theliongrant

[theliongrant]

cass walked down the street and he said aha, fuckin aye lmao christmas

starter, 

[theliongrant]

LOCATIONS: The Alchemist

The Alchemist is a cocktail bar that is ‘hidden in plain sight’. To Muggles, The Alchemist is an alluring, urban-gothic cocktail bar & restaurant around the corner from the centre of Nottingham, Old Market Square. However, Wix are able to utilise a hidden passageway which takes them underground to a hidden bar, utilising some of Nottingham’s ‘abandoned’ cave system.

The owners of The Alchemist are a mixed-blood family. He’s a Muggle bartender, who runs the cocktail bar upstairs, while she’s a Hogwarts graduate who specialised in brewing both potions and good drinks for Quidditch parties. They wanted to support each others careers through meeting each other, and The Alchemist was born.

This hidden bar makes innovative, inventive cocktails using spirits, ingredients and spells from around the world. Both their drinks and food menus regularly change, enough so that one would rarely be able to return and order the same drink or meal. Wix from around the UK have been known to travel all the way to The Alchemist for one of their specials.  

[theliongrant]

LOCATIONS: The Caves

Underneath the houses, shops and businesses in Nottingham lays an elaborate labyrinth of sandstone caves. Most Muggles are aware of the ‘City of Caves’, a tourist attraction showcasing three of the caves that have been used for wine cellars, homes, and an air raid shelter.

The Caves feature a large number of establishments, homes and opportunities. Anyone who wants to make a business for themselves would simply have to carve out a section of cave for themselves or find a cave that is no longer in use. 

The Caves are intricate and it would be easy for one to get lost among them if they were to visit for the first time, alone. However, there aren’t many nefarious characters in The Caves, and most wix in Nottingham would be happy to point a lost traveller the correct way out. 

There are three main entrances to The Caves. One is in the gardens of Wollaton Hall, another in the women’s restroom at Nottingham Train Station, and the last in the confessional at Nottingham Cathedral. There is also an entry in the Major Oak at Sherwood Forest that is due to collapse soon because of the rotting tree in which it is housed. 

The Caves stretch all the way from Nottingham to Sherwood Forest, though due to the sheer distance involved, most wix stay underneath Nottingham itself. There are very few establishments on the Sherwood side of the cave system. It is rumoured that The Caves were created by Robin Hood & his Merry Men themselves, as a way to escape from Nottingham and head to their beloved tree. 

[theliongrant]

a grant abergel playlist // something is tugging my sleeve like a secret

young blood // the naked and famous dandelion wine // gregory alan isakov even my dad does sometimes // ed sheeran come away with me // norah jones cough syrup // young the giant growing pains (reprise) // alessia cara cool kids // echosmith forever and then some // lillie mae landslide // oh wonder futon couch // missy higgins honeybody // kishi bashi

[theliongrant]

The Pains of Growing

Grant had been working towards attending this event for the whole summer. Soon after term ended, Bellamy had told Grant about the Witch Weekly Festival- an exclusive event, you had to be invited or a guest of someone invited just to know where the portkey was. When Grant had read the pamphlet, he’d almost passed out from excitement. Two days of stalls from all over the country, skincare and pampering tents, demonstrations, music, raffles, giveaways… And the second day! The second day sounded even better. All of the biggest names in music were going to be there.

After the excitement wore off enough for him to really think about it, Grant realised how… Impossible attending such an event seemed. He’d been to Diagon Alley only once, and even then the sounds and sights and people felt like it was crushing him. Only Tami’s soothing presence helped him through that. He was so excited about the idea of going to this festival. But with how many people would be there, plus a fireworks display… It just seemed unrealistic.

Ever the stubborn Slytherin, Bellamy wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. He spent the entire summer working in collaboration with Grant, Polly, some Muggle medicines and Grant’s parents to slowly acclimate Grant to larger crowds and spaces.

By the time the last weekend of the summer had arrived, Grant was asking to go to the shops to buy a nice outfit for the festival. His Mum had nearly fallen out of her chair.

Grant used the portkey all by himself to get to the festival grounds, hidden away in the Lake District and surrounded by wards and spells to keep Muggles away. Immediately on arrival, Grant was given a goodie bag filled with treats and samples, which folded neatly into a purse that could fit in one’s pocket, and an outline of the events for the day. He ended up  planning his whole day out meticulously, down to the minute.

