#but then out of nowhere she SNAPED her neck to turn around and stare at me

[bu2b2]

.

[wondernimbus]

two sworn enemies pt. 2 — draco malfoy

pairing: draco malfoy x female!reader

summary: maybe being fancied by draco malfoy isn’t so bad, after all.

requests are closed for now. please refrain from plagiarizing my work!

click here to read pt. 1!

"Why is it so bloody cold?"

[Y/N] is decked out in full winter apparel; a knitted Gryffindor sweater, ear-muffs, and a scarf that she has half of her face buried in.

Sitting in the Quidditch stands with the rest of her friends, she grumbles, "It's not even a Gryffindor match. We don't really have to be here freezing to death."

"Well, it's common courtesy," says Hermione, but she's just as cold as [Y/N] is; there's bits of snow stuck in her hair and the tip of her nose is pink.

Ron snorts loudly. “We’re here to watch Slytherin lose," he says matter-of-factly, still in the process of smearing streaks of blue paint across his cheek.

[Y/N] watches him, nose scrunched. "Well, aren't you the Ravenclaw fanatic."

He gives her a grin and holds out the small tub of paint. "Want some?"

She bunches up her lips in thought, then reaches out to take it. Annoyingly enough, Ron pulls back at the last moment, grinning wider than ever, and says, "Or d'you want to show support for your boyfriend Malfoy? Hermione, why don't you turn this green—"

[Y/N] dives over Hermione and Harry to smack Ron round the head, only for the pair to hold her back and push her into her seat.

Exasperated, Hermione huffs, "Honestly, Ronald, will you stop bringing that up?" She glares at him. "You know fully well [Y/N] doesn't like it."

Ron (and Harry, although he isn't as boisterous about it as the redhead), thinks that the "blond ferret" taking a fancying to her is one of, if not the most hilarious thing to have ever happened in history. Annoyingly enough, Ron has made it a habit to tease her about it every chance he gets—this one being one of them.

"If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Ron fancied Malfoy with how much he talks about him," grins Harry. This earns him a smatter of blue paint across his face; Ron had flicked it at him.

With one last eye-roll, [Y/N] tears her gaze away from Ron and digs her nose further into her scarf. It really is very cold; snow is falling from the sky, seeping into her clothes, some landing on her hair and on her face. Thankfully there's not so much of it that the players on the pitch wouldn't be able to see around them, but still—[Y/N] imagines that it'd be a lot colder for them, having to fly around the stadium with the cold wind whipping at their robes.

There’s a buzz of loud chatter hanging in the air as conversations from all around them overlap over one another. The entire stadium is slowly filling up; students trickle into the stands, a majority of which have adorned themselves with blue accessories as a show of support to Ravenclaw. One side of the stands, however, is entirely green. Through the snow, she can see a big serpent-shaped balloon hovering over the Slytherin side.

"They’re coming out!" someone exclaims.

Sure enough, when [Y/N] looks down at the pitch, players from both teams have appeared and congregated at opposite ends of the pitch. Slytherin and Ravenclaw; whichever house wins will play Gryffindor for the house cup. Most bets are on Slytherin, but [Y/N] would have to be dead before she is caught anywhere supporting them.

"Look, it's [Y/N]'s boyfriend," gushes Ron.

More out of habit than anything, [Y/N] shoots the redhead yet another brief, scathing look. Draco Malfoy is there, even though he's nowhere near being her boyfriend, pale face set into a stoic expression of calm as he stands with the rest of his team, one hand on his broom and the other on his hip—and this specific image has her thinking back to what happened two weeks ago on this very same pitch, except the stadium was empty and it was only the two of them on the grounds; when he'd confessed to liking her.

As if Malfoy has somehow heard her thoughts over the noise of excited chatter coming from all over the stands, he looks up, eyes sweeping the seats in search for someone before finally, they land on her.

When he meets her gaze, [Y/N]'s breath isn't knocked out of her chest, nor does she start blushing madly. But she doesn't burn red with annoyance, either. All she does is stare at him, eyes narrowed, watching as his lips split into a wide grin and he raises his hand to wave at her.

She rolls her eyes, but thankfully—thankfully, the scarf tucked around her neck, reaching up to her nose, conceals the smile that tugs at her lips.

"May I ask everyone to please find themselves in their seats before the match begins," McGonagall’s voice echoes around the stadium, giving [Y/N] a reason to break eye contact.

She tears her stare away from Malfoy’s, inhaling a deep breath through her nose, feeling oddly exhilarated.

But this isn't anything new. That slight feeling of breathlessness, that unfamiliar sensation tickling at her stomach whenever she spots a certain someone in the hallway; she's been feeling it a lot lately, and though the cause seems to be pretty obvious, that is another thing she'd have to be caught dead before doing: admitting that she reciprocates some of Malfoy’s.. peculiar feelings.

"And they're off!" Dean Thomas announces. [Y/N] watches as the players soar high into the air until they're mostly level with the stands, a blur of blue and green robes rapidly zooming around the pitch. Slytherin is already in possession of the quaffle; not a surprise, considering Ravenclaw isn't exactly known for their exceptionally talented Quidditch team.

Malfoy, meanwhile—[Y/N] tells herself that the way her eyes dart around the pitch in search of a certain platinum blond is because she wants to watch the game properly and not for other reasons.

She spots him hovering somewhere above the rest of the players, face screwed up in concentration as his gaze moves around the pitch in search for the golden snitch. He looks even paler in winter, set against a backdrop of a cloudy sky and snow—

[Y/N] jars herself out of her thoughts and blinks, side-eyeing her friends (specifically Ron) to make sure they hadn't seen her.. observing the Slytherin seeker. (Not like it matters; it's not as though she fancies him, but Ron would certainly take it the wrong way.)

"Go Ravenclaw!" Ron practically screeches, waving his Ravenclaw banner in the air—when did he get that? "Kick Slytherin’s arse so Gryffindor can crush you in the finals!"

[Y/N] snorts. "Have it all thought out, don't you, Ron?"

"Go on and cheer for your Slytherin boyfriend, [Y/N], no one's stopping you," says Harry, grinning. She turns to face him, mouth open in disbelief, and lets out a quick breath of incredulous laughter.

"So, Harry," [Y/N] says, suddenly deadpan. ”I see you've chosen Ron’s side."

Harry snickers, then shrugs.

"Oh, Malfoy’s seen the snitch!" someone shouts from beside them. [Y/N] turns back to the game to see Malfoy zooming down the pitch, clutching the front of his broom as he swerves past Slytherin and Ravenclaw players alike in pursuit of the tiny golden ball all the way on the other side of the stadium, where [Y/N] and her friends are sat. He has the upper hand—Ravenclaw's seeker is only just now starting to fly after him, but she's a good distance behind and Malfoy is gaining speed.

"He’s gonna catch it!"

"Ravenclaw's even worse than I thought," grumbles Ron, slumping down in his seat.

But just as Malfoy passes by them, somehow, despite the fact that he is in pursuit of the bloody golden snitch and on the brink of securing victory for his team, he slows down just the tiniest bit, and then, in true Malfoy fashion—theatric as always in his displays of affection—he catches her eye and yells “This one's for you, [Y/N]!”, a grin on his face before he hurtles down the pitch, stretching out his hand towards the fluttering snitch—

"Malfoy’s got the snitch!" Dean Thomas screams into his microphone. "Slytherin wins!"

[Y/N] stares, feeling oddly warm despite the wintry weather, as Malfoy spins around in mid-air, triumphantly holding up the snitch for the rest of Hogwarts to see.

"Blimey," gapes Ron, wide-eyed, staring not at the Slytherin seeker but at [Y/N]. "That was—"

[Y/N] looks away from Malfoy to meet Ron's gaze, maintaining indifference. "He’s quite the charmer, isn't he?" she mutters, and hopes that her friends will think that the blush on her cheeks is because of the cold and not because of something—someone else.

But that's ridiculous. It is because of the cold, isn't it?

"It may be Malfoy," says Ron slowly, shaking his head, "But you can't deny that was bloody romantic. Felt like I was watching something out of one of those Muggle films."

"Yeah, we'll have to ask him for tips," says Harry, and starts laughing when [Y/N] rolls her eyes in response.

—

Malfoy may have stopped sending her Howlers, but that hardly matters because he has found every other way to pester her.

This includes consistently yelling out her name and shouting random pick-up lines every time he spots her in the hallway, as well as sending people to do her bidding—no longer first-years, but Crabbe and Goyle, who show up at random intervals everyday presenting her with a batch of different pastries. She always sends the pair off, but only after Ron and Harry accept said pastries for themselves.

"Blimey, this is heavenly!" gushes Ron, taking a passionate bite off of his second red velvet cupcake. "You sure you don't want a bite, [Y/N]? Hermione?"

[Y/N] offers him an exasperated smile. "No, thank you, Ron."

"Don’t thank me, thank your boyfriend."

The four of them walk into the dingy Potions classroom. Snape is nowhere to be seen, but it's only a matter of time before he swoops in all bat-like, so [Y/N] and Hermione quickly take a seat at their regular desk, right next to Ron and Harry.

"Have you done your homework?" asks Hermione, pulling out an assortment of parchment from her bag.

[Y/N] hums in response. "I doubt mine is half as good as yours, but hopefully I’ll scrape an acceptable."

"Oh, you're a good student, [Y/N]. Don't bring yourself down."

"Hard not to when I’m sitting next to the brightest witch in our year," she nudges Hermione’s shoulder, smiling. Hermione huffs, rolling her eyes, but it's clear by the pleased look on her face that she doesn't hate [Y/N]'s honest flattery as much as she lets on.

[Y/N] drums her fingers on the desk to pass time, not quite paying attention to the students filtering into the classroom. Or at least not until one of them calls her name and drawls, "Is someone sitting here?"

[Y/N]'s head snaps around to see none other than Malfoy, gesturing to the desk to the left of hers and Hermione’s. "Mind if I,” he pauses, grinning, "Slytherin?"

She purses her lips into a thin, tight line, inhaling deeply as she fights to keep her cool. Yes, there are times when Malfoy's gestures have her questioning her own hatred for him, but this—this is not one of them.

"That," she says, voice mostly level. "Is your seat, Malfoy. I don’t see why you have to ask me."

Which is a lie. [Y/N] knows why, of course. To get her attention. To woo her. But part of her wishes that Malfoy would realize that everything he is doing, from the overbearing pick up lines to the cupcakes to his constant public declarations of love, isn't something that [Y/N] thoroughly enjoys. Does she want him to stop yelling at her in the hallways? Yes. Does she want Crabbe and Goyle to stop bumbling up to her everywhere she goes (outside of the girl's bathroom is one example) offering cupcakes and pie and tarts? Yes. But does she want Malfoy to stop trying entirely?

Maybe not. Maybe part of her wants to give him a chance. He does seem to truly hold feelings, judging from his confession back at the Quidditch stadium, unless he's a terribly good actor.

And it wouldn't just be him she'd be giving a chance, either. Perhaps she'd also be doing so to herself. Because, over the past month, it's baffled her how quickly her feelings for him have shifted. Or maybe it's not a change of feelings, but rather realization that under all that sneering and pureblood prejudice, Draco Malfoy is a boy.

An annoyingly attractive one.

But there is so much more that [Y/N] dislikes about him. His snootiness. His arrogance. His lack of consideration for other people's feelings. He may be tall and lithe and undeniably handsome, and he may have very soft-looking platinum blond hair and stormy grey eyes like dark clouds, but he is also a prick. And that wins over everything else, no matter how.. visually pleasing he is.

So when a paper bird flutters in front of her halfway through the lesson, when Snape’s back is turned, [Y/N] hesitates. She knows fully well who it's from, despite not having to look to the side and meet his gaze.

From beside her, Hermione whispers, "Get rid of it, before Snape sees."

Exhaling, [Y/N] snatches the paper bird and quickly unfolds it.

She doesn't know what she's expecting to see, but it's certainly not the words "meet me at the Astronomy tower after dinner" scribbled across the parchment. And with a drawing of a face blowing kisses, no less.

[Y/N] sighs.

—

[Y/N] has no real feelings for Malfoy, so succumbing to his mysterious evening request at the Astronomy tower shouldn't mean anything.

Scratch that: it doesn't mean anything. Not to her. (Or so she tells herself.) This is a chance for her to tell Malfoy to sod off and to stop courting her. And for good, this time. No matter what that annoying little voice inside her head tells her, she can't possibly even consider the idea of actually giving in to him. (And to herself.)

So she's going to put a stop to it, once and for all.

"I’m going," she decides over dinner, slamming her palms down on the table.

"Going where?" asks Harry.

"The Astronomy tower," she replies resolutely.

"What, to go star-gazing?" Ron snickers. [Y/N] glances at him and realizes, quickly, that telling them had slipped her mind—she'd been far too preoccupied with her own conflicting thoughts.

She shifts in her seat. She doesn't necessarily need to tell them, does she? It's not as though it's important enough to share. And besides, Ron would only badger her about it. Mercilessly. [Y/N] can already picture him in her head, talking about Malfoy and snogging under the stars and Merlin-knows-what-else.

"Nevermind," says [Y/N], taking a bite out of a muffin and looking away. They don't need to know; it's not as though it's important.

—

After [Y/N] has walked up all of the stairs to get there, only taking one or two shortcuts, she's out of breath, but she creeps into the Astronomy tower anyway. It’s mostly dark save for the faint moonshine filtering in from the open sides, and, well—there he is.

Malfoy’s arms are crossed over his chest, his back mostly turned as he stands dangerously close to the railing, looking out over the dark landscape. Dim light catches on the side of his face, illuminating the grey of his eyes.

The curve of his nose.

Pale skin.

White-blond hair.

[Y/N] finds herself staring, one hand on the doorframe as though for support, brows furrowed in the middle in a slight frown as she watches him.

He looks lost in thought. Even from a few feet away, [Y/N] can see the far-off, distant look in his eyes. Like storms brewing behind dark clouds, she thinks to herself. It’s a quiet little whisper in the back of her mind that has her heart doing odd little flips inside of her chest that she never knew it was capable of.

But then she blinks.

This is the last thing [Y/N] needs. To see Malfoy stripped of his arrogance—to see him as he is, bathed in moonlight, glowing, almost. To look at him and to see a boy with eyes like molten silver and nothing more—it's the last thing she needs to convince herself that she doesn't feel something for him that isn't hatred.

No, she doesn't need this.

She turns around, breath caught in her throat, and starts walking down the steps. Accidentally, stupidly, her foot catches on a metal step and a loud clang echoes around the silent tower.

[Y/N] pauses, eyes wide.

"[Y/N]?" Malfoy's voice says. He can't see her. It’s too dark, and [Y/N] is too far down the steps.

She swallows. But instead of dreading what could come, she finds herself waiting, half-hoping that he'd check the staircase, that he would see her and—

And then what?

[Y/N] rushes down the steps, ignoring the loud noise her footsteps make on the way. This is the last thing she needs.

—

[Y/N] doesn't like Malfoy.

[Y/N] doesn't like Malfoy, and she is determined to make that clear. (Both to herself and to her friends, although the former seems to be taking a lot more convincing.)

"What is there to like about him? He’s nothing but an annoying pain in the arse who has an overwhelming amount of pride and arrogance simply because of his blood—which is not only something that he never rightfully earned but is also something that shouldn't even bloody matter, except he thinks that it does solely because he is an absolute nutter who has nothing better to do with his life other than leech off of his parents' money and shove it in other people's faces."

Ron meets Harry’s gaze from across the table, who seems to be trying very hard not to laugh. Swallowing down a forkful of pancakes, Ron looks back at [Y/N]. "I’m sorry," he begins slowly. "But remind me again why we're talking about Malfoy?"

"I’m not finished, Ronald," [Y/N] snaps, shooting him a dirty look. Ron raises his eyebrows. "As I was saying before someone so rudely cut me off, Malfoy is a nasty little git who finds joy in making other people suffer. he probably has tiny puppies locked up inside his basement just so he can laugh in their faces and revel in their misery because he is that horrible of a person—"

Harry lurches with poorly suppressed laughter.

"An absolute terrible excuse for a human being! He basks in other people's humiliation—mine, for example!—and I would much rather snog the Giant Squid than ever actually consider his—" She pauses, gritting her teeth. "Odd.. requests."

"It’s not like he's asking you to murder house-elves," Ron mutters.

"Something that I would rather do than date him!"

"[Y/N]!" Hermione gasps, looking genuinely offended as she, for the first time since they'd arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, looks up from the homework she's rushing to finish. (As if her five pieces worth of parchment aren't enough—Flitwick had only asked for three!)

"Sorry, Hermione," [Y/N] says, offering her an apologetic look that she only half-means. This quickly turns into a fierce look of challenge as she swivels back around in her seat to face the redhead sitting next to her. "Honestly, since when have you started defending Malfoy?"

Ron blanches. "I’m not defending him!" he says indignantly, setting his fork down on his plate. "It’s just.. yeah, it's a bit odd that he's declaring his undying love for you out of bloody nowhere, but he's stopped badgering us, hasn't he? Nasty little ferret hasn't said a word to Harry for weeks! And that goes for me and Hermione, too!"

[Y/N] narrows her eyes at him. "So you think it's great that he's stopped annoying you at the cost of my suffering?"

"What suffering!" Ron exclaims. "He’s been treating you like a bloody princess!"

"Oh, why don't you just snog him yourself, then, if you think so highly of him?"

Ron’s jaw drops in shocked offense.

"Alright, that's enough!" Harry announces, reaching over the table to shove the two apart from each other. "Why doesn't one of you switch seats with me before you end up strangling each other?"

"I don't know, Harry," [Y/N]'s lip curls. "I might have to hold Ron back before he goes running off to his ferret prince—or should we just let him? Merlin knows he'd love to, won't you, Ronald?"

Ron’s teeth are gritted; his eyes dart around the food on the table as though looking for the most effective weapon. He seems to be choosing between a green apple and rhubarb pie.

Thankfully, Ron never gets to take his pick. The bell rings, saving everyone in the Great Hall from witnessing what could have possibly been a brawl between friends. "Come on, let's go," says Harry quickly, relief evident in his tone of voice as he ushers the pair to their feet. "Wouldn’t want to be late for class."

—

[Y/N] doesn't like Malfoy.

[Y/N] doesn't like Malfoy, but why does she find herself staring at him whenever she comes across him in the hallway the next day? Why, when Malfoy meets her gaze, does she look away and pretend to be immersed in something else?

And why in the bloody hell, when Malfoy playfully winks at her during Potions class, does she find it very, very hard not to smile?

She walks out of the dungeon classroom in a hurry with Ron, Harry, and Hermione, not wanting to spend a minute more in Malfoy's presence; she doesn't particularly enjoy being suddenly hyperaware of every move he makes, every little glance he sends her way when he thinks she isn't paying attention. It’s as though something in her system has gone awry. Is that why her heart feels like it's about to hop right out of her chest? Is that why she can't stop wondering what would've happened if she'd stayed at the Astronomy tower?

"Hey, wait up!” Harry calls loudly as they walk up the stone steps leading away from the dungeons and into the main hallway, which is bustling with students.

[Y/N], who had been walking far too fast in front of the three, looks back over her shoulder and sees that they're a few feet away. She stops, seemingly flustered, and waits for them to catch up.

"You look like you've wet your pants," says Ron.

"I’m not you, Ron," she retorts.

"Oh, can you two please stop bickering for once?" says Hermione, exasperated.

From behind the three, Draco Malfoy emerges from the potions classroom and begins walking up the stone steps. [Y/N]'s hands clench into fists at her side as she discretely presses her back to the stone wall at her sides.

The blond doesn't even as much as glance at Ron, Harry, and Hermione as he passes by them on the steps. [Y/N], however—once Malfoy has reached the step below the one she's standing on, he pauses, no less than two feet away from her, and quirks an eyebrow.

"What?" [Y/N] scowls, trying not to look at the strand of blond hair dangling in front of his eyes.

Malfoy’s gaze dances over her face. "Was it you?"

She meets her friends' eyes over Malfoy's shoulder. Ron and Harry have their eyebrows raised; Hermione looks concerned. [Y/N] takes a moment to compose herself—tries to force her heart back into her chest—before she folds her arms across her chest and looks at the Slytherin. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"At the Astronomy tower," Malfoy says, and moves up one step so that he's standing on the same one she's on. A foot away. "I heard someone last night, while I was waiting for you."

Oh, Merlin.

"You came, didn't you?" he presses on.

"No," [Y/N] lies, and hates how defensive she sounds. She shifts a little on her feet, her eyes skirting away to look at a random spot behind Malfoy. "I was.. at the library. Doing things of actual importance."

There’s a slight pause as Malfoy's nose wrinkles. "Must’ve been someone else spying on me, then," he finally says through a scoff, but [Y/N] knows disappointment when she sees it. He rolls his shoulders back and puts on his signature smirk, inclining his head towards her as he takes another step up the stairs. "Better hurry and give me an answer, [Y/N]," he tells her, grinning. "Before one of my admirers get to me first."

[Y/N] watches as he walks up the steps and disappears into the hallway.

"The library?" a voice says incredulously. She turns back to Ron, whose face is scrunched in disbelief. "No, you weren't! We were waiting for you there and you never came."

[Y/N] folds her arms across her chest indignantly but doesn't respond, instead walking up the stone steps.

"Malfoy said he was waiting for you at the Astronomy tower," says Hermione slowly as they trail after her; [Y/N] speeds up her pace. "Is that why you mentioned going there during dinner last night?"

[Y/N] emerges into the main corridor first. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did!" bursts Ron, sounding downright triumphant.

"Congratulations, Ron, you don't have the memory range of a teaspoon, after all," [Y/N] mutters, looking around. Malfoy is walking down the hallway a few feet ahead of them, Crabbe and Goyle at his side.

Ron ignores her. "I bet you did go. I bet you did spy on him—" And then he gasps, looking as though he's unearthed the secret of life. "Merlin’s beard, you really do fancy him, don't you?"

[Y/N]'s footsteps falter. Ron, Harry, and Hermione stop right with her.

Hermione is the only one who doesn't look stunned out of her mind. Looking between the two boys, she rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Honestly, is that so hard to believe?" says Hermione, frowning. "I understand that it's Malfoy and he is a prick, but [Y/N] is perfectly entitled to fancy whoever she likes." She turns to [Y/N]. "It’s fine, [Y/N], you don't have to feel guilty about it. Anyone would catch feelings if someone started doing such sweet things for them, even if it were someone like Malfoy."

"Blimey," says Harry, breathless. "Which part sealed the deal, [Y/N]? The pick-up lines? Or was it the cupcakes?"

[Y/N], who had been opening and closing her mouth like a fish blown out of water, finally stops trying to find words that just aren't there and instead drags her palm across her face in frustration. "I don't.." she says, sounding defeated, but really—now that she's faced with such confrontation, it's easier to admit to herself that maybe.. maybe she does fancy Malfoy.

Ron’s lips have split into a jubilant grin. ”I called it!" he says, smacking Harry's shoulder. "Bloody knew it!"

