#beta snatcher

[hatgame]

[subconwoods]

[how-to-humaning-401]

@milk-box-16 hey

i made a silly thing for a silly mutual of mine (totally not you)

i thought it would be silly to put my design of beta kid although they have literally nothing to do with blade (other than being silly)

[soda-chips]

Okay so this is not by any means done,

It’s really rough and blocky in a lot of places.

But I know i will forget about this/lose motivation again, so I thought I’d might as well post it now

So I hope you like what I have so far

So context is pretty self explanatory : time piece misshap, beta unknowingly time travels and lands in an unknown place and meets and meets an unfamiliar(?) someone

[asterofthedeepforest]

Sneetcher

[return-of-the-queen-au]

Me and my two costumes in a hat in time

[hats-paradox]

am i allowed to request starbound? i know shes ur florist character but shes a canon ahit character to ME <3

This is so sweet dndjjsjsjsjs of course you can <3

Have some lore! I like to think she’s the one that started the eternal fire in Subcon (Snatcher technically did because it was his laser that startled her, but it was her magic that set it)

The fire spirits are also constantly inviting her to be extinguished with them, she doesn’t see the appeal in dying a second time

She also has less than good opinions of the Subcon royalty- she isn’t exactly clear on what happened to Subcon, but she is sure it’s their fault (and they still wage turf wars which she doesn’t appreciate)

[witch-sweets]

[princeofnothing]

[thesopwithcamel]

My AU

Since everyone has an AU I might as well share one of my own.

So there are three different universes which exist seperatly from each other but different events happen during it, due the events of the ARG, universe 1 (or 1HT) is 3 years ahead of the other two but due to unfortunate events around Universe 3's (or 3HT) version of Hat Kid going insane with the power of Time and space in her hands she accidentally melds the three universes together in a way which keeps them around but means that it takes up a lot of Space and that includes the 3 universe Earth's.

The three universes consist of:

1HT which encompasses the retail game and chapters, Hat Kid is an alien and her actual name is Caitlyn. Bow Kid and 1HT Timmy are dead and because of that (and some other events) Caitlyn decided to give up on beam attacks and umbrella swings in favour of jacketed hollow points and Thermite. Her ship has been destroyed by the cataclysmic events causing the mixup but Ol' Stella's fuel tank cooking off in the lower atmosphere over Calcite/Mafia Town actually lessened any horrific effects meaning most of universe 3's negativity didn't enter except, 1HT also concerns the events of the ARG some of those characters coming in later.

2HT encompasses the Prototype and alpha stages of A hat in Time's developement (Alpha Subcon forest, City of calcite/Harbour, Sands 'n sails and Science express), as such it also contains many cut characters (Moonjumper, Thor, etc, etc). 2HT Hat Kid is called Natalie, Proto Kid also exists (she was made by Tim to Give Hat Kid a friend to play with when she isn't serving him) and 2HT Bow and Timmy are alive. When the cataclysm occurs everyone instinctively blames Tim for yet another meltdown, then they shift the blame to Caitlyn (which kickstarts her shift from Umbrella's and projectile badges to crowbars and firearms) before finally getting the jist of it and blaming 3HT Hat Kid (more about her later).

3HT is mostly unknown because it technically no longer exists, very few things have been ported over to here and as such there isn't much information but due to 3HT's version of Hat Kid (whose actual name is unknown, she caused this entire mess and needs to go to therapy) and Snatcher (who in this universe in an irredeemable prick) somehow surviving the incident (everyone else is fucking dead) and the fact that they're both arseholes means that its hell in there.

I will make more posts about this au whenever the hell I have the motivation to do so.

[slime-sandwhich-nom]

I AM SO SORRY I KNOW I'M ANNOYING WITH MY CONTINUOUS LONG ASS POSTS

BUT I WANNA FIRST THANK @dilemmasuffersthroughschool BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS (or well, looked way MORE into it, I knew about a fair amount of moonjumper and beta snatch, and the third level. But I didn't know about the remix lmao)

But BACK WITH THAT REMIX

considering the lyrics of subcon forest (masked)

We're talking about moonjumper and vanessa, but since moonjumper and snatcher are technically the same guy (they didn't used to be in the beta, though.) I'll talk about it like it's him.

So, the "he doesn't know, she waits inside, she lost her mind, many years gone by." Makes me think that originally snatch (by snatch I mean moon, because in the beta snatch seems to know VERY well about her) wasn't supposed to know that vanny was STILL there, but in the game now this got proven wrong pretty easily.

he knows she's there, he knows she's inside, and even calls her "old friend" and "soul mate."

Personally, I don't like moonjumper, as the prince at least, simply because I love the "good guy becomes evil" trope too much, BUT there's the fun headcanon (because it's not a theory, as I'm pretty sure it was confirmed that moon was the prince and snatch originally was just a shadow stealing your stuff) where moon only has the decayed body of the prince, in reality it's just a dweller. Which I like that, honestly lmao

Just wanted to say it because I couldn't find more but I'll look more into it

Also I was watching the like chapter 2 trailer from 2013 and snatcher wanting to keep the time piece because it's sparkly and looks magical oddly still fits. Like, the guy in canon only wants to keep the time pieces because they were in his property, y'know? Finder keepers. But him also wanting it because it's sparkly and that's it also fits.

