#NO QUIDDITCH HAS EVEN BEEN PLAYED IN THE QUIDDITCH FIC YET

[atlasdoe]

My worst fear is that I’m going to publish my Quidditch fic and people are going to skip Edgars povs

[ellecdc]

Hi!! Ok this is my first time doing an actual request so…I hope I do this right 😭.

Poly!marauders x transfer student reader: Reader comes from the US, where quodpot is the more popular wizarding sport (like quidditch is rugby and quodpot is football). Reader has always LOVED quidditch and is excited Hogwarts actually has a team. Maybe reader trying out for the team? Seeker would be cool bc the reader would be able to practice that by themself. Reader going to the pitch early every morning to practice leading up to tryouts, Sirius and James watching from the stands bc that’s normally THEIR time to practice. Remus sitting with a hot tea and bundled up…UGH I LOVE!

this was such a cute idea! this is actually the second fic I've ever written that involved 0 dialogue and I only realized that about either fic once I finished this one, so hopefully it's good! thanks for your request, love, I hope I did it justice!

poly!marauders x transfer student!reader who is obsessed with quidditch [900 words]

CW: .... I don't think any?? read is Gryffindor, written for a fem!reader (term that's used is witch) but could be read as gender neutral as they/them/their are used

If someone were to ask Remus why he could suddenly be spotted haunting the castle grounds before the sun rose most mornings now-a-days, he would quickly blame it on his sodding no good energetic and horribly devious boyfriends (who he loved very much). 

But the real answer was a far more selfish one.

You see, Remus (and Sirius and James) had developed a rather peculiar crush on a rather peculiar witch in their final year of Hogwarts. 

The rumour had been that a new student transferring from Ilvermory was going to be attending Hogwarts for their seventh year, and with Hogwarts (and the wizarding community in general) being as small as it was, it had created quite the buzz. 

The rumours were proven true when a witch far older than the many first years lined up for their turn at the sorting ceremony took their place below the hat only for it to shout GRYFFINDOR before their robes were decorated in red and gold.

You seemed utterly enchanted by it all; by the floating candles, by the stone walls, and by the feast itself. 

Watching you skip throughout the castle in the weeks following the Welcome Feast was nothing short of inspiring; it was as if watching a muggleborn first year see the castle and all of its secrets for the first time again. 

You seemed to be very skilled at finding the magic in, well, magic. 

Remus wondered then when magic stopped feeling so magical to the rest of the seventh year class; even children who were raised by magical parents were nothing short of ecstatic to begin honing their own skills at Hogwarts.

When did that stop feeling so exciting? When did throwing up silencing charms and summoning objects towards yourself become second nature instead of an exciting and exceptional learned skill? When did transfiguring buttons into butterflies become an arduous lesson instead of a wondrous adventure?

And that's not to say that you hadn’t seen or experienced magic before; on the contrary, you were a very talented witch. But you seemed to be awestruck by every single thing that you set your eyes on.

The fact that you were living in a castle had been particularly exciting for you, from what Remus had overheard, as was the game of quidditch. 

The popular and more commonly played sport in the magical United States was that of quodpot, and what little Remus actually understood about quidditch, he understood even less of quodpot, which is to say that he understood absolutely none of it. But even Remus had to admit there was something mesmerising about watching the way your tongue stuck out a little bit through your teeth as you drew out different drills and formations in your dedicated quidditch journal.

Though the quidditch season hadn’t started yet, every time there was a pickup game or a one-on-one, or even a few players feeling the familiar itch of flying through the air at record speeds and dodging other players and flying balls, one could be certain that you would be standing in the bleachers - often even hanging over the edge of the railing (in a way that made Remus very nervous, thank you very much) - with a wide smile on your face as you took it all in. 

And if Remus was really lucky, he’d even get a chance to watch as you balanced on the balls of your feet as if your body was just itching to join in on the fun. 

And if Sirius and James both took the piss for Remus finally enjoying ‘quidditch’ enough to put his sodding book down every once in a while, well, that was neither here nor there. 

So, the second that madame Hooch announced that tryouts for house teams would be starting in a few short weeks; you were hardly ever spotted around the common room anymore. 

Any time there was a free moment, one could bet you’d be down at the pitch - or even elsewhere on the grounds - with a broom underneath you and your eyes peeled for the wiley little snitch. And anytime you were found at the pitch? Well, one could bet James and Sirius would be too.

….

… As was Remus. 

James was all too happy to finally have (enthusiastic and consensual) company in the mornings to comment on the fact that it had been nothing short of painstaking torture to extricate Sirius from his bed for quidditch practices before you had transferred to Hogwarts, or to comment on the fact that it had been nothing short of painstaking torture to extricate Remus from his bed on any given day before you had transferred to Hogwarts.

Because it appeared that they were all in agreement that, even if it had to be at six in the bloody morning, watching you experience the unbridled joy that Hogwarts and quidditch and magic could give you was the best place to be.

Sirius leaned casually against the railing flashing you the odd wink or holler of encouragement when you happened to look over at your admirers in the stands whilst James shouted pointers and cheered you on, basically hanging over the railing in much the same way you would when the roles were reversed.

And Remus?

Well, Remus usually had about three layers on, a hot cup of tea, and a book that laid untouched as he got to enjoy the view.

[odinsonslut]

Young

⊹ genre: Fluff mostly, minimal angst

⊹ pairing: Fred Weasley x Slytherin female reader

⊹ themes: Friends to lovers

⊹ summary: Fred rejected your advances, claiming you’re too young. You set out to seduce him, which backfires. Unwarranted comments were made in your presence, and George attempted to comfort you, finally explaining his fears and feelings in the process.

⊹ warnings: Swearing, third-party slut-shaming of the reader, mentions of an emotionally toxic relationship, very brief mention of drugs.

⊹ word count: 1.7k

⊹ a/n:  I don’t know why I’ve chosen to base this whole fic off of rejection yet again, but It’s completely different to the last, trust. A cute Fred one today because I’ve had a recent fixation on the twins and can’t seem to write for anyone else atm. 

Confidence has come naturally to you since the first day you walked through the castle doors. Many would wager that’s why you ended up in Slytherin over Hufflepuff. You’d never had issues letting people know how you felt about them; rejection had never been a concern or a fear simply because your self-assurance wasn’t so easily deteriorated. 

This wasn’t ever in question until two weeks ago. You hadn’t thought twice about approaching Fred after months of mutual teasing, or so you thought it was. You went to his spot on Gryffindor’s table in the morning, greeting him with a single pumpkin pasty. You waited till he took a bite out of it before making some quip that you couldn’t seem to, or rather didn’t want to remember, about owing you a kiss and maybe something more in return for it, to which he painfully, tragically mustered a chuckle past his lips, probably the most awkward position I’ve seen him in, before finally finding the words to let you down easily.

“You know I love you endlessly, but we’re friends” He could’ve just as easily stopped there, but he continued. 

“You’re just a little too young for me.”

Young

He briefly dated Amelia Farrow last spring, and she’s four months younger than you, so obviously, it wasn’t an age issue. He saw you as immature, a kid. He couldn’t even begin to picture you as attractive in any form. Actually, feeling affected as a result of rejection was unfamiliar; it was scary. How had you allowed yourself to feel enough for a man that your own stability suffered? As a result, you didn’t just feel hurt, you felt inferior, and that was harrowing enough in itself. 

You were just beginning to fall into another rant directing every expressional detail from the twitch of his bottom lip to the scrunch in his left brow when you were interrupted by a loud sigh.

“Babe, I couldn’t live a day without you, but swooning over a blood-traitor Weasley is way more than I can handle for the 7th time this morning”, Pansy quipped after a supportive kiss on my cheek.

“Give me a solution then”, you pleaded, faux pouting while hugging her thighs desperately.

“Seduce him, love; you’ve got the best ass on anyone in this entire school. Malfoy tells me he’s got a preference for it, says he lets a lot slip when they’re off smoking muggle grass.”

“Teach me how. You’re probably the only girl in our year every Slytherin male wants to shag a second time.”

-

It was the first quidditch match of the year, so naturally, you put on your uniform from 3rd year to cheer the team on. Malfoy found your overreaction to rejection amusing, like a fish out of water, to use his words, so he didn’t mind playing the role of the pawn in your game. You spent all game cheering Draco on, making sure you were just enthusiastic enough to attract Fred’s attention. 

The game finally came to an end. Gryffindor just barely scraped by, with Harry catching the snitch. I could already see Oliver Wood pushing Fred about, demanding a valid reason for his poor performance during the game. He pushed Wood off of him and stormed off with an exasperated look on his face.

I caught up to him a few feet away, deciding to skip past the jokes, figuring he wasn’t quite in the mood.

“Hey, you okay?” I timidly asked, reaching out to stroke his hand

“You sure move on quick, don’t you?” He spoke harshly, ignoring my question completely

“Are you serious? You reject me, then get mad at my attempts to move past that?” I shoved his shoulder, feigning annoyance. I knew exactly what I was doing, trying to prompt a reaction out of him.

“And what the hell are you wearing? Damn near sent Adrian Pucey spiralling into the benches with your ass out like that.”

“So I had both team’s beaters distracted, huh?”

“I wasn’t distracted so much as horrified.” He immediately followed

You shoved him playfully. “Shut up, weasel. You’re literally still staring at my tits.”

“You’re telling me you didn’t put that outfit on for me to stare at?” He whispered as we came to a halt just outside the quidditch changing rooms 

To my dismay, I couldn’t think of anything to do or say but scoff at him, to which his grin grew even bigger.

He turned to leave, my brain regaining activity without the pressure of his eyes in contact with mine.

“I put it on so you’d have a clearer image to jack off to tonight.”

I headed back to my dorm before he could get another word in.

-

I approached the great hall hand in hand with Daphne Greengrass, completely satisfied with the way I left things with Fred yesterday, convinced I’d won. The smile on my face immediately dropped as I heard the conversation taking place at the Gryffindor table.

“- he’s even got a Slytherin girl in his pocket, dressing up like a little slut just for him.”

“Tell me, Weasley, does she like it rough?”

“Seems like the kind of girl that’d take it in the back.”

Your heart dropped as you heard comments from miscellaneous men in the house, jeering over each other, collectively patting an angry-looking Fred on his back and shoulders in a congratulatory manner.  

We made eye contact. Before the men at his table sensed my presence, too, I broke away from Daphne and sprinted out of the Hall. I sank by a tree in front of the lake as I took shallow breaths.

What hurts is that every assumption they made about my character felt deserving. When did I become the girl so desperate for one man’s attention that I so pathetically made myself more sexually desirable in his eyes? So that his lust would cloud his judgement and throw me lay at the very least? I hadn’t even realised how delirious I was acting and how painfully obvious it was to everyone but me just how much more I clung to the idea of him. It was like a montage of clarity was playing in my brain, of the way I continued running up to the Gryffindor common room every morning, taking every opportunity to make what I thought was subtle physical contact with him. God.

I let out a little yelp when I finally opened my eyes. Fred sat right next to me, leaning his head against the tree the same way I was.

“God, you scared me half to death! fucking cunt” I muttered the last part, allowing my anger to peak through 

“I had Malfoy help me make sure those guys’ mouths stay shut. I’m sorry you had to hear that, and I’m sorry they were able to say more than two words without me hexing them and their mothers, to begin with. None of what any of them said is worth your care. They heard us talking outside the changing rooms yesterday. They’re all jealous little virgins that have-

“They were things I needed to hear” I cut him off before he fell into a rant that honestly wouldn’t have made a difference to the way I felt.

He looked at me incredulously, struggling to find the words to respond. 

“I was seeking your attention so incredibly desperately. It embarrasses me to think about it. You said no; I should’ve respected that and left it as it was. I took your reasoning personally, and for the way I’ve acted since that day, I apologise, truly,” I continued.