Hermione reaches out to rub [Y/N]'s back. "Don’t feel too bad about it, [Y/N]. I sort of knew—you looked at him differently after he confessed to you on the pitch."

[Y/N] sighs, realizing that no amount  of denying it will convince her friends. Or herself.

She does fancy Malfoy.

Properly acknowledging it—finally admitting it to herself—is oddly relieving. She’s been keeping her feelings cooped up inside of her chest despite the fact they are so much bigger than her, and now that she's letting them burst free.. now that she's coming to terms with them..

Well. It’s not the worst feeling ever.

Ron is still beaming, looking as though he's won the lottery. And apparently, in a way, he has: "Fred and George said it'd take you a month longer to give in. I said it'd take you less—guess I’ve won myself two galleons!"

[Y/N]'s mouth falls open. "You bet on this?"

Ron raises his eyebrows, as though surprised to hear that she didn't know. "Uh, I and the entire bloody castle."

Struck by a sudden burst of both annoyance and confidence, [Y/N], scowling, detaches herself from her friends and strides down the hallway towards Malfoy, full of intent. He hasn't noticed her yet; his back is still turned, but she catches up to him easily. And when she does, she unceremoniously bumps her shoulder into his and grabs his hand, quickly interlacing her fingers through his.

"What the hell—"

Malfoy, obviously taken aback, tries to pull his hand away, sneering, until his gaze lands on [Y/N].

"Keep walking, Malfoy," she says scathingly, not quite looking at him.

Baffled, Malfoy stares at her, then down at their hands, which are now tightly interlocked between them. [Y/N] scowls resolutely at the hallway ahead of her.

And then Malfoy laughs, more out of disbelief than amusement.

"Keep walking," [Y/N] repeats, this time turning to look at him, fighting to keep her gaze indifferent. The last thing she wants Malfoy to know is that there is an onslaught of tiny little butterflies rampaging in her stomach and a tingly feeling spreading from their hands all the way up her spine and into her heart.

Malfoy’s lips tug up into a wide grin—a real one, [Y/N] thinks. Not an arrogant smirk or a deprecating sneer; one that she can't ever recall seeing. But now that she has, she finds herself wishing he'd do it more often.

[Y/N] tugs him along as she walks, feeling the stunned stares of her friends boring into her skull from behind. (Ron is going to have a field day about this.)

"So," Malfoy begins, and she doesn't have to look at him to know that he's still grinning down at her. "Changed your mind, haven't you?"

[Y/N] rolls her eyes; she doesn't fail to notice the way that the students they're passing by are staring at them, eyes wide, whispering to themselves. "Isn’t this what you wanted?"

Malfoy shrugs. "Among other things."

She side-eyes him, muttering, "Does that include snogging?"

He makes an amused sound at the back of his throat. "You said it, not me."

[Y/N] has to grit her teeth to stop the corners of her lips from tugging up. They turn a corner down the hallway, disappearing from both their friends' views (assuming they haven't followed them). At this thought, [Y/N] takes a brief glance over her shoulder—and sure enough, there's a redhead peeking out of a group of very confused Ravenclaws.

Cursing Ron Weasley inside her head, she turns her gaze back ahead of her. ”I have Charms class next."

Malfoy raises his brows. "And what do you expect me to do with that information?"

"Walk me there," says [Y/N] briskly.

She can practically feel the surprise radiating off of the blond next to her. A moment later, he throws his head back in a loud laugh. "And you want me to be late to Transfiguration? It’s all the way on the other side of the castle."

[Y/N] hums. "Can’t even do that for the girl you fancy?"

There’s a beat of silence. His grip on her hand falters a little as he says, voice still nonchalant and yet at the same time holding an undeniable sense of sincerity, "I could if I knew she wasn't leading me on."

"She isn't," [Y/N] says, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Malfoy is staring at her with his brows pulled in together just slightly at the middle, giving off the impression that he's trying to decide whether or not she's being serious. He slows down his pace until he comes to a full stop, urging [Y/N] to halt alongside him until they're standing in the middle of the hallway, oblivious to the stares following them and the redhead a mere few feet away.

"How do I know this isn't a prank?" says Malfoy, lip slowly curling as he narrows his eyes at her, the first few traces of suspicion etching itself onto his face now that the whole ridiculousness of the situation has finally sunken in. [Y/N] can't blame him; her antics—suddenly marching up to him in the hallway, grabbing his hand and walking with him as though they've been doing it for years—all of it is uncalled for after having ruthlessly turned him down so many times before. But [Y/N] can't delve into a discussion of her conflicting emotions—at least not right now—so she hopes, at least for now, that he will take her word for it.

She clears her throat.  "Well," she begins, looking down at their hands; Malfoy’s grip has gone slack. "If I wanted to hold your hand, I’d do it because I wanted to. Not because I wanted to get a rise out of you." She lets her gaze go back up to his, brows rising in familiar challenge. "I don't stoop that low, Malfoy. You’ve been in love with me for years—shouldn't you know that by now?"

There are a few seconds in which the blond standing before her still looks at her with a scrutinizing gaze, lips set into a thin, hard line and his eyes swimming with conflict that [Y/N] wouldn't have been able to see from afar, but sees in perfect clarity now that she's standing a mere foot away from him. But then, after what feels like ages, Malfoy nods, slowly, frown smoothing out into an expression of—could that be relief?

"I will be late for Transfiguration, you know," he says, lips quirking up into a grin.

[Y/N] laughs. (A real one, Draco thinks to himself.) This time she doesn't try to stop herself from smiling; just lets her lips do so of their own accord. It feels nice. Freeing. "Better just one of us than two, don't you think?" she says, mirroring his playful grin. "And besides, Goyle can stand in for you. You two do have quite the resemblance."

"Oh, sod off."

And it really is very odd, because everything about this shouldn't feel right; they've been enemies for the longest time, and a year ago, [Y/N] would have been revolted at the mere idea of ever coming close to Draco Malfoy—but it does. That is, it feels right. Like they've been this way for ages and this playful, harmless banter is the most natural thing.

Draco isn't perfect���Merlin, does he have a long way to go—but if he means to stop being a prat as long as [Y/N] is at his side, then she is willing to venture into whatever has formed between them.

And if this little bond is going to involve any more of this—this being her and Draco exaggeratedly swinging their arms between them as he walks her to Charms class with their fingers still intertwined, snickering, waiting for one of them to start complaining about their arm sockets hurting—then maybe it isn't the worst thing ever, after all.

[kerie-prince]

clumsy

Hermione Granger x fem Slytherin!reader (fluff)

requested: (@chokemepansy) im terrible at requesting because i blank on ideas BUT anything for hermione please <3 take your time ily 💓

warnings: a single curse word, but mainly just soft hours

summary: Hermione has her very first date with you at Hogsmeade (song inspo from Fergie's Clumsy) (pardon my lame ass summary)

a/n: ty for requesting, luv 🥺 hope you like it! i made the reader slytherin just bc of you <3 and yes, i put in an outfit inspo but it's not like the cringy ones from wattpad

(gif not mine, cred to owner)

You came to love the smell of parchment and books. The sound of pages being turned, the feeling of a new book in your hands. You loved them because it made you think of Hermione.

Merlin, you were infatuated with everything about her. The excitement in her voice when she talked about her favorite books, the small paper cuts on her fingers from turning the pages – she didn't mind them as it was normal for her – and the look on her face when she received praise from professors.

She was all you thought about and you wanted to go to the top of the Astronomy Tower and yell out "I LOVE HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER" for the whole school to hear. And you were positive she felt the same. Hermione would refuse to let go of your hands when you walked together from class and on some occasions, you'd catch her staring at you during study sessions. Just like she was doing now.

"Miss Granger, for the last time, I am asking you what are the contents of polyjuice potion?" Snape was hovered over her desk. Hermione jumped in her seat and turned to face the brooding professor. Your Slytherin housemates who sat at the back of class laughed at her startled state as she named the contents. You looked back and glared at them all. When Snape left your table and continued his lecture, you leaned closer to Hermione and whispered as low as you could, “Are you okay? You seem kind of distracted,” you noticed.

“Y-yes, I'm fine,” Hermione stuttered. Snape excused the class and Hermione waited for you to be done packing your things just so she could hold your hand to the Great Hall. “Are we still going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?” you asked.

“Harry’s got detention with McGonagall for ‘ accidentally’ turning Crabbe into a water goblet in class,” Hermione used her free hand to make air quotations, “and Ron’s busy with Lavender that day.” She had a sad look on her face, thinking that they wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade after all. You picked up on it and had an idea. “So, just the two of us then?”

Hermione’s chest became warm, “Okay. It's a date.” Your eyes slightly bulged out and to Hermione, you had an indistinguishable smile, “I mean, not like a date date, but a girls date.” You weren't sure if she meant it like that, but you laughed at her stumbling her words. The always composed girl becoming a cute, blubbering mess for you. Not that you knew for sure it was because for you but you’d given it a lot of thought.

She never held Harry’s hand like she did yours unless he was upset about something and she was comforting him. And she certainly never held Ron’s hand. Nor does she ever hug him knowing Lavender would go ballistic. Not that she’d ever want to. He was her best friend, yeah but she had never gotten used to it. They both had an unspoken thing to not hug.

“Sounds fun,” you chirped, “can’t wait for it.” You gave her a lingering hug before going to your table. You sat in between your best friends Pansy and Daphne. Pansy had a smirk on her lips once you were in her line of sight, “Did you finally tell Granger?” You knew what she was talking about and nudged her arm with your elbow, “Shut it.” The two girls chuckled and gave each other knowing looks. ���I might tell her on Saturday,” you disclosed.

They had matching shocked faces; for nearly a year, they’ve watched you pace around their shared dorm debate with yourself whether or not to tell her about how you feel. You’d have a sparkle in your eyes every time you talked about her and nearly spent every day with her. They weren't upset about it. In fact, they couldn't wait to see you two together. But you were unexpectedly insecure by thinking of the worst case scenario in which she’d reject you.

“That’s great, Y/N/N. I’m so happy for you. I know everything will turn out well,” Daphne supported. Pansy nodded and pointed to Daphne as to say ‘Me too’. You grabbed the hands of both girls and held them tightly, “Thanks, girls. I love you guys.” You wrapped an arm around both of them and brought them in for a hug. Daphne returned it while Pansy made a fake coughing sound. “I can’t b-breathe,” she exaggerates. You held on for a couple seconds more before letting go and started eating. “Okay, so how is this happening?” Pansy asked.

“We’re going to Hogsmeade together on Saturday,” you inquired. “So the whole lot is going as well?” Pansy was talking about Harry and Ron of course.

“No, just the two of us alone,” you replied, taking a bite of the chicken on your plate.

“You mean, this is a date?” Daphne exclaimed. “We’re going to help pick an outfit, no questions asked.” She had a stern look that dared you to talk back. As sweet as Daphne is, once her mind is set to something, she doesn't budge. You accepted it and was met with her usual warm smile. Inside, you were ecstatic and couldn't wait for Saturday. Your crush has gone on for too long, and you were tired of waiting.

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Your dorm mates got you up at the crack of dawn. And by crack of dawn, it was actually 10 am at most. They made you change into every outfit they picked out which totaled in 8. You appreciated everything they were doing, but some of the outfits were too much for a day in Hogsmeade. Daphne picked out tennis skirts with cropped argyle sweaters. Pansy picked short dresses that stopped at your mid-thigh and black wool turtlenecks to go over them. They had completely different aesthetics which is what probably made them perfect friends.

You settled on something casual; a thick striped long sleeve polo with light blue jeans and white trainers. It was going to be a nice spring day and you didn't want to wear something that would be too short and you get cold later. Daphne did your hair in two French plaits and Pansy did your makeup modestly. Once you were done, it was noon and you rushed to meet Hermione for your ‘girl date’.

She took the air straight from your lungs. She looked more breathtaking than the night of the Yule Ball. You distinctly remember being incredibly jealous of Viktor Krum and beat yourself up for not asking her before he did. But now, if he was here, you were sure that the famous Quidditch athlete would be jealous of you.

Hermione’s usually wild hair was tamed into smooth wavy curls that framed her delicate face. She wore a floral print button up that was definitely new as you’ve never seen it before. Or did she save it just for you? Her navy jeans hugged her ankles and she donned light pink flats. And probably for the first time since the Yule Ball, she had mascara and lipgloss on. Casual, but perfect.

Your face was flushed, and you weren't sure if she was also blushing or if maybe she was just wearing blush. “Shall we?” You reached out to grab her hands – her soft hands – and waited for her response. She didn't say anything when she laced her fingers with yours and started walking on the path to Hogsmeade. Hermione was about to say that you looked pretty when she tripped over a small rock on the pathway. “Are you okay?” you expressed concern. She was still holding onto your hand as she steadied herself up, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

:｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

You snorted and had to hold the butterbeer in your mouth, “Ron did what?” Hermione laughed as she told you how Lavender exploded on Ron for forgetting their anniversary and when he tried to make it up by giving her chocolates that he got from his older brothers, Lavender instantly grew a huge chin that drooped over her neck. Ron had gotten so mad at them and in unison, they told him ‘Why’d you think we’d ever give you real ones?’

“So that’s why no one has seen her for a couple days!” you noted. She was nodding as she laughed. You could only imagine what it was like to see it in person. Poor Lav. You went back and forth talking about whatever went on since the last time you were together.

Hermione went on talking about a new book she read about over the winter holiday. The way she expressed her emotions and passion for it made you fall for the Gryffindor girl more. When you hadn't said anything, she stopped and lowered her head, “I’m boring you, aren't I?”

You sat straight in your chair and fumbled your words before reaching out to grab her hand from across the table, “No, no, no, of course not. I could never be bored of you, I love you.” Your eyes widened. You didn't exactly expect to let it slip out like that, but you studied her reaction to see if you could leave it at that or otherwise. She sat still with a poker face. “Y-you’re my best friend, Mione–”

“I love you, too,” she confessed. “Huh?” Please, please, please tell me I heard her right. You didn't get to fully process what she said because after a few seconds, she gathered all her courage and reached over the table to give you a quick peck on your lips. It would've been a sweet moment hadn't she accidentally knocked her glass over in the process. Everyone in the Three Broomsticks had their eyes on you, Hermione’s face beet red and lowered out of embarrassment. You tried cleaning the mess and out of nowhere, Hermione ran out. Fuck this you thought as you ran after her.

“Mione, wait!” She hadn't gone far and luckily for you, she listened. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes averted from yours. “Where are you going? Aren’t we on a date?” Confidence had finally kicked in when you asked her. Hermione’s breath hitched. She couldn't see anything in your face that showed you were joking. Because you weren't. “Yes,” she grabbed your hands and started walking towards the other shops in the small village. Until once again, she nearly fell back when she nearly slipped over another rock on the ground. You supported her back up and giggled, “You’re so clumsy.”

—

requests open!

[5thmarauderwrites]

Blurted Confession — Remus Lupin x Slytherin Reader Request.

Requests are: OPEN.

Requested by Anonymous: “could you do a remus x slytherin reader where the marauders are all in class and see her with a hufflepuff friend and he's like... wait she's so NICE actually? just a lot of fluff in general 👉🏻👈🏻“.

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Slytherin!Reader.

Word Count: 1,7K

Warnings: None, it’s fluff all the way.

A/N: This was my first time ever writing for Remus and I loved every second of it because: Remus is baby. [insert here a cute emoji]. Hope you like it, Anon! <3

Remus had the vague notion that Professor McGonagall’s voice was tolling in the background as she explained the fundamentals of the Inanimatus Conjurus Spell to her very attentive students, but he couldn’t bring himself to pay attention to a word she was saying. Instead of being focused on the extremely difficult subject being taught by one of the most strict Professors Hogwarts has ever had, his chocolate eyes were glued to a very interesting and unexpected scene: a y/h/c Slytherin girl he had seen – and not so discreetly stared at – quite some times, mostly in the library, chatting happily with a Hufflepuff girl. And they seemed really close?

The girl had intrigued the boy ever since he first saw her; she was reading one of his favourite muggle stories in the Wooden Bridge, which happened to be one of his favourite places in the castle to get lost inside his books. However, he never really got the chance to talk to her. If he was being honest, talking to her was something he was never entirely sure he wanted to do, since she seemed extremely intimidating; mostly, he knew, because of the house she was sorted into.

Remus was never one to judge a book by its cover; he definitely did not hold any sort of prejudice against all Slytherins. Sure, the house had a few individuals of doubtful character, like Severus Snape, Mulciber and that Avery boy, but then again, they could’ve ended up in any other house. So why was he so intimidated by the fact that Y/N was a Slytherin? Remus knew many of the Slytherins held a profound dislike for the Gryffindors, and maybe, just maybe, that’s what had really refrained him from ever talking to her. Deep down, he was afraid of being rejected by one of the few girls that were actually able to catch his eyes over these five years he had been attending Hogwarts.

“Mr Lupin?” Professor McGonagall called, snapping Remus out of his thoughts. Once he focused on her, he felt a lump starting to form inside his throat as he noticed the clearly displeased glare she was sending him.

“Yes, Professor?” He answered weakly, feeling all the eyes of the room on him.

“Am I boring you with my class?” She asked blatantly, winging her brows.

“No- no,” he muttered, desperately wanting to crawl into a hole, as he hated to be on the spotlight.

“Perhaps you’d rather having Miss L/N explaining today’s lesson to you?” The Professor pursed her lips in annoyance, bending her head to her right. “Since you clearly seem more interested in her than in whatever I have to say.”

Remus felt his cheeks burning as a crimson tone painted his face. “I told you he was looking at her!” He heard James whispering, probably to Sirius.

“Sorry,” Remus was able to mutter after a few seconds.

Minerva McGonagall sent him a last death glare before turning to the blackboard and, waving her wand at it, writing down what she had been explaining since the beginning of the class. Remus quickly grabbed his pieces of parchment and the quill he had packed in his bag this morning and started to furiously take notes, avoiding to glance in Y/N’s direction at all costs.

“Smitten with the little snake, are we Moony?” James Potter wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at his brown-haired friend.

“Oi! Don’t talk about her like that!” Sirius Black scolded him.

Remus and James both snapped his heads towards Sirius and said in unison, “excuse me?”

“Since when do you advocate on behalf of a Slytherin? James asked with an utterly shocked frown.

“She’s friends with Regulus,” the raven-haired boy shrugged. “She always looks out for him, besides she’s the reason why we’re on speaking terms again.”

“Did she help you mend your relationship with your brother?” Remus asked, gobsmacked.

“That and she also helped me when I ran away from home after Walburga had burned my face out of the family tree,” he smiled weakly, his mind clearly traveling back to the dreadful day.

“How so?” James seemed even more shocked than before, if this was even possible.

“Y/N and Regulus were hanging out in his room when my charming mother started to scream at me and command me to leave the house and never come back,” Sirius answered with a grimace. “Y/N came to my room to help me pack my stuff and gave me all the money she had with her, in case I had nowhere to go and needed it.”

“Wow, she’s…” James started, looking for the right words.

“Actually nice,” Remus completed his sentence, completely awestruck.

“She is, Moony,” Sirius smiled at his friend, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “You and she have a lot in common, actually.”

Remus stared at the table with a lopsided grin after Sirius’ words. Y/N was an honourable young woman who had an incredible amount of kindness inside of her. Stealing a glance in her direction, his chocolate eyes locked with her y/e/c ones and Remus could feel his stomach churning inside of his belly as she sent him a sweet smile.

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

A week had passed since the Transfiguration class and Remus hadn’t still talked to Y/N, despite Sirius offering again and again to be his wingman and introduce the both of them formally. Even James and Peter tried to boost his confidence by saying she would be crazy not to be interested in him, but the boy still couldn’t help but being afraid of a possible rejection.

Remus kept on studying Y/N and her behaviour for the days to come, noticing how sweet she was to her Hufflepuff friend and how she would stick up for her when some nasty seventh year boys tried to bully the girl. He noticed how she always smiled at herself when reading a book, which he found extremely adorable. He noticed how her eyes would light up when talking about something she was passionate about. He noticed every single little thing about her. What he also noticed is how his heart started to flutter inside his chest at the mere sight of the girl.

“Merlin’s beard! Go talk to her already,” Remus heard the annoyed whisper of Sirius Black in his ear. He had been lost inside his own head for quite a while whilst his eyes involuntarily stared at Y/N from behind a bookshelf.

“What are you doing?” The brown-haired boy hissed with a frown as he turned back to face his friend.

“Helping you with your love life, of course,” Sirius shrugged as if it was obvious.

“I meant here. In the library. You never once stepped a foot in here,” Remus narrowed his eyes.

“Like I said, helping you. You’re looking like a creep hiding in here and staring at her in despair, just go up there and say hi!” Sirius whispered with a poignant urgency, bouncing his arms to reiterate his point.

“I’m not hiding to look at her!” Remus answered exasperatedly. “I was searching for a book!”

“Mate, you weren’t eyeing those books, that’s for sure,” Sirius chuckled as he crossed his arms and leaned against the old bookshelf, his brows defiantly winged.

Remus heaved a sigh as he steadied himself in the bookshelf opposite to Sirius, facing the books disposed ahead of himself and avoiding the gaze of the raven-haired boy, “she seems like a bloody magnet, mate. I… I don’t know, my mind is completely focused on whatever I am doing and next thing I know, my eyes land on her and I just… sort of lose track of time?” He huffed disheartened.

“You really are whipped, aren’t ya?” Sirius shook his head with a smile.

“I guess I am,” Remus nodded, turning his body in Sirius’ direction.

A mischievous smile flickered quickly through Sirius’ lips as he looked behind Remus’ shoulder for a second before turning his attention back to his friend, “tell her that.”

“Tell her what? That I find her extremely kind and sweet? That she is one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen? That I can’t stop thinking about her? That she makes my heart flutter inside my chest? That I’d like to take her out not only in one but in as many dates as she pleased? We don’t even talk to each other. How can I possibly tell her that? Where do I begin from?” Remus blurted out.

“How about by saying hi?” A female voice said from behind him.

Remus widened his eyes in shock as he turned on his heels abruptly and was met by Y/N’s piercing y/e/c eyes. The Slytherin girl had a smile on her face and her lower lip was pressed between her teeth.

“Y/N!” Remus exclaimed, clearly nervous, as his cheeks turned crimson. “Hi!”

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Sirius winked before wiggling his brows and walking away.

“So… Does Remus John Lupin fancy me?” Y/N asked as her own cheeks acquired a pink tone.

“Well, I guess there’s no point in denying when you’ve heard my entire confession…” he started nervously, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

“Why would you want to deny it?” Y/N asked and Remus could notice her face falling a little, his heart twinging with hope.

“Because I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable in case you don’t feel the same way,” he shrugged, a sweet smile on his lips.

Y/N’s grin widened as she stared into Remus’ chocolate eyes, “well, I could never feel uncomfortable for being fancied by you, not when I’ve been fancying you myself for the past two years.”

“You fancy me?” Remus asked incredulously. “Me? For the past two years?”

“I thought it was obvious, since I can’t seem to stop staring at you,” she shrugged with a giggle.

“Actually, I’ve had my eyes on you for about the same amount of time,” he chuckled, biting his lower lip as he gazed at the ceiling.

