#devon marlowe

[ellie-e-marcovitz]

Happy birthday Devon Marlowe 🎂🎁

@kathrynalicemc

[kathrynalicemc]

Texture:

Devon prefers things like denim, soft knit sweaters, academic blazers, and airy flowy clothing like blouses. I don’t think she hates any specific texture.

Wardrobe:

I think growing up in a muggle household that also owned a business, I feel like they would sometimes be tight on money as they needed it for the bakery so she probably is used to wearing things for a long time and upkeeping them. I’m now making it canon that her mother would sew at the table and hum or sing and Devon has that memory of her.

Favorite:

I’m just making this up now but I think her favorite thing is her round glasses. Maybe they were handed down from her mom or dad. She just really likes how they make her look (besides also helping her see lol). Maybe she also has a necklace or sm from her mom?? Later in life she is gifted a rose necklace from Henry that probably is her favorite after.

Answering an ask from @aviandemiwitch. Accidentally made a new post instead of answering the ask and I’m too lazy to retype 😂

[endlessly-cursed]

Over the Brink of War, Chapter One: A Historic Fall

A/N: The first chapter is finally after months gatekeeping it out of laziness lol. This series is in the same universe and timeline as @kathrynalicemc​ ‘s The Phoenix Resistance. The og cast belongs to her. Also, check out The Phoenix Archives for more BTS work with new and old characters! 

Summary: Elodie receives an offer she’s been waiting to receive... for 40 years 

Featuring..: Elodie Dubois, Sebastian Dubois, James Dubois, Kaari Arcano, Devon Marlowe ( both belonging to @kathrynalicemc​ ) Lyubomir Vulchanov ( @magicallymalted​ ) 

Word Count: 2.2k 

Bill and Fleur’s wedding, 17:40

Elodie watched her son dance with his wife, as well as her grandson dance with his own. They all smiled and danced away, no worries or concerns between them. Suddenly, her stomach turned. She thought it was her illness yet again, until something inside her told her “Something’s about to happen. Something bad. Terrible, even.” Instinctively, she grabbed her great-granddaughter, who happily fussed with her shirt and pearl necklace and told her family to pick up their things.

The feeling was growing stronger, and worse. She felt it’d happen at any moment. Baby Lucille started fussing, noticing her great-grandmother’s queasiness and she rocked her, trying to calm her down, but it was helpless. Something was about to happen, and it’d happen at any moment. James kept pressing why they were leaving. She just told them to trust her on this one.

She could hear a girl shriek “YOU’RE CHEATING ON ME?!”

Before he could even open his mouth, Kingsley’s Patronus announced the Ministry of Magic’s fall, and death eaters came in, plunging into chaos. “James, get your wife and daughter into safety. We’ll deal with them.”

James and Isolda quickly left, and Sebastian and Elodie plunged into action. She struck one death eater in the chest with an ancient spell, then waved her wand and knocked out three. She prayed to Rowena that her grandson and great-granddaughter had apparated. One death eater grabbed her, but she elbowed him in the nose and struck him with the head of her wand, and was soon stupefying death eaters left and right.

Sebastian was also a quick one, and for a moment, she saw him. They focused on the same way, and had the same face when they were passionate about something.

However, Elodie, at her advanced age, was only so strong, and signaled her son that she’d make herself scarce and to come home safe. She ducked one death eater and apparated herself in the hospital, coughing up blood and shaking. Her nurse was quick to grab her and chide her for having been so reckless. She retched the whole night.

Lone Star Tavern, Whitechapel, London- 25th of August, 1997

Kaari greeted Devon and she signaled him to sit down. He asked “Who else have you thought for this, Dev?”

“Henry, obviously, and someone else. She’s quite old, and there is a rumor that she is sickly, but her knowledge and experience could help us with the war.”

Kaari then looked at two photos. In there, one was from a long time ago, perhaps the fifties: stood there a beautiful woman, of sweet blue eyes, dark hair and behind her was Tom Riddle, who looked at her in an interesting way. It read ‘Celestial Ball, 1948’. So, maybe someone that was close to him?

The second photo was a recent one: stood there a woman with platinum hair, in her sixties, perhaps seventies, with the same blue eyes, but with wisdom and secrets behind her eyes. It read ‘Elodie Dubois, 1992’. “From what I gather, Elodie used to be a girlfriend of Tom Riddle, until his goals separated her and dated someone else. She also has a son from that relationship, Sebastian, though we have no information of the father, though many suspect that he was Lyubomir Vulchanov, a pureblood who is a bit fascinated with necromancy. The point is, she knows the Dark Lord in a way we don’t, as well as his past and is from a house of healers, and she is a talented healer and dueler. She was notorious in Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Her age hasn’t gotten in the way of her prowess. I think she and her son would make two fine additions.”

Kaari nodded “It’d certainly be wise to include the Dark Lord’s ex here. What she knows of him may help us, though I wouldn’t take her to raids, but she can train the young ones. Her son, I’d be open for that.”

“You know what to do, right?”

Kaari smirked “Haven’t you heard? I am the kind of guy grandmothers like.”

Nando’s, London, 09.30am, 1997

Elodie had come out of her monthly hospital stay and had gone out for groceries, keeping a low profile. Surely these death eaters had some regard of a poor old lady? She tried to reach a jar of jam, but she was too short. Cons of old age. You had the height you once had when you were twelve.

“Allow me.” A masculine voice suddenly came. He had a rather long, thick black hair and several scars, and smelled like the north—Norway, to be exact. He gave her the jar and offered to help her with the groceries, a winning smile on his face. He wanted something from her. And he was no death eater. She quickly gave him a helpless old lady smile and both of them walked, aware that they were being watched “I hope I have reached Elodie Dubois. Not that I wouldn’t help a helpless old lady.” He winked.

“How can I help you, sir?”

He whispered “More like how can you help the world, Mrs. Dubois.”

She then observed around, and a golden flick came into her view, like a phoenix coming back from the dead. The youngsters had been quicker to form some sort of resistance against Tom. At least they had been quicker this time. Elodie was quick to put on her mask and groaned in pain “Oh, my back aches. Please, good sir, would you accompany me to my home? I’m afraid I can’t carry all of this on my own.”

He smiled “It’d be my pleasure.”

As they got away from the supermarket and started getting deeper into the streets. The moment they reached her flat and came into the elevator, she extended her hand “Elodie Dubois. What is your name, young man?”

He instead kissed it, but Elodie remained unfazed and unimpressed “Kaari Arcano, madame. I have an offer for you and your son.”

They came into the flat and Sebastian looked confused at his mother, and seized up Kaari “Who’s this bloke, mother?”

“Kaari Arcano. Sebastian, right? Nice to meet you, mate.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow but shook his hand “What brings you here?” His eyes went wide as he too saw the symbol and sat with both of them. Elodie motioned Kaari to talk “It has come to my knowledge that you, Elodie, used to… be close to the Dark Lord and have been one of the first people to go against him. Dumbledore admired you and tried to recruit you for the Order of the Phoenix, am I right?”

