it's pretty obvious," Remus replied, slapping his friend on the shoulder comfortingly while looking at you with a smirk.

"Wait, so you knew about this and didn't think to inform me?"

"Well, we knew you would react like a five-year-old child," Remus replied.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Order had arrived. All of them, that is, except for Severus. Sirius' mood grew more sombre by the minute as he realised he was the only one who didn't know about your relationship.

After a few minutes, the front door was heard to open again. As soon as the door shut, Sirius jumped up from his chair and grinned diabolically at you.

"I think I need to talk to someone." Before you could hold him back, he had already scurried out the door.

"Sirius! You're not going to do that," you shouted and ran after him.

"I'm glad I'm an only child," Tonks whispered.

"You're so right about that," Remus grinned at her.

[tealeafgrimm]

I wish everyone a Happy New Year 🎆

I hope this year all you're dreams and whishes will come true.

[tealeafgrimm]

Coming Home For Christmas

James Potter x Reader Words: 1.4k Summary: You are in New York for a business trip. It's close to Christmas and all you want is to come home. But a snowstorm ruins your plans. Can you still make it in time? A/N: I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I apologise for writing so little lately, but I hope to get back into a rhythm in the new year. Until then, have fun with this little One Shot.

After two weeks in New York, you could hardly wait to get back to London. The new cooperation between the American and the British Ministry of Magic had demanded everything from you and your entire department in the past weeks. But now the course was set and nothing stood in the way of a successful cooperation.

With your suitcase behind you, you walked down the corridors of the airport. You were offered to use a portkey, but you declined with thanks. You always felt sick from the feeling the portkeys gave you and you would survive the few hours of flying.

It was the 23rd, just before Christmas and accordingly the airport was packed. Families on their way to visit relatives and couples finally seeing each other again stood at every corner.

With a smile on your face, you yourself thought of your boyfriend, whom you could finally hold in your arms again in a few hours. Since you were together, James and you had never been apart for such a long time. But you had to admit that in all the stress of work you had hardly had time to miss him. But now that a little inner peace had returned, anticipation spread through you.

You hoped that James had prepared everything on his own while you were away. You felt guilty about coming home so close to the holidays. But James had assured you that he would have everything under control and that you shouldn't worry. So you had tried to let him do it. You would soon see for yourself whether it had all worked out.

Your flight didn't leave for another hour, so you settled down in one of the empty seats at the gate. Outside, the snow continued to fall. There was already a thick layer of snow when you reached New York. The days you had been in the city, it had snowed every day. But today it was especially bad. You hoped that the weather would not get in the way of your flight home. Optimistically, you unpacked your book and began to read a little.

You were so engrossed in your story that you did not notice much of what was happening around you. You only looked up from the pages of the book when you heard information about your flight number. Outside the airport's large windows, snowflakes were swirling and everything you could see was covered in a thick white layer of snow.

"Dear passengers, due to the current blizzard, planes cannot take off. All flights are postponed indefinitely. As soon as the weather conditions will allow it again, we will inform you about the continuation of the flight. Until then, we apologise for the inconvenience." Panic-stricken, you straightened up in your seat. This couldn't be happening. You couldn't spend Christmas at the airport.

After a little searching, you found a few phones. You dug the last few coins out of your pocket and dialled James' and your apartment number. Even though you usually communicated in the "traditional" way, you had noticed that Muggle communication was helpful in some cases after all.

"Hello?" your boyfriend's familiar voice rang out after a few beeps.

"James. I'm so sorry. I'm not going to make it in time. There's a snowstorm here and all flights are postponed indefinitely. I don't know when I'll be able to get out of here." You were on the verge of tears. You just wanted to go home.

"Yes, I've been watching the weather forecasts. I was hoping that it might pass you by. I'll wait for you, maybe we'll get lucky and the weather will calm down again quickly. Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort here and when you come back we'll celebrate, okay?" Suppressing a sniffle, you nodded until you realised James couldn't see it of course.

"Okay. I'll try to come as soon as I can. I miss you."

"I miss you too. But it won't be long now. I promise."

You exchanged a few more sentences, but behind you a queue of people formed who also wanted to inform their loved ones about their delayed flights and so you had to end your phone call quite quickly.

~~~

Even though James had been following the forecast and had almost expected your flight to be cancelled, he couldn't deny that he was disappointed. He had been looking forward to a lovely Christmas with you. He had decorated the tree and decked your apartment with lights. He had even planned to prepare a roast and surprise you with a Christmas feast.

A little glumly, he got up from the couch and made his way to your bedroom. Maybe the weather in New York would calm down sooner than expected and you would still make it in time. Lying awake and worrying about it wouldn't change the situation.

~~~

James kept looking back and forth between his wristwatch and the entrance door. But nothing moved. There were no footsteps nor the jingling of a set of keys. You wouldn't be coming back today. He had to admit that to himself.

With a sigh, James grabbed the bag in which he had packed the dinner he had prepared and left the flat. He didn't want to spend Christmas alone, so he had decided to go to Sirius and Remus' house and spend his Christmas together with his best friends. And before the food went bad, he would just take it with him.

At the same time, you shifted uneasily back and forth in your seat. As soon as the first flight to London was called, you had moved heaven and hell to get a seat on the plane. Even if it wasn't your original flight.

Now the plane was on approach and you couldn't wait to get your suitcase and go to the toilet. You had decided to fly straight in. Maybe you would make it in time for dinner.

It seemed like an eternity. But finally the plane touched down. Painfully slowly, the passengers in front of you left the plane and trotted to the baggage claim.

Inwardly you cursed the baggage carousel. How could it be that your suitcase was apparently the very last one to be taken out. The crowds thinned out next to you and in the end you were almost alone in front of the black carousel before you finally spotted your suitcase.

