#bc i used to work in the ministry

[jittyjames]

🫵🏻 yall christians/ex-christians this is for you.

how much does you/your family tithe bc i just found out my parents give SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS TO THEIR CHURCH EVERY TWO WEEKS. TF

[0ystercatcher]

school book publishers are such a disgusting mafia essentially like the education system hates parents so much lol its fucking disgusting

[bobluvbot]

late night cravings

pairing: sirius black x afab!reader summary: you sneak off the night for a cheeky midnight snack, hoping sirius won’t notice (spoiler alert: he does, and he’s sulky about it)  wc: 4k cw: pregnancy & baby talk, descriptions of food and eating, brief allusions to sex (not directly stated), no physical traits of reader specified but sirius can hold things out of reader’s reach  a/n: so i had a lengthy angst fic for sirius’s debut on my blog and im halfway done on it but i cant seem to finish it bc it sends me to a depressing spiral each time <33333 so pls enjoy a very self-indulgent domestic excessively fluffy blurb with my beloved <33333 p.s this is not proofread so plz ignore mistakes ty <3

opening the tomato salsa jar turned out to be the hardest part. 

back in bed, you thought the trickiest part of your late night escapade from sirius black was his long limbs wound up tight with yours, even in low light of the small nightlight in the corner, you could still make out the intricate script and designs following the curves and dips of his strong arms, holding you close to his chest. 

you had it committed to memory by now, having explored sirius’s body well enough to memorize the way his skin feels against yours, with heartbeats and breaths falling in sync without much effort. 

judging by the way his breathing gets heavy after every exhale and the little snores that escape in between, you knew he was beyond knackered. it was day five of sirius’s new job as an deputy director at the auror office. the day he learned about the promotion was pure unadulterated happiness. after letting you know through an express owl, you mustered up enough vigor available to your seven months pregnant self to get out of the house and go to the local shops to get party supplies and food to celebrate sirius’s achievement. 

Coming in third out of the list of things he genuinely loved in this life, after you and his luscious locks of course, was his job as an auror. young sirius had never thought in his wildest dreams that he’d work at the ministry, much less actually enjoy it. can’t really blame sixteen year old sirius, starting an underground rock band with the marauders seemed like the perfect thing to do after gruelling hours of studying at hogwarts. 

defense against the dark arts came to him naturally, with some counterspells like second nature to him as being exposed with use of dark magic young gave him no choice but to grow up quickly and defend himself from the excruciating pain or the mind control that was from his own family’s doing. Winning the first wizarding war alongside his friends and found family has solidified sirius’s calling in eradicating the use of dark magic and making sure the next generation can have a safe and normal life without the looming threat of a megalomaniac sorting people with their blood status and taking over the wizarding world. 

that night, sirius walked into a dark and eerily quiet home that had his senses on overdrive. but when the lights turned on and he saw familiar faces of his loved ones all beaming with pride, and there you were in the center, looking ethereal and round and all his, with his favorite red velvet cake on hand and a ridiculously big balloon that says “congratulations” tied to the candle, he could have melted in a syrupy mess of gooey happiness right then and there if he hadn’t caught himself together last minute.

Sirius had thought– that after you agreeing to go on one date with him to hogsmeade, winning the quidditch cup and seeing the proud look on minerva’s face, going home for christmas break and euphemia welcoming him with a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug, remus teaching at the very same classroom you all were in years back, james and lily’s first kiss at the altar, holding little baby harry in his arms, you walking down the aisle with a bouquet of peonies in the most beautiful dress, and when you held his hand that one night and told him that you were expecting—- that he knew of love. but you do something extraordinary that has him scrambling to add to the endless list of why you’re the love of his life. he was so focused on you that he wasn’t prepared to catch pure muscle of james’s body as he flung himself to tackle his best friend in a hug. luckily, remus with a party hat was aptly standing between a toppling sirius and the living room wall, and he singlehandedly saved the two from creating a huge hole in the drywall. 

this was the life, sirius had thought after many hours of partying celebrating and eating, when he laid beside you in bed, limbs tangled, sated and dizzy and warm as you both came down from your highs. and he gets to spend it with you.

but as fun and exciting sirius’s new job is, it entailed an increased amount of responsibility as he was assisting the head auror. his least favorite part of the job was the boatloads of paperwork he has to deal with. An express owl almost dropped a howler letter into the soup you were making for dinner earlier that day and you opened it up panicking thinking it was an emergency. But no, it was just sirius whining that his hand hurt and is about to fall off and that he needs you to kiss it better. 

You did eventually, and one thing led to another and here you were, tucked in your husband’s warm embrace. you could stay here forever, only separating to drink water and bathroom trips, but the gnawing urge to eat something savory, sweet, tangy, and crunchy has possessed your entire being, the only way to quell it was to get up and go to the kitchen. the baby doesn’t seem to have a semblance of time yet, a fact you both envied and despised, because the clock on your nightstand said it was 3:48am in bold red numbers. A few months ago, you’d never be caught dead awake at this time, taking your precious sleep time seriously. The man himself would poke fun at you and say you’d gladly sleep through an earthquake or a housefire just as long as you get your seven to eight hours of sleep per day, and despite of your assumed role of contradicting and arguing with spontaneous and stubborn sirius, you had to agree.

But this was not about you anymore, or at least not quite yet for a good seventeen years, so you untangle yourself from sirius and your perfectly warm and cool side of the bed and waddle down the carpeted stairs, careful not to set foot on the creaky step that might risk waking sirius up. You need your secrets too, and you’re not in the mood to share food.

Grateful for the heavens that you and sirius stocked up on groceries two days ago, you had a wide selection of random items to munch on. A few days ago, you were introduced to the idea of a fluffernutter sandwich while scrolling through the short videos on your feed. Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff as spreads on their own was something you didn’t mind eating, but both together in a sandwich? You were enthralled, and the only way to quell the curiosity was to make it. So you did. 

You shovel and slather more than enough spread on each slice of bread, though you might have used the same spoon on both jars.. but who’s to tell you off otherwise, your snoozing husband upstairs? pfft. 

Smiling happily as if committing a particularly naughty crime, you place the spoon in your mouth, licking off the gooey mixture as you place the sandwich on a piece of paper towel (yes, you take the no dishwashing tonight seriously) on the table. humming, you mull over what to prepare next.

The baby needs something savory and tangy, but you’re not particularly keen on going through all the effort of heating up the soup from dinner, not to mention the amount of cutlery and dishes you’ll use for that, so you zero in on the tostada shells you chose rather than tortilla chips because its much more crispier. 

Opening the fridge, you see the laughing cow on a round packaging and decide its the one, so you grab two cheese wedges from it. 

Sirius had argued that the next aisle had actual, real blocks of cheese with a variety on display and that there was no point in getting artificially flavored ones. But you’ve gotten really good at giving him the stank face, which inadvertently ends 75 percent of nonsense bickering before it even starts; and since you’ve started showing more and more, sirius has admittedly gone softer on you, not that he was ever more but a pushover your entire relationship. Merely widening of eyes and a jut of your lower lip, even adding a slight tremble or two during times where you did actually fuck up, sirius can’t hold his stance longer than a minute before sighing and taking you in his arms. he might call you out for being a brat at times, but there’s no denying he loves it. And so the artificial wheel of cheese wedges got purchased and bagged home, and you’re meticulously spreading it over the golden shells, leaving little to no gaps of it bare. 

Laying it on another paper towel, your heart gets giddy on your chest knowing you’re in for a treat tonight. But not quite time to start munching, the baby reminds you that you still need something tangy to complete the meal. So comes your big predicament, should you get dill pickles or tomato salsa? 

It took you ten seconds too long of weighing down the pros-and-cons of choosing one and feeling like you made the wrong choice if you end up not liking it. It doesn’t help that the pregnancy hormones make you more anxious and tend to put you always on the verge of tears. So when the not-so-groundbreaking idea of just eating them both hits you, you feel the weight slide off your shoulders as you sigh. Because again, who’s gonna tell you that eating pickles this late at night can give you bad acid reflux, your snoozing husband? Pfft.

Snacking on some, you do manage to pick out the juiciest looking pickle chips and lay them atop of your tostadas. You and the little one are beyond excited to dive in. It’s looking like a mini upside-down pizza with the cheese spread first then the pickle as toppings. Only thing left now was the the tomato salsa slathered on top to seal the deal. 

Opening tight lids wasn’t an issue for you before, in fact, you took pride when friends hand you a jar or bottle to open because you could do it in a breeze. Chances were, the lid wasn’t even screwed on that tight, you were just built different, you’d say with a shrug once you give the items back. So when the tomato jar doesn’t budge after two attempts, you get puzzled.

Maybe your hands were slippery? You wipe them down with a tea towel and try again. No.

You weren’t holding it tight enough? Fingers held taut against the lid, you try three times. Still no.

Determined, you try different positions before letting the jar go, shooting it glares as if it’d get intimidated and just open up for you. You were also getting lightheaded, and passing out on the kitchen floor due to excessive stimulation of your vagal reflex because you were too stubborn to use magic or wake your husband up to open it for you doesn’t seem like the best way to spend the early Tuesday morning hours.

Magic was even out of the option (well, in your brain it was), because your wand’s tucked beside sirius’s on your nightstand, and frankly, you don’t have the patience to drag yourself upstairs just to flick a utility spell to open the wretched thing. So you do the next best option: lose hope. 

The disappointment was mutual between you and your baby. And the acid reflux did start to kick in, making your stomach grumble in both hunger and pain. This was all going so well until it isn’t, tears began to make its way up to your eyes.

“See, this is what you get for being greedy and eating all snacks by yourself,” sirius huffs behind you, deep voice still raspy with sleep. You didn’t even hear him getting out of bed and coming down the stairs, that’s how preoccupied you were with opening the jar.

He grabs the container away from you to open it, but not without throwing a scowl at your direction, handsome face contorted with furrowed eyebrows and downturned mouth, enough to express that he felt betrayed by this whole ordeal. If you were in a better mood, you’d poke his sides and tackle him playfully, teasing him for being sulky. But for now, you need the jar opened so you could eat in peace. You’ll deal with the sharing food issue later.

“t wasn’t supposed to take long,” you mumble, caught off guard and refusing to make eye contact, pretending the fridge magnets beside sirius’s head is ten times more interesting than his face. You don’t miss his raised eyebrow and snort at your response. 

The second attempt comes and he opens it with a satisfying pop. your mouth falls agape, eyeing the *now accessible* tomato salsa dip in disbelief. What the hell? 

And you couldn’t even take the smug grin spreading across sirius’s face by the millisecond. Refuse to. You try to snatch the open container away from him but he holds it higher and out of reach, making a show of puffing his chest, flexing his biceps, even giving it a kiss. This is all James’s doing, you need to have a talk with Lily soon about keeping these two separated.

“Sirius!” you try to plead your way out. the trademark innocent, pouty expression settles on your face like a second mask, hoping he’d go down this easy. 

It doesn’t work. He just chuckles, mocking your pleas and face while his free hand sneaks up and pinches your unsuspecting cheek to tease you further.

You yelp in mock outrage and swat his hand away, trying your best to keep your displeasure firm on your face, but you feel the giggles coming up. “This is why I sneak out alone to eat, you’re such a bully,” you huff, but take a seat in front of your makeshift spread. 

Sirius places the jar near you, but not without poking your exposed sides, armed with the knowledge that the easiest way to get you laughing (and eventually conceding in an argument) is knowing where your tickle zones are. “Oh yeah,” he drawls, plopping himself beside you. “That’s also why you’re the only one waking up with an upset stomach, stinking up our bathroom so early in the morning.”

Now this one got you appalled, embarrassed, disturbed, basically hit with all the feelings. You’ve been living together long before you got married, and he never brought up this issue until today. “That’s it. I’m leaving.” He makes a move to snatch the sandwich away but the embarrassment on your cheeks made you more agile, swatting his hand away and shielding the sandwich with your hands. “After I finish my meal,” you continue, shooting him a glare.

But see, one of the things that drove you nuts even way back at Hogwarts, was how Sirius Black mostly managed to outsmart you or be one step ahead of you in everything. After you turned him down without much thought whatsoever despite his grand declaration of interest, Sirius took it upon himself to show you (1) that you made a mistake for rejecting him, (2) that his ego won’t let you embarrass him like that again, (3) and that you won’t get rid of him that easily. Once he set his eyes on you, you were face to face with him in everything: grades, OWLs/NEWTs scores, Quidditch plays and bets, wins at the duelling club, even with the fucking gobstones tournament. He never let you catch a break.

Things were surely different now, since you vowed to be with him in sickness and health and untill death parts you both– hell, you’re carrying his child. So you figured maybe, maybe, he’ll let you catch a break this time. Let you eat in peace as you mull over his bathroom comment and how you’re going to get him back. 

But again, no. Unlike you, Sirius remembered to grab his wand from the nightstand. Not even batting an eye, he says nonchalantly, “Accio sandwich.” And the fluffernutter you protected with all your physical might managed to escape your watch, and land gracefully on his waiting palm. 

What irritated you more from this whole ordeal? The prodigal auror that climbed his way up the ranks and became the youngest deputy director, fully capable of complex spells and wielding different kinds of magic, felt the need to do a verbal Accio spell just to make a point to you.

Out of words, you just stare at him blankly. Too stunned to even cry in frustration because you knew you made a conscious, willing choice to be with this man. 

Maybe your best guilt-tripping expression comes best when you’re not trying. Color drains from his face when you remained silent and he scrambles to take a bite off the sandwich before handing it back to you, or rather placing it on your limp hand as you refuse to acknowledge it, still too hurt to budge. “‘m sorry, baby. Just wanted to eat with you since we didn’t get to earlier.”

