#as far as people know Ludo is missing

[wireheadbird]

Missing You [1]

(Al-Rawabi) female reader

Note: This fanfic isn't for any specific character so far, I'm thinking of making it into an ongoing series and see how it goes, just go with the flow and see where it takes us. Maybe I'll make it into s Hiba fanfic Warnings: Mentions of death, medication, suicidal tendencies(?), angst, smoking, self blame, brief mentions of self harm Summary: Y/n is the younger sister of Layan, this is the story of her grief basically. Not much action in this one, just a build up if you would. 962 words ____________________________________________________

After my sister…Layan’s incident, people at school no longer spoke about her. Completely ignored her existence and mine as well which at first broke my heart but I strangely found solace in my time alone. 

Once the new school year started I had trouble looking at the halls, the classrooms, the field without recalling the memories we had together with our friends. Of course it was the same at home but it was easier to avoid since I either stayed on the rooftop or trapped myself in my room the entire summer. Now, I had to deal with all the flashbacks crashing down on me at the same time. I no longer sat in my usual spot next to my sister’s desk trying as much as possible not to provoke any memories I shoved far away. So instead I took a random seat on the complete opposite side we sat in last year, which happened to be at the back of the class in a corner.

Miss Abeer, our homeroom teacher, made her way inside the class making everyone scatter to their seats. The lesson went on and I could practically feel Miss Abeer’s sympathetic looks digging into my skin, the students started realizing it too as they started looking towards me every once in a while in confusion. “Miss.” my voice rang out in the room, she looked at me with such sympathy. I’ve had enough. “Yes y/n?” she sighed “May I use the restroom, please?” I had already clutched onto my bag and made my way to the door not awaiting a response. I know she wouldn’t dare report it, afraid the previous year’s events will happen once again. 

I’ve been out of the spotlight for so long that I get nervous if too many people are watching me, watching every breath I take, every move I make. I never could handle pressure...and Layan knows– knew that. She always helped me, distracted me, but now she’s not here anymore. Left me to fend for myself. 

Before I knew it I was inside a bathroom stall reaching into my bag for a pack of cigarettes I stole from Hazem. Breathing in the smoke, I hold it in for a bit feeling it burn and pollute my lungs, I close my eyes and breathe out. Allowing my memory to drift back to the last time I saw her. Full of life, smiling so wide…she was always happier when she went out with Laith, anything to get away from home.

“We’re going to have SOOO much fun! And then when I’m back I’ll make it up to you I promise. We’ll play ludo and watch your favorite show, okay?” she grinned so wide I couldn’t say no to her “Alright alright fine. BUT, you need to promise to bring me my favorite candy on your way back” I folded my arms pretending to be serious. “Deal!” We giggled together at the back of the bus till it came to a stop. “ok , our time to shine~” she did a little dance in her seat and looked at Rania nodding her head as a signal. Rania nodded back to say she understood, she began the process of creating a distraction as Layan slipped out of the bus. She gave me one last look over her shoulder smiling, I waved to her and she waved back then the bus moved forward as she sped off.

BAAM

My eyes shoot open and I jolt off of the floor where I was sitting, accidentally grazing the cigarette-butt on my neck making me hiss in pain. I throw the cigarette in the toilet and flush it quickly, spraying perfume on myself and shoving everything to a hidden compartment I had made in my bag. When I open the door I see one of the girls from my class standing there, the one who slammed her fist on the door so hard I could’ve sworn it was a gunshot. She was really tall and had soft curls resting on her head. She snickers tauntingly at me then leaves out the door. 

When I made my way out the bathroom it was the end of the day, so I had gone off to find the bus that I’ve been coming to school with the past few days, or weeks, I couldn’t tell. 

______________________________________________________________

In my room, it was quiet. I’ve been lying awake for hours in the dark. Sleep has always been my enemy. Layan had to tire me out completely just so I could get a few hours in. And even then it didn’t always work so I had to take pills for it and she’d always stay by my side till I slept and just talk about anything and everything. What an amazing older sister she was. I haven’t touched them since. Feeling as though I needed to be punished in any way possible, not allowing myself to sleep being one of the few ways. And the easiest, because others got pretty…messy and difficult to clean sometimes. 

I hadn’t felt like eating dinner once again either. Feeling as though I didn’t deserve to eat. 

Not when Layan can’t eat. 

Not when Layan can’t sleep. 

Not when Layan can’t be happy.

Not when it was all because of me.

Not when I didn’t stop her from walking right into her death.

Not when I was the one who convinced her to get with Laith.

Layan deserved to be happy, she deserved the world. And yet…I couldn’t give her anything but misery and pain. 

“I miss you so much Layan…so much” a sob broke out of me, for the whole night. That's how I spent most of my nights.

Wishing for my older sister to return

next chapter

______________________________________________________________

Starting out this account with a smack to the face :)

[probablyaseamonster]

part 2 of my Pirates SMP theory

So last time I ended off on the realization that if the People of the Yellow Ship are basing their choices off of the character's backgrounds, then Scott is probably going to be the next victim (sorry people who are already attached to the Denholm brothers).

But regarding my joke about hair colour being the reason it can also work because. You know.

But now here's where I start theorizing about the future. I think, that the Kestrels will be eliminated first, or at least targeted the most overall. If this is how it goes than it implies that there is monetary gain to turning innocent pirates (haha, there's no such thing) to stone. Much like real cultists, there be gold to be given if you can just persuade 'em. I assume that Scott also comes from money so it would make sense in that context too. Owen also comes from money but I doubt he'll be targeted until towards the end, due to his main character energy.

Actually, it would be a subversion of tropes if Owen was picked off early. It would be an opportunity to make like a true DM and control the world from the aether. Make like a Grian and become a god of spectators. I doubt it will go this way but it would be an interesting choice.

If my theory of the Kestrels being picked off first turns out to be true more or less, than it would honestly be a waste. Starkid taught me that leaving the more unlikeable characters alive closer to the end (hi Ted) tends to be the right call. I think. I don't actually consume much horror media, I don't know how this works as well as most people. But it is interesting to me that the Kestrels are the only faction to not have been given a more favourable, positive value.

The Kites may be brutish murderers (at least to some) but they have honour, and passion. The Nightingales were mentioned once to value family, which combined with adventure is a combination of values I've never seen before. And the Herons are already pretty appealing to the Ravenclaws of us (sorry to invoke the worldbuilding of Miss Rowling). The Kestrels are really only mentioned to value wealth which, especially with much of the mcyt community being young anti-capitalists, already gives us a reason to dislike them. Especially with Sausage, Kyle and Oli really playing into the greedy rich man archetype, and Scar committing crimes of the stealing and scamming variety (although let's be honest, we can't hate Scar for that, if anything. There's a reason why most of the fanart so far has been about him and not the lesbian couple whose deaths kickstarted the lore, I see you all).

I haven't seen Martyn's POV yet so I don't know where his character lies on the spectrum, but Guqqie seems to be the only good member of the Kestrels, though even she dabbled a little in the casual blatant joking classism. With her gone, and Sausage seeming to consider himself leader (getting indignant when someone suggested that Jellie lead the Kestrels), the Kestrels might have an opportunity to corrupt and become even more villainous. It would seem like a waste if they were eliminated before they had a chance to become memorable villains, though maybe there is a reason for that. After all, one of the easiest ways to make a villain scarier is to have them kill the lesser villain off (some good examples are Toffee from Star VS and The Mayor from Lego Monkie Kid, even though Toffee didn't really kill Ludo).

Now if the People of the Yellow Ship (YES, I'M TRYING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN) were smart, the faction they'd target next would be the one that poses the biggest threat. This could be two, really. The Kites pose the stronger physical threat, of course. They're all fighters, and the Kites seem to have the least qualms about killing, if things come to that. If it comes down to a physical altercation between Kites and Yellows, the Kites would presumably win (unless we simply haven't seen the true force of the People yet. That would be interesting, if the faction set up as the most physically powerful was less than the villains (after all, a Kite was the first to die to the vines), though I wouldn't expect that from fictional cultists. Something about them just gives a d&d wizard vibe, if you know what I mean)

The other next best choice to attempt to eliminate (assuming, of course, that the villains are tactical like this) would be the Herons. Discovery is literally in their bio, and they seem like the most likely to play detective. If the Herons discover what the People of the Yellow Ship are up to, then they could rally the entire rest of the Faction Isles, and all the pirates from all the other branches across the archipelago, to take down the threat of presumably smaller numbers (unless some don't believe them, or the writers want to make a political allegory and have them not be able to all come together even in crisis (I watched Don't Look Up yesterday.)). The People have a branch (if abandoned-looking) on the Isle itself, which might even mean that they have a spy on the inside, pardon the paranoia. But this gives the Herons an opportunity to investigate without even leaving home, which honestly must be terrifying for them.

The Nightingales have some overlap with the Herons, but they seem to value adventure more for the thrill, for the personal experience rather than documentation. The type to judge a Heron for taking pictures while on vacation, if it were a modern setting. Combine that with the fact that I haven't seen many Nightingales so far, and this makes it seem like they'd be the least threatening to the cult. The cult might even view the Nightingales as distractable bleeding-heart losers who care about family, yuck. /j This puts them at the least risk.

Now, who does that leave to be, if all goes to plan, the last one standing? HeyGraecie (I've never heard of you before, sorry), the only character revealed yet to have been a Nightingale since before this year's Factioning. And... Acho. The one who left the Herons for the "family" faction. The one who has a brother who will probably be targeted next.

Damn... between you, Acho, and Olive... I hope you both at least are allowed to attempt to be heroes.

[handern]

Tiger Tiger prediction : Remi didn't tell his parents, didn't tell anyone, just ran straight to Arno to scream about it, went investigating, found that dude Luck tried to eat/drown/make mad, somehow convinced Arno to either board a ship w him or to un-retire his old pirate ship

We've seen how Remi copes w having an issue, it's just tell no one, bottle it up and make things worse so now both the Bonnaire heirs are missing bc he didn't write home to say he was out to find Ludo

The painter lady is there too

[kurisus]

TLT Playlist

You all knew it was coming. I had a lot of fun with this playlist, since it's ordered to follow Gideon, Harrow, and Nona respectively with some songs thrown in that I think the characters would like in addition to fitting lyric-wise.

I sent this playlist to a couple friends for early peer review, and received the following feedback:

Listen Here

Song list under the cut! I recommend listening in this order to follow the character progression through the series.

Legendary - Welshly Arms

Broken Crown - Mumford & Sons

All the Rowboats - Regina Spektor

Immortals - Fall Out Boy

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Lorde

Louder Than Words - Les Friction

Who We Are - Imagine Dragons

Giants - Neoni

Born for This - CRMNL

Legend - The Score

The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy

Cannonball - KAINA

Don't Stop the Devil - Dead Posey

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) - Fall Out Boy

Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance

Absinthe - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

The Kill - Thirty Seconds To Mars

Numb - Linkin Park

World on Fire - Les Friction

Forest Fires - Lauren Aquilina

Dead Man's Arms - Bishop Briggs

Landfill - Daughter

Indestructible - Welshly Arms

Twin Skeleton's (Hotel In NYC) - Fall Out Boy

World So Cold - 12 Stones

Church - Fall Out Boy

Song of the Abyss - Aviators

I Will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

Glory - Friday Pilots Club

In the End - Linkin Park

You - Keaton Henson

For This You Were Born - UNSECRET, Fleurie

I Will Never Die - Delta Rae

Supernova - Marcus Alexander

Won't Remember (Acoustic) - Tors

Mars - Sleeping At Last

Furthest Star - Dirt Poor Robins

In the End - Linkin Park

Sirens - Oliver Daldry

X - Welshly Arms

Devil Devil - MILCK

Call Them Brothers - Regina Spektor, Only Son

The Light Behind Your Eyes - My Chemical Romance

Torture - Les Friction

No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine

Feet Don't Fail Me Now - Neoni

Bones - Koethe

A Lonely Place (Alternative Version) - Ryan Louder, Eurielle

The Saints I - Dirt Poor Robins

Human - Daughter

Free - Mother Mother

The Sharpest Lives - My Chemical Romance

Achilles Come Down - Gang of Youths

Medicine - Daughter

Mercy - Bo Baskoro

Twisted - The People's Thieves

Bones - Imagine Dragons

Make Believe - Les Friction

Justice - Dirt Poor Robins

Flesh and Bone - Black Math

Dark Matter - Les Friction

The Angry River - The Hat, Father John Misty, S.I. Istwa

Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine

XV - Split the Dealer, Deva St. John

Take Me to Church - Hozier

Maybe - Flower Face

Empire & the Sun - The Moth & The Flame

Amber - Koethe

Immortalized - Hidden Citizens, Keeley Bumford

I Remember - Les Friction, Emily Valentine

City of the Dead - Eurielle

Mausoleum - Rafferty

Oh Death - Noah Gundersen

Hymn For The Missing - Red

Who We Are - Hozier

Bring Me To Life (Synthesis) - Evanescence

Iridescent - Linkin Park

Dead - Truslow

Politik - Coldplay

Hey Love - Foreign Figures

Snake Eyes - Mumford & Sons

Who Will Save You Now - Les Friction

Silhouette - Aquilo

In the Roses (Acoustic) - Christian Reindl, Henri Bardot

Far Too Young to Die - Panic! At The Disco

I Come With Knives - IAMX

Battlefield - SVRCINA

You And I (Stripped) - PVRIS

Death is a Girl - Skippocalyptic

Cannibal - Marcus Mumford

The Calling - The Amazing Devil

This Is How The World Ends - Kat Leon

The Sword & the Pen - Regina Spektor

It Tore Your Heart Out - Dirt Poor Robins

Any Body - aeseaes

Curses - The Crane Wives

Two Birds - Regina Spektor

Bones - Emily Finchum

Fortuna (Warframe) - Divide Music

Enchanté - Dirt Poor Robins

Anybody Else - Dom Fera

Good Intentions - Coyote Kid

Red Water Dreams - Aviators

Those Who Sojourn - Dirt Poor Robins

Ballad of a Politician - Regina Spektor

Earth - Sleeping At Last

Your World Will Fail - Les Friction

Falling Upwards into Love - Dirt Poor Robins

The Horror Of Our Love - Ludo

Devourer - Aidoneus

Dream Girl Evil - Florence + The Machine

The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper - Poets of the Fall

Six Billion - Nothing But Thieves

Morning Star - Van Izak

But Never a Key - Dirt Poor Robins

Blue Lips - Regina Spektor

Needles & Pinches - Georgia Train, Bitter Ruin

Love Comes Home - Les Friction

[okay-j-hannah]

That’s My Wife

Harry Potter : Fic

Charlie x Reader

Word Count: 3049

Warnings: SEXY TALK! Charlie is just all over you and your quidditch uniform 😂 Also I know I keep using different gifs for Charlie fics... I just look up ‘hot ginger man’ and pick one I like 🥰

Request: “Hey could I have a story where you are Charlie Weasleys wife and a professional quidditch player? In goblet of fire when they go to the world cup instead of Ireland vs Krum it's your team versus Krum and Charlie is so proud to have Weasley on your uniform and is showing you off to everyone and idk I really just think of Charlie as a very proud guy but humble. Thanks so much!” - Anon

A/N: There’s nothing quite like having your husband be your biggest supporter, especially with the Quidditch World Cup fast approaching

Shifting beneath the covers, (Y/N) sighed as her brain began to wake up. There were a number of thumps happening outside their bedroom and she groaned.

“Charlie?”

Thankfully, a hand came sneakily around her waist, pulling her to him, “What’s the point of apparating if we don’t even get to sleep in?”

“They’re excited,” (Y/N) replied in a quiet voice, keeping her eyes closed as she turned towards her husband, “And people are a bit careless when they’re tired.”

Footsteps could be heard going down the creaky stairs and (Y/N) peered behind Charlie to see that the moon was still basking their window. It had to have been nearly daybreak for the others to be up and about.

