#Harry would say the second one in canon to Hermione after he tries to convince him to go to therapy completely ignoring the fact he’s rich

[friendlyneighborhoodplebeian]

Harry Potter AU but it’s just Harry and Ron doing Buzzfeed Unsolved.

We have:

Harry “Hello demons , it me, ya boi” Potter or Harry “It costs $400 to see a therapist. But it’s free to just tell yourself, ‘it just be like that sometimes.’”

Ron “Uh, hello spirits, we’re here with good vibes” Weasley

[kissofthemuses]

HANNAH

FULL NAME: Hannah Rose Abbott

SPECIES: witch

FANDOM: Harry Potter **canon divergent**

                            PHYSICAL

FACECLAIM: Hannah Murray (younger)

Rachael Taylor (older)

PRONOUNS: she/her

AGE: 15-40's

BIRTH DATE:  September 5th, 1979

HAIR: blonde

EYES: blue

HEIGHT: 5'4"

ORIENTATION: poly-pansexual

        RELATIONSHIPS

MOTHER: Constance Abbott

FATHER: Alastair Abbott

CANON HUSBAND: Neville Longbottom

        PERSONALITY

OTHER

MBTI: INFP-T / “Mediator”

ALIGNMENT: lawful good

TEMPERAMENT: melancholic

ENNEAGRAM: 9

            TAGS

HOUSE: Hufflepuff

WAND: 11 " cedar wood, unicorn hair core

Threads

Headcanons

Musings

Inspo

BACKSTORY

Hannah was born in Great Britain or Ireland on September 5, 1979. She was a member of the pure-blood wizarding Abbott family that was one of the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight, though she herself was a half-blood because her mother was a muggle.

Hannah began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September 1991, along with Harry Potter.

Since Hannah's surname, Abbott, was the first alphabetically, she was the first new student in her year to be sorted into her house during the Start-of-Term Feast. She was Sorted into Hufflepuff House, along with other new students Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley. She shared a dormitory with her fellow Hufflepuff classmates; Megan Jones, Susan Bones, and others.

In 1992, Hannah's second year, when the Chamber of Secrets had been reopened, Hannah was one of the many students who believed that Harry Potter was the Heir of Slytherin after it became known that he was a Parselmouth. She was initially sceptical, saying that Harry 'always seemed so nice', but was eventually convinced by her friend Ernie Macmillan that Harry was the one that had attacked Muggle-born students around Hogwarts, including her housemate and friend Justin Finch-Fletchley, which didn't go down well with Hannah, unsettling her.

When Hermione was attacked by the Basilisk, Ernie and Hannah apologised, knowing Harry would never harm her. Ernie asked Harry if he believed that Draco Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin, to which Harry replied with a quick no, causing both Ernie and Hannah to stare.[14] It was later revealed that Malfoy was not the culprit after Harry defeated Tom Riddle, destroying his diary horcrux and Slytherin's basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Hannah was present at the End-of-Term Feast, after all the students who were petrified were returned to their normal state.

In 1993, her third year, when news got out that Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban, Hannah held the belief that Black could transform himself into a flowering shrub to avoid detection, and would tell this theory to anyone who would listen.

Even though her theory of transforming into a shrub was incorrect, Sirius Black did in fact use a transformation to avoid detection and escape Azkaban; however, his transformation was into the form of a dog. Hannah's belief that Sirius could transform into a flowering shrub was likely to have originated from her liking of Herbology and the Professor of Herbology, Pomona Sprout, who was her Head of House.

During 1994, Hannah's fourth year, Hannah helped collect Bubotuber pus in Herbology, which Madam Pomfrey used for treating acne to prevent students from taking more desperate measures. Hannah noted that Eloise Midgen had tried to curse her pimples off.

This year, Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament and Hannah's fellow Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory was one of the Triwizard finalists. Hannah fully supported him during the tournament's tasks, as he was also in Hufflepuff. Hannah was among the many Hufflepuffs who were displeased when Harry appeared to be usurping Cedric's rightful place, by becoming the second Hogwarts champion during the Triwizard Tournament, and she showed support only for her fellow Hufflepuff. This was because Hufflepuff never received much attention, and she, along with many others, felt Harry was taking the glory away from Diggory. To show her support, she wore a Support CEDRIC DIGGORY — the REAL Hogwarts Champion! badge that was able to change to read POTTER STINKS.

Again, as in her second year, Hannah spent a lot of her free time revising in the Great Hall with Ernie Macmillan, presumably studying for her O.W.L.s which were coming up the following year. The two of them also attended at least one Hogsmeade weekend and were swapping Chocolate Frog Cards at a table at The Three Broomsticks.

Later in this same year, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort, and Harry won the Triwizard Tournament, but this did not matter to Hannah, as Cedric's death made the winner rather irrelevant. Hannah was then presumably amongst the students that believed Harry Potter's claims that Lord Voldemort had indeed returned, and that the Second Wizarding War had really broken out.

In 1995, her fifth year, Hannah was made a prefect for Hufflepuff House, along with Ernie Macmillan. Shortly after the beginning of term, it became apparent that Dolores Umbridge was not going to be teaching practical means of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Hannah decided to join Dumbledore's Army, a secret Defence Against the Dark Arts group started by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

She was also one of the minority who believed that Lord Voldemort was back, likely due to the fact that Cedric Diggory, a student of her house, was claimed by Harry Potter to have been murdered by the Dark Lord in the previous year.

The pressure of studying for her O.W.L.s had definitely got to Hannah, and she broke down in tears during a Herbology class, after claiming to be too stupid to take her exams. She was then taken to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey treated her with a Calming Draught. Despite being treated, Hannah still managed to let pressure get the better of her and during her Transfiguration practical exam, she accidentally multiplied a ferret into a flock of flamingos.

Hannah made it through the rest of her exams, and, approaching the end of the year, Hannah was one of the D.A. members who aided Harry when he was attacked by Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe at the end of their fifth year, proving her loyalty and friendship still to Dumbledore's Army, even after its initial purpose had been rendered redundant.

At some point within the school year, she was a Charms Tutor, providing a service to fellow classmates to teach them charms.

In 1996, Hannah returned to her sixth year at Hogwarts. Early on during her sixth year, Hannah was told during a Herbology lesson that her mother, Mrs Abbott, had been murdered earlier in the day, presumably by Death Eaters. As a result of this, Hannah was subsequently pulled out of Hogwarts and did not return for the rest of the year. She was not in school at the time of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's demise at the hands of Severus Snape. It is possible, as a result of missing most of her sixth year, Hannah would be required to retake the year's courses.

Hannah was compelled to return to Hogwarts in 1997, as Lord Voldemort had taken over the Ministry of Magic and attendance at Hogwarts had become mandatory for all pure or half-blood students; Muggle-borns had to go before a Muggle-Born Registration Commission prior to being admitted to Hogwarts. It is possible, as Hannah had missed her previous year of education, she would be made to resit the year, making her technically a sixth year student once again.

Hannah was present on the train when it was stormed by Death Eaters in search of Harry Potter. She also witnessed fellow classmate Neville stand up to them and inform them that Harry was not aboard the train.

Whilst back at Hogwarts, Hannah became a member of the revived Dumbledore's Army, now operating under the leadership of Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley in the absence of Harry, Ron and Hermione. United once again, Dumbledore's Army continued to train students in battle and defence, and the group ran riot around Hogwarts, making the life for new Headmaster Severus Snape and Death Eaters Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow difficult.

When Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts on 1 May 1998, Hannah stayed at the school and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. She battled against Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. Initially, she was part of the group of students led by Fred and George Weasley. Hannah's group was charged with defending the secret passages into Hogwarts from invading Death Eaters.

Hannah witnesses Harry Potter's final defeat of Lord Voldemort, thus ending the Second Wizarding War.

During the second stage of the battle, she witnessed Voldemort and his Death Eaters gloating over Harry's 'dead body'. She was then forced into the Great Hall, along with the other defenders of Hogwarts. Harry saved her and Seamus Finnigan with a Shield Charm when Lord Voldemort sent a curse their way. Hannah stood witness to Harry's final defeat of Voldemort, thus surviving the Second Wizarding War

Having missed a year in education, it is likely that, like Hermione Granger, Hannah would resit the same year and they would graduate together in 1999.

After that, however, Hannah decided she needed a refuge and an escape from everything. She bought a house out in the countryside as her own little retreat where she could paint and garden in peace. Eventually she turned her home in to a bed and breakfast.

After all she went through, the quiet, simpler life is something she desperately was in need of.

[wildoceanstarz]

Oh my god THIS THIS THIS

She is such an interesting characters and people are completely sleeping on it!! I actually think a lot of the headcanons and personality traits people gives Pandora is something that is already quite true for Sybill!!

This goes back a little to this idea that I talk about sometimes of how people gives Luna personality to Pandora! Like if you want lunatic-ish marauders era characters who believe in funky stuff Xenophilius and Sybill are literally right there??

AND THE SYBILL ANGST IS SO FUCKING GOOD. Like you wanna talk about Pandora seeing all her friends die and all that, but what about Sybill who wasn’t taken seriously even by Dumbledore. Sybill who is the one that said the prophecy and yet was berated by Harry and Hermione and all her colleges in the future. Sybill who was probably treated the same way in the past. Sybill who survived the two war, who canonically became an alcoholic.

(This part is hc but) What about Sybill who kept freezing and reciting prophecies as she grew up, something that we know is uncomfortable and scary and so fucking alienating. Sybill who saw people run away from her, by fear to hear about their death. Sybill who doesn’t remember what she said and can’t apologize to people for scaring them because of it. Sybill who couldn’t keep friends because so many people in the years around her end up dying in the first or the second war. Sybill who always ended up predicting their death. Sybill who thought she was crazy, convince by everyone else that she was just a lunatic because there’s no way all of those people would die young. Sybill who saw herself more and more right as the years passed and the students dropped.

What about Sybill and Peter who found each other’s, who were each other’s priorities. Sybill and Peter who, if they had no one else’s heart, at least had the others arms.

What about Peter who was the only one who didn’t call her crazy. Peter who would walk around with a notebook so he could note the prophecy she would say, just so she wouldn’t be lost over what she said again. Peter who would sit and listen to her talk with a smile, asking questions about her families traditions relating to predicting the future. Peter you listened to her cry, when she talked about the pressure of her family, being the only Seer her family has seen since her ancestor. Peter who saw how Seers were treated by wizard, who had to feel the contempt of his peer when he said he was seeing Sybill.

What about Peter who was the only one to hear the prophecy about him betraying James. Who had started writing only to stop midway, in chock. Peter who called crazy for the first time once she came back to her senses.

What about Sybill who was left with a notebook filled with his neat handwriting and a last page half empty. Sybill who would never learn what the rest of her prophecy said about Pete. Sybill who was left all alone after that. Sybill who tried to go to Dumbledore for advices, only to be met with empty words.

What about the only Seer in the uk in many generation, who spent her life being abandoned at every turn. Who slowly descents into a persona to run away from who she is and who she knew. Who had to see everyone of her predictions happens, without being able to do a thing.

What if she was actually incredible at divination, but as years went she started doubting herself more and more.

What if she wore the glasses so people faces would be warped and she would stop seeing them die in her dreams.

What if she wasn’t just throw away by every person that met her.

Whenever I see seer!Pandora headcanons the only thing that I can think of is the fact that Sybil Trelawney is RIGHT THERE. She has good lore too !!! She was a seer who wasn't taken seriously but whose visions held truth.

One of my fav ships for her is actually with Peter, especially if it includes her getting a vision about his betrayal. THE ANGST POTENTIAL PEOPLE !!!

Yet I barely see her getting utilized in fanfic !! Justice for my girl !!!

[vivithefolle]

What is your opinion on the parallels between Ron and Neville, especially considering that they both suffer from drastically low self-esteem? People often draw similarities between their arcs, but it seems to me that as the book series went on, Neville gained confidence while Ron lost confidence. Am I missing something?

I think you pretty much summed it up.

You could say that Neville’s self-esteem was inversely proportional to Ron’s.

When Ron comes at Hogwarts, he’s feeling a bit defeated already, but his successes in the first book (where he kinda carries the team) and the second (where he gets a Special Award For Services To The School along with Harry) serve to build up his confidence, culminating with him getting his own wand in the third. Meanwhile poor Neville, while he stands up to Grabbe and Coyle and later to his own friends, is still seen bumbling around and being generally a laughing stock.

After the third book it’s kind of a turning point. Ron doubts Harry openly, makes a fool of himself due to Fleur’s Veela glamour and is pretty much getting slapped in the face by the narration. Neville however doesn’t get humiliated as much, and even gets to go to the Yule Ball without being publically humiliated.

In OOTP the chasm deepens. Ron is bullied horribly... and no one does a thing. Neville, meanwhile, gets McGonagall telling him he’s a great wizard and a promise of her standing up to his grandmother. OOTP ends with Neville having gotten his own wand, and Ron’s triumph over his bullies is eclipsed by his defeat at the DOM.

HBP pretty much spits on every character, even uses Luna Lovegood to convince us to feel sorry for Hermione who has assaulted her friend, and Neville is pretty much the only one to come out unscathed, because he was relegated to the background. He makes a comic relief appearance at Slughorn’s party and that’s all; he’s then here and present when it comes to fighting the Death Eaters during the battle of the Astronomy Tower. Ron is also there, but people seem to forget that Hermione and Luna did not participate much in that fight...

And DH... well, no possibility to see Neville bumbling at Hogwarts in DH now that we aren’t at Hogwarts, is there? But we are given first-seats to see Ron be moody and angry and a general ass... which anyone would be in the situation he’s in (as in, having your family/little sister liable to be executed at any moment by a corrupt government, being anaemic, and being led on a wild goose chase by an asshole who doesn’t seem to care at all about the fact that YOUR FAMILY MAY DIE THE LONGER THIS DRAGS ON), but somehow JKR insists that it’s Ron and only Ron being an asshole, case in point:

This was their first encounter with the fact that a full stomach meant good spirits; an empty one, bickering and gloom. Harry was least surprised by this, because he had suffered periods of near starvation at the Dursleys’. Hermione bore up reasonably well on those nights when they managed to scavenge nothing but berries or stale biscuits, her temper perhaps a little shorter than usual and her silences rather dour. Ron, however, had always been used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of his mother or of the Hogwarts house-elves, and hunger made him both unreasonable and irascible. Whenever lack of food coincided with Ron’s turn to wear the Horcrux, he became downright unpleasant. - Deathly Hallows

So we have

Ron, however, had always been used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of his mother or of the Hogwarts house-elves 

... but, um, Hermione too is used to three delicious meals a day, courtesy of her parents and the Hogwarts house-elves -

Hermione bore up reasonably well [...], her temper perhaps a little shorter than usual and her silences rather dour

Nevermind, Perfect Goddess Sue is perfect.

At the end of DH, we still remember that Ron behaved badly in the Horcrux Hunt because blah blah symbolism blah blah poor wee Harry blah blah catholicism parallels with St Peter denying knowing Jesus blah blah blah.

While Neville’s appearance as the fearless, epic Hogwarts leader is still a shock, but also a satisfying moment, especially when he gets his epic speech to tell Voldemort to go fuck himself.

... which leads many to forget that Ron did it before Neville (not that Neville’s speech wasn’t an epic, well-deserved moment of pure badassery).

"You see?" said Voldemort, and Harry felt him striding backward and forward right beside the place where he lay. "Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!" "He beat you!" yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more. - Deathly Hallows

But people will mostly recall Neville’s speech. Because it lasts longer than Ron’s simple “he beat you” and Voldemort actually reacts to it, actually holds a conversation with Neville, while Ron’s scream is... mostly ignored. Even his breaking of Voldemort’s Silencing Charm doesn’t impact much, because another, stronger Charm is immediately put in place moments after.

The way Neville and Ron kill their respective Horcruxes is very different, too... Neville does it in an epic moment of badassery, set on fire and everything, and takes the sword from the Hat itself, mimicking Harry’s actions in Chamber of Secrets. It’s a pure, unadulterated moment of epicness, and nothing can taint its sheer badassery (especially if, like the rest of us intellectuals, you ignore everything JKR has tried to establish as canon after DH). Ron, however, kills his affiliated Horcrux as an act of... eugh... redemption over leaving Harry’s side (even though it was clearly the smartest thing to do since the dumbass didn’t even manage to destroy the Horcrux while Ron was gone, so here’s your proof that Harry and Hermione absolutely do need Ron because they’re incompetent nincompoops). Ron killing the Horcrux can’t be called triumphant or a victory, no matter what idiots blabbering about symbolically destroying his inferiority complex try to say - because yeah, symbolism is nice and all, but it’s not because Ron gets a symbolic victory that he’s miraculously cured of it, but hey who cares Ron can’t possibly have a mental illness cuz he’s not Harry haha!!

... Excuse me. I’m still bitter over... things.

Ron’s defeat of the Horcrux isn’t a triumph like Neville decapitating Nagini is. He’s humiliated in front of his best friend, whose opinion he bases most of his self-esteem upon. His dirty laundry is aired for Harry to see. And finally, when he destroys the Horcrux, he is left crying in the snow with Mr Emotionally Stunted for company.

How. The fuck. Do you call that. A victory.

Ron’s killing of the Horcrux is bittersweet. It’s only Harry and Ron, isolated in a small clearing, in the snow. Ron doesn’t get the sword from the Sorting Hat itself, which may make some people think it hasn’t been won properly, even though Ron displayed bravery (jumping into a frozen pond in the middle of winter) and chivalry (rescuing Harry) to obtain it, and Ron pretty much spends the whole time being terrified (of the thing that psychologically tortured him but hey, since when do we care about Ron’s feelings) then apologizing to Harry for leaving (and Harry accepting those apologies when HE TOO OWED RON SOME FUCKING APOLOGIES BUT NAH HARRY POTTER IS TOO SPECIAL FOR THAT).

While Neville’s killing of Nagini is nothing but badass, badass, and re-badass, with loads of people to witness it. It’s epic. Neville obtains Gryffindor’s sword “”“properly”““, by taking it from the Sorting Hat. And naturally, there’s nothing about Neville “redeeming himself for his betrayal of Our Lord And Saviour Harry Potter” to taint that success.

Yeah... at the end of it all, Ron is... not fine. Him “symbolically destroying his inferiority complex” is just fucking that, a symbol. But it doesn’t mean he’s miraculously cured his insecurities and all. It doesn’t mean he’s stopped being horribly fucking depressed. It doesn’t mean he’s not traumatized. But I forgot only Harry’s traumas matter (and Hermione’s, to a lesser extent... what am I saying, Hermione doesn’t get trauma, trauma is for losers, like Harry).

Neville is slowly but steadily built up in the background through the series (huh, kinda like Ginny... wonder why more people won’t point that out). His failures are so commonplace, and usually more in the realms of “accidental fuck-up” than “feeling offended and fucking up because of it”, that it’s hard to be angry at him. Meanwhile Ron’s failures feel more personal, because he’s so important to Harry and Harry takes Ron’s disagreements with him as personal attacks like the idiot fuck he is.

So, while Neville gradually gets stronger in the background, Rowling brings Ron down a little more in every book, because as the books go on she can’t bear to have Harry and Hermione fuck up, so Ron has to do all the fucking up so she can pretend the other two are perfect instead.

[phantomchick]

List of wips - aka struggles

Call Me A Jason Todd fic I started two years ago and still go back to poke at longingly, will the second and final chapter ever be posted? Who can know for sure.

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I tell myself that I don't need Anyone (But the truth is no one needs Me) Another Jason Todd fic I haven't completed, posted two years ago for whumptober, it was the only day of whumptober I participated in, intended to be full of Captain Atom and Jason Todd interacting during the fall out of Bludhaven getting chemo'd but he doesn't show up in the first chapter and have you ever tried to read Infinite Crisis? It's a fucking mess. With this wip I have a close to justifiable excuse in that I refuse to write without knowing the canon, and reading through all the canon that's relevant is A Task.

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The Monster in The Man A Merlin fic floating around my drafts, currently at a good bit over 5k wherein Merlin gets POSSESSED by an old enchantment gone mad. Written because a Merlin fic I read ended on a horror style cliffhanger and I couldn't handle it so I charged my way through the first 2k of a sequel and I've been adding to it ever since. Angst with a hopefully happy ending, if I ever frikking finish it.

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The Dragon Lord In the aftermath of his father's death after Merlin inherits his father's dragon lord abilities he notices some minor changes to his interactions with his friends, the thing is that Merlin is a dragon lord and unusually what he hoards is people, things might just turn out the better for it.

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Maelstrom A Naruto time travel fix it fic that wouldn't leave me alone until I got the first chapter out, ironically it has left me entirely alone since I finished the first chapter and I have no idea if inspiration for it will ever return or when that will be.

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You Don't Know Anything Long long ago in a land of asks and a time of legend @paradise-runway sent me a fic request for "one where the other Bat boys find out the circumstances of Jason's death and resurrection and their reaction?" it has been lingering in my drafts haunting me ever since, someday, someday I shall fulfill what has been promised.

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Of Curses and Covenants A longfic exploring the magical underbelly of Gotham's history, focuses on the intertwined relationship of the Wayne Family and the Zatara Family brought about by how often Waynes through the generations have ended up being cursed. I have an index of all the curses ready, the problem with this one is the plot and the story.

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Vicki Finds a Bat (temporary title) Vicki Vale stumbles upon a still alive young adult Jason Todd at a wafflehouse on the way back from snooping into Cobblepot's latest criminal schemes. Convincing the young man to go back home to his loving father might prove more of a challenge than she thinks however. (will have a happy ending if I ever fucking finish it, for now it looms in my drafts like an unhappy gargoyle)

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Hug Deficit A fic about Jason being touch starved and his family fixing it, hurt/comfort all the way, post resurrection.

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Stephanie Brown and The Mansion of Man Pain Robin Era Steph, she and Alfred have pumpkin spice lattes together, it's their thing because I say it is. Includes, Alfred raised 5 boys counting Bruce, he's not sure how to handle a little girl and Bruce trying to dad plus Steph trying her best. Would be a lot easier to write if I was any good at comedy.

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Another Time, Another Place Some twenty years or so after their death, Martha and Thomas Wayne appear in the middle of Wayne Manor's ground floor parlour room, the major problem with this? Not only are Bruce and Dick away, Alfred's on holiday in England! Which is why Jason as the eldest has been unwillingly nominated by his younger siblings to deal with the situation at hand. Martha and Thomas in this are heavily inspired by @unpretty's amazing portrayals in her fics with them.

- Queen Blackfire and the Lazarus Lord An au with Soulmate identifying marks: Jason Todd was having an okay time as de-facto leader of The Outlaws, a band of misfits and rebels with hearts of gold (or at least silver) saving the world the best they could and filling in the gaps the more straightforward heroes tended to miss while they were at it. Then he found out he was soulmates with the Alien Warrior Queen bent on declaring war on planet Earth if the Justice League didn't find her soulmate for her. Things with his friend, team mate and potential future sister in law Kori just got super awkward and the only good thing he can find about this situation is how angry (and protective? But maybe he's just imagining that) Bruce seems over the whole thing.

Side note: Kommand'r freaked out during the years Jason was 'dead' and accidentally brought peace to a huge chunk of space and intergalactic society via building up her empire after throwing herself into work to escape the grief.

- To Grasp The Hand of a Fox Naruto and Kurama travel back in time to save the world but unfortunately they land in the same moment that Kurama's just been put under a genjutsu by Madara Uchiha, Naruto has to make his way to Konoha and wake Kurama up before the villagers seal him away inside Mito. Can he save his friend in time to save them all?

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Those Winter Sundays Mcu fic. Snapshots of Tony working hard for the avengers and no one noticing. Civil War Team Iron Man.

- Salvation Rides a Solar Wind Iron Man fic in a Science fiction / Western style fic where Tony's presence is described through the eyes of the aliens he helps. Au where the war with Thanos goes very differently. The type of fic that needs like 5 multi chapter fics in a single series to truly shine, hence why I will likely never finish it.

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And We Break Away Again Jason goes back to Talia after Damian is brought back from the dead by Bruce. It's not that he begrudges his little brother his resurrection, the opposite, but he can't ignore what Bruce did to him by taking him to the magdala valley and he can't ignore what Bruce doing for Damian what he didn't do for him, (do for Dick, do for any of them besides the blood related one) means. So he decides to go back to the only person who ever seemed to understand why he wanted to avenge himself in the first place, the only person who seemed to agree that he had a right to be angry that he'd died at all, the only person he can trust to hold him together while he feels like he's falling apart that won't judge him against the heroic mold while they're at it. Not sure if this will be a oneshot or a series but we're going good Talia with this one regardless, DC's been ruining her lately but through fanfic all things are possible so fuck them.

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Fan The Flames In the aftermath of a magical fire taking hold of the Daily Planet in Metropolis, Superman is missing, can Batman and the rest of the Justice League find their friend as well as the identity of the evil arsonist before Lex Luther does it first?

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In a Whisper (In a Wish) Ichigo Kurosaki protects people, it's not just who he is, it's what he is, down to the core of his very soul. The only problem is, that a few weeks ago he sacrificed half his soul to protect the world. It aches inside where he knows something important used to be. When everyone he cares for is avoiding him and he's starting to feel more like a shadow than a person, that aches at him too and he can't help but wish, quietly, privately, painfully, to himself if no one else that things were different, that he wasn't so broken or so alone. But if wishes were fishes they'd fill a whole sea (just be careful not to whisper them within the hearing range of the Hōgyoku).

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An Honest Conversation (Is A Bitter Thing To Crave) Jason kidnaps Bruce but things don't go as Bruce expects. First of all the reason Jason was able to kidnap him was because Stephanie of all people was his insider, why would she support someone Batman knows she's only met once. And second of all the reason he's been abducted - So that Jason can drug them both with the same substance. And when Bruce asks what he's doing this for Jason only responds, "We don't trust each other enough to have a truthful conversation otherwise" and refuses to say anything more while they wait for it to kick in. What will be revealed by this forced honest encounter on both sides? -

carrying the world on thin shoulders Midoriya Izuku deserves better from literally all the adults in his life so this is part whump part hurt comfort part fix it fic that sprawls out from time to time but it's pretty bad tbh, at some point I'll probably make it neater and give it something resembling a coherent plot. Hopefully. -

Trust Issues HP fic. Harry gets dosed with a potion that's supposed to reinforce your strongest survival instinct, the person who drugged him might've intended to be helpful but said potion happened to be at extra strength and he was given what would be a normal fix for the regular version but for this one is twice the recommended amount. Great.. The biggest problem about all this - beyond his internationally wanted godfather Sirius endangering himself by hiding out in a cave near Hogsmeade against all rational advice, his best friend Ron hating him, everyone in school besides his other best friend Hermione also hating him or avoiding him and the entire Goblet of Fire problem - is that he can't bring himself to trust anyone enough to tell them what's wrong.

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Truth is Treason in the Empire of Lies A post marvel avengers story, thor pov probably, made because I like to dive into a pool of thor & loki sibling feels sometimes: Starts off as Thor regales his new human shield brothers with the story of his banishment and return to Asgard ending with Loki falling into the Void and the Avengers have some questions, questions Thor had not thought of, remarks on things that Thor doesn’t know how to explain away.  After he goes to Loki’s cell and asks him some things he becomes more and more angry despite having no one he can punch > Gets drunk and criticises Sif and The Warriors Three after they try to calm him down > mention of Loki still being underage by Aesir standards during Thor 1 seeing as Thor was being crowned due to being of age in the movie > heavy inspiration drawn from queen regnant by peaceheather. “For while the Treason I detest, the Traitor I love still.” Currently just an outline.

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Separation Split personality disorder Red Hood and Jason Todd, alternatively, Red Hood is a demon/parasite latched on to Jay. A lot of work necessary considering right now it’s currently just an idea inspired by a cool tumblr fanart.

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A Trinity of Head Wounds The dcu trinity in the aftermath of a fight against some alien invaders (or something along those lines), whump, hurt/comfort, starts with them arguing, ends with them bleeding on each other in a friendship way, whole thing should take place in a single room on the watchtower and be a oneshot so it's gotta be a short and sweet one-two gut punch with the feelings which is difficuuult.