He did arrive later than usual, deciding to finish the stack of case files and paperwork so he won’t have to sift through them again the next day. There were plans to wait for him before eating, but when the jitteriness and slightly nausea started to kick in, you had no choice in the matter. Sirius had been sulky and clingy the moment he got home, and as compromise, you stayed to watch him eat; listening and reacting animatedly as he ranted about his stressful day.

So you cut him off some slack, also exhausted from all the emotional stimulation sirius brought since he woke up. As a silent peace offering (also because you’re not ready to say sorry to his face), you slide the tostadas within his reach and finally take your bite of the goddamn sandwich. It was good, tasted as expected, sweet peanut butter. You’d probably have it again as a drunk at 3am meal.

Sirius also went and got snacks of his own: microwaved popcorn, pickles, toasted bread slathered with butter, and grapes. Together, you munched on the little spread of random food you could find in your kitchen at 4am in comfortable silence, which is surprising after the earlier bickering. No matter how cheesy it sounded in your head, sirius was the only person that can drive you to the brink of insanity and right back. You were in for a hell of a ride for the foreseeable future; and while there’s a lot of uncertainty right now and changes to be made when the little one gets here, you’re beyond happy that you get to do all this with him. 

Sleep was beginning to creep up on you. Of course he notices this right when you do, so a warm arm wrapped across your back urges you to settle on his lap, bodies melding into the familiar crevices like puzzle pieces, though you both had to adjust certain angles to accommodate your growing belly. You sit like this for a while; your head tucked securely in the crook of his neck, steady breaths lulling you to sleep, while sirius’s hands instinctively finds its way under your sleep shirt and on the natural curve of your belly, lithe fingers stroking and drawing soothing circles anywhere he could reach. 

you wish you could stay like this forever– cozy and soft and safe– but alas, you were carrying sirius black’s offspring. the baby decides to reward you with a round of kicks, probably giddy after feeling their father’s touch. Sirius chuckles and coos at your bump, while a muffled groan leaves your lips from the sudden onslaught of movement, but still refusing to move from this comfortable position.

Smooth cold lips touch the side of your forehead and you relish in the feeling. “Does it ever hurt, love? All that kicking and wiggling?” 

“Not really,” a content sigh leaves your lips. “Feels strange at times, seeing your belly move on its own.” 

To prove your point, two tiny bulges make a split second appearance just above where Sirius’s hand lay. His thumb soothes the area lovingly.

“Definitely getting stronger though; Lily told me during the later months, harry for some reason loved to kick downwards, making bathroom trips more frequent than it already is. Not excited for that.”

He presses kisses on your forehead, temple, hairline, anywhere he could reach without moving too much. “Things that you do and endure for this ‘lil troublemaker,” sirius murmurs. He doesn’t need to say it out loud, you could feel his body reverberating with awe and fondness. You try to bask in it for as long as you could, but a passing thought makes its presence known to you again.

“Do i really make the bathroom stink?” it comes out whinier than you intended it to be but you just had to know for peace of mind. 

Sirius’s whole frame vibrates as he tries to stifle his laughter, taking you with him. He’s laughing at your expense but you feel your own giggles brewing in your belly. You try to hold it in for longer, preserving some self respect. “A little bit,” he says solemnly. You groan, earlier mortified feeling returning in full swing. It triggers another round of chuckles.

“But dove, it’s nothing that my deep love and adoration for my lovely strong hot and sexy wife can’t handle.” He says assuredly, and you curse yourself for being so down bad for this man as blood rushes to your cheeks from his words. Good thing it’s dim and your face is still tucked in the crook of his neck. 

You do pinch his arm in response, and both your laughters compliment the comfortable silence. 

“Although,” he says after a while. “The betrayal of you eating without me still hurts.” 

“Siri.. i’m sorry,” you mumble. “‘y looked so tired, Didn’t wanna wake you up.”

He tuts and doesn’t say much after that. In sirius dictionary, this means he just wants some affection from you— for you to dote on him and coax out his forgiveness, even if you both know he’s not really mad; judging by his arms still wrapped securely around your frame and steady breaths that tickle and fan on your bare skin. 

So you mimic his actions from earlier, planting tiny kisses on his neck, collarbones, jawline, anywhere your lips could reach. Kissing his cheek seem to do the trick, his fake scowl quickly coming undone as a bashful smile breaks through the frown, and his tiny dimple you love so much making an appearance. The muggle maternity books did say dimples are genetic, so an image of a little Sirius running around and smiling up at you with those dimpled cheeks is a warming thought. 

“I am charming all the lids to be stuck at night as soon as i wake up tomorrow for work.” You poke a sensitive spot on his side, making him jolt, but you couldn’t resist laughter as it bubbles out of the surface. “You’re insufferable, I can’t believe I married a psychopath.”

“And you let him knock you up too. I’d say it takes one to know one, hm?” 

[cursedonyx]

The Bars Between Us

Sebastian Sallow x MC

Oneshot AU in which Sebastian was sent to Azkaban despite Ominis and MC (named Dracaena in this fic because it’s my current favourite name) trying to keep his secrets. Ominis and Dracaena spent the next several years trying to free him, and eventually succeed. Sebastian is not the same, Azkaban has sapped him of everything he once was, but a little TLC from the woman he has always loved sets him back on track.

Word Count – 8.6k

Warnings – Angst, traumatised Sebastian, aftermath of Azkaban, engaged Ominis/MC, Ominis approves MC sleeping with Seb, seriously Seb’s been through the wringer, Azkaban is horrible, nursing Seb back to health, smut (MDNI), handjob M!receiving, oral M!receiving, sub!Sebastian, MC feels a bit guilty bc her boy is a wreck

Six years.

It had been six years since the terrible events of fifth year, and six years since Sebastian had stood trial for the murder of Solomon Sallow. Six years since he was sentenced to life in Azkaban.

Six years since Dracaena and Ominis had scrambled to find out who had condemned him, and vowed to make it right.

No sooner had they left Hogwarts, not able to fully appreciate the finality of riding the little boats across the Black Lake towards Hogsmeade station, leaving behind the place in which they had matured into adults, leaving behind the wonders and horrors in equal parts, that they both signed up for jobs at the Ministry for Magic, working in Magical Law Enforcement, searching for some kind of loophole, some kind of law, some kind of anything that would get their best friend released from hell.

After four agonising years, they managed it. Together, pouring over paperwork by candlelight until the small hours for months, they built a solid defence, their unwavering logic and staunch reasoning standing up to the needlepoint scrutiny of the powers that be. Of course, they knew it was a long shot all the same. The Ministry simply didn’t care about extenuating circumstances, considering those incarcerated to be less than human, doomed to serve their time no matter what new evidence came to light.

Ominis had to throw his weight around a bit. Subtle, hissed threats, muttered warnings and an overuse of his famous glare and family name eventually frightened enough people to get those with the ability to make changes to listen. And then Dracaena came in, her fame and her charm the honey to Ominis’ salt, making promises she never intended to keep, assuring those too nervous to make the jump to support them, doing favours that left an unsavoury taste in the back of her throat.

All of it proved worth it in the end. Sebastian’s release papers were handed over, and Dracaena packed a small bag.

“I’ll be a week,” she said to Ominis. “They want him to stay in a sort of halfway house for a while, to make sure he’s not going to go mental and start hexing everyone in sight. Personally, I’m just glad he’s going to get some time to start readjusting to life outside.” She tilted her head. “Won’t you come with me?”

“Best not,” Ominis said, for the fiftieth time, his patience unending. “I don’t want to overwhelm him, and you’ve always known how to calm him down when he gets too… well.”

She chuckled lightly. “That’s assuming he’s not a complete wreck. I hope it’s not affected him too badly.”

“Dove… he’s going to be very different to what we remember,” Ominis replied, resting a hand on her shoulder as she folded her clothes. “He won’t be the Sebastian we knew.”

“I know,” she raised her hand to his, smiling as he looped his other arm around her belly and held her tight. She tilted her head back to rest against his shoulder as he brushed a kiss over her cheek. “I hope he’s forgiven us for not doing more sooner.”

“He’ll have forgiven you,” Ominis said. “He always had a soft spot for you. I rather expect, even after all this time, that he’s still in love with you.”

Dracaena kept her silence. She and Ominis had naturally fallen together towards the end of their sixth year of Hogwarts, their shared experiences and pain leading them to comfort one another, she taking Sebastian and Anne’s place as Ominis’ refuge from his family, moving in together once they’d left the school. In a small way, she was surprised it had taken him as long as it had to propose, presenting her with an elegant ring of emerald and diamond set in white gold six months ago. She’d accepted gladly, though a tiny part of her mourned what that meant for Sebastian.

She loved Ominis with all her heart and more. She adored his gentleness, his respect, his kindness and consideration. She admired his steel, the restrained fury with which he dealt with their enemies, both inside and outside of work, his searing wit and boundless intelligence. She relished his talent as a wizard, and fell in love with him over and over again with each morning they woke beside each other, still spent from their passions, safe in each other’s arms.

But she still loved Sebastian.

Ominis tightened his arm around her.

“It’s alright,” he whispered. “I know how you felt about him. I know how you feel. If things hadn’t ended the way they did, I would have expected the pair of you to be married by now.” He brushed a hand over her hair. “Dracaena… he’s my best friend. I want him to stay with us. We have the room, and he’d be safer than if he was just left to try and survive by himself after all he will have been through. I know you and him well enough to know you’re drawn to each other.”

“But I’m yours,” she whispered, moving his hand to brush over her ring. “Remember?”

He shrugged. “I know. I trust you. I know that if you said nothing would happen between you, I would believe you because it would be true. But you’d be unhappy. You both would. I know you’re not going to leave me for him, Dracaena, but I know you also make each other happy. He’s going to need all the love and support he can get once he’s out. I’d hope that you can give that to him.”

She tilted her head. “Ominis… are you giving me permission to… play away with your best friend?”

He chuckled. “Don’t cheapen it,” his elegant fingers found her cheek, tilting her head so he could kiss her full. “I’m telling you that if you two happen to come together again, I support it. Didn’t you once tell me you’d have liked it if you could have had us both?”

“I was drunk!” she protested, giggling as he dug his fingers into her ribs, ticking her gently. “You can’t use that against me!”

“I can and will,” he laughed, holding her tight. “I mean it, Dracaena. I don’t mind at all, so long as it’s only him. He’s my brother as far as I’m concerned, and I trust you both.”

“You might regret it,” Dracaena warned.

“If I do, we’ll talk about it, and find a way to resolve it,” he said, releasing her at last. “Go on now, you need to get to the dock. Send me an owl once he’s settled.”

“I will.”

He brushed a hand over her cheek. “See you in a week. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

_.-~*~-._

The sky was a stormy grey, and the waves below were similarly sullen. They crashed against the side of the boat, sending salty sprays onto the deck as if it was their mission to knock the vessel off course.

Dracaena sat between two stern faced Aurors, her hands folded in her lap. She’d left her bag at the halfway house, a modest, three-roomed bungalow surrounded by similar buildings, grey bricked and dour looking. She had perched on one of the rickety chairs by the small, circular dining table as one of the Aurors explained to her that Sebastian would be under careful watch for the first year following his release, and any missteps would see him sent right back to Azkaban.

She’d only half listened as he went over an itemised list for what she should do during her week’s stay at the halfway house, pinning a sheet of parchment to the wall with the details. She was only to feed him small meals, as he wouldn’t be able to stomach anything more. Nothing rich, nothing too fatty, and no alcohol. She’d frowned, asking why.

“Because the prisoners don’t tend to eat,” he’d said, gruffly. “The dementors have to force them in order to keep them alive.”

She’d shivered then, and she shivered now, remembering. They weren’t allowed to leave the halfway house, except for at specific times each day to walk around the complex for ten minutes at a time, to build up his strength. She had to write a detailed report at the end of each day to give to the Aurors, describing their conversations and activities. She was sternly warned that if she didn’t, there would be Trouble. Said Trouble was left unspecified, and she didn’t have the heart to ask.

Dracaena shifted, watching as something huge, angular and black began to rise from the waves, impossibly tall, impossibly wide, made entirely of stone. Only a few small windows lay in the surface, like knife wounds in flesh. Her hands tightened in her lap as dread began to seep under her skin, a visceral fear prickling over her neck and shoulders. She was only going to be there for a short time, to bring her best friend home. She couldn’t imagine how Sebastian would have felt, seeing that pillar of misery approach, believing he would never leave.

She loosed a soft breath, eyeing the distant, tattered black shapes swooping around outside it. He would leave. He would leave with her, and everything would be alright.

The boat approached a yawning cavern at the base of the prison, the Aurors casting a Patronus each, a mouse and a raven. There was a dock in the cavern, the blackness chased away by sparsely placed sconces in the damp, glistening walls. Standing there waiting was a hunched little man, balding on top with buck teeth and a sickly smile. He had a Patronus as well, something that looked like a cross between an ailing puppy and a wall-eyed rat.

Dracaena stepped off the boat, shivering, the feeling of dread still creeping under her clothes and caressing her skin. She set her jaw, drew her wand, and cast a Patronus of her own.

An elegant panther touched its paws to the stone, gazing around imperiously as the Aurors and the little man raised their brows, the dread vanishing from her chest as if it had never been. From the shadows around the walls, several rattling voices gurgled and hissed, as if angry.

“Where is he?” she demanded.

“Cell 506,” the little man said, rubbing his hands together with a grin that seemed entirely too cheerful for such a place. “Follow me, my dear.”

