#JUST THINK ABOUT IT OKAY. ONAY

[radioroxx]

the demons the parasites within me that tell me to give characters tattoos

[talkingontheinternet]

I don't think right now I really have a good relationship with any of them tbh I try really hard to connect w ppl but I just don't so I think I'm like ready to move on. Not August though, if u see this August hi ily, would never drop u

[lizziesangel]

TOM RIDDLE - soulmates don’t exist PT. 5

SDE MASTERLIST - FEM!reader (POC!reader friendly)

SUMMARY: everything changes for you when snape gives you a certain memory. will you be able to do the task that dumbledore has given you?

WORD COUNT: 7618

GENRE: angst-ish (but not really)

CONTENT WARNING: soulmate & time travel au, english is not my first language

After dinner more students came walking in, also trying to get ahead of their studies they had to do. You were sitting hunched over a stack of divination books, feeling more lost with each page you flipped through. Tea leaves, crystal balls, and other things were starting to feel like utter gibberish to you. 

Ben sat across from you, lazily flipping through a copy of ‘Unfogging the Future’, looking bored as ever. Next to you was Cressida, her brow furrowed in intense concentration as she read through your notes. Both of them had long forgotten about their DADA work. 

“This is impossible,” you groaned, rubbing your temples. “How is anyone supposed to ‘see the future’ in a cup of tea leaves? They all look the same to me.”

Cressida looked up from her notes, a sympathetic smile on her face. “It’s all about interpretation, Y/n. You’re not really seeing the future—it’s more like... reading symbols and trusting your instincts.”

You sighed, not feeling particularly comforted by that explanation. “I don’t think I have the right instincts for this.”

Ben leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as he observed your struggle with mild amusement. “I’m starting to think Divination is less about predicting the future and more about seeing how many students can predict their own failure,” he said with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes, pushing the book away slightly. “Right! I just don’t get it. How am I supposed to see something in a teacup?”

Cressida laughed softly, scooting her chair closer to yours. “Okay, let’s break this down a bit. What are you supposed to be studying for this week’s lesson? Something about dream interpretations, right?”

You nodded, pulling out another crumpled piece of parchment with your notes. “Yeah, dreams and omens. We have to analyze a dream and interpret what it means, but I’m hopeless at it. My last one was apparently too ‘mundane.’”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Too mundane? What was it about, rabbits hopping in a meadow or something?”

You snorted. “Close. I said it was about losing my shoes in the middle of a forest.”

Ben grinned, clearly amused. “Well, I can see why that wouldn’t impress Onai. Sounds like a real catastrophe.”

Cressida, however, looked thoughtful. “Wait, losing your shoes… Professor Onai always talks about symbolism. Maybe the shoes represent something—like protection, or grounding. And losing them means you’re vulnerable or unprepared for something.”

You blinked, surprised by how easily Cressida came up with that explanation. “You’re a natural at this. Maybe you should be taking Divination instead of me.”

Cressida smiled, a little flattered. “I’ve just read enough of this nonsense to know what they’re all looking for.”

Ben leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “Alright, what if we make up something properly dramatic? Say you dreamed of falling into a dark pit filled with snakes. Or better yet, you saw a tower collapsing, and you were trapped inside.”

Cressida giggled, and you shook your head, though you couldn’t help but smile. “Professor Onai would love that, I’m sure.”

“I’m serious!” Ben said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Tell her the tower represents Hogwarts, and the snakes are obviously Slytherin. You’re predicting a major catastrophe involving the school—maybe a rival house betrayal or something.”

“Yeah, and then she’ll probably assign me extra work to prevent this disaster,” you said dryly, though the idea was starting to sound more and more plausible.

Cressida, still chuckling softly, reached over to your notes and scribbled something down. “Okay, how about we meet in the middle? You dreamt you were lost in a maze, with mist swirling all around you. Every path leads you to different choices, but none of them feel right. Then, just before you wake up, you see a figure at the center of the maze, but you can’t reach them.”

You raised an eyebrow, looking over the notes she’d written. “And that means…?”

“Uncertainty about your future, perhaps. The figure represents some unresolved aspect of your life, maybe even something you’re afraid of or trying to avoid.” Cressida explained, her voice soft but confident.

Ben nodded, impressed. “That’s actually pretty good, C. I’d buy it.”

You glanced between the two of them, grateful for their help. “Alright, thanks. I’ll use that. At least it sounds more mystical than my shoe fiasco.”

Ben flipped the page of his book with a dramatic flair, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement. “It’s all guesswork, really. Professor Onai just likes to act as though it’s some mystical art when half the time she’s just making things up. Here, can you try this? I wanna see.” He slid a page of the book toward you, pointing to a section with interpretations of tea leaves.

You glanced at it, reading over the different shapes and symbols.

“Right,” you muttered, staring blankly at the page. “So, what if I see something that looks like... I don’t know, a blob? Or just random dots? Does that mean I’m doomed?”

Ben snorted, trying to suppress a laugh. “In that case, you could probably get away with saying it’s a ‘fog of uncertainty’ and that the future is still unclear. Sounds mysterious enough, doesn’t it?”

You looked between the two of them, part of you wanting to laugh at how ridiculous this whole thing was. “So, I just have to bluff my way through it?”

Cressida rolled her eyes, “Ben’s not entirely wrong, though,” she admitted, pushing her Divination notes toward you. “The trick is to sound confident, even if you have no idea what you’re saying. Professor Onai eats that up. If you act like you’re seeing something profound, she’ll believe you.”

Ben leaned forward, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Exactly. Bluff your way through like a true Seer. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll ‘predict’ something dramatic, and they’ll be impressed.”

You groaned, resting your forehead on the table. “This is hopeless. I can’t even read a dumb tea leaf.”

Cressida chuckled softly, giving your arm a gentle squeeze. “It’s not hopeless. Divination just... takes a different mindset. It’s not like Charms or Transfiguration where everything’s logical and concrete. It’s more about intuition, like Ben said. You’re probably overthinking it.”

You turned your head to look at her, half-convinced she was right. But it was hard to shake the feeling that this was all just guesswork. “I guess I’m just not used to the idea of relying on intuition. I like things to make sense.”

Ben grinned, leaning back in his chair once again, clearly enjoying your frustration. “Then you’ll love this next bit. In palmistry,” he said, flipping through his book until he found the right page, “you can tell someone’s life expectancy just by looking at how long their lifeline is.”

“Is that actually real?” you asked, frowning in disbelief.

Ben raised his eyebrows, the corner of his mouth curling up in a smirk. “No. Not really, well, I don’t think so. But it doesn’t stop people from believing it. See? Divination’s all about confidence.”

Cressida shot him a playful look. “You’re supposed to be helping, not making her more confused.”

“I am helping,” Ben protested, though the grin on his face said otherwise. He looked back at you, his expression softening. “Alright, alright. If you really want to get through this, here’s a tip: go for the vague predictions. No one can prove them wrong. Something like... ‘I sense a great change in the future,’ or ‘Someone close to you will make an important decision.’ People cannot get enough of that stuff.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I think I can manage that.”

Cressida beamed at you. “See? You’ll be fine! You’ve just got to let yourself relax into it.”

She pulled out a teacup from her bag—she’d clearly come prepared to study for every class tonight—and set it on the table. “Here, why don’t we practice? I can help you read the leaves.”

Ben groaned dramatically but leaned in nonetheless, curiosity getting the better of him. “Oh, this ought to be good. I want to hear Y/n’s grand prophecy.”

You shot the Ravenclaw a mock glare but picked up the cup anyway, swirling the tea leaves around before setting it back down. You and Cressida leaned in together to look at the patterns in the bottom of the cup.

“Alright,” Cressida said softly, squinting at the leaves. “What do you see?”

You frowned, staring at the scattered leaves, trying to make sense of the shapes. “Uh... a black dot?”

Ben burst out laughing silently, and even Cressida couldn’t stifle her giggles. 

“Well… that’s one way to start,” Cressida said, still smiling. “But look closer—see those two leaves here? They’re almost in the shape of a circle. That could mean something positive. Good fortune, maybe.”

You leaned in closer, nodding slowly. “Okay, I can kind of see that. And what about... this one? It looks like a little snake.”

Cressida’s eyes lit up. “A snake usually means some kind of betrayal. But it could also mean transformation—like shedding old skin. It depends on how you want to interpret it.”

Ben shook his head, still grinning. “So, you’ve got good fortune and betrayal in your future. How exciting.”

You felt your stomach turn. “Great. My future is a complete mess.”

Cressida nudged you playfully. “It’s all in how you frame it. You can make anything sound meaningful if you try hard enough.”

After a few more rounds of guessing at symbols and laughing at the absurdity of it all, you felt a little less overwhelmed by the idea of Divination. It still wasn’t your favorite subject, but with Ben and Cressida’s help, you were starting to see how you could at least survive the class without making a complete fool of yourself.

Ben closed his book with a snap, stretching his arms above his head. “Alright, I think that’s enough ‘seeing the future’ for one evening. My brain hurts.”

Cressida giggled, shaking her head at him. “You’re hopeless, Ben.”

He winked at her, then looked over at you with a more genuine smile. “But seriously, Y/n—you’ll be fine. Just remember, no one really knows what’s going to happen. So, if you sound like you do, you’re already ahead of the game.”

You smiled back, feeling a wave of gratitude wash over you. “Thanks, both of you. I don’t think I’d survive Onai’s class without your help.”

Cressida beamed, and Ben just shrugged nonchalantly, though you could tell he was pleased.

“No problem,” he said, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Just don’t forget us when you become the next great Seer.”

You laughed as you gathered your books, feeling lighter than you had all week. 

After almost half an hour of extra studying for divination, you finally closed the last book with a satisfied thud. Ben and Cressida had transitioned seamlessly into their DADA revision, spreading out an assortment of books and parchment on the table.

"How are you still going?" you asked, stifling a yawn as you stretched. "I’m pretty sure my brain stopped working an hour ago.”

Cressida sighed, “We’ve still got a bit to cover for tomorrow’s class, but you’ve earned a break.”

Ben raised an eyebrow at you as he doodled lazily in the margins of his Charms textbook. "Or, you know, you could stay and suffer with us. Strength in numbers.

You chuckled, shaking your head as you gathered the Divination books scattered across the table. "I’ll pass, sorry buddy. I’m going to put these back before Madam Pince hunts me down for leaving them out. And maybe find something for Astronomy tomorrow”

Ben, leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, smirked at you. “Don’t get lost in the stars tomorrow, Y/n. Though, if you do, I’ll make sure Professor Onai knows you had a cosmic fate awaiting you.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Thanks, Ben. I’ll keep that in mind.” 

With the books balanced in your arms, you turned and made your way across the library, your steps echoing softly against the stone floor. The shelves were standing tall, casting long shadows in the dim light. You made your way through the aisles, heading toward the section that housed Divination text books. 

Sliding the last book back into its place, you turned, intending to find the Astronomy section. After passing almost ten rows of books in alphabetical order, you wanted to curse Hogwarts for putting ‘A’ in the back of the library.

The section of astronomy was dimly lit, tucked in a corner where fewer students ventured at this hour. You found yourself browsing slowly, eyes gliding over the ancient-looking volumes when a voice broke the silence, startling you. You reached out to pull an Astronomy book from the shelf in front of you, but before you could fully distract yourself in the book, a voice cut through the quiet, low and cold. 

“It’s rude to stare.”

You jumped at the sound of someone behind you. The book you were trying to take was nearly knocked off the shelf. Tom was standing right beside you, how you couldn’t notice or even feel his presence was weird. His dark eyes locked onto yours with an unsettling intensity.

Had you been staring? You weren’t quite sure when, but you were sure of the shiver that ran down your spine when he appeared out of thin air next to you.

“Excuse me?” you said, trying to keep your voice steady, though the proximity and suddenness of his appearance had thrown you off balance. “I wasn’t staring,” you replied, sounding as casual as you could, trying to keep your hand steady as you slid the book you had taken back into place.

“You and your friends watch me like I’m some kind of puzzle you’re trying to solve.” He stepped closer, the edge of his robe brushing against your arm as his voice lowered to a murmur.

Tom tilted his head, his gaze unwavering. “Lucas. He glares at me constantly. It’s not subtle, you know.”

Tom’s gaze softened just a fraction, though the smile that curved his lips was still unsettlingly cold. “It’s flattering, in a way, that you think you can figure me out. But don't waste your energy. There are better ways to spend your time.”

You blinked, feeling a cold weight settle in your stomach. How had he noticed? You’d tried to be discreet, observing him from time to time, but you hadn’t realized he was so acutely aware of both your and Lucas’s attention.

The silence between you stretched thin, tension humming in the air. You could feel the weight of his attention, and despite every instinct telling you to look away, you couldn’t. It was as though his presence drew you in, locking you in place.

“What is it about me that interests you so much?” Tom asked, his voice quiet but sharp, cutting through the space between you.

Your mouth went dry, this was the first time you’d hear his voice outside of class. Lucas was right about one thing - this guy was a big teacher’s pet. . “I don’t—” You shook your head, trying to find your footing in the conversation. “I’m not… interested.”

That almost-smile returned, but there was no warmth in it. “You think I don’t notice when people watch me? I see and hear everything.” He took a step closer to you, and though it was subtle, it made the space between you feel suffocating. “I find it curious.”

You swallowed, forcing yourself to stand your ground. “I’m not watching you, Riddle.”

Tom raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. “No? Then what is it, exactly? You are… different, ever since you arrived. People are curious about you, its almost made me curious about you.”

“I’m just trying to focus on my studies,” you said, your voice sounding much steadier than you felt. “There’s nothing…” you trailed off, wishing this conversation could just end now.

Tom’s expression remained unreadable, his lips curling ever so slightly into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Do I make you nervous, L/n?” His voice was so smooth and calculated.

You almost stopped breathing. He knew your name. Of course he did—he was observant, always watching, always listening. Or maybe it was because you were ‘new’. But it still caught you off guard, hearing him say it aloud, as if he was testing how it sounded. It almost made you want to melt.

You cleared your throat, trying to steady yourself. “No,” you lied, hoping the word didn’t sound as shaky as it felt. “I just didn’t expect anyone to be here.”

Tom’s gaze didn’t waver, his eyes studying you as if he were searching for something beyond the surface. “And yet, here we are.”

“It’s only a matter of time before I find out what makes you so different.”

Before you could muster any sort of reply, Tom straightened his posture even more, his eyes glancing briefly down the aisle before locking with yours again.

“Oh, and you’re coming with me to the Slug Club party as my date.”

Your mind blanked. “What?”

But Tom had already turned away, walking briskly toward the exit of the library without another word, leaving you standing there in stunned silence. 

He didn’t even wait for your response, didn’t even give you the chance to argue. It was as if he had decided for both of you, and that was that.

You stood there, still clutching the Astronomy book in your hands, your heart racing and your mouth parted slightly. Tom’s parting words echoed in your head, sending a ripple of confusion and unease through you.

As his tall figure disappeared from view, you blinked, finally finding your voice—too late, of course. “Wait, what?”

But the only response was the soft rustle of parchment and the quiet crackling of candle flames in the distant corners of the library.

You turned away from the rows of books and walked back toward the table where Ben and Cressida were still engrossed in their DADA study materials. The earlier encounter with Tom had left you in a whirl of thoughts and emotions, but you pushed it aside for now, focusing on your friends.

“I’m going to head back to the common room. It’s almost curfew, and the library closes an hour before.”

Ben glanced at his watch, then at Cressida. “You’re right. We should probably get going too; we can finish up the last bit of our notes in the morning.”

“Good call,” Cressida agreed, gathering her things as you slid into your seat to help them pack up.

As you collected your scattered parchment and books, you couldn’t shake the conversation with Tom from your mind. The casual way he’d announced that you were going to the Slug Club party, as if you didn’t have a choice, left you feeling unsettled. You hadn’t even gotten a chance to respond.

You were kind of glad, it seemed as if you didn’t have to do anything to get close to Riddle. Maybe this task could work that Dumbledore gave you.

Once finished, you waved goodbye to your two new friends and left the library, stepping into the cool hallway of Hogwarts. The castle felt eerily quiet at this hour, the only sound being the soft echo of your footsteps against the stone floor and some students who were lingering around. You navigated the winding corridors, the familiar path to Gryffindor Tower comforting in its predictability.

After saying the password to the Fat Lady, you stepped into the Gryffindor common room a familiar warmth washed over you. The cozy fire crackled in the hearth, casting a soft orange glow that made the red and gold accents of the room even more inviting. It was a huge comfort after the strange encounter. Your mind still whirled with confusion—his words, his tone—but you pushed it to the back of your mind, not wanting to dwell on it now.

You spotted Lucas sitting with a few other boys. While Maeve, Lilith and Alicia were sitting on one of the large, cushioned sofas near the fire, talking and laughing with a small group of other Gryffindors. Maeve, with her infectious energy, was gesturing animatedly, while Alicia leaned in, clearly amused by whatever story was being told. It was a scene of easy camaraderie, one that made you feel a bit lighter just watching.

“Y/n! Come join us!” she called, scooting over on the sofa to make room.

You hesitated for a moment, thinking about heading upstairs to the dormitory to mull over the day, but then decided against it. Maybe what you needed wasn’t to be alone with your thoughts—maybe what you needed was a distraction. Something normal, something that reminded you that despite the strange and unsettling things happening, you were still just a student at Hogwarts. 

So, you made your way over to where Lilith, Maeve and Alicia sat.

You smiled and slid into the open spot next to Alicia, feeling the warmth of the fire on your face. “What are you guys talking about?”

Maeve smirked, leaning forward slightly. “Alicia's just been telling everyone how she ‘accidentally’ lit her cauldron on fire in Potions today.”

Alicia gave an exaggerated huff, crossing her arms. “It was not my fault. The instructions were so vague! How was I supposed to know the boomslang skin needed to be chopped and not sliced? Slughorn didn't even seem surprised.”

Everyone laughed, including you. Being around Maeve and Alicia always had a way of making things feel lighter, less complicated.

“At least you didn’t blow up the entire classroom,” you teased, nudging her shoulder. “Could’ve been worse.”

“Oh, don’t tempt fate,” Maeve said with a grin. “She’s bound to do that next.”

“Honestly, Slughorn should give you extra credit for keeping him on his toes,” one of the other Gryffindors, a boy named Colin, chimed in. “He looked half-asleep before you spiced things up.”

Alicia laughed. “Maybe I’ll make a habit of it. Keep everyone entertained during Potions class.”

Lilith shook her head with a fond smile. “You’ll give the poor man a heart attack.”

The conversation flowed easily after that, and you found yourself relaxing into the warmth of the common room, letting the laughter and chatter distract you from the strange events of the past few days. It felt nice, this small escape from the growing complexity of your life at Hogwarts—just sitting with your friends, enjoying the simple pleasures of shared stories and jokes.

