#also this way i could have soooo much fun putting signs of their professions into their outfits

[shortfeather]

never have i wanted to be better at drawing than right now so I could do little character sheet intros for hermnautica

[wayward-pendragon]

Ultimate taekook rec (pt.1??)!

Hello friends! Quarantine has a lot of us stuck inside so I’m gonna try and keep the fic recs comin and hopefully give y’all something to enjoy while we all stay home :) Taekook is one of my fav ships, I think their personalities fit really well and they are such a fun pair. All of these fic are from ao3 and they’re usually a little on the long side but I’ll throw in some short one-shots as well! This will likely be a pt1 bc i have soooo many taekook bookmarks on ao3. Let’s get started! (I have another BTS fic rec here if you would like more things to read!) 

Bite Me by Curionenene, YeonAh

Summary: “Ho… Hoseok… my na- Ju-Jung Hoseok. Who— what…?”

On hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea to reveal your name to two lunatics who had fed you something from a blood bag at 11.54 pm in the middle of a quiet, isolated alleyway.

"Hoseok? Nice to meet you, Hoseok. I'm Kim Namjoon, and this is Kim Seokjin. Do you remember what happened to you?"

“I—”

“Seriously. Just tell him like I did you. It's like pulling off a band-aid, better fast than slow.”

A heavy sigh was Namjoon's response to Seokjin's interjection. "I think this is a bad idea, but alright. Hoseok, you nearly… well… you did die. I saved your life the only way I could. By turning you into a vampire."

On hindsight, maybe it was a really, really, really bad idea.

One unfortunate near-death later, Hoseok finds out a few things: One, vampires are real. Two, they don't sparkle. Three, a war is brewing and he's landed in the middle of it.

Or: AU in which Hoseok screams a lot

okay so I love this fic to the ends of the earth and back. It starts out as Hoseok centred when he is turned into a vampire but then starts to focus on other characters and storylines as well. The Taekook in this is very slow burn but seeing the evolution of their relationship killed me. This fic reads like a full ass novel and I highly highly recommend giving it a read. 

refrigerator humming, chewing gum and instant karma by locks

Summary: Taehyung sets the flowers down on the dining table, plucking the card off the little holder. "Dearest Taehyung, just wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you. I hope you're thinking about me too. Love--" he pauses and squints before cocking an eyebrow and pursing his lips. "Hyung, why is the boss of your little boy band gang professing his love for me?"

Yoongi drops the noodles on the floor with a loud curse as he burns his hand.

Or, Taehyung's been trying his hardest to avoid Yoongi's criminal life for a long ass time, but a cute kid and his infuriating father keep pulling him deeper into the mix.

Mob boss JK but soft mob boss with his son I cannotttt. Watching the evolution of Tae and JK’s relationship was hella cute and fun. Also taekook with kids is just so soft omggg. 

cuz in a sky full of stars (i think i saw you) by wowoashley

Summary: taehyung always has bad ideas. and jeongguk thinks this might be the best.

Proposal AU!! Jungkook needs a guest to bring to the Namjin wedding and it seems like his assistant Taehyung is just the man for the job. This is so sweet but angsty near the end, honestly so goodddd. 

maybe we’re all just fools by airplanewishes

Summary: Jeongguk likes to run. He’s never wanted anyone to run with him before.

Fake dating AU! Jungkook’s on the school track team and his mother is bothering him about dating someone which JK really doesn’t wanna do so that’s where Tae comes in. Honestly it’s hella cute but also hella angst, highly recommend. 

cliff drop gradient by astringxnt

Summary: “somewhere along the way, we will all realize that we only start chasing the things that we were once given a taste of.”

(or, in which Jungkook and Taehyung get married to qualify for more financial aid.)

Weeee love fake dating AUs in this house. Basically Taekook need money so they get married but nothing really changes at first, but then they start to realize their feelings for each other :))

let me know by wowoashley 

Summary: taehyung never wears a shirt

JK moves into an new home and his neighbour just happens to be Taehyung. Through this, JK goes on a journey to discovering he is attracted to Tae and it’s really good but angst w/ a happy ending. 