“I’ll have to get ready anyway,” she mumbled, resting back into Charlie’s embrace, “The team wants to do warmups and standard procedure before the majority of the crowds…”

Charlie suddenly held her tighter, silencing her with a grin, “Later, sweetheart – I won’t be able to see you all day. I want to hold you for a little while before you fly off.”

She couldn’t help the giggle that escape her with him cradling her against his chest. Though the World Cup was hours away, she knew her captain wouldn’t let her out of his sight until the game started. With the narrow win England made to be entered into the cup, there was immense pressure to deliver a swift and skillful victory for the team.

Being the rising star of “Quidditch Weekly,” there was a lot on (Y/N)’s shoulders to carry the team. It was that thought that began to swell within her when a sudden shout came from downstairs.

“George! What is that in your pocket?”

Charlie laughed low in his throat, his grisly morning voice doing it justice, “Looks like mum found those joke shop toffees.”

“Nothing!”

“Don’t you lie to me!”

(Y/N) took a deep breath, allowing Charlie’s natural scents relax her; worn leather, old newspaper, rain-soaked grass. She wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do without him giving her pep talks between penalty shots and time outs.

More than anything she wished he could be on the grounds with the referees instead of up in the stands.

With the anxiety filling her up as it usually did before a big game, she reached for his hand wrapped around her. Lacing their fingers together, she could feel him lean into her neck and plant a kiss behind her ear.

“You’re going to be incredible, sweetheart.”

She sighed into a smile, closing her eyes once more and allowing a few more moments of peace.

“Accio! Accio! Accio!” Came from downstairs, and she laughed out loud that time.

~~~

The sun crept higher and higher as the team lay on the pitch, doing stretches. Their captain Edric Vosper was pacing along the team benches.

“England hasn’t been a part of the Quidditch World Cup since 1981,” he intertwined his fingers in front of him, “And with us scraping that win against Transylvania last month… there’s too much at stake.”

“We know, Vosper,” came the voices of some of (Y/N)’s best friends – the beaters of the team, Dawn and Indira.

“We’ve had this same speech at every practice since that win,” (Y/N) added, smirking and straightening her arm braces, “I’m not sure there’s much else you can say to prepare us.” Her fellow chasers Avery and Keaton snickered behind their hands.

Vosper seemed at a loss of a comeback, finally sitting on one of the benches, “You’re right, of course. I just had a talk with Ludo Bagman and have basically every coin in my account betted for England being the winning team.”

“Why would you do that?” Dawn cried, slumping onto the grassy ground, “I’m worried enough about the game without knowing you’ll be broke if we lose.”

“And will probably have to crash at my place for the rest of the year,” Avery rolled his eyes.

Vosper put his face in his hands and took a deep breath, making the team all refrain from smiling sarcastically. (Y/N) stood and folded her arms, leaning forward slightly to speak.

“I say we take a break before the match starts – go enjoy some time with our families until the whistle blows.”

Keaton flexed his fingers, “Yeah, if I have to practice another quaffle pass I pretty sure my fingertips will snap.”

The team all laughed, evidently trying to make it as lighthearted as possible with the amount of pressure all nestled on their shoulders. (Y/N) secretly believed that a pep talk from all their close friends and family would motivate and improve the teams morale.

But she also knew that if she voiced that much of her opinion, then the players would just tease her about becoming the next great captain for the team. And she was too good of friends with Edric to make him doubt the authority of his position.

“Hey, guys, we’ve been practicing every day for weeks,” Indira stated, pulling a knee to her chest for a stretch. “Maybe enjoying our last meal with our families would relieve some stress.”

“Why are you saying it like we’ve all got death sentences? Our last meal?” Avery laughed, leaning over to push her away playfully.

She shrugged her shoulders, “Way to improve the mood, Hawksworth.”

The rest of the team laughed again, waiting for Vosper to lift his head from his hands. When he did he focused his attention to the opposing team across the quidditch pitch. The brutal Bulgarian team was conducting a number of routines with quaffle passes and snitch spotting.

They donned scarlet robes with black and gold lettering, which reminded (Y/N) of her Gryffindor house back at Hogwarts. It made her frown to see them arrogantly flashing those colors as they sped on their similarly tinted Firebolts.

Peering down at her own uniform, she relished in the bright white and complementary cherry red accents. The proud emblem of golden dragons blazoned the front and brought a fiery desire to beat Bulgaria with every bit of will power she had.

“I think we are over exhausting ourselves,” Vosper concluded, resting his elbows on his knees. “How about this – you all are free to do whatever you please until the match, as long as you deliver the Rowntree Counter.” He stared pointedly at (Y/N), saying, “If we can execute that as perfectly as you did with Transylvania, we’ll have this game in the bag.”

With slight hesitation, she gulped and nodded. She knew there were scouts in the crowd, recruiters that were looking for talent. If she could make a spotlight of their team, they could go far in quidditch history.

It was this thought that dwelled with her as she left the pitch and made her way through the crowds to find the tent grounds the Weasley’s had rented.

She quickly found herself distracted by numerous fans; now, with the sun newly risen and the mist lifting, she could see the city of tents that stretched in every direction. She made her way slowly through the rows, staring eagerly around.

Many of the campers were starting to wake up. First to stir were the families with small children; a tiny boy no older than two was crouched outside a large pyramid-shaped tent, holding a wand and poking happily at a slug in the grass, which was swelling slowly to the size of a salami.

“Excuse me, miss,” came a timid voice nearby, “Are you (Y/N) Weasley?”

She turned her shoulder and saw a young girl and boy standing on their tip toes and wringing their hands excitedly.

“Yes, ma’am, that’s me.”

“The chaser for England’s National team?” the boy added on, somewhat disregarding her previous response.

(Y/N) peered down at her uniform and shrugged her shoulders, “I’m pretty sure that’s what my robes say.”

There was a squeal behind her, and then another and another. Whispers, then shouts, began appearing all around her as exclamations said:

“Is that…?”

“Mum! It’s the England chaser!”

“She was on the cover of Quidditch Weekly yesterday.”

“Do you think I could get a signature?”

“Wait… (Y/N) Weasley?”

“I don’t have a quill… would she mind using my body paint?”

And it was twenty minutes before she was able to extract herself from the growing crowd. She had signed robes, arms, books, tents, and English flags with everything from paint to lipstick. There was even a little girl that bought a miniature figurine of (Y/N) that padded along her palm, even laughing the same full body laugh that (Y/N) usually did, which she signed the back of.

She had to apologize to everyone as she pushed through, saying she’d like to get to her family before the day was through. It didn’t stop the stares, gasps, and waves, but she was grateful for not being followed as closely anymore.

A short way farther on, she saw two little witches, who were riding toy broomsticks that rose only high enough for the girls’ toes to skim the dewy grass. Here and there adult wizards and witches were emerging from their tents to claim a breakfast. Some, with furtive looks around them, conjured fires with their wands; others were striking matches with dubious looks on their faces, as though sure this couldn’t work.

As she neared the other side of the fields, she noticed the colors changing drastically from black and scarlet to white and cherry. This new patch of tents were all covered with thick clusters of dragon themed décor; blue, red, and white flags flew all around the campers. Dragon kites, dragon statues, dragon emblems, dragon puppets, and even dragon hide was covering most other surfaces.

It really showed the loyalty, as well as the increase of more fans trying to get her attention. One began waving a moving poster of herself crossing her arms and smiling broadly. But just beyond she noticed the exact family she was looking for.

“Charlie!”

One of the redheads sitting around the morning fire stood and whipped around to see who was calling for him. When he spotted his beloved, he called out, urging her forward.

The nearer she got, she noticed that it wasn’t just the Weasley’s, Harry, and Hermione – Ludo Bagman and Mr. Barty Crouch were there too.

“I thought you were going to be on the pitch all day!” Charlie cried, reaching her and pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until after the game.”

She giggled happily as he lifted her enough that she was on her toes, “We convinced Vosper that we could use a break to gather our senses.” She nuzzled into his shoulder as they continued to hold each other close – that calming smell of rainfall and old, weathered book pages whelmed her again.

Charlie moved a hand to the side of her face where he could direct her attention to his eyes, “God, you’re so beautiful.”

She smiled, her eyes suspicious, “Even in this sweaty updo?”

“What can I say? I can’t resist a woman in uniform.” He gave her a seductive gaze and bit his lip, leaning his forehead against hers.

She moved her hands up his torso and around his neck, sighing deep in her chest, “Not until I knock Bulgaria on their ass.”

Charlie closed his eyes and breathed deeply, “You just got a whole lot sexier.” And he practically growled as he dipped for a kiss, a hungry kiss. The intensity took (Y/N) slightly off guard, accidentally pulling a moan out of her.

“Okay, woah, woah!” came the boisterous voices of Fred and George, “Lock it up, this isn’t your honeymoon.”

They could hear Ginny laughing with Bill, and Percy was muttering things like, “Right in front of Mr. Crouch,” under his breath.

“Now, Charlie,” Mr. Weasley stated in a nervously loud tone, “We’ve got guests.”

(Y/N) had to be the one to pull away, finding her breath was taken away by the moment. Charlie grinned and waved a hand over his shoulder.

“Paparazzi,” she muttered, “We’re surrounded by witnesses.”

“It would be ridiculous to hide my feelings for you, (Y/N). Why shouldn’t the public know we have a perfectly wonderful marriage.” He held her by her shoulders, “I’m proud to have you by my side, so what if the Daily Prophet knows we kiss… guess what? We’re married!”

She couldn’t help but laugh, “Still I’d like to keep a few things… hello!” Behind Charlie’s shoulder she could see the entire Weasley family, and guests, watching them closely.

Charlie twirled around and put an arm around (Y/N), “Mr. Crouch, Ludo – may I introduce my wife, (Y/N) Weasley. THE best chaser that England has known these last few years.”

Ludo Bagman, a jolly man with rosy cheeks and a boyish charm, stood immediately and came to shake hands, “An introduction long overdue I’m sure you feel as well. You know I’ve got a pretty penny on your head to get England the win tonight.”

“Us too,” Fred yelled over the many heads, “So don’t fall off your broom.”

“Oh, you’ve seen nothing until you’ve seen (Y/N) play on the pitch,” Charlie stated, leaning towards the group, “She’s like a snitch herself, whipping through the air.”

“Yes,” agreed Ludo, “The biggest hope England has had in over a decade.”

Charlie beamed, moving his loving gaze to his wife. He simply stood there admiring the praise and talent, silently wondering how it was possible she had chosen him to be her husband.

“Thank you, Mr. Bagman,” (Y/N) replied, “Though you should look at England as the team it is – I’m just one person; it takes all of us to win the cup.”

Charlie grinned even wider if it was possible. Admiration wasn’t enough to describe how in awe he was of her. It was like she was in total denial that she was plainly the one carrying the national team. Though it was incredibly endearing and only made him more in love with the fact that she was with him.

“Oh, please, don’t neglect your talents,” Ludo exclaimed, “We all know you were the one that got the qualification from the Transylvania win!”

“Even with that illegal shot by the bludger,” Ron interjected, sneaking the rest of Hermione’s breakfast sausages, “Those scheming, biased referees.”

Bill clapped his hands together, “This is exactly the problem, if we can’t find the right people to observe the field, then what’s the point of having good players? They’ll be disregarded completely with a biased referee!”

And the family continued the conversation of the prospects of the upcoming game. Percy and Mr. Weasley tried to continue remarks with Mr. Crouch before he left and shortly followed by Bagman.

And all Charlie could do was stare at his wife and wonder… wonder how he got so lucky.

~~~

She could hear the sounds of thousands of people moving around them, shouts and laughter, snatches of singing. The atmosphere of feverish excitement was highly infectious; Dawn and Avery couldn’t stop grinning.

The roaring voice of Ludo Bagman could be heard magically magnified across the sea of people.

“Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!”

The spectators screamed and clapped. Thousands of flags waved, adding their discordant national anthems to the racket. A huge blackboard opposite them showed BULGARIA: 0, ENGLAND: 0.

After a presentation of entrancing Veela and a few soaring dragon fireworks, Ludo began to announce the Bulgarian quidditch team members; next came England.

“Presenting – Vosper, Frisby, Choudry, Withey, Flitney, Hawksworth, and Weasley!”

Seven gleaming robed players came whizzing out of the stands on white golden Firebolts. The Weasley family cheered and shook their top box voraciously.  

“That’s her, that’s her!” yelled Charlie, waving his English flag and pushing into Bill and Ron. His brother followed her with his Omnioculars.

“Theeeeeeeey’re OFF!” screamed Bagman. “And it’s Weasley! Hawksworth! Flitney! Dimitrov! Back to Weasley! Hawksworth! Levski! Flitney!”

The speed of the players was incredible – the chasers were throwing the quaffle to one another so fast that Bagman only had time to say their names. Charlie reached over to fight Ron’s Omnioculars off him but failed as he heard the name Weasley again.

The chasers had fallen into their Rowntree Counter, their signature move. They flew into a straight dive as red, white, and blue colors came streaming out of the back of their brooms – signifying the flag of the United Kingdom.

They knocked two of the opposing Bulgarian players teetering on their brooms and distracted the beaters. Flitney passed the quaffle to Hawksworth, who kicked it around before passing it back to Weasley.

(Y/N) did a magnificent overhead kick into the hoop on the far left.

“WEASLEY SCORES!” roared Bagman, and the stadium shuddered with a roar of applause and cheers. “Ten zero to England!”

Charlie jumped and waved his arms, screaming himself hoarse, “THAT’S MY WIFE! WEASLEY IS MY WIFE!”

Bill reached over and stuffed his UK flag over Charlie’s face to shut him up, and Ginny laughed, giving him her white and red rosette.

(Y/N) did a lap of honor around the field and threw a kiss towards the top box where Charlie waved his hands toward her, “I love you, baby!”

The England chasers were superb. They worked as a seamless team, their movements so well coordinated that they appeared to be reading one another’s minds as they positioned themselves, and the rosette now on Charlie’s chest kept squeaking their names: “Flitney – Weasley – Hawksworth!” And within ten minutes, England had scored twice more, bringing their lead to thirty-zero and causing a thunderous tide of roars and applause from the white-clad supporters.

Charlie watched as (Y/N) performed miraculous moves toward the goal posts. The continuous overhead kicks, the usage of the butt-end of her broom like a beater bat, and the intense throw of her arm was mesmerizing.

Charlie yelled and screamed until his face turned red, shouting his praise for his wife. The other members in the top box had to accept the fact that Charlie wasn’t going to shut up about his incredible player on the field.

It was just a continuous strain of, “THAT’S MY WIFE!” with a splendid look of pride and admiration on his cheery face.

