#also if you recall what i said before about the show being carried by lili and cole. well. that was before he took off the beanie. sorry

[ikyw-t]

hm unfortunately i think ive gotten unironically attached to riverdale. like maybe the knew exactly what they were doing with the aesthetics. yes the writing is not good. but the aesthetic is simply unreal, it's just sooooo.... like season 4 actually.... got very good. maybe it's the aesthetic. maybe it's maybelinne. maybe it's lile reinhart. who knows.

[scp-torment]

AIIIGHT LESGO YOU ASKED FOR IT

As you guys know, 105 is Iris Thompson, the girl who can manipulate reality through photographs. In SCP 5000, the Foundation decides to destroy all humanity to save us from a much worse fate at the hands of the Entity, also known as IT. It just so happens to be that those are Iris Thompson's initials. That's not just a coincidence, as in SCP 3002, there is a girl that shows up in every person's memories in a single town. Recalling the memory is often a chaotic process, and sometimes causes the individual distress. They recall the girl from their childhood was Eastern European (same as Iris I think) who was new to their school. In all memories she was a pale, blond girl (also same as Iris) Lily Veselka, which can be translated and interpreted as Iris. Put simply, when you tell someone about the memory, whatever 3002 is gets access to that person's memory. FULL access. Capable of removing altering and replacing any memory, it can effectively change a person's actions and personality. Then, it can pretty much take over your mind. In this way it could easily create a MK Class EOTW scenario (end of human consciousness). Other GoIs have said about the anomaly "you should have seen this coming" and "we fear She is among us now." Now what does all of this have to do with 5000? The Entity, the 3002 entity, IT, Iris Thompson…. they're all suspiciously similar and I theorize that they are the same person. At the end of the 3002 document is a proposal for dealing with 3002, no description, and we don't know whether it was approved or not. But I think that it was, and furthermore it spawned Project PNEUMA from the 5000 article, where through PNEUMA research they connected the dots, just like I did here. (Probably not realizing it was Iris though.) So they decide to eliminate humanity themselves, instead of leaving IT (Iris) to mess with our consciousness at her will, possibly putting us through much worse than death. Why didn't IT just take over the world then? The 5000 process did take a long time, after all. Well it's because IT/3002 was put under an anti-meme, which limited its effects but only for a short period of time, allowing the Foundation to carry out their plan. All along IT had been playing along, with joining Alpha-9 and being docile and all that, only because it was under influence of the anti-meme. As you might know, in the end Pietro manages to stop the world from ending and resets reality back to the time before the Foundation decided on destroying humanity. But he also reset it back to a time where they had no idea what IT could do. Basically, after the reset, IT had free rein. The Foundation losing was the bad ending.

AHEM anyways vote iris

I DID ASK FOR IT AND I'M SORRY HOW LONG I TOOK TO RESPOND I was off wifi wandering in an endless desert.

I love connecting SCPs. Was she really playing along during her time in Alpha-9 or was she not yet aware of the extend of the foundation's actions and eventually turned on them?

And pictures are basically solid memories. I can understand an anonymous effect on pictures expanding to the nonphysical concepts of memories, I really like that concept. I need to reread all of these with this idea in mind

[ponyam]

Heyyyyyy! I can’t express how much I love your writing honestly and I really want to request something if your still taking them. Could you do a Zhongli x reader? Zhongli takes reader on a date to propose to them and could you include the wedding too if that’s too much to ask? I would really appreciate it :)❤️❤️

thank you so much! and sorry this took so long omg

devout

zhongli x reader [gender neutral]

synopsis: zhongli takes you on a proposal-date and sweeps you of ur mfkn feet <3

cw: slightly suggestive towards the end, mentions of a [food] coma, i'm a sap

The light of the morning sun shone brightly, yet the air was brisk as it nipped at your cheeks. The crisp smell of sea air wafted in from the docks, while the rhythmic chime of ship’s bells echoed off the walls of buildings, indicating that sailors had risen to greet the day and the unruly tide that awaited them.

Your hand was pocketed with his, keeping your grip warm and secure as you walked closely together through the awakening streets of Liyue. At the brink of dawn, your lover began persistently nudging you awake, peppering your face in sweet kisses while promising you with an even sweeter meal as a form of bargain. How lucky he was that it appeared to have worked.

Mornings like this weren’t totally uncommon with Zhongli, however this seemingly newfound fervor for planning a whole day trip like this was a little out of the ordinary. When you asked him what the occasion was— out of slight concern that you might’ve forgotten it— he denied that there ever was one; he simply wanted to express his “love and adoration through a little quality time together.”

Before you could press any further, something had caught your lover’s attention, as you were suddenly being ushered in another direction. He escorted you to sit at one of the tables at the Wanmin Restaurant and, once you were settled, excused himself to order food, planting a quick peck to your cheek in the process. Looking around you noticed that the area wasn’t too crowded at this time of day; there was a certain peacefulness that had settled over the atmosphere that contrasted heavily with the normally bustling streets of the harbor. Perhaps that was what he intended by waking you up so damn early.

Breakfast was delicious, as promised. It also served to ease some of the bitterness you felt towards being jostled awake at the crack of dawn. Zhongli didn’t hold back, either. Anything and everything that you might like was placed on the table in front of you, and you weren’t sure how he was able to afford it, nor if you’d manage to finish it all without going into a coma.

On top of all that, your lover seemed to have brought his own food from home, though it was neatly wrapped and sat underneath the small table. Again, when you asked him about it— not having ever recalled him making it— his reply was as vague as ever; “oh it’s just a little something for later.”

After boxing all the leftovers from the meal that Chef Mao so kindly put together despite the large request, Zhongli offered to take you to visit Dihua Marsh to show you a few of his favorite sights, and maybe even enlighten you with some of the history as well.

There was something so enchanting about the way he spoke; his deep, honeyed voice coating over his words as he recounted tales of his many years of living. He exuded the calm and sophisticated aura of a scholar, which he practically was whether or not he chose to admit it, yet his occasional naivety and silliness were equally charming qualities of his.

You failed to realize how quickly you were drowning in his presence until he directed a question at you, which you had to embarrassingly ask him to repeat. Fortunately, Zhongli wasn’t irritated that you hadn’t been paying attention, in fact he found the dumbfounded expression you wore to be quite endearing.

“I said,” he began as he reached out, gently lifting your chin with his thumb and forefinger while tucking a few stray hairs and a glaze lily that he must’ve picked earlier, gently behind your ear.

He then leaned in, arms snaking around and pulling you towards him by the waist as his breath danced along the side of your neck, lips ghosting over your skin.

“...would you allow me to take you to see a few ruins with me? There is still so much that I wish to show you…”

A sudden tingle shot down your spine as Zhongli’s lips moved to decorate your neck in soft, delicate kisses that seemed to leave a burning imprint in their wake, leaving you slightly flushed. It was truly astonishing how easily he could leave you breathless, even with such little strenuous activity. His affectionate demeanor was slightly peculiar, too, but you were hardly in the position to complain about it.

“Then show me,” you replied, managing to tame the swarm of butterflies that had almost completely consumed you.

Letting out a deep chuckle, Zhongli withdrew his kisses while his hand moved to cup your cheek. He hummed in satisfaction, admiring you with his glowing amber gaze for a moment before speaking.

“Gladly.”

That afternoon was spent with Zhongli as your tour guide as you traversed the various decaying stone structures throughout the Guili Plains, Luhua Pool, and finally, Jueyun Karst, where Zhongli recalled some of his early memories of the adepti with a fond smile adorning his face. You quickly discovered him to be quite the archaeological expert, not that you ever doubted it of course, but he seemed to have quite the knack for uncovering intricate little mechanisms that had been hidden away and preserved in stone over the course of the last few millennia.

He was also very adamant about showing you many of Liyue’s great sights, and was not afraid to express this by taking you to every available vantage point, regardless of how far or out-of-reach it seemed. Even if you claimed to be exhausted, Zhongli would simply carry you the rest of the way because you were going to see this view. And what a view it was. From up high it was easy to take in almost the entirety of Liyue in all of its golden splendor, which was the original intention in bringing you here. This was something that he spent years constructing and cultivating, something he took great pride in and fought hard to protect. It was his world, and you were his crowned jewel.

As the sun was beginning to set, Zhongli escorted you back to the harbor before excusing himself to quickly go and “check something,” sending you off once again with a sweet kiss, and asking you to meet him at the peak of Mt. Tianheng in about twenty or so minutes. You smiled to yourself as you waved goodbye, curious as to what he had in mind and slightly amused by his frantic behavior. You thought back to your earlier denied inquiries regarding what was so special about today.

Perhaps now you would get some answers.

When you arrived at the rendezvous point, well, least to say you were taken aback. Laid out before you was a spread of a variety of your favorite foods, including desserts and a tea set, accompanied by an array of flickering candles that illuminated the small picnic blanket as well as the single glaze lily that grew nearby. Just past it stood the man that you had fallen in love with, his back turned as he watched the sun sink beneath the clouds.

“What’s all this?”

Immediately you caught his attention.

“Ah, there you are, my dear,” he said, turning slightly to face you. “Come here. I have something I’ve been meaning to show you.”

He extended his hand out towards you, a gesture for you to stand beside him. You approached him hesitantly in an attempt to not disturb the lovely display he had assembled for you, while letting his arm gently drape itself across your shoulders.

Your breath caught in your throat. By the Archons, the view was stunning. Sure, you had been sight-seeing all day and this could hardly be any different from the last dozen places you trekked to watch the skyline, but there was something about the way in which the glowing aura of the evening sky reflected off of Liyue and the twinkling sea of its harbor that left you in completely awestruck.

Had you not been quite as transfixed as you were in that moment, perhaps you would’ve caught sight of the distant, far-away look in your lover's eyes. Maybe you would have noticed the way he was fidgeting slightly, or the way his eyes were no longer trained on the view, but on something far more radiant.

“It’s beautiful,” you said, snapping him out of his trance.

Zhongli smiled, enjoying watching the awe and wonder twinkle in your irises.

“Indeed it is.”

You felt his arm lift away from your shoulders.

“But I think I have found something far more precious.”

You felt his hand slip into yours.

“Oh really? And what’s tha—”

When you turned, Zhongli, Rex Lapis, the former Geo Archon, was kneeling before you, regarding you with such an adoring gaze as if you were the deity to be revered, answering your question without needing to utter a single syllable: ‘You’

“(Y/N),” he began, giving your hands a light squeeze. “There is much I’ve been meaning to say to you, but I fear that I have such little time,” he sighed. “When I first gave up my gnosis, I found myself wandering aimlessly, unsure of my place in this world now that I was no longer Rex Lapis. I am now just a mortal man, with no duty to my people. It was a… foreign concept to me, at first. I wasn’t sure how to lead a carefree life, with a clear and resolute heart, until I met you.

“I never anticipated to meet someone quite like yourself, nor did I intend to fall in love as deeply as I have, but I hold no regrets. You have shown me true happiness, and for that I must thank you.”

Zhongli pressed a kiss to your knuckles as you felt your eyes begin to well up with tears.

“Each day spent with you is as valuable as gold to me. Our time together is boundless. I knew not my place in this world before, but I now realize that it has always been right here with you.”

He let out a shaky breath.

“(Y/N), my love, I cannot imagine a world without you in it, and I wish to form a new contract with you from here on out, so please…”

Reaching into his pocket, Zhongli produced a small, black box. Inside was a beautiful jade ring, crested and adorned with gold.

“...will you marry me?”

—

It was a warm summer’s night, and the moon rose full, its light ricocheting off of crystalline streams of water as they cascaded down the high cliffs which surrounded you. The air was humid, but somehow the combination of mist and the gentle night’s breeze made each inhale feel more rejuvenating than the last.

Fireflies were out tonight. They were dancing about you and your fiancé as you stood together side by side adorned in matching hanfu, rapidly beating hearts synchronizing to the same rhythm. It was a relatively quiet ceremony. There weren’t too many guests, and the venue was fairly secluded, making the process feel much more intimate.

After lighting the altar candles and paying respects, a tea ceremony was held, followed by the exchanging of vows. A few adepti were present, as well as some close friends and family members. Seldom did you release each other’s hand, regardless of what you were doing or who was looking. It provided a sense of security for the both of you, a silent reminder to one another that ‘yes, I’m still here, and yes, this is real.’

Although Zhongli is known for being a very composed gentleman, he still found it difficult to restrain himself from sweeping you off your feet and twirling you around while kissing you all over; he was overjoyed, though he was not the easiest person to read.

Instead of performing such an extravagant display of affection, Zhongli opted for a single, chaste kiss once you completed in saying your vows. It was extremely tempting to turn that one kiss into many, much more passionate kisses, but Zhongli was still quite aware of his audience, giving him reason to hold back.

After the wedding reception was held and you had just sent off the very last guest, your husband pulled you aside, albeit a little harsher than intended. You let out a small yelp as you collided with him, surprised by his sudden brazenness.

“You look divine,” he spoke softly, admiring you as you were bathed in moonlight.

A hand then moved to brush some of the hair away from your face, while his other remained gently clasped with yours. Soft lips moved to caress your forehead, and then your temples.

“I have been waiting for this moment for a long time,” he continued.

His lips then moved to your cheek, then jaw, lingering there for a moment while his hand cradled your face.

“Longer than you can imagine,” his voice was deep, sultry, and right in your ear.

He moved to repeat the same process on the other side of your face.

“So forgive me if I’m a little selfish tonight.”

He kissed the tip of your nose before moving his lips to hover over yours, warm breath mingling with your own.

“I must make up for the lost time, after all.”

Zhongli sealed his promise with a kiss that was deep and devouring, conveying all the emotions he had ever felt for you as well as one last, simple message:

'I am utterly and wholly devoted to you.'

[aurorablue22]

Scarface - Young!Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: Somebody decides to mess with Moony. 

(A/N): This can be interpreted as a platonic or romantic relationship between Remus and the reader, it hasn’t been specified! Also, as far as I know, I have created the names and characters of Michael Bershire and his crowd. 

Warnings: violence, blood, mention of scars, heavy swearing. If you are sensitive to these things, please do not continue below the “keep reading” line. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a typical Sunday night for Remus Lupin. As per usual, he had picked up prefect duties for this evening, and wandered throughout the corridors of the castle. 

Midnight was fast approaching, and Remus paused for a moment. Due to him being a werewolf, his senses were amplified, meaning that one of his abilities was superb hearing. 

Lupin cocked his head towards the dungeon staircase, where he heard a bit of commotion. He didn’t even have a moment to approach the noise before the cause was revealed. 

Michael Bershire and his Slytherin gang. 

Remus forced himself not to roll his eyes. Of course, they just had to be out while he was on prefect rounds. 

It seemed that the five lads didn’t notice Remus until he cleared his throat. They quickly snapped their heads in his direction.

“Lupin, ol’ chap! What’re you doing out so late? Haven’t you got a book to read?” Michael Bershire held his head up high, an annoyingly perfect grin plastered on his face. His gelled auburn hair reflected so strongly the candlelight in the halls. 

Remus had to refrain from rolling his eyes as Bershire took a few steps forward. “Gentlemen, it’s approaching midnight. I’ll have to ask you to return to your dormitories.”

“Oh and that we will do! It’s just, we’re a bit preoccupied at the moment. Isn’t that right, lads?” Bershire looked back at his companions, who nodded fervently. 

Remus was taller than Bershire, but because of his horrible posture, they seemed to be on the same level. He bit back a grimace when Bershire’s painfully minty breath stung his eyes. 

“Now if you’ll excuse us, we have business to attend to.” Bershire dramatically turned, his house robes swishing behind him. 

“Well then,” Remus says, “I’m afraid I’ll have to report you to your head of house, and I don’t believe you’d want that to happen. So if you don’t mind-”

And just as dramatically, the Slytherin boy whipped around again. 

“What was that, Scarface?” 

Before Remus could even form words, Bershire was stalking towards him. 

“How dare you speak to me in such an authoritative tone? After all, you’re... well you’ve got mud in your veins!” 

“And blood on his face.” one of the boys behind him added. Remus recognized him to be Adam Percival, the greasiest boy he knew. 

“You’re right Perce, he does have blood on his face. What, was ol’ Minnie upset you didn’t grade her papers for her? Or was it-”

“Shut it, Bershire.” Remus tried his best to compose himself, but couldn’t seem to look away from his shuffling feet. The full moon was only a few days ago, and he’d been left with a couple scrapes around his jaw and cheeks. 

Michael Bershire was baffled. That is, until he came up with another one of his clever ideas. 

“Boys, I’d say we teach Lupin a little lesson. After all, he should know - given his crowd - that snitches are frowned upon.” The 5 Slytherins slowly stalked towards Remus. “And you know what they say-”

“Snitches get stitches.” 

It was then that Remus was swiftly grabbed by two of the boys, and his arms were held behind him as Bershire swung at his stomach. Once they’d decided he’d had enough, Remus’ arms were dropped and his knees buckled under their forceful kicks. 

They pushed him onto the ground where they continued to harm him; kicking and hitting with all their might. It seemed like ages before they let up. 

Slowly, they backed away, but not before Michael could kneel before Remus’ shaking form. 

“Remember what I said, Lupin.”

And with that, he stood up and hurried away, while Remus was left alone in the dark corridor. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius’ head perked up as Remus entered the common room portrait hole. 

“Moony you’re back! Merlin we thought you got lost-”

“Where ya been, mate?” James cut him off. “We had to play three extra rounds of exploding snap waitin’ for you!”

Peter sat up from his position in front of the fireplace. “Alright Moony? You seem kinda quiet-”

“Good Godric Remus, you look awful!” Sirius shouted when Lupin faced them. 

“Yeah, and I feel just as great.” he said, taking a seat on the worn out couch. 

James came to sit on the armrest beside him. “What happened Moons?”

After Remus came to explain the series of events, the rest of the Marauders were fuming. 

“Oh I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him!” Sirius shouted as he kicked over a coffee table.

“Sirius please, not now!” Remus groaned, covering his ears. “All I want right now, is to go to my room, and get a good night’s rest. Alright? I’ll deal with this bullshit in the morning.” 

“Here, we’ll help you up.” James offered his arm, to which Remus took politely. Just as they were lifting the lycanthrope off the couch, they heard giggles coming from the staircase leading to the girls dormitories. 

“Who’s there?” Peter whisper shouted, receiving a “You bloody idiot!” and a slap from Sirius. 

“It’s just us!” Marlene whisper shouted back, as she, followed by you and Lily, entered the common room. 

“What the hell are you doing up?”

“Nice to see you too, Black.” Marlene raised an eyebrow. 

“If you really wanted to know, we were hungry, and figured the house elves might have some snacks for us. What’s your excuse?” Lily said, crossing her arms over her pajama top. 

“Remus just got back from prefect duties, figured we would-”

“Sweet Merlin Remus, what happened to you?” you suddenly exclaimed, making Peter jump. 

You rushed over to him, taking hold of his face, forcing him to look at you. 

“It’s nothing (Y/N), really. My transformation was a little rough, that’s all-”

“Remus, your transformation was three days ago. What the bloody hell is all this?!”

“Bershire beat him up.” James confessed. 

