#anyways the hp facts i learned this weekend were WILD

[shepherd-of-the-stars]

Secrets Only the Stars Know

Gift to @orbitinghetalia for the Rusame gift exchange 2022! Prompts were Pottertalia, fluff, and secret relationship with a preference for Nyo!Ame and Russia as supportive loving partners.

Would like to note that I don't know ANYTHING about Harry Potter and had to recruit a few friends for help. But I have been told that Hogwarts is located in Scotland?? So for the sake of "I don't want to deep dive how they ended up at Hogwarts," they will be immigrants or something. Or like second gen. Anyways, enjoy

Word count: 2446

Summary: Before the two part ways for Christmas break, Ivan gives Amelia a little gift

Rating: T for one curse word lmao

Link to ao3 in notes

It smelled like Ivan. 

That was the only thing that Amelia could think about as she made her way through the darkness with his hand at her back—guiding her. She took a deep breath, breathing in the scents of the green and silver scarf tied around her eyes. There was the scent of leather, cinnamon, and… she laughed.

“Ivan, your scarf smells like wormwood” —her lips turned at the corner— “I wonder why that is.” Amelia didn’t need to see to be able to view the shame in Ivan’s eyes. She could sense it. 

“I’ve already admitted that you were right. Is that not enough, my princess?” His teasing earned him a firm stomp on the foot, but because Amelia couldn’t see, it saved him the little punishment. 

“I think not! I failed that assignment because of you. You almost ruined my grade! And my hair.” She gave a soft huff as she remembered how Ivan’s mistake had turned explosive and nearly set her on fire. The classroom—on the other hand—did not have that mercy. Even with the professor’s quick magic, their failed Draught of Living Death had left char marks on the walls of the potion room bad enough that they had to stay after class to clean it up. 

“Have you forgotten that I saved you?” 

“I wouldn’t have been in a situation that needed saving if you would have simply listened to me, you stubborn snake.” 

“Loud-mouth lion,” Ivan muttered under his breath. But Amelia had heard it. 

She retaliated with a backhanded smack in the chest, and Amelia smiled as she heard him give out a satisfying grunt of pain. “I heard that.” 

Ivan let out a breath as he rubbed at his sore stomach. Then he said in a strained voice, “are you forgetting that I am your eyes? That I can just leave you here?” 

“And are you forgetting” —Amelia turned to him with that mischievous grin again— “that I can simply… take it off?” She giggled as she lifted the scarf from her eyes, but she was only able to catch the smallest glimpse of grass and leaves in the moonlight before Ivan quickly pulled the fabric back down and batted her hands away. 

“Stop it. You’ll ruin the surprise!” There was almost a pout in his tone and Amelia couldn’t help but giggle some more. 

“Alright alright, I won’t look.” She folded her arms across her chest and leaned her body against his. “Just promise not to lead me into a lagoon or something.” 

Ivan let out an amused grunt before he brushed her bangs from her forehead and lay a chaste kiss on her temple. “Of course,” he whispered in that gentle voice of his. “I promise.”

Amelia felt herself growing flustered. Years of dating did nothing to dull the effects of Ivan’s voice. And to think that years ago, she thought that his voice could be compared to that of a troll’s. 

What started out as a fierce rivalry had taken a turn in the opposite direction after a brutal quidditch match. Amelia had accidentally slammed her club into his chest as she was aiming for the quaffle, and as a result, Ivan had nearly cracked his skull open as he plummeted to the ground. Gryffindor won without Ivan to defend the Slytherins, but Amelia couldn’t celebrate when she knew it was an unfair victory. Before she knew it, she was at his bedside with roses and an apple pie, and it was all downhill from there. 

They had fallen for each other so quickly, but because they were in rival houses, the two lovebirds snuck around like criminals just to see one another. It was why Ivan had chosen to take her through the woods in the middle of the night to give Amelia her Christmas gift. And it was possibly why Ivan had found the need to blindfold her. But Amelia had a feeling that Ivan had done that just to spite her. 

“Are we there yet? It’s been ages,” she grumbled. Amelia was much too impatient for surprises, and as much as she trusted Ivan, being blindfolded and taken through the woods in the dead of night was beyond unnerving no matter who it was guiding her. 