I'm keeping it.

Also I enjoy a lot the third level, just snatcher stealing your key for no real reason just to annoy you and then running away as a clone of hat kid

THEY ARE ALL THINGS THAT SNATCH IN HIS CURRENT PERSONALITY WOULD DO, like my guy would definitely do it out of boredom.

"Poor fellow, doesn't even know he used to live here! Eeeeeevery time I bring him something from this place, he almost wets his bed in fear. HA HA HA!" yup. That's my good old snatcher. (This also means that moon, or rather the prince, was scared of the manor and Vanessa but doesn't remember it at all, but still reacted to it because it was a trigger to his trauma.)

He's has always been an asshole, and he'll always be my favorite asshole.

Also the whole "lights hurt snatcher (more like it makes him vanish and them come back)" is something I like a lot. Will keep it as a headcanon.

That's all lmao if ya wanna say more PLEASE do I love snatch and his story and I would love to add little HCS based on the cut parts :)

[hatgame]

[hatlink]

the snatcher is hot

the snatcher snatcher snatcher snatcher snatcher

[pettyprocrastination]

Parasite In the Nursery

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Reader

Summary: You bring your husband back from the hospital after he was in a car crash that nearly took his life. Once the joy wears off of learning he survived, you're stuck with the nagging dread that the man you brought home is not the one you married. 

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: anxiety, mentions of death, nothing really aside from a general feeling of unease throughout it. 

Author’s note: wanted to approach Miguel from a vaguely 80′s-ish horror vibe because the dude is WEIRD and I want to see more of that. Romance + invasion of the body snatchers type beat. Big thanks to @thesadvampire and @madhyanas for being my beta readers and editors on this one. I love you both a fuck ton <3

Credit for divider goes to @mmadeinheavenn​ !

Miguel wonders if you think he’s having an affair.

Granted, he doesn’t have much context to judge your personality off of, he’s learning more about you with each day going on- but he knows that most wives don’t jump when their husband calls their name or watch him out of the corner of their eye as he sings their daughter to sleep in the nursery.

Cheating is common. Benign. Easier to explain than the nagging feeling that’s been biting at the small of your neck ever since he was released from the hospital. Ever since you laid your eyes on him and knew without a doubt that the man before you wasn’t the one you married ten years ago.

A part of him feels a swell of pride at how closely you analyze him. He should feel a prick of panic run down his spine at the threat of you discovering him, but when your eyes roam over his shoulders- too broad to belong to the once relaxed if not soft physique of the man you married- to the smile he flashes you is tight and closed.

No, he gets excited.

Perhaps it's a sense of pride. Knowing in this universe, his wife is sharp as a whip and just as fast. That he values strong characteristics, determination, intelligence, kindness all found within you. That he’s a family man within his own right and can’t help but approve of the traits found within wife and babygirl.

Maybe Miguel was just severely fucked up in the head. One would have to be to play house with a would-be widow and her darling little girl.

Your mother had called it a miracle.

A guardian angel on his shoulder. An extra sprinkle of luck on his head or some cosmic debt a stranger owed him- each phrase sung to you by your loved ones when you shared the state of Miguel’s well being after he was discharged from the hospital.

Normal people don’t survive head on collisions with a truck twice the size of their car. Their skin is torn open by the shards of class, bones snap and broken under the bending steel meant to keep them safe, effectively trapping them until the paramedics arrived if they were unfortunate to not die on impact, forcing their final moments to be nothing but sheer panic and confusion as their ears ring and blink out of consciousness.

But the man in your home, who falls asleep with both arms around your waist and kisses the crown of your daughter’s head, nuzzling the little curls she has as he lays her to sleep in her crib is nothing but normal.

You don’t say any of it out loud. God knows how ridiculous you’d sound- lamenting the fact that the love of your life, the father of your baby, survived what should have been a fatal car crash when countless others had somebody dear to them ripped from their lives in the same fashion. Nobody would console you or your growing concerns that something adjacent to a B-rated sci-fi horror film was happening within your home.

Miguel doesn’t poke the concerns nor try to nullify them. He’s far too busy treating your daughter, sweet little Gabriela, like she was the sun and the stars. Every waking moment had been dedicated to her in some way if he wasn’t stuck at work (which is happening less and less lately, despite the fact that before his accident, you distinctly remember countless mornings where your poor husband dragged himself away from you with a kiss to your swollen belly at the crack of dawn and shuffled into his shirt and tie before you got out of bed.

You watch from the doorway of her nursery as he gently rocks her in his arms, leaning down to press his nose to the side of her face. Despite the fear that churns your stomach each time you look at him, you can’t help but smile as Gabriela’s laughter fills the air.