Getting the bulky suitcase into the toilet cubicle proved to be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, there was no one else in the toilets at the time, so you were able to get out without too much trouble.

Not two seconds later you landed with a dull plop in front of your flat door. Grinning widely, you unlock the door to let yourself in.

"James?! Honey, I did it!" you shouted into the flat. But no answer. Nothing moved.

Puzzled, you left your suitcase in the hallway and stuck your head through every door to find your friend.

Finally, in the kitchen, you discovered a note on the table.

~~~

"And you're sure you don't want another glass Remus?"

"If I have another glass of firewhiskey, I'll spend the rest of Christmas on the bathroom floor next to the toilet," groaned the addressed man.

"You really are a lightweight. How did you put up with us back in school?", James grinned at him and toasted Sirius for another round.

"Well, I grew up and became more reasonable, unlike you," Remus countered, winking at his friends.

"Pfft, how boring."

The three's conversation was interrupted when the doorbell rang.

"Are we expecting anyone else?" asked Remus, puzzled, looking at his watch. It was already quite late.

"Maybe it's the next door neighbour and she's lost something again and needs help," Sirius groaned, rising from his seat to open the door.

"Y/N?" he stopped in the doorway, puzzled.

"Hey Sirius, I hope I'm not disturbing you too much. James left me a note and said he was with you?"

"Yeah, come on in. We didn't think you'd make it in time anymore. Otherwise we would have waited for you."

"I was able to get another flight. Merry Christmas." You hugged him and walked down the hall to the living room where the other two were sitting.

"Y/N!", James jumped up, wrapped you in his arms and kissed you:

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I took the first flight out and I didn't know if I was going to make it. I didn't want to give you false hope."

"I'm glad you're here. Merry Christmas." He kissed you again and you beamed at him.

"Merry Christmas. I'm afraid I left your present at home in all the hustle and bustle," you said apologetically.

"You being here is the greatest gift."

[tealeafgrimm]

How It Could Have Been

Remus Lupin x Reader Words: 1.6k Summary: After you broke up, you never saw Remus again. But at Lily and James' wedding, you can no longer avoid each other.

You weren't really a big fan of weddings. The ones you've been invited to so far

had always been terribly boring. Lots of old ladies gossiping about the bride behind her back while their husbands stared unabashedly. The younger men had always been quick to get drunk and their cackling girlfriends pushed each other out of the way to catch the bridal bouquet.

But you had to admit, James and Lily's wedding was beautiful. They had kept the circle as small as possible, which was more or less successful given the Potters' notoriety. Lily's wedding dress was stunning and you had to admit that even James didn't look half bad. You had never seen him in a suit before.

And although you had been thrilled by the wedding, you dreaded the reception afterwards. You knew that sooner or later you would run into him. And then you were forced to talk to him. You had already seen him out of the corner of your eye. He had been sitting in the front row. Next to Sirius and Peter.

The fact that you showed up at all had cost you a lot of effort. But Lily was your best friend and you couldn't just NOT show up to her wedding. It wasn't right. But now, as the wedding party dispersed around the hall to make way for the bride and groom for the opening dance, you wondered if it had been the right decision.

You had lost sight of him. Admittedly, you tried not to focus too much on him. Your eyes were fixed on Lily. If you saw him, it would all be over.

The music started and as if they had never done anything else, Lily and James began to dance an elegant waltz.

"I would have thought he would have stepped on her foot at the first step," a voice behind you murmured in your ear. Startled, you flinched before stopping as if frozen. That was the very voice you had been afraid of. You were not ready to look him in the eye, but what other option did you have? You could hardly run away from him.

With a deep breath, you turned to him. He looked good. Blimey! Probably James or Sirius had paid for his suit, because you were pretty sure it was tailor-made. And he definitely couldn't afford that.

"Remus. Well, he's pureblood. Don't they get taught to dance before they can walk?"

He laughed and then looked at you as if he had just really noticed you for the first time. You wished he wouldn't look at you like that. An awkward silence hung between the two of you before he cleared his throat and took his gaze from you.

" Er...you... er... you're looking good. Long time no see," he finally began. You wanted to roll your eyes. Remus had never been very good at small talk.

"Thanks. You...look good too. That suit looks good on you."

The whole situation felt so strange. The last time you had spoken had ended with you fleeing in tears.

Remus had been your first and, until now, only great love. After you broke up, you thought you would never be able or willing to talk to him again.

~~~

"What do you mean you're not coming? We've been planning this evening for weeks," you asked Remus as you were already on your way out of your flat. A few weeks ago, you had managed to snag tickets to a cover band that Remus and you had been following for a few years.

"They're your tickets. You bought them..." your boyfriend began. With an annoyed look, you glanced at him.

"Remus, please. Yes, I bought the tickets, but as I've told you several times, I get to decide who I want to give the second ticket to. And you're my boyfriend and, to be honest, the only person who shares my taste in music, so please, just put on a jacket and your shoes and come. We're already late!"

But Remus made no move.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked after a short pause in which neither of you said anything.

"Excuse me? What do you mean...I'm waiting for you."

"I mean, why are you here with me?"

"Remus, please not again." You dropped your bag on the couch. You definitely wouldn't be able to make your concert today. You knew where this conversation was going.

"Remus," you began, your tone clearly weary. You couldn't tell how many times you'd had moments like this recently. Remus had always been pessimistic when it came to your relationship. In the beginning, you had been understanding. Remus was not in an easy position, but you had hoped that you could make him understand that you didn't care what he was or how much he earned.

But over the years his attitude had not changed.

"You should enjoy your life. With someone who can offer you more than I can."

