#a shame that the only other matching patronus we see to my memory is

[severus-snaps]

So I have a lot of thoughts about this topic bc I went down a rabbit hole of Snape Patronus metas lately 😂

Aside from the obvious writing issues - if it was that important, we'd have been shown in the story somewhere that Lily's patronus was actually a doe, not told by Harry who as far as we know is just guessing; and so it would be made clear that Snape's patronus changed, not just sort of... implied, especially when most people literally can't cast a patronus (Lupin says many adults can't cast a corporeal patronus I think), or that they don't (especially if they're Dark? I can't remember but I'm sure there's a line somewhere about dementors being a natural ally to the "Dark Side" or something, so Snape literally wouldn't have needed to cast one prior to working for Dumbledore, by which point Lily was already in danger).

Anyway in short we have no firm idea from the books alone whether Snape's patronus changed, or that what it changed into represented Lily, beyond Dumbledore sort of implying it did. For all we know Snape cast it one day and Dumbledore took one look, saw it vaguely resembled Lily's, and just ran with it.

It also bothers me that James (whose animagus form would presumably match his patronus bc others' do and bc of external writings by JK I think, which I'm only accepting bc they support what's in the book instead of patching up holes for what should've been in the books) also doesn't cast a patronus. Like how much more galling would it have been for there to be one scene where James and Lily's vaguely matching deer patronuses (patroni?) met Dumbledore when he was in a sneaky meeting with Snape, perhaps also in a forest at night

There's also at least one meta that points out that a doe isn't a female stag, that's a hind - but I'm willing to forgive that JK didn't know enough about deers because I certainly didn't until I read about it elsewhere 😂

But I actually enjoy that as a theory. Like, James and Lily may have had deer-like Patroni, maybe they matched specific species and maybe they didn't, but the idea that Snape's is also a deer (but a different type so everyone including Snape thought it was an identical match) really tickles me. Bc his actions don't align necessarily with a man doing it all for Lily. We can argue (and the one line I like from cursed child also suggests) that he did it to honour what she wanted and transformed himself/his morals along the way, but idk. There's something off about it

It's also just like... bizarre really that the only sizeable interaction we see between james and Lily is SWM and then we're supposed to believe that they're a perfect match or something? Especially when other couples who are shown as "endgame" aren't? (E.g. deer and stag, otter and dog). I'm not personally a strong shipper of Hinny or Romione but I appreciate that they're different but complimentary, and setting one romance up on such shaky foundations to have the metaphorical "perfect match" just seemed like a weird choice when it also seems to imply Snape would match with James, and neither of them wanted that 😂

There's also another meta that goes into more detail about what you said about Snape's doe as a symbol for nurturing etc, and I'll try to find it if you haven't read it already. It argues that Snape has all of those qualities, he just hides or expresses them harshly

Firmly agree with his doe representing what could've been, but I think that's separate to Lily in a way. If he'd had a better upbringing, if he'd had more friends like Lily, if he'd not been in Slytherin, etc.. he was a curious, shy, cautious child. As an adult he's generally physically gentle, with a focus on defence not attack, and protective of his students and his allies. He has a tendency to fawn to powerful leaders and given the choice between fight or flight literally flies one occasion. I really think if he'd been given another chance in life he'd be a doe regardless of Lily 😭 there was a post I think on here about how his represented his desire to be gentle, and treated gently, and it broke my heart

Also I didn't get doe vibes from Lily. Granted, I didn't get otter vibes from Hermione either, but Lily in school was apparently feisty and cheeky and charming, defended Snape, refused Voldemort. I think she's the one less likely to be a doe tbh and something more outgoing 😂

Final thought; I think JKR was playing into the unrequited love/grief fuelled "obsession" trope with Snape's doe, poking fun again at his lack of masculinity (or at least pointing it out), but I love it. I love that Snape has these feminine qualities and this gentle patronus and he's got to wrap it all up in brutality and secrecy, but when Harry sees his Patronus, he sees something pure and lovely, and maybe that's what Lily saw when they were kids

A ramble about Patronuses and does and stags

Something about Lily and Severus and James and Harry is that they all have the same Patronus. But it's Lily and Severus who match, and Harry and James who match.

Harry idolised his father specifically, felt more of a connection to him, so his being a stag reflects that. Snape loved Lily, so of course his is a doe. That part is simple.

It's Lily and James that interests me. Doe and Stag. At first you'd just go "oh, they match, the patronuses are just gendered to match them". But then look at Severus. His is also a doe. Of course, it's to match Lily.

But here's the problem: Severus is a man. If he matches like James does, then it should be a stag. But it's not, it's a doe. Exactly like Lily's.

It's a bit strange, really. Especially when this is I believe the only known case of gendered patronuses. When Tonks's changed, it was just a wolf. Not a male, nor female. And okay, perhaps it's because there are less obvious gendered differences in wolves, but there's another thing.

Stags and does don't represent the same thing.

The doe is a symbol of beauty, grace, nurturing, and care. The stag symbolises protection and strength (incidentally, it is surprising James is a stag and not a buck, which symbolises more recklessness and energy). So while they are compatible, they are not the same. And as Patronuses tend to have an affinity with their caster, someone having a doe or a stag would be reflection of them, not their gender. Someone kind and nurturing would have the doe, someone bold and protective would have the stag. (This of course is excluding Patronuses that have been influenced by other people, like Tonks' wolf because of Remus. Then again the wolf does fit her too, in my opinion).

Another point for this is Severus Snape. Severus, who is severe, harsh, bitter. Who also has a doe Patronus. Of course, this is because he loves Lily. But that's the thing- it wasn't a stag, it was a doe. For me, that proves that Patronuses do not reflect the caster's gender (unless of course we want to make an argument for Severus being a more feminine character, which is also very plausible due to a lot of symbols of feminity connected to him, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole here). So Severus matches because he loves Lily. And it's a doe, not a stag, because does and stags are not considered the same.

But then where does that leave James? Her husband? Well, there are at least two possibilities in my opinion.

Firstly is that their patronuses actually don't reflect their love. They only "match" because they're from the same species. To me, it seems to be more of a happy coincidence, rather like how Harry first thought his Patronus was a horse and Ginny's is a horse, or maybe it's the qualities that the patronuses represent that led James and Lily to be compatible. Personally I think (and this is completely headcanon) that maybe the patronuses are what led them to connect, considering their patronuses go well together it would have started some conversation. And I don't think it's a guaranteed possibility that Patronuses change based on being in love, it just sometimes happens (I could be wrong). Also, there's the fact that James' Animagus form was also a stag, and again I may be wrong but I believe Patronuses and Animagus forms do match. So his at least is guaranteed to not be that way because of lily, but because of his Animagus form. As for Lily, there are other animals that would reflect what does do, however it wasn't her who was in love, it was James who wanted her, so I feel like it's even less likely for her Patronus to be the one that changed for James. So I geniunely believe their patronuses matching was a coincidence.

The other possibility is that James doesn't love Lily the way Severus does. James went after Lily even though she turned him down so many times, he didn't leave her alone. Severus on the other hand did, when she said she was done. And yes, I've heard the "oh if he loved her so much he should have left his group for her" argument. Did James leave the Marauders? Did he stop bullying people for her? No, and no. In fact, he went behind her back and still bullied people. James had this more selfish love for her in a way (I'm not saying that he didn't love her, just that he was more selfish). Severus was more selfless in a way. He couldn't leave his group (can you imagine what they would do to him if he betrayed them?), and he didn't pretend he did or bother her after that. He put himself in incredible danger to ask Dumbledore to protect her, and agreed to do anything, when he didn't need to (what was Dumbledore gonna do, NOT protect the potters?), and in the end, Severus's love was more self-sacrificing than James, and I think that's why his Patronus is the exact same as Lily's while James is almost but not quite. Severus didn't have that selfishness James did, nor did he have that layer of deceit in their relationship like Lily and James did.

But what if the stag and doe really do match? If the two are considered the same, even with their different connotations, then that still leaves the question of why Severus doesn't have a stag. If all of the above is wrong, then why does Severus have a doe? Well, I do have a theory on that too- Severus's Patronus is a doe because he's the one who aligns with a doe. Which is interesting, considering he's so bitter and angry, but I do think that the doe also symbolises him, or what he could have been. A lot of Severus is focused on the past, on Lily, and probably on what could have been if he hadn't said that one word, if he had done this one thing differently, if this was different, if that was, and so on. The doe, with its gentle, nurturing connotations, may be also a symbol for how he could have been a gentle, kind person if he hadn't been so shaped and scarred by the world, if he had been the person Lily wanted him to be, if he had been like Lily. There's also the phrase "a deer caught in headlights" and how deer are known to be timid and easily spooked- perhaps he's, deep inside, just a mess of nerves. So perhaps Severus could have matched Lily with a stag like James did, but it just wasn't his nature, so it was a doe.

Anyway those are my very messy thoughts. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's a combination of all these or maybe none. I really do think the doe isn't just a reflection of Lily but of Severus too, that he's compatible enough with a doe so his Patronus was able to become a doe too despite having the demeanour of a depressed, moody raven than a doe.

also for all we know Severus may have always been a doe and it's lily's who matched him and then James matched her but that's entirely just a theory but also low-key funny if James's entire thing of being a stag is because of lily who's a doe because of Severus so James is a stag because of Severus and I don't think he'd like that lmao-

[startanewdream]

A Figment of Your Imagination

Summary:  After fighting with Lupin in Grimmauld Place, Harry wondered if his father would have approved what he had said to Lupin. Fortunately, James comes to give Remus his piece of mind. Set during Deathly Hallows.

Read on AO3 or below:

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There was a time Remus thought he’d always fear the night the most, especially a full moon night. That was in those dark years, when his friends were dead, and he believed the only one alive was a traitor.

Now, however, when he looks at the sunset, at all those vibrant colours in the horizon, he knows that this is the time of day he fears the most. That hurts the most.

Remus averts his eyes, waiting for the sun to finally set; he prefers the stars, the dark sky, when the colour is safe. He is not proud of himself, but he knows, as Harry’s voice still ringing in his ears doesn’t let him forget, he is a coward.

After a few minutes he looks up, but the sky has not changed. All those vibrant colours are still there, orange and pink and purple and blue and if he closes his eyes he can still remember that last day of their honeymoon, when he and Dora had spent their last peaceful moment together side by side on that cliff in Scotland, watching the sunset, and he thought everything was perfect in that moment. He can still remember the warmth of her body pressed against his, her scent, their happiness, and the way her hair kept changing colours to match the colours of the sky.

But Remus does not close his eyes, fear and shame and longing bursting in his chest. Still, as time passes, the sky does not change.

‘Weird, huh?’, asks a voice besides him and, when he turns, he is surprised to see Harry – shouldn’t he be on Grimmauld Place? It is dangerous for him to be out –

But it’s not really Harry, even though he sounds the same and most of the details are like a carbon-copy. No, the person besides him has hazel eyes, looks slightly older than seventeen-years-old Harry and has a carefreeness that Harry never had – the same one Remus always envied on him, always wanted to duplicate.

‘Ideal conditions for flying, wouldn’t you say?’, James says brightly, ignoring the fact that he has been dead for the last sixteen years.

‘James’, Remus says shortly, and James turns to him with the same easy smile he gave Remus all those years ago, when they first became friends.

‘Remus’, he says, in the same voice.

For a moment Remus pauses, trying to understand what’s happening. Then Remus looks from the sky, still unchanging, to the very corporeal James Potter, who waits with more patience than Remus remembers of him ever having when alive.

‘I am dreaming’, he realizes.

‘Or maybe the madness within is finally becoming apparent’, James suggests grinning.

‘No, I’ve been mad for a while. But you are not really – I mean –‘

‘I am just a figment of your imagination’, James says playfully.

‘I think this is the first time I’ve dreamed of you – of something that is not a memory, at least’.

‘And why is that, now?’

‘I don’t know’.

‘I think you do, Moony’, James says gently, and Remus remembers of him as Head Boy, when he was helping a younger student to find a path to the classroom, how he seemed so mature back then. ‘You were always the clever one’.

Remus disagrees. James and Sirius had been the brightest in their year, best in almost every class, loved by the professors. Remus only studied a lot, trying to prove to himself – and to everyone – that he could be a good student, that he could earn Dumbledore’s trust in him.

Remus had always worked in earning the trust and love people had given him, even though he always felt there was not enough work that he could do to repay the friends he had.

‘You never needed, you know’, James adds. ‘To prove yourself. We were glad to be your friend as much as we were glad that you were our friend. You were worthy, always has been’.

‘You sound like Harry’, Remus says, and now there is a Golden Snitch flying in the air, that James catches easily as his son could. ‘Or maybe he sounds like you’.

‘I think he sounds like Lily’, James ponders. ‘I wasn’t nearly as thoughtful as Harry is’.

‘You would be proud of him’.

‘Oh, I am’, James says, eyes glinting. ‘I think parents are always proud of their son, no matter what’.

It is like a hand suddenly gripes Remus’ heart and he lowers his eyes. They are finally approaching the reason he is dreaming of James Potter and he doesn’t know how to react. Harry’s words ring in his ear more forcefully than before.

‘Her child is better without me’, Remus whispers.

‘Yours’, James scolds him lightly. ‘I am pretty sure it was not an immaculate conception’.

Even through the shame, Remus can’t help but smile.

‘That was what Lily said’, he remembers. ‘When you told us she was having a child’.

‘“It’s our child, James, it wasn’t an immaculate conception”’, James quotes, and there is a warmth on his voice. ‘She liked to remind me of that when Harry was crying in the middle of the night. “It’s your fault too, James”, she would say, but I never really complained. I liked to watch him sleep. It was peaceful’. James pauses, and Remus feels his eyes on him, but he doesn’t turn. ‘Even with everything that happened, I was happy’.

‘No’, Remus interrupts him. ‘It is not the same, our situations are –‘

‘My son was hunted even before he was born’, James countered.

‘But that was not your fault, was it?’

James sighs.

‘I don’t know. When we were locked on Godric’s Hollow, when everything was just too much, I’d thought that maybe I should’ve done things differently. Maybe I should not have fought so hard in the war, not join the Order, not married Lily’.

Remus blinks and turns around to look at James. There is a sad expression on his face that Remus has seen only on a few occasions.

‘No. That would not be you. You were too much honourable and brave –‘

‘I was reckless’, James notes. ‘I admired your self-control sometimes, you know? You were the only one of us that could really think before you did anything’.

‘I admired how you could jump in front of any danger’, Remus says bewilderedly. ‘I was always trying to be just like you and Sirius’.

‘You never needed to be like us. We may have influenced you a bit, give you the final push, but you were brave and bold too’.

‘My worst decisions were of when I was careless’, Remus whispers. ‘Letting you become animagus, not explaining my missions for the Order – that’s why you lost your faith in me, wasn’t it? -, and now, what I’ve done with –‘

‘You should have told us about your missions’, James says, interrupting him. ‘But other than that, every time you let your heart decide, more than any fear, you were happy’.

‘It was dangerous –‘

‘Life is dangerous. But living is the only way we can reach happiness also’. James takes a deep breath and looks at Remus with an expression that is the same as the one Harry had in their last meeting. Disappointment. ‘What are you doing, Remus?’

‘The only thing I can do’, Remus whispers. ‘I am only a risk for them –‘

‘You are at war, everything is unsafe.

‘You cannot understand –‘

‘Can’t I?’, James looks annoyed. ‘Lily was muggleborn, should have I kept her away from Harry?’

‘No, of course not –‘

‘Or maybe I should have joined the Death Eaters?’

‘No, that’s not what –‘

‘All those things would not have helped. The only thing I’d have achieved was giving Harry a reason to be ashamed of me’. James pauses and looks at the Golden Snitch in his hand. ‘I wasn’t a perfect man, but I tried to become the best man I could be. The man who my friends, my wife, my parents, thought I could be. If things were differently, if we had – I mean, I don’t know if I would have been a good father to Harry, but you can be damn sure he would have known he was loved every day’.