“WEASLEY IS MY WIFE!”

~~~

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[marastriker]

for the OTP ask: all of them. I'm not even kidding. Gimme gimme hrnnggg 🖤🖤🖤

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO

💚 First off, who is your OTP?

Electraboose <3

💐 Who tends to worry the most?

Electra, they're such an overthinker and a worry wart.

💋 Who is the most physically affectionate?

CB can not keep his grubby little gremlin hands to himself.

⛈ Do they enjoy dancing?

More than you would think, but I think Electra enjoys it far more than CB.

🌹⛈Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them?

CB definitely does. He has constant nightmares regarding his past and usually can't sleep afterwards. He's tried splashing cold water on his face and all that, but Electra being beside him and caressing his back helps far more than anything else ever could.

🌺 Do they go to sleep at the same time as each other?

No. Electra is responsible and gets a full 8+ hours of sleep every night but CB is a bit of an insomniac. He stays up and tinkers or asks weird questions until he can actually fall asleep.

⚡ What are their nicknames for each other?

CB calls Electra: Lex, Lexi, Thunderdome, Sparky, Livewire,

Electra calls CB: Ceeb, Ceeby, Boosey, Gremlin, Cherry Pie, Cherry Bomb

🍃 What do they do when the other is stressed?

When Electra is stressed, CB tries to distract them with humor. It always works, CB is genuinely very funny and it helps Electra destress to just take a breather and laugh.

When CB is stressed, Electra gives him a massage and gets him to talk about anything other than what's stressing him out. Even something as simple as, "tell me about this piece of equipment, it looks complicated."

🌻 How do they spend time if the other is gone?

CB usually spends his time working on radio equipment or art, he's gotten into painting/sculpting as a type of therapy.

Electra spends time with their components, but enjoys giving themself a nice spa day to relax without the little gremlin around to interrupt. (They love CB in spite of how obnoxious he can be, but they definitely do need a break from time to time.)

🎮 Do they have a favourite video game they enjoy playing together?

CB loves first person shooters like Borderlands, but also plays some occasional Fortnite because he is 12 at heart.

Electra likes simple platformers and finds Undertale to be extremely fun, but has recently gotten into more fantasy esque games that still match their preferred gaming style. Ori and the Blind Forest is perfect for them. They love the little puzzles but the art is just so incredibly beautiful too.

💍 Would they ever get married?

They absolutely would eventually and Electra would be the one to mention it first. CB joke proposed with a ring pop, but Electra knew he was serious about wanting to be together forever, so they buy him a ruby ring and officially proposes. (They also have three kids, a girl who's a caboose and twin electric boys).

✨ Who proposes?

Oops already answered this lol

👑 Who is the meme lover?

Oh god that ain't even a question, CB. He is a memelord.

📚 Who likes to read?

Also CB, he may be silly, but he's still very smart and enjoys reading what most people find boring. Electra is spoiled and kind of thinks it's a waste of time if they can just look it up in their database.

🎩 Who bothers the other person while the other person reads?

Electra bothers CB all the time when he's trying to read. Electra is just like, hun I can just look that up for you, you know. You don't have to waste your time reading that big book.

Have you considered that I want to read the big book

........no?

🌼 How do their personalities complement each other?

CB's wild energy and Electra's calm, cool, collectedness balance each other out. Sometimes they do switch, when Electra is throwing a tantrum and CB thinks whatever the issue is is silly and not something to worry about. They just know how to approach things how the other wouldn't think to and it helps them solve their issues together a lot better

🔥 Who will punch someone out if they are rude to their partner?

Electra won't just punch, but zap whoever dared to shit talk their little gremlin

💀 What would they dress up as, for Halloween?

While GB and Dinah would do more classic couples costumes, CB and Electra would do the dumbest couples costumes. Like a plug and an outlet lol.

🌈 What are their favourite colours?

Electra loves blue and CB loves red obviously, but Electra has a soft spot for pink colors and CB really likes yellow.

🌹 Who is the hopeless romantic?

CB, but not in a traditional sense. He wants to share all of these things that he THINKS is romantic, but Electra is just like??? Babe why are we at a playground

I WANNA PUSH YOU ON THE SWINGS

🎭 Who is the dramatic one?

Electra, it's just in their nature to be a diva.

🎈 Who makes jokes during inappropriate times?

100% CB. He doesn't know how else to handle tough situations other than completely breaking down.

💝 What do they love about each other the most?

CB loves Electra's class and poise. He wishes he could be that composed and intimidating.

Electra loves CB's childlike wonder and insane genius. They're actually kinda jealous to admit that CB is smarter than them.

👓 Who googles everything?

Electra. It's how they come up with quick answers to everything.

🌙 How do they comfort each other when they are helpless to do anything about the situation?

Electra reminds CB by all means that he is NOT alone. Not anymore. If he's ever having trouble or feels helpless, Electra is always there for him no matter what.

CB makes sure that Electra is able to rationally approach the issue instead of resorting to short circuiting.

🍂 What is an inside joke they have?

They call "having sex" some of the weirdest things. CB suggested it, since he's already so used to speaking in code.

💟 What do you think makes them perfect for one another?

They balance each other's shortcomings out really nicely. CB teaches Electra to have fun and be a kid again. Let loose. Not worry so much about looking perfect all the time. And Electra helps CB be more grounded and adult when he needs to be. They fit each other like missing puzzle pieces <3

🌷 Are you nervous to talk about your OTP? Why?

no i could talk about these idiots all day

🧵 Is your OTP Oc x Canon?

...I choose to believe it is canon........

🎵 What's a song (or songs) that remind you of your OTP?

Accidently In Love by the Counting Crows

Anything for You by Ludo

THANK YOU so MUCH for the ASK i love THESE IDIOTS

[tybaltsjuliet]

nicky’s archetype playlists, 09/11: the avenger.

there is no more new frontier.

(listen.)

i. mine was not to reason why; mine was but to do and die. at the end of the world, or the last thing i see - you are never coming home, never coming home.

country roads (me first and the gimme gimmes) // horse soldier, horse soldier (corb lund) // battle cry of freedom (bryan sutton) // know your enemy (green day) // hammer to fall (queen) // hell's broke loose in georgia (bryan sutton) // the nineteen stars of heaven (kronos quartet + laurie anderson) // lorena (john hartford) // idumea (sacred harp singers) // in the pines (lead belly) // the ghost of you (my chemical romance) // the mercy seat (nick cave and the bad seeds) // ride to death (carter burwell; from true grit)

ii. no more strife! go find it in the hearts of other men. loaded up my toolkit with every hateful instrument; now here we are thirty years later.

welcome to the black parade (my chemical romance) // cry, little sister (gerard mcmann) // the killing moon (greg laswell) // golden and green (the builders and the butchers) // the highest judge of all (joshua henry; from carousel) // i'm always walking as somebody else (american murder song) // werewolf gimmick (the mountain goats) // high regard (the story so far) // bad moon rising (credence clearwater revival) // these boots are made for walking (pure hell) // dirt universe (chelsea wolfe) // getting into knives (the mountain goats)

iii. don't you know my name? you've been so long. sure as god made black and white, what's done in the dark will be brought to the light.

doolin-dalton (the eagles) // death to my hometown (bruce springsteen) // cat people (putting out fire) (david bowie) // god's gonna cut you down (the gaslight anthem) // strawberry fields forever (jim sturgess + joe anderson; from across the universe) // miss missing you (fall out boy) // one against four (carter burwell; from true grit) // S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W (my chemical romance) // damn these vampires (the mountain goats) // desperado (the eagles)

iv. lay down your law books now; they're no damn good. whether or not it was always going to be this way, it only mattered yesterday.

streets of laredo (johnny cash) // battle hymn of the republic (joanna smith) // doolin-dalton/desperado (reprise) (the eagles) // don't let the sun go down on me (miley cyrus) // farewell, angelina (joan baez) // 21 guns (green day) // topeka (ludo) // song for ted sallis (the mountain goats) // wayfaring stranger (jack white; from cold mountain) // was my brother in the battle (kate + anna mcgarrigle) // the last resort (the eagles)

+ bonus: far beyond horizons i have seen, beyond the things i've been, beyond the dreams i've dreamed, are the things i've done - in fact, each and every one are the way that i was taught to run. waitin' for the light to shine (daniel jenkins; from big river)

[sauerland-2001]

Skamit season 4 re-watch, episode 1

Not a recap, just some thoughts while re-watching the episode :-)

- Ludo went back to the voiceover/phone-in idea for the intro, but it’s on the radio and clearly islamophobic; glad that Sana turned that drivel off;

- why was Eva so cagey about answering the Canegallo question, I don’t remember;

- love seeing the girls so happy and giddy with each other and I hate to say it, but the fact that this remake’s Noora is missing doesnt really matter :-/ she does remind us though that she’s alive in the next clip;

- boy we would have gone insane if that season had dropped clip by clip; we’re back in Bracciano!!!

few things about the evening clip in B.:

- clearly pre-C. times, with people sharing one bottle to drink from, how on earth did we ever do that

- the light works perfectly fine, I can see everything, Ludo, thanks for nothing

- Martino is a bit of an ass already, but things like the reveal of his and Nico’s sex toy drawer and his dumb reaction are amazing lol

- the early Sana/Elia scene is a lot more uncomfortable (for her) than I remember; such exchanges are not as fun if you’re the one enduring a man’s drunken (verbal) advances; don’t get me wrong, Elia is harmless but I get why Sana feels ridiculed, as she expresses later on :-(

- you know, considering that every time when ppl run out of things to criticize about Skamit, they pull the “they don’t change anything, it’s all exactly like the og!!”card, every clip so far has been an original one.  Weird. 

- even I can appreciate how impossibly good-looking the rose quad is :-D

- tricky traps <3

- I love how delighted Rami is to meet his sister’s friends

- erm, I’m pretty sure Luai introduced himself not just to Silvia and Fede but to Sana as well in the park scene haha

- casual anti-Asian racism thrown in there, whyyy

- I still don’t understand what this “charity fishing” is Sana is supposed to go to

- love how Sana is subtly concerned for Luchino when Silvia claims they’re friends with benefits

- Silvia is a bit too excited to get picked up by guys in a van

- Malik is the fun-sized Yousef and he’s a cutie

- I love Skamit’s singing scenes and the van one is no exception

- first looks between Sana and Malik and obviously that happens in the semi-darkness of the van, good god, Ludo!

- every time we first see the Sana characters pray it’s emotional (for me) and this scene, especially in this terrible garage, is no exception;

- aw man, seeing Eva and Malik together really hurts :-( and I’m sure if this had been a normal clip we would have hated it because of where this is usually headed. Remember how we reacted to the trailer 👀

[crocodilenialledfics]

You’re all I need (the air I breathe)

eight - in which Stella is more than the rebound 

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love-at-first-sight, falling-too-fast, uni au that will make your heart ache (in a good way)

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Stella thought that a weekend away from Niall would have calmed her down. Instead, all of her feelings rushed back in earnest, watching him sit down at the dining hall across from her. 

“Hey,” he said, a smile on his face. “You’re eating alone?

“No louis and Veda are...” she trailed off, looking over her shoulder. “They’re getting their food.” 

“How was your weekend home?” Niall asked, shrugging his book bag off of his shoulders. 

“Uh it was good,” she chuckled, rubbing her forehead. 

Aside from the part where they got so high, Stella could have sworn she talked to god. And the throwing up part. And the waking up with the pounding headache, confusion, and immediate regret. 

“That’s good,” Niall chuckled  “you got high didn’t you.”

“Very,” Stella nodded, poking at the pasta on her plate. “Regretfully high. Maybe even devastatingly high.”

“Celebrated 19 the right way,” Niall mused. 

Louis and Veda joined them just a few minutes later. Veda was grumbling about the food they were served and Louis was doing his very best to ignore her. 

“How’s come we pay all this money and we can’t even get a decent meal,” Veda grumbled. 

If Stella and her were alone, she’d press her until she said what was actually the matter. They weren’t, though, so she just watched her disgruntled behavior wordlessly hoping that no one would mention it. 

No one did. Louis exchanged glances with Stella. Niall was oblivious, eating his food as if nothing was wrong. Stella wondered how he couldn’t tell, the way Veda was angrily eating her green beans. Or the way she scowled at him. Oblivious.  

Stella wished she could be oblivious for a day. Instead she was hyper aware of every little thing. Every slight change of voice, eyebrow crinkle. She could notice it all. 

And then Stella wondered if Niall could tell she was a bit off kilter since she’d gotten back from Doncaster. Niall did notice, though as they did homework later that night. 

“Are ya alright?” Niall asked, a lilt to his voice that made Stella want to forget all of the weird feelings she was having. 

“Yeah...” Stella trailed off, propping her knees up on the table. “Just tired, I think.”

“Okay,” Niall answered slowly. “You’d tell me if something happened at home, wouldn’t you?” 

Stella’s instinct was to reassure him, so she did, sitting up. “Nothing happened at home,” she’d said, twirling her pen between her fingers in a way that would surely give her away. 

“Are you sure because...” he trailed off. “It feels like you’re upset with me or something” 

“I’m not upset with you,” Stella assured him, dropping her pen into her lap. She rubbed her forehead, sighing. “I just don’t know, Niall.”

“You don’t know what?” Niall asked, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at her. 

“I just don’t know how you can get out of a three year relationship and already start kissing the first uni girl you see,” Stella rushed out, looking up at him. 

“What do you mean?” Niall asked, eyebrows furrowing even more as he thought about what she’d just said. 

“Isn’t there like a grieving process? Sadness or something,” she emphasized. 

“There is,” Niall nodded. “There is a grieving process when you’ve lost something, but Stella,” he chuckled. “I didn’t lose anything.” 

“You just feel absolutely nothing for Nadia?” Stella asked, eyebrows raising. 

“I mean...” he trailed off, shrugging. “No I don’t feel anything. D-do you want me to feel something for her?”

“I mean no,” Stella shook her head. “But what does that say about you? How quickly you moved on.”

“I don’t know,” Niall shook his head. “I don’t care what it says about me either. Do you?” 

“I don’t know,” Stella shrugged. 

Niall ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a sigh, “Stella, don’t tell me you think you’re a rebound.”

“I don’t think that,” Stella argued petulantly. She sighed. “Maybe a little.” 

“Rebounds are for people that don’t know who the fuck they are or what they want,” Niall answered her, shaking his head. “Is it so hard to believe that I actually really like you?”

Stella didn’t answer him. Instead she kept her eyes glued on the book in her lap. A page from Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. She’d reread it ten times and still couldn’t think about anything but the nagging feeling she had in her belly. 

After a moment, Niall asked, “do you need reassurance?” 

It was painful to ask for that, Stella thought, drawing her eyes up at him. She felt like she could cry. She really was tired, exhausted after the weekend she had, exhausted after spending that whole weekend thinking about Niall. She wished he was there with her, getting high with Louis and her, talking to her mother, meeting Ludo’s date. All of it she wished so desperately that he’d been there. 

“Stella,” Niall murmured hand smoothing over her sweatpant clad thigh. “Y’know you actually have to talk to me.” 

“I don’t know,” Stella finally mumbled, shaking her head. 

“Is there anything you do know?” Niall asked, voice soft enough to make the knot in her throat slip away. 

“I wish you came to Doncaster with us,” Stella murmured, winding her fingers into her t-shirt. 

“I wish that too,” he admitted. “But there will be other opportunities.” 

“Will there?” Stella urged, lifting her head to look at him. 

“Yes,” Niall emphasized with a laugh. He pulled her jittery fingers from her shirt, sliding them into his. “Do you think something bad is gonna happen?” 

“Maybe,” Stella mumbled, unable to find the same humor he’d found. 

“Nothing bad will happen as long as I can help it,” Niall told her, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. “And sitting here worrying about it is wasting precious time.” 

Stella gave him a look like it wasn’t the right thing to say. Niall rolled his eyes at her, sighing, “Stella, you have to read 200 pages by the morning. I’d say that’s precious time being wasted.” 

“I don’t want to read this anymore,” Stella said, closing the book. 

“Well what do you want to do?” Niall asked, eyeing her skeptically.

“I don’t know,” Stella answered, sounding frustrated. 

“Look at me, would ya?” Niall asked, frustrated right back. 

“Why?” She mumbled, eyes now glued on the cover of the book. 

“I said look at me,” he repeated sternly, in a voice that made Stella look at him. Eyes wide and sorrowful in a way that only confusion could manage to do. “You have to cut this out.” 

Stella gave him another look because that wasn’t the right thing to say either. Niall rolled his eyes at her, tilting her chin up, “I mean it. Cut it out. I didn’t do anything,” he urged, searching her eyes. “Everything you’re upset about is in your head. It’s not real.” 