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A Stark in The Stars an mcu fic, a really over complicated mcu fic, mostly because of Steve Roger's timeline fuckery, Tony's alive but he's not supposed to be, but so are a lot of people who were dead but aren't now you might say what with the snap and the blip. The thing is that Steve's timeline fuckery is making it so that everyone keeps getting confused between the two different timelines of events, obviously more confused the more that their characters were connected to the films/the events that were altered, the punchline of this particular fic though is that Tony's still alive and he's unaware of the timeline of events where he died. And as he's currently in space he's also unaware that everyone on Earth thinks he's dead (because why wouldn't they? he died in endgame after all). That makes this fic super tough to write because like ultimate unreliable narrator right here and not sure how to tie in the whole 'oh wait actually everyone on Earth thinks I'm dead because of the canon timelines' thing in or at what point of the story to do that at. The fuckery of it all gives me a headache. Plot is hard. Also all of that's basically background to the actual focus of most of the fic thus far which is Tony travelling around space in an Iron Man suit up until the point where it won't be background.

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Magic Chained Merlin au. When you put magic restraining cuffs on Magic himself you don't just bind him you bind all magic the world over. It is therefore, infinitely lucky that Uther Pendragon never became aware of this fact.

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A Child in The Cold bnha Midoriya deserves better also Recovery Girl and Aizawa have shit to answer for as far as I'm concerned.

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[writingmyselfout]

Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Author: MBM

Summary: Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, has died. Voldemort has won, and all his sacrifices were for naught. Surprisingly, the one who is angriest about it is his own Grim Reaper because his third time wasn’t a charm after all. He’s got to convince his Reaper that he’s worth betting on one last time, knowing that if he fails again, they’re both screwed.

Language: English

Rating: Teen+

Pairing: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter

Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Reptilia28′s Don’t Fear the Reaper Challenge, Manipulative Dumbledore, Black Hermione Granger, Slight Ron Weasley Bashing

Prologue: The Show Must Go On (1/?)

HOW often had he seen that flash of green fill his vision? He had relived that fateful night so often throughout his seventeen years that he had long ago lost count. Now, he blinks his eyes open, trying to remember where he’d fallen asleep. Were they still in the tent? No, Bill and Fleur’s beach cottage? It would explain why everything is so bright. But as he blinks, squinting as he expected everything around him to appear blurry as they always did when he didn’t wear his glasses, he is surprised to find that he’s not in any cottage at all. He has no idea where he is currently.

    “Mr. Potter? Harry Potter?” Harry moves his eyes away from the corner of the otherwise empty white room he’s been looking around, over to where a door has opened and a figure stands. A pair of dark eyes in a brown, androgynous face glares at him from the doorway. “This way, then.”

    They don’t wait to see if he is going to follow, disappearing back through the doorway, and Harry stands up quickly. He wants answers and he figures he’s more likely to get them with that person than he will sitting around in a room by himself. He goes through the open door and into a long hallway with doors lined on either side. The figure who called him is continuing on, their gray robe barely brushing the ground and a hood lying flat against their back. They are halfway down the hall when they stop, look back to see he’s currently coming, and then open the sixth door on their left. When Harry catches up, he sees that they have sat down behind a desk.

    He steps cautiously into the office, his brain trying to make sense of what is going on. Wasn’t he just fighting at Hogwarts? What happened? He’s still disoriented, trying to piece together the events that lead him to be in this unfamiliar place with this stranger.

    “I can’t believe you’re here again ,” the person says, waving a hand towards one of the chairs in front of their desk, indicating Harry should sit as they continue, tone clearly exasperated, “ **already **.”

    “Where is ‘here’, precisely?” Harry questions, slowly sitting down and moving his head only slightly to take in what little else is in the room without actually losing sight of this person.

    “Limbo. Purgatory. The place between. So on and so forth.” They wave their hand in a circular motion to indicate they could go on, then turn to a stack of folders on the right side of their desk. “Basically you’re dead.” They start muttering, ranting really, almost as if they have forgotten Harry’s there as they go through the folders. “Again.” They slap a thing folder they’d picked up on the other side of the desk for emphasis. “Record breaking destined hero, and he can’t even manage to stay alive to confront said destiny.”

    The flash of green , Harry recalls. That’s right, he was hit with the Killing Curse by Voldemort. Again. It wasn’t a memory, it was him dying. Then the implication of what was just said hits him. “Wait, ‘again’? I’ve died before ?”

    A nod. “Yup. Three times before, to be precise.” They pause in their search to tap a finger on a nameplate sitting between them and Harry, drawing the wizard’s attention to it for the first time. Before his eyes, the strange markings morph into letters he recognizes: ‘Maquetauire Guayaba’. “Call me Yaba. You’ll butcher my name otherwise.” Meaning he’d done it before.

    Fair, as Harry couldn’t begin to guess how to accurately say their full name. “Okay, Yaba. You said I’ve been here three times before? So I’ve died-”

    “Four times.” Yaba confirms. “FOUR!” They slap another folder down. “‘Destined Heroes’ was supposed to be an upgrade, you know; less frustrating than Catalysts. Catalysts are unpredictable. Destined heroes have a moral compass . I was well on my way to breaking the record. FIFTEEN straight destined heroes with no failures, but no. You -” Yaba points an accusing finger at Harry, eyes narrowed “-were assigned to me, and instead of defeating your enemies, changing the world for the better, living to some ridiculously old age with your soulmate, and cementing my success as a Reaper, you keep dying . You can’t even keep your soulmate straight! Mixing up some Granger girl with that other one with the G name. Or is it the other way around? I don’t even know anymore!” Yaba throws their hands up in frustration before grabbing another folder. “It’s downright-” they slapped another folder down on their left “-fucking-” and then another “ infuriating !” ending with another loud slap. This time, though, the folder is a thicker one that they smack down in front of themselves.

    Mind racing with questions, and unsure where to even begin, Harry blurts out one word before he’s actively decided to ask any of them. “How?” It seems as good a place as any to start figuring things out, his mind whirling between the astonishing idea that he’s died so often, and the possibly equally surprising revelation that Hermione is his soulmate. Or could be, if Yaba hasn’t mixed her up with Ginny, the only other “G name” Harry can think of at the moment. Unless he means that Slytherin girl, Greengrass? He shakes his head, not wanting to get distracted.

    “How?” Yaba flips the folder in front of them open with a sigh. “Let’s see. This will probably start triggering memories, by the way, so try not to freak out. It’s normal, since this is where your lives converge.” They flip past the first two pages, Harry catching enough of a glimpse to see that even if he wasn’t looking at them upside down, all the information was written in unfamiliar markings he neither recognizes nor can he begin to guess what language or culture they originate from. They have no problem, however, as they stop on the third page. “The first time, you died approximately forty-four days short of your sixteenth birthday, after getting hit by simultaneous dark curses in an attempt to protect your soulmate.”

    Yaba adds more details, giving the location, but Harry’s remembering even as they speak. The Department of Mysteries, with members of Dumbledore’s Army. They had been tricked. No, he had been tricked, into believing that Sirius was in danger and the others had run headlong into danger with him. They had been running through one strange room after another, trying to stay ahead of the Death Eaters, and Hermione had tried to silence one but missed and they’d responded with a dark curse Harry had never heard of but resulted in a whip of dark purple flames heading right for her. He hadn’t stopped to think when he put himself between it and Hermione, his body had just moved and he’d grabbed her, turning them so it struck him in the back. At that same moment, someone else had aimed the Killing Curse at him, and his last memory was of Hermione’s shocked eyes on his. Then he had woken up in the empty white waiting room Yaba had pulled him from.

    “What happened after?” He interrupts, leaning forward in his chair. “Hermione, after I died, did she escape?”

    Yaba looks up from the folder, staring at Harry, annoyed. “What do you think? Not that it matters. It was all undone when I sent you back for your second attempt. That time…” They trail off, flipping through to another page. “Here we go, yes, the second time you go through the Battle of the Department of Mysteries -- what a stupid name -- you managed to get through that whole debacle pretty much unscathed.” Harry frowns, starting to recall his second life and remembering that the second time, although she survives, Hermione was hit with the curse he’d protected her from the first time.

    “Instead, you die at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. You were knocked out of the tower when you were hit with the Killing Curse. Wait.” Yaba lifts the previous page, squinting at the edge. “No, that was the third time. I remember, that’s one of the times you inexplicably didn’t choose your soulmate. Ah ha, stuck together.” They pull the two pages apart and go back. “The second time you didn’t drink enough Felix Felicis and ended up accidentally drinking some of the Acromantula venom your professor collected.”

    Harry winces, remembering suddenly the way the venom had seemed to burn him from the inside a few minutes after drinking it. When he had been bitten in his fourth year, the effects had been infinitely slower, and less noticeable. “Right. That almost destroyed my magical core. I had to be rushed to St. Mungo’s from the infirmary, and Mrs. Weasley offered to take me home for a few weeks over the summer while I recovered. I was trying to get away from Ginny, who kept trying to get me alone on my birthday, when-”

    “You fell down the stairs and broke your neck.” Yaba is actually grinning . “I’ll admit, that one was kind of funny. It’s like the less interested you are, the more persistent and desperate that girl becomes.” They frown then. “Still, would have preferred you not dying. Then there’s this latest-”

    “-which doesn’t make sense.” Harry interrupts. He’s on the edge of his seat, leaning forward onto the desk. “All those other times, something happened to kill the piece of Voldemort’s soul attached to me. I remember, we talked about it after the second time, ‘cause I was wondering why the venom didn’t kill me when it had basically drained me of almost all my magic and you said it was because it burning through magic attaching Voldemort’s soul to me first kept my last bit of magic from being destroyed.”

    Yaba nods. “Correct. And all the other times, something killed that soul piece first too. Including this time.”

    “How?”

    “You interrupted,” they point out. “This last time, Tom Riddle destroyed his own soul piece, and then you were eaten.”

    Harry blinks. “I was what ?”

    “Eaten.” Yaba repeats, slowly. “The snake passed by you after the curse hit you, felt the warmth of your body, and decided to bite and eat you.”

    “So let me get this straight. I’ve been cursed multiple times, fallen to my doom twice, and then eaten ?”

    Yaba nods. “It’s quite impressive, and if you weren’t making my afterlife miserable, I might even be entertained at all the ways you manage to fail.”

    “Look, I’m trying my best,” Harry argues. “I’m working blind here, and I wouldn’t have ever gone to the damn Department of Mysteries if Dumbledore had just been open with me about what was going on so I didn’t have to keep trying to figure it out through my literal enemy . I mean, a prophecy? They were protecting a prophecy ? And one that basically Voldemort already knew the general gist of? It was such a stupid secret!

    “And that memory he had me try to get from Slughorn! I nearly died getting it, and it was just Slughorn telling Voldemort about Horcruxes. Pointless, and okay, maybe he wasn’t completely aware of it at the time, since he didn’t actually know what Slughorn’s memory was going to be, but his pulling me out of St. Mungo’s and forcing me to go to the Burrow was on him. He kept making comments about Ginny reminding him of my mom and asking how things were going; it was not subtle.”

    Harry suddenly snaps his finger. “Oh! The tower! That killing curse wasn’t even aimed at me, it was aimed at him ! They were trying to kill him and he basically used me as a meat shield!” Harry practically growls, hands balling into fists. “Manipulative bastard, playing everyone like bloody pawns in a chess game. This last time, too. I didn’t know a damn thing about Voldemort’s soul but he did. He’d long suspected, and it was seeing Snape’s memory that gave me that info. Months wasted looking for Horcruxes when I bloody was one.”

    Harry slumped back into the chair, momentarily overwhelmed. Why had he trusted the old wizard so implicitly? Even after knowing that he’s the reason that he was left at the Dursleys’ abusive,neglectful home all his life? It didn’t make a lick of sense, now that he was fully aware of just how many situations throughout his school years Dumbledore had manipulated. It wasn’t to say that the old man was necessarily evil , that was a designation better given to Voldemort and his ilk; but at the very least, the wizard was fairly self-serving.

    Yaba is quiet for a moment, then sighs. “Yes, well, unfortunately for you and my record, Albus Dumbledore is a Catalyst.”

    “A what?” This is the second time Yaba mentions him. “Can you explain? You mentioned that before. And I’m a-”

    “Destined Hero. Essentially, people fall into a bit of a hierarchy, I guess is the simplest way of putting it,” Yaba starts to explain. “Most beings are normal, living fairly normal lives, and they are what we call the Standard. They have no specific destinies, and their lives are shaped by a combination of uncontrollable factors such as where they are born, to whom, when, etcetera, and their choices. Grim Reapers-”

    “Someone like you?” Harry interrupts.

    Yaba shrugs. “Yes and no. To you lot on Earth, we’re all Grim Reapers, and it’s easiest to just go with that. In reality, it’s a bit more complicated. What you imagine, or imagined before dying, as a ‘Grim Reaper’ is really a Soul Reaper. They collect souls after a being dies and bring them to the In-Between. There, they weigh that being’s circumstances against their choices.

    “Catalysts are beings capable of affecting great change. Various villains and heroes throughout history were Catalysts. There is no predicing if they will be good or bad because they tend to live by a complicated set of beliefs. They may begin with good intentions, but be corrupted, or vice versa. Bunch of pain in the asses, to be honest.”

    “I’m assuming both Tom Riddle and Albus Dumbledore are Catalysts?”

    “Yes. As I said, pain in the asses. A Catalyst in turn causes the existence of a Destined Hero. Sometimes that Hero is just someone who acts like a positive influence in the Catalyst’s life, preventing them from going down a dark path. Sometimes, as in your case, they are opposing forces that cannot coexist and determine the fate of the world.”

    “Lucky me.” Harry grumbles. Granted, he can’t imagine a world in which he would somehow be a “positive influence” on Tom Riddle, thus preventing his becoming Voldemort. “Do Destined Heroes always get multiple tries?”

    Yaba coughs, clears their throat, and looks aside. “Uh, well, no. Usually, if a Hero dies without fulfilling their destiny, they are given a choice: a second chance or acceptance. It’s rare that a Hero didn’t at least try , and even in those cases, it’s often because they died before understanding what their destiny even was . If they accept, they are reunited temporarily with their loved ones in Heaven.”

    “Temporarily?”

    “Yes. You see, eventually, most beings in Heaven forget their lives. Once all of their loved ones have died, there is no longer an attachment to their lives. Heroes who have fulfilled their destiny and lived great lives, along with their loved ones who reach Heaven, are the exception, but that is because where they reside is like an upper level of Heaven, I guess you could call it. An eternal reward, essentially.”

    “So it’s worth it for a Hero who fails to not accept and instead ask for a second chance,” Harry concludes.

    “Yes. Although a second chance could be one of two things: attempt to fulfill your original destiny, or await the need for a new Hero and accept a new destiny. Namtar, the one you call Death, may decide that a failure cannot be reversed because of” Yaba pauses and then shrugs “reasons. And he’s the boss, so what he says goes.”

    “Why then have I had more than just a second chance?”

    “If you remember, I mentioned Soul Reapers, correct? Well Grims are the ones who handle Catalysts, since their lives tend to be more complicated than Standards. Grims who have worked for a very long time, with countless Catalysts with little error can be promoted to Demons.” Yaba indicates themselves. “Many of your kind used to call us ‘death gods’, but as religions changed, so too did our names. And because you all fear death so much, ‘demons’ became synonymous with evil beings, so we’ll sometimes go by the technically incorrect title of ‘Grim Reapers’.

    “Demons such as myself are basically directly under Death, and we get the mostly cushy job of just supervising a department of Grims and Standards, with the occasional Destined Hero. The record for most Destined Heroes without failures in a row is fourteen.” Yaba leans across their desk. “I am tied with Iku, and he currently doesn’t have a Destined Hero, so the new record should be mine , but you keep failing .” They throw themselves back into their chair, looking defeated.

    Harry blinks, unsure whether he should sympathize with his Grim Reaper, or Demon--whatever they were called--or not. On the one hand, they seemed to be another self-serving being using him as a pawn, but on the other, perhaps he could get himself another chance.

    “So if I’m understanding this correctly, rather than give me a choice, you just kept giving me more chances?” Harry clarifies.

    “Oh no, you kidding me? That would get me demoted all the way back to Soul Reaper if I took your choice away!” They look scandalized at the very idea. “I always ask, but no offence, you’re predictable. I knew you were never going to turn down the chance to go back and help your friends, especially ‘cause you always ask the same thing first. ‘What does my death mean for my friends?’ The answer,” Yaba rushes in, anticipating Harry’s need to know, “is that most of them die.”

    “Then of course I want to go back!”

    “You’re not understanding, I can’t keep doing this. Someone is bound to have noticed by now that I keep looping time to allow you to start over. I mean, it’s not hard to keep that under the radar; death is a busy business. But I’ve done it three times .”

    “So what’s one more?” Harry argues.

    “Easy for you to say. At this point, I’m not sure you can succeed.” Yaba taps the folder for emphasis. “Not that I necessarily think it’s your fault. Not entirely, anyway.”

    Harry frowns. “So, what? I just have to accept my fate? Doesn’t that mean you lose your streak? What happens then?”

    “Then I hope that since it’s my first failure in centuries, they don’t decide to audit your file. Iku’s gloating would be bad enough but if I get audited, forget the record and my streak, I might lose my position and be demoted back to working with Catalysts .”

    “They don’t audit the file if I succeed?” Harry asks, fairly certain he knows the answer.

    “No, they don’t.” Yaba confirms. They’re staring at each other, and Yaba shakes his head at Harry. “Look, I know what you’re trying to do; convince me to send you back again . But every time I break a rule, it’s one more thing to be punished for when you fail and I get audited. At least if I quit now, I might be able to talk myself out of the worst of it.”

    “The problem is, you keep sending me back to, what, six months to a year before my last death? And with no memories of those deaths, I am right back in the middle of my hero-worship of Dumbledore, and all my other relationships are pretty much established. Of course I’m going to keep failing!” Harry stands up, pacing about the room. “If you send me back farther, with my memories, I’m sure I can do it.”

    Yaba watches him pace. “I don’t have the ability to let you keep your memories. That’s a separate department altogether. Not sure that’s possible, really.”

    Harry looks over at his Grim Reaper, noting the thoughtful look on their face, and he’s suddenly standing by the desk, leaning forward. “Can you find out? If I could just remember , you could send me all the way back to the beginning. I mean, not all the way, but before I even start at Hogwarts. I could make sure to not repeat those deaths, and save other lives.” Like Cedric’s and Sirius’s.

    There’s a moment of contemplative silence, then suddenly Yaba calls out. “Opiel!” A shadow suddenly appears next to the desk, like a large curtain that has been balled up, and unfurls into a large dog-like creature. It’s dark eyes take Harry in before it turns its head over to look at Yaba. They speak words to it in some unknown language and just as quickly, the creature disappears. “I’m not making any promises, there’s maybe half a dozen under Death who might have the ability to do what you’re asking, and only one who might be willing to help.”

    Harry has barely nodded when suddenly the creature, Opiel, is back. This time, accompanied by another. Harry vaguely remembers a school lesson, back before Hogwarts, in which their history book had shown images of ancient Greek statues. The woman before them looked like one of those statues come alive, although rather than all white marble, she had skin of a light brown, almost golden complexion, wore a dress of pale pink, and the hair curling about her face and pulled back into a bun at her neck was almost as dark as his own.

    “You summoned me?” Harry suppressed the urge to shiver. The tone of her voice was cold, and it was clear she was offended.

    “Summoned? Lethe, I just asked Opiel to tell you I was looking for you,” Yaba explains. “I couldn’t very well take a Destined Hero to the Library, after all.”

    Lethe’s dark eyes move over Harry as she crosses her arms. “No,” is all she says after a moment, and Harry assumes she means Yaba could not have taken Harry to this Library. She looks away from him and back to the Grim Reaper. “What is your purpose in seeking me out?”

    “Ah, see, Harry here needs to go back to reattempt his destiny. I was hoping you could make it so that he recalls his past life?” Yaba gives her a hopeful look. “You know, as a favor to me.”

    “That I have not let it be known he has been thrice revived should be favor enough,” Lethe responds, and Yaba grimaces.

    “Ah, you noticed?” Their eyes widen. “Has anyone else?”

    “No.” She does not elaborate further, looking between them for a quiet moment. It isn’t until Harry shifts restlessly that she says, “My domain is oblivion and forgetfulness.”

    “Yes, that is your expertise,” Yaba agrees, “but it’s all memory. You could prevent forgetfulness too, couldn’t you?”

    “Assisting you would be worth more than what I owe.”

    Yaba nods their head in understanding. “So instead I’ll owe you in turn. Absolutely. So you’ll help?”

    She unfolds her arms and comes around the desk to stand next to Yaba, holding her hand out. They pass her Harry’s folder and she takes a moment to flip through the pages. “What were you thinking?”

    “Further than the previous times. Age eleven.”

    “He cannot maintain all his memories.”

    “Why not?” Harry asks.

    “Because.” She looks up to meet his eyes and states matter of factly, “You would go mad. Your mind is not intended to hold the memories of various lives, and it is especially not intended to remember its own death, much less multiple deaths.”

    “I’m fine right now, though.”

    “You’re dead,” Yaba reminds him. “So your mind and body aren’t constricted by the normal limitations.” Lethe nods her head in agreement, setting the folder down. Yaba turns to her. “What do you suggest then?”

    Her head tilts to the right slightly as she thinks, eyes still on Harry. “I would suggest he choose a few memories to take back with him. The ones he feels to be most pertinent to ensuring his success, and I can make it so that they come to him in dreams or are triggered by something.”

    “Then it will be more like an intuition or a glimpse into the future. Your mind will basically come up with a plausible reason for why you seem to just know those things,” Yaba explains.

    “Okay,” Harry agrees. He’ll take whatever he can get, before either of these beings changes their mind. “Let’s do it, then.”

    “Not so fast.” Yaba opens a drawer in their desk and pulls a paper out. They read over it and then pull out a long item that seems to be some type of writing utensil. It’s carved out of one piece and is all white, including the pointed tip, but when they press it to the paper it writes in blue, the words around it moving to make space. “This has to be the last time, and to make sure Lethe doesn’t get caught up in my trouble if you fail again, we’re doing this the right way and drawing up a contract. This is a big exception, so if you don’t succeed, your acceptance means you’ll have to work some time for the the Library of Memories to make up for essentially wasting Lethe’s time.”

    They finish writing then flip the page around so it’s facing Harry. With a tap, it’s all legible, and Harry pulls the chair forward so he can sit and read over it. The basics seems to be what they already discussed, that he’ll be sent back for a final chance to fulfill his destiny and that he understands that should he fail, he will be forced to accept with no additional chances. Furthermore, for using up the time of a Memory Librarian, he agrees to give back the equivalent amount of labor before being allowed to take his place in Heaven with the understanding that it may prevent him from meeting with his loved ones if he does not complete his time prior to the limitation of a being’s memories in Heaven. At the bottom is a place for his to affirm his understanding and sign, and then a second page that is blank except for an area for signatures at the bottom.

    “What is the second page for?”

    Lethe is the one who answers him. “That is where you shall write the memories you choose to keep. You can pick no more than a dozen, so choose wisely, and I shall review to ensure it can be done. If no changes are needed, we will both sign that we are in agreement with those memories.”

    A dozen memories. A dozen memories out of the collective seventeen years he had lived. Twenty-one, if they were counting the years he’d relived. Surely he could come up with moments that if he did differently, would change the course of his life? He had to, he was only getting one more shot at this. So he began writing, beginning with:

The Dursleys will take your Hogwarts letter: hide it...

Story Notes:

Title of the fic comes from the Emily Dickinson poem of the same name.

Chapter title is from the Queen song of the same name.

Maquetaurie Guayaba was the name of a Taino death god. Opiel was the demon guard dog protecting the entrance to the ancestral spirit realm.

Lethe, in Greek mythology, was the personification of oblivion and associated with (sometimes considered the goddess of) the river in Hades of that name that made its drinkers forget the past.

[adenei]

The Study Session Realization

6th Year One-Shot; Canon; During the Ron/Lavender relationship, but definitely Romione centric :) “Won Won!” Ron cringed ever so slightly as he heard Lavender call his name from across the common room.

“Er, not right now, Lav, I’m trying to get this potions assignment done,” he half lied. It’d only been assigned that day, but Harry had a lesson with Dumbledore, and Ron wasn’t exactly fancying a snog right about now. 

“Oh, that’s perfect! I told Parvati I’d meet her in the library for a study sesh anyhow. Come with me!” she said as she said down next to him and looped her arm through his.

“Oh, er, I don’t know...I’ve already set up here,” Ron attempted instead of a flat out ‘no’. He hadn’t figured out how to politely decline her yet.

“Nonsense! Please? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, and who knows, maybe we can leave a little early and find an empty classroom on our way back,” she whispered suggestively in his ear. Lavender started gathering his things and put them in his bag before he could say no.

Ron looked out the window to the blustery January night sky, cursing Harry for having something else going on, and ignored the pang in his chest that he felt for the absence of his former best friend. Those pangs had begun appearing more frequently over the holidays.

“Er, Lavender, are you sure? She will probably be there. I should probably just stay here. You go,” he said, hoping his attempt at a scathing tone was convincing enough.

“It’s okay, Won Won there are plenty of tables around, and if she doesn’t like it, she can leave. She doesn’t own the library, after all.” Lavender got up and handed Ron his bag. “We’re going to be late. Let’s go.”

Ron stood up and followed Lavender out the portrait hole. I tried, he thought to himself, as the other part told him ‘not hard enough.’ Fine, if I have to go, I’ll just focus on my work, ignore their gossip, and head back down to the common room early. 

There was something that was leaving a bad taste in his mouth ever since he’d opened up her Christmas present and seen that ghastly necklace. As if the necklace wasn’t bad enough, he’d immediately thought of Hermione while holding Lavender’s gift in his hand. Hermione would never get him something like that. Ever. But it’s only because she’s known you for six years, he reasoned with himself. Okay, but you can’t honestly believe that Lavender could think you’d wear something like that. Does she even know you at all?

Ron stopped as Lavender kept walking. That was a loaded question he’d just asked himself. How often did they actually talk? Most of the time it was snogging, and the occasional ‘how was class today’ or ‘what are your plans for the weekend’? Weren’t you supposed to get to know the person in the relationship? Was he really that rubbish at being a boyfriend? But she hasn’t made an effort, either.

Lavender realized Ron had stopped a few paces ahead. “Ron? Why’d you stop?” Ron quickly bent down to play with his shoelace.

“Sorry, needed to tie my shoe,” he muttered. He got up and continued on. Did he actually like Lavender? Or just the idea of a girlfriend, and someone to snog? He started to develop a sinking feeling in his stomach as he was making the realization. 

As they entered the library, they walked in a ways and saw Parvati waving them over to their table. Padma was with her. Just beyond them was Hermione, sitting by herself at her favorite table by the window. Just great, Ron thought. 

As Ron pulled out his potions essay, he thought back to today’s class. They’d had to attempt Amortentia, and of course, bloody Harry used that bloody book so his was perfect, and all Ron could focus on was the overwhelming scent of vanilla and berries. It was driving him mad because that was certainly not what he had smelled back in September. Well, he had still smelled vanilla, but it was slightly different that time. 

Fuck. Why couldn’t he just forget it? The sodding potion was messing with Ron’s brain. But that didn’t explain why he had no interest in snogging Lavender today. He shook the thoughts away. The urge would come back tomorrow, he was sure. Ron tried to shove the thoughts aside as he set to work on his essay. 

Ron tuned out the girls’ quiet chatter, trying not to feel uncomfortable. Lavender had taken the seat on the left, leaving him to the right, which meant he could see Hermione out of the corner of his eye. He was having a hard time not sneaking glances at her. She’d gotten really good at flat out ignoring him, but he could tell she knew he was there, even if she refused to look his way. Hermione was clearly getting distracted because he’d see her quill freeze every so often for more time than she normally paused.

“Trouble focusing, Ron?” Parvati teased as Lavender stroked his arm.

“What? Oh, er, yeah,” he said. 

“I’ve also been more distracted than normal today,” Padma said to the small study group. “The potions lesson really threw me off.”

Ron looked up at her, forgetting that they shared the same class, as Lavender said, “Ooh, what did you learn how to brew?”

“Amorentia,” Padma said simply. “Of course, Harry and his newfound potion brilliance was brewing it perfectly, so it was distracting quite a few people with the aromas it was giving off.”