‘Harry knows. Your love for him is his Patronus, did you know?’

James smiles for a moment, then sighs.

‘And why are you forbidding your son of knowing this kind of feeling? Doesn’t he deserve your love?’

Remus raises his eyebrows, suddenly angry.

‘Of course he deserves to be loved. That’s why I am –‘

‘That’s why you are leaving your pregnant wife to her own? To bear your child and raise him on her own?’

‘I am thinking in the best for her – for them –‘.

‘No, you are thinking about yourself’, James says quietly. ‘In your guilt – and the worst part is that you feel guilty of being happy, you are scared of feeling loved’. When Remus tries to disagree, James shakes his head. ‘ “Happier than you have been all your life”, that’s how you felt when you found out she was in love with you, wasn’t it?’

‘How do you –‘

James pointed to himself.

‘Figment of your imagination, remember? I know what you know, and I know that you love Tonks.  I know that you were happy with us, Remus, but it was not the same as when you were with Tonks. I understand it. Being a Marauder, our nights of full moon, your friendship, all of this meant the world for me. But my love for Lily, my feelings for her, for the family we were creating – it is different’. He looks over the horizon. ‘I know that you can’t see the sunset ever since you left her because it makes you miss her so much that you don’t think you will survive not going back to her and plead for her to accept you back’.

‘She won’t’, Remus says unhappily. ‘She told me if I left her, I should not get back’.

‘I am not saying it will be easy’, James ponders. ‘But then again, when is life easy?’

‘She doesn’t want me anymore’.

‘I’m not in her mind, so I don’t know what she feels, but this is what I do know: that woman is one of the bravest person I’ve ever seen and she is generous and good and I really believe she loves you truly. But you broke her trust and that’s what you will need to repair, if you decide to. But if things doesn’t turn this way… She would not let you out of the life of your child, but you must decide, Remus. Whether you are in, or you are out, you can’t be in doubt forever’.

‘I –‘, Remus falters, but he knows what he’s been feeling for the last days. ‘I want so much to be in their lives that I – it is so selfish – but I love them, James, I really do. I’ve been in love with Dora for so long now that it feels like I’ve loved her all my life; I don’t remember how it was not being in love with her, not listening to her laugh, not feeling like her smile can lit up any room. And our child – it makes me terrified – how can I love so much someone I’ve never met before –‘

‘It is because you are his father’, James says gently. ‘But your child will never know he is loved by you unless you are there for him, for as long as you can. Dora won’t know also unless you are there to tell her, every day of your life’.

And then James looks at the horizon, giving time for Remus to take a deep breath and to dry his eyes.

‘When did you become so smart?’, he asks, with a brave smile. James laughs.

‘I told you, I am just in your mind. That means you already know all these things I’m telling you’.

‘Some of it was Harry’s advice’.

‘Harry knows how is like to grow up missing your father’. James sighs. ‘He is anxious for arguing with you, you know. Worried if I would approve what he said to you’.

‘He was harsh’, Remus says. ‘But he was right’.

‘Tell him that when you can. And if you remember when you wake up – tell Harry I agree with him. Parents shouldn’t leave their kids unless they have to’.

Remus nods.

‘He is the best parts of you and Lily’.

‘He is’, James agrees brightly. ‘Same as Teddy will be of you and Tonks’.

‘Teddy?’

‘Ops’, James looks guilty and rises, just as the sky suddenly changes colours. ‘Our time is up. I think you will be waking up in a few minutes’.

‘Oh’, Remus feels the sadness creeping over him, the same longing he felt on the last sixteen years when he thinks of James Potter. ‘Thank you, Prongs’,

‘Anytime, Moony. It is nice to be the one giving you sense for once’.

Remus smiles, remembering of being accused, a lifetime ago, of being the only reasonable person in their group. As the sun sets, and James starts fading with the light, a thought comes to Remus’ mind suddenly.

‘James – you told me how Harry is feeling. If you are in my mind, just a figment of my imagination, how can you know –‘

The grin in James’ face is the same one he had during their pranks in school, the same one he gave Remus when he first informed him they would become animagus for him.

‘A Marauder never tells, Moony’.

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If you enjoyed it, I have also another story set in this “Dreamverse” called Chasing Dreams, featuring James and Ginny having a father/daughter-in-law moment :)

[captains-writing-desk]

Snow

Universe: Harry Potter

Character: Severus Snape

Type: F!Reader insert (You, You're)

Words: 2,378

Note: I love snow so this is a selfish one. Very true to my own character when snow rolls around.

Severus finds you enjoying yourself in the snow.

-

Severus was on his way back from doing a few rounds of the castle, making sure all was well. On his ascent to the ground floor he spotted the headmaster and his deputy loitering in the doorway to the great hall. When they noticed his movement their heads snapped to him, then back to their own discussions. The whole affair seemed rather suspicious to him overall but he honestly couldn’t care less and rounded towards the dungeons but before he made it to the first step his interest was piqued.

“Here she comes! I told you!” Minerva exclaimed rather excitedly.

“So you did.” Dumbledore chuckled.

Severus could now hear speedy footsteps ascending the stairs and he just had to find out what the kerfuffle was about now and headed back from under the stairs, glancing at the pair of professors peering around the doorframe sneakily.

When he reached the bottom and turned to look up a flurry of black billowing fabric blew past him in such a hurry that his hair was briefly blown across his face. He closed his eyes in surprise and shook his remaining hair back into place then looked for the racing figure but only saw the black fabric disappear down the corridor which lead to more classrooms and the outer passages. Who was running at this hour? He strode to the doorway of the corridor to see and Minerva and Albus followed behind him.

He knew that hair anywhere. It was you but what were you doing down that corridor? Especially running.

“What’s happened?” He finally quizzed the other two as they stepped around him to follow you.

“I suppose you weren’t really involved with other students were you.” Albus chuckled making Severus frowned (even more) in confusion, watching you burst through the doors to outside.

“Do you not remember how she used to sneak out in winter?” Minerva glanced back at him.

“Somewhat.” He remembered watching you sneak through the common rooms past where he would read by the fire once or twice but more so he remembered you getting dragged back in a while later.

Severus had little memory of being in school with you, perhaps if he knew how he felt these days he would have made more of an effort back then, but he had someone else on his mind who had gotten to him first. Thinking back on it you had shown him no ill will, in fact you were a lot like him in being more reserved and rather sarcastic but you had at least two or three more friends then his one friend. He came back to the present situation. “Only winter?” He asked.

“Only winter.” Minerva confirmed.

“Sometimes spring.” Albus chimed in.

“Yes, yes. Alright.” Minerva waived him off as they reached the doors and pushed through into the cold icy air.

“I don’t understand.” Severus was still baffled.

“Just wait.” Minerva hushed him as she scanned the grounds through the pillars in the wall then rounded down a step to the actual grounds. Severus also looked around, feeling a little concerned now, it was freezing outside and a thick blanket of fresh snow covered the ground and it continued to do so.

“There.” Albus gestured to your figure walking down the path which lead to the forbidden forest. There was a definite spring in your step as you ran your hand along the snow covered wall, kicking snow up every now and again. You stopped next to a tree on the grounds and gazed up at the thickly lined branches. Reaching up, you used a finger to pull the branch down gently then let it ping back up, sending snow flying over you which you completely embraced.

“Has she gone mad?” Severus was a little more concerned now.

“She’s happy, Severus.” Minerva whispered softly with a huge grin on her face.

“Ever since we’ve known her, she’s adored snow,” Albus reminisced as they all watched you, “She would insist on spending as much time as possible outside and when she couldn’t, she would gaze out the window all day.”

“Or sneak out.” Minerva added.

“Yes,” He chuckled, “ We would always have whoever was on duty check outside just in case. As she grew though I found I wanted to check myself. I’d never seen her so happy before, especially as the years got worse for her, it was a treat to see. Infectious really.” He smiled fondly.

“Very infectious. I found myself joining her for a little walk around once in a while.” They both sounded like proud parents smiling back on their children when they were young.

“I’d have snow fights with her on the way back inside.” He laughed then turned to them both, “Do you know, she managed a patronus younger than anyone I’ve ever seen. Non-corpeal at first of course but she got there eventually. I suppose that’s just how happy it makes her.”

“Very fitting too,” Minerva raised her brows, “She showed me her new trick once. Scared me half to death.” She glared at the headmaster who just chuckled. Severus was intrigued but felt his worry grow as you headed closer to the forbidden forest. He couldn’t just watch you anymore and pushed past his colleagues, following your footsteps in the snow. He was able to catch up to you quickly as you took your time to admire everything. He slowed down a few feet away to his usual stride and called out to you making you jump and spin around.

“You scared me!” You laughed, “What are you doing out here?” You asked as he stopped about a foot away from you. You glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of your old professors watching you though your attention was brought back to Severus by his hands grasping your shoulders.

“What am I doing out here?! What are YOU doing out here?” His brows were furrowed with concern and you were taken aback a little, his dark eyes didn’t seem so dark anymore.

“Going for a walk.” You answered dumbly.

“I can see that. WHY are you going for a walk in this weather and in the forest of all places?” He pressed and you looked around erratically.

“Gosh! Am I in a forest?!” You then raised my eyebrow sarcastically at him and folded your arms.

“Don’t start with me.” He warned but he couldn’t help but smirk a little and you followed suit looking down briefly, sighing softly then lifting your head again.

“Come with me.” You started to turn but his arms on your shoulders held you in place.

“Where?” He demanded and you rolled your eyes.

“Not the forest.” You confirmed but he remained hesitant. You huffed and grabbed one of his hands off your shoulder, spun around and lead him the way. He had been rendered speechless by your actions for a moment until you rounded the corner of the wall which was at the top of a slope leading down to the lake and the stream running off it with a bridge over to the forbidden forest. You stopped there with Severus behind you, no longer being towed along and just staring at your hand as he had for the short journey.

“Wha-“ Severus was cut off when you pulled his hand sharply making him lurch forwards to rest beside you. His attention now pulled to the scene that lay before him.

The trees of the forest were blanketed in thick white snow, he could see this from any angle yes but at this angle he could see them reflected in the still waters of the lake which had yet to be frozen over. The stream had began to froze however which heightened the sound of the trickling water which echoed against the wall behind him.

You took a deep breath taking a few steps forwards and letting go of his hand then exhaled slowly, turning towards him then as he went to take a few steps too.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” You smiled and laughed softly. He wasn’t sure how to describe the smile you gave him, perhaps the only description needed was that it stopped him dead in his tracks.

“Yes... It is.” He said almost breathlessly, his eyes not shifting from your face.

“Come.” You walked past him towards the wall, his eyes following you with every step you took. He watched you dust the snow off a section of the wall, whisper a charm and sit down. “Sit.” You commanded and patted the spot next to you with your wand. He did as he was told and sat next to you feeling the warmth of your charm on the stone and your own warmth radiating next to him.

Silence fell briefly. It wasn’t an awkward silence at all, it was incredibly peaceful and comfortable and matched the serenity of the scenery.

“I’ve never seen you this happy.” Severus broke the silence without even realising it. Perhaps because he was thinking about how he wished to see you happy, perhaps through his own doing.

“I can’t help it,” You laughed softly, “I don’t know why, it makes me giddy almost.” He shook off his thoughts when you answered.

“I remember you sneaking out but I had no idea it was for this. I might have joined you had I known this was in store.” He exhaled sharply in amusement.

“I did offer.” You shrugged casually but Severus' head snapped to you. He clearly couldn’t remember being offered. “Told me to bugger off.” You laughed but Severus looked visibly hurt oddly enough so he looked away and you put your hand on his leg, “Its alright Severus. We were young. Not that you wouldn’t tell me to bugger off now,” you snickered but he remained silent and stone faced so you leaned towards him making him look back to you, “BUT. You’re here now. That matters.” You smiled reassuringly and his expression softened.

“I won’t have a snow fight with you.” He muttered and you chuckled.

“That’s alright. A shame but not a problem. I’m sure Albus won’t mind one or two with me. Blast from the past.” You glanced back to see if they were still there but they had left you both to it and gone inside. Probably leering through a window now.

“Yes I’ve heard all about your shenanigans.” He snorted.

“My shenanigans?” You turned back to him.

“Your sneaking around I knew about but your walks, your snow fights and you terrifying Minerva.” He raised his brow, clearly curious on the last part.

“Terrifying Minerva?” You pondered briefly before remembering and chuckling.

“Ah yes, the one thing I've done better at than you.” You raised your brow to mirror him and he scoffed. “Hardly terrifying though.” You added.

“Show me.” He challenged.

“After you.” You countered. He drew his wand and uttered the spell after a moment’s thought. A burst of blue came forth and a doe stood before him, not as defined as a patronus should be.

“Looking a bit blurry there, Severus.” You joked and he let her vanish.

“Come along then.” He folded his arms as you smirked drawing your wand to the side, out of his sight. You softly spoke the spell and waved it backwards as he looked forwards. He turned to you after a moment with a smug look about him.

“Far clearer than mine. Can’t even see it.” He remarked sarcastically making you smirk, nodding your head gesturing above his own. He frowned and lifted his eyes. He hadn’t even looked up but he could see the giant blue mass above his head. He tilted his head thinking he would see a floating animal, but all he saw was a head and ginormous antlers.

A sound of surprise escaped his lips as he jumped a little and stood up spinning around to get a clear view. You slowly stood with him and gazed up at your beloved beast. Severus still had to look up to even look at it properly with your heads coming to it’s chin just about.

“I’ve never seen a moose before. Patronus or not.” He was still very much shocked but once he broke his gaze he looked pursed his lips. “I’m impressed.” He tilted his head to look at you and you smiled in return then lifted your hand up to your beast.

“He’s my beastie.” You muttered and it lowered it’s head as if it could physically rest it’s chin on your hand. Your smile broke into a grin for a second before you whipped around in the opposite direction leading the beast to jump over your heads and leap around the stream in front of you silently, leaving the snow completely undisturbed. You plonked back down and the wall and Severus joined you to watch the beast fringe the tree line and the surface of the lake before disappearing.

“Are you not cold?” Severus spoke after a short pause.

“I don’t think so.” You weren’t quite sure in all honesty, all you felt was excitement, a bubble in your chest constantly. “Are you?”

“I don’t think so.” He mimicked though it was truthful.

“I’m glad.” You smiled sheepishly, “I’m glad you joined me too. Perfect company for a perfect night.” Your voice was barely above a whisper now and he turned his head slowly to you, a little dumbfounded. You glanced quickly at his puzzled expression then turned the other way, giving yourself a moment to cringe at your own words. That could have been a platonic statement right? You decided yes, you’d go on as if you never said that.

“I would like to walk a little more as it’s slowing down.” You nodded to the sky at the slowing snowfall.

“Of course.” He agreed then stood.

“You can go back inside if you like. I’ll be fine by myself.” You smiled awkwardly at him. Severus' head screamed rejection at him, you didn’t want him there and he should leave. His heart told him otherwise and more than that, it told him he desperately wanted to stay.

“Come along.” He held his hand out to you and you paused for a moment, searching his eyes before grinning and taking his hand.

[loki-is-my-god-of-mischief]

Miss Popular (Marauder Era x Female!Reader)

A/N:  So this is the prologue to my series Miss Popular. The next chapters will be the choice endings.

Endings; Bellatrix Lucius ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete ???: Not Complete Special Chapters Tom Riddle Fred & George Salazar Slytherin The '???' will only change when the chapter is complete, to possibly hold suspense

________________________________________________________________

Hogwarts. A name all magical folk are familiar with. But every generation of magical children that walk through those doors always leave with a different story. This story is set in the year 1975. During this time there was an individual, the most popular person to ever cross through those doors in a long time. This student was a Slytherin, which makes the amount of popularity quite surprising, but she was very charming and quite sweet. Though you wouldn't want to get on her bad side, she is quite fierce when needed to be. This student is (Y/N) (Y/Last Name). This student is you.