Stella wanted to argue that it was real, except for the first time since she’d seen Niall, she wanted to kiss him. Like really kiss him, the way he did on her birthday with tongue and teeth and hands that wandered. 

“Say okay,” Niall commanded when she didn’t respond. 

“Okay,” Stella said, eyelashes fluttering. “Are you going to kiss me?” 

“If you want me to,” he answered, his hand sliding from her chin to the curve of her jaw until his fingers pressed against the hollow of her neck.

“I do,” Stella managed to get out. 

Niall leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips. It was a moment of relief all over again. Stella’s eyes fell shut and she let out a sigh against his lips. The lingering kiss morphed into one of desperation as Niall pulled her closer. 

The angle was awkward, a strain on her neck. Stella did the only thing she could think of. She all but pushed herself onto him, fingers curling into his t-shirt. At some point the motion set them off balance and the kiss ended just as Niall gripped her hips to save from falling off the futon. 

“Easy,” Niall murmured, lips spreading into a smile. 

Stella felt herself begin to smile as she straddled him properly. And that was the Stella he loved to see, shining eyes and flushed cheeks, “there she is,” Niall murmured, pushing his fingers through her hair. “Stel, I missed your smile. I haven’t seen it in days.” 

It felt like she hadn’t smiled in days either, but there she was, cheeks beginning to ache. Niall’s hands slid over her bum, pulling her closer, impossibly so. He kissed her again, far too innocent for someone that had a hold of her so tightly. Niall had a way of getting Stella to take the lead. He’d give her the very least until she had no choice but to kiss him fervently, fingers tugging at his hair until he groaned against her lips. 

Stella found herself to be a little too good at taking control of him. The desire pooled in her belly as they kissed until the ache between her legs became too much and she had to pull away, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, “easy,” she said as if this whole thing wasn’t her doing. 

“I’m trying,” Niall breathed, fingers sliding under her shirt to press against her back. “Unfair when you pull my hair. I think you do it on purpose.” 

Stella gave him a smile, her best innocent smile. Who would believe that of Stella? Probably only Niall. He was eager to keep that secret for her, though. 

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[skamamoroma]

Skam Italia S4: The Hide and Seek Scene

I was asked to write about my favourite scenes from Skam Italia s4 and this one specifically first which is a risk because, so far, I haven’t been able to watch it without crying, to the point where I am 100% sure the music is emotionally coded or I have eventually gone mad.

Anyway, this post was inevitable because if you know me, you know I adore Marti and Nico so much and have written long posts all those months ago that, I guess, this had to be done! And it’s long but it’s me, it was never going to be short! (I type fast)

Before I go through the song... at this point in the season, it’s kind of heartbreaking watching Nico sit there and look at Marti with so much longing and emotion. You can tell he misses him desperately. And Marti? Ah my favourite idiot. We KNOW how upset he is. I think at this point, he is telling himself he’s fine and that he’s drawing a line and he hasn’t got anything left to say to Nico… mainly out of sheer stubbornness. Nico’s lies and the way he tried to hide things clearly hurt and frightened him, triggering worries of loss and being left behind, of not being good enough, of Nico’s past changing what they have, of Nico’s past actions with Maddalena being something that could happen again. Neither of them are NOT understandable. I look at them both and I see the foundation they built back when they first got together and how that can only have strengthened immeasurably because of how long they’ve been together… I am reminded that the look in Nico’s eyes spells out what he told Marti on that balcony - “i’m thinking about the fact that I’m in love with you and I’ve never felt this way before”. Marti isn’t a stop gap or a second best because he couldn’t have Luai… Marti is hugely important to him. Nico adores him and not only that, adores him FOR who Marti is. I think it’s that basis that didn’t once make me feel anxious when episode 7 arrived. I feel I know these characters and their hearts. We know Marti’s so well and know that when he loves you, you’re his family. We know he considers Nico to be that… he left his father and step family behind, reconciling his past anger and walked away towards those he considers his family: his mamma, Gio/Luchino/Elia and Nico… he chose them and he specifically walked towards Nico with so much honesty to tell him he was by his side. The idea that ANY of that could be disrupted and that Nico perhaps isn’t who he thought he was… “somebody that I used to know” - not only an amazing song choice for Nico/Luai but also for Marti/Nico. Marti’s face screamed “I don’t know all of you” when he realised Nico’s past had been hidden from him. Marti’s fear of losing Nico caused him to cut and run and he effectively broke his own heart… but at the same time, Nico didn’t help himself. By trying to do the right thing, he made it worse and I think the bottom line is that eventually Marti felt left behind, felt that Nico’s extended secrecy and lies were a reflection of their relationship…

But he didn’t have all of the facts and his own fear and freak out meant he wasn’t seeing clearly. We know Nico loves Marti with his whole heart not only because he told us but because of that comfort they give off as a couple… it’s just a FACT. 

And this is where this clip makes me weepy. Because we know Nico’s past now. We know 3 pretty important things

Nico always felt spoken for and lost in his relationship with Maddalena. He wasn’t trusted, was spoken over, was belitted at times and felt he lost his voice. He was subject to all of that but put up with it. She wasn’t a bad person… their relationship just wasn’t healthy. His extended Last Man metaphor was his own way to ‘escape’ and be with Marti, someone who made him feel safe and listened to and cared for. Marti is his safe space.

Luai wasn’t just a mistaken kiss. He meant something. He may not have meant what Marti means or even close to it but that doesn’t matter. He was SOMETHING and if Nico’s eyes and smile in the piano video are any clue, Nico was so fond of him. That became dark and upsetting and ultimately damaging for both of them and poor Luai. Poor poor soul. Poor Nico for having that so cruelly removed from him, perhaps wondering if he was to blame or if he’d stayed away all would have been fine. It makes sense now why Nico was so unwilling for Marti to see the real him, to give in to what he felt with Marti because, ultimately, Nico internalises. His worries must have been overwhelming. He must have feared that history would repeat or that somehow HE was the one who was toxic… which we know is so untrue. 

By meeting Marti, Nico suddenly has this whole group of lovely, fun, ridiculous, warm and inclusive friends who show so much love and support. It is SO TELLING that Nico is still there at Silvia’s birthday party. Nico is NOT simply Marti’s boyfriend. He is a part of their group and they care about him so much too.

Knowing those 3 things is why the song that Ludo chose will FOREVER make me cry the second I hear the words. How he found a song SO perfect for Nico’s story is astounding to me. Every lyric works and I think the only way to talk about this scene is to track it with the lyrics… I suggest listening to it as you read (if you’ve even got this far because IT IS JUST SO PRETTY). 

This scene is, if nothing else, a moment to honour Nico as a character and his relationship with Marti and I swear I’ll never be over it. 

I lived my life alone before you

We see Nico alone with his eyes closed. The idea that we KNOW Nico felt alone before he met Marti. He told him he felt alone in his head, in a crowd and alone with people he loved. Marti changed that. 

And with those that I’d never succeeded to love

Maddalena. Luai. Neither of them worked out. The first being unhealthy and damaging and the second being a tentative step into a hopeful romance which resulted in trauma.

But we know Nico is someone with a huge heart. He still wants to love and be loved in return… but he feared it so much because of his mental illness but also, we now understand, because of what happened to Luai

And I grew so accustomed to that kind of solitude

We saw he had. He told us that when he and Marti were in his bed. He lives his life feeling alone… so much so that the thought of being the Last Man frightened him so much.

I fought you, I did not know how to give it up

Well, even writing that made me cry. We WATCHED him fight his feelings for Marti. His own worries and fears making his route to falling for Marti full of bumps in the road. He felt unworthy and frightened… and yet he still couldn’t give Marti up. Time and time again he fought his way back to Marti - Halloween, Bracciano, by his plan for the apocalypse, on the balcony when Marti came out of the twinkle lights and then finally accepting to live life minute by minute despite his fear. 

Before you, had I ever known love or had I only known misuse of the power another had over me? The power another had over me.

Oh. This line. This is the one that gets me. Full on tears. The fact that Nico, as a lovely kind gentle creative beautiful soul knew more pain than most his age by the time he met Marti. Not only did it come from parents and a girlfriend who failed to listen to him, who always decided his feelings for him, his battle with his mental illness causing him to feel shame and as if he couldn’t be loved and listened to as Nico and not a product of his mind. As Stefano Benni and La Giraffa helped him find strength that he could know real feelings despite his brain being poorly, he kept trying and fighting. 

He watched a boy he liked, Luai, subject to significant mistreatment and trauma and no doubt partially blamed himself… never received closure for that and was left with clear scars from it

“Had i ever known love or had I only known misuse” - those words are so emotional for me. Had he? I don’t know if he had. It makes what he found with Marti so fundamental and meaningful. How safe Marti must have made him feel. No WONDER he tried to hard to cling on. 

I crossed the country and I carried no key, couldn’t I look up at the stars from anywhere?  And sometimes I did, I felt ancient but I still sought peace and it never came to me

I heard this and immediately thought of his mental health and also his path through his struggles. That idea of ENDURING and going through so much… never being able to see the stars or a way out. That overwhelming shame. That feeling of being weary and exhausted. The fact that he DID always keep going, always seeking peace and comfort and contentment but “it never came”….

They often spoke as thought I had been set free, but I travelled only in service of my dreams. I stood before them all, I was a sleepwalker

AH. Oh god this song. Every line, man. The idea that Nico has had people who have told him how to behave or have caused him to question his own mind… the fact he must have been told time and time again that he’s getting better or that he’s being monitored… but he chose to keep going if anything, for his passions. We KNOW he is a renaissance guy, a creative quirky soul. He plays piano and draws and sculpts and is a lover of film and the arts as a whole. All of that makes him deeply passionate and he uses it to help him, often to cope. But the idea of being a sleepwalker… the idea that he walked through life half asleep a lot of the time because of his past experiences even in the face of those who told him they cared.

Couldn’t hold my misery down, not even for you. 

Nico can’t change who he is. He was never able to and nor should he. But he felt he wasn’t good enough for Marti. Meeting Marti made him want to change… but ultimately he realised that meeting Marti meant the opposite. He didn’t need to, he was loved as he is. 

But I long for you now even when you just leave the room

OH my. Tears again. We have just watched him stare at Marti across the room with so much love in his eyes, so much longing for his best friend, his love. Not having Marti must hurt and hurt badly.

And of all of the roads and cities that I passed through, of all of the eyes I have searched inside, the one sense of permanence that I came to feel was mine, only beneath your gaze

FUCK ME. Haha. That last line. Marti is his person. Of all of the things he has experienced, the people he has encountered and tried to love or tried to make connections with, none of them worked out and never once did he feelable to be himself entirely… until Marti. Beneath Marti’s gaze, he could feel that sense of permanence… he could see and be himself. 

I can’t even tell you how stunned I am at this song and how truly PERFECT it is for Nico… but that this last line… the fact the song tracks Nico through the house alone and ends with him finding Marti makes me want to weep into a cushion! 

The fact he’s helped by those who also love him. They orchestrated this because Nico means something to them and so does Marti. They want them to be happy and he’s helped to find his way back to Marti by true friends. 

The thing that CANNOT be ignored is that this whole thing happens because of Gio. Of COURSE it does. He spends this season trying to keep peace: with the girls, Nico/Marti and with Marti/la rosa squad. His heart is enormous and he just likes people to get along. My dude, how I love him.

As for the way the clip unfolds and the specifics, I love that it is the boys only who point Nico in the right direction. It had to be them. Gio being the one to lock the door. Gio’s smiles as he does it. It is SO reminiscent of the fact Gio left the cabin in Bracciano for them. He’s always there for Marti but that also means he’s there for Nico too and he won’t allow them to be unhappy. 

I can’t handle how small Nico look, how cuddly in his sweater with his tumbly curls. He’s just the most endearing. The warmth of the lighting and of the house is a classic Skam Italia thing and is, as ever, like a comfort blanket.

The fact that Marti is under the bed makes me laugh with Nico having to bend down to see him… not to mention the “bastardi”. Oh my sweet idiot boy. He was never going to be able to get away with his self destruction and stubbornness forever and his boys won’t let him. I love that it’s so Marti. The whole exchange is so in character… Marti’s “I can jump out of the window” is his ever sarcastic self at play and I adore him for it and so does Nico because in the face of everything, Nico laughs. There’s just this overwhelming send of comfort and sweetness, I can’t explain it.

The fact that Nico asks “can I come closer?”. The softness of his voice, the way he ASKS and doesn’t just do it, the way he KNOWS he must go to Marti and that Marti’s stubbornness is fierce but also that he fell in love with Martino Rametta… he needs to spell things out for Marti and let him know what he wants. 

What is also REALLY sweet is that it’s kind of Gio AND Elia who stand at the front of the door with Elia looking to Gio and celebrating their little trick. Their unspoken words and communications throughout Nico and Marti’s story was fundamental and we see it again. The characterisation is just so unbelievably consistent and meaningful. Their little high five at the end is adorable.

The fact they’re all outside, all hopeful and full of love for both boys is so heartwarming. I can’t! 

I also LOVE the way Filo is there cuddled into Gio’s arm. THE SWEETNESS. Everyone must love cuddles from Gio. But Filo being a part of it is just PERFECT as he’s fundamental to them both too. 

Then the ending being so so so sweet with Sana being so filled with love for her friends and for Marti and Nico that she uses that to spur her on to make a big decisions of her own. How I adore and cherish this scene so very very much. 

I think their story in s4 carries on so well with so many ideas from s2, not just filling in the gaps about Nico’s past. It adds SO much to s2 and things we see, heard and experienced with both Nico and Marti.

The thing that most surprises me is that we are effectively handling an Evak couple “breaking up” in this season. Yes, it wasn’t a proper break up but still, in Evak terms that could be catastrophic. It isn’t and it wasn’t and I hold Ludo entirely responsible for the fan’s ability to understand and appreciate why he chose to test them. He didn’t allow them to become background mannequins, didn’t allow them to be unrealistically perfect, didn’t villainise either of them and made them both understandable. This would have, in other circumstances, caused a total fandom meltdown but all I’ve seen are insightful posts about why YES it hurt to see them upset and going through a rough time but NO it didn’t ruin them and, if anything, made them feel more real and more connected and determined to be better. The way Ludo  loves Marti and Nico is all over this season despite it being Sana’s and, for me, it never takes away from her story. All anyone wanted from the inclusion of Nico’s past was that he was gifted some focus to honour his experiences and Ludo tried in so many ways to give him that and… well, this scene, to me, is a gift for Nico as a character.

If you got this far then GOD BLESS YOU but it is a testament to Ludo that I can always write damn essays on his work. I am so grateful to him for finding a moment in Sana’s season to do this and for it to mean SO MUCH despite it being so simple.

[cocos-cocoapuffsarenotforsale]

What You’ll Sorely Miss

MASTERLIST

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this story. I was re-reading Goblet of Fire like a week ago when I got the idea for this story. This is one of the first Harry Potter Fanfics I’ve written so I’m pretty nervous to post it. I really hope you all enjoy it! Love you guys! Xoxo

Summary: When Harry’s sister disappears the night before the second Triwizard task, Harry’s not the only one who’s worried about her.

Warnings: Swearing, AU where Harry has a twin sister (Y/n), AU where Sirius never went to Azkaban and raised Harry and his sister, Fluff, Worried!Harry, Worried!Draco, Happy ending, Harry accepts their relationship (pretty quick), Nice!Draco, Sweet!Draco

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“Harry, what exactly did the egg say again?” You ask your twin, after putting away what must have been the tenth book you had read so far that night. You, Ron and Hermione, were attempting to help Harry figure out how to stay underwater for an hour for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

You were gonna have to find a way to tell Draco there was no way you could meet up with him tonight. While Draco and Harry may not have gotten along well you and Draco were an entirely different story. Of course with you being a Gryffindor and not to mention being Harry Potter’s sister and Draco being a Slytherin, the two of you had kept your relationship a secret for the past year.