“You got to brew amortentia? I’m so jealous! I’d love to know what I’d smell! Isn’t one of the aromas the person you fancy?” Lavender asked.

“Yes, it is,” answered Padma.

Ron tried to get back to his essay to avoid the conversation as Parvati said, “Ron, what does Lavender smell like to you?” in an interested voice.

Ron noticed Hermione’s quill freeze in mid air at Parvati’s statement for a split second, and then she began writing even more vigorously.

“Yes, Won Won, what did you smell?” Lavender asked eagerly.

“What? Er, I don’t know. Nothing, really,” Ron said, trying to avoid the question.

“Nothing?” Padma asked. You were sitting right next to Harry. There’s no way you smelled nothing.”

“Er, the broomstick wax and chocolate were more overpowering, I guess,” Ron answered. Good save, Weasley.

“Oh, come on, Won Won, it’s all in good fun! Just tell me! It’s not like I smell bad, right?” Lavender continued to press as she giggled at her own absurd statement.

“What? No! I just, I don’t know. Does it really matter?” Ron asked. He was trying to think of what her perfume normally smelled like, but for the life of him he thought his brain was broken. Why couldn’t he think of it? She was sitting right next to him, surely he could just catch a whiff and-

“Of course it really matters! I’m your girlfriend! You did smell me, right?” Lavender was waiting expectantly as the Patil twins shared glances. Ron didn’t answer right away. He couldn’t think fast enough. Padma saved him.

“Lavender, I’m sure it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a silly potion. It means nothing.” She totally just changed her tune. Could she really sense his level of discomfort?

“Yeah, Lav,” Parvati added gently.

“No! It does matter! Please, Won Won, what did you smell?”

“Fine! If it means that much to you, I smelled a mixture of vanilla and berries. Are you happy?” All three girls were staring at him. “What? You asked…” he said as no one spoke.

“My perfume is fruity, Ron,” Lavender whispered. Oh fuck, she didn’t call me ‘Won Won’.. But that’s such a common scent, he was sure it was hers.

“But...berries are fruit, right?” Ron asked hesitantly.

“Not that kind.” Lavender stood up and walked towards the exit of the library.

Ron looked at Parvati and Padma. “What did I-? But she asked, and wasn’t going to let it rest until I answered-” Ron wasn’t exactly sure what to say. 

Parvati huffed and shook her head at him as she gathered both her things and Lavender’s. She gave her twin an apologetic look and took off after her best friend.

Padma sat for a moment before finally speaking. “Ron, I think you and Lavender may need to have a conversation. She’s clearly not who you smelled. It’s obviously someone else...who happens to be here at this very moment instead.” With that, Padma also collected her things and left Ron alone at the table.

Do all Ravenclaws speak in sodding riddles? Ron thought that was just Luna. Someone else here instead? What the hell was she talking about. Ron looked up and surveyed the room before his eyes met Hermione’s, who’d looked in his direction at the exact same moment before tearing away from his glance just as quickly. The realization hit him like a hippogriff, and all of a sudden, Padma’s riddle wasn’t so puzzling anymore.

[itsblissfuloblivion]

Torch - Chapter 2: October

A/N: YES we have gotten this here AND early!!  Enjoy October, HBP style.

Love,

@fightfortherightsofhouseelves

&

@gryffindormischief

Also on FF and Ao3

Torch: a Hinny canon compliant multi-chaptered fic featuring HBP missing moments. Updates every first day of every month, from September 2019 to August 2020.

______

The Prince’s book has become something of a bed companion to Harry by now, perusing it at length again and again in his free time. The tips of his fingers lightly trace each scribbled note for the hundredth time, his lips whisper spells he’s never heard of.

It’s how Ron finds himself dangling up in the air from a freckly ankle and how, not much later, Harry lets himself be dragged into an ardent debate with Hermione on whether Levicorpus is or isn’t a jinx.

“Of course it’s a jinx,” Hermione scowls as the trio trots through the autumn wind to Hogsmeade, “Nothing benign would serve to levitate people and expose them like that.”

Harry knows she’s vividly reliving that night at the Quidditch World Cup, when Lucius Malfoy and his Death Eater friends had a laugh levitating Muggles in a disgusting demonstration of soft torture. If he’s honest, he’s also thinking about it and it’s vexing enough that he’d simply like to scratch at the back of his head, where those irksome little thoughts like to hide and play, scratch until they bleed away from him.

Yet more dreary musings come to bother him when the three of them happen upon the unlikely duo of Horace Slughorn and Mundungus Fletcher, and the annoying buzz turns into true Harpies’ screeches as Katie Bell is nearly murdered.

Harry doesn’t much remember a day when he felt he needed some peace of mind more than he does now as everything inside him cries and bawls that it has to do with Malfoy . That the Prince is somehow connected to this and not at all evil. That innocent lives are at risk if nobody’ll take him seriously when he says that Draco Malfoy is plotting something sleazy. Because he is and today is nothing but proof.

Unfortunately, nobody does, not even Professor McGonagall. Not like this, not without concrete evidence and Harry knows deep inside that he won’t rest until he finds some. He only hopes it won’t be too late.

______

After Hogsmeade, Katie’s continuing stay in the Hospital Wing, and yet another unsuccessful attempt to convince anyone that Malfoy is plotting something, Harry somewhat glumly seeks solace in his studies - per Hermione’s advice. Which, in reality was more a long rant detailing exactly where he would end up should he forgo his schoolwork in favor of ‘cockeyed notions’ about admittedly morally grey classmates. For someone who punched said ‘morally grey’ classmate not three years ago, she can be a bit high and mighty at times.

So far though, burying himself in schoolwork has succeeded in keeping his mind occupied, at least in part. Besides, who knew if the secret to finally catching Malfoy in the act was - his eyes skimmed the page again - a perfectly executed Orchideous incantation? Perhaps the slimy git’s true weakness is hay-fever.

Harry’s considering whether Skeeter is right and he has gone ‘round the bend when Ron’s patience with studying silently seems to waver.

“What is it about girls anyway?” Ron huffs between the pages of his Transfiguration copy, his mind clearly not anywhere near the subject of their homework.

“What are you going on about?” Harry asks bemused. “Hope it’s not McGonagall prompting those shower thoughts,” he grins from behind his own textbook as Ron grimaces and closes the tome with a loud bang.

“I mean everyone’s a girl or talking about girls,” Ron carries on and sighs. “It’s absolutely mad, I’m telling you.”

Harry laughs wholeheartedly, following Ron’s example and putting a well deserved pause on his study. Well, not that well deserved since they’ve only been studying for about twenty minutes, but it’s late and they had Quidditch practice all day so who can really blame them.

“No, mate, you’re absolutely mad. Now care to offer some context?”

Ron frowns, draws a breath, then takes a moment as if to ruminate on what he wants to say next.

“That git, Dean, he’s dating my sister,” he winces.

It’s Harry’s turn to scowl. “Yeah, noticed that much.”

“And Hermione looks - erm, so much like a girl now, you know? And less like our friend,” Ron elaborates, completely amiss of Harry’s snide remark. Which is all the better for Harry, really. Ron seems to have too much on his emotional plate anyway.

“You understand what I’m trying to say, right?” Ron hurries to add when Harry doesn’t say anything, his cheeks coloring faintly.

“Hmm,” Harry mumbles the best response he can come up with. It’d be rather awkward to admit that Hermione’s mostly the same to him, their best friend and somewhat sister to Harry. As opposed to other sisters he happens to know.

“It’s odd, ‘s all I’m saying. And my baby sister going on dates, probably snogging blokes -”

“Plural?” Harry blurts out before he realises what he’s doing.

Ron throws him an exasperated look. “Dunno, mate. She keeps everything very private but I don’t understand what’s all this sudden fuss ‘bout her. I mean why’s she so popular? Dean seemed alright, what does he see in her?” He shrugs.

“What does she see in him ?” Harry sneers, his lips morphing into a small pout.

“Dean’s a good bloke, I guess,” Ron shrugs again, scratches the back of his head.

“I guess,” replies Harry, rather reluctant.

“And he’s pretty smart, I guess?”

“I guess.”

“And I reckon he draws really well.”

“He does?”

“That’s what I remember. Girls like paintings and stuff. Mum has lots of them hanging on the walls,” Ron’s face lights up as if it all finally makes sense.

But not to Harry. Not if he takes into account the way his insides churn and boil or the way he simply feels a sudden need to shout at his best friend and maybe tell him that somebody else ought to bring Hermione a bloody drawing and then see how he likes it.

But right afterwards Harry feels petty, mumbles something about abandoning homework and sets off to bed, leaving a befuddled Ron behind wondering what he could’ve said wrong.

And by some odd twist of fate - or maybe some divine entity’s really prone on showing Harry that the worst is yet to come - the conversation he walks in on is no better than the one he’s rudely ended. In fact, on a scale from one to detention with Snape, what he’s currently witnessing ranks closer to the latter rather than the former.

Dean discussing his blooming relationship with Ginny.

Dean describing to Seamus the progress he’s making with Ginny.

Dean about to be pushed out the Gryffindor Tower window. By mistake, of course.

Sometimes, Harry muses, there are things he misses about living under the stairs. Well. Not exactly. His bedroom is loads better. But there are benefits to having your own room rather than a dorm full of loud mouthed complaining gits.

The real question is when exactly Dean became so irritating. Harry’s not incapable of tuning out irksome housemates - a certain ickle Diddikins and co. serve as ample evidence - so Dean must really be laying it on thick.

Recently, it seems that if he’s not outlining his ‘ intensive ’ physical fitness routine, he’s giving Seamus advice on the best way to ask out ‘birds’ and extolling the virtues of a certain shoulder slipping move that gets you ‘up close and personal’ with said bird.

Harry does his best to avoid the dorm when awake but it begins to feel like they’re waiting for him to arrive and saving the most obnoxious bits for his personal enjoyment.

It’s rather gross, to be honest, and he feels indignant - in a brotherly way obviously - to hear the highly questionable strategies Dean plans to use to further acquaint himself with Ginny.

Who knew two teenage boys could cluck like gossiping hens this long after lights out? Or talk so loud despite the whisper-like quality of their conversation. Harry sticks his arm out through a split in the curtains and brushes a few Droobles wrappings aside, well past eleven. Plain rude.

With a huff, he shoves the covers back, grabs his dressing gown, blanket, and wand, before storming toward the door. “You two are bloody lucky Ron sleeps like the dead.”

As if confirming, Ron - who’s also given up on studying and fainted rather than fell asleep within less than two seconds since closing the distance between his person and his bed, lets out a loud snore and sighs in his sleep.

Dean and Seamus blink at Harry, the former’s eyes narrowing and mouth opening as if he’s about to toss back some indignant response but Harry’s in no mood. He leaves the dorm with a dramatic swoosh of his blanket and stumbles his way down the staircase, only forgoing a very satisfying door slam in the name of inter-house courtesy. Unlike some people.

The last few steps meet with the unhappy, teen-angst thuds of his feet. All the while, he grumbles to himself in an almost unintelligible but heart-lightening manner so he’s feeling a bit less like dumping a shaker of salt in Dean’s porridge in the morning.

Still, that doesn’t make him any more eager to return to the gossiping hens upstairs and the fire does look rather inviting. Perhaps Dobby anticipated Harry’s midnight flight to the common room.

Or perhaps Harry’s off his rocker and somehow deluded himself into believing this picture perfect, cozy room isn’t quite as abandoned as he first assumed. Instead, a certain red-haired Chaser is tucked up in one of the armchairs closest to the fire, forehead drooping toward the crinkled notes in her lap, socked toes warming in the blaze’s orange glow.

“You’re up late,” Harry tries, testing the responsiveness of his hallucination.

Groaning, Ginny drops her head back on the cushioned chair. “Hermione made me a timetable.”

Harry laughs, claiming the couch closest to Ginny with a dramatic sprawl of his occasionally gangly limbs.

“And presented said timetable to me in front of mum , who thought it was the greatest idea in the history of ideas.”

Ginny twists her neck and stares at him expectantly, which Harry assumes is an indication she wants a response other than gawking at her helplessly. “So now you’re stuck, eh?”

She hums and scrapes her hair up into a messy bun. “Theoretically tonight’s study session should have been through,” she looks at her watch, “yesterday afternoon.”

The words have barely left her lips before laughter bubbles out of both of them, loud and surprising until they muffle their chuckles. Which, of course, only makes things funnier and the stopping that much harder. Ginny’s cheeks are rosy with happiness as Harry pushes his glasses up messily and swipes the tears from his cheeks. “Don’t tell me you’ve been studying for,” he pauses to do the math, “Twenty seven hours.”

“No - yesterday was so lovely - that sunshine on my face,” she sighs, “How could I do anything but go for a fly?”

Harry grins, dragging one foot up underneath him, “True enough - I had a good kip over by that tree. You know the one close enough to the water the firsties are too afraid to go near?”

She nods in recognition and tosses one leg over the side of the armchair, looking as if she’ll melt into oblivion right then and there. “Then I met up with Dean before dinner.”

Unable to bite back the grimace at the mention of his sleep stealing dorm-mate - not that he feels much like sleeping at the moment - Harry delivers some sort of non commital grunt that Ginny pounces on like a starved puma. Her dark eyes consider him from head to toe in a way that makes his cheeks heat. “How are things with Dumbledore, then?”

Harry shrugs, fiddling with the knobby blanket on his lap and feeling like a bit of a ponce for worrying about his loud-mouthed roommate when lives hang in the balance. Then he really does scowl as thoughts of Dumbledore, Death Eaters, Draco and his cronies, and about a thousand other dark things swirl through his mind. “No - no he hasn’t called me for another lesson yet.”

Ginny eyes him for another moment, lips twisted in a thoughtful frown before they quirk in a teasing grin. “Well he’d better get on it if you’re going to be the new Headmaster and Supreme Mugwump. Lest we forget your need for a long, luxurious white beard.”

“I would look damn foxy with a beard and you know it.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it - can you even grow facial hair baby Potter?”

Crossing his arms, Harry puffs out his chest in a show of manliness and narrows his eyes. A show which is slightly lessened by the smile that tickles his lips. “I will have you know I shave every morning.”

“With a big boy razor?” Ginny teases, but she nudges him with her toes, “All seriousness, I’m not sure the Hogwarts student body could handle ruggedly handsome Harry James Potter.”

“Mass hysteria, eh?” Harry laughs, though it’s a bit strangled in the wake of Ginny’s half admission that he could be considered handsome. Even in an entirely hypothetical situation.

Perhaps a beard wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“Aye - Dad read all about Beatlemania. Like that, but with magic.”

“I’ll need a bodyguard or two.”

“Not to worry - we’ve got you covered,” Ginny assures him as she collects her things and rises tiredly. “I can’t study anymore. My brain’s turned to mush,” she pauses, “You never said why you’re up.”

“Eh - Dean’s a snorer.”

Ginny’s brows rise, “ Really .”

And Harry can’t seem to drum up a bit of guilt as he frowns darkly and nods.

______

As October progresses, Scotland turns crisp, the air whips at bare cheeks turning them rosy and leaving Harry free to wander the grounds with few interruptions. Between Voldemort’s official return and everything that happened at the Department of Mysteries last year, Harry’s ability to skulk about unnoticed has been lessened somewhat.

It’s not adoring fans begging for autographs like Krum had during the Triwizard - more like quiet stares on some weird spectrum between mute terror and judgmental mutterings.

He is slightly more adept at tuning such things out than during the ‘Potter Stinks’ era, but it’s still nice to escape it and reserve the energy used for ignoring annoyances. Mostly he uses those reserves for lots of internal angst about feelings he definitely doesn’t have.

Nothing clears his head like a nice fly though and a quick check of the pitch schedule reveals an open afternoon. So his daily constitutional turns into a quick jog over to the empty pitch to take to the sky.

Truth be told, he desperately needs a place to simply forget about the current state of events, the feelings of uncertainty, the doubts he’s having as he wonders if the troubles and efforts they put into recreating Riddle’s pre-Voldemort life aren’t wasted.

His second lesson with Dumbledore, recently ended, didn’t do much to alleviate any of those feelings. Back through the Pensieve, to a twelve year old Tom Riddle this time, with a personality grim enough to signal chaos about to come. Can understanding your enemy truly bring you one step closer to defeating him? Harry closes his eyes, one palm lightly passing over the lightning shaped scar slashed across his forehead.

Wind chaps his face, makes his eyes teary as he increases his speed and clears the towers that surround the stadium. Clouds drift by overhead, a slow drag against brilliant blue compared to the streaking of his slim broom.

Clutching the handle tightly with his legs, Harry releases one hand, then the other and twists into a spiral. Once he’s right side up, Harry slows and swirls in lazy circuits until he’s back hovering over the pitch, descending to the sound of a slow clap.

“Nice moves, Potter.”

So much for clearing my head.

“Captain’s got to keep up his skills,” Harry says, easy.

“Didn’t know keeping them up involved so much showing off,” Ginny answers with a smirk, tossing a practice Quaffle high overhead and catching it deftly.

Harry’s feet find the fresh cut grass as he ruffles his hair in a nervous gesture that must be hereditary. “Is it really showing off if nobody’s around?”

“Am I nobody?”

“You weren’t expected.”

She tosses the quaffle again, higher, and catches it without a second glance. “I could just take my Quaffle and go home,” Ginny quirks her brow, “But since this is the Quidditch Pitch and I am looking to actually play Quidditch …”

“Excuse me - are you attempting to argue that flying isn’t a legitimate element of Quidditch?”

“Without balls it’s just a bunch of jocks performing high-flying acrobatics,” Ginny counters, another toss, this time over her shoulder. She catches it with a quick twist that sends her hair fanning behind her.

“And tricks like that aren’t showboating at all,” Harry drawls, “Is this some chaser superiority complex?”

“S’not a complex if it’s true - besides I can play all positions,” Ginny says simply as she drops to the ground, ankles crossed in front of her.

It’s really difficult being around someone so tempting. Since, he has to worry about her all the time, of course. Not because he is tempted in any way, despite what his dreams might indicate.

Blissfully unaware of Harry’s internal monologue, Ginny slides her palms out sideways until she’s fully reclined in the grass. “Speaking of - we are defending Quidditch Cup winners and the fecking Ravenclaw team have their sights set on taking it back.”

“I’m not planning on captaining the team to ruin,” Harry shoots back with a roll of his eyes.

“Have a seat Captain - let’s get strategizing,” Ginny says patting the ground by her side, “Got to protect my interests - Harpies like winners .”

Nudging her ankle with his toe, Harry does as instructed and tosses his broom aside. “That your plan? Go professional?”

Ginny glances up at him. “Oh yeah - though I don’t think I’ve said it to anyone aloud before.”

“That sounds brilliant - you’re uh,” Harry ruffles his hair, “You’re really brilliant.”

She kicks his shoulder. “Thanks.”

It’s quiet between them for a moment until she finally adds, “And as brilliant as it is to be successful as both a Chaser and a Seeker, maybe strategy number one could be you not getting kicked off the team again this year?”

“Pinky promise.”

“Secondarily - we really need a replacement for Katie,” Ginny says, “Not that - well Quidditch isn’t the biggest issue with all this - ”

Harry sighs, flops backward, and tilts his head upward so he can meet her gaze. “Gin - you don’t have to explain - ”

“Thanks,” Ginny tosses her arms overhead and lets her feet slide straight out, “I’d never - well. Anyway. We’re down a Chaser.”

Taking a fortifying breath, Harry reaches across the space between them and brushes the back of her hand with his fingertips. “What about Trenton?”

Ginny snorts. “Nah - have you seen his ‘fake out’ swerve. We’re never going to win with a lazy maneuver like that and I’ll be damned if Malfoy beats us this year.”

“Too bad Hermione can’t fly to save her life,” Harry muses, brain filtering through the rest of their housemates, “We’d have the most organized tactics and training schedule ever.”

“Nope - she’d spend the whole time telling us we should be studying,” Ginny answers as she pushes to her feet with a sigh, “Which reminds me, I’ve got to be off.”

“Timetable?”

“Nah - meeting Dean,” Ginny says easily as she brushes a few blades of grass from her clothes, “Though I’d never have made plans if I knew I’d have to ditch a good ol’ strategy session.”

Harry stands too, feeling as though a fist has clenched around his heart in a strange, painful way. “We - uh. Raincheck?”

“‘Course,” Ginny says with a crooked smile, “See you when I see you?”

He agrees with a quiet nod and mounts his broom, skating across the sky as the sun dips toward the horizon.

______

It’s Monday and there’s less than a week till Saturday, November 2nd. Less than a week until they’re up against Ravenclaw on the pitch. And somehow, Harry doesn’t know why or how, but they’re still one player short.

(Technically, he does know but there’s a long way between knowing and admitting it, isn’t it?)

Now it’s Tuesday and, while Monday was spent focusing more on the greater good of the team and less on his inner turmoil, Harry still hasn’t managed to summon all his remaining will power (that’s not wasted on either Snape or homework or helping Ron and Hermione remain civil in the face of Slug Club party invites) and ask Dean to join the team as a third Chaser.

It’s pretty clear that Katie won’t make an overnight recovery.

It’s common sense to offer the role to someone who’s a decent flyer and is well acquainted with the game.

It’s unreasonable to prolong the task of asking Dean much longer. All things considered.

So Harry spots him enjoying a bite of morning toast with pumpkin juice and perhaps a plate of hot gossip on the side, as Dean’s sat next to Seamus, who Harry has determined are attached at the hip. Sighing long and painful, Harry straightens his posture and prepares for whatever this is, a mantra of “I’m doing this for the team” on a loop at the back of his mind.

“Mornin’, Harry,” Dean greets cheerfully in between two swigs of fresh pumpkin juice. Of course, Seamus’ enthusiasm level lowers as soon as his eyes lock with Harry’s, but he’s starting to get used to it by now.

“Alright, mate? You look troubled,” Dean observes.

Harry waves him off and plows right in with another sigh, “Listen, we’re one Chaser too few on the team -”

“Yeah, I heard Katie’s still in the hospital -”

“Would you like to join?” Harry cuts him off before he can change his mind.

A pause and then both Dean and Seamus blink, confused.

“What?”

“I asked if you’d like to join the team as Chaser? Until Katie recovers, you know,” Harry hurries to add.

It’s Seamus who speaks first, elbow almost sending the porridge rolling off the table.

“Sounds mental to me, you and Ginny on the same team.”

Harry’s senses fire up and he holds his breath, silently urging Seamus to keep talking.

“‘S alright,” Dean shrugs, visibly bothered by his friend’s comment.

“Oh come on, mate,” Seamus grins, “it’s just Harry here. Last night you were going on and on about how she’s always so cheesed off ‘bout everything it makes you feel like you’ve botched every wee thing.”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees weakly as just Harry experiences a violent urge to hurt both of his ‘mates.’ Maybe hit their heads together until they cry or kindly ask Dobby to wet their beds as they sleep.

Unfortunately, he has to shake it all off and attempt to bleach his brain later before he breaks and tells Ron. And the rest of the Weasley clan. Though telling Ginny might solve a good number of his problems - and make him something of a wanker.

“So?” He asks again. “If you agree, you’ll have to clear your schedule anyway. We have practice this evening, all evening,” Harry underlines through gritted teeth.

Dean scratches at the back of his head, muses a bit and then gives his final answer, “Yeah, alright. Can’t let Ravenclaw walk all over us,” he grins and claps Harry on the shoulder.

Harry can’t decide if he’s in a mood to shout at everyone who speaks to him because of Dean’s insolent comments and confidences about his relationship with Ginny or because of his implication that they won’t stand a chance against Ravenclaw if he doesn’t join the team. Either way, Harry takes it personally enough to grunt and snap at people all day.

And Quidditch practice doesn’t make it any better. He’d hoped that it’d offer the right outlet to clear the angst clouding his mind. But of course, he should’ve known by now that counting his chickens before they are hatched is completely useless.

In reality, Harry agrees that this practice session has been the worst so far, so much so that even Ginny looks forlorn and Demelza’s eyes water constantly.

Cursing under his breath, Harry shivers in the cold, biting October air and checks the time. It’s well past ten in the evening and there’s nothing more he can do for this lot than send them inside to a hot shower and a cuppa (or a long sleepless night sprinkled with self-loathing in his case).

He drags his feet next to Ron, uncertain if he’d rather smack him over the head to stop his complaining or to do it to himself. If Harry thinks about it, Ron’s performance seems to depend on his mood and Harry reckons he’s not quite yet recovered from their little Slug Club themed conversation from Herbology class last week. Hermione’d almost managed to invite Ron to join her at the Christmas party when Ron’s fragile ego got in the way.

Harry sighs for the millionth time, rubs at the prickling in his scar.

Perhaps cracking his own skull would represent the desirable option right now, between a best mate whose spirits are below sea level, conflicting feelings for a certain redhead and a probable defeat in the first match he’s ever captained his team to.

And speaking of redheads, there’s Ginny on her way to the castle, hand in hand with Dean. Harry doesn’t know what he was expecting exactly. That Ginny would hang back with him after practice, as she’s done till now? That she won’t talk to Dean or hug him or even kiss him during practice breaks? And why wouldn’t she? He is her boyfriend, even though Harry wouldn’t hurry to crown him boyfriend of the year anytime soon.

And who’s Harry to her? A mate. Her older brother’s best mate. That’s it, yeah. Just a mate. Just Harry.

He’s about to make peace with those thoughts when Ron’s face blanches and he stops dead in his tracks.

Harry has to squint to understand what’s prompted Ron’s reaction and for a moment he fears Viktor Krum’s back to kiss Hermione, tired of waiting for Ron to finally gather his courage and do it. But then the torch hanging over a small annex in the middle of the deserted corridor casts its gentle, quivering light over two people, tightly glued against each other, kissing fervently.

His heart sinks so low the Giant Squid might stumble across it when his eyes adjust to realise they’ve walked in on Ginny and Dean.

Ginny and Dean kissing like he’s never seen someone kiss, their hands in each other’s hair and their bodies pressed hard together. He’d probably blush if not for the growling beast in his chest, demanding that Harry do something fast.

Still Ron reacts faster and him and Ginny are in each other’s faces in less than a heartbeat. Weasley tempers are terrible on a good day and grisly on shite days like this. Harry’s confident they’d start hexing and kicking each other if not for his jumping between them.

It’s ugly and petty on both sides, both siblings pouring salt over open wounds, and Harry’s left to awkwardly say goodbye to Dean like nothing’s happened.

Later, alone in his bed, covers pulled up over his head, he’d have time to think about how he’d tear Dean limb from limb for kissing Ginny like that - or for kissing her at all. Yeah, later he’d have time to plan and imagine and probably work himself into a fit over the image of them tattooed on his brain. Indeed, there’ll be enough time to thoroughly hate himself and the world later.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Harry Potter and the Best Summer (1 | Rescue)

Summary: AU - canon divergence. Harry had barely been back at the Dursley's for two weeks, when an unexpected visitor arrived at the door. He quickly finds himself spirited away back to the wizarding world and learns some secrets that have long been kept from him.

A sequel to Of Family and Unexpected Friendship. Also posted on AO3 under the username Kishirokitsune.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

1 | Rescue

If Harry Potter could have only one wish come true, it would be that he would never have to return to number four Privet Drive. His time at Hogwarts had only reinforced that wish and there was a certain knowledge lurking at the back of his mind that said if he really wanted to, he could leave and spend his summers lodging at the Leaky Cauldron. However, he was stopped by his promise to Headmaster Dumbledore.

Harry sighed as quietly as he could and gave a sideways glance to the cupboard under the stairs, where his relatives had immediately locked away his trunk when he arrived home.

He'd been just lucky enough to convince them to allow Hedwig to stay in his room, provided that he keep her quiet. It was working, but barely. After two weeks of being stuck in her cage, she was beginning to give him reproachful looks and quiet hoots of displeasure.

For his part, Harry kept his head down and did his chores as he was told. The less he could provoke his relatives, the better. They seemed perfectly happy to ignore him anyway, which was far better than any of the years before he learned he was a wizard, and the most interaction he got daily was from Aunt Petunia leaving a list for him on the counter.

Most days followed a routine; make breakfast, clean the kitchen, water and weed the garden, make lunch, leave the house whenever Dudley brought his friends over so he could avoid the inevitable bullying, and make dinner. Some days there was another chore added in, like vacuuming or dusting or cleaning the windows.

It wasn't bad, all things considering.