Cinnamon Crisp by teatimetaemint

Summary: Jungkook needs his daily dose of cuddles and Taehyung likes to wear Jungkook's clothes. They don't care that alphas and omegas aren't supposed to be best friends.

SO MUCH FLUFF. Im not a huge ABO lover but this is such a sweet story and they care about each other sm it warms my heart. Childhood friends to lovers is also one of my weaknesses sooo. 

Date Me by flywithtaetae (kimtaehyungs) 

Summary: Taehyung flirts with the cute high school boy and relishes in the flustered reaction he gets for almost an entire year. But when the following year comes along, he finds himself choking on his own words.

One of the only shorter fics on this list and omgggggggggg it sooooo cuteeeeee. 

I knew I loved you then (but you’d never know) by nutaella 

Summary: 'You asked me to the store with you and your child, and now my distant relative we met thinks I'm married with a baby' AU

Another shorter one but its so sweet. Jungkook has a little bb son and Taehyung is helping his bestie raise his son and they get mistaken for a couple. 

beep boop by vvpa 

Summary: Taehyung’s gaydar is broken. Maybe. Probably, at least. Jungkook can’t really tell.

This one was so funny omgggggg. Its short but so wholesome and funny as hell I actually laughed out loud. 

15.30 - Appointment: Kim Taehyung for Jeon Jeongguk (genital piercing) by PaperTigerBlackAndWhite

Summary: Taehyung makes a bet, the forfeit of which is getting his dick pierced.

He loses the bet.

Good thing the piercer has nice eyes. And face. And hands. Not so nice that he seems to keep laughing at Taehyung, but you can't have everything.

This one is also hilarious omg. Tae getting his dick pierced was never something I thought I would read but here we are. Warning, this has a lot of smut so if that’s not your thing don’t read. 

You’re So Special by miniimin 

Summary: Sometimes you find your soulmate in the form of a dirty kid on the playground. Sometimes it takes a little longer to figure it out, but that's okay - in the meantime, you have a best friend.

(Or: Jeongguk falls in love before he knows what the word means. Taehyung spends all his years teaching him.)

This is one of the absolute sweetest fics I have ever read. It follows Tae and Kook as they grow up from little kids to uni and its so sweet. If u want something wholesome and makes u feel things, read this. 

Fall Asleep (Fall For You) by drannie 

Summary: “They say when you fall in love you can’t fall asleep, but now that I’ve met you I feel like I finally can.”

A University AU where Jungkook and Taehyung become roommates. But Jungkook has insomnia and can't fall asleep with other people and Taehyung can't fall asleep alone.

oh boi is the angst real w/ this one. It is one of the best taekook fics on ao3 for a reason. I highly recommend giving this one a read. 

Chemistry by taecheeks 

Summary: “What’s your zodiac sign?”

“Virgo,” Jungkook responds without thinking. He frowns, glaring. “Why?”

“Hm, I can work with that,” Taehyung says. “I’m a Capricorn.”

“Fascinating. Now back to Chemistry -”

“Isn’t that what I was talking about?”

[Or, Jungkook just wants to get his tutoring sessions with the President's son over with. Taehyung just wants to get his cute tutor under him.]

This one is longgggggg. Basically JK tutors Tae and everything progresses from there. Honestly this fic has a lot of elements to it and I really just love it. It deals with a lot of different themes like child abuse, panic attacks, and many other things so if any of that upsets you, this fic may not be done for you. The entire series is is really cute tho plz read. 

fever started long ago by thestarsabove 

Summary: Where there is love, there is warmth. Where there is honesty, there is relief.

In which Taehyung eats a magical fortune cookie and wakes up physically dependent on Jeongguk’s body heat.

A canon compliant fic rec and boi is it will written. Basically tae becomes dependent on JK’s body heat which ik sounds weird but its a really goof fic trust. 

maybe we’re fireproof by thestarsabove 

Summary: For as long as Jeongguk can remember (and even before that too), his body has been on fire.

Same author as the fic above and just as amazing. Not canon compliant this time and this now JK has problems w/ body heat. Hella recommend this author is fantastic. 