He sighed. “I only said what I said out of fear. I’m sure you remember I briefly dated a Hufflepuff girl in your year, Amelia. I made a mistake getting involved with her. She didn’t know how to separate love from attachment, and it got to a point her dependence on me started affecting her mental well-being, along with mine. Nobody saw much of me during the time we were dating because I was just so caught up with making sure she was okay since she relied on me completely. I didn’t realise  I was even allowed to have boundaries at all in a relationship. She constantly made me feel selfish and uncaring for wanting space or even just time with my family. When you told me how you felt about me, I had recovered from the relationship, but I hadn’t yet allowed myself to consider a future relationship with another person. I said what I thought I needed to say to avoid our relationship turning into the one I had with Amelia. But ever since you told me how you felt about me, it made me realise nothing about us has ever been platonic to me. I have never thought of you that way, and even when I tried to, I didn’t know how to look at you in any other way than lovingly. I feel so much for you. I could see myself loving you so easily. I’m just really afraid. I don’t know if I’m ready to navigate that all over again.”

It took me a while to respond, taking in everything he said in a state of such vulnerability. I noticed a stray tear on my skirt; it was his. I immediately reached out to hold his hands in comfort. I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off yet again.

“I will never allow anyone to say a word against you ever again, love.” He added

“I care a lot about you, Fred. I reacted the way I did, with such force and conviction, because it’s unfamiliar to me too, feeling so deeply for someone. Whatever you want to come from this, we can do. I want to learn to keep my independence through my feelings for you. I don’t think declaring something more than friendship will change things between us overnight, and I think all we need to do is keep being us.” 

“Okay”, he responded timidly but surely.

He could’ve just stopped there, but I’d come to learn that’s never something to expect from him.

“I absolutely did jack off to you last night, though.”

I kicked him in the shin as we walked back to the castle, hand in hand. 

End

✩ I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE ANY OF MY WRITING POSTED ON ANY EXTERNAL WEBSITES ✩

[rypnami]

Prewett Family

(headcanons/canon in the universe of my trans leander au!)

Members

Arthur: Father, 48 y/o, unlabelled, Gryffindor. Works as a Cursebreaker for Gringotts. Marie: Mother, 47 y/o, bisexual, Gryffindor. Had a brief stint as an Auror, now is a stay at home parent. Lily: 24 y/o, lesbian, Gryffindor. Professional chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Phillip: 16 y/o, bisexual, Gryffindor. Prefect, will be Head Boy, future owner of Stitches and Draughts. Leander: 15 y/o, gay, trans, Gryffindor. Future Herbologist, kind of quiet, wants to play Quidditch for Gryffindor. Amelia: 10 y/o, aromantic asexual, will be a Gryffindor. The older of the twins. Aims to be top student, like Phillip. Penelope: 10 y/o, biromantic asexual, will be a Gryffindor. The younger twin. Also the shy one.

History

The Prewett family is one of the oldest Wizarding families in all of Britain. The oldest recorded member, Ignus Prewett, is from the time of the Hogwarts founders. Over the centuries, several members have risen to prominence in the Wizarding world, and they have amassed incredible wealth. For generations, both men and women of the family have been Curesebreakers, a tradition still continuing to this day. Even still, they have a good reputation, especially in comparison to most of the ancient pureblood families.

Current Day

The Prewett family (of 1890-91) lives in a sizable home near the centre of London. Despite the inherited wealth from their ancestors, they live somewhat modestly and don’t spend much more than they need to. After all, they currently have 2 kids attending Hogwarts, and soon it will be the twins’ first year. Arthur is a very respected and highly competent Cursebreaker for Gringotts, however his work keeps him away from home much more than he’d like. He somewhat hopes that one day at least one of his children will follow his footsteps as a Cursebreaker, but at the moment none of them seem terribly interested.

Marie was an accomplished Auror for a few years after graduation, however after having Lily she decided to retire to properly raise her. She is still an absolute force to be reckoned with, and it’s probably wise not to mess with her (and especially not her kids).

Like her mother, Lily was an Auror for a few years. However, she later found her passion to be Quidditch and is currently playing as Beater for the Holyhead Harpies.

Phillip and Leander are the only two currently attending Hogwarts. Phillip is a prefect and the top student among the 6th year Gryffindors. He is almost certain to be Head Boy as a 7th year, and will in the future run his own shop in Hogsmeade.

Leander often compares himself to his older brother, and doesn’t feel like he can measure up. Much of his imposter syndrome comes from the fact that he has only recently transitioned FtM, and isn’t quite sure if he’s ’enough of a boy.’ Despite his lack of coordination on a broom, he wants to play Quidditch for Gryffindor. Perhaps one day. He’s not sure what his true ambition for the future is just yet.

Last but not least are the twins. Amelia, the oldest (by all of 90 seconds) is your typical ‘girly girl.’ Very smart, loves her makeup and nice outfits, and is practically destined to be THE popular kid. She is deep down a bit insecure, but she’s good at hiding it.

Penelope is more likely to argue that 90 seconds doesn’t really count at being older at all. They were born the same day, after all. She’s the more shy of the two, and much prefers the company of her books and art to other people. Although she and her sister are completely different in almost every way, they are still very close and consider each other to be their best friend.

sooo. yeah, these are my headcanons for the whole family tee hee. each of them will play a role in the main trans!au fic, as well as appear in mini stories throughout! auri and penelope unlikely friendship duo we stan

i hope you love them 🫶

[bridenore]

HD Erised 2023 recs

Here are some of my favorite fics from @hd-erised 2023. Listed in alphabetical order.

Always the Last to Know by @nv-md [10k]

“I’m not napping,” Harry mumbled, his face still pressed to the floor. “I’m thinking.” “Salazar help us,” Draco muttered, walking around Harry’s prone body. Out of the corner of his eye, a bit blurrily, Harry watched as Draco lay beside him. “And what, pray tell, is so difficult to ponder that it requires a lie down?” Harry took a deep breath, very much considered lying, closed his eyes, and said, “Love.”

Clear Skies, Full Hearts by iota / @sorrybutblog​ [32k]

Harry loves everything about playing professional Quidditch – the rush of flying, the rush of winning, the rush of getting off with rival seeker Draco Malfoy. Harry’s the highest scoring rookie Seeker in the history of the League. He’s also, inexplicably, obsessively, hooking up with Draco. When Draco unexpectedly quits the League and disappears from Harry’s life, Harry doesn’t stop wondering what it all meant and if he’ll ever get another chance to find out.

Draco Malfoy, Bloodsucking Fiend by @kbrick [23k]

There are two things that Draco’s Auror partner, Harry Potter, must never know about him. One is that he’s a vampire. The other is that he’s been completely, pathetically, head-over-heels in love with Harry for years. But when the duo is trapped inside an old shop on Diagon Alley with no means of escape, Draco finds himself fiending for blood and unable to put even a modicum of distance between himself and the man he can’t stop lusting after.

How To Train Your Malfoy by @fencer-x [93k]

Good manners dictate that, when one’s best friend Apparates onto one’s doorstep holding the unconscious, haggard body of the schoolyard bully and begging for sanctuary, one ought to invite the two of them in for a cup of tea. Harry Potter sometimes wishes he weren’t so polite.

Jasmine in Bloom by @lqtraintracks [41k]

This is not something Draco can have in his life… Potter overturning all that he’s carefully cultivated. They’re not compatible and never will be. Draco’s been playing with fire. It just so happens that he likes how Potter smoulders before being allowed close enough to burn.

Last Time by bluefay / @thesleepiesthufflepuff [3k]

There are eight years of hatred and seven years of tolerance behind every tease, every blowjob, and every screw. No matter how it ends, though, Draco just hopes he doesn’t lose Potter as a friend.

Martyred by @doingthechachaslide [82k]

Harry Potter only wants one thing: to take care of the people he loves. After Teddy’s abrupt departure from his role as Andromeda’s caretaker, Harry decides it’s finally time to step up and handle the job himself. Castoff Manor, an old Black family estate, has never seemed as sinister as the stories make it sound, but it’s there that Harry stumbles upon ghosts, haunting family secrets, and a familiar, snarky blond gardener hell-bent on chasing him out. Maybe if Harry sticks around long enough, he’ll finally learn why all of Andromeda’s previous caretakers have fled without looking back.

Never Mind the Bollocks by @the-sinking-ship [118k]

If someone told Harry six months ago that by autumn he would be single, living on whisky and toast, and dancing the night away with Draco Malfoy, he would have told them to get their head checked. And yet, here he was.

Nothing Gold Can Stay by @moonflower-rose [40k]

One summer evening, Harry Potter vanished in the middle of dinner with his friends. Four days later he came back. Sort of. Draco Malfoy is on the case.

The Room that Changed Everything by @multiverse-of-fanfic [18k]

When a sabotaged potion lands Harry and Draco in detention, Harry must wrestle with two uncomfortable truths: One, Malfoy the nemesis no longer exists. And Two, Harry is embarrassingly attracted to him. With the war behind them, can Harry and Malfoy build something from the ashes, or are they doomed to be enemies forever?

Sugarplum by @mallstars [27k]

The air crackled as it busied itself shifting around molecules, making way for a hefty slab of magic, and then there it was: the Knight Bus, squeezed neatly into a pocket of Wizarding space among stagnant Muggle buses, vibrant violet amidst a string of cherry red. The door sprang open. "Draco," said Potter, a little breathless, a little cheerful. He smelled of coconut lotion, Cockroach Clusters and a sloppy ironing charm. Lifting one hand off the steering wheel, Potter gave a small wave. He wore gloves. Fingerless, the leather black against the sunlight. Leather. In August.

Thickets by @wolfpants [17k]

When Draco returns to the UK after two decades of building his career as an internationally-renowned artist to look after his ailing, estranged father, he crosses paths with his former flame, Harry Potter, in the most unexpected way.

The Unplottable Time Conundrum by @writcraft [45k]

When the past starts bleeding into the present at Grimmauld Place, an old academic article pulls Draco Malfoy out of his life of luxury. Haunted by the memory of a fleeting post-war kiss and thrust into the ghostly spaces inhabited by Unspeakable Harry Potter, Draco’s easy life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

we have heard on high by @oflights [34k]

Reeling from the fallout of a bad breakup, Harry decides to find out who his soulmate is. The bad news: it's Draco Malfoy. The good news: Malfoy doesn't seem to know they're soulmates. The worst news: Harry might be falling for him anyway.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[george-weasleys-girl]

Congrats on reaching 200 followers! You deserve all that and more! If I may, could I request a fic where the reader has a crush on George (or Fred take your pick) and he has a crush on her as well but they’re both too afraid to say anything out of fear of ruining the friendship until one Christmas break the reader is staying with the Wesley’s and Hermione and Ginny are asking how she can tell the twins apart and she’s explaining things like George’s eyes sparkle when he makes someone laugh and his smile is much warmer and softer than Fred’s that always looks like a smirk and she confesses she knows all of this because of her crush and George is just in the doorway like this 🧍and they have a cute confession at the lake or on the roof. I feel like I just spewed out a ton of stuff so please take what you like or ignore it! Congrats again!

Tysm💕 This is so sweet! I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: couple of curse words

Christmas Confessions

Y/N and George had known each other forever, it seemed. Arthur and her dad had been best friends at Hogwarts and were each other's best man when they married. After the dust settled from the First Wizarding War, their families grew quite close, frequently getting together for dinners and picnics, and even going on a few vacations together.

Y/N was the same age as the twins and a "girlie girl" who had no qualms playing Quidditch, climbing trees, and blowing up things while wearing pink taffeta and bows. She fit right in with the mischievous duo, despite her penchant for frilly dresses. For many years, she was known as the Weasley triplet.

As they got older, Y/N gravitated more toward the younger twin and his gentler demenor. He, in turn, grew closer to her. Yet, it wasn't until their fourth year at Hogwarts that George realized his feelings for Y/N went beyond mere friendship.

He'd never forget the exact moment he realized he loved her. It happened almost a year ago at the Burrow on Christmas Eve. He and Fred decided to have a little fun and switch sweaters to see how long it took for anybody to notice. Just as they were coming downstairs, Y/N, Ginny, and Hermione returned from their walk.