“You never told me that last part, Mama.”

“Hush, Sebastian. Yes, he tried to recruit me and I rejected his offer. That man makes of poor, innocent children his toy soldiers, and that is something I am against. Children are children, even if they think themselves the next Superman or Wonder Woman. We ought to leave their childhoods alone, not stain them with blood and loss.”

“Well, neither of us are children here, are we? We are adults who need your experience, knowledge and expertise, and your son’s experience as a Curse-breaker, of course. We are the Phoenix Resistance, and our main jobs are smuggling innocents out of the harm’s way and weaken the Dark Lord with raids.”

Elodie looked at Kaari “I take you also have Trojan Horse within their walls?”

Kaari frowned and Sebastian translated “She’s asking if you also have a spy working for them and you.”

“Oh. Yes, we do! Though, we can’t say who, but we do, aye.”

“Good. I have one condition.”

He waved his hand, inviting “Go ahead.”

“I have to meet the boss, whoever it is. I want to tell them what I know myself.”

“That can be arranged.”

Two days later, Elodie had put on a royal blue suit and brushed her hair, and walked into the tavern, following Kaari all along. Her son stayed behind and admired the place. She came into their base of operations and was surprised to see a small, blonde woman with glasses and who didn’t seem to notice them. She also had some white scars on her body. Lighting scars. She knew a remedy or two to keep them at bay, as well as a surgery to remove them from sight. Kaari started signing “Dev, this is Elodie. Elodie, this is Devon Marlowe.”

Recognition came into her eyes. She had been the poor girl who nearly died after being struck by lightning. Her colleague had done her treatment, as well as attended her. She spoke as Kaari translated “Miss Marlowe. Your strength knows no bounds, I see. I’m delighted that someone like you is the force behind this.”

“Mrs. Dubois. Many speak of your talent for healing, as well as your past with the Dark Lord. I won’t lie, your knowledge and experience will certainly be of help to us. I’d be glad to hear your story.”

“I take that you can read my thoughts.” Devon nodded. She turned to Kaari “Leave us. This is women’s business.” He tried to complain, but she raised her hand to shut him and waved him to leave. He sighed. He couldn’t win this fight.

I won’t say that he was once a saint. He had his faults, but surely everyone had them. I could swear that there was this softness, this connection when we were alone. He told me his family history once, drunk and feeling embarrassed. You see, he is a hypocrite. A half-blood, borne of a pureblood woman who was crazy in love and a poor muggle man who was forcibly roped into the scheme. She seduced him with a love potion. I wasn’t aware then that a child borne of love potions couldn’t be able to love anybody whatsoever.

I knew he felt embarrassed about it. But I thought he meant the circumstances of his birth, not his blood. When he took things too far, I tried to warn him of dancing too close to the sun. We argued, and broke apart. I wouldn’t see him that way ever again. As I healed, I started my opposition against him, and everyone was appalled, but I didn’t care. I had my Miro beside me, and together we did our best, but alas, we were few, and many were attracted to him, what he offered. In a way, he shares that with the Devil. He hasn’t always been that pale bald man with no nose and monstruous affairs. No. He was beautiful, and once was Hogwarts’ future and pride. But greed and power got the best of him. And thus, he went that far.

I know some people who can be of help, and that would be glad to take him down. I also know you’ve been asking around in the hospital. I am sick, yes, but I have also made a vow: I won’t allow myself to die until he dies first. Until that day, you have my help. I possess more knowledge, so ask away.

They talked some more about strategies and what use her son would be, and soon was his turn. He wasn’t thrilled to be bossed by a young girl, but it was better than being undercover forever.

Waving goodbye to Kaari, they left with homework: to get to know Voldemort’s plans for everybody and bring supplies.

Elodie’s apartment, London, 21:10

Her son had been awfully quiet for some time now, and barely said a word to his mother. The moment James and his family left to sleep, Sebastian stopped Elodie and questioned her “Why was never father here?”

“I kicked him out.”

“But why?”

She sighed “Like the Dark Lord, he had dangerous hobbies and would’ve been a danger to stay here. I made him choose between that or me. He didn’t choose. He left.”

“What’s his name?”

She sighed. It’s been over forty years. He was either dead or with a family of his own “Lyubomir Vulchanov. He’s a pureblood man from Bulgaria and Norway. And… a necromancer student.”

Sebastian nodded, and sighed “It’s time then.”

Elodie blinked “Pardon?”

He looked at his mother “I’m a grown up. I have my own family. There’s nothing stopping you from seeing him.”

“Sebastian—,”

“Do it for me. I don’t want you to give up on the love of your life for me. Please.”

Elodie sighed “I’ll think about it. But it’s been forty years. Maybe he’s married and has beautiful children.”

“I have a feeling that it’s not the case.”

During two weeks, she tried to write him a letter. She still remembered where he lived after all those years, but nothing of it made sense. She had burned over fifty letters. Then, while watching a movie, the craziest and most rash decision she ever made came to her.

Tromso, Vulchanov manor, Norway, 30th of August, 1997

Elodie’s heart raced incredibly fast, her small luggage weighing in her hands. At least they had a bell. She took a few deep breaths and pressed the bell, and then knocked on the door. At first, silence. Then, she heard a few steps inside and someone opened the door; there he was.

He was older, naturally, and had white hair and his blue eyes seemed tired, and was dressed with a simple shirt and some maroon pantaloons. He narrowed his eyes through his glasses. He asked something in Norwegian.

“It’s me, Miro. Elodie.”

He stiffened and recognition came through his eyes “Elodie…?”

She bit her lip “Surprise, I suppose?”

[lifeofkaze]

BTS (writer ask) for PR Allies and Old Friends (22 Jan 1998)?

[ellie-e-marcovitz ☺️]

Thank you for the ask! It was so much fun revisiting the PR for a look at this. BTS, here you go!

The original chapter discussed in this BTS can be found here.

New Year’s Eve had come and gone and the Christmas lights had vanished from the streets of Greenwich. Without anyone noticing, the new year had taken over and Ava still hadn’t had a single word from Kaari Arcano or his ominous underground organisation.

So, we enter Book 2 (or rather, my contributions to the story) almost a month after Ava, Artemis (@the-al-chemist) and Kaari (@kathrynalicemc) have run their coup at Azkaban. Kaari left Ava on the beach with the promise of getting back to her about joining the PR, but that has still to happen.

Ava tried putting her mind back to the catalogue of found pieces from her latest excavation site, but her mind kept returning to the Phoenix Resistance. She wondered why Kaari hadn’t contacted her yet; when they had parted ways in Scotland, he had said that he would find her. Ava had waited for news somewhat apprehensively after getting home, but her apprehension had soon turned to impatience and eventually to indignant indifference. She had better things to do than sitting at home waiting, after all.

Ava is a person who loves being in control and having things in order. Kaari is very much the opposite. So her having to wait for HIM to go and contact her is grating enough as it is, and him seemingly not bothering to do so is making her a lot more annoyed than she would ever care to admit out loud.