"Remus. I am enjoying my life...with you. At least I would if you would just get up and get ready so we can get to the concert." But Remus didn't budge.

"I'm no good for you."

"I think I can decide for myself what is good for me and what isn't." You were getting angry. You couldn't stand it when he told you how to feel and what to think.

"Y/N, do you really think this has a future? We have a future?"

That sentence stabbed you like a cold knife in the heart. You knew where his words were going and you definitely didn't want to hear them.

"Remus, please..." Tears filled your eyes and you struggled to hold them back.

"I think it's better if we go our separate ways. I have nothing to offer you, I'm holding you back."

"But only because you tell yourself that. I love you, get that through your head."

"I'm sorry, Y/N."

You didn't know what to say, what to do. Your heart and stomach kept contracting painfully. You felt like you were going to throw up, to scream. You had to get out of here.

"If that's what you think, then I'm sorry Remus," you whispered and left the flat with one last look.

~~~

That was the last time you saw Remus.

You had gone back to the flat you shared with Lily to get your things. Even though you knew that Remus could not afford the flat financially, you could not and did not want to continue living there alone. Too many memories connected you to that place.

Lily had assured you that James would make sure Remus had a roof over his head. Even if you didn't want to see him, you still wanted to know that he would be alright.

Even though you tried not to think about him too much, you had to admit to yourself that you had never really closed that chapter of your life. Remus was your first great love. And losing him was the hardest thing of your life.

You had always looked longingly at Lily and James. They had had a difficult start to their relationship, but now you couldn't imagine one without the other.

You wanted a relationship like they had for yourself.

They were still dancing across the parquet. Gradually, a few people from the wedding party joined in.

You weren't a gifted dancer, but the awkward silence between you and Remus had you praying that someone would ask you to dance.

"Have you ever wondered how it could have been?" Again, you startled out of your thoughts.

Remus looked at you with a sad smile.

"Could have been what?" you asked him, confused.

"Us. If I hadn't been such an idiot, do you think we'd still be together? Do you think we could have had a moment like that?" he asked you, inclining the dancing couple.

"I...I...yes," you finally admitted. Yes you believed that you would still be together. You believed that it could well have been your wedding. You had always seen this future. You knew that Remus had been struggling with his own personal demons and had lacked that foresight.

"That night you left... I wanted to go after you. I wanted you to come back. But I couldn't." You tried to ignore the lump in your throat. You didn't want to cry. You couldn't cry. For years you had tried to convince yourself that you were over your relationship.

"Why not?" Your voice betrayed you.

"Because I firmly believed it was the best thing for both of us. I thought you could be happier without me. And I thought I'd feel better if I didn't feel like I was holding you back."

"So, did you feel better?" With tears in your eyes, you looked at his face. It reflected the same pain.

"No. You were the only person in my life who fully understood how I felt. The boys tried, but they had their own problems. I was an idiot to let you go. I realised that. But it wouldn't have been fair to chase after you and rip you out of your life when I was the one who had caused that breakup in the first place."

"I've always loved you Remus. I never wanted this break up, I hope you know that. If I could reverse time and help you see what an amazing man you are, I would do anything. But you have to fight your inner demons yourself," you answer him quietly.

The dance floor was now so crowded that you couldn't make out any individual couples, just a large dancing crowd.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Remus finally.

When you looked at him, he smiled at you. Involuntarily, you had to smile too. The knot in your stomach had loosened and a familiar feeling of butterflies spread.

You felt as if you had returned your school days and Remus had invited you to the Yule Ball.

"I'd love to."

Perhaps you could learn from your past mistakes and look to the future together, more confidently.

[tealeafgrimm]

hii againn!! if requests are still open, could i have a adult neville longbottom and adult reader (theyre both professors) who start out disliking each other but gradually fall in love?? and the students love to tease them about the other all the time and its hilarious?? plus points if neville is confident and smirky bcs most fics potray him as nervous and all?? Thanks!!

Prof!Neville Longbottom x Prof!Reader

Words: 1.6k

A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long. I had great difficulty with this one and to be honest it isn't my best work, but I hope you still enjoy it. Also I started a new job about a month ago and my time to write is very limited. So just know, that if you request something I will eventually get to it, but I can't promise you it will be anytime soon.

It felt strange to walk down the empty corridors. You had never been here before the start of the new school year. The castle seemed even bigger than usual, the silence almost oppressive. You had hesitated when McGonagall had asked you if you wanted to take the job as Herbology teacher, but now that you were finally here, you could hardly wait. Professor Sprout had truly earned her retirement.

You stopped in front of the statue, behind which you knew the stairway to the headmaster's office was hidden. You gave the password and began to climb the stone steps.

"Come in," the familiar voice sounded and you entered the large office.

"Hello Professor I wanted to...", you paused in your sentence "...report for duty." You were not alone. Next to Professor McGonagall stood a young man, whom you could only identify as Neville Longbottom after a closer look.

You hadn't seen Neville since you left school. Surprised, you looked from one to the other, not sure what exactly to say or do.

"Ah Y/N, I've been waiting for you. As I explained to Neville here as well, there was a bit of an overlap, I'm afraid. One of the owls was so late that I sent a second one out. And...then you both accepted, so you were both hired as Herbology professors." You had never seen Professor McGonagall so distraught. She was blushing and you could see how uncomfortable she was with the whole situation.

"I thought...you might be able to share classes. This year we are expecting more new students than ever before. The classes will be unusually full, so it won't hurt to have two professors in one lesson. Especially if the position is newly filled." You didn't know what to say to that. And neither, it seemed, did Neville. Professor McGonagall knew how to take advantage of your speechlessness. She clapped her hands, looked from one to the other and smiled.

"Great, now that that's settled, I'll let you go. Get your offices and rooms set up and I'll see you at the Welcoming Feast tomorrow." With that she gently but firmly pushed you both out of her office. Wordlessly you descended the stairs.

You didn't know what to think, what to feel or what to say. Holding class with Neville Longbottom was the last thing you wanted to do.

Normally you would say that you were a very nice, sociable and open-minded person. And you got on well with most of the people in your life. Neville was not one of them. Quite the opposite. There was an abysmal mutual dislike between you that had begun in your third year.

You couldn't say exactly when or why. You just didn't like each other. Probably it had something to do with the fact that you had been the two best in your year in Herbology, which had sparked off a real competition between you.

On the other hand, you were both older now and wasn't it time to leave the past and the old feelings behind you?

"I can't wait to hear the kids say that my teaching is a hundred times better." This statement snapped you abruptly out of your thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" Had you heard right? Neville looked at you with a sneer.

"Oh come on, we both know which one of us will do the better lessons. Me."

Your blood began to boil. Had you really considered jumping over your shadow for even a second?

"Well, we'll see about that. But don't be sad if none of the students will listen to you or talk to you. It's only because they'll be more focused on MY lessons," you replied, hissing, turning and walking towards your assigned chambers, robes billowing.