George moved to help Y/N with her coat.

"Oh, thank--."Y/N began, and then she noticed his attire. "George, why are you wearing Fred's sweater?"

Fred's face fell. But George's lit up like the sun when he realized that she could tell them apart with barely a look, and then he realized he couldn't remember a time when she'd ever mixed them up.

His heart skipped a beat.

"She sees me. Not Fred and George. Just me. She's always seen me."

And that was all it took. George was a goner.

~•~

One Year Later

George watched Bill kiss his newest girlfriend under the mistletoe, a painful tightness growing in his chest. He'd intended to tell Y/N how he felt by now. The words were right there on the tip of his tongue every moment of every day, and yet whenever he tried all he could imagine was her looking away, biting her lip as she searched for a way to let him down easy. And he'd say, "That's ok, we can just be friends." She'd nod and smile, "yes, of course." And they'd try, but it'd never be the same, both of them afraid to get too close in fear that the other might take it the wrong way. Everyday, they'd drift further and further apart until their friendship was nothing more than a distant memory.

He looked around the room at the happy, festive couples laughing and talking. His mum and dad. Y/N's mum and dad. Bill and his girlfriend. And even though Percy's girlfriend wasn't there yet, she would be soon. Yet, another couple to drive home to George of what he didn't have and what he may never have.

The room suddenly felt too small, too loud. He needed to get away. To be alone. Turning, George headed upstairs, hoping he could sleep his loneliness away.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he heard laughter. Y/N's laughter. George turned and followed the sound, intending to simply bask in its glow for a few minutes.

Y/N, Ginny, and Hermione were huddled up in Ginny's bedroom, looking through old photo albums. "It's hard to believe that was you," Hermione laughed, looking at a picture of a beaming eight year old, mud-covered Y/N wearing the pinkest, frilliest dress she'd ever seen, flanked by the two equally beaming, mud-covered twins. "I can't imagine you wearing something like that today."

"Sometimes I can't believe it myself," Y/N giggled, looking down at herself. Gone were the fluffy dresses and bows, replaced with jeans and tall, black boots. The only thing left of that rambunctious, little girl was the color pink. It remained Y/N's favorite color. So much so that Molly knitted her Christmas sweaters every year in pink, with her initial knitted in a bright magenta.

"Which one is which?" Ginny squinted at the picture.

"Oh, that's Fred on the left and George on the right." Y/N said matter-of-factly.

"How do you do it?" Hermione asked.

"Do what?" Y/N eyebrows scrunched together.

"Tell them apart," Ginny clarified. "We all get it wrong sometimes, except for you. You never mix them up."

Y/N shrugged. "Ever since I've known them, Fred's been the smug one. He doesn't smile so much as smirk. But, George, when he smiles, he lights up the room. And his eyes," Y/N's voice took on a dreamy quality. "The way they sparkle and shine when he makes someone laugh. It's like he's achieved the greatest thing in the whole world just by making them laugh."

Hermione and Ginny shared a knowing look.

"Sounds like someone may have a little crush," Ginny teased, shaking Y/N out of her reverie.

Y/N didn't speak for a long moment, chewing on her bottom lip as she wrestled with what to do. After a few long moments, she nodded to herself and spoke. "Swear to me that what I'm about to tell you goes no further than this room."

Hermione gave a solemn nod. "I swear."

Ginny held up her pinkie. "Pinkie promise."

All three girls giggled and linked pinkies.

Y/N took a deep breath. "It's not a little crush. I'm full-on madly in love with George. I have been for as long as I knew what that meant, maybe longer."

You could've heard a pin drop.

It was only then that Hermione noticed someone standing in the doorway. "Oh, hi."

Y/N turned to see George staring straight at her, his expression blank.

"I think we need to talk," he said. "Meet me downstairs."

Y/N swallowed and nodded.

~•~

George walked downstairs in a daze, uncertain if he was dreaming or not. All this time, they'd loved each other in silence. All those times he'd wanted to spill his heart out to her while she had secretly wanted to do the same. He felt a little foolish for never noticing. But, none of that mattered now. A small smile spread across his face as he pulled on his coat. Now that the shock was wearing off, a light-headed giddiness began to set in.

Y/N arrived downstairs a few moments later. George was bundled up for going outside, his scarf wrapped around half his face, hiding it from view. Her already racing heartbeat picked up the pace. Without a word, she pulled on her coat and everything else she needed to stay warm on a cold, snowy day.

George's eyes twinkled when he offered his hand. Y/N took it, tilting her head in question.

Giving her hand a squeeze, he led her outside. They'd only taken a few steps when he stopped, held up a finger, and ran back into the house. Y/N cocked an eyebrow, her nervousness morphing into curiosity, and more than a little confusion.

George was gone no more than a few seconds when he came running back out, slipping a little on an icy patch. Then, grabbing her hand, he continued sprinting through the snow, pulling Y/N along behind him.

"Where are we going?"

No answer.

"George? Did you hear me?"

The only response she got was another squeeze of her hand. Y/N rolled her eyes and stumbled along, trying to ignore the growing stitch in her side.

Much her to her relief, she soon saw where he was taking her. Thank goodness it wasn't too much further.

"Here we are!" George finally spoke. They were standing next to the lake where they spent most of their summers. But, rather than a welcoming sky blue, it was a hard, steel grey, almost indiscernable from the snowy expanse surrounding it.

Y/N held her side, trying catch her breath. "Are--are you trying--to kill me?"

George chuckled. "I thought you were in better shape."

"I'm in excellent shape," she rasped. "But I had to run three times faster to keep up with your long-ass legs."

"Oh," George gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I was just in a hurry to get here."

Y/N smiled and shook her head.

George brushed the snow off of the fallen tree that they often used as a makeshift seat. Then, sitting, he patted the empty spot beside him.

Y/N followed his lead, sitting next to him. Neither spoke for a long while. Despite Y/N's apprehension, it was, as always, an easy, comfortable silence.

"There's something that I've been wanting--trying to tell you for a long time," George began, taking her hands in his. "It wasn't until now that I thought I could."

He paused, taking a deep breath. "I love you too. I think I've loved you all my life. It just took me a while to realize it." George squeezed her hands. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to be more than friends. So very much more."

Y/N stared at him, hoping the recent lack of oxygen hadn't addled her brain, and this was just some sort of a vivid hallucination. "You love me back?"

George couldn't help but chuckle at the stunned look on her face. "Of course I do," he replied, cupping her face in his hands.

She simply stared at him for a moment, then a smile that took his breath away spread across her face.

"I think this is part where we kiss," George's eyes sparkled. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes. Yes, please," she said as they leaned toward each other.

"Oh wait!" George jumped back, startling Y/N. "I almost forget." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a smushed sprig of mistletoe and held it above them. "Now, I'm ready.

Y/N laughed out loud. "Is that what you ran back in for?"

"Yep," he replied proudly.

"You cheeky bastard," she quipped, earning a wicked smile from George.

"But you love me anyway."

"That I do," she said. And with that, they closed the distance, smiling into their first kiss.

~•~

@princess-paramour @milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @xmjthewitchx @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley

[saintsenara]

Hello! Your thoughtful, funny approach to the unhinged ships has legitimately been a bright spot for me during a difficult few weeks. So thank you! Here are a few more if you feel so inclined:

Hooch/McGonagall

Andromeda/Bill

Justin/Dudley

ahh, anon, thank you so much for this lovely message! i hope things are looking up now, and i wish you strength and honour to keep chugging along if they're not. i will always be delighted to receive these asks, and i hope they keep entertaining you.

rolanda hooch/minerva mcgonagall

zoe wanamaker went so fucking hard when she decided to play hooch as the cuntiest dyke in the castle, and so i will always be committed to imagining hooch in exactly that vein - strutting around with her leather quidditch gloves, her masculine tailoring, and what is clearly an impeccable strap game.

and mcgonagall has stern-older-lesbian-with-a-secret-wild-side vibes as well - she's a little bit of a renegade, she doesn't suffer fools gladly, and she's a great fan of quidditch.

i think we can all picture the romantic midnight swoopings they're going on. and also the massive fights they're having when hooch awards slytherin penalties against gryffindor.

and arguing is foreplay...

andromeda tonks/bill weasley

i have decided, after careful deliberation, to back this.

something i really like thinking about when it comes to andromeda's post-war journey is how her grief over her daughter's death would be tinged by the fact that - as he tells us in deathly hallows - she didn't approve of her relationship with lupin.

i don't think this is entirely to do with his lycanthropy [i think, for example, that ted and andromeda were left alone during the first war as long as they kept their heads down, and that tonks joining the order - which andromeda can choose to blame lupin's influence for - forfeits this], but i think it's also fair to interpret lupin's statement that ted and andromeda are "disgusted" by their marriage as true, rather than an exaggeration formed of his own self-loathing. the casual prejudice against werewolves even by "good" characters is a really striking part of the series - and andromeda sharing it is something i find really interesting to explore when thinking about her relationship with tonks.

[as is the fact that she can't see the irony that this is exactly how bellatrix and narcissa think about ted.]

i think you can do something really interesting in the immediate post-battle haze with andromeda trying to come to terms with the fact that she never fully patched things up with tonks before she died, that she didn't have a chance to get past her prejudices and get to know lupin, and that she's only come to appreciate how brave her son-in-law was when he too was dead.

it's clear that lupin provides bill with some level of support in the immediate aftermath of his run-in with fenrir greyback, and that bill would both remember him fondly and be determined to defend him and werewolves generally from the treatment they would undoubtedly get from the state in the months after the war ends [after all, we are told that the vast, vast majority of werewolves support voldemort - they are bound to be first in line for the public's vengeance, and are an easy scapegoat for the government].

two people trying to uncover truths and falling in love while doing it is my poison, and i would love a fic in which andromeda initially seeks out bill in an effort to understand the things which have died with tonks and lupin which then turns into something more...

dudley dursley/justin finch-fletchley

one of the exceptionally minor mysteries of the series is just how posh a school smeltings is supposed to be. the dursleys are a satire of all that is thoroughly, averagely middle class in the uk, and yet smeltings - with its weird traditions, its odd uniform, and the fact that it's an all-boys full-boarding school - is a pastiche of the most elite public schools [which, in the uk, means fee-paying - what is meant by "public school" in the united states is a "state school" here].

above all, the smeltings uniform bears a very strong resemblance to that worn by boys at harrow... which is the great rival to eton.

just picture it. justin is forced to go watch his younger brother boxing for eton in a match against smeltings. he's bored out of his mind... until an enormous blonde heavyweight who's taken out the entirety of the team from charterhouse catches his eye...

[sitp-recs]

Eager for the Sky by @oknowkiss

Harry/Draco, minor Harry/Ron and Draco/Blaise (2022, Mature, 35k)

It was announced, just as the Triwizard Tournament had been, at the start of term feast. A year-long, international Quidditch varsity match — the inaugural Wizarding Academy Cup. In which Harry is Hogwarts' star Seeker, Draco is on the bench, and they both have a thing or two to learn about playing for the same team.

Draco hated that, the way Potter would sneak up on him, proving he’d been listening. He had always seemed to be caught up in his own head, never paying attention to anything or anyone but himself, but now that Draco was starting to know him, he was beginning to see the truth of Potter.

When I started this blog over two years ago, I’d write (smaller, but still) recs for every fic I liked. At some point I was reccing up to 3 fics a day and started bookmarking them all to keep track of my own recs - maybe that’s why I got more than 600 bookmarks lol - and it was really fun and fulfilling, but it also demanded A LOT of time and energy. As they both became scarce, I changed strategies and decided to only rec fics that touched me in a more personal way. These days I write recs mostly on a whim; it happens less and less because I’m not reading as much, sure, but also because it needs to be a frantic urge, almost like a trance, and it needs to hit me right after I’m finished a fic otherwise it won’t be fresh in my mind.