First up was attending a Love Potion demonstration. Grant had always been curious about them, and he’d skipped Potions when they covered it in class, so he really was impressed. They passed around a vial of Amortentia, and to Grant, it smelled like the gentle smoke of a warm fire, of dust blown off from old pages, and… Sweat. It confused him at first, but then he remembered just how hot and bothered he got after Bellamy got back from a long practice. Grant grinned to himself for pretty much the whole demonstration.

Next, he tried some delicious sodas, brought in from America just for the event. The grapefruit one was so yummy that Grant bought another one to sip throughout the day.

He had his palm read after that. The woman who read his palm was all sorts of lovely, with frizzy, long blonde hair that she held out of her face with a scarf. Grant had always been a bit nervous about Divination given how much Professor Trelawney scared him, but this woman gave him nothing but good, warm feelings. According to his palm, Grant was going to have a long life, with a strong, healthy relationship. He would know pain and loss, but apparently the other lines on his hand made up for that. Grant found it all rather fascinating and gave the lovely woman a nice, warm hug.

He made some friends at a pampering station, sitting in an enchanted chair while someone massaged his feet, his jeans rolled up his legs. Grant knew now why his Mum went to the nail salon every other week- this was pure luxury. Halfway through falling asleep in the chair, Grant resolved to go and get a pedicure with Bellamy as often as he could. Maybe they could help Bellamy with stress.

Eventually the sun set and Grant was exhausted. He sat with his newfound friends in front of a music tent, picking at the last of his dinner- which had been served to him on the most beautiful plate that was actually edible. Environmentally-friendly spells were apparently the trend of the year. They were waiting for a fireworks display to start. Grant smiled to himself, completely content and happy. He leaned back, looking up at a flagpole nearby, where Polly sat. She wasn’t close by, but she was keeping an eye out. Just in case.

Grant closed his eyes and gave a happy sigh.

And then the screaming started.

And it didn’t. Stop.

Grant was pushed to his feet when the girls around him stood- some of them apparated immediately upon looking in the direction of the screams, which seemed to come from the forest next to the festival grounds. Grant couldn’t see anything, really. People were running in his direction and pushing and there was just so much screaming.

He frowned, turning to follow in the direction the crowd was running, when he heard another sound, louder than the screams. A howl. Grant’s blood ran cold, and he felt as though his stomach was rising up, pushing out his throat. Not again. Not again, not again.

Grant managed to push himself to run with the others. Where was the Portkey? There was so much going on that he didn’t remember what direction he came in from, let alone the Portkey location. He just ran. As fast as he could, as far as he could. He couldn’t differentiate the sound of his own feet touching the floor and the blood pumping through his body, echoing in his ears.

Then, another sound. A growl.

The wind was pushed out of Grant as he was knocked to the ground. The force of whatever hit him felt like a ten tonne truck. Perhaps an elephant had knocked him down.

And then the pain. The wolf atop Grant had him pinned, and tore down his side with its teeth. Grant cried out, immediately trying to curl up to stop the pain, but the wolf had already moved on, launching on to its next victim. Ripping into them.

On his side, Grant could see more of the carnage. Not many people were running now. Through blurred vision, Grant could see wolves. So many of them. More than he could count. Some of them ripped further into their victims, some of them dragged screaming girls into the forest.

He trembled, feeling as though his body had been dunked into ice cold water. Grant trembled, wanting desperately to get up, to get away, but he couldn’t move. He was stuck there.

Panic set in when he realised this, his breaths quickening, eyes widening. No. He had to get up. Had to get up or- or- or bad things would happen. Breathe in and out. In. Out. In. Out. He managed to curl his fingers around the grass, warm and sticky from… Blood. Was it his own? Probably. Probably.

The festival grounds were starting to get quiet now. The occasional cry out for help. Sometimes another whimper. Not Grant though. He couldn’t manage it. He could breathe in. And out. In, and out.

He could feel the warmth of the evening summer air. He could feel the air swirling through his body, with nowhere to go. And he could feel himself slip further and further into the earth, pulling him down peacefully, as if he were sinking below the grass and earth. In. In. In. And then, nothing.

[theliongrant]

green thumbs [loxley & grant hc]

Grant was in his room, laying out options for outfits for the Witch Weekly Festival. Tami had told him that the entire wizarding press were usually in attendance, so he wanted to look his best and most fashionable. He was just deciding between which socks he should wear (if any at all) when there was a knock at the door.