“And instead of talking to each other we just stood there hoping the other would notice our crush…” Y/N stated slowly. “Merlin, we’re such idiots!”

“We really are,” Remus agreed, both staring at each other with lopsided grins. “So… would you, maybe… like to go to Hogsmeade with me next month?” He asked after a moment of a comfortable silence.

“There’s nothing I’d like more,” Y/N answered with a wide smile.

[angelicamerlinbarnes]

I just really think Remus Lupin is a ballerina okay AU

Remus Lupin has been doing ballet since he was four. He was exuberant and flashy at first, but after his first teacher, Greyback, molested and abused him, he is quiet and reserved. He prefers to dance by himself and does not speak to anyone inside or outside of the class. He wears pink material and is the best dancer in the school, but everyone is more terrified of him than they are jealous. He has sad eyes and soft hair, but prominent scars (both self-inflicted and from Greyback and accidents) cover his freckled skin. He’s a mystery, but no one wants to solve him.

He lives with his roommate and only friend, Severus Snape, who is a writer. He spins out films and novels and poems by the hundreds, especially inspired by the rain. Remus and Severus will often spend rainy days together in their apartment, with Severus typing furiously and scribbling while Remus dances to Hozier and Lana Del Rey off to the side. Sometimes when Remus will have nightmares, Severus will hold him and sing Russian lullabies until he falls asleep. Severus smokes lazily and wears subdued flower and gothic dresses that show off his jutting hips and collar bones. Having escaped an abusive father and a dead mother, he and Remus bond over their shit parents, with Remus’ father being neglectful and his mother kind but catatonic. Their neighbors think they’re witches, but they’re alright with that.

They both have to work to pay the bills, so while Severus works with preschoolers, Remus works as an assistant for a terrifying professor named Grindelwald at the university. He’s a reformed felon who’s always glowering, and there are rumors he’s Dumbledore’s husband, who is Remus’ mysterious ballet teacher with the twinkling eyes. But no one has the guts to ask him - it’s unknown what he was locked up for, and nobody wants to risk that it was irrational homicide. He mostly ignores Remus though, and doesn’t mind if Remus reads or dances while he works, so Remus doesn’t think he’s too bad.

One day Remus is grading some papers for Grindelwald when Lily Evans walks in, a vision in a white floral lace flowing vest and an across-the-shoulders dark blue dress, a brown belt around her waist and matching ankle boots coming up over creme knee-high knit socks, a black hat on her head. There’s a camera around her neck and her smile is beautiful, surrounded by her freckles, and she and Remus hit it off immediately. She asks if he can spare some time to be her model for the day, and he agrees. They’re hanging out in the park and laughing when Severus walks over, having finished work. The moment he and Lily lay eyes on each other, something happens, something magical, and Remus can see it in both of their smiles as they exchange shy hellos.

Lily starts to hang around them, her and Severus teetering on the edge of something. Remus nudges Severus until he’s brave enough to ask her out, and their first date is in the park where they met, sitting on a bench in the rain and watching the birds. Remus is pretty sure they’re gonna get married one day.

To keep himself busy while his two friends fall in love, Remus escapes to the dance school, dancing alone to Lana Del Rey in an empty room when the door creaks open and he hears, “Wow.” He turns around and smiles, taking in the sight of James Potter, an old school friend who left for Julliard and he hasn’t seen in years. James laughs, pulling him into a hug, and Remus lets him, tangling his hands in James’ curls and grinning when James presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. James tells him he’s been enjoying a gap year before going to search for a job as a back-up dancer for Taylor Swift, to which Remus giggles and tells him he’ll be great. James beams, and pulls Remus along, saying he has to meet James’ best friend-partner-person. Remus agrees, and changes back into his flowing white dress decorated in bees and black flats, tucking spruce leaves in his hair before taking James’ hand and following him out.

At James’ apartment, he calls out, “Babe! I’m home!” Remus watches as Sirius Black comes skidding down the hall, dazzling in a sparkling black croptop with gold touches and a raggedy sheer maroon skirt that falls just above his spiky combat boots. With white and gold dahlias in his hair, he’s the most beautiful thing Remus has ever seen, and he stares as James pecks Sirius on the mouth, coming away with dark red lipstick stains. When Sirius looks up at Remus, his eyes twinkling, and Remus reaches out a hesitant hand, which Sirius takes. “Hi,” he breathes, and Sirius laughs, loud and bright. He leans in and kisses Remus’ cheek. “Hello, beautiful,” he says sweetly, wrapping an arm around Remus’ waist. “James has told me all about you, love.” Remus blushes, unable to stop smiling even as Sirius pulls away at James’ indignant “Oi!” and doesn’t touch him again. Sirius is the love of his life - he doesn’t know how, but it’s something he just somehow knows, the feeling taking root in his chest and sprouting flowers.

Sirius, as it turns out, is James’ roommate and queerplatonic partner. He ran away from his abusive home and is taking commissions as an artist. Mostly he draws wolves, dogs, rats, deers, doves, snakes, and cats. He affectionately calls Remus Moony, insisting his scars look like something were bit him and his eyes are the fierce amber of a wolf’s. Sirius in turn is called Padfoot, for his doglike energy and loving nature, while James is dubbed Prongs for being a dumbass who continually forgets he’s too big to fit in small spaces and gets lost in the woods almost every weekend. Remus never wants to stop hanging out with them, and learns to spend hours shopping at the vintage shop where Sirius works, the two of them falling for each other fast while James reclaims them as his partners in love as in life. And Remus is so, so happy.

While he’s busy falling in love with Sirius, Lily has moved in with him and Severus. Remus doesn’t mind, and tells Severus he’s thinking of making a home with Sirius and James. Severus hugs him and tells him he’s proud of him, suggesting they hang out that day just the two of them, like old times. Remus agrees, and lets Severus take him to the cafe where Lily works. In the corner of the shop is Regulus Black, a boy drenched in hoodies and coats that Remus and Severus buy free food and drinks for. Regulus thanks them profusely, and they all make small talk until Remus makes a comment that Regulus looks like Remus’ boyfriend Sirius, to which Regulus starts crying, explaining that Sirius is his older brother and he’s been trying to find him for years but gave up looking when their shit parents died and Sirius was nowhere to be found at the funeral. Remus offers to take him home, and Severus kisses Remus on the forehead before heading off to find Lily.

On the way there, they stop at the bakery and accept some free cupcakes from Peter Pettigrew, who owns the bakery with his elusive partner. Regulus, as it turns out, is homeless, and has been trying to make it on his busking money alone. But while he’s fairly lovely at singing, it’s not enough to buy anything concrete. As they eat, Regulus also tells Remus about Amir Levis, a librarian who lets him stay at the library. Remus exclaims that he already knows Amir, who helps Remus remember his pills and doctor’s appointments and always has a spare wheelchair and some tea for him just in case. Regulus admits to having a crush on Amir, but he’s too scared to do anything about it. Remus assures him he and Sirius will help him with it, and just like that they’re on their way.

At home, Remus smiles softly at the sight of Sirius and James entwined on the couch and says, “Look who I found.” At the sight of Regulus, Sirius shoves James to the floor in his haste to stand up, taking Regulus’ face in his hands and searching his eyes for answers. “You got out?” He says, breathless. “Really? You’re alright?” Regulus smiles sheepishly. “Of course I did, Siri,” he whispers. “You think I was gonna let you have all the fun?” Sirius tears up and tugs him close, rocking back and forth as the two of them mumble apologies and love confessions into each other’s necks and shoulders and hair. Remus gravitates towards James, kissing him with a smile before pulling him out of the apartment, saying they should leave the brothers alone.

Remus takes the opportunity to introduce James to Severus and Lily, who are immediately taken with him. They offer to watch him for the afternoon while Remus goes to therapy with Maxwell Needles, a counselor with magenta hair who talks to Remus about life, his accident, his trauma, Greyback, his suicidal tendencies, anxiety, PTSD, and depression. Remus also takes the chance to pick up Sirius and James’ ADHD medication, Peter’s OCD prescription, Lily’s bipolar medication, Severus’ schizophrenia suppressors, and a few books on autism (for Severus), Tourette’s (for Lily), and eating disorders (for James and, Remus suspects somehow, Regulus). Max is delighted to see him with so many friends, and says they’ll bring Peter over sometime for dinner. Though he’s not sure where that would happen since he’s torn between two homes right now, Remus agrees with a smile and bids the skater kid in the checkered jeans goodbye.

Back at school, Remus spends his afternoons in conversation with Mcgonogall, the waltz teacher who takes care of him. She’d adopted him when his parents died and he tries to stick around, asking advice about Sirius and James and whether moving in with them is a good idea. Mcgonogall says she thinks it is, and that she knows Sirius is a kind young man. As it is, he calls her Minnie, and knows her as a friend and a grandmother of sorts, since she helped him when he first ran away to James’ house. Remus is content with continuing the conversation but is interrupted by a phone call telling him Sirius, James, and Regulus have been jailed for a fist fight on the street.

Remus goes to pick them up, where he meets Bellatrix Lestrange, an abusive cousin of Sirius and Regulus who took particular joy out of torturing Sirius, who she almost killed once. She’s also been known to abuse children, especially those of the poor. Also in jail are Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, a couple married only in spirit who keep having miscarriages and take their abusive anger out on each other and strangers. Their landlord, Voldemort, had demanded unconventional payments and they’d been essentially enslaved to him for years, only escaping his cultist grasp by means of murder, which is why they’re here now.

Remus sees James holding Regulus close and whispering to him as he kisses the cuts and bruises on his face in the corner of the cell, but says nothing about it, kissing Sirius hello. The four of them go home together, and as soon as Regulus is asleep Remus tells James and Sirius that he wants to make a home with them someday, just not right now. They laugh and smile and tell him they’re ready when he is and that they love him, and Remus thinks, Things are good.

[writesowhatnext]

fred’s no good, very bad day // fred weasley

Summary: Fred’s day is subpar at best – hearing you talk so nicely about something that wasn’t actually him sort of sends him over the edge

Request: hi! i'm not sure if your requests are open or not, so if they're not, just delete this! so anyway i was thinking fred weasley x reader where he overhears you talking to george about someone saying things like "oh, he's just the cutest, absolutely adorable," etc, and he's all giddy because he thinks you're talking about him but then you say someone else's name BUT then it's revealed that you were only talking about an animal

A/N: this was so cute as a request I hope I did it justice - I’m starting to reuse gifs how tragic

Reader: unspecified

Warnings: none actually, I think

Fred felt stupid enough without George and Lee and Angelina and Ron and Harry and everyone else teasing him. You didn’t help either, even though you were supposed to be the one person that would stick up for him. It wasn’t your fault really though; you just found the entire situation hilarious, fairly so. Had his ego not been bruised liked a peach by the whole ordeal, he probably wouldn’t have been sitting in the Gryffindor common room with flushed cheeks, an incredible scowl on his face and his hands shoved into his armpits grumpily. Had his ego not been bruised, he would’ve almost definitely been laughing along with you.

He’d been in a foul mood that whole day. Not only had he not slept the night before, but there was also the fact he’d sat in gum at breakfast and the issue with Filch chasing him and George down the corridors; a race that had ended up in a nasty scratch from Mrs Norris for Fred. It only got worse after Snape had scolded him and George for doing nothing at all in Potions. Perhaps conspiring to come up with a new prank wasn’t nothing, but it’s not like they actually put the mandrake in Filch’s office. Snape being Snape made Fred and George sit detention (scrubbing the grotty floor of his classroom) separately. He’d been sure the twins would enjoy themselves far too much if they sat it together though they both considered that unlikely. Fred was just returning from his detention, his hands red raw from the water and calloused from manual labour, when he heard you and George talking, walking next to the Fat Lady’s portrait.

“George,” you said extremely seriously. “He’s my favourite thing in the whole world.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re in love, I know.”

Fred could practically hear George’s eyeroll. Whilst he knew and loved that you and his twin were close friends, he was hard-pressed sometimes to imagine what you would talk about apart from him. And so, his heart warmed at your words and the memories of the dungeon and the scrubbing and Snape faded away.

“He’s so sweet and really he’s the cutest boy ever – I could spend every day with him.”

A slightly smug smile lifted Fred’s cheek as he got closer to the corner, still out of sight as you and George stopped outside the portrait. He didn’t know you gushed about him to his brother so casually; he enjoyed it though.

“You’re a weird one, Y/N,” George said, frowning. “I don’t think anyone’s ever shared that opinion.”

Fred, now slightly indignant, walked up behind you with a frown pulling at his lips. George didn’t seem particularly fazed to see him, which only served to confuse Fred further.

“Don’t be so rude about Gustav!” you insisted, crossing your arms, not yet aware of Fred behind you.

“And who is Gustav?” Fred asked, standing between you and George, opposite the Fat Lady’s Portrait whose subject was milling about in a neighbouring painting. He couldn’t hide the jealousy tinting his expression. Both you and George frowned at him. You paused.

“The hippogriff Hagrid’s brought in for the first years?”

You watched as Fred’s forehead visibly flattened and his mouth formed a small ‘o’ shape in surprise.

“What did you think Y/N was on about?” George asked, folding his arms.

When Fred’s cheeks pinked, George’s smile grew; you still, however, had no idea what was happening.

“You thought we were talking about you, didn’t you Freddie?”

Fred didn’t answer.

“Oh,” you whispered, biting your lip to hide your smile.

“Oi, you,” Fred muttered, pinching at your side and feeling his face heat up. Whilst he was still thoroughly embarrassed, he loved to hear you laughing. He liked it less, though, when it was directed at him and combined with his twin’s. Shoving George to the side, he was more than happy to see the Fat Lady arriving.

“Balderdash,” Fred grumbled, ignoring the lady’s jabs at his attitude and disappearing into the common room. You and George turned to each other with matching grins.

“Blimey,” George mused, letting you go through first. “Jealous of a hippogriff; never thought I’d see it.”

Perhaps foolishly, Fred hoped that when you came through the portrait hole, you’d sit with him like you always did and you’d make his awful day better like you always did. He was, as he had been all day it seemed, mistaken. You’d joined him on the sofa, your shoulder brushing his, but his day was nowhere closer to improving. It seemed like everyone he knew was relaxing around the common room and when George sat down on the other side of you with a taunting grin, Fred knew his day could only go further downhill.

“Hey, Ron,” George began, his voice light. Fred’s frown deepened. “Have you ever been jealous of a Hippogriff?”

Ron looked to Harry out the corner of his eye before looking back at George.

“Can’t say I have, George, no.”

“Ah,” you couldn’t help but smile at your boyfriend’s brother. “Doesn’t run in the family then.”

“George, what are you talking about?” Hermione asked, her arms folded as she looked up from her essay.

“I am so glad you asked.”

Fred groaned in response, rubbing his face with his hands. You could see his blush against his freckled skin and you found yourself leaning into him, your shoulder pressed against his. You didn’t hear George’s explanation but you couldn’t miss the explosion of laughter that must’ve followed it.

“Don’t worry, Fred,” Lee said in between snorts. “I think your feathers are a lot lovelier than any Hippogriffs.”

“You don’t need to be embarrassed about your beak, either,” Angelina’s smile was wicked as she leant her elbow onto her knee. “It’s not the size that counts.”

Laughing at her jest, you rolled your eyes, turning to Fred. Although usually, he would’ve taken the teasing easily and probably thrown some light jabs back at his friends, perhaps even agreed with them, today he just looked downright depressed. And you just couldn’t have that.

“Fred?” you said quietly, the others laughing and joking between themselves. He leant back into the sofa, leaving his hands on his knees and tipping his head back. When he sighed, your mouth twitched into a scowl as you reached over to play with his hair, pulling the strands lightly between your fingers. “What’s up?”

He didn’t say anything; only turning his face towards you. He stared for a second before he rocked his head forward and his hand came around to circle your waist. He pulled you into him, enjoying the closeness.

“Bad day?” you pried as his head flopped down to your shoulder. Your fingers played gently with the hairs at the nape of his neck and he hummed. You rested your cheek onto his head, feeling his warmth beneath it.

“Something like that.”

You moved your other hand over to his knee, weaving your fingers together slowly. His thumb rubbed the back of your hand.

“Can I help?”

He smiled slightly before he twisted to press a soft kiss to your neck.

“Already are, love.”

You shuffled back into position and stayed like that for a little while, playing with his hair and holding his hand. You were in your own little world; just you and Fred.

“Be careful there, Y/N,” George said, pointed to you and Fred’s interlocked hands. Fred’s arm tightened around your waist at the interruption of your quiet moment. “Those talons might scratch your skin right off.”

As he laughed at his joke, the others joining in, you debated telling them to knock it off for Fred’s sake. You were almost relieved that you wouldn’t have to when Fred’s voice sent vibrations down your shoulder.

“You’re one to talk about talons, George,” he said, peeking around to face his brother. “You forget, I’ve seen your toenails.”

You couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled from your throat at his words. It didn’t matter, though; it was by far not the loudest. As the whole group exploded into a round of hysterics, you moved your cheek off Fred’s head and twisted so you could plant a gentle kiss on his hairline.

“I hope you know, Weasley,” you whispered to him. “I’d pick you over a hippogriff any day.”

He didn’t speak, but you felt him smile against your skin.

[dirt-cup-draco]

Harry x Reader- Cultivate

hello! could I request something among the lines of strangers/enemies to lovers/crushes with harry still? I'm literally in: desperate need

A/N: Ahh! I am sorry you are in desperate need and I took so long! Thank you for being patient with me <3

“Enough!” Professor Sprout huffed, as her rounded cheeks grew red and splotchy. The room was humid and there was already sweat gathered at the professor’s brow. Neville had successfully dropped four pots because a Slytherin kept tossing pebbles at his back, Ron Weasley had just finished a soil flinging war with Finnigan over something as silly as who was better at casting spells (the answer was clearly neither of them), and Hermione kept droning on about how she wouldn’t be distracted by any of the nonsense going on but she had yet to begin Sprout’s instructions for the day. 

You scoffed at it all from your corner of the greenhouse while carefully tending to the flourishing plants in front of you. This was all asinine. 

“Oh find this amusing do you, Y/L/N?” Sprout huffed, eyes growing wide at your declaration of annoyance. You winced. Of course she heard it when it wasn’t for her. 

“N-no ma’am, I was just-” You tried to defend lamely, yet the woman was moving on to scold the rest of the students. 

“I am quite tired of the tomfoolery in this classroom! I demand respect for myself, for the living materials we learn with and for each other. Please gather your things and step away from your stations, I will be pairing you all up with someone you are unfamiliar with. By the end of the week I want cooperation, and quiet. Do you all hear me?” 

The sounds of discontent floated up in the air but were silenced as Sprout sent a glare to every student in the classroom. A few “yes ma’ams” and “we hear you” rang out before everyone, you included and started to gather up your things. You tucked your wand into your robe with your herbology book pressed up against your hip, you wandered to one of the far walls

You watched all of the students in the room and realized you could be put with anyone, besides Neville that is. You weren’t close with anyone there, not even those in your own house. Even Neville and you weren’t close but you at least knew he did his best in this class and you two had talked a time or two about different properties of the plants and what seemed to damage one and help another. It was just studying really. 

“Y/L/N, must I call your name a third time?” Sprout sighed and you paled. To be quite honest you hadn’t heard her the first or second time. “Please go sit beside Potter, as I instructed previously.” She emphasized and you rushed to the seat in embarrassment as a few students giggled around you. It was not your day.

And it continued to not be your day as you took your seat beside Harry Potter. You cast him one glance before staring back at the foliage around you. You didn’t know him well but you didn’t want to either. He seemed... Self-righteous? Egotistical? You weren’t quite sure but you had never been able to get along with the boy, you would get a sour taste in your mouth when you saw him do something grand or receive the highest praises seemingly for very little work.

 For godric’s sake, you tried your hardest every day and it didn’t seem to be enough for your family, for your peers, for your professors. You had to struggle to get recognition and Harry was given it simply for existing. 

“I’m-” Harry started trying to break the ice as he saw you look away, your eyes going vacant in the way Ron’s did when he was thinking about anything else when they were stuck in Astronomy class with Professor Sinistra. 

“I know who you are,” Your voice was clipped as you fiddled with the spine of your herbology book. 

Harry laughed softly, trying to shake of the cold that shot in his veins. What was your problem? “I know you now too, seems Sprout doesn’t like you very much today,” 

It  his harmless joking was a sore spot as you sent him a venomous look, eyes narrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. “Not everyone can be loved as much as you are Potter,” You spat and Harry rolled his eyes. 

“I’ve found that not being a bitter flobberworm really helps when trying to make friends, you should try it out,” 

“You-!” You began but students were gathering their things as the end of class was signaled. Still fuming, you left in a hurry not realizing you had left your class notes on the table. 

Harry gathered them up, not wanting to hear you bicker about them the next class period. 

--

You were barely focused in Potions as you realized that Herbology was quickly arriving. You didn’t mind the class of course but last week had not been your week and you were now worried to see Professor Sprout and Harry. You knew you had been short with him when he hadn’t deserved it but he’d been quite rude in calling you  “a bitter flobberworm”. Popular prat. 

You had a pout on your face as you gathered your things at the sound of scraping chairs and Snape droning on about an essay you knew you’d barely get a passing grade on. You weren’t bad at potions, yet you weren’t good. And that could be used to describe much of your participation in classes. 

Most thought you studious because you were tired but your teachers weren’t fond of you even if their hairs weren’t going gray because of you. You were average in all ways and you simply passed through life not being horrible but not being the best. 

By the time you had entered the greenhouse you were morose and even the sight of Harry, his friends circled around your table until class began, made you jealous. You didn’t want to be the most popular kid in school, nor did you want to be the prettiest or most intelligent, but to be recognized by anyone would surely fill the hole that had started to form in you. 

You sat down with a grunt, eyes kept pointing downwards. Hermione moved her schoolbooks that she had been resting in your spot to the side and you sent her a pinched smile as she tugged on Ron’s sleeve. The Weasley didn’t even have time to question the girl and she was pulling him away.

You thought at first it had been for your benefit but as you set out your notebook and quill you heard the chosen one let out a cough that clearly indicated he wished for your attention. You wanted to snap at him but figured he was right, being bitter would get you nowhere. 

“I wanted to say sorry,” He explained as your eyes found his. 

Your eyebrow perched to the top of your head in question. Harry took the hint and flushed a bit, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“For what I said last time, you’re not a flobberworm,”

The surprise must’ve been palpable on your face because he scratched the back of his neck and offered an additional, “I just want us to get along for the project and I think we got off on the wrong foot,” 

You nodded, letting a smile take over your features. You felt a million times better from the apology. You supposed you had been a bit too hard on the boy. 

“Apology accepted. I’m sorry too for how I acted last time,” You stuck your hand out to the Gryffindor with the crooked glasses and skewed tie. “I’m Y/N, and you are?” 

It took him a moment to catch up but then he was grasping your hand in his with a reassuring grip. “I’m Harry, nice to meet you,” 

The skin on your palm began to tingle from the contact and you felt your cheeks grow pink but luckily Sprout burst into the greenhouse with a declaration that there was much to be done and Harry’s hand slipped from yours.