________________________________________________________________ Slytherin Dorm (Y/N) woke up before her roommates as always and decided to take a quick shower before her best friend woke up. She entered the bathroom with a towel and spare clothes. After her shower she tried to find the clothes she put on a chair next to her shower but they weren't there. She looked around the room until she felt breath hit the back of her neck. She froze. Her wand was with her clothes so that won't help. Looking up at the mirror to catch a glimpse at who was behind her, she saw wild, curly black hair. "Bella! You scared the life out of me!" (Y/N) screamed as she spun and saw her best friend Bellatrix Black holding her clothes and wand trying so hard not to laugh. Failing miserably I might add. "Give me back my clothes!" "You should have seen your face, priceless." "Only you would get off scaring me. Clothes. Now!" Bellatrix threw the clothes at (Y/N) before proceeding to take her own shower, cackling all the while. "Wasn't that funny" (Y/N) mumbled with a small smile gracing her features. As she heads back into the room she realises her and Bellatrix aren't the only ones awake. "Hey Lucinda" "Oh hey (Y/N). You thought about my proposition?" "I have and the answer is still the same. I can't rejoin the quidditch team this year, I have to focus on my studies. My parents hate the fact I joined quidditch in my second year so I made a deal, this year full study then I can rejoin next year." "That's a shame, your our best seeker. Definitely give that Potter a run for his money." She says with a wink. "Haha, yeah. Sorry though Luce." "Nah, it's fine. You'll have a spot next year though." Lucinda Talkalot says as she heads to the door. "Thanks Luce and good luck in the match tomorrow. I will be in the stands cheering." I say as she leaves the room. "I'll be in the stands cheering" I hear a sickly sweet voice say mockingly behind me. "Ugh, could you be any further up her arse." Bellatrix cackles as I turn round. "Shut up! I've got to make sure I keep my seeker position for next year!" "Yeah I know. Come on, lets go down and meet Cissa before we head to class." Bellatrix says as she heads to the door leading down to the common room (Y/N) following close behind.

________________________________________________________________ Slytherin Common Room As Bellatrix and (Y/N) entered the common room, they spotted Narcissa Black already waiting for them on one of the couches. "About time you two showed up. I've been waiting for about an hour." Narcissa complained the moment they reached her. "Not my fault, Bella stole my clothes." (Y/N) explained. "The opportunity was too perfect to pass up." Bellatrix stated, shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh Merlin, he's doing it again." Narcissa stated whilst looking over (Y/N) shoulder. "Whose doing what?" (Y/N) says as she turns around. What she sees is Lucius Malfoy staring right at her before looking away when he realised he had been caught. "He's staring at you again (Y/N), jeez what a stalker!" Bellatrix stated irritably. "It's nothing serious, come on. Let's get to class before we are late. We have DADA and I don't want to get detention with Filch again." (Y/N) stated whilst glaring at Bellatrix. "What? I said sorry!" but Bellatrix went ignored as Narcissa and (Y/N) left, leaving her to run after them.

________________________________________________________________

DADA Classroom Fortunately, the three witches managed to make it to lesson on time. The only problem was, they noticed names paired up on the board and knew that they had assigned partners. Bellatrix and Narcissa were lucky enough to be paired together but (Y/N) wasn't as lucky. (Y/N) was paired with Lucius Malfoy. Don't get the wrong idea, (Y/N) was actually friends with Lucius but the staring was becoming teasing material for the Blacks. (Y/N) made her way over to her original seat whilst waiting for Lucius to join her. She didn't have to wait long as he arrived moments later. "Hello Lucius." "Hello (Y/N)" Lucius replied with a small smile. They couldn't say more as at that moment, the teacher walked in. "Anyone who walks into my class from this moment on will have detention with Mr. Filch. As for the rest of you, if you are not with your assigned partners then I suggest you do so now. I have no time for dawdlers and slackers in my class. Now, we will be continuing on from our last lesson of the Patronus Charm but this time the practical instead of the theory. You will work in your pairs to-" The professor was interrupted by Sirius Black and James Potter bursting into the class looking quite out of breathe. "Ah, Mr. Black and Mr. Potter, so nice of you to join us. Class started five minutes ago, I don't care for your excuses please just take your seats." James and Sirius looked at each other and took their seats as they were each others designated partner. They looked quite relieved when they were seated. "Oh and Potter, Black?" They looking at their teacher expectantly. "Detention with Mr. Filch after classes." He said simply, wiping the relieved look of their faces. (Y/N) winced on their behalf of the detention. "Now as I was saying. You will work in your pairs to help each other learn how to cast the Patronus Charm. Do not be worried if you do not succeed in a fully corporeal version on your first try as that is to be expected. I will personally award 100 house points if someone does it first time. Now, start practising." At once the students turn to their partners ready to try to get those 100 house points. "So basically you have to think of your happiest memory, right?" (Y/N) asks Lucius. "That is correct." He replied. "Well it can't be that hard...I've got one. Let me try." (Y/N) raises her wand, brings her happiest memory to the forefront of her mind. "Expecto Patronum." A (F/Animal) bursts from the tip of her wand, though not lasting long as the shock of the animals appearance causes her to forget the memory. "My word. Well I didn't expect that, 100 points to Slytherin Miss (L/N), well done." Came the voice of her teacher behind her before he moves on. "That was very impressive." Lucius tells her sounding astounded. "What did you think of, if you don't mind me asking?" "Not at all, I thought of the first time I made my parents proud. I had never seen them so happy and in turn, that made me happy." "I suppose I should try next." Lucius thought long and hard about which memory he would use before finally deciding. "Expecto Patronum" A Python lunged from the wand and hissed at a couple of students before it too disappeared. "Another 100 points to Slytherin, well done Mr. Malfoy. Yes, quite impressive." "Wow. For some reason I was expecting a ferret." (Y/N) stared at the spot where the python had previously been. "Why?" Lucius replied incredulous. "Not sure. What were you thinking of. Only fair that I asked since you asked me." "Ah yes, I was thinking of-" Lucius was cut off by the bell. "Tell me next time yeah?" (Y/N) says kindly before joining Bellatrix and Narcissa again for their next class. "I was thinking of the first time we spoke." Lucius says to no one.

________________________________________________________________ Potions Classroom Horace Slughorn was not (Y/N)'s favourite professor. In fact, she hated him and found him both annoying and distracting. He keeps trying to 'collect' her because she was the heir to the most powerful and famous pureblood family...Who was good at potions. Thus being the reason he steers clear of Sirius and James. During this lesson (Y/N) had been paired up with Severus Snape, a relief to be with someone who knows what they are doing for once. "If he comes up to us to ask how the potion is going one more time, I might end up cursing him." Snape murmurs to (Y/N). "Only if I don't curse him first." (Y/N) shares an amused smirk with Severus. "Honestly, who collects people. It's weird and creepy." "I'm glad he hasn't come after me yet." "That won't last long, I heard he has started to notice how good at potions you are." She replies empathetically. "Great and I thought Potter coming after me was bad enough." "He still coming after you?" (Y/N) tone changed from amused to concern at that. She cares for Severus and doesn't like it when her friends go after her other friends. "Nothing I can't handle (Y/N). Pass me the jar of Billywig Stings." The rest of the lesson continued uneventfully, if you don't count the fact that (Y/N) and Severus did indeed hit Professor Slughorn with mild curses when he asked about their potion again, nothing too harmful. (Y/N) meets up with Narcissa and Bellatrix at the end of the class to tell them she is heading toward the library for her free period.

________________________________________________________________ Library Corridor On the way to the library, (Y/N) bumps into the Marauders as they turn a corner. The boys immediately start apologising when they notice who was on the floor. Remus Lupin offers a hand to help her up. "Thanks. Where are you guys heading to in such a hurry?" "Nowhere!" Sirius says a little too quickly. "Ahuh....And you just expect me to believe that..." When the boys just stand there looking slightly guilty she realises that yes, they did expect her to just believe it. "Well I'm not stupid, so I'll ask again. Where are you going and can I join?" At this the boys snap their heads to look at her and Sirius starts smirking. "See, told you we could trust her. She may be a snake, but she is also a prankster." "You were the one that refused to tell me." (Y/N) reminds with a smirk. James looks at me with a slight frown. "I don't know guys, she won't like it." James murmurs to the others, (Y/N) only just catching it and her smirk morphs into a frown. "If this has anything to do with Severus, you can forget it!" "I told you she wouldn't like it." "Snivellus deserves everything he gets!" Sirius shouts at her. "Why? Because he's a Slytherin? Well so am I, am I your next target?" "You know we would never harm you (Y/N)" Remus interjects. "So you admit your pranks are harmful." She says sounding smug. "..." the boys keep quiet because they couldn't argue with that. "Fine, we won't prank Snivellus. But in return you have to help us pull of the biggest prank Hogwarts has ever seen." James bargains with me. (Y/N) takes a while to think about it...Yeah she could get detention or suspended if caught but Severus wouldn't be harmed. A snake always protects their own. "Fine. But not today, I've got to study." The boys look disappointed but understand they won't be able to persuade her otherwise. "Fine, see you tomorrow." They say their goodbyes and head on there way. (Y/N) wishes the unsuspecting person they go after, luck.

________________________________________________________________ Library As soon as (Y/N) enters the library, she spots a familiar red head. "Hey, Lily." Said red head looks up from the book she was reading. "Oh, hey (Y/N). Care to join me?" (Y/N) smiles at the offer and takes the seat opposite her after grabbing the book she needs to study. (Y/N) looked closer at the book Lily was studying. "Monster book of Monsters? We haven't needed that since third year, why are you reading that now and on-" (Y/N) peered at the page Lily was reading. "-Werewolves?" "Shh!" Lily covered (Y/N)'s mouth with her hands thus causing her to glare at Lily for the first time in years. Lily removed her hands after deeming it safe and not because she didn't like the glare, nope not that. "Sorry. But you were speaking too loud." "So whats so fascinating that you have decided to study werewolves?" Lily looks uncomfortable for a minute but then decides to talk anyway. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to do anything...you know...Slytherin." "That entire sentence was insulting." (Y/N) deadpanned. "Sorry, I just meant don't do anything rash." "That is also insulting, I'm not a Gryffindor. However, I will promise to hear what you have to say before deciding the next course of action. Placated?" "Yes...ok. Well....IthinkRemusisawerewolf." "...What? I didn't catch that at all." (Y/N) stated with slight amusement. "Try again...slowly." "I think Remus is a werewolf." (Y/N) stares blankly at Lily for a while before finally settling on "Is that all?" "Is that-? What do you mean is that all." She whisper-shouts angrily. "I mean I already knew that, and James knew, and Sirius. Hell, even Peter knew." "Why wasn't I told then!" "If it makes you feel better, we weren't told either. We guessed. And he didn't tell you for the same reason he didn't tell us. Fear. Of our reaction and thus our future treatment of him." (Y/N) stated calmly, hoping to save the boys from the red head's infamous wrath. "Oh. But he shouldn't fear that, we wouldn't treat him any different." "I don't think I'm the one you should be saying that to." (Y/N) said trying to steer her in the right direction. "Right. I've got to go find Remus. Thanks (Y/N)." Lily gathers her stuff in her bag then starts toward the exit, before she reaches it though she pauses and turns to her friend. "(Y/N)?" "Yes?" "Why do you talk to me? I mean your a pureblood Slytherin and I'm a muggleborn Gryffindor." (Y/N) takes a moment to think carefully about her answer but when she does it is with so much determination and sincerity. "Because your special Lily."

________________________________________________________________ Library Corridor As (Y/N) left the library she could hear voices round the corner at the end of the corridor. The voices seem to be getting louder and louder. As she neared the corner the voices suddenly became clearer. "I don't even get why the hat put you in Gryffindor, you're the wimpiest person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting." "You're also bad at everything you try, you've blown up so many cauldrons this year I have lost count." "And so much for Gryffindor loyalty, you're so wimpy that even your precious house mates aren't here to defend you. Aww boo hoo, is Longbottom going to cry. Hahaha." (Y/N) had finally heard enough, she stepped round the corner and was greeted by three Ravenclaws crowding a Gryffindor into the wall. "Enough!" (Y/N) shouted catching the students attention. "I have never heard such arrogant, disdainful drivel from a Ravenclaw in all my life. I know understand why I was put  in Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw as it seems they share a trait of becoming jealous of anyone who has the capability to be smarter than you, a trait I do not have. You should leave before the whole school learns that Ravenclaw is jealous of Mr. Longbottom for being better at Herbology than them." Throughout the whole speech, the Ravenclaws were becoming more and more angry and Longbottom was becoming more awed. The Ravenclaws, knowing that trying to attack a Slytherin through word or spells and winning was futile, left looking thoroughly shamed. (Y/N) turned towards the boy to see that he was staring right at her. "Um...Thanks. But I'm not sure whether to be glad or scared that a Slytherin defended me." The boy says with a nervous laugh. "Do not worry. I have no intention of making this situation worse for you." This received a calmer smile from the boy. The boy turned towards her and held out his hand. "Frank." (Y/N) took the hand and gave it a firm shake. "(Y/N)." "Oh so you're the 'hot' Slytherin I've been hearing about from Sirius." As if just realising what he said, Frank turned a bright shade of red. "Not that that's what we call you now. I mean it's not that I don't think your hot... I mean, I'm not trying to come on to you or anything, It's just...And now you're laughing at me." It was true, half way through Frank's stuttering, (Y/N) had indeed started to giggle. "Sorry, It's just, you're so shy that it's cute." "I'm not cute!" Frank shouted, appalled at the very idea of losing his pride as a man. "It's not a bad thing, I meant no shame to your pride. Where are you heading to now Frank?" "Um...what?" Frank looked completely lost at the sudden topic change. "Class Frank. Where are you heading?" "Oh, haha. Potions, you?" "Herbology, I suppose this is where we part then. It was a pleasure meeting you Frank." (Y/N) says as she heads outside towards the greenhouses. "Uh, you too (Y/N)."

________________________________________________________________ Outside Grounds (Y/N) hated the transition between winter and spring. The snow had melted but the Ice was still about and now it was more dangerous. In her hurry toward the greenhouses though, she had forgotten this entirely and thus caught the edge of an ice patch and she braced for the hard impact of he ground. Only, It didn't come. Instead she felt the impact of a hard chest. "Are you alright (Y/N)?" a familiar voice asked. "Regulus?" (Y/N) opened her eyes and did indeed notice Regulus steadying her. "Who else saves you from that awful ice. We really need to stop meeting like this." "This isn't funny Reg, I swear the ice is someone's evil invention." (Y/N) said with such conviction that it caused Regulus to burst out laughing. It wasn't long until (Y/N) joined him. "Heading to Herbology Reg?" "Of course, mind if I accompany you? Can't have you falling on anymore ice now can we?" (Y/N) bumped his shoulder with her own. "Shut up." They continued on their way to the greenhouses but a cold breeze crossed their paths and (Y/N) started shivering. "Cold?" "Yeah, not everyone remembers their coat Reg!" She didn't mean to snap, she was just so cold. But...then again, she wasn't. Wait what? (Y/N) looked down to see that a coat had been draped over her shoulders. She looked over at Regulus and there he was, minus one coat. "Reg?" "You were cold." He said with a shrug as if that answered everything. (Y/N) was going to argue more but the coat was so warm so instead she kept quiet and snuggled further into the coat. As they reached the greenhouses, it was considerably warmer inside, (Y/N) gave the coat back. "Thanks Reg." then she kissed his cheek and entered the greenhouse.