The patronuses cast silvery blue light on the walls as they ascended a surprisingly wide staircase, their footsteps echoing. Reaching the first floor, the little man produced a set of keys and unlocked a heavy, barred door.

“No need for magic here,” he cackled. “No one’s got their wands, have they?”

They strode into a cell block, and Dracaena recoiled. The scent of filth was overwhelming, but it was the sounds that chilled her. Her Patronus flickered, moving to stand beside her as desperate sobs filled her ears, tortured cries and garbled, gibbering wails singing in a hellish harmony that echoed off the walls.

The sounds died down as the little man and the Aurors encouraged her on, and though she tried to face forward, to ignore the figures in the cells, she couldn’t help but notice how they scrambled towards the bars, their bony, wasted hands reaching through, stretching for the patronuses as the tattered shadows of the dementors fled their presence. The screams began again as they passed, somehow more agonised than before.

They repeated this four more times, ascending rapidly narrowing staircases and emerging into a new cell block, climbing higher and higher, taunting the prisoners with the promise of relief from their misery in their passing. With each step, Dracaena’s heart beat just a little faster, her grip on her wand increasing, the hackles on her panther Patronus rising as she bared her teeth.

By the time they reached the fifth floor, her palms were sweating. How different would he be? Would the Sebastian she knew and loved still be there, somewhere? Would his eyes still sparkle with the mischief he was so adept at making, at once sliding into fury when he was challenged, and softening whenever he looked at her? She knew he’d be different. He’d look different. He’d act different. But she had to believe he was still there.

No matter her provisions, in the following years, Dracaena didn’t think there was anything on earth that could have prepared her for what she saw when she finally reached Sebastian’s cell.

Unlike so many of the other prisoners, he wasn’t screaming or crying, and he didn’t rush to the bars to feel the passing warmth of the patronuses. He huddled by the wall, next to a narrow mattress and ratty blanket laid directly on the floor. His hair was halfway down to his elbows, thick and matted, almost black with grime. He was dressed as they all were, in a filthy pair of striped trousers and shirt, and they hung loose on his frame. His head was on his arms, resting on his knees, drawn to his chest. The hand she could see was almost skeletal, every inch of boyish puppy fat stripped from his body. His nails were bitten to the quick and filthy, as were his bare feet.

Dracaena raised a hand to the bars, her heart shattering as she took him in, watching as he shivered.

“See, he’s one of the tough ones,” the little man said, with a chuckle. “Just keeps to himself, terribly well behaved. Shame to see him go, really.”

Dracaena tightened her grip on her wand to the point she thought it might snap. She turned to the little man, letting her expression say everything she dared not voice, for if she opened her mouth, she would likely find herself in a cell of her own. The little man seemed to understand, because his sick grin slipped, and he hurried to unlock the cell door. She barged him out the way before he’d even pulled the key from the lock, striding inside and falling to her knees before the broken man she had loved.

“Sebastian?” she whispered, her Patronus sitting in front of the door and glowering. He didn’t move. “Sebastian, it’s time to go.”

He stirred, his fingers tightening on his sleeve. She reached out, brushing a hand over his arm, and he flinched.

“Bassy,” she whispered, the pet name she’d given him both foreign and familiar on her tongue. He tensed, finally raising his head. His chocolate eyes, once so full of life, were dull and defeated above hollow cheeks and a beard that reached his collar. Even so he was familiar to her, the rampant freckles scattering his skin like constellations a siren call to their bond. He blinked, focusing, and didn’t say a word.

“Bassy, it’s time to go,” she said again, cupping his cheek, sliding her thumb over the protruding bone, her fingers winding into the thatch of hair at the back of his neck. He flinched away again, his expression becoming fearful, his eyes darting around the cell.

“Happens sometimes,” the little man said sullenly from beyond the bars. “They forget who they are. Forget who they knew. He’s not said a word in five years, so don’t expect him to. He probably thinks this is some kind of joke.”

She shot another glare that could melt steel through the bars, then shifted her position, grasping Sebastian by the arms and standing, heaving him to his feet.

He came up with almost no resistance, and she staggered, almost flinging him into the air, horrified by how light he was. He made a small sound of muted alarm as he left the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she said, relaxing her grip. She grabbed for him again when he slumped, his legs refusing to support his weight. She glanced through the bars again as the Aurors stirred.

“We’ll have to drag him,” one said. “Prisoners sometimes forget how to walk, or they just don’t have the will.”

“You’re not dragging anybody,” she spat. She looped an arm around Sebastian’s back, bending to catch his legs, lifting him in her arms like a child. He tensed, then slumped, his head lolling against her shoulder. He was so light, so alarmingly fragile, as if he was made of parchment, ready to tear apart at the slightest movement. Her heart broke again, and her Patronus flickered as she cradled him. Without another word, she marched from the cell, heading for the doors, the other prisoners gibbering as she passed, begging her to take them too, to leave her Patronus, to kill them. She paid them no mind, focusing on holding Sebastian tight to her chest, his feet swinging, his breath rushing over her neck. His hands were folded on his stomach, and one of them slid to her, pinching the fabric of her cloak, then holding gently.

She held him all the way to the dock, refusing to release her grip as she settled back on the boat. She raised a hand to his hair, gently running over the back of his head. It left streaks of grime on her fingers, but she didn’t care. A deep, boiling anger simmered in her chest. Anger for what he’d been put through. Anger that anyone was forced to endure such a hellish place. But mostly, she was furious with herself for allowing this to happen, furious with Ominis for knowing what Azkaban was like, and letting him be taken anyway, the word of some unknown person sealing his fate.

It didn’t matter that they’d spent the next six years trying to find a way to free him. The damage had been done. She felt it in his trembling breath, in the way he held onto her cloak so gently, knowing in her bones that it was the tightest grip he could muster. She wrapped her arms around him more securely, resting her cheek against his forehead, whispering soft words of comfort as her collar grew sodden with his silent tears.

_.-~*~-._

Dracaena carried Sebastian over the threshold of the halfway house in much the same way a groom carries his bride. She wasn’t blind to the imagery, and wondered if Ominis would do the same to her once they were married. Would he be able to navigate if his hands were full of her body and not his wand? Probably. He was astonishingly capable, to the point she often wondered if his blindness really was total, like he said. Perhaps he had some Seer blood in him that aided him. It would certainly go a long way to explain how he always seemed to know everything, even things he shouldn’t know.

She kicked the door shut in the faces of the Aurors that had accompanied them.

She eyed the living room of the halfway house, the low sofa facing the kitchenette and dining table. Through one of the doors was a little bedroom, and through the other was a tiny, cramped bathroom. It was towards this that she headed, conjuring a low seat, in which she deposited Sebastian. He was unresponsive as she stood back with a light sigh, gazing down at him and eyeing the stains left on her robes.

She pulled off her cloak and overrobes, standing before him in a simple pair of trousers and vest top, tossing her robes through the still open door, before kneeling down in front of him.

“First order of business,” she said, softly. “We’re here for a week, Bassy. We’ve got a to-do list, but I’ll take care of it as best I can. I’ll need your help, though. Can you do that for me?”

His throat worked a moment, then he gave a tiny, barely perceptible nod. Dracaena loosed a soft breath. At least he was listening to her.

“I think you’d feel a lot better after a shower,” she said, keeping her tone low and soothing. “Would you like that?”

Another miniscule nod.

“Can you take care of that, or would you like some help?”

No response to that. She tilted her head, waiting, her hands on his knees, until he glanced at her, his eyes lighting on hers and flicking away again like a moth fluttering about a lantern. They were still dull and hollow, curtained by the matted strands of his hair. She reached up and brushed a hand over it.

“I think we need to give you a haircut,” she said. “I can’t think of a single brush that can save it, I’m afraid, it's too tangled. Can I cut your hair for you? And maybe this?” she ran her hand over the wild beard. “Much as I think a beard suits you, it could do with a trim, don’t you think?”

A tiny nod, ever so slightly more vigorous than the last. She smiled, and reached behind her, fumbling in the cabinet for scissors.

“I’ll save what I can,” she said, taking a ropey strand of his hair between her fingers. “I can’t imagine you’d enjoy being bald.”

A miniscule exhalation. She tilted her head.

“Was that a laugh, darling?”

He didn’t answer, but leaned forward, resting his head on her shoulder. She set the scissors aside a moment and wrapped her arms around his back, alarmed to feel the bones of his spine poking through his skin. She held him gently until his arms rose, gripping the back of her top with a featherlight touch. He shivered, his breath trembling on the exhale. She held him tighter, pressing her cheek to his.

“It’s alright,” she murmured, circling her hand over his back. “You’re safe, Bassy. You’re out. You’re not going back there, okay? Once we’ve done what we have to here, you’re going to come and live with me and Ominis. We’ll look after you.”

She felt his jaw clench a moment, then he sat back, meeting her eyes properly for the first time. He held her gaze a long moment, before it dropped to her hands, resting on his knees again. He touched her ring, his skeletal fingers brushing over the emeralds and diamonds. He sighed, seemingly caving in on himself.

“Congratulations,” he said, his voice so quiet she could barely hear it over the rasp of his throat.

She could have cried, then. God only knew what he’d been thinking when he was trapped in that cell. Had he been hoping she’d come for him? That she’d have waited for him? Had he tortured himself with thoughts of other people getting close to her, loving her? Had he known on some level that she and Ominis would end up together, engaged, and soon to be married? Had he loved her as she loved him once, and wished it was he that slid the ring onto her finger?

What would he think if she told him of Ominis’ offer?

“Thank you,” she said. Best not to overload him. She should have taken her ring off, but it was too late for that now. She raised a hand to his hair again. “I… I’ll be honest, I’ve never done this before. It won’t be a brilliant job, but it’ll help.”

He gave another miniscule nod, and closed his eyes. She gazed at him a while longer, then picked up the scissors, sliding them through the matted tangle of his hair before closing them with a decisive snick.

_.-~*~-._

Shorn of his beard and most of his hair, Sebastian was beginning to look a little more like himself, though his face was terribly gaunt, his cheeks hollow, the sharp lines of his jaw standing out above his brittle neck. Dracaena vanished the pile of hair with a flick of her wand, then reached over to the bathtub, turning on the shower and holding her hand in the stream until it warmed to a comfortable temperature.

“Shall I leave you to it?” she asked. “I can give you some privacy.”

He didn’t answer, his hollow gaze turned inward, slumping slightly in his chair. She took his chin and tilted his face to hers, waiting until his eyes focused. “Bassy, do you want me to help?”

He blinked, slowly, his gaze turning distant again. With a light sigh, Dracaena lowered her fingers to the buttons of his shirt, slowly prying them open, one by one. At each, she paused, looking at him until he gave a tiny nod. She withheld a wince with some difficulty as she gently pulled it from his shoulders, able to see each rib through his skin, streaked with grime. Her heart broke a third time.

“Can you stand?” she asked, gently. “We should get these off too.” She touched the leg of his trousers. He didn’t answer, so she tucked her hands under his arms and rose, bringing him with her. He leaned against her, his arms rising to clutch at her back again as she nimbly undid the drawstring. The clothing crumpled straight to the floor, far too large for his frame. She averted her eyes, helping him step under the stream of warm water, lowering him to sit, and he drew his knees to his chest.

How many times in her fifth year had she wondered what he’d look like under his robes? Countless times, lying awake at night, or daydreaming in class. Now he was here it felt somehow wrong, like a violation to take the opportunity to drink in his form when he was so vulnerable. So she didn’t look, focusing on his face as his short hair plastered to his scalp, the water turning black as it streamed over his skin. She pressed a washcloth into his hands, and he held it, but made no further move.

“Come on darling,” she murmured. “Help me out a little bit?”

No response. With a soft smile, she picked up another washcloth and slid it over his back, applying light pressure to the more stubborn patches of dirt. Sebastian closed his eyes, resting his head on his crossed arms as she soaped his back, his grip on his own cloth tightening a little. And even though she resisted, scolding herself silently, Dracaena couldn’t help but look at him properly. Under the steadily vanishing grime, his back and shoulders were as freckled as his face, fading the further her eyes travelled down his spine and arms. He was a lot paler than she remembered, but then he’d gone from an outdoorsy, adventurous nerd to a prisoner in a cell, not a speck of natural light to be found. She’d have to make sure there was a decent spot in the garden for him to relax, once they were all home.

She nibbled her lip, glancing at his slender thighs, once thick. No freckles there. A few on his calves, none on his feet. She wrenched her gaze away before it strayed any further, and she slipped a hand under his chin, tilting his head back so she could get to his hair. He closed his eyes with a tiny sigh as she rubbed suds through the thick strands, massaging his scalp gently until she was sure every speck of dirt was gone. She pressed a hand to his collarbone.

“Sit up straight, darling,” she whispered. “I need to get to your chest.”

He acquiesced, leaning back until he overbalanced. Dracaena caught him with a startled yelp, an arm around his back, spluttering a little as her head and shoulders entered the shower stream. His legs stretched out as he slumped against her arm, his head turning to her shoulder, his eyes still closed. She caught her breath, blinking water out of her eyes.

“You alright?”

A tiny nod.

She took a breath, and keeping her gaze firmly fixed above his waistline, she moved the cloth over his torso, trying not to admire the fine hair dusting his chest, focusing on removing every speck of dirt she could see. She took her time, because at some point, she was going to have to try to convince him, again, to help himself. There was only so far she could reasonably go when he was so out of it, despite what Ominis had said.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to look, or to touch… to taste. It wasn’t that she had any problems in taking care of Sebastian in whatever way he needed. It was that he was fresh out of Azkaban, barely four hours free, still confused and addled and traumatised and broken, and she couldn’t assume that he would want anything to do with her at all.