His chores kept Harry busy and in his free time he tried to review what he could remember from classes, so that once his friends did write him with days he could (hopefully) visit them, he would have a clearer idea of what to write for his summer essays. With all of his books locked away in his trunk, it would be the only chance he'd have to complete the work given to him.

Two weeks wasn't a long time. Not really. There was no reason for him to worry about not receiving a single letter, even though they'd all promised to do so.

Two weeks.

Harry quietly began preparing lunch according to Petunia's exact specifications. He knew if he did a single thing incorrectly, he would find his “privileges” more restricted than they already were.

He was partway through when something very odd happened.

The doorbell rang.

Most people would not find that odd, but most people were not the Dursley's, where an unexpected house-guest was a very odd thing indeed.

Petunia glared at him as she bustled by on her way to the door, a not-so-subtle reminder that he was to remain quiet and not draw attention to himself. She pasted on a smile for their guests and smoothed out the front of her neat blouse, and then opened the door.

Harry slowed his movements so he could listen in, thankful there was no one else around to watch him.

“Good afternoon, my name is Andromeda Tonks and this is my cousin, Leona Black.”

Harry's heart leaped in his chest.

Leona Black was a fellow Gryffindor at Hogwarts who he befriended over Christmas break. Their parents had been friends and year-mates when they attended school, and she offered him the chance to hear stories about them. On top of that, she spent the remainder of the school year tutoring him in wizarding culture and had promised to dive deeper into that over the summer, even if she had to do it through letter.

He skillfully set aside the spatula without making a sound and crept closer to the hall, hoping to get a look at what was happening.

Leona was there, looking far different than he remembered and it took Harry an embarrassingly long moment to realize why. It was more than just her light brown hair, curled more neatly than she bothered to while at school, it was also in the way she held herself, straight-backed and head lifted high. Her muggle clothing was crisp and neat in a way that way too perfect.

The woman with her was dressed in a similar manner, but carried herself with a grace and nobility that made Harry feel like a bum in comparison. Her hair was darker than Leona's and curled in a more natural manner. For a moment he thought she might be Leona's mother, before remembering that she introduced herself as Andromeda.

Or “Andy”, as Leona commonly called her.

“We are here to pick up Harry Potter.”

The next few minutes passed in a blur to Harry. Petunia denied that he was there, of course, but none of that stopped Leona or Andromeda from finding the truth, aided in part by Harry himself, who did not stay quietly hidden in the kitchen. He wasn't sure if she made a convincing argument, or merely decided Petunia wasn't someone worth arguing with, but before he knew it, Harry was being swept toward the door by Andromeda with a steady hand on his back.

“Leona, fetch Harry's things,” she instructed.

Leona nodded once and looked to Harry for guidance.

“Hedwig's in my room. Up the stairs, second door on the left. My trunk is, er...” Harry couldn't stop his glance to the cupboard under the stairs.

There was more than just his trunk in there. No one had ever bothered to fully clean it out when he was moved to the smallest bedroom. It had only been a year since then, but he couldn't remember if he left behind anything to show that he had once called the tiny space his room.

In one fluid motion, Andromeda withdrew her wand and flicked it toward the cupboard.

Petunia hissed angrily and pressed herself up against the wall, her eyes fixated on the slender piece of wood. She said nothing, but her glare promised retribution the next time Harry stepped foot into the house alone.

The cupboard door creaked open and Harry tried to move forward and get his trunk before much more of the room could be revealed, but the older witch summoned it towards them herself, bumping the door wide open in the process.

There, pinned to the wall on an old scrap of paper and written in crayon, were the words “Harry's Room”.

Andromeda narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line. She continued to float the trunk a few inches from the ground, and in a very calm voice said: “Leona.”

“I'll get Hedwig,” she responded immediately, turning to the stairs and racing up them. She returned quickly, crooning to the snowy owl with promises of freedom. She didn't look at Petunia as she brushed past the woman.

Harry wasn't sure if he managed to say goodbye to his Aunt or not as he was hurried from the house, but he didn't glance back either. His trunk was still floating, though it was close enough that anyone not paying close attention would assume he was carrying it.

There was a shiny black car – obviously new and expensive – sitting at the end of the drive, and Harry eyed it curiously as they approached. He assumed they would keep going, but instead Andromeda led them right up to it. His trunk was soon loaded into the back and Hedwig released to stretch her wings, and then they were off, with Harry in the backseat along with Leona.

“I got worried when you didn't respond to any of my letters,” she explained. “When Fred and George said you hadn't written Ron either, I knew I had to do something, so I asked Andy for advice and she agreed to come with me.”

“You sent letters? I never got any,” Harry said.

Leona frowned. “I sent three of them, and I know Ron sent one, so that's at least four missing letters. According to him, Hermione has sent you one as well. So what happened to them? Any ideas, Andy?”

“It sounds as though someone has been tampering with Mr. Potter's mail,” Andromeda responded. She glanced at him using the rear-view mirror, her brown eyes scanning his slight form. “It will all be looked into.”

Harry got the feeling she meant more than just his mail. He looked to Leona instead, wondering which of his many questions he should ask first. (Should he ask them? Would she mind? Those musings Harry tried to brush away, though the sense of unease lingered. The Dursley's never liked questions.)

“I got a little worried when I didn't hear from you after the first one,” Leona said to one of his unasked questions. “You do have a knack for trouble, after all. Mum convinced me that you might be busy and that two days is hardly cause for alarm, but she did let me send a second letter. Once I didn't get a response to that one, I mentioned what was happening to Fred and George. Ron overheard and said you hadn't written him, but Hermione had and she was having similar trouble. I figured there must be something wrong, but it wasn't until the third one that mum and Andy were willing to believe me.”

“We always believed that you thought something was wrong, but there are better ways to handle problems than rushing headlong into a situation when you don't know all of the facts,” Andromeda said, in a tone that indicated she'd said that many times before.

Leona made a face.

“Extra lessons tomorrow morning. Early. Mr. Potter may join us.”

Leona sputtered, her expression one of distress. “But it's the start of vacation and we've only just gotten Harry away from those awful muggles!”

Andromeda's voice was firm and without amusement when she spoke again. “Then I should think that Mr. Potter would like the opportunity to immerse himself in wizarding culture and tradition. As it's clear from what little I've heard from you about the circumstances of his placement, there is a great deal he needs to learn, and very little time to teach him. There will be time for fun, but at the moment we have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Leona slumped back against her seat, which seemed to mark the end of their disagreement.

Harry soon found himself distracted with the view out the window, as the car they were in squeezed through impossibly small spaces. He thought at first that it was the other vehicles warping to let them pass through, but on closer inspection realized that they were the ones being pulled and squeezed as they moved easily through traffic.

They drove for another ten minutes before Andromeda made a turn off down a dead-end street, at the end of which was a tall brick wall – likely the back side of a shop. When they didn't slow down, Harry began to get nervous.

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact, but all that happened was the car bouncing slightly and then he could hear the crunch of gravel beneath the tires. Harry opened his eyes again to find that they were no longer in town.

When he twisted around to look behind him, there was only a gray brick fence and impressive iron-wrought gate barring the path to the main road.

“It's pretty cool, right?” Leona asked, noticing his look of awe. “There are specialized runes and  charms on the car that let it pass through magical space. It was only invented in the past few years as a way to travel without causing motion sickness. Of course, not everyone has embraced it, since it relies on muggle engineering and it's slower than apparating or taking a portkey, but you don't have to down an anti-nausea potion each time you use it, so that benefit outweighs the extra time. And also, disappearing in front of muggles is generally considered breaking the Statute of Secrecy, but they won't pay any attention to a car.”

“It's brilliant,” Harry said, though he had no idea what apparation was. He resolved to ask Hermione about other forms of magical transport once he had the chance. She was bound to know, but on the off-chance that she didn't, it would give her something new and interesting to research.

Of course, he could also ask Leona or Andromeda, who were both right there with him and clearly happy to explain anything he was having trouble understanding. It was only out of habit that Hermione was the first one he thought of.

His attention was drawn elsewhere as he got his first look at where they were going. It was a truly magnificent Victorian manor with a octagonal tower positioned on the front right side of the building. It looked to be around two stories tall; three, counting the tower. The outside was done in dark stone and had wooden embellishments for added interest.

The landscaping around the manor was immaculate, but not in the too-perfect way of Privet Drive. There was no symmetry, for one, and it seemed like every plant had been chosen for a specific reason that went beyond uniformity. Aside from a few groupings, none of them appeared to be the same type of tree or bush, and the colors of the flowers ranged across the rainbow from red to blue. The fact that his Aunt and Uncle would hate it made Harry love it even more.

“Welcome to Oakstone Manor,” Leona said proudly.

Andromeda pulled the car into a stone carport next to the house and once they were parked, Leona led the way up to the front door.

“Remember our plans, Leona,” Andromeda said.

“Of course,” Leona responded with a short nod. She looked down at Harry, whose confusion was clear in his expression. “Andy set up an appointment at Gringotts for the reading of your parents will. She's been looking into a few things ever since I sent that letter to mum over Yule, but it's the most important one.”

“We will explain things once you are settled in, Mr. Potter,” Andromeda said kindly.

Harry felt a little too reminded of Professor McGonagall right before she was about to give a lecture every time Andromeda referred to him as Mr. Potter and quickly asked that she just call him Harry instead.

“Then you may call me Andy,” she said. “My child prefers to go by our surname, Tonks. You will likely meet them this evening once they return from Auror training.”

Andromeda walked ahead of them to open the door, giving Leona a split second to whisper a rather unusual word to Harry. He assumed Nymphadora was Andy's child and could almost understand why they wanted to change their name. (He didn't fully understand the use of “they”. Nymphadora sounded like a girls name, so shouldn't that be “she”?)

Harry had so many questions that he didn't know where to start, so he stayed quiet as he followed them inside, his eyes wide at the sight of the grand staircase leading up to the second floor. They bustled him along to the right, past a parlor room decorated in soft blues and grays, and then through a set of doors leading to the kitchen, where a tiny creature in dark gray was busy using magic to prepare a light lunch of sandwiches and fruit.

The creature strongly reminded Harry of a hairless cat, though it was bipedal and its ears were much larger.

He looked to Leona in silent questioning.

“Harry, this is Cici, one of the manor's house-elves,” Leona introduced. “Cici, come meet Harry! He'll be staying with us for the rest of summer.”

Cici turned with a delighted squeak, her eyes large and almost bulbous in shape. She dropped into a low bow. “Cici is being pleased to meet Harry!”

Once she was facing him, Harry could see the navy blue sash attached to the front of the house-elf's uniform, stretching from one shoulder down to the opposite hip. At the very top was a crest, which he supposed belonged to House Black.

“Nice to meet you,” Harry replied.

Cici beamed. “Cici has prepared lunch for everyone to enjoy! If Harry wants anything else to eat, just ask Cici!”

“I, um, I will. Thank you,” Harry said, fighting off his confusion at her enthusiasm. He cast a wide-eyed look at Leona, who wasn't at all phased by the house-elf. But then again, why would she be?

Cici snapped her fingers and the plates of food floated to the long table in the center of the room.

“Eat, Harry,” Andromeda suggested in a tone that left little room for disagreement. She smiled as Harry obediently sat down in the nearest chair and reached for a sandwich. “Cici, would you take Harry's things to his new room? I was thinking that the blue room on the east wing would be best for him.”

“Cici will be going right away, Miss Andy!”

Harry jumped as a loud pop! snapped through the air right as Cici vanished. “How did she do that?”

“Magic, of course.” Leona grinned at him as she sat down and selected a sandwich of her own, also adding several large strawberries to her plate. “Remember earlier when I was telling you about different forms of magical transport? That was apparation.”

“And... and you said Cici is a house-elf?”

Andromeda joined them at the table, but stayed silent as Leona explained.

“They're sort of like live-in servants. They bind themselves to the magic of a family or House and it makes their own magic even stronger. Of course, some people take advantage of that and use it as an excuse to be cruel to them – to command obedience even when it means hurting them. It's...” Leona paused to get her thoughts in order. “House Black used to be that way. After the war, when Andy took over as Regent for the House, she started to make changes and reformed House Black from the ground up.”

“It has been a long process and not nearly as simple as Leona makes it sound,” Andromeda said gently. “Family magics are delicate and often tightly woven. It has taken no small amount of power and patience to get as far as I have, but it has all been worth it to lay the foundation for Leona to build upon once she comes of age.”

“Anyway, our house-elves all have the option to accept payment and can use it for any extra things they like. We provide all of the housing, food, and medicine for them, as well as access to the family magics. And their clothing, of course. While working they wear the uniform of our House, but outside of that it's up to them.”

Leona spoke with such pride of the changes that had been made, but Harry couldn't help but feel like she was leaving so much out. If House Black had only recently begun to offer payment to their house-elves, then did that mean it wasn't something other Houses did? But then that would make house-elves...

“They're slaves?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Leona flinched.

“They have been treated as such for many generations,” Andromeda said in an even tone. “For long enough that house-elves themselves see it as the only way, though that in no way makes it right. We are trying to do better, Harry. In time, we hope to see others willingly follow until the day comes we can approve legislature that will prevent the mistreatment of house-elves.”

Andromeda filled her own plate with food. “Enough of this talk for now. There is much we need to get done and the day is already halfway through. Milla!”

Harry jumped as a new house-elf appeared, similar in appearance to the first but decidedly older. Like Cici, they wore all gray except for the navy blue sash from shoulder-to-hip.

“How may Milla be helping?” they asked.

“Could you let Remy and Aquarius know that we have returned and lunch has been prepared? I'm afraid I sent Cici off with new instructions before she could do so,” Andromeda said.

Milla quietly agreed and then popped away, leaving the three of them alone in the kitchen. They ate in silence for several minutes and then footsteps on the wooden floors sounded the arrival of someone else.

Or two someones, as it were.

A tiny girl with wild dark curls was the first to enter, giving little pause when she spotted Harry sitting at the table next to Leona. She smiled sweetly as she made her way over, her pale blue skirt swishing around her ankles, and then sat down directly across from Harry.

Behind her was an older woman whose hair was similar in color to Leona's – a light brown that has slight waves – though there was a visible streak of gray in the front. Something in her expression broke when she saw Harry and before he could wonder if there was something wrong, she opened her mouth to greet him.

“I haven't seen you since you were a baby, Harry. It's good to have you here,” she said.

She could only be Leona's mother – Remy Lupin-Black – who had been best friends with his parents while they were at Hogwarts. He'd been exchanging letters with her since Christmas, though his were mostly thanking her for the stories she told him about his parents and a little bit about his life at school. He should have recognized her from the photographs Leona showed him, but she had only been a teenager in those.

“It's nice to finally meet you – er, again,” Harry said, feeling awkward.

Remy took a seat across from Leona and next to Andromeda, her movements a little stiff. Maybe she was just as nervous to meet Harry? The thought seemed silly, but after all of her well-written letters maybe he wasn't off the mark.

“Leo says she's been teaching you about culture and stuff,” Aquarius spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. “Did you really not know about it before Hogwarts?”

“Well, no. I grew up with muggles – my mum's sister,” Harry explained.

“Petunia?” Remy sounded alarmed, her amber eyes wide. “But he said – you were meant to be someplace safe and he put you with Petunia?”

“Remus,” Andromeda said sharply. She waited for the other woman to calm down before continuing with: “That is part of the reason why we will be going to Gringotts before anything else. Harry is overdue for his inheritance test and after that we should be able to request for the unsealing of the Potters' Will. We will get to the bottom of why you were sent to live with those horrible muggles instead of being placed with the magical guardian chosen by your parents.”

Harry wondered if speaking up in defense of his aunt and uncle would be the right thing to do, but decided he didn't care. They were horrible muggles.

“Lily wanted to do a few things the muggle way, so you should have gone to your godparents, but...” Remy trailed off, her voice full of pain. “Alice Longbottom was named your godmother. She and Lily were close after Hogwarts. James picked your godfather.”

“Sirius,” Harry said, remembering what Leona told him when they first met. “Wait, Longbottom? Like Neville Longbottom?” His head reeled at the thought of growing up with Neville as a brother. It would have been far better than Dudley, that was for sure. Or he could have even grown up with Leona and Aquarius as his sisters!

He should have grown up in the magical world, knowing about his parents and the world he would come to know and love. So who had placed him with the Dusleys? And why?

Harry doubted he would be able to eat much until he learned the truth.

[idratherstayslytherin]

Re-writing the story I once wrote, but not really

Some of you may remember my fic “The Feelings We Can’t Let Go”.

It began as a head canon, then the lovely person on tumblr wrote the more put together version of it. We decided to write the fic together. It was going well until university and UK fucked me over. During this whole madness my co-writer disappeared from tumblr and I can’t contact her. I have tried it many times. She didn’t reply. I started writing the fic myself determined to finish it, but my life is hell rn and I don’t have the time to write the two last chapters. I do have the outline and hopefully after i start earning money and start actually getting better mentally and studying and money wise, I’ll finish it. For now I went back to the first version of the headcanon I made  with my co-writer and noticed A LOT OF GRAMMAR mistakes as well as some things that weren’t making sense. I wanted to re write this kind of first chapter, so I did. I added a lot of new text, fixed all the mistakes that I could see and ta da! There you have it. You have to be happy with just this until I have the time to finish this damn fic. I want it to be enjoyable, but also make sense, maybe even help people with their own problems, I want it to seem real and I want it to be a lovely love story. I’m a romantic shoot me. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think of it <3 I love reading your comments. Also if any artist wants to idk make a fanart of my work now or after I finish this damn fic and have a beta read  it , then feel free to do so. Okay, I’m talking way too much, just STFU Ola, no one wants to listen to you rumble :D 

//////////////

Harry felt like he should have wanted to go back to Hogwarts. Even worse, he knew he should go back there. But he just couldn’t convince himself, not even with Hermione and Ginny returning. Then again, Ron wasn’t going back either, and he didn’t even feel guilty about it, not even after Hermione talked to him about the importance of learning and getting the best possible results in their NEWTs. He got a bit of yelling too, but Hermione directed most of it at Ron, leaving Harry to deal with an angry and sad Ginny, who wanted him to go back.

But there they were on the first of September at King’s Cross station saying their goodbyes and waving after the Hogwarts Express before apparating back to Grimmauld Place. Ron had no intentions of spending the year at the Burrow, it was too far away from London, and he wanted to help George out at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley. He also admitted that he couldn’t really deal with his parents’ grief, and Harry was more than happy to offer him accommodation, not only because Ron was his best mate, but he really needed the company. Grimmauld Place might have looked a lot less gloomy since they renovated it, spending all June and most of July sorting and chucking out old furniture and artefacts, knocking down some of the walls (this being the only way of getting rid of the horrible yelling portrait of Sirius’ mother), and painting the rest in brighter shades, the house was still way too big for one person.

Soon, having turned Hogwarts down, Harry found himself obliged to decide on what he wanted to do with his life or at least the foreseeable future. Of course everyone expected him to become an auror, it seemed like the most obvious choice, but despite admittedly being interested in the job back in their fifth year, he wasn’t sure anymore if he wanted to go along with it. He might have defeated Voldemort, but was that really what he was destined to do all his life? Hunt down dark wizards?

He decided on meeting with Kingsley to discuss further possibilities. After getting detailed information about all of jobs he recommended to Harry, and spending three days straight going through the descriptions, forms and books he got, he was sure he would either want to become an Unspeakable or a Curse-breaker. He would have been happy to dive back into his books and papers to choose one of the two jobs. However Ron was already complaining about the whole house being littered with the papers; how Harry did nothing except sit on the couch, read and compare and read and compare; so Harry decided to give himself some time to consider his choice, meanwhile enjoying his freedom.

Do you seriously want to be an Unspeakable?" Ron asked, his mouth full. This was the only part of the last few days he was enjoying, the takeaway they had every evening. "You can never shut up about what you are doing. Do you really think you could go without telling anyone anything about your job?"

"Probably not." Harry shrugged, picking up another slice of pizza. "Though I guess I’ll have to, and it will be worth it.

"C’mon, Curse-breaking seems much more interesting. I’d go with that without hesitation."

"Well then why don’t you? And let me become who I want to be?" Harry snapped. He ate the last bit of pizza, and wiped his hands. " Sorry I didn’t mean that, I’m tired. " He apologised as soon as he realised Ron said nothing that should have angered him. He rubbed his eyes.

"Hardly surprising, you barley slept these past few days, mate, seriously. Just forget about this job thing for a while, it isn’t going to do you any good. Besides, it’s not like you have to start work instantly, you have enough money to live happily for the rest of your life."

"I did sleep last night." Harry protested, deciding not to comment on the money part, as what Ron said was true, he did have a vault full of money. His friend didn’t, and even though he offered to help them, they never accepted it. What he also didn’t mention was that even though he did get a bit of sleep, he kept waking up from nightmares, and if it hadn’t been for the coffee he had every two hours, he would have nodded off halfway through the day.  The nightmares, and pretty much everything else connected to the war were one of those topics they avoided. It sometimes resulted in uncomfortable silences, Harry agreed that it was better this way.

"I wonder who else from our year is going back to school." Ron said, changing the topic. "I know Neville decided to do the auror training. And Seamus isn’t going back either, he said something about opening some pub in Diagon."

"I think I heard Dean was going back."

"Oh yeah I heard that too. And Padma and Parvati. I don’t know about anyone else though."

"Me neither. I only know that most of the Slytherins aren’t returning, a lot of them got house arrests with their parents and stuff like that."

"Malfoy?"

"House arrest, in France. But I think he will be taking NEWTs."

"He deserves to rot in Azkaban with his father" Ron scowled.

"He isn’t that bad. I mean he did save my life once" Harry said, though he didn’t sound too sure about it. He might not have despised him as much as he did before, but it was still Malfoy.

"Yeah, and then you saved his, so don’t get any funny ideas of owing him or anything" Ron told him, making Harry grin, Ron knew him more than anyone else. He did feel like he owed Malfoy, a bit at least, but he guessed that speaking in his favour at the trials made them equal.

"Alright" Harry laughed. He vanished the empty pizza boxes, and stood up, yawning. "I’m tired, let’s pack it in for the day."

"I second that" Ron stood up as well, and the two friends made their way upstairs to their bedrooms, Ron in one of the guest ones, Harry sleeping in Sirius’s old room.

Days passed, Harry visited Kingsley once again, then spent another day reading before eventually deciding on Curse-breaking, which seemed ideal for him except for one small thing: he needed an Exceeds Expectations in Potions. Which was impossible to say the least with his skill and knowledge. So he went to the Ministry again, and consulted with several people before agreeing to let them find him a tutor.

He ended up spending a week doing whatever he wanted, before he got any news on the matter. He visited Ron and George; he went to Muggle London; he started repainting Sirius’s old motorbike that Arthur fixed for him, leaving the finishing touches for Harry. He also sat around at home, waiting for Ginny’s face to appear in the fireplace, so she could tell him about school, and he could tell her how much he missed her. He also thought about who will be chosen as his tutor. Was it going to be some weird old Potions master like Slughorn or someone distant and cold, but really talented and intelligent like Snape, or maybe just someone of his age, who was better at the subject than him? The Ministry owl arrived on Friday, with the name and address of his tutor. But something was wrong, the address was somewhere in France. And the name was Draco Lucius Malfoy.

"Are you kidding me? Malfoy?"  Ron asked horrified, when he read through the letter Harry shoved into his face as soon as he got home that evening. "Don’t tell me there isn’t anyone else in the whole wizarding world who could help you in Potions. Why did they have to choose that git?"

"I have no idea" Harry sighed. "But it’s not just that. Why France? Why can’t it be someone here in London? I don’t speak French, I don’t know anyone there, it just doesn’t make any sense."

"Can’t you ask the Ministry to find you someone else?"

"Already tried. But apparently Malfoy is the best solution, as we know each other, and we would both benefit from it."

"Both benefit from it?! How would you both benefit from it? What would Malfoy benefit from it? You are lucky to actually learn something if you don’t get killed, but how can he benefit from it?"

"Search me" Harry rolled his eyes.

"When are you leaving?"

"I have a Portkey for next Wednesday."

"Wednesday? But that’s less than a week!"

"I know, but I guess I’ll just have to do it, no matter what."

"This sucks, mate."

"I know. If I don’t get an O after this, I swear I’ll be using some Unforgivables on some people."

The next few days passed quickly, way too quickly in Harry’s opinion, and soon he found himself at the Ministry, looking at the corkscrew on the table, his belongings in his pocket, all shrunken.

"Here goes nothing" he muttered, before taking hold of the charmed corkscrew, and letting it transport him in only a few seconds to his destination: a little French town.

From what he saw on his walk to the Malfoys’ place (Kingsley thought it would be safer for him to arrive outside the town for whatever reason), he thought it could have been England, the small cottages were no different from those they had back there. The one Malfoy and Narcissa were living in was just like the others, a simple Muggle house. The Ministry told him that he would be staying there in a spare bedroom made for him with the help of the expansion charm, until he mastered the needed level of potionmaking, practising in Malfoy's lab. Apart from this, all he knew was that Narcissa had a Muggle job helping out at a clothes shop in the town, and Draco also worked a bit from home, neither of them allowed to leave the boundaries the Ministry had set, and neither of them possessing a wand.

Narcissa greeted him when he arrived, looking as pale and tired as ever, and much to Harry’s surprise wearing a simple blouse and jeans, something he never thought he’d see her in. She showed him around the house before retreating to the living room where she was sorting through some papers, telling him that Malfoy was in his room, and that he should make himself comfortable in the his bedroom. Harry thanked her, and did as she suggested, unpacking, and quickly Flooing Ron and Ginny before lying down, hoping for a decent night’s sleep, not only so he would have all the energy he needed for next day to face Malfoy, but because he would have felt extremely embarrassed if he had woken up screaming from his nightmares like he did sometimes. Then again, a simple muffliato charm should do for the latter.

Next day he woke up feeling surprisingly fresh and well-rested, that didn't mean he was ready to study Potions. With Malfoy. In France. When he could have been at home, spending time with his friends, or just enjoying his freedom.

But then he reminded himself he needed this to get the job he wanted, so gritting his teeth, he headed downstairs to where Narcissa said the lab was, where his old nemesis was already waiting for him.

"Malfoy" he greeted him, sitting down at the table looking around. The walls were filled with shelves of books and tiny bottles, each of them full of liquids of different colours, labelled neatly. The work space however, was empty except for two cauldrons and a copy of a simple Potions schoolbook. Harry's eyes shifted towards Malfoy, who looked pretty much the same as he did the last time Harry saw him, apart from his white-blonde hair being longer, the strands escaping his elegant hair. He also seemed much thinner, Harry noticed, he must have lost at least 20 pounds, it made the boy's features much sharper and angled than they were before.

"Potter." he nodded, restraining himself from scowling, sitting down opposite to Harry. "So, I’ve heard the Chosen One may not be as perfect as everyone thought so. Problems with Potions? Seriously?"

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry snapped. He wasn’t expecting any different, but it still angered him that the other boy was already getting under his skin.

"Whatever, Potter." Malfoy shrugged. "But then don’t expect to get anything better than a D." He smirked.

"Fine." Harry said angrily.  "Just shut up about other things and let’s get on with it.  I get it, I won’t pass the stupid exam without the help of perfect Draco Malfoy, who is the best Ministry-recommended tutor in the whole Wizarding world, but we’d make better progress if you actually started explaining things" he snarled.

For a moment Harry thought this would be the end, and Malfoy would stalk out, but after glaring at each other, the blonde broke the eye contact and opened the course book without any further ado, and started explaining everything, starting from the very basics. Harry soon found, that even though he would never admit it to anyone else, Malfoy was a good teacher. He cleared up some things Harry previously didn't understand; and apart from the snarky comments, he was almost patient. Well he did snap and start shouting and swearing when Harry messed up a potion even after trying several times, but still. He was way better than what Harry had expected.

Soon they developed a daily routine which consisted of going down to have breakfast on their own, avoiding each other; having a short, theoretical lesson in the morning; having lunch on their own; a longer practical lesson in the afternoon; spending time on their own; then having dinner on their own, except for when Narcissa insisted that they should sit together, which usually resulted in glares and uncomfortable silences.