I’ve wanted to rec something from E for so long and after being left intrigued and impressed by any day now and licence to kill (two solid recs if you haven’t read those yet!) I couldn’t see what was holding me back. Now I ask myself if I had been waiting for Eager for the Sky. And not necessarily because it’s the perfect fit for my tastes - in fact, I barely read or care for 8th year fics nowadays - but because this fic found me at the moment I needed it the most. Coming back from a brief hiatus (that felt longer than life itself) right before Christmas last year, I can say that reading this was a refreshing and lovely experience, but also magical in many ways. And funnily enough, this rec has been sitting in my drafts, half-finished, since January. Once again, something I couldn’t figure out was holding me back until I saw this gorgeous binding post by @a-gay-old-time (go check it right now!!) and I accidentally found out that last week was E’s one year fandomversary! Perfect timing to wrap this up and post it as a humble homage to one of the authors whose talent I’ve enjoyed and admired the most in the past year. What a gift to have you in this fandom, and what a privilege to read this incredible 8th year romance!

Way beyond the delight of watching Draco and Harry fall in love over the course of a (very cool and inventive) Quidditch championship, I was so touched by the amount of tenderness, youth and heart this story coveys. There is something unbearably sweet about an enemies to friends to lovers journey that explores the wonders of being young and free to flirt, experience and discover. I could feel the joy of falling in love all over again through every line here, through every knowing smile and surreptitious touch. The slow burn is masterfully done in a way that never feels empty, boring or dragged. Every little moment brings new discoveries about each other and is important to bring them together as friends, and then as lovers.

It’s worth mentioning that there’s a fair amount of longing, UST and some infuriating delicious cockblocking but somehow the way it’s written and the context it’s given make the experience even sweeter and more rewarding. I was in no rush to see this over and found it very charming that they saw value in wanting, teasing, flirting, chasing. Because I really ready young Drarry I had almost forgotten how fun a pining Draco can be in all his teenage complexity, capable of signaling confidence, vulnerability, inadequacy and tenderness all at once.

His emotions felt so very real I could feel a lump in my throat, and I was especially moved by his genuine response to Harry’s prior involvement with Ron (Be still my Rarry heart!!! For those wondering: this is a minor but significant plot point that made my heart ache and grow twice its size, I’m so soft for this brOTP! By the way - side Rarry & Blaco? A fic after my own heart!). Even more brilliant is the fact that E published Eager for the Sky and July Tree pretty much back to back and these two fantastic 8th year tales complement each other perfectly. They got a very different tone from her usual edgy “mature Drarry” which I also love - and maybe that’s why I was caught off guard by how fast I felt emotionally connected to this softer, more innocent brand of love. Not to mention that superb art by @upthehillart - killing me softly as per usual, with the ultimate teenage Drarry headcanon what a treat!!

This fic was exactly what I needed and it gave me the delicious catharsis I was looking for without really knowing. It pulled me back into the fandom with its light, easy, unpretentious young romance, sprinkled with some excellent dialogue and charming banter that will make you laugh out loud at their sass, plus a sweet and delightful mix of curious, inexperienced but extremely insightful and lovable characters. I’m so happy I found this fic and that I got to write a rec for it! Thank you E for sharing this beauty and so many other fantastic stories with us - I’m delighted to share this space with you and can’t wait to see what comes next 💜

Read on AO3

[seriousbrat]

Will we see more Lily and Sirius moments in Falls the Shadow? Would love some more headcanons on their relationship🤗

Yesss actually their friendship is quite a big focus from chapter 9 onwards. They don't even know it yet but they're about to be besties. Here's a little excerpt:

Sirius sighs, tossing the book back down onto the table. “Yeah, you’re probably right. You sound like Prongs.” “Prongs…” Lily repeats thoughtfully. “What does that even mean, anyway— why do you lot call him that?” “He likes forks,” Sirius says without missing a beat. “Forks?” Lily says, laughing. “Yeah, right— what about… Padfoot, then?” “I’m dead stealthy.” She snorts. “And, er— Wormtail?” “Someone’s been paying attention,” Sirius says, playing for time while he thinks of a good explanation. “Don’t change the subject.” “He tried to grow a moustache in fifth year,” Sirius says, grinning at her. “And that’s what it looked like.” “It looked like a worm’s tail?” “Yeah, like half a worm. The arse of the worm, if you will.” Lily shakes her head in exasperation. “You’re lucky you’re so good at lying.”

Anyway headcanons (also just what I'm developing in my fic)

So something Lily really ends up liking about Sirius is how brutally honest he is about pureblood society. James is somewhat sheltered from this imo, his parents are progressives and they're new money, they're not really part of ~pureblood society~ the way the Blacks are. So honestly although James obv has some idea he doesn't really know, intimately, what those sorts of people are like the way Sirius does. And Sirius doesn't try and protect Lily from this, he just tells her:

“...anyway, look, I know these old pureblood families, I know how they work, better than James does— play their little games all you like, they’ll never accept you, never.” Lily looks back at him, resolute. “I know. But thanks for being honest with me about it.”

moving on:

Another thing they share is a sense of humour and a sort of reckless, anti-authoritarian streak. Yes, James has this too, but I see him deep down as being somewhat more thoughtful and circumspect. James has had an incredibly privileged life; on the face of it you'd say Sirius has too, except that his parents were the scum of the earth lol and he was disowned by them. On some level, Sirius can understand Lily better because he knows EXACTLY, intimately, what she's up against in the wizarding world.

Sirius also greatly appreciates intelligence and basically as soon as he starts giving Lily a chance he immediately recognises that she has it in spades. He likes having intellectual equals, that's what drew him to James in the first place and it's also a draw towards Lily. She can match him dig for dig, razor wit for razor wit. Even when they're in disagreement about something it's fun for him, and that's important to Sirius.

In order for Lily to have written Sirius a letter like the one she did, they had to be really close imo. And I believe he loved her deeply, and she him. They become really good friends in seventh year and it only grows from there. Lily really admires the fact that he turned his back on all the beliefs that he was taught as a child. Sirius, for his part, admires someone who is brave enough to stand up to what he fully knows is extremely dangerous and pernicious in wizarding society.

it's mutual respect baby. obv in my fic they also bond over: not really giving a toss about Quidditch but only caring because of James, and of course their shared vendetta against Professor Buttercrambe, which James is a bit more cautious about. Despite their initial misgivings/hostility they both deem each other more than worthy of being the most important people in James's life.

Anyway that's what I've got off the top of my head but I love their friendship so much and I have a lot of fun writing them together. So expect lots of sirius+lily interactions in short order!

[atlasdoe]

wait i would love to hear your thoughts on ravenclaw marlene...

Oh my god oh my god oh my god OKAY

RAVENCLAW MARLENE MY BELOVED

Firstly, I have always headcanoned Marlene to be from Ravenclaw because the first Marauders fic I read that featured her (The Marauders series by Pengiwen which I will always recommend, you can read it on wattpad and ao3) She was a Ravenclaw and then when I first started posting in this fandom which was in 2018 and I was in the video editing side of Instagram there was like 10 of us and a few of them also saw Marlene as a Ravenclaw. Even tho her being a Gryffindor had always been more popular it wasn’t uncommon back then to see someone hc her as Ravenclaw.

I have just always loved this head canon and they could never make me hate it. I find it very frustrating how a lot of fans will complain about how in the original series all the good guys are Gryffindor and all the bad ones are Slytherin while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff get overlooked but then do the exact same thing with The Marauders characters.

The way I see Marlene I don’t see her as the smartest in her class or the most skilled. I think she was sorted into Ravenclaw because of her creativity and her logical outlook on life. She’s not exactly booksmart but she’s very clever and can use her knowledge elsewhere.

And I love what she brings to the Ravenclaws as a whole. Everyone has a different opinion on who was apart of The Marauders year and which house everyone was in but here’s my personal head canon on Marlenes dynamic with the other Ravenclaws in her year. (I still head canon that she was apart of The Marauders year)

Emmeline Vance was her best friend and I mean like James and Sirius type shit. Emmeline and Marlene are those cute opposite attracts besties where Emmeline is more booksmart Marlene is more streetsmart but yet somehow they share one braincell.

Hestia Jones is Marlene’s worst enemy. They got off on the wrong foot when they first met and ever since kept finding new reasons to hate each other. There was no peace.

Sybill Trelawney was someone that Marlene liked and respected but wasn’t friends with mainly because Sybill was best friends with Hestia. It was a sort of agreement between the four girls that Marlene got Emmeline and Hestia got Sybill so while Marlene never disliked her she never saw her as anything other then an extension to Hestia

Kingsley Shacklebolt was one of the only people who Marlene would let take care of her. He was two months younger then her and yet still somehow her big brother. When she would go off the rails he was the one who would pull her back

Gilderoy Lockheart was Marlene’s weak point. When they first met in their first year Gilderoy told her about his two older sisters who were squibs and how they didn’t like him because he was a wizard (leaving out the fact that he was heavily favoured by their parents and extremely arrogant) and Marlene’s older sister instincts came out. She was always the one to call Gilderoy out on any of his bullshit and always made sure to humble him but could never truly dislike him. If Kingsley was her big brother then Gilderoy was her little one. They both also bonded heavily over Quidditch

(canonically Gilderoy was born in 1964 but i got too attached to him being in this year before i noticed that he's a few years younger so please just play along)

Alexander Stabbins was someone Marlene was friendly with but not friends with. Alexander and Hestia had this whole academic rivals to lovers thing going on and Marlene was Alexanders biggest supported when it came to him taking down Hestia. Realistically, Marlene knew that they fancied each other and dreaded the day when she wouldn’t have their arguments as entertainment. Either way, Alexander was company she was never upset to have

ALSO TO SING US OUT HERE ARE A BUNCH OF RAVENCLAW MARLENE HEADCANNONS

- She was the Quidditch captain during her fifth and sixth year at Hogwarts. During her sixth year she captained Hogwarts first ever all girls team

- After a night out in her sixth year she, Emmeline, Kingsley and Alexander got locked out of the common room because they were too drunk to solve the riddle to get in

- SHE LOOKED SO FUCKING GOOD IN BLUE YALL. SO FUCKING GOOD

- As you could’ve probably guessed from her dynamics with her house mates, the Ravenclaw class of 1978 got into a lot of arguments. They argued like they were dysfunctional cousins at a family reunion. One time during their second year a fight got so out of hand that Flitwick locked them in the charms classroom and made them do team bonding exercises as a punishment

- Speaking of Flitwick, Marlene respected him a lot as he helped her come to terms with her sexuality and the homophobia from her family by telling her about the discrimination that he had to face being half elf

- During her sixth year Marlene sent out gift baskets to James Potter, Dorcas Meadowes and Edgar Bones (the other three Quidditch captains) and left them a note saying that she hopes the gift basket is enough of an apology in advance for destroying them during the Quidditch season. (Dorcas set hers on fire)

RAVENCLAW MARLENE THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU

[kierancaz]

Saving The Dance.

note: this is based off of a video I saw on TikTok about watching little women and only seeing Hermione and Regulus Black in Meg and Laurie. Someone made a comment saying they wanted a fic of this and I said I’d write one and then like 30+ people responded saying they wanted to be tagged so here I am. Sorry if the speech is very old-timey I’ve been reading a lot of period piece novels and watching a lot of period shows I don’t actually remember how to write them like people who aren’t from the 1850s.

warnings: none, tad bit of Ron hate maybe but mot really bc I love him and he’s my boy. Also Ron x Hermione bc Ron redeems himself. Obviously this is not canon compliant ALSO THIS IS NOT A SHIP. my girl Hermione gets shipped with everyone in Harry Potter even if they are two decades older than her and dead so this is NOT A SHIP.

Ron has done it again. He has ruined yet another ball for Hermione. First was the Yule Ball and now it was the Blacks yearly Summer Solstice Celebration. Hermione was so looking forward to this but of course Ron had to go and ruin things by opening his big mouth.