Dogs Days by vestals

Summary: Chopa the corgi needs to be sent to dog school, and it just so happens that his trainer is, in Kim Taehyung's opinion, the finest man out there.

Too bad he's already got a boyfriend.

Okay so this one I was skeptical to read but I’m real happy I did. This fic was sooo good, the build up was killer and I really enjoyed it. There is quite a bit of smut in this one, you have been warned. 

It’s gonna be you (I can’t let go) by OnlyWinterHere

Summary: "The sound of the crowd screaming is deafening. After four years, he should be used to it, but today he needs silence more than ever. Still, Taehyung smiles, because if there's something he's learned how to do is smiling even when he feels like dying."

Or the one where Jungkook gets a girlfriend and Taehyung can't cope.

This one hurttttttttt. If you are in the mood for some angst and sadness here is the fic for you. Happy ending tho and honestly it’s a really good fic. Also the yoomin spinoff is *chef’s kiss*. 

5 millimeters per fucking second by Curionenene

Summary: Jungkook is painfully shy and he wants to do things with his boyfriend Taehyung.

(Or: the kind of slow burn you never knew you needed.)

AWWW this one is the sweetest omgggg. This brings an entirely new meaning to slow burn and it is so precious I can’t. 

i wanna come put your lips on mine by locks

Summary: Taehyung glances over at him and with the light hitting the side of his face, throwing shadows over his face, Jeongguk can't bring himself to be that bothered about their date. Sure being alone would have been nice, but he thinks this is nice, too. He's with Taehyung, they got their dinner and movie. Just maybe next time they hopefully won't have his brothers as chaperones.

And when Taehyung puts his head on Jeongguk's shoulder later, he can't bring himself to be that mad at all, actually.

Or, it turns out Taehyung and Jeongguk share the same brothers: Fraternity for Jeongguk, and for Taehyung, well, blood.

This is another sweet fic. JK and Tae trying to date behind Tae’s brother’s backs is kinda hilarious and adorable. 

Well folks that’s it for now but I have so many more so if y’all are interesting in a pt.2 let me know!! I hope you love these fics as much as I did. If you want other ship recs let me know and I’ll try my best to accommodate!  Stay safe and healthy everyone! 

[foreheadface]

Apollo Justice: Ace Wizards: Chapter 4 under the cut~ c:

Here’s Chapter 4~ no one’s going to see this because its like 2 o’clock but yunno. dfgh

please tell me if you see any grammatical errors or mistakes. Thanks~

4.

Apollo was up at 5:00, on the dot. Again.

It isn’t like he’s even trying at this point. Breakfast was at 7. Waking up two hours earlier than everyone else was so stupid. The day ahead of him was going to be long.

Before leaving the dorms, he attempted to wake Klavier, but the boy just slapped Apollo’s wrist away and rolled over. Apollo had sighed and looked up a first-year charm to make a candle flicker the moment Klavier became late. Hopefully, it worked if it came to that…

The Great Hall was barely bustling with people when he got down there but Apollo did see one familiar face.

“Hey, Apollo! Over here!!” Athena was standing and waving one of her arms wildly at him, so much so that Apollo felt himself blush from minor embarrassment. Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of people in the Great Hall yet.

“H-Hi, Athena. Why are you here so early?” He said, sitting down across from her.

“Look who’s talking? You look ready to take the world by storm!” She held up a thumbs-up sign to Apollo. “But that’s good, because we have a long day ahead of us,” Athena said, playing with her pigtail.

“What do you mean?” asked Apollo. “We have four classes today. With breaks in between, I might add. Kids in the Muggle world would kill for this!”

Athena grinned at him. “Kids in the Muggle world don’t know the first thing about Wizard schools. Lucky for you, I’m here!” The enthusiasm was radiating from Athena’s face. Guess she really means it…

“Our first class is First Year Potions, which is pretty extreme…” She said pointing to a folded bit of parchment she laid out on the table.

Apollo blinked. “How can any of the first year classes be extreme? We’re just getting started.”

“But it’s all about the teacher, isn’t it?? I’ve heard of her and they say she’s dastardly. Fails you on the spot if you do anything wrong, like make a measly mistake in her class.”