Harry repeated the egg’s song for what must have been the 20th time that night. You were still just as stumped about what to do as you were the first time.

“Maybe we could ask Sirius?” You suggest half-heartedly, knowing your brother would refuse. Sirius was both your and Harry’s godfather and had raised the two of you after your parents’ murder. Harry and you were both extremely close to him. Harry, however, was constantly worried about disappointing him. And considering how quickly he had shot you down earlier about asking for Sirius’s help, you doubted he would agree to it now. 

“Y/n, I can’t. I swore to him that I had figured it out weeks ago. He’ll kill me.” Harry sighs, dropping his head onto the book he was currently reading.

“Hard at work, eh?” You heard a familiar voice chuckled, looking up you saw George Weasley smirking down at you. Accompanied of course by his twin, Fred.

“As a matter of fact yes. So if that’s all then-” Hermione starts before Fred cuts her off.

“Actually, we came to get you and Y/n,” Fred says with a wink.

“Why?” You ask, raising an eyebrow at them. The last time the Weasley twins needed you it was to test out their nosebleed candies. Needless to say, you weren’t too keen on helping them anymore.

“McGonagall wants to see you and ‘Mione in her office,” George responds cheekily. 

“Alright. Let’s go Y/n. Don’t worry we’ll be back in a bit to help you guys. But keep looking in the meantime.” Hermione says seeing the look of fear on Harry and Ron’s faces. Those two were practically hopeless without you and Hermione. Hermione loops her arm with yours and the two of you follow Fred and George to McGonagall’s office.

You knock on McGonagall’s door once the two of you reach her office. 

“Come in.” You hear her reply. You open the door and enter to find not only Professor McGonagall but Professor Dumbledor, Ludo Bagman, Cho Chang, and a small blonde-haired girl.

“Miss Granger, Miss Potter, please take a seat.” Professor Dumbledore says gesturing to two chairs next to Cho.

“You needed to see us, Professor?” Hermione asks McGonagall looking around nervously.

“As I’m sure you all know the second task is tomorrow. Each of the champions will have something taken from them that they must retrieve. You are those things. Gabrielle, Miss Delacour’s little sister, Miss Chang for Mr. Diggory, Miss Granger for Mr. Krum and of course Miss Potter for Mr. Potter.” McGonagall explains gesturing to each of you.

“We ask that each of you take this potion. It will put you to sleep and as soon as you are above the water you will wake.” Dumbledore explains handing each of you a small vial of bluish liquid.

“What if they don’t reach us in time?” You ask nervously.

“My dear do you think I would ever allow anything to happen to students. You will all be fine even if your champion doesn’t reach you in time.” Dumbledore promises, looking at you with a twinkle in his eyes. You nod before locking eyes with Hermione and the two of you take the potion at the same time. God, I really hope Harry figures something out. You think to yourself before falling asleep.

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Draco’s POV

I’ve been looking around for Y/n all morning. Where the hell is she? She never showed up last night which hadn’t surprised me considering that the second task was today. But I didn’t see her at breakfast and she’s not with Saint Potter, so where the fuck is she? I couldn’t very well go asking about her whereabouts seeing as we had agreed to keep our relationship a secret. But now I’m really starting to regret it. 

“Draky poo are you alright?” Pansy asks me with a look of concern on her face.

“I’m fine Parkinson. Get off.” I hiss as she tries to fix my hair. Only Y/n gets to do that.

“What’s wrong baby?” Pansy asks in her sickly sweet voice.

“Nothing and I’m not your baby! Just stay the hell away from me!” I say storming away from her. Crabbe and Goyle follow me looking very confused. They knew I hated Pansy and how she was always hanging around me. But normally I was very patient with her. Little did they know a big reason why was that seeing Pansy around me got Y/n all riled up. Y/n is so adorable when she’s jealous.

“Malfoy, are you ok?” Goyle asks.

“Fine. Let’s go watch the stupid task.” I growl as I climb in the boat. Hopefully, I’ll see Y/n out on the lake. I need to see Y/n. That’s all I could think about.

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Harry’s POV

“Where are they?” I ask Ron as we make our way down to the boats. Luckily we ran into Neville last night and he told me about Gillyweed. He gave it to me this morning at breakfast. So thankfully that part of the task was handled. 

But we hadn’t seen Y/n or Hermione since they left the library for McGonagall’s office. And I was worried, Y/n would never miss this. She had never missed a Quidditch match, even when she was sick and miserable she came to cheer me on.

“I don’t know. It’s not like them to disappear. Maybe it’s a girl thing or something. I’m sure they’ll be out there waiting to watch.” Ron says patting my shoulder trying to reassure me. It doesn’t work.

Once we are all lined up about to dive into the lake I take one final look around and still don’t see them. The next thing I know Moody pushes me into the lake and I force myself to focus on the task.

Swimming towards the center of the lake I finally figured out where Y/n and Hermione were. Of course, I think to myself, “We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss”, Y/n.

After Cedric and Krum came I tried to wait to make sure Fleur got her sister. But after a while of waiting, I figured she wasn’t coming and I decided I would save both Y/n and Gabrielle. The merpeople were not happy about this but I won. Once we reach the surface they both wake up and gasp for air. 

“Oh, Harry! I’m so sorry for not helping more!” Y/n exclaims wrapping her arms around me while we are still in the water.

“It’s ok Y/n/n. Can we get out of the water though I’m freezing?” I ask, making her laugh at me. We swim back towards the docks and all of a sudden there’s a splash and someone swimming towards us. Malfoy?

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Your POV

“Draco, what the hell are you doing?” I ask as he swims towards Harry and me.

“Y/n, oh thank god!” He exclaims wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back to the dock. Harry’s in shock and just treading water looking at us with his jaw open. 

“Harry!” Hermione shouts, shaking him out of his stupor. His look of shock turns to rage and he swims as fast as he can to the dock.

Draco reaches the dock and pulls me out with him before grabbing as many towels as possible and wrapping them around me. 

“Are you alright love?” He asks cupping your face with his hand.

“Yes, Draco, I’m fine. But you might not be for much longer.” You giggle watching Harry storm over to the two of you, Ron and Hermione following him.

“Get your slimy hands off my sister Malfoy!” Harry shouts shoving Draco away from you.

“Harry it’s ok-” You try to say before he cuts you off.

“No, it’s not Y/n/n. What the bloody hell do you think you are doing Malfoy?!” Harry shouts.

“Potter calm down. Y/n/n and I have been seeing each other for the past year-” Draco tries to explain but Harry’s look of rage makes him stop.

“WHAT? You’ve been seeing that git for a year?! Did he put some fucking enchantment on you?” Harry yells making people turn and look, including all the teachers and the Headmaster.

“Harry, calm down. We’ll talk about this later. Let’s hear the scores.” Hermione whispers to him and forces him to turn towards the judges.

“This isn’t over Malfoy,” Harry growled before he walked away.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Draco asks you after Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave.

“I’m fine Draco. I’m just worried about Harry. He hates me now.” You feel tears well in your eyes. Harry was your best friend and your brother all wrapped in one and you can’t stand the idea of him hating you.

“He doesn’t hate you.” 

“How do you know?” You ask, turning away to hide the tears that were now streaming down your face from Draco. 

“Hey, don’t cry Pretty Girl. He loves you more than he hates me. Besides just think about it, the task was that the person they would miss most would be taken from them. Harry’s person was you. He loves you,” Draco says wrapping his arms around you and placing a soft kiss on your temple. “And so do I.” He whispers the last part so quietly you weren’t sure you heard him right.

“What?” You ask breathlessly, as you turn in his arms to face him.

“I love you Y/n Potter,” Draco whispers, nervously.

“I love you too Draco!” You exclaim pressing a hard kiss to his lips.

“Y/n, Draco,” you hear your brother murmur. Draco and you break apart and you look down at your feet to scared to look at Harry.

“Y/n/n, look at me,” Harry pleads, the desperation in Harry’s voice making you look up.

“Y/n, I’m sorry about how I reacted before. Does he treat you right?” Harry inquires, seriously.

“Yes, he does. I love him, Harry. But I love you too and I can’t lose you.” You reply.

“You will never lose me Y/n/n. I love you too sis,” Harry says pulling you into a hug.

“Do you love her?” He asks Draco after he and you break apart.

“With all my heart,” Draco replies, giving you his signature smirk.

“If you hurt her in any way-” Harry starts but Draco cuts him off.

“Yeah, yeah, Potter, you’ll kill me. Don’t worry Potter, if I hurt her I’ll gladly let you.” Draco gives Harry his signature smirk before Draco wraps an arm around your shoulders.

“Nice job today Potter, thanks for saving our girl.” Draco congratulates Harry.

“Yeah me and my stupid moral fiber. I could’ve gotten first if I wasn’t such a moron.” Harry replies with a chuckle.

“I can’t argue with you there.” Draco teases and it warms your heart to see your boyfriend and brother getting along. Even if they were still giving each other shit at least they weren’t hexing each other.

“I think you did splendidly,” you say giving your brother a high five.

“Thanks, Y/n/n. I gotta go party in the common room, can’t be late.” He explains before rushing off to join Ron and Hermione on the way back to the castle.

“Wanna go to the party with me?” You ask Draco.

“I don’t know, even if your brother doesn’t hate me I’m still a Slytherin. And we both know how Gryffindors feel about Slytherins.” Draco replies hesitantly.

“Maybe it’s time we start to change that.” You suggest giving him a small smile.

“Anything for my girl.” Draco agrees walking back towards the castle with you.

[bbyx]

ripple effect - part three

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

With help from some of the Ministry's interns, your tent was finally up. It was lilac purple with a beautiful satin finish. Walking inside always took your breath away just because of the sheer size of the tent. It smelt brand new and didn't have that homey feeling like the Weasley's tent but it would do for a couple nights.

(y/n) plops down on the bed. She opens up and rereads the letter that Minister Fudge had sent her father two months ago. You had started reading your dad's mail and answering for him since he was no longer capable of doing it himself. Your father had a very formal way of writing so it had been easy enough to imitate his handwriting to answer the Minister's letter.

You open the creamy beige envelope and pull out a sturdy white letter with gold embellishments. It reads:

Dear (f/n),                                                                                                                  I hope this letter is finding you in good health. I've heard that you have recently been traveling Europe in search of new properties. Barty and myself were wondering if you would be so kind as to join us for a meeting during the Quidditch World cup. The time is nearing and we must finalize the deal.  Looking forward to seeing you,                                                                                                                                Cornelius

You tried remembering what you wrote in the answering letter. It went something like this.

Dear Cornelius,                                                                                                         I am currently in Romania for business and I unfortunately will not be back in time for the Quidditch World Cup. However i've left my daughter (y/n) in charge of my business affairs while I am away and she would be delighted to join you. Barty and yourself can finalize the deal with her.  Wishing you the best,                                                                                                                                             (f/n)

Your father had started a real estate company when he was twenty four and it had grown into one of the most successful businesses in the wizarding world and in Britain. You assumed that the Minister and Barty Crouch wanted to buy a property but you didn't know anything further. It was a very secretive affair and you had searched your father's files extensively but there was no mention of this mysterious deal anywhere. You were essentially going in blind.

The meeting was going to be over dinner in the Minister's box during the Quidditch Match. (y/n) had time to kill so she walked back to the Weasley's tent.

You arrive just in time to see the Weasley twins and Ludo Bagman betting on the games.

"Personally I have to agree with Mr.Bagman, my money is on Bulgaria winning" You tease and the twins shake their ginger heads.

You hear sirens that signal the stadium has opened. You head over with your friends. The inside of the Quidditch stadium is just as breathtakingly festive as the outside. Red and green coats everything, it is filled with headshots of various Quidditch players and drunken voices singing national anthems.

"Blimey how far up are we dad!" Rom complains.

"Well, put it this way, if it rains you'll be the first to know." You turn towards the familiar cold posh voice. Lucius Malfoy.

You had grown up with the Malfoy's and practically spent half your childhood at their house. Narcissa has become a second mother to you after your own mother's death. (y/n) had her suspicions that her parents and the Malfoy's were hoping their children would get married but (y/n) cringed at the idea. It wasn't that you didn't like Draco but your relationship was more like cousins. He was like that one favourite cousin everyone has that makes all family gatherings fun. But you couldn't stand the snobby facade Draco put on whenever he was around other people. Like now.

"Father and I are in the minister's box. A personal invitation from Cornelius Fudge himself."

"Don't boast, Draco" Lucius says while nudging him with his cane. " There is no need with these people."

You rolled your eyes so hard it felt like you could see the back of your skull.

"Ah miss Deauxville, I believe you'll be joining us in the Minister' box." Lucius says in a respectful tone.

You hated how he talked to your friends like they were lower than you. Lucius nudges Draco with his cane and Draco immediately offers you his arm. You look back at the trio and mouth help me as you take Draco's arm.

"Have fun" Hermione says sarcastically.

The Minister's box is filled with house elves carrying trays of little delicacies and wizards and witches dressed in overly formal clothing. You immediately felt underdressed in your sweater and tennis skirt. But to your delight you could see the sweat glistening off their skin, after all it was still mid August.

A curly haired blonde woman in a ridiculously tight plum dress and green glasses walks over to Mr. Malfoy.

" Ah Lucius, darling, I see Draco has brought his little girlfriend along." She sneers at you, clearly not recognizing you. However you knew exactly who this was, Rita Skeeter, a slimy idiotic gossip columnist with worms for a brain.           " Hope she enjoys this once in a lifetime opportunity to dine with such fine people."

You feel a hand on your shoulder.

"Miss Deauxville, so glad you could make it. The Minister would like to talk in his private room."

Rita Skeeter's face blanched when she realised you were a Deauxville and you follow Barty Crouch through a curtain into a smaller room with a round table and a huge window.

Seated at the table was Minister Fudge, you took a seat just as the team mascots stepped out on the field. The beautiful Bulgarian veelas danced on the field while the Irish leprechauns bounded with their gold, this angered the veelas who in turn transformed into demon-like bird creatures. The teams stepped out on the field, national anthems were played and the snitch was released.

"Well let's get this over with quickly so we have a chance to enjoy the game" You say.

Cornelius Fudge starts.

"Yes, yes well as I'm sure your father mentioned, the Ministry would like to lease a property for a couple months."

Just then Percy walks in holding a stack of papers.

"Here are the papers you asked for Mr.Crouch." He says importantly.

"Ah thank you Weatherby. You may go now."

You almost choke trying to stifle your laugh, earning a glare from Percy as he leaves. Mr Crouch hands you a stack of papers.

" The contract." He simply states. You're too distracted to notice the house elves bring the meal to the table.

You take your time to look it over for any loopholes. Normally your father would have his team of lawyers draw up his own contracts but this would do.

"You want to lease lot number 637? The two acres in the Black Forest, next to Hogwarts? You're sure?"

"Yes" The Minister replied looking uncomfortable.

"There are a few modifications we would like to do to this property." Barty Crouch cuts in.

"What kind of modifications?" You ask, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Well first we would like to cut most of the trees off"

You squawk.

"What! You realise that property will lose all value without the trees."

"Indeed but the ministry is prepared to compensate you for the trees and any fire damage." Mr.Fudge adds.

"Fire damage! What on earth are you planning on doing there!" You blurt out, you're voice rising several octaves.

" Miss Deauxville, we would tell you if we could, trust us it would make this so much easier, but unfortunately you are still a Hogwarts student and therefore we regretfully have to keep our lips sealed."

You decide to let it go. After all your father had done plenty of suspicious deals before he fell ill.

"How much are you offering?"

"370 000 galleons for eight weeks" Barty answers. You knew that property in the middle of the Black Forest was essentially worthless because of the aggressive centaurs that lived around it. They were offering a lot more money than expected so you quickly grabbed your pen and signed the contract. The two other men did the same. You got up to shake their hands and left the room.

(y/n) sat next to Draco and Lucius Malfoy for the remainder of the game. They made small talk but she couldn't focus on anything other than that property in the Black Forest.