As the name implies, a member of the Black family holds this celebration in the first day of the summer solstice each year, this year it was Regulus turn. The ball was being held at 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius had passed the house down to Regulus because he wanted nothing to do with it, since then Regulus had made some great improvements on the place.

However Hermione was enjoying none of these improvements. She was sitting solemnly on a couch, resting her head over the back of it so she can stare out the window and mindlessly pick at the loose threads. Since she had sat there not one person had come to see how she was though she was very clearly upset.

Harry was off galavanting with Sirius, Ginny was discussing something with Draco (most likely quidditch strategies, that’s all they ever talked about). Fred and George were slipping something into Mr. Malfoy’s drink as Neville and Luna acted as a distraction (Hermione watched this for a while as it was mildly entertaining. Neville was stumbling over every third word and Luna was speaking with her ever serene, if a little… absent, smile about something that was very obviously making little to no sense to Mr. Malfoy. But he didn’t seem to know how to properly excuse himself from the conversation). Remus was very deep in discussion with Mr. Moody and Tonks about something that Hermione thought was probably very interesting, as Remus always had good topics of discussion, and Ron. Ron was resolutely avoiding her after their blow up fight earlier. He was even going as far as to talk with Blaise, Pansy, Theo which she didn’t believe he had it in him to do so. But apparently their fight earlier had pushed him to the most drastic of measures as to not have to talk to her or be asked why he wasn’t talking to her.

Suddenly, there was a weight to the right of her that landed on the couch, it was the host himself. “My dear Hermione, why’re you sitting here by yourself instead of dancing with everyone else?” Regulus asked. Hermione used to try and call him Mr. Black, but he insisted on being called Regulus just like how Sirius was just called Sirius and Remus was just called Remus.

Hermione gave a half hearted smile but it slipped off her face almost immediately, “I don’t feel much like dancing.” She said quietly. There was lively music playing and as she looked out at the floor she saw many people dancing together in pairs. They danced together and spun around in some formation that looked like some traditional dance that you might’ve found in the 1860s somewhere.

Mr. Malfoy had managed to weasel out of his conversation with Luna and Neville and was dancing with his wife. Whatever prank Fred and George were trying to play on him either hadn’t worked or hadn’t worked yet. Luna and Neville were dancing together, Sirius was dragging Remus onto the dance floor (Hermione giggled, Sirius looked ridiculous trying to force Remus to dance and Tonks was laughing hysterically in the background), Draco was dancing with Pansy and Matteo and Theo were also dancing together but Matteo seemed way more into it than Theo was. Ginny and Harry had also just joined the floor, laughing together as they hopped around in circles.

Regulus tilted his head to the side as he put both his hands in his lap, “why not?” He asked, drawing Hermione’s attention away from the dance floor. She bit her lip and looked at her own hands which were lightly tugging at the frills on her dress.

“I don’t know, I just— it’s silly, I just, I suppose I don’t feel pretty enough to join everyone else tonight….” She said the last part quietly, memory of Ron’s nasty words from earlier threatening to bring tears to her eyes once more.

“Why, that’s just absurd!” Regulus said, his eyebrows furrowed as the dancers in the background clapped to the song as they continued dancing. “Who would put such a thought in your head? I hope it wouldn’t be yourself.”

Hermione just shook her head. As angry and upset as he had made her, she wanted to rat Ron out and potentially get him in trouble, especially if Regulus told Mrs. Weasley. They would work it out, eventually, they always did. After a few moments of silence Regulus seemed to understand that she wasn’t going to give up the name of the person who had made her feel so unpretty. So he nodded and stood up.

“Hermione you are one of the most beautiful young ladies here tonight, would you do me the honor of having the next dance with me?” He said dramatically as he bowed and held out his hand for her to take. She felt slightly embarrassed by the gesture, but it worked in putting a smile on her face.

She took his hand and he brought her to the dance floor as the music picked up again. The stood facing each other and as they did it dawned on Hermione, “wait, but I don’t know the dances!” She said with slight panic in her voice, Regulus laughed.

“No need to know them! Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine.” And after that the dance started and Regulus pulled her with him as he moved.

By the middle of the dance Hermione had found her rhythm. But it didn’t really matter, the dance was mostly fancy hopping and heel clicking with your hands behind your back or spinning or stepping and stepping out. It didn’t take long for a smile to stick itself on Hermione’s face. Instead of trying to teach her the proper dance Regulus tried to make the dance fun, and so it was.

After three dances it was time for a break as Hermione didn’t think she could feel her toes anymore. She walked off the dance floor feeling much lighter and laughing the whole way, when they were on the outskirts of the floor Regulus took her hand politely and bowed deeply thanking her for the dance which made her giggle. He excused himself to go find his brother while Hermione grabbed herself a drink.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she jumped, turning around to see none other than Ron. He was looking rather awkward as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

“Ron… is there— is there something I can do for you?” Hermione asked in the most indifferent and uninterested tone she could muster as she squared her shoulders and cleaned her face of the joy she had been most obviously feeling moments before. Ron coughed awkwardly, stuttering for a moment as Hermione’s facade fell quickly.

“I— I just wanted to say… I’m sorry. For earlier I mean. And— and I take back what I said. You look… you look very beautiful.” He was blushing furiously, playing with his fingering and wearing a worried expression like he thought maybe she wouldn’t forgive him. But she sighed, a soft smile creeping onto her face.

“Thank you. I’m sorry for what I said too,” she sighed and there was a pause. “So… how was talking with Pansy and the others?” Ron let out a huff and slapped his hand to his forehead.

“Bloody horrible!” He exclaimed, “those have got to be some of the most uninteresting people I’ve ever met. Should’ve apologized sooner so I didn’t have to sit through whatever stupid gossip they were talking about. I mean, who really cares what guy Romilda Vane is gunning after these days?”

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh and Ron smiled at her. Once she stopped laughing her offered her his arm, his blush creeping back up onto his cheeks. “Um, Hermione? Would you, dance with me?” He said, chuckling nervously.

Hermione smiled, grabbing onto his arm. “Of course, Ron.” He grinned back and when the last song ended and people started to reconfigure themselves Ron and Hermione joined them. They stood facing each other and just past Ron’s shoulder Hermione caught sight of Regulus.

They met eyes and smiled, he smiled back raising his eyebrows momentarily and winked before being met by Pandora Lovegood. He nodded before following her out onto the dance floor.

Hermione looked back and met eyes with Ron, an uncontrollable grin plastering itself on her face. Maybe tonight won’t be that awful after all.

[periwinckles]

He's a Keeper - Chapter 1

(I wasn't planning on posting this so soon, but in honor of @little-lynxpopping up again in my feed, and because this was inspired by this marvelous post , here is the first part of a new fic I'm working on. It might not look like it, based on the first chapter, but this is mainly Everlark.)

He’s a Keeper 

An Everlark in Hogwarts story, or the one where Annie Cresta risks her dignity for a Quidditch Cup, Peeta Mellark drinks a full bottle of Veritaserum, and Rye Mellark declares war on all Hufflepuffs. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter 1

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

 It’s always a thrill to be back for another school year.

 I watch the boats crossing the big lake in front of the castle. Headmistress Mags Flanagan is always stressing the importance of us giving a big welcome to the first years. All the other students are already waiting inside the Grand Hall.  The four Head of Houses, stand with the Headmistress, in front of the stone steps, to wait for the group of eleven year olds. 

Well, three of us, for now. 

Professor Brutus, Head of Slytherin, stands tall and menacing to her left, the big scar across his face an unwelcome souvenir from one of his creatures, for sure. 

Professor Beetee, Ancient Runes Professor, and Head of Ravenclaw, looks remarkably bored and unimpressed with all the efforts to make this a memorable Start-of-term Feast. 

Hufflepuff is my House, and I’m technically not a teacher, just the Quidditch Coach. It’s fairly uncommon for someone so young to be Head of House. I was what they call a Career: a quidditch player who graduates from school tournaments to join a big league team and play professionally, but Mags offered me the spot, three years ago, and I was tempted enough to take it. Since there were no other former Hufflepuffs among the faculty members, she didn't have much choice but to make me Head of House as well.

“Anyone know where Abernathy is?” Mags asks with a smile, maintaining her impeccable posture.

Probably drunk, by now. I saw him retreating to his office, a couple of hours ago, with a bottle of Firewhiskey.

Haymitch Abernathy is one hell of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but also the most lazy and slack Head of House the Gryffindors could possibly have. I was his student myself, and we all stood in awe of his stories. As a Veteran of the Great War against the Dark Wizard Coriolanus Snow, and a war hero, he was our idol. Yes, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class couldn’t be in better hands. The House of Gryffindor? Not so much.

“Headmistress Mags!” The young wizard runs down the stone steps, his robes fluttering behind him from the haste, and his hair remaining perfectly in place. Probably some charm, no one has that perfect of a hair, all the time. Many call him handsome, even when he was just a scrawny pimply student. Now in his late twenties, he’s well aware of his good looks and how to take advantage of them. 

“Headmistress, Professor Abernathy sends his apologies. He’s indisposed and asked me to take his place to welcome the first years!” 

Indisposed. That was his excuse last year, as well. 

“Good! Good!” Mags exclaims with a grin, and an affectionate pat to the young wizard's face.

He gives me a playful wink.

Finnick Odair. Charms Professor. The bane of my existence. We all know he’s the one who picks up the slack and makes sure the House of Gryffindor doesn’t collapse under Abernathy’s chaotic ruling. Don’t get me started on the Quidditch team. Abernathy hasn’t been to his own team practices in years. Yet, here they stand, as winners of the House Cup and Quidditch inter-house tournament for seven years in a row. All Odair’s doing, of course. I don’t get why Mags doesn’t make him Head of House already, Abernathy would surely be grateful. 

In true honesty, I don’t care that much about the House Cup. 

Yes, it would be nice if we won, every once in a while, but I’m lucky enough to lead the loyal and hardworking students. Hufflepuffs don't rely on external validation to always do their best, even when they lose year after year.

The Quidditch Cup? That’s a totally different game. I’m this school’s flying instructor and Quidditch Coach, I'm their Head of House, and still it’s been thirty nine years since Hufflepuff won a Quidditch tournament.

 Well, this year, that is about to change. 

“Miss Cresta, lovely to see you, again!”

Read the rest on AO3

[millennialgrandma]

September / October Wrap Up

PLEASE LOOK PAST THE FACT THAT WE ARE NEARLY DONE WITH NOVEMBER

I started working in the office/traveling again after Labor Day and had been wondering how it would affect my fandom involvement. I guess we have our answer now - I've been gone more than I've been home lately.

I decided to combine September & October because 1) I ran out of time to do the September post, and 2) the word counts are so laughably small for both of them. I did very little reading overall, and managed to squeak out a fair amount of words written (for me) in between working on another fandom project and some personal projects. I'm desperately hoping to be more present in November (she laughs in despair).

Things I Wrote

September writing was limited to one lone Twitter drabble, which has been since cross-posted to AO3 as (never) yours, (always) mine (dramione, T, 0.5k).

October was a *bit* busier for writing. I started off strong at least, and then suddenly did not have any more time for writing. Offerings are as follows:

Chpt 1 of Presenting Miss Granger (dramione, E, 0.5k)

a good greedy girl, written for the HP Cocktober Day 1 Prompt "Dry Humping" (dramione, E, 1.5k)

can you handle this, written for the HP Cocktober Day 2 Prompt "Quidditch Locker Room" (blaise/dean, E, 1.3k)

A Storm of Desire, written for the HP Pumpkin Spice Fic Fest (dramione, E, 2.5k)

I've also been working on plotting/drafting my first MCD fic, and I'm super excited about it. I'm not sure yet when it will see the light of day, but my outline is about 2k words now and I keep plodding along and making myself weepy.

Things I Read

These are probably my weakest two months of reading in nearly 3 years, and if I think too much about it I'll cry.