Ivan reached out to take her hand into his then gave her a comforting squeeze. “Count to ten, then we’ll be there.” 

So she did, because she trusted him. 

She counted to ten, and when she reached ten, they stopped, and Ivan’s arms left her. It turned cold without him by her side, but Amelia could feel that he was still there. 

“Go ahead,” he urged. 

Then slowly, Amelia lifted the scarf from her eyes. She blinked rapidly to get used to the light again, then her eyes landed on the soft smile of her boyfriend standing in front of a sparkling lake. His hair was almost silver under the moonlight and she couldn’t help but admire how handsome he looked with that gentle smile of his. Her eyes then followed his hand motions down to a large rectangular box, wrapped in brown paper, then she pouted. 

“This is my present?” 

Ivan froze and glanced to the side, confused. “Well… yes. You have to unwrap it.” 

Amelia breathed in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, and when they opened, she looked at Ivan with flat lips. “You really do have warts for brains, don’t you?”

Ivan glanced off to the side once more like he was missing some part of a joke and the answer was hidden somewhere in the trees. “I… You haven’t even opened it and you don’t like your gift? I assure you, if you would just open it—”

“Ivan, that isn’t the point! It is wrapped.” She took a step closer with her hands on her hips. Her laughter was becoming harder and harder to contain, but she restrained herself just so she could see Ivan’s flustered and bewildered reaction. 

Ivan looked again at the wrapped box on the ground, silently urging it to give him a hint what his girlfriend was talking about. But the large box remained silent and stared back at him mockingly. “Did you” —he furrowed his brows, gesturing awkwardly at the gift laying in the grass— “did you not want me to wrap it? I don’t—” He trailed off, his voice rising a pitch above his normal voice as his confusion mounted. “Is it the wrong color?” 

“It’s wrapped so I can’t see it!” Two little giggles escaped as she held up Ivan’s scarf that had been covering her eyes. 

It was almost as if she could see the gears in his head slowly turning. Then at last, Ivan parted his lips and let out a very, very intelligent, “ah.” 

Her laughter exploded from her chest with such force that it startled the owls in the trees, but Ivan remained silent as his face turned a dark shade of red. The gift had been wrapped. Even without the blindfold, she still would not have been able to see her gift. He had wasted all that time and effort leading her through the academy and the woods just to take her to a box she still couldn’t see. Ah, perhaps he did have warts for brains. But seeing that infectious smile spread across her face and watching her bend over in laughter made it all worth it. 

“Alright alright, ha ha, laugh it all out.” His voice was drenched in amused sarcasm as he pulled her into his arms and held her tight as if to squeeze every last laugh out of her. “Yes yes, I have the wit of a toad, it is all very funny, ha ha.” 

He lay a kiss on the top of Amelia’s head, then at last, her laughter simmered down. “God, I love you,” she giggled as she wrapped Ivan’s scarf back around his neck. Then, using the scarf as leverage, she pulled him down and stood on her toes to kiss him. 

“Even if my skull is empty, you will still love me?” He smiled as he brushed her hair out of her face with the gentlest touch. 

“Even if you’re the stupidest man on the earth, I will still love you. Unless” —she looked down at the gift with one raised brow—”you got me a stupid gift.” 

“I assure you, when you see what I got for you, you will be singing your praises.”

“That confident, are you?” 

“Oh I am very confident.” 

“Then we shall see.” She popped up to give him another quick peck on the lips before squatting down to inspect the wrapped box. 

It really was large. Almost six feet in length and a foot tall and wide. Almost like—

“You didn’t,” she gasped as she turned to look at him. Ivan simply smiled and looked away. 

It had taken only seconds before she was tearing at the paper like a rabid animal until she got to the wooden box hidden underneath. And when she ripped open the lid of the box, she let out a shriek of excitement so loud that it could have been heard back at the school. “The Firebolt Supreme!” 

Ivan barely had the time to react before Amelia tackled him to the ground and smothered him with kisses. 

“Oh I love you, I love you, I love you! God, I love you!” She let out another ear-piercing scream as she hugged Ivan so tight that he let out a breathless choke. He had to pat her several times on the back for her to finally let him go, and for him to see his girlfriend’s tear-stained face. 