“Her?”

Athena rolled her eyes. “You are such a muggle! Did you even read the schedule??? Our first class is Potions! With Professor Von Karma!!! She’s awful. I also heard she whips students sometimes. She’s also the head of Slytherin House. Bleh.” Athena shuddered.

“Wait, she whips kids?! Like, with a bullwhip??” At least, that was the only thing Apollo wanted to hear. He didn’t even want to think getting something wrong in a class, of all things.

“No! Well, I don’t know. It’s just what I’ve heard. Oh! And History of Magic is awful too. Professor Payne’s gonna be pretty boring. Defense Against the Dark Arts seems promising, though! I’ve never actually heard of this guy before….”

Apollo took the schedule from his bag and unfolded the parchment. “Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Phoenix Wright… Huh… What does that entail?”

“Hm?” Athena looked down the page at when Apollo was pointing and then nodded. “Oh! All witches and wizards need to learn how to defend themselves from creatures or spells meaning to do us harm! Every student at this school takes that class, every year. Though, they must have changed teachers recently because I don’t know who that is, and no one I know has ever mentioned him. Well- no adults, anyway…”

“So you don’t recognize his name? It’s kind of a weird one…”

Athena smirked. “And ‘Apollo Justice’ isn’t a strange name? When you were called for sorting, I could have sworn you were at least a half-blood wizard based on your name!”

“Really? Why would you have guessed that?” And why did your blood status even matter? Athena fiddled with the crescent shaped earring again. “I don’t know… Blood status is just important here… I don’t know why though… It’s not like there’s really even a reason for it… Even grown-ups talk about it a lot.”

Students began trickling into the great hall and Apollo spotted a few owls dropping letters from the ceiling. A grey one swooped down to perch beside Athena with a brown envelope in its mouth.  Athena smiled at it and patted its head, to which the little owl leaned into happily. “Thanks, Ponco!” The owl chirped happily.

Athena took the envelope and immediately opened it and smiled.

Another letter dropped in front of Apollo but upon inspection, he noticed that it wasn’t addressed to him. Instead, it was addressed to Klavier. When Apollo reached out to touch it, Athena blocked him. “Apollo, don’t!”

“W-What?”

“That’s a howler. Boy, do I feel awful for the poor soul who received that, today.” She sighed. “It’s only the first day of school. How can anyone’s parents send a howler this early?”

“What’s a howler?”

“Hallo, you two! Cool candle trick, Forehead!” Apollo and Athena looked up to see Klavier sit down across from them at the Hufflepuff table. Apollo rolled his eyes. “You aren’t anywhere near late, you shouldn’t have even known about the candle.”

Klavier shrugging his shoulders. “I saw you do it before you left.”

“But you were asleep! How-“

“What’s this?” He picked up the envelope on the table, to which Athena squeaked. Both boys’ heads jerked towards her. “Athena! Are you trying to make me go deaf?” winced Klavier.

“I’m sorry, but those are just soooo loud… And not the least bit pleasant.” She bowed her head, again playing with her earring. “S-Sorry, Klavier. My owl just dropped it.”

Klavier stared at the red envelope in his hand and nodded. “Wouldn’t say I’m very surprised…”

“W-who’s it from?” Apollo asked reluctantly.

Klavier rolled his eyes. “Who else could it be from?” He sighed and went to open it but Athena shoved her hand across the table, stopping him. “C-Can’t you open it later? People are starting to come in and-“

“When should I open it, Athena?” Klavier bit back, uncharacteristically. “If I wait for later and put it in my bag, it’ll burn my books out of impatient spite. I might as well get it over with. Besides, there aren’t even a lot of people here yet. That means, less people will hear.”

Apollo blinked. “It’s just a letter. Plus it’s the first day of classes. It can’t possibly be that bad.”

Klavier closed his eyes and sighed loudly. “It’s not just a letter, Forehead. It’s a howler.” He said, pinching his nose slightly.  Then, Klavier began to rip the envelope open. Before Apollo or Athena could say a word to stop him, a red letter flew out of the red envelope and into the air until it was face-high with Klavier. He rolled his eyes at it and stared it down, crossing his arms in front of him. “What can you say to me that you haven’t already, Kris?” he muttered.