But Harry was definitely improving at potions, and after all, that was what mattered. As two weeks passed, and October was drawing nearer, Harry found himself tired of arguing with Malfoy, and the other boy must have felt the same way, because all of a sudden the nasty remarks were gone, and they were actually capable of spending time in one room without wanting to kill one another. This definitely was an improvement. Malfoy would actually compliment him if he did something right, and Harry would smile at him. They didn’t try so hard to avoid each other in the time between the lessons, but actually greeted each other, and sometimes even stopped to have short conversations. Nothing too serious or deep, only little things, but this was already much better, Harry realised that Malfoy’s company was actually quite alright sometimes, now that they weren’t constantly arguing.

Weeks passed, and Harry was getting used to living there, and as now he felt more comfortable around the Malfoys, he decided it was time to change some things. He started going for walks around the town and the countryside. He spent a bit more time with Malfoy, they stayed in the lab every so often after the lessons and just talked. One evening Harry even asked Narcissa if he could cook something. They have been eating takeaway pretty much everyday, and Harry didn’t mind it, but after over a month, he had to admit it, it was getting a little repeatable, and he was craving a home-made meal.

Narcissa was surprised, but happy to let Harry work in the kitchen, so after making a quick supply run to the shop around the corner to get all the ingredients he needed for the curry, his favourite dish, he occupied the kitchen.

As he started heating the oil and chopping up the onions, the unmistakable smell of cooking filled his nose, he realised how much he missed it. Cooking was one of those things the Dursleys made him do, but he didn’t really mind it when he was making food for himself or his friends, and after seven years at Hogwarts without cooking, he enjoyed experimenting with all kinds of recipes that he learned from Muggle cook books.

He had started dicing the meat when he grew aware of someone watching him. As he looked up, he saw Malfoy standing in the doorway, watching him.

"You know, it’s not too polite to stare" he said, smirking at the boy. "And do try to be more secretive if you want to look at me." He added, grinning as he saw Malfoy blush, which was definitely something he hadn’t expected to see. Ever. But now that he did, he couldn't stop laughing, making the blonde boy blush even harder, his normally pale face was a deep shade of red. "You should see your face now!" he choked out, holding onto the counter as he tried to calm down, suppressing the laughter that was bubbling in his stomach. Malfoy just stood by the door, glaring at him, his face still flushed. "I’m just messing with you, no need to plan my death" he said with a shy grin as he finally stopped laughing, and went back to chopping the meat, but still keeping one eye on the other boy.

"I wasn’t. I never did. Plan your death, I mean." Malfoy said quietly. Harry looked up and saw that the boy's face was serious. Harry swallowed thickly and nodded, not knowing what to say, so he just kept staring at him, green eyes locked onto the pair of grey ones.

"So, do you want me to show you how to cook?" Harry broke the silence, moving to one side so Malfoy had his space at the counter, offering the boy a little smile. The blonde boy hesitated, running one hand through his hair, and chewing on his bottom lip, which caught Harry’s attention for some reason, he couldn’t explain, he looked away embarrassed, afraid of being caught staring. Malfoy made his way over to the counter. Harry carried on cutting up the meat, giving the other boy smaller tasks, explaining why he did things the way he did, and within half an hour the spicy scent of the simmering curry was filling the room. After tidying up, Harry sat down on one of the chairs, fanning himself with a piece of newspaper that was laying on the dining table, his gaze fluttering to the other boy, who was pouring himself a glass of water, before leaning back onto the counter, flushed, but this time from the heat of the cooking, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, his hair messy and curly from the vapour, making the lines of his face look softer. Harry didn't even know why he thought of that, shaking his head, he stood up, and started setting the table.

"So where did you learn how to cook?" Malfoy asked him, his tone genuinely curious, something Harry still wasn’t completely used to.

"The Dursleys, you know, my foster parents made me cook for them, so I had to, but I actually always enjoyed it a bit." He shrugged.

"They made you cook for them?" Malfoy asked, sounding horrified.

"That wasn’t the worst part. I had to do all the cleaning too, I could never go anywhere. I had to pretend that I didn’t exist whenever they had guests over, and I lived in the broom closet until I was eleven."

"You lived in the broom closet?!" The blonde boy echoed, his voice raised. Harry nodded.  "That’s even worse than how we used to treat our house-elves. At least they had proper bedrooms."

Harry just shrugged again, and went to serve the dinner without a word, he didn’t understand why Malfoy was so shocked by how the Dursleys have treated him, or why he cared at all. Dinner passed quietly, apart from Narcissa complimenting Harry on the curry, but otherwise they ate in a silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, it was just strange. He noticed Malfoy looking at him few times, but he always looked away when Harry caught him staring. When they finished eating, Harry did the washing up by magic, not wanting to spend the rest of the evening scrubbing pans, something Draco watched almost in awe, telling Harry his wand was taken by the Ministry, and how he missed using magic, how strange doing everything manually was.

They carried on talking, and walked up the stairs together, but when they stopped on the landing, instead of parting ways, Malfoy asked Harry whether he could explain Muggle technology to him, and Harry was happy to do that, so he followed the other boy into his bedroom. He was surprised to see that the room wasn’t much different from the one he was staying in, except for having more books and other bits of things. But the walls were plain white, the bed wasn’t the posh four-poster he was expecting, and wasn’t covered in Slytherin green sheets with silver lining. It was just a simple bedroom.

"What were you expecting, Potter?" Draco smirked, and Harry realised he must have been staring in shock.  "This isn’t Malfoy Manor."

"I don’t know. I just thought it would be more like you."

"More like me? And what’s that like?"

"Well definitely not this" Harry said, gesturing around the room.

"Oh and you know me so well that you are positive that I loved Malfoy Manor and now couldn’t stand living somewhere that wasn’t green and grey and silver and black and full of snake-patterns" Draco snorted.

"That’s not what I… oh never mind" Harry rolled his eyes, already feeling irritated with Malfoy, but also himself for thinking that they could actually spend time together properly, without things like this. He was on the verge of walking back to his own bedroom, when he noticed that Malfoy wasn’t glaring at him, he was smirking. Harry sighed, and flopped down onto the bed next to the boy, and started telling him how toasters and TVs and computers worked. He actually enjoyed it more than he thought he would, and he was surprised to see that Malfoy wasn’t being difficult, but genuinely curious and interested, and would listen to Harry’s explanations without interrupting, only showering him with questions afterwards, a fascinated smile spreading over his face, Harry thought that Malfoy was much nicer this way, smiling, friendly, patient and interested in almost a childlike way.

They made this a regular thing, often making breakfast or dinner together, and spending hours before going to sleep talking about Muggle things, and sometimes bringing up other topics as well, and Harry realised he was starting to enjoy Malfoy’s company.

Harry was also improving in Potions, he was now able to make quite a lot of decent ones, and Malfoy was almost proud of him. However then he accidentally burned the cauldron down, causing the blonde boy to give him silent treatment and avoid him after yelling at him about being irresponsible and hopeless.

But after a day of ignoring each other they called truce, and went back to doing things together. This was when Harry realised actually how much time they spent together, and how he talked to Ron or Hermione and Ginny less and less, calling the girls late that evening, feeling guilty. Hermione told him about the lessons, and asked him questions about potions, she was happy with his progress, reminding him again how important it was, and that he needed to carry on. She then left Harry to talk to Ginny privately. They talked about school mostly, and how they missed each other, and how Harry had to go home for Christmas, because Ginny couldn’t go any longer without talking to him properly, face to face, or kissing him, or touching him, and before saying goodbye, Ginny pulled her shirt up, teasing Harry, saying all kinds of dirty words she could think of, leaving the boy with a hard-on. He was too embarrassed to wank, being separated from Malfoy by only one thin wall.

He kept thinking about Ginny, even though he didn’t call her for some time, thinking how things would be when they both got back home. Will they get married straight away? Will they have kids? And if yes, how many? He missed her, a lot, but he had to admit, these thoughts were scaring him slightly. He knew Ron and Hermione were planning on getting married and moving in together when Hermione graduated, but Harry wasn’t sure if he could imagine himself settling down already and becoming a father.

In the end he found himself in the lab, as he did quite often for some time now, deciding it was the best time to practice, trying to make some dreamless sleep for himself, but failing, which meant he could only hope for a decent night’s sleep without nightmares, even though he knew it was unlikely.

He did seem to have less nightmares than before, but now when he did, they were the worst ever, and he would wake up screaming, and couldn’t go back to sleep properly afterwards, and would be stressed and irritable all day. He just really hoped Malfoy never heard him screaming, embarrassed even by the thought of it. One night he felt two unfamiliar firm hands shaking him awake, and a voice, unsure yet steady telling him to breathe, and how it only had been a dream, and finally when Harry was calm enough, handing him a vial of dreamless sleep, he thought he never could have been more thankful, even though he was indeed extremely embarrassed.

Malfoy gave him dreamless sleep and that was all that mattered, because he slept until 1 PM next day, and when he woke up, he feels much better than other mornings, except for the sadness and anger that lingered from the nightmare, but he was used to that. He didn’t even want to get up from bed, he wanted to just stay there and disappear, somehow slip into nonexistence. It was mostly on the days after his nightmares, but sometimes even on just ordinary days, that he thought of what it would have been like to stay dead. He knew some people would have missed him, but with the Horcrux in him destroyed, the world didn’t need him anymore. And it wasn’t bad, it didn’t hurt at all, Sirius had been right, he didn’t feel anything. It didn’t really feel like being dead. It didn’t feel like anything to be honest. But he came back, even though he wasn’t sure he should have.

He decided to go and tell Malfoy that he wasn’t in the mood to study, but he didn’t find the boy in his bedroom or the lab or anywhere else. Or at least anywhere he was expecting to find him, he realised why as he entered the kitchen, there stood Malfoy he was cooking something by the stove, it smelt amazing. The smell of cinnamon mixed with apples and something sweet filled Harry's nose.

"Hi." he said quietly, stopping in the doorway.

"Hey," Malfoy looked up to greet him. "You look like shit" he informed him. Harry snorted. He didn’t need Malfoy to tell him that. He felt like shit.  "I’m making you food. Sit."

"What?  Harry looked up at him, shocked, unsure if he heard him right. Malfoy was making him breakfast. Malfoy. For him. How did this even happen? And why?

"Can’t you ever do just one thing you’re asked for?" The blonde boy asked, rolling his eyes. "Are you really that much of a rebel?" He asked, as he watched Harry sit down, still dazed, he smiled. His voice was softer than the usual, and Harry couldn't understand why. He continued to stare at the blonde boy in complete shock, until the latter lets out a soft chuckle, and told him to stop staring at him with his mouth open. Harry felt his cheeks grow warm in embarrassment, and he mumbled something Malfoy couldn't quite make sense of. Harry dropped his gaze to the table, and toyed with the spoon. He runhis hand through his hair which was messier than usual, he didn’t even try to comb it as he was planning to go back to bed. He felt Malfoy's eyes on him. Harry turned his head to meet the blonde boy's gaze just as Malfoy turned away.

Malfoy sat down opposite to Harry, handing him his breakfast and a cup of coffee, he himself only drinking tea.

They sat in silence, the blonde watching Harry eat.

"We don’t have to study today" he said, breaking the silence. Harry just nodded, still confused by the boy’s kindness, and carried on eating.  As he finished, he watched Malfoy sipping his tea, gazing out of the window. He looked different, Harry thought, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on the difference, the only thing he noticed was that his hair was messier than usual. That couldn’t have made such a big difference, it was more than that. It was something about his whole face, all of his features. But mostly his eyes. His eyes were definitely different, no longer cold and distant, but almost soft. Harry watched his eyes fixed on the garden outside, the shape of the window reflected in the sliver greyness. The practically white eyelashes around his eyes. His pale, porcelain-like skin. The pointiness of his nose. The pinkness of his lips, that for once weren’t frowning. His perfect jawline. The way his shoulder length hair fell onto his shoulders. Harry thought he was beautiful. He felt weird had just thought that, but as he continued to look at the boy, he couldn’t help but admit it. He also couldn't help but notice how his heart was hammering in his chest. He tore his gaze away from the boy and looked back down at the table. What was wrong with him? Why was he finding Malfoy attractive? He swallowed hard, allowing himself another glance at the boy. He noticed the longing in his eyes, the sadness on his face, and he realised, Malfoy must be missing being outdoors. Of course he must miss being outside! He had been in the house arrest for over a year.

Harry couldn't stop thinking how terrible it must be, not being able to go out, and within a minute the idea pops in his mind. He stood up abruptly and told Malfoy he’d be back in a sec. He rushed up to the bedroom and called Kingsley on the Floo, begging him to allow Malfoy leave the house with him, explaining what a great teacher he was, and telling the Minister that he trusted him. He didn’t actually realise all of this before he said it out loud, but it was true. He trusted Malfoy, especially after he gave Harry dreamless sleep and made him breakfast. He deserved something good. Harry was really pleased with himself when Kingsley permitted him to open the doors and go somewhere with Malfoy. He had to make him a promise that he’d look out for the blonde and would be careful, which Harry promised he would. He quickly packed few things and rushed back down to the kitchen.

Malfoy looked up startled as Harry re-entered the kitchen, his expression soon turning to shock, as Harry told him to get up because they were going out.

"What do you mean ‘out’?" He asked, looking at Harry in confusion.

"I talked to Kingsley" Harry shrugged, as if it was nothing, already making his way to the door, unlocking it, and casting several counter spells that would let Draco out as well. The blonde boy followed him, still shocked and surprised, but as he stepped outside and inhaled the fresh air and felt the breeze tug at his hair, he just closed his eyes and let a smile spread across his face. Gosh, how he had missed this. Harry stood looking at him, smiling, thinking how gorgeous Malfoy looked with the strands of blonde hair flowing around his face. No. He wasn’t gorgeous, Harry thought, feeling angry with himself, feeling like his thoughts were betraying him.

"There’s a beach a few miles from here" Draco spoke up.

"Are you suggesting we go there?" Harry asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"thought that was obvious" Draco smirked, and Harry grinned at him as they set off. They walked in silence, until Draco spoke again.  "Thanks. For taking me out." He said quietly. Harry looked up at him.  "And everything" the boy carried on.  "Testifying for my mother. Saving my life in that room."

Harry didn’t say anything for a few moments. The situation was so strange, Malfoy sounded so honest and so vulnerable, and he just didn’t quite know what to say.

"I did what I thought had to be done." He said in the end.  "And… I never thought you deserved Azkaban." He added after a pause, avoiding Malfoy’s eyes. "You saved me too, at the Manor."

"I should have done more" the blonde boy whispered.  "I was a coward. I still am. I should have helped." The words spilled out of Draco, no louder than the wind whistling in their ears, and if Harry hadn’t seen his lips moving, he wouldn’t have believed that he heard what he heard. He watched the boy’s face, noticing the way his eyes were shining, tears flooding them. "I deserved all they planned for me at the trial. You should have left me there, but I guess you can’t stop yourself from saving people’s lives, even if you hate them." He said, a sad smile on his face, Harry found it heart wrenching. He swallowed thickly, once again lost for words. He wanted to tell him that it wasn’t true, that he didn’t deserve to be punished, that he didn’t hate him. He wanted to squeeze his hand and tell him it was okay. But he didn’t, instead he kept quiet, and carried on walking.

Neither of them said anything on the rest of the way to the beach. It was quite a long walk, they both stopped to catch their breaths as they arrived at the end of the cliff from where the carved steps led down to the beach. Harry had been going out for strolls around the area, but he felt a little exhausted after the walk, and Draco, who had been indoors for ages was clutching his side, but it was definitely worth it.

The view was beautiful, the sun was just starting to set, tainting the sky pink and orange, the warm light reflecting on the surface of the water, the white cliffs and the pale sand on the shore making the picture perfect. It was breezy, but not too much, just enough to ripple the surface of the ocean and to catch in their hair.

They made their way down to the beach, Harry spread out the blankets he brought with him, before sitting down, Malfoy following him, they sat down, watching the sky together.

"I miss Sirius." Harry suddenly blurted out, not even knowing why he said it, regretting it immediately.

"Your godfather?" Malfoy asked, not looking at him, messing around with a stick he found in the sand. Harry nodded, and lied back on the blanket.

"He and Remus were the only people who made me feel like-" He took sharp intake of breath. "-like I still had a piece of my parents with me" he sighed. He didn’t know why he was telling Malfoy this, but he couldn't stop himself. As the blonde boy seemed genuinely curious, Harry carried on talking, telling him about third year, how he met Sirius, and about Peter Pettigrew, and the Marauders Map, and about the Order of the Phoenix, and everything Sirius told him about his parents. Malfoy listened intensely, asking questions every so often, being very careful not to cross the boundaries.

"I’m sorry they aren’t around anymore." Malfoy simply said when Harry stopped talking. He tilted his head to the side, looking at Malfoy’s face, studying his expression, but he couldn't see anything except for honesty and sadness, and something slightly even like an affection. He felt like crying, but he didn't want to cry in front of the other boy. He knew he should feel angry, after all if Malfoy hadn’t let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, if his father hadn’t been there at the Department of Mysteries, Sirius and Remus could still be have been alive, but that’s too many ‘if’s. Harry thought of asking Malfoy what his intentions actually were, or something, but he chose to keep silent.

"I’m going swimming" he announced after laying around for a while, he stood up, already taking his shirt off.

"Are you crazy? It must be minus twenty down there°C!" Draco exclaimed, sitting up.

"Yeah, sure, minus two hundred." Harry chuckled. "Chill Malfoy ." Harry rolled his eyes, shucking his jeans as well, making his way to the water, ignoring the feeling of the other boy’s eyes on him.

"Come back here you prat, I don't fancy being framed for your death. It’s dark and it’s cold and you will drown. We can come back here tomorrow and then you can do whatever you want." Malfoy called after him, making Harry laugh.

"If you are so worried about me, come with me" he snorted, stepping into the water, leaning down and splashing it over his body, before carrying on walking deeper into the water. He was in knee-deep when Malfoy caught up with him, stopping at the side of the water. Harry went in even deeper, looking back and shooting a grin at Malfoy. "You better take that shirt off if you want to rescue me when I drown."

The blonde boy just stood there shaking his head as Harry carried on, the water was now up to his shoulders. He couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the fully clothed Malfoy standing on the beach, and suddenly an idea crossed his mind. What if he faked drowning? Would Malfoy really rush to rescue him? He grinned in anticipation, before going in a bit deeper, and pretending to drown, yelling for help, and sure enough, the blonde was there beside him within seconds, his hands around Harry’s waist.

"You idiot" Malfoy said angrily, letting go of Harry when the brunette burst out laughing.

"And you said I’m the one with a saving people's lives-problem." Harry choked out, still shaking from laughter, clutching his stomach with his arms.

"You’re such an imbecile! We could have both lost our footing! I thought you were really drowning." he sneered, and splashed Harry with water. The other boy splashed him back immediately, still laughing, and soon enough Draco was laughing too. They were splashing each other madly, trying to get away from one another, making their way to the beach.

"Scared?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as they reached the dry land, still breathless from laughing, clutching each other.

"You wish."  Draco smirked, and chased Harry back to the blankets, ending up on top of Harry, kneeling between the boy’s legs, holding his hands down above his head. "Feeling defeated, Potter? Did I just defeat the Great Harry Potter?

"As if I’d let you." Harry said, wrapping his legs around Malfoy's waist. He knocked the boy over, straddling him, with a triumphant grin, which died down as soon as their eyes met. Until now, Harry didn’t quite realise how close they were, only a few inches between their faces. He was starting to feel uncomfortable, and dropped his gaze, but if anything, this made things worse, as he found himself staring at Malfoy’s chest, his white shirt sticking to his body, the wetness making it almost see-through, the boy’s lean muscles and his hardened nipples visible to Harry, making him blush. What was wrong with him? It was the third time that day that he found the boy extremely attractive.

"Potter…" Malfoy spoke up, sounding a little embarrassed, as he shifted underneath him. Harry didn't get it for a moment, but then he realises he had an unmistakable hardness in his pants, and it was pressing right into the blonde boy’s thigh.

"Shit, I’m sorry, I just…" he stammered, as he stood up as fast as he could.

"Stop, it’s okay. It’s a normal reaction, I guess, I mean you’ve been away from your girlfriend, and…" Malfoy trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, avoiding looking at Harry, who was also avoiding looking anywhere near the other boy.  "Let’s go home. Or do you want me to go and you can just stay here, think of your lovely girlfriend, jerk off, and meet me back at the house" Draco said, picking their stuff up, his words making Harry blush even harder.

"I’m… I’ll be alright" Harry managed to say. Malfoy snorts.

"For Merlin’s sake, just stay here, and follow me back when you-" "fuck, just take care of yourself, Potter!" With that said, Malfoy was already turning his back to Harry.

"You are wet. You’ll catch a cold." Harry said desperately, not wanting to make this situation any awkward, which he probably was doing anyway.

"Well then cast a drying charm on me, will you?!" Malfoy looked angry. Why was he like that? He was sneering at Harry, Harry felt like they were back at Hogwarts and Malfoy was about to make one of his snarky comments that always boiled Harry's blood. "You are the one with a wand, you arse!" He rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed huff. "if you are so concerned about my health then do it." he snapped, and Harry obeyed. As soon as he did, the blonde haired boy turned around and left in a rush without saying another word. What was wrong with him? Why did he get so pricky about all of this?!

He left Harry there on the beach. On his own. With a bulge in his pants. Still painfully pressing to his trousers.

He tried to think of Ginny, he really did, but he couldn’t help it, his thoughts drifted back to earlier that day, Malfoy’s hair flowing in the breeze, and Harry remembered how much he wanted to run his hands through it. The closeness of the boy made his body shiver, his angular face, his soft silver eyes, his flat yet arousing chest… oh Merlin, he felt like he could melt away just thinking of him, however weird it is, and however guilty he felt about not thinking of Ginny. What the fresh hell?! Malfoy was a boy! Harry wasn't gay for crying out loud! How the hell was he getting of to the thoughts of Malfoy?

The next few days passed in their usual routine, making breakfast together, Potions theory, having lunch together, brewing, making dinner together, and talking about Muggle things until it’s time for bed. Neither of them mentioned the day at the beach, and Harry was thankful for that, but he couldn’t stop thinking back to that very day, and what it felt like to be that close to Malfoy. He kept thinking back, and would often get distracted from doing whatever he was just by looking at Malfoy, or listening the way he talked about Potions, with such enthusiasm, or the excitement on his face when he showed Harry a book on Muggle things and told him how he finally understood how something worked, and it dawned on him, that he was growing more and more attracted to him.

It wasn’t just his looks that made Harry want to press the other boy to the wall and snog him senseless, though he didn’t even try to deny how his soft platinum hair and silver eyes drove him crazy, but it was his whole personality. The way he was nice to Harry now, always, but still kept teasing him, and Harry would tease back, and sometimes it occurred him that it felt almost like they were flirting or something. Or how patient and serious he could be as a teacher. Or how clever and intelligent he was, almost like Hermione, but in a different way. Or how he enjoyed just small things, like walking out into the garden when the sun was shining, or finding a new book among his mother’s belongings that he could read, or a nice meal they made together. How honest he could be sometimes. How passionate he would get if he was talking about something that was important to him. How similar his sense of humour was to Harry’s. He felt like they could be friends, like actual friends, who would stay in contact and have fun together even when they weren’t locked up in a small cottage in France together to study Potions. But real friends. And maybe even more, because Harry wanted to touch him again, to feel his soft skin, or his silky looking hair. Malfoy was driving Harry crazy, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

After another week or so Draco told him that he was doing well enough to pass his NEWTs easily, and they decided to go down to the beach once again, before Christmas. They spent the whole day there, taking a basket of food, they swam, but only a bit because the water was much colder by now, they talked and laughed and talked even more, about school, about their childhoods, about Quidditch, anything they thought of. Harry couldn't imagine his life without the blonde boy by now. He thought of how hard it will be for him to leave this bastard. How hard will it be to say goodbye to all their memories. Forget about all that they have accomplished and of course, about the whole attraction thing. Harry didn't even know if maybe he allowed himself do what his mind, and other parts of his body, told him to do, then would he discover something about himself. He found his mind drifting off to this idea while he stared at the blonde looking up to the sky.

As the sky grew darker, covered in thousands of sparkling spots, bright and shining like diamonds, scattered all over the sheet of the night, they lay back on their blankets, and Malfoy started to point the constellations out to Harry, saving his favourite one, his own one, the dragon for last. His voice proud as he told the boy next to him which one it was, which Harry found adorable, and returned the boy’s smirk with a grin of his own. Their eyes met for longer than they have ever held each other's gaze. It was like looking at the other's soul through them, finally seeing the real version of the person they never got the chance to get to know better. Harry wanted to kiss Malfoy. He wanted to throw his arms around the boy and press their lips together. He didn't. Whether it was because he was scared of what would happen if he did or he was scared of what he would become if he made this move. Harry turned his face towards the ground. The moment was ruined.

Sometime after staying quiet for a while, they started to talk about more serious things, and Malfoy told Harry how he didn’t want to kill Dumbledore, and how he only realised then that his parents were wrong, and how all he wanted before was to make his father proud. How he did everything afterwards just so Voldemort wouldn’t kill his parents. How terrible it was to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, but how he had no other choice if he wanted his parents to live. What it was like to live at Malfoy Manor with the Dark Lord. How he wanted to just apparate somewhere where no one knew him and there were no expectations he had to live up to, no war, no pain, no suffering. How he felt like a coward but still didn’t do anything.

Harry saw the tears shining on Malfoy's cheeks, in the moonlight, as he got to the end of his story, and without thinking, he wrapped his arm around the boy, pulling him close to himself. Malfoy instantly pulled back as if Harry's touch burned him. He mumbled something about not wanting to be pitied and knowing that he was a coward and a bad person but he wanted to change, and Harry didn’t know what to say, so he just sat there beside him.

Later they lay down on their blankets, and fell asleep next to each other under the starry sky.

When Harry woke up, to the first rays of sunshine stroking his skin, he found himself wrapped around Malfoy's arms, their bodies pressed together. He stayed in those arms for a while, enjoying the warmth that came from Draco's, not Malfoy's, body. Oh how much he wanted to stay here forever and just breath this air, go for long walks, talk to Draco, discover himself, get away from all the stress that England and people there caused him. But he couldn't do it. He felt too obligated to be the man everyone expected him to be. He couldn't just disappear and stay here with the blonde. It would be mad. Besides, he had his friends in England, his girlfriend, probably soon to be wife. He wanted to have a family and a job that he enjoyed, the job that would make him feel more human than just the Savour of Wizarding World. He had to go back home, no matter how much his heart was begging him to stay here and try losing himself in the unknown, something that didn't feel quite possible and normal, in something that was as exciting as scary. Just trying to be happy without all the shit that was going to await for him in London. Harry got up from under the blanket and Draco's arms carefully, making sure he wouldn’t wake the other boy up. He conjured a piece of parchment and a quill, with a deep sigh he started writing a letter. He knew he wasn’t the best with words, especially when they were goodbyes, and writing it all down helped, he could say all the things he could never say face to face. He could thank Draco and promise him he’d talk to Kingsley and find a way for him to come back to England. At least that's what Harry wanted. If he couldn't stay here he wanted to hold on to this unexpected friendship in any way he could. He wrote how he’d wait for Draco, and would want to see him, when he did come back to WIzarding World where Harry would be. Harry realised how much he's going to miss Draco, his smile, his snaky comments, the lessons with him, their midnight or morning walks to the beach, their inside jokes, their conversations, Draco's eyes that at some point became everything Harry could think of, just Draco Malfoy in general, still the same git, but trying to become better.

Harry rolled up his blanket and put it back into the basket along with all of the other scattered bits, and put the letter on top. He looked down  at the boy below him, and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss onto his cheek, feeling the soft skin underneath his lips and smelling the scent he will never be able to get out of his mind, he didn't realise when a warm tear run down his cheek. He shook himself from the trans he was in. Before he got up to his feet and head back to Malfoy's house and then the town to take his Portkey back to London, he took one last look at Draco sleeping peacefully on the beach, Harry once again couldn't breath. If he never again got the chance to see this idiot, he didn't know if he would ever feel understood and complete as much as he did in Draco's presence. He could only hope for the best.

////////////////

Read Chapter Two HERE

[buffpidgey]

Au: Trisha Elric was the older sister of Petunia and Lily Evans, and as such when Lily dies Harry is sent to Amestris to live with the Elrics instead of to the Dursleys, as Trisha is a far more suitable parent and also it's far enough away to offer extra protection to Harry.