~~~

If you thought teaching together with Longbottom would be hell, you weren't mistaken. It was an absolute nightmare. From the first second, your old competition was reignited. Only now it was no longer about which of you got the better grade, but about who taught the children more and which of them was better liked.

Moreover, you had started blaming each other for everything that went wrong in class.

"And make sure your earmuffs are on properly. I don't want to carry anyone to the hospital wing." You rolled your eyes at Neville's comment. In a way that only he could see you had, of course.

It didn't take long. Already on the second Mandrake, one of the Slytherins toppled over backwards.

"You did a great job Longbottom," you grumbled as you rushed past him to the boy.

"Why is this my fault now? You're just as responsible for the children," he whispered in a heated tone as he knelt beside you to help the boy.

"This was your lesson, so it's your responsibility to make sure they have their earmuffs on properly before it starts."

"As far as I know, this is YOUR class too, and you don't seem to have noticed either!"

With a final death glare, you summoned a cot to take the still fainting student to Madam Pomfrey.

~~~

But if you thought that was the worst of it, you didn't reckon with your students. They quickly realised that you and Neville didn't like each other very much, and they had fun egging you on.

"But Professor Longbottom told us to do it this way," a Hufflepuff fifth year complained in one of your lessons. You had to pull yourself together not to roll your eyes at her. Half a year had passed since the start of school. Even though you had come to terms with your situation, you were still not friendly with each other. At least it seemed that way, because every time you thought you were making progress, there was some comment that set you off.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Neville stifle a laugh. How you wished you could wipe that smirk off his face. And to make matters worse, by now you had to admit to yourself that you found him attractive. Time and time again you found yourself unconsciously staring after him or thinking about him. Just like now!

"Well, then perhaps Professor Longbottom should look at his book again too. Anyone who can read would see that you do it the way I just showed you. Try it and you'll see it works much better." With these words you went to the next student. To your amusement, you saw the grin disappear from Longbottom's face.

"Don't worry about it, maybe you'll learn someday," you smiled sweetly at him as you walked past him.

How he hated you! Your stupid smile that gave you little dimples. Your sparkling eyes that narrowed as your smile took over your entire face. Your hair that flowed around your face. What was he thinking? He hated you. Abysmally. Most of the time, at least. Much of the time. Sometimes. Admittedly, it got less, but that didn't matter.

~~~

The longer you worked together, the more you had to admit to each other that the other was not quite as bad as you had thought at the beginning. The school year was almost over and your lessons were running more smoothly than ever.

It was the second to last week and Professor McGonagall had called you both in to discuss the next steps to be taken.

"Thank you for coming. As you know, I want to discuss the next steps for the next school year with you. I know that it was not easy for you to structure the lessons in this way. But I must say that your students' grades speak for themselves. We haven't had as many outstanding Herbology students as we have this year for a long time."

"Thank you very much Professor. I think we were able to complement each other quite well after all," you replied to her and Neville beside you nodded in agreement.

"So? We have the following options: Either we leave it at this constellation next year, or we have to decide which of you will give up the job. Professor Binn's class, could also do with a bit of fresh air. If I remember correctly, you Y/N were always very good at History of Magic too?"

"Oh..ehm..yes, but admittedly, I would hate to change jobs. I think our students have become so good because we complement each other well Professor." You had only ever been good at History  of Magic, because you had the ability to memorise things quickly, not because you found it particularly interesting.

"I agree with Y/N. I think we should leave it at that. The students are used to us now and when I remember how hard it was for us to get a new defence teacher every year, I think it would only hurt progress after all."

"All right, if you're so united, I won't interfere." And with that, surprisingly, you were dismissed quicker than you thought.

On the spiral staircase, Neville turned to you.

"You know I saved your neck in there, don't you? She was going to ditch you. You might not be as good as me after all."

"Oh yeah? If it wasn't for me, the class would have been a disaster. Maybe half the students wouldn't have made it to the exams at all because they would have died beforehand. You should thank ME," you replied.

"Would a meal at the Three Broomsticks be thanks enough?"

You stopped abruptly on the bottom landing. Had you really just heard what you thought you had heard?

" Pardon?" you asked him, your eyes wide open.

"I asked if dinner would be enough of a thank you? Tonight?" You hadn't seen Neville blush like that in a long time. Suddenly he reminded you much more of the boy you knew from your school days.

"For a start, perhaps. Eight o'clock and be on time. And don't you dare get dirt on your clothes." With that you strode past him and disappeared around the corner with an idiotic grin.