Remus turned to face Potter, shooting imaginary daggers at him. 

“She was bound to find out anyway! Besides, look what he’s bloody done!”

“Michael Bershire did this to you? That bastard-” 

Remus gently removed your hands from his face. “Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I really don’t want to deal with this right now. Can somebody please just help me to my room?” 

The boys swooped in and half carried Remus to their dormitories, while you and your girls quietly said goodnight. 

“Can you fucking believe that?!”

“Marlene, hush.”

“That fucking twat. Oh, I can’t wait to see what the boys have in store for him. I bet-”

“Marlene, please! Remus said he didn’t want to deal with this right now, so we’re dropping the subject. I say we go back to our rooms and get some rest.”

“But I’m hungry!”

“Swallow your spit. Now c’mon.” Lily ushered Marlene back up the stairs, before turning back and taking your hand. 

“You alright, (Y/N/N)?” she gave you a knowing look. 

“I’m with Marlene. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily was the earliest riser in your dorm. That being said, she took it upon herself to wake the rest of you up in the morning. You’d had a half decent sleep, and as you rubbed your eyes awake, you heard the playful banter of Marlene and Alice.

“Marls, get a move on!! You know what we said about those Hollywood showers!”

“It’s Americano, Ally!”

“I don’t give a damn what it is! Get out!”

You and Lily were ready before the rest of the girls, so you walked arm in arm down to the Great Hall. It wasn’t until the Marauders sat at your table you recalled everything that happened last night. 

“Alright (Y/N/N)? That vein in your forehead looks like its’ bout to burst.” Sirius said while grabbing a stack of pancakes. 

“Do you have an bloody clue what you’re going to do about this?! Remus, you can’t let Bershire off this easy.” you turned your head towards your favorite (and slightly bruised) lycanthrope. 

“I swear, I’m fine. And besides, the boys will work up something eventually.”

“Yea, eventually.” James exclaimed through forkfuls of food. “Moony made us promise to not even look at Bershire for a week!”

“A week?!”

James nodded enthusiastically, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk. 

“Since when do you defend bullies, Remus?!” you practically yelled, clenching the cutlery you were holding. 

“It’s not that (Y/N), it’s just-”

“It’s because he’s afraid of him.” Peter blurted out, making everyone’s heads turn. His hands shot over his mouth in realization. 

“Why is it the only time you open your mouth it’s to say something stupid?” Sirius said, hanging onto a glare. 

“You’re afraid of Michael Bershire?! Remus that’s not healthy! That’s- that’s horrible! Sweet Merlin Rem, I’ll show him what to be afraid of-” Remus cut you off.

“I’ve told you already, please don’t make me repeat myself again.” Remus placed his hand over yours. “The boys will handle this eventually. If you really love me, stay out of it.”

You settled down then, but still scanned the Hall for any signs of Remus’ attacker. The rest of breakfast carried on as usual, the rest of your friends joining you for the meal. 

Sirius walked you and Mary to class, giving you each a courteous bow. 

“Shall I pick you up after your lesson, my fair ladies?” he said in a deep bow, with a rigid posh accent. “The gentlemen and I were planning on.. err.. skipping our courses.” 

You giggled at Sirius’ poor attempt of finding a replacement word for “skip”.

“Yeah, why not. See ya then, Black!” Mary turned towards the door.

“I bid you farewell my lovelies!” he then proceeded to bound down the hallway to Astronomy, which was on the complete opposite side of the castle. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, passed fairly quickly. And just as he had promised, Sirius came to pick you up, now with James and Marlene in tow. 

Marlene beamed at the sight of you and Mary. 

“Thank Godric you’re here! I was getting tired of these two.”

James gave her a light shove. “We’ll be meeting Moony and Wormtail towards the east end.”

“Couldn’t convince Lily to come along?”

James looked like he was about to protest, but sighed in defeat. You and your friends continued down the corridor, eventually meeting Remus and Peter after their rigorous Astronomy note-taking. You soon found yourself squished between James and Remus, marching down the main hallway.

“Hey, I thought we were sticking to the east end?”

“Silly (Y/N), we were meeting in the east end.” Sirius explained, as if he were speaking to a child. “Now, we’re on our way to the west end.”

“Ah right, and it makes perfect sense to take the busiest corridor in the school.” Mary quipped, and Marlene giggled.

The walk was pleasant, and filled with greetings from fellow classmates. Every now and then, James and Sirius would snicker about something, or mutter jokes to the group. It was then, that you saw him.

Michael Bershire, proud and tall, lead his pack of nuisances opposite you down the bright hallway. Most students ducked out of the way to avoid him, and a few first years were visibly shaking at the sight of him.  

Your vision went red as you locked eyes on your target. It was time.

“James,” you slipped your bag off and passed it to your left, “mind holding this f’me?”

“Uh, yeah su- (Y/N)!!”

In the blink of an eye, you had left your friends’ sides and found yourself hurtling towards Bershire. Although you were smaller than him, the sheer impact of your collision with him knocked the two of you off your feet. You landed on top on him. 

He knocked his head off the stone floor, and for a moment you thought he’d lost consciousness. But the bewildered look in his eyes told you otherwise. It was now or never. 

“YOU BLOODY BASTARD!” you screamed, letting hell rain down on Michael Bershire. You swung left and right, pummeling his once perfectly sculpted face. You could feel the bruises forming on your knuckles already. “HOW DARE YOU TOUCH REMUS LUPIN?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU BLITHERING FUCK!”

Somehow, Bershire had managed to wrap his legs around your waist, pulling you towards him and flipping your bodies so that you were beneath him. He pinned your wrists beside your head, and you felt the concrete sting your hands. 

‘No, how dare you, you muddy little bitch?!”

And that’s what set you off. You produced a sound that could only be described as a battle cry, and flung your forehead up and into his. Distracted by the headbutt, Bershire’s tense core loosened the slightest bit. It was enough for you crunch up and bring your knees into his groin, causing him to cry out in pain. 

Using his own momentum against him, you successfully flipped around again, resuming your position above his quivering form. Your hands found themselves around his throat, and without realizing it, you were bashing his head in the ground. 

thunk, thunk, thunk.

It was only Professor McGonagall’s shrill cry of fear that brought you back to reality. 

“MISS (L/N), GET OFF OF THAT BOY!”

You felt strong hands wrap around your arms and shoulders, whipping around to see that it was the four Marauders pulling you away from Bershire. The Slytherin gang was dragging said boy’s writhing and groaning form onto a cot from the hospital wing. 

You only stopped your kicking and resistance when McGonagall approached you, pointing her finger in your face, looking more angry than you’d ever seen her. 

“My office. Now.” she spoke, in such a tone that visible shivers went down your spine. The boys had yet to let go of your arms, and half carried you down the hallway of gawking and goggling students. 

Once arriving to her office, McGonagall stood in the doorway. She looked expectant and impatient all wrapped into one. You were finally let go of, and slowly turned to the four boys behind you. 

James and Peter still looked a bit shocked, and you found little comfort in the proud look Sirius was trying to hide. But Remus’ face is what hurt you the most.

“Rem, I-” you croaked. He wouldn’t even look at you. “I’m so sorry, I don’t-”

McGonagall cleared her throat bitterly behind you, cutting you off. You whispered another, barely audible “I’m sorry”, before following the Professor into her office. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello my lovelies!! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Let me know if I should follow up with this fic! 

Also, a reminder that requests are open!! <3

~Aurora

[ymiwritesstuff]

Tenderly Perfect

Well, here it is, a Zhongli fic as I promised. I swear this man is doing things to me I can’t lmao. Also I’m not THAT deep in the lore so apologies if some things are incorrect. Anyway hope you enjoy, just some simple fluff with not much plot hehe.

Genshin Impact

Zhongli x Fem!Reader

Summary: Zhongli insists on taking you outside the city for a moment of good food, company and hair brushing.

Notes: SPOILERS FOR THE ARCHON QUESTS!, Fluff

Climbing to the highest point of Mt. Tianheng was the last thing you were expecting that day, though you should have expected as much. You have known him so long, of course he would be the one to suggest something like this. After hearing that you had never been on top of the impressive mountains just outside of the city, he was almost shocked and insisted on spending a day there, enjoying an all too lavish meal from Wanmin restaurant.

Zhongli held your hand throughout the trip, despite it not being entirely necessary, though he did save your face from hitting the ground a few times as the terrain proved to be rather unforgiving with its uneven areas and tiny pits. Being the perfect gentleman he was, he was more than happy to carry everything you brought with you on your little trip in his other hand while never letting go of yours. The action warmed your heart.

“We’ll reach our destination shortly.” He turned to you, a warm smile on his face. “The view up here is among the finest in all of Liyue.”

The way his deep voice spoke softly tingled your insides pleasantly, his hand gently holding yours as you ascended a set of stone stairs. You couldn’t help but mirror his smile, appreciating his efforts of showing you his favorite places in hopes that you would enjoy them as well. With him though, everything was enjoyable. Perhaps it was his divine presence that seemed to make every location that much better.

“I can’t wait.”

Despite learning of his true identity only recently, you had always had this underlying feeling that there was something peculiar about him. The way he spoke of Liyue’s traditions and history as if he had been present in those influential moments, was something you thought about a lot, yet it still surprised you when the truth was revealed.

Zhongli was somewhat uncertain of your reaction initially but was washed with relief when you expressed no hysterical shock or possible hostility. Since then, he has been enjoying his retirement with you with much jubilance.

You knew the journey had come to an end when Zhongli let go of your hand, allowing you to take in the breathtaking view on top of the mountain. Your (E/C) sparkled in awe as they looked around. The entirety of Liyue was visible, the whole city looking so incredibly tiny from so high up. The gentle breeze that hugged your form and swayed your hair was warm and welcoming, and you finally realized why the Lord of Geo wanted you to witness this with your own eyes.

“Zhongli this... This is…” You couldn’t find the right words because nothing would do the stunning view that bathed under the afternoon sun any justice. So you opted to just turn to him, immediately noticing his gentle smile that always made your heart swoon.

“I am glad you like the sight.”

You walked up to him and placed a kiss on his lips, being mindful of the bag he was carrying. After pulling away you glued your eyes on his resplendent golden ones, staring at him in admiration.

“It’s perfect.”

His other hand rested on your waist as you pressed your foreheads together, enjoying the feeling of having each other so close. At times like these, you couldn’t help but wonder what had you done to be blessed with someone like him. One would think that after becoming aware of his true identity as Rex Lapis, you would treat him as such. However, the person before you was Zhongli, just Zhongli, the man whom you had met while wandering aimlessly around Liyue, surrounded by unfamiliarity.

“Shall we begin?” you heard him ask, lightly lifting the bag that held the food you hadn’t even realized you had been craving. The quality of Wanmin restaurant didn’t disappoint, though you wondered if Zhongli had remembered to bring Mora with him when making his order. Though, knowing him, he most likely found another way to pay for the meals as he always did.

“Certainly.”

You helped him place a large blanket on the grass, allowing for a more comfortable experience, before placing the food that was still somehow warm on top of it, your eyes admiring the meals prepared by the famous restaurant. As you examined the sight before you, you noticed something and decided to open your mouth.

“No seafood?”

Your words were meant as a mere joke, as you were more than aware that the Geo Archon absolutely despised having anything from the sea on his plate. Still, to your surprise, he merely looked at you, slightly tilting his head to the side.

“Would you have preferred that? If you’d like it is in no way an issue for me to go back and-”

You cut him off with a giggle, finding his desire to make you happy above all else adorable.

“No, no. There’s no need. This is perfect.” You threw him a smile which he happily returned.

Once all the food had been laid out, you immediately went to dig in, enjoying the delicate flavors of the jade parcels and the juiciness of the meat rolls. With each bite you hummed in satisfaction, all the while enjoying the surrounding nature and the wonderful company.

In the midst of the dining and chatting with the gentleman responsible for this lovely picnic, the surrounding wind seemed to get stronger, as if the playful Anemo Archon himself was messing with it. You only noticed the change in the weather when the wind decided to latch itself onto your hair, causing it to fly everywhere before settling right on your face.

You heard Zhongli let out a chuckle of amusement as you moved your hair away from your eyes, looking at him with slight embarrassment in your gaze. With a soft sigh, you reached for your own bag and took out a hairbrush that you had fortunately taken with you.

“Didn’t think I’d need to use this here,” you laughed softly tracing the designs carved into the handle. It was an old brush but did its job wonderfully.

Just as you were about to start brushing your hair that had become full of knots in a matter of seconds, you felt Zhongli place his hand on top of the one that held the brush. You looked up at him questioningly. 

“May I?”

His voice was gentle as if he was asking with the utmost carefulness. You didn’t understand why though, you were more than happy to accept his offer.

“Of course.”

You gave him the hairbrush and turned your back to him, leaving your messy hair to be dealt with by the Geo Archon. Before he would start running the bristles through your locks, however, he had to inspect the brush closer. His golden eyes looked at the carvings, his mind traveling through Liyue’s long history.

“I recall a time when these handmade hairbrushes first arrived in Liyue. Traveling merchants would sell these at the harbor for a large sum of Mora,” he stated and you listened, always ready to hear his many stories and memories from a time unknown to you. “Only a few made their way to civilians’ hands, and fewer remain today.”

“Guess I’m pretty lucky then, huh?” A smile stretched his lips at your words.

“Indeed you are, my love.”

Zhongli ran his covered fingers over the carvings on the back of the brush reminiscing for a moment as he often did, especially now that he had abandoned his position as Morax. He removed his gloves and placed them beside him on the blanket before finally moving his attention to your (H/C) hair.

“Despite its age, this brush has stood the test of time rather beautifully.”

You felt the brush run through your locks, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling.

“You mean just like you?” You joked, which earned you a chuckle from the male as he occasionally ran his bare hand through your hair.

Zhongli loved your hair, how soft it felt between his fingers, how it often swayed in the wind, how perfectly it shone. It framed your face perfectly and only enhanced your appearance he was so fond of. It was as if it was touched by a divine being.

He took his time with brushing it, making sure to unravel every knot carefully as he did not want you to feel even the slightest bit of discomfort. Even if you did, though, you wouldn’t mind. The fact that he was willing to brush your hair for you in the first place was good enough and filled you with happiness in its purest form.

His golden eyes, filled with a fondness for your entire being watched as your hair regained its previous state, and even when there were no visible knots, he continued to run his hand through the strands, enjoying the softness that he had restored.

“Beautiful,” he whispered as you felt his hand move to your cheek. He turned you to face him, his touch so gentle one would think it impossible that they were used to make spears out of stone to slay an ancient god. His words, no matter how many times he said them, always made a shade of crimson dust your cheeks.

Zhongli reached for something in the bag that once held all the food items, retrieving a single Glaze Lily, fully in bloom. Your eyes glued themselves on it, staring at the stunning flora in awe.

“I picked this before our departure,” he said as if answering a question you hadn’t stated out loud. “My intention was to merely give this to you, but…”

With gentle movements, Zhongli placed the lily behind your ear, moving a tiny bit of your freshly brushed hair to the side. You watched him, drowning in his loving gaze.

“This just might be the most efficient way of doing so.”

He kept a hand on your cheek and you placed yours on top of it, wanting to enjoy the feeling of his bare hand on your skin. You smiled once more, his words sticking to you. He made you feel so happy, so appreciated, so loved. No words came out of your mouth as you slowly closed the gap between you.

Zhongli returned the kiss, keeping his hand on your cheek while the tips of his fingers grazed the tiniest part of your perfect (H/C) hair that he adored.

[petalsmooth]

Oh, and recall when Lili stans claimed she carried the show on her back? Revolving the show around her ditz of a character now with Archie tanked it.

BUGHEAD carried the show with COLE/Jughead the main driver of it. She and the writers killed Bughead, Then the writers chose to try to make him apologize several times to BETTY last year, tried to make us think he was a loser...shocker audience didn’t like it. The one good thing was Jabitha but it was a slow build and right when they finally seem to be going somewhere with the dance in the diner..split up several episodes. This show doesn’t know how to pace anything.

But when it came to their hundredth episode what did they do? Made Cole the star. Because when they actually wanted to have a show received well knew who they had to throw it too. Even still it only got so much of a rise and some of that was for returning cast nostalgia because as I said before...Barchie killed the show. 1 million people aren’t returning. Cole also had to do major press circuits to reach some of the departed fans of his to have them check out. No one else on the cast has a fanbase like that they can coerce to return for an ep.

Imagine if the show had just accepted Cole was the draw and star instead of fighting it for year’s. Would still have more viewers. People cite season one as the best but you know why it was? Not just Bughead written differently but JUGHEAD became the focal point of the season with his family and suffering. It felt like every season after that they tried to make it about Betty or Archie and it didn’t work near as well. They had a chance to capture the feel of season one when brought his mother back and instead just made her a violent drug lord rather than explore the abandonment and rejection of her son. This show doesn’t have the slightest clue why season one was so well received or in serious denial

This is why I’m cautiously hopeful about the loss of hearing episodes because harkens back to earlier drama of first season the audience can relate to. Riverdale was always over the top in some respects but at best was balanced by feelings/relationships could relate to. I can relate to Jughead’s struggle of losing his hearing and the toll takes on his loved ones as he deals with it even if I don’t identify with being caught in a bomb Hiram set off. I cannot ever relate to two disgusting Judas’ who show no remorse being presented as a romantic coupling we should root for.

[toujourspur13]

The Black family / Walburga Black / canon.

As I said before I do not care that much about canon/fanon/headcanon because transformative works by definition include a wide variety of different interpretations. However, I am forever perplexed when I see uncompromising opinions on the Black family - particularly the unwavering certainty that Sirius Black’s parents were psychotic abusers. All personal opinions aside - why is this so popular?

I mean - it’s absolutely ok to headcanon this version and to play with it - but saying 'don’t you dare say they did not physically and emotionally abuse Sirius' is a little strong, isn’t it?

This is a mystery to me. So…let’s discuss my favourite subject…Again.

Let’s stick to the facts. The frequently cited things proving the abuse in the Black family are as follows:

Sirius said his parents were awful maniacs (pureblood ideology)

he ran away from home

he was severely depressed in OoTP

Kreacher

Portrait

So…when you say that Sirius’s parents were abusive…you mean exactly what? These people got cold feet when they saw the real nature of Voldemort - I guess it somehow implies that they did not share his methods…that they were against violence as a tool to get purebloods in charge.

But then it usually goes this way: ‘well at least he was verbally and emotionally abused by his family’ - but is it so? Is this based on the portrait of Sirius's mother? She insulted strangers who took over her house and her runaway son - how does this prove anything about how Sirius and Regulus were raised and treated when they were kids? I agree it’s rather impolite - jkr did a good job showing how purebloods perceived others ( those below them) -but in all honesty, this has very little to do with Sirius and his childhood.

Why to make Sirius a victim at all? - c’mon he was tougher than this, he spent 12 years in Azkaban; are you actually saying that a portrait throwing insults at everyone is worse? I doubt that. And is it such a surprise that a mother who lost her son (that said son actually ran away and abandoned his duty) would be that furious at him when seeing him again...even if it’s only a portrait...I believe it to be a rather unpleasant experience for a parent when a child runs away.

