#arthur and gran should talk

[flovverworks]

🙂 <-read arthurs spot story

[sophie1973]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged over the past week by @taste-thewaste, @stellarm and @onthewaytosomewhere

Have a little flashback ( a second one) from my WIP "Bloodstream" with Philip's pov this time. (I decided to make Philip a good brother in this story because, well, this is my fic and I do what I want. But consequently he might sound a bit OOC for some)

Snippet and tags under the cut

“Am I being clear, Henry?” “Perfectly clear, Gran,” Henry replies, a blank look on his face.   “I hope so. I would hate to have to take matters into my own hands.”  The threat is limpid, and with one last warning look, she leaves the room, leaving the 3 of them in various state of shock and confusion.

“Fuck,” Philip mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose and ignoring the surprised looks his siblings throw at him. It’s true he doesn’t swear often, and certainly not in front of them, but the situation at hand seems to require it. “She certainly did not seem happy to know about Mom and Dad’s involvement with Percy,” Bea says, her voice trembling slightly and her complexion paler than usual. “I should have kept my mouth shut, but I honestly thought she knew. Which, in retrospect, is a bit daft on my part,” Philip sighs. “It’s alright, Pip. You were trying to defend me. Besides, it’s not like they hid anything. It’s only because I spent time with him that she took notice, and we all know why,” Henry chimes in, his face now closed and somber.  Bea takes his hand and squeezes it. “I’m not sure what offends her the most: that you would shag a man, that he is black, or that he is a vampire.” “Bea,” Philip chastises her half-heartedly, but when he hears Henry’s soft laugh, he lets out one too. “Probably all three of them.” “So, I don’t want to sound alarmist, but I still think we should warn Percy. Just to be on the safe side.” Beatrice’s eyes widen. “You think she could….? I know Percy is not a peerage member, but he is still a prominent name in society. His…disappearance would definitely causes some stir.”  “It pains me to say this, but yes. I think she could. And she will. Again, I don’t want to anticipate negatively,” he presses, seeing Henry’s ashen face. “But it’s Gran.” “I suppose we should be more cautious for a while. Percy talked about expanding the shelters to America, maybe it might be the right time. Like you, I really don’t trust Gran to stay idle even if we don’t see each other anymore,” Henry says softly, obviously upset at the idea of having to send his best mate away. Philip knows he’s blaming himself for the predicament in which he put Percy, even involuntarily. “It’s just a precaution, I’m sure all will be fine,” Philip says in what he hopes is a reassuring manner, even though he doesn’t believe one word of what he just said. He sees Henry’s and Bea’s shoulders relax a little, so he feels a little better about lying to them.   Philip has always trusted his instincts, and the fact that he has been so catastrophically right about them will haunt him for the rest of his days. Two weeks later, Arthur Fox is found dead in an alley behind Drury Lane, allegedly the victim of a random mugging. Six weeks later, with the help of Percy, who made arrangements from across the pond, Philip puts his siblings on a ship to America, wishing desperately it won’t be the last he will see of them.

No pressure tag for

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @theprinceandagcd @inexplicablymine

@piratefalls @underthefigtree777 @happiness-of-the-pursuit

@ash-morrison @itsmaybitheway @tintagel-or-cockleshells @fckngyrs @blueeyedgrlwrites

@kj-bee @yrsacdfox @tailsbeth-writes @firenati0n

[ilysmsweaty2]

i've been sitting on this one for awhile. anyway~

alex and henry with a baby!!

"henry <3"

alex picks up the facetime.

"whatthefuckisthat?" he says before he can stop himself. henry is holding the camera downwards at a very small baby in his arms.

"oh calm down, it's just my nephew-" he says panning the camera back up.

"ohhh, martha had the baby?" alex says, the initial shock having worn off but his heart still going funny in his chest at the visual of henry with a baby.

"-not going to baby trap you, dear, we're not straight people- yes she did." he smiles that crinkly unapologetic smile, "her and philip got back from hospital this morning. he's a little early too, martha and philip still hadn't decided who the royal nanny should be, so he gets to spend some time with gay uncle henry." he's looking down and smiling at the baby, and alex struggles to breathe.

"are you going to make him call you that?" he asks smirking.

"oh, absolutely," henry replies sarcastically.

"what's his name?"

"arthur, upon martha's insistence. bea and i knew he got dibs on the name since he's the oldest, but we didn't expect martha to run with it so much. of course, philip loved dad, but... mm," he hums stopping himself. a minuscule pained expression crossing his face that many would miss. alex didn't.

"getting a little morbid here."

"no, it's okay," alex says shifting in his seat, "you can talk about it."

"......he's just not here, alex."

"i know, baby."

"he'll never get to meet his grandchildren..." henry's looking down fondly at the baby. there's a strangled noise trapped somewhere in alex's throat.

"anyway," henry looks back up and smiles at alex, tears in his eyes. "mum insisted on finding a nanny earlier and she told martha and philip as much, but they were under the impression they had plenty of time.... she damn near 38 weeks. well anyway, he's here now and martha's rightly exhausted and philip is spinning, and mum and bea are on a plane in right now, so it's just me and him taking a nap. oh, david is here, too." he pans the camera over to his side where david is lying next to henry, his head on his leg. he wags his tail at the mention of his name.

"he's not very sure what to make of it, but he's a lot calmer than philip," henry says, and alex's laughs.

"how's that gonna go?" he asks after a second.

"mmm," henry hums again, "im sure philip truly loves arthur but it doesn't change the fact that he didn't want kids. well, he's got me, and mum, and bea, and martha," henry's looking down at him again and he's switched the hand his phone is in to stroke the baby's head.

"hmm, and you i guess." henry says a mischievous glint coming into his eye.

"woah-"

"don't think i forgot your comment back when we told gran... i'm only teasing. we have time, my dear."

"he is very cute," alex says, "i'd love to be there with you two."

"a visit would make philip's head spin around-"

"oh i know it,"

"but i'm sure we can arrange something soon."

alex hums and watches as henry looks at his nephew.

"i love you," alex says.

henry smiles looking back up at him. "i love you too, darling."

[prydainroyals]

As she watched her father go for another drink, a heaviness weighed on Alice's heart and her anxiety flared painfully in her chest.

Nevertheless, she steeled herself and took a breath before she spoke.

... But she could not keep all the tension from her tone:

"I-I--" she took another breath, "I think we should... do something nice for Arthur, when he returns from the Arctic. I feel it would go a long way toward--"

"No," George interjected as he raised the glass to his lips like a man long-parched.

Alice was undaunted, however, and she carried on, emboldened in stubbornness by George's rejection.

"Dad--People are talking. They're saying that you would be happier if something happened to him. You never join him on engagements, you never talk about him positively, you scarcely mention him at all--"

"--Listen to me!"

"I am listening, Princess, and I'm waiting for you to finish speaking," said the King patiently.

'You're drinking, you interrupted, and you're not even looking at me!' she wanted to scream aloud, but she did not.

Alice took another breath to calm herself. She was supposed to be the "calm" twin, but in truth, she was as passionate and emotive as her brother.

"Dad, I just-- You need to start considering how people see how you treat Arthur. It's practically an open secret that you'd rather have me as an heir. But you don't. I'm not your heir-- Arthur is."

"At the very least," she went on, when George did not interject again, "do it for your reputation. I can plan it and I'll deal with Gran--just a little dinner or something, a small gathering to welcome him home. All you will need to do is show up and pretend it was your idea."

There, that was the pitch. With bated breath, Alice waited for a response.

The silence lingered on, broken momentarily by the sound of George topping off his glass.

"... Well?" Alice prompted.

George paused his motions; the decanter in one hand, glass in the other.

"... I find it interesting that you aren't appealing to my role as a father, but as a king."

That... was not the response Alice had suspected. She was dumbfounded, unsure of what to say at first.

"Dad, I..."

- - -

Oof.

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[toestalucia]

in regards to earlier, i think...whats p fun to write is the mix of fear & dedication gran has towards things? like, grans pretty easy to read, and as captain grans feelings have an affect on others as well, and grans very much aware of this (at least, after cagli says it). but grans still scared when things threathen their life, but at the same time they're always so determined to succeed that that part kinda is the one that mainly shows? recklessly doing dangerous things without seemingly a care for their life because they'll do anything they can no matter what...even if the fear comes as a secondthought (considering grans occassional impulsiveness), its still there. even when its hard to pickup.

[lordhelpme0-0]

Ikemen Vampire OC: Saint Olga of Kiev

Digital and traditional art form of Olga of Kiev is here~!

Date of Birth: April 12, C.890-925

Zodiac Signs: Aries

Height: 153.9 cm

Occupation: Rus Queen Regent, Saint queen dowager, Widow catholic

Vampiric Type: Pureblood / original line

Ethnicity: Varangian

Name/Titles: Olga of Kiev, Saint Olga of Kiev, Elena (Christian), Eleanor De Lambert (outside name)

Family Relations: Unknown but possibly Vlad grandmother

Personality: She is a calm but cunning women. Does not like small talk easily, and very resourceful. It’s said she has the wits of an owl, and the quickness of a hare. Possible someone you should be aware of. Does not involve herself much with the pureblood society for who knows what. A devoted Christian that will linger in a chapel. She has the aura so mysterious, it’s similar to Vlad in a way. Also, don’t call her babushka…unless it’s from the younger generation in the family blood.

Likes:

quiet - she needs quietness to do her routinely prayers and writing [also loves to plant flowers and herbs]

practically - she been through many things that is in need of quick wittiness and strategic ideas for all her troubles

loyalty - its vastly needed from this mysterious saint

trust - she does not give trust easily and will let people earn it through a myriad of tests

family - she rather care for her family and protect her family honor

flowers (Amarath -[fidelity] especially) - give her houseplant when visiting, it’s Russian customs

Her sons and grandchildren - she very doting and motherly

Dislike:

Blundering fools

Horrible decorum - she’s very old style

Faust unethical experiments - Olga does not take kindly at the mini and secretive deceit of poisoning going around in Vlad castle

Stupidity - basically cause it’s a waste of time for her

Being called granny or gran-gran by anyone who is not family - pray well and pray fast y’all.

Trivia!!!!:

Olga hates Faust, but enjoys the chapel itself

She is very reserved so nobody knows what’s in her head

Comte is wary knowing what she has and could do [seriously, don’t do anything you think she won’t like]

Hates Arthur still for giving her an even number of lilacs. [it’s a no-no, but he learned after that and made up with giving uneven number of flowers in pots after research]

Really hates Leonardo for polluting the area with his cigars, while in turn Leonardo smoke less or outside [she has a very quick sense of smell]

Loves when her grand babies came to give her an arrangement of houseplants and flowers with chocolate

She has grown fond of bittersweet chocolate

She enjoys Jeans Presence as the boy will always seek her out [she’s grown fond of the boy, much to Vlad dismay]

Has met Vlad battle players against Comte own battle players [things Wellington has some sort of weird aggression with his own aggression on Napoleon -key word, thinks he still in the closet but won’t point it out]

The Van Gogh brothers have gifted her an uneven arrangement of flowers and paintings [they been in her good book]

Elderly granny who always has her eyes half closed

Has whacked Vlad in the head many times, even lectured him

See Comte as a good man, still doesn’t understand why he always spend this carelessly

Lines:

“Ah, you must be the girl I’ve heard so many times. Come, take a stroll with this old lady” The middle age women smiled at me. Her eyes twinkling like red sapphires.