________________________________________________________________ Slytherin Common Room Herbology wasn't (Y/N)'s favourite lesson so the detail are blurry at best. She met up with Narcissa and Bellatrix at the end of the lesson and together they headed back to the common room. They started on the assignments that were due the next day, or rather Narcissa and (Y/N) did whilst Bellatrix messed around and tried to distract them. Eventually they gave up and decided to talk about their day and what they were going to do for Hogsmeade weekend. (Y/N) soon realised the time and decided to head to bed. "It's getting late guys, I'm heading up. Bella?" "I'm going to stay and talk to Cissa for a bit, head up without me." "Sure. Night Cissa, night Bella." "Night!" They both shouted behind her.

________________________________________________________________ Slytherin Dorm As soon as (Y/N) entered she went about her nightly routine, which was a lot easier to do without Bellatrix around. She changed into pyjamas and headed to bed. However, once she reached her bed, she noticed something on her pillow. A note with her name on it and a (Fave/Flower). She picked up the (F/F) and inhaled the beautiful scent. She then picked up the note and opened it. The note said...

[iwantasecretgarden]

Taggetytagtag

DoBrought up by the freaking awesome and strong @nachodiablo

Rules: Answer all questions, add one question of your own and tag as many people as there are questions.

1. Coke or Pepsi: Diet Coke in a glass of ice or a can or a bottle or a fountain or anywhere, always. “Is Pepsi okay?” is probably the worst sentence in all of human history.

2. Disney or Dreamworks: Disney Renaissance (90s kid)

3. Coffee or tea: Coffee. I want to like tea, but it’s leaf water. And drinking it tastes like hot leaves. I try and I try and yet still...clogged pool filter in a cup.

4. Books or movies: Books. Books, I’ve never seen so many books in all my life. Best weapons in the world. But seriously in 2016 I read 42 books - didn’t quite get to my 52 I had hoped for as my upper goal, but far surpassed the 25 I had planned.

5. Windows or mac: Mac since birth. Born with my dad getting me a tiny apple jumper as he used the old timey rainbows apple with the startup OS face.

6. DC or Marvel: Marvel characters are deeper and more interesting, especially because I WANT to like Wonder Woman but every single writer just changes her backstory and nothing is consistent and I hate that. X-Men are my favorite because it’s embracing difference in an exclusive, bigoted world.

7. X-box or Playstation: I wasn’t allowed to play video games because my parents thought they would make me violent so now I’m WOEFULLY AWFUL at them. But does Wii Lego games count? Because I really like Wii Lego Harry Potter. I know. I know. But it’s actually adorable. I also play Wii Lego LOTR and Batman and Star Wars (but SW one sucks).

8. Dragon age or Mass effect: Er...what. 

9. Night owl or early riser: I do better working at night because I like to have an hour or so to wake up. So if I leave at 9 I get up at 6:30 so I can drink coffee and blink awake and watch a tv show before doing chores and getting ready.

10. Cards or chess: Cards - more for the memories that accompany them and because I’m hellishly impatient for Chess.

11. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla not because I’m vanilla but because chocolate can either be overwhelming or when in ice cream doesn’t taste like chocolate? Like why? It tastes like mystery brown flavor and I’m not into that.

12. Vans or converse: Converse for life. Black. With doodles on the white parts. Quotes and drawings. Being a cool kid way past the age I could pull it off (since I never could). I also have a blue pair that I drew the TARDIS on during the DW fanvolution but now don’t wear because they don’t match.

13. Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar: I feel dumb. I don’t know what these are. 

14. Fluff or angst: Angsty fluff. Like when the angst drenches your soul and in the darkest moment someone says the right thing that no one in real life has ever said to you and it’s like a sweet sweet salve. 

15. Beach or forest: Forest. I hate sand. I’m stupid annakin. And deep in my heart of hearts I’m still the wolf girl I was at 13 where I wore braces and boys jeans and tie dyed wolf t-shirts and braids in my hair with a bunch of friendship bracelets and wanted to be a psychic dragon rider or be raised by sentient wolves. So in the end...it’d be untrue to my nature (and to my secret shame wolf patronus) to not say forest where I used to dream of running away and finding my true pack.

16. Dogs or cats: I have two greyhounds (Fred & George), and a cat - Gandalf. That way I can introduce the bunch as Gandalf (and) the Greyhounds. Yeah. I’m serious. PM me for picture proof or check out insta @greyhoundgeorge

17. Clear skies or rain: Rain when I have nowhere to BE. If I can stay home and eat hot popcorn and drink cold water and snuggle on a couch under the blankets and put on an old movie or quiet film scores and pick up a book I want to read all in one go. That’s a little corner of heaven right there. But clear skies if I am going out to do something - if I’m doing something stressful and knowing I can go outside after to let the sun drench into the skin of my face and smile and take a breath and get a cold diet coke and congratulate myself on being brave and finishing out.

18. Cooking or eating out: Depends. Depends on how lazy I am and how broke I am and how hungry I am. I like cooking when I’m really hungry because then I can personalize everything to my own tastes and having leftovers I know will be yummy later. When I eat out/order take out I’m eating it all. Don’t be foolish.

19. Spicy food or mild food: Spicy food. Make my nose rain. I once drank a bowl of salsa in a Mexican restaurant. Like in Beauty & the Beast. Bowl to my mouth. Drank it down. My sisters hissed at me to stop. It was so good. So I drank theirs too.

20. Halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas: Solstice, Yule, ***Christmas*** I am so into Christmas. I’m the dumbass that starts listening to carols too early in November. I’m wearing sweaters and sweating. I’m getting my peppermint hot chocolate. I’m the one viciously stalking that Christmas feeling that seems to get farther and farther away the older you get. Because I want it to last forever. I want to make sure my little sisters never lose it.

21. Would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot: Too cold. I’m already hot all the time. It’s hell. And I sweat through my clothes and that’s embarrassing and uncomfortable. At least when I’m cold people feel pity for you. When you’re hot all the time everyone looks at you like a freak.

22. If you could have a superpower, what would it be: Hallucination/Projection. I’d be called “Storyteller” or “Story” and if I wanted you to think you were on a beach in Aruba, you would really see and feel it. I would be able to travel for free, protect myself through a veneer, and never have to harm anyone. And I could taste all food however I wanted even if it was just celery. I could look how I want to look, dress how I want to dress, make my world the reality I want.

23. Animation or live action: Live action. I think the nuances of character actors and their expressions bring something to a film that evokes a sympathetic response in the brain that cannot (currently) be copied in animation.

24. Paragon or renegade: Again. I’m a silly person who has no idea what this is.

25. Baths or showers: SHOWERS. Hot showers. Baths - like tea - are just stewing in dirt. In your own dirt. In a tub where you get to look at your knees and rest your wet head against the hard tile. Ew.

26. Team cap or team ironman: Captain America forever. Stucky and Steggy forever.

27. Fantasy or sci-fi: Fantasy at my heart of hearts. It appeals to my wolfgirl nature. But I’m an equal opportunist and love Sci Fi. Just watch out for those weird 1950s fantasy/sci fi crossovers about colonizing planets cuz those get WEIRD.

28. Do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they:

"Do small things with great love.” - Mother Teresa

“Courage, dearheart.” - C.S. Lewis

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry.  Look up at the ceiling and breathe with those curiously fragile lungs and remind yourself don’t worry. All as it was meant to be. It was meant to be lonely, and terrifying, and unfair, and fleeting. Don’t worry.” - Welcome to Nightvale

29. Youtube or netflix: Netflix or Amazon Video yo

30. Harry Potter or Percy Jackson: Yeahhhh see I was too old when PJ came out. My youngest sister was reading it and even she thought it was under her age level. So HARRY POTTER FOREVER FOOLS. I mean, I cannot stress how much our family loves HP. We had a year when my youngest sister turned 11 she had a welcome to Hogwarts party in March, my family surprised me with a Horcrux Hunt 17th birthday Coming of Age in April, and my other sister turned 14 and got a Triwizard Cup party in May. My Mom listens to HP on Audible every night before bed. She can literally quote the first book word for word. We went to HP Wizarding World in FL before it opened on special passes when I was 19. If my mother wouldn’t murder us, our entire family would have matching HP tattoos. I write Marauders book fanfiction for my entire family to read and critique. We have sorted ourselves and own everything in our respective houses (a split R/G family). It’s our dream to go to Leaky Con together. We all have complete uniforms. Not just the robes. All of it. We know all the spells, have played all the dumb computer 2001 games and Wii games and Pottermore before it was lame and basically omg. HP FOR LIFE. (or LOTR). 

31. When you feel accomplished: When someone acknowledges I saw the problem and solution immediately but everyone else tried a bunch of things first and eventually realized I was right. #INTJ

32. Star Wars or Star Trek: I am very into both, and both my sisters have hard core taken a position on each camp. But if I had to choose, I would say Star Trek because of the massive cultural shift it caused, especially in featuring multi-racial characters and women in positions of science and power.

33. Paperback books or hardback books: Paperback if I’m reading it the first time and Idk if i’ll like it but then I want hardback (leatherbound tbh) of everything I’ve ever loved and read for my library I want to own like in B&B. 

34. Horror or rom-com: Ughhhhhhhh both suck. But I only like cerebral horror (like Sixth Sense) or intellectual horror (like Hannibal) because physical horror (torture), gross horror (teeth losing and pus), jump horror (basic) really aren’t interesting to me so I GUESS I’ll say rom-com.

35. TV shows or movies: TV shows streaming so I can binge them. Yep.

36. Favorite animal: Tigers! I’m so into tigers and know so much about them. The ONLY tiger fact I’ll bore you with right now is that lion roars are much shallower due to being lighter weight with less lung capacity so for the Lion King whenever the lions roar, it’s actually tiger roars to sound more macho.

37. Favorite genre of music: Alt rock or indie - coldplay, mumford, snow patrol, frank turner, damien rice, the wonder years, etc. 

38. Least favorite book: I know people are really into it now, but when I read it A Separate Peace sucked balls and everyone agreed. Also I once read this terribly written horror book Neverwhere. Actually I’ve read several such poorly written books that it honestly gives me hope that I can be an author if these dingbats can.

39. Favourite season: Winter before Christmas

40. Song that’s currently stuck in your head:  Help by the Beatles

41. What kind of pyjama’s do you wear: Old t shirt (usually huge) and pj pants or shorts

42. How many existential crisis do you have on an average day: Lol so many. Depends on the day. More like “my life is confusing and I have no idea what’s happening and everything is a chain reaction that hasn’t begun and I’m holding my breath praying for a fallout that’s marginally okay.”

43. If you can only choose one song to be played at your funeral, what would it be: “Penny Lane,” by the Beatles

44. Favourite theme song to a TV show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer or (honestly) Magic School Bus or Jimmy Neutron

45. Harry Potter movies or books: Books, where the inaccuracies aren’t too many to count

46. Favorite traditional food from your family: Tamales

47. Favorite decade from 1900-now: 1990s. But only 90s kids remember the 90s.

48. Worst habit? Thinking I can do it all.

49. Teach an old person to use the internet or stay for a week with a kid stuck in the “why” phase?: Kids. I love kids. Why phases are great. Sometimes I never outgrew mine, and adults always brush them off without actually taking time to explain why satisfactorily.  50. Who’s your favorite painter?: Claude Monet. 

51. Favourite flower?: Roses (trite) or bluebonnets. 

52. Boots or sneakers?: Sneakers now - boots in fall.

53. Abroad or at home?: Home if I could magically go back in time when “home” was everything I wanted and not a place to visit my mom in my old room with no clothes or friends.

54. Planning or spontaneity? Planning! But occasional spontaneity. 

55. Boxers or briefs? Boxers so that I can wear them as pajama shorts.

56. Hogwarts house? Better be...Gryffindor! 

I’m not tagging 56 people, so if you’d like to do this, tag me so I can read them! If you don’t want to, then just enjoy learning more about me. If it’s more than you wanted to know (and it probably is) feel free to ignore.

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

Do you know of any yoi fics in the HP universe?

I wrote one but I haven’t seen any others. You certainly won’t find any on FF.net. Try AO3.

Ch. 11 of Always My Soulmate

Pairing: Victuuri

Fandom: Yuri!!! On Ice

Tags: AU, No skating, instead there is Quidditch, Fluff, the chapter on AO3 has more notes to read.

Sum: This is a Victuuri AU in the Harry Potter universe, where certain cultures believe that the Patronus(spirit guardian) can show you your soulmate if it matches another’s Patronus. Victor shares this belief because he has a mushy heart.

“We’re hosting a few students from Koldovstoretz?”

Yuuri and Yuuko shared a look, finding the news to be interesting. Rarely did they ever get visitors, and technically it would only the Americans or the English. So to get some visitors from a non-English speaking region would be lovely.

Nishigori wasn’t finished however. He pulled out a Quidditch magazine from seemingly nowhere and shoved it in their faces. “Victor Nikiforov of the Ramenskoye Rarógs is coming personally!”

Yuuri’s interest was caught immediately. He could tell that Yuuko was also ready to explode.

Victor Nikiforov was one of the best Quidditch players in the world and had been playing Seeker for his team for five years! Ever since he joined the team, Russia had yet to lose a game. He’d even lead his team to victory three years ago at the World Cup.

Yuuri himself was also a Quidditch player. He was Seeker for the Toyohashi Tengu. Had been Seeker for the past three years.

Unlike certain countries, they were not the sort to raise their standards for Quidditch players. If the person had the skill and their parents’ permission, then they could join the team if they were accepted. They didn’t have to be a certain age to join. Skill, not age, dictated entry.

Yuuri was considered the top Seeker in the Asian continent. Victor was considered the top Seeker in the European continent. Both of them would be sharing space for however long the Koldovstoretz students remained.

What could happen?

Yuuko giggled. “I can’t wait to go and tell everyone!”

Yuuri and Nishigori shared a look, but Yuuko was already gone.

Nishigori summoned his Tsunami and mounted it. “Alright Katsuki-san, there no time for playing around. Let’s train you up so if Nikiforov-san challenges you in any way, you can drill him into the water on your own turf.”

With a sigh, Yuuri hopped onto his Uzumaki and ascended into the stormy clouds.

Victor was so excited! Especially since unlike his classmates, he wasn’t going to be using a translation spell. He actually spoke Japanese, and English and Portuguese, not that those mattered at the moment.

Getting the Highmistress to even agree to an exchange program had been hard, but in the end, Victor had gotten what he wanted while letting the woman think she was benefitting more than he. It was all a part of the plan!

Victor got to travel to a new country for free, experience the culture for free, and meet his favorite Quidditch player for free!

Katsuki Yuuri had been on Victor’s mind for the past two years, and next year, Japan would make it to the World Cup where Russia would also be playing, and Victor could face the other in a real match finally.

He was looking forward to it! Mahoutokoro was said to reside at the top of a volcano after all!

Yuuri always regretted being one of the top students, simply because the color of his robes made him stand out. It was annoying.

Yes, gold was nice and it earned him a lot of respect as a top student, but too much attention made him uncomfortable. He already had enough fans from being a Quidditch player and having a cherry wood wand, he didn’t need any more fame.

“They’re here! They’re here!” Yuuko yelled, smacking Yuuri’s arm repeatedly in her excitement.

The skys were blue and cloudless for the first time in a long while. In the distance, they could see that a large, red creature that had a very rough likeness to a dragon, or maybe a hydra, was flying their way. Attached to it, were large golden reins that were being controlled by a very large man. Probably a half-giant if Yuuri was to guess.

The carriage connected to the creature was enormous. The size of a house even. Yuuri was sure that the inside was enchanted to make it even larger. It was lovely, decorated in shades of gold and silver, with intricate carvings. It was like a miniature Western castle on wheels.

An entire strip of rock had been cleared at the top of the mountain, in order to allow them to land. Yurri had a feeling that the landing would probably shake the foundations of the castle.

His assumption was proven to be correct. Also, the former idea turned out to be right, as about one hundred students stepped out of the carriage. They all looked perfectly comfortable, and no one seemed to be tired. Or irritable form long travel.