”Klavier, how dare you make a mockery of this family?” The letter exclaimed in a booming voice, as if it were answering Klavier’s exact question. It went on.

“Hufflepuff? Really? You know you could have chosen a more respectable house! At least Gryffindor like Crescend, you narrow-minded child. Do you know what father would say? Or mother, even?  Ich sollte nicht einmal sagen, wie enttäuscht ich schon bin.”

Klavier blinked, his features stone-faced, and sighed at the letter, giving no reaction. “Are you done?”

“Auf Wiedersehen.“ Then the letter flipped over in a bowing motion and burst into flames. Klavier immediately began to obsessively brush the ash off of the table with his hand, as if he didn’t want someone to find evidence of a Howler later. Athena exhaled. “That was a lot calmer than I originally expected…“

Klavier shrugged. “Ja, that’s my brother for you. Calm as a bloody living room rug.“ Apollo raised an eyebrow, “I know the Slytherin thing is a prestige thing but why is your brother so mad about it? The houses are, in the end, a personality thing, right?“

Klavier’s ice blue eyes were scanning the lines in the oak table intently. “Since the majority of the Gavins are in Germany, we’re the representatives of the Gavins here. And since it’s only us…” He shook his head. “Kristoph’s always been obsessed with glory. He’s always wanted us to seem just as prestigious as the other pureblooded families… Or even more so. I just think it’s stupid.

“I mean,” Klavier went on. “If I ever become famous for anything,  I hope it’s for what I do and not for who my parents and grandparents are, ja? Kris is the other way around.“

Apollo’s brows scrunched up in thought. Kristoph was not sounding like ’older brother of the year’, here. Hopefully, Klavier would forget about all of that stuff his brother said when they finally went to their first class.

Unfortunately, the three were only met with more German.

“Ach! The lot of you! Sit down!“ The woman at the front of the large dark room encouraged impatiently. Her accent was thick. The dungeons were freezing cold, even for very early September. Apollo spotted students with blue striped ties also in the class. Apollo took a look around, making eye contact with Clay, who shot the group a huge grin.

Athena and Klavier walked in front of Apollo and grabbed seats in the second row. Apollo followed and set his bag down, gently, but his head shot up hearing the woman’s aggressive voice addressing them… Or, just Klavier.

“Gavin! You’re late! This does not make a very good first impression! 5 points from Hufflepuff for each of you!“

Athena’s happy-go-lucky demeanor visually changed.  “WHAT? There’s still at least ten minutes until class actually starts!“

“10 points for Miss Cykes’s speaking out of turn! Do not make me take 20!“  She snapped. “Now sit down!“

Athena’s mouth dropped open. She turned to Apollo, her eyes wide. Apollo blinked. She isn’t going to be the most fun, is she? He thought, stressfully.

The woman walked to the front of the room, leaning on her podium and large cauldron. She looked over all the students in the class and clicked her tongue.

“As you should already know, this is an introductory Potions course. You will not learn everything, but you will know enough to move up to my next class, Potions II. You will not fail but you may not excel, this is not an easy class.” She paused and smirked.

“My name is Professor Franziska von Karma. Before any of you even ask, I did teach at the school in Germany for a very short time when I went abroad after I graduated from here, but I thought Hogwarts was more promising and suited for my tastes so I came back.” Apollo shuddered at the word ‘promising.’

“I do not give out participation points or extra credit of any kind. I expect you to do better than your best in this class or your marks will reflect your poor effort if you, the student, so chooses. Homework must be turned in at the beginning of class- I will not go easy on you! I expect you to write every lecture down on parchment and I do not have extra quills if you forgot your own so do not even ask me.

“Also, Ravenclaws! Just because you were sorted into that house does not mean you will do better in my class than anyone else here! If you do not do exactly as I say, you will fail- for I only run perfect classes. If you fail, it is solely on you.” Apollo saw Clay slump his shoulders from the corner of his eye. “Now take your Magical Drafts and Potions books out of your bags if you haven’t already and we shall get started, yes? Turn to page 60 und we begin reading the chapter. Then, we commence classroom safety when dealing with potent and dangerous potions.”