“He wouldn’t let me buy it,” she blubbered, wiping away her snot and tears with her scarf. “That bastard shopkeeper said it doesn’t belong in the hands of a mudblood. I almost strangled him, I—” She grit her teeth at the memory of that wretched old man and reached out to strangle his invisible neck. 

“Well, lucky for you your boyfriend is a pureblood.” Ivan stretched out on the grass under Amelia and folded his hands behind his head. “I would like to see him try and deny me business. My father will have his entire shop burnt down.” 

“Oh you’re so cute when you’re evil,” she cooed. 

“Is it evil, or is it deserved?” 

“Deserved.” Amelia mirrored Ivan’s smirk. “I’m going to hover in front of his shop just to spite him. If he wants to take it back, well, he’s going to have to catch me first.” 

Hopping off Ivan’s lap, she plucked the broomstick out of the box and tested out its weight in her hands. For something with such power and speed, it felt light as air in her grasp. The dark handle was smooth, and the silver bipod glinted in the moonlight. It was simply perfect and she felt her eyes welling up once more at its beauty. 

For once, she found herself to be speechless. Amelia always knew what to say, but she was silent as she mounted the handle and hovered above the ground on it. It held her so steadily and it was almost as if she could feel the magic pulsing through the wood. 

She slowly circled around him, once, twice, three times, and Ivan turned to watch her until his head grew dizzy. Then with an exhilarated squeal, she shot into the air and blasted across the clear lake with such force that it split the water at the surface. 

It was perfect. 

Flawless! 

She shouted into the night sky until her voice grew sore, then as she was finally beginning to settle her heartbeat, a flash of blue whizzed past her. 

It was Ivan on his Starsweeper, and while that broomstick was possibly the most stunning one to look at on the market, it just wasn’t fast enough for her liking. 

“Having fun?” He flew closer to her until their knees bumped together, and close enough for him to sneak in another kiss. 

“Yes, I’m having a great deal of fun” —she whispered the words against his lips before jabbing her finger against his forehead and gently pushing him away—”without you.” Then with a mighty kick, she shoved Ivan’s broomstick several feet away from her, making Ivan scramble to catch his balance again as he spiraled towards the water. Amelia knew that the Slytherin’s best keeper would be able to handle a little kick, yet she still watched him just in case her boyfriend needed a bit of saving. 

Several feet below her, Ivan steadied his broomstick and looked up at her with amused vengeance, and Amelia stared right back with fluttering eyelashes and an innocent grin. “Sorry darling, I lost my balance.” Her voice was pitched like the one she used when asking professors for an extension on an assignment, and there wasn’t even an ounce of regret in her tone.

“Of course,” he said smoothly. Little by little, he flew closer to her, but knowing his game, Amelia backed away. “Now, what kind of partner would I be if I didn’t… help you.” 

He lunged towards her then, reaching out to grab her broomstick and knock her out of balance like she did him, but with a quick little turn, Amelia slipped out of his grasp—the sleeve of her black robe just barely grazing Ivan’s fingertips. 

“Dear oh dear,” she said in that posh, mocking voice she faked when she was being dramatic, “oh it is so hard to control, this little thing. I am dreadfully sorry.” But she wasn’t, and Ivan knew it. 

He tried again to reach her, but there was a reason the Firebolt Supreme was the best on the market. Amelia dodged him time and time again, each time being only slightly out of his grasp to tease him. And before they knew it, the two were chasing each other across the lake with uncontainable laughter. The air that whipped around them painted their cheeks pink and their ears red, but neither of them cared. 

It wasn’t until they grew sore from riding did they reluctantly end their little game. They walked back instead of flying because it gave them more time to be together—more time for Amelia to hold his hand, and for Ivan to steal kisses. When they reached the school, they shared one last kiss before parting ways. And when morning came, they would act as rivals again. But in each little jab and quip, there would be just a bit of magic between them that only they would know about. 

Their secret little love. 