[tealeafgrimm]

Happy Halloween Everybody !!! 🎃👻

Halloween Costumes

Dad!James Potter x Mom!Reader Summary: It's the first time James and you will be taking your son to go trick-or-treating, so it's important that he has the perfect costume. Words: 680

You were standing in the kitchen, putting away the last remains of this evening's dinner. From the living room you could hear your husband's voice followed by your son's excited giggles. With a smile on your face, you left the now tidy kitchen to go and get your son ready for his big night out.

It was Halloween and your son, at two and a half, was finally at an age where he could go from door to door. Last year James and you had decided against it. Not only had the weather been terrible, but your son had gotten sick and trick-or-treating had been the least of your problems. But this year, everything turned out right. At least it did for you.

" Baby, shall we go and put on your costume now? Then we can go out right away," you asked, lifting your son up as he came running towards you, his arms outstretched. With an energetic nod, he approved of your idea. "And you're sure you want to wear the costume Mummy picked out for you?" James looked hopefully at your son. You had insisted on choosing your son's costume after James' suggestions had turned out to be neither practical, nor child-friendly. Either he had insisted on an excessive amount of blood on the costumes, or the design of the costumes, such as an inflatable dinosaur costume, made it virtually impossible for your son to walk or see.

"Put on mummy's costume," came your son's reply, evidently to James' dismay. Laughing, you brushed through your son's black hair and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry honey, but the decision has been made." You winked at James and gave him a kiss before walking up the stairs with your son. "It better not be something utterly boring," James called after you both before dropping down onto the sofa with a sigh.

Once in your bedroom, you helped your son out of his jumper and jeans that he had been wearing throughout the day. Instead you dressed him in sweat pants, a long-sleeved shirt and thick socks. While choosing a costume, you made it a point to dress your son appropriately for the weather. Therefore, you had chosen a brown deer onesie and a hat with deer antlers. While the costume wouldn't live up to James' horror standards, it would perhaps soothe him a little.

"Do you remember what you have to say when we ring the bell in a bit?" James straightened up as he heard you coming down the stairs. "Trick or Treat," your son shrieked enthusiastically, waving his pumpkin bucket he had been given for his candy. "That's right! So, are you going to show Daddy your costume now?" you asked your son. "DADDY!" Without wasting a second, your son ran into the living room to proudly display his costume to your husband. "Wow Buddy, that's a cool costume you are wearing." James took your son in his arms and twirled him briefly in a circle, which was met with an enthusiastic shriek. Fortunately, your son didn't notice that his father's enthusiasm was limited. However, when James eyes met yours, he mouthed with raised eyebrows 'Seriously a deer?'

Shaking your head, you hugged James, your son in between you. "Baby, who are you today?" you asked your son as he looked at you, beaming. "Daddy!" your son laughed, looking at James and putting a hand to his cheek. You could literally hear the wheels rattling in James' head. Finally, a grin spread across his face and he attacked your son's face with kisses. "I knew you'd like it." James looked at you apologetically and gave you a kiss. "Best costume I've ever seen! Mind you, if I'd known I'd have got one to match," James murmured against your hair as he wrapped you in a hug. "How lucky that your wife is amazing and picked you up a matching one." As soon as James let your son out of his arms, he raced up the stairs into your bedroom to put on his own costume.

[tealeafgrimm]

Pumpkin Carving

Draco Malfoy x Reader

Words: 899

Summary: It was supposed to be a fun little holiday activity. But pumpkin carving with Draco turns out to be quite a challenge. Will there be a winner?

"Can you tell me again why exactly we have to do this? These shoes are new and the mud will ruin them," Draco whined annoyed, trotting behind you through the pumpkin patch.

"Stop whining, you big baby. I want some nice Halloween decorations. And that includes pumpkins," you replied, looking around right and left to find the perfect pumpkin.

"So what? You can find carved pumpkins in any shop. I don't see why we have to be out here picking one out ourselves." Draco pouted and you rolled your eyes. Sometimes he really did act like a grown up baby... or a little brat. But he was still your brat and you would never admit it, but you actually thought his little pout was quite cute.

"You know, you could just help me find a good big pumpkin and then we could go home," you suggested, pausing to examine the pumpkin in front of you before realising it was too small.

"Right. How about this one?" He pointed to one in the row in front of you.

"Yes, I think that one fits," you smiled at him.

"Good, can we go now?" he asked impatiently.

"We need another one. For you."