It was still difficult. She shifted, her arm around his back, propping him up as she gripped his shoulder, his head resting against hers, flipping her sodden hair out of her face, her top already soaked. She circled the cloth over his chest a final time, sliding it over his nipple, and he groaned.

The sound was so soft that she thought for a moment she’d imagined it. She paused, swallowed, and repeated the movement. He sighed, tucking his head more firmly against her shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a stirring.

Dracaena closed her eyes, willing herself to cool the heat rising from under her collar. She was his friend, that was all, helping him after a terrible ordeal. She couldn’t possibly take advantage of him, not now, not when he was vulnerable and needed her to help him. He wasn’t in his right mind. She had to be strong for them both. In time, perhaps she could, but…

She steeled herself and returned to the job at hand, sliding a bar of soap over his stomach and following it with the cloth. The water ran clear over his body, though it still pooled brown and grimy by his feet and legs, and-

She wrenched her eyes back up, glaring at the pale tiles of the bathroom wall.

“You going to give me a hand?” she asked. “I’m getting soaked.”

Again, no response. He slumped against her, his breathing perhaps a little quicker than before. Hardening herself, Dracaena took the washcloth to his thighs, scrubbing perhaps a little firmer than she had before, tucking a hand under his knee to bring his leg closer so she could still support him. Her back was beginning to ache, bent over the bath as she was, but she ignored the dull fire spreading under her shoulder blades, focusing on her task. All the same, she couldn’t help but notice how he shifted, widening his legs with another soft sigh, his hand sliding over her back to grip at her shoulder as she worked. She slid the cloth over the inside of his thigh, and a soft, almost strangled whimper passed his lips as he tilted towards her.

Dracaena had endured many trials in her life. Stopping a goblin rebellion, defeating a power-crazed, dragon-transformed lunatic set on killing her, as well as countless attacks from poachers and Ashwinders, defeating a powerful Dark Wizard in single combat and more. So much more. Still, if anyone had asked her in the later years what she found the most difficult trial of all, she would have said in a heartbeat that ignoring Sebastian’s throbbing erection as she washed him was among the top three.

She did steal a glance or five. She was only human, after all. And by God, he was beautiful. Not quite as long as Ominis, but thicker, a darker shade, the lush pink of Ominis’ love more a light burgundy with Sebastian, and the way he rested against his stomach, his toes curling as the shower stream rushed over him was more intoxicating than heroin. There was nothing more that she wanted than to wrap her hand around his length and draw him to the edge of bliss, to let him revel in the delights so long denied him, to hear him moan and whimper her name…

Again, Ominis’ assurances that he was not only fine with her playing away with Sebastian, but that he expected it ran through her mind. She loosed a soft breath as she moved the washcloth to his hips, his grip increasing on her arm as his breathing rushed past her ear. She set her jaw.

She couldn’t.

“I need to get some things ready,” she said, firmly. “Finish up, Bassy, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She waited until his grip on her arm loosened, helping him sit upright. It pained her to leave him alone, huddled and defenceless as she strode for the door, wringing water from her hair and drying it with a wave of her wand. But she had to. God and Merlin only knew what she would have done otherwise. He was too fresh, too vulnerable. How could she take advantage of him like that? How could she even think it?

Biting her lip, she settled at the small table and drew parchment and quill towards her, penning a short note.

My darling Ominis,

Sebastian is with me in the halfway house, and all things considered, he’s as well as he can be. I don’t want to alarm you, but he’s lost a lot of weight and isn’t very responsive, and I expect it will take some time before he’s better. You were right, he’s not as we remember, but I feel the old Sebastian is still there, somewhere.

I miss you. I love you. I can’t wait to be home with you.

Dracaena.

She wanted to add another line, clarifying that Ominis had meant what he said, hoping he would change his mind, for if he demanded she remain solely his it would be easier to deny the stirrings she felt for Sebastian. But he wouldn’t deny her, he wouldn’t refuse. He’d almost been insistent.

She sealed the letter instead, opening the door and beckoning the owl perched nearby. It took the note in its beak and flew off, soon lost amongst the clouds. She took a breath, noting the dark figures leaning against the walls of the surrounding buildings, the curtains twitching in windows. She made a face and retreated back inside. Christ, with the number of Aurors surrounding them, it was almost like Sebastian was a mass-murdering lunatic, not a broken man who had paid a price far dearer than the death of his horrible uncle warranted.

She tilted her head as the sounds of running water from the bathroom shut off. She waited as a shadow moved beyond the open door. It seemed that Sebastian could get about by himself if he needed to. That was good. She moved to the kitchenette, opening the cupboards and grimacing. Simple foods like porridge oats, rounds of dark bread and rice nestled beside tins of nondescript meat and vegetables huddled on the shelves. Dull fare for certain, and she wished she could use her Ancient Magic to conjure something more palatable, but it didn’t work that way. Sebastian had always been fond of sweet things, and there wasn’t a gram of sugar to be found.

She pulled a few items down and set about making a simple meal of white fish and rice with a side of green beans, careful not to make too much. He’d need time to adjust to eating real food again, and she had no idea what he’d been forced to eat behind bars.

Dracaena turned at a slight noise to find Sebastian standing in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning heavily against the frame, a towel around his waist. He gave her the beginnings of a tired, shy smile, only the corners of his mouth twitching. She left the saucepan and rushed to him.

“There’s clothes in the bedroom,” she said, leading him, an arm around his waist as he slumped against her. “We’ll have some dinner and get you settled for the night, yeah?”

He nodded, a firmer, more decisive action than before. Depositing him on the bed, which creaked, she ferreted around in the old wardrobe, bringing out a selection of shirts and trousers.

“Any preference, or are you not fussy?”

He blinked slowly, his eyes on her, seemingly indifferent about the clothes in her hands. With a shrug, she picked out a dark shirt and pair of trousers, leaving them on the bed.

“I’ll leave you to it, darling, if you need-”

His hand found hers, and she paused, turning to him, finding the corners of his eyes glimmering.

His lips parted, his throat working a moment before his voice found its way out, hushed and rasping.

“This… is real? You’re… really here?”

She knelt before him, taking both his hands in hers.

“Of course it’s real,” she whispered. “Bassy… Ominis and I have spent the last six years trying to find a way to free you. You didn’t deserve what happened to you, you didn’t deserve Azkaban. You’re coming home with us, and you’ll never go back, alright?”

He nodded again, a tiny smile touching his lips.

“You… got me out?”

“I’m sorry it took so long,” she said. “We had to bully a lot of people, rewrite some laws, and build a case. It took ages, Bassy, but we never gave up. We just wanted you home with us.”

“And…” he drew a breath, as if the act of speaking fatigued him beyond all reason. “Anne?”

Dracaena hesitated. She knew this would come up, but she’d hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. The reason for his fighting, the reason for his research, the reason for his mistake. How could she tell him that the curse that plagued his sister had taken her life three years ago?

It would break him. Destroy him in ways that Azkaban never could.

“Time enough for that later,” she said, forcing a smile onto her face. “What’s important right now is getting you back on your feet, alright?”

It was a poor answer, and she knew it. Sebastian had never been one to let things lie, least of all something as important as his twin, whom she had buried with Ominis on a beautiful hill overlooking Feldcroft on a blossom-strewn spring morning, the pair of them shedding silent tears not just for the senseless loss of life, but because it meant everything Sebastian had sacrificed had been for nothing. But Sebastian didn’t question her further, merely nodding again and releasing her hands, reaching for the clothes.

Dracaena returned to the kitchen in time to put out a small fire that had started in the pan. She swore and pulled out another tin of white fish, vanishing the blackened mess with a wave of her wand.

Sebastian joined her at the small table not long after, clinging to the walls and countertops to support himself until she hurried over, pulling his arm over her shoulders. Though his first mouthful of food was hesitant, he soon fell upon it like a man starved, going so far as to toss his fork aside and eat with his hands. Once he was done, he held himself still, staring at his plate before the hollowness returned to his eyes, and he withdrew into himself, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, staring at nothing as Dracaena pushed her plate aside, her appetite quite gone.

“You should sleep,” she said, softly. She rose and took his hand, drawing him to his feet and tucking an arm around his waist, leading him to the bedroom. She sat him down, helping him unbutton his shirt, pausing as she reached the hilt of his trousers.

“There’s… there’s pyjamas and things in the wardrobe,” she said. “I can get them for you?”

Sebastian didn’t answer, his eyes dragging with tiredness, but his hand snared hers as she rose.

“Stay?” he rasped. “Please?”

It took every ounce of her self-control to refuse.

“You’ll be alright,” she said. “You’re safe here, Bassy.”

His throat worked a moment, and he nodded, his hand sliding from her grip. Dracaena returned to the living room, setting the dinner things to wash and settling down on the sofa, conjuring a blanket and removing her clothes, lying down in just her underthings.

Ominis was on her mind as she settled to sleep, wishing he was here with her. She longed to feel his elegant arms around her, to reassure her, to comfort her as she wept silently for all the pain their dearest friend had endured.

_.-~*~-._

Dracaena work to darkness and agonised, desperate screams.

She bolted from the sofa, her heart in her throat as she tore towards the sound, her mind conjuring horrors beyond mortal imagining as she burst into the bedroom. Sebastian was huddled in a corner, his arms splayed against the walls, his knees drawn to his chest, his eyes wild as he tried to press himself through the brick and plaster, cowering away from something she couldn’t see.

“Sebastian!” she dashed over, grabbing for his shoulders, and he lashed out, howling, the side of his hand connecting with her temple, and she saw stars. Shaking herself, she grabbed for him again as he fought against her, yelling wordlessly. “Sebastian, it’s me! It’s alright! Calm down, please!”

He pushed back against the wall, soft, keening sounds wrenching from his throat, his eyes unseeing as she wrapped her arms around him, gasping comforting words into his ear. Eventually, his arms rose to encircle her, burying his face in her shoulder and weeping helplessly.

“It’s alright…” she murmured. “It’s alright, darling. There’s nothing here that can hurt you. You’re safe.”

Sebastian just cried, clinging to her as she settled on his thighs, wishing she could hold him tighter, wishing she had more arms to wrap around him, to hold him more securely than she could, her hand circling over his back, the other wound into his hair as he sobbed into her shoulder.

“It was just a nightmare, darling,” she murmured. “That’s all. Nothing more. You’re alright.”

It took a long time before Sebastian was able to calm down, his frightened sobs becoming whimpers, quietening to harsh breaths as he grasped at her back, shivering so hard she thought he could power a small house.

“What was it?” Dracaena asked, leaning back a little and cupping his face. “Darling, what did you see?”

He shook his head, his face tear-stained, pulling her back to him and resting his head against her shoulder again.

“I-I’m… sorry,” he managed.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” she assured him. “Bassy, I’ve no idea what you’ve been through, but I’m here to help you. Tell me what you need.”

“Stay… with me,” he whimpered, holding her as tight as he could, though the strength of his arms was little more than strands of silk. “Please, Drac… Don’t leave me alone.”

With a muted nod, she tucked her hands under his arms again, levering him upright and guiding him to the bed, laying him down and tucking him in, before settling atop the covers. Sebastian turned over, his arm looping over her side.

“Will… you be… warm enough?” he whispered.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Get some rest, love, I’ll be right here.”

“Come under,” he insisted, snuggling closer to her. “Please, Drac. I… I haven’t touched… another person in… years. I… I-I need to be close… to you.”

She hesitated, and Sebastian huddled up to her, his hands tight at her back, his skin fire against hers.

“Drac… I-I’m sorry, I-I know you’re… with Ominis, I don’t want… to upset you… or spoil that. I-I just need… to be close to you… please. I don’t want to be alone.”

Setting her jaw, Dracaena slid under the covers, wrapping her arms around him as he snuggled into her, his head against her collarbone, his body pressed to hers, almost as though he needed to become a part of her, to meld his flesh with hers, the pads of his fingers digging into her back.

She held him tight as he shivered, wishing she could take the pain he suffered and draw it into herself to shield him from the horrors he had endured. But she couldn’t. She could only lie there, holding him, stroking his hair as he pressed his face between her breasts, his skeletal frame wracked with shudders as guilt seared through every fibre of her being. She pulled him closer, and he groaned softly.

Dracaena couldn’t ignore the hardness that pressed against her, as much as she wanted to. Despite Ominis’ assurances, she needed to be strong, to show him she cared for Sebastian as more than just a vessel for carnal pleasure. She didn’t need that. As she was with Ominis, her own bliss mattered less than that of her partner, her delight being in when she brought him to the edge of paradise and sent him over, soaring on clouds of ecstasy. Would it be so wrong to gift the same to Sebastian, when her fiancée had condoned it?

Sebastian groaned softly, the tip of his erection nudging against the soft flesh of her abdomen, straining against his pyjamas. He nuzzled against her breasts, only the thin lace separating their skin. Dracaena drew a soft breath. No matter her concerns, perhaps this was what he needed. Had she not vowed to care for him, no matter what he needed? Her hand slid over his side, over the ridges of his ribs, gliding over the hollow between them and his hip, coming to rest on the sharp protrusion of bone. Sebastian whimpered softly, tilting his body towards her hand.

“Are you sure?” she breathed. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes…” he whispered, the word ragged, forged from a throat too unused to speaking. “Please…”

Still she hesitated, preferring to caress his body, worried that it would be too much for him, worried that no matter his assurances, Ominis would be hurt if she allowed herself to indulge, but Sebastian clung to her, the little strength he had poured into pulling her closer.