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 174: Fancy Rich People Tea

Previously on BnHA: Mirio and Deku took Eri on a whirlwind weekend tour of U.A. We learned that class B is putting on a play for the festival which sounds amazing and also appears to be infringing on no fewer than three copyrights. We ran into Hadou and Amajiki who were doing some preparations for Hadou’s Miss Con campaign. We learned that the support department has a tech exhibition at the festival each year which is a big deal for them. We also learned that Shinsou is Still At It. Not sure what it is. But he’s still here guys! Finally we ran into Midnight and the Rat Principal at the cafeteria and learned that Rat Principal had to pull lots of strings and jump through a bunch of hoops in order to run the event this year. Basically security is going to be crazy, and if someone so much as sneezes something that sounds like ‘villain attack’ they will immediately call the whole thing off and evacuate. Sounds fair. All in all, Eri had a good time and is looking forward to the actual event! Also Deku got fired from the dance squad. That’s rough, buddy.

Today on BnHA: Mina explains that they need Deku to help the staging team turn Aoyama into a human disco ball. Deku agrees so long as he still gets to dance a little bit. The next morning Deku and All Might run into Mei while training in the woods. We learn that she’s working on a new support item for Deku which will be ready soon. That evening Momo makes some fancy tea for everyone while Deku fucks around on Youtube and accidentally stumbles across one of Gentle’s videos. We then cut to Gentle and La Brava, and Gent breaks down the details of his plan. They’ll take a sneaky route to approach U.A. on the day of the festival, using back streets and side roads. Then they’ll stop and drink tea (the same fancy brand that Momo uses) for an hour and a half. Then they’ll approach U.A. from the woods, and La Brava will breach U.A.’s security barrier with her mad hacking skills. We learn that she used those same skills to track down Gentle after she first saw his videos, and afterwards she devoted herself to his cause. Gentle says he is putting his heart and soul into this new plan for her sake and for the sake of his own dreams.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 199 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.) 

look at this sweet girl trying to soften the blow

yeah because Aoyama totally ditched them. sorry Deku, they need a new disco ball

...or maybe not!

sorry Deku we need a new dispersal method for our disco ball

so wait. they’re really going through with this, huh. this wild stream-of-consciousness rambling from Mina really became the centerpiece for the entire dance floor

and Aoyama is FULLY ON BOARD now

so now this job is perfect for you huh. well you sure are a good sport

so they want Deku to break off from the main group at the same time as Aoyama and help him out

so once he has been “dispersed” you can probably still go have your dance with Eri, Deku! you can do that thing where she stands on top of your feet and you waltz around. it’s going to be so cute omg. make sure your mom videotapes it

speaking of are the parents going to get to come to this thing too? or will it really only be the kids. let their moms and dads come see all of their hard work!

(ETA: I was hoping we would see some of the parents but if they were there we missed it. booooo)

now Kiri is doing that hands-clapped-together pleading thing and apologizing to Deku, but he says they really need his help

lol so they’ve realized that they can’t put all their eggs into the “Aoyama as disco ball” basket

this is an honest-to-god serious conversation these kids are happening. with note-taking and everything. Todoroki fucking Shouto is in on this. “how long can we hold people’s attention by transforming Aoyama into a disco ball.” science

okay but. you guys... are planning other stuff too. right. ...???

(ETA: they sure are. that ice stuff that Mina also suggested. I’m telling you guys, she’s the undisputed MVP of this whole arc, and without her their festival program would have been shit)

lol well okay then. this is going to be so interesting

anyway so Deku’s all “I guess it’s okay then as long as I have a turn dancing,” and he’s agreeing to it

now we’re cutting to 6:30 a.m. on some random unknown day and Deku is training for his new move under All Might’s supervision

All Might is chock full of sage mentor wisdom

“always remember: bleeding internally is bad.” good stuff. write that down, Deku

he’s asking All Might if he has any tricks for maintaining control of the attack, since this is the first move he’s learned that he can’t just use freely

sage mentor wisdom

so apparently All Might was some sort of OFA prodigy and was able to control 100% OFA almost instantly. so he really genuinely has no idea how to teach it, because to him it just came naturally

was he just that buff when he got the quirk?? how old was he when he got it? did he actually attend U.A. as a quirkless kid? because middle school Toshinori sure as hell wasn’t ripped just yet, I can definitely tell you that much