We already talked about the portrait a lot - I don’t even want to mention it here- - I feel we should rather pay more attention to the fact that Sirius himself was not an angel.

I am not saying the colourful vocabulary of Walburga Black should be used…but Sirius himself upon seeing Snape  immediately  recognised his weakness and went for it without any hesitation …we are talking about Sirius who in fact was quite a renowned bully ( I mean - we know for a fact that from time to time Sirius and James got carried away)…

And it was Sirius who sent Snape to meet and chat with a real werewolf (yes, I agree - he was not thinking this through - he probably was just vexed and fed up with Snape and thought he wouldn’t go there, would get cold feet or idk run away…But it actually changes nothing. If a drunken driver hits someone it will be 100% his fault whether he means it or not. Whether he is in a fragile mental state or not - such situations are definite. It’s the same with Sirius - even if he did not mean anything bad he should have understood the cost of his mistake - all teenagers make silly things but not all of them send their classmate to meet a werewolf - James thought it not a very good idea as I recall… -

So we see that Sirius was not an angel from the start and I can hardly believe he was a victim by nature. His behaviour loudly manifested that he used to get what he wanted with no thought of the consequences.

And all those pictures of bikini-clad girls on the walls in his room prove that he was quite a spoiled boy who had nothing to fear from mum and dad. Harry himself noticed «Sirius seemed to have gone out of his way to annoy his parents». All this shows that Sirius was not afraid of his parents at all. What kind of masochist would suffer for motorbike posters? That would be ridiculous.

Let’s move to Kreacher: If Sirius’s mother had been a monster why even mention her heart?  JKR wrote this for a purpose and this heavily implies that Sirius's situation was never meant to be ‘the abusive heartless parents vs the poor helpless victim’.  

The fact that Sirius ran away and hence broke his mother’s heart says against the popular idea that he was not loved by his family, that he was always the second one, that they abused him. I’m 100% certain that Kreacher told the truth in that scene. Why would he say something like this if it were not the truth - something like…that his beloved mistress having been so upset over Sirius running away that it broke her heart. Just tell me one reason that would have justified such a lie - why to say this at all?

Then this: “Leave?” Sirius smiled bitterly and ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair. “Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal … my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them … that’s him.”…. “He was younger than me,” said Sirius, “and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded.”

I’ve already said it before - this ‘better son than me’ is exactly what insecure 14-year old kids like to say. Well...he’s a bit older but it’s not as if he had a life and a chance to mature. Moreover, I don’t know if it comes as a great shock but a lot of teenagers like to badmouth their parents…usually, it involves something like ‘those bloody uptight retrogrades know nothing of the real world’ (it fades away when they get closer to thirty).

To be serious, I find that it’s just another example of similarities between Sirius and his mother. They clearly did not know what it means to be composed, polite, and respectful. Yeah…I think that, on the whole, parents are owed their children’s respect (unless they are completely inadequate - somehow I don’t believe this was the case). Someone should teach both of them what mutual respect means. Anyway, there is nothing in this quote that says that Sirius was subjected to any forms of abuse - it’s about how Sirius justified his running away,  how he saw the situation.

There’s also the fact that Sirius was incredibly unhappy because he was back at his childhood home and having to spend time around anything that reminded him of his family: “Hasn’t anyone told you? This was my parents’ house,” said Sirius. “But I’m the last Black left, so it’s mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for headquarters — about the only useful thing I’ve been able to do.” Harry, who had expected a better welcome, noted how hard and bitter Sirius’s voice sounded”.

Here it comes…the severe depression that makes people question the severity of his abuse… I have thought a lot about this because it is the reason why some consider ‘the abusive blacks' canon while others believe it was more of a tragedy of the family rather than the banal brutality.

Of course, Sirius was upset in that house - but I don’t think he suffered the memories of his unhappy childhood - I think he suffered from the strong feeling of guilt. Being in that house meant an everyday reminder that he was a failure. And it’s not even a lie. If you look at his whole life you’ll see that he literally failed everyone in his life: he failed James and Lily - they were dead and he unwillingly became the reason. It was his plan that turned everything into a tragedy.

And, to some extent, he failed Harry- he was not around him like James and Lily would have wanted. Sirius did not give him the real family - he only promised they'd be the one «when it’s all over».

And finally - he failed his parents, his brother, his own family.

Is it possible to live with so much guilt in your heart?

I don't think that Sirius completely forgot who he was born to be. If the family keeps traditions and can trace its existence back in centuries you can't shake it off even if you want. I doubt Sirius switched it off just because he had griffindor friends. He was the last Black - it is tragically poetic that he was once the hope of his family and then this family died with him. If Sirius had heart (and I truly believe he had a heart) he knew exactly what it meant to be trapped in the house that represented the death of his family. A constant reminder  that he was the last one.  

“The others’ hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying person”. 

I think that the scene when he threw his father's ring away - he threw it away because it was all over for his family. It was the end of the dynasty - and for him it was all over long before he met Bellatrix for the last time.

Well, I admit Sirius' situation is open for wide interpretation but I don’t think the abusive black household is a canon thing - of course, it’s fanon. It makes Sirius a hero who broke the chains when in fact he ended up being a victim of his own life.

You know, it always seems strange to me that fandom when discussing Walburga usually overlooks the simple truth of life - that even if you are clever enough and mean good for your loved ones it is still possible to end up on the losing side, on the dark side.  However, mistakes don't automatically turn humans into monsters.

To some extent Sirius’s story represents the consequences of war.  No-one is protected; the whole families could be wiped off the face of the earth. It’s a simple yet profound idea. It correlates with the main idea of hp books far better than the ‘abusive psychopaths’ (there are already Voldemort and Bellatrix - there is no-one who can beat them in this department).

All I say - it’s okay to imagine them bad if you want- your right - but don’t write everywhere that it’s canon because it is not.There is no need for such inflexibility especially when it comes to the fandom - a place where everyone should be welcomed and their views on the books be respected.

[n1ghtw1ng-scp]

heres this scp essay I wrote to a (completely not scp related) discord server at 4am on a Sunday sitting on a stool in the kitchen. it's kinda long,,,

SCP 105 is Iris Thompson, the girl who can manipulate reality through photographs. In SCP 5000, the Foundation decides to destroy all humanity to save us from a much worse fate at the hands of the Entity, also known as IT. It just so happens to be that those are Iris Thompson's initials. That's not just a coincidence, as in SCP 3002, there is a girl that shows up in every person's memories in a single town. Recalling the memory is often a chaotic process, and sometimes causes the individual distress. They recall the girl from their childhood was Eastern European (same as Iris I think) who was new to their school. In all memories she was a pale, blond girl (also same as Iris) Lily Veselka, which can be translated and interpreted as Iris. Put simply, when you tell someone about the memory, whatever 3002 is gets access to that person's memory. FULL access. Capable of removing altering and replacing any memory, *it* can effectively change a person's actions and personality. Then, it can pretty much take over your mind. In this way it could easily create a MK Class EOTW scenario (end of human consciousness). Other GoIs have said about the anomaly "you should have seen this coming" and "we fear She is among us now." Now what does all of this have to do with 5000? The Entity, the 3002 entity, IT, Iris Thompson.... they're all suspiciously similar and I theorize that they are the same person. At the end of the 3002 document is a proposal for dealing with 3002, no description, and we don't know whether it was approved or not. But I think that it was, and furthermore it spawned Project PNEUMA from the 5000 article, where through PNEUMA research they connected the dots, just like I did here. (Probably not realizing it was Iris though.) So they decide to eliminate humanity themselves, instead of leaving IT (Iris) to mess with our consciousness at her will, possibly putting us through much worse than death. Why didn't IT just take over the world then? The 5000 process *did* take a long time, after all. Well it's because IT/3002 was put under an anti-meme, which limited its effects but only for a short period of time, allowing the Foundation to carry out their plan. All along IT had been playing along, with joining Alpha-9 and being docile and all that, only because it was under influence of the anti-meme. As you might know, in the end Pietro manages to stop the world from ending and resets reality back to the time before the Foundation decided on destroying humanity. But he also reset it back to a time where they had no idea what IT could do. Basically, after the reset, IT had free rein. The Foundation losing was the bad ending.

Well no one asked for this, but I wrote it anyway cause it makes me ✨️feel useful✨️- if anyone has any questions, or find something wrong with this (which true scp fans probably will) go ahead and tell me :)

[kamilah-the-bloodqueen]

The Cafe Pt.2 (Rewritten Barista)

OMG I’m back with the shitty Kamilah fanfiction! I haven’t written for a while - let alone for this series since I took a writing hiatus to focus on my classes so hopefully there aren’t any plot holes and the fic doesn’t suck ass. I’m slowly getting back into my writing but I still have finals (Up until next April 28) but after finals I will be writing more consistently and will finish my current series and WIPs (I will post my WIPs list soon so I can hold myself accountable and also keep track of what I need to work on).

Pairing: Kamilah x MC (Amy)

Word Count: 3682 words (I am trying to write longer fics but I prefer quality > length so I will post when the chapter feel right however I aim for this series chapters to be between 3500-4500 words each) 

Taglist: (I know it’s been a while so if you’d like to be removed from the taglist just let me know - I promise it won’t hurt my feelings that being said if you’d like to be added to the taglist for just this series, my Kamilah x MC taglist or my perma tag - please let me know I’ll be happy to add you if I remember to even tag) @samanthadalton @beautifulandorganized @cloud9in @kwaj115 @hellyeah90sbaby @shows-simp-card @witchesplayatnight

Part I

“It’s...sweet and comforting,” her voice was soft as she spoke, Amy’s cheeks turning very red, “like you.” 

Amy felt on cloud nine, her eyes glued to Kamilah as she watched her walk to her car and speed away like some rich movie character. Amy closed her eyes, replaying the entire scene over and over until the soft jingle of the bell startled her. Zig walked in, his shoulders drooped low as he carried a large duffel bag in his hand as his backpack slung over his shoulder. 

“You look like shit Zig.” Amy jested before walking to him and taking the duffel bag from him, both of them laughing lightly.

“I guess the tides have changed since we went to Hartfeld yeah?” Amy snickered at Zig’s comment, recalling the time she and her friends had gotten so wasted they streaked through the quad only to be caught by the dean on their way back.

“I assume you’re leaving after your shift?” Amy placed his bag down and tossed him his apron, both of them moving to the front counter as Zig examined the cafe. 

“Yeah, we aren’t technically leaving until tomorrow morning but Kaitlyn wanted to run over some of the more technical things with us. I could probably convince them to let you come, you’d definitely spice things up.” Zig waved his hands in the air and stuck his tongue out as Amy tried to glare at him, before breaking into laughter. 

“And who would watch the cafe? The pigeons? Lily?” 

“You’re right, I still feel bad about leaving on such short notice-”

“I’ve got this Zig, trust.” Amy held her head proud as Zig rolled his eyes, making sure Amy saw him. “Jerk.” She nudged his shoulder as a tall handsome man walked in, it took Amy and Zig a moment to realize who he was as he adjusted his tie. 

“Adrian Raines? CEO of Raine’s corporations?” Zig’s head perked up as he approached the register, his suit was a steel grey, his hair a dark brown that resembled a fresh cup of coffee and his smile was so comforting and infectious Amy couldn’t help but smile at him. 

“You must be Zig,” Adrian reached a hand forward, his teeth were so perfect, so straight and white he could have been in a toothpaste commercial, “and you must be Amy. Kamilah recommended this place. More specifically she recommended your special coffee. I had to come see for myself - she said if she had ordered one for me, it wouldn’t have made it to my office.” His voice was soothing, comforting and satisfying - Amy wanted him to read a bedtime story to her.

Amy’s eyes widened as she felt butterflies in her stomach, her palms growing sweaty as she smiled back at Adrian, his deep brown eyes very similar to Kamilah’s without the intensity. Zig gently tapped her shoulder, nodding towards the coffee machine as he rang Adrian’s drink up.

“Oh! Right!” Amy hustled, she was excited that she had two major CEOs trying her special coffee, it was a subtle flex that she found satisfaction in. She leaned back on the counter as the coffee slowly spilled out of the brewer, the strong smell prompting Adrian to turn for a moment before continuing the conversation with Zig. Amy took a moment to take him in, after all, not everyone gets to be within such a close proximity to a major CEO. Amy hadn’t noticed how muscular he was, his posture was so irritatingly straight, his hands were smaller than she expected and she tried not to laugh upon that discovery. His hair was slickly combed back, and his eyelashes were longer than Amy’s and his body complex was just muscular enough to be seen through the curves of his suit but not so muscular as to resemble Dwayne Johnson. 

“This is a solid set up you’ve got for yourself Zig, you should be proud.” Adrian adjusted his tie to be straighter as Zig rolled his shoulders back with a proud smile on his face.

“It took a lot of work but it’s...something I have wanted since college. I’m sure you understand that feeling since you do run one of the leading technology companies in the world, not even just the United States.” Zig folded his hands into his arms as Adrian turned with a soft gaze, a twinkle in his eyes that Amy couldn’t quite put a pin on.

“Well I’ve had years to grow and create a base for myself, with the connections I have in other industries it was really only a matter of money and finding the right people to work with me.” 

“How long did it take you?” Amy finished his coffee off with a generous serving of caramel and stirred it gently as Adrian blinked at her. 

“A long time, I’m much older than I look.” He laughed and Amy couldn’t help but question why he was so vague, he was only 28 years old according to google. 

“You don’t look a day over 22.” Zig interjected as Adrian and Amy held each other’s gaze, Amy couldn’t help but question his eyes, there was something he wasn’t letting on and she could feel it in her stomach. She handed him the coffee and watched his expression change as the warm liquid met his lips. 

“I can see why Kamilah was so intrigued, this has to be one of the best drinks I’ve ever had.” Adrian’s phone rang with drumming that sounded like it was from a revolutionary war movie. 

“Strange ringtone.” Amy remarked prompting Adrian to smile and shake his head. 

“I love the revolutionary war, the fight for freedom will always be an admirable one.” He smiled at Amy before turning to Zig, “I need to head back to my office but I’ll be sure to invest in this cafe of yours, and for you Amy. Thank you.” He reached into his pocket and handed Amy what appeared to be $300. 

“No wait it was just a cup of coffee!” Amy tried to shove the money back into his hand but Adrian had already dashed out of the door, leaving Zig stunned with a smile and Amy baffled. “What the fuck. I will never understand rich people Zig.” 

“I mean hey, it’s a good tip and you need the money Amy. Now, about you watching the cafe, are you really sure you can handle it alone? It’s a tall order.” Zig furrowed his brows as he scanned the empty cafe, his hand reassuringly placed on Amy’s shoulder. 

“It would actually be a venti order, but I’m sure. You need a break buddy, I can see it in your eyes and you should be there for Kaitlyn and her band.” Amy placed her hand over Zig’s as two women walked through the cafe doors. 

“Alright then, now let’s finish the day.” Zig returned to the register as Amy began fixing the women’s orders. 

The day passed by slower than usual, Amy kept replaying her interactions with Adrian over in her mind, with Kamilah’s earlier remark fading as Amy questioned Adrian’s shadiness. 

“That could not have gone by slower.” Zig let out a long sigh and Amy watched the tension leave his broad shoulders as he locked the front door. “After today I don’t have any more doubts about that trip, I need a break.” 

“That’s all I’ve been saying dumbass, go on. You need to pack and I can clean up here tonight.” Amy joked as Zig looked around nervously.

“Amy this place is a mess, we were so much busier. I can’t leave you to do this by yourself.” Zig reached for the disinfectant wipes as Amy smacked his hand. 

“Get out of here and go pack or you’re straight.” Amy wiggled her brows at Zig who took a step back. 

“Oh fuck off. All the tips from today are yours though. You take all the tips or you’re a vampire lover.” Zig winked at Amy who rolled her eyes and pointed towards the door. Zig stopped and patted her shoulder on his way out. 

“Thank you so much Amy. I’m glad you’re working here and I’m glad we were able to reconnect.” Zig and Amy shared a nod in silence before Zig left the messy cafe to Amy. 

“Now it’s just me I guess. Time to play some music.” Amy smiled and pulled her speaker out of her backpack, putting “Sit Next to Me” by Foster the People on and showly shaking her torso to the beat. She held the broom in her hands and started sweeping to the beat of the song, her head shaking to the rhythm as she sang her heart out. She finished sweeping the floor and began washing the blenders and wiping down the counters, stopping every five minutes to dance to the chorus of whatever upbeat song was playing. 

“She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts. She’s cheer captain and I’m-” Amy swung her hips around, the washcloth in her hands flying through the air as she swayed her head back and forth like a teenage girl. 

“On the bleachers, dreaming bout the day when you wake up and find that what you’re looking for has been here the whole time.” 

Amy froze like a deer in headlights as she turned to see where the voice came from - Kamilah was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed and a very amused look on her face as Amy slowly lowered her arms in embarrassment. 

“How much of that did you see?” 

“Oh no don’t let me interrupt you, please keep going.” Kamilah smirked and Amy felt a rush of adrenaline run through her. Instead of stopping and apologizing, she found herself hitting the play button and continued singing and dancing like Kamilah wasn’t even there.

“If you could see that I’m the one who understands you! Been here all along so why can’t you seeeeeeee, you belong with meeeee!”

“Standing by and waiting at your backdoor, all this time how could you not know babyyyy? You belong with meeee.” Amy blinked as Kamilah sang with her, the woman's voice was stunning and left Amy speechless as their eyes met in the dim cafe lighting. The way Kamilah’s voice sounded in combination with the low and heated gaze she had on Amy, it felt like she was just reading her thoughts out loud. In a flash Kamilah was standing in front of Amy, their bodies so close Amy could feel the woman’s warmth and smell her sweet scent as the music faded and Amy lost herself in Kamilah’s brown eyes. 

“You belong with me. Have you ever thought...just...maybe...” Kamilah’s voice slowed from a singing tone to a low whisper, she leaned close as the song came to its end, Amy couldn’t help but sing back to her. 

“You belong with me?” She knew it came out shakily, the subtle smirk on Kamilah’s face said it all as they stayed locked in the moment. Amy knew they weren’t just singing to Taylor Swift’s new album, it was unspoken words between the two of them that neither had the courage to previously say. Amy felt her heart speed up, her palms growing sweaty as she waited to see if Kamilah would sing back to her or not. 

“You belong with me.” Kamilah leaned forward to kiss Amy, both of their eyes fluttering shut as the music stopped and time came to a slow. Amy wrapped her arms around the woman’s shoulders as their lips almost met, before Amy’s ringtone blared from her backpack causing Kamilah and Amy to jolt apart. 

Amy rushed over to check the call, scanning the screen and reading Lily’s name made her less annoyed that her almost kiss was interrupted, but still not happy. 

“Hey Lil what’s up? Oh yeah, I’m sorry I let Zig get out early so he could pack so I’m not gonna be home til late tonight. I’m so sorry. Yeah. Oh that’s good, I’m glad! You can def tell me about it later. Yeah? Oh yes I gotcha, I’ll venmo you for the rent once I hang up. Yeah okay goodnight Lil.” 