“Drac…” he whined softly, writhing against her as her hand sculpted over his chest and stomach. “Please, Drac… please, make me feel human again. Please, please touch me… please… I’ll do anything… I just… I need to feel alive again.”

And hell, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to make him feel good after everything he’d been through. She cupped his cheek, turning his face to hers, pressing her lips to his with a softness akin to featherdown and satin. But he responded with fire and fury, his hand clamping against the back of her head, pressing her close as his lips worked magic over hers, scattering the last of her restraint as she wrenched him to her.

His breath came in sharp gasps as she pushed his clothing aside, her hand dipping down to caress the length of him. He tensed, a low moan rising from his throat as she graced her hand along him, before his grip at her back tightened, and he flexed his hips, thrusting into her palm, each movement accompanied by a gasp.

“Please,” he whimpered. “Make me feel good, make me feel right… make me feel real, Drac, please.”

Dracaena sealed her lips to his, drawing his breath into her and sending it back as heaven and light, her hand gliding along his throbbing length, her movements careful and controlled. Sebastian loosed a long, deep moan that seemed to rise from the bottom of his lungs, as if such a sound had been too long caged and finally set free. He sank back to the pillows, his limited strength seemingly spent, his eyes rolling back as his lashes fluttered, and she favoured him with kisses that peppered his face and chased over his neck, pausing only at his chest to swipe her tongue over his nipple. Sebastian groaned, his head rolling from side to side, one hand at her shoulder, the slight pressure increasing as she kissed down his taut stomach.

She could take him any way she wanted. She could pin him down and ravage him until he forgot his own name, she could bend him backward and bury his delicious cock in her throat, she could even turn him over and work a magic inside him that she was certain too few wizards had ever had the fortune to experience. But Dracaena bore down on her desires. Too much could break him. There would be months, years, perhaps, in which she could show him all the wonders she had learned since being with Ominis. She could show Ominis what she learned from Sebastian. She could learn from them both, together, but only if she treated them right.

Sebastian moaned like a starved whore when she flicked her tongue over the flushed head of his cock, his head pressing back into the pillows, his free hand grasping a fistful of the sheets as she slowly kissed along his length. She tucked a hand under his hips as she nuzzled the inside of his thighs, taking a moment to savour the desperate sounds pushed up from the depths of his being, the hand at her shoulder moving to the back of her head, his grip weak but insistent.

She couldn’t deny him any longer. Dracaena flattened her tongue against him and drew it slowly to the tip, already weeping with slick, crystal fluid, his ribs expanding and contracting with each rapid, short breath, his stomach hollowing as his hips bucked towards her. Her free hand found his, and she laced their fingers together as she took him into her mouth at last.

Seven years of longing couldn’t have prepared her for the feel of him against her lips, sliding over her tongue, invading her throat, the deliciousness of his fevered skin, the subtle, peppered tang of his love so similar and yet so different to the gentle salt and sugar of her Ominis. Sebastian’s back arched, his legs falling apart, his hand winding into her hair as his grip on her hand trembled, his thighs beginning to quiver as she flicked her tongue over the underside of his head, so sensitive after so many years of neglect, his voice a wordless song of ecstasy. She sealed her lips and drew them along his shaft, rewarded by a series of frantic moans that rose in fever and pitch. She wanted to pull back, to slow down, to make him wait, the dominant side of her fighting for control, but even she was not that cruel. Instead she bobbed her head faster and faster, lashing her tongue against him until he all but screamed, his hips rising from the bed as his back arched in a curve Fibonacci would be envious of, the beautiful, creamy thickness of his passion coating the cavern of her mouth.

Dracaena drained him of every drop as if her life depended on it, relishing the way he quivered and whined, his body tensing and relaxing with each new flick of her tongue until she raised her head at last, his pale, freckled skin flushed a gorgeous rose, an arm draped across his forehead. She slid up his body to lie beside him, brushing his hair back and wrapping her arms around him as he curled into her, panting.

“You okay?” she breathed, and he huffed a breathless laugh.

“If… if I’d have known… if I had to go… to Azkaban for that…” he nuzzled into her. “I’d have… gone… long ago.”

Dracaena chuckled softly, winding her hand through his hair as he relaxed against her.

“Drac,” he murmured. “I… should have… told you. Back then… I should have said…”

“Shh,” she whispered. “You need to sleep, love.”

“I know,” he replied, already drifting. “But… I should have said… I love you, Drac. I… I always have.”

She held him close.

“I love you too,” she breathed as he slipped into sleep. “Forever and always, I love you.”

Masterlist

Part 2

[tarasmithshifts]

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐃𝐑 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓 part 1

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐑. 3 years 𝐀𝐆𝐄. 17-20 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏: sirius, remus, james, lily, peter, dorcas, marlene, mainly people from gryffindor and ravenclaw

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒. taken

「 ✦ 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 ✦ 」

im crying rn. I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THIS DR SOME CRAZY STUFF HAPPENED SOOOOO LETS GET INTO IT. THREE YEARS. gosh this is so crazy

— ୨୧₊˚ click here to read part 1 of my last update

— ୨୧₊˚ click here to read part 2 of my last update

i will write this storytime in 3 parts probably, i am noooooooot ready. NOT AT ALL.

be ready for 2 next parts because in this one nothing really happened, there was nothing crazy or something. let's say it's an interlude to the next 2 parts 🌷🌷🌷

「 ✦ 7th year ✦ 」

𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮 - 7𝓽𝓱 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻

summer - sirius got his own place to live

summer- i bought a house in yorkshire

september - june -> final school year

july - odd proposition

okay so as we know we are in year 1977!! my last year at hogwarts with marauders :'( literally one of my best shifting experiences was hogwarts with my boys and girlssss

okay let's go because this is gonna be crazyyyyyyyyyy

ＳＵＭ ＭＥＲ

— ୨୧₊˚ last shift update ended in may and here i just wanted to say that i of course graduated!!! i just don't like wasting space for that info bc it's so obvious lmaoo

okay soooo i bought my house, as well as sirius!!! we got money from Alphard, who passed away and we split the money in half. i afforded a cottage in yorkshire, where i moved on in july, i was contacting with remus through letters, also because war intesified. then one day in the beginning of august he appeared at my front door and i kneeeeeeeeew something was wrong. and i was like "what is going on???" he asked if he can come inside, i said he doesn't have to ask and that he can ofc come inside, we sat in my living room and HOLY SHIT

lyall lupin is dead y'all.

my jaw was on the floor. and he didn't show any emotion while he was saying me that. and i was there. DEVASTETED. apparently death eaters killed him when he helped some aurors with their job outside of london, and he said that he just got the news from ministry.

and we sat there.

in my living room.

in silence.

gosh you should've seen him. i was not prepared to this at ALL. AT ALL.

so uhhh we decided that he will stay at my place for few days (he stayed with me all summer hahaha) the next day we went over to sirius to tell him, as he knew lyall as well. during next week remus planned, but it was right before full moon so i said to him that i will take care of it. i didn't want him to stuggle even more. full moon happened on 16 of july, remus was in worse state that i expected but we got through it :') the funeral happened few days later, it was a small ceremony, without anybody around us. in documents it was stated that lyall had a heart attack so there wasn't any problems with people thinking about how he actually died. he was buried next to hope lupin :(

we spent whole summer at my house, sometimes visiting his to clean up or move some stuff, and sometimes we visited boys and i went over to lily 💗 i don't have much to talk about here so i'm not going to describe anything lmao

and one of the things that we do at my house is listening to remus mum records from the opera 🥲🥲🥲🥲 it’s so cute and i can confirm, his mum was AMAZING

also i forgot to say that during summer sirius and james encountered two Muggle police officers on FLYING MOTORBIKE. are you kidding me LMAO 😭😭😭

S C H O O L Y E A R

in this school year most of the time we spent learning for our finals :')

i needed to pass 5 N.E.W.T.s so i had a lot of work to do, as i wanted to become auror in the ministry.

also many people we knew from ministry was dying because of war, all of them were mentioned in daily propet, we read it DAILY. we didn't care for it earlier, but from that moment we read it religiously.

i think that we were also scared that there will appear a name of someone that we knew personally.

hogwarts was not the same that year.

also james and lily were made head boy and girl of gryffindor! james was super proud of himself and at the beginning he was telling EVERYONE around how cool he is. and lily is super happy with him which i'm so THANKFULLLLLL they are so cute you need to believe me lmao 💗💗

me and remus were helping each other A LOT during this school year, because of n.e.w.t.s i saw that he was super stressed about them :/

alsooo we had inter-house quidditch cup!!! we had some changes in positions, me and sirius took beaters positions (which is pretty funny because years later fred and george weasley had this position too, and they are also twins lmao) arthur browne took the keeper postition, james, geoffrey fawley and marlene were chasers, and phoebe dawson was a seeker.

also regulus became captain of slytherin team, and gryffindor lost match with them, so we were super angry but it is what it is lmao 😭

also boys did not spend that much time with each other, all of them became more serious about their future (okay, maybe except sirius lol) so they were not doing that much pranks etc. i spent more time with lily, she helped me a lot with potions too, also we sat together on potions because slughorn LOVED HER. literally she was his pearl in the eye,he invited her to his partys etc, gave her books she could learn from even more, which helped me not her LMAO 😭😭😭😭😭😭

ALSO from funny things that happened, one night after mine and sirius' birthday, we were sitting down in boys dormitory, me, ofc marauders, marlene, lily and dorcas, there was silent moment and sudenly dorcas went "is it only me or dumbledore is gay" AND WE WERE LIKE "WHAT" and we had full debate if he is gay or not LMAO and yup the verdict was that he is gayest of all gays ever LMAOOOOOOOOO 😭😭😭😭😭😭

about n.e.w.t.s - I PASSED 6 SUCCESSFULLY IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHHHHHHH

DADA - i totally slayed this one HA

POTIONS - it went better than i thought, so i'm safe with this one

CHARMS - it went even better after dada exams because i was sure it will be easier than dada one, and i was right

TRANSFIGURATION - thanks to mcgonagall, without her i would be screwed with one lmao

HISTORY OF MAGIC - okay this one went worse than i expected but i still got E

CARE OF MAGICAL CREATURES - this one was HELL. literal HELL TO ME because i did not like this subject and learning it for n.e.w.t.s was a torture, but i passed it with E

me and remus decided to move into my house together :')) so did lily and james, they bought a cute house at godric's hollow 💗💗💗

J U L Y

me and remus lived in yorkshire, we used teleportation to see sirius, peter, james and lily from time to time. in the middle of july sirius appeared at our door. we were at home, so we let him in. and he started yapping about some kind of order, he was talking so fast we literally had no idea what he was saying. when we sat him down, he started from the beginnig, and he told us about the order of pheonix. that dumbledore is looking for people that are talented and brave enough to fight against voldemort. and that he wants to prepare us before dumbledore will appear at our door. he said that he already joined the order, as well as peter. he started telling us who already is there, and that he wants to give us more time to think because albus wants immidiate decision.

so after sirius left me and remus were talking for HOURS about what should we say to dumbledore after he will appear. and we both agreeded that joining order will be the best decision for us. we could finally help in war, and not only help other wizards but also save muggles.

in the evening somebody appeared at our door. we heard the teleportation sound outside. out there it was very dark, like every light on the street disapeared. remus told me to stay inside and opened the door by himself with his wand raised, but he only saw dumbledore, and immediately lowered wand. dumbledore looked at him and just said "if it wasn't me, you would be dead already remus."

i stood in the kitchen but observed the whole thing, and finally stood outside so albus would see me too. "you should ask me a question" said dumbledore, still not coming inside. i just stood there and waited for remus to say something, and remus finally spoke "who told severus snape about the secret" obviously he was telling about the prank, dumbledore only smiled and said "oh of course mr. black" and came inside. he looked around and i showed him the way to living room. me and remus sat on the couch, while dumbledore sat on huge armchair that we bought recently. "you need to be more creative next time" he said "they can get such and information" and after that he started to TALK and when i say talk, he talked for like about 30 minutes NON STOP. about the order, about his trust in us, about the need of our magic, about the importance of defeating voldemort. and after he stopped talking, he just looked at us, and we both immediately said "yes".

and from that moment, nothing ever will be the same.