I’m very, very, very curious about this, ngl. because I feel like the series has yet to clarify whether you need to be built like a Marvel Chris in order for your body to have the stamina to withstand OFA, or if that actually doesn’t have that much to do with it and the control needed to master it is actually more mental/spiritual than physical

like obviously physicality has a lot to do with it, though. but All Might could still use 100% for a long time even in his withered and weakened body. and Shimura, the only other OFA user we’ve seen at this juncture, was obviously super cool and tough, but it wasn’t like she was a female body builder or anything

and then of course there’s the question of exactly how much stronger Deku’s version of OFA is, though. how much of a difference is there because All Might’s strength was added to the mix? that obviously makes a big difference as well

basically I still have a lot of questions! maybe I should get back to this training scene and see if it answers any of them!

so he’s telling Deku to visualize the image of OFA -- the egg in microwave image again, I guess? -- and remember that sensation in his body. basically he’s trying to coach him on bringing it out intuitively

and Deku’s thinking to himself that even though they were both born quirkless, there’s a big difference between them still

so this does make it sound like a lot of it is mental

honestly that’s exciting and very important to me because it means that if Deku ever has a breakthrough, he could potentially make a huge leap forward in progress very suddenly

(ETA: LOOOOOOL good god I’ll say.

also! now that I know more about future developments with OFA, I’ve been thinking that I wasn’t giving Deku enough credit here. he is, in fact, just as much of a prodigy as All Might, I think. the difference is that All Might was able to master the physical aspects of OFA, whereas Deku seems to be more in touch with the spiritual side that All Might (supposedly) never really awakened. or to put it in Avatar: The Last Airbender terms, All Might was more of a Korra and Deku is more of an Aang. fortunately for Deku, it seems that being in tune with the spiritual part of OFA gives you access to some really neat stuff, holy shit.)

HOLY SHIT

THIS DUDE’S STILL GOT IT

holy shit that came out of nowhere at top speed and he caught it without looking like a total badass. WHO EVEN NEEDS ONE FOR ALL. OR ORGANS

so now Mei’s traipsing out of the woods and asking if anyone got hurt. nope, but you almost killed my husband and my son so try to be more careful next time

Deku’s belatedly realizing that this looks kind of weird, him being out in the middle of the woods having SECRET TRAINING with All Might at the crack of dawn

so All Might, master of improvisation that he is, is switching to Kansai dialect for some reason. to try and disguise himself. because of course that’ll work

thankfully, out of everyone they could have stumbled across in the woods, Hatsume Mei is the most singularly one-track-minded person they could have possibly met, and she’s barely even batting an eye

hmm?

new item, eh?

and he’s surprised and says he thought it wouldn’t be ready until after the cultural festival

but she already had the materials, so she says it’ll take no time at all

so he’s thanking her and now she’s walking off again

and by the way, this thing that All Might caught literally is a golden snitch, though

All Might > Harry Potter confirmed

(ETA: and by the way, this makes two HP references two chapters in a row, given the title of 1-B’s play. Horikoshi must have recently marathoned the films or something)

now he’s asking Deku about the new item

Deku says there was something he wanted to try out with his new technique

All Might is mentioning that he also tried using support items at one point back in the day, but apparently they only ended up getting in his way and tended to break whenever he went over 20-30%

oh hey

haven’t seen this in a while. here I thought his suit was way too fitted to accommodate this sort of thing anymore. he’s probably ruined it now

(ETA: you can actually see that the top button is about to pop off lol)

anyway, he’s telling Deku that using support items is great, just so long as he doesn’t end up relying on them too much

he says he’s seen a lot of instances where heroes that relied too much on their items had a bad time when those items were lost

this kinda seems to go against what Aoyama was saying a few chapters earlier. he’s an example of someone who does rely on a support item, and he seems to do all right. but I get what All Might is trying to tell him though

so Deku is all “got it!” and clenching his fist determinedly

aww

it is, though. I was just thinking that. I adore these All Might/Deku training scenes and it’s been great to have a return to this

so now we’re cutting back to Heights Alliance, and I’m assuming it’s the evening because the moon is up