“[____], do you not realize who those two men your dealing with?” I quickly looked at Olga in alarm. “What do you mean? Is it Vlad? Or Comte?”

“My blood may pulse for thirst, but my devotion doesn’t taint. Come child, tell me of your wishes.” “I wish..”

Romantic: ???

Storyline plot: <yes>

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[Yes] [No]

[Yes]

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Tagging: @pieground @spoopy-fish-writes @yanderepuck

Tagging cause y’all inspired me to do some Ikevamp Oc cause why not..now I have huge list on women..yay!

[revengeisalwaysanoption]

I’ll go in alphabetical order. Axel: I could tell that is brain goes faster than his mouth, so he struggled a bit translating what he meant to say, but that struggle made him even more endearing. Unfortunately, I missed all of his panels and it was too noisy in the pizzeria to hear what he was saying unless he was turned towards me. One of the guys in my table clearly was a big fan of him and they had a lovely conversation in which I was told Axel mentioned that he was bullied in high school and that made him feel connected to Lucas in S3… Now that he’s kind of famous, of course, all his former bullies pretend to be old friends. Axel had a lot of chaotic energy, as usual, and jumped on the autographs table instead of going to around it to hug two girls and pretended to be a Neapolitan pizzaiolo when he got the pizza (he wanted a Bufalina, but the waiter told him he couldn’t have it… in Italian. So Axel couldn’t really understand what was going on :/ ). He has been in Italy twice before this Con, both times to Rome. The first time, he went there with his mother since it was a present for her birthday. They managed to find a 3 stars hotel not too far from Trevi’s fountain that had an amazing view of the city. He went back there, in the same hotel. Since Italy was on lockdown (not complete lockdown, but we couldn’t move from one region to another), he got to enjoy all the touristy spots as they were nearly deserted. His favourite scene to shoot was the “intervention” to help Lucas out in S3: it was the second scene they shot and the one he struggled the most with. After it though, he felt like he was finally starting to connect with the character. From January to June he will be busy with a play in Paris, and he is working on a piece together with Robin and Leo (who is going to provide the music) Leo: He is a big fan of anime, especially dark ones. His favourite is Berserk, but he also enjoys the darkest parts of Naruto (he mentioned Itachi’s arc), Attack On Titan (his favourite character is Eren). He started acting because of his favourite film, American History X. He was amazed at the fact that he could empathize with the white racist boy (if you’ve seen the movie, you know who he’s talking about) and wanted to accomplish the same… He grew up in a city that wasn’t too far from Italy, and his parents were big fans of the country. Unfortunately, he had to face a lot of racists there (and yeah, nobody can argue with that) and wasn’t a big fan of the country until he started meeting people from Italy for the conventions. He has been in many places all over Italy but he doesn’t remember much. Since he mentioned Turin, I asked if had any memory of it and what was his favourite corner of the city and he said that he still remembers about the market (I guess he was talking about Gran Balon, a big street market that happens on the 2nd Sunday of the month). His favourite scene to shoot was the fight between Arthur and his friends on St. Valentine’s Day and he still thinks that people misinterpreted Yann’s reaction to Lucas’ coming out. Maxence: As for Axel, I wasn’t at any of his panels and I didn’t have an autograph session with him so we just managed to talk a little at the coffee break activity. I asked about House Of Gaunt, and he told me that it has been very frustrating to be slowed so much by COVID but that he’s happy about it and that it’s finally out. His favourite spot in Paris is La Petite Ceinture, because it’s full of secret passages. His favourite season is, of course, S3 but he did agree that we got to know Eliott a bit more in S6 as well. I’ve been told that he lost Brian for a while and that he called the police about it. He also asked if he should tell the other people who were living in the building about the fact that he couldn’t find him, but they said “absolutely not”. I can’t remember anything else, because I was too busy basking in his sunny disposition (and well, he’s even more beautiful in person, so…) Robin: He started acting because he was a big fan of Twilight (Team Edward!) and wanted to be the next Robert Pattinson. He finds villains more interesting to play, especially when they commit heinous crimes. He's a fan of anime too, but I can’t remember if he mentioned any titles. He didn’t mention his favourite scene to shoot – or if he did, I wasn’t there – but he did say that the most challenging one was the one in the pool because he doesn’t really feel comfortable when he is in the water… Besides, the season as a whole was harder than the others for him. There was the switch between French and French Sing Language, which he wasn’t really fluent in, and he had to make sure there was always eye contact between him and Winona, otherwise they would have travel communicating. Robin had a quite unpopular opinion: he loved S3 of Wtfock, especially for that scene after Robbe and Sander’s date… If he could be any other character, however, he’d be Giovanni of Skam Italia because he seems always so happy and chill. He has been to a couple of different places in Italy, but the one that he remembers the most are Cinque Terre. He was there on a cruise, but he hopes he will get a chance to visit them better next time. He is currently playing a role of a 25-year-old (a nice change from the teens he used to play) in a movie based on “L’Etabli” (The Assebly Line) by Robert Linhart. But of course, if you follow him on Instagram you know about it already. He says he can’t wait to go and watch it with his mum, and that since there’s a very famous French actor in it it should be also great for visibility…

[emerywrites]

Fanfic: “Please don’t make a fuss”

So, I recently got back into Harry Potter and reread all of the books. Percy Weasley is one of my favorite characters and since its his birthday I wrote a fic. I hope that people enjoy it. :) 

 Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Percy hated anyone making a fuss about his birthday. For twenty years he got away with passing it by with little acknowledgement. One year his daughters decide to change that.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: survivors guilt, PTSD

Percy always did his best to ignore his birthday. During the time that he had been estranged from his family, he had seen little reason to make a fuss about his birthday and the habit had stuck with him. Soon after he and Oliver had reignited their relationship, he told him that he didn’t want any birthday celebrations. Oliver had respected that other than a small gift and a “Happy birthday, love” the morning of August 22nd every year.

When Molly and Lucy were old enough to understand birthdays, things had changed, of course. They insisted on making homemade cards and having a cake. Percy allowed it and ate a small piece of cake as he admired their artistic efforts.

He remembered some particularly interesting cards on his birthday after they’d turned five. “That’s you, Daddy, and that’s me and that’s a dragon!” Molly had explained as she pointed to barely discernable shapes she had drawn in crayon.

“Oh, a dragon, how unique, dear,” he said to his daughter before leaning over to mutter to Oliver, “She’s been spending too much time with Charlie.”

Lucy showed him her own art of their family playing quidditch and Percy had been just as encouraging. It was easy to enjoy a birthday with small children who were an easy distraction. When they were young, he could allow his birthday to be more about them than himself.

But as they got older, that changed. His daughters wanted to get him gifts with their pocket money. They asked why they had birthday celebrations at the Burrow for everyone else in the family and why they went to see Papa’s family on his birthday, but never did any of that for Daddy. It was difficult to explain the complicated emotions that went along with Percy’s desire to not think about his birthday. So, he never did. He only ever said that all he wanted for his birthday was peace and quiet with his husband and daughters.

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

Molly and Lucy were fifteen and August 22nd had come around yet again. They successfully avoided mentioning his birthday other than a kiss on his cheek that morning with a “Happy birthday, Dad”. The rest of the day was spent in Diagon Alley getting their school supplies and of course a special gift for Molly for being made prefect and Lucy for being made captain of the quidditch team. Percy was more than happy to make their successes the focus of the day.

After they got home, Molly ran upstairs to try on her new robes with her prefect’s badge. Moments later she came running back down. “I can’t find my badge!” Percy promised her that they would look until they found it.

Then Lucy piped up with, “I think you left it at the Burrow yesterday, when we went to show Grandmum and Granddad.”

Molly gasped. “You’re right! We have to go get it, right now.”

“Alright,” Percy agreed. “Ollie, you take Molly to get the badge. Lu and I can get started on dinner.”

“Dad, you know how Gran is, she’ll be disappointed if we don’t stay for dinner,” Molly told him. “We should all go.”

That was when Percy got suspicious. But he didn’t want to act paranoid and relented into going along. He side-long apparated with Lucy and Oliver with Molly. When they showed up outside of the Burrow, Percy immediately knew something was wrong. None of his nieces or nephews were outside running around. Usually there were at least a couple of them always underfoot no matter where you went around the Burrow.

He got a bad feeling that he knew what was about to happen. “Ollie, I’m not feeling too well. The three of you can stay. I’ll just go back…” But the three of them were already going up to the door. Percy followed, feeling his stomach twist into a knot as he desperately hoped that he was wrong in his prediction.

They entered the Burrow, just for the entire family to shout, “Surprise!” Every one of his siblings and their families were there, crammed inside his childhood home. It was overwhelming to see all of their smiling faces, there for him. Percy’s first instinct was to bolt and he would have if it had not been for him backing straight into his husband’s strong chest. He swallowed hard and plastered on a grin.

Percy kindly thanked them for such an amazing surprise. Everyone explained how it had all been Molly and Lucy planning the whole thing. Oliver hadn’t even known about it as the girls knew that he could never keep a secret from Percy.

Percy told himself, he would just get through the evening. He could do it. He’d often enough kept up a façade for politicians and department heads that he had to socialize with. He’d managed to trick Death Eaters into thinking that he wasn’t a threat to their take over of the ministry. It should be easy to pretend to his family that he was happy on his birthday.

They all sat outside at tables magically extended to their limit to hold the, what seemed to be, ever-growing number of Weasleys. Percy sat next to Oliver who was holding an enthusiastic conversation about quidditch with Ginny. His daughters were a bit further down the table talking animatedly with their cousins. He caught a few words of Molly bragging about her new status as prefect in the up-coming school year. Percy tried not to think about his twin brothers’ teasing about “perfect prefect Percy” and how he kind of wished he could reminisce with Fred and George about it. And, now he was thinking about Fred…

Percy hadn’t even noticed that his mother had gone inside. Then she was suddenly coming back out into the garden, floating a towering chocolate cake that had his name in icing. Freddie and Roxanne’s set of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes patented fireworks flashed and screamed through the sky. Percy thought he was going to throw up. He flinched and saw flashes of the walls of Hogwarts castle coming down… Fred’s lifeless eyes…

Percy stood abruptly, knocking his chair backwards. Everyone’s attention turned to him. Smiles faded from their faces when they saw the panicked expression he wore. “I have to go,” he said shakily.

He ran inside, knowing that there was no way he was steady enough to apparate. The intention was to take the floo home but the powder was not on the mantle where it usually was. He was about to try and summon it when Oliver came running in.

“Percy! Percy, what happened out there?” Oliver’s voice was so concerned and that just made Percy feel worse for making a scene.

“I can’t do this, Ollie,” he said hoarsely. There was a lump of emotion in his throat that made it difficult to get his words out. “I can’t be here.”