"For me? I wasn't planning on carving a pumpkin." You gave him a death glare, and while he muttered something under his breath, he kept looking.

~~~

Two hours later, Draco and you were standing in your kitchen. Two large orange pumpkins stood in front of you on the kitchen table.

"I really don't want to do this, Y/N. It's going to be a mess. You know I don't like that sort of thing." Draco hadn't stopped complaining since you told him he was going to carve a pumpkin too.

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun. Please, just this once. For me," you begged, kissing him on the cheek. "Or ... are you afraid yours won't look as good as mine?"

You had hit a nerve. He scoffed and looked quite annoyed at your remark.

"As if. I know for a fact that mine will look better."

And just like that, an activity that was supposed to be fun turned into a competition. If there was one thing you knew about Draco, it was that no matter how little he wanted to do something, if you told him he was just trying to hide the fact that he was bad at something, he was going to prove you wrong.

You both began to cut off the tops of your pumpkins. With a disgusted look on his face, Draco began to scoop out the inside of his.

"Don't be such a baby," you laughed, and began to scoop out your own.

Before you could even get the second spoon out, something wet and sticky hit you on the side of the cheek. Disgusted, you realised that Draco had thrown a load of pumpkin guts at you. With an arrogant smile, he looked at you.

"What? Don't be such a baby," he retorted, his voice distorted in an attempt to imitate you.

With your free hand you wiped the pumpkin innards from your cheek.

Before you knew it, a full-scale war had broken out. You had lost sight of the real goal of carving the pumpkins. With the whole kitchen floor full of pumpkin and nothing left to throw at each other, the competition didn't stop. Again and again, you pushed each other away from your works of art to destroy the other's cut or your knife "accidentally" slipped and landed in the neighbouring pumpkin.

"You'll regret this," you hissed through clenched teeth and took a large spoon yourself.

After briefly taking aim, you threw it back.

Actually, you had expected that it would take you no longer than two hours to carve, but when you both finally finished, it was already pitch dark outside. The kitchen looked like a battlefield.  The floor was covered with orange pumpkin pieces and the kitchen walls were not spared either.

You yourselves looked no better. Draco could have passed for a Weasley, for his light blond hair was covered in strands of orange.

"Well, I think we can all agree that we clearly think mine looks better," Draco spoke, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he critically eyed your creations.

"You wouldn't even recognise talent if it danced naked in front of you," Draco countered you. You looked at each other for a few seconds before you both burst out laughing.

"Are you crazy? Yours looks like it was made by a five year old. Mine turned out much better," you contradicted him.

To be honest, both pumpkins looked pathetic. The faces were crooked, the proportions too big or too small. This was not how you had imagined your Halloween decorations.

"Those are by far the ugliest pumpkins I've ever seen," you laughed, turning your pumpkin left and right to see if it looked presentable at any angle.

"If we put those out, we'll get laughed at by the neighbouring children," Draco confirmed.

"Well, how about this, we'll buy some tomorrow and just claim we made them. No one else needs to know about this disaster."

"Okay. But I still think mine looks better," Draco grinned mischievously. You poked him in the ribs with your elbow and started throwing the gross mess into the kitchen bin.

" Keep dreaming blondie."

[tealeafgrimm]

I love it 💜

October

The Artist’s Muse series

Remus Lupin x reader

word count: 3.3k

summary:   october means colder weather, rain, falling leaves and halloween. at a halloween party remus realises his feelings for you, but it doesn’t come easily

Dark clouds had packed overhead, hiding the already weak sun and casting the entire world in a shadow. A mildly strong wind was blowing outside, letting fallen leaves dance over the cobblestone streets and eyes of passers-by tear up.

Remus loved the weather of October. That transition between the hot end of summer and the barrenness of the true autumn when all the leaves would have fallen and rain would paint the world grey. Now everything was shades of golden and orange, a rich painting of warm colours with heavy swirls and strokes.

And Remus loved sitting by the window, staring outside as the calm of Muses washed over him, allowing him to sink deep into thought.

Weiterlesen

[tealeafgrimm]

Scared

Sirius Black x Reader Words: 806 Summary: The war is raging. Everyone is afraid of the future. Sirius is no exception. But you are there to take away his fear.

The first thing you noticed when you woke up was that it was cold. You had pulled your blanket up under your nose to protect as much of your skin as possible from the cold night air. The second thing you noticed was the empty half of the bed. You had fallen asleep in Sirius' arms and you hadn't noticed that he had gotten up at some point. You shivered and noticed that the door to the balcony was open. No wonder you were so cold.

Reluctantly, you threw off the blanket. You shivered as your feet touched the cold bedroom floor. In the darkness you fumbled for your slippers and your nightgown. After a short time you had put them both on. With the nightgown wrapped tightly around you, you went to the balcony door.

As expected, Sirius stood leaning against the balcony banister. A cigarette between his lips. The bright smoke formed a stark contrast to the darkness of the night. You knew immediately that something was wrong. It was not an unusual sight to see Sirius smoking, but if he needed a cigarette in the middle of the night, something had to be bothering him.

"Sirius?" you whispered as you opened the sliding door all the way and joined him on the balcony. He flinched in surprise.

He didn't turn to you, but you couldn't help noticing that he was wiping his face with his hand. Had he been crying?

" Is everything alright? Are you okay?"

"You should go back to bed. I'll be right there," he replied. His voice was raspy and heavy. Your suspicion that he had been crying was confirmed.

"I don't like it when you lie to me," you replied. You knew Sirius was having a hard time talking about his feelings, but you didn't want him to feel like he had to hide this part of himself from you.

You stepped behind him and wrapped your arms around his middle. Your cheek pressed against his back.

That small gesture was enough to break Sirius' dam. His body began to twitch as his sobs grew louder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" You broke away from him and turned him to face you by the shoulders. His eyes were red and puffy and you realised he must have been out here for a while.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" Concerned, you took his face between your hands and forced him to look at you.

"I'm scared Y/N," he finally spoke, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Afraid of what?"

"Of what else will happen. Who else will die, who else will disappear. What if something happens to you, or James, Remus, Lily...Harry. I'm afraid of what this war will take from us."

You took a deep breath, trying not to let your rising feelings of uncertainty show. Of course, these thoughts plagued you every day too, but you tried to stay positive. And right now Sirius could use some of that.