He could easily see Victor Nikiforov in the very front of the large group, smiling widely up at the white jade castle that Yuuri currently called home.

Victor was as attractive in person as he was in his photographs. Yuuri couldn’t help but sigh with delight.

The grandmistress of Mahoutokoro stood front and center of her gathered students, her arms folded as she bowed. The Highmistress of the other school, returned the respect given, and smiled. The two clasped hands in greeting.

They were polar opposites.

Yagiri-O-Sensei was small and thin, with long black hair that she merely kept back in a top knot. Her fringe was cut around her face perfectly, not one hair out of place. She was the no-nonsense sort, but did have a soft side here and there. Her eyes were as black as the night.

The other woman, whom Yuuri was informed was named Zlata Petrova, was long. It was the only way he could describe her. Not just tall. Every limb just seemed to be incredibly long. Her hair was golden, and he couldn’t see her eyes from his position, but he knew that they were light in color, otherwise they would stand out more.

Yuuri was lined up with his friends and fellow schoolmates.

They made twenty lines of almost ten each, the best students taking the front position, so their golden robes were perfectly on display.

It was always reputation first. Sometimes Yuuri just wanted to hide in a hole and sleep. Where no one gave a shit about his reputation or skills. Just peace and quiet.

“Konnichiwa!”

Yuuri blinked and looked up, finding none other than Victor Nikiforov leaning over him.

Yuuri had been reclined on the grassy slope on the western side of the castle, in a small place he liked to go when things became too loud. Sometimes it was hard to force himself to communicate with people. He needed regular breaks from becoming overloaded far too quickly.

Only Yuuko knew about this place, but somehow Nikiforov-san had found it anyway.

“Hello,” the smaller Seeker murmured carefully.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time, and now we can talk without being stalked!”

Victor plopped down on the grass right beside Yuuri, a grin on his attractive face.

Yuuri sat up then, looking the Russian over. His hair was grey. He’d actually been born with grey hair, which wasn’t that unusual in the wizarding world. Yuri’s sister was part Metamorph and had a purple streak in her hair when she was born. It happened.

Last time he’d seen her, she’d riddled her hair with blonde highlights because ‘why not?’.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“Everything!”

He found himself bombarded with many questions in which he struggled to answer quickly so he didn��t forget the answer to the next question.

“Gold is a status symbol. It shows that you are at the top of your studies and magical prowess. It usually takes until the second to last year to reach gold, especially for the hardworking students.

"The robes are enchanted to change color as you grow in magical ability. White is a shameful color for those who betray the magical society of Japan.

"The volcanoes do erupt on a yearly basis, though not at the same time or in a specific order. We are safe here, worry not.

"I do not have a girlfriend and I don’t want one. Why do you need to know?”

Victor smiled. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“No. Despite the much lighter views here than in some other places - especially because of soulmates and all - we aren’t so open with relationships here. No one at the school would really mind, but even opposite sex couples aren’t overly affectionate in Japan’s magical community. That’s a private thing. Usually. Circumstances depend.”

Victor hummed. “I’ve had many girlfriends and boyfriends. They were kind of… lacking, I guess.”

“Are you looking for your soulmate?” asked Yuuri. “You do know that the chance of you actually meeting your perfect match in incredibly low, right?”

“I know! But that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up! Besides, I have a Patronus!”

“A what?”

Victor blinked. “We adapted the Latin version of the word. Hold on.” The other stared off into the distance for a moment, before his eyes lit up once again. “Shugo Seishin!”

Oh. In some magical communities, it was a belief that if two people had matching spirit guardians, then they were soulmates. It was supposedly one of the ways that people could tell if they were meant for each other. Another was sexual intercourse. Some other methods were wrong and not legal in Japan.

He wouldn’t even consider them.

“Do you have one?” asked Victor.

“No. That kind of magic is harder to do for those of us who’ve had relatively good lives. No joyful memory we use is ever good enough.”

Victor scoffed. “You don’t need memories, you need emotion!” He stood then, clasping a hand around Yuuri’s arm and pulling him up as well. “I don’t use memories because no memory will last forever. But happiness can be eternal. Come, let us try now!”

Yuuri stuttered and tried to pull away, but Victor was insistent, pulling out his wand and taking a familiar stance.

A few seconds later, a silvery figure leapt forth from the end of the wand, and galloped about the small knoll that Yuuri loved sleeping on.

Victor’s Shugo Seishin was an Abraxan. It was beautiful, with long wings that stretched out, and a perfect main of silver hair.

“Abraxans stand for beauty and quiet strength, according to my people. I like to think that it holds special meaning.”

Victor gestured for Yuuri to come and try.

The brunet stepped forward, only to be drawn into a light embrace, where Victor gripped his wand arm with one hand, and his hip with the other.

“You need to think of something happy. Something that could make you fly without magic even.”

Yuuri shivered, but closed his eyes to concentrate anyway. His current predicament was nice enough, and when he let his mind wander, it got even better.

Waving his wand and thinking really hard, Yuuri tried to cast the spell that had eluded him for so long.

Opening his eyes, he could see a small funnel of silver sprouting from the tip of his wand. Nothing grandiose or amazing, but for he who had never managed anything of the sort before, it was a big deal.

Unable to help himself, he turned around and embraced the Russian in his excitement.

“All you need to do is detail the thought that made this possible,” Victor whispered in his ear, making Yuuri shiver again.

That thought probably shouldn’t be publicized. Ever.

News spread fast that Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki were now friends. Where every one of Yuuri’s classmates expected a pompous ass who would start fights with their star Seeker, they instead found a kind-hearted young man with a desire for happiness and peace.

Victor was a breath of fresh air. He also inspired many to step up their training. His presence made them feel like they could accomplish anything. And with the way he spoke of never giving up and always trying, Yuuri could understand their astonishment.

He was still shocked, and he was the one that Victor had chosen to spend time with the most.

Of course Victor brought his own friends into the fold as well. Yuuri’s small group of friends got on with Victor’s friends well enough, and they had already made a study group that would go out into one of the courtyards at lunch and do assignments together.

Yuuko was the leader of the study group, so to speak. She had the most efficient study methods available and together, the groups helped one another excel.

Victor was very… clingy. He liked to touch and be touched. It seemed to be his thing, and Yuuri had to get used to it because it happened all the time.

There was a running joke going around that Victor wanted Yuuri as a lover, but no one was willing to say it to their faces. It was whispered in dark corners and among the most quiet places in the castle.

Victor knew all about the rumors and he did absolutely nothing to quell them. Eventually, Yuuri lost interest in starting arguments over it, so he just dropped it. If people wanted to think it, then who was he to care? It wasn’t like he and Victor were being disrespected. They didn’t have partners or anything so no one could really be offended.

Victor’s arm was casually thrown around Yuuri’s shoulders, the two were on their way toward the stables where they and several others would be taking some of the Giant Storm Petrels out for a bit of a fly. Usually they would be having Quidditch practice, but the skies were perfect, and Nishigori preferred to train during terrifying storms. More work, he claimed.

Victor was excited because he’d never ridden a bird before.

“At my school, we have the Zmey. They are a relation to dragons, but aren’t considered dragons by most magical societies because they have multiple heads. Some of the mothers will let me near their clutches, and some mothers let me play with their drakelings.”

“Are they the same as the creature that carried your group here?” Yuuri asked, remembering the large being.

“Exactly! We have many of them, but Rostislav is the largest and strongest. He doesn’t let anyone ride him however. Stubborn.”

Yuuri smiled and thought of the creature that had managed to annoy the keeper of the stables.

He was apparently very picky on what he preferred to eat, which made feeding him difficult.

“I’m excited! Do you ride bareback?”

Yuuri face flamed. “Excuse me?”

“For the Petrels? Do you bridle them and have saddles of some sort or do you simply sit there?” Victor clarified, his mind obviously not going where Yuuri’s had.

With deep shame at his own lecherous mind, Yuuri responded in a positive. “We have saddles. You’ll see.”

Yuuri endeavored to keep his mind clear for the rest of the day, even when Victor insisted they share a bird. Even when they actually shared the seat. Even when he was forced to ride up front because he was shorter and 'should be able to see everything too’ according to Victor.

No, his mind did not wander once.

“Do you get snow around here during the Winter months?” Victor asked, curious about the current climate and the fact that it was in the middle of November and the temperature hadn’t changed yet.

Yuuri, who was busy sipping from a cup of tea, froze for a second. “Naturally, the islands do not get snow because the temperature stays around 22 °C year 'round. However, O-sensei takes ten days in December where she influences the weather and the atmosphere, to force snow to fall.

"The mahounashi at the nearby military base haven’t really noticed anything beyond the suddenness coming in December. O-sensei doesn’t keep the same dates every year, just so it can’t be tracked. So there will be snow, but only for a little while. She’ll tell us when.”

That was good. Victor loved the snow. “I hope it happens during my birthday.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“Christmas. When is yours?”

“The twenty-ninth of November.”

Victor would have to get him something then.

He’d heard some students talking about being allowed to have pets, and Yuuri didn’t have one at the school. And Yuuri also liked poodles.

Victor’s smile went wide.

He knew what to get Yuuri!

“Have you heard from Mari-chan lately?”

Yuuri shook his head. “She’s been really busy and I don’t want to get in the way.”

At Victor’s confused look, Yuuko explained. “She’s Yuuri-kun’s older sister. She’s away on a job right now, so she hasn’t been home in a while.”

“Oh.”

Yuuri was smiling though. “She’s out there being awesome, so I can’t complain too much.”

Victor got him a puppy! It was tiny and cute and he loved it!

He also decided to name it Victor, but called it Vic-chan when around others. Vic-chan came from the same litter as Victor’s own poodle, Makka-chin.

This made getting Victor a good gift even more important. He just didn’t know what to get someone who seemed to have everything already.

“I just want you to manage to create a Shugo Seishin. That’s all I need.”

And so Yuuri applied himself more fastidiously to training. If only to see Victor smile at him like Yuuri lit up his world.

Unlike the westerners, the Japanese did not rely on words to convey their magic. Intent was the most important thing, which was why only rituals needed words.

Yuuri meditated more than he ever had before. He studied carefully, and tried to find the amount of happiness within himself in order to conjure a spirit guardian of his own.

Yagiri-O-sensei decided to surprise everyone directly on Christmas Eve, by beginning her ten days of snowfall. The courtyards could be seen covered in couples rolling around in the snow and having snowball fights.

Victor was obviously excited and had somehow gotten into Yuuri’s dorm - someone probably let him in - in order to wake him up early to 'go play’. Yuuri allowed himself to be convinced because it was a special day and he wasn’t going to ruin it for anyone. Let alone Victor.

“I learned that the Japanese don’t really celebrate Christmas, but I wanted to get you a gift anyway. It’s outside. I was afraid of shrinking it, for fear of possibly ruining it.”

Yuuri was dragged along to the common room where very few people resided. Most were reading by the fireplace. The dormitory was rarely ever full on Christmas Eve. Romance was too busy being spread to do anything else really.

“I was surprised not to see Yuuko-chan here! She’s usually awake already!”

Yuuri yawned. “Yuuk-chan is a part of the Jizen group. She doesn’t have early morning classes today, so she’ll be sleeping in for now. Nishigori-san is a part of the Yuuki group. He had to wake up two hours ago for his classes. My group, Chugi, has no classes today.”

“Interesting.”

Victor pulled how in front of the fireplace and told him to wait. He then scampered off, leaving Yuuri standing in his pajamas.

There were a few snickers that he chose to ignore because he did not want to feed into their ideas.

“Here it is!”

Victor reappeared with a large box floating in front of him. It was wrapped in black paper and was sprinkled with glitter.

“Happy Christmas, Yuuri!” Victor exclaimed, throwing his arms around Yuuri and nuzzling his face into the brunet’s hair.

More snickers followed because Victor did not understand the significance of giving gifts on Christmas Eve. Still Yuuri was touched and resolved to complete his spirit guardian training as soon as possible.

With a wave of the hand, the wrapping vanished, leaving a simple, brown box and a lid. The lid levitated off the gift and was dropped on the floor so that Yuuri could look inside.

“Yu-chan!”

Yuuri’s mouth dropped open when his older sister popped out of the box to throw her arms around his shoulders.

Mari’s squad had been stationed over in Australia. They were supposed to be uncovering some kind of dangerous creature in one of the Australian deserts, at the behest of the Australian Ministry. Mari was a Magizoologist, and was considered one of the best in her field.

She had been gone for two years, and they’d only been able to Fire-Call one another a few times. Letters were even less frequent.

Yuuri took comfort in the lingering smell of tobacco in her hair. She hadn’t changed much, if at all. A little older and a little scarred on the one arm, but she was still the same.

And Victor had somehow brought her here.

Yuuri couldn’t help but send the other teen a grateful smile. This was the best gift he could have ever gotten!

Victor wasn’t expecting Yuuri to burst into his room. Rarely did the inhabitants of Mahoutokoro venture inside their visitors’ ship. But Yuuri looked insistent.

“Victor-kun, I wanted to give you a gift as well,” said the other, slightly out of breath.

Before Victor could even ask, Yuuri lifted his wand and made a small, circular motion with it. Immediately, a silver Abraxan shot forth, tiptoeing nearer to where Victor was seated in order to headbutt him.

The Russian gaped for a moment, before leaping off his bed and capturing Yuuri into his arms, kissing him soundly on the mouth.

From where they were peeking around the corner, Yuuko and Mari smiled.

“I don’t think they understand that the guardian’s only show who you love most. They don’t actually show soulmates,” Mari murmured, a small frown in place.

Yuuko tsked. “It’s adorable either way. And no one said soulmates have to get together anyhow.”

“True. Hey look, they’re tonguing now.”

Yuuko giggled.

{6 Months Later}

“I want a good, clean game,” the referee said sternly, eyeing up the players on both teams.

Victor and Yuuri shared a grin. There they both were, though it wasn’t as if no one expected it.

The Quidditch World Cup was held in Germany this year, and Victor’s team was up against Yuuri’s team, as many had predicted the former year.

Just because they were in a relationship, did not mean that they would not make each other work for the victory. If anything, this would just push both of them on to try even harder!

The Seekers both shook hands for good showmanship, and even shared a wink between them.

The players hunched over their brooms, and when the whistle sounded, they took off amidst the roars of the crowd.

Victor wouldn’t trade this for the world.

Check out my other Soulmate AUs!

[aidanchaser]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Everyone Lives

beta’d by @ageofzero​ and @magic713m​ Table of Contents

Chapter Three Will and Won’t

The smell of earth was strong in the humid summer air. Lily Potter loved that smell. It was so different from Cokeworth. Not that she had any hatred of her childhood home, but there was something wonderful about the smell of things growing. Things didn’t grow in Cokeworth, at least not well or prettily. Her most vivid memory of seeing Hogwarts wasn’t the boat ride across the Black Lake, like it was for so many. For Lily, it was that first morning, when she’d opened the window in her dormitory, looked out to see nothing but green grass and tall trees, and smelled the fresh, clear air.

As Lily walked down the dirt path that wound through the shrubbery, she took in a deep breath. Her ribs ached as her chest expanded with air, and she tried not to feel angry with herself for it. It would take time for her injury to heal completely. She’d chosen, in the heat of battle, to protect Remus over herself, and she’d taken a curse for it. She was lucky to be alive.

Lily had made several similar choices in her life, thrown many Shield Charms in front of loved ones and taken hits herself. She defended those who needed defending, whether that was a boy with dark, greasy hair being bullied by his peers or her son, tucked into his cradle and threatened by the darkest wizard of the century.

She had no cause to regret those choices. Even if she had died, she’d die knowing she did the right thing. She’d die knowing she’d protected the people she loved. There were some days, some very bad days, it seemed harder to live with the consequences.

Lily reached the large house at the end of the winding pathway. Though the grounds of the estate may have smelled similar to her home of Styncon Garden, the house itself was far grander. White stone steps formed a porchway, and Corinthian columns supported the roof. The style was certainly unusual for an English estate, and Lily wondered when it had been built.