“Anyone up for a round of Exploding Snap?” Colin asked, pulling out a deck of cards with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Maeve clapped her hands together. “Absolutely. I’m in.”

Alicia raised an eyebrow at you, a knowing smile on her face. “What about you, Y/n? Feel like playing, or are you going to sneak off to the library again?”

You grinned, shaking your head. “I think I’ve had enough of the library for one day. Count me in.”

The cards were dealt, and soon enough, the table was filled with laughter and shouts as the game began.

The Great Hall buzzed with its usual morning energy as students filed in for breakfast, the long house tables laden with all sorts of delicious food. You slid into a spot between Maeve and Alicia, nodding a quick greeting to Lucas, who was already halfway through a slice of toast. Across from you, Ben was deep in conversation with Cressida, though from the smirk on his face, it looked like their discussion was more playful than serious.

“Morning!” Maeve chirped, her curly dark hair bouncing as she waved excitedly. "You look like you slept through the night for once!”

You laughed, shrugging as you reached for some pumpkin juice. "Guess I needed it after all that Divination nonsense last night. Thanks again for the help.”

“You needed help with Divination?” Lucas asked, his eyebrow raised in mock surprise. “I thought you were born with the gift. You know, seeing into the future and all that.”

“Please,” Alicia cut in with a grin, tossing her long red hair over her shoulder. “The only thing she’s predicting is when we’ll all fail our exams. It’s not exactly professor Onai level.”

“You’d think predicting disaster would score me more points in her class," you said dryly, earning a laugh from Maeve. 

Ben leaned over the table, grabbing another egg roll. “Speaking of disasters, did you hear what happened in Potions yesterday?” He shot Alicia a knowing look, and she groaned dramatically.

“Oh, Merlin, don’t even bring it up. It was a tiny fire! You set one classroom on fire, and no one ever lets you forget it.”

“I mean, it's impressive you didn’t blow up the entire dungeon,” Cressida added with a teasing smile.

"Alicia, if you set something else on fire, you'll be on first-name basis with Filch," Lucas chimed in, his tone dry but playful.

Maeve shot him a mock glare. “You’re one to talk! You’re probably on Filch’s speed dial from all your pranks.”

“Correction,” Lucas said, holding up a finger. “Filch doesn’t know I’m behind them. I’m smarter than that.”

Lucas leaned back with a self-satisfied grin, as if he’d been waiting to drop some news. “Anyway, you’ll never guess what happened last night.”

Lilith raised an eyebrow. “Did you set something on fire?”

“No, better.” Lucas’s grin widened. “Someone asked me to the Slug Club party.”

There was a pause around the table before Maeve nearly choked on her juice. “Wait—what? Someone asked you?”

“Wait, are you serious?” Alicia looked equally surprised, her freckled face scrunching up with curiosity. “Since when are you the kind of person to go to fancy parties with dates?”

Lucas shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes gleamed with amusement. “It’s just a party. They asked, and I thought, why not?”

“You, at the Slug Club, huh?" Ben looked impressed, though his tone was teasing. "Trying to get in with the elite crowd now?”

“More like trying to eat their fancy food,” Lucas shot back, biting into his toast with a smirk. “And who says I can’t enjoy a party? Besides, this person… well, let's just say they’re persistent.”

“Pass the eggs, would you, Y/N?” Maeve asked from beside you, her dark curls bouncing as she leaned over, ever enthusiastic.

You handed her the plate, grinning as she piled her food.

Before you could get drawn further into the banter, you cleared your throat, feeling a sudden knot tighten in your stomach. “About the Slug party…” you began, a little hesitantly. 

Everyone turned to you, curious, and you immediately regretted how awkward you felt about saying it aloud. You knew how this group loved to react to every little piece of drama.

Ben, narrowed his eyes at you with a grin. “What, don’t tell me you got asked too?”

Alicia leaned in, her curiosity piqued. “Come on, Y/n, spill. Who asked you?”

Taking a deep breath, you set your juice down and tried to keep your voice casual. “So, last night... I was in the library, putting some books away, and... Riddle shows up.”

You could almost feel the temperature drop slightly at the mention of his name. Tom had that effect—he was either admired, feared, or completely misunderstood. And most people didn’t dare cross into his orbit.

“Riddle?” Lucas’ brow furrowed. “What did he want?”

Your lips twitched in irritation. "Well, he said... I’m going with him to the Slug Club party.”

There was a beat of silence, then:

“He what?” Lucas nearly shrieked, his eyes wide.

“He just—said it. Didn’t ask, didn’t wait for a reply. Just told me I’m going with him and walked off before I could even respond.”

Ben snorted, shaking his head. “Classic Riddle. Bloody arrogant, isn’t he?”

“You're telling me!” you said, leaning back in frustration. “I didn’t even agree, and now it’s like everyone’s going to think I’m—”

Cressida leaned in with a sly grin. “That you’re dating him?”

You shot her a look. “Please, no one’s going to think that. It’s just—he’s using me as a social prop or something. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“But why you?” Lucas asked quietly. “Riddle doesn’t just pick people randomly. Maybe he sees something in you.”

“That’s what makes it so weird!” you exclaimed. “I’ve barely spoken to him, and now I’m his date?”

Lucas crossed his arms. “Maybe you should start glaring at him more often, like I do.”

“Yeah, well, according to him, he’s already noticed your glare,” you said dryly, rolling your eyes. “Apparently, he’s very aware of all of us.”

Lucas huffed, clearly unimpressed. “Of course, he is. That guy’s always watching people like they’re chess pieces.”

Alicia giggled. "Well, I guess that means we’re all on his board now. Good luck with that.”

You groaned, burying your face in your hands. “I can’t believe this is happening. I don’t even want to go to that stupid party.”

Maeve nudged you gently. “Hey, it might not be so bad. If anything, Lucas’ll be there for moral support, right?”

Ben nodded with a small, encouraging smile. “He’ll keep an eye out for you. If he gets too... Riddle-like, just wave ‘em over.”

“Besides,” Lucas added, his eyes twinkling with mischief, “I’ll be there with my mystery date. You and I can compare horrible dates.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking your head. “You’re impossible, Lucas.”

He winked. “I know.”

Despite the ridiculousness of it all, you felt a little better knowing your friends had your back, even if it meant navigating the Slug Club party with Tom Riddle as your so-called date. You were quite glad that Lucas would be there, otherwise… you didn’t know how you’d survive.

The dim light of the Potions classroom cast an almost mystical glow over the rows of cauldrons, each bubbling and steaming with the concoctions your classmates were diligently working on. You sat at a long table alongside Lucas, Lilith, and Alicia, the air filled with the aromatic scents of various herbs and potions brewing.

“Alright, does anyone actually know what we’re supposed to be doing?” Lucas asked, peering into his cauldron with a skeptical expression. “Because I’m pretty sure my potion looks more like swamp water than anything resembling a Polyjuice Potion.”

You leaned over to inspect his mixture, fighting back a grin. “I think it needs more lacewing flies. And probably less of whatever that is,” you replied, pointing at a suspicious-looking ingredient he’d added.

Alicia chuckled. Let’s see what kind of disaster we can create this time!”

Lilith, who was meticulously measuring her ingredients, glanced up with a shy smile. “Just be careful, okay? We don’t want to blow anything up this time.”

“Not this time,” Lucas said with mock solemnity, as if making a vow. “But I can’t promise anything after all that bad luck we had in Herbology.”

Just as the laughter began to bubble up again, Professor Slughorn approached your table, his round face beaming with warmth and enthusiasm. His robes swished around him as he moved, and he carried an air of joviality that made his presence both comforting and slightly intimidating.

“Well, well! Look who we have here!” Slughorn exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. “Our very own Gryffindor duo—Lucas and Y/n! I’m positively delighted to have you both joining us for the Slug Club party Saturday! It’s sure to be an affair to remember!”

You exchanged a glance with Lucas, both of you caught off guard by the sudden attention from Slughorn. Your stomach twisted a little at the mention of the party, a mix of excitement and nerves washing over you. Lucas, on the other hand, wore a broad grin that seemed to grow even wider. 

“Thanks, Professor!” Lucas replied, leaning back in his chair with a casual air. “I can’t wait. I’ve heard your parties are legendary.”

“Ah, you’ve heard correctly!” Slughorn said, his cheeks flushing with pride. “I do try to make them memorable. The company, the food, the lively discussions! You’re both in for a treat. I’ve planned some delightful surprises this time.”

“What kind of surprises?” Alicia asked, her curiosity piqued. She leaned forward, her long red hair spilling over her shoulders as she regarded the professor with wide eyes.

“Oh, I can’t reveal all my secrets, dear girl! That would spoil the fun,” Slughorn replied, waving a hand dismissively, though a mischievous smile played on his lips. “But I assure you, you won’t be disappointed. Just be sure to dress nicely! A party is only as good as its attendees, after all.”

You exchanged glances with Lucas, feeling the weight of Slughorn’s expectations. “Thanks for the heads up, Professor,” you said, trying to sound nonchalant despite the flutter of nerves in your stomach. “We’ll make sure to dress appropriately.”

Slughorn beamed at you, his eyes twinkling. “Wonderful! I’ll be counting on you both to liven up the evening! Now, I mustn’t keep you from your work. Let’s make sure that cauldron doesn’t boil over, shall we? Merlin knows I have enough cleaning with you, Alicia!”

As he moved on to check on another group, the four of you exchanged looks filled with a mix of excitement and apprehension. 

“What did I get myself into?” you whispered to Lucas, who was now rolling up his sleeves as if preparing for battle.

“Just a party, Y/n! What’s the worst that could happen?” Lucas replied, grinning. “I’m sure it’ll be all fun and games… unless Tom Riddle pulls out his mysterious charms again.”

“Oh, don’t remind me!” you said with a dramatic sigh. “At this point, I’m half-expecting him to show up with a crown or something.”

Lilith giggled softly, her curls bouncing as she nodded in agreement. “I’d pay to see that.”

“Same,” Alicia added, her voice laced with laughter. “But for real, Y/n. Just have fun.”

“Absolutely,” Lucas said, offering you a reassuring grin. “Let’s just survive Potions first, and then we can strategize our party game plan. Besides, I’ll be there to distract you from any of Riddle’s creepy vibes.”

You couldn’t help but smile at the camaraderie, feeling the comforting presence of your friends around you. As you returned your focus to the cauldron, the bubbling liquid within seemed a little less daunting, and the upcoming party, while still nerve-wracking, felt a touch more exciting with your friends by your side.

“Though, I can’t believe Slughorn is actually excited to see us at the party,” Lucas said, breaking into your thoughts. “I mean, I thought we’d be just another couple of faces in the crowd.”

“I know, right?” you replied, rolling your eyes slightly. “As if I’m not already stressed enough about it. What am I supposed to wear? I don’t even know how to match with Riddle.”

Lucas grinned mischievously, leaning closer to you. “I mean, have you considered going in full-on Gryffindor colors? You could practically blind him with your ensemble. Red and gold would definitely make a statement.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “As tempting as that sounds, I don’t think that’s the look I’m going for. I’d like to keep some semblance of style, thank you very much.”

Just then, Lilith, who had been quietly mixing her potion a few seats down, piped up. “Or you could match with Lucas!” she said, her eyes brightening at the idea. “You could be besties who coordinate outfits!”

Lucas’s eyes widened, and he looked at Lilith with mock horror. “Wait, you want me to match with Y/n? How would that even work?”

“Oh, come on!” you exclaimed, feeling a rush of excitement. “That would be hilarious. We could totally rock the matching bestie look! We’d be the life of the party.”

Lilith nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Just imagine it. You two in coordinating outfits, showing everyone how it’s done. You could wear something that complements each other. Think about it—everyone will love it!”

“Okay, I’m in,” Lucas said, a playful grin spreading across his face. “But only if I get to pick the colors. I’m not wearing anything ridiculous like polka dots.”

You laughed again, feeling your anxiety start to melt away. “Deal! As long as it’s something we can both pull off. I just want to make sure we don’t look like clowns or something.”

“Clowns would be a bold choice,” Lucas said, leaning back in his chair. “But we can leave that for the next party.”

“Perfect! So, what are you thinking for colors?” you asked, already feeling a surge of inspiration.

“Definitely something dark and sophisticated to contrast with your outfit. I think deep purple or navy would be awesome. They’d go well with both our styles,” Lucas suggested, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

“Those would look great together! I can see it now—me in a deep purple dress, and you in a navy suit,” you said, your excitement growing. “We’ll be the most stylish duo there!”

“Absolutely! And if anyone gives us grief, we’ll just tell them it’s a statement about friendship,” Lucas added, grinning as he glanced around the room.

Lilith giggled, pleased with the plan. “I can’t wait to see this! You two will be the talk of the party.”

As Professor Slughorn wandered closer, your table quickly redirected your attention to your potion, but the thrill of the idea lingered in your mind. Matching outfits with Lucas felt like just the right balance of fun and confidence you needed to tackle the upcoming Slug Club party.

The Gryffindor common room was bustling with high and loud energy as you and your friends gathered around a large table piled high with books, parchment, and assorted snacks. The fireplace crackled warmly in the background, casting a cozy glow over the space. Lilith sat cross-legged on the floor, engrossed in a thick tome about potion brewing, while Maeve and Alicia were locked in a spirited debate about the merits of various Quidditch teams.

You settled into a comfortable armchair, stretching your legs out in front of you and letting out a contented sigh. It felt nice to be surrounded by friends, especially after the whirlwind of emotions you’d experienced over the past few days.

As you reached for a chocolate frog, you caught sight of a familiar furry figure lounging on the armrest of your chair. Your heart swelled with joy as you recognized your cat, who had been mysteriously absent for days. 

“Hey there, little buddy!” you exclaimed, scooping the cat into your arms. “I haven’t seen you for days! I was starting to worry!”

The cat purred contentedly, nuzzling against your chin as if to say, ‘I’ve been off having adventures, thank you very much.’ You couldn’t help but laugh, scratching behind its ears. “I hope you weren’t off plotting world domination or anything.”

“Maybe he was hanging out with Tom Riddle!” Alicia chimed in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I’ve heard he’s a bit of a cat person.”

You shot her a mock glare, but a smile tugged at your lips. “You know what? I wouldn’t put it past him. He probably thinks he can communicate with Shadow or something.”

“Maybe they’re secretly bonding over dark magic,” Maeve added, feigning a serious expression. “What if they form a feline army?”

“Now that would be terrifying,” Lucas said, emerging from the corner of the room with a plate of biscuits. “A cat army led by Tom Riddle? I can see it now—total chaos.”

You shook your head, laughing at the absurdity of it all. “Well, if my cat is leading the charge, I’m definitely switching sides. I can’t let her rule the world without me!”

Lilith looked up from her book, a smile breaking through her usually reserved demeanor. “At least you’ll have a loyal companion by your side.”

You cradled your cat closer, who seemed to enjoy the attention. “You know, he might be the secret to my success. With Shadow by my side, I feel like I can take on anything—even Riddle.”

The group erupted in laughter, and the mood in the room brightened. You placed your cat back on the armrest, where he settled comfortably, watching everyone with bright, inquisitive eyes.

The weekend had finally arrived, and excitement buzzed in the air as you and Lucas made your way to Hogsmeade for a day of shopping. The streets were alive with chatter, laughter, and the sound of the occasional owl swooping overhead. The weather was crisp, the sky a brilliant blue, perfect for a day out with friends.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Lucas said, his voice laced with anticipation as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. He looked sharp today, dressed casually but stylishly in light jeans and a fitted sweater. “This is going to be epic.”

“Right?” you replied, your heart racing with a mix of nerves and excitement. “I feel like we’re on a mission to become the best-dressed duo in Hogwarts history.”

Lucas chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief. “And to think, it all started with a date to the Slug Club. I’m still half-convinced you just wanted to drag me along to ensure you looked fabulous.”

“Can you blame me? You’re basically a fashion icon,” you teased, nudging him playfully.

As you approached Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, a quaint shop with window displays filled with elegant robes and dresses, you felt a thrill of anticipation. Stepping inside, you were greeted by the familiar scent of fabric and the gentle rustle of garments being tried on. A soft bell chimed as the door closed behind you.

“Alright, let’s find you a stunning dress!” Lucas said, eyes gleaming as he headed toward the racks of colorful robes and dresses. 

You wandered over to the section with formal wear, your heart racing as you scanned the options. After a few minutes of searching, your gaze landed on a beautiful dark purple dress that flowed elegantly to your ankles. The silk shimmered under the shop’s lights, and you could already picture how it would look on you—sleek and sophisticated.

“Lucas, come check this out!” you called, holding up the dress. 

His eyes widened, and a grin spread across his face. “That’s perfect! It’s so elegant and would look stunning on you. Try it on!”

With a quick nod, you grabbed the dress and made your way to the fitting room. Slipping it on, you admired yourself in the mirror. The fabric felt soft against your skin, and the color complemented your features beautifully. You turned to see how it looked from different angles, feeling a rush of confidence.

“Okay, now for the real test,” you said to yourself, stepping out of the fitting room. Lucas’s jaw dropped as he laid eyes on you, his expression a mixture of awe and approval.

“Wow, Y/N. You look absolutely breathtaking!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight. “That dress was made for you!”

“Really? You think so?” you asked, a shy smile spreading across your face. 

“Absolutely. And it’ll look even better when we coordinate with my navy suit,” Lucas said, his voice teasing but sincere. “You’re going to be the star of the show, and I’m just here to support your brilliance.”

“Okay, okay, you’re making me blush,” you replied, playfully rolling your eyes. “But you still need to find your suit, Mr. Best Dressed.”

“Right! Let’s find the perfect navy suit to match my stunning date,” he said, striding over to the section for men’s formal wear. After a few minutes of browsing, he pulled out a dark navy suit that looked incredibly sharp. “What do you think?”

“Looks like a winner to me!” you said, clapping your hands together. “Let’s get you to try it on.”

As Lucas stepped into the fitting room, you waited anxiously outside, your heart pounding with excitement. When he finally emerged, you gasped. The suit fit him perfectly, accentuating his tall frame and dark curls. He looked incredibly handsome.

“Well? What do you think?” Lucas asked, striking a pose with a grin.

“You look fantastic! Seriously, you’re going to turn heads in that suit,” you said, unable to hide your admiration. “We’ll be the best-looking pair at the Slug Club.”

“Agreed,” he said, beaming. “Now let’s finalize our choices. You have to get that dress, and I definitely need this suit.”

After a few moments of browsing through accessories, you settled on a simple silver necklace that would add a touch of elegance without overpowering the dress. Lucas found a matching tie that complemented both his suit and your dress beautifully. 