The thing wearing your husband’s face treats your daughter like royalty, you surmised that there were worse things in the world than that.

He knows you can tell something is wrong. You're smart. Analytical. He can feel your eyes cut into him as he spoon feeds Gabi in the morning when you busy yourself with the pantry.

Miguel’s airplane noises are different. Not that it matters. Rather than his nasally impression of an airplane's sputtering engine, threatening to give out as he moves the plastic spoon of mango puree to your daughter’s mouth, he makes a low rhythmic whooshing sound like that of a UFO.

“My mom was thinking about taking Gabi this Friday afternoon.”

“Oh?”

You haven't turned to face him. Instead you busy yourself with moving the spices within the pantry with trembling fingers.

“Is there a reason?”

“I thought we could try that new Italian place on Fifth. The one that replaced that sandwich shop.”

That sandwich shop had been his favorite. Miguel had stopped there damn near every morning to grab his lunch before work, even waiting in a winding line to the door even if it meant slipping into the Alchemax lobby twenty minutes late. Had you ever mentioned the mere suggestion of it shutting down, your poor husband would have burst a blood vessel on the spot.

The man sitting at your dining table merely shrugs his hard-cut shoulders.

“I’m alright, tell her maybe next week.”

Miguel hears you give a shaking breath. Your engagement ring- a sensible princess cut he saved up for months to buy- glints beneath the kitchen light as your hand curls around a glass container of minced garlic.

He’s given the wrong answer.

“Are you alright honey?”

You let out a noise. A high pitched titter as your shoulders start to shake he can’t tell if you’ve begun to laugh or cry.

His fangs worry the inside of his cheek. You were smart, smarter than he gave you credit for it would seem. Maybe he had been all too distracted with staring at the wedding photos on the mantle and playing house to realize how much of you truly saw.

Gabi whines as his hand lowers the spoon before she can take a bite.

You turn your head to meet his gaze and smile.

There is no fear in your eyes. No hatred. No tears running down your face as the terror finally sinks in. That this man, this thing that sleeps in your bed and lays your daughter to bed each night in her crib is not the man you have loved for fifteen years.

There is nothing.

“Just a bit tired, Miggy. That’s all.”

The name sends flashes through his mind. Gabriel’s voice in a taunting  lull when they were children rang through his ears. Xina’s frustrated pleading for the truth. Everything began to swirl and twist until he could feel the pressure building in the back of his head. He brings his hands to his temples, squeezing his eyes shut in some attempt to alleviate the pain that threatens to split his skull.

“Miguel?” Your voice just barely cuts through the fog.  “Are you alright?” Your voice is slow and apprehensive, not coming from a place of genuine concern for his well-being but instead out of fear of what follows next.

Gabriela wriggles in her highchair. Her lip begins to quiver at the lack of attention from both her parents.

“I’m alright.” He insists through gritted teeth. “Just a mild headache.”

“Maybe you should go lay down then. Sleep it off.”

Miguel looks up and catches your eye in the reflection of the mirror hanging on the wall. Rust colored eyes narrow as he tilts his head and speaks slowly and clearly for the first time since he came home.

“I said.” He pushes out, you watch as his lip curls and you see pointed teeth slipping from his mouth. “I’m fine.”

Silence falls over husband and wife, neither of you daring to break the trance.

It was then that little Gabriela, in a desperate attempt for food or attention from her parents or perhaps both, threw her head back and began to wail.

You crossed the kitchen in fast strides before he had the chance to get up. Frantic hands tugging her free from her highchair and close to your chest where she cried into your shirt.

His chair scrapes along the kitchen floor as he walks toward you, each step he takes forward is matched by your own trailing away until your back comes in contact with the wall.

“I’ve got her, it’s alright.” You manage a shaking smile to try and placate him as he reaches out to you. “Why don’t you go wash up and I'll finish feeding her?”

“Let me-”

“Don’t.”

Your voice cuts through the room. Not pleading but demanding. Stronger and angrier than he had ever heard it before. The polite but cautious wife that he woke up to each morning was gone as you stared up at him with defiance. 

Red eyes watch you with an emotion you can’t quite name as your hand gently cradles the back of your daughter’s head and pulls her closer to your chest.

He brings his hand back and nods.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

You don’t move until his shadow is gone from your vision and you hear the bathroom door shut. Over the sound of the shower raining down on him, droplets of water pat-pat-pattering against the tile floor he can hear you whispering comforts to Gabriela in the kitchen.

“It’s okay, babygirl, mama’s got you right here.”

Something gnaws at his stomach as he thinks of the look in your eyes as he stood over you and the way you pulled her closer to your chest when he reached out.

Miguel stands in the shower, letting the hot water burn his skin raw as he listens to you walk around the house with a now docile Gabriella in your arms. You sing a song about field mice and wolves while changing her diaper and whisper a gentle “sweet dreams, babygirl” before settling her in the crib your husband had insisted on putting together himself when you first found out you were pregnant.