The doors were bright red, and large windows stood on either side. Through gauzy curtains, she could see an entryway with white stone floors and a wide sweeping staircase. It made her own estate feel humble, and she was certainly okay with that. Evanses weren’t much for grandeur, and becoming a Potter had been enough of an adjustment in that department. She could not have imagined the learning curve if she’d married a Longbottom.

Lily knocked on the door.

There was a pop and the door opened to reveal a house-elf with bright blue eyes and an unusually tiny, button-like nose. “Mrs. Potter! Come in, come in!” he said in a high, squeaky voice, so different from Kreacher’s gravely voice, and certainly more welcoming.

“Mistress Longbottom is expecting you, she is,” the house-elf said. “She’s in the fourth parlor, preparing to take tea. I’ll show you there.”

Lily thanked the house-elf, and followed him through the house. Despite the overwhelming grandeur, there were clear marks of the quirky family she knew so well. Indoor plants lined the halls, and some even spilled out of the pots they’d been planted in, with leaves and roots alike stretching across the floor. Portraits were not stiff and stately like the Blacks’, but full of life, and occupants who scurried about to other portraits. A few even called politely to her and said hello.

Lily remembered the first time she’d visited James’s family. She’d been nervous enough about meeting his parents, and what they might think of a Muggle-born witch. She hadn’t even considered meeting the portraits until she’d stepped inside and a gentleman in a white powdered wig had demanded loudly to know what her name was, where did she come from, was she well-aware what a troublesome child James Fleamont Potter was and surely someone as lovely as her could do better than a scrawny, sloppy boy like him.

James’s parents had been just as welcoming as the portraits.

Lily and the house-elf passed several parlors as they walked. Two were filled with elderly family members, all talking loudly amongst each other. Cigar smoke drifted out of a third, mingled with quieter voices and some laughter. Eventually, the house-elf brought Lily to a pale pink door. He turned the handle and stepped inside.

“Mistress Longbottom,” he bowed, “Arie is announcing Mrs. Lily Juniper Potter, just arrived.”

“Thank you, Arie. We’ll take tea now, then.”

The voice was surprisingly formal and elderly. Lily had expected to see Alice, but when she stepped into the parlor, she was greeted by Augusta Longbottom instead.

The elderly woman stood from her chair. Her robes were elegant, emerald green, with yellow and white embroidery that snaked along the hems, and a matching bodice over her robes. She wore a large hat with a full bird perched atop it. The bird did not move, so Lily hoped it was not real. She suddenly felt very underdressed in the light summer frock she’d picked out that morning. She’d chosen something that would not put too much pressure on her ribs, but now she wished she’d worn dress robes.

The parlor itself was lined with flowers. They were in bright, summer colors, and Lily noticed a pot of orange lilies not far from Augusta. On the tea table was the day’s edition of the Daily Prophet. The front page read, “Harry Potter: The Chosen One?” Lily resisted the urge to vomit from both disgust and worry.

Augusta dipped her head in a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Mrs. Potter. It’s been far too long.”

Lily tore her eyes from the newspaper and belatedly remembered the manners Euphemia Potter had drilled into her when she and James had gotten engaged.

She curtsied. “Mrs. Longbottom, I’m as pleased as I am surprised. I don’t believe I’ve seen you since Harry’s eleventh birthday.”

When Euphemia had first begun teaching Lily the rules of pureblood society, Lily had been annoyed by the politics involved. Eventually, though, she had learned to see Euphemia’s lessons for what they were: survival skills that allowed the Potters to get away with things like curing Muggle illnesses or harboring runaways from abusive parents. In Lily’s case, she’d used the Potter etiquette to get Remus out of being jailed for being an unsafe werewolf and Harry out of Ministry discipline for using a Patronus in front of Muggles.

Lily’s lessons had been hard-learned, though. The first time Lily had attended one of the Longbottom garden teas, she had lost her temper in an argument with Augusta over Burning Bitterroot. She’d only been married to James for a year, and she did not think she had made a good impression.

“Yes, it has been far too long.” Augusta said. “I daresay you’ve been a bit too busy these last few years to host the occasional garden party. I don’t blame you, but it is a shame. Your gardens are certainly the loveliest this time of year.”

The Longbottoms, Potters, and Macmillans had a longstanding tradition of competitive summer garden parties, so the compliment was an incredibly graceful gesture. Lily took it with pride, even though James did most of the gardening himself. Herbology had never been her strongest subject.

“Thank you. I was happy enough to enjoy yours on my walk in. I’m not sure ours quite compares.” Lily smiled, but desperately wished Augusta would sit. Lily wanted to take a seat herself, but knew she shouldn’t before her hostess did.

“I’m sure you’re wondering where Alice is,” Augusta said. “She’ll be along shortly. She and Frank have taken Neville to Ollivander’s to have his wand replaced. The one I gave to Neville was my husband’s, actually. He had always been so close with Neville, while he was alive. Neville was even there when he….” Augusta cleared her throat and her grey, misty eyes shifted into crystal quickly. “Well, I thought the wand would serve him well. And it must have, or he would not still be here, it seems.”

“It was a brave thing Neville did,” Lily said. “Harry hasn’t told me much about that night, but I did speak with Cedric Diggory. He spoke very highly of Neville’s courage.”

“Of course he did.” Augusta spoke with such a sharp tone Lily worried she’d offended her. “Longbottoms are always brave. We are the family who travels the farthest in search for new forms of life, new strains of plants. We will always be the first into a battle when called on. We are not as bumbling and foolish as others might think.”

Arie the house-elf reappeared with a pop and a tea tray in hand. He presented it to Augusta, who looked over it quickly.

Lily noticed their afternoon tea included not only just tea and scones, but also smoked salmon and tea sandwiches. She, once again, regretted not dressing for high tea. In her defense, Augusta had sprung this engagement on her. It wasn’t as if she had received a formal invitation.

“This will do, Arie, thank you.” Augusta gestured to the tea table and realized the newspaper was still sitting there. She moved it to an end table, piled with an equal number of books and glass terrariums. From within the pages of the newspaper, a purple pamphlet slipped out, emblazoned in gold lettering that read:

— issued on behalf of —

The Ministry of Magic

PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY

AGAINST DARK FORCES

She and James had received one just like it, and had a good laugh over parts of it. While she appreciated that the Ministry was trying to do something, it was certainly far too little and far too late.

Augusta noticed the fallen pamphlet and bent down to pick it up. She set it on top of the newspaper as she sat down and frowned at the paper’s front page.

“Do you still read the Prophet?” Augusta asked as she poured tea for Lily.

“Not if we can help it.” Lily sat as well. “They’ve said more than one unkind thing about our family and our friends in these last few years.���

“I remember quilling a strongly worded letter to Barnabas a couple of years ago about Rita Skeeter’s horrible words. The things that pass for wit among society these days.” Augusta sniffed. “Sugar?”

“Just milk, thank you.” Lily traditionally drank her tea plain, but her stomach was not fully recovered from that fiery curse. Sharp, acidic foods burned more than they used to. James liked to tease her, and said it was only heartburn from old age.

“Did you know, then, that Fudge has been replaced?”

“Oh, yes. Alice and Arthur keep us well-informed of what happens at the Ministry.”

“What is your opinion of Rufus Scrimgeour?”

Lily sipped her tea. “I imagine Frank and Alice have a better opinion of him. He was head of the Auror Department, wasn’t he?”

Augusta glanced at the front page of the Daily Prophet, where a picture of Harry from the Triwizard Tournament flashed an uncomfortable grin at them and waved hesitantly. “They spoke highly of him. Everyone thought Amelia Bones would be replacing Fudge, and the Prophet has not commented on this yet.”

“Didn’t Frank and Alice tell you? She was attacked by Death Eaters. I know the Prophet had been keeping it quiet, but she is alive. I heard she was in St. Mungo’s still, though her location is being kept secret as much as possible.”

“Perhaps they didn’t want to worry me. I was always fond of Amelia.” Augusta picked up one of the tea sandwiches and stared at it thoughtfully. “Tell me, why don’t you care for Scrimgeour?”

Lily shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She remembered another lesson Euphemia had drilled into her: never discuss politics around purebloods. Exceptions to this rule included tactfully defending Muggles and Muggle-borns, and defending family members who worked in politics. Neither situation applied here, and Lily was afraid her sharply honest tongue could get her into trouble.

“He’s written to us a few times, now. Fudge did as well, in his last days in office.” She avoided looking at the photograph of Harry. “They would like us, specifically Harry, to work closely with the Ministry to assist them in the capture of Volde —” Lily belatedly corrected herself. “You-Know-Who.”

“And this is… not possible?”

Lily pressed her lips firmly together. It did little to keep the anger from rushing to her head when she spoke. “The same Ministry who dragged mine and James’s names through the mud to discredit Remus and Dumbledore? The same Ministry who questioned Harry’s sanity, who tried to confiscate his wand? The same Ministry who allowed Dolores Umbridge control over Hogwarts and its students! And now they want to, what, use my son as a tool — as a weapon? I won’t allow it. I won’t.”

Augusta seemed startled by the rage and passion in Lily’s voice. She took a moment to finish her finger sandwich and wash it down with a sip of tea.

“Is it true, then? That Harry is indeed ‘The Chosen One’?”

Lily was startled by the question, and her hesitation probably told Augusta all she needed to know. “Does it matter?” she finally said. “Harry isn’t even sixteen yet. Would you let Neville face off against someone known as ‘The Dark Lord’? Someone who had murdered and mutilated dear friends?”

Augusta’s lips pressed tightly into a firm line. “I am not Neville’s mother. It would not be my decision.”

“No, I suppose it wouldn’t.” Lily took a sip of her tea and tried to wash away the anger that threatened to consume her. She wasn’t truly angry at Augusta or even angry at the prophecy, but she could not help resenting Augusta in this moment, because Harry was the Chosen One and Neville was not.

She’d told Harry last summer that the lines from the prophecy that described one “born as the seventh month dies” and “born to those who have thrice defied him,” could have been about Harry or Neville. But Neville was not the Chosen One; Harry was. Harry had been marked by Lord Voldemort, and Lily and her family had to live with that.

She thought, in some ways, Neville was not much safer than Harry. Neville had gone to the Department of Mysteries in their misguided quest to rescue Severus. Neville had faced off against many Death Eaters, suffered Bellatrix Lestrange’s Cruciatus Curse, had his wand and nose broken by Dolohov, nearly died just as Harry and Cedric had nearly died, just as she and James….

If it had been Neville instead of Harry, Lily would have raised Harry to be just as kind and brave. That was what she and James had decided, months before Harry was even born. They would love him just the same, raise him just the same. What was important was not that Voldemort had chosen him. What was important was that Harry would have a normal childhood, and if he had to face Voldemort he would be able to do so on his own terms, by his own choice.

It had all gone fine, Lily thought, until Voldemort had kidnapped Harry from Hogwarts and used Harry’s blood to resurrect a body for himself. Just the memory of that night seemed to light her very bones on fire, a flame that creeped under her skin and made her want to scream and curse the world. Sirius had been furious with her for attempting to duel Voldemort herself that night, but Lily had not had any other choice. Either she could burn alive or she could take Voldemort with her.

James had once told her that her temper was like a phoenix. It was a flame that lashed out at the people around her, and if she was not careful it would burn her to ash as well.

Just as James had learned a bit of humility before she’d dated him, Lily had learned gentleness. She did not fan the flames of her temper so often, and she was careful — or tried to be careful — who she took it out on. If anything, motherhood had made it easier, with so much of her emotions eaten up by worry instead of anger.

“I think I would,” Augusta said suddenly, and Lily struggled to remember what their conversation was about.

“Pardon?”

“If I were raising Neville, and if Neville were ‘The Chosen One’ I think I would not be so afraid to let him fight. He is brave, kind, and so much like his father and grandfather. I would be proud of him.”

“I am proud of Harry, but —”

“Please don’t misunderstand me. How you raise your son, the choices you make, these choices are yours alone.”

Lily recalled a second forbidden topic of conversation amidst pureblood society: questioning how a family raised their children. Euphemia imparted this wisdom to Lily with a bit of personal experience. She’d been politely asked to leave a party once for insinuating that Walburga Black was a terrible mother for how she’d raised Sirius. The Blacks and Potters were never invited to the same parties thereafter. While Euphemia insisted she’d done the right thing, she had suggested Lily use more tact if the situation came up.

The very caution Euphemia had suggested was clear in Augusta’s tone.

“What you do for Harry is entirely up to you, but I think, if it were my decision, I should be happy to let Neville fight. My daughter-in-law and I have hardly agreed on anything since she married Frank. We have fought over holiday decor, over wedding invitations, over the length of Neville’s hair — we see the world in very different ways, and neither of us are afraid to make our opinions plain. But the one thing we have agreed on is how proud we are of Neville. He made a very brave choice, going to the Ministry of Magic that night. He did what he thought was right, to help a teacher who has never once shown him kindness. It was truly brave, and if Neville were to ask me today if he could leave school to fight Voldemort, I would ask him the best way I could help.”

Lily was stunned by Augusta’s use of Voldemort’s name. It was rare to find people outside the Order who used it, especially in pureblood society. She knew James had picked up the habit of “You-Know-Who” from attending garden parties with his mother, and even hosting a handful of them himself.

“But,” Augusta set her teacup down, “as I said, I am not Neville’s mother. So what I will or will not do is irrelevant.”

Lily opened her mouth to suggest that pride in Neville did little good if Neville was dead, but perhaps it was a good thing she was interrupted by a pop, and Arie the house-elf appeared suddenly.

“Mistress Longbottom,” he squeaked in a rush, “announcing Mistress Alice —”

Arie was interrupted by loud footsteps running down the hall and then the parlor door slammed open.

Alice Longbottom, a short, round-faced woman with close-cropped hair, stood in the doorway looking utterly horrified. Her eyes darted between Lily and Augusta like she was trying to determine which victim in a duel needed the most immediate treatment.

“Welcome, Alice,” Augusta said, as if Alice had not burst into the room unannounced. “I’m glad to see you’ve returned safely. Where are Frank and Neville?”

Alice took a moment to catch her breath. “They’re coming — Arie said Lily was already here, and I — well, I’d worried you had started discussing the best way to grow Burning Bitterroot again.”

“We’ve had quite a stimulating conversation,” Augusta said. “Do you think so little of my skills as a hostess?”

“We did discuss politics,” Lily said with a dry smile.

As Augusta stood, Lily hastily got to her feet.

“What sort wand did Neville end up with?” Augusta asked.

“Cherry,” Alice said. “Unicorn hair.”

Augusta smiled. “Cherry is a powerful wood. An excellent fit. Ollivander knows his trade well.”

“Very true.” Alice met her mother-in-law’s smile but her eyes were serious. She did not seem nearly as thrilled about her son being granted such a powerful wand. When she turned to Lily, her smile, though tired, appeared genuine. “Neville’s just finishing up packing. Thank you so much for this.”

“I still think he should stay here,” Augusta said sharply.

“And I think Neville would rather spend the summer with Harry, with someone his own age, than shut up here in the house,” Alice snapped back. It was clearly not the first time they had had this fight.

“Neville is perfectly content to spend time with his aunts and uncles. We have raised him almost as much as you.”

“As grateful as Frank and I are to have such a large and supportive family, I’ll remind you that the last time we left him here while we were busy with Ministry work, he wandered off, got lost in the garden, and half the Ministry was scouring London looking for him. I think the Potter home will be a bit safer this time.”

“Last summer you whisked him off to Order Headquarters, and this summer you let the Potters take him — When am I supposed to spend time with my grandson?”

“Mrs. Longbottom,” Lily interrupted, “please feel free to visit at any time. Between James, Sirius, and I, I am sure we’ll have plenty of eyes on Neville, but you are welcome whenever you would like.”