“Why not, love? I know you don’t like people to make a fuss about your birthday but the girls really wanted to do something special. They wanted to give you a proper birthday.”

“And they are lovely for wanting to do that. But you don’t understand!” How did he explain it? How could he, when saying it out loud would hurt more than anything?

Then Oliver was much closer. He put his hands on either side of Percy’s face and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that Percy didn’t even realize he had shed. “Love, you’re scaring me. What is going on?”

Percy gently took his wrists and pushed the hands away. “I hate my birthday,” he said slowly. “After… after I left, I stopped caring about my birthday. I had my work and it just felt like another distraction.”

Oliver nodded. “So, you’re out of practice in celebrating. We can fix that. We’ll just start a bit smaller next time.” He laughed as if it was that easy.

“That’s not it!” he snapped. He was shouting. He didn’t mean to be but no one understood and they wouldn’t until he got it out. He couldn’t help but look away toward the fireplace. The words that sat on the tip of his tongue weren’t supposed to be out there. They were meant to stay there in his heart, slowly eating him alive. At least there, they couldn’t damage anyone else. “My birthday is just a reminder, Ollie! It’s a reminder that I get another year, year after year! I get to grow old and Fred doesn’t! It’s a reminder to my family that the wrong son survived! I can pretend… I can pretend that I’m okay if I just don’t let anyone make a fuss about celebrating. It feels wrong to make them celebrate it.”

Percy finally allowed himself to look at Oliver. His husband was staring at him, his mouth opening and closing like he didn’t know what to say, but was struggling to find the words. But just past Oliver, standing at the threshold of the kitchen, was his father looking at him with pain-filled eyes.

“Is that what you really believe?” Arthur asked as he approached. “That we think the wrong son survived?”

Percy really wished he had just pushed through and gotten to the end of the dinner. He should have found a way to keep the smile on his face and his bum in his chair. Now, he was hurting his father all over again. “No!” he tried to lie. “I…it’s…” Both his father and his husband looked at him with pity and that was humiliating. There was no point in lying when they could see through him like a ghost. “Yes, that’s… that’s always what I believed. How could I not? It felt like the cost of me returning to the family was Fred’s life. Like it was some sort of horrible exchange. And you lost, someone as well-loved as Fred to get me… the broken one who came back too late.”

“None of us have ever thought that,” Arthur said with an adamant shake of his head. “Losing Fred was a tragedy. That loss is always going to be there. But I also got a son back that day, Percy. And I apologize, that we obviously didn’t do enough to make you feel fully welcomed back and that you thought we wouldn’t want to celebrate having you.”

“Dad, you don’t need to-” But then his dad was hugging him. It was strange. He tried to remember the last time his dad had hugged him like that. It had been a while.

When he was eventually released, he realized that Oliver had slipped out of the room. His dad looked at him and cleared his throat. “If you need to go home, I can tell everyone that you weren’t feeling well. But I think everyone would really love for you to stay.”

“I’ll stay,” he said softly as he adjusted his glasses. “Molly and Lucy did put a lot of work into this.”

The reassurance had been needed but the fear of being unwanted still sat like a heavy stone on his chest. But then he followed his dad back outside to the garden. Everyone turned to look at him and in overlapping voices said how happy they were he came back out. George came out of nowhere to throw an arm around his shoulders.

“Don’t worry, I told the little troublemakers to cool it with the fireworks,” George whispered into his ear. “They can set me off too sometimes.”

Then George was pulling him over to the cake, sitting on the table. The candles had been placed and were alight. A spell had been used to keep the wax from melting onto the icing. Molly and Lucy ran up beside him.

“Make a wish, Dad!” Lucy encouraged.

Percy let his eyes fall shut for a moment as he made his wish. Then he opened them again and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered and his mother gave him a kiss on the cheek before she went to serve the cake.

The overwhelming love he felt in that moment was almost too much. It had soothed his fear to the point that it had gone dormant. It would come back but he had a feeling its potency had been dulled.

“What’d you wish for?” Lucy asked softly.

“For every birthday to be as amazing as this one,” he replied.

[callsign-mischief]

Chilly Summer Nights.

Day 14 of ‘A Very Harry Potter Summer!’

@hufflefluff-writer

Ron Weasley x Female!Reader!

Word Count: 2.6K

You were currently running frantically about your room packing your school trunk with everything you would be needing for the upcoming school year; as you were preparing to stay at your best friend's house for the remainder of your summer holiday. Your grandmother called out to you from the bottom of the stairs leading to your bedroom.

“(Y/N)! Let’s get a move on young lady! I sent an owl to Molly half an hour ago saying you would be arriving soon! Let’s not keep them waiting any longer!” 

“Sorry Gran!  I’m almost done, I promise. I’ll be down in a- woah!” You yelped, as you tripped over your trunk and crumpled to the floor with a loud THUD!

“That hurt..” you grumbled, with your face flat against the hardwood flooring of your bedroom. 

 Heavy footsteps ascended the stairs and before you knew it, your grandmother was stepping over the threshold of your dainty bedroom. She peered at you with her hands placed on her hips, brows arched high in curiosity.

“What did you do this time?”

Standing from the floor rubbing your sore knees and cheek, you look at her with an embarrassed smile. “Tripped over my trunk. But I’m okay Gran, don’t worry.” 

“Glad you are alright but- for Merlin’s sake!” She yelped as her eyes left your body and scanned over your messy living space. “You certainly don't know how to pack correctly, my dear. Please do step aside so I can finish this quickly and you can head off. It’s getting quite late.”

 Nodding your head, you step aside as you watch your grandmother pull her wand from her cooking apron before giving it a wave. You watched in silent awe as various strewn items, ranging from clothing to new schooling supplies, flew from different spots around the room. Into the trunk it all went before it was snapped shut and buckled then sent flying down the stairs, landing by the fireplace. Even though you were thirteen years old and were raised all your life around magic, it still amazed you.

“There, much better. Far quicker at that too! Now grab your school bag and Wisp so we can go!” 

“Yes, mam.” You acknowledge as she waltzed out of the room and back down the stairs. Hauling your bag over your shoulder and grabbing Wisp’s pet carrier and your wand from the bedside table, you exited the room, shutting the door tightly and gliding down the stairs with a newfound pep in your step.

Meeting your grandmother in front of the fireplace, she gave you a once over before giving you a loving, tender hug, and ushering you into the fireplace. Making sure you were settled in,  she offered you the pot of Floo powder with a gentle smile. Wisp, your loving black cat, gave a loud meow as a goodbye to your grandmother. Smiling at her, you take a handful of the powder before speaking clearly of your intended destination. 

“The Burrow!”

Instantly, you’re engulfed into flames and your sneakers reach the hard ground of the Weasley’s fireplace below you as you are hit with a quick bit of dizziness. “Gosh, I hate that sometimes.”

With Wisp’s cat carrier in one hand and your trunk in the other, you step out of the fireplace careful to not dirty up Molly's floor. When the dizziness in your eyesight has cleared, you are met with the sight and smell of the cozy home of the family you have come to love and adore over the past few years. 

You barely have a second to walk into the quaint living room and set down your belongings before two bodies come crashing into yours at full speed.

“You’re finally here!”

“It’s about time you’ve arrived, love! We were beginning to think you abandoned us!"

Chuckling at the two people’s words, you wrap one arm around each of their torsos, hugging them as equally tight as they were you. 

“Yes! I have arrived, Georgie. And Fred, that’s pure nonsense! I would never abandon you two! You are my favorites after all…” you pause to stand on the tips of your toes and whisper in their ears, “Just don’t tell your sister I said that. She would hex the daylights out of me once we got back to Hogwarts!”

The twins couldn’t help but laugh and release you from their smothering grasps as Ginny was heard barreling down the stairs to greet you.

“You two step away from her this instant! She is MY best friend!” She yells, running into the room.

“You should have gotten to me quicker then Gin.” You couldn’t help but grin as you were enveloped into yet another bone-crushing hug. You squeezed her back just as hard, beyond ecstatic to be reunited with your best friend after weeks apart. You break away from each other, catching up on the past couple of days leading up to your arrival when Mrs. Weasley walks in from the kitchen with Arthur in tow. 

“(Y/N), how lovely to see you, dear. It was ‘bout time you’d be arriving.”

Flushing red, you step up to her with open arms. “Sorry Mrs. Weasley, that was my fault. Got a late start to packing and Gran had to help me finish making sure I had everything I needed.”

Embracing you into her warm arms, she squeezes you gently (unlike her children), patting your arm lightly. “No worries dear, we’re just glad to have you with us.”

Moving on from Molly, Arthur gave you a hug as well. During your quick embrace, he began telling you all about the long list of new questions he had about Muggles. You couldn’t help but laugh and tell him that you would answer any and all questions he had throughout your stay. Once released from Mr. Weasley, Ginny, George, and Fred swept you away talking excitedly about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup match you all would be attending next week. Barely into the discussion, your ears perked up as you heard two more sets of footsteps descending the rickety staircase. Your face flushed a light pink instantly knowing who one of those footsteps belongs to. 

“What the bloody hell is all the ruckus down here about?”

Glancing over in his direction you couldn't help blushing a darker shade of pink. “Hi, Ron.”

Eyes bulging in shock, his face matches yours, flushing as red as his hair. “H-hey..you..you’re here! Why..w-why are you here?.” 

Ginny lets out a snort of annoyance, “If you can have your best friend here then so can I!”

The twins share a knowing look between themselves before Fred slings an arm around your shoulder smirking at his younger brother in the process, “Don’t act like you aren’t happy to see her mate.”

“I’m not!” Ron yells back defensively. But realizing what he had said, his hands fly up in surrender. "W-wait! No! That is not what I mean! I'm not not happy to see you -I..I am glad to see you! Ecstatic, even!” he scrambles trying to save his last shred of dignity. 

  Harry smirks, slightly leaning in close to the redhead, “Nice save there. Real nice.”

Ron shoots Harry a daggered look as his face flames in embarrassment and irritation, but his anger is short-lived as Molly announces from the kitchen that supper is ready. 

Jumping at the chance to leave from the room, Ron grabs the smirking dark haired boy beside him running away to the awaiting food with the towering twins following them out. Before you can fall in line behind George, Ginny grabs your wrist bringing you to a halt. 

“You like my brother!” 

Don’t panic, don’t panic. “I like all your brothers. They’re all quite nice and enjoyable really. Nice boys each of them are Gin-”

“No. I mean Ron specifically! You like Ronald.” It wasn't a question of 'if'. 

Feigning ignorance you brush off her statement, “Pfft. I do not! You’ve gone right mental Ginny.”

Before the feisty redhead could speak once more, her mother yelled for the two of you to come take your seats at the table. Thank you, Molly.

Sending one last look your way she narrows her eyes in a playful manner, “Do not, for one second, think that you are off the hook about this!” 

This is not good. Not good at all. 

Attempting to forget about the conversation with Ginny, you basked in the presence of some of your most favorite people. Dinner was amazing as always. The food was beyond delicious, smiling faces were seen all around- it was just perfect. Nothing could ever be better than this. You had spent most of the meal interacting with Mr. Weasley. Of course- the topic of choice being all things Muggle but that was all okay! You loved being helpful and answering any questions he had. 