“Alright, we did it!” you said as you paid for your outfits. “I can’t believe we actually pulled this off.”

“Of course we did! We’re a dynamic duo,” Lucas replied, a grin spreading across his face. “Now all we have to do is perfect our dance moves for the party.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be the center of attention with our dazzling outfits and questionable dancing,” you laughed, nudging him playfully.

“Let’s just hope we don’t end up stepping on each other’s toes,” Lucas quipped as you both stepped back into the bustling streets of Hogsmeade, ready to show the world just how stylish you could be together. 

As you walked side by side, you felt a sense of excitement and confidence. With Lucas by your side, you knew the Slug Club party would be an unforgettable night, no matter what happened.

“So, Luca, you still haven't told me who your date is.” You asked him, nudging him slightly with your elbow.

He chuckled nervously. “Ah, well, about that…”

“Come on,” you teased, nudging him playfully. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed ahead. “It's... not a girl.”

A/N: to be added to taglist - press taglist lol & i have a feeling i basically wrote nothing? does that make sense, anyway THANK YOU for all the support

˖ . ݁𝜗𝜚. ݁₊taglist:

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[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

Hey can I ask you a request?

Basically, I love Anne Sallow x Ominis a lot and I wanted to ask you about the reactions of the various characters who discover the feelings that each other has and maybe get together 💚💗💚💗💚💗

Ps. English is not my language

A/N: I think I understand what you're asking for, but for simplicity's sake, I'm going to give them feelings for MC

HLC REACT TO REALIZING THEY HAVE A CRUSH ON MC

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: The realization hits him like a train. After everything he had dealt with during fifth year, who was still standing with him? Who put up with his shit? Who risked everything for his sister despite barely knowing her? MC. They had become his closest friend, even closer than Ominis, but only now is he seeing them in a different light. The next time their eyes meet, they know.

OMINIS GAUNT: MC had been his peace in the chaos. The rock he could cling to in the storm. He had found comfort in them, but on realizing how deep his feelings were going, he was scared. Surely these feelings would scare them away. He had to be careful going forward.

ANNE SALLOW: She never thought she was the type of girl to fall for a knight in shining armor, but MC literally saved her life. The way they treated her, the way they bent over backwards for her, there had to be more to their feelings than they said. She didn't fall first, but she fell harder.

IMELDA REYES: Panic. No. Nonononono! They are not part of her plan! She is going to graduate school and play professional quidditch with the Holyhead Harpies. She doesn't have time or patience to deal with a relationship. She bottles up her feelings as quickly as she catches them.

NATSAI ONAI: MC has made her feel soft and warm inside since the first day in charms class. Their smile alone could make her feel like kicking her feet like an excited school girl. She doesn't jump to any conclusions, but she does try to ease the idea of a relationship beyond friendship between her and MC as they get to know each other. An innocent butterbeer date wouldn't hurt, would it?

GARRETH WEASLEY: He's kind of oblivious. He knows he likes being around them and he likes getting them involved with his schemes, but he doesn't seem to realize how close he likes to stand next to them in potions class. Or how he takes a little too much joy into making them laugh. MC will probably have to make the first move to make him realize it, then he's just dumbfounded.

LEANDER PREWETT: If MC found him charmingly awkward before, it increases when he realizes he has a crush. He tries a bit too hard to get their attention by opening doors for them and constantly asks where they're going after class. A lot of the times he ends up tripping over something or dropping whatever he's holding. He doesn't mind so much that they're laughing, but he's afraid they'll never take him seriously.

AMIT THAKKAR: He fusses more about how well they're doing in class and if there's anything he can do to help. He figures that maybe he could spend more time with them if they agree to let him tutor them. Especially in astrology. Having MC all to himself in the evening under the stars and a telescope? He can't think of anything better. He has to be careful with his daydreaming, he'll mess up his notes.

EVERETT CLOPTON: He's...not okay. He hates himself for catching feelings. There's no way in any realm of reality that MC would want him. He doesn't even have to go out of his way to avoid MC, they just aren't around him much after flying class. He doesn't think they've ever even gone out of their way to talk to him (Unless they're Ravenclaw). He'll admire from a distance and wait it out.

POPPY SWEETING: She really wishes her face wouldn't be so red around MC. We're going to start asking if she's not feeling well. She tries to play coy, but she's so obvious that it hurts. MC would have to be as thick as a rock to miss the signs. She constantly wants to be around them, always grabs their hand when she wants to show them something, practically stares while they're interacting with beasts, etc. Just don't point it out, she'll get embarrassed.

✨BONUS CHARACTERS✨

ANDREW LARSON: He feels lighter than air when MC enters a room. He knows he's done for. He knows he doesn't stand a chance. He knows they don't even know they exist, but he indulges in their presence while he can. He's not even concerned with wiping the silly grin off his face, it's not like they'll look his way.

LENORA EVERLEIGH: Shy. So very shy. After MC helped her with the mirror puzzle, she got firsthand experience of how nice they could be. From that point onward, when they were around, she'd be too flustered to talk to them again first. She can barely handle being next to them in herbology. She really wishes Professor Garlick would stop asking if she has a fever.

NELLIE OGGSPIRE: She pursues MC like they're a mountain she's dying to climb. She makes her feelings known up front and plain. She'll shrug it off if she's rejected. She already doesn't have them, so what's the difference? If they accept, excellent! They can go on adventures together!

CRESSIDA BLUME: MC was so willing to help her before, perhaps they'll do it again? She intentionally botches up some of her charm work to give her an excuse to have MC's attention. She's put her diary on lockdown, however, the things she writes in there nowadays she doesn't want MC to ever read.

[festivalsofmargot]

Sour Times

{Bully!Sebastian Sallow x Bullied!GN!Hufflepuff!}

Introduction: Slight deviation from the official HL story. Rather than everyone being intrigued at your unique arrival to Hogwarts, it’s a badge of dishonor to develop your magic so late. Hufflepuffs have a pathetic reputation, and you’ve been sorted into their house. The only reason Sebastian puts up with you is because he needs your ancient magic... and because he wants you all to himself. But he’d never tell, not when the whole school would start picking on and laughing at him like they did you. Yet, when he sees the way you look at Garreth Weasley, he wonders if everyone else’s approval means anything at all.

Word Count: ~ 6,350

Warnings: Kissing, Angst, Bullying

Author’s Note: I finally finished! 🥳 Us Hufflepuffs always get dunked on and I wanted to play around with that. I watched A Silent Voice and Normal People and couldn’t stop thinking about bully-to-lover scenarios. I’ve proofread so many times but I know I’m missing something, gonna do that thing where I get sneaky and edit here and there. Long one today so kick back, grab a snack, do hot people shit, enjoy 😘

Songs (if interested):

Sour Times - Portishead

Intro/Spectrum - HAELOS

September - Instrumental - Sparky Deathcap (oh... cara mia, how i love him)

Heather - Conan Gray

chance with you - mehro

Awaken - Dario Marianelli, Jack Liebeck, Benjamin Wallfisch

“We know that from time to time, there arise among human beings, people who seem to exude love as naturally as the sun gives out heat.”

- Alan W. Watts

-

As you meandered down the halls to your next class, holding your books with one hand and the other resting in your pocket, someone had grabbed your arm, tugging you behind a corner, causing you to drop your belongings. Whoever it was slammed your back into the wall, then propped up a hand next to your head to trap you in place.

You looked up and met the eyes of your abductor. This position wasn’t anything new to you, though it was new to be here with Sebastian Sallow. 

Someone was always trying to mess with you or ruin your day. Being a late bloomer with magic and getting sorted into Hufflepuff hadn’t done you any favors. Other than that, there wasn’t anything wrong with you per se, it was just your social standing at Hogwarts. Even some Hufflepuffs wanted nothing to do with you, believing you made their house even more embarrassing to be in. Yet, that didn’t stop any of the student body from threatening you to do favors for them. 

“Heard that you can wield ancient magic. Is it true?”

Your furrowed your brows, wondering how word could spread that quickly. But you suppose the magic you used on the troll in Hogsmeade hadn’t been very discreet. Too bad they gave all the credit to Natsai Onai, you might have made some friends with your troll takedown story.

Shifting your gaze down, you nodded your head.

“Prove it.” He held out a folded piece of parchment, the all too familiar blue glow emanating from it.

You took it from his hands and unfolded it to see rune symbols you’d encountered countless times. “Where did you get this?”

“Doesn’t matter, do you recognize those rune symbols?”

You nodded your head looking over the pages. “I see these whenever I need to unlock a door with ancient magic.”

Sebastian’s breath hitched and you finally met his heavy stare. He cleared his throat and regained his composure. “Exactly. And you’re going to come with me to open one I found.”

You folded the parchment back up and held it out to him. “Okay.”

He snatched it from your hands. “Don’t toy with me. If you don’t help me with this, I can make your life truly miserable here. I’m good friends with Ominis Gaunt, and he’s not afraid to use his family connections to -”

“I said okay.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at you, not knowing what you were playing at.

“Write me when you have a time and place.” You told him, exhausted.

He eyed you a moment longer, then stepped aside for you to leave. You picked up your books from the ground and kicked the dirt at your feet as you left, taking your time getting to your next class.

“So you’re going to help me? Just like that?” He called after you when he saw it was still just the two of you in the hall.

“Got nothing better to do.” You replied as you kept on your way.

-

Sebastian was the first person to ask for something and come along with you to get it done. Most people would just send you off, but there he was, exploring the cave and fighting giant spiders by your side.

That little outing turned out to be the first of many. Over time, Sebastian explained his sister’s curse and everything he had done to try to find a cure. He kept it to himself, but he was happy to find someone he could go through this journey with, someone who wasn’t trying to make him abandon hope, even if it was the Hogwarts outcast.

You made the mistake of assuming this meant you were friends in public. When you tried to approach him at Hogwarts, he looked at you as if you had grown horns. He caught sight of a few students whispering to each other and glancing your way. In a panic, he knocked the books from your hands, scattering them to the floor. 

“Looks like the Hufflepuff had a little accident.” He jested loud enough for everyone around to hear. He walked away to meet up with some other Slytherin students who were in hysterics at what he had just done. He glanced back your way and it took everything in him to keep the amused look on his face. You were picking your books up off the floor and Garreth Weasley had come to help you. Sebastian noticed he had said something to cheer you up and it brought a smile to your face. 

And then a thought surfaced in his head. I think I'd rather be the one who made you smile.

-

Sebastian’s public displays of discourtesy hadn’t let up. He felt awful, but he couldn’t stand the scrutiny he would get if he was seen with you. Just because he could see all these wonderful qualities in you, didn’t mean everyone else could. The Slytherins especially would give him a tough time. He would get defensive, spewing every excuse he could think of. “Don’t be daft. I only needed to see the Hufflepuff about charms class, nothing more.” 

The guilt ate away at him. So when the two of you came across the scriptorium door that could only be opened by casting the cruciatus curse, he felt this could be his penance. But you refused to cast it on him.

He fisted the fabric of your shirt, jerking you towards him. “Dammit, why not?!” He demanded, incredulous. Dread arose in him, because he knew if he casted it on you he would be causing true agony. Everything he had done to you at Hogwarts was an act of rudeness, he never wanted to do anything that caused you pain in this way.

“Because I wouldn’t mean it.”

His face recoiled as if you had slapped him. He was unable to believe it. After all you’ve put up with, how could you not mean to harm him, how could you not want to? “I have been nothing but cruel to you, this is your chance to be cruel back! I know you hate me! I know you hate everyone!”

“I don’t hate you.” You placed your hands atop his that were gripping your shirt, in hopes it would calm him down. “Cast it on me, Sebastian. Get us out of here.”

Sebastian released your shirt, shoving you back. He turned away from you and rubbed a steadying hand down his face. Using the frustration he felt with you then, he spun to face you and recited, “Crucio!”

You fell to the floor, your screams of suffering echoed through his head.

Sebastian shot up in bed in a cold sweat, breathing coming out uneven. He rubbed his face in his hands and let out a shaky sigh. Ever since the scriptorium, he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep, the nightmare had kept replaying in his head.

-

You arrived back at the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room rather late in the night. It was passed curfew but you wanted to get all of Sirona’s lost letters back to her. Seeing the look on her face had made missing out on a few hours of sleep all worth it. 

You startled when you saw a figure move out from the darkness. It was Sebastian, his eyes were red and puffy, dark circles had formed under them.

“Sebast -”

“Why’d you have me do it?” He demanded, his voice cracking. “Why couldn’t you -” He couldn’t stop the tears that fell. His shoulders began to shake as breathy sobs escaped him.

You ran up and pulled him into your arms, gently guiding his head down to your shoulder, and he let himself cry. “I’m okay. Everything’s okay.” You soothed.

He was the one who casted crucio on you, yet here you were comforting him. He felt worthless. You weren’t like anyone he had ever met. You never wanted anything in return, doing things purely out of the kindness of your heart even if it nearly killed you. He couldn’t grasp such a concept, and it overwhelmed him.

He went on his knees before you and took your hand into both of his. “Cast it on me. Please, it’s the only way I can make it all right. I did the wrong thing and I need to make it all right.” He pleaded.

You knelt on the ground with him, meeting his level. You pulled your hand from his and placed it on his cheek. You tried to meet his eyes. “Look at me. I will never do that to you.”

Though you meant for the words to comfort him, they felt like a knife to his chest. He smacked your hand away and scrambled to his feet, running out of sight.

He knew it then as he arrived back at his dorm room, and he let himself feel it entirely, as if he were punishing himself. He was in love with you, and he could never have you, not after everything he had done.

-

In the time that followed, Sebastian had wanted to act as if the scriptorium and his confrontation with you never happened. You kept an eye on him but went along with it. Your discreet meetings and his insults towards you resumed.

When Sebastian asked to meet briefly about information on a relic he had found in Salazar Slytherin’s spellbook, it was a good day for the both of you.

Your face was bright and ecstatic as you looked down at the thunderbrew potion in your hands. “It took me forever to get the ingredients, but I think I got a knack for brewing.” You couldn’t help but gush to Sebastian, trying to stifle your giggles and keep your voice low so no one around the two of you could hear. 

Sebastian didn’t dare let it grow, but a charmed smile tugged at the corner of his lips. If he was going to react to you, he'd try to make it look like you were a nuisance to be around.

“Do you think if - well, I mean - what would you think if -” You began timidly, biting at your lip. Sebastian didn’t look at you, but he listened close, clinging to each word you left him on. “Do you think Garreth would be impressed if I showed him?”

And away went any temptation to smile, he opened the book in his hand to act like he was reading. He discovered that to be the consequence whenever he found himself being pulled towards you, he’d always get slapped with the reality that you were pulled towards Garreth. The other day, when everyone was standing around waiting for Defense Against the Dark Arts class to start, he caught sight of you looking out the window, the sunlight painted your features bewitchingly. He made his way over and saw you were watching Garreth playing Summoner’s Court. “Day dreaming you were actually useful in this class, Hufflepuff?” He had taunted. He’d claim it was to keep up the act but it was really in response to the hurt he felt. The pain only worsened when you glanced his way fleetingly and went right back to watching Garreth with undivided attention.

You noted his silence and felt stupid for even bringing it up to him. “Sorry, I got carried away. I know you don’t care.”

“I think Weasley will soil his breeches no matter what potion you show him.” He said bitterly. “Why do you think he’s so great anyway?”

You didn’t answer and Sebastian looked up to see your gaze following the red headed boy as he walked by, laughing along with a few other students. His stomach twisted uncomfortably and he looked back down to his book, eyes scanning the words but not taking them in.

“He’s the only person who’s been nice to me since day one. But I think that’s just who he is, looks like he’s nice to everyone.” You said the last part more to yourself. A chill went through the air and you began to shiver, seemingly too distracted to care due to where your attention laid.

“Where are your robes?” Sebastian tried to keep his voice monotone.

“Just forgot them is all.” Your eyes followed Garreth until he stopped walking to speak with some of his friends.

“Here. Take mine.” Sebastian exhaled as if he were annoyed, but he wasn’t. He was in earnest at the thought of wrapping you up in his robes.

You turned your attention back to him and shook your head. “No no, people will see. It’s alright.” Gaze returning to Garreth.

Sebastian stopped, robes halfway down his arms, then he shrugged them back on. “Oh... right.” He watched you shift back and forth on your feet, your fingers tapping against the potion’s flask. He could see the ache to run to the Gryffindor clear as day on your face.

“Send me an owl if anything else comes up for the relic.” You said without looking at him, and made your way over to Garreth.

He knew he should turn the other way and act like he was never speaking to you in the first place, as he always did after your furtive meetups. Yet his eyes remained glued to your form. As he watched you talking to Garreth with a beaming smile, laughing along with him as you showed him your thunderbrew potion, insurmountable heartache filled his chest. 

It had finally hit him how he couldn’t care less what people thought, they didn’t even know you. No one knew you like he did, especially not Weasley. If everyone saw you through his eyes, they could easily see you were one of the most capable people at Hogwarts. If all it took to win you over was being kind to you since the beginning, he wanted to kick himself. I’ve been the biggest prat.

How could he have treated you the way he had? Asking for your help all this time, but not wanting to be seen with you in public. He had been nothing short of a coward. His fear of what others thought had led him to lose any chance with you. You were the one that’s helped him through this nightmare of a curse on his sister, you were the one willing to take on immense agony in the scriptorium for him, you were the one he yearned for. He could say the same for none of these people.

The blood drained from Sebastian’s face when he witnessed Garreth slip off his Gryffindor robes and put them on you. It was as if the wind was knocked out of him, his breathing started coming out shallow. He told himself to get out of there. 

The first place he could think of was his dorm. He had tunnel vision the whole way there, a few students had asked if he was feeling alright as he passed. He waved them off, saying something about a potion brew gone wrong, he couldn’t fully remember. When he got to his dorm room, he burst through the door and sat at the edge of his bed. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and tried to steady his breathing. As soon as the sick feeling in his stomach started to dissipate, he laid back, throwing an arm over his eyes.

“What’s gotten into you?” Ominis asked, sitting himself on his own bed.

It took Sebastian a moment to be able to speak. He swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. “Nothing, I’m fine. Just feeling a little sick is all.”

“Is this about the Hufflepuff who helped us in the sciptorium?”

He couldn’t bring himself to say anything, and that was the only answer Ominis needed.

“Nobody cares you know. Sure it’s fun to make fun of a Hufflepuff, that’s nothing new. And one that developed their magic so late? Easy target. But in the end, no one cares. After everything that’s happened, it’s no surprise you feel the way you do.” Ominis never hesitated to call people out, but every now and then he had a way of saying what needed to be said without making someone feel too ashamed.