Why the hell would the ministry be so eager to lease that dump? Why would there be fire damage? Why cut all the trees? Questions were swarming your mind like bees.

You look up when you hear the tremendous cheers coming from all the Irish fans. The game was over. You smile to yourself.

Those bloody Weasleys predicted it. Krum caught the snitch but Ireland won.

Both teams came up to the Minister's box to shake his hand. Everyone got up and clapped when the Irish team proudly walked in. The Bulgarian team stomped in with it's sulking seeker Victor Kum leading them. You started shaking hands with people you barely recognized just trying to get out of there as fast as possible. You shake Viktor Krum's hand and give him a warm smile, after all the guy had just lost the biggest game of the year, and he gave you a smile that never completely reached his eyes. Suddenly a bright flash blinds both of you. When you regain sight you see Rita Skeeter standing there with a camera.

"Beautiful photo" She says with the phoniest widest smile.

You finally join the Weasley clan and Cedric Diggory around a campfire later that night after the Malfoys had insisted that you have dinner with them.

"Where were you? I was getting worried. I mean. We. We were getting worried" Harry says quickly. The others give him strange looks.

"Stuck at a dinner with the Malfoy's." You sigh "If anyone mentions politics or the stock exchange one more time I will slit all your throats ok?" They all laugh and explain that they're playing truth or dare.

"Give me a dare! Give me a dare!" Ginny pleads.

"That's not how it works Ginny, you have to get picked." George explained.

"We've been playing for an hour and nobody's picked me !" She whines.

"Fine, eat this" Fred says, handing her a candy.

She pops it in her mouth and her tongue starts to swell enormously. She runs to find Mr.Weasley.

"She asked for it." Fred says, throwing his hands up.

They all keep playing, (y/n) not really paying attention. She was distracted by the Minister's words: "we would tell you if we could, trust us it would make this so much easier, but unfortunately you are still a Hogwarts student and therefore we regretfully have to keep our lips sealed."

"Cedric, truth or dare." George asks, smirking.

"Dare."

"Very well, your dare is to go ask one of those veelas on a date." He says pointing to a group of breathtaking creatures. You feel a pang of jealousy as Cedric gets up. Instead he comes and sits next to you.

" (y/n), how about a date?"

"Sure" You smile and turn red as George gets up, flailing his arms around..

"No no no. I said a Veela."

"George, are you a bloody idiot, everyone in Great Britain knows (y/n) is a quarter Veela." Hermione says.

Fred and George look at you puzzled.

"Really?" Asks Fred.

"Can you do that cool demon bird shit?" George looks at you suspiciously.

You laugh. "No! It would be kinda fun though if I could. But no, I can't turn into a bird or enchant men into falling hopelessly in love." You say making dramatic hand gestures.

" I don't know about that" Mumbles Harry. You shoot him puzzled looks.

As the night goes on the group keeps talking and playing various games. Your eyes start to feel heavy.

"I think I need to go to sleep." You mumble.

"You can always sleep with me." Fred purrs. Ron hits him with the back of his hand. Cedric's jaw stiffens as he glares at Fred. He looks like he's about to say something when Hermione cuts him off.

" I'll walk you back to your tent (y/n)"

You agree and say goodnight to everyone. As you're walking back you hear screams and see dark figures with masks levitating and torturing a muggle family. You and Hermione run towards the forest where you catch up with Ron and Harry. Ron trips. Lumos Hermione whispers and a bright glow appears on the tip of her wand.

You spot Draco leaning calmly against a tree close to you.

"Better go Hermione, unless you want to show everyone your underwear, if so stick around it would be tremendously funny" He sneers while gesturing to the levitating family.

How can he be so freaking calm when people are literally being tortured less than fifty feet away?

Harry and Ron start defending Hermione and question Draco about his parent’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, you're stuck in a trance watching the family of muggles being tortured and feeling helpless.

"Have it your way, Potter" Draco grins maliciously. "If you think they can't spot a mudblood, stay where you are"

Anger ripped through your body at the sound of those words and you were about to tear his vocal cords out and jinx him within an inch of his life when someone gently squeezes your hand.

"(y/n), let's go." Cedric says, his eyes pleading.

[dreams-of-the-arcana]

Let’s start with a warning: ANGST

When everything is said and done, Lucio is put away and Vesuvia can begin to heal. But first, Cleo needs to know who she was before her death. Only one person has those answers, the former Count of Vesuvia Lucio Morgasson.

⚠️Warnings: Angst, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Abuse, Mentions of Suicide⚠️ This is about Cleo healing and first she has to find out what happened.

Who Am I Now? (Pt 1/2)

Vesuvia still stood.

Despite the pain and suffering that the city had seen in such a short time, it stood. In the years to come the residents would call it the “Unbreakable city” or the “Stalwart city”. For now though, the people were only thinking of reclaiming their homes and picking up what was left of their lives.

Lucio’s reign left dark scars everywhere. Even the end of that reign wasn’t enough to pull everyone back from the safety of Muriel’s land. Although, perhaps it was because of the prisoner locked away in the palace dungeons more than anything.

Cleo paused in front of the large metal doorway that led down to those dungeons. In her mind she weighed the pros and cons of descending to face the man who had tried to destroy her home. The man she watched rip the heart from Khamgalai and even his own Mother, Morga.

Lucio Morgasson was down those steps and Cleo knew he held the secrets of her past. The only question for her though was if she wanted to know.

Cleo moved towards the gate and hesitantly reached out for the handle.

A sudden snap behind her caused her to release it and jump around in a panic. Only to see a small bird hopping around the low wall nearby.

Cleo straightened her dress and chastised herself. It wasn’t like her to be so indecisive or jumpy. If she wanted to do something then she usually did so without shame or doubt.

Pulling herself together, Cleo turned on her heel and threw open the rusted gate so she could finally take the steps.

The stone walls only held a few candles on the way down but the main chamber was well lit. The guards sat at a low table with a deck of playing cards and laughed at whatever joke passed. It warmed Cleo’s heart to hear laughter. One guard spotted her and quickly jumped up.

“Miss Cleo! Whatever are you doing here?”

“It’s alright, Ludo. I’m here to speak with the prisoner. The Countess is aware of this meeting.” Cleo produced a short note with Nadia’s seal. Ludo took it to look over.

“Yes, ma’am...” Ludo rolled the note back up and handed it back. “But Miss Cleo, I can’t see why you’d want to talk to him.”

Cleo only gave him a small smile in response. Ludo bit his lip but led her to a small chamber with another metal door. The inside featured some plain furniture and means of entertainment but the occupant was nowhere to be seen.

“I’ll give you some privacy but we’ll be right around this corner if you need us, Miss.” Ludo gave Cleo one last look in hopes she’d change her mind but her eyes were already searching the room.

Far in the back corner she spotted him.

Without The Devil inhabiting his body, Lucio looked so much more human and tired. Golden blonde hair hung limply all over his head, makeup was smeared around his eyes, and he had only been given a simple outfit to wear.

Cleo recalled the moment she first saw him. The Count made his grand entrance during the masquerade at the height of its revelry. Pure white and red clothing stood out against the colorful world around him and he seemed to shine from all the gold. A shudder of fear ran through Cleo then along with the indescribable feeling of familiarity that she’d noticed whenever they met.

It didn’t take long for The Count’s inhuman eyes to land on the partygoers. Cleo would never forget the look of shock then insatiable hunger that reached his eyes when he spotted her.

“Cleo, my darling! My Princess! I did not recognize you before but now I see, it really is you!”

Muriel moved in front of her in an attempt to hide her from that horrible gaze.

“Scourge! My greatest executioner! I see you’ve been keeping my girl warm for me. How thoughtful.” Lucio sneered.

Muriel stood firm though, not allowing Lucio even a glimpse of Cleo.

“Now now, Scourge. I only loaned her to you as a gift. Now I think I’d like her back!”

Cleo gasped as the tendrils of magic snaked around her body like rope then pulled her. She desperately tried to fight the invisible force but it was too strong.

Muriel grabbed her arm though and their magic entwined. The ropes failed and an angry frown appeared on Lucio’s face.

“I said! I want her back! She’s mine! I bought her and she promised me!”

Cleo’s head was reeling with the confusion but all her energy was focused on keeping The Devil’s magic away. No moment could be spared for these nonsense declarations.

... at least she had thought they were nonsense.

Once the group had escaped to the safety of Muriel’s hut, Cleo began to think on what Lucio had said. The more she tried to search her memory, the worse she felt about the whole thing. Her dreams became strange moments that she didn’t recognize.

Flashes of elegant rooms, feelings of soft skin, the sounds of loud lascivious moans, the smell of blood. the sting of bruises.. the hopeless fear and regret in a pair of beautiful silver eyes...

She confronted Muriel about them and he’d told her a little about her past. At first, it was an overload of information. Lucio and her had been together for over 10 years? They’d been in love? Cleo met Muriel many years ago in the palace? They were a couple there? And probably the hardest to wrap her mind around, Magni was her son... and Lucio’s. None of it made sense and she only had more questions that Muriel couldn’t answer. Only one other person could answer them.

“‘Lo? What are you doing here?” His voice even sounded different now that he was human again but a wave of familiarity came over her. Cleo held her ground in front of the metal door.

“... My name is Cleo.”

Silence.

The man finally moved and sat down at the little table in his cell.

“Of course.”

More silence.

The tension was almost suffocating.

“I... I have some questions. Questions that only you can answer.”

Lucio tilted his head to look at her.

“Your giant protector isn’t talking? Well he never was chatty.”

“His name is Muriel.”

Lucio’s mouth opened like he was about to comment then thought better of it. Cleo took that as a good sign.

“He said that we only met after I’d been with you for some time.”

Lucio made a light humming noise she assumed was confirmation.

“... you know who I was... before. And what happened to me...”

Lucio’s eyebrow raised at that part.

“You... don’t remember?” There was something underneath his usual tone, something so much deeper. Suddenly he was up and moving towards the door.

“What are y-“

He wrapped his hands around the bars and stared into her eyes, silencing her mid-sentence. For a moment, the cold silver seemed to hold a strong determination but after a moment he blinked and it was gone. The gleam in his eyes had faded.

“No... you don’t know who I am...”

Cleo shook her head.

“You’re the Former Count of Vesuvia, Lucio.”

Lucio made a face and recoiled as though she’d slapped him. The pain was clear in his eyes even though he refused to look back at her.

“... why would you want to know?” He whispered towards the wall.

“Well,” Cleo was confused. “It’s... my life.”

Lucio gave her a dark chuckle.

“No. It wasn’t.”

Cleo paused, more confused now than before. She had to think a moment before proceeding.

“This is my choice. There are really important pieces of the past that I,” Magni’s face flashed in her mind. “I just have to know.”

Lucio’s shoulders slumped. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes and leaned against the metal door.

“Is this part of my ‘retribution’? Noddy has a sick sense of humor.”

They both waited. For what? Probably for the other to back down. Unfortunately one of them remembered how stubborn the other could be.

“... we met in Celtica,” Lucio began. “I beat up some bandits that were hanging around the capitol and the council promised me a girl from the ‘best brothel in the world’.

Rosehyn Brothel, you were the madam’s little darling. You were quite a flirt,” he smiled a bit at the memory. “When I picked you the madam didn’t want to let you go. I ended up having to throw in some gold to get you out of the hag’s place.

You were pretty young.”

He paused, hoping it would be enough for Cleo. But she held firm.

“We spent ten years together, most of it back when I was a mercenary. It all felt so easy back then,” he sighed. “We loved each other and we had a promise... it isn’t important now. I broke it...”

His voice held a tone that he was talking about more than just a promise.

Cleo searched Lucio’s face, trying to remember any of it. Something definitely seemed so familiar but she could never place it.

“... why did you break the promise?”

Lucio let out a humorless snort.

“Bad counsel... fear...”

“What were you afraid of?”

Lucio was quiet. He wanted to atone, to be able to move forward. But he couldn’t look at this stranger in the woman he loved and betrayed’s body. Not when down here at his lowest, all he wanted was to throw himself in her arms. So he avoided it for now.

“I thought you’d betrayed me... I.. I didn’t... I never meant for it to... to get so bad.” He almost choked on the words.

“... how bad did it get?” Cleo’s voice was soft.

“I swear! I was just... just so angry! Then I felt like that damn scar was a reminder!”

He pointed at her chest but still didn’t look at her. Cleo brushed her hand over her sternum. So he did know.

“You know how I got this?”

Lucio scoffed.

“Of course! It felt like you’d stabbed me every time I saw it!”

Cleo recoiled a bit at the harsh words.

“Stabbed? What... I don’t...”

“You did it,” he cut her off coldly. “When I was in Prakra. Valdemar said you’d tried to use my knife but couldn’t. Then when he turned his back, you swallowed his pills.”

Valdemar? Prakra?... she almost died?

“Wha... what? Why was Valdemar there? Why was I in Prakra?... why would I do that?”

“You and that pesky Doctor were always close, well that was before he was possessed. You were in Prakra because I was and you went wherever I went. I didn’t want to leave you here in the palace.”

Cleo looked at the walls around her.

“I... lived here? Before Nadia?”

Lucio shrugged.

“Noddy was just a pawn to satisfy rumors. I had been told my men were turning against me. Soldiers were sent to clear out the camp... you knew they were coming and you...”

He couldn’t say it. All these years later and yet, he couldn’t say it.

Images flashed in his mind, seeing Cleo barely alive, seeing his own dagger covered in her blood, and the way she looked so pale and limp when he put her in the carriage back to Vesuvia.

“That’s when it fell apart...”

“What fell apart?”

“Us,” he finally turned and looked at her. “You never really came back to me. Each time I saw you, all I could think of was that stupid promise.”

“... what was the promise?”

Lucio sneered.

“That I would always come back to you and you would always wait for me. We were young... so very young. All that mattered when we were together was us.”

Cleo couldn’t imagine it, even being so in love with Muriel she still knew that others mattered. They couldn’t get lost in their own world.

“Then you died and-“

Ice water flooded Cleo’s body and she turned back to Lucio with wide eyes, he stopped mid-sentence.

“You... you didn’t know that?”

She shook her head. Lucio could have happily kicked himself, he wished he could take the words back. What would she say once she knew? Would she leave? Would he ever see her again? She couldn’t forgive him.

“I... I just...,” words failed Lucio.

A deep old pain settled inside his chest and the only words he could say fell out of his mouth.

“I’m sorry, ‘Lo.”

.

.

.

To be continued

[alison-anonymous]

♡ miss understood ♡ t.l.

Miss Understood ♡ Tom Lucitor Imagine 

Requested: yes, thank you to @technolilly for requesting this! Let’s try to bring some popularity to Tom Lucitor fics because he doesn’t get enough attention!

Warnings: angst, EXTREME FLUFF ALERT!

This took me all night to write, and it is decently long but I had a lot to say! I was excited, this was my first Tom Lucitor request so PLEASE SEND IN MORE IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR HIM! 

♡♡♡

      To say you had a crush on Tom Lucitor would be a very big understatement.

      You had always had a bit of bad luck when it came to the love department, but when you did fall for someone, you fell hard. Which is probably why literally everyone except for Tom knew about your crush on him, even Ludo. But, knowing you, you were far too terrified to try anything. You loved him enough to distance yourself from him, is what you always claimed your excuse was. Not like that made your aching heart any better. You feared that there was no way he could love you compared to someone like his ex, Star, because whereas Star was this beautiful, fun, princess from Mewni, you were nothing but a human bookworm with a strange obsession with cows (I added in that last part lol). You would never have a chance with someone as stunning as him.

      Where people found Tom creepy, you found him charming. Where people found him scary, you found him misunderstood. And where people claimed he had anger issues, you said he was just a work in progress. 

      Of course, just because you were hopelessly in love with him didn’t mean that you couldn’t be friends. You spent most of your time hanging out with Marco and Star, so you got to see him a lot. You were known as his favorite out of you and all of Star’s friends, which you didn’t mind. If only you wouldn’t feel like throwing up every time he was around you from all the butterflies. 

      You were committed to keeping your feelings inside, as you were petrified of rejection. Little did you know that that wasn’t quite what Star and Marco had in mind...

♡♡♡

      It all started with an innocent sleepover at the Diaz residence. 

      You, Star, and Marco had became known as the Crackhead Trio among your oh-so-loving peers, but you loved the two goofballs with all your heart. They made all the rough stuff you dealt with in life fade away. It was the weekly sleepover you guys had began having, and after filling yourselves until your stomachs bulged with junk food, you all huddled around in a circle on Star’s bed and began a friendly game of Truth or Dare.