Ohhhhh… forget 5… this looks more like…. 10…………  oh no it got long…

1: When Harry arrives on their doorstep, Van is a little terrified. He’s barely gotten used to the idea of having one baby, but to suddenly have an entire one year old right here? But he keeps it together for Trisha, whose in her fifth month AND who just lost her sister.

She can’t travel all that way for the funeral, especially since she IS Lilly Potter’s Sister and the war isn’t quite done. She wears black mourning bands on her arms for the next three months though, and sends a letter to Petunia. Petunia doesn’t write back.

2: Harry’s accidental magic is another shock to Van, who sees it first. He frets for three months that he’s somehow contaminating the children, until Harry floats a cookie across the kitchen and Trisha laughs; she remembers this from when Lily was little. 

3: Van still leaves and Trisha still dies. Harry is convinced that he’s Bad Luck - after all, he’s killed TWO sets of parents now - so when Hagrid comes to collect him, he gladly goes.

Ed isn’t as mad at Harry as he is at Hohenheim, and he knows that Harry isn’t as good at alchemy as he and Al are, but he thinks it’s very stupid to assume that /Harry/ is the reason Mom died. After all, Harry is Good! If Harry is Good, he can’t have done something like drive away parents. After Ed and Al get lessons from Izumi he’s largely over it.

4: Harry is a little more used to being recognized (he grew up in a small town after all, of course people know him…) and he has a vague idea of what happened to his parents. Trisha explained a bit about the war and who his parents were, but not why they were so important. She was saving that for when he was older.

Harry grew up knowing his parents were heroes for fighting back against the bad man who came to attack him, but he wasn’t expecting them to be NATIONAL heroes.

Harry sends back lots of letters to his family - Ed and Al and Winry and Granny about his new friends - Ron and Hermione. Ron is really friendly and knows a lot about wizard stuff, and is as good at chess as Al! Hermione knows a lot too, and she would probably love talking about alchemy too!

(Harry befriends her really quickly because her attitude towards magic reminds Harry a lot of Ed and Al’s hunger for knowledge)

Some people are kind of nasty about him having an accent (Malfoy. It’s Malfoy who’s nasty), but mostly the first year is really cool.

He gets worried when the letters from Ed and Al stop coming back, but then Winry tells him it’s because they found a teacher themselves!

5: Harry talks a little bit about what happens with the Stone, but doesn’t talk about how it burned when he touched Quirrel, or how long he spent in the Hospital Wing.

6: In second year, Ed and Al send Harry a breathless excited letter when they get back from Izumi’s. Then Harry hears nothing at all for weeks, even from the Rockbells. He’s so scared. Not only has something happened to his family, something is happening in Hogwarts.

He gets a letter back from Granny saying that Ed and Al had an accident, but are recovering. After that, there’s too much going on for Harry to write back.

7: He kills the basalisk, the basalisk almost kills him. He goes back home to discover what happened.

Harry really does feel like he is cursed. First, his parents. Then his aunt and uncle, now his cousins have been seriously hurt.

He knows what they did was wrong, and they knew this would happen. He feels kind of responsible, though, that he wasn’t there to stop them. He knows losing family hurts! They shouldn’t have done this!

He’s also angry that he had to wait till summer to find out this happened. Isn’t he as good as their brother? Isn’t he family too?

8: It takes all summer, but Ed finally admits to Harry that he’s planning on joining the military this year, to help get Al’s body back. They have a screaming row about it, where Harry is basically trying to be The Oldest Brother at the same time as Ed.

The summer before third year doesn’t end as badly as it does in canon, but it’s still bad.

It takes until Winry ties Harry to a tree and locks Ed out of the house (conveniently next to said tree) for them to make up.

(Without two legs or two arms, it’d be hell for Ed to get back to the house… but oh, look, there’s a slipknot in the rope right where Ed can reach it, and if Harry were free he could help…)

(Winry might or might not have been helped by Al.)

They both get a bad case of sunburn, but at least when the grim starts showing up and the dementors raid the train, Harry does write and tell them about it.

9: Ed becomes a state alchemist. He writes to tell Harry, and that makes Harry feel like he needs to step up as a student. (He’s also realized that with Hogwarts’s Library he might be able to help restore Ed and Al!)

Meanwhile, Ed is also trying to balance the desire to help Harry, who is apparently being freaking stalked by specters of despair and also an omen of death while he’s doing Mustang’s chores. Not. Ideal.

Then it turns out there’s also a murderer after his cousin. What the freaking use is being a dog of the military if he can’t even help protect Harry? ????

Mustang does not let Ed travel a few thousand miles to be protection duty to one random civilian.

10: Then it turns out that specter of death dog is actually Harry’s godfather. Who offered Harry a place to live in Britain. Where Harry was born.

Ed visits the Rockbells more often because that’s where Harry sends his litters.

Ed reads all about this letter, and spends like 3 weeks stewing and wondering if Harry is even coming back. Then Mustang says he can’t wait for Harry to come home from school, he has to go back to work so Ed gets to stew LONGER, wondering even MORE about if Harry will come back.

It’s July before Ed manages to get back to Resembool, and he spends the whole train ride back in a brooding nightmare that Harry isn’t at home.

He is though! Surprise!

Winry gives him a knowing look and laughs at him as she steals his arm to give it adjustments.

Over the summer Harry talks with Ed and Al about lycanthropy and they take a research detour into biological alchemy with the addition of some of Harry’s transfiguration texts. They don’t get very far in the few weeks Ed has for leave in Resembool, but he does promise to keep an eye out when he’s in the library.

(It’s during this research that they start to figure that the wizarding philosopher’s stone is different than the alchemic philosopher’s stone. It might be, one could say, a sorcerer’s stone instead.)

11: Harry leaves early to go to the Quidditch World Cup with his friends. It’s great until the terrorists happen.

This year at Hogwarts, Harry applies himself fully to DADA both because he is forced to be in this deadly tournament, and because Ed and Al are out there doing military tasks while he’s at school.

Winry is furious that Harry can’t get out of the Triwizard Tournament, and so is Granny Rockbell, but there’s not much they can do about it. (Dumbledore tries to convince one of the Elrics or one of the Rockbells to show up for the second task, but everyone is way too busy. They do show up for the final task.)

Rita Skeeter makes a hell of an uproar about Harry’s accent in her article and Malfoy gives her some… insights. It’s not great. Harry’s a hot topic, but interestingly with mixed appeal.

Cedric still dies in the final task. Harry is still captured and Voldemort still returns. 

(Winry sees yet another member of her family bleeding and in distress and has nightmares. She pretends she’s just working very hard whenever the boys ask.)

(Harry once again wonders if he’s cursed.)

12: As a gift, Harry convinced Winry to let him send off a few of her tools and little bits and bobs to Sirius, as a gift (because of the motorcycle). That’s the only gift he sends off that summer since everyone is keeping secrets from him, and he’s been having horrible dreams.

He saw Ed and Al for only a few days that summer. Mustang is giving them more work in exchange for more leads. Sure, it’s nice to know that Ed and Al have leads, but he misses his family and it would be really nice to see them and know they’re safe considering how many damn nightmares he’s been having.

(He remembers when they were little, like maybe seven and eight, when he had nightmares about the green light they would all huddle in the same bed and Harry would fall asleep to the sound of soft breathing. And then loud snores.)

He reads the Amestrian papers, and the British papers he has delivered. There’s nothing about Voldemort in the British papers, but in the Amestrian papers, stories start appearing about “The Peoples’ Alchemist” after Ed blows up the office of one particularly corrupt asshole.

The bright spot of Harry’s summer is teasing his cousins about joining him in the ranks of the great and famous.

The dementors don’t show up, but the Ministry still puts Harry on trial. They try him for treason- giving away ministry secrets to a foreign power. After all, he is in constant contact with a high ranking member of the Amestrian military.

Dumbledor sweeps in with Mustang and Ed (Al has elected to remain in Grimmauld Place tyvm) and clears everything up. Ed gets to meet all of Harry’s friends.

Harry had told them Ed was short. They still had been expecting taller.

Ed removes the portrait of Mrs. Black about the same time he accidentally destroyed that wall.

That year at Hogwarts, Harry learns about sabotage, gets tips from Ed who has had some first hand experience at this now, and starts realizing just how screwed both his countries are. (Ed might not have been paying attention to national and international affairs on his journey, but Harry is friends with Hermione and has been reading newspapers all summer.)

umbridge is still a problem, but it doesn’t get to the point where she carves shit into Harry’s hand. More than once.

Harry is still getting weird visions. Mr. Weasly still gets bitten. But Harry works at things besides occlumancy and has mustered a really stellar D.A. this time around, since he has some insight that he didn’t before.

They also practice hand to hand.

Despite this, the bait is set and Harry goes to the Department of Mysteries.

Sirius doesn’t fall through the veil, but he is badly injured. (I’m not sure if he loses a leg or something here. But let’s all take a minute to imagine Sirius making his way in secret to Amestris to convalesce with the Rockbells who know about this sort of thing. Winry offers to make him special automail that can shift between human and dog…)

13: Ed tries to bargain with Winry to not tell Harry about how Scar almost killed him. He doesn’t want to distract Harry! Harry already has someone out there who wants him dead! It’s fine!

Winry gives him the longest, deadest stare.

Ed realizes that this was a very dumb thing to say, especially since last year Harry almost exploded because people weren’t telling him things.

Harry also almost explodes this time, because someone! Is trying! To kill! His family! A G A I N

So when Dumbledore tells him about Hourcruxes Harry immediately puts two and two together (because he grew up with Ed and Al and helLO soulbonded armor?) and realizes that he IS a Hourcrux after a few… delicately worded letters to Ed.

So on both sides of the channel, Ed and Harry are desperate to fly across the continent in order to strangle people they’ve never met. Fun times.

14: Ed gets pulled deeper into this whole homunculus plot, but so much of it is moving so fast he doesn’t have time to write it all down for Harry.

It’s gonna be one fun summer, that’s for sure. Now Harry knows what it feels like to come back and see how much danger his cousin has been thrown into. Oh how the turntables.

15: When Ed vanishes for 4 months while the whole Promised Day bsns goes down, Harry throws himself deep, deep into this Hourcrux hunting thing. Ron and Hermione follow him to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed.

(Ed hates being out of contact with his family. HATES it. Hopes Harry isn’t doing something stupid. Knows that’s exactly what he’s doing, because he, Edward Elric, has been doing the same fucking thing for three years.)

Ed resurfaces, fights Father, and the whole she-bang happens but because Harry is being heavily hunted he doesn’t have any good access to international news. When he does manage to grab a muggle newspaper and reads a report on how a small country to the east between here and russia went up in red light…

Harry does something… inadviseable and mixes magic and alchemy to try and keep Voldemort out of his head. It works, it does, he de-hourcrux’d himself.

Harry is out of comission convalessing for weeks.

They manage to use that mix of alchemy and magic to do away with a few more of the hourcruxes, in a much less dramatic fashion.

After they do away with the rest, after Voldemort is mortal again, Harry does send a letter back home.

He doesn’t want to die, but this plan is so risky, and the prophesy… Harry doesn’t know how to feel about it, but there’s always a chance he’ll die. He is cursed, after all.

Harry agrees to meet Voldemort on the battlefield, on the battlefield where he lures Voldemort to a special stretch of dirt. When their wands catch in that priori incantautum where they lock, the alchemy circle Harry aranged to have drawn activates.

Voldemort’s current body is a construct. It’s as much of a Hourcrux as anything else, and he comes apart.

16: Harry goes back to Resembool and sleeps for an entire week, then Winry and Granny make apple pie and life goes on.

[dalekofchaos]

My Harry Potter headcanons

Harry Potter is Bi 

Harry’s scar was growing every year. Grows from a tiny lightning bolt, to a storm overtaking his face. Only after Voldemort is defeated does it recede to just his forehead.

Hermione is Autistic

Sirius Black is pan and in love with Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin is Demiromantic and in love with Sirius Black

Tonks is nonbinary and pan and in love with Tulip Karasu

Charlie Weasley is Asexual

Luna Lovegood is Asexual

Bill Weasley is Bisexual and in a poly relationship with Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum

Severus Snape is Trans

In Year 4 Harry was an absolute Bi disaster and was crushing on Cedric and Cho and asked both of them out at the same time

Harry has hit on every Weasley sibling just to fuck with Ron

America has two major Wizarding Schools. Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and The Salem Institute of Extraordinary Magic. I chose what we all thought would be the American Wizarding School because it would be important and honestly better than cultural appropriating a culture without their permission and not allowing Indigenous Tribes to found Ilvermorny. The Salem Witches Institute is important because it will show that what happened in Salem can never happen again. An Intersectional Academy for Witches and Wizards everywhere. Taught to defend themselves, taught never to be defenseless, taught to fight and taught that what happened in Salem can never happen again. First it was known as The Salem Witches Institute, but became The Salem Institute Of Extraordinary Magic over time and accepted Wizards into their school. 

Ilvermorny was founded by Native Americans. It was their school and culture. It wasn’t until the European settlers invaded and raided  Ilvermorny and erased the Native Americans and stole everything and made  Ilvermorny their own. Basically history was written by the victors. It wasn’t till the late 1980′s that this was brought to light and the real history was made public.(Fuck your cultural appropriative ass JK)

The Hogwarts Founders are witchcraft and wizardry masters from all around the world. Godric Gryffindor is African, Salazar Slytherin is Muslim, Rowena Ravenclaw is Chinese and Helga Hufflepuff is French Indian. To erase their diverse founders image from history, a bunch of racist headmasters used magic to keep the illusion that the founders were white. It wasn’t until the late 90′s where the truth was finally revealed.

Salazar Slytherin didn’t want muggle-born kids to come to Hogwarts because It was in a period of time during which muggles were,  murdering anyone they suspecting of having magical abilities.  And when Professor Binns talks about it, what he specifically says is that Salazar “[believed] them to be untrustworthy.”  Which it’s easy to interpret as, “they might give us away to their muggle families and get us and all of our students killed.”And if you look at it that way, it’s not hard to imagine that the Chamber of Secrets was actually built as a defense for the school – maybe arguably a misguided one, but still a defense – the same way the enchanted statues are.  And that the original intent of it and Salazar’s requirements for sorting were twisted over the centuries, becoming less of an effort to protect the school from a group who, at the time, were potential threats to them, and more of a powertrip, especially once the magical community separated itself from the muggle community.I mean, Binns does also specify that the bit about “purging the school of people unworthy of practicing magic” is part of the legend and not the factual history of the school.  And it was Riddle/Voldemort who first used the basilisk.

Newt Scamander created the Werewolf Registry in a way to introduce laws that would protect and help werewolves, but the Ministry twisted it into its own bigoted laws.  It’d make Newt likeable without having to ignore the whole Werewolf Registry thing, and it’d be another chance to show just how fucking awful the Ministry is. Doing that would make Newt’s likeability skyrocket, instead of what we’ve got right now, which is him being very likeable, but the shadow of what happens is something you have to ignore in order to like him.

The Knights Of Walpurgis were the only ones who Voldemort considered to be his true friends, the rest of the Death Eaters were just followers to him.

Lily had a witch squad with Marlene McKinnon,  Mary MacDonald,  Dorcas Meadowes, Molly Prewett and Alice Lightwood

Because of Snape and Lily’s close friendship, Lily developed feelings for Snape, but when he called her a mudblood and seeing him with the Slytherins who would become Death Eaters, all Lily felt for Snape was disgust

When James and Lily started dating and Lily became friends with The Marauders, Lily became a registered Animagus to help Remus. Lily’s Animagus is a Doe and her Marauder name is Fawna

Walburga and Orion were abusive towards Sirius and Regulus

Harry celebrates Father’s Day by celebrating with Hagrid and celebrates Mother’s day by celebrating with The Weasleys for Molly and honoring Professor McGonagall

Lucius and Narcissa were loving parents towards Draco. Despite what the Draco stans do to demonize them just to woobify Draco

Despite JK’s claims, Draco does have happy enough memories to produce a patronus. He grew up in a stable home with loving parents. Draco’s patronus is a Thestral. 

Pansy Parkinson’s patronus is a King Cobra and Blasie Zabini’s patronus is a Fox

During Snape’s Legilimency lessons with Harry, Snape saw how abusive the Dursleys were towards him and it gave Snape flashbacks to how Tobias treated him and both Snape and McGonagall protested to Dumbledore about how fucked up it is that Harry has to live in an abusive house.

After Cornelius Fudge was dismissed from office, he was tried for the murder of Barty Crouch Jr 

Sirius Black was convicted without a trial and a proper investigation was just cruel and unfair. His fellow OOTP members who became Aurors who knew him best were not allowed to investigate Sirius. They knew Sirius was not capable of doing what he did but were silenced. The Ministry needed a scapegoat and Dumbledore did not want Sirius to raise Harry. Dumbledore gave second chances to people who he could use.  He gave Snape a chance because Snape was of use to him. He used Harry because Harry was the key to defeating Voldemort and for the greater good. Dumbledore randomly helped Remus when he was a boy by going out of his way to let Remus come to Hogwarts and Remus himself once admitted that he will forever be grateful to Dumbledore and Remus was a member of the Order. Dumbledore sends Remus to live with werewolves and try to convince them to join the Order. Dumbledore manipulated Remus for the greater good. Dumbledore had no use for Sirius. Dumbledore could have spoken up and fought on behalf of Sirius, Wizengamot but he didn’t and Sirius was forced to be in Azkaban for 12 years. Dumbledore manipulated Sirius’ death. He didn’t have a use for Sirius, didn’t care for him and  having Harry go live with Sirius at 12 Grimmauld Place would take away the protection spell placed upon The Dursleys which went against Dumbledore’s plans, so I fully believe Albus manipulated Sirius’ death so Harry would stay with the Dursleys.

The Fudge administration was investigated for corruption and the unjust imprisonment of Sirius Black

Neville acknowledging that, while Snape was most definitely more consistently awful, McGonagall was actually pretty goddamn terrible to him in third year with the whole "You don't deserve unrestricted access to your bed when a murderer was loose on Hogwarts grounds" punishment for a mistake, and McGonagall owning up to that and apologizing.

When Sirius returned to 12 Grimmauld Place and was confronted by the portrait of Walburga and told him she can finally say she is “proud of him” for being convicted of betraying The Potters and killing the Muggles and Sirius has never been so disgusted in his entire life  

Dumbledore was raising Harry to be an Obscurus

When Harry, Ron and Hermione came back to Hogwarts looking for the Horcruxes. Hermione apologized to Cho and Marietta and undid the jinx.

After the Battle Of Hogwarts, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione went to Godric Hollow to fix up The Potter cottage together. Harry and Ginny live at Godric’s Hollow with their children and they are one big happy family.

After sometime of self-reflection Draco and Pansy do end up together, but realize the way they acted in Hogwarts was awful and eventually make amends to everyone. First they break away and distanced themselves from their families. Draco and Pansy reaches out seek to make amends with everyone involved with the DA. So one day as they gather at Hogsmeade, they properly apologize for everything. It takes some time, but eventually they are forgiven. Draco  even got that handshake with Harry! Draco and Pansy raise their son Scorpius together and raises him right and never to be prejudiced. They are healers together.

Luna and Neville end up together(this is my canon, so shut up) they fall in love shortly after the Battle Of Hogwarts. Neville teaches Herbology. Luna is a Magizoologist. They have two kids. Alice and Lysander

Harry and Ginny had a 4th child. Ruby Molly Weasley, named after Hagrid and Molly

After the war. Hagrid goes back to Hogwarts and finally finishes his education. Harry takes him to Diagon Alley to return the favor.

After the war, Harry turns 12 Grimmauld Place  into a children’s home for Hogwarts students who can’t or shouldn’t or don’t want to go back home for the summer or holidays. And Harry renames it the R.J. Lupin House Inspiration

When their time at the Ministry was finished. The Big Seven returned to Hogwarts as Professors. Harry became the Professor Defense Against The Dark Arts, Ron would be the Charms Professor, Hermione would become the Transfiguration professor, Neville would remain as Herbology Professor, Luna would be the Care For Magical Creatures Professor, Ginny would be the Flying Instructor, and Draco would be the Potions Master

[notdeadjack]

Annual Reclist 2018 Part 2

Aaaand the rest!

I changed my mind, back to Part 1 please

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Boku no Hero Academia

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11738184   slow it down (go easy on me) by newamsterdam   26k, Kirishima/Bakugou, time travel,

It’s at that moment that Bakugou realizes something is very, very wrong. He glances down at himself and sees scars he’s never had before along his arms, little nicks and scratches he’d never have been oblivious to. When he reaches up, his limbs feel longer, and as he staggers to his feet he stands several centimeters taller than he had, last thing he knew. He glances at the mirror, catches sight of his reflection, and screams.

One of the doors on the opposite side of the room bursts open, steam spilling out into the bedroom. A man crosses the room in quick strides, looking around for some enemy he can’t yet see.

No, not just a man. Kirishima.

- When a confrontation with a villain throws Bakugou through time, he's forced to face a future he never imagined, and maybe something he can't leave behind.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086329   but i've got an angry heart by newamsterdam   40k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU,

He’s about to open his door to go to the shared bathroom on this floor when he notices the scrap of paper that’s been pushed under his door. It’s a salmon-colored flashcard, the type that’s sold in 500-packs with multiple colors. Bakugou stoops to retrieve it, frowning at the message he finds written on it.

Hey neighbor, welcome to the house! I heard you knocking things around, yesterday, and I think you maybe punched a wall? Anyway, the landlady gets pissy if you put holes in the wall, but I have a punching bag! You can come over and use it, or I can move it into the hall, if you want!

There’s only one other bedroom on the fourth floor. Now, Bakugou crosses the hall to the bedroom on the right side, slamming the post-it note against the door.

Fuck off and die, it reads.

-Bakugou Katsuki is not going to jeopardize his future a second time, and that means staying away from anyone who gets too

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/14091123   houdini by chonideno   14k, Kirishima/Bakugou, forced proximity,

Kirishima gets stuck in a closet with Bakugou for the sake of a stupid game, and it's fine, it's only seven minutes, what's the worst that could happen

or how Bakugou finds some sort of excuse to make the time go faster and Kirishima realizes he doesn't really want to get out of here

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/7508896   The Weight of Your Hand by kamin   39k, Kirishima/Bakugou, h/c, injury,

That night, to the citizens, the explosions were a jolt of fear at every blast, but to the heroes and the students of UA, they were punches and swings, fierce fighting and loud strength. The explosions were the pulse of the battle, and the power of a boy that would never back down.

One after another, explosions set a chorus through the shuddering city.

And then, suddenly—the explosions stopped.

(In which Bakugou’s kidnapping goes a little differently, and just a few seconds could change so much.)

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/9121246   Summer Stars by PitViperOfDoom   61k, Midoriya/Todoroki, h/c, pining,

It's been judged safe to send the students of UA home to their families for the first three weeks of summer, much to the relief of everyone whose name isn't Todoroki Shouto. Luckily, Midoriya has a solution for him, and Midoriya Inko has a lot of love to give.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11066478   Burn and Breathe by PitViperOfDoom   11k, Midoriya/Todoroki, soulmates, child abuse,

Soulmates are connected through pain, and some bonds have more to share than others. Todoroki Shouto wishes he could reject his soulmate. Midoriya wants nothing more than to protect his own.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/12706668     Slow to Start (But Quick to Burn) by mousapelli   29k, Kirishima/Bakugou, abo,

Bakugou is loud, abrasive, and way too strong to be a "good" omega, and he doesn't give half a damn if that's what everybody else thinks. The good news is that Kirishima is 100% into him just the way he is. The bad news is he might be 150% into Kirishima.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/14392344   Something Just Like This by imatrisarahtops   18k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining, fluff,

Bakugou considered Kirishima to be several things.

He was loud and outspoken, far too cheerful and friendly, and ultimately rather annoying. On several occasions, he couldn’t help but wonder why he tolerated the redhead’s presence; in fact, to a certain point he might even say that he enjoyed it—though he’d never admit it out loud. But the boy did have redeeming qualities, as well. He was earnest and patient, strong and determined, steadfast and incredibly loyal.

One thing that Kirishima was definitely not was shy.

Which was why Bakugou couldn’t help but find the other boy’s recent behavior baffling.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755280   Bite by Moment_of_Tangency   2k, Kirishima/Bakugou, rough sex, abo, alpha/alpha,

“So,” Kaminari says, idly sipping his juice. “Alpha on alpha. What’s that like?”

Eijirou doesn’t look up from where he’s staring across the room, watching the back of Bakugou’s neck as he makes his way through the lunch line. “It’s a battle of wills.”

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Yuri!!! on Ice

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/9618635   Those Three Words by azriona   31k, Viktor/Yuuri, ABO, accidental pregnancy, pining, slow burn,

Their one night of passion in Sochi left Victor Nikiforov with a bit more of a souvenir than either he or Yuuri Katsuki bargained for. Oops?

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https://archiveofourown.org/series/620242   Rivals series by Reiya   434k, Viktor/Yuuri, canon AU, unreliable narrator, rivals to lovers, hate sex, pining, unrequited feelings, falling in love, angst,

A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career. But as the years go on, rivalry and hatred begin to develop into something very different and Yuuri doesn’t seem to be able to stay away, no matter how hard he tries.

Hatred and love are two sides of the same coin and even though everything changes, some things are still meant to be.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/8963419     silver by pageleaf   2k, Vikton/Yuuri, dom/sub,

"Oh? You can't kiss silver?"

Viktor makes a mock-horrified face. "Silver? No way!"

Ah. Yuuri recognizes this—Viktor getting into one of his bratty moods. Yuuri's never really tried to do anything about it before, and eventually Viktor always tones it back down, but this time, Yuuri wonders...

He shrugs. "Well, I guess I just won't be able to kiss you then."

.

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Harry Potter

and related

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049966   Azoth by zeitgeistic (faire_weather)   88k, Harry/Draco, pining,

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/12772770   Light in August by orestesfasting   21k, Sirius/Remus, first time, friends to lovers,

Summer, 1977. With the full moon approaching, Sirius heads up to the Lupins' countryside cottage to make himself useful. Or to make a complete and utter arse out of himself, because really, that’s all he can seem to do around Remus these days.

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Marvel

all the universes

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/2423135   Buck Me by OhCaptainMyCaptain     32k, Steve/Bucky, AU, porn, pining,

Steve's been friends with Bucky for fourteen years. Unfortunately, he's also been in love with him for nearly just as long. He's been pretty good at hiding that over the past few years - until he follows a porn link one night and accidentally discovers that his best friend is secretly a camboy. Steve really shouldn't watch those videos... Not with the filthy things Bucky does to himself that gets him screaming every time he comes...

He shouldn't... he really fucking shouldn't.

But Steve's only human.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11341023   Treasured by Dira Sudis (dsudis), Sealcat   24k, Steve/Bucky, AU, dragon!Bucky,

When everyone in town became convinced that a dragon really had come again to the Old Lair, and that the town would have to offer it tribute, they all looked at Steve.

Honestly, he was relieved.

-This is the fic that kept me thinking of dragon dicks for like a month straight

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/6232762   Push It Real Good by spoffyumi     35k, Steve/Bucky, AU, pining, bed sharing, dudes being bros,

The way Steve had to steel himself to ask the question made Bucky a little wary. "Will you be my partner for a Lamaze class?"

For a few long moments, Bucky just blinked at him, not knowing which question to ask first. Finally he went with the biggest question on his mind. "What?"

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/2159736   Boys by epeolatry   23k, Steve/Bucky, bed sharing, BDSM,

Two scrappy boys meet in Brooklyn during the Depression. For the longest time they'll think that being dirt poor is the worst the world can throw at them, but from the very start they know that each is the best of the other's life.

Or; Steve and Bucky's origin years, complete with clumsy feelings and illegal boners.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/1745402   Cheek to Cheek by orphan_account   5k, Steve/Bucky, crossdressing,

'Tell you what,' Bucky said, his arm coming out to push Steve gently further into the sidewalk as a car trundled past, spraying some of the icy slush up into the air. 'We'll head in again next week, alright? And you'll dance if I have to dance with you myself.'