The air outside was cold and smelled like it was going to rain soon. Ava flipped the collar of her coat up and snuggled deeper into her knit red scarf. She walked past the dark trees of Greenwich Park and into the direction of the Thames. She weaved through the crowds on her way along the King William Walk, past bustling pubs and shops.

Anyone who read my other Ava stories or the little ask on symbolism in my writing a little while ago might notice my reference to Ava's red scarf, which she wears in almost any short I have written for her so far (if the weather calls for it, ofc). It was given to her as a Christmas present by Charlie, who knitted it himself before they began going out. It started as a reference to the sock-knitting from the game but turned into a symbol for their presence in each other's lives when they can't be physically. Also, perusing the streets of Greenwich on Google Maps to get an idea about Ava's neighbourhood honestly was so much fun.

Ava chose not to answer him. She had spent Christmas with her parents in Castle Combe, but had skipped the annual dinner with her extended family in Lancashire. Christmas with the family was nice, but it wasn’t where she had hoped to be for the festive season. Distracting herself from the hollow feeling inside her chest, she nodded at Kaari.

One of the biggest challenges of the PR was to write it in a way that wouldn't sever all ties to canon characters for each and every respective OC while also not contradicting others. Hence, I never named Charlie as Ava's boyfriend directly, but only ever referenced him to not clash with any other content creators who had definite headcanons for Charlie and their respective characters, too.

Struggling with herself and her instinct at self-preservation, it took Ava a moment to do what Kaari had suggested. She couldn’t take her eyes off the play of light on Ryoko’s scales and how close he was standing to Kaari without so much as looking tense. Everything she knew about dragons and their behaviour was running through her mind, but none of it seemed to add up to what she was seeing in front of her.

Another challenge for me was how varied the perception of dragons is in the HP universe. I know that Ryoko was intended to be more like Toothless from HTTYD (who is the best, let's be real), but personally, I always stuck more to dragons as these wild and completely dangerous/uncontrollable beasts, how they are described in the HP canon. So, to get these two different ways of interpreting them to work together was a challenge, but I think in the end, it worked out quite well.

“No back rooms but an alley is fine? Curious where you draw the line,” Kaari laughed. “And we’re not strangers, we’re friends. Or allies, at least,” he added when he saw her look.

The dynamic between Ava and Kaari was just too much fun. Ava tends to be a little too serious at times, so having a goofball like Kaari to challenge her and bicker for a couple of lighter moments was really needed, I think.

“What can I say,” Kaari shrugged, “people are thirsty these days.” Ava only made a sceptical sound in response, but Kaari didn’t seem to mind. He just carried on talking. “We have barrels just like this one in Skalafell. Okay, maybe not that big, but pretty big. My friends and I used to ride them down a stream when we were kids.”

Considering Kaari's faceclaim, I just couldn't resist a nod to the infamous barrel scene from The Hobbit, and I ain't gonna apologise for it 😂

The dark corridor was even more narrow than the one above and stretched further than Ava had expected. It probably ran beneath the adjacent buildings as well and Ava itched to look at a floorplan, if one depicting this secret cellar even existed. There was a faint, rhythmic noise in the air she couldn’t quite place. Every now and again doors were leading off the passageway and she asked Kaari about their purpose.

Seeing as @kathrynalicemc didn't have any specific headcanons about the more detailed architecture of the headquarters, she kindly let me run wild here, and oh boy, I had way too much fun with it.

Kaari looked between Devon and Ava with a puzzled expression. “Where did you learn how to sign?”

So, Kaari was obv at Hogwarts at the same time as Ava and Devon, but to make things fit, I headcanon him to have been in the year above Ava. (That's actually a common thing that I/a couple of other creators do when trying to fit OCs with conflicting timelines into the same universe). That explains why Kaari and Ava don't know each other or about each other's friendship with Devon. You could argue that they must have seen each other, at the very least, but Kaari transferred to Hogwarts in the year that Ava's brother died and she just had a LOT going on. That and being in different houses, I think, is enough reason for them to have passed each other by.

“Still enough time to do it now,” Kaari said cheerfully. “We’re going to get you ready for your first raid. Consider this your trial of fire.”

Fire is a big theme in my PR chapters, more so for Mina than it was for Ava. But throwing the imagery in there every now and again is something that makes me smile looking back.

[pupsmailbox]

1980's ID PACK

NAMES︰ aaron. adam. adding addison. adrian. alex. alexis. ali. alyssa. amanda. amber. andie. andrea. andrews. andy. anne. annie. anthony. april. ashley. aubrey. audrey. babysitters: belinda. bill. billie. billy. blair. bobbie. bobby. bonnie. brad. brandi. brandy. bret. brett. brian. brianna. brittany. caitlin. carey. carla. carly. carol. cary. casey. charlie. chris. christie. christina. christine. christopher. cindy. clare. clarissa. claudia. cody. corey. cory. courtney. crystal. dan. dana. daniel. darrell. david. dawn. devon. drew. dustin. elliott. emily. emmett. eric. erica. erik. erika. fran. francis. frankie. georgie. gloria. greer. greg. harriet. harry. heather. hollis. holly. jackie. jamie. jason. jayme. jeffery. jennifer. jeremy. jessica. jessie. jody. joe. john.zach. jory. joseph. josh. joy. jules. justin. kelly. kevin. kim. kimberly. kit. kristen. kristy. kyle. landry. larissa. laura. lauren. lee. linden. lisa. loren. lou. lucas. lynn. mallory. maria. marie. mark. marlowe. mary matt. matthew. meaghan. megan. melanie. melissa. melody. merit. michael. michelle. mickey. mike. mikey. mindy. misty. mo. morgan. natalie. neil. nick. nicky. nicole. ollie. other ozzie. parker. patrick. paul. paula. paulie. polly. quinn. rachel. randall. randell. randy. rebecca. rees. reese. richard. rob. robbie. robert. rory. royce. ryan. sabrina. sam. sarah. scott. sean. seth. shannon. shea. shelby. skyler. stacey. stacy. stephanie. stephen. stevie. taylor. the tiffany. tim. todd. tonya. tracy. tyler. valerie. victoria. will. wyatt. xavier. zack.

PRONOUNS︰ arc/arcade. arcade/arcade. arcade/arcem. beam/beam. beep/beep. bling/bling. bo/booth. boom/box. bop/bop. bou/boutique. bright/bright. buzz/buzz. ca/car. cartoon/cartoon. cass/cassette. cassette/cassette. class/classic. color/color. cor/vette. dated/dated. dazzle/dazzle. dine/diner. disc/disc. disco/disco. elec/electric. flash/flash. gae/game. gli/glitch. glitter/glitter. glow/glow. jazz/jazz. juke/box. light/light. loud/loud. neon/neon. nostal/nostal. pac/man. par/parlor. pattern/pattern. phone/phone. pin/ball. po/pop. polybi/polybius. pop/pop. rain/rainbow. ret/retro. retro/retro. rock/roll. salon/salon. ska/skate. star/star. synth/wave. text/text. vin/vintage. vintage/vintage. vivid/vivid. walk/walkman. 🌈 . 🍭 . 👾 . 💥 . 🕹 . 🧩 .