When everyone’s bellies were stuffed to the brim with food, Molly excuses herself from the table to begin putting away any leftovers. Arthur follows after his wife while the Weasley boys and Harry disperse quickly, the twins dashing up the staircase conversing in hushed tones while Harry and Ron make their way into the living room. 

You and Ginny share an eye roll and begin to rid the table of all dirty dishes. With dinnerware piled in your arms, you two girls carry everything into the kitchen and are instructed by Mr. Weasley to place them on the counter top by the sink where Molly was waiting. With a grateful smile, Mrs. Weasley ushers you and Ginny out. You two venture into the cozy living room to see the two fourth-year boys sitting on the floor playing a game of Wizards Chess. Ron is leaning back against the sofa while Harry sprawls out on the floor on his stomach. You venture over to the sofa while Ginny takes the armchair by the fireplace. You plant yourself on the old piece of furniture, lying down behind the redhead and getting comfortable before cracking open a book you had brought with you. He glances over his shoulder, giving you a shy smile before turning away to take his turn. 

The rush of butterflies in your stomach was instant. You couldn't help but blush and move just a tad bit more towards the edge of the couch to be closer to him. You only hoped he didn't notice the shift, not wanting him to think of you as weird but he felt it. He didn’t mind though. He wanted you to be close to him. He couldn’t help but blush at the thought of you wanting to be closer to him too.

After a while, the heads of the home walk out from the kitchen bidding you all a quiet ‘goodnight’ before heading up to bed. Shutting your book, you place it on the coffee table beside you before your eyes slowly flutter over to the boy in front of you. The silence of the house is interrupted when you hear two sets of footsteps tiptoeing not so quietly down the stairs. Looking away from the youngest boy in the family, you see two identical faces pop out from around the corner.  

“Oi! You four come with us!” Fred whispers across the room. 

Without questioning the request, the four of you make your way out of your seats and follow behind the mischief makers. They lead you through the house and urgently usher each of you out the front door of the home into the chilly evening air. You couldn’t but shudder as a gust of wind rushes past you, sending tingles down your spine once you step out. You really wished they had let you grab a sweater. 

Lighting their wands with ‘Lumos’, Fred and George lead you all into the field eventually coming to a stop by a pile of old wood and sticks. 

“What’s all this?” you question as George sets down the box he had been carrying. 

“This, love, is our wood pile for a bonfire! And to make it even better, we have supplies for a snack! It’s a muggle treat, actually. What do you call them Harry?”

Harry chuckled, “S’mores. My cousin Dudley eats them all the time in the summer.” 

You couldn't help the excited giggle that spilled from your lips. You had heard about these but never got the chance to try one! Without wasting another second, you quickly set the twins on getting the fire started while you found yourself a small log to get comfortable on, ready for the fun to begin as you curl up to get warm again. The fire is quickly lit (all thanks to Harry) and everyone begins to dig in to make the famously sweet and gooey treat for themselves. The youngest Weasley son jumps at the chance to follow in your footsteps, planting himself on your small log seat. You peer at him with a wide grin causing his cheeks to flush pink. 

Tonight had been amazing. And although you loved your summer holiday’s, the one thing you didn't appreciate was that the later into the evening it got, the chillier it got. The fire had helped keep you warm but not completely. After seeing you attempting to hide your shivers due to the chilly breezes for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Ron couldn’t bear to see you so miserable any longer. Scooting closer, he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you flush against his side. With wide eyes and cheeks flaming as red as his hair, you turned to look at him. He’s facing the roaring fire but you could see a content smile graced upon his lips. How is his side profile just as attractive as his entire face?!

Sensing your stare, his head turns. “You okay, love?” Love.

“Y-yeah! I’m great. But w-why?” you jester to his arm around your waist.

"You kept shivering so I thought this might help get you warmed up a bit more." 

Oh.. so he's just being friendly. Right. Of course he doesn't fancy you in return. That only happens in cheesy romance novels. 

He watches as your face falls slightly but before you can move away he tightens his grip on your hip.. "I-it's not just that ya know.." 

"Wait, what? W-what do you mean?" Your heart begins to beat out of your chest. ‘Please, PLEASE be the reason I'm hoping for.’ your mind pleads. 

He clears his throat nervously. "W-well..I um..I have fancied you for quite a while now a-and I um thought this," he nods at the position you were in "was a good way to show it. I-its okay if you don't feel the same, of course, I just wanted to make it known.." The poor bloke was shaking! How can someone be so nervous but still be so cute?!

You couldn't believe it! The boy you've been pining for for two years has feelings for you too! "Y-you do!? I like you too Ron. I really really do!" you all but exclaim, flinging your arms around his neck in an excited hug. Your cheeks ached from how hard you had been grinning and you couldn't help the giggles that slipped past your lips in pure happiness. 

His grin matched yours as he squeezed you even closer to his body, if that were even possible and placed a loving gentle kiss to your forehead. "I'm so glad you do." 

This felt like a dream. If all it took was a couple hours out in the chilly evening air to get where you were now, in Ron's arms, you would happily do it again anytime. Chilly summer nights were not so bad after all.

[chuchiotaku]

[Preview] TBA 17: Hatch and Flight

Did someone miss a certain baby dragon? Ron definitely did not, but whether he likes it or not, Norberta is coming to officially be his problem.

[Target Release Date: May]

It was a cool Saturday afternoon when Ron came to the Ancient Runes study club classroom to see Professor Hui, excited butterflies fluttering in his stomach. It was going to be the first day of what Hui called their “wand aptitude tests” sessions, and Ron was both nervous and eager to find out just how different these sessions will be compared to his experience with Ollivander.

There was also a bit of good news Ron wanted to share. “I don’t know why it worked, but it did, Professor!” Ron said happily over the tea Hui served him—a light but distinct, slightly bittersweet herbaceous blend Hui called “matcha”—while raising Charlie’s old wand. “Charlie looked at me like I had gone a bit barmy when I told him about it, but after he asked the wand to play nice, it worked.” He paused. “Well, it’s not perfect, but at least it’s not actively trying to make my life hell.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Mr. Weasley,” Hui held the wand appraisingly before nodding. “The way this wand feels in my hands proves your statement. Of course, as you have said, it is not the perfect solution, as the wand may be doing this only out of respect to your brother. There is no way of knowing up to how far will the wand cooperate with you with that in mind.”

“It’s still mind-boggling how the wands act more sentient than I thought.” Ron said honestly. “Makes me wonder if talking to it will help. Like it getting to know me or something like that? Does that even make sense?”

Hui smiled. “Absolutely. Magical folk who showed respect towards wands and magical objects create the most steadfast of bonds with them, with some so strong that no one but those who the object consider their rightful owners can ever wield or touch them even. Can you think of any magical object that was strongly associated with any figure in history?”

Ron’s mind went back to the History of Magic lessons he had with Percy. “Err, Excalibur? King Arthur Pendragon’s sword?”

“Excalibur was the sword the Lady of the Lake handed to Arthur Pendragon in exchange for a favour, yes, but over time, Arthur managed to imprint a part of himself into that blade, the same way Excalibur did on him. The same can be said with Arthur’s first sword, Caliburn, which chose him to be the Once and Future King, the only one who could pull it out of the stone.” Hui paused for a sip of his tea. “And there are other examples throughout history I can name: Manannan mac Lir’s kin and Fragarach; his own descendant, Cú Chulainn and Gáe Bolg; Guān Yǔ, a legendary Chinese general hailed to be a war God, and the Qīng lóng yǎnyuèdāo; Parashurama then his pupil, Karna, and the bow, Vijaya, said to be a gift from the Hindu God of Destruction, Shiva. But since you’re not here for a history lesson, let’s move on, shall we?”

Ron blinked. “But aren’t most of them myths?”

“If that is what the storytellers want you to believe.” Hui said cryptically. “And whether you will believe that I have seen at least one of them with my own eyes or not is just as much up to you.”

Ron did a double-take. “You what?”

“We could discuss it further another time, as always. But we are here for your aptitude assessment."

“If Percy hadn’t told us about the surprise party he and the twins have been planning since yesterday, we never would have found out.” Harry said, still obviously miffed about it.

“Oi, it’s not that I can just go and tell you lot, ‘Oh, by the way, my birthday is on 1st of March, just so you know.’” He said in exasperation.

“And it’s just not fair, since you know all of our birthdays!” Hermione pointed out. “I don’t even know how you found out!”

Ron shrugged. “Harry’s and Neville’s were pretty obvious. As for yours, I have my ways.”

Neville shook his head. “You and your mysteries, Ron.”

“But I think it’s great you are part of the surprise. Really means a lot to me that you went through all the trouble.”

“We’re your friends, Ron!” Hermione said in exasperation. “And it’s no trouble, really. You’re the one who kept saying I needed a break from my books every now and then, weren’t you?”

Ron laughed. “Right.”

“And you looked like you needed the break too.” Neville added. “You’ve been looking out of sorts for a while now. It’s got nothing to do with the you-know-what, does it?”

The time traveler’s gut clenched at the worry in his friend’s eyes. He should have known his friends would have noticed his sudden change in mood. Did his brothers notice too, he wondered? Was that why they organised this surprise party?

What the hell are you doing, Ron?

“I’m really sorry about that, Nev. It wasn’t even anything too important anyway,” said Ron, “Was just too worried over what-if’s that I really can’t do anything about.”

“If it’s something we can help with, you know you can tell us,” Hermione said. “Well, even if it might not be something we can help with, you can tell us anyway.”

“My Gran always said that we shouldn’t try to worry too much about the future. Makes us lose sight of what’s in front of us.” Neville said kindly. “And besides, whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it!”

Ron winced. “I wish I knew where your faith in me is coming from, Nev.”

“And I wish I knew where yours kept disappearing to.” Harry said sharply.

“Somewhere in the real world, I reckon.” Ron shrugged. “But Neville’s right. No sense worrying too much over something that isn’t here yet. I’ll deal with it when it comes, just like I always do.” He clapped a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “And I’m glad I have such wicked mates to knock some sense into me whenever I get lost in my own head!”

And Ron meant it. Maybe it was a consequence of being a time traveler, but Ron became more prone to overthinking things and events to the point where he blocked everything else out. Having his friends there to pull him out of his self-made burrow of anxiety and careful planning helped in not only relieving him of some of that burden, but also in reminding him about the importance of what was in front of him right now.

But Norberta. Oh, Merlin, Norberta. That fucking dragon I can definitely do something about.

[bbyx]

ripple effect - part four

Summary: During her fourth year at Hogwarts, (y/n) Deauxville falls for none other than Cedric Diggory. But it's not easy when you have to deal with protecting your family's fortune, keeping your father's illness a secret and having two of your closest friends catch feelings for you.

Pairings : reader x cedric, reader x draco, reader x harry

"(y/n), my dad wants to know if you want to come over for the rest of the summer?" Ron asks, running after you as you near the portkey station.

"Really?"