Apollo inhaled, doing as he was told. School was school, magical or not.

Last period couldn’t come quick enough. The hour-long breaks between classes made the day longer, albeit more enjoyable. The first day had been brutal and Apollo saw it on all of his friends’ faces.

Potions had ended with the assignment of a research essay on minor healing potions due the following week. Then History of Magic happened and that probably went worse than Professor Von Karma’s class had.

Professor Payne was old and boring as Athena said earlier… He was surprisingly sprightly and agile, though, and attempted to be just as forceful as Von Karma had been but failed in his execution.

By the end of class, he had revealed himself to be less strict, more jumpy, and really unsure of himself. He assigned no homework, on account of slipping on the floor when trying to assign a reading passage and his toupee coming completely off. The students had laughed and he had let them go fifteen minutes early.

Charms class came and went quicker than History of Magic, thankfully. Professor Hawthorne was sweet and spiritual. She taught the class how to make feathers hover a few inches off of the table and was ecstatic when they were succeeded. Charms class may be Apollo’s favorite class so far.

That is until he walked into Classroom No. 3C after lunch for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Klavier seemed brighter than he had been that morning and happily marched into the room with a wide grin.

“Why are you so happy, all of a sudden?” giggled Athena.

“Pay attention, fraulein, it’s the last class of the day. After this, we have about three hours to explore the grounds before dinner!” He grabbed a seat in the second row of the room and pulled a chair out for Apollo who was behind him.  “Aren’t you excited?”

Actually, Apollo kind of was. The castle was huge and the grounds were beautiful. As long as they could find their way back to the Great Hall for dinner, Apollo had no qualms about exploring.

“Of course!” Exclaimed Athena. “It’ll be awesome! I also wanna stop by the library later. And a few of the hallways we haven’t walked through…. Annnnddd…”

“Where do you want to explore, Forehead?” Klavier said, interrupted Athena’s rambling.

“Hm?” Apollo turned to Klavier and blinked. “Oh… uhhhh…” He scratched his neck. “A-Actually. We have a lot of homework, don’t we? Professor Von Karma assigned that essay on healing potions. We haven’t even had Defense Against the Dark Arts yet. Should we really be exploring and wasting time this soon in the year? I don’t want my grade to drop so early and-“

“You worry too much, Forehead. Live a little!” Klavier chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Besides, Clay’s meeting us after class anyways and he wants to explore too! What’s the big deal?”

“Maybe I don’t want to get more points taken away from our house, Klavier,” Apollo pointed out. “Between the two of you, we’ve lost like twenty points, today alone. And, like I’ve already said, we have loads of homework. I’d rather not get on Von Karma’s bad sides during the first week of school.”

Klavier pushed his bangs back while leaning so far back in his chair, it was practically balancing on its back legs. “How safe you are, Forehead. We aren’t going to get in trouble if we merely explore the grounds. No one will care as long as we find our way back before dinner or curfew.” He grinned toothily at Apollo. “Just don’t worry about it.”

The room began to get louder as more and more kids begin to fill it. Apollo checked the ancient looking clock on the wall and counted five minutes past. He cringed. The Professor was five minutes late to his own class, whoever he was.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Apollo thought he heard some heavy breathing. He was surprised when he turned around.

An out of breath man with dark spiky hair wearing blue robes holding a briefcase leaned up against the arch of the doorway. He was huffing out heavy breaths, as if he’d been running. As Apollo looked around the room, everyone else was looking in the same direction. The man wheezed.

“E-Er… Professor-“ A Gryffindor in the front-left side of the room said. “A-Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just-just give me a sec…” He said, coughing and then muttering, “God, I’m out of shape. Miles is always telling me so…” He coughed again before standing up straight and walking into the classroom, setting his briefcase on the brown desk. “Maybe I took too long for lunch…”

Apollo watches him in wonder. This was the guy from the train, Phoenix Wright, and he still didn’t look much like a professor.

Wright took his wand from his lapel and muttered something, making his name magically appear on the blackboard. Then he looked up to his students.