[ninawolv3rina]

If you like Cornish Rex's, you should also take a look at the Devon Rex. They're very similar but they have a scrunglier head shape.

Cornish Rex's are long boys, with very pointed face shapes and oriental style ears. Devon Rex's look a bit more classically 'cat' shaped, with big ole jowls.

German Rex's are the same as the other two but waaaay beefier. Absolute units, and their hair isn't as curly.

No matter how you slice it though, Marlowe is totally a Rex. (You should also totally look up the Lykoi, it's a breed with so much style.)

Ok first of all Lykoi are so feral looking what the FUCK

But also…

[phoenixresistance]

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#5

Phoenix Resistance - Book 2 Chapter 11

Lone Star Tavern, Whitechapel, London - March 16th, 1998, 2:03 PM

There was a heavy clunk as a tankard was slammed down onto the wooden table where Eleanor sat. Kaari Arcano slumped down into the chair next to her.

“You don’t strike me as someone who blindly obeys orders,” he stated, looking her up and down for a moment, sipping his ale.

“Well spotted. Get to the point.”

“So you wouldn’t mind doing something dangerous and explicitly against Devon’s orders?” He inquired but then reluctantly added, his eyes cast downwards, “I-uh, I need help.”

Eleanor seemed to think for a moment, her expression impossible to read, all emotion gone from her eyes.

“Alright. Where to?”

“Just like that? You’re Devon’s important secret weapon. You wouldn’t want to jeopardize your relationship with her, would you?”

“I didn’t ask to be pulled from that prison. In fact, you should have left me there to die.”

“But you can’t die.”

“Exactly,” she muttered as she stood up and made her way to the door. “Well, are you coming or not?”

Wilson Manor, London - March 16th, 1998, 2:35 PM

They stood in the street looking towards the ivy covered house with tiny white and yellow flower buds peeking out of the browns and greens of the flower beds. Kaari quickly scanned the area and found a wrought iron gate to the side of the house that led towards the garden in the back.

“You haven’t scouted this house once yet, have you?” Eleanor remarked, her arms crossed.

“Of course I have,” he lied confidently.

“It’s also broad daylight,” she pointed out.

“I don’t care.”

“This isn’t like you. I mean, you are a reckless idiot but this is stupid even for you.”

“Let’s go,” he brushed her off and made a dash for the side gate, not bothering to unlock it and instead vaulted over it in one quick movement, Eleanor reluctantly following.

They crouched to keep out of sight of the windows, occasionally peeking up to look through a window. They almost reached the last window before Kaari stopped, suddenly having found what he was looking for.

Flipping out a dagger from the back of his belt, he jammed it into the windowsill and worked it around, trying to pop it open. His movements slowed as his gaze was drawn upwards. Inside was a rustic kitchen, copper pots hanging from racks, jars full of herbs and plants, and a large stew pot gently bubbling away on the stove.

What really got his attention, however, was the tiny form laying in a pile of bunched up discarded rags and cloth as a makeshift nest. The baby had grayish pink skin, large doe eyes, and long floppy ears that came to a point. Kaari had never seen a half house elf before, but she definitely had more human features than regular house elves.

According to Mirai, the girl was around eight months old by now but she was impossibly small for her age. His own niece, Dafne, was fourteen months old, only six months older. However, Kiri looked as if she was the size of a newborn.

Kaari’s grip tightened on the hilt of his dagger as he took in Kiri’s situation. The rags she laid on were stained and ripped. The clothes on her weren’t more than a pillowcase and strips of fabric wrapped around her arms and legs for extra warmth. His blood boiled as he imagined his own nieces treated like this. Left to sleep on a dirty kitchen floor.

With a pop, the window gently opened, but Kaari hesitated. His mind wandered back to that day in the office. Devon’s face was burned into his memory. There was a burning fierceness in her eyes and he couldn’t shake it. He’s had a deep respect for Devon ever since they became friends at Hogwarts. She was wildly intelligent and loyal. Kaari loved her constant search for knowledge and demand to be heard, despite being mute. People listened to her without her having to speak a word.

However, he also knew just how much she had to fight and work for that. They were deep enough friends for him to know that she was really struggling with all this pressure and responsibility upon her. She wanted to save lives but that meant having to carry all that responsibility, almost like Atlas holding up the sky. He finally understood. She couldn’t possibly save them all, and sometimes you have to drop one or two to save the rest.

Eleanor was right, he was in too much of a blind rush and didn’t scout the Manor at all. He had no idea just how many people were inside. He expected Neira and Roland but they could have many guards he didn’t know about. Then again, he did have the service of a lightning dragon and an immortal warrior with him. It would be easy really, just in and out in seconds. They could just grab her and run.

“Mama mama! Come look at this bug!” Came the cry of a toddler from the back garden. A second later came the voice of what he expected to be Neira.

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13 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

#4

The Phoenix Resistance - Book 2 Chapter 9

St. Mungos, London - March 7th, 1998, 12:16 PM

“Patient name: Antoinette Yaxley (née Avery)”

“Date Admitted: June 23rd, 1981”

Eloise sighed as her eyes cast downwards to the chart on the table. She stood at the foot of the bed, replacing the vase’s wilted red roses with fresh ones. A middle aged woman laid in the bed, her eyes closed in a deep sleep and her long dark hair splayed across the pillow.

She crossed the room and sat in a familiar armchair on the side of the bed, one she has spent many nights in. Glancing around the room, Eloise realized this room felt more like home than the Yaxley manor. She had memorized every little detail about it over the years of visits and countless hours of staring at the walls, alone with her thoughts. Those particular thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a healer walked into the room.

He was a tall and stocky man with a bald head and a reddish blonde beard. Eloise had known this man for most of her life. Graham McClarnon had been the head healer for her mother as long as she could remember.

“Back again?” He remarked as he took the vitals of the woman and then grabbed the chart and hastily wrote down the results.

“Where else would I be?” She muttered quietly.

“I don’t know. But I’ve known you since you were eight years old, coming here all by yourself. You shouldn’t be in here, wasting your life away. She wouldn’t want that.” Graham motioned to the bed.

“I do have a life.”

“Mmm,” he murmured, his gaze flicking downwards to the dark inked skull on her forearm peeking out from Eloise’s sleeve.

“How’s your son? Henry, right?” Eloise switched subjects, tugging her sleeve back down.

“He’s fine, but I think you know that already,” he smiled knowingly.

Did Henry tell him that they work together? If so, he must know that she was secretly a spy. Eloise wondered if he really trusted her. Almost everyone she used to know assumes she’s a real Death Eater. She sacrificed the trust and friendships of so many people to secure her place with the Death Eaters and keep suspicion away. Only a handful of people know where her true loyalties lie. Deep down, she knew even they probably expected her to eventually betray them.