「 ✦ end notes ✦ 」

gosh i finally published this

HELLO IM SO BACKKKKK and i can't wait to tell you more, because this was super short and it was just the beginning of spiral chaos that will happen, so BE READY.

anyways, IM SO HAPPYYYYY and i can't wait to tell you moreeeeeeeeeeee 🌷💫💗

[wrishwrosh]

re: tags on labor in historical fiction post, would be very interested to hear what the four examples you mentioned are!!

ok u know what that tag WAS bait, thank you for taking it. technically speaking these aren't works dealing strictly with labor in historical fiction, they are my four treasured examples of BUREAUCRAT FICTION (so not NOT about labor in history?) i was gonna try to make this post pithy and short but then i remembered how extremely passionate i am about this microgenre i made up. so sorry.

bureaucrat fiction is not limited by genre or format but criteria for inclusion are as follows: long and detour-filled story about functionary on the outside of society finding unexpected success within a ponderously large and powerful System/exploring themes of class and physicality and work and autonomy and what it means to hold power over others beneath the heartless crushing wheels of empire/sad little man does paperwork. also typically long as hell. should include at least one scene where the protagonist is unironically applauded-perhaps for the first time in their life-for filling out a form really good. without further ado:

soldier's heart by alex51324. the bureaucracy: british army medical corps during wwi. the bureacrat: mean gay footman/new ramc recruit thomas barrow. YEAH it's a downton abbey fic YEAH it's a masterpiece. i've talked about it before at length, my love has not faded. the crowning moment of bureaucracy is a long interlude where thomas optimizes the hospital laundry (this actually happens twice or maybe three times)

hands of the emperor by victoria goddard. the bureaucracy: crumbling fantasy empire some time after magical apocalypse. the bureacrat: passionate late-career clerk from the hinterlands cliopher mdang. i reread this book every winter bc it is as a warm bath for my SAD-addled brain and every time i neglect all my responsibilities to read all nine billion pages in three days. it puts abt 93% of the worldbuilding momentum into elaborating all of the ministries and secretaries and audits necessary to run a global government and like 7% into the magic and stuff. there are also several charming companion novellas and an equally long sequel that dives more into the central relationship between cliopher and the emperor which i highly recommend if you like gentle old man yaoi and/or magic, but there's more bureaucracy in HOTE.

the cromwell trilogy by hilary mantel. the bureaucracy: court of henry viii. the bureaucrat: thomas cromwell, the real guy. curveball! it's critically acclaimed booker prize winning rpf novel wolf hall! mantel is really interested in particular ways of gaining and maintaining power in delicate and labyrinthine systems like the tudor court, specifically in strongmen who use both physical intimidation and metaphysical manipulation to succeed. under these conditions i do think my best friend long-dead historical personage thomas cromwell counts as Bureaucrat Fiction (as do danton and robespierre in a place of greater safety. bonus rec.)

going postal by terry pratchett. the bureaucracy: fantasy postal service of ankh-morpork. the bureaucrat: conman, scammer, and little freak moist von lipwig. this is definitely shorter and lighter than the other three entries on the list, sort of a screwball take on the bureaucrat. but the mail is such a classic bureaucracy thing? who doesn't love thinking about the mail? also contains a key genre element which is a fraught sexual tension with the person immediately above the protagonist in their hierarchy, who is also their god-king and boyfriend-dad. you can't tell me vetinari isn't torturing moist psychologically AND sexually.

anyway sorry about all this. if you've read any of these come talk to me about them. bureaucrat fiction recs welcomed with the openest possible arms.

[serene-sun]

Okay last thing bc I don’t wanna spam and I’ve sent 2 ideas already but any chance you could do some headcannons or a blurb (whichever you prefer) about a threeway with Ifrit and Omega?

𝖕𝖚𝖑𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖚𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖚𝖘

warnings: sexual themes but no sex

“Another hundred out of papa's pay check?” You tease softly as the ghoul slides a large bill into the hem of your bra, “If I had known you two were so spoiled I would have charged more.” 

“Are you suggesting our talent doesn't get us any reward?” Ifirt says softly into your ear as his claw trails up your neck.

“Oh no I know the way you parade on stage gets you several…rewards…” You reply with red lips pressing against the soft skin of Omega’s cheek.

The quint ghoul lets out a little grunt as your hand cups his groin, his eyes never leaving your pale thighs as they slightly part.

The ministry was known for its sexual energy, but what some didn't know was that there was a secret brothel that took place on weekend nights. It was an abandoned chapel on the western side of the grounds that was repurposed with tapestries and rugs, pillows and soft furniture and warm lights to the brothel it was now. The sisters and brothers of sin who worked it paid by the hour, some by the minute depending on how sensual they got with clients.

You, a sister of sin, was one of the many who had regulars. It wasn't rare for ghouls to show up, but it was rare for them to truly hold a bond with the whores. 

These nights after black mass, Ifrit and Omega held a common lust for you. They would come after or before mass to see you. 

Omega was a massive ghoul, it was no secret he was the leader of his pack. He was phlegmatic and sensual, his strict demeanor coating his lustful words of praise and pride. Omega had a calming effect from his quintessence, it made women and men swoon over him. 

The ghoul had two large horns with a few cracks and chips made of lapis lazuli and two fiery white eyes that glowed. His tail swayed softly against the carpet, it was black and furry with small strands of white hair across his body. 

Ifrit was also a large ghoul, more on the smaller side but he was also seen as one of the leaders of his group. His horns shiny and polished, the red carnelian crystal of them reflected lights beautifully as he talked with intent. 

The ghouls were truly ineffable in power, their strength scared people and their will haunted others. But some, women like you, sought enjoyment out of the fear. The way their claws could cut through skin so easily, and their ability to know your thoughts and actions spiked an interest in you that made your whole body tingle. But you knew the terrific beasts were sagacious with their lives.

You were fervent for this with the ghouls, this connection they had with you would grow every visit. It would be a lie to say you hadn't had dreams of them at night, or watched them about their day.

An average man would say you were meretricious, having no value other than your outer beauty. But ifrit and Omega made you feel special, like no other sibling there. Sometimes they would bring you gifts like expensive lingerie or wine.

“Tell me my love, how can I please you tonight?” Omega grumbled into your ear as his claw trailed up your leg, snapping against the fishnets threatening to break them. 

His gentle touch sent a shiver down your spine, “Take off your clothes,” You ask as Ifirt licks behind your ear.

You had always ameliorated uncomfortable guests, you never got as far as letting them have actual sex. You would only go as far as being nude and pleasuring each other, ignoring the real sex. But you felt now in the air that these ghouls were growing impatient with this “rule” of yours.

The quint and fire ghoul undressed, leaving just you clothed in lingerie and your hair thrown messily into a clip. 

The room had cleared out, leaving the prostitutes resting other than yourself. The quiet atmosphere raised with heat, not from the crackling fireplace but from the sexual tension as you took the two ghouls erections in your hands.

You felt heat drip into your gut, like molten lava that tempted you to draw you into a dark abyss. The candles flickered, and you closed your eyes focusing on the intense fire that grew between your legs as you felt the net against your legs tear against a sharp claw. You whined unintentionally as the hands roamed up your chest and tugged at the lace of your bra. 

“Have me, please..” You whine, cracking your eyes open to be pushed back against the bed of pillows

The night would continue not like any other, and you would be filled with absolute bliss.

[michael-svetbird]

THE WINGED VICTORY OF BRESCIA: Bronze statue found in 1826 at the Capitolium of Brixia site, Now - one of the symbols of Brescia preserved in the Capitolium museum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitolium_of_Brixia 1 AD [H=195cm] "The … restoration of the 'Opificio delle Pietre Dure' [Ministry of Culture restoration institute based in Florence] has established that the statue was cast in the 1st c. AD in a local forge and is not an assembly of different statues but was created to be a 'Winged Victory'. The reference model is to be identified in Aphrodite Urania of the 'Cyrene type', i.e. with the goddess conceived in that specific variation of posture found in the statue of the same name from Cyrene. Other details, such as the twisting of the bust and the shape of the arms are also borrowed from Greek works of the 5th-6th c. BC. … the wings were added to transform the work into the goddess Victoria; in Rome and Constantinople there were similar works [Victory engraving a shield] in the Imperial forums." [txt ©BAP]

Brixia Archaeological Park in Brescia | BAP

Web: https://www.bresciamusei.com/en/museums-and-venues/brixia-roman-archaeological-area

IG, X : @ BresciaMusei

FB : https://www.facebook.com/bresciamusei

BAP | Michael Svetbird phs©msp | 04|05|24 6300X4200 600 [I.-III.] The photographed object is collection item of BAP, photos are copyrighted [Non-commercial fair use | No AI | Author rights apply | Sorry for the watermarks]

📸 Part of the "Reliefs-Friezes-Slabs-Sculpture" MSP Online Photo-gallery:

👉 D-ART: https://www.deviantart.com/svetbird1234/gallery/72510770/reliefs-friezes-slabs-sculpture

.

[artemisia-black]

Some of my Writer’s notes for my Regulus fic 

I wanted to explore the impact of Orion’s absence on Regulus. Particularly as I read Sirius’s take on BCS as being partly a projection about Orion and Regulus: 

“Nasty little shock for old Barty, I’d imagine. Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn’t he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while ... gotten to know his own son.” GoF

So Regulus is ripe for grooming in Orion’s absence: 

“ felt more real and urgent than anything his father had ever taught him.” 

2. Also the opening scene emphasises how I view the Black’s relationship with Power : 

This idea of power is key to how I view the Black’s relationship to blood supremacy. They enact their ideals through the political/social systems and there is canon evidence for this: 

“Araminta Meliflua . . . cousin of my mother’s. . tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal.” OoTP

In this example, Araminta wants to ensure what she is doing is legal (that’s not to say she doesn’t do it anyway), and she uses her clout to try and force the bill through. This is interesting for several reasons. It mainly demonstrates that the Blacks want the oppression that flows from their beliefs enshrined in law and that their bloodthirsty tendencies need to appear to follow laws/have a veneer of respectability.

I express this in the fic using the following motif: 

“The Blacks had always believed in keeping a velvet glove on their iron fist” 

3. Regulus also feels Walburga’s absence and this further drives him into Bellatrix’s clutches: 

“His pulse quickened, a rush of heat flooding through him as her dark, intense eyes flashed before him—eyes that burned with a fire both mesmerising and terrifying—a gaze so reminiscent of his mother’s yet far more dangerous.”

4. I wanted Regulus to come across as very sheltered and Naive so I juxtaposed his fantasy of murdering the man from the newspaper with the reality of murder. I chose to have him keep repeating why he was doing it and keep telling himself that he was about to become a man much like a single minded child: 

 “He wasn’t just a boy anymore; he was about to become a soldier. “ 

5. He was specifically instructed to use Avada Kedavra because it causes the most damage to someone’s soul. 

6. I view the deatheaters as a gang who operates on ‘blood in, blood out’ hence murder being the price you pay for admission. 

7. I wanted taking the mark to feel Pyrrhic. Reg vomits up Kreacher’s celebratory meal and feels awkward for having to bow. 

8. The hot mess that is his hookups with Evan Rosier- Reg is so repressed and so fixated on pleasing his family that he doesn’t know who he is.

[saintsenara]

All of your ship asks have made me think about why Snape has such potential as the fandom bicycle, and it made me realize that he’s one of the few characters who is important in all aspects of the story and has plausible interactions with basically anyone who wasn’t dead before the 70s. He’s at school during the marauders era then is back as a teacher 3-4 years later, which covers everyone who was at Hogwarts from 1970-1998. He was a deatheater in both wars, and also a member of the order of the phoenix. He had some sort of investigation/trial after the first war that gives him potential interactions with people at the ministry.

And he has such different power and relationship dynamics with people in all of the groups, which makes him really interesting to explore with different characters (I think Dumbledore’s the only character with more reach, but since he met almost all of the other characters as students it changes the vibe a bit). Truly the linchpin that holds the story together

Anyway all this to ask, any Snape pairing s you’re interested in the you haven’t gotten an ask for? (If not, Snape/The Bloody Baron. Just two men sitting in the dungeon five feet apart bc they’re drowning in their own guilt and self-loathing)

this is very true, anon - although snape also has great value as the fandom bicycle because he's a feral cat of a man with sad eyes and a cunty demeanour. which sends both those of us inclined towards an "i can fix him" mentality and those of us inclined towards an "i can make him worse" one into a frenzy.

severus snape/the bloody baron is a pairing i am actually completely convinced of - largely on account of this excellent fic:

which - as you say - really leans into the fun of pairing two self-loathing legends together. with unexpectedly lovely results.

[skele-bunny]

Yay for anon again! Have any Aether/Rain fluff?

WOOO AETH/RAIN MY FAV

The biggest cuddlers in the pack getting together? INSANE. Just pressed as close as possible, Rain nuzzled under Aether's chin, Aether having a leg over Rain's hips, tails intertwined, purring back and forth. They're so cuddly and lovey it makes Swiss GAG

Aether has a really strong internal link with Rain, and was the first person to ever hear his voice. When he's asked about it, Aether just describes it as "Soothing and quiet, like a romantic walk on the beach" and when he's annoyed he'll just say "Sounds like Jim Carrey, now leave me alone."

When Rain was a newborn, Aether was just so infatuated with him. Watching his mannerisms and just how similar he was to Dew besides that spitfire that'd seep out every now and then. He had such bad Bambi legs that when Mountain wasn't around to carry him, Aether would. Since he was already starting to work in the infirmary, he was more accustomed to helping physical therapy wise. Holding Rain's waist as he uses his walker in the common room, encouraging him every time he steps forwards.

Aether loves the hot springs that's accessible in the ministry for the ghouls, he'll sneak away to just submerge himself and always gets a little startled when Rain peeks his head up. Always end up cuddling and falling asleep in until Aether is all wrinkly wjekdk

I like to think water ghouls are very, very good at dancing when they get used to their feet. Always melodic and gentle (Dew is really fucking amazing at artistic pole dancing, but that's a secret.) so he and Rain will just be going back and forth with little ballet slipped in here and there. It's always so soft and full of love.

Rain was the first to initiate, slowly bumping up and being accidental at first as Aether moved his head too fast. Once they get over their embarrassment and giggles, Aether carefully holds the back of Rain's head and brings him back in. Aether refuses to let Rain live down the fact that he tasted like actual fish during their first kiss bc of how nervous he was and they just finished eating sushi. Insanity

[blueiscoool]

Over 2,000 Ram Skulls Discovered in Egypt's Temple of Ramses II

Cairo — Archaeologists have announced the discovery of more than 2,000 rams' heads at the temple of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II — a find that the man in charge of the dig said surprised even veteran Egyptologists and showed the endurance of Ramses' impact, as the skulls were left there a millennium after the pharaoh's rule.

A team of archaeologists with New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) made the discovery in the city of Abydos, one of the oldest cities and richest archaeological sites in Egypt. It's located about seven miles west of the Nile River in Upper Egypt, some 270 miles south of Cairo.