“Well, you all look like an exciting bunch.” He walked in front of his desk to lean against it. ”I’m Professor Phoenix Wright. I’m the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and I hope to be here for a long time,” his tone was light and laid-back, which felt like a breath of fresh air after Von Karma and Payne. “Actually, ah…” he chuckled nervously glancing away from the crowd to the walls behind them. “This is really my first time teaching so I’m a smidge nervous. I’ve been an Auror for the past few years, so I’m a little out of my element, so I you all go easy on me. ”

Apollo smiled. Ah… So Wright is new too…

“Basically, our workload is this: we’ll do some bookwork and maybe a couple of essays on situational technique throughout the year, but I’ll mostly be teaching you the physical aspects of basic magical defense.” He smiled. “You’ll learn to defend yourself with basic offensive spells, but enough about that for now. It’s the first day of class and according to your schedules, you’ll have me tomorrow morning anyway.”

Apollo smiled to himself. Professor Wright seemed… Really nice. Fatherly, even, almost Dhurke-like.  

He continued. “So, the first spell that I’ll be teaching you all is the most basic of defense: the disarming spell. Technically, it’s a charm,” he said, suddenly looking at a paper on his desk. “-buuut it’s the only thing on my lesson plan as of now and may not be on Professor Hawthorne’s. Plus, she’s a pretty nonviolent person anyways,” he notes with a smiled.

Is it just me or is your lesson plan that crumpled peice of paper?

“The disarming charm forces your opponent to release whatever they are holding in their hands, so if you ever think about joining the Dueling club on campus or ever get into any fights,” he turned and smirked at the kids and wagged his finger. “-Which I do not advise; this is the first spell you will probably use.

“The Disarming Spell, as it is also known,” Professor Wright drew a small ‘o’ with his wand and flicked it, the apparent charm sending a piece of chalk writing across the blackboard across the back wall. “-causes whatever your opponent is holding to drop from their fingers. For example,” he said, beginning bullet points and turning back around to his students. “If you do decide to dabble with the Dueling club, this spell will force the wand from your opponent’s hands, and if you are actually being attacked by someone,” Wright trailed off, walking into the rows of desks and counting each student in his head. Then he walked to the back wall and closed the door. “…their weapon, whether it be a wand, knife, sword, or gun in rare interactions where a muggle sees you or you see them causing trouble against someone else, this is probably the best spell to use because it doesn’t cause any damage to the other person.” He then paused and turned back to his class, as if remembering something vital.  

“Though, let me be completely clear when I say, do not use magic in front of Muggles until you’re of leg – actually. Scratch that, don’t do magic in from of Muggles ever… Uh… Forget that I said that …” Giggles emitted all around the room.

“A-Anyway uh, let’s separate into groups of two, corresponding with the numbers on your desks, and I’ll direct you….Uh…” The professor waved his wand a bit to reveal numbers on the right corners of each of the desks. “As soon as you find your partners…  Stand up and spread out, with your wands at your ready, in front of your partner in the back of the room.”

All at once, the kids stood up and spread throughout the room. Apollo looked immediately to the red number in the corner of his eye. 4… Wait how do I figure out who else has 4?

Apollo looked around the room the room and spotted a desk with the number 4, but no one was sitting there. He frowned. Great… I’m the only one without a partner. This always happens. He glanced at Clay, who had been paired up with a girl with brown hair in two braids. Then he glanced at Klavier who had been paired with some Gryffindor girl with red hair and a rowdy voice. Okay…. Athena was somewhere in the back of the room, having already found her partner.

Apollo cocked his head to the side and turned around to check the desks behind his when he was tapped on the shoulder. A tall boy with black hair and a brooding frown stood before him and Apollo nearly jumped out of his skin.

It’s the guy who glared at me during sorting! The boy pointed to his desk. “Guess we’re partners, Justice.” Apollo shuddered and scratched him neck, awkwardly. “Hahaha… Y-Yeah… Uh..”

“Blackquill.”

“U-Uh-huh…”

The boy shrugged and moved to an empty spot in the room as directed, Apollo following reluctantly behind. Then Apollo walked a few paces away from him to put space between them, as instructed. He felt as if he were fixing to participate in a dual to the death especially after Blackquill pulled his brown wand from his lapel as if he were drawing a sword from a sheath. Uh-oh.