Maybe this project wouldn’t be the hell you had feared it would be. 

--

“Surprised she didn’t bite your head off again,” Ron muttered between sloppy bites of turkey and rolls. 

Harry laughed as he saw his best friend suddenly wince and a smug look appear onto Hermione’s face. She had taken to kicking his shins when he ate with a particularly full mouth. He couldn’t help but catch the fond glance she sent the redhead’s way. 

“Y/N’s actually pretty great once you get to know her, we’ve even got a study date tomorrow after dinner,” Harry shrugged and Hermione perked up. 

“A study date?” She pointed out and Harry nearly choked on his pumpkin juice.

“N-no! ‘Mione, I just meant that we were meeting to study,” 

“Harry likes Y/N?” Seamus asked as he swung his legs over the bench at the table. The boy was unfortunately not known for being quiet and Harry swung his head around trying to see if you were nearby. Thankfully he couldn’t see you. 

“No! I don’t like her like that, we are just paired up for Herbology,” His cheeks were undeniably red but he could’ve blamed the heat in the great hall from all the students congregating for dinner. 

Just because your surprise smile in class had caught him by surprise and tied his stomach in knots did not mean he liked you.

--

“No, wait Y/N-” Harry spoke softly as you went to write down your notes as he dictated from the textbook. His hand grasped yours with a familiarity odd for how little you two had interacted but it made you feel warm nonetheless. 

You paused, eyes wide and searching his in curiosity. “What is it Potter, mandrake melt your brains?” You teased playfully, foot nudging his as he continued his odd silence. 

He snorted and shook his head, unfortunately removing his hand from yours. It was just nice to have someone close for the first time. You told yourself to justify your disappointment. It wasn’t that Harry was special. It was just because he was nice and you didn’t have many friends to call your own. 

“I accidentally said asphodel but I meant to say dittany,” 

Now it was your turn to snort and you leaned forward in your seat to press the back of your hand against his forehead. “Feeling alright? How’d you manage to mix those two up?” 

Harry rolled his eyes, playfully pushing your hand away. “It’s hard to focus with you tapping your quill against the table every second,” He sent you a small smirk so you knew he didn’t mean anything by the simple jest. 

To be quite honest you had been the source of Harry’s distraction. He hadn’t realized how pretty you could be when you were in your element, relaxed. It seemed being away from the normal crowd of students did you well and he was happy to see that you were even teasing back. 

“Alright, I’ll try to stop, just keep reading,” You demanded a giggle attached to the end of your sentence that had all the tension from the school day leaving his shoulders. 

As you went back to writing he had the sudden urge to press his lips against your cheek. He feared you might stab him with your quill so he kept it to himself but he was starting to think Seamus hadn’t been entirely wrong. 

--

It’d nearly been a month of seeing each other twice a week for study sessions and once a week for Herbology and you were happy to admit you were Harry Potter’s friend. However, being his friend came with certain...duties. Duties like having to sit in the quidditch stands with wind cutting like ice against your robes and scarf.

“Harry!” You greeted with a grin, embracing the Gryffindor as he landed back onto the quidditch pitch. He hadn’t been able to attend your normal study sessions due to a game so you had decided to bundle up against the steadily cooling weather and support him while he played.

“Brilliant job today,” You praised, cheek pressed against his quidditch uniform. You were pleased to note that his arms were just as tight around you as yours were around him. 

“It’s because Neville was cheering me on I reckon,” He teased and you laughed, pulling away to affectionately pat the seeker’s cheek. His skin was ice cold from the winds but he was happier than you’d ever seen him and it made your heart skip a beat. 

You turned your nose up in the air but kept your hand pressed against his slowly warming skin. “And here I thought my presence made a difference,” 

“It does,” Harry spoke quickly and without any teasing in his tone. “It makes a world of a difference to me,” 

His hand had come to rest over yours and in a moment of bravery you grabbed it and interlocked your fingers, letting your hands sway between the both of you. Harry didn’t pull away, instead he chose to squeeze back. 

You blushed and locked your eyes on your shoes. You were feeling a bit lightheaded with all of this attention and for the first time in your life you were glad to see Ron headed your way looking like he had a million things to say. 

“Harry!” He called and you had to bite back a giggle as Harry sighed good-naturedly. 

“See you at the party tonight?” 

“I’m not sure,” You answered honestly, fingers falling away from his. 

Ron dragged him off before he could answer but he sent you a pleading look over his shoulder before he was gone from sight. Maybe you would make a short appearance just to congratulate him on his win. 

--

“Missed you last night,” Harry commented, kissing your hairline as he settled into his seat at the library. Your herbology books were already open as were your textbooks. A silly doodle of a bowtruckle on a boat caught his eye as you thumbed through the pages looking for the most recent notes. 

You looked at him with apologetic eyes, bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “I know,” You sighed. “I took a shower before I planned on coming to the party but the hot water drained all my energy it seemed and I woke up nearly late for class this morning,” 

Harry shrugged, ruffling your hair and grinning as you swatted his hand. “It’s alright love, you can come next time we win,” 

Love. Your heart skipped and jumped and went off the high dive at the swimming pool. Needing extra reinforcement to hide your burning blush you took your hair down from it’s ponytail and stared at the homework assignment for that week. 

“Y-yeah!” You cursed your voice for coming out so breathy. “Of course I’ll be there, star seeker,” 

Harry laughed softly and it seemed he hadn’t noticed anything odd about your clear appreciation of his introduction to pet names. Does he call Hermione love? You wondered. 

“Can’t deny that, I’m pretty amazing,” Harry said but ended up snorting as you giggled, laughter bursting out between you two even if it was quickly quieted by Madam Pince’s scolding. 

“You really are,” You sighed fondly, a gentle smile curling the edges of your lips. Harry let himself stare unabashedly. Your quick acceptance of his bold teasing had him feeling breathless. 

Little did he know you were feeling the same way.

--

“Y/N,” You were surprised your name was called by a boy from Ravenclaw and not from Harry. He was usually the first to greet you in Herbology but it seemed he was late today. 

“Hello, Anthony,” You said, uncertain but polite. 

“Just wanted to say you look quite beautiful today,” The boy smiled simply before showing himself to his seat, not even waiting for you to reply. You could feel the fire that was creeping up your neck. He thought you were beautiful? 

Your mind remained trapped in it’s confused bubble for the rest of class. You snuck glances at Anthony and he did the same at you, both of you looking away as quickly as you could when you caught the other. 

“Everything okay?” Harry asked as you walked out of the greenhouse and you perked up. 

“Yeah, of course, why?” You asked and he gave you a puzzled look.

“You mean you’re not feeling weird or anything? You barely said a word during class,” 

“O-oh,” You laughed sheepishly. “It’s just- Well before you came to class one of the boys, Anthony, he called me-” 

“What’d he say?” Harry frowned, a sudden growl in his voice. “I’ll hex him into next week,” 

“Oh you idiot,” You giggled, “He called me beautiful, and well I just think it’s the first time I’ve heard it from anyone other than my parents or a relative. Just had me thinking was all, but yes I’m good-great even,” 

Harry’s stomach churned uncomfortably. He was relieved that no one had been cruel but for some reason he was all the more unsettled that someone was seeing you with the same lenses he did. It had taken a moment but Harry knew now how truly beautiful and amazing you were and it looked like he wasn’t the only one who had taken notice. 

“Oh, guess that’s good then,” He swallowed the lump in his throat and gave you a tight smile. “See you tonight,” 

Without warning, Harry was headed straight to his common room- grabbing Hermione’s arm on the way and dragging her along. You watched after him but he didn’t glance back. 

--

A sudden shake to your shoulder was waking you from the nap you hadn’t been aware you’d slipped into. “Huh?” You mumbled, head lifting from your textbook and a page following with you as it stuck to your cheek. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Came Harry’s reply, his shoulder still on your shoulder. 

Ah right. You had been in the library since right after dinner waiting for Harry to come and help with your studying. Ten minutes had gone by and you thought he might’ve forgot his notes. Twenty minutes then passed and you worried he’d fallen down the stairs. Thirty minutes ticked by and you were growing frustrated but the dim lights had your eyelids feeling heavy. Forty minutes since dinner and Harry was nowhere to be seen- you sleeping soundly on your textbook. 

“What time is it?” You croaked, rubbing your eyes and finding Harry was without notes. Instead he held a wilting bunch of asphodels in his hand. 

“You’ll hate me if I tell you, been racing around all evening and let the time get away from me,” He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as you finally noticed he hadn’t sit down yet. 

“Do we need those for class?” You nodded towards the lily-like flowers. 

Harry flushed, his cheeks bright even in the dim light. “Uh no.. Got them for you,” 

“Harry-” You started, confused.

“Wait, wait,” He pleaded, swapping the flowers to his other hand and rubbing his hand on his pant leg. If you didn’t know any better you’d say he was nervous. You were starting to feel it too, the familiar rush of adrenaline that set you on edge. Your hands were beginning to sweat as you worried over why your friend was acting so weird. 

“I know showing up late isn’t really impressive, nor was ditching you after class. But when you told me what that Ravenclaw said I got in my head a bit... So I grabbed the smartest witch I knew and we spent all of dinner trying to figure out some grand way for me to make you forget about Anthony because I got mad he’d gotten the guts to tell you that you were beautiful before I could,” 

Your stared at the chosen one with more confusion than ever before. Sure he’d been more affectionate recently and you two had been spending more time together but you didn’t think it came from a place of interest... At least not for him. But standing here listening to him you couldn’t help but wonder. 

“Harry were you jealous?” You asked, being unable to fight the smile even if your heart was pounding uncomfortably. 

“Godric, yes,” He laughed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His shoulders drooped a little but he still held the asphodels out to you. “so Y/N, I’m not Anthony and I’m not the first, but I think you are the most stunning girl I’ve ever met. Clearly not even close to being a flobberworm.” 

You laughed, grasping the asphodels in your hand as you stood. It felt odd staring at a bunch of flowers as Harry spoke from the heart. You wanted to look into his clear and beautiful eyes. 

“Harry?” You sounded amused as you interrupted his rambling.

“Yes Y/N?” Harry sounded bashful as he said your name. 

You set the flowers on the table, hands pressing against Harry’s chest as he settled his hands slowly and unsurely onto your hips. He swallowed once more, eyes wide and soft. Were you going to shove him? Maybe this was when you’d stab him with a quill. 

“Kiss me?” 

And despite his initial fear of being maimed, he pulled you closer and kissed you as he’d been fantasizing of for weeks. 

When he pulled away you felt dizzy yet grounded. Like you were on cloud nine but like you’d never been more sure of something in your life. 

“What are you thinking about?” Harry asked, nose brushing against yours. He took a deep breath and you could feel his chest brush against yours. Could he feel your heartbeat? 

“If I said Anthony?” You poked fun, already seeing Harry’s expression morphing. Before he could get too upset you nibbled at his bottom lip then soothed it with a kiss. “I’m kidding you git, I’m thinking I’ve been waiting for you to kiss me for ages,” 

Harry grinned, pulling you in a hug as a laugh burst from his chest. You were wonderful and he felt like it had been fate of sorts for Sprout to pair you two together.

 Even if things had been thorny in the beginning, you had both just needed a bit of care and cultivation to really come to life. 

[violet-knox]

Hey, can you do Adult Severus/Muggle. Reader finds Severus and takes it upon herself to look after him? Can it be fluff and cute af, please?

Long Forgotten

Pairing: Severus Snape x Muggle!Reader

Summary: You’re infatuated by the man in black who hangs around the school where you work until one day you approach him out of concern.

Word Count: 6112

A/N: So I got a bit carried away with this one. The fluff comes a bit after and in this story they don’t actually end up together (yet), it’s rather slow paced, but it was a lot of fun to write. I may end up doing  part two for this one when I get the chance. I feel so unsatisfied 😅

Your stomach growled and you knew it was time to pack up the essays you’d been grading and head home for dinner. But once again, the shadow hidden behind the tree at the edge of the playground wiped any thought you had of leaving the classroom. The same man, always dressed in black, always dragging his feet like he held the world on his shoulders, had been lurking around the edge of the school grounds every day for a little over a week now and the sight of him always sent shivers up your spine. You were wary of his presence, always caught in the corner of your eye as you stayed behind in your classroom despite better judgment. 

Common sense told you to speak to someone of the man’s daily visits to the school, yet you were reluctant to say a word to anyone. He would always show up well after the students had left and he’d never wander anywhere past that tree. He didn’t seem like a threat to you, his sadness instead reflected by the way he’d hang his head low, one hand on the tree trunk, sinking down to the ground as he continued to stare at it. You knew he had a story, a reason for being there but you’d never once thought of approaching him to ask, fear striking you back. You were conflicted and so you stayed the observer, watching him from afar, his movements never changing, his intentions never present. He was a mystery that you weren’t sure you’d ever solve. 

“You’re still here?” Looking up from the desk you saw Ms. Simmons at the door of her classroom with a smile as large as her optimism. She was such a sweet woman, under appreciated by her students and misunderstood by the staff. But you were happy to have been assigned to her, helping and learning from her. Most of your mates from college complained about the teacher they got placed with but not you. Ms. Simmons was the one good thing about the miserable placement you got: the worst ranking elementary school in Cokeworth. Many saw it as a joke of a school, yet children of varying households would attend it nonetheless.

“I’m just finishing up the essay’s they handed in today,” you informed her. She walked over to her desk where you were sitting and pulled open one of the drawers and reached inside. You watched her pull out an empty flask and stuff it into her giant purse, shattering your perfect, innocent view of her.   

“I’ve worked here since the day this school has opened and never have I seen someone as dedicated to work with these students as you are.” She spoke with such glee in her voice but when you looked back into her eyes, all that optimism you’d previously admired sizzled away, replaced with the burden of working as an underpaid teacher in such a horrible school district. Your eyes drifted away from her face, unable to take the sight, your mind rejecting what you saw as your probable future. Instead you found your thoughts returning back to the man in black as you watched him hunching over the tree with one hand leaning on it’s trunk as he slowly kneeled down to the ground, his head hung as low as ever.

“I’m just delighted to have the opportunity to work with you.” Your words flowed like you were reading off a script, your mind completely detached from where you were, wondering why that man was so obsessed over that tree.

“Well don’t stay too long.” You snapped back in time to watch Ms. Simmons walk around you and back to the door. “Have a nice night!”

“You too,” you said, trying to reciprocate her fake kindness as she disappeared down the narrow school halls. Sitting back in the chair, you tossed the pen in your hand back on the desk in defeat. This job wasn’t worth it and you’d been lying to yourself, believing it was anything but a waste of time. You’d only gone into education thinking you could make a difference in the sad meagre town you grew up in when in reality, any impact you could possibly have wouldn’t make a shred of difference to anyone.

With a loud groan, you closed your eyes and threw your head back in frustration. What would you do if you quit this job? Four years of college down the drain and even if you tried to move to a different city, London perhaps, you knew your credentials wouldn't hold up amongst the competition that awaited you there. You had no choice; you had to stay in Cokeworth and make what you could of the path you chose, else you’d have to back pedal completely and find a way to head down a different road. 

Looking back towards the window, you looked for the man in black, trying to get your mind off your own life because pondering over the mystery of someone else's was better than dealing with your reality. The man’s figure was nowhere to be found when you looked at the tree. Squinting you thought perhaps his shadow had merged with the trunk he’d been sulking over for so long, but you still couldn’t catch a glimpse of him. He couldn’t have left. You knew that because you’d always refused to leave before he did. He was the reason you’d eat dinner so late, why you’d been living off of four to five hours of sleep every night. Curiosity taking over any sense of logic, you stood and walked towards the window, realizing you couldn’t see him from the desk because he’d somehow found himself lying on the ground. Taking a step forward, you placed a hand on the window, your brows furrowed as you tried to make out any sense of movement, any indication the man was alright but you were given no such luck. 

You stood there a moment, praying he would move but as the seconds slowed, your heart beat faster and your concern for the stranger grew. Against better judgment, you turned on your heel and ran out the door. The sounds of your quick footsteps echoed down the empty hall as you pushed open the door leading to the playground and ran towards the man, slowing as you approached him. He was in the exact same position you’d seen him from the classroom window but as you drew nearer, you couldn’t fathom why he was unconscious on the ground. 

“Hello?” You tried to speak to the man. No response. He looked young, perhaps even a bit younger than you and you couldn’t spot any wounds on him though the black trousers and jacket surely didn’t help with visibility. “Are you alright?”

No response. Stepping a little closer, you kneeled in front of him, your hand hovering to reach for his shoulder but you hesitated. This was a bad idea. You didn’t know the man and for all you knew, he could have been stalking you this entire time, peering into the classroom window which was much more exposed than you thought it was from here. 

“Can you hear me?” You tried again, your hand pressed against the thin material of his jacket, gently squeezing his shoulder. No response. You swallowed hard, your chest heaving for air. What were you to do? You’d never trained for something like this, never been told what to do in a situation like this. Desperately, you peered over the man and his surroundings, no open wounds found but his chest still rose and fell with every breath he took; he was alive at least.

Standing, you looked at the tree the man had spent so long near and saw an engraving, one that was clearly done a while ago, the wood browning as the tree healed from its carving. Judging by the height and sloppy handwriting, you assumed the two names that were spelt were written by children: Lily and Sev. Sev, what an odd name, or perhaps it was a nickname of some sort. Strange how you’d never noticed it before, but there was no time for your curiosity right now. Sprinting back to the school, you made your way to the office, panting as you picked up the phone and called the police, informing them of what had happened. 

With the assurance that an ambulance would be by within a few minutes, you put down the phone and made your way back to the man, immediately peering at his chest to see that he was still breathing. The women on the phone had asked if the man had a pulse but you were unsure. You’d seen people check a person’s pulse in movies, but you’d never done it yourself. You felt absolutely useless talking to that woman, unable to tell her a single thing, not even a proper description of the man. 

Peering at the man’s face through the hair that showered him, your eyes ventured down to his neck, his hair long enough to cover any skin that wasn’t cloaked by the black button up he was wearing under his jacket. Cautiously, you moved a hand to ever so gently brush away his hair and expose his face and neck. It felt as though you were defusing a bomb, fingers so gentle, gliding against his skin which seemed colder than it should have been. Pulling your hand away, you looked back down at him, realizing how awkward a move you’d just made. He wasn’t anyone you knew, yet you touched him as though you were waking up to your long-life partner in the morning.  

It was odd seeing his face for the first time after recognizing him from afar for so long. He wasn’t anything like you imagined, his features though prominent, grew much softer the longer you looked at him. His eyelashes were long and thick, much like his hair and eyebrows, his lips were thin, his cheeks sharp along with his jaw and his nose was hooked. Looking at him now, you weren’t sure how old he was. You’d initially assumed he was in his early twenties but something about him made you think otherwise. It was as though he’d lived a life long enough to stretch over a century, but you knew that wasn’t the case, it couldn’t have been. 

Shaking your head, you tried to get your mind off of filling in all those questions you’d wondered about him this past week and reached over, pressing two fingers on his neck, searching for a pule, unsure of what you were truly looking for. No resp-

You gasped at the sudden grasp on your wrist, the charcoal eyes of the man staring back at you as his nails dug into your skin. Your heart nearly stopped as you looked at his stern expression, his body too weak to project the alarm on his face. 

“Are-Are you alright?” You croaked, your throat suddenly dry as you tried to pull your hand away from him. His grasp was too strong despite his obvious need for medical attention. Where was that damn ambulance!?

“Who are you?” His voice was raspy, like there was a frog in his throat but his tone confirmed he was on the defensive, unable to let go of your hand in fear of your intentions. His words at least answered one question floating around in your mind; he hadn’t come around the school this past week to stalk you, he was likely here for personal reasons, something to do with that tree and the engraving it carried. 

“I-I work at the school, I-I'm a student teacher,” you said, reluctant to give your name, still completely clueless as to who he was. The man looked down at the school you gestured to, his expression suddenly changing as if he had some sort of awkward realization. “I think you’re hurt.” 

You could still not identify the source of his wound, but people don’t just collapse, they don’t struggle to speak or move if there isn’t something wrong with them. You wanted to help the man despite his less than friendly attitude towards you, but you still had no idea what to do. 

“I’m fine,” he replied, finally letting go of your hand only to press his palms into the ground and try to stand up. Instinctively, you grabbed his arm, trying to keep him from falling as his legs shook failing at supporting him. He was skinny, his limbs looking like twigs the kids would play with, pretending they were swords. How he’d managed to sit up was beyond you. 

“I don’t think you should be moving.” You protested as he tried pushing you away, too weak to counter your own strength. “I called for an ambulance. They should be here any minute.”

“No,” he said all too quickly. “I don’t need them.”

His sudden reaction to the mention of an ambulance was rather alarming. Who would turn down help when they so obviously needed it? Even if it seemed that the ambulance would never arrive, at least he could have found comfort in knowing help was on its way.

“But-”

“Leave.” His tone turned cold as he summoned every fibre of strength left in his body to push you away. “I don’t need you either.”

You looked at him, stunned by his attitude. Sure, you were a stranger, but in his position, you wouldn’t have questioned taking any sort of help from anyone. His body trembled under your touch as he tried to get away from you, like if he’d stayed here any longer, all his secrets would be spilled, exposing themselves to you. You let go of him as he got to his feet, his body immediately seeking aid, throwing itself onto the tree to keep himself upright. You heard a low groan escape his lips as his entire upper body placed its dependence on the tree he’d been obsessed with this past week.

“I can’t just leave you here,” you said, your hands grasping him to ease the pressure off his frail  legs. He seemed to finally accept your aid at first until you felt him regain some of his balance enough to push you away once again.

“I told you-”

“I’m not leaving!” you exclaimed in protest, your grip on him returning stronger than before. Clear shock was written all over his face as he looked at you blankly, wide eyed. You’d surprised yourself with your own assertive demeanour and clearly it had the same effect on him. You were inclined to give credit to your position as a teacher for your need to help the man, but it was more than that. He was a book you wanted to read, one filled with sadness and loneliness. You could see in his eyes the abandonment he’d been through, something you were all too familiar with. He wasn’t used to depending on anyone, thus the resistance he showed you now, your own determination countering it as you insisted on providing him aid, any sort of aid, no matter how little. “Let me at least help get you inside”.

You gestured to the school, your grip on his arm loosening when he finally stopped resisting you. You looked at him and you felt time stop, something new appearing in the depths of the darkness in his eyes. Hope was a powerful feeling, one that showed up in many forms. You’d felt it the day you met Ms. Simmons and now, you could see it emulated in the eyes of the man in black. 

“No. Not here.” Whatever spell grasped you to his mind was broken when he looked back towards the school and as he spoke, you could sense a drastic change in his tone. He was much more relaxed, much warmer towards you, a sense of trust growing between you for reasons you couldn’t understand. “I-I need to go home.”

His lack of energy emulated itself in his voice. He seemed to have accepted the situation he was in, yet still seemed reluctant to accept proper help. There was only so much you could do for him, a hospital being the best place for him to be not his home. 