The ram skulls were found stacked in the northern precinct of the temple, said Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which announced the discovery on Saturday.

"We came across some random pieces of skulls first," Dr. Sameh Iskander, head of the ISAW mission, told CBS News. "We didn't know what they were, but as we continued our excavation and exploration, all of sudden we found a whole area filled with ram skulls."

"These are obviously offerings that were made to the temple of Ramses during the Ptolomaic period, which shows even 1,000 years after Ramses II, that he was still revered." Ramses II ruled over ancient Egypt for about 60 years before his death in 1213 BC.

Iskander explained that some of the ram heads were still mummified, while "others could have been mummified but the wrappings or the covers of mummifications were not there anymore."

The skulls were found among other objects, from papyrus to leather artifacts and statues, about six feet under the contemporary surface of the desert in what had been a storeroom of the ancient temple.

The large number of skulls found in the same place was "surprising even for Egyptologists," Iskander said.

"We are sure they were all dumped at the same time, so this was not an accumulation of skulls that were brought in over the years, but they came from somewhere else and were dumped into this magazine at some point for some reason which we don't know yet," he told CBS News. "It is significant because this place where they ended up is not just any place in the temple, so they were brought there for a reason. They were not just dumped in the desert but were inside this revered domain of the temple."

The archeologists also unearthed a large structure made of mudbricks with walls about 16 feet thick dating back about 4,200 years, to ancient Egypt's Sixth Dynasty.

"It is a major structure that will change our concept of the landscape of Abydos. This wall was built for something, it was at least 30 feet high." Iskander said. "We don't know exactly what this wall is. It's possible that this was a wall of the antient Abydos, which was never found. Could it be something else? Maybe, that's what we are working on now."

The mission also found other mummified animal remains, including dogs, goats, cows and gazelles.

Beside the massive structure, one very small object also captured Iskandar's attention.

"We also found a small bronze bell in excellent condition with the clapper, so we can hear the same sound of the ancient time. I was very happy to find it," he said. "It was probably used to mark a herd."

The head of the American mission, whose team has worked at the Abydos site since 2008, spoke to CBS News after traveling back to New York. He said a lot of research was still needed to find explanations for the latest discoveries.

"I hate to keep saying 'we don't know,' but this is the nature of archaeology. We keep working on findings that might lead to something, or not," he said, adding that he and his team may even need to "leave it to the next generation — they may have a better idea or other discoveries."

"Every year we have lots of finds and we come back very happy with the new finds, but we also come back with a huge sack full of questions," he said.

By Ahmed Shawkat.

[katakosmos]

Sorry for periodically invading ur inbox and not shutting up but no voldemort au soooooo funny to me bc theyre equally evil but domesticated now. Evan midlife crisis is looking back on his years at hogwarts like “i used to psychologically torment my friends and fellow peers….so much potential wasted…”

Evan has a wife and kids but he pretty much ignores them in favor of periodically cheating with his favoritest specialest dearest boy <33 who now has a nepotism ministry position that is slowly sucking the life out of him (cannot decide if Barty would be married or not either way hes not happy)

nooo i love when you share these 😋😋

also, i have to admit cheaters rosekiller makes me feel things. they have the most heartbreaking, passionate, ruinous relationship, and no one knows about it. even better if they have a bit of an age gap.

like: evan is an unsatisfied-close-to-40 man who has a habit of sleeping with his barely twenty years old assistants because he believes the problem in his relationship with his wife is that he's no longer attracted to her because she isn't young and sexy anymore.

one day, exhausted, he leaves work. and, on the sidewalk on the other side of the street, he sees a young man leaning against the wall of a large building. and yes, that guy is 25 years old barty!!

he's smoking and when he notices evan staring at him, he smiles and exhales smoke. evan waves at him and nods and... yeah, that's pretty much how it starts.

evan spoils barty in every way, and daydreams about him constantly. and barty literally gasps and blushes every time he remembers that he has a boyfriend.

the fact that they have a family and a soon to be wife is just a detail 🙄

[lostdrarryfics]

lostdrarryfics (late) monthly roundup! April 2024

Below you will find the requests we could not locate in the month of April. Please let us know if you recognize any!

You can also browse our lengthy lost fic masterlist, where we have compiled every request we have been unable to find over the past few years. We're always hoping someone will recognize a fic so we can let the asker know what it was!

1. pretty old fanfic that wasn't on AO3 (possibly early 2010s LJ?). The premise was Draco was working at a rural muggle supermarket and Harry stumbles across him there? Theres a part about how Draco's underwear has holes, and I think the title had something to do with it. No more than 20k. Fic is not Way Down We Go by xiaq

2. Set in Hogwarts, though I'm not sure which year. The general plot is that Harry saves Draco during a quidditch match (I believe Draco falls/gets knocked off his broom and Harry dives to grab him and wraps his arms around Draco and turns so that Harry himself hits the ground first) and when Harry wakes up in the infirmary, he believes that he and Draco are dating and have been for a while. (I remember Draco gets called into the infirmary bc Harry asks for him and when he comes through the doors, Harry runs up and hugs him). The professors tell Draco he has to pretend to be dating Harry and I think they even arrange a room for the two of them to stay in. I also remember a scene where Harry gets out of the shower in only a towel and tries to start something w/ Draco but Draco gets uncomfortable and claims he has a cold sore. That's all I remember of it. I don't recall the length or anything. I want to say it had a few chapters, but I'm not very sure. I likely read it on ao3, but it could have been ffnet.

3. Draco is harry boss. I read it like a while ago. Harry is dracos assistant and he makes harry wear a skirt. Harry complains an all that and it's smutty. It's a very short fic it's an office AU but not the ministry I don't think.

4. 8th year fic that I can’t remember the name of where Harry and Draco were head boys. Harry was dealing with ptsd and eating disorder, there was sub plot of narcissa doing some shady stuff I think but overall I’m sure. I remember that Ron had a drinking problem. Harry learns how to be a record keeper for pro quidditch and there is a new DADA teacher that Harry finds attractive, and the dorms are a cottage on the castle grounds. The students are allowed to to go to Hogsmeade every weekend

5. It’s in an office, Draco the boss. Draco is always working late and him and Harry are the only ones left in the building. He tells Harry to go home as he leaves and him and Harry get stuck in the elevator and then it is smutty with top Draco and bottom Harry. One chapter fic.

6. 8th year fic on AO3 and Harry and Draco were assigned to be roommates. They eventually decide to have sex (it started out as just sex/liking each other before they eventually fell in love), but their friends didn't know they were shagging. There was a funny scene where they were about to shag then Ron started pounding on the door asking Harry to come out, and Draco was pissed. Draco was starting to get along with their other classmates, especially Luna. There was a scene where he helped Luna feed the thestrals while they talked. There was also a younger seeker (probably named Amanda) that had a crush on Harry and kept on popping up wherever he was. Amanda showed up while Draco and Luna were feeding the thestrals and Luna told Draco that she felt bad vibes from Amanda. I don't really remember what happened but Robards or Kingley was able to convince Draco to act as bait so they could catch an escaped Death Eater. (probably Yaxley/Dolohov/Lestrange, can't really remember.) Draco eventually agreed but didn't tell Harry because he knew Harry would get angry. Harry eventually found out because Draco was acting very weird, and he rescued Draco when he was about to be killed by the Death Eater in the Forbidden Forest. (Aurors were hiding in the sidelines but they didn't do anything.) The ministry wanted to tell the press that Draco willingly helped catch the Death Eater but Harry told the ministry to say that they blackmailed/forced Draco to be bait. [We're fairly certain that the OC name isn't Amanda -LDF mods]

7. Read this fic years ago on AO3, definitely before 2020. The scene I recall that I'm trying to track down is where one of our boys (or possibly Neville?? there is a high likelihood it might be Neville) is in a small town doing investigative work (?)(Aurors??) and he is speaking to some teenagers. Something is mentioned about how they probably have not heard the word "queer" outside of today's context, like to them it's just gay=positive. There is also a mention of someone registering his "plummy accent" or calling it that even though it isn't, not necessarily in this interaction but at some point in the fic when they're visiting these Northern(?) towns. They become fond of these people. I think Neville might be a major character in this, as either H or D's Auror friend/partner, but I might be remembering another fic altogether. Can't recall anything else, I know it was completed and probably posted in the mid-2010s. I think it was a medium to long fic, anywhere from 10k to 100k word count. Post-Hogwarts era, not epilogue-compliant.

8. ffnet, Draco was an animagus, it was a case fic, they’re investigating an animal ring, it turns out to be Hagrid thinking he’s doing something good, I remember Colin creevy popping up and having a huge crush on Harry.

9. I read this fic on ao3 maybe last year I think, not much I remember.It is a complete fic. Harry and draco were dating before the war, I remember somehow draco is taken to the Manor and when during horcrux hunt Harry and gang is taken to Manor they start looking for draco, Harry finds him when some death eater polyjuiced (they rip off chunk of Harry's hair when his face is disfigured to confirm its him) as Harry is bitten and kicked out of dracos room because he attempts to sa draco I think? And Harry just sees red and kills him on spot. They take Draco to bill and fleur cabin but draco doesn't remember or has ptsd so doesn't want to see Harry, he is heart broken but they continue going to the gringotts

10. I know it's set during Hogwarts era, maybe 5th or 6th year? But I only have this one scene that's very distinct. Harry and Draco are secretly together or friends. Harry is in 12 Grimmauld Place and at night, he is alerted somehow that Draco is in danger. I think it was with a magical necklace or notebook. Could have been dobby. Then Harry goes downstairs, wakes up the whole house, and demands they go save Draco. Everyone is pretty confused but eventually they listen to him. I think Sirus had calmed him down. The adults leave and Harry stays up the whole time until their back with Draco. Either he was in trouble by his father or voldemort. Fic is not survival is a talent by ShanaStoryteller

11. Non magic au, think it was on AO3, they are in their 20s I want say, Draco works in a science field, Harry I think in a tech field, Harry was raised by Snape and Sirius who are a couple. they are each dating someone else but their families don’t know that and sign them up with a matchmaker. They agree to meet and hit it off as friends and continue hanging out. The guy Draco is dating is annoying and needy but hot. Don’t remember much about the guy Harry was with, I think they break up early on. Draco invites Harry to come to Theo’s mountain lodge for Christmas/new years. I think there was a part on the drive up where Harry and Draco fall asleep on each others shoulders. I think at this point Harry is starting to have feelings for Draco but thinks it’s hopeless as Draco is with the other guy. There is a big new year party, and there is a room where people can go to get away from the blasting music. I think Draco might see Harry and start to realize he has feelings for him too. Sometime after this, Draco breaks up with his boyfriend, and goes to ask Snape and Sirius about Harry and they say he is on a work trip in Canada, so Draco finds a science conference happening in the same city and goes and “runs into” Harry. Harry has a coworker that is interested in him, but Harry only has eyes for Draco, Harry offers to let Draco stay in his suite I don’t remember why, but they eventually figure out they both want the other

12. It’s an older fic. At first, I thought that it was part of Harry Draco mpreg fest but I went through every year and I couldn’t find it. Maybe another fest. I think it was a one shot. Harry or Draco get pregnant. The pregnant one keeps the pregnancy a secret. One of them is a Quidditch player. The fic ends with one of them, taking their son who I believe was named James to see the other play a professional Quidditch match. I know the one that was a Quidditch player sees them in the stands as he’s flying, maybe just caught the snitch. I want to say that there could’ve been art. it’s not Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James or any fic by Ladderofyears.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

One thing I love about this series is that it infuses reality. The animators scatter things and places to make it believable like Easter eggs. It also resonates the sentiments of the characters to the audience.

1) Takahashiya Mall could be Takashimaya. The red emblem is the clue. It is a luxury store that can be likened to Selfridges where only branded items are sold. I assume they went to the Nihombashi Tokyo branch. Which gives us the impression that knowing Kazuki, this was his favorite place to buy his clothes, etc. Until Anna Hanyu told him of the wonders of the discount stores.

2) I can’t believe they put “smock” in quotations. And Rei meant it was a cookie. What a Schmuck. Understandable as the two of them didn’t have any experience with it. I wonder if they wanted us to search for the etymology of the word which is women’s undergarment.

What it is and what is it really

3) The list of items a child needs in the daycare center is not absurd actually including placing the child’s name on every item. I’ve heard this from acquaintances who are kindergarten pedagogues about the reason it is important to write your child’s name on their things. The number of items that are lost or taken unintentionally is an everyday occurrence in these institutions (kigas, schools, etc.) bc often a child doesn’t care especially if the pieces of clothing are not written with the owner’s name. They also discourage the parents not to dress up their children in branded clothes. The number of complaints they get when the children come back home with dirty clothes is far too many. Good for the Japanese childcare system for having a foresight.

Also, I realised that there are a couple of types of childcare institutions in Japan that even the natives get confused. In the series Kazuki claimed that yōchien (幼稚園) and hoikuen (保育園) are the same. (“It’s the same thing with a different name.”) They were talking about hoikuen the whole time. Not sure if it was the writer’s intention. Although Kazuki got the fish difference correctly.

Hoikuen are legally defined as a child welfare institution and are subordinate to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs, MHLW for short. Their focus is on the care of children whose families cannot take care of them during the day. That's why they are also the first point of contact for families where both parents work. Hoikuen therefore have long opening hours and accept children under one year of age. If they fulfil the requirements of the Child Welfare Act, they will receive a state license.