Amy hung up the phone and opened her venmo, sending Lily the $550 for rent, completely ignoring the fact Kamilah had made her way close to her again. As soon as she put her phone back in her bag, Kamilah turned her back around to face her, the woman’s eyes sparkling in the soft lighting that surrounded them. 

“Kamilah, how did you get in here? We’re technically closed and Zig-” Amy was silenced by Kamilah dangling what appeared to be a copy of the cafe key. 

“I helped Zig fund this cafe, I can come and go as I please, I just prefer to make his life easy and stay out of his way. He said you might’ve needed help cleaning up tonight since you let him go, so I came to help you clean, but instead I found you giving a world tour with no audience.” 

Amy felt a blush crawl up her face, her heart pounding so loudly it rang in her ears as she felt Kamilah’s hand on her arm. She pulled her eyes away from Kamilah’s, unsure of if it was because she was embarrassed, scared, flustered or a combination of all three. Kamilah gently placed her index finger under the girl’s chin, softly pulling her to meet her gaze as she spoke slowly.

“You don’t have to kiss me Amy,” her voice was comforting and lacked the iciness it usually carried, “just say the word and I won’t come to the cafe while you’re here alone.” 

“Kamilah...I...it’s not that...it’s just...” Amy stuttered but leaned forward, unable to reach Kamilah’s lips because of her height. Kamilah leaned down, tracing her index finger over Amy’s throat as their lips softly met. Kamilah slowly took Amy’s lower lip in her mouth, sucking on it and prompting a soft moan to escape Amy’s mouth as she draped herself into Kamilah’s arms. Minutes passed by as their mouths remained locked together, only pulling apart so they could finish cleaning. 

“Come on Amy, let’s get this place clean so you can get home.” Kamilah picked up the roll of paper towels and began drying the blenders and stacking them neatly to Amy’s surprise. Kamilah was a powerhouse, which was something Amy had expected from her since she radiated power like a goddess, but it was her ability to clean so damn thoroughly that confused Amy. 

“Kamilah?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t want to sound rude or anything but-”

“How did I learn to clean so well for an extremely rich person?” 

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t always this wealthy, and I still prefer to clean my own penthouse since there’s certain ways I like my things placed and kept. The safest hands are our own and I like to be self reliant. Cleaning also makes me feel quite liberated and I keep valuable artifacts in my home that I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting anyone else touch.”

“Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you.” Amy spoke softly as she wiped the last chair down and stacked it. She turned as Kamilah slid her blazer back on and leaned against the door. Amy slung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed the leftover pastries from the counter but stopped on her way out as she noticed Kamilah waiting for her by the door. 

“You don’t have to walk me home Kamilah.” 

“It’s 1 am in New York. I wouldn’t let anyone walk home alone at this time, besides it’s safer and I don’t think Zig would forgive me if something happened to you.” Kamilah lowered her voice to a faint whisper that Amy could barely make out. “And I couldn’t forgive myself if I let something happen to you either.”

Amy felt sparks up her body as she let Kamilah hold the cafe door open for her, before they both turned to lock it. 

“Well I’ll let you do that since you’re running this place for the next week.” Kamilah took a step back as Amy shakily locked the cafe up, letting out a relieved sigh. She started walking and felt comforted knowing Kamilah was with her, because she didn’t want to walk home alone in the dark despite her earlier remarks. They walked in silence, Kamilah staying close to Amy as they passed by the food bank, Amy tensing as she passed by the same alley that had haunted her ever since she saw glowing eyes that one time. She hastily made her way into the food bank, dropping the bag off with the receptionist and hurrying out the door to get back before anything else could freak her out. 

“Kamilah, how do you know Adrian?” Amy asked as they walked away from the food bank towards Amy’s apartment. 

“I handle Raines Corporations finances. Raines Corporation does all of their financing through Ahmanet Financial and so we’re good business partners but we found good friendship through the years.” There was something suspicious about the way Kamilah spoke, it gave Amy the same feeling when Adrian was asked about her age but she just could not put a pin on why she had this feeling. “Amy? Are you alright?”

“Oh yeah sorry, my mind went off on a tangent.” Amy stopped at the front of her apartment building, she turned to face Kamilah who basically glowed in the dark. The moonlight illuminated her features, her brown eyes shining brightly and her hair shimmering as Amy felt her breath catch in her throat. “Thanks for walking me home..not that I can’t handle myself but-”

“Of course Amy. See you tomorrow.” Kamilah smiled softly, placing a gentle kiss on Amy’s cheek before turning and disappearing into the streets, Amy sighing as she walked through the lobby, getting in the elevator and finally arriving at her apartment door. 

“Hey Amy, how was work?” Lily sat up from the couch, putting her PS4 game on pause as Amy collapsed on the couch next to her. 

“It was alright, I let Zig leave early so he could pack and I was cleaning and totally jamming out and Kamilah saw me but she joined me and we kissed…” Amy giggled as Lily squealed in excitement.

“OHMYGODD what was it like?” Lily perked up like a child ready for a bedtime story, her hands shaking as she waited for Amy to explain.

“Electric. God Lily I don’t even have words for it. My head was spinning and the world just fell away.” Amy swayed back and forth as Lily hugged her. 

“Well maybe you’ll have a date with her soon. Oh, I made beignets tonight, they’re on the counter! Let me get you some!” Lily stood up and rushed away, returning quickly with a beautiful plate of freshly made beignets covered in powdered sugar. 

“I swear you’re the best suitemate ever. Absolutely unparalleled.” Amy bit into one of the sweets, savoring the softness and sweetness of the perfect sweet treat. “God Lily this has to be your best recipe yet!” 

“Girllll no way, I saw this recipe for key lime pie that I’m dying to try this week.” Lily exclaimed as she pulled up the recipe on her phone, Amy taking another beignet from the plate. 

“You should go to a baking school or something Lily. Maybe open a bakery?” Amy suggested as Lily passionately explained the process of baking her favorite desserts. “Maybe you could bake for the cafe?”

“Nah, this is a hobby. I want to finalize my website for my computer business this week. But that’s a nice suggestion.” Lily stifled a yawn at the same time Amy did, both of them laughing at each other. 

“Damn so we’re both two tired dumbasses. It’s 3 am...we should get some sleep.” Lily suggested as Amy realized she’d only be getting a few hours of sleep. 

“You’re right. Do we have any energy drinks in the fridge though? I’m gonna need one before work.” 

“Yeah I bought more redbull and monster so you can take your pick, but I’m gonna crash harder than windows so g’night Amy.” Lily shuffled to her room as Amy did the same - collapsing in her bed and savoring the few hours of sleep she was going to get. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Amy arrived at the cafe 20 minutes before opening time, her bag in one hand and a redbull in the other as she unlocked the cafe. She put her bag down and started the opening process, the redbull slowly kicking in as the time passed by quickly. Just as she finished counting in on the register, the door jingled open and Kamilah stepped through the cafe doors. 

“Good morning Amy.” She smiled at her with those perfectly straight teeth and that damn irresistible smile. 

“Good morning Kamilah, here’s your coffee. Both ways.” Amy handed the cups to Kamilah, their fingers gently brushing during the exchange.  

“Amy...about last night…” Kamilah spoke softly, gently, in a sweet voice that Amy never expected from her. 

“Oh...did...you want to forget it?” Amy’s heart dropped, a deep pain forming in her stomach as she awaited Kamilah’s response. 

“No. I...I enjoyed it a lot.” Kamilah’s tone changed from sweet and confident to a shy and lower voice - was she flustered? 

“So did I...maybe...well if you have time tonight maybe we can do it again?” Amy suggested as she wiped the counter down. 

“I’ll be here.” Kamilah smiled, their eyes meeting for a moment before the jingling of the door interrupted their moment. “See you later Amy.” Kamilah waved as she left the cafe. 

The day passed by achingly slow, but eventually after several strange tik tok orders, a bunch of big wall street assholes and a few sweet customers the cafe was ready to close. Amy began cleaning the cafe, starting with just wiping the blenders clean as the door jingled, Amy turned and expected to see Kamilah - but it wasn’t Kamilah in the doorway. 

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

What do you think of James Potter? Personally I think he is a 1. Class asshole but I also love Snape who did everything wrong so I might be just a bit biased? Also you mentioned some headcanons you had and I am very much interested, what are the headcanons you have that are most interesting/you stand by the most? 👀

Oh you really do want people to throw stones at my head, don’t you?

He’s an ass.

Even after he married Lily and ‘grew up a bit’ per an awkward Sirius Black trying to explain how routinely sexually harassing Snape as well as almost murdering/infecting him with lycanthropy via Lupin wasn’t a big deal. 

I won’t say I’m unbiased, but I’m not exactly pro-Snape either so I suppose I have that going for my opinion.

Everything we see of him pretty much shows him as one of the villains from “Carrie”, even his ‘good’ moments. James intervening before Severus could get himself mauled by Lupin always read more as an action to save Sirius and Lupin’s asses rather than Severus Snape. As shown by the fact that the Sirius and James friendship didn’t waver at all despite Sirius just having almost murdered a classmate because ‘it was funny’. James didn’t feel bad about any of that, he felt bad there were almost major consequences.

Now, Sirius does tell us that James grew up a lot as evidenced by Lily marrying him. First, this is terrible evidence, it tells us nothing about James, just round about implies he is no longer a dick because Lily would never marry such a huge asshole. 

Harry buys it because he’s desperate to have a father figure to worship and is very rattled by the idea that his parents had serious flaws. I’m much more dubious that someone can change that much in a very short amount of time with relatively few life altering events (yes I know a war is on, he had to go into hiding, the Snape incident happened, etc. but that doesn’t really change James’ world view. He doesn’t have to change how he perceives himself).

We also get some hints that James continued being a dick even after he and Lily got married. 

The big one I can recall is the reason Dumbledore gets the cloak. Now, I’ll be up front, Dumbledore tells us that James loaned it to him after James told him about it. Dumbledore was very interested in the hallows and believed that in James’ cloak he’d finally found the cloak. James and Lily then died so Dumbledore never had to return it until Harry was eleven.

However, you can never believe a word out of Dumbledore’s mouth, especially when directed at Harry. This gets into other head canon lands but suffice to say that when it comes to Harry, Dumbledore has an agenda, and it wouldn’t do to rattle Harry’s perception of either him or his parents too much (especially at this late stage).

We do have another, more believable, angle on the story of ‘why does Dumbledore get the cloak’.

Lily writes to Sirius that Dumbledore 'borrowed’ the invisibility cloak and that James is now upset as he can’t use it to go on ‘excursions’. 

Translating this into a non-passive aggressive tone: James had been routinely using the invisibility cloak to sneak out of hiding and go hang out with the bros and Dumbledore probably confiscated it for the family’s safety. Regardless of whether James willingly handed the cloak over (something I doubt given he’s upset about missing it/how useful it is/it’s a precious family heirloom), James was sneaking out while under fidelius, while they’re pretty sure there’s not only a spy in the order but one in their close circle of friends, and he’s leaving his wife and one-year-old son who are on a hit list trapped in that house never knowing if he’ll come back so he can live it up a little.

Should Voldemort have caught James, he wouldn’t have needed Pettigrew. All he needed was to imperio James and use him as the Potter family assassin. James seems to have no idea that this could possibly happen to him, the dangers he’s putting his family and himself into, and is now home pouting because mean old Dumbledore won’t let him have fun.

So, clearly, even after Hogwarts, the rules don’t apply to James Potter.

Of note, this is Lily writing to Sirius, James’ best friend. I’m sure whatever emotions and tensions are really going on behind the scenes in Godric’s Hollow aren’t really conveyed here. (I head canon that the young Potter marriage was in very rocky territory and probably would have ended immediately when/if they could come out of hiding).

So, yeah, James is an ass.

That said, is Snape a saint who should not be held responsible for any of his actions? God no. Snape shouldn’t have been routinely harassed by James and company, shouldn’t have been abused at home, and all around lived a shitty life. However, he made horrible choices, was at least at one point clearly a racist, and later chose to routinely take out his bitterness and anger on children. He’s a great character, but the dude has issues.

Otherwise, as shown by this, I have many headcanons. Honestly, though, they’re so goddamn nuts that unless someone point blank asks after one of them specifically I’ll just let you all speculate. Plus, explaining some of the stranger ones would be at least the length of this post if not longer than that.

[bootyyy-shaker9000]

So for the mud dogs one can you do one of the reader being the Robin Hood type (stealing from the rich and give to the poor) and the reader is close friends with Leonard and he kind of looks up to them for being so honorable (never admits it though). But they do a heist together and Leonard finds out after that its for an orphanage and they hang out after (and upon seeing the reader give so much to the children and the kids all loving up on the reader just made that orgers heart swell) and he can't help but confess his feelings for the reader. Please and thank you ❤❤❤

Not Many Care, But You Do

L.Leonard x G-N! Reader (Oneshot)

Relationship: Pining - Romantic 

Warnings: Cursing. This is a long one, lads

Leonard stood by you breathless as you both found refuge in a nook behind the Hidden City Train Station. The aged pilings that held up the towering tracks above you trembled as the rush-hour train chugged on by. Your backs clung to the brick wall you rested on, for the time being, taking a moment to gather your bearings. 

Raising a hand to grasp at his chest, he wheezed, “You think we’re in the clear?”

You made an effort to pull yourself to the building’s corner, taking a peek out into the overly crowded street. Noting the lack of familiar uniforms in the sea of yokai, you nodded over to your friend in affirmation. “Yeah, yeah we’re good.”

“Finally.” With an exasperated sigh, he pathetically collapsed to the ground as his knees gave out beneath him. “I’m sick of running from those pigs, my feet are killing me.”

“Maybe you can buy a pair of trainers with that moola.” 

“The day you catch me wearing sneakers will be the day I die.” 

Leonard huffed as he withdrew one of the wads of cash he had spewing from his pockets, stroking his thumb over the paper’s edge. You watched as he did so, tossing the bag you had originally slung over your shoulder to his side. 

“Take your share, but don’t take too long.” You spoke, leaning back on the wall and crossing one ankle over the other. 

Leonard raised an eyebrow to you, dragging the sack of loot between his legs while he patted the dirt by his side. “We just ran a mile, sit yourself down for a minute.” 

You eyed him as you contemplated his gesture. Soon enough you gave in and crouched down to his level, your knees clicking in the process. As Leonard rummaged through the bag and tallied up the count in his head, his eyes flickered once or twice over to you. “What’re you in a rush for anyway?”

“I just gotta make a stop somewhere.”

“You gonna elaborate on that?”

You sent your friend a sly grin. “No, I don’t think I will.”

“Pft, fine then, keep your secrets.” Leonard’s lips tugged up before shaking his head, turning his attention back to his lap. It only took another moment or two for him to finish totalling up your win, then he handed the only slightly lighter bag over to you and cleared his throat. “You did most of the work back there so, uh, you can have ten per cent off of my share.”

Touched, you replied with a hearty smile. “Thanks, man. But most of this isn’t for me anyway.”

“What d’ya mean, where’s it going?” Leonard stared at you perplexed as you made way to get back to your feet, dusting off your backside in the process. While one hand accommodated the bag in your grasp, his gaze turned to the one you held out to him. 

“I’ll show you, come on.”

***

The two of you kept to the alleyways as much as possible as you lead the way to your mystery destination, which by the way, you still refused to share with the ogre. The area seemed run-down, forgotten almost. The afternoon was beginning to draw a close, with the sun’s amber gleams sitting above the boarded-up buildings you passed by. 

He was aware that the closer it got to sunset, the sooner more authorities would be patrolling the streets for their nightly shift, which wouldn’t have been such a worrisome thing if it wasn’t for the fact you hit your heist at the brink of midday. Now they’ll have two clear faces to look out for, so you couldn’t blame him for getting itchy. 

“Are we getting close? We can’t be walking around all night.”

“We already are here, dingus.” You stated over your shoulder before quickening your steps, springing up to a nearby set of stairs. 

The building they neared towards wasn’t too grand and lacked much detail appearance-wise, aside from the large plaque that was nailed above the doorway that read: ‘Apple Blossom Children’s Home’. 

Leonard breathed out a quiet “huh?” to himself before gradually making his way towards the entrance step by step.

Turning on your heel, you faced him with a wince. "Just, be nice for me in there, okay?"

"When am I not?"

"Funny."

Your friend tsked from behind as you raised a balled hand and banged a patterned knock on the door's acre panel. Scrambling could be heard from the other side, a muffled voice sounding before the door flung open soon after.

In the entrance stood a dishevelled nekomata, her hair and clothes tussled. Though her ears perked once she took notice of your familiar form, while also straightening out her whiskers in the process.

"Y/N! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? Get in here, come on." With a wave of her hand, she ushered you into the establishment. While Leonard stood hesitant, you assured him with a simple smile, nodding towards the woman's direction before walking through the doorway yourself.

He stepped into what upon first viewing seemed to be a lobby of some sorts, accommodated with aged lily-pink plaster and the occasional drawings graffitied on the lower half of the walls. On the end before him, a few feet away or so stood a desk, worn and commonly sat at told by the mountains of documents and multiple empty mugs.

He ceased his footing once he felt something catch beneath his sandal, twirling it with his heal he noticed it was a discarded doll, one of many other toys that were scattered across the carpet.

"Kita! Put Jacob down, we have guests!" The cat yokai called out, a bang and a set of giggles heard in tow. Slumping her shoulders with a sigh, she turned to meet your gaze. "I swear it's gotten crazier since the last time you were over. So who's your pal?"

The ogre's cheeks dusted a light pink at the sudden attention drawn to him, though it was subsided as you stepped forward in reply.

"Ena, this is Leonard. He's a close friend of mine."

Ena's bright eyes caught a glimpse of his before a knowing grin pulled at her lips. "Close, huh? He's a shy one, isn't he?"

"W-well I-" He made way to stutter out a response but a childlike shriek reached his ears, wincing as he turned to see the culprit sprinting to your side.

"Fleshy!" The child gleefully yelled, reaching to you with outstretched hands. Ignoring the commonly used nickname, you reciprocated their greeting by sweeping them up into your arms.

"Hey, you! How you doin'?"

"I just squashed a lizard outside!"

"Oh, well, isn't that nice." You deadpanned, while Leonard seemed just as amused as you as he stifled his own snort.

Ena once again sighed, pinching the corners of her eyes. "I've told them to stop calling you that."

"It's fine, honestly." You chuckled, before adjusting yourself to hold out the sack you had previously propped on the ground. "Here. This should keep you going for the next month or so."

The cat scrutinized the bag in your grasp. "Y/N, you don't have to keep-"

"Ena. Take it, okay? It's not any trouble, and I know you need it. Much more than those flashy broads that wouldn't think to even spare a dime."

Your gaze held an encouraging glint, and you further gestured for her to take the bag despite the child that was wriggling in your clutch. To save herself from further prodding, all too aware of your stubborn nature, Ena accepted the bounty and quickly set it beside her counter.

As Leonard took in the scene before him, he rubbed his fingertips against his gloved palms at the sight of the woman's glossy eyes. Then his regard fell upon you, so much warmth emitting from you as you carried the ever-so giddy toddler. He would be lying if he said the entire situation wasn't pulling at his heartstrings.