“We need to get you to a hospital,” you protested his request, feeling rather nervous about his odd behaviour. It was human to accept help when offered so why was he so adamant on rejecting it? 

“Please, if you want to help me, leave me be.” He sounded desperate, as if it was imperative for you to leave him to his own demise, like he’d die if you dare give him any aid. “I cannot go to a hospital. They cannot help me there.”

“Why?” His words told you one thing while his tone spoke the opposite. He’d been claiming he didn’t need you, that he didn’t need anyone’s help yet you sensed something entirely different from the way he spoke, the way he eased into your touch when he began to trust you.  

“That is beyond your concern, now please let me go,” he said, his body making no motion to push you away either out of protest for his words or he was simply too weak to do as he wished. You couldn’t tell. His voice was still so raspy, even more so than before now that he’d started to let go of that defensive behaviour he’d taken with you. 

“If you insist on going home, then at least let me drive you. My car is just over there.” You pointed towards the parking lot to the side of the school, not too far from where you stood. The man looked over to where you pointed and took a moment before hesitantly nodding in agreement to your suggestion. Slowly, you helped him walk down the hill to cross the school park, making your way to your car. You opened the passenger side door first and helped him in before jogging to the other side of the car. 

“Your seatbelt,” you reminded the man, pointing to it as you fastened your own. Surely if he had enough energy to push you away, he would have enough energy to clip in a seatbelt. The man looked at you with that blank expression again before he rolled his eyes and slowly reached for the seatbelt. Funny how the man who seemed to be on the brink of death not moments ago continued to elude any sort of aid, even if it was from something as simple as a seatbelt. “Where are we going?”

“Spinner’s End,” he mumbled, the click of his seatbelt your queue to turn on the engine and leave the parking lot. You kept your eyes on the road but could feel the man’s black eyes on you, like he was studying you as you’d studied him over the past week. Fate must have a twisted sense of humour if this was where you were meant to be, driving an injured stranger to his home after pondering over the mystery that surrounded him the past few days. 

“You know where Spinner’s End is?” The man asked, clearly surprised you hadn’t asked for directions. 

“I used to live in the neighbourhood when I was growing up,” you explained, knowing most people in this town would rather pretend like the area around Spinner’s End didn’t exist before acknowledging there were actual people leaving there. It was reputations like that that made you adamant on changing the town, on trying to impact its youth. But of course, it was reputations like that of Spinner’s End that would live past the lifetime of the city itself. 

“I’ve never seen you before,” he said, his voice sounding a little weaker but at least he seemed to be relaxing in the car instead of fighting to get away from you under that tree. 

“You say that as if you know every single person on Spinner’s End,” you said, smiling at his claim, trying to lighten the mood a bit after everything that had happened. For a short moment you felt like you were driving with a friend, someone you’d known for years but the awkward silence thickening the air broke that illusion all too quickly. You looked over towards the man and saw that blank expression on his face again, like his mind had wandered somewhere else as he stared at you. “I-umm, I moved away when I was old enough, went to school in London and came back to teach here.”

No response. The silence was quite deafening, but the awkwardness had begun to fade when he took his eyes off you, choosing to stare out the window instead, leaning his head back on the headrest. The feeling of friendly company returned as your grip on the steering wheel loosened. You didn’t mind the silence, for some reason, it felt soothing with him sitting beside you and you didn’t even know the man’s name. 

“You chose to work here?” His delayed reaction took you a bit by surprise, but you found it rather warming. There was something about him, something about your dynamic with him you couldn’t quite get your finger on. All you knew was that you needed to find out more. You needed to find out more about him and why you felt such a connection to him.  

“I wanted to make a difference,” you shrugged in response, feeling as though your story wasn’t interesting enough to go into. You arrived at his home a few minutes later, spending the rest of the car ride accompanied by the man in black and the settling silence that surrounds you. Turning off the engine, you undid your seatbelt, hearing the sound of his own coming undone. Quickly opening the door, you ran over to help him out of the car, the man already stepping out, trying to get to the door on his own but his body was still so weak, still so fragile. 

“Do you need-”

“No-” He’d rejected your help before you could even offer it, trying and failing to get to his porch by himself. Neither of you said a word as you helped him up to his door, carefully letting him go, watching as he reached inside his pocket to fish out his keys. 

“I-I can take it from here,” he said as he went to unlock his door. You stood there like a rejected puppy wanting to come home but the man had barely opened the door enough for him to slip through, leaving you on the other side of the door. 

“My-my name is (Y/N), I-I realized I never introduced myself,” you said quickly before he could close the door on you. You didn’t want to leave him, whether it was because of the infinite amount of questions floating around in your head or simply to make sure he would survive the night you didn’t care. All you knew was that you couldn’t leave him, this wasn’t the end of your interaction with him. He wasn’t going to close the door never to be seen by you again.   

“I- umm-” The man had frozen when you spoke, the door neither open nor closed and for a second you thought perhaps he’d obliged to you offering your company. “Thank you for your help.” 

His words rung in your ears, his tone stuck in your mind as you watched his cloaked self disappear behind the door. He was gone, but your worry for him remained. You heard the sound of the lock clicking into place, followed by a loud thump. You stepped forward, placing one hand on the door, the other balled into a fist, your knuckles pressed against the etched wood, ready to request entrance. But it was your heart that pounded instead, begging him to open the door, to let you know he would be okay. 

You couldn’t bring yourself to do it. You were tired of being pushed away and you were afraid of what might happen if he put any more effort into rejecting your help. Afraid you may do more harm than good, you slowly took a step back, trying your best to let go of that compulsive need to care for others until you found yourself back in your car. 

Looking back at the house, you examined each window, trying to find any sign of life, anything to let you know he hadn’t dropped dead the second he locked the door. The house looked back at you offering you nothing but more questions. The place looked like it was uninhabited for years. Like the owners had decided one day the house wasn’t worth caring for, that it was a waste of space and that abandonment was the only solution. 

Against instinct, you put your keys in the ignition and turned on the car engine. A small sigh escaped your lips as you put the car into first gear, slowly pressing down on the accelerator to drive away. Your eyes shifted between the road and your rear-view mirror, your mind still hoping the house would come alive but you were given no such luck. 

Sleep didn’t find you that night. Your mind instead continued to replay the events of that evening over and over again. The more you thought about it, the worse you felt about leaving him there. More than once you contemplated driving back over there if not to simply observe him from afar like you had this past week at the school.

The sun finally rose, and you immediately jumped up to shower and make yourself a cup of coffee. You made your way to the only supermarket you knew would be open this early in the morning and went shopping for a few items before hurrying back to your car and making your way to the man in black on Spinner’s End. You once again found yourself frozen in place, staring at the forgotten house, waiting for it to come alive. Nothing had changed from last night, not one single movement was found through the windows that remained shut. The house was locking what it held away from the rest of the world, never to be seen by anyone or anything.

Despite its uninviting vitality, you still pushed open your car door, locking it as you gripped the paper bag in your hand tightly. Your heartbeat grew heavier with every step you took towards the house until you felt it stop the second you found yourself in front of the door. Once again, your knuckles were pressed against the wood, waiting for your queue to rap. Your heart settled in your chest, quiet in anticipation as it approved your request and let you knock on the door four times. Knock, knock, knock, knock. 

No response. You could feel the protest in your chest, the ache from the silence of the morning but you made no motion to walk away. Instead, you tried again: knock, knock, knock, knock.  

Was it you? Had he seen you from the window, identified your car and decided you weren’t worth opening the door for? Or had you made the grave mistake of leaving him to his injuries last night? You were no longer concerned with knowing the man, of having your questions answered, you needed to know he was alright, that you hadn’t killed a man by fulfilling his request of being left alone. 

 Knock, knock, knock-

The door opened and your mind drew blank. Staring back were the same black eyes you’d spent all night thinking about, his expression blank once more, his hair the same stringy black streaks, his cloak removed to show his lanky body. 

“It’s (Y/N). From-from last night,” you croaked out, your throat suddenly dry. His face softened when you spoke, the door opening just a little wider. “I just wanted to see how you were doing and give you this.”’

You showed him the bag in your hand, but his eyes kept lingering on yours. He stared at you, into your soul, reading your empty mind, flipping through your emotions like a book, or at least, that’s how it felt. His stare wasn’t one you’d ever seen before. He looked at you like you were a puzzle to be solved, a mystery to be discovered. Like he was seeking for something he could never really find. Your thoughts were interrupted by his gaze shifting down to your hands, his face giving away nothing but more questions. 

“It’s not much. A few home remedies, some tea and a first aid kit,” you tried to answer whatever questions were lingering in his own mind, hoping he would return the favour as you took a closer look at the man. He looked perfectly healthy, not a single sign of injury, like yesterday never happened. The way he looked at you now like he was shuffling the puzzle pieces in frustration, unable to figure you out. You began to wonder if you’d indeed hallucinated the entire evening and we're intruding on the home of a complete stranger.

“Why would you give me this?” he asked. 

“You were hurt yesterday, or so it seemed. And I-I just thought since you didn’t want to go to the hospital you could use something to help you recover.” You tried to explain, to justify your presence not just to him but to yourself. Of course, you hadn’t spoken the whole truth, leaving out the fact you felt drawn to him, that you wanted to figure him out, listen to his story. But it didn’t matter as it seemed your words had eased him enough to open the door for you. 

“Would-would you like some tea?” His offer took you back. He’d been so cold yesterday, his immediate reaction when he first met you to push you away and now here he was, inviting you in for tea. It was now your turn to stare into his eyes, frozen in the moment. Loneliness and despair stared back at you. You felt bad for the man as he started to open himself to you, his expression finally displaying a hint of his emotions. With a smile, you took a step inside, watching as he closed the door behind you, gesturing for you to take a seat on the old and forgotten couch. 

“Why are you so insistent on helping me?” he asked as you placed the bag on the table in front of you, the man taking a seat on the armchair adjacent to you. He was trying to solve you again, his eyes narrow, his hands folded in front of his chin.

“I-I don’t know really. I’ve seen you around the school before and when I saw you weren’t moving yesterday, I thought something horrible had happened.” you said, finding his glare rather intimidating. You sank back in your seat, your back hitting the couch as you placed your hands on your lap. “I just wanted to help.”

He looked away from you, his hands falling onto the armrests. His defences had fallen once more, your words somehow assuring him of your intentions. He believed you and you weren’t sure why. 

“Thank you,” he said, speaking to his lap more so than to you. His reluctance to accept help was rather astounding. He seemed hurt somehow, as if showing his gratitude to you would be to show weakness, to admit he was human. “I haven’t… It’s-it’s been a while since anyone has shown me kindness.”

You looked at him in surprise. Yes, the people didn’t take kindly to those living in this part of the town but surely he didn’t mean what he said. “That’s an awfully sad thing to say.” 

You spoke softly, feeling rather nervous, not wanting to offend the man in any way. He however didn’t seem to care much for your thoughts, his eyes meeting yours once again. 

“Perhaps,” he said simply, letting the silence settle in as you both sat there, wondering about each other. 

“Have you lived here long?” You’d shifted through your many questions, trying to pick the best to ask without sounding horribly eerie.

“I grew up here,” he said, indulging you in the small talk you’d requested, but his answer only kept you guessing, feeling rather excited as you began to wonder if the name ‘Sev’ from the tree back at the school belonged to him or someone he knew. “And like you, I’ve recently returned.”

“And you chose to return here?” You giggled, referencing the comment he’d made last night about your job choice. The man smiled in response, a singular chuckle puffing out his chest. Your own grin grew, his elated expression contagious. He looked rather sweet in this moment, the harshness of his defensive nature gone, the sadness in his eyes replaced with temporary joy, his smile softening his features. You felt like you could speak with him all day in that moment, but it was gone all too soon, his smile fading along with your own as his anguish returned.

“I needed a reminder.” he said, his eyes fixed on his lap, his hair falling in front of his face, the curtains closing on that brief moment of bliss you’d found with him. 

“A reminder?” You asked hesitantly. Silence fell once again and you felt the air thicken, the room around you somehow darker than before. The man slowed his breathing as he stared blankly into his lap, keeping his face hidden behind his curtain of hair. 

“I’ve recently lost someone.” His voice was as low as his posture, his shoulders hunched defensively as if he wasn’t worthy of receiving comfort for his loss. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you said simply, knowing nothing you could say would help ease his mind from whatever pain he felt. You sat there a while, waiting patiently for him to collect himself, the curtains opening not long after, a look of wonder and empathy meeting you. You happily eased into a different subject, speaking of your time as a teacher, hoping he would bring up the story behind the engraving on the tree but it was clear whatever memory attached to that story was too painful to hash up right now. You still indulged him in some small talk until you realized it was time to head to work.

“I’m sorry. I invited you in for tea and neglected to make you any,” the man looked guilty, liked he’d offended you in some way but you simply smiled, preferring the conversation you’d had over awkwardly sipping tea anyways. 

“That’s alright,” you chuckled. Turning around, you faced him as he opened the front door. Taking a small step forward, you felt the heat rise to your face as you tried to summon up any courage you had left. “Perhaps you could make it up to me this evening?”

You could hear nothing but your heart beating, waiting for his answer, fear that you overstepped bubbling up in your mind. But you waited patiently and watched that blank expression of his soften, hope staring back at you as he nodded in agreement. Your smile returned to your face as you told him you’d be by tonight after work. As you stepped out of the house, the man spoke, turning your attention back to him one last time.

“My name is Severus.” Sev. “Severus Snape.”

Your mind was wiped clean, replaced with an abundance of new questions, Who’s Lily? Was she the one he’d lost? Is she the reason he’d hung around your school this past week? Is she the reason you’d met this mysterious man?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Severus Snape.” Your smile stretched from ear to ear and you felt a spark of joy ignite in your chest, one you thought would never return since you’d come back to Cokeworth. Extending out your hand to him, you felt his thin, ice cold fingertips graze your palm as he captured it. You walked back to your car and Severus Snape, the man in black, kept his door open as he watched you buckle in. He was too far to read his face yet not far enough to know how he felt; serene, rejuvenated, content. For the first time in a long time, you were happy to go to work, looking forward to the day as you were sure he must have felt. For the first time in a long time, you’d pushed aside your worries and focussed on the present. You’d found yourself again and all it took was a simple conversation with a mysterious stranger.

@raven-hopeflyte @sleepysnapesnake @wanderingtrails @darkthought15 @bush-viper-cutie @fluffymadamina @dracos-mudblood @mitchiesdungeon @severuslovebot

[simpforsnape]

Sincerely Yours.

Severus Snape x OC/Reader

wordcount: 1478

warnings: minor errors. and plot. I own nothing but my OC, all credit goes to the creator of Harry Potter. JKR

credit to the creator of this gif.

Previous - Next

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Chapter 9

The birds outside chirped announcing that the next day had come.

Anah was laid out on her stomach with the cover only covering her bottom. There was warmth next to her. Something she was familiar with. Her arm extended out as she felt around still asleep.

There was someone there. Her hand landed on the person's face who was quickly awakened. Severus Snape. How could she have forgotten about last night? He removed the woman's hand as he then turned to see she was still asleep, and naked. He was also naked.

It took him a moment to awake and realize where he was. But it was quite obvious. He leaned over to the woman, planting a kiss on her shoulder while his large nose brushed against her skin.

“Anah. Wake up..” His lips mumbled against her skin. She shrugged him off groaning in the process.

“Hm..”

He smiled at her reaction. He did miss this. Being able to wake up next to someone you love. He will admit, work and loneliness got the best of him.

He tried again this time wrapping both of his arms around her, pulling her close. His lips were aligned with her ear.

“My love.”

Anah was already awake. And she heard him loud and clear. She turned her neck to only see the man looking down at her.

“Good Morning... Love..” She smiled planting a kiss on his lips. He returned the smile.

“Good Morning.”

She turned her entire body towards him as she pressed up against him. Thank Merlin neither of them had classes. Her arms wrapped across his neck. They were staring into the eyes of each other again. Only recalling last night's activities.

A smirk formed on her face as she kissed his bottom lip.

“You know.. We didn't use any type of protection..”

He scoffed bringing his hand up to caress her long brown messy hair.

“I'm well aware.”

He knew Anah had used a charm on herself to prevent getting pregnant. She sat up from him allowing the covers to fall from her body.

He remained there with his eyes stayed on her. She glanced over at the clock seeing that it was past noon. 12:36.

“Lunch is going on.. Do you want to go?” She asked turning over to him. He shook his head now grabbed ahold of her hand to kiss it.

“Not at the present time. But, I do wish to.. discuss somethings..” He added comfortably adjusting his head. Anah cocked a brow turning her body towards him. This must have been important.

“Was it about last night?..” She questioned. What was she afraid of him saying?

“Yes.” He mumbled, pulling himself up to speak clearly. He still had her hands in his. He looked down as he continued to talk.

“Anah. Last night made me recognize something. Of how much I still.. care for you.” He paused still not looking at her. His actions made her smile. He was acting like a child, being shy and all. He continued to fiddle with her hand as his words proceeded.

“I do not wish to wake up another day, alone. I'd rather be with someone.. who I love.. and cherish. And Anah, I'm willing to do this with you..”

With his final words, he looked up. When he saw her face he remained still. She had a tiny smile plastered across her lips. Her hands cupped his face as she looked down at him.

“Severus Snape. Are you asking me to date you?”

He was silent. He shouldn't have asked her, she was going to laugh in his face and call him a fool.

“If so, You should know my answer, my love. I'm willing to start everything over.. Just to be with you." She added while pressing her forehead against his. They shared a moment after her words were exchanged. Finally, they were together at last.

It took the two another hour to get up and dressed. They parted ways once Anah was freshened up and dressed. They agreed on meeting up later tonight for dinner.

How else could Anah spend her day? Well grading, of course, she was a teacher after all. She paced down the bright halls of the school with a smile formed on her face. How better can life get? After almost 13 years of being apart.. she was finally reunited with her  true  love.

While on the way to her class she walked past some students along the way. Some were concerned about why the professor was so happy and cheerful. Someone must have put something in her tea.

As usual, she ran into Harry. He was accompanied by Hermione, Ron, and also the Rat. Which was also.. Peter Pettigrew. How could she forget? She needed to get the rat to Sirius. Well at least help him get him.

On the walk to her class, there was a conversation held, mostly by teenagers.

They mostly talked about the trip to Hogsmeade and everything that happened along with it. Arriving at her classroom everyone entered as she quickly walked over to the pile of papers, which she forgot to grade. Everyone pitched in to help grade of course. The conversation carried on until Harry changed the subject.

"Professor V. May I ask you something?" He questioned which caused her to look up.

"Of course love, ask away." She replied setting down the quill that was in her hand. All attention went to Harry.

"While at Hogsmeade, I overheard something.. about Sirius Black.." He was mumbling by then.

She cocked a brow curious about where the conversation was going.

"What about him Harry?.."

His blue eyes soon met hers. " Well, It was stated that he was.. my Godfather.."

A deep sigh escaped from her. Here goes the conversation she wasn't ready to have with him.

"Yes.. He is.." She replied as Harry kept his eye contact.

Ron and Hermione were only lesioning in, Harry had already told them everything.

"And it was also revealed that I had a Godmother as well.."

Anah gave him a nonchalant look. He knew already that she was it.

She leaned against her desk with her arms tucked.

“And who might she be?” Her words echoed across the empty class.

Harry kept his eye contact. "It's you. You're my Godmother."

Anah's features remained simple as she gave off a sigh. She never did come up with a way to explain to Harry that she was his Godmother. How would she have said it? The boy barely knows anything about her. She brought her hands up to her face eyeing the boy back. He was silent.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He questioned. She shrugged her shoulders as she resumed back to grading. She felt guilty almost.

"It would have been revealed in due time Harry." When she looked up at him, she noticed the look of disappointment written all over his face. It was better if he hadn't known to begin with.

He said nothing more after this. The teens stayed no more than ten minutes until they were gone. She sat in silence for the remainder of the evening. The event repeated in her head. Why didn't she tell Harry?

'I was just protecting him.. that's all..'

Her mind spoke, which eased her nerves a bit.

Hours past and Anah hasn't heard a word from Severus.

She glanced up at the clock that was plastered on the wall across from her desk. It was almost evening. Maybe she should go look for him?

She settled the graded papers on one side of her desk as she got up and went off to search for Severus.

When she checked the dungeons he was nowhere to be found. It was odd almost. Where could he have gone?

She gave off a long sigh before turning her heels to leave out of his cold and empty classroom. Now to think of it she hasn't see Remus all-day and heard no words from Sirius. Maybe.. No. They couldn't have been there. After all these years.

The only other place she could think of was the Shrieking Shack. Remus was always sent there due to his ailment.

They had to have been there. Now out of the dungeons, Anah headed directly to the Shrieking Shack.

It took her no less than five minutes to get to the other side of Hogwarts. Once she arrived in front of the weeping willow she used a curse to freeze it in place. She entered the tree, unharmed making her way down the dark cave. It was almost impossible to see, but the light on the other end made her way clear.

She slowly walked down the cave soon picking up the voices that were echoing around here.

As she got closer, the voices grew louder. Her hand slipped into her cloak quickly retrieving her wand.

“I could do it you know...”

That sounded like Severus? Anah paced slowly up the stairs as the conversation went on. The shack creaked at every given step. Thankfully no one was paying attention.

The hall felt like almost an eternity. Before she could enter the room the commotion in the room changed.

“Harry what did you just do!?” Ron exclaimed as Hermione expressed alongside him.

“You just attacked a teacher!”

Anah rushed into the room as all eyes landed on her. Her wand was still in her hand as she glanced over to see that it was Severus who was attacked.

“Anahstacia..” Remus uttered as she quickly ignored him turning to Harry.

“What. Happened.”

Her tone was almost dark. Remus nor Sirus spoke. The two were more afraid of her than James.

“I- I can explain.” Harry couldn't fix the correct words he wanted to say.

She would deal with him later.

Anah turned her heels now looking over to Sirius. “Where is he, Sirius? Peter Pettigrew.”

“He’s dead isn't he?” Harry questioned as Remus caught his attention.

“He is not, not until you've recently mentioned that you saw him on the map.”

The boy still had his wand pointing over at Sirius who stood in front of the broken bed, which Severus was on.

“The map must have lied-”

A frustrating looked formed on Sirius’s face.

“The map never lies! Pettigrew's alive. And he's sitting right there!” His voice raised while pointing over to the rat that was being held by Ron.

Ron’s face was distraught. “Me!? Are you bloody mental!?”

Sirius groaned in frustration.

“Not you, your rat!”

All eyes landed on the rat that was settled in the boy's lap.

“What! Scabbers is a family pet! He's been in the family for 12-”

“12 years! That an extraordinarily long life for a common rat don't you think?” Sirius added while Harry extended his wand up at the older man.

“Prove it.”

Anah stood in front of the Shacks doors watching everything unfold.

Sirius went over to Ron before snatching the rat out of the boy’s hands.

“Don't hurt him!” He exclaimed as Hermione did her best to calm Ron.

Sirius sat the rat down as soon as he drew his wand. The rat sprinted off making it difficult for Sirius or Remus to transform him.