…

So-called yōchien kindergartens, on the other hand, are defined as schools under Japanese law and resemble preschools. For this reason, they are also subordinate to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT for short. Yochien only accept children from the age of three. Since they usually only offer half-day care, they are favoured by families where one parent does not work or works part-time. ( x )

Another source…

First of all, let’s define the word “daycare.” You might call it daycare or nursery school, but daycare in Japan is hoikuen (保育園) and is reserved for babies 56 days old up to 6 years old.

This is not to be confused with kindergarten (幼稚園 | yōchien), which is exclusively for kids 3 years old until they enter first grade. ( x )

4) Kazuki’s attempt to fit in on Miri’s first day at the daycare was not so far from the truth really.

Somewhere is a Louis Vuitton shopping bag

Believe it or not, Japanese mothers put a lot of effort on their choice of clothing on the day of the kindergarten interview. Kazuki had probably searched for those things and encountered the webpages where mothers gave advices on what to wear on this occasion. Take a note from this social content creator who used to work as a kindergarten teacher in Japan and is also a mum.

There is an “unofficial” dress code for these events, which is one step up from a funeral and a few notches down from an entrance ceremony. Take a look at what parents (mainly moms) should wear! ( x )

Too bad they exaggerated it on Miri’s first day. I cannot entirely blame Kazuki though. Him being an orphan who had witnessed poverty and being ostracized because of it, I guess, his opinion on how the people are treated based on their outside appearance bears unpleasant memories that he strives away from. Though it was a bit unfair to point out Rei’s social standing when K is not entirely privy to his friend’s traumatic past.

5) If the forged document below contains a bit of some facts (very important for writing fan fiction): Kazuki was born on the 16th of May, 1994. A Taurus. Miri, on the other hand, was born in 2018 November 8. They live in Naka Ward, apartment 801, 2-chōme (city district) Natsuyoshi (<<— I don’t think that really exists) Yokohama Prefecture. That is if there were some truths in it.

[the-sebastian-sallow-simptorium]

Lies- Dark!MC x Auror!Sebastian

warnings for major blood/gore, mentions of sex/feeling up, death, and a light makeout session.

plot:

Sebastian is an auror assigned to catch dark wizard MC. All characters aged up over 18 :) written for F!Hufflepuff!MC but could be read as NG!MC or M!MC.

Words 2.5k

a/n This work was not beta read bc in this house we die like tobbs. I wrote this while sick and hopped up on too much tea and pizza in about six/seven hours. this was written as an attempt to get me back into writing. my prompt “Oh I see you brought me out here to kill me, didnt you?”Could be read as NG!MC or M!MC but was written for F!MC | use of you and y/n | can be read as any house but was written for Hufflepuff (where are my evil puffs at XD)

After the death of Sebastian's uncle due to the illegal use of the killing curse. Sebastian, Ominis Anne and y/n all swore that they would never tell a soul about what had happened in the tomb that one winter day. All the Ministry of Magic knew was that the five of you had been attacked just outside of Fieldcroft by a group of Ashwinders. And the twins uncle had died trying to protect you all. Years had passed since the events and the fall of Ranrok. The students that once were fifth years now all well above 21 were settled into working in the magical world. Sebastian was given the honor of being an auror working directly at the Ministry of Magic and Ominis was back at Hogwarts teaching the charms courses. With Victor Rookwood dead the severity of Anne's condition went down and she had grown very fond of magical gardening and spent most of her time outside in the dirt at her and Ominis' home.

You on the other hand had gone down a severely different path than your Slytherin friends. The month after you graduated you were off traveling and exploring the world in order to find more traces of ancient magic. You loved the way it made you feel. The power flowing through your blood. The way your enemies dropped dead around you. Your friends from Hogwarts tried to contact you but you never responded to their owls. And eventually the owls stopped coming.

Since the day Sebastian taught you crucio in the scriptorium you never stopped using dark magic. It could defeat any foe that stood in your way. And eventually after several witches and wizards went missing the Ministry caught wind of your murders. You had killed more than a few aurors in your day and they did not scare you. You were completely happy to be wondering the earth finding ancient magic and killing anyone who tried to stop you and cashing in on the rewards of your evil doing, until one day out of blue a owl came flying into your tent out in the woods, This owl swooped in plopping a letter by your side, you glanced a the owl and then the letter before the bird flew off. Odd, no one sent you letters anymore. You placed down the knife that you had been sharpening. And you opened up the letter.

y/n l/n,

I know we have not spoken in a while, but you have always amazed me y/n. The news reached London a few days ago, about the death of four aurors taken out by one witch with some unknown power. I knew when I read it that it was about you. I am headed up north to Manchester from London to meet up with Ominis and Anne tomorrow evening. We get together every few months just to check in. I'm sure we would all love to see you. Here is the address of the muggle inn we will be staying in, please do join me, I am positive you will have only gotten more beautiful than when we attended Hogwarts.

-Sebastian Sallow

You reread the letter what felt like a thousand more times over he was asking to meet? After all these years? Why did it bring a soft blush to your cheeks at the thought of seeing an old friend. Sure you had a crush on him when you were 15 and the two of you dated until graduation but you were sure those feelings were gone by now. Because feelings of love only held people like you back in getting what you truly wanted, power. You looked at the letter once more Manchester was so close only a few miles you could most definitely walk there in a day. But what if it was a trap? Would Sebastian really use this letter to somehow get you caught by the Ministry? It was risky. But it would be nice to see them all for just a second or two. With a swish of your wand the tent packed itself up into a neat little cloth bag. And you were on your way. The journey there did not take long, the sun was rising in the sky when you walked through the gates of the growing muggle city. You checked the address on the letter once more before quickly finding the inn that Sebastian said he would be at later that day. Certainly seemed to be owned by muggles. And what you could tell only muggles were around it, so why meet at such a highly populated muggle spot? You did not get it, and yet you stayed, waiting in an alley with a good view of the inn's doors until it was nearly dark, you had almost given up on him coming when suddenly you heard his voice, it brought butterflies to your stomach and a pooling feeling deep below your gut. You tried to push the feelings away and it helped when you saw Ominis and Anne walk in with Sebastian, your friends, they were all here. You couldn't help but have a small smile on your face. It wasn't a trap. They just wanted to meet in a muggle area so that no one from the Ministry would see you. It was smart. You walked in a few minutes after them and walked to the desk. A chubby muggle woman smiled at you from behind it.

“Hello, welcome to the Henford Inn. How may I help you?” she asked

“I am here to visit a friend, he just checked in, Sebastian Sallow.” the lady looked down at the parchment in front of her and she nodded.

“Of course Mr Sallow is in room four. Have a lovely day.” You stepped away from the counter and down the hallway. The doors each had numbers on it. You walked to the end of the hall and there on the final door said room four. You knocked and moments later the door opened and there he stood, his brown hair messy like it always was after he woke up and was late to Professor Sharps potions class. All you wanted to do was touch it, to comb back those curls.

“Y/n/” he said, pulling you out of your thoughts. He sounded a little surprised. He had only a white button up undershirt on and loose gray trousers.

“Hi Sebastian.” You gave a small wave. He invited you inside the room and he closed the door shut very abruptly behind you.

“No need to shut the door like that, we are in no hurry, love, we have all night.. Unless we are about to strip to our underpants like we are in the undercroft as seventh years just to feel each other up…” You started to laugh, turning around to stare at Sebastian, he had aged rather well, a small scruff of a beard on his chin, his eyes just like how you remembered them.

“It is just us two in here, yes? Ominis and Anne have their own room I imagine?” Sebastian nodded and you continued to murmur on about the two of them and how you always knew they would end up together. You stopped talking realizing you were rambling, instead of talking more you turned to him, walking forwards wrapping your arms around his neck. If there was one thing you missed about living alone it was the lack of human contact. You wished you could stay in the hug smelling Sebastian's undershirt forever. Sebastin paused for a moment before wrapping his arms around your waist hugging you just in the same way you were hugging him. Like two old friends reuniting again after many years. You looked up, he had gotten so much taller than when you were kids.

“Come here..” You whispered as you placed a hand on his cheek pulling him down into a kiss. It was rather unexpected for the both of you, but after a second Sebastian kissed back. His lips were so soft and it was just like how you remembered it. Your hands moved up and down his clothed chest, mouths still attached, his hands started to creep under your ass only to stop when he grabbed two hefty handfuls. You gasped as he squeezed. You pulled away from the kiss and taking a step backwards only to brush against something that certainly wasn't supposed to be in this room. You looked down there was nothing but you had definitely felt something. Your hand moved as quickly as it could to pull your wand out, in the process you pulled away from Sebastians grasp.

“Revelio.” you wooshed your wand and suddenly two people, a boy and girl who were wearing the clothes that you had just watched Ominis and Anne walk in wearing. Polyjuice, of course your friends weren't here. Was that even Sebastian you just kissed? No it had to be, he smelled exactly like him.

“Sebastian what is the meaning of this…” You paused your wand facing the two of them crouched on the floor. That's when it hit you you had seen those two before in the daily prophet they were high ranking aurors. It was a trap.

“Oh…I see you brought me up here to kill me, didnt you?” You asked, staring at Sebastian as he held his wand out facing you. You backed away from the three of them, you could see the slight glimpse of fear in Sebastian's eyes, you knew that he didn't want to do this, not to you.

“We aren't like you, we don't kill people!” The auror who had been dressed like Ominis spoke. Him and the other auror in the room had their wands pointed at you as well. They had already stood up from where they were on the floor. You closed your eyes for a second. How dare he dress like Ominis. How dare they both pretend to be your friends. The anger in you grew before it snapped and you reopened your eyes black and red swirls started to circle around you and the color of your eyes faded into a dark blood curdling red. You grunted and swung your wand upwards tossing fake Ominis into the air and in one quick move forced your wand downwards slamming him down into the floor with the power of a thousand thestrals behind it. if the impact didn't immediately break his neck then the pain would leave him imobile and the internal bleeding would kill him eventually. You were not done yet as you swung your wand to the auror on the other side of Sebastian. The one that had been disguised as Anne. Your eyes only glanced at Sebastian for a second, why had the brown haired man done nothing yet?

“Expelliarmus.” The aurors wand flew out of her hand and you glared at the auror before bolts of red lightning struck around your wand.

“Crucio!” you casted watching the auror fall to the ground. Your gaze was then fixed on Sebastian as the auror cried out in pain. Screaming for the pain to stop. Her screams could probably be heard outside the room but you didn't care let all the muggles run in no one could stop you…except…those dark brown eyes that you knew were watching you in horror.

“I remember when you taught me that. The pain I was in when you casted it on me, Merlin, was it unbearable. Like a thousand needles poking deep into every pore and at the same time like you had been cast out into a pool of lava, burning alive…” You paused for a moment only to start to laugh covering your mouth with one hand as you walked towards the suffering auror.

“Don't worry I will put you out of your misery.” The knife stashed in the belt on the side of your waist was quickly pulled out and you ever so gently slit the throat of the auror her body already crumbled on the floor now grew lifeless. Her blood leaked into the brown carpet of the room. The warm red substance now soaking and staining your hands as you continued to laugh hysterically. They were all so weak. No one could stop you! You then started to turn to still see Sebastian not having moved an inch his eyes fixated on you. You started to speak again.

“I always thought you would be the one to fall off the bandwagon of good, a Slytherin with an intense interest in the dark arts as a early teen, and yet here you are an auror just like your bastard of an uncle. Speaking of him your hands are stained with just as much blood as mine..to be fair if you had not killed him that day I certainly would have for all the shit he put you through.” You tilted your head still staring at Sebastian. But then the situation started to set in and you started to realize he lied to you. Your gut had told you this was a trap to get you caught and you fell for it.

“You lied to me, Sebastian, wanting to meet with me…using our friends as an excuse…How could you.” You stood over the dead body of the female auror.

“My friends. I used my friends not yours…I might have lied, but it was for the good of wizardkind. How could you do this y/n..you were so kind to the animals and people at Hogwarts…our professors they thought you would go far, maybe even head of the ministry but…how could you be possible of this..destruction.” Sebastian paused as he looked around the room once more, shaking his head.

“ I didn't believe it at first when they assigned me to you..your wanted posters started to line my office walls when you were careless enough to have left a small boy as a witness. You killed his whole family even their dog but him…you left him he had just been accepted to Hogwarts…he had a future with his family but you stole that from him..your a monster..” you cut sebastian off, you remembered the boy you could not kill because he looked like a certain person standing in this room.

“His father should have paid me what I was owed, my services are not cheap. He knew the consequences if I didn't get the galleons.” you spoke

“So you run a killing business now too? You make money off of other people suffering, you're no better than the ashwinders and the poachers we fought off as kids.” Sebastian exclaimed

“Dont compare me to those amateurs Sebastian, I know what I am doing, and I'm not afraid of the ministries aurors, send them all my way, they are all weak.” You started to walk towards him swinging your wand in little circles. The floor creaked underneath you as you walked. He lied.

“Here I was thinking you were better than them but I guess not. you're just like them, weak. Avada K-” A sudden flashback struck you in that instant, being back at Hogwarts when Sebastian explained to you that the three unforgivable curses just like regular spells won't work unless you truly mean them. It was only a second you hesitated, only for a second and you were cut off by Sebastian casting a spell of his own.

“Incarcerous!” Sebastian shouted as ropes shot out of the tip of his wand wrapping themselves around your body trapping your arms to your sides, your wand falling out of your hand hitting the floor.

“I'm sorry y/n…but you are under arrest by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the British Ministry of Magic.” Sebastian looked you in the eyes once more before appariting with you in tow. You swear you could have seen tears forming in his eyes when he said those words as he was the one sending his friend to her death to a life sentence in Azkaban.