      Innocent enough right?

      “Marco,” you smiled at him deviously. “Truth or dare?”

      He eyed you carefully, resting his chin on his hand as his chocolate eyes tried to read your level of danger. “Mmmm… truth.”

      You cackled wickedly, rubbing your hands together as an evil grin spread across your lips. Star and Marco backed away from you, arms wrapped tightly around each other as they waited for whatever cruel fate Marco was about to receive.

      “Fuck, marry, kill; Star, Oscar,” you had to bite hard on your lips to prevent you from bursting out laughing. “and Glossaryck.”

      A look of disgust crossed across his face as you burst out laughing, Star quickly following in suit until she realized she was an option in this too. An unexpected blush crept onto Marco’s cheeks as he avoided your piercing gaze, wringing his hands nervously in his red sweatshirt. 

      “We need an answer Marcoooo,” Star singsonged, leaning her head closer to him expectantly. He heaved a sigh.

      “Kill Glossaryck, fuck Oscar, and...” he turned redder than a tomato. “Marry Star.” 

      You let out the fangirling scream you had been holding in for so long as you grabbed a beet red Star and hugged her close to you. She buried her face in your shoulder so that Marco couldn’t see her face and muttered a soft ‘thank you’ so that only you could hear. She had confessed to you the same night you confessed to her about liking Tom. You had been petrified she would have been mad, but when she squealed, hugged you, and told you she was going to form a plan to get you both hitched, you knew she was completely and utterly over him. It was only right for you to make the same promise to her as well!

      Marco pulled his hood over his face and tugged on the drawstrings as you and Star sat back up. 

      “Okay, okay,” Star brought herself back. “Marco, it’s your turn!” 

      He shook his head slightly from behind his hood. “Marco is not able to come to the phone right now. I transfer my position to Star.” 

      You giggled, rolling your eyes slightly as you took a sip of the Coca Cola bottle you and Star were sharing. 

      “Okay! N/n, truth or dare?”

      “Dare. I feel pretty daring,” you smiled. Star shuffled back towards you and began to scratch her chin, staring at you intently as she formulated a plan in her mind. You sat there patiently, figuring she was just going to dare you to do something stupid, like eat a whole stick of butter or something. However, when her eyes suddenly filled with large pink hearts as a gasp left her lips and she turned to excitedly whisper something into Marco’s ear, you began to feel less sure of yourself. 

      At the sound of the words, Marco suddenly perked up, pulling his hood off his head and letting it dangle around his neck as he grabbed Star’s hands, staring excitedly back at her. “That is perfect! Oh my god!” 

      “What?” You asked incredulously. “What’s perfect?” The look Star and Marco gave you struck fear into your brain. “Star...” You warned, narrowing your eyes.

      She gave you an angelic smile that quickly turned into a devilish grin. Marco also smirked as he reached for more of his nachos. You sighed, already knowing that whatever she had planned for you, you had to do by the laws of the game. 

      “What is it?”

      “I dare you to...” she paused for dramatic effect. “ASK OUT YOUR CRUSH!”

      You had a heart attack. Not really, but your heart stopped for a minute due to the momentary shock that coursed through you. Star could not possibly be serious. Because if she were being serious, that meant that you had to ask out your crush who just happened to be the fucking demon Prince. The one who had adorable lavender skin and enchanting red... eyes...

      SNAP OUT OF IT, Y/N! 

      “Y-you don’t m-mean...” you stuttered, feeling the room suddenly become a lot more suffocating than it had previously been. Star snuggled up next to you, wriggling her brows suggestively. 

      “Ooh yeah, baby, you have to ask out Tom!” 

      Images of him flashed through your mind at a million miles an hour, startling you so much that you fell back against her pillows, hugging your knees to your chest. 

     “No, no, no, no, no, I can’t do it!” You cried out, feeling the tears of frustration prickle as Star and Marco threw their arms around you in encouragement.

     “Come on, N/n,” Marco drawled. “You like him, what do you have to lose? Worst case scenario, he says no!” 

     “Yeah!” Star chimed in. “You two would be perfect together! And besides, you are his favorite!” She poked you in the side, but their encouragement did nothing for your heavy heart. You shook your head rapidly, feeling your heart rate go through the roof.

     “I can’t.”

     “Alright,” Marco heaved a heavy, dejected sigh, giving Star a subtle wink. She suddenly leapt off the bed and raced out of the room without giving you a sign as to where she was going. You were about to follow after her, but Marco quickly blocked you, snickering slightly.

     “Marco,” you suspiciously said his name. “What’s going on?” 

     “Well, you wouldn’t do it out of your own free will, but trust me - you’ll thank us later!”

     “What in the hell are you talking a-”

     Before you were even able to finish your sentence, a portal appeared as the last person you wanted to see stepped out of it, followed by Star as well, with a giddy grin imprinted on her face. He looked around the room before his eyes rested on you, sitting on the bed, with complete terror written on your face. This was crazy. You could actually see your nightmare coming true. 

      As soon as he saw you, a smile spread across his lips as he waved slightly at you. “Hey there, darling.” He greeted, using the nickname he had given you back when you two were just starting to become friends. Usually you tried to pay no mind to it, but tonight, just the sound of his voice melted you like butter.

      Before you even had a chance to reply, Marco’s hands were suddenly pushing you towards Tom as Star was doing the same with him. He glanced at them all in confusion as you attempted to scramble away from him out of fear, but Marco prevented you from leaving until you were so close to Tom that you could practically hear his heartbeat.

      “Y/n has something she wants to ask you,” Star giggled, as she grabbed Marco by the hand and suddenly, you and Tom were alone together. 

      A gentle silence followed as he stared at you in concern, you practically fearing that your stomach was going to pop out of your mouth if you dared to open it. It felt as if though your heart were racing so much that you might drop dead, but you forced yourself upright because the perfect guy was staring at you right now.

      “Are you okay?” His voice suddenly yanked you out of your thoughts and you blinked quickly as a loose strand of your hair fell into your face. You began to reach up to brush it away, but he beat you to it, stepping even closer to you and gently tucking it behind your ear, his hand lingering on the side of your face a little longer than it should have. He stared down at you with those enchanting red eyes until you forced yourself to look away, causing him to awkwardly clear his throat and retract his hand. It might have been you, but it seemed as if though he were hesitant to move it. 

      “I’m f-fine,” you cursed your stutter. “I-I’m really sorry about this.”

      He chuckled, tucking his hands inside his pockets as he looked you in the eyes once again. “It’s alright, so, what was it you needed to ask me? It must have been pretty important for them to stage it like this.” 

      You both laughed at the awkwardness that had been created, and you suddenly realized that you had to ask him. Your brain was screaming at you to be logical and to just half ass another question, but your heart really wanted you to ask him. I mean, what did you have to lose? Marco was right, the worst thing that could happen was that he would say no. And if he said yes? Well... maybe you didn’t have to be unhappy after all. 

      “Tom, I wanted to ask if, maybe, and you totally don’t have to if you don’t want to, I know I’m-”

      He gently rested a hand on your shoulder, startling you slightly as you looked up into his eyes. “Y/n,” he softly said your name. “Breathe.”

      You slowly nodded your head, and did as he said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out softly. “I was wondering if... you would want to go out with me? Like, on a date?” 

      As soon as the words left your lips, you scrunched your eyes shut, preparing for the worst heartbreak you could ever imagine. But when only silence followed, you were confused. You began to open your eyes when you suddenly felt his arms around your waist. Before you knew it, he was shooting you up into the air with fire from his boots, holding you close, and spinning you around in his arms with the hugest grin you had ever seen on his face. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” He cried out as you gently placed your hands on his shoulders in confusion. Were you hearing him right? “Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me?”

      It finally clicked into place in your head. He said yes! Tom was yours! Well, not quite, baby steps, Y/n. Baby steps. You laughed, pulling yourself closer to him until you suddenly realized how high up you were, and you pressed your body against his as he slowly stopped spinning you around, but continued to hover. He must have realized how desperate he had sounded because he suddenly cleared his throat, but made sure not to let go of you as he reworded. “I mean, yeah, that’d be great.”

      You pulled back enough so you could look him in the eye. “Wait a minute, you really want to go out with me?” You couldn’t help but ask.

      He slowly began to descend as he switched from holding your waist to holding onto your hands as he gave you a sheepish look. “I mean, yeah, of course I do. You’re Y/n, you’re incredible! I’ve actually had a crush on you for a while now, but I kind of suck at this,” he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. Your eyes widened in shock. So... he felt the same way?

      Taking a leap of faith, you delicately lifted his chin so his eyes met yours, causing a slight blush to rise on his cheeks as your sudden intimate action. You offered him a soft smile. “I feel the same way.” 

      At those words, though they were few, Tom regained his confidence completely as he swept you back up into his arms and spun you around again, this time only on the ground. You couldn’t help but laugh at how overjoyed you had made him as he gently set you back down on your feet and held you close to him, cupping your cheek gently. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Six sound good?”

      “I’ll be waiting.”

♡♡♡

      Of course, the date was even better than you had hoped for. Marco and Star helped you get ready before it, each of them gushing about all the future possibilities for you two, Star being most concerned about the wedding that was supposedly going to happen. He arrived to pick you up by a carriage drawn by a skeleton unicorn enveloped in fire. To any other human girl, it would have been horrifying, but to you, it was romantic. 

      He had planned the first date entirely, so it was a complete mystery as to where you were going. He first took you to have a dinner by candlelight in a very fancy restaurant that knew exactly what you favorite foods were (wink wink). You two talked and laughed and made fun of some of the other guests for hours, and it was the most fun you had had in a while. 

      After that, he took you to one of the most beautiful cliffs with a perfect view of the setting sun. You began to take a walk near the edges, but not too close out of fear you might fall off, talking the entire time. Your heart began to beat a little faster when he slipped his hand into yours. You both slowed to a stop as you stared out at the sunset in a comfortable silence when he turned to face you, gently lifting your chin to face him too. Hearts beating faster, faces turning your red, and butterflies fluttering like crazy in your stomachs, you watched as he began to close the distance between you too. Your eyes fluttered shut and you leaned in closer until-

      “SPACE UNICORN SOARING THROUGH THE STARS~” you both froze at the sound of your phone going off. Disappointment set in your stomach as Tom hesitantly pulled away, but wrapped his arm around your waist to show that he wasn’t upset. You shot him an apologetic look as you retrieved your phone from your bag and saw the familiar contact photo light up across your screen. 

      “Marco,” you sighed, a smile forming on your lips. “He probably wants to know how the date was going.”

      “Put him on speaker!” Tom said excitedly. You gladly accepted his call and clicked the speaker button.

      “Hey Marco,” you said.

      “Hey, dude,” Tom added.

      “Hi guys!” Marco greeted cheerily. “How’s the date going? Star would’ve called but she’s working on perfecting one of her spells for her mom.”

      “It’s alright,” you responded, looking up at the beautiful sunset. “I think the date is going pretty perfectly. What do you think?” You asked teasingly, looking at Tom with raised brows. He simply smirked at you.

      “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a second one.” He chuckled.

      Even though you couldn’t see him, you were pretty sure Marco was grinning ear to ear. “I suppose you have us to thank for that, right?” 

      You were about to answer when Tom suddenly turned to you with furrowed brows in confusion. “Wait, thank him for what?” 

      Uh oh. “Uh, Marco, I’ll call you back.” You quickly hung up the phone before he could object and turned to Tom who was already starting to get even more suspicious. His eyes searched yours in confusion, and you scrambled to find the right words before he brimmed with anger.

      “Tom, please, it’s nothing-”

      “Just tell me, Y/n,” he interrupted, his expression changing slightly to desperation. You sighed. How he knew you so well was a mystery to you.

      “Before I asked you out, Marco and Star dared me to.” His face slowly began to contort out of confusion and into anger. “Wait, Tom, it’s not what you think-”

      “It was a dare?” He retracted his arm from around you, and you instantly felt a chill from where his arm used to be. “So none of this was real? You were just leading me on, toying with my feelings for you?” The last words came out in a demonic voice that was not his own as his eyes became engulfed in red hot fury, his hands setting on fire as well as his feet. He gritted his teeth in hatred as he slowly began to levitate in the air. Fear coursed through your veins as you stumbled back from him, feeling your heart breaking as tears began to fill up your eyes. 

      “No, no, Tom none of it was a lie, I do like you, I just-”

      “You led me on! This was all a joke to you, don’t even try to deny it!” He snarled, shaking with rage as his entire body became swallowed up in flames. You felt a thin layer of sweat form on your forehead from the heat and from your frustration as tears began streaming down your cheeks. At the sight of your tears, his anger faltered, if only for a moment, before he went back to being furious again.

      “Tom, no, please,” you sobbed. “Please just let me explain.”

      “I don’t want to hear it.” He opened up a portal, and in a flash, he was gone. You stood there for a moment in shock, trying to wrap your brain around what just happened before your knees buckled and you fell to the ground in a sobbing mess. 

      Of course, only then did it begin to rain. 

♡♡♡

      “Come on, N/n,” Star pressed her cheek against your closed bedroom door. “You’ve been in there for days.” Only silence followed. They couldn’t see you, but you were buried deep within your covers, still dressed in your outfit from your date with Tom, with matted hair and bloodshot eyes from all the tears. Your heart was broken. And you couldn’t find a way to get up anymore.

      Marco sighed from his sitting position on the floor next to her. “I’m not sure if it’s any use. Ever since she got back from her date, she crashed and didn’t get back up...” 

      A look of determination remained on Star’s face. “Well, I refuse to give up! She’s my co-best friend! I want her to be happy.” She grabbed Marco by the collar of his sweater and pulled him close to her face. “We have to fix this!”

      Seconds later, they were back at Marco’s in front of Star’s mirror. “Call Tom,” Star commanded. As soon as his face popped onto the mirror, Star and Marco gasped in horror. He looked even worse than they figured you did. His eyes were red and puffy, his lavender skin looked paler than normal, hair hair was messy, and his clothes looked sloppy. 

      “Hey,” he half-assed a greeting, running a hand over his face. 

      “What on earth happened to you?” Star gasped. 

      Tom’s face contorted into one of confusion and a bit of surprise. “Y/n didn’t tell you?”

      Marco and Star shook their heads. “No, after your date we were waiting for her at her place, but she stormed in soaking wet, went into her room, dropped into bed and didn’t get back up.” Marco explained. 

      “She hasn’t left her room in days,” Star continued. “I’m worried about her. So WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?” She cried out, jabbing a finger at the mirror with narrowed eyes. Tom held his hands up in surrender as a look of guilt and sadness crossed his features. His three eyes cast down to the floor.

      “I may have gotten a bit mad when she told me the only reason she went on a date with me was because you guys dared her to.”

      Star and Marco sent each other fearful looks. “Okay, first, that doesn’t sound like Y/n at all,” Marco began.

      “And second, we dared her to ask out her crush. We never said you specifically! We knew she liked you, we wanted her to give her a chance because she was too scared you wouldn’t like her to ask you out on her own!” Star cried out in exasperation. Marco sighed as Star whirled around to lean her forehead on his shoulder out of frustration. A look of realization crossed over Tom’s face.

      “Oh my god,” he breathed, terror in his eyes. “What have I done? How can I fix this?” 

      “You can start by getting over there with us and apologizing,” Marco replied, rolling his eyes.

♡♡♡ 

      It was getting hot under your blankets, and it didn’t help that the sheets were wet from your dress and skin and hair, but every time you tried to move your limbs, they refused to comply from your heavy heart. You felt the tears begin to prickle once more as the thought of... him crept into your mind once again.