He has the decency to wait until you're in bed to join you. Steam curling off his shoulders as he walks into your bedroom to find it shrouded in darkness. His eyes settle on your form where you sit on the edge of the bed, waiting for him in the night.

You stare at him. The Stranger with red eyes like dried blood that cut through the darkness like a coyote in the bushes. The more you look at him the more you realize he doesn’t look like your Miguel at all. Perhaps it was your own grief followed by the pure elation of learning your husband was alive that let these details slip through the cracks but now you can’t deny it. You don’t know this man and you’ve let him into your home.

“Did you kill him?”

His eyes go wide at your accusation. There’s a brief moment of refusal, where his hands go up in defense and he opens his mouth to speak to you slowly, cautiously like you’re a cornered animal.

You snap before he has the chance to speak.

“Don't-” You hiss to the man twice your size. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

Part of you wonders if he’ll kill you. You’ve seen the scars on his body, the curve of muscle where your husband was soft and domesticated, you don’t doubt that he has the strength for it.

His shoulder’s drop, freed from the weight of the facade.

“I didn’t kill him” Miguel has the decency to look ashamed as he tells you the truth. “He was already dead.”

You don’t know this man. You don’t know the truth of his life, his desires or his actual reason for slipping into your life like an invasive species right under your nose. You don’t even know if his real name is Miguel. But as tears begin to fall down your cheeks, as you finally get to grieve the death of your husband; you allow the stranger to wrap his arms around you in a poor imitation of sympathy.

[emeritusemeritus]

Vulnera Sanentur [Weasley Twins x Reader]

Part 7

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Title: Vulnera Sanentur

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader x George Weasley {established relationship}

Timeline: DH1&2- Initially set during the battle of the seven potters. Canon and certain plot points have been altered for the needs of the story.

Summary: The battle of the seven Potters throws your world into chaos when one of your boyfriend’s is cursed. As Snape’s ex-potions assistant and previous protégée, you recognise the inflicted curse immediately and demand answers from your mentor.

Warnings: Angst, mentions of war and Voldy, descriptions of injury and blood, descriptive smut, p in v sex, shower sex, tension. Outside sex. Semi public sex. None sexual nudity. Crying. Snape has a soft spot for reader. Arguments. Probably some cursing. Mentions of nightmares. Reader is part of the Order of the Phoenix. Mentions of death (Dumbledore). Mentions of Tonks’ pregnancy. On it got a angsty. So much angst I can’t tag it all. Not spellchecked nor beta read, we die like Madeye.

The return to Hogwarts.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to be added to the Taglist, I have tried adding everyone but some blogs cannot be added? I will keep trying for you all 🖤

Apparating into Hogsmeade just outside the anti-apparition jinx perimeter was the only feasible way you could get close to the castle, but it was extremely dangerous, to say the least. There was a bounty upon all of your heads, none more than Harry who had been marked as undesirable number 1. Your plan was to sneak in through the Honeydukes cellar passageway, navigating Hogmeade in the dark just as you had the night George lost his ear to confront Snape. You wished you had the marauders map on your possession and had cursed yourself multiple times for not keeping it to hand, knowing that Grimmauld place was much too risky to return to now that Yaxley had discovered the location of the safe house after fleeing the ministry.

You had not anticipated the alarm that sounded out the second you all apparated into Hogmeade, the Caterwauling charm forcing you to run for cover the second your feet landed on the ground. Snatchers and death eaters were hot on your tails as you hid behind folded tables in the market, holding your breath and trying to control your shaking limbs. Snow covered the ground and you tried your hardest to hide your tracks but it was too late, all of you huddled together beneath a table as footsteps approached. Only when another alarm sounded off in the distance did the men relent and began running to investigate, assuming it to be Harry.

You stood quickly and beckoned the rest of your group to follow you, trying to slip through the jitty that ran between the Hog's Head and the side entrance to Honeydukes. Your heart sunk as you spotted a newly installed railing too late, cornering you and preventing you from escaping. You turned to Ron with a look of fear in your eyes, desperately trying to think up a backup plan as you tried to pull the secret passageways from your memory.

"Potter, in here!" A voice whispered from the side, urging you to run forward for cover.

A large portrait on the wall grabbed your attention immediately, a young girl with a clipped smile and distant eyes.

"You bloody fools, what were you thinking coming here?" The deep voice said, walking into the room. His likeness to your ex-headmaster was striking though not in the way that they were identical but almost as if they had the same kind eyes and long white hair and beards. "Have you any idea how dangerous it is?"

"You're Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother," Harry says, watching as the man briefly pauses mid-step before continuing on to peak out the shuttered windows, looking for any sign of suspicion with a vague noise of confirmation.

Aberforth kindly fetched some food and drink for you all though you don't launch for it as Ron and Hermione do, your stomach in knots about the next task.

"We need to get into the castle, tonight," Harry says with urgency, also not moving to reach for the food.

When Aberforth turns to him with a look of confusion and disgust, Harry presses, "Dumbledore gave us a job to do."