Sebastian should have known this, he should have had this conversation with himself before it could have gotten this far. He felt like such a child then, laying in his bed, pouting at the predicament he put himself in. But it was hard to pick himself back up, he felt his relationship with you was unsalvageable at this point and it was his fault. He was the nuisance you had to put up with because of that pesky Hufflepuff loyalty of yours, and Garreth was your escape. Garreth could make you happy just by being in your line of sight. He could only dream of having that effect on you at this point.

-

Sebastian had searched for you all day but to no avail. As a last resort, he made his way to the undercroft, he cringed thinking back on the time he first showed it to you. “I’m only showing you this place so we won’t be seen working together. You’re not welcome here if I’m not here.” It wasn’t true, but how would you have ever known otherwise? He had been so cruel to you, it was no wonder you wanted to run into Garreth’s arms. He had practically shoved you his way. 

The sound of sniffling stopped him in his tracks. He pressed forward cautiously and saw you were sitting on the floor against the wall with your head down.

“What’s happened?” Sebastian strode up and knelt before you.

“Oh! Sebastian.” You startled. “I - I’m sorry, I’ll leave. Just allergies. Came down here to escape all that pollen.” You wiped at your face quickly, he could tell your eyes were puffy from crying.

His inner voice was screaming at him that this was his chance, as of that moment he could start taking steps in the right direction with you. He could become the person you wanted, slowly but surely. “Talk to me.” He sat beside you and took your hand in his, he began stroking it with his thumb in hopes it gave you some comfort.

You were taken aback by his actions, but then surmised that was probably how much he pitied you. You felt humiliated at the thought. The Hufflepuff got caught crying like a sad baby bird in the rain, who wouldn’t feel bad? You pulled your hand free from his. “It’s nothing, I just needed a moment. I’m truly sorry I came down here without you, I couldn’t think of any other place. I - I panicked.” You got up and began your escape out. “It won’t happen again.”

Sebastian tripped over himself as he went to chase after you. He ran up and wrapped his arms around you from behind, holding you in place. “Don’t go. Please, talk to me.”

His touch felt wrong to you and you slid free from his embrace. You didn’t feel safe with Sebastian, you didn’t feel safe with anyone at Hogwarts for that matter. But the look on his face had convinced you somewhat he wanted to know what was wrong. “I just had a bad day.” 

He took a step towards you, hoping you would keep going. 

You rolled your eyes at the foolishness you felt. “I worked up the courage to speak to Garreth about how I felt and -” You stopped and shook your head. “This is stupid, I don’t know why I’m telling you this -”

“What did he do?” His voice was direct, body stiffening.

You let out a sigh, hating that you were revisiting the memory. You looked down and began twiddling your thumbs. “I told Garreth how I felt and asked him on a date to The Three Broomsticks. He laughed in my face and said no. Said he’d be friendly with me in public but he wasn’t going to be seen on a date with me. And then he said we could still have some fun in private together.” You recalled the incident, disgusted. “But what else should I have expected? You said it yourself, no one wants to be seen with someone like me.”

Sebastian had never seen your features turn so harsh, and he hadn’t hated himself more than he did in that moment. "I never should have said that to you. Please, you have to know I never meant it.” 

Your eyes didn’t meet his, he could tell you were still angry, not just with him, but with the world. He was surprised you didn’t get to this point sooner. Hufflepuffs really could put up with a lot before they’d had enough. 

Sure, he wanted you to have feelings for him, but more than anything he wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn’t with him. Seeing your hurt expression then, he wanted to step up more than ever. “No good prick.” Sebastian dug his heels in the ground to storm out of the undercroft. “I’m going to kill him.”

Your eyes went wide. “What? No, it’s alright! Forget I said anything!” You grabbed his wrist trying to hold him back, but he just kept walking, dragging you along with him. “W - What happened to staying out of each other’s lives? You don’t owe me anything, Sebastian! Just drop it!”

Sebastian stopped to face you, he used the grip you had on his wrist and yanked you to him. He steadied you as you crashed into him, taking your face in his other hand and placing his lips atop yours. He wanted to convey everything he felt for you in that kiss, every thank you he should have said, every apology he should have made. You didn’t deserve any of the treatment you got at Hogwarts, especially from him. 

His brows furrowed as he deepened the kiss. He tried to be tender, but the urgency was what took over with how he moved his lips against yours. Your grip fell from his wrist in shock and he used his now free hand to grab your waist and pull you flush to him. He felt you kiss him back, but with hesitancy, and then you pushed him away.

He looked at your stunned expression, “This feels wrong.” You whispered.

Shoving down the sting he felt at your rejection, he strode out of the undercroft, leaving you standing there, dumbfounded.

-

Sebastian spotted Garreth in the middle of the quidditch field, joking around with some friends. “Oi, Weasley!” He called as he strode up to the red head.

Garreth turned away from his group. “Yeah? What is it, Sall-” His words were cutoff when Sebastian punched him square in the jaw. He shot a hand up to where the throbbing began to kick in. “What in Merlin’s na - OOMF!” Sebastian rammed into his gut, tackling him to the ground. It finally kicked in what was happening and Garreth began to shove and punch back. Nearby students gathered around in a circle, hooting and hollering for them to keep going.

“Show that Gryffindor how it’s done, Sallow!”

“Get him good, Weasley!”

“Levioso!” Sebastian and Garreth were pulled apart and lifted into the air at Madam Kogawa’s spell cast. The two boys eyed each other, bruised and bloody, wanting to go back at it as she approached. 

“I see detentions are in order.”

-

When Garreth confronted him, demanding what his deal was, Sebastian had dug into him. Shoving his finger into his chest, telling him he didn’t deserve someone like you.

“Oh please, as if you’re not doing the exact same thing. Everyone sees the ‘secret’ meetings the two of you have. I hardly think you’re the person to fault me.”

Sebastian couldn’t say anything in retaliation, because he was right. He deserved every punch and kick Weasley landed. But things were different now, and he was going to stop at nothing to prove it to you.

-

Sebastian leaned against the kegs just outside the Hufflepuff common room. He stood up straight when the entrance opened and you stepped out. Your gaze landed on him and your face twisted at his state.

“Are you alright?” You ran up to him and gently grabbed his chin to begin examining his bruising. Remembering you two weren’t in private, you yanked your hand back. “Sorry.” You glanced around to make sure no one had seen. It pained him, that after all the time you spent together, this was the habit he enforced in you. He grabbed at your hand and placed it against his cheek.

“I’m fine.” He thought about his next words carefully. “I'm not ashamed to be seen with you.” He began. “I’m so sorry I ever told you I was. I haven’t been there for you. If I could go back, I’d do it all differently. I really would.”

You avoided his gaze and looked down, pulling your hand away. His touch still felt wrong, and thinking about his kiss in the undercroft made you just as uneasy. Everything was so backwards, your mind couldn’t keep up. Not long ago, Garreth was the one being kind to you while Sebastian was itching to get as far away from you as possible. And now, Garreth had you repulsed and Sebastian had an avid interest to be by your side. You were in a constant state of confusion and had a strange desire for things to go back to how they were.

“Sebastian...” Your defenses went up as he moved closer to you, wanting to show you he was listening. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t believe you. All year you’ve dreaded being around me and now I’m supposed to believe your feelings changed just like that?”

Sebastian nodded his head, seeing what you were saying. He shouldn’t have expected you to be okay with all this just because he said so. “I understand. I’ve been awful to you. But I can make it all up to you, you’ll see. I can be what you want.”

You tried to search his eyes for some sort of reason for this shift in him, still not really taking in his words. “I think I need some space.” You were sick of boys playing with your feelings like this. There was only so much you could take. Pretty impressive trait of Hufflepuffs, anyone else would have felt worn thin ages ago.

Sebastian swallowed thickly and nodded his head. He forced a polite smile and left at the nearest floo.

He needs his space too. You thought. That way he’ll get over these feelings he supposedly has for you. You didn’t believe him for a second. You’ve seen other students swooning over each other. It definitely wasn’t what was happening between you and Sebastian Sallow. The only experiences you’ve had with him were secret meetings and him getting humiliated if someone associated the two of you together. He expected all that to just go away with one secret kiss? It wasn’t going to happen.

Maybe he went after someone else and they rejected him, and he was so desperate for affection he came to me. You concluded.

-

The days that followed, Sebastian kept his distance from you without really keeping his distance. Every morning, he got up early to get a flower from the fields surrounding Hogwarts, each one different than the day before. Whenever you got up from your desk or left your books unattended, he would cast the disillusionment spell on himself and place the flower in your book for you to stumble across later.

He didn’t need to see your reaction to it, but every now and then if you were in the same area, he’d be on the lookout for it. Sebastian watched from afar as you began looking through your book on a bench in the Transfiguration Courtyard. But his blood started to boil when he saw Garreth make his way over and sit down next to you. 

You looked up from your book, a questioning look on your face. 

Garreth was visibly nervous and wouldn’t meet your eyes. “I wanted to apologize for how I spoke to you the other day. My mother raised me better than that.” 

You hummed as you looked across his features, noticing he was bruised up like Sebastian was. “What happened to you?”

Garreth scratched the back of his head. “Got some sense knocked into me by your friend, Sallow.”

“He’s not my friend.” You said plainly, trying to bring your attention back to your book. A part of you was annoyed Sebastian had actually followed through with going after Garreth, and another part was a little pleased the both of them landed strikes on the other.

He looked to your face then. “I really do like you, you know.” He confessed, and you returned his gaze. He was looking at you like he was sorry this wasn’t what he had said to you in the first place. “But I felt the pressure of everyone, and I told myself I should be embarrassed to be around you. But I’m not. Everyone else can sod off, I can see everything you’re doing even if they refuse to. You’re nothing short of incredible. I truly am sorry for what I said.”

You gave him a small nod. “Apology accepted.”

He smiled and let out a sigh of relief, then held out his hand. “Friends?”

You took it and shook. “Friends.”

He held your hand in his when you tried to pull away. “Don’t suppose that date to Three Broomsticks is still on the table?”

You scoffed but went silent when you saw he was serious. You shook your head and pulled your hand from his grasp.

“Right.” He looked down dejectedly. “Guess I deserved that, didn’t I?” He chuckled awkwardly, getting up and clearing his throat. “I’ll see you around then.” His voice was strained.

Sebastian watched as Garreth left you and made his way over to him. The red head gave him a cordial slap on the shoulder as he walked passed. “Looks like we both blew it, Sallow.” 

-

You hated to admit it, but Sebastian was making some headway with you. It had been at least a few weeks since you told him you needed space, and he had given it to you. You thought it would be the easiest thing in the world for him to do, but he looked like he was struggling. Every time you caught each other’s eye, he looked like he was holding his breath, hoping that would be the day you’d approach him. You thought it’d wear off after a bit, and the distance between the two of you would have him come to his senses. But he seemed undeterred, just as dedicated as the day before if not more so.

You especially hated to admit that every time you found a flower in your books, the flutter in your chest would grow. Each time you needed to talk yourself down, because any day now Sebastian would give up and go back to only wanting to see you about his progress on getting a cure for Anne. 

But then you’d think about how he kissed you. There was so much need in it. In the moment it felt off. But the more your revisited the memory, thinking back on how his lips moved against yours, you got this feeling of being genuinely wanted, perfectly safe. And that sense came from Sebastian Sallow of all people?

You watched him as he took notes in charms class. He was pretty good looking, wasn’t he? You came to notice these passed few weeks now that he was being kind to you. 

He looked up from his notes and glanced your way. You held his gaze when he did, giving him a soft smile. His eyes grew wide and he became fidgety in his seat. He smiled back and his ears burned red. It was the most he’d gotten from you and he didn’t know how to handle it. 

You looked back down to your notes and he looked back down at his, trying to contain his giddiness. He felt like he made a huge leap in progress and he couldn’t wait to keep going. It was just a smile, but it was the only sign he needed that he was headed in the right direction with you. He wondered if he should keep going with the flowers or step it up a bit. He wanted to respect your wishes and keep his distance, but he also wanted to do more for you.

He was so lost in thought, he didn’t notice you approach when class was dismissed. “Sebastian?”

He stiffened, panic flooding through him. He was mentally preparing to chase after you from afar, he didn’t think he’d have the right words to say face to face yet. But he willed himself to speak anyway. “Yes?”

“Walk with me to herbology?” You eyed him, like you were testing him.

Sebastian knew what you were doing, this would be the first time he’d be seen with you in public willingly and not act like he was being forced to speak with you. Bring it on. “Of course.” Sebastian grabbed your books and smiled at your surprised expression. “Come on then.”

You joined his side and as you walked with him, you noticed he wasn’t rushing. He was taking his time getting to your next class. You had to admit, you expected him to want to speed up the process to get it over with and minimize the amount of people who saw the two of you together. But instead, he let himself look smitten as he stood by your side.

The whispers and glances started up as the two of you walked along. He looked to you and noticed you didn’t seem quite as at ease as he was. He gave you a playful nudge with his shoulder and you couldn’t fight the smile that graced your lips. He was making butterflies dance in your stomach and a funny ache for him grew. You peeked back at him and the way he was smiling at you made you want to tug at his tie and have him kiss you senseless again. Calm down, don’t let him win you over yet. You lectured yourself.

When the two of you arrived in herbology, he made sure to grab a potting station next to yours. Professor Garlick called everyone up to grab some seeds for the day’s class. As you were about to go up with everyone else, he wrapped an arm around your waist to stop you. “I’ll get it.” He said in a low tone near your ear. His hand lingered and dragged across your waist until he was too far to touch you anymore. He shot you a smirk over his shoulder as he walked away.

That funny ache you felt turned into something simmering hot within you. When he came back with the mallowsweet seeds, he took your hand in his and placed them on your palm. His fingers dragged across your hand and you peered at him through your lashes. 

“Be careful.” He said, releasing you and turning to his potting station. “You look like you want to kiss me.”

A burning sensation hit your cheeks and you turned to your own station. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Silly me then.” 

The two of you focused, or at least tried to, on your pots before you. You planted the seeds and padded down the soil, then awaited further instruction from Professor Garlick. But you tuned her words out as you eyed Sebastian up and down. Thankfully, you were already experienced with mallowsweet, so you weren’t too concerned about falling behind.

Sebastian watched you through the corner of his eye, he could feel your eyes on him and it drove him mad. As soon as class was over, he was going to try to reenact the first time he demanded your help. Except this time when he pulled you into a hidden corner, there wouldn’t be as much talking. His jaw clenched at the anticipation.

You usually enjoyed herbology, but that day’s class was dragging on a little too long. Your mind billowed with thoughts of Sebastian’s lips and ideas of how you were going to get them back on yours.

“Class dismissed.” Professor Garlick sang. You and Sebastian immediately looked to one another, knowing exactly what you wanted to do, but unsure how you were going to get there.

“I think I -” You began, not really knowing where you were going to take your words. “I think I left something in the undercroft.”

Sebastian didn’t say anything as he grabbed your hand and pulled you along. 

Once the two of you arrived in the undercroft, he closed the gate behind you and pressed you up against the nearest wall, slamming his mouth against yours. The two of you wanted to devour each other whole. A muffled moan escaped you and you cupped his face in your hands. His hands gripped your hips greedily as he tried to savor every sound he could get from you.

Unable to keep in one place long with so much of you available to him, he began kissing along your jaw, down your neck, below your ear. He could feel you quiver at his kisses and he wanted to do everything he could to keep you squirming.

You whimpered, and he knew he found the spot below your ear to be your weakness. “I... I think we left our books in herbology.” You breathed pleasantly as he kept at it.

Sebastian hummed as he continued his magic. “Such a shame.” He knew he still had a ways to go with you. No matter how long it would take him, he was going to make things right. But if he could tempt you into a kiss here and there along the way, he hoped you wouldn’t mind.

[rae-and-mezo]

Hogwarts Legacy Characters at a Ball

A/N: I am a SUCKER for Victorian era balls. This is largely based on historical romances! In this, MC is in the pining phase with each character!

Characters include: Sebastian Sallow, Ominis Gaunt, Garreth Weasley, Leander Prewett, Amit Thakarr, Poppy Sweeting, Natty Onai.

Warnings: Kissing

Reader: Gender Neutral

Sebastian Sallow:

This man is the life of the party.

Okay he is so sweet though? Like he asks every woman to a friendly dance if they don't have a date.

He can dance relatively well, nothing to boast about though.

But oh man, he realizes you don't have anyone to dance with. So he asks you to dance, knowing you wouldn't think of it as anything more than he had asked the other girls.

Yet when you accept and he leads you to the dancefloor, his heart starts pounding. Man's is BLUSHING

He holds your waist so firmly and takes the gentleman's lead.

It's more of a fast energetic dance, and he can't take his eyes off you as he twirls you around the floor. It's not graceful either, you both laugh as he crashes you into Prewett.

When you're done dancing he leads you away on his arm. He grabs you punch and is just BEAMING because he's so proud to have someone as gorgeous as you on his arm!

He stops being nervous quickly and soon you're both cackling as you step on each other's feet, stumbling into each other.

Towards the balls end, he leans in to kiss you but is interrupted by Ominis asking him what instruments were enchanted to play.

Seb is angry but hey. By the way you're rubbing circles on his hand, he knows you feel the same as he.

After the ball he walks you back to your common room, and like a cliche he kisses you goodnight.

Ominis Gaunt:

He surprisingly is just enjoying the atmosphere! Of course he isn't joining, but he's content with standing in the corner and listening to everyone have fun.

This man drinks like half the punch and eats more pastries than he should, all because he's a nervous eater and you've been sitting there without a dance. Well, unless you count Sebastian.

He wants to ask you, but you look so happy laughing with Poppy and Garreth! He doesn't wanna distract you. So he settles with lounging in his corner, holding small conversations with people who come to talk to him.

About halfway through the ball he works up the courage (and not without Sebastians help) to ask you for a dance and LO AND BEHOLD his face is red. So is yours but like he doesn't know.

He's a good dancer I think, his family hosted and went to many balls as a child. But he's so nervous that he's shaking slightly. You don't notice.

He holds you so carefully but so close? Closer than the other dancers on the floor. His thumb rubs circles on your hip and he doesn't even realize it.

After a couple dances he relaxes and even cracks a few jokes. He's enchanted by your laugh already so it just lights up his world. This man is enamored!

When your feet start to hurt he takes a break with you, sitting down and still talking about whatever came to mind. You hold his hand and surprisingly, he doesn't break. the night put him at ease and he simply kisses your hand when thanking you for the dance.

Garreth Weasley:

he is so excited for the ball!! Probably asked MC for a dance before the thing even started. He's thinking of it as a friendly, no strings attached dance even though he wishes for more.

When he sees you in your gown or suit, his night is made. Like his whole face lights up and he can't even blush because he is amazed. You're just so amazing!