Fiction:

Nonfiction:

Fanfiction:

Complete: (approx. 14k words Sept / approx. 8.7k words Oct)

o o p s ! by @mightbewriting (theocissa, E, 1k)

Just a Bit by @ambpersand (panville, E, 1.6k)

When Mother's Away, The Children Play by @siriusempra (dramione, E, 1k)

Red Velvet by @siriusempra (dreomione, E, 3.3k)

Icing on the Cake by @siriusempra (dreomione, E, 7.4k)

A Substitute by @rockthecasbah (dramione, E, 2.8k)

The Pick-Up Game by @rockthecasbah (dramione, E, 5.9k)

WIPs: (approx. 49.8k words Sept / approx. 14.7k words Oct)

Kingdom Come by @inadaze22 and @jaxx-in-a-box - Chapters 2 - 7 (dramione, E, 39.9k)

In These Silent Days by @heyjude19-writing - Chapters 4-6 (dramione, E, 14.6k)

All Live To Die by @willhavetheirtrinkets - Chapters 14-16 (dramione, E, 8.8k)

Thirty-Seven Years by @mightbewriting - Chapters 1-5 (drastoria, M, 1.2k)

Things I'm Currently Reading (Heading into November)

I have a bunch of WIPs to catch up on, a pile of new recs to dive into, and I hope to start making my way through the Pumpkin Spice fics this month. I also started reading Song of Achilles on the plane at the beginning of the month. I'm absolutely enamored with it, but I haven't had a chance to pick it back up again. As I sit here typing up this post and staring down the last week of November, I can safely say my reading record looks even more appalling than the past two months 😟

[theresthesnitch]

Ohhh moonchaser rec list would be sooo great I can't lie. I just love them so much

Yessssss I'm on such a moonchaser kick right now. They're so lovely and fun.

Moonchaser fic recs

(we aren't calling these uncommon because it's a rare pair)

beautiful boy by @dykesiriusblack

This fic is so lovely. I don’t think it was the first moonchaser I read, but it’s definitely one of the ones responsible for the fact that I’m now four pages into the Moonchaser tag on AO3. James and Remus are roommates at University (in a houseshare with Sirius and Peter). The fic centers around one day, with flashbacks to the day they met and, ah, important moments. The longing and pining are so palpable in this fic. (my secret: I’ve actually reread this once already since I first read it, and that hasn’t even been a month yet. It’s so, so good.) 

Finding Me, Finding You by @mean-whale-writes

This is another one that is just… so good, but it definitely hurts too. Magic AU, and it starts with James and Remus hooking up when they’re both drunk. The next day, James has regrets, and basically ruins his friendship with Remus over it. The fic is mostly about James growing and learning as a person, and the way he earns back the right to be with Remus again. This is another fic that made me neeeeed more Moonchaser in my life. 

The Trouble With Quidditch by @impishtubist

When I first got into moonchaser, I asked Imp for a list of moonchaser rec’s. She gave me a ton of wonderful fics. I then started down the AO3 tag, and I came across this one, and almost sent it to her because it was missing from her list and I figured she would love it. I might have been right, considering she wrote it. The trouble with quidditch is that it made James Potter really fit, and Remus has definitely taken notice. Those two idiots would probably let nothing happen if it wasn’t for Sirius playing matchmaker. 

Crowns & Coffee Cups by @eyra

This one has three parts, and all three are lovely. Remus has a chronic illness, and no one cares for him the way James does. The first part is of them in school, with lovely pining and you can feel how much they care for each other. I won’t spoil the second two, but read all three. 

Not Eternity, but Moments

This fic has been orphaned, so no idea who to credit, but I love modern, muggle AUs, and this one is fantastic. James and Sirius are police detectives, Lily (James’s ex) is a teacher, and her new coworker is Remus. When this word’s version of the death eaters target Lily and Harry, the six of them end up locked in James’s parents house, and James learns a lot more about Remus. So much fun, and a bit of a thriller too… I will say that, even as an American, the Britishness of this fic is lacking, so if that bugs you, be warned. It’s worth it regardless of the fact that James and Sirius carry guns.

And, because her timing on posting this is impeccable, have some moonchaser by Dr. Grey

Postcard from paris by @greyeyedmonster-18

I’m only about halfway through this, but James and Remus reconnect at Sirius’s wedding, and I’m here for it……

And, for a self rec, here’s my own moonchaser fic (though I’ve got another I’m working on!)

Score -  Professional Quidditch Player James has a unique post game ritual. Remus is happy to help.

[gumi-gang]

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF HOGWARTS QUIDDITCH

ravenclaw!kuroo tetsuro x gryffindor!reader

wc: 5355 

the gryffindor seeker falls ill, and your house’s quidditch captain begs you to play the position of seeker in the next game, against ravenclaw. which would be fine if your long term best friend and crush wasn’t the quidditch captain of his house team, ravenclaw, who isn’t too keen on playing against you. 

warnings: friends-to-frienemies?-to-lovers (that’s not a warning but you know), mild language, pinning, mentions of underage drinking (fire whiskey), kissing

an: i haven’t uploaded in like over a week and it’s because i was writing this amongst other things simultaneously. i’m also trying to catch up on a lot of work during my summer break, so long fics will probably be uploaded less frequently in the month of july, and for that i apologize! however, i hope you enjoy ravenclaw boyfriend kuroo as much as i do. 

hogwarts house: ravenclaw

extracurriculars: captain of the ravenclaw quidditch team (chaser)

favorite subject: advanced arithmancy studies

wand: 11.5″ long, cypress wood, and dragon heartstring core

patronus: lion 

you and kuroo have known each other for almost as long as you’ve known yourself to be a wizard. it’s hard to forget your first encounter with him on the hogwarts express in your first year. you were looking for a secluded carriage to sit and read in, however, it appeared that by the time you got onto the train, they were all occupied. debating whether or not you should keep searching you felt someone tap your shoulder. 

turning around you saw a boy who appeared to be around your age, staring at you with a wide grin. looking back at it now, you suppose if you were not a naive eleven year old, you would have thought the boy to be creepy with his lanky, tall appearance and dark hair that cast a shadow over one side of his face. even so, his smile was warm enough, and when he asked you if you were also a incoming first year at hogwarts, you deemed it fine enough to reply yes. 

“great! me too!,” the boy gleamed enthusiastically. “are you looking for somewhere to sit? this other kid and i found a carriage in the back, if you wanna join us!”

smiling, you accept his invitation. as you both walk down the passageway towards the back of the train, the boy asks you, “what’s you name? i’m kuroo tetsuro, by the way!” 

“l/n y/n. it’s nice to meet you kuroo,” you tell him. when he replies that it’s nice to meet you too, and that he’s excited for the journey ahead, any apprehension you may or may not have been feeling about going to a magical school washes away. 

when you get the the carriage with the other boy, who you learn to be bokuto koutarou, the three of you engage in pleasant and exciting conversation for several hours before your arrival at hogwarts. the three of you get to know each other the best that three magical eleven-year-olds can, and friendships bloom on the hogwarts express. even when you all finally arrive at hogwarts itself, and are sorted into different houses (kuroo in ravenclaw, bokuto in hufflepuff, and you in gryffindor), you three manage to cheer each other on, allowing your friendships to carry on past the hogwarts express ride. 

you’re all now in your last year at hogwarts, and your first ever encounter on the hogwarts express feels like a million years ago and yesterday simultaneously. since then your friendships with both bokuto and kuroo have manifested into life long relationships. you visit each other’s homes during the summers, you study in the back of the library together, and you support one another when one of you has an important event coming up. 

yet, while your relationship with bokuto has remained purely platonic, you’ve developed romantic feelings for kuroo. one day it just so happened that you found yourself staring at your best friend when he wasn’t looking, and thinking about him when he wasn’t around. 

you thought maybe he could like you back, but once you overheard him talking to his friend, kenma about how he likes people who are intelligent, and the P on your care of magical creatures OWL made you reconsider. it’s a dumb reason, really. however, you figured you were probably not his type, and there is no point in finding out if you’re feelings are reciprocated if it’ll ruin your friendship anyway. it’ll be fine though, you constantly tell yourself, because eventually you’ll get over your feelings for him. despite ignoring your feelings and pretending your crush on your best friend doesn’t exist, it seems like the longer you know kuroo, the more stronger your feelings grow. 

the first time you actually consider the fact that your infatuation may cause some actual damage in your life is when miya atsumu corners you at the gryffindor table in the great hall to ask you to be the replacement gryffindor seeker. with the upcoming triwizard tournament no one is really paying attention to what’s going on with hogwarts quidditch. that is unless you’re miya atsumu, gryffindor captain, or bokuto koutarou, hufflepuff captain, or kuroo tetsuro, ravenclaw captain. even the slytherin captain, oikawa tooru, is too preoccupied with being the hogwarts champion. 

the season just began, with the game between hufflepuff and slytherin last week, with hufflepuff winning. in a few weeks, ravenclaw and gryffindor are set to play each other, but right now gryffindor is in major trouble with the seeker, hinata shoyo falling ill. no one really knows what happened to him, except that madam pomfrey said that he’d need to remain in the infirmary for about a month’s time. you know a few other students in his year in your house, and from what you’ve learned from them, it appears that whatever hinata has is bad. 

“y/n pleaseeee,” atsumu begs, “there’s no one else in the house that can fly as fast as hinata, except maybe you!” 

“jeez, thanks,” you tell him. you’re too preoccupied in your cereal to really understand his arguments anyway. 

“y/n, we need you. i need you. the team needs you. gryffindor needs you. godric gryffindor needs you,” miya atsumu begs. 

you open your mouth to tell him to go away for what feels like the millionth time, when a voice from behind speaks. “sounds important if godric gryffindor is involved.” 

you turn around to see kuroo standing and smiling down at you. he’s not wearing his cloak, opting to hold it in his right hand, and his tie is rather loose around his neck, despite the otherwise neatness in his appearance. ‘great,’ you think, ‘now my heart’s doing gymnastic tricks.’

“it’s not,” you tell him, shaking your head to collect yourself. “i’m sorry atsumu but you’re gonna have to find someone else,” and you get up from your seat. you and kuroo begin your walk to the gryffindor and ravenclaw shared defense against the dark arts class. it’s a double period which you’re dreading, unlike kuroo who loves and excels at almost anything and everything academic. 

“what did the blonde miya twin want?” kuroo asks once you’re out of the great hall. 

“huh? oh, he was just asking me to--” you start, but kuroo cuts you off. 

“did he ask you to the yule ball?” kuroo blurts abruptly. you almost trip from the implication of his words,.

“it’s a bit early on for that, don’t you think,” you laugh. 

“right, sorry. i just wanted to make sure he wasn’t harassing you.” ugh, if only he knew how you felt. then maybe he wouldn’t say swoon worthy things to you.  

“he was asking me to replace hinata in the upcoming quidditch match,” you reply, not wanting to fixate on his words any longer. 

you’re not sure if it is the delivery of your words or if he misunderstood you, because you’re pretty certain you didn’t say anything funny enough for kuroo to start laughing. 

“what?” you ask him. 

“it’s just, i don’t know why he’d ask you,” kuroo says when he finally calms down. 

“why wouldn’t he? i’m a pretty good flyer, and whenever we play with bokuto you tell me i’d make a great seeker,” you assert. you’re no longer walking towards the classroom, but standing in the middle of the hall. kuroo’s never doubted your skills before, or questioned your ability to do anything. in fact, kuroo’s always been your number one supporter. whenever you fail a test or feel insecure about yourself, kuroo always cheering you on to lift your spirits. so you can’t help but wonder what would make him say that to you. 

“but y/n that’s just fun, it’s different when you play on an actual team,” kuroo says. “it’s really nothing personal. quidditch is just... difficult, i guess.” 

“you don’t think i could handle it?” you’re officially angry, face turning red, and fists clenched. 