Home alone, as per most summer holiday days, Grant accepted a reassuring hoot from Polly before going downstairs to check through the peephole.

In front of him was a mop of yellow hair, and the most oddly dressed person Grant imagined had ever walked into his village.

Grant grinned, opening the door wide open for Loxley and immediately pulling him into a hug. “Loxley! You got my letter!”

The letter had been sent out in the second week of the holidays, when Grant’s mother had been very sad that the sunflowers in the back garden looked like they were dying. He had asked Loxley for advice in keeping them alive, but received no reply other than a scrunched up piece of  parchment saying ‘be there soon lol’.

“Come in, come in! Would you like tea?” Grant ushered the other wizard in, delighted that his friend had arrived. “Mum and Dad aren’t home, but they should be home in an hour or two.”

“Don’t bother with the tea. Where are these sunflowers?” Loxley asked, already strapping his utility belt around his waist, filled with gardening tools. He looked like a soldier, gearing up for battle.

Grant snickered, leading Loxley down the hall and to the back door. He picked up his hat from the dining room table and shoved on his boots before going outside.

Loxley immediately inspected the garden, walking around it with his hands behind his back, studying the plants. 

“Uh, so everything is... Normal plants. Muggle, I guess you would say. Mum’s tried a few times to start a garden but she and Dad both work a lot. And I’m only home for the holidays, so...” Grant shrugged, indicating to the sad, small courtyard garden. Their garden’s back fence was broken, a vine of some sort strangling it to the ground, revealing the open field and nearby woods behind Grant’s house. 

Loxley was kneeling down, putting some sort of tuber looking thing in his mouth when Grant saw him next. He pulled a face, “You sure that’s good to eat?” but Loxley didn’t reply. “So do you need me to... Do anything?”

“Go to the shops,” Loxley said, tying his hair up in a knot. “Get me a bag of dirt, a packet of teabags and some Bertie Botts.”

“But-”

“When you come back, bring the compost bin with you.” Loxley was already elbow deep in dirt, his back turned to Grant. Grant frowned, looking around before leaving. It was weird to just leave Loxley at his place with everything unlocked but it’s not like he could lock it, right?

Grant picked up his bike and left, frowning in confusion all the way.

When he returned, he was looking over the packet of jellybeans he’d bought. “Hey, Lox?” Grant called out, opening the front door. “Loxley, I bought some jellybeans! We don’t have Bertie Botts. And we have teabags so I wasn’t gonna buy more. And-”

He was interrupted by a host of chuckles from his mother and father, who were both sitting at a table in the back courtyard, sipping tea... With Loxley. “Mum? Dad? Did you guys buy a table?” He asked, walking through the house and into the backyard, which had been completely transformed. Grant’s mouth fell open as he stared at it.

Luscious vines covered the back fence, which was now a lattice, standing at mid height so they could see out into the woods. Part of the garden was sectioned off with fresh dirt, herbs planted in rows. The other part was luscious and thick with greenery already, and between them both stood a host of tall, bright sunflowers. 

“What did you do?” Grant gaped at Loxley, who snickered into his tea. 

“Magic.” Loxley replied, to a peal of laughter from his parents.

[theliongrant]

kc-abbey‌:

“Of course. You’re not the only one who needs to get their school supplies.” KC laughed and dragged Grant in for a tight hug. “How’s your summer been so far? I haven’t heard from Bell since we left school, but that’s not entirely surprising.”

Grant hugged KC tightly, squeezing her and subsequently feeling squeezed. He cocked his head, “Not bad. Charlie’s car broke down in my village- can you believe? So we spent a couple days fixing it. Yeah, me fixing a car. Ha. I went to the beach with Bell last week, that was nice. But other than that, he’s been with his family, so it’s probably been.... Hard? For him to catch up with anyone?” Honestly, Grant hadn’t even met Bellamy’s family. And from what he’d heard, he was sure that was a good thing.

[theliongrant]

reyna-moreira‌:

Reyna smirked at Grant, she’d always had a soft spot for him. “You ask, I appear it’s like magic.” She held a few of her own books in her arms and shrugged. “Also, I brought you some of my books in case you wanted to use them and save some money. You can just give ‘em back to me when you graduate.”