He tells you such with a breathless smile and extends his arm. You look amazing on his arm! At this point he doesn't even stop to consider his next move, he's just acting in the moment because you make it hard to think.

Almost immediately he asks for a dance. He's awful, but neither of you care. If you're wearing one, he steps on the hems of your dress and feels awful!

You accidentally spill punch down your dress or your robes and are devastated. He gives you his coattail to button up over the front to hide the stain. It smells a little like gunpowder and a lot like a stupid fancy cologne that he no doubt put on to impress you. You love it though, and both of you pretend not to blush.

About three quarter of the way through the ball, Garreth is leading you out of the great hall. You're both laughing as you tear through the courtyard, ruining your clothes with mud. It's okay though, he stops you at the green house.

It's there that he kisses you, breathless and passionate. Holding your face between his hands and smiling so hard into the kiss that teeth gnash together.

Leander Prewett

Honestly, he didn't even ask you to the ball. Garreth was teasing him about not having a date and, well, you were right there.

"actually, MC and I are going together!"

Not that you minded, but no more words were spoken about it. Not until the day before the ball and Leander asks for conformation that you still would like to go with him.

Like bestie you never said you did in the first place, but SURE YOU'LL GO WITH HIM!

and he dies when he sees you in your dress or suit. I mean full on stuttering, bright red, goofy ass grin. It's honestly really sweet.

He walks into the ball with you on his arm and his smile is just...so proud.

Honestly he hadn't been nervous at all, but when the first dance comes, Garreth has to give him a pep talk into dancing.

HES SO BAD DUDE

Your feet will be bruised by the end of the night, the hems of your skirt or dress robes will be ripped, and somehow your hair gets caught on the stupid collar connected to his robes.

Despite this, you had a great night. He brought you a corsauge to match his dress robes, and payed for your picture to be taken if you wanted it.

At the end of the night he walks you back to your common room. He really, really wants to kiss you but Garreth advised him not to. Instead he kisses your cheek and asks if you would like to eat breakfast with him the next morning.

Amit Thakker

He's so cute

He asked you before the ball to accompany him, and asked by leaving a note on your telescope.

Before the ball he comes to your common room and gives you a brooch to wear in place of a corsage. It's enchanted to match the color of your robes or dress, and is in the shape of your favorite constellation

Honestly, Amit probably wouldn't ask you if you guys weren't already dating. So when he comes to pick you up, he smiles so big and gives you a gentle kiss. He tells you how astonishing you look.

Okay he CAN dance but he lowkey hates it. But it is a ball, so he offers you one or two dances. They would be so romantic but he's in your ear talking about the night sky on the ceiling of the great hall. His nerdiness interrupts the pure romance and honestly, you wouldn't have it any other way.

Normally Amit doesn't do pda. Yet he kisses you on the dance floor. It makes both of you turn bright red and both of your friends are whistling in the background.

He is so embarrassed because he totally didn't think about it beforehand!! It's okay though, he hides his face in your neck while he blushes.

After the ball, you invite him to your dorm so you can give the brooch back. After all it takes three layers to take off before you can unclasp it. He ends up falling asleep in your bed and the two of you sleep in the same bed for the first time!

Poppy Sweeting

Listen Poppy is an odd duck, and she knows it.

She doesn't skip a beat in asking you to the ball. It's with a poppy that she asks you, because she thinks it's rather ironic that it's the first flower she could find.

You're sitting on a bench in your Vivarium when she comes up behind you. "MC!" And when you turn around she thrusts a Kneazle into your arms. It has a poppy attached to it's collar and a packet of your favorite candies. She asks you nonchalantly, as if asking you what your favorite color was.

Of course you guys get ready together!! She comes to your dorm in her dress, but helps you do your hair and or makeup if you wish. Really she just wants to appreciate you without the stares of everyone at the ball.

And when you walk in together, arm in arm, she is smiling and waving at her friends. Poppy doesn't consider herself a proud person, but SHE HAS THE DAMN HERO OF HOGWARTS AS HER DATE

Almost immediately she is dragging you to the dance floor. Honestly she doesn't care for traditional waltzing. You guys, much like Sebastian, are spinning and dancing to your own beat.

Some students there for an actual dance get annoyed but who cares? You're having a blast.

Her face is so red from the exercise and you can practically see the happiness glowing around her. She's just so damn happy to be with you!

So happy in fact that when you take a break to catch your breath, she stands on her toes and brings you in for a quick kiss.

You aren't even surprised, both of you drunk on the atmosphere. Not one moment goes by in the evening where the both of you aren't having the time of your lives.

Instead of going to your dorms when the dance is over, you guys sneak out to go feed the mooncalves. The stars are beautiful and oop! You guys are kissing again

Your night ends in Poppy's arms, surrounded by animals and heart full.

Natty Onai

Honestly, Natty asked you to the ball as friends. I mean neither of you had a date, and why not?

But as she is waiting for you to finish getting ready, she quickly realizes she wishes it was more than friends. Maybe you took it that way?

She conjures a corsage of bright red roses to match her dress and tries not to blush giving it to you.

okay but YALL ARE SO HOT WALKING INTO THE BALL LIKE DAMN

She has on a floor length red gown and her hair is down and wow, if you didn't have a crush on her before, you do now.

Natty is so sweet when asking you for a dance. Like offers you her hand and asks "may I have this dance?"

her mother is one of the chaperones so Natty can't get too close, but she keeps smiling at you! She has a beautiful smile btw.

The perfect lady honestly. Brings you punch if you look thirsty and when you are tired of dancing sits and talks with you while you regain energy.

When her mother isn't looking she gives you a tight hug that lingers a little longer than a friendly one would.

it's during a slow dance that you let your head fall to her shoulder and she just m e l t s.

After the ball, Natty offers to walk you back to your dorm, but is stopped by her mother. She needs Natty's help cleaning up. So Natty slips you a note to read in the morning saying how much fun she had and how she needs to talk to you about something. (HER FEELINGS BTW)

[the-flowerwolf]

Hogwarts legacy headcanons

While normal people go and socialize I wake up and think about ✨them✨

So there's some headcanons about my favourite Legacy Team (as I call them) for ya folks while I'm writing a really big fic about them. Careful, some of them are sad. And don't mind my poor grammar thanks.

Btw, collages are mine, feel free to use them💙

🐍Sebastian Sallow🐍

First off all, if you turn him in, I don't trust you

Literally a typical Slytherin

A nerd. Just a nerd.

Quidditch? Babe, the only sport for him is dueling

Felt absolutely helpless when his parents died. And that's why he's so protective. He just can't let anyone else die on his watch

Really is a small version of his father and proud of it

Believes that the end justifies the means

Hopeless flirt BUT a gentleman. Wouldn't do anything you don't like

And also most probably believes in true love

A proud bisexual

Everyone think that "he fucks everything that moves" but he's a virgin who "saves himself for the one and only"

As some fan said, he was probably born on 18th September. And it's a canon now.

A great friend but a terrible secret keeper, so for Merlin's sake, don't tell him ANYTHING

Knows how to braid hair into the most complex ways

Pro feminist! Treats women right and knows all important stuff thanks to his sis

🔥Natty Onai🔥

I'm sorry but she's so underrated and for what??

I believe she really respect traditions she were tought as a child

Her favourite holiday must be her birthday. All because it was the only day of the year when her parents forgot about all the dangers and sorrows and they just got together, spending the best time

Most probably will return to the homeland after Hogwarts

Is the only member of the team who play quidditch

(as a keeper ofc)

She's a lesbian idk dudes

A very honest girl who were raised to be a good person

So she just expects the same from others

A very competitive. But not like Imelda. Natty respects fair competition and knows how to honorably recognize a match

Although this does not mean that she will not destroy you to win

Is always cold poor thing

Religious bc I feel like it

Has mommy issues and don't tell me I'm wrong

Will definitely become the best auror one day

🌼Poppy Sweeting🌼

Her favourite holiday is Christmas lemme tell you that

Trust issues

She's trying her best to be gentle with every living being because she saw too much violence already

And that's why she thinks animals are better than people (agree)

She's definitely an INFP and I won't change my mind

Looks like a cinnamon roll but will kill you

A cliché but I feel like she's an excellent cook

Although she would LOVE to find someone to understand her (like us) she's totally okay with being on her own

Is into mind games like chess

But will go to see a quidditch game just to support Natty (and mc if they play)

Is always up to an adventure

Bullies? Girl grew up among killers, you really think she would care about some bullies?

I feel like she has the strongest personality in here. Doesn't matter what happens she will always stand straight while helping others

Is a cat person

Can't cry bc she was not allowed as a child

💚Ominis Gaunt💚

Just an innocent little boy let's be honest

He may look like he can kill you but he's just a cinnamon roll

Jokes about his blindness as a defence mechanism

Had a crush on both Sallow siblings at some point and I can't blame him

Saw a theory on tiktok that his patronus would be albino snake. CANON

Just wants to have a simple quiet life without any drama

Protective of his friends BUT is more protective of his boundaries

Don't mind his blindness he knows EXACTLY how to be a fashion icon

Another cliché: Omi can play piano

And it's the only thing his parents tought him that he loves. Playing helps him to calm down

Is very private, but as soon as he starts to trust you, he will immediately blurt out his life story, dreams, fears etc

Though he can't see an actual game, Omi likes to go on a quidditch game, because of the happy energy around him

Is sick most of the time for some reason. Cold, stomach ache or anything really

Also a nerd. But unlike Sebastian he's a fiction lover. Helps him to escape reality, especially in his family's house

Clingy with everyone he loves bc they make him feel safe

[underthenightskydreamsneverdie]

HLC REACT TO MC ASKING THEM TO HAVE A THREESOME

Requested by @lesbolordo Thanks love! This was really fun!

Warning: 18+ topic, f!MC, silliness

Amit Thakkar - You find him on top of the Astronomy tower stargazing in the middle of the night. As the question leaves your lips his eyes grow larger than the lenses of his trusty telescope. If it weren't for the tiny squeaks of pure shock emanating from him you would think he passed out, somehow still upright in his surprise. Without a word he slowly backs away into the shadows of the night, the sound of his running footsteps mingling with his increasingly loud squeaks as he bolts down the tower stairs eager to get as far from you as possible.

Garreth Weasley - When you stop him outside the Potions classroom after class, he's already full of his signature Golden Retriever energy. After you ask he tilts his head, a growing smirk on his handsome face. "O-okay!" He's full of confidence and jokingly asks if you want to bring a third girl with you.

Sebastian Sallow - You catch him after Quidditch practice, joking around with his teammates. He cockily throws a sweaty arm around your neck as you pull him aside, asking your question. His eyes widen for a split second before he cocks a brow at you, a smug expression crossing his freckled face. "Thought you'd never ask, MC! Let me know when and where and I'll be there, Gorgeous!" He winks at you as he walks towards the Slytherin locker room. Once the door closes he slumps against it, running a large hand over his face. Did that just happen?

Leander Prewett - You bound over to him as he practices Summoners Court, and he greets you happily, inviting you to play a round with him. You wait until he is about to win before asking what's on your mind, laughing as he takes in the question and accidently pulls his final ball off the court and straight at his own head. He ducks, narrowly missing being clobbered. Standing up, he looks down at you, a smile on his face. "Sorry, MC, that's not really my thing. I'm a one woman kind of man. But, if you want to make it just you and I, I'd be more than happy to say yes." He flashes you his best seductive smile.

Ominis Gaunt - He whips his head around as if you must be talking to someone else when you sit down beside him on the floor in the DA tower, blurting the question out without even saying hello. "ME?! MC are you serious? Honestly, I would rather it just be us, but if it's something you want, Little One, I'll do it...On one condition. Kiss me."

Poppy Sweeting - She’s brushing Highwing when you find her. You grab a brush, gently running it over the beloved creature, the movement calming your nerves. “A threesome? Hmm. With who? Sebastian?!” Her enthusiasm takes you off guard and you stand there stunned. 

Natty Onai - You find her in gazelle form outside Hogsmeade. In your nervous haste you spew the question at her before she has time to shift back to her human form. The usually graceful gazelle collapses to the ground. "Shit!" You drop to your knees next to the animal as it transforms into your friend. "Natty?" You wave your hand in front of her face before gently slapping her cheek. When she comes to she glares at you through unfocused eyes before yelling "You want to WHAT?!"

Imelda Reyes - After the Natty incident you decide to wait until Imelda has her feet firmly on the ground, catching up to her as she heads into the Great Hall for dinner. She puts a hand up as you open your mouth. "I heard what happened to Natty, and what you asked her. I'm in. But I'm in charge." She smirks at you as she walks off to her table.

[crimsonedquill]

Tumblr has shut me down 2 times now trying to send this. 3rd times the charm. Have a request for you. 🫶 What do you think the HL guys and gals would end up thinking/doing if they found out that the MC is a Legilimens when they have yet to confess their feelings? (Romantic and spicy)

MC being a Legilimens and finding out about HLC's secret feelings

Okay, so I ended up spending way more time on this than I anticipated, lol. I'm still finding my footing with this new format so I hope I did justice to your request 🖤 I decided to get a bit creative and tried incorporating a theme of each character representing a different sense (tasting, hearing, feeling etc.) though I kinda ended up dropping the ball with Imelda :/ Anyway, hope you enjoy 🖤

Poppy Sweeting 🦡

Poppy had found herself in a bit of a bind lately. She liked spending time with MC, and she was really glad to have finally made a real friend, but… was it normal to feel her heart flutter whenever they were close by, or feel hotness high in her cheeks when they flashed her a smile? Due to her inexperience with relationships, she wasn’t sure she was reading all of the signs right at first, but it slowly started to dawn upon her as weeks passed without her random bouts of happiness diminishing. Merlin, just her luck. The only human friend she’d ever made, and she had been stupid enough to fall in love with them.

She did everything she could to ignore her feelings at first, not wanting to ruin the special thing they had. Which wasn’t to say that it was getting any easier to do so – if anything, it was quite the opposite. Sometimes the boldness of her own mind would catch her off guard, overwhelming her with fantasies about kissing MC or wrapping herself in their arms. She would lie awake at night, picturing their lips in their mind – wondering what they would taste like.

It left her feeling increasingly desperate. The more she tried to keep her feelings hidden, the more she found herself unable to resist the pull of her attraction to MC. It was like a magnet, drawing her in closer and closer until she felt like drowning.

And then, one day, everything changed. They were walking through the Forbidden Forest, enjoying the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves, when she felt a strange sensation wash over her. It was like a gentle caress, a feather-light touch that seemed to brush against the edges of her mind. At first, she thought it was her imagination, but as the feeling persisted, she began to realise the truth.

They knew.

It was like a shock to her system. All this time, they had been able to read her thoughts and feelings, to see everything she had been trying to hide. And yet, despite the fear and uncertainty that bubbled up within her, Poppy couldn't help but feel relieved. She didn't have to keep her feelings bottled up anymore, didn't have to pretend that she wasn't head over heels in love with her best friend.

And then, as if sensing her inner turmoil, MC turned to her, their eyes locking in silent communication. Poppy could feel the intensity of their gaze, the raw emotion flowing between them. And then, before she could even process what was happening, MC leaned in and pressed their lips to hers.

It was like a dream, a fantasy come to life. Poppy's heart raced as she wrapped her arms around MC's neck, deepening the kiss with a fervour that surprised even her. She could taste the sweetness of their lips, feel the heat of their skin against hers, and she knew that this was where she belonged.

When they finally broke apart, both of them gasping for air, Poppy knew that things would never be the same between them. But for the first time in a long time, she felt like everything was going to be okay.

Natsai Onai 🦁

Natty couldn't explain why she was so attracted to MC. Maybe it was their loyalty, bravery, or simply their good looks. All she knew was that she couldn't get them out of her head, and she sometimes caught herself wondering how handsome they looked underneath all those clothes. Sweet Merlin, she should probably be glad her mother wasn't omniscient.

Sometimes it seemed like MC brushed a little too close to her for it to be a random mistake, but maybe it was just her feelings talking. At any rate, she didn't think too much of it. She had always been skilled at keeping her emotions in check, and she was wiser than to let personal feelings get in the way of treasured friendships.

Which wasn’t to say that MC didn’t seem keen on testing her limits. Their invitation to go for an evening swim in the lake appeared innocent enough at first, yet she couldn't help but feel that something was different about the way MC looked at her tonight. Then again, she wasn't making any effort to be subtle as she watched MC undress and slip into their swimwear, her ogling earning a smile from them. “See anything you like?” they asked.

“The lake is looking very beautiful tonight,” she taunted back with a grin of her own.

“You're right,” MC said, turning towards the lake. "It's just begging for something more, don't you think?”

Before she knew what was happening, MC threw off their swimwear and stormed into the lake, the splashing water obscuring their nude form. They turned around and called out to her, “Come on in, Natty! It's delightful!”

Natty chuckled to herself as she stood up and waded into the water to where MC's head was floating. “You're absolutely mad, you know that?” she said.

“And I know you love it,” MC responded, wiggling their eyebrows at her. She laughed. MC always knew how to make her laugh. Again, she looked at them, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks as she realised they were completely bare under the surface.

MC swam closer to her. Natty tried to keep her gaze fixed on their eyes, but her eyes kept darting down to their toned chest and strong arms. She could feel her heart racing as MC reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face.

“You know, Natty,” MC said, their voice low and husky, “I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now.”

Natty felt a flutter in her stomach as she looked at them, waiting for them to continue.

“I can't deny that I feel something for you,” MC said, their eyes locked onto hers. "Something more than just friendship. And – I know you feel the same way.”

Natty's heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

“I do,” she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur.

Without another word, MC closed the distance between them, pressing their lips to hers in a searing kiss. Natty wrapped her arms around MC's neck, pulling them closer as she deepened the kiss.

As they pulled away, MC grinned at her. “I knew you couldn't resist me,” they said, their eyes twinkling with amusement.

Natty rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. “You are just full of secrets, are you not?”

Imelda Reyes 🐍

Fuck! That was the fourth time this week she’d dropped the ball during Quidditch practice, both literally and figuratively. She didn’t know what was wrong with herself – was she coming down with something? Usually she always managed to stay laser-focused, but lately it was as if she couldn’t maintain concentration for more than five seconds before her thoughts started drifting off. She angrily landed in the grass of the pitch, ripping off her arm guards as she stomped towards the changing room.

“Imelda –” a voice called out, and she rolled her eyes as MC caught up with her. “Hey,” they said, “good game.”

“Yeah, fine, gloat all you want,” she snapped back at them. “Easy to kick someone when they’re down.”

MC chuckled. “You’re too hard on yourself. Everyone has their bad days.”

“Well, I don’t.” she huffed. “Now, don’t you have someplace else to be?”