With one quick move Anah simply pointed over at the Rat as he then transformed into a person.

Peter Pettigrew.

When he came to his senses he soon noticed the people surrounding him.

"Remus? Sirius?" He questioned dumbly as he then noticed Anah standing near Harry.

"Anahstacia! My friends!" He exclaimed still in a rat-like manor. His hands were held up to his chest, teeth chittering. He was about to make a break for it. Before he could run to the room's door he was soon stopped by the other two men who had their wands up aimed at him.

Pettigrew's head flung around until his eye's caught on Harry Potter.

"H-Harry! Look at you! You look so much like your father!-"

"Don't you dare." Anah's voice threw the poor man off with her wand penetrating his neck.

"How could you!" Sirius shouted watching him stagger over to the dust-covered piano.

"You sold James and Lily to Voldemort didn't you!?" Remus questioned with his wand still aimed at him.

Pettigrew began to whin due to his guilt.

"I-I didn't mean to! He was going to kill me! What would you have done!-"

"I WOULD HAVE DIED!" At this point, Sirius couldn't control his anger anymore.

Pettigrew was thrown against the wall with both men standing in front of him, wands at the ready.

They were going to kill him.

"Since Voldemort wouldn't kill you, we will!" Sirius proclaimed.

"Together!-"

"Stop!"

Harry stood from behind his Godmother as he slowly began to walk up to the pair. Remus turned his head fully frustrated.

"Harry.. This man-"

"I know what he is.. but.. We will take him to the castle.."

Pettigrew's sobbing face began to praise Harry. He slowly crawled to him kneeling at his feet."

"Bless you boy!"

"Get off!" He shrugged kicking him off as soon as he stepped away.

"I said we'll take you to the castle, after that, the Dementors can have you."

Pettigrew's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Horror took over his body as he quickly began to beg.

"Please! Anahstacia! Don't let them kill me!"

His eye then went over to Anah who was watching from afar. Her hands were tucked under her chest with her wand still sticking out.

Her mixed eyes glared him down. "I have no control over this Peter. You're choices brought you to this end."

Her words sounded wise to everyone that was settled in the room. It was clear she was angry. Yes, it was Peter's fault for giving Harry's parent's location away. But he didn't kill them.

"Up with you." Remus announced grabbing ahold of Peter with a firm grip around his arm.

“Sirius, take the kids and leave. Remus, Help me escort Mr. Pettigrew to the castle.”

On Anah’s command, everyone did exactly what she said. The only remaining people in the shack was Anah, Remus, Peter and an unconscious Severus.

Anah left Pettigrew with Remus as she walked over to the broken bed to awake Severus.

“Sev.” She called out leaning down to shake him awake.

“He’s out cold Anah. Let him be.” Remus added as she looked back at him.

“I can't just leave him here Remus. Go, I'll be right behind you.”

He sighed quickly grabbing hold of Peter as they left the shack.

Anah pushed away from the broken pieces of the bed that had fallen. She looked down at her asleep love as she quickly smiled whipping the debris off of his face.

"Severus. I know you're not asleep." She mumbled with her hand plastered on his chest.

He shifted slightly slowly raising up to see Anah sitting at the edge of the bed. While raising up, the dust fell off of his clothes. He clearly remembers what happened.

His face was half red. It was noticeable he was angry.

Anah brushed the side of his jaw removing one last piece of debris from his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked with her hand still rested on his face.

His face remained neutral.

"I'm fine. Where's Potter.." It didn't even sound like a question. It was deadlier than anything. Anah cocked a brow as she removed her hand from his face. Well, that didn't do anything.

"Severus, he's a boy-" She implied with him interrupting.

"Who used a spell against me!" By this point, he was up from the bed clearing himself off.

The woman stood up quietly walking over to the shack's door.

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Her question threw him off a bit.

"I.am.not." he phased throughout his words.

"Well, I think you are. You need to apologize."

He groaned turning away from her. He was acting like a child, and she loved it. Well sorta.

"Apologize? Anahstacia. Really? You know this will never happen. And that's the end of it."

Her eyes rolled at his opinion with her arms tucked under her chest.

"Whatever Severus. Go, I'll be out soon."

He gave Anah a mere look, turning his feet to leave her in the room alone with his cape mounting behind him. The echo of his shoes soon faded of making it know he was gone.

She paced around the gloomy room for a moment. This place had far too many memories for her. A frown formed on her lips as she too turned to leave the room until something caught her eye. There was something crumbled up and crushed in the small dingy sectional that was settled against the wall.

As she grabbed it, she noticed horrible handwriting written on the back.

"June 14th, 1976."

When she flipped the picture over her emotions got the best of her.

It was a picture of the Marauders (James, Peter, Remus, and Sirius.) including Anah, and Lily. Her fingers stroked over the faces that were there. Only four remained alive. Which was soon to be three.

She pocketed the picture for Harry. She should give this to him instead of keeping it, after all.. He never got the chance to thoroughly meet his parent.

"HARRY!"

His name rang in her ears like a bell. Harry must have been in trouble. Anah's body began to move on her own as she sprinted out of the Shrieking Shack off to her Godson's rescue. So many thoughts had gone through her head. Was he hurt? Heaven's, was he dead

Merlin helps us.

The TAGSLIST:@

@darkthought15 , @shadow-of-wonder , @random-fandom-things-555, @1-800-snapesimp

Want to be apart of my tag list? Click Here!

Thank you very much for your support.

[drawlfoy]

Joint Custody

masterlist request guidelines i’m technically on hiatus until oct 15 but if i really like your request i’ll take it

pairing: draco x hufflepuff!reader

request: oh yes, from maybe late july? i’m sorry for getting back so late to this one

summary: your pet snake is a snake in more ways than one...for example, befriending the most obnoxious boy in your year.

warnings: language, snakes (so if that’s a fear i don’t recommend this)

a/n: ohhh gee it’s been a while hasn’t it? i’m working on my ucas rn, and as an american with literally no one in my area who knows anything about it, i’d be happy to get tips from anyone who knows about oxford ppe. i hope you guys enjoy! i’m taking a little break from mirror, mirror rn since i have no idea what to do w that. also i have never owned a snake so i apologize if i say something incorrect about the care of y/n’s snake

word count: 3,692

tags tags tags @accio-rogers​ @geeksareunqiue

music recs: i listened to random music so idl

Y/N dug through her knapsack, her fingers brushing past everything but the scales she wanted to feel.

“Monty? Monty? Where are you??” she whispered, flinging her bag onto the potion table and opening it so the light illuminated the insides. Her worst suspicion was confirmed: her magically shrunk corn snake was completely gone.

“What’s the matter, Y/N?” her friend Luna Lovegood asked from the opposite side of the table, her eyebrows scrunched in concern. “Are you missing something?”

“Er...” She took one final sweep of her pockets and her bag before sighing in defeat. “Yeah. Monty is gone again, but this time he isn’t listening to me.”

“Off to snack on nargles, I presume,” Luna said, a smile drifting across her face. “I wouldn’t worry if I were you. He wouldn’t put himself in danger and he’ll always come back to you.”

“Thanks, Luna.”

“Of course.”

With that, her Ravenclaw friend turned and left for her next period, leaving Y/N to deal with the situation alone. She weighed her options: she could, technically, just summon her snake, but then she’d risk smacking him into a wall and injuring him. She could also ask Snape for his help, but one look at the greasy professor confirmed that, as always, he wasn’t in the mood to make the life of a Hufflepuff any easier.

Y/N scanned the room, noting that there was no yellow snake on the floor of the dungeons. He really could move fast when he wanted to.

“Who’s this?”

A familiar voice caught her attention behind her...no doubt originating from the Slytherin section. Against her better judgement, Y/N turned around to see Draco Malfoy staring down at his hands with a wonder she had never seen in his eyes before. Further examination made the cause clear: Monty was curled around his fingers, hissing contently.

“Hey!” Y/N said, catching his attention. “That’s my snake!”

Malfoy’s head shot up, his eyes filling with realization as he connected the yellow and orange colors of the pet to Y/N. “Oh? It seems as though he chose to come over here on his own accord. Probably got sick of being a house traitor, isn’t that right?”

To Y/N’s horror, Monty seemed to agree with the sentiment, slithering up his arm.

“That’s my snake, Malfoy, give him here,” she snapped, holding her hand out. he raised an eyebrow, running a finger down Monty’s scales.

“Don’t do that! Snakes don’t like to be pet!” Y/N was positively fuming as she saw how her pet didn’t even react badly to the physical contact--even though he was supposed to.

“That’s interesting,” Malfoy mused. “He doesn’t seem to mind it when I do it.”

“If you don’t give him back now, I’m going to kill you in your sleep,” Y/N said, whipping out her wand and pointing it at him to emphasize her point. Amusement flickered across his face.

“Okay, okay, you can have him back,” he said, gently unwrapping the snake from his arm and placing it back into her hand. His thumb brushed her palm in the process, and she was surprised to feel how warm it was. “Just remember that if you’re ever sick of hufflepuffs, I’m always here.”

He directed the last part at her snake, affection creeping into the edges of his tone. Once he seemed satisfied that Monty understood, he turned around without another word, grabbed his things, and left Y/N to stand in shock.

Draco Malfoy likes my snake?

<>

The unthinkable happened the next Saturday night. Y/N was getting ready to go spend a nice study session in the library with her roommates and went to grab Monty from his perch, only to find that he was simply...gone. 

“Monty! Monty!!” 

While she wasn’t a parselmouth, she knew for damn sure that the snake knew she was looking for him. 

“Monty, I’m going to put you in a cage if you keep doing this to me,” she scolded, sifting through her room to try and locate her pet. He was, unfortunately, nowhere to be found.

A very scary realization crept into her mind as she worked. Y/N hadn’t seen Monty since dinner...and there was no way that she could be sure that he was even in her room to begin with.

Oh, Merlin, I’m the worst snake owner in the history of snake owners. I didn’t even realize that he was gone...

Once she was sure that her room was snake-free, she burst out of the dorms and into the common room, where she asked everyone if they had seen Monty. There was a unanimous and concerning no from her housemates, only serving to raise her stress levels. 

“Retrace your steps?” a particularly worried 7th year proposed. “Monty couldn’t have gone far...and plus, you both get along so well. There’s no way that he’d just leave you like that.”

Y/N nodded and burst out of the door, running down the corridor the way she had just come from and yelling her snake’s name.

She reached the dining hall entrance in record time, panting as she placed her hand on her knees and breathed. She really should’ve just gotten an owl or a cat like everyone else. 

A flash of blonde caught her eye, and she turned to see a rather amused looking Malfoy leaned up against the wall opposite to the door. 

“Looking for something?” 

“You git! Where is he?” Y/N pointed her wand at him and clenched her other first, trying to regulate her breathing. 

“I had a feeling you’d come back,” Malfoy said lazily, kicking off of the wall and striding closer to her. “For the record, it wasn’t my fault. Your snake must’ve gotten into my pocket during dinner.”

“He got from the Hufflepuff table to the--”

“Slytherin table? Yeah, I know, I was impressed too.” He reached into his pocket and pulled a hand with a yellow snake curled around long, elegant fingers. “It seems like he has a preference.” 

“I hate you,” she muttered, offering her hand to Monty and inwardly rejoicing when he chose to slither onto her.

“Okay,” he responded, seemingly unbothered. “Are you at least going to thank me for taking care of him?” 

Y/N studied him for a second. “No. Putting him in your pocket and waiting for me to find you doesn’t count as taking care of him.”  

He snorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I can see why he likes to get away from you every once and a while. How did you even get into Hufflepuff?”

“What are you talking about?” she increduled (i don’t think that’s a word but whatever). 

“I’ve only spoken directly to you twice, and both times you’ve managed to offend me,” he replied, raising an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine how your roommates deal with you.”

“They start by being tolerable people,” Y/N spat, slipping the hand that held Monty into her pocket, “Something that you ought to consider.”

“Ooooh.” He mimed twisting a knife in his heart. “You got me there. Touché.”

“I’m going to see my friends,” she said, glaring at him. “Please come directly to me if Monty ever bothers you again.” She began walking back down the hall, taking extra care to make the ride comfortable for Monty. 

“Wait,” he called after her, causing her to stop in her tracks. “He really doesn’t bother me.”

She spun around to face him. ���So?”

“Er...” Malfoy scratched the back of his neck. “Look, clearly he likes both of us, and I have a feeling this is going to happen again, so... do you want to just split the time with him?” 

“Split the time with my own pet?” 

“I actually really like him,” he confessed. “And it’d probably save you the stress of having to deal with constantly losing him...I know that snakes sometimes get bored with just one owner.”

“How do you know that?” Y/N asked. 

“Er,,,” He stumbled over his words. “Just...perks of being a Slytherin, I guess. Nothing to think too deeply about.”

Y/N huffed, thinking over the proposal. No matter how much it pained her, it appeared as though her snake actually did enjoy Malfoy’s company. 

“Okay. Fine. You have to learn how to take care of him, though.”

“No problem,” he said quickly. “Can I have him tonight?”

“What, need him for a ritual or something? Is it time sensitive?”

He laughed. “No. If I needed a snake, I could just serpensortia my way out of that issue.”

“Fair enough.” She paused before sticking her hand in her pocket again. “I need to go get his food and perch, then. I’ll be back in a moment, okay? You can hold onto him if you’d like.”

Draco seemed to visibly brighten at this remark, nodding and holding his hand out. Y/N tried not to take note of how immaculate his hands were as she allowed Monty to slither back onto his palm.

<^>

Y/N gathered her items quickly, ignoring the glances from her confused roommates. 

“I’ll explain later,” she promised, darting out the door before they could ask any further questions.

When she showed up at the meeting place, she was relieved to see a bored looking Malfoy cooing to the snake twisted around his hand. He blushed a deep red when he saw that she heard him.

“Took you long enough,” he drawled. 

“I’ve never heard you sound like that,” she said, chuckling instead of acknowledging his previous rude comment.

“Sound like what?”

“You? Cooing to Monty?”

“You’re going batty.” He scowled, putting his hand intertwined with Monty into his pocket. 

“Sure. I’m guessing you want to go to the Slytherin dorms?”

“Congratulations on your deductive reasoning,” said Malfoy, rolling his eyes and starting off at a brisk pace. “Try and keep up, will you?”

<^>

On the way, they spoke about official terms: each would get the snake for two full days, and they would meet outside the Great Hall to transfer the equipment. Malfoy was adamant that they not tell anyone about the deal--something about how his parents would die if they knew he was sharing a pet with a Hufflepuff. Y/N was adamant that he finance the portion of food that he was using, which he initially protested to but eventually gave in.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Malfoy began once they stopped in front of the Slytherin common room entrance, “But thank you. For being open-minded. I know we aren’t on the best of terms...”

“No, this is most certainly not good-bye,” Y/N interrupted. “You need me to show you how to set up the perch in your room. And, of course, I need to demonstrate how to feed him. He’s very picky.”

Malfoy swallowed, his hand pausing before the  bricks that obscured the entrance.

“Okay. All of the older Slytherins are out at Hogsmeade right now, so I can probably sneak you in.”

“Isn’t Hogsmeade closed to students after 5?” Y/N questioned. 

“Yeah. We have our ways.” 

With that, Draco muttered the password that she couldn’t quite catch and pushed open the door that appeared. 

“Be quiet, though,” he cautioned.

They entered the Slytherin common room. and Y/N was blown back by a gust of damp, heavy air. It smelled like the inside of an expensive, appointment-only store. 

“This is kind of cold and unfeeling,” she told him as they neared the entrance to the boy’s dorms. Malfoy looked like he was going to snap at her to be quiet, but something made him freeze.

“Shit. The wards.”

Realization flowed into Y/N. “Oh...oh, how could I have forgotten...”

“Can you just show me how to set it up here?” He asked, nervously passing his hands through his hair. 

“No, no, I can’t,” she said. “I wish, but I need to see the layout of your room...there are specific requirements as to where the perch can be placed...”

Malfoy mulled over this for a few moments before letting out a long sigh. “I can’t levitate you past the wards. I have to carry you across.” 

Y/N paled, even though she knew that that was the only possible way to make it happen. “Okay. I’ll leave the stuff on the ground. You help me over and then bring the perch and food.”

She set her things down and awkwardly stepped closer to him. Malfoy seemed just as uncomfortable as he held out his arms.

“Turn around and loop your legs over my right arm...like that...”

Before she knew it, she was scooped up off the floor and on the other side of the wards, the expensive silk of Malfoy’s suit pressed up against her cheek. She was surprised, yet again, at just how warm he was compared to his usual cool demeanor. 

Malfoy set her down on the ground, and grabbed the box of snake supplies. “Last door on the right.”

<^>

“So you scored a single, huh?” 

Malfoy’s room was made up of just a one large bed instead of the standard three that she saw in Hufflepuff dorms, and she couldn’t say that she was surprised. The Malfoys had the connections to get these sorts of things.

“Yeah,” he said absentmindedly. “Anyways, show me what to do. Monty is getting antsy.”

Y/N made quick work of unpacking the perch and locating an appropriate corner to place it. Showing Malfoy how to feed the snake was easy, and before she knew it, they were done.

“Enjoy Monty,” she said as they made their way to the ward again. “Let me know if anything weird happens or if you have any questions.”

Malfoy simply nodded and opened his arms again, signaling that he had to pick her up to let her out. She obliged, turning around and looping her legs over his arm, allowing herself to be scooped off of the ground. It was strange, really, getting moved so gently by someone who she thought, until recently, wouldn’t spit on her if she was burning to death. They were just over the ward when the common room entrance opened and the sounds of many Slytherin teenagers--albeit drunk Slytherin teenagers--filled the room. Malfoy’s face turned sheet white and he spun around, striding back towards his room.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “Put me down!”

He didn’t answer her until they were safely inside the room, the door locked tight.

“They’re normally not back until midnight,” he said, his tone rushed. “It’s hardly 10:30...I don’t know what they’re doing here...” 

“That’s okay, we can just wait until they all go to bed,” Y/N told him, placing a hand on his arm. “No worries.”

“Er, yes worries,” he corrected, moving further away from her. “Saturday all-nighters are very common here...you aren’t leaving this room until morning.”

“Are you joking?”

“I wish.” His eyes nervously darted around the room as he wrung his hands. “There’s nothing we can do right now, unless you know a very strong disillutionment spell...which I suspect neither of us do. They’ll be out in the common room for a while, and honestly, I should probably join them.”

“You’re just gonna leave me here?”

Malfoy seemed rather conflicted, but he screwed his eyes shut and exhaled sharply. “Yes. I said I would meet them afterwards. This way you can sleep, too. I won’t be here.”

“Are you sure I’m not intruding?”

He let out a shaky laugh. “No, you are, but it’s not your fault. Just stay here and don’t let anyone in unless it’s me, alright?”

“Alright.”

He got up and made to leave. “Oh, and, Malfoy?”

He turned to face her. “What is it now?”

“I don’t want to sleep in my school uniform,” she told him, her face darkened by a blush. “Do you have anything that I can borrow? Just a shirt or something?”

She could see his jaw clench before he ducked his head down and walked over to his dresser, tossing him the first shirt on top. 

He was out the door before she could properly thank him.

<^>

Y/N took a long time to fall asleep, but when she finally drifted off, she was out like a light. Malfoy’s bedding was heavy and smelled like green tea and ink, something that she wasn’t expecting but most certainly appreciated.

So, when Y/N jerked awake just a few hours later, she was a little frustrated. 

“Hey, hey, Y/N, wake up.”

She opened her eyes to see Malfoy standing over her, holding a candle and looking very tired. “What is it?”

“They’re gone. You can leave now.”

She groaned, turning over and searching for her clock--only to find that it wasn’t there, as this wasn’t her room. “What time is it?”

“3:20. Now are you going to get up, or do you want me to drag you out?” 

“You said I could sleep here,” she complained, hardly completely awake yet. “And now I have to walk all the way to my dorm from the dungeons? At night? I don’t think so.”

The candle highlighted the frown etched into his face. “You should go.”

“This is the situation you created,” she countered. “You told me you were pulling an all-nighter. Why don’t you?”

He sighed, this time a staccato puff, and placed the candle holder on the nightstand. “Sorry I lied.”

“Yeah, uh-huh,” she mumbled, turning back over to drift back into sleep.

“Wait, wait! What am I supposed to do?” 

“That’s for you to figure out. I’m going back to sleep.”

“But you can’t just--”

“Sh.”

Y/N let herself fall back into the realm of dreams, but not enough to completely lose consciousness. She was aware of a few sounds of movement from the room she was in--she assumed it was Draco, Draco, that sounds much better than his last name--but it wasn’t enough to motivate her to lucidity. 

However, when she felt the bed on her opposite side dip, that was more than enough.

“What the hell, Malfoy,” she snapped, shooting upright.

“Can you please be quiet? I’m sorry, it just so happens that you’re refusing to move from my bed, and I have no other options, unlike you.”

“I don’t want to argue right now! Can you just go somewhere else and let me sleep in peace?”

“I could say the same for you!”

The two sat in a heated silence until Malfoy finally took the high road.

“I’m sorry about this, but I’m offering you one last time to carry you over the wards. If you don’t want that, I’m going to sleep in my own bed whether you’re in it or not.”

Y/N swallowed. “Okay. Okay, fine. I’m not going to leave.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” 

<^>

Y/N wasn’t totally sure what woke her up--perhaps it was the breath on her neck, or the warm arm that was draped over her side, or the tickle of something that felt suspiciously like very vine hair on her cheek--but when she did, her heart almost stopped. 

Malfoy had slung an arm around her waist, pulling her closer than what was comfortable. His face was mere centimeters from her own, and every time he exhaled, a few rogue strands of pale hair brushed her cheek. 

This was not good. She had to do something--but the most unethical part of her did not want to. Malfoy was no doubt going to be upset when he woke up to see this, and she needed him to be in a good enough mood to let her out of the boy’s dorms. 

“Malfoy?” She broke the silence, softly nudging his side with her elbow. He groaned, burying his face into her neck. “Malfoy!”

Y/N gave him a swift shove, effectively detaching him from her. 

“Er...what?” He shot up, looking very alarmed and confused. “What?”

“You have to carry me out of the wards, remember?” she told him, slipping out of the covers and pulling them off him. “We should get going as soon as possible. There might be people out in the common room the later it gets.”

He seemed to understand the problem as he swung upright and ran a finger through his ruffled hair. 

“I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled.

“Sorry about what?”

“For, er, touching you, I know that I shouldn’t have done that,” he clarified, turning away from her, but not quickly enough to hide the blush on his cheeks. “I don’t know what got into me.”

“It’s okay,” she mused. “I guess if we’re to have joint custody of Monty, we should get to know each other anyways.”

Malfoy froze for a second before he gathered his bearings. “Er, yeah. Yeah, good point. For Monty.”

Once he seemed ready, they left the room, Y/N giving a wave to Monty, who was curled around his perch.

“He’ll be fine, don’t worry about him,” Malfoy told her, spinning her around by her shoulders and opening his arms to pick her up again. She looped her legs over his arms again, leaning back into him and allowing her to lift her up and take her over the ward.