Ena sucked in her bottom lip, smiling at you wholeheartedly before coiling her arms around your neck, while you hugged her back with your free arm. Choked up, she whispered. "You're a Saint, you know that? Seriously, I don't know where I'd be without you."

Releasing you, she sniffled, gathering herself before turning to your friend, who seemed to jump at her sudden gaze. "And you! Thank you so much."

Leonard almost acted on the urge to mention how he had no idea about the transaction, but he was cut short as she took him into her embrace also. Caught off entirely by the friendly affection, his eyes met yours over her shoulder in apprehension. Though all you did was grin and the small yokai in your arms gestured for him to hold her back.

In an awkward attempt at doing so, the man placed a gentle hand on her shoulder blade with a light pat. "It was nothin'."

"Sorry." Ena chuckled nervously, looking between the two of you. "I just- agh, this just means so much to me."

You laughed along with her, making way to stand closer to Leonard's side. Though, a little birdy on your shoulder drew your attention elsewhere.

"Your boyfriend's staring."

"Wha-"

"Oh my gosh- Kita, scamper!"

"Okay, I'm gonna go call for a pickup."

***

The ogre perched on the stone steps, patiently waiting as you bid your goodbye's inside. He rested his elbows on his knees as he loosely crossed his arms, looking off into the streets where the sun resided, scarcely peeking over the horizon.

He couldn't get the entire last hour out of his head. He couldn't shake the ceaseless butterflies gathering in his belly while he recalled the way you smiled over at him, while you held Kita. How you smiled over at Ena knowingly despite her protests.

Leonard was aware of how compassionate you were towards others, in your own simple way of doing so. It's what made his admiration grow for you in the first place.

You were just so...considerate. Never would he have thought he'd become so attached to someone like you...

"You call them yet?"

The familiar voice reeled him out of his daydream, soon enough mentally slapping himself for jumping as hard as he did.

"Uh, yeah. They'll be here in ten."

"Cool beans." Your feet clipped as you jumped down a step or two, releasing an exaggerated sigh as you sat down beside him.

Sensing the newfound silence, Leonard rubbed up and down his bicep, coughing out before he spoke up.

"So, 'Fleshy', huh? 'M guessing they haven't really come across a humie before." 

You let out a breathy chuckle. "Nah. To be honest, they don't get to see many people at all. Unless it's their social worker..."

Leonard hummed in acknowledgement. "So how long have you been doing this for them?”

“About, uh...a year now? I’d say? Yeah. I’ve known Ena for quite a while, though.” You huffed lightly through your nose before slumping into a similar position as the ogre. “She loves those kids to bits but, she struggles so much. She’s practically on her last legs, and it doesn’t help when the taxes come to bite her in the ass. There’s only one other coworker there and they always fuck off to god knows where, so she’s having to take care of fourteen kids on her own-”

“Y/N.”

Your eyes snapped towards his. “What?”

“Catch your breath, don’t want you passin’ out on me.” Leonard released one of his rare hearty laughs, which never seemed to fail at making your blood rush to your ears. 

“Right. I just- I just can’t stand by and watch her suffer like this, knowing she’s been there for me so much in the past. I would’ve done it even if it wasn’t to owe her back. If people need help and nobody else is gonna do something about it, then I guess I will. That’s just how it is.”

“You mean...that’s just how it is, with you?” Leonard added, taking in the incredulous look you shot him before turning his stare towards the cobbled roads. “I’m not saying it’s bad, you’re just a nice change of pace, is all. There aren't many people out there like you, people who care as much as you. Hell, I’ve barely been that person. But you’re just so... genuine a-and thoughtful. It’s amazing. I don’t get it, if I’m, uh, being honest with you.”

He breathed out another laugh, although this time it was to mostly to cover up his growing nerves. His eyes flickered towards yours before continuing. “I get that people have morals and shit, most of ‘em anyway. But you, y-you’re...”

Leonard stumbled as he caught sight of your sudden proximity, so close he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander, noticing the short, soft breaths that passed your parted lips. He quickly swiped his tongue over his bottom lip as he felt his chest ache for you to be closer.

“Y-” 

“OH LOVEBIRDS~”

“You have got to be kidding me?”

Despite being aware of who your two interrupters were, and were about to awkwardly make way to where Charlotte was parked, Malicious just had to flash the headlights for extra measure.

“Get in the fucking car, we’re gettin’ Linguini’s tonight! Wooo!” The eel practically screamed at the top of his lungs, and in return you could hear a muffled: 

“Keep it down, will ya, or we won’t get takeout at all.”

“Sorry, D.”

The ogre made sure you were up and behind him before taking aggravated strides towards the van, nearing up to where Mickey sat in the passenger seat. 

Holding a tight grin, his friend quipped. “So, kids, how was your date?”

That earned him a palm to the face, pushing him back into his seat through the open window. 

"I take it not so well."

A scowl was etched deep into leonard’s mug as he flung open the sliding door, stepping aside to clear way for you to enter first. Though as you stepped into the van, you tilted Leonard’s chin up to meet your warm gaze. Before he could comprehend the action, you placed a careful, chaste peck to his lips. The act seemed to have eased his tension, because he found himself reflecting the smile you held as he closed the door behind him. 

“We have a rear view mirror, guys, c’mon.”

[starrysnowdrop]

“Here, take my hand— don’t look.”

Sooooooo here’s something I’ve been wanting to write for a LONG time, but now I have the excuse to finally get it all out. This takes place at the church not too long after the Massacre of the Waking Sands and Yume is just getting to know Cid, well, technically he’s Marques then. I think I’ve finally got it to where I’m happy with it, so here it is. Enjoy!!

((Thank you so much @mythopoet-of-amaurot for the great prompt!! There’s also a very brief mention of @faerieearthangel’s WoL Rei Tokugawa.))

“Here, take my hand— don’t look.”

Yume x Cid

1,120 Words

About a week had passed since the Hingan ronin Yume Aino was taken in by the Church of St. Adama Landama after the massacre at the Waking Sands. Today was of particular note, however, as the last few of the bodies were brought to the church and every victim had now been given a proper burial. After hours of the grueling sun beating down on her as she helped carry bodies, dug graves, and laid flowers on all the plots in the lichyard, Yume was finally able to sit and relax a bit before she laid down to rest.

The Auri woman was sitting in one of the pews in the back row staring straight upwards at the church’s rafters while mindlessly gliding her fingertips over the soft, silky petals of a Nymeia Lily. Her mind began to wonder as she beheld the faces of her fellow Scions in her mind’s eye: Thancred, Y’shtola, Yda, Papalymo, Urianger, Arenvald, Tataru, and Minfilia... Though she still held on to the glimmer of hope that they were still alive, Yume silently vowed that she would avenge them, avenge their fallen order, and avenge the ones that were lost.

The problem was that Yume had no idea where to go from there. Eorzea was still a strange land to her, and though she had read much in her time in Kugane before sailing across the sea to her new home, she still felt lost and did not know what course of action was in her best interest... especially since she wanted to find her comrades alive. Although she could try to reach out to her cousin Rei at the Thaumaturge Guild in Ul’dah, or her fellow adventuring friends, Yume ultimately decided that she should lay low for a little while, in order to process all that has happened.

In time, she would figure out what she must do, but for now, she felt so welcome at the quaint little church on the hill, overlooking the small desert settlement of Camp Drybone. Father Iliud... Sister Ourcen... everyone was so kind and helpful, especially Marques. His shining silver eyes seemed to always smile at her with warmth and sincerity.

Marques had been tasked with looking after her by Father Iliud, but Yume sensed that he would have done so all the same even if he wasn’t asked to do so. There was something about being in his presence that made her feel at ease and so genuinely happy, and she quickly realized that she wanted to just be around him more and more as the days passed.

As her thoughts drifted to the white-haired bearded man with the smiling eyes and the rich, sonorous voice that she could listen to for hours, light footfalls sent the Raen back into the present moment. She turned and the man that weighed so heavily on her mind was standing before her in the flesh.

With a gentle smile, Marques inquired, “Oh, there you are, Yume. You were able to rest a bit, I hope?”

“Yes, thank you. Did you need help with anything else?” Yume asked as she stood up and laid the lily down on the pew before returning her gaze to Marques.

Chuckling, Marques answered with a particular joviality in his voice. “You are too kind, but no, that’s not why I was looking for you.”

“Oh?”

Yume saw a light blush across his cheeks as he seemed to briefly hesitate in his reply.

“I... uhhh... there’s something I wish to show you before you go to bed. But you must close your eyes first, as it’s a surprise.”

“A surprise? For me?” Yume asked as her eyes grew wide in suspense.

With a nod and a brilliant smile, Marques offered his hand to his Auri companion. “Yes. Here, take my hand—now remember, don’t look!”

Yume couldn’t help but to giggle, as she suspected that Marques likely had no idea of Hingan customs, and taking someone else’s hand was considered an intimate gesture that was reserved for lovers in a private setting. Yet, somehow, as she really couldn’t understand why she felt no hesitation at all, she reached out and placed her hand in his.

“Alright,” Yume answered simply, despite the furious beating of her heart and her sudden breathlessness.

As Marques’ fingers closed around hers, Yume shut her eyes as she was told. Without any visual stimuli, the strong and firm yet gentle hold of Marques was all the more heightened. The warmth of his skin on hers was all that she could focus on.

Yume could feel the warm air hit her face as Marques led her through the doors of the church and into the lichyard.

“Don’t worry, I’ll guide you.”

“I trust you, Marques,” Yume replied with the words that rang through her mind. It was the only explanation that Yume had for why she was so willing and eager to hold his hand and let him lead her to who knows where.

After walking for about a minute, Marques let go of Yume’s hand and said, “Alright, now open your eyes.”

Yume opened her eyes and gasped at the sight. It was the night sky over Eastern Thanalan, and was by far the most beautiful sky she had ever seen. Off in the distance was the towering wall of orange crystals that illuminated the land for malms, and complimented the stars above perfectly.

After a few moments of staring in awestruck silence, Yume finally could find words. “‘Tis beautiful! I do not recall ever having seen more stars in the sky... and the crystals are so bright!”

Marques chuckled and folded his arms. “Well, it had been so dreary and overcast for the past few nights, so when I realized that it was clear skies tonight, I knew that you must see it.”

Yume turned to him in curiosity at what he just said. Why would he feel like she had to see this? Why was he so thoughtful of her?

Before Yume could finish her thought, Marques continued, “The people call it the Burning Wall, and those are corrupted crystals that formed after the descent of Dalamud. Though they are highly dangerous and volitile, they do make for a particularly gorgeous sight.”

With a nod, Yume grinned as she returned her gaze once more to the horizon. “‘Tis such a wonderful surprise! But... why share such a perfect view with me?”

The Raen was not prepared for Marques’ answer to her inquiry.

“Well, I guess I just wanted to see you smile.”

With tears threatening to overflow, Yume fought back to compose herself, but she could not fight the beaming smile as she turned towards Marques and simply replied, “Thank you....”

[hpdabbles]

Hello, I just found your blog and wanted to let you know that I absolutely adore your writing! Honestly, I've spent the past few hours just scrolling and reading and honestly it was time well spent!!

I absolutely adored your fae!Harry story (I think it was called 'what's in a name') and the time travel one where Harry takes after Lily, if you were thinking of writing a part 2 for either I'd absolutely read them! 😊💞

(But also absolutely no pressure or anything like that, you write what makes you happy! 💗)

Hello! Thank you so much for your sweet words! I’m really glad you like those two they are some of my favorites. Sure I’ll write ya a part 2! This is for the time travel one where Harry takes after his mom more, I’m dubbing it “From Your Mother’s Side”. Enjoy!

James kept a closer eye on Harry as they “lead” him back to the Gryffindor’s tower after the welcoming feast. He found it rather interesting that this pretty redhead seems to know his way around the castle, and entered the Gryffindor common room like it was second nature.

He didn’t once falter in his steps, sure where he was and where he was going all the way up to the fifth year dorm. It was rather fascinating for someone who claimed to never been to Hogwarts. 

Sirius and Remus were glad to show him about anyway but he was sure the two picked up on the same thing after allowing Harry to go and unpack not once leading the boy. The Mauraders are six years now and unfortunately for his two mates that means Harry will not be rooming with them. 

Harry will have two roommates- the year following the marauders was a sad year for the house of Gryffindor- who are eager to take over the tour. 

As a group they all relocated in their dorm, ignoring their other roommate Simon Minsky who did his best to stay as far away from their pranks as he could and piled on James’ bed. Peter charmed the curtains shut, Remus fluffed up the pillows to lean on, Sirius stretched out and took more space than he needed to and James provided the sweets.  

Once James was sure everyone had either a sugar quill, chocolate frog, or Carmel caldron  he spoke “So the new transfer....anyone thinks he’s a little off?”

“Very off,” Peter said around his quill. 

“If by off you mean he looks like every wet dream come to life then yes” Sirius sighs fanning himself. “I’ll love to take that boy on my motorbike.”

“Sirius please your embarrassing yourself”  Remus cut in without any real bite so James didn’t have to yell at him for it. “Yes he is pretty but even you know that something about the way he walks and talks is strange. Moon after him once we figure out-”

“Funny you should say moon, Moony” Sirius wags his eyebrows which prompted Remus to pick up a pillow and hit him in the face with. The dark hair boy laughs as he nearly falls off the bed but his strong grip on James keeps him right on the edge.

“Getting back to the point,” Peter says rolling his eyes which makes James crack a smile. “I don’t think he’s up to anything dangerous, the bloke doesn’t look like he could hurt a fly. If anything he looks rather delicate.”

“So does my Lilypad” James counters. “And we all know Lily  Evans could kill us and then go paint her nails with our blood.”

“Looks can be deceiving. Take my cousin Bellatrix, for example, she seems like a proper lady to the public but I’m telling she suffers the worst case of Black Madness the likes which haven’t been seen in the last few generations” Sirius adds, shifting his body closer to the others. “He also didn’t seem like the cowering type. Humble and more reserve yeah, but not cowering.”  

James nodded his head at that.  “I think he is hiding something. Did anyone notice just...how much he seemed to recognize us? Or the way he reacted to being introduced to Longbottom?”

The seventh-year perfect stopped them earlier when they first entered the common room to greet and welcome Harry but the fifth year hadn’t reacted much to him until he learned Longbottom’s name. 

For a moment Harry looked like he choked on his spit in shock and James bet his left shoe it wasn’t because Frank Longbottom was unfairly naturally built like a brick house.

“Maybe we can test him,” Remus suggests, making the others turn to their strategist with interest as the werewolf was the one usually behind the most successful pranks. The half-blood smiles at them innocently.  “What if we give him a false sense of security with us, slowly condition him into revealing what he is hiding? We could also keep an eye on him with the map and see where he goes.”

“Why would we need to do that?”

“Because he’s sneaking out of his room,” Remus says pointing down at the Maurder’s map where Harry Hedwing’s foots steps were in fact moving away from the tower. The other blink surprise the werewolf activated the map so quickly without them the wiser but lean in to see where Harry is going.

They watch him make a full circle around the castle somehow barely dodging the patrolling perfectly until he seems to tried and goes towards the headmasters’ office. There he wanders around the room, pacing a few times stopping every few steps and James thinks he may be talking to the portraits if he is mentally recalling the room correctly.

Bizarrely, Harry then makes his way to the ground floor girl's bathroom the one Moaning Myrtle haunts and simply, disappears.

“What? Where did he go!?” Sirius gasps jumping up as the others also jerk in surprise. This never happen before, their map never lied and it always knew where anyone in Hogwarts was. No one had just disappeared from the parchment. 

“M-maybe he did apparition?” Peter suggests. 

“On Hogwarts ground?” Remus counters, climbing to his feet. “The wards wouldn’t allow it.”

“Well what do you think happened?” Sirius snaps also getting up. The werewolf gives him a sour look but they all know the Black tends to snap at anyone close by when nervous so he lets it go after throwing his hands in the air.

“Did..did he die?” James whispers because it’s the only explanation he can think of.

The other three twist to stare at him in horror, none of them liking the suggestion but none of them able to deny the high positivity. Peter hugs himself, Sirius goes pasty white and Remus’ already tense face tightens even more. They sit around not know what to say or do. Eventually, after who knows how long, James takes the initiative. 

“We have to go get his body.” He holds up his hand to stop whatever the others are going to say while biting his lip.  “Look, we can’t send a professor ahead of us without basically admitting we know where his body even though we didn’t see it and not make us look like murders. We have to give up the map to prove we didn’t do him in and you all know most of the charms in that parchment are illegal. We can’t have anyone from the government get a close eye on us, not with Moony. Leaving the bloke there until some unlucky girl finds the corpse is not right either. We have to go.”

Peter starts to shakes and Remus has to push his head between his knees to get his breathing back to normal. After much debate, it’s decided that James and Sirius would go to the bathroom to set up a prank and would “stumble” across the body. 

Then they would come racing back to wake Remus so the perfect could alert the professors. Peter had been fed a sleeping draught since he couldn’t handle lying about such a thing and he needed an alibi should the professors come question him.

The two set out with paint balloons and heavy hearts, the map tucked safely in Sirius' pocket while they moved at a steady pace underneath the invisibility cloak. As they walked not one dared to say a thing, even though they desperately wish the silence was gone. 

The darkness of the castle, with it’s sleeping portraits made the trip that much more eerie. 

James half wanted to tell Sirius to go back because he knew his best friend wasn’t really in love with Harry Hedwig but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel something for the teenager they met earlier that night.  Another selfish scared part of him didn’t want to be alone open the bathroom door. 

James hated that part of himself.

They stopped in front of the door, removing the cloak to carefully roll up, and stood there for a few minutes. As if through, deep down they didn’t want to push open the wood and come face to face with the reality that waited for them. 

Eventually, James sigh stepping forward and reaches for the knob-

Only to jerk back when the door moves on its own, Harry Hedwig’s startled green eyes boring into his, very much alive and very much covered in some kind of dark liquid, carrying something wrapped in his school robes. 

“Oh! You surprised me!” The boy says, his red hair falling around in a wind blow mess. He looks like he just came out of a losing side of a fight, face bruised and gashes on his knees where the trousers have been ripped.

“What brings you out this late at night?” Harry asks casually acting like this was a common everyday encounter and not one of the strangest nights of James’ life. 

“What brings us-what about you! What are you doing? Why are you covered in-is that blood!?” Sirius blurts and true enough the dark liquid James had noticed is in fact blood. He feels sick. 

“I had stuff to do,” Harry says shrugging not looking like the delicate flower that he did at his sorting “That stuff put up a fight.” 

“What?”

Harry studies them closely and James feels like he should take out his wand in order to defend himself but then he remembers he left it at the tower. He always had the bad habit of forgetting his wand, his mother once warn him it could one day kill him but James never thought she would be right. 

Hopefully, Sirius wasn’t as forgetful because, with the map on them, their friends would never know what happen to the two if they do not make it out of this alive.

“Any of you good at skinning a snake?” Harry jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “You have a nasty pest in your pipes.”