She kicked the door of the changing rooms open and started taking off her robe. MC simply leaned against the doorpost, unbothered as ever. She didn’t know whether to consider their tolerance for her outbursts a virtue or a curse.

“I just mean to tell you, you’re only human.” MC said. “Come on Imelda, you don’t have anything to prove to anyone here –”

“Oh, I suppose you know so bloody well,” she scoffed. “I bet you think you know my every hope and desire, don’t you?”

“Well, as a matter of fact –”

Imelda pulled off her gloves and threw them in the corner with a force that made MC flinch. “You’re not funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be,” MC said. “I just… well, I didn’t want to embarrass you, considering… I know I am the one that’s been distracting you lately.”

She frowned at them, but her reaction was a lot less severe than it could have been, and she knew it. “Clearly that Bludger did a lot more damage to your skull than I thought.”

“Oh Imelda,” MC chuckled, shaking their head as they smiled. “I may not know as much about Quidditch as you do, but I’m fairly certain my stamina in bed has nothing to do with it.”

To her credit, she didn’t lose her composure – didn’t even start blushing. She just stood there, cocking an eyebrow at them.

“I must admit it’s a bit flattering, all these unsavoury thoughts you have about me,” MC continued as they stepped into the room. “I might even –”

They stopped as Imelda suddenly stepped up to them, keeping them trapped in her icy gaze. “I don’t know how you know, and frankly, I don’t care.” she said, gripping the hem of their robe. “I assume you know what I want right now?”

MC nodded slowly.

“Good.” A smirk began tugging at her lips. “I think I’m beginning to appreciate this efficiency.”

Sebastian Sallow 🐍

“Seriously, MC, a Stunner?” taunted Sebastian as he easily deflected MC’s charm. “You can do better than that!”

“Just keep talking, Sallow,” MC chuckled, hunching forward to catch their breath. “You’re just making it easier for me.”

They attempted another spell, which he parried with ease. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched MC stumble around the duelling chamber. Their persistence was endearing, and he enjoyed spending time with them, even if it was only to knock them down a peg whenever he wanted.

After a few more fumbled attempts by MC, Sebastian decided to retaliate. He launched a spell of his own against them, which knocked them off their feet. MC yelped as they fell and then burst out in laughter, the bright sound echoing through the chamber.

I wonder how loud they can be.

He blinked, slightly taken aback by the brazenness of his own thought. A blush soon followed when he was struck by the realisation. It couldn’t be, right? He’d never viewed MC that way. An obnoxious loudmouth, that’s all they’d ever been to him –

I wonder how far I can push them if I have my way. I bet they’re a screamer.

Confused, he failed to see MC readying for another attack, and without warning he was suddenly knocked back, landing squarely on his ass. When he pushed himself back up, he noticed MC walking towards them with a smirk on their face.

“That was plain luck,” he scoffed as he stood up. “You only got me because I lost my focus for a moment.”

“I know,” MC responded. “I couldn’t help but notice you were suddenly very distracted by something.”

He cocked an eyebrow at them. How did they – but no, that was impossible. They were probably just bluffing, as usual.

“Sounds like you admit you can’t win in a fair fight,” he retorted.

“I think it’s time I made a confession,” MC said as they took another step towards him. “What if I told you I have let you win all this time?”

“Oh, have you now?”

“I can already tell which spells you’re thinking of before you even cast them,” MC explained, the smirk still not leaving their face. “How else would I have known you were going to use Levioso to taunt me just now?”

Sebastian could feel the colour leaving his face. How did he not… How long had they…?

MC took another step, closing the gap between them. “Long enough,” they said, their lips hovering close to his. “You know, Sallow, there are some other things you might not know about me yet. Would you care to find out?”

God yes, he thought, as their lips smashed together and MC’s mouth opened ever so slightly, their moaning sounding like music to his ears.

Ominis Gaunt 🐍

Ominis wasn’t easily impressed. It was more out of necessity than anything, considering he was mostly living through his senses – he simply couldn’t allow himself to get overwhelmed, lest he ended up losing control. He’d made peace with it a long time ago, finding that being impervious to his emotions was a lot easier than embracing them.

Which didn’t mean he was prepared for the enigma that was MC.

He noticed something was off when he started paying more attention to their presence in the corridors. It wasn’t really strange at first, as he was accustomed to internalising people’s scents and sounds to recognise them, but then MC started to occupy his mind even when they weren’t physically present. The lovely scent of their hair and the melodic sound of their voice were like colours on his mental canvas, and he savoured them whenever he could.

But after some time, even that wasn’t enough. For the first time since he could remember, Ominis felt a need – a deep wanting to experience MC beyond scent or sound. He wanted to feel them under his fingertips, the delicate touch of their skin, which he imagined to be ever so smooth and silky, like a freshly washed cloth.

There were times when he considered confessing his feelings to them. But every time fear would hold him back – of rejection, of these strange, intense emotions he didn’t have any experience with. Making matters worse were his suspicions that MC was onto something – to others it would have been barely noticeable, but for him it wasn’t hard to pick up on the subtle nuances in their voice, the way they laughed whenever they spoke to him.

One day, MC invited him for a walk along the lake. He could feel something stir within him as they held his arm to guide him, their hands so close to touching… but he forced himself to keep his emotions in check.

“It must be so strange, not knowing what everyone around you looks like,” MC spoke up at some point. “How do you even tell them apart?”

“I find that it helps to assign them textures based on their traits,” Ominis answered. “Take Sebastian – he must be rock-solid considering how thick his skull is.”

MC chuckled. “I suppose that makes sense. How do you imagine me?”

Ominis hesitated for a moment, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t immediately betray his true feelings. “I think you would be rough on the outside,” he finally said. “But inside, you would feel smooth, and warm – like a dragon egg.”

Merlin, he must have taken a temporary leave from his senses to be talking like that. He could feel MC bringing them to a halt. “MC –” 

“Ominis,” they interrupted him. “It’s all right. You don’t have to say anything.”

Hot lava burned in his chest. Did they know? But how? His breath hitched in his throat as MC took his hand. They gently kissed all of his fingers before bringing him down – he practically melted away at the touch of their bare skin, warm and soft, more so than he had ever dared to dream of.

“Feel me,” MC said, and he needed no more.

[saibugslegacy]

Health Line

Hogtober Day 5 - Divination

Word Count: 609 Character(s): Ambrose Varyn, Ominis Gaunt Setting: 5th year, Divination Class Genre/Tags: Fluff, blatant confusion about how palmistry works

“Of course,” Ominis sighed and Ambrose had to hold back a snicker as Professor Onai announced they’d be working on Palmistry.

“Ill help you,” Ambrose chuckled as he opened his Divination textbook to the proper page. “Here give me your hand.”

Ominis held his hand out and Ambrose shifted it so the back of Omini’s hand rested in the palm of his.

“Okay so this is your head line,” Ambrose said. He lightly traced the line with his finger, making Ominis shiver. Ambrose managed not to smirk. “It curves up, so you’re logical and levelheaded.”

“How far down does yours curve?”

“You’re hilarious, honey.”

“I do try.”

Ambrose just laughed and shook his head. “Your destiny line is fairly straight so you don’t have a lot in store for you on that front. Wow your heart line covers almost your whole hand.”

Ambrose traced that one next and watched a blush creep up Ominis’s neck.

“Apparently you have a caring, and loving personality,” Ambrose told him. “And a rather loveable one if I do say so myself.”

“Quiet,” Ominis pouted. Ambrose granted him mercy and moved on to the next line on his palm.

“A pretty goos line of success, not super ling but according to your fate line you shouldn’t have much opposition in life,” Ambrose hummed. “Then…oh.”

The last line was the health line. The book couldn’t quite decide if the line meant physical health, if you would be badly hurt in the future, or if it indicated your lifespan. Either way Ominis’s was concerningly short.

“What is it?” Ominis asked.

“Nothing just your health line is pretty short,” Ambrose glanced between Ominis’s hand and the book again. “It could be your lifespan or just your health in general.”

“Gee I wonder why my health may be poor,” Ominis said sarcastically. Ambrose was confused for a moment before he realized and snorted. He had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud in the middle of class.

“You’re terrible,” Ambrose chuckled. “Do you want me to write it all down for you?”

“I think I remember it all,” Ominis replied.

“Okay, I’ll start mine,” Ambrose said.

He began to write down his observations from his own hand while Ominis dictated his own results to his quill. Ambrose’s heart line fully covered his hand and his headline was almost perfectly straight, only curving down a bit. His success line was long so that was nice.

“Typical,” Ambrose sighed. Ominis hummed. “Here, look.”

Ambrose guided Ominis’s hand to his hand and traced his fingers along the fate line.

“Is it supposed to be that long?” Ominis wondered.

“It’s longer than the diagrams in the book,” Ambrose groaned. “This is the Keepers’ fault.”

“Of course, I’m sure it had nothing to do with you throwing yourself into danger every chance you get,” Ominis hummed.

“Rude,” Ambrose muttered.

Finally he got to his health line and found something intriguing.

“Omi are you done with your notes?”

“Yes, why?”

“Give me your hand again.”

Ominis offered his hand once more and Ambrose held their hands next to each other.

“Our health lines are the same length,” Ambrose observed.

It was actully relieveing. If Ambrose died young it would most likely be due to Ranrok or Rookwood, but Ominis wouldn’t die at the same time in those cases. So if their lines were the same length it meant that Ominis wouldn’t die young alongside Ambrose, and that Ambrose hopefully wouldn’t die early either.

Twelve years later, when he had Sebastian’s arm around his waist and Ominis’s hand found his he realized what it all meant as the cavern exploded around them.

[tempting-andromeda]

Just give me moment part 3

Sebastian x reader

Characters are aged up but sfw

Note: once again not proofread. Also please send asks!!! I love them :)

Description: After not talking to Sebastian for over a year, you decide to change that and realize how different you both are now.

Sebastian felt his face flush as he watched you strut toward him. He didn’t expect you to choose him, but you had grown fond of his company again. He had no clue what to say to you, but knew he had to. His mind felt as if it was moving too fast, but you broke the silence.

“The scenic route seems nice for today.” You said, nudging him slightly. He tipped an imaginary hat at you and smiled.

“Just think of me as a tour guide today.”

Parts of him that you thought were lost seemed to be coming out. Though it scared you at the thought that he hasn’t changed, there was a fondness in the idea. You didn’t lose him. Some parts of him lingered even after all this time and you desperately hoped every part of him that hurt you was gone. He hoped so, too.

As you both started walking, there was a tension that wouldn’t seem to break. It was as if both of you wanted to burst and spit something out but couldn’t. Every so often Sebastian would happen his mouth to say something but would shut it before anything came out. And you couldn’t seem to find anything to talk about. Your mind kept going back to how you could regret this. Some part of you felt like he could read your thoughts. He acted like it. His hands were fidgeting with his sleeves to distract himself from the lingering tension until he spoke.

“Why are we pretending like it didn’t happen?” He sounded genuinely curious. You had no idea how to respond to him. Would you tell him how you’ve been secretly caring for him for months, or would you tell him about how you’ve just missed him? You could tell him how you’ve had dreams where everything was okay the fifth year and everything was normal but you hadn’t even confided in Ominis about those. It was something you thought was shameful when it didn’t entirely so. Something in your gut told you you needed him and Professor Onai told you to trust your intuition more.

“Would you believe me if I told you I hadn’t a clue?” You couldn’t convince yourself you had an answer, so you didn’t give him one. You just knew you missed him. He felt the same, though he would’ve never talked to you. He would’ve stared from across the room like he had been doing and dreamt of all the what-ifs. It was a dangerous thing to get lost in. The what-ifs. You tried to keep your mind away from them, but now and then you allowed yourself to indulge in them.

As you were lost in your thoughts, Sebastian abruptly stopped and held his hand out.

“Your class. I’ll see you around.” He mumbled as he walked away. The impulsive part of your mind wanted to tell him to skip class with you like old times’ sake, but didn’t have the guts for it. It already felt like you were moving too fast. As you looked into the classroom, you saw Garreth talking wildly to Ominis. His hands waved around, and he almost hit Ominis once or twice in your few seconds of seeing him.

Once Garreth saw you, he sat up and pushed himself away from Ominis.

“Seems like you two were having a lively conversation.” You placed your bag in between them and leaned into Ominis.

“What were you talking about?” You asked. Garreth flushed and looked at his books.

“Sebastian. We were talking about Sebastian.” Ominis sighed. He sounded exhausted even though you had seen him nearly an hour earlier just fine. You knew he didn’t entirely approve of you reconnecting with Sebastian, but you couldn’t help it. Something had been eating you alive, being away from him. You knew Ominis didn’t want to reconnect with Sebastian because everything he did hit closer to home, but it confused you with how he never seemed to falter with staying away from him. From the very beginning, Ominis treated him as if they hadn’t been friends for five years and paid him no mind. You had only known Sebastian for a few months and he felt like your partner in crime.

“It wasn’t bad. He’s changed.” You said. Sebastian did seem like he changed. Though you haven’t spent that much time with him, there’s a different aura around him that feels better than it’s ever felt. He felt safe. At least that’s what you think.

“You better hope he has.” Ominis’ voice faltered as he finished the sentence and a dejected expression waved onto his face, but just as soon as it appeared, it went away.

The class soon started and Professor Binns hadn’t said anything interesting all week, so you knew you were safely able to drift into thought without missing something. Even if you did miss something, you could ask someone else, so you had no worry.

You truly missed the trio you, Ominis, and Sebastian had formed during your fifth year. At first, it felt like you shoehorned yourself into their duo, but they confirmed that wasn’t true. They cared for you as if they had known you your whole life. Which is why Sebastian’s actions hurt you both so much. Knowing someone had to wish to harm while casting the curse was something that made your stomach sink in random conversations. You could be talking about something and that memory made you feel as if you had contracted an illness. You often had nightmares from that year. Rookwood often stuck himself into your dreams when you had thought you recovered and suddenly you were at the first step all over again. You tried to forget all the horrors from then, but they always appeared when they were almost out of thought.

You finally decided to focus back on the class and saw everyone staring. You wondered if you had mumbled, but Professor Binns had repeated his question.

“Miss (L/n). Who was the first wizard to be sent to Azkaban?”

You gulped as you thought about the question. You hadn’t a clue. You looked over at your friends to see if they would assist you, but you received no luck.

“Sorry, Professor. I got lost in my thoughts again.” Teachers knew what had happened in the fifth year. They took pity on you for going through so many traumatic events and losing Professor Fig. If you nodded off in a lesson or stared off, they would often just ask if you were okay and needed to leave.

Professor Binns gave you a look of pity that felt indistinguishable at first from his sagging features, but it was a look you knew too well after a while. Ominis gave you a look that wordlessly asked if you were okay. You leaned towards him and mumbled quickly that you were okay and just lost in simple thoughts. He had no reason not to believe you it happened now and then.

Once class was over, Ominis moved over to you quickly.

“If you’re having those thoughts again, maybe you need another break. Tell the Headmaster.” His hand hovered over your lower back slightly, but his fingers never touched you. You sighed. Ominis acted as if he was a mother from the way he acted with you. Once you were thankful for the way he acted, but currently it was suffocating. Any sign that showed an emotion that wasn’t happy or calm he seemed to believe you were unwell. You had no more classes and hoped to study for your potions assignment without him nursing the sorrow he believes you to have.

“I’m fine. I’m thinking about the potion I must brew.” You reassured him with a pat on his shoulder.

“Your potion with Sebastian, right?” He asked. Of course, Garreth told him. The boy couldn’t seem to keep anything away from Ominis for some reason. If Ominis asked him a question, Garreth seemed to answer instantly. No hesitation.

“Yes.” You replied shortly as you packed up. You didn’t wish to hear his scolding of how dangerous Sebastian still was.

“You know what I will say, so I won’t say it, but be careful and if you’re going to study at least eat once before you head to bed. You stress me out with your schedules.” He waved goodbye at you as he walked away. You nodded and shouted a thank you and goodbye at him before heading to the library by yourself.

The library didn’t have any special connection as it once did for you, but you didn’t mind. Nobody bothered you there. You’d find a small corner and read. It wasn’t a routine you stuck to frequently, but it wasn’t rare. You started grabbing as many potion books as you could find as soon as you reached the wooden shelves. You had all week to reteach yourself the potion and brew it before Garreth, who had a first year portion. After an hour of flipping through pages looking for anything related to Amortentia and failing, you heard someone shuffling towards you. You looked up from the last book in your pile and saw Sebastian walking up to you with his own stack of books.

“Oh! You’ve come?” you asked softly. Sebastian froze in his place. He thought you had invited him to study with you.

“Oh, sorry should I go?” he asked

“No! No. You’re fine. It’s just whenever I say, I’m studying people take that as a sign to leave me alone, but no. you can stay I’d like the company.”

[boxdstars]

Hiii quick question: do Amara and Natty ever considerate adopting a child?

ohoho yes!! i’ve been dying to answer this exact question!

Okay so Mara has a track record of being the sarcastic wine aunt. Y’know, the favorite of all of her friends kids - super cool and all that. She never planned on having kids, and she didn’t think she would.

But.. right around the time she became Commissioner, her and Natsai talked about it at length. And while Mara was apprehensive that she could ever be a good mother, she knew it was something Natty was inclined to do.

Amara used her connections to cooperate with the Magical Survallience division of MACUSA to locate young orphaned children whose magical abilities appeared, and who were in need of guidance. This was already something the division accounted for, but Amara wanted to actively meet many of these young witches and wizards personally. She met all sorts of children, some already having homes - some just strays, some who didn’t particularly care for her.. and two who did.

The older of the two is Annalise who was 11 at the time of her adoption. She is even tempered and sociable, a natural crowd pleaser. The younger is Louis, who was 7 who displayed a very potent and early manifestation of wild unbridled magic. Both attend Ilvermorny. Annalise is a Thunderbird: a tried and true adventurer, while Louis is a Pukwudgie who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Their last names are Onai-Ambrose because Mara and Nat could never commit to choosing just one to go by. Amara, despite her often callous and deceptive nature, does well to hide her children from her worklife because her outer facade of being a ruthless hardass is her way of protecting herself and her family from those who wish to hurt them.