Steve laughed at that, a short huff of humor followed by a couple of light coughs. He swiped at his forehead, flattening his part. 'That'll be a sight,' he said, but honestly thought that if there were anyone he'd like to dance with, it'd be Bucky.

Steve and Bucky, rooftops and dancing, crossdressing and porn, and little else.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/308731   bent my knees 'cause I love you by ellievolia   7k, Steve/Bucky, crossdressing,

Warning for cross-dressing, if this isn't your thing, this fic definitely won't be. Steve discovers a secret about Bucky, and it quickly snowballs into something much bigger. Set post wake up/winter soldier.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/8809780     The Stalking of Wade Wilson by s0ymilk   18k, Peter/Wade, enemies to friends to lovers,

"It’s around this point that a niggling thread of thought worms its way into his head when he’s not paying attention, one that gently suggests that Wade might be slightly less of a bad guy than Peter previously thought."

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/13949802     Heroes and Suckers (and Everything in Between) by Ravenmaster     79k, Peter/Wade, fake accusations of child abuse,

When Peter Parker meets Wade Wilson as a freshman in college, their first meeting is a bit... messy.

Peter isn't happy about it. May is absolutely not happy about it. And Mr. Stark? Yeah, he's really effing pissed about it.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/10863330     Nurse Parker by HaveMyWeedCookies     14k, Peter/Wade, canon-AU, protective Deadpool,

Deadpool frequented a particular balcony every night for a friendly visit and getting his wounds patched up by his favorite nurse.

Or an alternative universe where Peter pursues a career in nursing to help people instead of embracing the responsibility of Spider-Man. But Deadpool is still Deadpool.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11859168     Peter Parker's Night Clinic for Kinda Crappy, Accidental Superheroes by Trickster88   6k, Peter/Wade, AU,

Peter works long hours, okay, but he really can’t ignore the man bleeding out on his fire escape, no matter how much he’d rather collapse face first onto his bed and sink into oblivion.

Written for the Spideypool Big Bang 2017!

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/7722451     Chiaroscuro by Purple_Mind   5k, Peter/Wade, pre-slash,

Peter needs to take a good picture for a college course photography assignment, but can't, for the life of him, find a decent subject, and time is running out. It's a good thing Wade is willing to lend a hand (or, rather, another part of his anatomy).

Pure fluff: definitely not half as dirty as that last sentence would have you believe.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/8611360   Five Times Spider-Man Carried Deadpool and One Time He Didn't by blue_jack   2k, Peter/Wade, 5+1,

The first time was an accident.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/6712384   DIY Sutures by HelloAfternoon   5k, Peter/Wade,

Peter doesn't understand Deadpool, and comes to realize that it might be because he never really tried to.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/3358037   i wanna ruin our friendship by nni   6k, Peter/Wade,

we should be lovers instead

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/13395966   this heart needs (something) by bankrobbery   9k, Peter/Wade, sex pollen,

‘Okay, come on, you have to think about this rationally,’ Peter thinks to himself and it’s not that he can’t reason his reaction out, it’s not that he can’t listen to his own advice, it’s that he doesn’t want to.

Peter gets hit by sex pollen. Deadpool helps out. That should be the end of it.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11793207   But Today My Heart Swings by bankrobbery   9k, Peter/Wade, sex pollen,

“What did I fucking say?!” Deadpool yells from across the room. “‘Don’t go into the drug lord’s sex den without me.’ I was very specific!”

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/6251710     Sweet Pussy by Saucery   2k, Peter/Wade, uuuh kinda, crack, cat!deadpool,

Spider-Man had a reputation as a smalltime hero, but he’d never actually rescued a cat from a tree, before.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612208   I Think I Might've Inhaled You by SordidDetailsFollowing     208k, Peter/Wade, Peter/Harry,

Peter has enough problems with high school, friendship complications, an internship at Oscorp, and his arachnid alter ego. Throw in a merc with a mouth covered in unfairly sexy red spandex, and things get a little crazy.

Wade just wants to talk shit with his friend Weasel, eat tacos, listen to bad tween pop music, and participate in some soft-core torture and murder. When a certain little spider swings into his life, things get complicated.

Spider-Man saves people. Deadpool kills them. An unlikely friendship (and maybe more) forms, but will it still work when the masks come off?

do note that this fic is very long, well written with an engaging plot. BUT, it is not completely resolved by the end as it is a two part story and the second part is as of writing this, still a wip. it gets a bit darker by the end, too.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/7316119   you grow up and you lose touch by scarlett_starlett     52k, Peter/Wade, slow build, kid fic, families of choice,

Peter always thought that when he had kids, there would be someone by his side.

Instead, he has a mouthy mercenary acting as a chef every night for him and his newly adopted son and a narcissistic billionaire philanthropist paying child support on the sly. But Peter figures it isn’t all bad, especially when Miles loses that dullness in his eyes whenever Wade slips on the banana peels he ‘strategically’ places all over the apartment for Peter as a joke.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11811996     Half Your Age (Plus Seven) by fancastical   80k, Peter/Wade, pining,

In which Deadpool has oddly specific and frustrating morals, Spider-Man has excellent friends, his lab partner has an opening for a bassist, Johnny Storm has the warmest feet, and everyone has had enough of hearing Peter talk about Wade Wilson (except Aunt May: she’s always glad to hear he’s back in town).

Written for the Spideypool Big Bang 2017!

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/15027875   I dunno how to act or if I should be leavin' by sadieb798   8k, Peter/Wade,

A sudden weight clamps down on Peter’s right shoulder - a hand, he realizes when the fingers give his arm a brief squeeze - that immediately makes him tense. Why didn’t my spider-sense go off? Peter wonders as he turns to look -

And comes face-to-face with Deadpool.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/16204838       Vessel by linguamortua   2k, Eddie/Venom, masturbation,

When Venom was quiet, and when he wasn’t shooting giant fucking tentacles out of Eddie’s body, Eddie couldn’t much feel his presence. Occasionally there was a flicker of something: of anger, of hunger. Right now there was nothing. So maybe Eddie had pissed him off. Or—and this was a thought that Eddie had not had before—perhaps he had hurt Venom’s feelings. He lay there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the couple banging next door. She was making a lot of noise. The blood came up his neck and face a little. And then a little more, now he knew that Venom would be able to feel it too.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/16333031   Lovesick Baby by surveycorpsjean   6k, Eddie/Venom,

Eddie spent his whole life alone in his head. Now he’s not sure he could ever go back.

Sometimes, you want things you shouldn't.

.

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Kingsman

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/4107487   Care and Custody by esama   50k, Eggsy/Harry, canon AU, abuse, murder, domestic fluff, kid fic, shaving,

Eggsy takes out the medal in slightly worse circumstances, asking for a miracle.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674956   No Charm Equal by potentiality_26   29k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, cupids,

To say that Harry was too surprised to react at first would have been a grave understatement. He wasn’t literally invisible, because he did sometimes need to interact with mortals to do his job, he was just unnoticeable. People- the particular charge he had been assigned to most of all- were meant to see him and yet never actually process his presence. Unless he showed up in their houses- which a gentleman would never do, of course- they would ignore him and just get on with their lives.

And yet here Eggsy was, closer than anyone had been to Harry since- well, since he was mortal, and that was long enough ago that Harry could hardly remember it- snarling, “Why are you following me?”

Harry is a cupid. His latest assignment is proving to be... complicated.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/4648161   No one likes us (we don't care) by concernedlily   25k, Eggsy/Harry, ABO, alpha/alpha, spanking,

When Harry Hart turned up at the police station to pick Eggsy up, he thought his luck had changed - after years of Dean, this posh new alpha was offering to take Eggsy away from the estate where he'd been afraid he'd spend the rest of his life cast out from society as a rough, unbonded alpha, into a world of excitement and potential he'd never imagined - the world that killed his father. But as he competes with other young alphas to take a place at Kingsman's table, he realises his feelings for Harry aren't quite as simple as the guardianship that's the only relationship between alphas the world recognises.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/7769770   For the sake of a simple thing by concernedlily   58k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, dub-con, unsexy rentboy sex,

When Dean Baker's far-right group start to branch out into domestic terrorism, MI5 and the Met hand over to Kingsman - and hand over his seventeen-year-old stepson to Harry to run as a spy in Baker's house.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/5757943   Bend and Stretch by concernedlily   12k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, gymnastics,

Harry is a gymnastics coach. Eggsy has skills.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/3817126   Strange Sights, Strange Wonders by manic_intent   51k, Eggsy/Harry, Stardust AU,

In the glade where the star had fallen, the gloom of the gnarled old woods was deeper than night, save around the blackberry bush that had broken his fall: the grass and the battered leaves were now luminous, moon-touched. There was a long pause, broken by the sounds of twittering insects and the forest folk, then, there was a loudly groaned, “Fuck!”

The star rubbed a hand over his eyes, then flinched and held his hand up, spreading unfamiliar fingers up against the night sky. He turned his hand this way and that, curling and uncurling fingers, then he let out a softer, yet just as vehement “fuck!” and sat up, wincing.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/7249117   Scar Mark by Kayzo   50k, Eggsy/Harry, soulmates,

Eggsy could do without it really, the whole soulmate-destined-to-be-together-and-love-each-other-very-much thing. He's lived enough of a life of violence to know whoever's on the other end of this thing he's better off without--or they're better off without him.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617303   Ballerino by Deepdarkwaters   53k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, ballet,

ballerino, Italian 1. (n) male dancer 2. (adj) unstable, fickle, fluctuating

AU: How different would Eggsy's life have turned out if Kingsman gave decent financial support to Lee's family after his death? With no Dean around to squash his interests, gymnastics leads to ballet school and a career as classical ballet's least likely ingenu.

There's also some kind of drama about famous folk disappearing and something about mass genocide.

There's also the matter of Harry Hart's gigantic, embarrassing, all-consuming crush. Bit awkward, really.

- aka the fic that is responsible for all the ballet vids that show up in my youtube suggested views list these days

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/3476996   Class Of Conduct by fideliant   13k, Eggsy/Harry, h/c,

Or, Six Things Eggsy Has Learned About Being A Gentleman

“Lesson number one,” Harry says. “Manners matter.”

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/5808790   In Unison by marginaliana   8k, Eggsy/Harry,

Harry's smirk eases into a smile. He puts down a hand to help Eggsy up – a hand he certainly doesn't need, thanks, but it's the kind of thing that Harry keeps doing, like it makes him feel he's being gentlemanly or something. Eggsy takes it, setting his palm against Harry's warm, slightly dusty one, and—

Oh, fuck me, Eggsy thinks. I am attracted to Harry Hart.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723475   Only As Directed by rageprufrock   12k, Eggsy/Harry, guided honeypot, filth,

“Arthur is a bad man,” Roxy had said.

“Fucking tell me about it,” Eggsy had muttered, and gone to put on the tarty trousers Harry had picked out for him like a fucking high-end pimp.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/3486896   Rated R for Explicit Language by stereokem   4k, Eggsy/Harry, accent, voyeurism, honeypot,

Gary "Eggsy" Unwin had a filthy fucking mouth.

(Fortunately, so did Harry Hart).

----- Merlin buzzed into being over both of their coms. “Galahad. Arthur. You two all right?”

“Yeah, we’re fucking fantastic, ‘fanks. We’re comin’ out, tell me you’ve got extraction on the fucking stand-by.”

“Did you—”

“Yeah, we fucking got it done, an’ now genius ‘ere ‘as got ‘imself a bloody injury, so tell me you’ve extraction outside, yeah?”

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/11303406   Whatever Is, Is Good by Deepdarkwaters, Paxdracona   22k, Merlin/Harry, pre-Eggsy/Merlin/Harry, canon AU, puppies,

Harry Hart should not be allowed within fifty feet of tiny runty puppies because he loses all reason. When he finds an abandoned teacup schnauzer searching for food in the bins, he immediately decides he’s going to be its mother and brings it home to love forever. Obviously he doesn’t stop to consider the fact that he’s out of the country more often than not so all the actual looking after is going to fall on Merlin, who has a deep disdain for people who make their dogs wear clothes and thinks anything smaller than a wolfhound is basically a pointless rodent.

Meanwhile, Eggsy is floundering on probation after grassing up Dean and his thugs in return for escaping jail time for his part in all their previous criminal activity. Life is looking pretty bleak, no money and no prospects - until he meets a ridiculous eccentric couple and their amazing little dog, and is hired as its nanny.

Contains deeply inappropriate use of the phrases "good boy", "bad boy", and "where’s your squeaky balls?"

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/6869278   His Master's Voice by VioletSmith   1k, Merlin/Harry, Eggsy/Harry kinda, smut, oblivious Eggsy,

This is pure filth, start to finish. Merlin and Harry shag up against a door, Eggsy is on the other side.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/6532117   an ounce of performance by venvephe     12k, Eggsy/Harry, fake relationship, exhibitionism, praise kink, voyeurism,

Harry leans in, puts his warm hands on Eggsy’s hips again to steady himself. It feels only natural to loop his arms around Harry’s neck, to follow his lead and tilt his head to the side when Harry’s mouth inches towards his ear.

“Our suite has been bugged,” Harry says softly, only just audible over the rush of water.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/5759593   The Gentleman is Not for Sale (But He is for Rent) by mizore, mongoose_bite   53k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, sugar daddy!Eggsy, praise kink,

When Michelle won the National Lottery, life became slightly easier for Eggsy, but no less complicated. Their new social circle neither likes nor respects them, despite Michelle's best efforts, and for Eggsy the feeling is mutual. Meeting the toffs up close only confirms what he's always suspected; money does not make you a gentleman.

It does, however, allow you to rent one. An Ossan Rental/Reverse Sugar Daddy AU.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/4456499   Avia by Cortesia   73k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, implied non-con, soulmates, wingfic,

There was little to be done the day Gary Unwin was born. Like any other child, he was born into the world small and weak. But unlike other children in his neighborhood, he was born different.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/3664047   The Spy who Loved Me (Or so they say) by ToriCeratops   54k, Eggsy/Harry, fake relationship, pining,

In the wake of V-day the world’s economy hangs in a delicate balance, liable to crumble without warning. One man has the knowledge and the power necessary to send it tumbling down, so that only he remains on top.

The Kingsman have been tasked with stopping him before he can carry out his plan. In order to do so, Harry and Eggsy must act as lovers at an elite couple’s getaway to earn this man’s trust. Will they be able to carry out their mission as planned? Or will old wounds and buried emotions cause a havoc greater than anything they could have expected?

.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3735118   Bon Appétit by Galahard   57k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, slow build,

“This is actually an excellent opportunity for you. Kingsman is one of the most elite cooking schools in London, and they so rarely offer evening courses like this. The fact that they were willing to work with us and allow you to attend is a miracle.”

“It’s basic though, yeah?” Basic was what he needed. He just needed to learn enough so that Deanna wasn’t eating frozen pizza or chicken nuggets every meal, and his mum wasn’t exactly in the mood to cook most days. Cooking had always been his dad’s thing, he’d been about to trade up from a sous chef to a full chef when his accident had happened.

Sure, Eggsy could eat junk all day long if he had to, but his half-sister deserved better. He could give her better.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/12027834   (Physical) Therapy by Galahard   13k, Eggsy/Harry, AU, light dom/sub,

Prompt: Harry is a survivor of V-Day. He is assigned a physical therapist who is supposed to get him back to normal. Their increasing interactions and sexual tension become the shining light in Harry's life.

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https://archiveofourown.org/works/4261776   A Different Place and Time by Ferrero13   23k, Eggsy/Harry, sooulmates, time travel, pining,

Eggsy’s words are 'What’s your name, young man?', but Harry’s isn’t 'Eggsy.' So he keeps quiet, keeps it to himself, but when he finds himself face to face with a younger Harry Hart, Eggsy can't help falling in love all over again.

Sometimes, the first words you say to your soulmate aren’t the first they hear from you.

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[romionesecretsanta]

Little Stranger

Here’s your gift, @idearlylovealaugh! I’m a big fan of your work, so this was a huge honor. I hope I provided you with some simple, happy-ending fluff! :) This entire thing is based on a head canon that Rose and Ron were BFFs from day one, and I had a good time fleshing it out a little. I hope you enjoy!

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As soon as they announced Hermione’s pregnancy, the advice had started rolling in. It ranged from Molly’s tried-and-tested knowledge (“Use nettle to help with milk supply—it worked wonders for me!”) to Luna’s more ludicrous suggestions (“Don’t leave the baby unattended outdoors. Pixies love red-haired babies, and they will take her!”) 

However, there was a common thread of wisdom that ran throughout all of these tips: Life with a baby was amazing and fantastic and new, but also…difficult. And in defense of their family and friends, no one had ever even tried to tell Ron and Hermione that life with a newborn would be easy. 

As responsible parents-to-be, they’d tried to heed these warnings—they really, really had. But there was only so much one couple could take, and after hours of listening to horror stories about nappy explosions and spit-up and night feeds from Audrey and Angelina alike, they’d (naively) decided they could manage on their own, thankyouverymuch. 

“We’ll be fine,” Ron had said nervously one evening after they’d left Harry and Ginny’s house, the wails of both Albus and James still echoing in their ears. “Our parents did it. Their parents did it. We’ll get through it, yeah?”

Hermione had just shrugged and waddled over to the bed, returning to one of her many parenting books. At that point, she’d still been convinced she could research her way out of dealing with the hardest parts of parenting.

And what a fool she’d been.

Because, at the time, Hermione (somehow) hadn’t realized something quite crucial: Babies are just tiny humans. And human behavior is one of those stubborn things that cannot always be researched or predicted.

Rose was born on 10th December at 3 o’clock in the morning, which was nearly two weeks after Hermione’s projected due date. In retrospect, this should have been her first clue that this baby would not be operating exactly in accordance with predictability.

Ron had been the picture of a proud father when the healers had finally pressed the squalling bundle into his arms. Mirthful tears had slid unapologetically down his face as he’d gazed at Rose, his eyes filled with such raw love, devotion, and awe that it made Hermione burst into tears, too. He’d cradled the baby like she was the most precious thing he’d ever seen, worth more than all the money in the world, worth more than his own life.

Of course, Hermione felt that way about her baby too, but it was so different to see those feelings reflected on Ron’s face—to see him so full of compassion and understanding, like he hadn’t really lived until he’d seen their daughter. 

And in spite of the complete inappropriateness of her feelings, Hermione began to feel a tad…envious.

She knew that those feelings of envy were ridiculous. Really, truly, she did. Rose was just a baby, after all! She hadn’t asked to be brought into this world any more than Hermione had asked to have bushy hair or large front teeth. Furthermore, Hermione’s feelings weren’t to suggest that she didn’t possess any motherly inclinations. Quite to the contrary, in fact. From the very moment that Rose had been born, Hermione had reached a startling realization that she loved this tiny little red-haired, brown-eyed baby with more fervor and intensity than she’d ever even fathomed.

It actually scared her a bit, to be honest—the depth, the immediacy to which she’d loved their daughter. The second that she’d come out, Hermione had been filled with a sense of rightness, a feeling that she knew she’d never felt before, an assurance that she loved her baby more than anyone else on the face of the earth. Except for Ron, of course.

But that was the crux of the problem, wasn’t it? Since Rose had been born, she’d never been more confident in her love for Ron, in her conviction that they were meant to be together. She adored watching this strong, powerful man hold their tiny baby and whisper quiet consolations, even if said baby couldn’t understand a word he said.

It made her wonder—deep down inside—if Ron was simply better suited for this job than she was. And she also wondered if perhaps Rose’s company was simply preferable right now, especially while her Mummy was such a weepy, leaking mess.

These suspicions had started the very day Rose was born. After the adrenaline had worn off from the birth itself, Ron had insisted that Hermione go to sleep. After 48 hours of labor, she had not been difficult to persuade.

When Hermione had awoken some time later, though, Ron hadn’t moved an inch. His eyes were bleary and unfocused, his facial hair grown in, his bright red hair matted to his head, but he was still sitting there and smiling at Rose like a complete madman, the occasional tear slipping down his face.

When he’d noticed that Hermione was awake, he’d grinned even more broadly back at her. “I just can’t believe how perfect she is,” he’d rasped, wiping away more errant tears as the baby wrapped a chubby hand around his finger.

Hermione had made a dry half-joke about how she already had Daddy wrapped around her little finger. Ron had chuckled, still staring at the curly-haired infant, and confirmed, “Damn right.”

He hadn’t left her cot in St. Mungo’s for the entirety of their stay.

When they’d returned home several days later, Hermione had still been weak from the birth. Ron had done a near-perfect imitation of his mother and all but forced her into bed.

“You need your strength, love,” he’d admonished, not unkindly, kissing her on the forehead. Hermione had huffed and muttered something about not being disabled. But Ron had easily cradled the baby in his arms, stared her defiantly in the face, and repeated: “Bed. Now.”

From then on out, Ron had taken to parenting as if it were this dormant ability he’d had his entire life, an asset that had somehow lurked beneath the surface until they’d had a baby of their own.

In Hermione’s opinion, the amount of natural skill that he possessed was…alarming, to say the least. Ron seemed to have a sixth sense about their daughter, a kind of tuned-in sensitivity to when she’d be upset, when she’d need a nappy change, when she needed to be winded for just a bit longer to get her to settle down.

And frankly, Hermione had never been more frustrated.

Being a mother was something she was meant to be good at, wasn’t it? She was a woman, after all. Those instincts should be just that—instinctive! For all intents and purposes, it should have come to her as naturally as magic, as easily as analyzing legal documents, as quickly as spell work.

But being a mother hadn’t come that easily. Whenever Rose cried, Hermione was seized with an overwhelming amount of panic, a powerful urge to correct whatever the problem was. This was how she’d lived her entire life, after all—by noticing a problem, attending to it swiftly, and moving on, having learned a lesson.   

Except for this time, there didn’t seem to be any lesson to learn. In fact, it seemed like nursing Rose was the only thing she could do to make her daughter happy. Fortunately for Hermione, Rose had inherited Ron’s appetite, and she was able to keep her baby content for as long as it took to feed her; after that, though, all bets were off. As the days began to blend together and Ron slowly started returning to occasional shifts at the Wheezes, Hermione felt an increasing sense of futility, a growing feeling that she simply wasn’t cut out for this like Ron was.

By Christmas Eve, Hermione’s exasperation had reached new heights. Rose had spent the entire day wailing, and by afternoon, her entire body was the same color as her hair. None of Hermione’s exhaustive efforts—from feeding, to nappy changes, to winding her, to walking, to playing with her, to distracting her—had worked. She was close to admitting defeat and getting help from Ginny when Ron came stumbling through the Floo.

Without even removing his cloak, he crouched down in front of her on the couch, pausing for a cursory glance at the dark circles beneath her tired eyes.

“Alright, love?” He asked, worry written on his face. She shrugged and passed the baby to his open arms, careful to support her head as she did so.

Just as Hermione had predicted, Rose stopped crying immediately when Ron pressed her against his chest, his large hands rubbing slow circles on her back. Within seconds, her wails and sobs had diminished to mere whimpers.

Ron smiled sweetly, his blonde eyelashes looking nearly translucent in the light from the Christmas tree as he pressed a kiss to her little head. But it was all too much for Hermione to take.

In an instant, she leapt up from the couch, hurriedly muttering something about “laundry.” It was a weak excuse, but the sitting room was already swimming before her eyes; she knew didn’t have long.

Hermione ignored Ron calling her name in bewilderment, refusing to turn around to see his hurt expression; it was the only thing that could have possibly made her feel any worse. She all but ran down the hallway and threw herself into the bedroom, not allowing herself to dissolve into tears before the door was firmly shut.

Perhaps I’m simply not meant to be a good mother, she thought morosely through her sobs, crawling into bed and staring at the bedroom ceiling.

Rose’s contented coos began to echo from the other room, and she could hear Ron talking to her in that same lilting, soothing voice he’d used since the day she was born. If she had her wits about her, she might’ve been able to appreciate how lovely it was that he talked to her so much.

But Hermione wasn’t in the mood to be sentimental (or even appreciative) at a time like this, not when she felt like such a complete and utter failure. She nestled into bed a bit more and released another pained, gasping sob. She could already feel exhaustion tugging at the corners of her eyes, the events of the day wearing on her more than she’d like to admit.

And Hermione had one taunting, pained thought before she fell into a fitful sleep: You can’t be good at learning everything.  

___________________________________

Some time later, Hermione blearily opened her eyes, the bedroom ceiling coming into blurry focus. From the darkness in her room, she could tell that at least an hour had passed. She reached out a hand beside her to feel if—but no, of course Ron wasn’t in the room. He was probably still with Rose, just like she, the baby’s mother, should be.

She rolled over to look at the clock and winced a bit at the pressure against her full breasts; it was much later than she thought. Rose would be ravenous soon, if she wasn’t already. Weasleys didn’t do well if they were denied meals, and Rose was certainly no exception.

She rose gingerly from the bed and tiptoed to the door, trying not to make any noise in the event that Ron had actually gotten the baby to sleep. A slow flush of guilt crept up her neck again, and she sighed; it wasn’t Rose’s fault that her mother felt so inept at caring for her. It was just a shame that she had to suffer as a result.

Hermione shook her head resolutely, reaching for the door handle. Perhaps all she needed was to read some different parenting texts. Muggle books might have more to offer, after all—a fresh perspective.

She began padding down the hallway, still lost in her own thoughts. Yes, I can ask Mum for some of the books she used with me. The information must be rather useful, even if—

But Hermione froze, stock-still, in the middle of the hallway. Ron was standing in front of the Christmas-adorned Floo, jostling the baby gently against his chest as he spoke to her. Hermione bit her lip and felt the tears spring to her eyes before she could stop them. Those two really were precious together.

So surely he wouldn’t mind if she just listened in a bit..? Hermione inched a little closer, still confident that Ron hadn’t noticed her presence. 

“-And that,” Ron continued in gentle overtones, “is why Bulgarian quidditch players won’t be going anywhere near you.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the squirming baby’s temple as Hermione covered a snort with her hand.

She stared at them with love in her eyes as the lights from the Christmas tree twinkled merrily across their freckled faces. Maybe things weren’t quite as bad as she thought. Rose was less than two weeks old, after all. Perhaps this was just a venture that had taken a bit longer, a skill that had taken Hermione slightly more time to master, something that she’d laugh about in years to come. She might even be able to comfort Rose as well as Ron did, one day. 

She was about to interrupt, to alert him to her presence, when—

“But now that we’re on the subject, Rose Bud,” Ron said, clearing his throat. He began walking back and forth as he continued to bounce her.

Hermione knew this trick well, mainly because she’d never been able to perfect it herself, despite studious application. It was a maneuver designed to keep the baby occupied for just a bit longer, and like all things with Rose, Ron had developed it subconsciously.

Hermione cocked her head, suddenly fascinated. If he had something that important to say, she was interested in hearing it herself. Even if it felt a bit like snooping.

“I reckon you can’t understand this.” Ron said softly, a hint of sadness in his voice. Hermione managed a weak smile; Rose hadn’t been able to understand him talking about quidditch players either, but that hadn’t stopped him.

“Do Daddy a favor,” he continued gently, now shifting Rose to his shoulder and kissing her ear. “Try to go easy on Mummy when I’m at work, yeah? She’s a brilliant genius, your Mum. But somehow she hasn’t quite figured out yet that you’re exactly like her, and I think that’s why she’s having such a hard time.”

Rose let out a loud grunt, and her face scrunched up. Ron chuckled and began patting her on the back.

“Say what you want, Rosie, but it’s true. You remind me more and more of her every day. And I couldn’t be happier about that, to tell you the truth.” His voice lilted up on the end; even though his back was facing her, Hermione could tell he was flashing the baby his lopsided grin.  

But as Ron continued to prattle on, Hermione felt her head start to spin. She soundlessly leaned her full weight against the wall, not trusting her feet to continue holding her up. Taking deep breaths, she stared blankly ahead, mouth opening and closing like a fish floundering on dry land.

Merlin.

He was right.

How had she not seen in before?!

She’d been so blinded by Rose’s appetite and bright red curls and freckles that she hadn’t even noticed it. But now that the facts were staring her in the face, it was obvious: She and Rose were extremely similar. They were both so particular, both so requiring of a specific type of reassurance, both so responsive…to Ron.

Well, no wonder she’d had so much difficulty, trying to get her to respond to a personality exactly like her own!

Hermione let out a startled laugh—her first in days—before she could stop herself, slapping a hand over her mouth just in time. Ron, who was still casually chatting to Rose, didn’t seem to notice.