Bakugou is squabbling with Kaminari and telling him he he plays too fast. Kaminari says Bakugou is the one screwing them up because he keeps improvising

obligatory posting of this panel of MomoJirou being lesbians

I live for the little things, I really do

omg

okay, (1) this is the cutest thing that’s ever happened ever in history, and (2) I just remembered that that was the chapter title. “imperial golden tips.” so it appears the chapter is named after Momo’s fancy tea that her mom sent her

everyone’s all excited to try it because it’s fancy rich people tea

lmao. Ochako’s asking if Deku’s going to have any, and

“am I... a bad nerd??” Deku berates himself while lying awake in bed that night sobbing uncontrollably

so I think that while Deku and Ochako are being clumsy dorks here they’re going to accidentally click on one of Gentle’s videos perhaps?

yep

in a way it’s kind of charming to know that Youtube’s suggested videos algorithm is still complete shit even in the BnHA universe 200 years from now. Deku was looking for All Might support items. Youtube: [brings up villain tea videos]

so Ochako has no idea who he is, but Deku’s actually heard of him although he says he’s not too familiar. but he knows he’s an infamous Youtube Villain

:) the answer may surprise you!

though it shouldn’t, actually. you guys should just go ahead and assume you’re the targets of every upcoming villain plot from here on out. that’s the way the dice seem to be falling nowadays

now we’re cutting to Gentle and La Brava

Gentle is writing something out with a feather quill like some sort of Harry Potter character. I couldn’t come up with a more creative simile because my mind’s still in that mode thanks to the golden snitch earlier

this man just sits around in full costume writing letters with a quill even as a laptop sits inches away. he’s just that committed to his gig. he lives this life 24/7 huh

he says that the public is growing more and more dissatisfied with heroes nowadays, and it’s because they’re “feeble-minded”

I’d actually argue that at this point, them being attacked is the predictable thing

now La Brava is asking if he’s going to involve the kids that will become future heroes. YEAH, GENTLE

I’D ARGUE THAT THEY’VE HAD ENOUGH WAKE UP CALLS BY THIS POINT

like. can they live. can they just have this one little thing though, god

oh my god

thanks La Brava. this is why he keeps you around

so now they’re going over the route!

so they’re going to approach at 5 a.m. that morning, taking a route that passes by the fewest hero offices

then they’re going to turn onto a side road, go through a residential area, and then they’ll end up at a park

blah blah so about an hour will elapse during this time and they’ll end up at a rundown house that’s actually a cafe

and he says they’re going to stop there to get some tea

apparently they serve the same tea that that Momo was coincidentally serving to everyone earlier. the imperial golden tips stuff

so... they’re going to wait until the shop opens, and then take a 90-minute tea break

let me tell you, it sure is riveting going through every detailed step of this elaborate criminal operation

then they go back outside and pass through a construction site and then climb a hill

ah, finally!

yeah probably at like 5pm at this rate. the festival will have already ended and you shrug and turn around and head back home

he says that since Hounddog will probably be guarding the area, they’ll rub themselves with dirt and leaves to mask their scent

then they’re gonna hit the famed U.A. barrier, which is impossible to get through without a permit

but apparently La Brava is A HACKING PRO, so she’s gonna hack U.A.’s network and shut down their sensors

is it really that easy? shit. doesn’t U.A. have any IT heroes? little did we know this whole time the password to their network was 1234

lmao we’re flashing back to when they first met

“corrupt businessman scolded” sounds like the kind of shit that should have gone viral tbh

then one day La Brava tracked him down and said she was a huge fan and she offered to help him

she apparently hacked his address. since the police haven’t found them yet, I’m assuming they’ve since moved, or taken down that initial video, or both lol

so now he’s proclaiming that this time around he’ll proudly put his life on the line

aww

yeah so that’s basically it. and now time is progressing to the night before the cultural festival OH GOODNESS

BONUS:

so as promised, we’re gonna do two pages today since I flaked out yesterday!

page one - class B painting the prop dragon

nothing much to say about this one except that obviously they’re going to keep painting it until they’re fucking done painting it, Colander Man

page two - Kenrazaki Bibimi’s profile. I couldn’t find a scanlation for this, so my Google Translate-assisted version is below lol

likes: glittering people, glittering things

the beauty gal

“too beautiful. it’s fun to draw her eyelashes.” lol

is it weird that now that the shock of said lashes has died down some, I actually do think she is really pretty? lol what is this manga doing to me