“Now, remember, the incantation is ‘Expelliarmus.’ Repeat after me, ‘Expelliarmus,’” said Professor Wright weaving in and out or the groups of two. Everyone repeated. “Good guys,” he said with a bright smile. “Now, let’s work on that wand movement to pair with the word.  Everyone, try it with me.”

The professor looked around for a minute to make all eyes were on him before taking his wand and drawing a line starting from his top right to where his arm was level to the floor. “Move your wand like this before casting to your opponent.  After you do it a couple of times, it’ll be muscle memory.

“Now I just want you to try and take the other person’s wand. If the wand doesn’t fly directly toward you the first time, don’t worry about it. If you can’t get the other person to drop their wand the first time, keep practicing with your partner until you do. I’m coming around to make sure everyone gets this spell.”

Apollo felt his forehead grow slightly sweaty. Oh no. Oh no. Ohhh no. He quickly grabbed his own wand from his own lapel pocket and pointed it opposite of the way Blackquill was pointing his. It’s not like we’re actually fighting… it’s just to learn the spell. That’s all! Stop worrying, Justice! Don’t freak out!

“Don’t worry, Justice,” Blackquill said with a taunting smirk at his lips. “I’ll make it quick.” He began to draw his wand near his nose, as it was a sword. If Apollo were anywhere in the muddle world right now, he would assume Blackquill liked samurai TV shows or something.

Glancing between the other students who hadn’t even started yet and Professor Wright, Apollo brought his own wand up, level to his chin and smiled. “Y-yeah right, Blackquill. E-EXPELARMUS!” Apollo shouted, moving the wand the way he was instructed.

Really, he should have expected Blackquill to dodge the light and cast his own spell. “Expelliarmus!” Apollo felt his wand being tugged from his hand without his own control and onto the floor.

“Great job, Mr. Blackquill! 5 points to Slytherin!” said Professor Wright from behind Apollo. “Apollo, you may want to think about your opponent’s reaction as you cast your attack. Pick up your wand let’s see if we can’t try this again, yeah?” He smiled warmly.

Apollo bit the inside of his cheek and picked wand up from the floor. Then he moved back to his place in front of Blackquill, but the Professor had directed Blackquill to a different partner. Apollo raised an eyebrow but stood in position anyways.

Professor Wright, however, stood in front of him instead. ` “Uh… Professor, what are you doing-“

A grin tore the side of the Professor’s face. “I’m teaching you, Apollo, please pay attention. Just remember, it’s about how much quicker you are than the other person. Now, get back into position.” With wide eyes, Apollo reluctantly raised his wand at his teach. His eyebrows furrowed together. What was he supposed to do? Attack the teacher?

A few minutes must have passed with Apollo just standing there, in attack position. At some point, Wright sighed. “Apollo, this is the first step to defense. You need to do this.”

Apollo bit the inside of his cheek and lowered his arm. “You’re just going to let me, though? That’s not what you told us to do.”

Professor Wright smiled. “I’m not trying to duel you. I just want to see you do it. It isn’t important that I try to take your wand. You all will start being introduced to dueling next year.”

Apollo glanced around the room. Some people had switched partners but no one was directly staring at him. So he straightened his body up. He stood as tall as he could and nodded, holding his wand back up.  “I-I’m sorry, sir. I’m fine, now!”

“Good, boy! All right. Draw your wand and-“

Apollo drew his diagonal line as he said the incantation with “Expelliarmus!”

This time, a stronger beam of red shot out from Apollo’s wand. Professor Wright hands seemed to spasm and his knuckles turned white as if he were still trying to grip his wand. Then his hand flared out and he let go, dropping the wand. He winced.

“Pr-professor, are you okay?” Apollo asked hurriedly. The professor scoffed as he bent over to pick up his wand. “Of course I am, Apollo. Good job. Though I think you should practice that with a few friends in your spare time, yeah?”

Apollo blinked and then nodded. “U-uh huh… Y-Yes sir.”