Oh, how she’d misunderstood!

Hermione could’ve wept with joy in that moment, her body filled with a wave of love and compassion as her brain and her heart finally clicked all the pieces together. It wasn’t that she was a terrible mother—it was that Ron just happened to be an excellent father. And Ron happened to be an excellent father because Rose was so much like her.

After all, she and Ron were used to caring for each other—it was just how the two of them worked. Ron was the person who reminded her to take a break and eat, the person who informed her when it was time for bed, the person who made sure she wasn’t working so hard that she made herself sick.

Hermione cared for Ron too, of course, just in entirely different ways. She helped him talk through things when he needed to, but also understood when it was sometimes too painful for him to bring things up. She also coaxed him to realize when he did need to talk about certain things to feel better, and provided him with gentle reminders about getting his work done.

The two of them fit together like gears on a clock, each needing the other to function. She’d been trying to care for their baby without even considering how to approach things from Ron’s perspective—even though their baby was half Ron.

Godric, why hadn’t she realized any of this before? She scrubbed her face with her hands as days of frustration melted off. Of course Ron was able to handle things so fluidly, of course he was able to foresee and anticipate exactly what their baby might need. He’d been used to helping Hermione for ages now; he now knew Hermione far better than she knew herself.

Hermione pushed off from the wall and stood up straight again, feeling completely at peace for the first time since her daughter had been born.

And she would’ve been happy to let Ron shush and cuddle and play with their baby all night long, but a startled cry from Rose’s lips brought her back to reality. Hermione’s breasts were now painfully engorged, and if Rose didn’t eat soon—

“Oh. Hey. Didn’t see you there.”

Ron had turned around to face Hermione, an affectionate smile playing on his lips as he bounced Rose in his arms. “Didn’t want to wake you,” he murmured, glancing down at the baby and wincing a little, “but she seems a bit peckish, thought you might want to…”

“Of course,” Hermione breathed, unbuttoning her top as she went to take the baby from him.

The three of them sank down onto the couch, and Ron shot Hermione a sheepish grin as she brought Rose to her chest; he loved watching this bit. She rolled her eyes at him playfully, bringing the baby even closer her just as her tiny mouth went wide and rooting. Rose released an appreciative gurgle from her throat as she latched on, and her parents both laughed, matching smirks dancing across on their faces.

“You may act like Mummy, Rose Bud,” Ron said softly, playing with a ginger curl as he propped his head up on his hand, “but you’re 100% Weasley when you get food in front of you, eh?”

Rose slurped loudly in response, her brown eyes wide and curious. Hermione gazed at her fondly, pressing a kiss to her chubby little fist before she could reach up and yank her hair. But Ron was two steps ahead; he gently brushed Hermione’s hair from her shoulder, making sure it was far out of Rosie’s grasp.

The three sat cuddled together for a few moments, content to relax as the lights from the tree played across the room.

“Happy Christmas, Rosie.” Ron finally whispered, pressing a kiss to the baby’s curly red hair.

Hermione tilted Ron’s chin and kissed him softly on the lips. He responded by kissing her back and she pulled away, resting her head on his as the baby continued to nurse.

As she smiled broadly at her little family, all nestled and warm in front of the tree, she felt—for the first time in her life—like perhaps she’d be a good mother, after all. 

[reviewae]

H2W Reactions (SPOILER ALERT)

Disclaimer: any excerpts taken and posted her do not belong to me, only the reactions do. the excerpts belong to the great great olivieblake.

Okay so Today’s going to be a complete review so before we proceed let me just yell, SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

Okay I’m done, let’s go.

He could keep track, actually. As of that morning, Theo had sent him a name change form requesting the company be called The Deathly Hallows Are Real as Fuck and So Am I, which Harry, a consummate professional, asserted with confidence was not ideal to be offered aloud to the Minister of Magic. The deathly hallows are real AF and so Am I…like does he want to make it more obvious that its actually not? I’m even going to consider this a fanfic anymore. (Petition to make How To Win Real AF)

The dead," Kingsley murmured, scraping a hand over his cheeks, "have a comforting tendency to stay dead."

Harry grimaced. "So true," he lied. I see what you did there olivie, honey.

"Well, aside from news from Zabini, nothing much," Theo cheerfully replied. "Mostly just here to get on my knees and bl-" Theo, like seriously? Seriously? You really don’t have that filter between your brain and your mouth, do you? Or rather that filter between your dick and your mouth (Is there even a connection? I digress.)

"Not anymore, apparently," Theo said, shrugging. "I think the arrangement is part of the deal in exchange for Dionisia's continued patronage with regard to his mother's - " he coughed. "Opera."

Harry lifted a brow. "Opera?"

"Some people like the arts, Potter," Theo drawled, and Harry sighed. Uh oh. You’re not convincing anyone with that, honey.

"Ends, means, whatever. Justified."This is Theo Nott ladies and gentlemen. Ever the eloquent chap. (I’m pretty sure Draco would know exactly know what that saying was and then would proceed to drawl it out, sexily, slowly..umm sorry digressing!)

"Us," Harry repeated.

"I - " Theo began, bemused. "What?"

"You said whether he wants us to succeed," Harry said, tapping his fingers innocently against the desk. "I didn't realize you considered this a collective effort."

"Oh, fuck off, Potter," Theo retorted. "Fine. Whether he wants you to succeed, then - "

"No, no," Harry said, rising to his feet and walking around his desk, leaning back against it as he looked down at Theo with a grin. "Tell me again how we're an us, Nott."

He gloried in Theo's obvious stiffening. He really hasn’t lost the ability to hit the nail on the head has he? Obvious as fuck and still a fucking surprise. I love how olivie perfectly conveys the same harry that’s in the books, yet subtly changes him so much. Like he still is extremely perceptive at times, understanding too. His temper however is consistently absent. Less awkward too. Let’s get back.

"Fuck off, Potter, you know perfectly well that's a lie I told to embarrass you," Theo said flatly, stretching up to his feet and wandering Harry's office, unapologetically making it his domain. "I'd never say something so uncouth if I actually meant it," he pressed, "would I?"

Disappointing, thought Harry, though he tried not to show it. I feel you, son. I’m disappointed too. For you. And for me, cause I don’t get to read blowjob smut. Meh.

"So this is all business, then?" So, you see, if this was Draco or Hermione, it would be all angst filled and dramatic with heartbreak music playing in the background. But, this is Theo Nott and Harry Potter, and Olivieblake. So I’m expecting a Blowjob.

"Oh, fuck no, I didn't say that," Theo replied neutrally, slouching down in Harry's chair and deftly unzipping his trousers. "Go on," he beckoned, winking at Harry and kicking back from the desk. "Give me a show, Auror Potter."

I fucking knew it.

Harry paused, deliberating."That's my desk," he reminded Theo.Theo raised his wand, flicking it lazily to lock Harry's office door."Not right now it isn't," he replied, unfazed, and Harry shook his head to conceal a smile. You adorable idiots. I wish you all the love and acceptance in the world, which is probably not what’s written for the both of you. But still, brb, sacrificing my left arm for you two. (who needs a left arm when you’re a right-hander who ships nottpott to the moon and back.)

Now moving on to the next scene.

Dionisia and her elder sister Sibyll came from a family long admired for its gift of Sight, though only her sister seemed to have inherited it. Okayyyy so she’s wacko divination professor’s younger sis. Interesting development.And it seems like all the sanity and tact that the elder one lost, the younger one has.

largely feelings of juvenile imposter syndrome, The Story Of My Life.

"You play a dangerous game, Miss Trelawney," he remarked quietly, and she smiled, catching something telling in the tormented lines of his face; as if he had said something similar before. She reminds me so much of Tom. Well, the original, canon Tom.Also, Dumbledore’s reaction to her ‘games’ reminds me so much of what he felt about Tom.

"Poor fools," Dionisia thought, tucking vial after vial into the vaults below the house's floorboards. Collecting their memories? Through Tears? 

a young man with raven-black hair and a youthful expression, one night in her twenty-fifth year; she had opened the door to her bedroom and found him sitting in her favorite chair beside the fireplace. He reminds me of how Tom is described, but considering this is olivie’s fic and that anything, anything can happen, I withhold judgement and speculation.(But what if it is one of the peverell’s brothers?)

"What do you want?" she interrupted, finding herself uncharacteristically bristled and impatient. Your Façade’s Breaking!!!! ABORT MISSION ABORT!!! PUSH HIM OUT!! HE’S TROUBLE!! (though you are too.)

"Who are you?" she demanded, and he turned, offering her a bow."I thought you'd never ask," he told her.His name was Ignotus Peverell, and he was her first of two terrible mistakes. So, just to clarify, this is the first brother right? The one hungry for power? The completely wack one who suggested ‘killing’ themselves? Also the evil, crazy, maniac?You know going back to the intro of the fic, which says, “Real heroes never quit. Real villians never die.”, is olivie trying to say that the real villians were the first two brothers? Or umbridge? Cause she’s featuring in one of the chapters. But then looking at the scenario, umbridge looks like a small-scale villain compared to these big shots.Okay, that’s too much foreshadowing, back to reading.Okay so I just looked it up, and it looks like ignotus is the youngest guy. Is he a maniac too? Gosh, I hope not.Oh okay, so this guy’s the third one, who’s doing the deed along with the eldest brother Antioch. Fucking obvious that the second one ended up rebelling first. Its always the quiet ones.

"Did Nico tell you that?" Dionisia asked skeptically, glancing askance. "Love is love, I would think, whether secrets are shared or not." Who the fuck is Nico? Please wait while I go and re-read the previous chapters to unearth this mystery.

Roughly an hour later,

Nope, Nada. This guy’s new.

"No," he agreed. "I suspect you've known for some time." He glanced at her. "But do you not feel the same?"She toyed with it for a moment; if she told him the truth, it could certainly cost her, but if she lied, she would subsequently possess a secret - and that, she suspected, would destroy her."I do," she said carefully, and he slid a hand around her cheek, kissing her with a gentle, almost-not-a-touch across her lips, drawing her closer in his arms. Okay so romance between the bad ranks. I really don’t feel anything cause I don’t ship them but oof that’s hot. But honestly, she’s an idiot. That guy’s bad news!!!!! 

"Who was it?" Dionisia demanded, and a tear slipped down the young girl's cheek."I don't know her name," the girl sniffed, "but she wore all pink, and looked like a - "She paused, hesitating."A what?" Dionisia pressed."A toad," the girl whispered. AHAHAHAHA!!!! Umbridge is here!!! And here I thought dionisia was a bigshot. Looks like queen bitch is here to fuck all systems up. False memories? How powerful is this bitch umbridge anyway??

"It does for your business," Dolores agreed, "but not for the illicit magic you employ, does it?" She paused, indulging an obnoxious hem-hem sound, and Dionisia implored herself not to strangle the woman on the spot, wishing instantly to divest her of her throat. The feeling’s the same. A decade and a half and my hate for this bitch remains unchanged. I wish I could rip out her throat and gut her like a fish. Too.

one in particular, she lamented furiously, who had yet to disappear. So I’m pretty sure umbridge is the villain who won’t fucking stay dead. But I honest to god don’t remember her dying in the books.

"The man in your past," Parvati said, "he's as present as ever. He stands as unwavering as death, and my vision is the same. Your happiness is as two sides of a coin," she said neutrally. "If you betray his secret, you will survive, but he will be destroyed. If you hold it sacred, you will die, but he will be enriched." Okay so she’s talking about Ignotus, and of course she’s going to keep his secret sacred, cause you do effing crazy things for love don’t you?

Change scene:                                                                                

"Come in, then," he said, turning back to his scribbled notes as she stepped through the flames, revealing herself to be wearing an emerald green blouse tucked into a pleated leather skirt and paired with narrow stiletto heels that were entirely too high for the occasion.

They were intriguing, certainly.

Well selected for the benefit of her legs. Like how how does he make the phrase “she looks Bomb AF” sound so bookish?

but with the way she was leaning, he was firmly distracted by the not-unpleasant view he'd been permitted of her legs. "Or, you know. See people often?" Her legs are really distracting aren’t they?

"Yes," he replied. "Always to satisfaction."

He watched her clear her throat, her lips parting slightly.

"Satisfaction?" she echoed. Ooooohhhhh, I can sure feel the slow burn. His innuendos are so obvious yet not obvious at all… I guess its always the quiet ones.

He nodded. "I'd hate to see someone depart my services unsatisfied," he said. "I certainly tailor my performance so that each party gets what they came for."

"Which is?" she asked.

He took a step towards her, watching her hold her breath.

She really did have quite lovely eyes, which traveled tentatively to his mouth.

"Fair and impartial judgment," he told her neutrally. "As per my Wizengamot oath of office."

Instantly, she deflated, a breath escaping sharply from her lips.

"Oh," she said, tearing her gaze away.

He smiled. OH MY GOD!!!! HE KNOWS!!! HE FUCKING KNOWS WHAT HE’S DOING!!!!!! PERCY YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!

And now to my favourite part of the whole chapter, Dramione!!!!!!!

Draco, on the other hand, had clearly had other things in mind aside from dancing and small talk. This is more of an innenduo for us then Hermione and I hate that its just that. An innenduo. Why you no sexing her up?!!

"I just don't know if there's much logic in this," she pressed nervously. "Just because her family clearly has money and influence doesn't inherently make them more likely to be involved, does it? I mean, your family's rich and old, and - "

Draco spun on the stairs, whipping around to face her.

"Yes, they are," he agreed sharply, "and my father was the devoted follower of a villainous, amoral cult, and on a good day, I'm just an assassin."

Hermione sighed.

"Point taken," she permitted weakly, and Draco allowed for a brief, arrogant smirk before gesturing back up the stairs. Point one to Draco. Also really impressed of how he so unfazed with his past. Or rather impressed with his façade.

In response, Hermione offered another resigned sigh, hurrying after him as he poked around in the bedrooms, glancing in and switching on the lights.

"What are we looking for?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"Well, nothing in particular," he said, throwing open the door to what appeared to be an airing cupboard, the sides of it lined with neatly-pressed sheets and towels. "Weird," he muttered, frowning as he stepped inside. "Is there another realm back here?" That’s probably her bedroom. Oh God, this whole section is an innuendo not being taken the right- er, wrong way.

Oh, you're early, Emilia Carnegie had sighed, kissing her daughter's cheek. Daisy, you know how I hate to pull back the veil. Don't slouch, Emmett, she murmured to her husband, nudging him as she spared Draco and Hermione a stiff, coldly alluring smile.

Yes, Daddy, Daisy agreed, giving him a hug. You know how Mom hates a show of weak posture.

Shows weak convictions, Emilia said firmly, and promptly let out a startling bell-like laugh. Anyway, what were we saying?

"True," Draco said, shuddering. "Where do women keep things, then?" Mmmmm…Emilia reminds me so much of Narcissa. Same alluring smile, same primness, same cutthroat sweetness.(let the record show that writer recognizes only fanfiction narcissa.)

"Wow," Hermione remarked, impressed.

"Well," Draco sniffed. "For the record, my mother had a far less whimsical palette and infinitely more taste."

"Please don't," Hermione muttered. "I need you to not get Oedipal on me right now, we're very busy - " I love how devoted draco is to Narcissa. #Forevermommysboy

I apologize, Mrs Carnegie," someone replied; an elf, by the sound of it. "Miss Daisy was only getting something from the wine cellar. I heard a scream just before the sound of something breaking, but by the time I apparated in - "

"Are you telling me my daughter is gone?" Emilia raged. Oh my god, is this umbridge’s work? Shit , what’s happening???

 "Sex," Draco said instantly PREACH!!! The answer to everything.

"My daughter's been taken," she said in a low voice, her blue eyes sparking with anger. "Were you with her?"

"No," Hermione said nervously. "We stepped out, to - "

"Definitely not have sex," Draco supplied. "Definitely something appropriate."

" - talk," Hermione finished, glaring at him. "We were, um. Getting some air, and - " You handsome idiot, Draco. You know exactly what you’re doing don’t you? Its almost like he’s actually telling them that they were doing the do. Which is essentially what he’s trying to do.

 "Of course," Draco assured Emilia, slipping an arm around Hermione's waist. At the unexpected motion, Hermione glanced around, realizing that several of the guests who were wandering the first floor had begun curiously watching them. She felt relieved, oddly, for Draco's ever-surprisingly keen perception. "Of course we can fetch Daisy's things for her," he said loudly, "right, sweetheart?"She feels relieved because he’s there!!! You know I think this is the first fic where draco’s much better at this sneaking thing than Hermione, like infinitely better, must be because he’s an assassin on his best days. I think this is also the first fanfic of olivie’s where you see why they were sorted into the houses they were.

"Does this silhouette look familiar to you?" he asked, and she frowned, uncertain. "It looks," he pressed, dropping his voice to a whisper, "a bit like the person is slouching." Oh my god, is that Emmett ????? NONONONO!!!! MISSION ABORT!!!! RUN! IT’S A TRAP!! IT’S A FUCKING TRAP!!!!!

"Who specifically do you serve?" Hermione pressed, but Draco shook his head, tightly gripping her arm.

NONONONONO!!!! JUST LEAVE FUCKERS!!!!                                

"We have to get out of here," NO SHIT SHERLOCK!!!

he hissed in her ear, moving to draw his wand, but at a small, throat-clearing cough from the doorway, they both froze in place.

"So sorry about this," called a deeply insincere Emmett Carnegie, "but I'm afraid I have to be certain I haven't sacrificed my daughter for nothing."  SHIT. OH GOD, YOU ARE IN SUCH DEEP SHIT. FUCK.

And then, before Hermione could speak, she caught the motion of the elf snapping his fingers, ridding her of consciousness as the floor rose up to swallow them whole. FUCKING OBVIOUSLY THEY HAD TO LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS. OH GOD THE CHAPTER’S DONE??? ON A CLIFFHANGER? NONONONO!!!!

An hour later,

Now that I am in stable condition, not completely stable of course but stable enough to speculate. I would just like to say, that chapter was mindblowing, like I can feel that these are all the small things that are going to come to a crescendo and be a complete fucked up mess.(in a good way). And that cliffhanger, I don’t know how I didn’t see that coming at all!!! Of course this is olivieblake’s fic, so if it doesn’t end in a cliffhanger then it’s a sin, so of course it has to end in a cliffhanger, but no! did I expect it? No.

Okay so reactions done. That was 1402wisegirl, over and out.

[raining-v-coffee]

Harry Potter Crossover fic recs

*Multichapter    ~my notes

Sherlock

Whispers in Corners

Everything started with a stumble - his new life in a new world as well as his surprisingly successful career as a medium.

Business

The Dursleys didn't raise Harry Potter to be a very good boy.

Mildest of fusions with Sherlock Holmes

Patience Rewards Itself WIP

Sebastian Moran's job was simple this time; 'fix' Vernon Dursley. He was prepped to do it. He had no problem doing it. That is, until he sees an unidentified boy with no record of existence at the residence thrown out of the home. Thus, Harry Potter gains an (admittedly unconventional) family, Jim gets a protégé and Seb just hopes that Harry won't wind up quite as...off as his Dad.

Symphony WIP

Despite all the magic in the world, Harry had never encountered magic like that of a genius mind. A whole family of them was bit overwhelming really.

Naruto

Loyalty

Magic, wonderful, strange and unpredictable magic took note of him and instead of doing the logical thing, acknowledging what he is, carving out a place between all the other wondrous creatures in this world – magic lifted him up instead.And left him somewhere else.

~ I had this story under a different classification. Whoops! Many thanks to mori-esque for letting me know!

Growing Strong

A young Jasmine Potter escapes a terrible home situation by teleporting herself to the Elemental Nations. Against all odds, she will turn her life around, gain family and friends, and finally… Grow Strong. Warning: Abuse in first chapter, mentions of abuse in following ones.

And it’s sequel, Chasing Shadows WIP

~ I adore this series.

Gringotts Partnership Mature

Hermione never imagined the doors opened to her when she accepted a job as a Gringotts ward-creator. When she receives an opportunity to study she cannot pass up on it and is introduced to a young jounin Minato Namikaze. This changes everything.

Harry Potter and the Secrets of Konoha WIP

Instead of sending Harry back to Privet Drive to sit on his thumbs after Voldemort's rebirth, Dumbledore sends him, Ron, and Hermione to a village called Konohagakure to learn how to defend themselves.

Harry & Co are 14 (end of fourth year). Naruto & Co are 12-13 (beginning of canon). Pairings (if any) are undecided, but will not be central.

Beautiful Star (Or: Why Studying Equals Ramen) WIP

After an unfortunate incident with a compromised Portkey and some revenge-obsessed Death Munchers, a barely eighteen years old GWL must learn quickly to navigate the Elemental Countries, as well as to raise her baby godson, the only one who tagged along on her next great adventure. Heavily injured, starving herself to feed the little six-month-old and deathly afraid of the very real threat of death, Harry is ready to give up when an unexpected hand helped her out. Jiraiya - who only a few years prior suffered the loss of his most prized student - can't help himself when he finds the tiny girl trying to survive without a real understanding of the world around her. For her child. Somehow the Hokage thinks she's a perfect care-taker for her new neighbor, a five-year-old boy hated by nearly the whole village. Now what the hell did she get herself into this time?

Of Authors, Books and Fuinjutsu WIP Mature

After the war a bitter and disillusioned Hermione decides to move to the pocket dimension called Elemental countries. Watch how certain Konoha shinobi change the course of her life.

Deer tracks WIP Mature

Harriet Potter has to flee from England better yet, she has to vanish from this World. An acquaintance has a solution for the problem but is she really ready for what this entails? Fem Harry Potter

Doctor Who

Not Not-Human

Cold-case disappearances, gruesome murders, and unexplainable disasters, and a spate of terrorist attacks rocked the UK only to end with an explosion in a tiny village. The Doctor and Rose Tyler followed the trail of the invisible war for years, but never thought their search would lead to a baby with a lightning bolt scar.

The Littlest Time Lord

The Doctor answers a distress call and finds that he is not as alone in the universe as he suspected he was.

Just a Wrong Turn

All libraries are one, which is how one late night in the Hogwarts library, Harry Potter finds himself lost in the library on board the TARDIS...

The Rising Storm *

Harry Potter opens a fob watch, and his life and destiny is changed forever.

The Originals

Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt WIP Mature

After Voldemort returned in book 4, Prof. McGonagall decides to ask an old friend for help. 15 years have passed since Dahlia died, so when a owl reaches New Orleans, Elijah gladly comes to the rescue. And while Hermione tries to figure out the secrets of their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Voldemort is looking for an ally to make the fight even again.

Avatar The Last Airbender

Harry Potter and the Avatar's Return

After finding a torn comic in the trash when told to clean Dudley’s room, four year old Harry Potter puts it together with some odd things that have happened around him, and concludes that he’s the Avatar.

- Not a crossover so much as a fic in which Harry Potter is convinced that Avatar: The Last Airbender is a historical documentary.

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

The Dragon of Moria

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter helped with the rebuilding and then went back to school, sitting his NEWTS and graduating with the rest of what The Daily Prophet called ‘The Disrupted Class.’ Following that, everyone expected him to become an auror. Harry himself expected it, right up until the moment came to apply to the academy.

He takes up a hobby instead, and it leads him to a whole new world.

This Dream's On Me * WIP

Fili has heard the whispers, between his uncle and his men. There's going to be a quest, a quest to reclaim Erebor and he wants in. The warrior witch he meets in his dreams doesn't seem to think it's a good idea for him to go though. At least, not alone. Eventual FilixFemHarry

The Avengers

Spellist

The new reality had no wizards or magical nations – but it had a whole boatload of powerful and occasionally inept sorcerers. Who were usually semi-public and sometimes very popular in social media. How it worked, Harry had no idea.

~ Harry/Coulson

Valiant *

When Loki's Staff spat out a girl with a lightning bolt scar, HYDRA were not expecting things to go downhill so fast.

They certainly weren't expecting their new unknown to run off with the Winter Soldier.

Real Enough

Harry Potter, JARVIS and whole lot of artificial existentialism.

where there are no keepsakes

She stalks into his office and throws the letter onto his desk. “Returned unopened, Headmaster,” she says.

There isn’t even an address, just the name Harry Potter. “Oh, dear,” Albus murmurs. Then, with barely a glance at her, “Thank you, Minerva. I’ll handle it from here.”

[AU where Harry Potter did not grow up with the Dursleys -- he was raised by Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes]

Son Of The Champion WIP

Fury needs Coulson to do one quick side trip while passing through England, just a check in on a person of interest to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Daredevil

Wizarding 101: Murderous Megalomaniacs and Their Lasting Effects on Children WIP

Before Voldemort set foot inside Godric Hollow, Vernon Dursley died in a car crash. The shock of it sent Petunia into a catatonic state and, thus, into an institution--but once upon a time, Lily and Petunia Evans' mother was a Nelson, and so when Albus Dumbledore lays Harry Potter at the doorstep of Number Four, Privet Drive, it isn't Petunia Dursley that finds him.

It's Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson.

Ten years later, Harry Jonathan Nelson, of Hell's Kitchen, New York, finds himself a part of a world neither he nor his guardians suspected he was ever a part of, having instead thought of himself as a metahuman with vaguely nebulous powers being trained by the Scarlet Witch, and along with discovery comes danger. It'd be a lot more terrifying, though, if his hometown didn't regularly have supervillains holding up banks and traffic, and if superheroes didn't swing past their apartment every day. And, of course, if one of his parents wasn't Daredevil.

(or: Matt and Foggy raise Harry Potter, with assistance from Karen and Kirsten and some others. things go from there.)

Full Metal Alchemist

The Path of Flame *

Roy Mustang is pretty sure Dumbledore is crazy. Who in their right mind would ask him to raise a newly-orphaned baby?

(Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts, with changes courtesy of his being raised by the Flame Alchemist. I apologize for nothing.)

~ This whole series is golden. ❤

The Adams Family

Harveste Addams * WIP

Harveste began like this - another inconspicuous day in a slew of boring days, starting off with a perfunctory visit to the market, messing about with what could possibly be a very silly idea, and ending in a sense of accomplishment and the first installment. The day after that, buoyed into hitherto unfamiliar levels of ecstasy by readers’ comments (seriously, thank you so much to my first readers), the second installment. And then it just snowballed from there: the researching, the planning, watching and searching out all the little macabre details in a feverish giddy rush.

~ This is such a delightful concept. From the first time I read it many years ago, to every re-read I fall in love with this story over and over again.

Star Trek

Reaching for the Stars *

Hermione Granger is an Unspeakable on a solo mission tracking down escaped Death Eaters. Unfortunately she has to travel across dimensions in pursuit of her targets. After Gotham she ends up on a one way trip to the future and the stars.

Twilight

Aurora Explicit

Alice Lily Potter survived the war, but not unchanged. Pursued by those who regard her new prophetic ability as a valuable resource, and aren’t willing to take ‘no’ for an answer, Alice makes a difficult choice which sends her tumbling into the unknown. There, she finds a whole new world to explore… and love just waiting to be found.

X-Men

Harry Potter and the March of the Sentinels WIP

Harry has never been what you'd call normal, and he generally expects the unexpected to happen all the time when he's concerned. But what's a guy to think when, barely an hour after he saves his cousin from Dementors, the two of them are attacked by Sentinels? Luckily, the X-Men arrive in time to pull them to safety. But what will the Order of the Phoenix say?

Bleach

Lost Boys

After the Triwizard fiasco, Harry leaves Britain behind for a new life. Uryuu befriends Ichigo at a much younger age. Sirius escapes. Points converge and lost boys find a family. Isshin fails. So does Ryuuken. Kisuke finds a friend. Ukitake covers and cleans up. Fate changes.

Multi

Tumbling HP Crossovers WIP Mature

Crossover snippets done to prompts from Tumblr. Harry Potter centric. Slash, crack, au, etc.

Stargate

D.S.S. Requirement *

The Dumbledore's Army use the Room of the Requirement to get themselves a spaceship.

(Knowledge about Stargate is not necessary to read this story)

Yu-Gi-Oh

King's Jackal WIP

Wrecking all of Dumbledore's plans, the Power Dark Lord Knows Not walks up to Harry in the summer before his fifth year, and asks for directions.

To my Masterpost of Harry Potter Recs <3

I also have rec lists for Naruto and Doctor who.