“it’s just kageyama is an amazing seeker, and the only one who could really match him is hinata,” kuroo explains, as if he’s not adding salt to the wound. “i just don’t want to see you hurt after working so hard.” he goes to put his hand on your shoulder, but you move out of the way. you’re angry, and mad, and confused. how could your best friend say that to you so casually.

you’re not sure how to respond, and you’re not sure if he can even tell that you’re hurt from his words. after a moment of just staring at him you say, “you know for a ravenclaw you’re pretty fucking stupid.” 

you don’t look at him as you walk down the corridor into the classroom. you take your seat next to a fellow gryffindor, fukunaga shohei, still shaking with rage. you feel kuroo’s stares from a few seat over, but you pay him no mind. all you’re thinking about if how you much work you’re gonna put into the next few weeks to try to reach and surpass the level of skill ravenclaw’s seeker, kageyama tobio possesses. 

meanwhile, kuroo’s brain has finally caught up with his mouth and he’s appalled by his own words. he feels terrible. how could he say that to his own friend? his best friend? he doesn’t know what came over him. was he genuinely worried you’d beat yourself up over a loss? no, he knows you aren’t a sore loser, or that you’d get attached to the gyffindor seeker position, because everyone knows that eventually hinata shoyo will return. is he scared you’d help bring victory to gryffindor against his own house? he’s not sure. you’re great on a broom, but he’s never seen you play serious quidditch. besides kageyama has skills on par with pro players. was he jealous that one of the miya twins is begging you to help him, and was practically drooling over you during breakfast? ...no. 

for the rest of the day you and kuroo avoid each other. it’s your first official fight. you’ve disagreed in the past, but it’s never been as severe as not even bothering to look at each other in the halls or pretending you don’t hear each other when one of you answers a question in class. 

perhaps bokuto would have caught on faster had he not been too preoccupied with his potions grade, but he doesn’t even realize that two of his best friends, who are also best friends with each other, are pretending that they are strangers until two days later. 

“i just don’t understand what happened between you two,” bokuto groans to you. again. for what feels like the hundredth time that day. currently you’re on your way to meet up with atsumu for extra quidditch practice, because although you’ve warmed up to the seeker position fairly quickly, you’ve got a lot of work to put in if you want to secure a solid chance of reaching the snitch before kageyama. 

“kuroo said i’m a shit seeker,” you seethe. you’re still angry at kuroo. furious in fact. every time you see him you’re over come with rage. what did i even see in him, you think to yourself. 

“but i bet he didn’t mean it,” bokuto replies. but the look of skepticism on your face makes bokuto sigh, “listen i don’t know how to mediate. that’s akaashi’s thing man.” 

“bokuto i really appreciate it. i do. because you’re a great friend, and i know this must suck, but we’re okay. it’s just that i’ve gotta meet atsumu in like five minutes, so i’ll see you later,” and with that you rush off to the quidditch pitch. 

kuroo can’t tell if you’ve gotten so good at ignoring him that you don’t see him sitting under a nearby tree, or if you deliberately choose not to pay him any attention. you must have agreed to being the seeker replacement since you’re holding your broomstick, he notices. he sees the edge of the quidditch pitch where atsumu is standing, and while he can’t hear what he says to you when you finally reach him, he feels slightly ticked off from seeing you hit atsumu playfully and laugh at whatever he said. did you realize replace your best friend that easily, he thinks to himself. 

“kuroo,” bokuto says to him, causing kuroo to jump suddenly. 

“when did you get here?” he snaps at bokuto. kuroo knows bokuto doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of his bitterness, but he feels like he’s no longer in control of his emotions. the last time he felt this way was when kenma accused him of having a crush on you, and the possibility of ruining your friendship scared him so much that he promised to try and get rid of his feelings. 

“what did i do?” bokuto frowns as he plops down on the grass next to kuroo. kuroo turns his attention back to the quidditch pitch. you and atsumu are currently flying around. it appears that atsumu and you are racing around in circles, and it seems like you’re both flying as fast as you can to beat the other. 

“sorry,” kuroo finally mutters. after a pause, he adds “when did those two get so close?” once again he can’t control the bitterness in his voice. 

“are you worried because y/n’s a pretty decent player?” bokuto asks him, ignoring the question his best friend asked him. just when he asks that you pull ahead of atsumu and shoot off a few yards away before coming to stop. atsumu is an incredibly talented chaser. everyone knows that. however, kuroo knows you’re a ridiculously fast and agile flyer. 

when kuroo doesn’t answer his best friend, bokuto continues trying to get to the root of his and your conflict. “are you jealous because atsumu might like y/n?” 

bokuto’s words finally grab kuroo’s attention. now staring at bokuto incredulously, kuroo says, “why would i be jealous?” 

“because you like y/n.” the words roll off of bokuto’s tongue as if he was merely stating a fact. he might as well said ‘because the sky is a reflection of major bodies of water, like the ocean because of the reflection of light,’ kuroo thinks to himself. 

“no i don’t,” kuroo states. but there’s less confidence in his voice. that, alongside that kuroo looks away from bokuto once again so he can’t see the look on his face, tells bokuto all he needs to know. that his suspicions that kuroo likes you are true. bokuto knows you like kuroo too, because you confirmed it to him one summer night when you were over at his house and you were drinking fire whiskey on his roof. of course you don’t remember this seen as you were completely plastered after almost two sips. 

bokuto doesn’t respond quickly, and so kuroo turns his head again to make sure his best friend heard him. however, bokuto is just grinning right back at him. “leave this to me,” bokuto points to himself and gets up. he practically runs back to the castle leaving kuroo to continue spying on you from a distance under the tree. 

the following days are quite the same. you and kuroo avoid each other in classes, no longer walk around the castle together, or bother each other at random points in the day to tell each other who-know-what or bring each other to who-knows-where. in the afternoons when you don’t have team quidditich practice, atsumu drags you out to the pitch and you two practice one-on-one until one of you runs out of stamina. kuroo spends his day mopping, but no one really notices besides his close friends kenma, bokuto, and akaashi. he still runs his own house’s quidditch practices as usual, manages to finish his school assignments in a timely manner, and manages to come across as his cool and charismatic self. it’s just that while he’s putting on his facade, he is constantly fighting several battles with himself. he’s been losing weight from his lack of appetite, he can’t fall asleep at night, and he struggles to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. 

of course kuroo’s consumed by guilt. he hurt you and he regrets that. he wishes he had a time turner so he could go back tot that conversation in the hallway with you and hit himself in the head before he expressed any doubt in who you are. however, kuroo is also consumed with rage? uneasiness? insecurity? he knows that you’re an amazing flyer, so you’ve definitely got a chance to beat kageyama to the snitch. or at the very least serve as great enough competition to make the upcoming game something to work intensely for. but you don’t love quidditch, at least not like he or bokuto do. so why are you spending so much time practicing with that piss haired sixth year? and why are you enjoying it so much? if he ever comes close to walking over to the gryffindor table in the great hall, the several memories he has of you and atsumu on the quidditch pitch stop him, reminding him instantly that you’ve replaced him. 

which bokuto has caught onto. see you and kuroo don’t give bokuto enough credit for his social skills. sure he make lack self-awareness when it comes to his own life. heck, he didn’t even realize he had a long-term crush himself until this year. however, bokuto has spent plenty of much time with you two, both together and individually, over the years to understand why you’re both acting the way you are. he doesn’t necessarily have a plan to get his two best friends to rekindle their own friendship, but his heart is in the right place. 

“kuroo is really sorry about what he said to you. he doesn’t mean it,” -bokuto to you

“why doesn’t he tell me that himself?” -you to bokuto

“if you apologize to y/n they’ll forgive you, and then you don’t have to worry about atsumu replacing you,” -bokuto to kuroo

“no one that ugly could replace me,” -kuroo to bokuto

it isn’t until the day before the match when bokuto corners you after herbology and says, “kuroo is just upset because he doesn’t want you to start dating atsumu.” you stop dead in your tracks, because what did bokuto just say... kuroo is upset because he thinks you like atsumu, or maybe he thinks atsumu likes you, or is it that he thinks you like each other? 

“why would he think that?” you ask bokuto, grabbing him by the collar. his owlish eyes grow bigger, but your grip on his clothing only become stronger. “why?” you repeat loudly. 

“because he’s jealous and doesn’t want to be replaced,” bokuto blurts at you as if he’s being held at gunpoint. you abruptly let go of his shirt causing him to stumble back. 

a million thoughts race through your head as bokuto ushers you to take a seat on one of the benches in the greenhouse. after what feels like forever for bokuto you reply, “but that doesn’t make sense, because kuroo is my friend. why would dating atsumu bother him that much?”

“because you mean as much to him as he means to you,” bokuto tells you. 

whoa. “whoa,” you say to bokuto. “did you come up with that yourself?” 

“no i got it from this shoujo manga my tutor leant me,” bokuto smiles. “but that’s all i’m gonna say, so i’ll get going. good luck tomorrow y/n,” and with that bokuto leaves you alone with your thoughts in the greenhouse. 

was bokuto implying that kuroo has romantic feelings for you? does he? do you want him to? you’ve spent so much time trying to get rid of your crush that you didn’t even bother to consider the what if of him liking you back. you remain in the greenhouse for several hours thinking and thinking, and when you’re finally exhausted you drag your feet towards gryffindor tower, staring at the floor, and feeling the intensity of bokuto’s words. perhaps had this situation involved someone else you would have went to kuroo for advice, but that in itself adds a different layer of confusion.

you don’t see kuroo and akaashi walking down the same corridor, but they instantly spot you. to the two of them you look as if you’re in some sort of trance, like someone bewitched you and now you’re moving solely on autopilot. kuroo sees you alone, and it’s the night before the ravenclaw versus gryffindor match, so if he plans on apologizing now is probably his best opportunity. he tells akaashi he’ll see him later and walks over to you. only for you to bump into him because you didn’t notice him approaching you. 

having not looked at your kuroo in weeks you had forgotten how beautiful he was. looking at him now in the dimly lit corridor you feel the need to cry because you’ve missed your best friend, and here he is standing in front of you looking at you with sadness in his eyes. 

“y/n,” kuroo mutters. he’s shaking and nervous, because what if bokuto was wrong and you do hate him. heck he might be the last person you want to see tonight out of all nights. kuroo feels scared talking to you here. “i’m so sorry.” 

you don’t reply instantly, which is fair because you both haven’t talked to each other in so long, and had no idea he’d be here talking to you now. kuroo in his anxious state starts rambling about how stupid he was to say those words to you and how much he regrets hurting you, and you hear it. you listen to all of it, despite your dazed state. 

“tetsuro i forgive you,” you cut him off. your voice tells you that you’re crying, but you hadn’t even realized. “i’m sorry too,” you choke out. 

“no y/n it’s my fault. your friendship means the world to me, and i treated you like it didn’t. i just don’t want to lose you,” kuroo holds you face in the palm on his hands, periodically using his fingers to wipe away your tears. 

the warmth from his hands on your face, the way he’s staring into your eyes with fear and vulnerability, the proximity of your faces, the intensity of how much you missed each other over these last few days. the combination of these things are what motivate you to lean in and kiss kuroo. 

you’ve dreamed of kissing kuroo more times than you could count, but nothing compares to the real thing. his lips are so soft, and the urgency is electrifying when he finally kisses you back. if kissing kuroo was a place you’d stay there forever, feeling safe and secure in him. but eventually your mind catches up with your heart and the gravity of the situation dawns on you. you’re kissing your long term best friend and long term crush, and he’s kissing you back. you’re overjoyed, but also skeptic. what if he’s just pitying you because he’s afraid of ruining your friendship anymore, you can’t help but wonder. 

that part of your brain wins and you break off the kiss almost as quickly as you started it. “i’ve gotta go,” you tell kuroo with wide eyes and panic in your voice. you don’t miss the bewilderment in his own expression, or how he reaches up to touch his own lips, before you practically sprint down the hallway towards gryffindor tower. 

it goes without saying that you struggle to fall asleep that night. on top of the panic of representing your house tomorrow, you just kissed kuroo. the next morning you barely make it to the great hall without throwing up. many hufflepuffs and gryffindors wish you good luck throughout the morning, including bokuto who is sporting a gryffindor scarf but ravenclaw tie, which you know he definitely stole from akaashi. when you see kuroo making his was to you in the great hall, you abandon your cereal and dash towards the changing rooms to avoid him. 

atsumu gives a pep talk to the team once everyone is changed and ready, but you’re only half paying attention because you’re too busy trying not to puke. your body moves as if someone is controlling you, and before you know it you’re on the pitch with the rest of your team facing the ravenclaw team. madam hooch says something about a clean game, and it’s the only moment you spare a glance at kuroo because you know he’s paying attention for his team as captain. however, when you do look at him he’s looking right back at you with an expression you can’t quite read. kuroo apparently has his mind in several places because when the whistle blows he’s immediately in the air. a little taken back by the speed of everyone’s take off you shake your head and kick off from the ground yourself, soaring above everyone else including kageyama in hopes of finding the snitch. 

the game progresses below you. at first, you focus on looking for the snitch hoping to catch a glimpse of the golden ball even if from the corner of your eye, but after what feels like several minutes you can’t help but toon into tanaka ryuunosuke’s commentary. 