He set her down softly after making sure the coast was totally clear, looking down at the ground immediately after.

“Thank you, Draco,” she said quietly. “For everything. Sorry I was a bit of a pill last night.”

“’S only fair, I’ll been worse to you.” 

Y/N couldn’t see for sure, but it appeared as though the very outer corners of his lips had turned up. 

“I’ll see you in two days? Outside the dining hall?” 

“Yeah.” He sounded almost breathless, like he was winded or something.

“Okay, well..I think I’m going to go,” she said, backing away. “Feel free to show up to the Hufflepuff entrance if you want any help. Or if I’m not there, then you can normally find me in the library, or you can always ask in potions...”

She trailed off once she saw that Draco’s face had broken into an exasperated but amused expression. 

“Okay, I should go then.”

“Yeah, me too.”

With that, Y/N turned and left the Slytherin common room with the feeling that that was certainly not going to be the last time she was going to be there.

final a/n: i didn’t know how to incorporate actual fluff in here and i shouldn’t even be writing this rn lmaoooooo but here it is and i’m so sorry if it sucks i haven’t proofread

[slytherinprincess03]

Heartbreak

Hello everyone. Welcome to my first fanfic on Tumblr.

Just so you know, besides this being my first one shot on Tumblr, it is also one of my first stories in English. You see, English is not my native language. So please bear this in mind if you come across any spelling, grammar, etc mistakes. And please let me know if you find any. Oh, and if you have any tips about writing, please let me know that as well. I really want to improve my (English) writing.

Anyway, on to the story. Happy reading y'all 🙂

After all of my classes, I decided to look for my boyfriend, since I haven't seen him all day long. Normally he walks up to my house table with breakfast, wishes me good morning and kisses my cheek. But today he was nowhere to be found.

Instead of finding my boyfriend, I've found his friends, chatting away in a corridor.

"Hey have you guys seen Liam? I've been looking for him all day, I have a surprise for him." I ask them, but as soon as I walked up to them, they didn't dare to look me in the eyes.

"Guys? What is the matter with you?"

"Uh sorry Melody, we have to go. Detention with Snape. Bye talk to you later!" They all hurry off "wait!" I call after them and manage to grab one of their wrists.

"Please, Anna, tell me what's wrong. I'm starting to worry."

She bites her lip and shoots me a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry Mel, but Liam should tell you that."

"Can you at least tell me where he is?"

She looks over at her friends doubtfully, who are watching us carefully from the end of the corridor.

"I guess, he's in the Room of Requirement."

"The Room of Requirement? W-" before I could finish my sentence, Anna already took off and disappeared around the corner along with her friends.

"Weird" I mumble to myself.

I shrug it off and head towards the Room of Requirement.

Once I stand in front of the wall, I think about Liam and walk a few times up and down the hallway, until a door appears in the wall.

Hesitating I walk towards the door, something tells me I won't like what is behind the door.

I decide to ignore the feeling and walk into the room. At first, I don't see - or hear - anything out of the ordinary, but once I walk further into the room I notice clothes lying on the floor. When I listen carefully, I can also hear moaning, coming from my right.

Once again I hesitate to walk further, but I know Liam, he wouldn't cheat on me, right? There must be an explanation for the moaning and the clothes, which are scattered all over the place.

When I turn around the corner, I can hear my heart breaking into little pieces. Now I understand why his friends were acting so strange. I never thought Liam would cheat on me and yet here is the evidence, right in front of me.

For a moment I am frozen on my spot and can only watch in horror at what is happening in front of me.

“Liam?” I whisper in shock, my voice cracking.

His movements stop once I call out his name, and he turns around shockingly “Mel, I-” he begins, but I cut him off, shaking my head. 

Tears gather in my eyes and I feel my bottom lip starting to tremble, before he can say anything else, I turn around on my heel and hurry out of the Room of Requirement. Faintly, I hear him calling my name, but I just keep on running. 

Tears blur my sight and at some point I don’t even know where I am any more, just when I wipe my tears away to see where I am, I bump into something hard and solid. “Sorry” I mumble without looking up and start to walk away, but at that moment the person I bumped into, grabs my wrist. “Melody?” I hear a familiar voice call out softly, I look up into a pair of grey eyes which I haven’t seen for a while. “Draco” I breathe out, “are you alright?” he looks at me questioningly. I nod lightly, while trying to avoid his gaze because I know he could read me like a book if I were to look at him.

Pausing for a few seconds, he sighs, contemplating what he should do. “You know Mel, even though we haven’t-” he pauses for a minute, searching for the right words “-talked nor seen each other for months, I can still tell when you are lying” “I know we didn’t part ways well” he continues, “but I want you to know you can still talk to me, if you’d like that of course.” I peer at him through my eyelashes and notice he looks at me concerned, yet sincere. For a moment I hesitate if I should tell him about what I just witnessed, but then I realize he wouldn’t judge me, even though he warned me about Liam. 