“It’s been seventeen years, Lou. How long are you going to keep this up?” He interjected bluntly, catching Eloise off guard.

Eloise didn’t have an answer. She just twirled her rose necklace in her fingers and watched her mother sleep infinitely, her chest rising up and down with breath. Seeing this moment, Graham quietly left without another word, closing the door with a soft click behind him.

She got up and instead wandered over and sat on the edge of the bed. Eloise brushed her mother’s hair aside and traced the subtle lines of age upon her face. It was quite ironic, honestly. She’s spent the majority of her life watching her own mother age when it should have been her mother watching Eloise age and grow up.

For a second, Eloise almost wondered what her mother would say if she could see her now, but quickly shut the thought out of her head. She wasn’t so sure her mother would be proud of what she has become.

Her mind instead wandered back to her spywork. She would never actually give her service to the Death Eaters, of course. Her father tried his hardest to mold her into one by teaching her what he believed in. What he didn’t know was that Antoinette was always there to supplant those ideologies. Until she wasn’t.

When her mother was attacked by Death Eaters during the first Wizarding War and placed in a coma, the only thing her father told her was that her mother was a traitor because she was helping people who stole their magic. He never did go to visit her once. Eloise always had to sneak out of the house by herself, usually taking the Knight Bus. St Mungos wasn’t the only place she went when she snuck out. The Yaxley Manor was as unfamiliar to her as she could manage.

Looking at her mother’s face, Eloise saw herself. With Eloise’s once platinum blonde hair now dyed a similar dark ebony black, the two of them were almost identical. It has been many years since she’s seen her mother’s eyes open, however under her eyelids rested the same seafoam green pupils.

Her mother was her greatest inspiration. She would do anything she could to make her proud. That was her main reason for joining the Resistance. Rebelling against her cruel father was just a bonus.

Eloise leaned in close and whispered in her mother’s ear, barely audible.

“I’ll continue your fight. One day, you’ll be proud of me. That’s a promise.”

Then she got up and left, Graham shouting a goodbye to her quickly retreating figure down the hallway.

Yaxley Manor, Kent, England - March 7th, 1998, 3:47 PM

Muffled thumps echoed off the Manor and the surrounding Kent countryside, only to be muted by the heavy downpour of rain. Eloise stood in the courtyard behind the Manor, her hands wrapped and taped, as she sparred with a punching bag.

The cold wind and rain of early spring pelted her frame, soaking her to the bone and plastering her chin length hair against her head. She didn’t mind, however. Anything was preferable to being in that house with her father.

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13 notes - Posted March 7, 2022

#3

The Phoenix Resistance- Book 2 Chapter 28 FINALE!

A/N: Well... here we are on the last page. Nine months all lead up to this. This is the ending for now but make sure to stick around for the character epilogues in the next few weeks for more endings!! As always: Mina belongs to @lifeofkaze and also Ava in mention. Artemis in mention belongs to @the-al-chemist and both Henry and Ellie belong to @thatravenpuffwitch. Enjoy!

Ministry of Magic, Atrium, London - May 2nd, 1998, 6:13 AM

A few hours went by as they waited. The atrium was completely silent for all of them but Devon. As much as she tried to push out the thoughts of her friends, they kept sneaking in. Each one of them were scared, some more than others.

Many of them paced back and forth, occasionally glancing down the dark rows of fireplaces when they thought they heard something, forms stiffening and the grip on their wands tightening only to relax when nothing came out of the darkness. Devon stood directly behind the barricade, never taking her eyes off the entrances. Her legs were stiff after hours of standing and the pain in her ribs was steadily getting worse but she refused to sit down, even after multiple suggestions from Henry. Dried blood that wasn’t hers caked her pants and hands.

It was just after sunrise that finally they saw exactly what they were dreading. A green light flickered and flashed deep within the darkness and they heard the roar of flames as a figure emerged from the floo network.

Mina and Eloise stood up from their places by the statue and they all approached the barricade as a group with their wands pointed forwards.

“Hey, stop right there!” Kaari called out loudly to the figure that got closer and closer.

The tension in the room relaxed as out from the shadows stepped a man with dark skin and rich purple robes. It was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Everyone’s wands dropped to their sides, except Devon who remained in place, her wand shaking slightly.

“If it’s really you, tell me your favorite type of bread,” Devon sent into Kingsley’s mind silently.

“Cinnamon raisin, of course,” she heard him reply back into her own mind.

“So, did we win?” Kaari inquired.

“Yes. Harry Potter has defeated Voldemort once and for all,” Kingsley’s deep voice filled the empty silence.

What followed was shouts of joy and exclamations of relief. Devon stood staring forward in shock before her knees finally gave out and she collapsed to the floor. All the adrenaline in her system crashed and the weight of the entire war came crumbing down upon her shoulders, like Atlas holding up the sky. Everyone was safe. Nobody else was going to die under her command.

“Dev! Oh Merlin, are you ok?” Henry immediately rushed to her side and scooped her up.

“Yea, I’m fine. I just need to rest for a second,” she signed.

Kingsley had climbed over the barricade and now crouched down next to them, his hand outstretched towards Devon who shook it gladly.

“Thanks for holding down the fort, Marlowe. I’ll take it from here,” he smiled gently.

“There’s one more thing I need to do, if you would allow me? In fact, I could really use your help, Kingsley,” Devon signed and pushed herself to her feet, Henry supporting her from one side.

...

With Kingsley’s help, the Phoenix Resistance wrote and printed one last newspaper together. This one, however, had no enchantments placed upon it to obscure the words.

Witches and wizards all around England watched as papers appeared with a flash from their floo networks and fell gently from the sky, a dark winged shadow accompanying it. The gold fiery Phoenix symbol blazed at the top of the paper, now visible to all.

Headlined right at the top with large letters said “Harry Potter Defeats The Dark Lord!”

The paper also went into great detail debunking the false muggleborn propaganda that was spread during the war. It included some damning evidence against many Death Eaters, calling them out by name. The puppet government was also revealed to the public. Pius Thicknesse had been under the imperius curse and Voldemort was the true leader during the war.

With that, the Phoenix flew one last time. However, this time it didn’t fly under the cover of night and it wasn’t exchanged by the hushed whispers of people in taverns. It also wouldn’t erupt into fire and burn away. This time it was persistent and loud.

At the bottom of the paper, where usually there was a blank space, now was filled with words.

“By Devon Marlowe”

The author of the Phoenix Paper was finally revealed.

As for what was to follow in the next few months after, Devon Marlowe would work under Kingsley as one of the head lawyers for the Death Eater Trials. The information she presented from the notebook she kept during the war was instrumental in the arrests and trials that followed.

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14 notes - Posted May 2, 2022

#2

Phoenix Resistance - Book 2 Chapter 12

St Botolph's Church, Algate, London - March 22nd, 1998, 12:38 PM

The brown and green grass of spring crumpled beneath Eleanor’s boots as she walked among the weathered gravestones of St Botolph’s Church. Many graves were new and practically sparkled in the daylight. The rest were broken and slowly being consumed by moss. Time had reclaimed them and erased their names and dates from history.