This open invitation seemed to mollify Mrs. Longbottom.

“Thank you for your hospitality. And thank you for your company this afternoon. I enjoyed our conversation. I will see you again soon.”

Lily dipped her head respectfully as Augusta Longbottom swept out of the room with all the stately grace befitting the matron of the Longbottom family and her house-elf followed. The yellow and gold embroidery in her dress seemed to dance along her skirts as she passed. Lily wondered briefly if the fabric was enchanted, but she forgot about it the moment Alice embraced her in a bone-crushing hug.

“I am so sorry!” Alice said. “Leaving you alone with my mother-in-law — So so sorry! Ollivander couldn’t find the right wand for Neville, and I knew you’d be arriving soon, but he’s so particular about these things and I didn’t want to settle —”

“It’s alright, Alice.” Lily pulled out of the hug, relieving the pressure on her delicate ribs, and smiled. “I admit it’s been a while since I’ve had a truly formal tea, but it was quite alright. We mostly talked about Neville and Harry.”

Alice’s warm brown eyes grew misty. “She’s so proud of him. I’ve always thought she was too critical, and Frank was too careful, but it’s so nice to see them both just proud of him!”

“I’m sure they always were.”

“Oh, yes, I know. But I don’t know if Neville knew that. Longbottoms like grand accomplishments — new discoveries, ground-breaking publications, or vibrant parties. Neville’s always been, well, understated. I don’t think he ever felt like he lived up to his Gran’s expectations for him.”

“And you Fawleys are so much better at understated?” Lily raised an eyebrow. She may have learned the reputations of the wizarding families through Euphemia Potter, but even she remembered the Minister known as “Flamboyant Fawley” from her History of Magic class.

Alice waved the comment away. “Frank tells me enough that I’m loud and reckless and maybe Neville thinks my expectations are too high, but I know he can reach them. He’s already proven himself plenty.” She sank into one of the chairs and summoned a teacup for herself. “Enough about me — how have you been? I feel like we haven’t had a chance to catch up outside of Order reports.”

Lily fell into the chair beside Alice, unsure what to say. Her life was made around Order reports these days. Even though she and James had decided to step away from duties this summer, to stay home with Harry, her world still seemed to revolve around who was on which missions, for how long, and when should she expect to hear from them again.

“James is recovering just fine,” Lily said. “He and Sirius have been dueling constantly, it seems, to help him adjust. Harry’s even joined in.”

“You look bothered by that.” Alice blew on her tea and took a sip.

“I just worry…. I don’t want Harry to think he has to become a duelist just because of Voldemort.”

Alice considered this, then set her tea down and took Lily’s hands in hers. “I don’t think Neville has any aspirations of being an Auror like Frank and I. And I think sometimes that bothers Neville, but when he asked if he could learn dueling from us so he could fight better, we didn’t hesitate to practice with him. Neville is a good, brave boy, and that’s going to put him in danger. It’s okay if Harry is prepared for danger.”

Lily bit down on her tongue. She wanted to snap, “Your son isn’t the Chosen One,” but it would be full of too much resentment. Instead, she took a minute to swallow her temper. “I just worry, I suppose.”

“That’s alright. I worry about Neville all the time, and about Frank. I wish I could tell you everything will be alright.”

“I know.” Lily pulled her hands away so she could finish her scone. “Have you heard from Remus lately?”

Alice frowned. “We had him over for dinner just the other night, and he mentioned Molly had invited him this weekend. Haven’t you spoken with him?”

Lily shook her head. She dusted the crumbs off her fingers and resisted the urge to tighten her hands into her dress like she had when she was a little girl. “I haven’t seen him since St. Mungo’s. The full moon is Monday and — this will be his first full moon without his potion since the Quidditch Cup. I’m worried, and James is worried. And Harry and Sirius, of course.”

“I’m sure he’s got a plan. Remus is smart and likeable. He’s probably got new friends to spend the full moon with as part of his assignment.”

Lily knew Remus was supposed to be befriending other werewolves and living among them at Dumbledore’s request, but she had thought he would at least come home for his transformations. Neither she, James, nor Sirius had received so much as an owl. At least he was visiting others in the Order. It was good to know he was getting a real meal every few days, even if it wasn’t at home.

“He’ll be alright,” Alice assured her.

Lily smiled dryly. “You just said we can’t say that for sure.”

Alice stuck her tongue out at Lily. She kept a petulant look on her face as she picked her teacup back up, but as she drank her tea it softened. “How is Harry doing?”

Lily traced a seam in the arm of her plush chair. “He isn’t really talking to us. He’s quite upset with us. He talks to James more, I think because he feels guilty…. I hear him at night, sometimes, but he says they’re normal nightmares, and his scar doesn’t hurt at all. I don’t know if I have much choice except to believe him. And Dumbledore says he thinks Voldemort is done peering into Harry’s mind after his last attempt went so poorly. It’s just — It’s a lot to take in, I suppose.”

“Neville hasn’t been sleeping well either. I am worried about sending him off, but Frank and I are so busy between the Ministry and the Order —”

“He’ll be alright with us,” Lily assured her. “He and Harry will have a lovely summer, and whenever you and Frank need a place to stop for dinner, we’d be happy to have you.”

“I trust you and James. Sirius Black, on the other hand….” But Alice was grinning when she said it, and Lily grinned back.

“Sirius is —”

Lily was interrupted by a knock on the frame of the parlor door. Neville stood there, wheezing from the weight of the trunk in his hands, and Frank stood behind him. As Neville set the trunk down and straightened, Lily realized Neville was nearly as tall as his father. He looked, however, so much like his mother, with her wispy hair and pudgy face.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Potter,” Neville said, as if he were sitting down to afternoon tea with them.

Lily smiled. “How was Diagon Alley?”

Neville fumbled for the wand in his pocket and presented it to Lily.

“It’s quite nice. Is it working alright so far?”

“I haven’t tried. We aren't allowed to do magic outside of school.”

Lily laughed, thinking of how often Harry, despite her best efforts, did magic outside of school.

“Try Levitating your trunk to the door,” Alice encouraged. “Mr. Ollivander said you’d need to break it in a bit.”

On his third “Wingardium Leviosa,” Neville got his trunk into the air and carefully walked it down the hall to the front door.

Alice got to her feet. “This is it, then.”

Frank smiled weakly at her. His hairline had receded quite a bit these last five years, making his face seem larger. It wasn’t helped by the ears that stuck out almost like a house-elf’s, but Lily thought it just made him appear friendlier. Anyone who judged Frank by that alone, though, severely underestimated his tenacity and swiftness as a duelist.

“We’ll see him once a week, at the very least,” Frank said. “Surely Robards will give us that.”

Alice made her petulant face again. “Still wish we had Scrimgeour. He’ll be stretched too thin as Minister.”

“He’ll do alright. Maybe Bones will recover soon, and we can answer directly to her instead.”

“Can’t hurt to be optimistic,” Alice said with a weariness that suggested she’d said it a hundred times.

“It only hurts to be disappointed,” Frank said in the same tone and kissed Alice’s cheek.

Lily followed them back down the hallway. She stepped carefully over the roots and vines that spilled over the floor, and fell behind Frank and Alice, who picked their way through the hallway with the ease of habit.

When they reached the front door, they found Neville frantically searching his pockets and the ground near his feet.

“What is it?” Frank asked, panic and urgency in his voice.

“Did you lose your wand?” Alice asked anxiously.

“I can’t find Trevor!”

Frank and Alice both relaxed. Alice pulled her wand from its holster within her robes and said, “Accio Trevor!”

The toad was lifted from a plant in the hallway and flew straight into Alice’s hand. She handed him to Neville.

“Is that everything?” she asked.

“I’m sure I’ve forgot something.”

“You can always write Gran and ask her to send it,” Frank assured him. “And we won’t be unreachable. We’ll come by as often as we can.”

“I’ll be alright,” Neville said. He didn’t look nor sound like he believed it, but he puffed his chest up a little.

Frank and Alice both pulled him into a tight hug.

Lily thought about how brave Neville was, and how lucky Frank and Alice were. She did not want to be bitter, but she was. Her eyes drifted to Neville’s unscarred forehead and wondered what things might have been like if there had never been a prophecy, if Voldemort had never marked Harry.

There never would have been a duel in the graveyard at Little Hangleton. There might not have been a battle in the Department of Mysteries. James might not have lost an eye. She might not have lost Harry’s trust by keeping the prophecy from him —

A sob crawled from Lily’s chest into her throat. She swallowed it back down as best as she could, but a tear leaked out anyway and her lower lip trembled. She could blame the prophecy all she wanted, but she was the one who had made the decision to keep it from him. She and James had trusted that it would be alright to wait until Harry was seventeen. Then Voldemort had returned, and they had trusted Dumbledore when he said it wasn’t the right time. Then last week it had all fallen apart. Harry had rushed off to the Hall of Prophecy, not knowing what waited for him. Neville had been tortured; Cedric, Ron, and Hermione had nearly died; she and James had been lucky to escape as unscathed as they did.

She wanted to blame Voldemort for all of it, but some of it, she had to admit, was her own fault.

Neville broke the hug with his parents and Lily hastily wiped away her tear.

She smiled at the Longbottoms. “We’ll see you again soon. Here, Neville, I’ll get your trunk.”

Alice looked worried, but said nothing as Lily lifted the trunk with a silent Levitation Charm and opened the door.

“Bye Mum, bye Dad.” Neville waved once more, checked his pockets again for Trevor, and headed out into the warm summer afternoon.

“Bye Neville!” they both called after him. “Be safe!” Frank said, and Alice said, “Be good!”

When they were down the grand porch steps, Neville said, “I can carry my trunk, Mrs. Potter.”

“I think I’ve got it alright. Thank you. It’s a bit of a walk from the Apparition point at Styncon Garden.” She flashed Neville her best attempt at a warm smile, the one she’d used on her first years for that brief time she’d taught at Hogwarts. “I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time with us. Harry’s very excited to have you.”

Neville frowned. “I don’t know. Doesn’t Harry spend all summer playing Quidditch? I’m afraid I’ve never been very good on a broom.”

Lily laughed. “You know, I’m not very good on a broom either. But there’s plenty of other things to do.”

“Do you have Tentacula?” Neville asked. “Uncle Ferdinand was teaching me how to trim Tentacula leaves.”

“We don’t have Tentacula, but we do have Snap Dragons.”

“Snapdragons? Aren’t those a normal flower?”

“Not the fire-breathing kind. James and I can show you all sorts of plants. I’m sure you’ll be familiar with a lot of them, but there are some unique Potter strains I’m sure even Longbottoms aren’t familiar with.”

Neville grinned. “Okay.”

They reached the end of the dirt path and manicured gardens that sprawled into untamed territory.

“Here it is,” Lily said, and set the trunk down. She grabbed one handle and reached her other hand for Neville’s. “Ready to Side-Along?”

“Yes,” he said. “I might get sick, though.”

“Just aim your sick in the grass and not on me, okay?”

“Yep.” Neville put on the most determined face she had ever seen. It was hard not to laugh as she took Neville’s hand and Disapparated.

They reappeared at the edge of Styncon Garden, near the crumbling stone wall that marked the border of the property. Once Neville felt steady enough to walk, Lily Levitated his trunk and started down the pathway. The west side was her favorite in the summer; the roses that lined the pathway were at their most fragrant this time of year. She remembered Augusta Longbottom’s comment that the Potter estate was the most beautiful in summer and her heart swelled again with pride. She did love this home quite a lot.

As they got within view of the house, the door flew open and James rushed out to meet her. Even with the patch across one eye and the grey hair that was just beginning to show over his ears, she was struck, as she often was, by how handsome he looked. Her heart swelled with love so strongly she almost dropped Neville’s trunk.

Then Harry came out behind him. He didn’t rush as James did, but he walked, smile on his face. The way his dark, messy hair lay flat on one side and his glasses were slightly askew suggested he had been napping. It only made her happier to see him, to know he’d come out of precious sleep to greet her.

Sirius stood in the doorway with their house-elves — Picksie and her elderly mother Mellie — and all three waved in welcome.

Lily wrapped her arms around James as he reached her and buried her face into his chest. She breathed in the smell of earth, enjoyed the way it seemed to cling to him in the summer heat. She remembered breathing in Amortentia in her N.E.W.T. Potions class, smelling this exact warm summer scent and not realizing it was the smell of the boy sitting two tables away.

“Glad you guys made it safely,” James said, and broke the hug as Harry reached them.

“It is a long walk,” Neville said, face red from the sun and the hike.

Lily reached her arm out to hug Harry, and he obliged. He was her height exactly, maybe a half-inch taller, and her heart lurched to think about how close to adulthood he really was. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. He may have looked just like his father, but his bright green eyes were hers. Though she was certainly not a gifted Legilimens, she liked to think she knew what Harry was thinking because of those eyes.

“Alright?” she asked.

“Alright,” he said with a half-smile.

Lily stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his forehead. She felt no bitterness as the four of them finished the walk to the house, no resentment. She knew who her family was; she knew where she belonged. Whatever challenges they would face in the fight against Voldemort, she knew they would not face alone, and that gave her all the courage in the world.

[readbookywooks]

Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

It looked like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Each was so angry with the other that Harry couldn't see how they'd ever make up. Ron was enraged that Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that Ron look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds. Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Ron had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that Ron had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on Ron's head in the Magical Menagerie. Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, and when he tried to point out to Hermione that the evidence all pointed that way, she lost her temper with Harry too. "Okay, side with Ron, I knew you would!" she said shrilly. "First the Firebolt, now Scabbers, everything's my fault, isn't it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I've got a lot of work to do!" Ron had taken the loss of his rat very hard indeed. "Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was," said Fred bracingly. "And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly -- one swallow -- he probably didn't feel a thing." "Fred!" said Ginny indignantly. "All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself," said George. "He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron said miserably. "Remember, Harry?" "Yeah, that's true," said Harry. "His finest hour," said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. "Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?" In a last-ditch attempt to cheer Ron up, Harry persuaded him to come along to the Gryffindor team's final practice before the Ravenclaw match, so that he could have a ride on the Firebolt after they'd finished. This did seem to take Ron's mind off Scabbers for a moment ("Great! Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?") so they set off for the Quidditch field together. Madam Hooch, who was still overseeing Gryffindor practices to keep an eye on Harry, was just as impressed with the Firebolt as everyone else had been. She took it in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion. "Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end -- you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows -- a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too..." She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said, "Er -- Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice..." "Oh -- right -- here you are, then, Potter," said Madam Hooch. "I'll sit over here with Weasley..." She and Ron left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow's match. "Harry, I've just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It's Cho Chang. She's a fourth year, and she's pretty good...I really hoped she wouldn't be fit, she's had some problems with injuries..." Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said, "On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt." He gave Harry's broom a look of fervent admiration, then said, "Okay, everyone, let's go --" And at long last, Harry mounted his Firebolt, and kicked off from the ground. It was better than he'd ever dreamed. The Firebolt turned with the lightest touch; it seemed to obey his thoughts rather than his grip; it sped across the field at such speed that the stadium turned into a green-and-gray blur; Harry turned it so sharply that Alicia Spinnet screamed, then he went into a perfectly controlled dive, brushing the grassy field with his toes before rising thirty, forty, fifty feet into the air again -- "Harry, I'm letting the Snitch out!" Wood called. Harry turned and raced a Bludger toward the goal posts; he outstripped it easily, saw the Snitch dart out from behind Wood, and within ten seconds had caught it tightly in his hand. The team cheered madly. Harry let the Snitch go again, gave it a minute's head start, then tore after it, weaving in and out of the others; he spotted it lurking near Katie Bell's knee, looped her easily, and caught it again. It was the best practice ever; the team, inspired by the presence of the Firebolt in their midst, performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Wood didn't have a single criticism to make, which, as George Weasley pointed out, was a first. "I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!" said Wood. "Not unless -- Harry, you've sorted out your Dementor problem, haven't you?" "Yeah," said Harry, thinking of his feeble Patronus and wishing it were stronger. "The Dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic," said Fred confidently. "Well, let's hope not," said Wood. "Anyway -- good work, everyone. Let's get back to the tower...turn in early..." "I'm staying out for a bit; Ron wants a go on the Firebolt," Harry told Wood, and while the rest of the team headed off to the locker rooms, Harry strode over to Ron, who vaulted the barrier to the stands and came to meet him. Madam Hooch had fallen asleep in her seat. "Here you go," said Harry, handing Ron the Firebolt. Ron, an expression of ecstasy on his face, mounted the broom and zoomed off into the gathering darkness while Harry walked around the edge of the field, watching him. Night had fallen before Madam Hooch awoke with a start, told Harry and Ron off for not waking her, and insisted that they go back to the castle. Harry shouldered the Firebolt and he and Ron walked out of the shadowy stadium, discussing the Firebolt's superbly smooth action, its phenomenal acceleration, and its pinpoint turning. They were halfway toward the castle when Harry, glancing to his left, saw something that made his heart turn over -- a pair of eyes, gleaming out of the darkness. Harry stopped dead, his heart banging against his ribs. "What's the matter?" said Ron. Harry pointed. Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, "Lumos!" A beam of light fell across the grass, hit the bottom of a tree, and illuminated its branches; there, crouching among the budding leaves, was Crookshanks. "Get out of here!" Ron roared, and he stooped down and seized a stone lying on the grass, but before he could do anything else, Crookshanks had vanished with one swish of his long ginger tail. "See?" Ron said furiously, chucking the stone down again. "She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants -- probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now...." Harry didn't say anything. He took a deep breath as relief seeped through him; he had been sure for a moment that those eyes had belonged to the Grim. They set off for the castle once more. slightly ashamed of his moment of panic, Harry didn't say anything to Ron -- nor did he look left or right until they had reached the well lit entrance hall. Harry went down to breakfast the next morning with the rest of the boys in his dormitory, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolt deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolt, and there was a good deal of excited muttering. Harry saw, with enormous satisfaction, that the Slytherin team were all looking thunderstruck. "Did you see his face?" said Ron gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. "He can't believe it! This is brilliant!" Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolt. "Put it here, Harry," he said, laying the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that its name faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt. "Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!" said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. "Penelope and I have got a bet on," he told the team. "Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!" Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table. "Harry -- make sure you win," said Percy, in an urgent whisper. "I haven't got ten Galleons. Yes, I'm coming, Penny!" And he bustled off to join her in a piece of toast. "Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" said a cold, drawling voice. Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. "Yeah, reckon so," said Harry casually. "Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute -- in case you get too near a Dementor." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. "Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you." The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt. At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time, and Harry, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium beyond. Harry took off his black school robes, removed his wand from his pocket, and stuck it inside the T-shirt he was going to wear under his Quidditch robes. He only hoped he wouldn't need it. He wondered suddenly whether Professor Lupin was in the crowd, watching. "You know what we've got to do," said Wood as they prepared to leave the locker rooms. "If we lose this match, we're out of the running. just -- just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!" They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. She was shorter than Harry by about a head, and Harry couldn't help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty. She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves. "Wood, Davies, shake hands," Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain. "Mount your brooms ... on my whistle ... three -- two -- one --" Harry kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom; he soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Snitch, listening all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan. "They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship --" "Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice. "Right you are, Professor -- just giving a bit of background information -- the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and --" "Jordan!" "Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal..." Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier -- she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction. "Show her your acceleration, Harry!" Fred yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Bludger that was aiming for Alicia. Harry urged the Firebolt forward as they rounded the Ravenclaw goal posts and Cho fell behind. Just as Katie succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Gryffindor end of the field went wild, he saw it -- the Snitch was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers. Harry dived; Cho saw what he was doing and tore after him -- Harry was speeding up, excitement flooding him; dives were his specialty, he was ten feet away -- Then a Bludger, hit by one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere; Harry veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Snitch had vanished. There was a great "Ooooooh" of disappointment from the Gryffindor supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Ravenclaw end. George Weasley vented his feelings by hitting the second Bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it. "Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn -- Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision -- balance is really noticeable in these long --" "JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!" Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead -- if Cho got the Snitch before him, Ravenclaw would win. Harry dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically -- a glint of gold, a flutter of tiny wings -- the Snitch was circling the Gryffindor goal post... Harry accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead -- but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him -- "HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!" Harry turned and caught sight of Cho; she was grinning. The Snitch had vanished again. Harry turned his Firebolt upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho following him ...She'd decided to mark him rather than search for the Snitch herself...All right, then...if she wanted to tail him, she'd have to take the consequences... He dived again, and Cho, thinking he'd seen the Snitch, tried to follow; Harry pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; he rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time -- the Snitch was glittering way above the field at the Ravenclaw end. He accelerated; so, many feet below, did Cho. He was winning, gaining on the Snitch with every second -- then -- "Oh!" screamed Cho, pointing. Distracted, Harry looked down. Three Dementors, three tall, black, hooded Dementors, were looking up at him. He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, "Expecto patronum!" Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. He knew it had shot directly at the Dementors but didn't pause to watch; his mind still miraculously clear, he looked ahead -- he was nearly there. He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch. Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd. "That's my boy!" Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Harry got off his broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, he had been engulfed by the cheering crowd. "Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!" "Well done, Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me --" "Good for you, Harry!" roared Seamus Finnigan. "Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors. "That was quite some Patronus," said a voice in Harry's ear. Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased. "The Dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!" "That would be because they -- er -- weren't Dementors," said Professor Lupin. "Come and see -- " He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field. "You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," said Lupin. Harry stared. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall. "An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!" If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to Harry's side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it. "Come on, Harry!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!" "Right," said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle. It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets. "How did you do that?" squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd. "With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," Fred muttered in Harry's ear. Only one person wasn't joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. Harry broke away from the table where Fred and George had started juggling butterbeer bottles and went over to her. "Did you even come to the match?" he asked her. "Of course I did," said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. "And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday." "Come on, Hermione, come and have some food," Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet. "I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. "Anyway..." She glanced over at Ron too. "He doesn't want me to join in." There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, "If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them --" Hermione burst into tears. Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls' dormitories and out of sight. "Can't you give her a break?" Harry asked Ron quietly. "No," said Ron flatly. "If she just acted like she was sorry -- but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something." The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed. Harry and Ron climbed the stairs to their dormitory, still discussing the match. At last, exhausted, Harry climbed into bed, twitched the hangings of his four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight, lay back, and felt himself almost instantly drifting off to sleep... He had a very strange dream. He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping. Then he turned a corner into a clearing and -- "AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Harry woke as suddenly as though he'd been hit in the face. Disoriented in the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings, he could hear movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan's voice from the other side of the room. "What's going on?" Harry thought he heard the dormitory door slam. At last finding the divide in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean Thomas lit his lamp. Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of utmost terror on his face. "Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!" "What?" "Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!" "You sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" said Dean. "Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!" They all scrambled out of bed; Harry reached the dormitory door first, and they sprinted back down the staircase. Doors opened behind them, and sleepy voices called after them. "Who shouted?" "What're you doing?" The common room was lit with the glow of the dying fire, still littered with the debris from the party. It was deserted. "Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" "I'm telling you, I saw him!" "What's all the noise?" "Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!" A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing. "Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred Weasley brightly. "Everyone back upstairs!" said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. "Perce -- Sirius Black!" said Ron faintly. "In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!" The common room went very still. "Nonsense!" said Percy, looking startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron -- had a nightmare --" "I'm telling you --" "Now, really, enough's enough!" Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around. "I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!" "I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. "I was just telling them all t o get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare --" "IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron yelled. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!" Professor McGonagall stared at him. "Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?" "Ask him!" said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. "Ask him if he saw --" Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. "Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?" "Certainly, good lady!" cried Sir Cadogan. There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room. "You -- you did?" said Professor McGonagall. "But -- but the password!" "He had 'em!" said Sir Cadogan proudly. "Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!" Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk. "Which person," she said, her voice shaking, "which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?" There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.

[lilithofpenandbook]

I love all of what you said because yes, we don't ever see James and Lily cast patronuses, so we don't ever know how theirs were, we were just told.

For all we know James was originally something else, then because Lily was a doe because at her core she's pure (imo anyway considering she left Severus because he was with bad people, so she followed her morals over her loyalties and she only liked James back after he became "good" and theres no way Harry's innate goodness came from james ) or maybe because she had protective instincts even as a child (or maybe she was a buck that got into so much chaos it's antlers fell off/j) and because he wanted to be with her his Animagus form became a stag because this was his personality (sad obsessive boi) and his Patronus also matched it, but it was never a doe because he didn't love her in a pure, unselfish way. Or something.

See, there are about a hundred tangled reasons why these three have the patronuses they do. If it was just Deer, then that would have been easier to understand, it would be simple: James and Lily match because they're in love, Severus matches because he's in love with Lily. Done. But they are specific deer, with specific connotations, and that part is the tangle.

As for Hermione's otter, apparently otters are smart, and as a Patronus represent what's hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality (according to the wizarding world site anyway) so apparently that's how it fits.

As for Snape's doe, I reckon it both represents his tie with Lily, who was apparently a doe, but for all we know that could be because Snape's was always a doe too, regardless of how or why the fact that they matched means they did love each other, and it could represent who he could have been- or who he is. Snape whispers to his class instead of yelling- a tactic I've seen recommended to parents to gentle parent by replacing shouting by whispering, which gets the child's attention more and makes them actually listen if they want to hear what you're saying- and when he yells it's not like McGonagall yelling because she's scolding the kids, he's yells when he's absolutely livid. He protects and defends and deflects when in combat (aside from yeeting Lockhart across the room with Expelliarmus, again a defense spell). He moves silently, he glides instead of marching. There are hints of a doe-like personality in him, a traumatised, wounded animal who lashes and strikes because it's afraid and angry.

It's all a tangle, really. Which is fun, but also frustrating to work out sometimes 😂

Although there is a lot of potential for comedy in the thought that James and Severus essentially have the same Patronus combination as Jily (I don't even know who'd be more disgusted at the hint of them being patronus-soulmates 😂), or even Harry and Severus also being a stag and a doe (and the implication that Harry's the man, Severus is the wife- I can only imagine how badly that would have gone down and honestly maybe Severus is lucky he wasn't alive when Harry learnt Severus was a doe, because if he was alive I can only imagine the amount of teasing he and harry would get from it, especially Damsel Doe Severus jokes 😂)

A ramble about Patronuses and does and stags

Something about Lily and Severus and James and Harry is that they all have the same Patronus. But it's Lily and Severus who match, and Harry and James who match.

Harry idolised his father specifically, felt more of a connection to him, so his being a stag reflects that. Snape loved Lily, so of course his is a doe. That part is simple.

It's Lily and James that interests me. Doe and Stag. At first you'd just go "oh, they match, the patronuses are just gendered to match them". But then look at Severus. His is also a doe. Of course, it's to match Lily.

But here's the problem: Severus is a man. If he matches like James does, then it should be a stag. But it's not, it's a doe. Exactly like Lily's.

It's a bit strange, really. Especially when this is I believe the only known case of gendered patronuses. When Tonks's changed, it was just a wolf. Not a male, nor female. And okay, perhaps it's because there are less obvious gendered differences in wolves, but there's another thing.

Stags and does don't represent the same thing.

The doe is a symbol of beauty, grace, nurturing, and care. The stag symbolises protection and strength (incidentally, it is surprising James is a stag and not a buck, which symbolises more recklessness and energy). So while they are compatible, they are not the same. And as Patronuses tend to have an affinity with their caster, someone having a doe or a stag would be reflection of them, not their gender. Someone kind and nurturing would have the doe, someone bold and protective would have the stag. (This of course is excluding Patronuses that have been influenced by other people, like Tonks' wolf because of Remus. Then again the wolf does fit her too, in my opinion).

Another point for this is Severus Snape. Severus, who is severe, harsh, bitter. Who also has a doe Patronus. Of course, this is because he loves Lily. But that's the thing- it wasn't a stag, it was a doe. For me, that proves that Patronuses do not reflect the caster's gender (unless of course we want to make an argument for Severus being a more feminine character, which is also very plausible due to a lot of symbols of feminity connected to him, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole here). So Severus matches because he loves Lily. And it's a doe, not a stag, because does and stags are not considered the same.

But then where does that leave James? Her husband? Well, there are at least two possibilities in my opinion.

Firstly is that their patronuses actually don't reflect their love. They only "match" because they're from the same species. To me, it seems to be more of a happy coincidence, rather like how Harry first thought his Patronus was a horse and Ginny's is a horse, or maybe it's the qualities that the patronuses represent that led James and Lily to be compatible. Personally I think (and this is completely headcanon) that maybe the patronuses are what led them to connect, considering their patronuses go well together it would have started some conversation. And I don't think it's a guaranteed possibility that Patronuses change based on being in love, it just sometimes happens (I could be wrong). Also, there's the fact that James' Animagus form was also a stag, and again I may be wrong but I believe Patronuses and Animagus forms do match. So his at least is guaranteed to not be that way because of lily, but because of his Animagus form. As for Lily, there are other animals that would reflect what does do, however it wasn't her who was in love, it was James who wanted her, so I feel like it's even less likely for her Patronus to be the one that changed for James. So I geniunely believe their patronuses matching was a coincidence.

The other possibility is that James doesn't love Lily the way Severus does. James went after Lily even though she turned him down so many times, he didn't leave her alone. Severus on the other hand did, when she said she was done. And yes, I've heard the "oh if he loved her so much he should have left his group for her" argument. Did James leave the Marauders? Did he stop bullying people for her? No, and no. In fact, he went behind her back and still bullied people. James had this more selfish love for her in a way (I'm not saying that he didn't love her, just that he was more selfish). Severus was more selfless in a way. He couldn't leave his group (can you imagine what they would do to him if he betrayed them?), and he didn't pretend he did or bother her after that. He put himself in incredible danger to ask Dumbledore to protect her, and agreed to do anything, when he didn't need to (what was Dumbledore gonna do, NOT protect the potters?), and in the end, Severus's love was more self-sacrificing than James, and I think that's why his Patronus is the exact same as Lily's while James is almost but not quite. Severus didn't have that selfishness James did, nor did he have that layer of deceit in their relationship like Lily and James did.

But what if the stag and doe really do match? If the two are considered the same, even with their different connotations, then that still leaves the question of why Severus doesn't have a stag. If all of the above is wrong, then why does Severus have a doe? Well, I do have a theory on that too- Severus's Patronus is a doe because he's the one who aligns with a doe. Which is interesting, considering he's so bitter and angry, but I do think that the doe also symbolises him, or what he could have been. A lot of Severus is focused on the past, on Lily, and probably on what could have been if he hadn't said that one word, if he had done this one thing differently, if this was different, if that was, and so on. The doe, with its gentle, nurturing connotations, may be also a symbol for how he could have been a gentle, kind person if he hadn't been so shaped and scarred by the world, if he had been the person Lily wanted him to be, if he had been like Lily. There's also the phrase "a deer caught in headlights" and how deer are known to be timid and easily spooked- perhaps he's, deep inside, just a mess of nerves. So perhaps Severus could have matched Lily with a stag like James did, but it just wasn't his nature, so it was a doe.

Anyway those are my very messy thoughts. Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong, maybe it's a combination of all these or maybe none. I really do think the doe isn't just a reflection of Lily but of Severus too, that he's compatible enough with a doe so his Patronus was able to become a doe too despite having the demeanour of a depressed, moody raven than a doe.

also for all we know Severus may have always been a doe and it's lily's who matched him and then James matched her but that's entirely just a theory but also low-key funny if James's entire thing of being a stag is because of lily who's a doe because of Severus so James is a stag because of Severus and I don't think he'd like that lmao-