“Alright” I let out a sigh, I know I can’t keep lying to him, “but not here,” I say while grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the Slytherin common room.

~~~~~~

Once we arrive at the Slytherin Common room, I drag Draco up to my private dormitory. I wouldn’t want anyone eavesdropping on our conversation. I quickly close the door behind him and kick off my shoes, crawling on my bed and grabbing a pillow, cuddling it hard against my chest. 

For a moment, neither of us uttered a word, enjoying the surrounding silence. I feel content and at peace, before remembering the fact that Liam has been cheating on me, for Merlin knows how long. 

Looking up at Draco I can see him staring at me with a questioning glance in his eyes. I let out a sigh before muttering “you were right” “I’m sorry, what?” he shoots me a confusing look, as if he didn’t quite hear me.

“You were right. About Liam” I clarify “what did that tosser do?” he looks at me angrily, although I know the anger is meant for Liam. “Lately, he has been distant, I figured he was sad about something, so I wanted to cheer him up with a surprise. But I couldn’t find him, so I asked his friends, who were acting all strange, and they said he was in the Room of Requirement. I found him there, but he was naked with another girl. He was cheating on me Draco and Merlin knows for how long” I sob in my pillow, wanting to just disappear and never face Liam again. 

I heard Draco shuffling around, but I didn’t dare to look up, afraid he would laugh in my face for how stupid I have been. For how stupid I have been to not listen to his multiple warnings. For how stupid I had been to let Liam drive us apart, to let him ruin the friendship we had. Seconds later, I felt his arms sneak around me, holding me against his chest. “It’s alright, I’m here” he whispered while kissing the top of my head. 

At that moment I realized Draco Malfoy was one in a million. After all I’ve done, no matter how much our friendship had been ruined, he still was there to comfort me. I realized Draco is a much better person than Liam, I realized I wanted our friendship back and I realized that I was utterly in love with him. After denying my feelings for Draco for years, it finally came to the surface. I couldn’t deny it any longer. I pulled a bit back, to be able to look him in the eyes, drying my tears in the meantime. “I’m sorry Dray, I should’ve listened to you. Instead, I pushed you away, I shouldn’t have let Liam ruin our friendship” 

“It’s alright, Mel. I understand, love can be blinding and what matters the most is that we found each other again” he smiles softly at me while caressing my cheek. 

For what seems like minutes, we lock eyes with each other before I can even comprehend it, I feel a pair of soft lips being placed on mine. At first, I’m not sure what to do, but then I start to give in, never wanting to get rid of this feeling. I snake my arms around his neck and pull him as close as humanely possible to me. Playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck, I slid my tongue inside his mouth, pulling him on top of me. 

Before we can go any further, Draco quickly pulls away as if stung. “What's wrong?” a questioning look in my eyes. “This is wrong, you just broke up with that wanker and here I am, kissing you. I’m so sorry Mel, I didn’t mean to. I-” Draco keeps on rambling until I cut him off. “I appreciate you thinking about my feelings, but you’ve got it all wrong, Dray. You see, I kissed you back for a reason” I confess, feeling my cheeks heat up. 

He stares at me, mouth agape. Even in that moment, he looks like the cutest boy I have ever seen and I’m practically melting on the spot. I can’t stand the silence any more and blurt out the first thing which comes to my mind “I love you Dray, I always have and I’m sorry for not telling you sooner” “y-you w-what?” he stutters, which makes him adorable. I smile softly at his confusion “maybe this message is clearer” I lean in and plant my lips on his, softly biting on his lip to allow me entrance again. This time our tongues are dancing fiercely, a soft moan escaping my lips. When we pull back for air, I giggle slightly at the sight of his flushed face. 

“I love you too,” he tells me while enveloping me in a kiss yet again. 

A/N

Well, this was it folks. I really hope you liked it :) 

I’m not completely satisfied, so I hope you guys will give me some feedback to improve my writing even more. Also, I take requests as well, so if you have any, just message me. 

Bye for now lovelies. 

Edit:

I’ve added the keep reading function, as I didn’t know how to do that before also I came across a few spelling mistakes, so I fixed that as well :)

[hogwarts-riddle]

The Tie Mishap ~ Sequel to A Midnight Flight

Hermione awoke to the sound of Draco's even heartbeat beneath her head, their arms still wrapped around one another on the queen-sized canopy bed that the Room of Requirement had supplied them with.

With a small yawn, she untangled her arms and sat up. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as she gazed down at his peaceful sleeping face. He looked so handsome when he was asleep. Sure, he always looked handsome, but she thought he looked even more so when he was sleeping.

Noticing that he was beginning to stir, she bent down and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Morning, sleepy head," she greeted him.

Draco let out a slight moan, kissing her back as he pulled his eyes open.

"What time is it?"

All it took was a glance at the clock on the nightstand to have his answer. It was twenty after eight.

"We should probably get up and head down for breakfast."

He nodded his head, but closed his eyes again. "You go. I'll follow in a few minutes."

Climbing out of bed, she crossed the room in search of the clothes that the two of them had rather carelessly scattered across the room. It was a bit dark, the only light coming from the candles surrounding the bed, but with a bit of time she managed to locate the basics of her uniform. In the end she had to cast Accio to get her shoes and stockings. Somehow one of her shoes had ended up on the chandelier. She didn't even bother to question how it got there.

Once she was fully dressed, she headed back over to the bed. Sure enough, Draco was snoring again. Draco never was much of a morning person. Had it not been for the fact that the slytherin dorms had magical alarm clocks set to wake them up on time, she was sure that he would be late for most morning classes.

Rolling her eyes, she reached over and pinched his arm.

"Ouch!" Draco sprang upward in bed, rubbing his arm in pain. "Geez, Granger, what was that for?"

"Just making sure you're awake."

Then, with a cheeky grin, she turned and headed out the door. She thought she heard him mutter something as she was leaving, but it was too quiet to hear.

Hermione took off down the halls, breaking out into run as she headed down to the Great Hall. She was pretty sure that most of the students were almost done eating, but with any luck she might be able to get a bit to eat before class. The events of last night had left her starving and the last thing she wanted was for her stomach to be growling all through class.

Remembering that she had left her book bag in her dorm, she cast an Accio on it, summoning it straight to her. Reaching in, she grabbed her time table to check what her first class of the day was. She had Potions with Hufflepuff's followed by History of Magic.

She let out a sigh as she stuffed the time table back into her bag, slinging it over her head. It wasn't that she disliked either of those classes, though she would admit that Potions was hardly pleasant with Professor Snape as the teacher, but rather that she didn't have any joint classes with Slytherin.

Oh well, she supposed that she would have to settle for their time together at night. It wasn't like they could openly be together during the day anyway. Perhaps it was for the best that she wouldn't see him much.

She only slowed down when she reached the wide double doors of the Great Hall, taking a moment to compose herself before entering.

As expected, most people were almost done eating, but there was still food on the table. Spotting her friend's bright red hair a mile away, she made her way over to them and sat down, quickly grabbing a piece of toast and an orange.

"Where've you been, Mione?" Ron asked. "You weren't in the dormitory this morning."

"Yeah, and it's not like you to be late to breakfast," Harry pointed out.

Hermione searched her brain for a justifiable excuse as she popped a piece of orange into her mouth. It wasn't like she could tell them the truth, as much as she wanted to. Yet, at the same time, it had to be convincing enough that they'd believe it without question.

"I was reading this really good book and couldn't put it down until I finished. I must have fallen asleep though at some point, because I woke up in the library."

The two boys just chuckled as they shook their heads at her. "Typical Hermione."

With that out of the way, she could breathe easier and finished her breakfast. It was a good thing that she had too, for no more than a second after she had finished, then the food vanished into thin air as it always did. Glancing around the room, she noticed that Draco was nowhere in sight. She rolled her eyes. That was what he gets for being too lazy to get out of bed on time.

Oh well, he could just head down to the Kitchens and grab something if he absolutely needed to.

"Hermione, why are you wearing a slytherin tie?"

That definitely got her attention.

Glancing down at herself, she found that she was indeed wearing a slytherin tie and one that was several sizes too big on her at that. She must have grabbed Draco's tie by accident.

Crap!

Harry and Ron were staring at her in wide-eyed horror, as if she had just sprouted horns out of her head. Luckily no one else at the table had yet to notice, but still…

She stood there frozen for a few moments, trying to come up with an excuse for this one. As hard as she tried, she couldn't find anything to cover this up.

"Look, I-" she started to speak, but got cut off.

"Was that where you were all night?!" Ron demanded, his face turning as red as his hair. "Off shagging some slytherin?"

She shushed him, fearing that someone else might have heard what he just said.

"Keep your voice down," she shushed him.

"Are you serious? Is what he claims actually true?"

And just like that, Hermione started to panic. This was not good... She had suspected that they would find out eventually, but she hadn't intended for them to find out like this.

Getting up from her seat, she made a mad dash out of the Hall, ignoring her friends as they called after her.

If she had Draco's tie, then that meant he probably had her tie. She only hoped that she could find him before anyone of his friends saw him. There weren't too many students in the corridor's yet, as most of them were still chatting in the Hall, but they would start heading to class soon enough.

"Granger."

That's when she saw him. Draco was coming down the stairs towards her and sure enough, there was a red and gold tie hanging around his neck.

Running to meet him halfway, she pulled him to the side, hiding themselves from sight behind a statue.

"We have a crisis on our hands!"

Draco rolled his eyes."They're just ties, Granger."

She whacked him with her book bag. "Harry and Ron saw it!"

"What?!" His face went as white as a ghost. "Oh great! That's the last thing we need..."

Hermione filled him in on exactly what had happened while they swapped ties. Judging from what she had seen, she could say for certain that Ron was furious. In a way, she felt kind of bad for him, having to find out that way. She had long suspected that he had a bit of a thing for her, and while she didn't feel the same way, she still felt guilty for having hurt him.

"Do you think they know it's me?"

"No, I don't think so. It's not like your name is written on the tie or anything. They just know that I spent the night with a slytherin,"she shook her head. "Although, I suppose they could figure it out on their own. After all, you are one of the only slytherin's who wasn't at breakfast."

"We'll just have to be extra careful from now on."

"I won't tell them any names, but if they guess correctly, I won't be able to deny it. I hate lying to them."

He sighed but nodded his head in understanding. "If only Potter and Weasley were like Crabbe and Goyle. They're as dumb as a couple of sticks. They'd never figure it out."

She was tempted to hit him again, but refrained from doing so. In a way, he did have a point. Harry and Ron might not be the smartest in the world, but they certainly weren't oblivious either. It would have been easier if they were. Though, she supposed that she wouldn't be friends with them then.

"Let's just try and get through today and see what happens," she suggested.

"We can meet up in the Room of Requirement again after classes to decide what we're going to do."

And with that agreed, they shared a quick kiss before heading their separate ways; Hermione heading down to the potions lab and Draco heading off towards the kitchens.

[minervahopebeyond]

Blood Petals.

Hi, everyone! Here is the second chapter. I checked everyting but im sorry if you find any grammatic or vocabulary errors... I hope you like this one! I had a lot of fun writing it..

Chapter 2: Grimmauld Place.

He was the first to get out of there with Sirius and Mr. Potter, they apparated to a house in London. He was still dizzie from the apparition when he saw the little piece of paper that his cousin was showing him.

“The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London.”

Suddenly a new house appeared in front of them. It was marvelous, Draco had never seen a Fidelius Charm in his life. He smiled a little, ancient magic was so breathtaking.

Sirius opened the door. Inside, the place was disgusting, he could see that the house was once really pretty; but all the expensive furniture were cover up with dust, there was spider webs in the corners of the hallway, it was very dark and it all smelled as if a bloody window hadn’t been opened in ages.

“This place is awful, one would think that you would have a very nice, vanilla smelling, headquarters but no you have this instead.”

It was a joke, really. Apparently he just sucked at not hurting people’s feelings because his cousin had a painful look in his eyes and Mr. Potter was looking at him like he just said a really disrespectful thing.

“I didn’t mean-“

“Don’t worry, little cousin. I know it’s not much but it’s the safest place we had. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, there’s probably no one that hates it in here as much as I do.”

“I don’t know, Padfoot. I would probably burn it to the ground if I could” Mr. Potter said with a dashing smile. It was really like seeing Potter with brown eyes, the resemblance was uncanny. His appearance was of a twenty-one year old, he came back exactly as he had left, so young but you could see he felt older than that... He had this fatherly thing in his eyes, very fierce and protective look.

Draco saw how Sirius was being pulled into a bone crushing hug. His cousin hugged the other man even tighter while tears started to appeared in his grey eyes. He hided his head in Mr. Potter’s neck, maybe to be closer to him or maybe to stop the tears from coming out completely.

“I missed you every fucking day, James”

His voice was so raw and painful to hear. Draco could not even begin to imagine what would it be to lose someone so close to you. Because maybe for Potter this was an opportunity to finally have a family, but for Sirius it must had been as his wildest dream came to life, after so much pain, so much wait. Because Sirius actually knew what he was missing, without James Potter in his life, Draco could hear it so clearly in those words.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

They heard the rest of the Order arrive. Sirius put distance between them very quickly and tried to clean his tears before anyone could see. It was a lot of people in a hallway so they moved everyone to the kitchen. Apparently only the golden trio were allowed to come into the headquarters, because the other students where nowhere to be found. They all sat at the table; Moody, Professor Lupin, the Weasley’s parents, his cousin, Mr Potter and Nymphadora Tonks. He knew who she was because mother exchanged letters with Aunt Andromeda once or twice a year, and if mother was in a good mood she would let Draco read them with her. This was all behind father’s back of course (Merlin forbid he would let his wife decide if she wanted or not to keep a relationship with her own sister), it was because of this that Draco had learned from a young age that there were things that you weren’t supposed to tell Father, not ever. At the sound of another apparition he frowned. Who else was coming?

“ Where is he? My godson, where is he??”

Oh no. Not good. Aunt Bella always said that Severus wasn’t a loyal follower, he thought she was joking. He stood from his chair quickly and looked frantically for a place to hide. Not good. He thought as he hided under the table, in the end that was opposite to the kitchen door and (this is just a coincidence, he did not do this on purpose) next to Potter’s chair. The prat who live looked down to where he was hiding with as if Draco had utterly lost it.

“Ignore me as always, Potter. Do as you are told just this once.”

He heard him muttered something about how fucking weird this day was and Draco couldn’t agree more. He watched Severus move around the table, even when Draco only could see his legs he noticed he was very pissed off.

“Snivellus, if you are here to make a scene you can just leave.”

“How calm you are, Black. Considering that the thing that’s sitting beside you could be a dark being.”

“Shut it, you greasy git.”

“Sirius, we are all adults here.” That was professor Lupin, of course. He always was kind at Hogwarts, he had understood when Draco didn’t want to face the boggart in third year, just smiled and said that he would give him a paperwork to keep his marks up.

He heard all in the table gasp, the feet of Severus were on duel position and that could just not be. He pushed Potter’s leg with his hand. He always was afraid that even being hateful or defensive that the boy would see through him, notice how his heart beated at any kind of proximity. Draco got up and looked at Severus.

“I’m here.” Severus turned to look at him then.

“You stupid, careless boy. What did you do? Blood magic? You clearly are more brainless than I thought.”

“Nobody knows what you are talking about, Snape. Leave the poor kid alone.” Mr. Potter spoke with such calm and commanding tone, eyes focused only on Severus as he said it. So that was where Potter got he’s morals from.

“I beg you, Potter, do not insult my intelligence. I know for a fact what is my godson capable of. There is no need to hide it” He kept his eyes on Draco then, something shifted in them. He felt guilty instantly, when he accepted, he thought about how two years where enough to get everything settled but now, looking at Severus, he couldn’t imagine saying goodbye. Because he knew he was the only family he had left. “What did you bargain? Please tell me.”

“You know. All you want is for me to confirm it, which I am, confirming it.”

Pain took over his expression, he shook his head and took a deep breath. It was done, no going back, and Severus knew that of course.

“We will find a way. I promess.”

No, they wouldn’t. Potter was unbelievable straight so that meant a sure death. He was fine with it. Poor Severus, though, he didn’t know how terminal this was.

“Why was it him?” Granger asked quietly, and he understood that the question was actually ‘why wasn’t Lily Potter’. She thought it was because of the blood status clearly. How would Draco Malfoy bring a mudblood back to life to be with his son if there was a pureblood option on the table? It was things like this that made him want to be a bad person on bloody purpose. He glared at her. Apparently for a know it all she didn’t have all the answers. Then he said in almost an annoyed tone:

“It’s mandatory to have a blood connection on the ritual, to call for the soul you want. Potters and Malfoys wedded a lot of generations ago. And it’s only one soul per ritual.”

Potter frowned then, like he was thinking of something, plotting. Draco lost his cool at that.

“Don’t even fucking think about it. It’s a soul for a soul. I didn’t just bring your father from the other side to have you sell your soul to save your mother. You can’t have all in life, Potter. Be bloody grateful for what I did and enjoy having both, your father and your godfather in your life once they can clear Sirius name.”

Those piercing green eyes were looking at him, their fights were always so consuming, once they were started they couldn’t stop. Whoever said the most hurtful thing won and he could see in Potter’s eyes that he was determined to win this one. So Draco just stood there, waiting for it.

“Are you actually trying to make me believe that you risked your own pathetic life to bring my father here?” He snorted, mean and so bloody arrogant, Draco could just had punched him in the face.

“Yes.”

“Sure, Malfoy.”

Mr. Potter just stared at his son, then at Sirius as if he was asking what the hell was wrong with him. Why was he like this? But it was expected. Potter spent eleven years of his life not having friends or family, he was fiercely protective of his own because he didn’t have any people for so long and Draco... well, Draco was the big bully that hurt them.

“How are you alive then?”

“Because, Potter, I was given two years to get something impossible to get or else bye bye living realm” He said it with a mocking tone, trying to light the mood. Severus flinched at that and the room went very quiet before exploding with exclamations and questions all at once.

“Are you kidding, kid?”

“What do you have to get?”

“We can help you! You have to tell us!”

“This is exactly why it’s a forbbiden practice. It’s barbarian!”

“Maybe we can fool her? There must be a way..”

“WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP”

Probably it wasn’t the best way to react to a bunch of worried Gryffindors but Draco prefered to die than be pitied by anyone. He chose this, he was going to fucking own it.

“Thank you for your concern but this is my problem now. I did what I did and there is no solution other than get this stupid thing I have to get.”

“ What did Death asked for?” Of course Weasley was the sentimental of the three of them. As if he cared, he should be bloody happy if ‘the ferret’ ceased to exist.

“I’m sorry. Did something of what I just said made you think that I had any intentions of sharing my disgraces with you, Weasley?”

Potter pulled a face of disgust at that. Good, the balance of nature had been restored at last. Too bad it was going to kill Draco. He thought that he should start a list of ‘must do’ before he dies. The good thing about knowing that you are going to die it’s that nothing matters as much, no repercutions, no guilt.

“Black, could Draco stay here? He clearly can’t go back to the Manor and he can’t stay at my house because it would blow my cover.”

“Excuse you? I’m not staying in the same roof as the prat who lived, Severus. Stop saying nonsense.”

“Well, you should have thought about that before you did this. I don’t have a choice and you don’t either.”

Potter looked alarmed. He searched for his godfathers eyes trying to say that ‘No, he is not staying here, no bloody way’ And Draco couldn’t agree more. But apparently they were the only ones with logic in the headquarters because Sirius called the house elf and instructed him to fix his cousin a bedroom as well as one for Harry and James too. Before he could complain about the situation Mr. Potter looked at him with warm eyes and said:

“It’s the least that we can do. You can’t imagine how grateful I am for what you did. I understand if you don’t want help with whatever you have to look for... But if you change your mind I’ll be glad to help.” And what was Draco supposed to say to that, he only nodded and muttered a ‘thank you’.

Draco found himself later that night, in the room that used to belong to Regulus Arcturus Black, looking at the enchanted ceeling full of stars. Wondering if when the time comes, the day that he joins Death at the other side, if he could ask to be a star instead of a wandering soul. It felt more soothing to be a shinning star than wait in the afterlife until his love ones join him, like Mr. Potter had done. He was more selfish than that, clearly. Maybe he could be a shooting star and fly across the night sky... it would be as if everyday was a quidditch game at night, he would chase the other stars as if they were snitches... He slowly closed his eyes and let himself fall sleep.

Comment, like or reblog if you like it, please! I will be updating the 3rd chapter soon as I can. You can also find me in AO3 as MinervaHope. Thank you for readind!!

[dirt-cup-draco]

Ginny x Reader - Drive Me Mad

13 and 21 random with Ginny Weasley pls?  13. “Did you seriously just get your foot stuck in a toilet?” “Maybe.” 21. “What do you mean she’s my new partner? She tried to kill me last week!” “Sounds like a you problem.”

You stared after Harry, jaw on the ground as he moved on to his next bit of business but you were not done with the chosen boy just yet. “Potter! Get back over here!” You demanded, looking between you and the smug looking Weasley he had just stood you next to.

Harry stopped in his tracks and despite his back being turned, you just knew that he had rolled his eyes in exasperation. But you didn’t care, you wanted answers. “Yes Y/N?”

“What do you mean she’s my new partner? She tried to kill me last week!” Harry sighed. He had the D.A. to run, why did you have to go and throw a fit the moment he put people into pairs? 

“Sounds like a you problem.” Decided on, nose scrunching up as he pushed his glasses up further. You wanted to break that nose of his. “Besides, Gin is a great teacher and she should be able to help you fight if you pay attention,” Gin, really? Not very original. 

“Ugh, lets get on with it then,” You whined as Harry walked away, tired of you and having to help Seamus who had managed to make his spell backfire on him. Some things never changed it seemed. 

“Love your enthusiasm,” Ginny mocked, already standing at the ready with her wand. 

“You kicked my arse last week after volunteering to help me!” You hissed. She had offered to help and instead had humiliated you and made you the worst example in class. You were the rock bottom of Harry’s makeshift army. 

“I did help!” She argued, taking two steps back as you started to prowl forward, wand pointed at her. “You learned didn’t you? You’ll never forget what you did wrong which means you’ll know how to do it right,” 

“Only Snape teaches by publicly humiliating someone,” You growled, seeing the blow landed as she winced at the very thought of her least favorite professor. The comparison alone seemed to bother her. You were glad it did. 

You admired Ginny. You liked Ginny. You fancied her! But it seemed like she felt nowhere near the same and you were starting to question your own adoration of the girl. You had known Harry for some years and while you weren’t best friends, you had gained a much larger social circle because you knew him. Ginny was one of those people you had met because of Harry. 

“I’m not like him,” She said indignantly.

“You’re sure acting like him!” You argued back. 

Ginny’s cheeks were turning red and you were positive it was from anger and not because of any warm, fuzzy feeling she might be having. 

“I am not! You’re acting like a stubborn child! So what if I won our duel?” 

“You didn’t have to embarrass me in front of everyone! You could have just disarmed me, not knocked me flat on my ass!” 

“I don’t have to embarrass you, you do that all on your own! Merlin, you drive me mad.”  

Ginny’s last outburst stung and you were stunned into silence. Did she really think that about you? Did you embarrass yourself? You blushed out of shame and you felt student’s eyes on you. Neither of you had been very quiet apparently. 

“Fine, if all I do is embarrass myself, then I’m wasting my time by being here!” You bit your lip and looked at Ginny for a moment longer, wondering what you could have done to make her dislike you. 

Harry groaned in exasperation as he approached the pair of you but you weren’t looking for him to scold you. Instead, you left the room of requirement and made your way to the nearest bathroom. Your steps echoed of the tiled room and you slammed the door shut behind you, leaning against the cool metal stall as you tried to blink away the burn behind your eyelids. 

“What’s the use in impressing someone who thinks I’m an embarrassment?” You whimpered, bringing your head back against the stall. You felt so stupid for all the time you had spent practicing your spells outside of Harry’s D.A. meetings. You were hoping that he would pair you with one of the other students and your added practice would be able to give you the upper hand.

 Ideally, you would be victorious. Ginny would take notice and find you interesting and skillful. Instead, you had panicked when Harry had paired you up again. It was inevitable for her to absolutely destroy you in any duel. 

Slamming your head once again on the stall you let out your tears, cursing yourself for not being able to hold them in. “Stupid,” Thunk. “Stupid,” Thunk. “Stupid.” Thunk. Each sound punctuated by the metallic jangle of the stall as it rattled against it’s hinges. 

Your head was spared as you heard the door open and you hopped up onto the toilet seat without thinking. Your foot slipped and fell into the pool of water. “Fuck!” You whispered as your shoe and sock were soaked immediately. 

“Y/N? Are you in here?” Came the voice of the last person you wanted to talk to.

“Go away Ginny,” You pleaded, not being able to keep your voice from sounding watery and pathetic. 

“What was that sound?” 

“...nothing, go away,” You demanded, keeping your foot in the toilet so that she wouldnt be able to tell. It seemed she was smarter than you however as she ducked her head just enough to see that there was only one foot visible withing your stall. 

“Did you seriously just get your foot stuck in a toilet?”

“Maybe.” You answered honestly, cheeks growing warm as you heard her laugh. You took a shaky breath, trying to rub your tears away on the sleeve of your robes. “Go on then, go tell everyone I’m an idiot and I’ve got my foot stuck. Bet you’d love that...” 

Ginny’s chest constricted at the bitter tone. “I’m not that cruel,” She defended herself but realized that maybe laughing at you wasn’t her best bet at making you feel better. 

“You had be fooled,” You sniffled. “I thought you were a sweet girl,” 

“You did?” Ginny asked, surprised. “I thought you’d always disliked me... You barely even look at me when we’re talking. I thought I annoyed you,” 

You laughed mirthlessly. “It’s the other way around! You can’t get rid of me fast enough, right? I’m just the embarrassing girl that tries to impress you every chance she gets...” 

“Y-you what?” Ginny asked, going to your stall door. “Alohomora,” 

The door clicked and the door swung open to reveal you, half stuck in the toilet with tear stained cheeks and blush creeping up your neck. “Go away!” You screamed at her but Ginny didn’t listen, deciding to wrap her arms around you instead. It was a bit awkward with your foot in the bowl of the toilet. Her arms were warm around you and you didn’t have it in you to pull away from the comort that you had been seeking. 

“I’m sorry,” Ginny began, pulling away from you so that she could look you in the eye. “I didn’t mean what I said, you don’t embarrass yourself-” 

You gave her a pointed stare, eyeing her, and then gazing at your foot that was soaked and stuck. She laughed, warm and hearty, practically hearing the really? what am I doing right now then? that went unsaid. 

“I mean it! Now let me be nice,” She scolded softly. “You do drive me mad, but not in the way you think. You drive me mad because ever since we made those amortentia potions all I can smell is the shampoo you use, the perfume you like, coffee right after it’s brewed and the pumpkin juice you can’t get enough of at meals...” 

Your lip quivered, jaw dropping as she looked away from you. Her delicate skin had been painted with a far less severe color than her anger. She was now glowing, rosy and radiant. She was bashful! You triumphed. Ginny let her hair fall down in a curtain around her face and away from your curious eyes before continuing. 

“I may duel like a Slytherin but I don’t tear others down to feel good about myself. That wasn’t my intention during practice... I was frustrated and it came from a place of fear. I am scared for what’s coming and so to prepare, I want to be strong enough to protect everyone I love. But that is a lot of people, and I can’t be everywhere at once. I thought if I could help you, and push you, then I wouldn’t have to worry but I still worry day and night... It wasn’t fair of me to take that out on you, especially when I know you are capable. I am mad for you Y/N and it showed in all of the worst ways,” 

You couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up from you as she raised her gaze back to yours, being filled with her gryffindor courage. She wouldn’t hide from you or your reaction. Ginny hadn’t, however, been expecting laughter. “Merlin this isn’t how I wanted this to go,” You admitted, knee bent and sore as your foot remained in it’s watery prison. 

Ginny’s mouth rounded into a perfect O before she grabbed your thigh, just above the knee. With some skillful twisting and a perfectly timed tug, she had your foot free in moments. You set your foot down on the tile and you were positive that the squish that sounded off the silent air, would haunt you forever. 

“We should have taken care of that first, don’t you th-”

Ginny didn’t waste any time however, cupping your cheeks in her hands and drawing attention back to her. “I care for you Y/N Y/L/N in all the best ways even if I get mixed up and show it in the worst of ways. Please go on a date with me this weekend?” Her plea was that of someone who knew that they weren’t going to be denied.

And when you did, inevitably, say yes, Ginny kissed your cheek. Lips warm and lingering, butterflies fluttered in your stomach while your heart sang. With a giddy “See you later!” Ginny was gone from the bathroom and you were left with  a dopey grin on your face. 

Your might have a sore leg and a soggy knee but you were positive that today had become one of the best days you’d had all year. And, without a doubt, your upcoming date with Ginny would be the best day in all your years to come. 

[obviously-best-potions-master]

Private Tea Party

Chapter 56

Word count: 1396

Standing in front of the Stairwell Gargoyle, you took a deep breath, trying to pull yourself together. Headmistress has always been kind and sympathetic, but why she invited you, remained a mystery. McGonagall supported you in the most difficult moments, but of course not in the way Severus did. Who knows how your life would turn out here, if this man hadn’t shown a share of his attention toward a lonely downtrodden girl two years ago.

You didn't want to show Snape how worried you were, but as he could feel even the slightest change in your mood, it was silly to hope he wouldn’t notice.

Rubbing your shoulder, he tried to calm you down. “It’s just a friendly visit.”

“For you, but not for me. She’s Headmistress after all!”

“Well, I’m her Deputy, and you’re not afraid of me,” Snape smiled, pulling you closer.

He was right. But your relationship developed so smoothly and naturally, that you yourself didn’t even realize, how close you were becoming. Day after day, through constrained exchange of short simple phrases, you’ve grown to show a bit of care for each other, hesitant and insecure but so heartily. You didn’t notice, how you started spending more time together, just lingering in the lab at first, and going out later under pretext of gathering ingredients. Something drew you to each other and you couldn’t resist this mysterious force, fully giving yourselves to its power. Gradually you’ve built a strong connection, nothing in the world could destroy. Having this man was a blessing.

While all these thoughts were swirling in your head, the Gargoyle turned around, giving you access to the stairs. Snape's firm hand landed on your nape, slightly pushing you forward.

You gasped in amazement, once you entered Headmistress’ office. It was so magically magnificent here, that you forgot about your excitement for a moment.

“Oh, come in!” you heard the joyful voice of an old lively lady.

You blinked, looking around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Snape smiled, touched by your confusion. He took your hand and walked you to a small veranda, hidden behind dark green curtains with silver patterns.

“Finally!” McGonagall approached you, and literally snatching you from Snape's hands, sank you down on a chair at a small round table, set with a teapot and various treats.

Terribly embarrassed, you dropped your eyes, timidly picking at the folds of your dress. Severus leisurely took a seat next to you. Squeezing your hand, he forced you to look at him. His kind smile promised, that there was nothing to worry about, and you couldn’t help answering him the same. You felt so calm and easy at once.

McGonagall joined you almost immediately. Slightly tilting her head to the side, she admired you with a friendly smile.

“You look so beautiful together,” she clasped her hands in delight.

Your cheeks flushed, and you looked down again, trying to hide a humble smile.

“Minerva,” without a single emotion on his face, Snape interrupted her in almost a whisper.

“Don't be a bore, Severus!” she frowned at him and returned her glance back on you. “Help yourself, child!”

“How’s your study?” Headmistress’ look pierced you through.

“It’s good,” you answered quietly.

“And your relationship with the students?”

“Much better. At least they don’t touch me anymore. It seems like they’ve lost interest in me,” you smiled bitterly, remembering the hell they made your life before.

“Glad to hear that!” McGonagall took a sip from her cup. “So you spent the holidays together?”

Snape realized that numerous meticulous questions were not to be avoided, and joined in the conversation, with that only purpose, to save you from speaking. He began the story in his leisurely manner, starting from the day you first arrived at Cokeworth. Your man’s voice has always had a soothing effect on you and didn’t fail this time as well. You felt surprisingly comfortable in this cozy, almost family atmosphere. McGonagall’s favor was evident, and you finally relaxed. Complementing Snape's story with new details once in a while, slowly but surely you took the initiative, enthusiastically sharing your impressions about the time you’ve spent together.

McGonagall couldn't help but rejoice, watching the way Snape looked at you, the way his eyes sparkled with happiness. You two were made for each other.

If it were not for the soundproofing charms of the Headmistress’ office, the laughter of the three of you would be heard in the school corridors.

“I don’t know, if I could ever convince him,” you replied, laughing and wiping the tears from your face.

“Oh, dear, you have the power to make him do anything!” McGonagall made another unsuccessful attempt to calm down.

Snape sat, rolling his eyes and frowning with displeasure, when you were discussing how stunning he would look in a colorful Hawaiian shirt on your summer vacation. He couldn’t understand how your conversation went that far. “Women… They have an outstanding talent in changing topics...”

“I’ll make some more tea,” he snapped, realizing that you won’t leave him alone.

“You are the first one, who managed to tame his obscure temper!” McGonagall winked, when he disappeared in the depths of her office.

“No, he's not at all like that!” you objected. “He just pretends.”

“You're right! Nevertheless, he let you see it, which is no less important!” she agreed, and you grinned.

“Severus appealed to me with a request on your account,” McGonagall put her cup aside and looked at you intently. “To be honest, I was also going to offer you to stay at Hogwarts after graduation.”

You froze, being taken aback, not ready to discuss such serious things.

“I need to know if you’re ready for such responsibility and the pressure which comes along with it? Do you really want this? And by the way, you want it, right?” she still didn’t know, what you answered on Snape’s proposal.

You vigorously nodded your head. “I really want to. But I don’t know if the students could take me seriously, because I’m not much older than them.”

“Severus got Professor’s position, being 3 years younger than you,” McGonagall cheered you up. “He managed to handle it, even though he had no one to support him or help with advice. And you will have all this.”

“Yes, indeed,” you agreed hesitantly.

“I’m writing to the Ministry then, about you being appointed as his assistant,” she stated. “I don’t know the whole procedure, because this is the first precedent in our school, when a student will combine studies with work. But I’ll keep you informed, of course.”

You nodded again, your heart pounding wildly from excitement.

“Severus and I will help you, I'm sure it’s worth the trouble!” she smiled sympathetically.

“I don't know what to say…” Touched by her kind attitude, you couldn’t find words to express how grateful you were.

“I left you for just a few minutes, and there remained not a trace of your wicked fun,” Snape’s deep voice interrupted the conversation. You sighed with relief, the man’s presence made you feel better.

“What happened?” he placed the teapot on the table and patted your shoulder, his face gained a concerned expression.

“Nothing, Severus! Absolutely nothing!” McGonagall poured fresh tea into empty cups. “It's natural to be a little nervous, before making important life choices.”

“Was it necessary to discuss it now?” Snape frowned. “And surely in my absence!”

“You didn’t miss anything. We’ll wait for the response from the Ministry, and in the meantime, there is nothing to worry about,” McGonagall lit a dozen more candles with a graceful gesture, it was getting too dark outside.

“You sure?” ignoring his colleague’s words, Snape addressed you, his eyes staring into yours, searching for the answer.

You smiled, realizing that enlisted the support of these two people, you were destined to succeed, and there was no possible way for you to fail.

“Yes, come here,” you grabbed his hand and pulled him to yourself. He took his seat beside you, but this time he moved closer to finally wrap you into his embrace. You laughed cheerfully, nuzzling into his neck. There was no need to keep up appearances any more.

The rest of the evening passed by unnoticed, though you’ve lingered till the midnight. For the first time you felt confident about your future and could joyfully look ahead.

@astridstark13 🍒 @kissing-the-earth @written-by-living-stars @longblackcape @emeraldwitchart @taschaschwarz @bloodyhollows @fluffymadamina @diaryofafan17 @none-of-them-were-you--caskett @ellysiacat @shinykavendish @tickletrout @mybulletproofheart7 @sitkafay @thephenomenalkingofthebrogues394 🦇  @otaku4potato @magnificentbandittreedonkey @lokilover-39 @floraltheo @wretcheddiablo @youtube4life10  @a-slytherin-sin  @lou-nahdie @joscelyn02  @cookiemonsteryuum  

@dandyrua @just-here-to-read-fics

[fredweesleyismyslut]

Draco Malfoy x reader (fluff-ish?)

So, I’m still reading OOTP right now so some things might be a little off lol sorry.  But I tried and I hope whoever reads this likes this kinda sorta cringey writing.  I haven’t written in like a year so it’s probably kinda shit so sorry about that too but A for effort right hehe.  Also speaking about people saying hehe when I went to give blood like around december for my bday at school there was this lady who legitimately laughed the sound hehe as she pricked my skin and I thought I was hearing shit but literally after every fucking sentence she would say hehe so there’s that random piece of info no one asked for.  Anyways, thank you as always and enjoy. :)))

Sitting in potions class you patiently waited while trying to correctly add the write ingredients in order.  “Okay, so last ingredient.  A pinch of african sea salt.” you muttered to yourself as you grabbed the ingredient.  Your potion came out alright, with a slight shade of a weirdly green color but you thankfully didn’t get homework, being one of Snape’s favorite.  As soon as the bell rang you quickly grabbed your bags and dismissed your friends’ calls to wait up for them.  This was your last class of the day and there was a quidditch game you had to be at.  It was Slytherin against Gryffindor and you were going to be there to support the seeker of the team, Draco Malfoy, aka your boyfriend of about two years now.  You smiled at the thought of seeing him and walked as fast as your feet could take you to the quidditch arena.  You sat in the stands and waited until you saw the comforting white-blonde hair you always ran your fingers in. Next to you sat down your friend Hermione who didn’t exactly appreciate your relationship with Draco but supported you as a friend.  She gave you a slight smile and started telling you about how her class in transfiguration had gone.  You half listened to her, paying attention to the golden haired boy flying around the stands looking for the snitch. 

 Draco flew by your stands quickly and met eyes with you quickly to let you know that he had seen you and went back to being on high alert for any golden flash in the air.  You heard the other Slytherins singing a song to mess Ron up and discourage him so you glared at them and turned to Hermione, “We should cheer Ron up after this.  I think he’s pretty devastated.” Hermione nodded softly and looked up at him while you put your attention ion back on the two seekers flying around.  Suddenly, you saw Harry shoot up towards the Slytherin goalposts, obviously spotting the golden ball, and Draco chasing after him.  The game ended with Harry grabbing the snitch and although you were upset for Draco, Harry was still one of your best friends so you stood up and cheered along with Hermione.  Draco looked up at the stands and met eyes with you clearly disappointed to see you cheering and saw as he smirked and started saying things that you couldn’t quite hear due to the noise and the distance.  Out of nowhere you saw a brunette and a red headed boy, clearly one of the twins though you couldn’t tell which one because, yet again distance, as they punched Draco and he lay on the ground.  “I swear to god.  I can’t have one nice day where they don’t try to rip each others throats out.” you grumbled as you and Hermione rushed to get out the stands.  You waited outside the Slytherin changing rooms for Draco and questioned whether you should comfort him or yell at him for constantly pitching fights with Harry for no reason.  You settled with yelling at him first and as soon as he came out you yelled, “What were you thinking?! I mean he’s my friend can’t you just try and get along rather than trying to be an ass to him every goddamn day.”  You breathed out heavily trying to calm down as Draco gave a small sigh and stared at the ground.  You softened your voice as you the bruise that one of the twins had left on his face.  “You know I love you.” bringing your hands to rest on his cheeks you looked into his silver eyes, “It’s just that he’s my friend too and I just want you guys to try and get along because it would mean the world to me.”  Rubbing your thumb along his swollen cheek you leaned in slowly until a voice rang from the back, “Umbridge wants to see you, Malfoy.” barked the leader of the Slytherin quidditch team.  You jumped slightly as you pulled yourself away and smiled politely before squeezing Draco’s hand and walking towards the Gryffindor tower to check on Harry and hopefully Ron who had disappeared after the game.  “Have you seen Ron?”  Hermione asked as soon as she saw you which resulted in you shaking your head and asking about Harry and George who had been the one to punch Draco.  “They both got called to Umbridge” she said anxiety riddled in her voice as she rung her hands together.  

Later, when Harry came back he told you and Hermione that he along with Fred and George had been banned from playing quidditch.  “What about Crabbe?” you asked.  “I mean he purposely hit that bludger at you.” “He just has to do lines” said Ginny from the other side of the room.  Sighing heavily you dismissed yourself to check on your boyfriend and found him laughing along with his two goonies in the medbay.  “Can’t you do anything about Harry and the twins being banned?” you asked, sitting in Draco’s lap.  Draco gave Crabbe and Goyle a look to leave and sighed softly as he kissed your forehead, “As much as I would hate to help Potter if you wish, I’ll try my best, love.” His breath tingled your neck, the hairs rising slightly in alarm.  You sighed contentedly, happy that your boyfriend was willing to put his differences with Harry aside just for you and pecked his lips.  “I love you, Draco Malfoy.” you whispered against his lips and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly whilst pulling you deeper into his lap to increase contact.  “I love you too, my queen.”