She barely spared a glance at them, however. The grave she was looking for would not be here. No stone recorded the death of whom she sought.

Eleanor found a somewhat sturdy large headstone and sat upon it, hoping the occupant wouldn’t mind. Sighing, she looked around the graveyard and then up towards the church spire that towered into the murky gray sky.

It had been years, centuries even, and yet she could still hear it, like ghosts from the past. The sounds of the bells ringing in the streets as the wagons collected the dead. She could even see the houses locked up, red crosses hung with signs that read “Lord Have Mercy Upon Us”.

She hadn’t thought about them in over a hundred years. It had been three hundred and thirty two years since they had died. The one thing Azkaban allowed her was to spend endless time exploring her memories and recalling things once lost, as that was all she had in that dark and hopeless cell. Most of it was faint, as time had worn it from her mind, like a grave eroded by the rain.

Their names and faces were lost to her, but Eleanor knew they existed once. Her husband and children were buried somewhere under the earth nearby. During the Great Plague of London in 1665, thousands died and were buried in mass graves near the church in Aldgate. Eleanor would have joined them, if it weren’t for her immortality.

It was after their deaths that she swore never to get close to anyone else again, or to have children. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was that her curse wasn’t passed down. She would never want anyone to experience this hell. Everything around her dies and she continues on, taking the slow path through the centuries.

A gentle rain started to fall, the drops breaking on the gravestones with a splash and soaking the new spring grass. Eleanor blinked hard and a water drop of her own rolled down her face and fell upon the stones, mixing with the rain. What kind of mother couldn’t remember her own children’s names?

She thought about her brother, Eme. Had he ever lost a loved one to the inevitable turn of the earth? She honestly doubted that he could experience love anymore. Eleanor almost envied his indifference to emotions. Without them, maybe she too would revel in immortality the way he did.

No. She would never want to be a monster like him. Maybe love is what saves people.

Lone Star Tavern, Whitechapel, London - March 22nd, 1998, 1:15 PM

The rain was coming down in heavy sheets by the time Eleanor walked in, soaked to the bone. She wandered over and slumped into a chair by the roaring fire where Kaari already sat.

“Did you fall in the Thames or something?” Kaari commented, eyeing her current state.

“I had children once.”

Kaari choked into his tankard of ale. “Come again?”

“The other day you asked me what I would know about being a parent. It was hundreds of years ago but I was a parent once.”

“Why are you telling me this? I’m an asshole and you are a badass who doesn’t give a fuck about us,” Kaari joked.

Eleanor’s face was suddenly soft, her eyes stared wistfully into the dancing flames. Kaari sat up, seeing her suddenly serious. It was the first time he had seen her guard dropped and he was curious to know more about her so he decided to shut up.

“It’s been a hell of a long time since I had anyone around me I could trust my secrets to. There’s no record of them anywhere, except in my head. But that too is deteriorating. I don’t remember any of their names,” she admitted.

“I just wanted them to exist in someone else’s head. They deserve that.”

The tavern was silent for a few moments, only the crackling of the fire and the pouring rain hitting the windows could be heard.

“I’m curious. Feel free to punch me in the face if you don’t want to answer, but have you ever gone looking for possible ways to end your immortality?”

Eleanor cocked her eyebrow and then reached for Kaari’s tankard, downing the last of the drink in one go, the liquid burning all the way down to settle into a warmth in her stomach.

“Of course. I searched for centuries.”

“And you haven’t found anything?”

“There was a moment in Azkaban. While a dementor was having their fill of the infinite bad memories I have, I almost felt like I would fade away and never come back. My body can regrow and heal from anything, but I’m not too sure if my soul could.”

The door of the tavern burst open, the loud downpour of rain disrupting their quiet moment. A courier for the Resistance dashed inside and didn’t spare a glance to the table as they made a beeline for the cellar. The look on their face gave Eleanor and Kaari a sinking feeling in their chest.

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14 notes - Posted March 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Phoenix Resistance - Book 2 Chapter 14

Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England - March 28th, 1998, 5:58 PM

Eloise stared at her reflection in the large windows that overlooked the grand Malfoy Manor garden. Her chin length ebony hair was slicked back with gel and she wore a deep emerald velvet dress. It had a deep plunging neck and an open back. A long slit ran down her left leg, leaving her thigh holster for her wand visible to everyone.

If Eloise had her way, she would be wearing a suit. Her father, however, insisted that she wore a dress, something more appropriate for a young lady. With a grimace, she admitted that the dress was probably for the best. She knew just how many old men would appreciate her for it, and would gladly spill some secrets to her with their guard down.

“Dinner is served,” a posh voice rang out, calling all the party guests to start migrating to the large pompous dining room.

Marble columns held up the high ceiling and lined the walls. One wall consisted almost entirely of an open faced fireplace that roared and crackled. The dining table itself was a deep brown black wood that was polished and shone in the light of the hanging chandeliers above. It was so long that it could comfortably seat ten people on both sides.

Eloise took a seat next to her father Corban and a few chairs down from the head of the table where Lucius Malfoy currently sat. His wife Narcissa and son Draco sat to the side of him. Also nearby was Bellatrix Lestrange, sister to Narcissa. A few other people she knew took their places along the table, Neira and Roland Wilson among them. Leaning forward, Eloise could just see the opposite end of the table. A shiver ran down her exposed back as she saw the long white hair and sharp features of Eme Amaranthine staring back at her.

Her attention was caught as the heavy wooden chair to the right of her was pulled out and a man with chiseled cheekbones and piercing eyes sat down. He glanced at Eloise out of the corner of his eye as he unfolded a napkin and placed it neatly upon his lap, his eyes lingering on her legs for just a second longer than required.

“I do not believe we’ve had the honor of meeting. Alphard Farrier,” he announced suddenly, turning in his chair and holding a hand out.

“Eloise Yaxley,” she countered back in her best friendly voice, a polite smile on her face.

She was keenly aware of who he was. He worked in the Ministry for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In fact, he was just below her father in rank. Clearly this was a play for power. He was aiming to get nice and friendly with his boss’s daughter. That was something she could arrange as he was the closest person next to her father that she could weasel some information out of.

“Oh yes, how could I have not known. My father talks all about you!” Eloise raved, turning in her chair to face him. “He said you were indispensable to him these past few months with the investigation into the missing Azkaban prisoners.

“Is that so?” Alphard mused proudly, twirling his wine around in his glass before taking a sip.

“I’m curious, did you ever catch them?” She leaned forwards so that he was in range of her perfume. It was her own special Amortentia perfume. Eloise wondered what he could smell.

“Not yet, but we have a good idea about how they’ve managed to do it. The apparition point is being monitored so the next time they try it we will have them,” he replied after breathing deeply.

“Delightful. You’ll have to let me know when you do so we can share a glass of champagne in celebration,” Eloise smiled and gently placed a hand upon his shoulder before turning back in her chair, their conversation coming to an end.