"Did he now?" Aberforth replies sneakily, pouring himself a drink. "Nice job? Easy?" He asks sarcastically, implying a conflict between them and previous knowledge of Albus' riddle like tasks. His face beamed with a sardonic smile that didn't reach his eyes, though he clearly found it an amusing situation.

"We've been hunting Horcruxes," Harry admits. Your gaze shoots your to him in surprise and alarm that he'd admitted it out loud to a man you barely knew. In truth, you had been more than hesitant about things since the incident with Bathilda, not to mention your multiple uses of Polyjuice Potion in the last few months alone. Quite frankly, you didn't trust anyone to be who they claimed to be.

"We think the last one's inside the castle, but we'll need your help getting in," Harry says. The tension on the room lingers as Aberforth places down his drink, eyeing Harry with suspicion, not astounded at the claim as you had anticipated him to act.

"That's not a job my brother's given you, it's a suicide mission. Do yourself a favor boy. Go home. Live a little longer."

"Dumbledore trusted me, to see this through," Harry counters, unfazed by Aberforth's harsh tone.

"What makes you think you can trust

him! What makes you think you can believe anything my brother told you! In all the time you knew him, did he ever mention my name? Did he ever mention hers?" Aberforth gestures to the painting of the young girl you'd spotted upon entering, her vacant expression never changing even as she's addressed.

"Why should he?" Harry begins to say, before Aberforth interjects.

"Keep secrets? You tell me." He goads.

"I trusted him."

"That's a boys answer," Aberforth dismisses. You cast a glance at Hermione as the two argue back and forth, keeping surprisingly cool under the tension. Ron, standing beside Hermione, looks less concerned as he continues to eat, shoving his mouth full of food as he watches the confrontation before him. "A boy who goes chasing Horcruxes on the word of a man who wouldn't even tell him

where to start. You're lying. Not just to me, which doesn't matter, but to yourself as well. That's what a fool does." Aberforth has taken a few steps towards Harry but he stands resolute. "You don't strike me as a fool, Harry Potter. So I'll ask you again. There must be a reason."

Harry remains resolute even as Aberforth moves ever closer to him, the tension lingeries thickly in the air as you await Harry's answer.

"I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother, I don't care that you've given up. I trust the man I knew. We need to get into the castle tonight."

Ron's gaze flickers to you and you look upon eachother with an unreadable expression, both relating caution as you anticipate Aberforth's next move. Harry stands strong, not cowering under the dark gaze of your helper. After several seconds of intense, silent exchange, Aberforth shifts his gaze to the painting of the girl, his eyes softening as he glances at her, relenting.

The girl gives a nod, still holding her wistful smile and turns, waking off into the distance of the oil painting, her form getting increasingly smaller the further she walks.

"Where've you sent her?" Asks Harry, curiously watching the girl disappear from the frame.

"You'll see soon enough," Aberforth replies, a little cagey.

"That's Ariana, isn't it? Your sister. She's beautiful," you say, trying to pull Aberforth back on to your side, feeling like a disquiet was pulling at him and Harry that you didn't want to linger.

"She'll always be beautiful," Aberforth says, glancing at you briefly. You nod with a small smile, understanding his wistful tone.

"She died very young, didn't she," Hermione adds delicately, though Aberforth doesn't glance at her, nor reply for a few moments as Hermione's statement hangs in the air.

"My brother sacrificed many things, in his journey to find power, including Ariana. She was devoted to him -- he gave her everything, but time."

"Thank you Mr Dumbledore," you say quietly. He stares at you for a moment with an unreadable expression before nodding curtly and walking into the other room up the stone steps. You catch Ron's eyes who looks at you in question but you shoot him a harsh glare, telling him to back off. The four of you stand in awkward silence for a few moments, looking around the sparse room and waiting for your next instruction or sign.

"She's coming back! And she's got someone with her!" Hermione calls, scrutinising the painting as a very small figure emerges from the back of the canvas. The whole scene is slightly ominous as you wait for the image to become clear, a sense of dread filling you as you consider who would be with her. Had you been set up?

"Who's that with her?" Ron asks, moving to stand closer as you all fixate on the second figure, increasing in size as they move closer, seeing that the second person was limping. The second person moves behind the girl, concealed completely as the frame around the painting creaks open from the right side. You draw your wand, ready for whatever might be unleashed but frown as you see the opening to a dark and long tunnel, revealing exactly who was stepping closer. "Bloody hell!"

"Neville!" Harry says with a smile, thankful to see an old friend. "You look

"Like hell I reckon," Neville says, crouching down with his wand in his hand. His cardigan is marked and dirty, much like his face that holds scars and fresh cuts. "This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see." He looks at you, then Hermione and then Ron, all with a smile as you greet eachother.

"Hey, Ab. We've got a couple more coming through," he says, turning to Aberforth and addressing him with a familiarity which tells you everything you need to know about the kind bar owner who had been exactly who he stated to be.

"I don't remember this being on the Marauder's Map," you say quietly with a tone of suspicion, looking at the walls of the damp and dark tunnel that surrounds you, completely unfamiliar to even you. Having George and Fred as best friends turned lovers ensured that you knew every secret passageway and hiding place in the castle, and this was one you had never found before.