Grant gave a lopsided smile, taking the books with both hands and looking over the titles. “Oh, cool! Th-Thanks.” Someone brushed past him and Grant stiffened, swallowing as he put his books into the satchel. He technically wasn’t allowed to do magic outside of school, but the satchel had already been charmed before school was over. So it didn’t count, right? “S-So... I need new gloves for H-Herb... H-Herbology, a-and I need to update my p-potions kit.”

[theliongrant]

bellamy-adler‌:

“No, I don’t own this, my brother does. And technically it’s not even like he earned it with his own money, he inherited the money to buy this place so he can escape.”

Bellamy shook his head, looking over the waves with a small smile as plans started forming in his head. He’d plan a couple ‘dates’ to crowded places to get Grant more used to the idea. If the festival did happen to fall on a full moon, Bell still wanted Grant to enjoy it without him. The festival didn’t sound like his cup of tea, but Grant would no doubt love it and Bell wanted Grant to have the opportunity to do anything he wanted.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Bellamy sighed and pulled Grant along to a small area with beach chairs to set their towels down and then headed towards the shoreline. “I don’t like the idea of so many muggles being close by without any protection … Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

Grant cocked his head, looking over the beach and imagining inheriting enough money to buy a whole beach. If his dad worked a bit more and the boss liked him, one day Grant would inherit a decent job at a plumbing company. That was about it. “Well, tell him thank you very much.” He said, following Bell across the sand to put his towel and beach tote down- he had to be prepared for anything, after all. 

Grant rubbed his thumb over Bellamy’s hand as they headed for the water. “Are you sure? I hate the idea of you being so alone in such a... Hard place.” Hard was probably a kind word for it. His parents sounded awful. “Anyway... We can talk about it later.” He gave a small nod, as if this decided things, and then... Bolted for the water, tugging Bellamy behind him.

The water was cold on his feet and Grant shrieked, immediately dashing back to the wet sand.

[theliongrant]

The idea of going shopping for supplies for his final year at Hogwarts had initially sent Grant into a dizzying panic attack. He wasn’t ready to leave Hogwarts. Slowly, Grant had decided that just buying his supplies didn’t mean it was all over. Just... The beginning of the end.

This was technically Grant’s first time doing school shopping in Diagon Alley. Every other year, he’d ordered by Owl Post. Diagon Alley was noisy and busy and rife with possibilities, which usually meant he’d have yet another panic attack and just... Not handle it. But the events of the last year had given him experience, and even though the 6th year trip had ended in disaster, it had given him confidence. 

He entered Diagon Alley through The Leaky Cauldron, a satchel over his shoulder that he clutched with white-knuckled hands. Grant kept his head down, looked mostly at his feet, and focused on the comforting sound of Polly’s wings flapping up ahead. Then, he bumped straight into someone. Startled, Grant’s eyes widened and he looked up, about to fearfully apologise when he saw who it was. He grinned, absolutely lighting up, “You’re here! Hi!”

[theliongrant]

charlie-beckettt‌:

Charlie was not supposed to have the car. His dad was gonna kill him. “Come on Betty, just a little bit further…” He whispered to the steering wheel but Betty was obviously exhausted and collapsed right there on a back road. Giving up Charlie knocked his head against the steering wheel a few times till he heard a familiar voice outside his window. “I’m-I’m great. We’re just awesome…” He mumbled while rubbing the steering wheel like it might convince Betty to get moving again. “Damn, if Betty doesn’t get moving my parents are so going to kill me.”

Grant cocked his head when he noticed it was Charlie sitting behind the wheel. A grin spread across his face, despite the awful sounds the car had just made. Never in a million years had Grant thought one of his mates from Hogwarts would just... Show up in his village. Not without a little coaxing, at least.

“Betty’s... The car.” Grant assumed, looking to the car and giving it a once over. He scratched the back of his head, stepping back. “Uhh... I’m not great with tech stuff? But we can try? My house isn’t far, maybe we can push it there?”

[theliongrant]

For Grant, summer was equal parts good and suck. When he’d gotten home from London, his Mum had left him a gift on his bed- a basket full of new wool, a book of patterns and a crochet hook (Good). When he’d sat on his bed after putting his things away, Grant realised that it had been the longest he’d been without Bellamy in some time (Suck). Annoyed at that, Grant had taken a nap in the middle of the day, something he missed doing (Good). And when he woke up, the house was completely empty and quiet (Suck). 