Her attention was drawn to some nearby conversations as she turned back to her dinner. She heard some talk about the inadequacy of the Gringotts goblins and boasts of children’s accomplishments at Hogwarts under the new Headmaster.

Further down the table the Malfoy’s falling from grace were discussed at great length while at the opposite head of the table, where Eme Amaranthine was sitting, no one seemed to be talking much at all.

“Bellatrix and Narcissa must be relieved to hear about the death of Ted Tonks. It was such a disgrace that their sister tainted the family's pure blood with muggle blood,” Roland Wilson muttered quietly to the people next to him.

“I still don’t know why they insisted on bringing the rest of his group here as prisoners. They would have been better off dead along with Tonks and Cresswell,” his wife Neira chimed in with a sneer.

“Lord and Lady Wilson, how’s your family?” Eloise interrupted, her knife dancing around her fingers playfully and a smile upon her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“You have two young sons, I believe? I hope they are in good health,” she mused, cutting a piece of steak and bringing it up to her mouth using her knife instead of her fork.

“They are quite fine, thank you,” Roland answered apprehensively but with a smile upon his face nonetheless.

“I apologize but I can’t help but wonder, Lord Wilson. I’ve heard a rumor going around about your own sister Mirai mingling about with your own house elf and producing a child. That wouldn’t happen to be true, would it?”

A few guests nearby gasped and whispers started to cascade down the table like dominoes. Panic flashed in Roland’s eyes but his smile remained.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about. Whoever you heard that preposterous rumor from was clearly mistaken and needs to be informed otherwise,” he rambled, turning to those nearest to him to quell the rush of gossip.

His wife Neira gave Eloise a burning glare of hatred before joining her husband in the efforts to repair their reputation.

The rest of the dinner passed in a rush of gossip and political debates that Eloise had no interest in. Her father’s mood, along with most of the guests, started to deflate when they decided that the Dark Lord himself would not be attending after all. She rolled her eyes at how hopeful her father was to have a chance to suck up to the “greatest wizard to ever exist”, in his own words.

Before she knew it, it was nearing 8 pm and the dance had started. Couples were waltzing in the ballroom, the long gowns sweeping across the black marble floors.

Eloise was walking around the edge of the dance floor as suddenly she was met with a wall of white. It was Eme Amaranthine, his long hair cascading like a waterfall down his dark red-purple velvet suit. His eyes narrowed down at her and his mouth cracked into a smirk upwards.

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14 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[ellie-e-marcovitz]

Happy birthday Devon Marlowe!

@kathrynalicemc ☺️ hoping uni is going well

[kathrynalicemc]

2018 -> 2023

Kathryn Alice, Devon Marlowe, Dafne Arcano, and Kiri Amaryllis’s art journeys through the years…

[unfortunate-arrow]

✧ Devon Marlowe ✧

→ my half of an aesthetic trade with @kathrynalicemc

[lifeofkaze]

The Phoenix Resistance - Book 2, Chapter 23

The Rescue Mission

A/N: This was written as part of the @phoenixresistance project. Kaari Arcano, Devon Marlowe, Mirai Wilson and Eleanor & Eme Amaranthine belong to @kathrynalicemc, Henry McClarnon and Ellie Hopper belong to @thatravenpuffwitch. Massive thanks to @whatwouldvalerydo for helping me sort this mess out 💛

Warning: Mentions of violence and death

Dunmore East, Republic of Ireland - 25th April 1998, 2.18 am

The village of Dunmore East, nestled into a gap in the cliffs on the shore of the Atlantic, was fast asleep. It had been a busy day, sunny and with a surprisingly warm breeze blowing landwards from the sea, but for the five people rushing along the quay in the fishing harbour the wind had turned cold and biting.

On the landward side of the quay an array of fishing boats were gently swaying on the waves. Further out at sea, tiny specks of yellow light could be seen shining through the night. It was there that Mina set her gaze when she and the rest of the Phoenix Resistance came to a halt at the very end of the pier. 

After Devon’s attacker - Eme Amaranthine, the same white-haired man who had burned down Mina’s shop - had left the location of her whereabouts scorched into the wall of what had once been the Lone Star Tavern, it hadn’t taken them long to find out about the old-fashioned sailing boat belonging to the Ministry of Magic, anchoring just off the coast of Dunmore East. It was there that Devon was being held captive.

None of them was speaking more than strictly necessary. Everyone was tense, but Mina especially so. Kaari had instructed her in the basics of fighting, but she had never been on a raid before. The thought was making her uneasy. 

It wasn’t the best raid to start her career as a resistance fighter either; from what she had gathered, the plan for their endeavour was vague at best. Devon was usually the one to spearhead an operation; if not her, then Henry McClarnon or Ava had been the ones to take charge. But Devon was gone, and Henry was still beside himself with worry. And Ava…

Mina pushed the thought aside. She didn’t want to think about Ava right now. Aside from the blank postcard she had received from Bucharest, no one knew where she had gone. But wherever she was, wishing she was here to help wouldn’t change the situation for the better.

Out of the remaining members of the Phoenix Resistance, Kaari Arcano was the one with the most experience when it came to raiding. He usually wasn’t put in charge because of his rashness - and as Mina had come to know him, she suspected that he was very much fine with that - but seeing as they were lacking in options, it was him who would lead their assault tonight. 

Kaari’s eyes were lingering on the lights swaying in the distance. He tore them away from the boat and turned to the rest of them.

“All right,” he said concisely, “everyone knows the plan?”

Each of them nodded. Kaari and Ryoko would fly them out to the ship one after the other. Once everyone would be on board, they would search it, gather what information they could find, and, most importantly of all, get Devon back to safety.

“And once we’re done,” Kaari said grimly as he swung himself onto Ryoko’s back, “we’ll give these bastards hell.”

The first step of their plan turned out to work surprisingly well. Ryoko was keeping low, flying so close to the water that Mina would have just needed to stretch her feet to touch the waves. Feeling the dragon’s strong muscles move beneath her, she was trying not to think about how a month ago she would have declared anyone telling her she would be riding a dragon mad beyond saving. But times had changed and there were other things to be scared of now; Mina had needed to learn that the hard way.

When she slipped off Ryoko’s back, the deck of the boat was empty. Mina hurried to hide behind the lifeboat, where Eleanor was already crouching out of sight. Mina hadn’t spoken much with the quiet and slightly eerie woman since coming to the Lone Star Tavern but even she could tell that Eleanor was more tense than usual. Every so often she risked a glance over the edge of the lifeboat, scanning the deck for activity. 

“I wonder where all the Death Eaters are,” Mina muttered and waved Ellie Hopper over to their side. “I would have thought there’d be more of them.”

“It’s not them I’m worried about,” Eleanor said and looked over the rim of the boat again.

“Your brother?”

Eleanor nodded. “He wanted me to come. He is here.” 

Mina didn’t want to admit it, but her blood was running cold at the thought of Eme Amaranthine’s dead, cold eyes. “What are we going to do about him? How do you fight someone you can’t hurt?”