You had heard all about the Burrow from your friends over the years. It sounded like a wonderful place. You had been friends with the so-called "golden trio" since your first year at Hogwarts but it was hard to really get close to them because of your different houses.. You were overcome with joy because this invitation meant that they enjoyed spending time with you as much as you did with them.

"Yeah, my dad agrees with us, you shouldn't spend your last two weeks of school alone in a big manor."

"I would love to!"

When (y/n) arrives at the Burrow, the first she notices is how cheerful and welcoming it looks in the dawn light. Then she notices a little woman with the signature ginger Weasley hair burst out of the front door and sprint towards Mr.Weasley.

"Oh Arthur- I've been so worried- so worried"

She then seizes the twins and gives them the tightest hug.

"Ouch! Mum, you're strangling us!"

The woman then goes on into a rant about how she shouted before they left and would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened. You couldn't help but smile at how wholesome the entire exchange was. Then the woman glances at you and is taken aback.

"Hi! Mrs.Weasley i'm (y/n) Deauxville, i've heard so-"

She cut you off excitedly.

" You're (f/n)'s daughter. Your father and I went to Hogwarts together. You look just like him with that hair! How is he these days?"

"He's alright. He's decided to take a couple years to travel around Europe and expand his business now that me and my brother are old enough to look after ourselves." You lie while flashing her an extra bright smile.

"Good for him! You know, your father was quite the charmer during his Hogwarts day, In fact he used to date my best friend at the time, Cassidy Blavatsky, and -"

She dove headfirst into a story about your father serenading a girl next to the black lake while she ushered you into the kitchen. Fred and George grab the newspaper from Mr. Weasley's hands. The group argues about a false article concerning the death eater attack published by Rita Skeeter.

"Blimey, Ron, looks like (y/n)'s stolen the love of your life." George says, staring at the paper, hiding a smile.

"Always knew those bulgarians had a thing for veelas." Fred comments, his eyes never leaving the newspaper. You yank it out of your twin's hands.

"The fuck are you talking about?"

Your eyes scan the paper until you find it. It's that picture that Rita Skeeter took of you and Krum shaking hands after the game. Below it reads:

HAS BULGARIAN QUIDDITCH STAR FALLEN FOR REAL ESTATE HEIRESS?

After his defeat last Sunday, Viktor Krum was spotted canoodling with millionaire (f/n) Deauxville's daughter. Witnesses say that they saw her trying to cheer the seeker up after Bulgaria's staggering loss . Miss Deauxville is currently in her fourth year at Hogwarts while Viktor Krum is in his last year at Durmstrang. The Daily Prophet has reached out but both of them have declined to comment on the matter. Could this be the wizarding world's new power couple? Stay tuned for more information.

"You've got to be kidding me! I'm going to fucking murder her!"

"Murder who?" Harry says as he grabs the paper from your clenched fists.

"Rita Skeeter. She's the one who wrote this bullshit article."

"That picture looks pretty real to me." Ron asks, eyebrows slightly raised. You glance at Harry and he looks hurt, you brush it off.

He's probably just tired.

"Yes, but all we did was shake hands after the game. Everyone was shaking hands with everyone and I was trying to get out of there and-"

Hermione cuts you off.

"You don't have to explain yourself (y/n), we believe you." You smile relieved.

"Mrs Weasley, Hedwig hasn't delivered any letters, has she?" Harry asked.

"No there hasn't been any post at all dear."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other then at you. Ron grabs your hand.

"C'mon, let me give you the royal tour."

You head up with them but instead of showing you around they go straight into Ron's attic bedroom.

"What's up, Harry?" says Ron.

"There's something I haven't told you." He starts. "On Saturday morning, I woke up with my scar hurting again."

Ron and Hermione's faces contorted between expressions of terror, shock and worry.

"What scar? It's probably just infected or something." They look at you incredulously.

"Oh shit you mean like the scar!"

"It hurts whenever Harry is near You Know Who." Hermione says.

Ron looks dumbstruck. "But - he wasn't there, was he? You-Know-How? I mean - last time your scar kept hurting, he was at Hogwarts, wasn't he?

"I'm sure he wasn't in Privet drive" Harry said "But I was dreaming about him ... him and Peter - you know Wormtail. I can't remember all of it now, but they were plotting to kill ... someone."

Hermione and Ron looked horrified. You were very lost.

You Know Who? At Hogwarts? Worm tails? Are they high?

They kept talking, forgetting about you. You were lost in thought trying to piece what they had just said together. They said something about Professor Trelawney, a prediction, more about the worm tails and something about being serious. Hermione gasped and dropped Crookshanks. They all looked at you with worried expressions.

" I am being serious." You answer quickly. Ron almost dies trying to stifle his laugh.

"No not serious, Sirius, as in Sirius Black." He chokes back.

"Like the murderer?" You say, confused.

"He's not a murderer! He's my godfather." Harry says defensively.

"What are you talking about Harry?"

He sighs and looks at Hermione and Ron.

"I reckon we should tell her." Ron answers.

" Tell me what?"

Harry starts "Well,um, last year, you remember Profesor Lup-"

Hermione interrupts him. "No, Harry, you have to start from the very beginning."

For the next two hours, you sit barely saying a word as they recount their adventures from the past three years. When they finish, Harry slightly shakes your shoulder.

" You okay (y/n)?"

"Yeah, yes i'm okay it's just a lot to take in." You answer shakily.

"Yeah um sorry for dumping all that on you" Harry says looking straight into your eyes.

" No, I'm honored that you would trust me with all of this. But why? I mean why tell me?"

Ron and Hermione look away from your eyes while Harry blushes.

"No.. um no reason we just wanted to burden you with this information for the rest of your life." He stutters a little bit.

"C'mon Harry let's go play some Quidditch. We can do three on three, Bill and Charlie, Fred and George too. You can try out the Wronski Feint..."

"Ron! Harry doesn't want to play Quidditch! He's worried about Sirius and.. And" Hermione fumbles for words.

" Yeah, I want to play Quidditch!"

She rolls her eyes at him and mutters "Boys".

The last two weeks of summer spent at the Burrow were wonderful. You had grown so much closer to Harry, Ron and Hermione and were almost sad to go back to Hogwarts because it meant seeing them less. As Mrs.Weasley hugs you goodbye on the platform you hear Charlie and Bill mumble something about " it's gonna be an interesting year at Hogwarts".

You, Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed on the train and went hunting for an empty compartment.

Almost as soon as you sit down in your compartment do you hear a familiar snobby voice coming down the hallway.

"...Father considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts you know. He knows the Headmaster..."

The sound of Draco's voice made your blood boil. You were still angry with him about what he had said during the attack at the world cup.

Just then Neville and Seamus walked into your compartment.

"Did you two go to the World Cup?" Ron asks the boys.

Seamus nods and Neville sighs.

"Gran wouldn't let me get tickets."

Seamus pipes up "Hey (y/n) I heard you were dating Krum, think you could get me his autograph."

"Oh god I'd forgotten all about that. Seamus it's not true, just some gossip columnist having some fun."

Seamus looked deeply disappointed.

"We saw him right up close, as well," Ron said. "We were in the Top Box-"

"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley."

Draco slid into the doorway.

"Don't remember asking you to join us Malfoy" Harry said coolly.

"Not here for you Potter I want to speak to (y/n)" He looks at you with those icy grey eyes. " Why aren't you sitting with us? Why are you hanging around these-" He stops.

"What is that?" Draco points to Ron's second hand dress robes draped over Pigwidgeon's cage. He seizes it before Ron has a chance to put it away. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle start making fun of it while poor Ron turns beet red.

You tune it out trying to think of a simpler time when Draco wasn't such an asshole when he says something that catches your attention.

"So... going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know... you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won..."

"What are you talking about?" Snapped Ron.

"Are you going to enter?" Draco continued. " I suppose you will, Potter? Never miss a chance to show off, do you?"

"Either explain or go away, Malfoy." Said Hermione. A flash of delight swept across Draco's face.

"Don't tell me you don't know? You've got a father and a brother at the Ministry and you don't know? My father told me about it ages ago... heard it from Cornelius Fudge himself. But then maybe your father's too junior to know about it, they probably don't talk about important things in front of him. If you really want to know, just ask your dear friend (y/n)."

"Draco, leave." You say looking him straight in the face. His smirk slightly falters and he slides out the compartment. Ron breaks the glass in a fit of anger.

"What was he talking about (y/n)?" Hermione snaps.

" I have no clue, I swear."

"What about that deal with the minister? What did he want?" Harry asks you.

You tell them about the deal, about Fudge's strange words and the ridiculous price they paid. After that the ride was strangely silent. Hermione was reading, Harry was sleeping and Ron was still too furious to speak.

"I'm gonna go see Daphnee and Millicent." You whisper to Hermione.

"Allright, say hello to them for me."

You head down the hallway and hear the voice of the last person you want to see right now, Draco Malfoy. Without thinking, (y/n) throws herself into the nearest compartment and hits someone with her elbow. One of your brother's friends, Jeremy, you think his name is. Red liquid starts seeping out of his nose incredibly fast.

" Merlin! I am so so so sorry. Oh god, is it broken?"

"Ah if it isn't my famous little sister, breaking hearts and noses, I see?" Nick chuckles.

Of all the compartments in this goddamn train, I just had to jump into his.

There are six boys in there: Nick, the unfortunate Jeremy, two seven year Slytherin boys playing wizard chess, one Ravenclaw boy sleeping and Cedric Diggory.

"How's Krum doing, by the way?" One of the Slytherin boys asks, not looking up from his game.

"Bloody Hell!" Jeremy mumbles as blood streams out of his nose.

" You look like a bloody hell." Says the Ravenclaw boy, having just woken up.

"Fuck you, Xavier" Jeremy says while spitting out blood.

" I'm so sorry, is there anything I can do to help?"

"You can start by getting the fuck ou-" Jeremy looks at you in the eyes and stops. His face softens. "Nevermind."

" What are you doing in here anyways?" Asks your brother.

"Hiding." You say quickly.

" He looks like an extra in The Shining, let's get him cleaned up." The Ravenclaw says while yawning. Everyone looks at him for a second before he elaborates.

" It's a muggle horror movie."

All the boys leave the compartment with a trail of blood following them, except Cedric.

" So you and Krum, huh" He huffs.

" Don't tell me you actually believe that crap."

" I don't know, could happen, he's famous and all." Cedric mumbles. Why was he acting like this? What did it matter to him?

"Well it's not happening, all Krum does is sulk and play Quidditch."

"What about our date, is that happening?" He flashes you his signature lopsided grin and your mind blanks.

"Date? What date?" You say slowly as you remember that night and the campfire. "Oh right! I didn't think you were serious about that."

He cocks his head slightly to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I thought it was just a conviennent way to get out of that dare because, you know, i'm part ve-"

"First weekend at Hogsmeade?" Cedric blurts out, giving you a shy smile.

"Sure." You answer while sliding the door open. Something hits you in the back of the head. You pick it up, it's a chocolate frog. You look back up at Cedric who's grinning.

"Heard they're your favourite." He says.