"That's because it never existed till now. The seven secret passages were sealed off before the start of the year. This is the only way in or out now. The grounds are crawling with Death Eaters and Dementors," Neville explains, leading the way with his wand extended, exuding light to guide your path.

"How bad is it with Snape as Headmaster?" Hermione asks. Even in the semi-darkness you notice her gaze flicking to you at the mention of your old potion master and mentor.

"Hardly ever see him. It's the Carrows you have to watch out for."

"The Carrows?"

"Brother and sister. They're in charge of discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows," he says, pointing to the newest gash on his face.

"They did that to you? But why?" Hermione asks.

"Today's Dark Arts lesson had us practicing the Cruciatus Curse, on First Years. I refused. Hogwarts has changed."

You're amazed by the change in Neville, no longer seeing a scared boy but rather a confident man, no longer afraid to stand up for himself or the people around him. It's a bittersweet reverence you feel, conflicted by his words, knowing that this new regime must have forced him to change. You wondered about everyone else, how had they fared?

Just as you approach the end of the tunnel, a large door appears, blocking any further light. Neville turns to you all with a grin on his face, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Let's have a bit of fun, shall we?" He turns back to reach for the door and slowly begins pushing it open, moving forward to block you all with his body.

"Hey! Listen up, you lot! Brought you a surprise," he calls out, addressing what you assume to be other students.

"Not more of Aberforth's cooking, I hope. Be a surprise if we could digest it," you hear a voice call back, a voice you instantly recognise as Seamus.

Without replying, Neville steps to one side and reveals you all stood behind him, Harry first with Ron, then you and then Hermione in near single file within the small entrance to the tunnel.

"Blimey!" Seamus calls out, his face amongst a sea of others who all turn to the opening at Seamus' exclamation. The crowd erupts with cheers and hollars, your names called out as people begin to stand, clapping and smiling up at you all. You recognise many of the faces there, Luna, Cho, Dean, Lavender, Cormac, Padma and Parvati, Nigel and more. You look around hopefully to try and spot Ginny but you can't see her familiar face nor the familiar red hair you're so hopeful to see.

You descend down the ladder and are immediately met with a surge of hugs, backslaps and handshakes as the group of your fellow students embrace you, greeting each of you with an excitement you'd not anticipated.

"Get the word out to Remus and the others that Harry and the gang are back," Neville says quietly to Nigel, making you freeze in Padma's arms. You naturally assumed 'the others' meant Order members, would they all be joining you? Would you finally get to see Fred and George again? And if you did, would they even want to see you?

You faked a smile as more people greeted you but you felt as if you were on autopilot, your mind spiralling at the idea of seeing your loved one's again and their reaction. You tried to focus of Bill's words from before, his tone was positive and present tense, hopefully they did still want you. You watched from over the shoulder of a student you didn't recognise to see Nigel scrambling to work an old battered wizard wireless, navigating through the crackles of it warming up, speaking quickly and fighting to keep the large headphones on.

"River, DA calling. Do you read? We have a new weather report: Lightning has struck. I repeat, lightning has struck."

"Okay, okay! Stand down! Let's not kill them before You-Know-Who gets the chance!" Neville says, trying to calm the group who have taken to mainly swarming Harry. The sea of people parts and Ron, stood beside Harry, takes your hand, pulling you in towards him as he does the same to Hermione, keeping you all close together.

"Right then. What's the plan, Harry?" Neville says, crossing his arms as he looks expectantly at Harry.

Harry gazes out over the expectant faces in the room, noting the hollow eyes and broken bodies and the desperate, almost palpable desire for hope amongst the crowd. For a moment he seems lost, remaining mute as he is awed by the sacrifice his friends have made.

"Okay. There's something we need to find, something hidden here in the castle. It could help us defeat You-Know-Who," he says determinedly, though if not a little lost. You share a look with Hermione that looks hesitant and concerned, both of you worried to give the game away.

"What is it?" Neville asks.

"We don't know," Harry replies.

"Where is it?" Dean asks, still looking hopeful.

"Don't know that either."

There's a brief pause that lingers with awkwardness, the sea of hopeful faces falling a little as the anticlimactic information is relayed.

"I realize it's not much to go on," Harry says.

"That's nothing to go on," Seamus says a little defensively, rendering Harry speechless for the moment, faltering under the unexpected backlash.

You spot the Ravenclaw banner in the distance and place your hand on Harry's shoulder, stepping in for him as it seems that he's a little lost for words, trying to navigate what exactly he could and should tell them.

"We think it's something to do with Ravenclaw," you say, side stepping to move in line with Harry at the front. "The thing we're looking for, it would be small, easy to conceal. It'd most likely be valuable and sentimental to Ravenclaw herself," you say, looking around at the sea of people who have turned their attention to you. You fixate on the eagle symbol on the banner, trying to look at the Ravenclaw students in the room, knowing they would be the most likely to have some information.