James takes a chance to look over his shoulder and faints when he sees the giant basilisk head that is laying in a pool of blood with its body half leaning out of a giant hole leading from the sinks. 

A second thump is heard later as Sirius like the loyal friend he is follows suit. 

The next morning everyone is talking about Harry Hedwig not only finding the Chamber of Secrets, slaying the Slytherin monster with the help of the Gryffindor Sword but also being strong enough to carry both his new housemates to the school healer. 

He’s only been on Hogwart grounds for a grand total of twelve hours before everyone knows how utterly insane the transfer student really is, pretty or not.

[that-bi-bitch-writes]

The Rumor Around Hogwarts (Ch.2)

Chapter Two: Goodbye Old....

Male reader insert for now, future addition of they pronouns as it will lean more towards a non-binary insert with the only change being less reference to Y/N as a young boy and more gender neutral terms. Still masc/male aligned.

Previous // Next

(Your POV)

Your mother is….. A little eccentric. And if you’ll recall, notoriously late. So when you actually took the time to read over your letter you took notes of dates and times. The first one was September 1st, the start of term. Your mother most likely would not let you miss the start of term, or the train to Hogwarts, well actually she might, but she would most definitely forget to take you to Diagon Alley until last minute. Like the time when you were in muggle schooling and had to show up with parchment, quills and ink and not notebooks and pens. Luckily that was easy to explain away (far easier than the whole being a mind-reading legilimens with an extraordinary power that you hid from everyone including your mother). The experience made you decide it was better for everyone if you were the one to keep track of dates and times as well as keeping spare materials on you at all times (thank god for your recent discovery of magic it was hard carrying so much around at once).

You were not popular in muggle school. It was weird enough that you came to school with strange things like parchment paper, ink, quills, and weird animals like snow owls that flocked to you. But you also talked about living in a giant house that you could never invite your friends to. That was really suspicious. Because you were such an odd person people were kind of interested in you. You were like the perfect example of “weird isn’t always bad”. Interest did not mean people wanted to be your friend. They kind of just checked in on you like a show you watch out of boredom and not because you like it.

Your oddity did gain you one friend. He was weird too. But the type of weird that gets sidelined or shunned. He was lanky and had dark skin and feminine features. In a country full of white kids you could see how he was treated like an outsider. To you he was absolutely beautiful, a little too pretty to be considered handsome. But you were drawn in by his sociable personality and it felt a little bit like fate, the two of you meeting. You befriended each other over a riddle. You’d answered correctly even though he wasn’t speaking to you and his eyes lit up. Honestly you’d miss Dante. Maybe you could tell him about wizards and finally invite him over your house during breaks. He could be trusted. Right?

 (Harry POV)

“I’m a what?”

“A wizard, o’ course,” said Hagrid before sitting on the sofa. It groaned and sank lower, “an’ a thumpin’ good’un I’d say, once yeh’ve been trained up a bit. With a mum an’ dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An’ I reckon it’s abou’ time yeh read yer letter.”

I reached out my hand to take the envelope addressed to me in emerald green. I’d never had a letter addressed to me; it was a new experience. But what was more insane is the precise address on it. I’m not absolutely convinced about me being a wizard but if there was one way to make sure this letter got to me no matter what, it was magic. 

After reading the letter, questions exploded in my head. Especially about the boy in the zoo. If wizards truly did exist was he one of them? He said he’d keep my secret when the snake got out almost as if he’d known I did it. What if he did know. Will I get to see him again? I don’t know much about him but besides Hagrid no one had really been as kind to me. Despite all the questions about the boy flying around in my head, I wanted to keep him secret. 

“What does it mean, they await my owl?” I asked instead. Hagrid opened his mouth as if he intended to respond but instead cursed? and pulled out a ruffled looking owl, wrote a letter and gave it to the owl, throwing it out into the storm like it was normal. Uncle Vernon, ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the fire-light and said “he’s not going”

I was pretty convinced magic existed but the final nail in the coffin was the dursley’s refusal of me attending Hogwarts.Not only did Uncle Vernon hate anything abnormal, but he openly despised anything that would be good for me.

“I’d like ter see a great muggle like you stop him” Hagrid grunted

“A what?” I said interested 

“A muggle.” said Hagrid “ it's what we call nonmagic folk like them. An’ it’s your bad luck you grew up in a family o’ the biggest muggles I ever laid eyes on.”

“We swore when we took him in we’d put a stop to that rubbish” said Vernon “swore we’d stamp it out of him! Wizard indeed!”

Hagrid’s fat comment flew over my head at the time because I was so confused and slightly angry by the events going on. “You knew? You knew I’m a -- a wizard?

“Knew!” shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly “Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that- that school- and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and LIly that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!”

She stopped ranting, looking like a weight was lifted off of her chest, took a breath and continued:

“Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you’d be just the same, just as strange, just as- as- abnormal- and then if you please she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!”

I felt myself go white. “Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!” Apparently that infuriated Hagrid because he started going on about me not knowing my own history. The anger washed away when I asked him to explain . Apparently my parents were close to Dumbledore and a dark wizard named Voldemort killed them and vanished after trying and failing to kill me. Thanks for the scar I guess.

Hagrid’s anger returned twice. Once when Uncle Vernon began demeaning me and my parents and the other time when he’d insulted Dumbledore. As I laid down to sleep, I was glad Hagrid was a friend. I wondered about the boy at the zoo, would he be a good friend to me too?

[shenglingyuan]

title: the answer is you (ao3) pairing: sherlock holmes/william james moriarty

this was more of an emotional outlet from ch 53 cw: charadeath, but also canon divergence...maybe if i manifest it enough no one will have to die in canon

The package came with a small white envelope and a withered lily. With only one glance, Sherlock can roughly estimate the time from when the lily was plucked until it has arrived at his doorstep: two months.

 It’s also been two months since William James Moriarty’s “death”.

 “Someone left it at the doorstep,” John relays to him tentatively. He has come to visit Sherlock, who has holed himself up in 221-B ever since that fateful day. He doubts the sun has touched his skin; Sherlock looks as pale as a corpse, as unkempt as the dwellers on the street. He looks considerably thinner, too, and for a moment, John is worried.

 “Did you see who?” Sherlock’s voice is almost mechanical, but his eyes hold a rare light.

 “No, but whoever it was, they made sure that someone from here will receive it.”

 “Thank you, John. You don’t have to worry about me.”

 He reaches for the envelope with steady hands and a trembling heart. Only when John takes his leave does he brave to open it ever so carefully.

 A familiar handwriting greets him —

             My dearest Sherlock Holmes,

              Would you fancy solving one more puzzle with me?

 The funeral had been a quiet one, if it could be called a funeral at all.

 They said they found the body all mangled up along the banks of the Reichenbach River, and was sent back to Britain for identification by the Yard. It was only after that the corpse was burned and his death was announced in public.

 As a despised individual by both commoners and nobles alike, only the solemn silence of the small graveyard served as mourners in William James Moriarty’s burial. Sherlock never once dropped by.

 But here he is now, two months later, sitting in front of his epitaph. There is almost no one around except for the old man who keeps the graveyard clean. Sherlocks holds the note he received ever so carefully; just a few words, that’s all. It wouldn’t seem much, but the note came with the withered lily. He clearly recalls, when Mycroft had said he would visit Moriarty’s burial for official reasons, he had been carrying the same lilies.

 Logically speaking, since this is William he’s dealing with, that guy would have considered that he and Mycroft have met on that day, thus using the lily as his first clue.

 A giddy feeling arose in sherlock’s heart.

  Perhaps…?

  Just then, a familiar shade of blond catches Sherlock’s line of sight. He abruptly turns around —

 And finds Louis walking towards him with a bouquet of daisies in hand.

 Sherlock tries to hide the disappointment. Maybe, Louis is just another hint provider.

 “Did Liam send you here?” he asks as soon as Louis reached hearing distance.

 “I visit this grave every day, Mr. Holmes,” Louis curtly answers.

 Unlike William and Albert, this younger Moriarty is less known by the people. For this reason, he can go around much freely without being hunted like a criminal –though, he truly is one.

 “But you do have something for me.”

 Louis nods then reaches out from the center of the bouquet — it is a similar-looking envelope from the previous one, sealed and all. He tries to give it to Sherlock, all the while avoiding his gaze.

 “Did I disappoint you?”

 Louis looks at him then, confused.

 “You asked me to save Liam. I said to leave it to me, but I have a vague feeling that I failed,” he inhales deeply, as if to fill the sudden emptiness he felt with air, “I can understand if you don’t want to see me anymore. Thank you for bringing this note to me.”

 “It’s not that you disappointed me,” Louis answers, looking at the bare tombstone that only contains William’s name, “Brother has just proved too much of a rival for you.”

 Sherlock smiles wryly at that. This young chap still managed to make him feel inferior compared to his brother, it truly is a talent.

 “But, I must admit that brother held you in such high regard,” Louis bends down to place the fresh bouquet of flowers, “This last puzzle has one answer. It’s up to you to realize the question.”

 “And what would be that answer?”

 “You.”

 With that, Louis stands and walks out of the graveyard, disappearing into the bright day. Sherlock remains where he is, staring at the envelope in his hand.

  Me? I’m the answer?

  “So where are you, Liam?”, he mutters as he opens the envelope – there are two items inside, a note and an old ticket. Sherlock immediately knew what ticket it was and where he should head next. Just then, he reads the note:

              My dearest Sherlock Holmes,

              The ticket is but a memorabilia, not a guide as to where you must go next.

           (Sherlock clucks his tongue in disappointment. He’s gotten dull at this. Or perhaps, emotions have clouded his rational judgment.)

             Will you solve one more equation for me?

       Is he not showing up?

 Sherlock sits at the very back of the lecture hall from where William used to teach, specifically on that day he dropped by for a visit and listened to William discuss about mathematics. It was quite a memorable day, suddenly having to solve a minor case together. That time, he harbored suspicions. Thinking back, he suddenly wished that he could have been wrong about William.

  Just that once.

  Then maybe…

 The lecturer at the moment is some middle-aged man with balding spots, who has thrown approximately a dozen nervous glances at Sherlock’s corner.

 This is the first long trip Sherlock had to make in weeks and to be honest, he hasn’t had the chance to sleep yet. More accurately, his mind has been in overdrive ever since receiving the notes that he never once considered to rest. A thousand possibilities constantly play inside his mind, all leading to one conclusion: he will see Liam again.

 That bastard, he smiles to himself, of course, he would pull off something as simple as being alive.

  Vague memories of Reichenbach Falls have always haunted Sherlock’s mind the past weeks. He tries to ignore them, but when he slips and finds himself unoccupied, a flurry of images and voices assault his mind. Like an intruder that doesn’t care for being found out, banging on the doors ceaselessly. Sherlock makes sure though that the lock is tight and formidable.

 Now that he’s been getting these messages from William, he can be certain that he’s still alive somewhere. And perhaps, the memories are but a trick of his own mind.

  I should really cut down on the drugs…

 The boring lecture ends, the students pour out, then, at last, the professor cleans the board and leaves with one last glance at the brooding Sherlock. The hall becomes empty, soaking in the warm orange glow of the late afternoon, the tall windows casting low shadows on the floor. Somehow, the room is still not as bright as when William had stood here before…

 Sherlock finally stands from his seat and walks towards the front. The professor missed to erase one equation at the upper left corner of the board, but upon closer inspection, this one seems to have been written even before the lecture has started. Either the professor respects that someone has left it there, or someone has instructed him not to remove it.

 Because it’s for Sherlock to solve.

 There’s also a string hanging on the bottom edge of the board; he already realizes the next note must be just behind, but first, Sherlock devotes his attention to the equation.

 It doesn’t take him too long to solve it – a pair of number and letter, seeming like the beginning of an address. He then pulls up the board; another envelope falls off, but he catches it before it can drop to the ground.

 He opens the note, and it says,

             My dearest Sherlock Holmes,

              Shall I bring you to the place where it all began?

            Then perhaps, you can see the end.

         “Will had said you will be here.”

 A familiar voice suddenly startles Sherlock out of his thoughts, the same voice he had negotiated within that dilapidated confessional; he turns around and finds the older Moriarty sitting two rows behind him. His commoner’s attire fails to conceal his noble upbringing. Sherlock had thought that Mycroft would have taken care of this end, but why is Albert James Moriarty here?

 The previous note led him to this old orphanage in the suburbs of London, right in this small chapel. The huge cross has aged with time, but it is surprisingly still intact. Sherlock vaguely knows of the Moriarty’s history having adopted two kids from the orphanage, one of which has died in the Moriarty residence fire many years ago. Now, Sherlock realizes, that fire must have been planned, the “dead” adopted kid must have been the real William Moriarty, and the Liam he knows is the perpetrator.

 Accomplices with Louis and Albert Moriarty.

 “Are you my last hint?”

 “You really impressed Will back in the Noahtic,” Alberts says instead, completely ignoring Sherlock’s question, “So impressed that he made you a key figure in our plan. Truly, it is such an intriguing choice, nonetheless a smart one. I have always trusted Will’s decisions.”

 “'Our plan’, you say? Then why is it only Liam who has to carry the burden of this world, to the point that the brightness in his eyes has dimmed to point of being lackluster? Why is it only him who…” the words get stuck in Sherlock’s throat, a fact that he has still yet to acknowledge as a truth. “Why is it just you here?”

 “Worry not, I don’t plan to let Will suffer alone for much longer,” Albert smiles, albeit it doesn’t reach his eyes. There is a hint of finality, and also sadness, a resignation to fate that they have crafted with their own hands, “I am only completing some final tasks. I never planned for him to suffer the burden of our sins alone. As this all began with me, it must also end with me.”

 “Louis told me that this puzzle has one answer, and the answer is me.”

 “And I reckon you already figured out the question?”

 “I believe…that there is more than one question to this answer.”

 Albert nods in acknowledgment, “That is insightful, as expected of you,” He then looks up at the cross before them, “Do you know, this orphanage is where our plans have come to fruition? Before this altar, I promised to give Will everything, so as long as he can show me the ideal world he has in his mind. I wanted to clear this world from the filth of the nobles. Will wanted to give the common people an equal footing in this land. Our goals coincide. He has always been about helping those without the means to fight, no matter if it means staining his own hands.

 “His ideal world…we have set the gears in motion from this meager orphanage, and eventually it spread throughout Britain. Now, everything is falling into place, but we expect that there will be hindrances, and as the Lord of Crime, we hope that you can help us maintain this change. Will entrusts to you the people who will still need help.”

 He reaches into his coat with a serene smile, pulls out another sealed envelope, and gives it to Sherlock, “And as his brother, I want to relay my gratitude to you, for in that small amount of time you’ve become acquainted, I’ve seen a spark of true happiness in Will’s eyes. It’s something I’ve wanted to give him for a long time, but as accomplices for the same crimes, it was impossible for me. Our hands have long been tainted, and tainted hands cannot bring forth pure joy.”

 Sherlock gets the envelope; a cold feeling runs down from the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet, shaking his soul.

 "What were all these trips for?"

 "To make you realize things that he expected you will deny to yourself."

 “It’s true then...he's really…,” Sherlock runs his fingers furiously through his hair, “Who killed William James Moriarty? It’s the question, is it not?”

 “He let you kill him, it’s all part of the plan. In fact, I believe Will wanted it to be that way, that even if he cannot see the world we planned for being rebuilt before his own eyes, he could at least see you in his final moments. You are so much more in his life. But it is not the question for the answer he gave you.”

 Sherlock looks up. Albert stands up, getting ready to leave, his back as dignified as ever. Still, Sherlock gets a vague sense of the final destination Albert is heading for.

 “The truth, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, is that Will only has one question in mind. We all hope that as you continue on living, do what only the living can do.”

 With those words, Albert leaves the place where it all began. Like a passing of the torch, the duty to uphold justice has fallen into Sherlock’s hands.

 The final note reads:

              My dearest Sherlock Holmes,

              The question is this: who is the person whom I feel can truly understand me, that even though we are of opposing ideals, it feels as if we were carved from the same soul, and as such, I could entrust the world I rebuilt in his hands even if I no longer exist?

                  The answer is you.

[halothenthehorns]

TLTNL- THE LION AND THE SERPENT

Lily wished she had a whistle herself to get the boys attention sometimes, but finally she'd wrangled them all around one table which did nothing to cease their desire to talk about that room.

She even engaged in a few of their more reasonable questions, like speculation of what would happen if more than one person asked for different things of the room for something at the same time. Harry and his friends were all asking for a similar request, but would the room have two doors appear, combine the two requests as it did for the trio, or remain empty until one more solid thing was asked of. While no one had an actual answer for any of this, it was still fun to speculate. When the meal was over Lily happily nursed baby Harry and laid him down for a proper nap, and when she finally settled down to continue it took the boys a moment to realize she was reading without their even paying attention. It took James pleading with her to start over so they could all hear.

Harry felt as though he were carrying some kind of talisman inside his chest over the following two weeks.

"A worthy secret then," Sirius grinned for his old memories of feeling the same.

A secret that kept him smiling through Umbridge's useless lessons as he easily met her bulging eyes.

"A miracle I'm not sure I could share," Remus crinkled his nose.

The DA's magical ability only grew from their first meeting, Harry often reflecting on their progress while pretending to read the assigned text for his Defence class.

Lily was watching Harry preen with more pride than she'd yet seen, and it was for others accomplishments. She'd loved her son the moment he was born, and seeing him glow with pride at seeing others accomplishments after just a little bit of help from himself truly made her realize he may have found his own calling in this field.

  It became nearly impossible for their group to have a fixed schedule what with accompanying three separate Quidditch team practices and the paralleling weather, but this Harry supposed as a good thing. If anyone was watching them, it would be impossible to pin down a non existent schedule for their meetings.

"Indeed, unpredictability is always better," Sirius agreed enthusiastically.

Hermione even came up with a better method of communicating when these would occur by handing out fake Galleons at the end of their third meeting, causing Ron some excitement at first.

"Did he think she'd come into inheritance and was being generous, donating to a worthy cause?" James chuckled.

Lily shushed him and kept going curiously how a coin helped with this.

Hermione explained to the whole group about the numbers around the edge, normally just a serial number, but she'd designed them to all be exactly the same. When Harry changed his numbers, that would be the corresponding date of the next meeting, and the Protean charm she'd placed on them would make all of them change with his.

Lily finished with utter exasperation at herself for still being so impressed with Hermione. Doing a sixth year potion in her second year had been impressive enough, now Hermione was showing how advanced she was in Charms as well, was there any subject, anything she couldn't do without putting her mind to it?

The Marauders were just as impressed. They'd never thought they'd find anything more impressive than fifth years being able to pull off becoming animagus', but it was clear enough to them Hermione would have already been able to do this as well if she'd set her mind to it, and that meant far more to them than any grade she'd ever get.

Hermione was met with stunned silence from the DA, Terry Boot from Ravenclaw demanding how she could perform a Protean Charm, that was NEWT level magic, how come she wasn't in his house.

"We've all been wondering that since her first year," Remus rolled his eye.