(y/n) laughs.  You're taken aback by his thoughtfulness because chocolate frogs are your absolute favorite candy. "Chocolate frogs are everybody's favourite."

" No, I'm more of a licorice wand type of guy."

You pretend to gag. "Cedric! Ew no. That's disgusting, licorice is horrible. I might have to reconsider this whole date thing." You tease. He shakes his head and smiles.

"But anyways, thank you, for the frog." You walk out and set off trying to find Daphne and Millicent.

Finally you stop at a compartment at the back of the train. As soon as the door slides open a flash of bouncy red hair sweeps you into a hug.

"(y/n)! Where have you been! We thought you missed the train!" Millicent shrieks at you. You peel out of her hug and go over to hug Daphne. You stop when you notice a third girl with thick chestnut hair in the compartment.

"This is my little sister Astoria, she's starting Hogwarts this year." Daphne

" Oh hello Astoria, I've heard all about you. Are you excited about going to Hogwarts?" You offer the girl a welcoming smile. Except for her hair colour, she looked like a clone of Daphne with her cyan blue eyes and her small round mouth.

" Is it true?" The small girl asks, her eyes full of curiosity. Daphne looks slightly embarrassed.

"About Krum? No! God has everyone on the planet read that dumb article?"

"No, about you being a Veela." Astoria says very fast.

"Oh, uh yeah. Well part Veela anyways. My grandma on my dad's side was a Veela."

"That's fascinating." She says dreamily.

"Not really, I can't do any of the cool shit." Daphne shoots you a look. " I mean any of the cool...stuff. I can't turn into a bird creature or" You start waving your hands in an overly mystical way. " Enchant men into falling in love with me. The only thing I got is glossy hair, I guess."

"How tragic!" Millicent snorts sarcastically.

"Sorry (y/n), we saw a Veela on vacation in Germany and my horribly annoying little sister" Daphne says while tickling her sister. " has been obsessed with them ever since."

" Speaking of vacations" You perk up. " How was your summer with the Parkinsons, Milli?"

Millicent turns pale. "Dreadful." She says, over exaggerating every syllable.

"Oh god, say no more." You reply dramatically clutching your chest as the girls burst into laughs.

Millicent's parents had decided to go renew their vows in Tahiti and had left her with Pansy Parkinson's family for the holidays. It wasn't a secret that you and Pansy couldn't stand the sight of each other and you felt terrible that Millicent had been stuck with her all summer.

"Sooo (y/n), I read that article about Viktor Krum and you." Daphnee says with a sly grin.

" You know it's bullshit, right?" You look at her worriedly. All the girls laugh hysterically.

"Of course! I can't believe people actually believe that crap." Daphne gasps between laughs.

" And to make things worse, he is SO not my type." You bleat.

Millicent shakes her head. " I actually think he's quite attractive." Yet again, all the girls start laughing uncontrollably.

The rest of the train ride is giddy and happy as you laugh at Millicent's stories about Pansy and think about Cedric and his perfect lopsided grin just as Hogwarts comes into view.

[flovverworks]

hewwo. imma talk a little about ch15 & pt2 in general maybe so far cuz<3 i have still not read ch16. despite saying i would. it has been a week to say the least.

anyway<3

im not gonna get into my teehee liliana & the staff theories until ive read ch16 cuz. maybe ill change them after that who knows! either way my head was working SO hard at that part. usually i take breaks while reading to a) process b) sit and think about future akira scenes i think would be cool. so u can imagine what i did when it started dawning on me that it was rustica lili wanted to isolate. have nvr felt that much dread in my LIFE. told my friend about it and she went "hehe i purposely didnt tell u about chloe&rustica"....................... im GRATEFUL cuz it HITS but mein gott!!!

vent time but im So glad rustica & chloe went back to feeling 'old dude looks after young adult hes kind of the guardian of' for me..... 'look after (chara) for me' always reminds me gbf s1 when aarons dad asks katalina to look after gran (and katalina l8r calling herself 'grans guardian of sorts' HAAAUUGHHH anyway) ;-;. i was. kind of Rly upset during the ch where murr compared those 2 to lili n greg....LOL...did not like that writing decision all. and then gbf had a richard->therese thing again and im STTOOPPP STTTOOOOOOOOOPPP truly do hate having to expereince the same feeling twice in both games i love dearly

anyway i Did talk about that on twt while i was reading that ch but i nvr talked about it here so

DID cry at shylock comforting chloe. shylocks mindset is SO fascinating to me, i rly adored his pov......gonna carry that with me for a while it was a Rly good part

in general im always kinda 'wow!' at how theyre all characterized, its very beautiful. definitely think its a huge part of why im so attached to both it and everyone introduced. will always remain my hugest love & recommendation part of the entire thing. like, again, figaros pov......cain & arthurs reactions when owen was w/ oz.....very good.

fausts. pov. ????????????????????????????????? cried. thought about his last part nonstop. the way he viewed himself when younger......figaro leaving cuz figaro has his own issues....being betrayed by his bestie............still praying for them until he hits the point of 'wtf why should i'..............man its ssooooo good......theres that line in particular of the feeling of thinking somethings wrong with him that makes ppl leave him that.....man...........wanting to care for the trust the sage is handing him...........man hes ssooooooo..............faust everything to me levania........its rly good. also something i will carry with me for a while, the last part of the ch is just so so good

[xsugarysweetsx]

Would fluff for Obi be ok also thank you for writing for your followers •3•

I’ve been getting a lot more Fire Force lately! Thank your for requesting anon! •3• and I love writing for my followers! Thank you all for reading!❤️

He may not look like it but, Obi is a huge ball of fluff and affection. Well, to you at least.

Today was a social day, it was your birthday and he had Maki take you out today while he looked for a gift. He did want to get you cliché gifts, it had to be special. After all it was for his love! How could he not?

He felt bad not spending the day with but he had to get you something. He walked through town, going from shop to shop. He had eveyrhing else at home, cake, food, decorations but he needed the most important part.

He called up some of company 8’s fire soldiers to get some advise.

“A king should always have the most the most gran drees and crown on her day of birth” stated Arthur. Of course he would think that but a nice dress was an option

“Why not some roses. Some women just want something simple” said Hinawa in his usual monotone. True but he knew you deserved the best, plus he had gotten you flowers already.

Before Tamaki could even give an answer she was already tripping over something and landing in Shinra with her top off.

He was about to give up and just buy you a necklace when something caught his eye.

It was perfect

It was your gift!

————

“Happy birthday dear Y/N, happy birthday to you!” They all applaud as you blown out the candles. Obi kisses you cheek

“Happy birthday sweetheart” he whispered

Everyone held a surprise party for you at HQ after your long walk with Maki.

It wasn’t anything too flashy but it was simple and sweet. Your heart was warm and full. There were good laughs shared, Hinawa of course cooked his amazing meals, and Iris had baked the cake.

Arthur bought a pretty real looking crown as he said “I did not steal this.....I’m simply returning it to the rightful owner..” oh god...

In the end you had a wonderful birthday except that Obi seemed a little nervous. Now that you thought about it you never got a gift form him, maybe that’s why. You didn’t mind honestly he was enough for you.

Soon everyone had left bidding you goodbye and hold things for your special day. While cleaning you stopped Obi.

“Hey. Are you alright? You’ve been acting all nervous” you said hugging his torso

“N-no I’m not...okay maybe a little but it’s only because I’m scared you might not like the gift I got you”

“Oh...well we won’t know if we don’t try right?” You Gabe him your best smile. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a small box. Maybe it was a necklace?

You open it to find, a collar? Huh? Okay now you were confused and kinda saw why he was nervous.

“I’m obi, if you wanted to try something new and kinky we could have talked ab-“

“Oh no wait that’s only part 1! Go to my office the rest is there. You close your mouth and walk over to his office door, and turn the handle. You look around the room and see nothing, suddenly from under his jacket a small furry face pops up and runs to you

It was a puppy! You crouch down with wide eyes and a slack jaw. You pick up the small furry pet as he licked your face.

“Well...do you like it?”

“Like it?..I LOVE HIM! He’s so cute oh god! Thank you Obi” you pecked his lips

“Anything for my baby, he’s all yours” he clicked on the collar that read “Bailey” on it.

“Awh Obi thank you so much” you hug him tightly. He looks down to places a passionate kiss to your lips

“Now come on we should probably put him somewhere with his this toys. It’s your birthday after all ;)~”

Okay here we go! I hope this was good anon thank you for requesting!!❤️

[hms-chill]

Mother’s Day

Summary: Six snapshots of three Mother's days across the years.

2005, Edinburgh, Scotland Henry's got his mum's hand in one of his and a massive picnic basket he'd insisted he could carry in the other. Bea and Philip have run ahead, and Henry's starting to envy their freedom, but he refuses to make their mum carry a picnic basket on a day that's supposed to be all about looking after her. But then he feels a hand in his hair, and another taking the basket for him, and he turns to see his dad, an easy grin on his face and his guitar slung over his back. "Look at you, all grown up and helping your mum. Were you good for her today?" Henry beams. Arthur's been out on a set for hours; he's still got bits of makeup on his face and some product in his hair. Henry thinks it makes him look like a superhero. "I was really, really good!" "Is that right? Cat, was Henry really, really good today?"

"He was," Catherine says, grinning. "All three of them have been wonderful. They were all big helps getting things ready for our picnic."

Henry grins, and newly freed of the weight of the picnic basket, he runs up to join Philip and Bea while his parents share a kiss above his head. Catherine calls to them to stay within eyesight as the family make their way out of Holyrood and up toward Arthur's Seat. The kids fall back a bit as it gets steeper and they get tired, but they make it to the top of the Salisbury Crags and Arthur lays out their picnic while the kids pick flowers, Bea and Philip handing their considerably larger boquetes to Henry so that he can be the one to present them to their mum. After dinner, Arthur gets out his guitar and plays, cycling through some of Catherine's favorites and teaching the kids "Loch Lomond" so they'll be ready when they visit the loch tomorrow. As it starts to get darker, they pack up and finish the climb to the top of Arthur's Seat, and Bea takes pictures of their parents, then a PPO takes pictures of their family as the sun sets behind them, and Henry is so happy he can hardly believe it. 2005, Washington, DC Alex is awake first, and for a second, he's not sure where he is. It's brighter than his bedroom, with whiter walls and a window without any real curtains yet. But then he rolls over, and June is still asleep in a twin bed across the room, and the cars outside are too loud, and it all comes back. They're in Washington, DC. They're visiting their parents for Mother's Day, and they're going to see all the places they work, but first, he and June have something planned. He hops out of his bed and into hers, shaking her awake despite her grumbles. "June! June, June, June. Get up, get up, get up. We have to make breakfast!" Their dad has promised to help them if they need it, but Alex and June decided last night that, at eight and eleven, they're grown up enough to do it themselves. Alex has been helping his dad pour and flip pancakes since he could reach the griddle, and June's been sitting on the counter pushing oranges into a juicer for as long as he can remember. Between the two of them, surely they can put something together. When Oscar comes in, he finds the kids in the middle of a whispered, but very heated, discussion about what exactly the instructions on the side of the box mean. They're both furiously mixing their own pancake batter in different bowls. June's looks better, but Alex refuses to give up. Oscar just laughs, and he helps fix Alex's so that it looks right, and then Alex shapes and flips pancakes while June makes orange juice and Oscar makes bacon and coffee. June finds a tray and she puts a yellow rose on one corner to make it look pretty. Once everything is assembled, Oscar disappears upstairs to make sure Ellen is actually in bed when the kids come to "wake her up" with breakfast in bed. She's been awake for a few hours at least, answering emails and drafting meeting agendas, but she can climb back into bed and let the kids think they've surprised her. Oscar snaps a picture of the three of them, Ellen grinning with a kid under each arm and the breakfast laid out in front of her, and it all feels perfect. 2020, London, England

Mother's Day is rainy, but that feels right. Henry writes a card for his mum, and they all have lunch together, but it's not right. Mother's Day used to be a day Arthur would always make sure he wasn't working, and he'd plan them something fun and exciting to do. But now, Catherine doesn't want to visit the London Eye or go to Holyrood or even take them to the V&A. She just wants to have a nice family lunch, so they have one, and Henry takes the barbs from Philip and his gran so that he doesn't ruin things for his mum. She wants them to get along for the day, so he doesn't fight back. He sits, and he's civil when Philip suggests casually that the public might be excited about a new royal suitor, and how great it would be for their public image if either Henry or Bea started dating. Henry sits quietly while his gran hints that he's been taking a bit too long to decide what to do with himself, and Philip all but outright says that he should be enlisting soon. He sits, and he eats his food, and he resists every urge to fight back or argue.