Your words are met with near silence and lost faces, confusion upon some as they look around at each other clueless.

"Well, there's Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem," Luna says from near the back.

"Oh, bloody hell. Here we go," Ron mutters under his breath behind you and you deliver a swift concealed kick to his shin to shut him up.

"The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Hasn't anyone ever heard of it? It's quite famous," Luna says looking around as people turn in her direction, not taking her seriously.

"Yes, but Luna, it's lost. For centuries now. There's not a person alive today who's seen it," Cho says delicately, not wanting to humiliate Luna in front of the crowd. The other Ravenclaw's nod in agreement.

"Excuse me. But would someone tell me what a bloody diadem is?" Ron says, stepping to the other side of you so he doesn't get kicked again.

"It's a kind of crown. You know, like a tiara," Cho says.

You look towards Hermione and raise your eyebrows, seeing the same understanding in her eyes. It was possible, more than possible.

Just then, there's a distinctive rumble of the door opening and you freeze for a moment before you spot Ginny walking quickly over to the assembled group. She freezes for a moment, staring at Harry before mumbling his name with a smile. Ron gives a wave and says hi, though she pays no notice, still intensely staring at Harry who is staring back just the same.

"Six months she hasn't seen me and it's like I'm Frankie First Year. I mean, I'm only her brother," Ron mumbles between you and Hermione and you can't help but smile at his childish grumbling.

"Got loads of those, though, doesn't she? There's only one Harry," Seamus says, turning to you with a smile and a little wiggle of his eyebrows, making your heart flutter and your stomach tie into knots, having momentarily forgotten about the impending reunion with your boyfriends.

"Shut up, Seamus," Ron says without any real conviction, only to be interrupted by Neville who turns to Ginny with a frown.

"What is it, Ginny?"

"Snape knows. He knows that Harry was spotted in Hogsmeade," she says, still frozen to the spot, looking alarmed. Her gaze breaks away only briefly as she looks to you, then Ron, then Hermione. She eventually runs forward and embraces Harry, then pulls you in, then Ron and then Hermione.

"We need to do something," Harry says, turning to your group.

"How long until the order gets here?" You hear Ron ask Neville, trying to make a plan, knowing it would be foolish to act before the order had assembled.

"Anytime now, they've all been called to arms," he replies, looking back towards you as you nod. Trying to ignore the knot in your stomach and the lump in your throat, you turn to Harry, his gazed fixed to the floor, seemingly trying to think of options.

"Harry we need to overthrow Snape," Hermione says, a dangerous look in her eye.

"But we have to catch him off guard," you say, agreeing with Hermione. "We have to wait for the Order to arrive, if it turns into a fight we need backup. Neville how many of the teachers are on his side?"

"Just the Carrow's I'd say, most others have either been threatened, left or stayed to protect the students," Neville says, moving to stand closer to you all, the intel for the plan.

"We surprise Snape, overthrow and outnumber them, then we search the castle whilst the Order sets up defences," you say, looking directly at Harry so that he'd listen to your reasoning, "once we start this, there's no turning back."

He nods almost immediately, his gaze turning to you as he works through the plan in his head.

"That could work," Ron says encouragingly, moving closer to place a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Suddenly a loud alarm rings out, a whirring sound reminiscent of an old war time air raid alarm. You flinch, as does your little group though the other students seem completely unfazed, each of them dispersing to grab their discarded school robes.

"What's happening?" Harry asks, looking around frantically.

"Snape's called an assembly," Ginny explains, quickly placing her outer robes around her. "We have 10 minutes to get to the Great Hall."

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione exclaims as Harry reaches for a robe, quickly placing the cloak around him. So much for your plan.

"You wait here for the Order, I'll sneak in with the crowd, he won't be expecting that," he says, fingers struggling with the ties of the cloak in his haste.

"Hermione it might be the best way," you say carefully, expecting the disbelieving look she gives you. "Snape doesn't know Harry's already in the castle, right Gin?" You ask, turning to Ginny.

"No, the castle would be locked down if he did," Ginny says, agreeing with you.

"I have some Polyjuice potion," you begin to say but Harry stops you.

"No, it has to be me," Harry says, and you nod in understanding, letting him go.

The students pour out, including Harry who is concealed between Ginny and another Gryffindor student you don't recognise, leaving you, Ron and Hermione alone to await the Order's arrival.

The sound of the students marching in formation is an ominous noise, the steady beat of the synchronised footsteps only illuminating the quickened pace of your pounding heart. You took a seat on one of the crates in the back corner of the room, your back to both walls, staring into your lap and wringing your hands as nerves overtake you. The Order, most importantly Fred and George, would be here any minute and you didn't even know where to begin with greeting them.

Would they still want you?

Would they be harsh and dismissive?

Were they mad at you for leaving?