"And why are you standing on the balcony in this freezing cold in the middle of the night for that?

"I...I didn't want you to see me crying. I don't want you to think that I can't do this. That I can't do the job. That you think I'm too weak."

"I would never think that of you," you replied and pressed your lips against his. You noticed that he relaxed a little.

"You know, it's okay to be scared and it's okay to show your feelings. Crying doesn't mean you're weak Sirius. You're not the only one who's scared. To be honest, I'd be more worried if you weren't."

A tired smile played around his lips.

"It's going to be all right. Sooner or later. We have each other and Remus, James, Lily. We have Dumbeldore and Mad-Eye. We knew what we were getting into. But as long as we're together, we'll be fine, okay?" you asked him.

"How can you be so sure?"

"If we only think of the worst-case scenarios, what good does that do for us? We need to focus on the positive, on the goal we are working towards. If I just think about what could happen, fear would paralyse me."

"You're right. We have each other, that's the main thing." He took one last drag from his cigarette and stubbed it out on the railing of the balcony. He then wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close.

"Thank you," he murmured into your hair.

"Anytime. I think we should get back to bed. We need the sleep and to be honest I can't feel my feet"; you laughed and took his hand to lead him back to the bedroom.

"But only if I get to be the little spoon," Sirius joked now too, the seriousness that had lingered a few seconds ago forgotten.

"Anytime."

[tealeafgrimm]

Keepsake

Regulus Black x Fem!Reader Summary: Sometimes all that remains of a loved one is a memory or a keepsake. When Regulus disappeared, all that remained was the memory of a love that was too short. Words: 2.3k Warnings: metions of loss, grieve Prompt: Keep it. (I did not come upt with the prompt, so thank you to whoever did.)

As if by themselves, your feet carried you up the old wooden stairs. Past the overcast portrait, from where faded murmurs filtered through to you. Past the numerous heads of the house elves whose empty eyes seemed to be following you. Your bedroom was on the first floor and yet your legs forced you on, up another flight of stairs. Sirius had offered you a place to stay in his parents house for the time that the second Order of the Phoenix was in existence. And although the thought of the memories that connected you to the house alone pained you, you had to admit to yourself that it was the best and, above all, safest decision.

Lost in thought, you reached the top of the stairs. How long had it been since you had last been here? Sixteen, or was it already seventeen years? And yet everything seemed to be as you remembered it. Only now, as you stood in front of the door with the sign 'Regulus Arcturus Black', did you realise that you had been playing with the ring on your left hand the whole time. You were about to knock on the door of the room when you snapped back into the present. No one would allow you to enter. Regulus was no longer there. With one last deep breath, you placed your hand on the door handle and opened the portal to your own past.

Green, silver and Slytherin symbols loomed over you from every corner of the room. You had forgotten how proud the entire Black family, with the exception of Sirius of course, had been. The family crest towered over the old bed. The green and silver sheets were moth-eaten and dust-covered, and yet you could have sworn the smell of him still lingered on the fabric. How many hours had you spent on that bed? Laughing, crying, silently, telling stories, lying in his arms? With a sigh, you settled down on the bed, which responded with a soft creak to the sudden weight of your body.

Your hands wandered over the silky fabric as you let your gaze wander over Regulus's room. It felt wrong to be here alone. Almost as if you were intruding into someone else's thoughts without being asked, to see something that was forbidden to you. And yet you wanted to hear those very thoughts. You wanted to experience everything and hold on to it. When you turned your head, you saw something flash out of the corner of your eye. Hanging in a picture frame next to the bed was a photo from your school days of the Slytherin Quidditch team.

Smiling, you got up from the bed to take a closer look at the picture. He beamed at you from the front row. His black curls framed his pale face. His lips were curled with the typical arrogant Black smile that you had hated and yet loved so much and which you still saw on Sirius today. In the second row, on the far right, was you. At the end of your third year, you had been called up as a substitute Chaser before becoming a permanent member of the Quidditch team in your fourth year. And it was due to that circumstance that you had gotten to know Regulus at all.

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"Seriously? She's supposed to replace Swelyn?" His eyebrows raised, your teammate pointed at you. Nervously, you clutched your broom. It was the first practice of the new school year and the first time you would be competing as an official part of the Slytherin team. "Shut up and listen. She was the best at the try-outs and we really need to win this year," your captain retorted as he set the box of balls down in front of you. "I'm just saying. A girl? She cries as soon as a bludger hits her." "That's rich coming from you, Matthew. You don't recognise a Bludger until it knocks against your head," someone snorted behind you. Turning around you saw Regulus Black. Although you were in the same house and year, you had never really had much to do with him.

Four weeks later, you were not only a permanent and now also respected part of the team, but had found a new friend in Regulus. Very quiet at first, you soon realised that you had a lot in common. More often than not, you found yourselves together in the library, engrossed in books or working on homework together, or in the common room, secluded in one of the quieter corners, whispering softly to each other. Sometimes you would just sit there, each absorbed in your own thoughts or tasks. It was one of the qualities you had come to appreciate about Regulus. He didn't need to talk all the time; he was content to be in your presence without finding emerging silence uncomfortable. Having him next to you brought you an inner peace that you had never known was possible.

Your relationship changed in February, after the second game of the season. Slytherin vs Hufflepuff. After you had won the first game against Ravenclaw only by a razor-thin margin, everything depended on this game. You were all the more relieved when your first shot at the opposing goal was successful. "Y/L/N/ scores! 10 points for Slytherin!", came the announcement and a first burst of cheers from the green crowd filtered through to you. "Good shot Y/N! Keep it up!", shouted Regulus as he whizzed past you, always on the lookout for the winged golden ball. Smiling, you flew back to your starting position, determined to win this game. Shortly after you scored your second goal, the whistle blew. "Black has caught the Snitch! Syltherin wins the game by 200 to 60 points!" A deafening noise thundered towards your team. It meant your chances of winning the Quidditch Cup were better than they had been in a long time, even if the final was against your arch-rivals.