"I suppose she asked the hat for Gryffindor, or Ravenclaw and got Gryffindor anyways?" Harry recalled a previous conversation about how the Marauders guessed people got put into houses.

"That would be our guess," Sirius agreed. "As far as I can tell, even after everything we've seen of her, she still seems to value intelligence over, well everything."

Harry said back in defense of his friend, "After the rules she's broken? The laws? I know Hermione puts much more value into our friendship than her grades ever could."

"That's not just a Gryffindor trait though, Ravenclaw's have strong bonds of friendship as well," Remus shrugged. "It's what the hat perceives as the way you'd learn best, and being brave enough to put up your opinion put her in with her lot."

James and Sirius exchanged an amused look but stopped arguing the point. Lily had kept her mouth shut because she'd never liked the idea of sorting at all. One particular Gryffindor coming to mind who most anyone would have called a Slytherin if they knew what he'd done, Lockhart was a blithering idiot, Zacharias Smith had already proven to be an arrogant little thing from the humble house, and her favorite teacher in school had been all the qualities Slytherin house prided itself on without turning into a Death Eater. She would never think of anyone as something just because of what house they were in.

Hermione agreed the Sorting Hat had seriously considered putting her into Ravenclaw,

"Why would she call me the Sorting Hat?" Sirius asked while ducking on instinct, though Remus only rolled his eyes that time.

but obviously she'd been put in Gryffindor instead. Then she kept focus, asking if everyone agreed on using the coins. There was no argument, and as they each took one and Harry examined his own, he told Hermione these reminded him of the Death Eater's marks, how Voldemort touched one and they all reacted.

"Maybe the Order should invest in something like this," James said as he thought it through. "These really can come in handy, so long as you don't lose them."

"Or accidentally sell them," Sirius chuckled.

"How do you know about meetings now?" Harry asked.

"Fawkes appears to us when we're alone with a note," Remus grinned. "How he always knows when to appear away from everyone I've only been able to guess at."

Hermione agreed she'd gotten the idea from that, but she'd seen this better than branding members.

"So much more deniability if you get caught with it," Lily said grimly.

Harry agreed he liked this better, only danger in these was a chance of spending them.

Ron said sullenly he wasn't worried about that, he didn't have another one to mix it up with.

They all winced hard for that line, wishing there was something they could say, knowing there wasn't.

DA meetings were put on hold two weeks before the first match as Angelina was demanding nightly practices. Tension between Gryffindor and Slytherin was always high, but was now turning into daily scuffles as well between the two houses. The teachers were trying to show they weren't taking sides, but Harry realized how much McGonagall cared about this game when she abstained from giving them homework in the week leading up to the match.

Sirius and James whooped with laughter at Harry's face as he got to partake in their old head of house's favor for her Quidditch team. Both of them were giddy with such excitement for finally getting another game they'd yet to complain about the fact they hadn't gotten this chapter.

When this announcement was met with stunned faces in class, she turned grim eyes to Harry and Ron and told them to use this extra time to train hard, she'd grown too accustomed to seeing the Cup in her office.

The other three joined in the laughter as well, all imagining how many times McGonagall had looked to that Cup and smirked.

Snape was no less obviously partisan;

"But that part's not unusual," James grumbled less harsh than normal because he was still grinning for his own head of house.

he had booked the Quidditch pitch for Slytherin practice so often that the Gryffindor's had difficulty getting on it to play.

"Wait, I thought you said the staff couldn't book the pitch for the team!" Harry yelped furiously.

"I, thought they couldn't," James's euphoria was instantly wiped clean in frustration. "At least, they used to not be able to, I can't imagine why Madam Hooch is letting him."

"I wouldn't even be that surprised if he was doing it around her noticing," Sirius grumbled in disgust.

He was also the worst in pretending no such fights ever took place, such as when Alicia Spinnet got put in the hospital wing because her hair was growing so thick and fast it was obscuring her eyes and mouth. Snape refused to punish the Slytherin who'd done it, despite the fourteen witnesses saying Bletchley had. He instead insisted the girl must have put a hair-thickening charm on herself and messed up.

Harry scowled in agitation that McGonagall hadn't been able to do anything either because the complaint had been set to Snape, though he didn't know why Alicia had done such a thing.

Lily saw red for a moment, hating this vile creature who continued to act like the very thing he'd hated as a child.

Harry still felt optimistic about their chances, as he'd never lost to Malfoy. Ron still wasn't up to Wood's old standards, but he performed very well when not under pressure. The problem turning out to be when he blundered once, he was far more likely to continue doing so.

"That is a really, really bad start," James muttered, bouncing in place as he tried to work on some advice in his head he'd offer Ron for that.

When he was on point though, Ron had shown off some spectacular saves, such as one memorable practice where he'd swung free from his broom and kicked the Quaffle so far away it went into the other team's hoop instead.

"Wow, sounds like Ron pulled off a Starfish and Stick," Sirius grinned for the talent.

The whole team had praised this, comparing it to the Irish International Keeper who'd performed this move. Fred and George had been so proud, they'd even seriously considered admitting Ron was related to them,

"I would never deny my relation to the Weasley's, it's one I'm actually proud of," Sirius grinned.

something they assured him they had been trying to deny for four years.

Lily tisked while the boys chuckled at the jab.

The closer the game approached though, the worse Ron continued to get. As Harry had been on the team for years now, he was well used to the buildup and resulting snide comments in the corridors, such as Pansy's whispered threat that Warrington was promising to knock Potter clear from his broom. Harry responded by laughing that Warrington's aim was so bad, he'd be more worried for the person next to him.

Harry grinned as it caused those around him to laugh as well, nothing pleased him more than watching them laugh, at least when he was in on the joke.

Ron however had yet to respond in kind, instead turning green at every insult, or else shaking so bad he'd likely drop whatever he was holding.

"And here I thought Ron always wanted attention," Remus sighed.

"Clearly not this kind," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Well then this is a good lesson for him to learn, you don't just get one kind of attention," James said a little sourly.

The morning of the match dawned bright and cold.

James and Sirius groaned in unison they'd missed out on a Quidditch chapter, but both kept their mouths silent from complaint, for now.

Harry awoke to find Ron in bed, knees pressed to his chest, his eyes gazing at nothing. Harry insisted he'd loosen up as soon as he ate some breakfast.

"Food does seem to make him feel better usually," Remus agreed.

The Great Hall seemed noisier than usual with so many talking excitedly about one thing. As they passed the Slytherin table, they all jeered as usual, but many of them waved at Ron while pointing at tiny little silver crown badges they were wearing and then laughing.

"More scare tactics," James scoffed.

Harry could tell there was something written on the badges, but was walking too fast to get Ron away from them to read what.

"Maybe Umbridge approved some new club," Lily said without much care, though she'd already rather hear about that than spend another chapter on a game where her son was likely to be injured, so she supposed she should enjoy the boredom while it lasted.

They received a much more welcoming arrival by fellow Gryffindor's, but if possible Ron found the cheer more depressing as he sank into his seat as if it were his last meal.

"And all he's going to get is cereal, what a disappointment," Sirius chuckled.

Whispering hoarsely to Harry he'd been mental to think he could do this.

"He's being too hard on himself, the first game is always the hardest," James said with honest sympathy this time.

Harry said he'd be great, it was normal to be nervous, and reminded him of his brilliant save even Fred and George had admired.

"The highest praise that can be offered," Sirius grinned.

Ron turned miserable eyes on his best mate as he admitted that had been an accident, he'd almost fallen off and hadn't even realized the Quaffle had been coming towards him.

Remus couldn't help snorting in surprise even while the other three boys huffed in disappointment, James and Sirius at least thinking they never would have admitted that and instead Ron should have learned how he'd done that and practiced more.

Harry had to scramble a moment to recover from shock before saying a few more accidents like that and the game was made.

Remus and Lily started giggling this time while the old players chose to ignore them.

Ginny and Hermione arrived as Harry finished his own bowl of cereal, Ron watching the dregs as if seriously considering drowning himself in them.

"I've never considered drowning myself in milk," Sirius said with his head cocked to the side, this time ignoring altogether as Remus smacked him upside the head as he continued, "but that one's original at least."

They asked how he was doing, and when he didn't answer, Harry assured he was just nervous. Hermione said that was normal, she was always anxious before exams.

"Because bringing up homework right now is really the way to make him feel better," James scoffed.

They were called from behind, and turned to see Luna smiling at them with a peculiar item on her head, a life size lion's head hat.

Lily paused for a moment to take that one in while Sirius immediately clapped his hand to his forehead and cried, "how could I never have thought of that?!"

"Because you were on the team with me," James was grinning even as he rolled his eyes at Sirius, "why would you ever think to make something like that?"

"Because it's brilliant!" Sirius' grin kept stretching wider by the second the more he thought about this, before swatting Remus on the arm and demanding, "Moony, why didn't you ever think of this?!"

"I apologize," Remus said, and Harry couldn't tell how much sarcasm was in that.

She gestured to the hat as if they'd missed it while informing them she was supporting Gryffindor for this match.

"You think she has one for Ravenclaw?" James chuckled.

"I think Harry would have noticed before now if he'd ever played against Ravenclaw and a student was wearing an eagle on their head," Lily smiled.

She'd even magicked it to roar like a lion, demonstrating as much when she tapped her wand against it and the whole hall jumped from the noise.*

Sirius gave an exaggerated yawn at the idea as he watched Lily's cat lick itself, he'd never been afraid of a cat in his life. The lion head had been a cool idea to support his team, but the sound effect would have just made him laugh.

Luna asked if they liked it.

"Yes," Remus agreed at once. "I'm curious what she made it out of."

"I'm sorry I didn't ask," Harry said honestly.

Then continued on saying she'd wanted to recreate a serpent tail being eaten to represent Slytherin, but she hadn't the time.

"Now there's an excellent use of crafts!" James beamed, "I think I finally see why some kids wanted an art class."

"Well when Harry beats Slytherin and they have a slight chance at a rematch, Luna can put it on in the meantime," Sirius chuckled, both boys missing the pained look Harry got for imagining himself in the next game...

Then she gave Ron a good luck wave as she walked off.

The three Chasers came over to collect the boys, but Harry assured they'd be down soon, he still wanted Ron to have some breakfast.

"Remember your first match and how you were too nervous to eat," Lily reminded him, "I don't think it's going to work dear."

"Well we finally found the way to make Ron not want food," Remus muttered to Sirius.

After ten more minutes though, it was clear Ron wasn't having it, so Harry moved to get him out of the Great Hall. Hermione gave him a hurried whisper before he left not to let Ron see those Slytherin badges.

"Why?" All five muttered to themselves, trying to figure out what that had to do with anything.

Then she wished both boys good luck, before standing on tiptoe and giving Ron a kiss on the cheek. Ron now looked more bewildered than ever as he touched the place as they left the Great Hall.

"Oh, so she didn't kiss you on the cheek as well?" Sirius switched to snickering about this now.

"Here's hoping that puts Ron in a better mood," Remus said cheerfully.

"Or it might just distract him," James scolded much to his friends amusement, now remembering how he'd reacted when Lily kissed him before his last game.

He was now so distracted Harry had the chance to read a badge as he passed the table even while getting Ron outside quickly as possible, and saw the tiny words Weasley is our King.

"I'm confused," Sirius said slowly, knowing he was supposed to be angry but not sure at what yet.

Lily however kept reading while beaming, and it took the boys a minute to guess what she thought those were. Lily was probably hoping some of the Slytherin's were finally starting to show some equal support for both houses, and none of them were going to be the one to burst her bubble, though they were all thinking if it was anything like that Hermione wouldn't have told Harry not to let Ron see them. Lily was probably just discounting what Hermione thought they were though like she was to them.

Harry at once knew they weren't anything good as he led Ron outside. The frost covered grass crunched under their feet, the weak sun above making all visible without being cumbersome, and there was no wind.

"Sounds like perfect conditions," James said wistfully, he really was looking forward to a game soon that he could play in again.

Even when Harry pointed all these things out, Ron still seemed more distracted than anything, and this kept up even as they went into the locker rooms to change and Ron tried to put his uniform on backwards for several minutes before Alicia took pity on him.

"I don't see why they couldn't have been left like that," Remus couldn't help but poke fun just as he always did to his friends when they needed it whether Ron was here or not.

The crowd outside was already thundering into the stadiums as Angelina began telling them she'd only just gotten the final line-up for the Slytherin team.

"Typical of any team to hand that over last minute," James rolled his eyes.

Last year's Beaters had graduated, but the two new guys didn't look much different than the old gorillas, named Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wow, wondering if Malfoy got them the latest Nimbus models again to let his friends on the team," Sirius scoffed.

Harry said he knew them well enough, and they were of the same mold as the old dunces.

Angelina nodded, and then called them all to line up to head outside, wishing them all one last good luck.

"It sounds like they're going to need it," Remus couldn't help mutter.

A roar of noise greeted them from the cheering and booing of both sides, also what sounded oddly like singing.

James was starting to get a nervous feeling about that song the more it was mentioned, if it had anything to do with the Slytherin's he just couldn't hold out hope it would be a good thing.

The Slytherin's were lined up and waiting, Malfoy at once catching sight of Ron and tapping his badge while smirking.

Lily sighed deeply, any hope for her idea gone already if Malfoy was wearing one. Now she read on grimly, somehow looking forward to getting through this less every line.

Hooch instructed both captains to shake hands, and if Montague's tense frame was any indication, he was trying to crush Angelina's fingers, who never winced.

"Tough girl, it's not hard to see why Fred likes her," Sirius grinned. "Hey Harry, did her and Fred keep together after the Yule Ball?"

"I never asked them," Harry shrugged, "but I had seen George hanging around with Lee once or twice without Fred around, so maybe."

The fourteen players mounted their brooms, and the game began. Harry and Malfoy at once streaking to opposite ends of the field to find the lone gold snitch.

"Is he not going to try following you around with lame insults anymore?" James chuckled.

Commentation at once began with Johnson with the Quaffle,

"Honestly Lily, how can you read that sounding so bored," Sirius groaned as she read out for the commentator as if reading the morning paper.

Lily simply shrugged, but Remus suddenly wished Sirius hadn't said anything, as Lily continued if possible in an even more flat voice, much to both his friends annoyance.

he'd been saying for years how good she was and she should go out with him-

"Maybe I was wrong about Angelina and Fred though," Harry said good naturedly.

"Or the friends messing with one of the twins," Sirius brushed off, still glaring at Lily more every second as she tried to make her voice as monotone as possible.

but McGonagall finally cut in on Jordan and told him to focus. Lee agreed at once and went back to more details on the game, the Quaffle passing between Montague, then hit with a Bludger by a Weasley twin, then to Katie, Alicia and she was off for the Slytherin post-

"Alright, that's it," James made a lunge for the book, which Lily neatly dodged and kept the book close to her chest, now full blown grinning at her husband.

"What, I'm not allowed to have a bit of fun?"

"This is the opposite of fun woman!" Sirius groaned. "I've never heard someone be so dull about a sport in my life."

Lily's giggling increased while James kept muttering at her side and eyeing the book with longing, he'd clearly  been out of practice to long, but when she kept going it was clearly getting harder by the moment to hold a blank face as her own amusement kept rising.

Harry was listening intently to Lee's commentary as he continued his own search, only hearing about Alicia avoiding a Bludger and Warrington, but pausing in confusion when he heard singing.

While Harry had been enjoying the show, both his mum messing with the two and his old Quidditch memories, he could already feel a stirring of unease for whatever was fixing to come. Lily clearly felt it as well as she couldn't quite keep up a bored tone anymore, wondering at who could be singing during the game.

Lee paused so that the lyrics could ring out, insert Slytherin version of Weasley is our King.

Lily had blanched in shock upon the first line, but she'd managed to stutter the whole thing out in the thick, heavy silence before coming to a screeching halt when she'd finally run out of insults.

"I-that is the lowest-" Remus looked too disgusted for words at what they were doing to Ron.

"Wow, I have seen a lot of backhanded things to mess with a player, but never a song dedicated to them," James's face was scrunched up with derision even as a very tiny part of him vaguely admired the dedication that went into something so elaborate.

"Really makes you wonder what Malfoy does with the rest of his free time, sings ballads to Hermione's parents, or poems to Harry's fame." Sirius snapped, his face twisted with dislike as he knew he'd have cursed Malfoy out of the air if he'd been there.

There was no longer any fun in Lily continuing with much less enthusiasm than anyone else, they all would have felt the same forcing themselves to read this bit no matter their love of the sport.

The moment Lee had realized what was being sung he'd tried to launch back into even louder and more detailed comments, but Alicia had passed to Angelina, who'd missed, making the ball Slytherin's as the song erupted again louder than ever.

James was practically vibrating in place, wanting to snap on a burst of speed and deck Malfoy where he flew, wanting to say something that would make Ron put that stupid song out of his head, but both were lost to him.

Warrington was heading back up the pitch with the Quaffle, finally putting a test to the new Keeper blood Ron Weasley, brother to Beaters Fred and George.

"The twins friend is doing a terrible job of helping them deny relation," Remus randomly muttered as anything else to think about, fighting back the impulse to press his hands to his ears in worry for this to come.

Even as Lee cheered on Ron, his wild dive saved nothing, it was ten zero to Slytherin.

All five of them cursed in sync for this misfortune, Lily denying doing any such thing by reading on loudly so as not to let the boys miserate for too long.

The singing burst through even louder, more people seeming to join in with every rendition.

"That can not be allowed!" Harry finally burst with frustration. "Can you put a whole house in detention! McGonagall, or someone shouldn't be letting them say that about him!"

The others remained completely silent with frustration, no one wanted to be the one to tell Harry what he already knew, there was nothing that could be done, it would be impossible to halt the whole game and kick those singing out of the stands.

Gryffindor continued the game with the ball in hand, as Harry continued more desperately now for the search of the Snitch, the chorus still thundering through the stadium.

Lily was forcing herself to keep reading this in a flat rage now, what she wouldn't give to put silencing charms on the lot of them for ever turning someone's life into such a cruel joke of a song.

The pattern continued as the ball continued passing hands, even out of the immediate action the song still being belted in the background.

Remus was twitching with unease in the tense room, wishing he could go back to laughing along with his friends about something as fun as a Quidditch game, why couldn't they ever go one of these without something terrible happening every time.

Harry refused to watch the actual action as he passed by the Slytherin Keeper, who was singing along with the lyrics.

"I'm going to imagine for a moment they skipped on some practices to all memorize this rubbish," James hissed under his breath.

Soon enough though, Ron was once again at bat, and the groan from his side of the crowd below was all Harry needed as answer. Still, twenty-nil was nothing, a few goals and they'd be back on even.

Sirius gave Harry an absent pat on the shoulder, absolutely agreeing with him this could all turn around any moment. The score wouldn't even feel as bad as it did if that wretched song would quit being passed around, but though Lily looked like she was considering skipping any more lines of it, that wasn't making it vanish.

After two more goals got through though, Harry really felt the beginnings of panic. He needed to finish the game quickly, and then no one would remember the rest of this mess. Angelina gave the Gryffindor's below something to cheer on soon, making the score forty-ten to Slytherin. Harry was ducking a Bludger sent his way

"Hooch didn't call that?" James snapped. "Could have used that penalty, Harry wasn't showing any signs of having seen the Snitch!"