Your stomach flipped with nerves and you tried to hold back the nauseous feeling that kept rising up, your entire being riddled with anxiety. The others seemed to sense your internal distress and left you alone, standing together and talking quietly in the other corner. You pulled out the lebetum from your pocket to keep you occupied and distracted, looking into the frosted glass as you tried thinking of happy memories to see the words form but you were too anxious and conflicted to get a clear thought in your mind, the words remaining hidden. You still weren't certain what the exact use for it was, though it had helped you to retrieve the sword of Gryffindor. Why was the doe significant? You were pretty sure that Dumbledore's patronus was a Phoenix, so surely it couldn't be Albus helping you beyond the grave. The only clue you had was Dobby's cryptic message delivered just before he died, 'my boss was right'. But Dobby was a free elf, Harry had ensured that after the chamber of secrets, planting the sock which freed him from the Malfoys.

Just as you huffed out a breath of disappointment and placed the lebetum back deep into your pocket, a deep rumbling noise broke through the quiet room, alerting you to an intruder. Holding out your wand you waited a few seconds for the figure to appear, visibly shrinking in relief when you noticed Kingsley's signature blue robes coming into view. He was followed close behind by Remus and then Neville. Arthur and Molly stepped in and then Bill and Fleur. It was like you were being tortured on purpose, having to wait and sift through the familiar members until you finally saw the two near identical beings you'd longer for all this time.

They all naturally congregated around Hermione and Ron, greeting them with warmth having seen them first as they entered, your position partially hidden in the back corner. Almost immediately, you see George and Fred looking around worriedly as you aren't with Ron and Hermione. George catches your eye line first and you immediately stood up on shaking legs, feeling breathless and frozen in place, unable to take even a single step out of overwhelming fear that you'd be rejected after all this time.

His face erupts with sheer relief as he nudges Fred hard with his elbow, alerting his twin to your presence. Both twins turned to face you and within one second of turning, they run off from the group and bolt over to you, each pulling at your frozen form as tears erupt, free flowing down your face. George takes hold of you first, muttering unintelligible words as he cradles you tightly. The movement hurts your tender shoulder but you couldn't care less whilst you sob into his chest in relief. Fred speaks too but you can't make it out, both of their voices mixing to form a symphony of background noise. Fred then pulls you into his arms and spins you around, holding all of your weight as you sob and laugh at the same time. He puts you down on the floor and kisses you hard, hands tangling in your hair, no part of you left untouched as George grabs hold of your spare hand, feeling you firmly between them.

"I'm so sorry."

"I'm so sorry baby, I never meant-."

"You're really here."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"Missed you so bloody much."

You all speak at the same time, still clutching onto each other desperately as if one of you would disappear at any moment. George stops speaking and pulls you into a kiss, all his emotions pouring into the kiss, his remorse and regret, longing and desperation from the last months all culminating within him.

"I'm so sorry, I never meant to push you away, I took it out on you and I will never forgive myself," George says with a hiccup, still holding you as he pulls away from the kiss, speaking quickly so that he can be the first one to talk. Your tears have slowed now and from what you can see, both of the twins have their own tear lines too.

"No I'm sorry, I never wanted to leave you, especially not after everything that happened."

"We understand sweetheart," Fred says, stepping back in after giving you and George a moment. He places his hands onto your waist and you stand between both men, exactly where you should always be.

You hear a cough from the corner of the room and turn to see Remus with his hand in front of his mouth, looking sheepish and a little embarrassed having to break up your reunion. You understand, knowing that business needed taking care of first. You walk back to the group and are greeted warmly by Molly who pulls you into a bone crushing hug, followed by Arthur. Fleur then pulls you in and Bill strides over to you, placing his arm much more gently around you, knowing the problem with your shoulder.

"Told you," he whispers in your ear and you smile, gently elbowing him playfully which makes him laugh, your boyfriends paying close attention to your interaction.

"So where do we begin?" Hermione asks, looking towards Kingsley for leadership. He explains his plan but stops when he realises he doesn't quite know why you've returned.

"We need time," you say, standing straight. "We have to search the castle for something and destroy it."

"Then time you'll have," Kingsley says with a nod, ushering you all forward as you walk in formation towards the great hall where Harry would be revealing himself. You're flanked by your boyfriends, neither of them letting you out of their sight nor more than an arms length away as you walk between them.

Kingsley and Remus cast matching stunning spells as soon as you all round the corner to the hall, taking out the two deatheaters who were guarding the entrance to the hall.

You wait in tense silence, trying to listen in to what you believe to be Snape's threatening monologue until you hear a chorus of gasps, alerting you that Harry had made his move. It was time to act.

Next

Taglist:

@missryerye @football1921 @rk-ceres @weasleywheezer @lotusloisstuff @c0comichi @xthatpottahfanx @aigowen @fandom-taylor @weasleyluver85 @mariamkhaled87 @jewelsrules @ledger-kaos @bucksdonkey @clara-carpenter-morgan @jinxxangel13 @darkrozesblog

[return-of-the-queen-au]

Can we all make beta subcon content but instead of being snatcher and moonjumper hating each other because both are the prince it's really just moonjumper trying his best to understand why this random shadow is telling him about why killing should be legal