"Y/N! Wait a minute!" After celebrating your victory in the cabin, you were about to return to the castle. "Regulus. Fantastic game. The way you dodged that bludger from Richards and it got Jones instead! That face was priceless," you laughed as the black-haired boy caught up and came to a halt beside you. Shaking his hair out of his face, he looked over at you mischievously. "Um...haha yeah, listen...I...so." You could have sworn his face was flushed and his hands were nervously clutching the handle of his broom. You stopped and looked at him, waiting. "So, next Saturday we are allowed to go back to Hogsmead and I was wondering if you would like to go with me, sort of...like...on a date?" He had said the last part of the question so quickly that for a moment you weren't sure you had heard him correctly. However, his nervous expression and the gaze that was fixed on his shoes told you that you had definitely understood him correctly and a smile spread across your face. "Yes, I would like to go out with you!" you answered without hesitation. Regulus lifted his gaze a grin on his lips. "Really? Okay...good" " Good", you replied, laughing and shaking your head as you began to continue your walk as if nothing had happened. After a few steps you noticed Regulus grasping your free hand with his and without another word you made your way back to your house hand in hand.

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Still smiling, you took your eyes off the photo. That weekend in February 1975 was one you would never forget. It was the day Regulus kissed you for the first time and from there on you could officially call him your boyfriend. And for a while everything had been good. You had spent every free minute together. You either hid behind books in the library or talked about your future for hours in the common room. On weekends you had gone hand in hand to Hogsmead and during the holidays you had spent most of your time in the very house in which you now found yourself again.

Your hands wandered over the drawer handles of the dark brown, almost black wardrobe in the corner of the room. Dust swirled where your fingertips touched the cold wood. Most of the drawers were empty. A few scraps of paper that meant nothing to you or old moth-eaten bed sheets, nothing else. You knew that Kreacher had certainly secured some mementos of Regulus and made a mental note to ask the house elf about them. Kreacher was never the friendliest, but he knew what Regulus had meant to you and you to him.

After inspecting the wardrobe, your eyes fell on the desk on the other side. Newspaper clippings, photographs and handwritten notes, all with references to Death Eaters or dark magic, lay on the tabletop glued together as a collage. You had never understood when or why Regulus' fascination with and the machinations of You-Know-Who had begun. His family had always had a certain reputation and you were aware of his interest in dark magic, but you never imagined that it would go this far. Regulus had never expressed hatred or even dislike towards Muggles or Muggle-borns, or made himself out to be superior.

And yet, at some point, he had fallen under the spell, just like so many others from your Hogwarts house. You yourself had never been fond of these views, so between you and Regulus the subject had never been brought up, and you had trusted him not to do anything reckless. Only in your last months of being together had you noticed a change in Regulus.

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"Reg! Have you been listening to me at all?" you asked, straightening up on the bed. It was Sunday afternoon and most of the students were spending the sunny day outside. For this reason, the boy’s dormitory was completely empty and you had taken the chance to enjoy some quiet time. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" replied Regulus, looking at you apologetically. Looking at him anxiously, you rested your head on his shoulder and took his hand in yours. As you often did, you began to play with his ring, engraved with the Black family crest, before taking it off.

Something had been wrong for a few weeks. Regulus had always been quiet, but not like this. He was often lost in thought, not paying attention in class and you had the feeling that he looked more tired every day. When you asked him if everything was okay, he answered evasively. And the time you spent with Regulus had also changed. Whereas you used to talk and laugh a lot, your time together was marked by heavy silence. And within the last few days you had noticed that Regulus either sought your closeness to an extraordinary degree or avoided any contact. Today the former was true.

"Something is wrong with you Regulus. I can see it and I'm worried about you." You took his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you. The emotions in his eyes flashed out at you. Sadness, worry, fear, love. "It's all right, I promise. I'm just...tired. If it was anything I'd tell you, I promise." He smiled tiredly at you, took your hands from your face and gave you a kiss. "Okay. Then maybe we should lie down for a bit and you can sleep," you suggested, holding out his ring for him to take back.

"Keep it." Regulus had taken the ring and slipped it over your thumb, the only finger it fit on. At that moment, you knew nothing was right. But you didn't want to ruin the moment. Only when you were sure that Regulus had fallen asleep next to you did you give free rein to your feelings and no longer suppressed the tears.

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Two months later, Regulus had left you. He had told you that he just needed to finish something. He had never come back. With tears in your eyes, your fingers found the black ring on your left thumb. The small piece of Regulus that remained beside the memories and photos. You had expected many things, but not that the love of your life would just disappear like that. "Here you are. I figured you'd be lurking around somewhere." Startled, you whirled around. Sirius was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded and grinning mischievously.

"I don't know how I ended up here either. Probably habit," you muttered as you reluctantly moved away from the desk. "You still love him, don't you?" asked Sirius, stepping up to meet you. As much as you had tried to suppress your tears until now, that question was enough to make your heart break. Without hesitation, the older Black brother wrapped you in his arms. "He was everything to me Sirius. I thought it would get better with time. Easier. But...sometimes...I think I see him in the corner of my eye and when I turn around there's no one there. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind." Your voice trembled. It was the first time you'd talked to someone about Regulus in a long time.

"I know what you mean. That's how I felt with James. The first few weeks I was here, finding stuff from back in the day, I felt like he was standing behind me," Sirius replied, wiping the tears from your face. "Regulus and I were never particularly close, but I want you to know that I'm here for you if you need to talk. He was my little brother and I loved him. You meant everything to him, don't forget that, okay?" "Thank you Sirius." You hugged him and followed him out of the room. As he closed the door behind you, you felt closer to Regulus than you had in years. As painful as the memories were, they were also beautiful. And that night, you fell asleep with a smile, hoping to see the young, black-haired Quidditch player you had fallen in love with.

[tealeafgrimm]

I’ve seen you write some requests before and I’m just wondering if you still do?

Hi 😊

Yes, I still take requests, as long as they are SFW. I just can't promise how fast I will get them out to you, but I promise that I eventually will write them 🤗

[tealeafgrimm]

“There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid.”

R.I.P. Robbie Coltrane (March 30, 1950 - October 14, 2022)