But after lunch, when their mum's back in her room and Philip is headed back to Anmer, Henry and Bea find their way to the music room. Bea gets her guitar, plucking out a few chords of "Loch Lomond" as Henry settles on the other end of the sofa with his phone. She hums what should be the lyrics "I'll be in Scotland afore you/ but me and my true love will never meet again", and Henry pretends he doesn't know the words. A few minutes of quiet chords later, he looks up from his phone to say, "hey, Bea? Happy Mother's Day. I... I know you didn't really ask for any of this, but I'm... you've been sort of a mum for me for the past few years, and I... I really appreciate it. I love you."

She puts down the guitar to hug him, and he asks, "do you think Mum will get better?"

"I'm... I'm not sure. I hope so. But we've got each other, alright? Whatever happens."

He nods, and that night, they sneak out together to eat Jaffa cakes and Cornettos in a courtyard outside the V&A. Bea brings her guitar, and she plays their parents' favorites, and Henry hopes that wherever their dad is, he's doing something special to help their mom feel loved.

2020, Washington, DC

Alex and June are planning on a traditional Mother's Day, one where they make their mom breakfast and she pretends to be surprised. But Alex is mid-pancake when Ellen appears in the kitchen to grab a muffin and tell them both she loves them and she's sorry, but something's come up and she's got to take a video call. She'll be ready for breakfast as soon as she can be, and she'll meet them when she can.

After an hour, Alex and June eat cold pancakes with warm orange juice alone. June's trying to be happy, but her mouth is doing that thing it does when she's disappointed, but not surprised. Alex is used to that look being directed at him after ignored texts and too-late nights. But it's Mother's Day, and they should be happy, even if their mom is busy. So he picks off the thorns and tucks the yellow rose behind her ear, then he steals her coffee and pancakes to put them on the tray and carry everything out to the Truman Balcony, June following him with half-hearted complaints. When their mom and Leo join them half an hour later, they've saved some pancakes and juice, and Ellen gets to spend at least half an hour as a mom before she's called back to the presidency, Leo promising her a nice dinner if she can find time in her schedule.

At least it's better than last year. Last year, Ellen had been pulled away from breakfast the moment she'd sat down and had been busy for the rest of the day. June had been upset for the rest of the day, and Alex had had to try and keep her company, at least, and the whole day had been hard. Mother's Day has been hard for the past few years, more about finding a semblance of family time than about actually celebrating their mom. But they've found some time today, and June's still smiling, and Leo looks proud and their mom doesn't seem to stressed. So, all in all, it could be worse.

2025, London, England

Tradition demands that they invite Mary to their Mother's Day brunch, so she is invited. She comes, and Alex thinks it might just be to spite them. But after the brunch, she's complaining about her joints. She goes back to Buckingham, and the Fox-Mountchirsten-Windsor children are urging them all into a van, sharing conspiratorial glances and grins as Philip talks to a driver and Bea pulls out a blindfold.

"Mum, we've got a surprise, so we're going to blindfold you after a bit, alright?" Catherine laughs and agrees, and Alex looks at Martha, who looks just as surprised as he is. Philip reveals a blindfold for her, too, arguing that since she's pregnant, she's technically a mother and deserves to be celebrated as one. Catherine agrees immediately, grinning at Martha. So, an hour and a half later, the moms are being blindfolded, but Alex is free to look out the window as the ban pulls into a small seaside town. They drive through it, stopping to park near a beach. Henry takes his mom's hands and Philip takes Martha's as Bea hands Alex a picnic basket, and they make their way to a picnic table on the beach before the blindfolds are removed. Catherine sees the picnic basket, and she grins.

"We... We thought maybe we could go for a hike, since that's what we always did growing up," Henry says.

“It’s not a long one, but Mazzy, if you’re not feeling up for it we’ll stay in town and enjoy the beach, or we can only go part way,” Philip says.

“Happy mother’s day, Mum. It… it’s good to have you back, and we love you,” Bea tells her.

"And you too, Martha. You're the best decision Philip ever made," Henry says, and Philip nods, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek, then the baby bump just starting to make an appearance against her shirt. They have a happy lunch, one where they're not all being careful to do things just right or keep an uptight grandmother happy. Then, Martha feels alright to hike, so she and Philip join them. They take things slowly, resting at a halfway point for Bea to play guitar and the six of them to take a break, Philip making sure Martha's doing alright and Henry passing out some of the treats Alex's family sent with him. And it's good. It's really, really good.

2025, Austin, Texas

Alex wakes up early on Mother's Day in his childhood home, wrapped around Henry in a bed that's probably too small for the two of them to share. He can hear June's alarm from across the hall, and he knows it's time. He presses a kiss to Henry's forehead, then gets up and meets June in the hall, both grinning. This is the first Mother’s Day where they get Regular Mom instead of President Mom, and they’re going to make it the best Mother’s Day yet.

Breakfast is routine by now; Alex starts pancake batter while June squeezes orange juice, then moves on to cooking eggs and bacon as Alex flips pancakes on the griddle. Henry wanders into the kitchen, talking on the phone as he wraps his arms around Alex. The coffee's ready, and there are three stacks of pancakes: blueberry, chocolate chip, and plain. Their mom will take one of each, and Leo will refuse anything but plain while Alex takes chocolate and June does blueberry. Alex wonders which one Henry will pick, thrilled that his boyfriend gets to join them. He's not sure who decided that England and the US should have different Mother's Days, but he's glad.

"Good morning," Henry says, hanging up and pressing a kiss to Alex's forehead.

"Morning. Things going alright at the shelter?" Henry's arranged to have moms who can't be with their kids visit the youth shelter today, to love the kids a little extra and get loved themselves. He’s left Pez in charge of it, and apparently, it’s all off to a good start.

When breakfast is ready, June brings over the tray with servings of eggs, bacon, juice, and coffee, complete with the yellow rose. Alex adds a plate of their mom's favorite pancakes, then he and Henry grab the rest of the food and bring it to their mom's room, where it's been Leo's job to make sure she actually relaxes this morning. She'd jumped into charity work the minute she left office, and they've all agreed she deserves to take a break for once. She doesn't know it, but she and Leo are going on vacation tomorrow, and he and the kids are refusing to let her bring any work with her. She’s been working for eight years straight; she deserves to relax for a bit.

She pretends to be surprised about the breakfast as the kids find spots around the room to settle down so they can eat together. Ellen's relaxed for the first Mother's Day in eight years, and she's going to spend the whole day with them for the first time in ages, if ever. They're planning on a day in, full of card and board games. Alex is going to help her grill for dinner, and they've all made a pact not to wear anything but pajamas all day. And, for the first time since she was president, Alex is convinced it's going to be a good Mother's Day.

On AO3

Notes:

Earlier today, I was like "yeah I kinda want to write a parent fic but I don't know", and then the discord chat (especially Gina over at @saltfics) was like "DO IT" and so I ignored my final essay and did this instead. -

Want to support the Hannah Makes Art fund? You can tip me a ko-fi here!

[micheleblack]

The Day Scorpius Came Over

*or Albus’s dirty mind ruins a normal day*

Harry: We should talk about the sticky situation I think you’ve found yourself in. I couldn’t help but notice that Scorpius has been coming onto you.

Albus: What? *panicked breathing*

Harry: Yeah, he was all over you. Ginny said that was normal for boys your age, but I just wanted to see how you were taking it.

Albus: Umm, Dad, no offense but this is so not the time. I’m not even sure how you even saw that.

Harry: Hard to miss, really. Even your Gran saw, but she just talked about how Arthur gushed over her all the time when they started dating, and that’s how she knew he was the one.

Albus: Oh my Merlin! I don’t want to know any of this!

Harry: You’re young. Just try to find a way to enjoy it. And remember, I’m here if you ever need to get something off your chest.

____

*Harry leaves the room and then James enters*

James: Al! Dad just told me that Scorpius is coming over-

Albus: Why is he telling everyone?! *runs out of the room*

James: I just wanted to know if he was staying for dinner, jeez.

____

*Al bursts into Lily’s room*

Albus: Please tell me you haven’t been talking to Dad too.

Lily: No, I was just doing some of my readings. Want me to try one for you.

Albus: Of course. Tell me what is in my future, oh powerful seer sister.

*Lily waves her arms over her crystal ball*

Lily: Hmm, nothing yet. Still noth- I see Scrop. He’s in our house. Oh, looks like he’s giving you a creampie.

Albus: This cannot be happening! *runs to his room*

*Ginny walks in*

Ginny: Hey, Lil. I’m Flooing to the store to pick up dessert. Any ideas what you want?

Lily: Don’t bother. Scorp is going to be bringing us a cream pie.

_____

*Albus firecalls Malfoy Manor*

Albus: Scorp! Are you there?

Draco: He’s busy right now, Albus. No doubt out in the garden playing with his balls. He needed the distraction. You know how excited he gets.

Albus: Ye-yes, sir. I d-do.

Draco: He’s been like this ever since your last visit. You should have seen him after you left. The boy could barely sit down the whole next day.

Albus: I suddenly have to go. *ends firecall*

*Scorpius walks in*

Draco: How was Quidditch practice?

_____

*Albus hears his mother open the front door and greet Scorpius*

Albus: Scorp! Don’t listen to anything anyone says.

Ginny: Albus, dear, I was just telling him that there’s no need to be so shy and he should just come inside whenever he wants to. We all know you don’t mind.

Albus: Do you see what I’ve been dealing with?!

Ginny: He’s a little high-strung today. Try and work your magic on him. You certainly seem to know his sweet spots.