[expecto-kedavra]

The Healer pt. 4 (Final part)

Lol this is a lot more than the original ask but have fun 🤣

Pt. 3

Pt. 2

Pt. 1

warning: little bit of torture, grief, child abuse, dyin

"What? Why would she take Sebastian? And how did she even know we were here?" Imelda fired off. "I don't know..but it was her. I'm sure of it." My response was bitter. Officer Singer and I did NOT like each other. I always had a disdain for authority, but she was different. She was useless, and barely did her job. I thought back to last year, when Natty and I constantly provided her with enough evidence to take down Harlow and Rookwood. As Natty lay writhing in pain after she intercepted Harlow's Cruciatus curse, I walked up to Singer. "This is your fault." I had told her. I accompanied Professor Onai back to the castle. After that, I ignored Singer entirely. I always felt her eyes on me. "Where do we go? We need to find him!" Ominis was practically hyperventilating. I put my hand on his shoulder and breathed deeply, and he followed suit. I looked to Imelda, her brow furrowed as she thought. "Well, she'll probably avoid public places, especially those with Muggles." she paced back and forth. "It'd be somewhere concealed, but not obvious. But obvious enough to NOT be obvious." I looked at Ominis as we listened to her. He was clearly confused. "Where would that be? She could have taken him anywhere!" he said with a huff. "Which is what she would WANT us to think..." Detective Imelda continued. I thought desperately, looking around. Then I froze. "Imelda, you're a genius." I kissed her cheek. "Okay yeah, I know. But why?" she said. She followed my gaze and gasped. "It's perfect. Big Ben." The three of us stared at the massive clock tower. "Okay, it's worth a look." Ominis admitted. "But we can't just barge in." Very true. "I know! We'll blend in!" I said as I pushed my two friends into a nearby alley. I took out my wand, and transfigured our clothes into those of maintenance workers. "Brilliant!" Imelda said, beaming at her dirty and rugged uniform. Ominis was less happy about the change. As he came from a life of luxury, he'd never worn this sort of garb. Oh well. He'll get over it.

We walked into the Tower and made our way up the stairs, when a guard stopped us. "What do you kids think you're doing?" He said gruffly. He was quite ugly, with a broken nose and a terrible patchy blonde beard. "Here to check the gears." I said plainly. 'There's no record of any repairs needed." Patchy said his beady black eyes glinting as he looked between the three of us. "Well, we got a request from the supervisor of this place, said something is wrong with the inner workings." I retorted. I tried to mask my nervousness. "I'm the supervisor." He said, and took a step closer to me. He smelled horrendous. Well, I was stuck. I opened my mouth to try and muster another weak excuse, but was interrupted. "Imperio!" Imelda whispered. "We are here to fix things, you buffoon." "Imelda!" Ominis said through gritted teeth, looking around to make sure nobody was watching. "What? He was getting on my nerves." She defended. "You...are here to fix things." Patchy McStinky said, dazed. "Yes. Also, your hat is stupid." she said, holding her head high. "And my hat is stupid."

We continued up until we heard whispers from a small closet. We ducked under some support beams, and listened. "You made a mistake coming here." I clenched my jaw as I recognized Ruth Singer's voice. We each fell under the guise of Disillusionment, and creeped closer. The room was fairly large, and seemed to be the last floor looking up at all the massive gears. It was lit by several lanterns along the walls, and the sunlight that made its way through the face of the clock. "Grhmph." Sebastian had been gagged and tied to a chair. "I knew it." I whispered. I wanted to rush in and unload every curse I knew at the officer. "I know why you're here. I've been tracking your owl's for weeks, you, your 'heroic' friend, and the Gaunt as well." I growled as I heard her mocking tone when she said "heroic." I've done more for the Wizarding World than she could ever dream of. "I know they will come for you. And when they do, I'll kill you. All." At that moment, another person apparated into the room. I recognized the garb of an Ashwinder. He was tall and bald had a large mole on the back of his head .He wore a green mask on his face that matched his vest, with an embroidered graphorn on the back. I knew Singer was working with them...it all made sense. I made a mental note to tell Natty. He had someone with him, but I couldn't tell who. Their head was covered with a bag, and they were putting up quite the fight. "I found er." Mole Head said. "Good." Singer conjured another chair, and tied them to it. Mole Head moved behind Singer and leaned against the wall. Singer removed the bag, and the three of us gasped.

"Anne..." Ominis whispered. "What do you want?!" Anne yelled, her eyes fiery and her tone bitter. Then she realized who she was next to. "Sebastian..." she said softly. Her expression softened for a moment, then hardened and she looked back at Singer and Mole Head. "I want you dead." the corrupt officer said plainly. "Your brother mainly, but once I learned he was coming to see you with some friends, well, I decided that the more the merrier." She let out a cruel laugh. "What do you mean? I haven't spoken to him in ages." Anne spat. I saw the pain in Sebastian's bruised face. "He killed my uncle." Singer walked up to Sebastian and struck him, hard across the face. "Yes. And that's why you will die." Ominis moved to attack, but I held him back. We needed to know more of her motives. "Solomon Sallow was a good man. He helped me with a good many things in his time as an Auror, and afterwards." Singer walked around the twins, and placed her hands on their shoulders. I looked at Ominis and Imelda, confused. "He put away so many innocent people for the Ashwinders. Some in Azkaban, some in the ground." "No. He wouldn't! He was an honest man!" Anne cried. Singer ignored her. "He was strong. Most men wouldn't have what it takes to kill their own brother. But he didn't even waver." I gasped. Once again, it all made sense. The lamps "malfunction", the twins parents...the lack of support for Anne and Sebastian's pleas that he investigate the goblins..he was corrupt...he was a dark wizard.

"NO!" Anne screamed. Sebastian grunted loudly. Tears ran down both of their cheeks. "He didn't...he wouldn't..." Anne trailed off. "He wouldn't, wah wah wah." Officer Singer mocked. She struck Anne. "Foolish girl. Your dear uncle was not the man you thought. He contacted me as he left to the Feldcroft Catacomb. He was worried you would find the truth. By the time I arrived, I was too late. I only heard this brat and his friend speaking of what had happened." She was there...when Sebastian taught me the Killing Curse. "You are an ignorant girl. I wanted to inflict as much pain as I could onto your foolish brother. Now, I can." she raised her wand. "Crucio!" The red lightning hit Sebastian in the chest, and he writhed in pain. I could watch no longer. "Accio!" I summoned both twins and both chairs over to our hiding spot, and stepped out of the shadows to confront the arrogant and corrupt witch. "So, there you are. Once we're done here, I'll take you to the Headmistress. She'll be heartbroken to learn that you'll spend the rest of your days in Azkaban...the Killing Curse is illegal you know." Her empty threats did not scare me. "Confringo!" I bellowed, and the duel began.

Ashwinders started to appear from all around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ominis ferociously casting at Mole Head, screaming in anger. Imelda summoned her broom and zipped around the room, avoiding curses and firing off her own. "You helped me quite a bit when you defeated Rookwood." she said, casting diffindo at me. "I will be the new leader of the Ashwinders." I rolled under her cast, and fired off three blasts of ancient-magic fuelled fire. "You'll be in Azkaban, bitch." I furiously fought, throwing all manner of hexes, jinxes, and curses at her, emptying out all the frustration and pain she caused me and my friends. My vision blurred, and as she faltered, I grew stronger. She mistimed her bombarda, and I countered with stupefy. She flew back. I took a breath and quickly checked on my friends. Ominis had knocked out Mole Head. Imelda was corkscrewing through curses that ended up hitting the comrades of the casters. Sebastian and Anne had freed themselves, and were standing back to back, dispatching the bandits as soon as they appeared. They were finished. "Expelliarmus!" My wand flew from my hand. I had lingered on my allies for too long. "Flipendo!" I felt my feet flip into the air, and I landed on my back. I heard my friends cries, but they were too busy defending themselves. "You brat. Did you think you could win?" She raised her wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The words rang out into the hot air. I was alive. Singer collapsed to the ground, a look of shock on her face. I looked behind me, to my savior. Anne Sallow stood, wand leaking trails of green. The rest of the straggling Ashwinders disappeared, defeated. I stood. "Anne.." Sebastian began, but she tackled him with tearful hug. "Now we're even." she said. They sobbed into each other. Sebastian didn't kill their uncle, he killed the murderer of their parents and many others, many of them innocent. "You guys are crazy." Imelda said as she landed next to me. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" I asked. "Ouch! Of course not. Besides, I used an Unforgivable too, remember?" she said, punching me in the shoulder. Fair enough. "Thank you for coming. I enjoy spending time with you." I confessed. "And I with you." she responded, and we both blushed. We laced our hands together and made our way over to the three friends. Anne was examining Ominis' eyes. "Incredible." she marvelled. "You're so lovely, Anne." Ominis said, tracing Anne's cheek with his fingers. "Oh, stop." Anne looked down with a smile, leaning into his hand. "Yes, please, stop." Sebastian said with an exaggerated gag. We laughed. "Now that that's over, shall we return to the Room?" I said. "Which Room?" Anne said, puzzled. "Oh, you don't know!" Sebastian clapped his head to his forehead. "The Room of Requirement! MC found it." Anne seemed impressed. "Well then, let's go." "Wait, the body..." Imelda said. "Ah. Right." Anne grimaced. "I guess we could burn it? Or do we think up a way to lie about it?" We all sat and thought. "AHH!" We forgot about Mole Head. He turned to run, but we were too quick. "Accio" He flew towards Sebastian. "Perhaps this one can be of help."

With a bit of extra convincing, Mole Head agreed to report Officer Singer to the Ministry, for immunity and forgiveness of prior crimes. Her death was to be listed as murder, but from an Ashwinder she got into a dispute with. We settled that, and returned to Hogwarts. We floo flamed into the Room. Anne was in awe, staring at the books flying around, and the many other decorations I had adorned the space with. "Oh welcome back!" a small voice said. It was Deek. "Deek will make some tea." He paused when he saw Anne. "Hello, Miss! How would you like your tea?" Deek asked with a bow. "One sugar and lots of cream. Thank you sir." Anne responded with a curtsy. Deek straightened, and happily walked away, whispering 'sir' to himself.

"Are you ready? It's going to hurt." I said, handing Anne the small vial. She took a deep breath. "I'm ready." And she drank the potion. Almost instantly, she dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. Darkness poured out of her as she screamed, writhing in pain. Sebastian held her close, crying as she did, telling her it will all be okay. Imelda had to turn away. Ominis closed his eyes. I placed my hand on Sebastian's shoulder. Soon, the screams subsided and Anne sat up. "It's gone...the pain is gone!" She embraced Sebastian, then me, then Ominis, then Imelda. "Good! Because we need beaters. The two of you would be perfect!" Imelda beamed. We laughed. "First, we need to speak with Professor Weasley. Tell her I need to be caught up on last year." And we did. It was strange, not being the one with extra assignments. Of course I offered the Room to Anne, and the four of us helped her with all she needed to get caught up.

Several months later, we all sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, enjoying dinner. "It's a good thing you're smart, Anne." Imelda praised. "I'd hate having to catch up on a whole year and a half of school." I grunted in agreement, my mouth full of pudding. "Yeah, Sebastian could never do that." Ominis laughed, "Hey!" Sebastian said, throwing a green bean at Ominis. We all laughed. We headed to the common room, laughing and enjoying each other's company. As the sun went down, and everyone began to return to their dormitory, I lingered behind with Imelda. I had started courting her, and we were definitely the Slytherin power couple. "You know, it seems that something crazy just has to happen to me every year." I said with a sigh. She laughed and kissed my cheek. "I can't wait to see what happens next year. You'll end up fighting a bitter Professor Black, hell-bent on returning to Hogwarts." We laughed at the very thought. "Oh dear, don't even say that." I said jokingly. Just to be safe, I knocked on the wooden table next to where we were standing. I gave her a kiss goodnight and returned to my room. Sebastian was already snoring, and Ominis already drooling into his pillow. I laughed at them. "Yes, I wonder what next year will bring." I said to myself. I drifted off to sleep. I dreamt of a giant Puffskein, waging war on Hogwarts. Hopefully it wasn't a sign of things to come, but at this point, I wouldn't be shocked.

[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

Ok, I just found your wonderful blog and can't help myself, I have to ask for a request TwT One of my too many ideas would be: HLC's reaction - professors included - to Mc's Excuse after MC was really mean in an argument. I have an almost-Slytherin-but-then-Hufflepuff-MC, so...xD If you would like to do that - pls feel free to make it as fluffy or serious as you like - it would make me "Happy as Fig"....yes, thank you a lot! <3

A/N: I feel this one on a personal level. Let's make it soft with MC saying sorry

HLC REACT TO MC APOLOGIZING AFTER A HEATED ARGUMENT

MC: They know there's no real excuse for what they said. They could give their reasons, prescriptive and feelings at the time of the argument but they can't un-say what left their mouth. They almost wished they knew how to use the memory charm. Then they might not be standing there awkwardly awaiting the judgment from their friends and professors.

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: He sighs. "If we haven't been through what we have up to this point, I wouldn't accept your apology. But...we've both said things we regret. No point in dwelling." He smiles and offers the seat next to him for them to join him for study. When they sit down, he whispers out the side of his mouth. "Now, if you want me to forget, on top of forgiving you, you'll help me with my most recent relic discovery."

OMINIS GAUNT: He's been rigidly silent since the argument. MC almost walks away before he finally speaks. "I'm tired, MC. I'm tired of people hurting me. While I understand that words are difficult when emotions run high, please, don't say things you don't mean." His entire world is transcribed in sound, so people's words mean more to him than most. MC's apology better be sincere if they hope to keep him as a friend.

ANNE SALLOW: MC's apology leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, no matter how sincere they are. She's heard these types of "I'm sorry" speeches from Sebastian and her uncle before. Do they really expect her to forget everything just because they feel bad? "I'll accept your apology, on the condition that you don't speak to me like that going forward. If a conversation becomes too heated, I think at best if we take a break and let cooler heads prevail."

IMELDA REYES: "Oh, you're sorry? Go boil your head." She practically spits at them as she returns to what she's doing. She doesn't forgive easily. She's burned too many bridges in her life to care about one more. At least, that's what she keeps trying to tell herself. What MC had said really hurt and she hates the fact that they have that sort of effect on her.

NATSAI ONAI: "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have let my pride escalate things the way they did. Maybe then we wouldn't be in this position. It is big of you to apologize first. Thank you, my friend." She opens her arms for a hug. If MC isn't a hugger, she just gives them a smile.

GARRETH WEASLEY: He won't admit it to them, but he had screwed up more than one brew from accidentally crying into it. What they said really hurt and now that they were apologizing, he was struggling to keep it together. "No, I'm not- *sniff* crying. I got batwing fumes in my eyes. I....I just want us to be friends again, okay?"

LEANDER PREWETT: He didn't have much self esteem before he met MC, and now that his worst fears were confirmed by them berating him because he disagreed with them, he felt worse than ever. Hearing them apologize to him felt surreal. No one ever apologized to him. Somehow, he was always in the wrong. He feels more vulnerable than ever. "So...does this mean you don't hate me?"

AMIT THAKKAR: He stubbornly holds on to his frustration with MC. He KNOWS he's in the right. They were being unreasonable and resorted to insults out of egotistical retaliation. They surprise him when they come back. "I'll admit, I didn't think I'd see you again for a while. It takes a lot for someone to swallow their pride and admit they were wrong. Thank you, for apologizing."

EVERETT CLOPTON: He thought that was it. MC didn't want to be his friend anymore. He couldn't look them in the eye, even when they needed to tell him something important. He's stuck in his own head until he hears them say the words "I'm sorry." He snaps out of it and stares wide eyed at them. "Really? You mean it? This isn't...you're not messing with me, are you?" He needs some reassurance, but afterwards he'll forgive it easily.