      Suddenly, there was the familiar sound of a dimension ripping and footsteps walking towards your bed coming from outside your sadness cave. Fear began to set in your mind as you feared the worse, when you felt the stranger sit down on the side of the bed. Slowly, the covers were lifted off of you, revealing your horrid, heartbroken figure to the harsh bright light. You squinted as your eyes became accustomed to the light and the first thing you saw was the person who stole your heart and crushed it sitting next to you, with a look of pure guilt and sadness written on his face. 

      “Y/n,” he breathed your name, and you hated the way you felt your insides melt at the sound of it. He reached out for you, but you forced yourself to prop yourself up on your arms and back away. “Y/n, I am so, so sorry.”

      With the little you had allowed yourself to look at him, you could tell he looked as bad as you did, if not worse. But you forced yourself to look away from him and out your window, resting your head down onto your pillow as you stayed silent.

      “I should have listened to you. It wasn’t right for me to be so quick to judge. I just...” he sighed in frustration at his feelings. “I like you. A lot. So much in fact, that even the idea that you might not like me back after asking me out in the first place made me feel... furious. I know I have problems, and I know now that it wasn’t about me, that your friends just wanted you to have a shot with me...” he paused for a moment. “Is it true you were afraid to ask me out because you thought I wouldn’t like you?”

      Even though you didn’t want to, you slowly nodded your head as your lips began to tremble. A lone tear slipped down your cheek as you stifled a sob. You felt disgusting for crying in front of him as his eyes softened and in seconds, he was picking you up and pulling you to him, cupping your face in his hands and wiping away the tears that began streaming down your cheeks. You were so glad to be back in his touch that you leaned in to his hands, savoring every moment.

      “I am so, so sorry, darling,” he whispered, his own eyes began brimming with tears and only then did you notice how swollen his eyes were too. You cracked a small smile and wiped away his tears as well, resting your hand on his cheek as he stared longingly at you.

      “I forgive you,” you smiled. He let out a breath in relief and tilted his head back before resting it against yours. You teasingly tapped your nose against his, causing him to laugh. 

      “I may have liked a lot of girls in the past, but you, Y/n L/n, are the only one for me. Alright?” He whispered, his breath warm across your lips. You felt your heart race as a giddy smile spread across your lips.

      “Alright.”

♡ a.a.

[byrneing]

☄ tagged by @blk-xniverse to answer some questions & tag 20 blogs ☄

(thanks!:,-))

name/nickname: byrne

gender: gender-ambivalent ?? woman-y? 

star sign: cancer bby

height: 5′6ish 

birthday: july 8

favorite bands: july talk, explosions in the sky, stars, the beaches, the decemberists, against me!, mcr, pinegrove, radical face, radiator hospital, tegan & sara

fave solo artists: mitski, all the individual members of boygenius, childish gambino, hozier, mal blum, regina spektor, chika, waxahatchee, medusa (<- check out medusa 4 sure!!! they’re a trans artist from my city and make electric dark pop/pure power bops/genre-undefinable music 4 the gays. they’re fantastic, highly recommend danny phantom, daisy-pusher, & woof)

[idk honestly as soon as someone asks me about music i totally blank i’m sure i’m missing some fave bands/artists] 

song stuck in my head: Topeka by Ludo 

last movie: Soul

last show: Russian Doll

when i created this blog: i think 2011-2012, i had a different blog for a year or two before i made this one as a secret depression sideblog (how far we’ve come!) 

last thing i googled: nike of samothrace to make a pin for my etsy shop! 

do i get asks: every now and then? 

following: 511 blogs but like ... 20 are active lmao 

why did i choose this url: turn name in2 word ,, (i’ve had people ask, it’s pronounced “burning”, idk if that reads if you don’t know my name)

average hours of sleep: 3 or like 14 it’s one or the other

lucky number(s): 4 

instruments: i used to play piano and violin but i can’t really do either anymore unfortunately 

what im wearing: red sweats and a big white t shirt with a bat that says “protect our nocturnal pollinators” 

dream trip: i wanna do so many it’s really hard to choose :,-( there’s very few places i don’t dream of going to 

favorite food: hmmmm maybe japanese style curry i crave that shit constantly

favorite song: i h8 this question bc it depends so heavily on my mood but i have to go with Your Ex Lover Is Dead by Stars bc i have so many feelings attached to it and i’ve loved it for so long

top 3 fictional universes id like to live in: *puts on my clown shoes & says h*rry p*tter bc joanne is a disgrace but i’m not a liar either*, pokemon, & scott pilgrim bc i’d love a little video game magical realism

☆Tagging☆ @ofotherthings @iloamyou @caffeineandcomedyqueen @stopblowingholesinmeship @olioiloli @akimichiqueer @qunarri @injoynow @theshydyke @purplexed @pukesea .......that’s enuff i’m sorry

[manage-mischief]

Regulus Black and the Darkest Shadows

Chapter 3: The Risky Play

Read on: AO3 or FF.net

Chapter Summary: A familiar face graces the halls of Hogwarts.

Notes: Chapter 3! Yay! So, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be posting Sundays every week. Keep a lookout! Thank you so so much to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. Also, thanks to my incredible beta reader: @leah-ravenanne :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

September 6th, 1978

Quidditch tryouts were Saturday and Regulus was quite looking forward to them. He was never happier than when he was playing Quidditch. He had played Seeker on the Slytherin Team for three years now, and had enjoyed every moment of it. The freedom of flying through the air, the wind whipping through his black locks, the sting of the frost on his face—all of it made him feel alive. This year, his good friend Woodrow McDrew, would be captaining the team. Although McDrew was not a member of Regulus’s normal circle of friends, Regulus respected McDrew all the same. He was a highly talented and fiercely kind individual. Avery and Mulciber often mocked McDrew, commenting that he should have been in Hufflepuff due to his friendly, outgoing demeanor and staunchly pro-Muggle views. However, Regulus found McDrew to be a breath of fresh air. He demonstrated the best qualities of Slytherin House, and, despite his disapproval of Regulus’s friends, always treated him with respect. No one deserved to be Quidditch Captain more than McDrew.

“’Ello, Regulus!” McDrew greeted him with a wide smile and a firm handshake. “Have a good summer?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did. How about yourself?”

“Oh, you know, nothin’ too interesting to report. Well, until I found out about being Quidditch Captain!” He lowered his voice, suddenly serious. “I’ve been studying up on the other teams, you know? Who they’re likely to keep, who’s gone, and that sort of stuff. We’ll win this year, I know it!”

Regulus laughed, appreciating his confidence. “That’s great. Who do you reckon are going to be toughest to beat?” he asked, although he already feared the answer.

“Ravenclaw, as always.” McDrew rolled his eyes. As if on cue, the Ravenclaw team stormed merrily out onto the pitch, trailed by a hopeful group of newcomers ready to try out. The Ravenclaw Quidditch Team was daunting, there was no denying it. Their offensive strength lay in their elite group of Chasers. Gwenog Jones, who had clearly been named Captain, was a force of nature. Rumor had it that she had already signed a contract with the Holyhead Harpies and would be leaving Hogwarts immediately following the Quidditch season to play for them. George Fleet, a lanky, sandy-haired seventh year, came from a long line of Quidditch royalty. His father had, until very recently, played for the English National Team. Regulus had remembered cheering for Giles Fleet when he was a child. And then, there was Des Lewis. For a girl raised by Muggles, she had immense skill. Regulus remembered the conversation he had overheard her having with Slughorn. Gwenog had taken her to training camp with Holyhead this past summer.

As the blue-clad team passed the Slytherins, McDrew tensed his shoulders. He tersely nodded at Gwenog Jones, who cordially returned the gesture. “Going to the Slug Club next Friday, McDrew? I hear he’s got Ludo Bagman coming in.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” McDrew replied. There was an awkward pause before Gwenog cleared her throat and signaled to her team to move down the field. “See you around, McDrew. Black.” She stomped away.

McDrew exhaled deeply after she had gone. “What a woman!”

---

As Regulus packed up his broom after the conclusion of Slytherin field time (during which he’d flown beautifully, thank you very much), he noted a fleck of maroon in his peripheral vision. Sure enough, the Gryffindors had arrived for their time on the pitch. However, Regulus was shocked to see an old familiar face. Laughing along with the rest of the team, with his untidy black hair and smug grin, was none other than James Potter, the brother-stealer. What was he doing here? Come back to relive his glory days? James caught Regulus’s eye as Regulus stared loathingly across the pitch. Bollocks.

With a new sense of urgency, Regulus haphazardly shoved the rest of his equipment into his bag. He tried to blend in between a group of young Gryffindors cheering on their team as he rushed toward the field’s exit. He wasn’t so lucky.

“Oi, Regulus.”

Regulus walked faster.

“Hey! Hey Reggie, come back!” James Potter sprinted towards him, seizing his robes and yanking him backwards. “Didn’t you hear me shouting?” James asked innocently.

“Oh dear, I guess I’d better get my hearing checked,” Regulus snidely remarked. “What do you want, Potter? Why are you even here? Finally realize that you’re nothing outside of school?”

James looked uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and fiddled with the cuffs of his robes. “It’s…it’s for work! You know what? That’s none of your business! Listen. I need to talk to you. It’s about Pad—Sirius. It’s about Sirius.”

Regulus’s throat constricted. “What about him?”

“Well, he…um. He wanted me to talk to you. He, uh, well… he wants to say he’s sorry for leaving and sorry that you guys lost touch…”

Regulus was shocked and enraged. “Oh, poor Sirius! How will he go on? Well, you can tell that traitor that if he was truly sorry, he’d have come to me himself, not had his replacement family do it for him! Or better yet, he’d have had the balls to come talk to me a year ago when this whole mess started. So, you tell dear Sirius that I’m sorry his guilt has finally caught up with him, but he can take his guilt and shove up it up his—”

“Stop!” James interrupted. “Don’t you understand how hard it was on him? He’s only just come to terms with being disowned. He thought he’d put you in danger by talking to you himself. He didn’t want your mum and dad to hurt you.”

Regulus remembered the threats his mother and father had made before he returned to school last year, warning him against having any contact with his disgraced brother.

“We will know...”

James seized Regulus’s moment of pause as an opportunity to continue. “He’s fine, now. But he…he’s seen how you’ve changed since he left. We can all see it. He’s afraid that you’re going down a dark path.”

Another wave of rage coursed through Regulus’s veins. “Oh yeah? Well you don’t know anything about my life, and neither does he! He went out and found himself a new family. Well, I did the same!” he shouted, not caring about the younger onlookers surrounding him.

James’s faced contorted. He was angry now too. “You think those Death Eaters are your family? That’s sick, mate. Absolutely sick. Sirius always told me that you were different from old Orion and Wally. He said you didn’t really believe all that pureblood, anti-Muggle shit. But, I guess he was wrong. You’re in just as deep as the rest of them. Spineless. You disgust me, mate.”

Regulus blanched. “Just— just because I’m in with them doesn’t mean I believe all they have to say. I- I can make my own decisions!”

Potter scoffed. “Clearly not. You think that old Voldie’s going to let you think for yourself?! Then you’re way too naive to be caught up in this mess! You’re either in or you’re out. This is a war, mate! I know you know what’s on the horizon. And if you choose the side of hatred and bigotry…well…then you’ll get what’s coming.”

With those scathing words, Potter spun on a heel and stormed back towards his old teammates, leaving Regulus standing there, shocked and confused. Sure, he’d been having some doubts but���He was where he belonged, wasn’t he? His mind raced. His cheeks burned with shame. What did Potter know, anyway?

Turning down a corridor into the castle, he ran into Ginger, whose hair was now putrid green. She was covered with flecks of something dark and wet.

“What happened to you?” Regulus asked.

She rolled her eyes. “I heard Lewis use the Dark Lord’s name in the hall. So, I hexed that Mudblood friend of hers, Bode. Used one of Severus’s old curses. It worked wonderfully—he’s in the hospital wing now. But, Lewis got me with this jinx before I could get away. It’s not too bad, though. Avery reckons he can fix it right up. Those little Muggle lovers don’t have the balls to do anything serious! Pathetic!” She cackled. Regulus found it to be a shrill, ugly sound. He realized the dark spatters peppering Ginger’s face and robes were specks of blood. His head pounded. He felt like he was going to vomit.

“I’ve gotta go.” Regulus spun around and quickly walked away from Ginger and the Slytherin Common Room.

Regulus aimlessly wandered about the castle, reflecting on Potter’s words. He had always told himself he wasn’t as bigoted or as prejudiced as his friends. He had attempted to justify his involvement with the Death Eaters by blaming others; but Sirius hadn’t given into the pressure like Regulus had. Besides, Regulus had wanted a family, he had wanted people who accepted him for who he was. But, did they accept him? Or, did they only want him among their ranks because of his prominent, Pureblood status? He remembered when they had approached him during first year.

“We know enough about you…” What had they known, really?

Back then, Regulus had refused. He had felt that he had higher moral principles. Sure, he had been raised by his parents to hate and fear Muggles. But Regulus had never personally believed Muggles and Muggleborns were less than human. He hadn’t then… did he now? He thought of the boy Ginger had sent to the hospital, just for fun. He felt sickened by himself. How had he let himself end up here?

---

The rest of the week dragged on. Regulus had become detached and distant. He poured all of his time and energy into his classes. He barely slept. He thought about reaching out to someone, but didn’t know who he would go to for help. He could send an owl…but who would he write? Sirius? They hadn’t spoken in years, what would he even say? Plus, Regulus still harbored some animosity towards his brother for abandoning him. James? Not likely after that verbal thrashing. Regulus would be too embarrassed. And they had never quite gotten on, even before Sirius’s flight. He racked his brain. He barely knew anyone outside of his Death Eater circle, now. Dejectedly, he plopped himself on his bed and pressed his fingers over his eyelids, trying to block the oncoming migraine. Quidditch practice tonight was going to be a pain.

Quidditch…McDrew! That was it! He would talk to McDrew. Regulus knew he could trust his fellow seventh year. Cheered up slightly, he grabbed his broom and Quidditch bag and headed to down the pitch, hoping to catch his captain there before the others arrived.

Sure enough, the Slytherin Captain had also arrived early and was currently pouring over a strategy book in the locker room as Regulus walked in. Engrossed, McDrew didn’t notice his entrance. Regulus coughed, and the boy looked up.

“Oh, hey Black! Didn’t realize you’d be here this early. I was just reading up on some new moves I want us to try.”

Regulus forced an awkward smile, suddenly extremely nervous and shy. McDrew noticed something was off.

“You alright, mate?”

Regulus sighed. This was his opening. “Can…can I ask you something?”

McDrew raised an eyebrow, confused. “Sure.”

“Do you think I’m a bad person?”

A prolonged silence filled the room. McDrew considered his answer, deep in thought.  “To tell you the truth, mate, I don’t think anyone is really a bad person. I think people make bad choices, especially when they’re lost or confused. But, deep down, I don’t believe anyone can survive without a little bit of good in them.”

“That was philosophical.”

McDrew laughed. “Yeah, I suppose it was.” He became serious again. “But, I think it’s true. Look, Regulus, I don’t pretend to know everything about you. But, I spent my fair share of time around your brother and his friends, so I’ve heard things. Heard things about what it’s like living with your parents, with all of that pressure, with some of their…disciplinary methods…”

Regulus paled and averted his gaze.

“…And I think growing up like that would be enough to send anyone over the deep end. Considering all you went through, you seem pretty sane to me. But, I think you’re lost. You’re angry. You’re scared. And, I think that’s caused you to make some bad decisions. To fall in with some bad people. I know it’s hard. In Slytherin, there’s this expectation to follow exactly what old Salazar used to say. ‘Purebloods first, Muggles are scum,’ that sort of thing. I, myself, think that’s all bullshit. Sure, I’ve made some enemies, especially among those whom you consider to be your friends. At the end of the day, though, I see it as my duty to speak up. To go against the grain, to prove that all that rhetoric is troll dung. There comes a point where you’ve got to make a choice about who you want to be. And, I think it seems like you’re at that point. So, mate, if you decide that you don’t want to continue down whatever path you’re currently on, you know where to find me. Me and my friends’ll gladly take you in. Don’t let the fear of being alone—of making others angry—ruin your own life.” McDrew smiled. “You’re a good bloke, Reg. I just think you’ve lost your way.”

Regulus fought back the pricking of tears in his eyes. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear those words. All he had wanted was to be loved and accepted. Yet, so far, all love in his life—from his family, from his friends—had been conditional. The fear of losing their love had caused Regulus to conform, to become a person he barely recognized. But, here he was, sitting in the musty Quidditch locker room, presented with a way out. A way to rediscover himself and become a better person. Energized by the prospect of this new life, he broke into a wide grin. He heard the rest of the team coming down into the changing rooms.

“Practice is starting, I guess,” Regulus said. “Maybe we can talk more at breakfast tomorrow?”

McDrew smiled crookedly. “Of course, mate! I’ll look forward to it!”