Albus: We’ll be in my room. *grabs Scorpius’s hand*

Ginny: Someone’s eager. That’s fine, but keep it down and try not to make a mess.

*Albus drags a laughing Scorpius up the stairs*

[manage-mischief]

The Negative

Part 2: Useful Words

Read on AO3 here. 

Summary: Two-shot inspired by the song from “Waitress.” In which Tonks knows something’s wrong—she just doesn’t want to admit it to herself. Good thing Molly and Fleur are there to offer some support (Chapter 2 is AU: Everyone lives)

Tonks hadn’t moved from the Burrow’s long kitchen table. She remained seated, hoping that the two black lines on the stick in front of her would magically become one. It was no use. The two persistent little symbols remained as clear as ever.

Molly and Fleur had been wrong. Knowing was so, so much worse. She’d rather have lived in denial, blissfully ignorant. “Merlin, I need a drink.” She stood up, her knees bumping into the kitchen table. The sudden movement seemed to snap the other women out of their shock.

Molly got up quickly and hurried over to her. “Dear,” she said gently, placing her hands upon Tonks’s tense shoulders, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea right now.”

Tonks blinked. “Oh. Erm. Right.”

Goddammit. As if this day could get any worse. Panic rose from her core, threatening to bubble over…Oh wait…that wasn’t just panic…

She barely made it to the kitchen sink before the spilling the contents of her stomach.

“Oh, poppet,” Molly cooed and rubbed her back as Tonks continued to vomit, her hands gripping the counter like a vice. “Here, let’s get you some nice warm peppermint tea. It always helped me when I was pregnant.”

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Pregnant. She was pregnant. There was a human being growing inside of her. Eating all that she ate. Feeling all that she felt. She remembered hearing other women talk about the sensation as magical, beautiful, awe-inspiring. But right now, all she could think about was that Muggle movie Alien—when that creature burst out of that guy’s chest. The thought did nothing to mitigate her queasiness.

Closing her eyes and steadying her breath, she slowly composed herself. There was no going back. Only forward. And there was obviously one path forward that she knew she was going to have to take.

“I need to talk to Remus. Warn him that our lives are over…”

This time, it was Fleur who offered words of comfort. “Do not think that way. You love Remus, correct?”

“More than anything.”

“And ‘e loves you. It is clear to anyone who knows you both,” her voice was soft and gentle.

“I know,” Tonks sighed. “Being with him, it really has been incredible. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love Remus. I sometimes think I’ve imagined everything. That I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream and Remus will still be refusing to be with me and I’ll still be alone. I guess that’s why I’m terrified. I don’t want anything to change. Especially now. Especially with what’s going on.”

“But you know, you will not be alone. Whatever ‘appens, we shall be there for you. Right, Molly?”

Molly took Tonks’s hand in both of hers. “You know, Arthur and I got married during the first war. We were both young and in love and, like you and Remus, decided to allow ourselves to be happy, despite not knowing what the future held. We didn’t exactly expect to have children right away, and when we found out Bill was coming, we were both scared out of our bloody minds!”

Tonks had forgotten about that. “How did you cope?”

“Well, after the news had sunk in, we decided that we weren’t going to let fear stop us from living our dreams. People makes plans all the time. But life rarely allows us to follow them. Often, the universe comes up with funny ways of bringing us to where we want to be. It’s not the path that matters, it’s the destination.” Molly inhaled deeply before continuing.

“You know, I lost my two brothers in the first war. Gideon and Fabian. They were my best friends, my protectors. I always believed that they were invincible. When I found out they had died…I thought my life was over. I was pregnant with Ron, caring for my other boys, and trying to scrape by paycheck to paycheck with Arthur. I couldn’t bear the thought of raising my children in a world that was so cruel that it had taken away the kindest, most wonderful people I knew. But, out of my grief, I realized: happiness is the best revenge. If we can allow ourselves to experience joy, despite all of the suffering—if we allow ourselves to keep living—we show our oppressors that they have no power. That they can’t snuff out our light.” There were tears in the older woman’s eyes, yet she was smiling.

Tonks was speechless. She had never heard Mrs. Weasley speak so freely about the war, or about her brothers. She was always under the impression that Molly was a “carer,” not a fighter. But now, she realized that caring—that love—was Molly’s own way of fighting back. To Tonks, that was a beautiful thought.

…..

“Oi, Teddy, get down here! They’ll be arriving any minute!” Tonks yelled up to her son. A few moments later, she heard a loud crash followed by a pair of feet stomping down the stairs. Laughing to herself, she turned just in time to see her eleven-year-old son slide into view, knocking over a vase in the process.

“Sorry, Mum!” He glanced around the kitchen. “Did you do the cooking?” he asked, apprehensively.

“Merlin’s balls, of course not! You think I want to kill our guests?”

“Dora, language!” Remus’s voice chided as he walked in from the garden. Teddy gave a small “oooooh,” delighted to see his Mum get scolded by his father.

Tonks smiled lovingly at her husband. “Sorry, dear. Good thing I have you here or else Teddy’d be a heathen!”

“Mum! I would not!” Her son indignantly replied. Remus chuckled.

“Don’t be offended, son. It runs in the family.” Remus dodged Tonks’s playful attempt to smack him with the dish towel.

“In any case, no, your mother didn’t do the cooking, I did. We don’t need to worry about our guests being poisoned tonight.”

“Hey, I take offense to that! I make a mean tomato soup!”

“Yes, very mean. I do believe the last batch tried to bite off my nose when I leaned over the pot.” Remus wrapped his arms around her from behind and planted a kiss on her nose for effect. Tonks attempted to pout, betrayed by her grin. She planted a kiss on Remus’s lips.

“Ew, Mum, Dad!” Teddy groaned. “Get a room!”

“Be careful what you wish for, Ted,” Tonks teased. “That’s how we ended up with you!”

Her son’s face and hair both flushed a deep crimson.

Remus saved him from more of his mother’s teasing. “Alright, alright. Enough of that. Teddy, go wash your hands before dinner. They should be arriving at any moment.”

As if on cue, the Lupin fireplace lit up with green flames. Seconds later, four figures came tumbling out.

“Uncle Harry!” Teddy cried and launched himself at the young man.

“Teddy! Good to see you, mate!” Harry grinned at his godson and slipped him a chocolate frog. “Remus, Tonks,” he regarded the couple, brushing the soot off of his robes.

“I’m so glad you all could come,” Remus embraced his best friend’s son. Ginny hugged Tonks tightly with one arm, the other holding her one-year old baby girl.

“Aw, look at Lil’, she’s getting so big!” Tonks praised. “She’s gonna be a Quidditch star, just like her Mum and Auntie!” Ginny beamed.

As the Potter boys gained their bearings, all hell broke loose. Five-year-old James and three-year-old Albus squealed in delight at the sight of their older cousin. Tonks laughed as Teddy turned his nose into a pig snout for their amusement. Teddy’s metamorphmagus abilities made him a hit with the younger kids. She knew Teddy loved every second of their adoration.

“Boys,” Ginny said. “Go wash your hands before dinner!”

“Ok, Mum,” the Potters obeyed. Teddy followed them to the bathroom, leaving the four adults (and baby) alone.

“I can’t believe Teddy’s starts at Hogwarts tomorrow!” Ginny cried. “It seems like yesterday he was just a blue-haired little baby!”

“Excuse me, he still is a baby, thank you very much” Tonks said, matter-of-factly. Remus smiled as he put an arm around her.

“I can’t believe it. Time goes by so fast. I remember when you first told me you were pregnant,” Remus shook his head in disbelief.

“Oh yeah, and you ran for the hills?” Tonks slapped him playfully.

Harry and Ginny laughed. “Never going to let him live that one down, huh?” Ginny asked.

“Would you?” Tonks replied.

“Good point.”

Just then, the fireplace crackled to life once again, and four more figures emerged.

“Tonks! I am so ‘appy to see you!” Fleur embraced the metamorphmagus and planted kisses on both of her cheeks. Bill waved sheepishly next to her, holding the hand of their nine-year-old daughter, Victoire. Tonks squeezed Fleur’s hand in greeting, but was soon engulfed by another hug.

“Oh, Tonks, dear, I’m so happy you’ve invited us! It’s been far too long. Arthur and Ron have been so busy at the shop, they’re sorry they couldn’t make it!” Molly Weasley gushed. “I brought us a treacle tart for dessert!”

“Gran!” James and Albus had returned with Teddy from the bathroom, and all three of them excitedly greeted Mrs. Weasley. Molly insisted on acting as pseudo-grandmother to Teddy, since she treated him as part of the family. She patted the boys’ cheeks affectionately. “There are my handsome lads!”

After Molly had finished doting on him, Teddy turn to Victoire. “Hi Teddy,” the little girl blushed. “I like your blue hair!”

Her son smiled proudly. “Thanks! Wanna see what else I can do?” Teddy scrunched up his face and caused his hair to flicker nauseatingly in multicolored patterns. Victoire laughed.

Tonks eyed her husband. “What a charmer,” she whispered.

“Indeed,” Remus replied. “He gets it from his mother.” He planted another quick kiss on Tonks’s lips, then turned to the crowd in the Lupin living room. “Now that everyone’s here, we can move this party to the dining room! I’m starved!”

The family crowded around the small dining room table, eating and chattering away about their lives.

“Is your mother joining us, Tonks?” Fleur asked.

“No, she couldn’t make it tonight. She’s been traveling for work. But, she’s coming over tomorrow to help see Teddy off.”

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Molly replied.

At the other end of the table, the kids were having an extremely animated discussion about Hogwarts.

“I can’t believe you get to go tomorrow! You’re so lucky!” James remarked in awe.

“What House do you wanna be in?” Albus asked excitedly.

Teddy puffed out his chest. “Hufflepuff. Loyal, Brave, and True. Like Mum!”

“That’s my boy!” Tonks beamed with pride, then stuck her tongue out at Remus. “Take that!”

“I know better than to argue with you,” he conceded.

“Do you have a wand?” Victoire asked.

“Yep! It’s right upstairs with the rest of my things!”

“Oh, can we see, can we see?” James pleaded. Teddy glanced hopefully at the adults.

“Have you all finished eating?” ask Ginny.

The four heads nodded.

“Alright then. Take you plates to the kitchen and then you can go see Teddy’s new school things.”

In a flash, the four children raced from the table and thundered upstairs—Teddy in the lead, followed by James and Victoire, with little Albus toddling along as fast as he could behind them.

The adults moved back into the living room to enjoy their after-dinner tea. Tonks leaned comfortably against her husband’s chest, their fingers intertwined.

Molly and Fleur looked at each other, and then at the couple, smiling knowingly.

“Teddy’s a wonderful boy, you two. He’s going to make a fine wizard,” Molly said, tears in her eyes.

“He really is, isn’t he?” Tonks remarked. Remus nodded.

“We did alright, I’d say. I just hope he enjoys school as much as we all did.” Remus mused.

“Well,” Fleur said, “Let’s send some good vibes with ‘im! We shall keep our focus on the positive.”

“Yes,” Tonks grinned, looking around the room at all of the people she loved so deeply. “We shall.”