"That's such an arguable call hardly anyone goes for it," Remus disagreed, James opening his mouth to argue the point but Lily ignored them both.

and keeping an eye on Malfoy as the game continued around them with those lines still being shouted.

Finally Harry saw the Snitch at the bottom of the Slytherin's goal posts, he dived, and in seconds Malfoy was on his tail, the two neck in neck,

Had Lily's joke at the start of this game not been interrupted she still wouldn't have had it in her to mime carelessness now, even with that horrid song echoing in the back of her mind she was edging in her seat with excitement.

It was over in one breathless swipe, Harry's fingers encasing the struggling, minute ball as Malfoy's fingers scrabbled at the back of his hand, and Harry stopped short to wave to the roaring approval of the Gryffindor crowd.

"YES!"

The echoing cheer of excitement could have woken neighbors. This was exactly what they needed to shove in those stupid Slytherin faces just how useless they were, how some hateful song wouldn't be enough to stop such a magnificent team!

Harry glowed for a moment in their praise, but the smile never quite reached his eyes as he watched them bounce with excitement for him. He wasn't sure he wanted to understand this feeling of dread, of something heavy just waiting to pounce on him for this win. Was it to do with Ron? Surely no one was really going to hold that against him, it was his first game after all...

WHAM.

Harry felt a Bludger punch the small of his back, flinging him off his broom.

Lily jerked in surprise as she read that, whatever victory she'd been holding before in that small moment blown away as effectively as a cannonball. The game was over, and Lily was hoping Ron got his revenge by clocking whichever Beater that was for pulling that stunt.

Harry was still only five feet off the ground, so the tumble forward merely winded him. Hooch at once flew up to begin shouting at the Slytherin Beater while Angelina landed near him, asking if he was alright.

Harry said of course he was while getting to his feet.**

"Oh yes, just a solid metal ball slamming into your spine, walk it off," Lily grumbled under her breath as she eyed her child, then turned sharp eyes on her husband who looked no more pleased but certainly not worried about injury.

Angelina explained it was Crabbe who'd done it. Then she began cheering they'd won!

A derisive snort from behind showed that Malfoy had not landed far away, now furiously telling Harry it was a miracle he'd saved Weasley's neck, but of course he'd be rubbish, he was born in a bin, then asked Harry if he liked the lyrics, he'd done them himself.

"He's wasting his talents as a slimeball," Sirius snarled, "he needs to pass on already and become a poltergeist."

"So long as he doesn't haunt Hogwarts," James agreed.

Harry refused to answer, turning away as the rest of the team landed around him except Ron, who landed over by his goals and was walking towards the changing room alone.

"I hope you go after him Harry," Lily couldn't help but urge, "you're only giving Malfoy what he wants by hanging back and listening to him."

Harry didn't answer, his face growing tighter by the minute as that feeling of anger continued to pound through him.

Malfoy kept going, pretending he had an audience as he explained he'd wanted to add some more in about being fat and ugly, for the Weasley's mother of course,

Harry's eyes flashed, he tensed and would have shot a curse at nothing if Sirius hadn't laid a restraining hand on his shoulder and whispered a calm reminder there was nothing for it now. It didn't make anyone feel any better, even though some of them held a dislike for Molly now they could never condone saying such a thing about her.

as well as loser for his father.

Lily was trying to read this quickly, so as to get the feel of sandpaper off her tongue from pure frustration. It never angered her any less when Malfoy continued using the same insults.

Fred and George tensed as they watched Malfoy with disgust, but even as Malfoy began backing away he was still talking about why this wouldn't bother Potter of course, the stank of the blood-traitors house must be similar to the Muggles who'd dragged him up.

No one ever appreciated any reminder of the Dursley's, but putting them in any kind of comparison which was the safe house of the Burrow like that truly was the most insulting thing they'd yet heard.

Harry grabbed hold of George to stop him doing anything, while the three Chasers were doing the same to Fred.

"I don't know why they're bothering," Sirius articulated through gritted teeth, "Malfoy's gone past where a detention would be worth it."

Malfoy clearly didn't care as he kept going, saying Potter must remember the stench from his own mother's house, she'd been even worse off being a-

James moved so fast Lily didn't realize the book had been wrenched away until she was staring at her empty hands, a slight burn in her palms from how tight she'd been holding the cover the only imprint of it. Maybe he'd just been going easy on her before then.

 She turned to snap at him, but he was too busy jabbing his wand at the offending page. "James!" She protested, trying to push her hand in the way to stop him before he did permanent damage.

"I am sick of that little scumbag insulting everyone, especially you," he said in a scary calm voice.

"Well doing whatever you're trying to do to that won't fix anything," she snapped as she pulled it back to her.

He gave in with a hateful scowl still in place, and Lily turned back to see the spell he'd managed to put in place, where Malfoy's name had been replaced with, well a colorful swear word Lily wasn't going to be saying. She fixed it and then kept going while James grumbled that hadn't been nearly enough payback.

Harry had no memory of releasing George, the two running side by side on their path to Malfoy, nor the shouts from his fellow teammates telling them to stop. All he knew was the fist drawn back, punching at Malfoy as hard as he could.

Lily stopped for a moment to look at her son, nibbling softly on her lip, but not a word could she find to speak against this. She couldn't claim to be much better if someone had been speaking of her mother.

The two only stopped when they fall off after the shout of the Impedimenta curse.

"I don't see why that was a reason to stop," Remus said quietly, "now's the time to go for the wand when the Muggle way stops working."

Sirius nodded in absolute agreement, his hand had long since been on his wand, just aching for something to curse.

Madam Hooch was in a towering temper above them, her wand out meaning she'd performed the jinx. Malfoy was still curled up in the grass, whimpering and nose bleeding.

"Clearly you didn't bash it into his skull, so I don't know what he's crying about," James snarled.

Hooch demanded the two go to McGonagall's office at once. They stormed off, Fred still being pinned beneath the Chasers and immune to anything else around them. It was only when they got to the office door did Harry start to feel something, and he glanced at his hand in surprise to see the one he'd been punching Malfoy with had still been holding the Snitch.

James struggled for a moment, but the compulsion to share his life with his son won out after his anger as he burst into speech, "I convinced our Seeker, Shilling, to keep the Snitch after every match and she passed it along to me. One of my favorite past times when I was bored was to pull it out and keep my reflexes up. Even I never thought of that though!"

"One of your very many annoying habits," Lily sniffed, her old angry bleeding tone giving James even more flashbacks. "You looked like such a show off."

"I was showing off," James agreed without remorse.

Harry couldn't marshal up much of a smile for the two, there was something about this day that promised to get even worse for him, and he had a feeling it wasn't about detention. There was also something else, a smaller memory that didn't align with this day, but promised he somehow had a first hand account of knowing those things his parents had just said, but that was ridiculous of course, how could he have known that?

They only stood there for a second when McGonagall came marching into view wearing a red and gold scarf, which she at once tore off as she pointed into the room looking livid.

"Damn, and I always loved it when she showed our house colors," Sirius winced.

"We're past flattery to make this better Padfoot," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Never stopped me from trying," Sirius shrugged.

She threw the scarf to the ground as she rounded the desk and on them.

"Now that was just uncalled for violence," James grumbled.

She demanded an explanation, and Harry quickly said they'd been provoked, which McGonagall did not find excusable as she pounded her fist on the desk, knocking over her tray of Ginger Newts.

"I think she needs to have one of her own biscuits and breathe for a moment," Lily said grimly, knowing Harry would get a chance to explain, but also knowing as well as anyone it wouldn't get him out of trouble no matter how much Malfoy had deserved it.

She snapped of course he had, he'd just lost, but nothing he could have said should have justified the two-

George cut in to say the insults, but McGonagall still said they should have gone to Hooch instead of displaying Muggle dueling.

"A very educational performance with splendid end results, really they should be getting thanks at least from Burbag," Sirius said flatly.

"There's that extra week we always got," Remus muttered.

Nothing further could be said before a hem, hem, entered the room.

"No!" Lily groaned as she gazed at that stupid little noise. "No, no, no-"

"Oh Lily, please tell me you're doing a terrible impression of a joke," James groaned into his fingers, he couldn't even look to her face for confirmation.

"What on earth is that roadkill doing there!" Sirius all but exploded. "She's nothing to do with any of this!"

Harry's horrible impression was growing more sickly by the moment. Somehow, this was all about to get terribly worse.

Harry and George turned in surprise to see Umbridge in the doorway wearing a green cloak, only further enhancing her resemblance to a toad as her pudgy eyes gleamed with a sickly ominous way Harry had come to associate with imminent misery.

"A face only my mother would love," Sirius groaned, digging his heels into his eyes so that he wouldn't have to keep watching Lily's face turn red from frustration of having to read about this woman in the same vicinity as her son again.

Umbridge offered McGonagall help in a poisonously sweet voice.

"You can help yourself off the astronomy tower," Remus snapped.

McGonagall actually grew more furious in the face of this, asking what help.

Umbridge insisted she'd thought McGonagall would be grateful for a little extra authority.

"I'd be more grateful if you dove headfirst into the black lake, meet the local population," Sirius promised.

Harry would not have been surprised to see sparks fly from Professor McGonagall's nostrils.

"Ah the twisted irony, Umbridge is actually doing more good than harm arriving then, because now McGonagall might go slightly easier on you in front of her," Lily sighed.

McGonagall snapped she'd thought wrong, trying to turn back to the two boys and giving them a week of detentions, but Umbridge would not be so easily deterred as she again made the hem, hem noise.

McGonagall closed her eyes as if praying for patience before slowly looking back to Umbridge.

"Merlin himself couldn't have offered any support for this except some toad-be-gone," James snipped.

Umbridge insisted she thought they deserved more than a detention for this display.

Harry was starting to twitch uncontrollably in his seat with unease, fighting the urge to either bury himself under the couch from a reaction he could sense coming, or tear the cushions in half from his own mounting anger. It helped nothing his family might just join in with McGonagall breathing fire soon, they all knew what Umbridge meant about her 'detentions.'

McGonagall's eyes flashed with outrage as she snapped that as these two were in her house, it was only her decision that mattered.

Umbridge oh so politely corrected that her decision did matter more while reaching for something.

"No..." Remus trailed off, too appalled to manage anything else in fear of where this was headed.

She pulled out something Cornelius had sent her, before correcting herself the Minister of course,

Lily only absently noted the lack and then use of the title as Umbridge's own self-importance in thinking she could be so informal, she was far more keyed into the new level of horror of where this could be going.

and unfurled a paper declaring it as Educational Decree Number Twenty-five-

though McGonagall interrupted in exasperation not another one!

"My sentiments exactly," James snarled.

Umbridge looked to her in surprise, saying McGonagall had given her the inspiration for this one as she'd overstepped and had Dumbledore intervene about putting the Gryffindor team back in play. Umbridge couldn't have that.

"No good deed goes unpunished," Remus said faintly, his two friends going bone white as they suddenly feared why this was being brought up again. Surely, no it wasn't possible, Umbridge couldn't have found a way to force the team to disband again, could she?!

Umbridge had contacted the Minister after this of course, the High Inquisitor couldn't be superseded like that or she'd have no more power than a common teacher.

"You shouldn't have any more authority than a sack of dung!" Lily screeched. She didn't want to keep going, was almost tempted to hand the book back over to James just so she wouldn't have to be the one to find out what this monster was going to do to her son next.

Then she went back to reading the amendment, that the High Inquisitor would henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments in school.

Lily had found it hard to believe the audacity of those first few amendments, and they somehow got worse every single time. This woman was creating these as she went along, and no one was stopping her!

She folded it back and put it away, before turning to the two boys and decided a life long ban on Quidditch for these two seemed sufficient enough punishment.

Harry's mind went blank. He heard shouting, he saw something get tossed across the room, but it was impossible to understand details as he struggled to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard.

Lily watched as the book thunked onto the mantel above the fireplace without regret, her fingers still twitching to throw something much bigger. She wasn't even a fan of her son being on the team and that was too far! She only held herself back from saying this by watching her husband work himself into a rampage with the only background thought being she should find a way to record this moment, otherwise there would be no record of Umbridge left when James was threw with her.

"-youngest Seeker in a century, she can't do that to him!"

Then again, what did they need a record of her for except an example of a transfiguration spell gone terribly wrong.

Sirius was too busy running scenarios in his head about something far too violent to be put into words, he needed action to get this one out of his system. Remus couldn't get his mind to act much better, as affronted as his friends and more than willing to enact whatever revenge they came up with.

Lily watched the lot of them try to find some way to work off their temper without destroying the house in vain, she really couldn't see a way to call their attention back even if she'd wanted to. So it was to her surprise when James finally found something resembling his normal voice and forced himself not to shout at his wife, "Lily would you keep going please. I'd like to get to the end of this book and find out how she's leaving this school." Then he trailed off into more hateful mutters about how that wasn't going to happen fast enough, and he couldn't believe his son was missing this sport for a whole year until that walking wart left.

"If it isn't Remus tearing her head off to replace her than it's not going to be as satisfactory," Sirius said grimly.

Lily silently agreed as she summoned the book back and pressed on for more horror.

Harry went numb in shock as he gazed at Umbridge telling herself this was for the best, terrible tempers the both of them, and for good measure Fred Weasley should be taken off as well as surely he'd have joined in the malay if he hadn't been restrained. She also wanted their brooms in her office, to make sure her ban was being enforced.

"She's gone from crossing the line into a whole new abyss!" Sirius howled in frustration. "She's, that's not, there's no-"

"She can't do that," Lily said in opposition. Quietly, a dangerous predator about to strike. "That's his private property, it's not against school rules to have."

"Well don't tell her that, or she'll ban brooms from the school next," Remus threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

Then she addressed McGonagall that she was not being unreasonable,

"You are something that I have only called one person, and you deserve the term far more than them," Remus growled.

she would allow the other members to continue playing, while McGonagall gazed at her as if carved from ice.

"I need McGonagall to understand that her life purpose now needs to be revenge for this," James pleaded with the universe. "Someone in that castle must understand this!"

"I'm worried there will be someone who does," Remus suddenly said with a touch of worry, looking to a still fuming Sirius. If he heard about Umbridge doing this, he may come up to the school and give her what he'd promised Harry Prongs and Padfoot would do in their own time.

With a look of satisfaction, Umbridge left the horrified room with silence in her wake.

Angelina was beside herself with anger when she heard there were no more Beaters or a Seeker on her team. Harry looked around the rest of the morose common room, it was as if they hadn't won at all.

"This woman is the physical embodiment of a mood killer," Lily groaned.

"I honestly believe she's a demon sent from hell at this point," Remus agreed.

Angelina was the only one with energy, shouting about the injustice of this. Fred didn't even deserve it, he hadn't done anything!

Fred snapped back in anger that was only because he was being held back from punching that scumbag to a pulp.

"Hey, the twins," Sirius suddenly snapped his fingers, giving Remus a pleased enough smirk. "Stop your worrying about me Moony, I can guarantee the twins won't be taking this one lying down."

Remus nodded grudgingly. It didn't make anyone's anger disappear by one level, but it did ease the misery of watching Harry's face as he relieved this moment.

Harry could only gaze out the dark window where snow was falling again. The Snitch had made its way back to the common room with him and was now flitting about chairs with Crookshanks chasing it.

James sighed as he imagined the old grin he could put on people's faces as he did this same thing nights in a row, of the party that should be going on, of simpler and fun times in his school, was it truly impossible for his son to enjoy that?

Angelina finally slumped off to bed, wishing this was all a bad dream and they hadn't even played yet.

"I don't ever want to relive this day, considering I'm struggling to come up with a worse outcome than this," Sirius huffed.

Remus gave a commiserating nod of agreement, Lily frowning pityingly at all of the boys in the room, but even she couldn't imagine how this could have gone a better way, the end results seemed inevitable by this point.

The common room slowly dispersed as well, only Harry and Hermione lingering because Ron had yet to make an appearance. When he finally did come edging in, he was covered in snow and just as pale as it.

Hermione quickly ushered him to the fireplace, asking where he'd been.

Ron just said on a walk, then told Harry he was going to resign first thing in the morning.

Lily truly pitied him, but couldn't help wondering if that wasn't for the best. Just because you were good at something didn't mean you could do it in front of a crowd, and that's clearly where Ron was sitting. She'd hate to see him ever feel so low again.

James absolutely disagreed, setting his shoulders and wishing he could drag Ron onto the pitch right now, already an idea forming in his head of how he'd help him to work through this. First he'd put one person in the stands until Ron could easily ignore that no matter what was said, and then keep adding people until Ron could block them all out. He didn't care how long it took, he'd find a way so that Ron would never let someone get the better of him like this. There was no such thing as quitting with dignity as far as he was concerned.

Harry snapped at him if he did that then there'd only be three players left. Ron looked at him in confusion,

"He hadn't heard of this!?" Remus said in surprise.

"I was wondering why he didn't question why the common room wasn't in party mode," Sirius grumbled, "clearly he hasn't heard much of anything."

before Hermione explained what had happened.

Ron looked even more anguished as he said this was all his fault.

"Oh it's nothing of the sort," Lily snapped, wondering if Hermione would whack Ron upside the head for his thinking something so stupid.

Harry said it was nothing of the sort, while Ron returned if he hadn't been so bad at Quidditch,

"Malfoy would have caused all this no matter how Ron played," Sirius snapped.

the two going back and forth like this until Harry burst loudest of all for Ron to stop blaming himself for everything.

Remus winced for Ron, sympathizing with him more than anyone else as he could really see why Ron did. People telling you you were something long enough tended to leave a mark.

Ron remained in a silent misery for a moment longer before saying this was the worst he'd ever felt in his life.

Remus had watched the exaggerations of his friends all his life long enough to know better than to pick on Ron for that statement. Though he was hard pressed to really not ask if this was worse than thinking his sister was dead.

Harry snapped he could join the club.

Hermione had gotten to her feet to stare at something out the window before telling them she'd found something to cheer them both up.

"Umbridge's tombstone," James snapped.

"His Firebolt back," Sirius sighed.

Harry asked what that could be skeptically, and Hermione said with a brilliant smile that Hagrid was back.

"He what?" Harry demanded, jumping to his feet in joy as Lily eagerly pressed the book into James' hands now so he could read more about that!

HPHPHPHPHP

The Lily reads a Quidditch game in a monotone voice idea was offered by, DjuulLOVEhp!

*Fun fact, most lion roars in movies are actually done by tigers. Ever heard a lion roar? You should, it sounds like their hacking up a hairball, not exactly intimidating to watch on a computer screen, more funny than anything, but I'm sure it's plenty scary in the wild. Now tigers, those guys will make you piss yourself through an enclosure.

** Reports say a Bludger weighs 149 pounds! I don't need to be a scientist to know that is more than enough to not only break a spine but go right through the human body if dropped on someone, let alone hit with force from a distance. In second year one of these was enough to break his elbow at a glancing blow! I'm not sure whether to call bull on inconsistency, or wonder if Harry died in this moment and the rest is all some twisted version of hell.