He’d started knitting on his bed at first, the only sounds in the house were the ticking of the clock downstairs and his needles clicking together as he cast on for a new, ambitious project. Polly chattered on her perch and Grant sighed, putting his knitting down and resting his head against the wall. Suck.

“Come on, Polly. We’ll go for a walk.” Grant sighed, going over to his closet to pick out his shoes, tying up the laces, and calling Polly to perch on his arm as he headed downstairs and out the door, locking it behind him as he left. Polly took the opportunity to stretch her wings, soaring above with a happy chatter. Grant squinted up at her before putting his hands in his pockets and starting down the road. 

While he was walking, he heard a car approaching. It wasn’t unheard of, but Grant’s village was pretty quiet and peak hour consisted of about four cars. Grant cocked his head, turning to look in the direction of the car which spluttered, made a few other odd sounds, then rolled to a stop. He looked around, slightly confused, and felt up his sleeve to check that his wand was there. Yep. “Um... Are you okay?” He called out to the driver.

@charlie-beckettt

[theliongrant]

reyna-moreira‌:

“Oh, and you’re not taking it next year? Go grab your notes.” Reyna said mimicking him and crossing her arms over her own chest to prove she wasn’t gonna drop it.

Grant frowned at her for a moment before giving a stubborn huff and taking out his wand, summoning the notes from his bed upstairs. He’d been studying them intensely when he’d decided not to go to the exam. Grant offered them out to her, resisting the urge to roll his eyes because he knew she’d kick his arse if he did.

[theliongrant]

narusetami‌:

“Ah, of course, document the entire thing so my jealousy will be unbearable- what a friend you are.” She rolled her eyes but grinned, teasing of course, after the year they’d had they all deserved some time to get away from it all. She was excited for Germany anyway. It wasn’t that anyone was listening to them, more that Tami didn’t want it to seem as though she’d been listening to someone else, which she hadn’t but couldn’t help but be cautious regardless. She waited until they were at least half way down the corridor before she jumped right back into the conversation, “I hear they give out tons of free stuff, it’s why it’s so exclusive, can’t be letting everyone in and taking everything.”

Grant nudged her playfully, rolling his eyes as well. With all the correspondence he should be doing over the next few weeks, Polly would be having a serious workout. He was pondering how best she should be rewarded for all of the international travel she’d be doing when Tami continued. He looked at her, eyes wide, “Free stuff?! That’s so cool. Gosh, I hope I can get a ticket. And then there’s all the preparations, like what to wear, cause there’ll be photographers and stuff.”

[theliongrant]

narusetami‌:

“Oh, the festival thing! If you get a ticket I’m going to be eternally jealous, I’ve wanted to go for years… but I think I’m in Germany at the end of the summer anyway.” Tami sighed wistfully and cast a glance over her shoulder before shuffling a step forward. “Let’s talk somewhere else? I want to know what strings Bellamy has to pull to get a ticket.”

Grant brightened some when he heard that Tami knew about it, a grin growing on his face. “I’ll take lots of pictures and videos if my phone works, I’ll tell you all about it. If I can get a ticket.” It was a heavy, significant ‘if’. Grant raised his brows, looking over his shoulder as if someone were listening to them. “Really? Cool, yeah. Let’s go.” That was all the motivation Grant needed to lead them away, fiddling with his backpack straps again.

[theliongrant]

reyna-moreira‌:

Reyna furrowed her brow and bit her lip. Oh no, the eyes. “So buck up, do you wanna go over it now? Just talking about apparition, you don’t have to actually apparate.”

“It’s too late, Reyna, I already missed the exam...” He said, folding his arms. 

[theliongrant]

quellaayaxley‌:

Quella smirked, “Even with everything that’s happened this year? Most recently being the attack at Gallowapple. Or did you forget?”

Grant looked around uncomfortably, a lump settling in his throat at the reminder, holding the bubbling panic at bay. From a nearby perch, Polly cooed. Asking if he could have forgotten was cruel. No one could have forgotten. And especially Quella, a seventh year, who hadn’t even been there? Cruel. Still, a tiny part of him wanted to be kind. Wanted to show kindness even though it hurt. “Th-That w-w-was at G-Gallow-a-apple. N-Not Hogwarts. Hogwarts is s-safe.”