“another clean score by miya atsumu bringing the score to 90-10 with the gryffindor in the lead. slytherin keeper, tsukishima kei throws the quaffle to his captain kuroo testsuro who dashes to the gryffindor rings. he passes to sakusa ki-- oh he’s hit by a bludger sent by fukanaga shohei. goshiki tsutomu picks up the quaffle, gryffindor back in position. he throws it to miya osamu, oooh to be intercepted by sakusa kiyoomi himself, he passes to inuoka so, who passes to kuroo testsuro who shoots andddd a wonderful save by gryffindor keeper, sawamura daichi yet again. is daichi on fire or does tsuki just have his head in the clouds? ...sorry professor... miya atsumu has possession yet again, and he passes to his twin who manages to miss a bludger sent by sugawara koushi. a great attempt on suga’s part though. miya osamu manages to carrying the quaffle all the way down to slytherin’s end, and he shoots and he SCORES! gryffindor maintains their lead, now 100-10, what a game.” 

100-10 is a crazy lead, you think. atsumu wants this win badly, but you’re sure that ravenclaw does too. maybe they’re just off their rhythm you shrug. perhaps not all of ravenclaw, because right then kageyama dashes full speed towards the gryffindor stands. realizing where you are and what is expected of you, you dash off right behind him. 

you vaguely make out tanaka’s commentary, only catches of your name, kageyama’s name, tsukishima’s name, and the word ‘snitch.’ it’s when kageyama takes a sharp right that you finally spot the golden ball, and now that you’ve seen it with your own eyes you push your broomstick to go as fast as it can. you’re neck to neck with kageyama when the snitch manages to fit itself into a small opening at the bottom of the stands, and in order to get to it before it reaches the other side you and kageyama dash up and over the stands, crowd cheering and booing below you as you race to the other side, but by the time you get there it seems that both you and kageyama have lost sight of the snitch. 

frustrated you look all around you, your eyes meeting kageyama’s briefly, and he’s almost gawking at you. “you’re very agile... and fast,” kageyama tells you. 

“thanks. you too,” you tell him almost breathless. you didn’t realize you were panting. 

you both fly up above the hoops once again, and on your way up you listen in to what’s going on in the game. “tsukishima get your head out of the clouds, what’s gotten into you?! i’ve got 10 gallons ridding on a ravenclaw win and-- sorry professor but i’m about to be in debt... sorry professor... wait-- sakusa managed to make it to gryffindor hoops, he passes to kuroo, who shoots and he SCORES! that’s 140-30, gryffindor! and daichi passes the quaffle to atsumu who once again rushes off at what looks like the speed of light, sakusa barely on his tail. sakusa is hit by a bludger, kuroo who was trying to intercept the pass from atsumu to osamu is hit by a bludger, what are suga and shirabu onnnn. osamu passes to goshiki and he SCORES! 150-30, gryffindor. it really isn’t anyone’s game, unless ravenclaw seeker, kageyama tobio does something, and does something quickly. which can you kageyama, i’m literally already so broke.”

the game goes on and on, 160-30, 160-40, 180-40, 200-40, and then right in front of you, snapping you from your daze is the snitch floating inches away from your face. you reach out to grab it, but it moves away from you. you dash forward, but quickly jerk your broom still when kageyama bolts in front of you capturing the snitch in mere seconds. 

you hear from below, “kageyama tobio has caught the golden snitch! but gryffindor wins, 200-190! what a game!” 

you should feel ecstatic, gryffindor won. yet you descend to the ground on your broom stick as if someone else is controlling you once again. you’re slightly disappointed that you failed at the only job you had, but you’re also relieved the game is over. 

on the ground the gryffindor team is running wild. atsumu and osamu are screaming, fukanaga and yamamoto are chasing goshiki around, and daichi is beaming madly at slytherin’s beater, suga. there’s chaos from the ravenclaws too, however, it’s mostly various voices going ‘we were so close.’

“you really gave kageyama a run for his money,” a voice says fro behind you. you turn around to see your best friend staring at you. his hair is all messed up from the wind and flying, his face flushed red, skin shiny from the cast of sweat, and a shy smile decorating his face. 

“thanks,” you exhale. “you did well too, i heard most of the ravenclaw goals were you and sakusa.”

“they’re always me and sakusa. inuoka is sweet, but he takes too many bludgers for us,” kuroo laughs. you both stand there for a moment, looking at each other, not paying attention to your surroundings. for you all there is right now is kuroo, and you can’t help wondering if it’s all you just for him, too. “listen, y/n, about last night--”

“i’m really sorry,” you cut him off. “i didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. i shouldn’t have kissed you like that with no warning.” you want to look away, but kuroo moves closer, his gaze looking down at you.

“i wasn’t uncomfortable,” he uses his empty hand that’s not gripping his broomstick to hold your face. he caresses your cheek with his thumb as he says, “i really enjoyed that kiss. if anything it’s giving me the courage to tell you that i like you right now. and y/n i like you so much, more than friends, and way more than my heart can handle.”

you’re stunned. after all these years of knowing kuroo, of pinning after him, of wishing for this moment, you cannot believe he’s confessing to you. “damn,” you try to hide your blush with a wide grin, “i wanted to confess to you.”

“hmm,” kuroo hums absent-mindedly. he’s looking at you with such admiration and happiness, it makes you feel all soft and warm. 

“tetsuro, can i kiss you?”

“you didn’t ask last night,” he smirks. 

“you know we totally could have had the best enemies-to-lover banter if you weren’t such a dick before last night,” you roll your eyes, grinning widely at him. 

“i like us just the way we are,” he tells you before pulling you in for a kiss. 

gumi-gang @ 2022

all content and its rights belong to me. do not modify or repost. 

[sarahisslytherin]

hi hi hi i feel so late to requesting something because your writing is absolutely wonderful but could you write something for james where he’s really excited for a big quidditch match and the reader might not be as enthusiastic but is still like omg my boyfriend gets so adorable like this how can one human being be so excited for sports? maybe the reader tries to get into his mindset and they wake up with him at the crack of dawn just to be there for him or something please forgive me for how long this is idek if any of that made sense

*turns on lamp in the corner of the room* well, well, ‘bout time you showed up. just kidding lol, hiya clara! this here fic was written in the wee hours of the morning (as all the best ones are). i tried to do that ‘getting into his mindset’ thing but my lazy ass took over and it just became james dragging reader out of her bed lmao. hope it still satisfies the james potter simp within you

cheerleader // j.p.

Summary: You’d made James promise to wake you up early on the morning of his big match, and what is James Potter if not a man of his word? Contains: Fluff, fluff and then some more fluff.

“Babe.” you hear a faint voice and sense two strong hands on your hips, thumbs drawing soothing circles.

You aren’t sure where you are, not sure if you’re dreaming. And when you eventually will your eyes open to meet James’s you still aren’t sure. 

His hair is tousled, chocolate curls standing up every which way. His cheeks are rosy, probably from the adrenaline currently coursing through his veins. It’s a sight you used to think you would only ever see in dreams, but alas, here he is, taking his glasses off so he can properly litter your cheek with sloppy kisses. He’s excited about something, this much you can tell. He looks the way Padfoot does when he’s eager to be walked.

But the sun is barely even out yet, so you’re sure this must be some sort of mistake.

“What? I want to sleep, Jamesie. Let’s sleep.” you mutter, the wheels in your head refusing to start turning just yet. You bury your face in your pillow, hoping he’ll allow you to drift off again, but soon realize that’s simply not going to happen.

“Aw, look at you, my little sleeping beauty. Trust me, angel. As adorable as you are when you’re sleeping, I desperately need you to wake up.” James chides gingerly. 

“I was given specific instructions.” he explains. “You said, and I quote, ‘James, no matter what I do, no matter what I say, I need you to be strong and get me out of bed so I can watch you warm up’. Who am I to deny my mistress’s direct orders?”

“Warm up? For what?” your voice is muffled by the pillow you’re starting to drool on.

“For my quidditch match, baby. Come on, now, snap out of it. You look possessed. What is it they say in the muggle films? ‘The power of Christ compels you!’”

When he hears you chuckle into the pillow he knows his girl is finally awake and here with him, so he gently turns you over to face him.

“Right, there you are. Lovely as ever, doll. Love this hairstyle. Very ‘Mufasa’.” he snickers as he fluffs your already insane bedhead. “But come on now, we ought to get going if we’re going to make it on time. This is the biggest game of the season!” he presses one last open mouthed kiss to your lips, too ecstatic to even mind your morning breath.

“You excited, babe?” you ask as you prop yourself up on your elbows, a grin on your face as you already know the answer. 

James has been looking forward to this match for weeks now. He hasn’t shut up about it. You’d never been a very sporty person, in that, you couldn’t catch a ball to save your life, let alone a quaffle. James had learned this after that one time he tried to teach you to play and you’d nearly ended up in the hospital wing. 

But the way James gets when he talks about quidditch is something magical. It’s quite adorable, to be honest, but you refrain from ever telling him that. It’d only make that head of his even bigger. You’ve heard countless people talk about sports before, of course. You’d listened as they droned on about tactics and plays and whatnot. But somehow, when James does it, you actually try to understand what on earth he’s talking about. You ask questions, questions he answers eagerly. Sometimes you’ll forget how certain parts of the game work, and sometimes you’ll just pretend to. It’s worth it, seeing the way his baby blues light up as he gets to share his love of quidditch with the love of his life.

But it’s hard to remember all this at the crack of dawn.

“You know I am!” he beams in response to your question. “And I want my personal cheerleader to be excited with me, so come on now!” he tries shaking you fervently but clearly not strongly enough to get you upright. “Up, up, up! Y’know what, I’ve had it. I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

“What does that even - James!” you squeal as he begins his attack on your sides, tickling mercilessly until he deems you jolted enough and you’re sitting up in the twisted sheets, wearing one of his several quidditch jerseys and boxers.

“It means, up you go.” And then he’s hauling you up until you’re clinging to him like a koala, legs wrapped around his waist as he carries you to the bathroom.

“Okay, I can do this part alone, Jamie.” you laugh as he sets you down and trails behind you like a puppy. 

“Can you, though? Don’t go falling asleep on the loo, love.”

“For Godric’s sake, that happened one time.” you chortle as you playfully slam the bathroom door in his face. “And it’s not my fault you practice at the crack of dawn, you weirdo.”

“It’s called dedication.” he quips back from the other side of the door. You open it just a crack so you can press a quick kiss to his lips.

“You’re gonna do great, babe.”

“As long as my sweet girl is there cheering me on.” he says in a dulcet tone before his lips curl into a mischievous grin. “Which is why I bought you some Gryffindor pom-poms. So get to it, angel, we haven’t got all day.”