POPPY SWEETING: "Well look who came crawling back." Her eyes are full of malice. This won't be an easy apology. As soft spoken as she is, her heart is hardened to people who've wronged her. It's her defense mechanism. MC will have to do more than say, they'll have to prove it.

~~~

MC's got a lot of gall to think arguing with their professors was a good idea.

ELEAZAR FIG: He knows them better than anyone else in the school. They'd come around, they just needed space. He hadn't punished them for what they said. He smiles warmly when they come back and puts a hand on their shoulder. "It takes a lot of courage to admit you're wrong. Thank you, for showing how much you've grown and matured. I know plenty of adults who wouldn't do what you've just done. They would double down, if anything else. I'm proud of you."

MATILDA WEASLEY: She had taken SO many house points. No one argues with the deputy headmistress and gets away with it unscathed. "It isn't to me you should apologize. I'm sure your housemates aren't too pleased to hear that they are now in dead last because of you. Better get to work earning those back."

CHIYO KOGAWA: "Nothing like manual labor to bring out the regret of one's actions." She had them organizing and repairing the quidditch supplies without magic. "Thank you for apologizing, now get back to it. The quidditch season may have been canceled this year, but it needs to be ready for the next."

AESOP SHARP: He gives them an indeterminate reply to their apology, but, deep down, he's impressed. While they had certainly gone too far with their argument, they apologized for making it personal. He can relate to being so passionate about something that you're willing to defend it, tooth and nail. That didn't stop him from taking house points and giving them detention. They were stuck organizing and counting the alchemy supplies.

ABRAHAM RONEN: He hadn't taken house points or given detention. While what they said was certainly disrespectful, he did not believe that the lashing of adolescence should be so strongly punished. They were clearly passionate about their argument. He only wished he could understand their point of view better. He's proud of them for apologizing and rewards them with house points.

MIRABEL GARLICK: As much as she tries to keep her teaching environment positive, she will not stand for disrespectful behavior. She takes house points and dismisses MC before she gives them detention. Her heart melts when MC returns looking so sorrowful and full of regret. She forgives everything and is willing to let bygones be bygones, just don't let it happen again.

MUDIWA ONAI: MC's boldness doesn't surprise her. As long as it was just the two of them, she was willing to let everything slide. If MC had tried doing that in front of students, she would have to make an example of them. She doesn't take house points or gives detention, merely expresses her disappointment. It must have done the trick, because MC almost immediately apologized.

BAI HOWIN: MC must have been aching to muck out the beast pens by hand, speaking to her in such a way, because that's exactly what they got. Three consecutive days of detention just to clean every single beast pen. She nods curtly when they apologize.

DINAH HECAT: She isn't phased in the slightest by MC's outburst, but her eyes tell MC they have gone too far. There's a darkness in them warning MC to back down before she puts them down. "I suggest you get to your next lesson, MC. Wouldn't want you to get lost. Hogwarts is as unforgiving as it is beautiful to those who exploit it's patience." She walks away, not particularly accepting or denying any apology.

CUTHBERT BINNS: He was taken aback by MC so fervently accosting him. He had never been spoken to in such a way by a student in life or in death. He wasn't really sure how to handle it. He gives them a nod when they eventually apologize. "Very good then. Now...in 1252, the goblins-"

SATYAVATI SHAH: She gave detention. That's where MC surprised her with their sincere apology. She narrows her eyes, searching for any sign of weakness. They passed. "I'm sure you've seen the error of your ways, but you still have to finish polishing all of the telescopes by hand."

PHINEAS NIGELLUS BLACK: They're lucky they weren't expelled for what they said. He haughtily huffs and shoos them away like they're an annoying gnat. "Your detentions start tonight. I suggest you get going." He did have slight satisfaction that they were apologetic, but that was likely only because they had detention every night for the rest of the year.

[smkkbert]

Time for a story - The Demon

With a glance at her watch, Felicity realized that they only had a couple of minutes left until Mia would be taken away from them. She tightened her arms around Mia’s body protectively, just thinking about it. She didn’t want to give her away, not to people who weren’t as close as family.

When the door opened, Felicity held Mia even closer to her chest. She felt her heart skipping a beat, and nervousness spread all through her body like a wildfire. She wasn’t ready. She doubted that she’d be ready with more time, but she definitely wasn’t ready right now.

“It’s just me.”

At Oliver’s voice, Felicity turned around to see him standing at the door with a comforting smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes that held the same nervousness that Felicity felt in every corner of her heart. The fact that he tried to calm her down although he himself was nervous just made her appreciate him all the more.

“I thought it was time.”

Oliver nodded and crossed the distance towards them. He wrapped both of his arms around Felicity and Mia and just held them. His chin came to rest on the top of Felicity’s head, and he actually started rocking them back and forth a little.

Although Felicity knew that the temporary goodbye was unavoidable, she felt a little bit more relaxed now. Being in Oliver’s arms and sharing her feelings with him always put her at ease. She put her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

“Dr. Onai will be here any second,” Oliver said with low voice and kissed the top of her head, “I saw her talking to some nurses down the hallway.”

Felicity groaned. “I know we knew what we were getting ourselves into, but it feels so much harder now that the moment has come.”

“Yeah, absolutely.” Oliver sighed and placed another kiss on her head. “But we need to remember that this is the best we can do for her and her heart. Besides, Dr. Onai is a specialist in her field, one of the best certainly, so…”

Oliver didn’t need to finish the sentence. Felicity knew he was right. It was important that Mia had this surgery, and letting a specialist take care of it was the best they could do to make sure everything would be alright. They were doing what they could possibly be doing for their youngest child.

Still, facing the fact that their six-months-old daughter would be in a heart surgery for several hours was not easy. Felicity didn’t even want to think about going through something like this again in a couple of years when the last surgery would take place.

The knock at the door told them that there was no more time to prepare or get ready. The moment was already here.

“Come in,” Oliver said.

The door opened and Dr. Onai stepped in. For the first time since Felicity had gotten to know her, she wasn’t wearing some neat dress under her white coat. She wasn’t wearing some high heels either. She was wearing scrubs and sneakers instead, so she looked like an entirely different person. Only her warm smile was the same.

“Oliver, Felicity, Mia.” She waved at Mia, who smiled at the view. “It’s time.”

Felicity pushed her nose against Mia’s head and breathed in the sweet scent of her baby’s body. Babies always had this special smell, and it was a lot more than just baby power like most people claimed.

“Okay, little munchkin,” she said, holding Mia out in front of her, so she could really look at her, “these nice nurses will take you with them now, but don’t you worry. You will get a few hours of sleep, and when you wake up, daddy and I will be back with you.”

“And don’t you worry.” Oliver leaned over Felicity’s shoulder and kissed Mia’s forehead. “You will be back with us soon.”

One of the nurses stepped forward and reached out her hand for Mia. Felicity had to take in a deep breath and bite her tongue before she could hand her youngest daughter over. The moment that Felicity’s fingertips didn’t touch Mia’s body anymore, she felt a shiver running through her body. Oliver, who certainly noticed how hard this was on her, wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her ear.

His touch was comforting and usually it would be enough to calm Felicity down a little, but it was difficult to feel calmed down when Mia’s eyes welled with tears and a sob fell from her lips. She reached her hands out for Oliver and Felicity to take her back, while she was being carried out of the room.

Felicity knew that it was just Mia’s general separation anxiety. It had started a couple of weeks ago and was slowly growing more intense. Felicity knew the signs from her other children. They had all gone through something like that in more or less intense forms. It was heartbreaking, but it would pass. There was little they could do about it in the meantime.

Still, it was impossibly hard to watch your crying child being carried out of the room, knowing there was a real chance she wasn’t going to see her again. Even if that surgery was being done a lot, it was still a heart surgery.  

When the door closed behind Mia and the nurse that had taken her, her cries still echoed through the hallways and into the room where Felicity and Oliver were left with Dr. Onai now. What Felicity wanted and needed to here now was that everything was going to be okay. She knew that Dr. Onai couldn’t and wouldn’t say it, but the hope was there nonetheless.

“I will inform you as soon as I the surgery is finished.”

Dr. Onai smiled warmly which seemed like a silent way of saying that everything was going to be alright. Still, Felicity wished that she’d say it out loud too. Unfortunately, she turned around without another word and left them alone.

Felicity turned around and looked at Oliver. She wanted at least him to say that everything was going to be alright. Knowing her as well as he did, Oliver framed her face with his hands and stroked his thumbs over her cheekbones gently.

“Everything will be okay,” he whispered, “I promise.”

Hearing Oliver say that comfort her more than anything Dr. Onai could have said. Oliver may not have the medical knowledge to judge if the surgery was going to go well, but he was the only person who could tell her that everything was going to be alright. That was a promise he could fulfill, no matter what would happen in life.

With a long breath, Felicity leaned her face more into Oliver’s touch and closed her eyes.

Everything was going to be alright. Everything else shouldn’t be taken into mind until it had happened.

 → → → → →

 “It feels like we have been waiting forever.”

“Dr. Onai should be here any minute.” Oliver glanced at his watch before he rested his elbows on his knees again and followed Felicity’s pacing movements with his eyes. “The surgery should be finished.”

Oliver wasn’t sure if she had heard him. He wasn’t sure if she had heard him the hundred times he had tried to comfort her and calm her down in the last hours either. If she had heard him, it hadn’t had much influence on her. At least it hadn’t made her stop pacing.

If it wasn’t for his own worries, he would have probably taken her by her shoulders, guided her to one of the seats and make sure that she’d sit down. He just couldn’t do it as he feared the outcome of this surgery as much as Felicity certainly did. He just didn’t show it that actively.

When Felicity sat down on the chair beside him, releasing a long breath of exhaustion, Oliver reached out his hand and linked his fingers with Felicity’s. She put her free hand to the back of his, holding his hand between both of hers and rested her head on his shoulder.

Oliver knew it wasn’t going to take long before she’d start pacing up and down the hallway again. Through the last hours, she had sat down and leaned against him every once in a while. Her feet and legs had to be hurting from all the pacing. She would never admit that though.

That was probably why she suddenly got back up again and let go of his hand. She walked a couple of steps, moving her fingers through her hair and releasing a long sigh. She stopped only three steps away from him and looked at him with an expression on her face that Oliver knew very well. It told him that her internal rambling had led her to some train of thoughts that she needed to follow now.

“Do you think we are this nervous because of Mia’s heritage?” Felicity cocked her head and frowned. “Are we feeling like this because we found out where she comes from?”

Oliver perked up his eyebrows. That thought hadn’t occurred to him for even a second, and he was surprised that it had come to Felicity’s mind.

Since they had discovered that Mia wasn’t just some baby that had been placed into a dumpster at the Smoak and Queen Science Center, things had changed a little. They had believed that Mia had just accidentally stumbled into their lives. Instead, she had been placed there with the very purpose of Oliver and Felicity finding her and taking her in. She even shared their DNA because although they weren’t her real parents, their doppelgängers were and that was just… crazy.

Knowing that her parents had wanted Mia to grow up with them had changed their entire experience of fostering her. They knew that it needed to work because Mia just needed to stay with them. This was where she belonged.

They also knew that they had to protect her even more. The earth she came from was no safe place, and you could never know when someone opened the gate between the different universes. Someone could come here to hurt her just because of who her parents were.

That was all that had changed though. They had loved Mia before, and they loved Mia now. She had been their child even before they had found out that she was their dead doppelgängers’ baby. They had just always feared that one day her parents would come with a good explanation for why they had abandoned their daughter. They would have needed to give her away if that had happened.

Now they knew that she belonged with them even more than they had known it in their hearts.

“I think we would have been this nervous even if he had found out that she was the daughter of Malcolm Merlyn.”

Felicity scrunched up her nose.

Admittedly, the idea that Mia could be the daughter of their archenemy was a little absurd. If she had turned out to be his daughter, Oliver would probably not be sitting here and waiting for Mia to come back from her surgery. He would be out in the streets, trying to find Malcolm Merlyn because he’d know that his family wouldn’t be safe as long as he lived.

“What I mean is that Mia has been our daughter all along. That we found out about her origins is not the reason we are worried about her future. We have been worried about that before. Finding out about where she comes from is going to be on our minds for the rest of our lives, but it doesn’t have an influence on the way we see her or what we feel about her in any way.”

The corners of Felicity’s lips twitched slightly, and she smiled at him. Oliver guessed that he had said the right thing.

Felicity had been worried that knowing about Mia’s future had made them love her more which itself wouldn’t be a bad thing. If they had fallen more in love with her after finding out that they shared biology – even if in some twisted way – it meant that they hadn’t loved Mia as much as their other children before. Felicity couldn’t handle that thought. Neither could Oliver.

They didn’t have to handle it though because it wasn’t true anyway.

“I think we just have to face the truth here.”

Raising up her eyebrows, Felicity cocked her head and looked at him questioningly. “Which is?”

“I think that problems with Mia’s health is one of the new demons that we have to face.”

Felicity scrunched up her nose. She didn’t like this. They had had so many demons in their lives, and they had overcome a lot of them. She had hoped that one day they would have made friends with the demons they had but closed the door for others to come join them.

Apparently, they weren’t there yet.

Leaning forward, Oliver grabbed Felicity’s hand and pulled her closer until she sat down on his thighs. She sighed and rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes. Oliver watcher her for a moment and pushed some strands of hair out of her face.

“I’m scared too,” he whispered, “but we will get along. We always do, don’t we?”

Felicity nodded her head. “Of course we will.”

Smiling at him, Felicity leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. When their lips parted, Oliver almost expected her to get up and start pacing against. Instead, she rested her head against his shoulder with a sigh and snuggled closer. She wasn’t ready to continue pacing already either.

 → → → → →

 “She made it through this very well,” Dr. Onai said with a smile, “so she really is a fighter.”

That she was, Felicity thought to herself and stroke her forefinger over the back of Mia’s little hand. She was released a low sound, a sign that she could feel the touch. She didn’t wake up though.

“She is certainly going to be exhausted and a little scared when she wakes up. The nurses will check on her regularly. I will come back tomorrow.”

Felicity nodded her head although she barely listened. She watched Mia and the machines she was attached to. It was scary to see even if it wasn’t the first time that she had seen someone she loved being in a hospital bed. It was one of the things that never got easier though.

“Is one of you staying here with her?”

“Yes,” Oliver replied, “Felicity and I will switch. She will stay here for the first week, and I will stay for the second week.”

Dr. Onai skimmed some notes on her tablet before she lifted her gaze. “I don’t want to stir up too many hopes, but I think we might be able to send her home a little earlier if she recovers as well as she made it through this surgery in the first place.”

Felicity smiled. “That is wonderful news. Thank you.”

It was wonderful news, but the entire situation was still scary. Felicity doubted that she’d find her peace before Mia was back home with them. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take too long.”

* * *

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[rae-and-mezo]

Can you do when yn treats the house elves like their her children and the boys (ominis,sebastian, gareth,and amit) or the girls (poppy,natt,imelda, and Anne) get jealous or you can put whatever reaction!😊 please do this I'm begging 😭

A/n: I love this!! Some of them are shorter because I didn't know how to expand on their general opinion. I tried so hard to not repeat myself!

Characters: Sebastian Sallow, Ominis Gaunt, Garreth Weasley, Amit Thakkar, Poppy Sweeting, Natty Onai, Imelda Reyes, Anne Sallow

Sebastian:

Honestly, he's kind of annoyed.

Like the treatment of Elves is infuriating, sure, and he agrees with being kind obviously. But do you really have to cancel a date because Ticky the Elf wants to perform a dance for you?

And why do THEY get forehead kisses every day and he only gets them when he's sitting down? Maybe it's because he's just tall but HEY.

At first the elves are scared of him, and he hates it. He goes out of his way to show he means no harm but didn't intend to get roped into the mess.

Why do they want him to come see the room MC had them decorate in the room of requirement?

Why the hell is one asking him what MC prefers: Vanilla or Chocolate? They want to make her a cake? Okay...but he expects a piece.

Slowly he comes to love them as MC does, like a dad with a kitten.

Ominis:

My boy is...confused? But delighted.

The Gaunts had a house elf! Her name was Cinder, and she was more like a mother than Mrs. Gaunt. He always treated her with utmost respect and the way his parents treated her made him sick to his stomach.

His whole Hogwarts career he has tried to be very polite to the elves, letting them know someone cares.

And when you show him your army of elf friends, he is delighted!!

Asks them all their names and some more general questions.

One of them learned a new song or something of the like? He is listening with a patient smile on his face even though it is the worst thing he has ever heard.

They don't really understand his blindness actually. They're supporting but ask him tons of questions. I think Ominis would really like educating them about how he experiences the world as long as they aren't being patronizing.

He adores listening to you interact with the elves!!

He asks them so much advice and input on how to show Cinder he appreciates her. Like...does he give her a gift? Will this upset her? Is this too much?

Also, he remembers like everything. Tries too at least. You come into the common room late, telling him about how you were helping an Elf read a muggle book? He asks you if you've gotten to his favorite part. That particular elf tends to like the romance novels, and chapter nine is when the hero gets the girl.

In short, he loves the elves almost as much as you do!

Garreth:

He's so dumb. I love him.

Coming from a poorer family, Garreth had never seen a house elf until Hogwarts. They were strange creatures.

And then you have a whole crew?? Okay, but he wasn't expecting it.

He...he has trouble seeing them as sentient beings. I hate to say it, but he does! Of course, he respects all they do for the castle, but at first, he doesn't understand why you like them so much. He treats them not unlike a pet.

You tell them to be polite and introduce themselves, and he is so weirded out by each one introducing themselves and shaking his hand.

They pick up on his hesitation and come to you with their worries and after a lecture from you, Garreth is ready to try again. Reluctantly, but he is.

Is it possible to embarrass yourself in front of a house elf? If it is, Garreth does it. He's so scared of saying or doing something wrong that he ends up embarrassing the hell out of himself.

He grows to see them as they are: intelligent and sentient creatures that have a lot to offer. After a while he is comfortable enough to give them high fives in the hallway, or gift them things (mostly prank items, and then he has to teach them it is meant to be funny and not an attack-)

Amit:

He honestly has learned not to think twice about anything when it comes to you.

So, when you ask him to meet you in the room of requirement and you're surrounded by elves? A little strange, but it doesn't deter him from asking if you got all the notes down for DADA.

The elves scatter when he speaks, running to look like they are working. It surprises him, and even more so when you hush him as you coax them all out.

They do NOT like him at first because he comes at inconvenient times and how are they supposed to prepare you hot chocolate before bed when you're off looking at star charts??

And meanwhile poor Amit is working hard to get their seal of approval because anything you like he does too. It's very important to him!

Well one day they mention that they like the Gramaphone and the pretty music but the Gramaphone isn't working as of late. It gives you an idea, and now Amit is standing in front of a mini crowd playing his little violin heart out.

The elves kinda overwhelm him with how many there are and how needy they are to you, but it amazes him how you are so patient with them.

If there is a house elf language, he is learning it. Both to impress you and try to win over your little army.

Basically, he is slightly intimidated by the elves, but he loves you so he tries his best to get along with them. He definitely is no longer taking the food at dinner for granted, that's for sure.

Poppy:

She's so sweet.

At first, worries that the elves might have malicious intent because of how often they were pulling you away. But quickly she realized it wasn't the case.

The elves already adore her as she has always been incredibly sweet to them. Plus, in third year she saved a baby house elf which sparked her interest in them as more than servants.

She's more like their friend than parent, though, she thinks it's incredibly sweet how loving you are towards them.

Gets them ALL christmas presents. every single one. Doesn't tell you about it and holds you when you're overwhelmed by the kindness!

They will all follow her around, and she responds to every one of their jokes and makes sure she never leaves them out of conversation.

Makes funny faces at them from across the hall just like she would any other friend and it makes them feel welcomed.

After late nights in the vivarium, Poppy is dragging you to the kitchens. Even though you don't have to be dragged there. You two sit on the counter and recount your adventures to the elves while they busy themselves making you a snack. If there are dishes to be done she offers to help even if they decline.

Natty:

Always up for some adventure! Finds the elves fascinating honestly.

"Theoretically, if a master gives you a sock to wash, are you free? Can you choose your own clothes? Wait, if you can, are you allowed to shop for them? That would be so-" "Natty..." "Right, sorry."

She treats them like she would treat anybody else tbh. In her home country, she never had house elves and the concept of having someone thanklessly serving you makes her sick. So, she does her best to show her appreciation.

However, the elves will NOT take time she wants to spend with you away. They want to talk to you? Fine, but Natty is there too.

Tells you later how cute you are when you're interacting with something you love.

She gets the elves to help make you a GIANT Christmas present.

She and the elves see each other as equals and are friends!

Imelda:

Another jealous one. Omg.

Sure, elves are mistreated. It's wrong. But maybe they deserve to be kicked around a little when they KEEP YOU FROM QUIDDITCH PRACTICE!

Would never harm the elves or speak harm about them, but they have come to recognize her glare meaning "Hey, it's MY turn with my partner."

One elf in particular is pretty snippy and Imelda gets into fights with him almost every time they see each other.

Oh, the elves know to keep your broom in pristine condition. It seems to make you happy that it never needs work, and they have an agreement with Imelda. A polished, clean, and ready broom for your nightly rides means another hour where she doesn't come in and bother them.

She is NOT above coming into the kitchens just to annoy the house elves. They unfortunately know this.

Imelda would never ever see the house elves as anything less than what they are, but she doesn't hesitate to use her advantages.

She taught a group of the younger elves to swear. You still haven't quite forgiven her for it.

Anne:

I love Anne sm :)

Your relationship with the elves...doesn't surprise her in the slightest.

She doesn't understand, as Elves aren't anything special in her eyes. They're sentient creatures that have feelings and thoughts, just like humans do. Why would she treat them differently than anyone else?

The elves are very sweet, but c'mon. She was going to teach you to garden Hemlock without poisoning yourself!

Honestly, she doesn't mind that you baby them, but she definitely has sat you down and explained they don't need babied.

Admires you and how you treat them! Just doesn't understand it, that's all.

Admires you and how you treat them! Just doesn't understand it, that's all.