Another look across the deck. “We do hurt.”

“But you can’t be killed. So where’s the point in trying?” Mina shuddered. “Your brother’s not like you. You seem almost… normal. He doesn’t. It’s like he has no soul.”

“Trust me, he has a soul. I can’t remember when Eme turned into who he is now, but we were normal, a long, long time ago. Or at least we thought we were,” Eleanor added bitterly.

“Any being with a soul can be killed though.”

Elearnor shook her head and the look in her eyes was unreadable. “Not us. But believe me, there are worse things than death.” 

Mina wanted to ask what Eleanor was talking about but her question was cut short when Kaari returned with Henry. Their group was complete. Splitting up, Henry, Eleanor and Ellie went around one side of the deck while Mina, Kaari and Ryoko - who was doing his best to tread lightly - were searching the other. They encountered two guards on their way, but before they were able to raise an alarm, Mina and Kaari had already incapacitated them.

They joined the rest of the group at the hatch leading below deck. Lights were coming from downstairs but aside from the wind and waves, there was no other noise to be heard. Mina and Kaari exchanged glances; if he was as perturbed by the lack of activity on this supposedly high-security Ministry ship, he wasn’t showing it.

He looked at all of them in turn. When he was sure they were ready, he reached into the pocket of his coat and set Nym, the small dragon living inside it, on Ryoko’s back. With his wand raised he climbed down the steep steps and vanished below. Casting a wary glance over her shoulder, Mina followed him. 

It was dark at the base of the stairs and it took Mina a moment to adjust her eyes. A little further ahead, a room could be discerned by the light shining through its open door; this must have been the light they had seen from the pier.

Kaari had already started in its direction. When he reached the open door and the light was shining onto his face, Mina saw that it twisted into an expression of shock. He cursed violently in Norwegian and - all care forgotten - rushed inside the room. Once Mina had reached the doorway, she saw the reason for Kaari’s reaction and had to stifle a cry. 

On the far end of the room a heap of dirty clothes and hair matted with blood was lying on the floor. It was only on second glance that Mina was able to make out Devon’s battered and abused frame. One of her arms was suspended above her head with what looked to be magical shackles and even from where she was standing, Mina could see how they were biting into her flesh. Devon’s head was hanging and she was shaking as if she were cold. Upon hearing them enter the room she stirred and slowly raised her head. 

Behind Mina, Henry cried out and rushed forward. He dropped to his knees by her side and cradled the semi-conscious Devon against his chest, rocking her back and forth and searching her face, which was littered with bruises and cuts.

When Devon saw who had come to save her, her eyes behind her cracked glasses widened. Her fighting spirit returning to her body, she struggled against her shackles.

No! her panicky voice sounded in Mina’s head, so loudly that she had to press her hands to her ears. Run! It’s a trap!

No sooner were Devon’s words fading inside their mind that the sound of heavy, languid footsteps was sounding from beyond the door. Mina whirled around and her blood froze.

There, in the doorway behind Ellie Hopper, Eme Amaranthine had appeared. His cold eyes were wandering over the members of the Phoenix Resistance as if they were ants underneath his boot. When his gaze passed Mina, it took all of her willpower to not shrink from it. 

Finally, his attention settled on Eleanor. She didn’t flinch from her brother’s gaze but the fear radiating off her was so strong it mingled with Mina’s own.

“Hello, sister.” A small but terrifying smile had appeared on Eme’s face and Mina was reminded of a predator - utterly beautiful and even more deadly.

Eleanor squared her shoulders. “Let them go. This is between you and me.”

“What business do people like you and I have with mortals?”

Eleanor’s voice was dripping with hate. “You and I are nothing alike.”

Eme cocked his head, looking mildly curious. “You are mistaken. You and me, we are the same. In the end, it always comes down to you and me. And they will learn the hard way what it costs to place trust in someone like us.”

With that he drew his wand and sent a curse in the direction of Ellie Hopper. She tried blocking it but the force of the impact sent her staggering backwards into Mina, who just so managed to remain standing. 

Her own wand drawn, Eleanor immediately moved between her friends and her brother and shot her own set of curses back at him. Eme wasn’t even trying when he dodged each and every one of them. 

Horribly fascinated by the immortal twins fighting each other, Mina startled when Kaari pulled her back from them. 

“We need to get back on deck,” he said urgently. “Ryoko’s there to help us. Go and get Devon. Henry, Ellie and I are going to help Eleanor.” 

Mina’s jaw set. “I want to fight.”

“You know the least about fighting between the five of us. Devon needs help and you’re going to give it to her.”

“But -”

Kaari’s grip on her shoulder tightened. “That’s an order.”

Mina glared at him but before she could argue, a rumbling from the entrance to the room was drawing their attention. Eleanor had flung herself at Eme and hurled him to the floor. The two of them were grappling, a mess of limbs and long, white-blonde hair. 

“Get out!” Eleanor shouted to them, just before Eme grabbed her head with both of his hands and twisted it so violently that Eleanor’s neck snapped with a sickening dry crack.

Mina gasped and felt as if all the air was pressed from her lungs at the same time. She knew that Eleanor would come back, but seeing her brother discarding her corpse as if she was nothing but a ragdoll was etching itself deep into her consciousness.

“Move!” Kaari roared and shot a Banishing Charm at Eme that sent him reeling back towards the ground. He rushed back to Henry and helped him get Devon to her feet, one of her arms slung around each of their shoulders. When they passed Mina and an equally as shaken Ellie, he jerked his head towards the door where Eleanor was still lying on the floor. 

“Come on! She’ll be fine. We won’t be if we don't get out of here.”

Shaking out of her stupor, Mina nodded and she and Ellie hurried behind Kaari, Devon and Henry towards the stairs. But up on deck their presence had no longer gone unnoticed.

Several Death Eaters had appeared and were surrounding the hatch leading below. They all had their wands drawn. Their spells weren’t directed at the Phoenix Resistance, however, but at Ryoko, who was snarling and baring his teeth at his attackers. Their curses were bouncing off his dragon hide and Mina had to duck beneath a Stunning Spell reflected in her direction.

Nym was also there, swarming around the Death Eaters’ heads like an angry Doxy, darting in and out and ripping at hair, ears and any exposed flesh he could find. 

“That’s my boys,” Kaari grinned and jumped forward, firing a Disarming Spell straight at the wizard who was aiming a curse at Ryoko’s eyes. 

All of Kaari’s orders to help Devon forgotten, Mina raked together what she remembered of Kaari’s lessons and joined the fight. The members of the Phoenix Resistance formed a circle with their backs to each other, exchanging and ducking from spells more quickly than Mina had even thought possible. She was moving without thinking, her mind strangely disconnected from her body. 

Eme and Eleanor had emerged from below deck as well, lights flashing and shooting up into the dark sky as they fought; more than once a deflected spell landed right in front of Mina’s feet. The Death Eater fighting with Ellie Hopper suddenly crumpled to the ground as he was hit by a flash of green light from Eme’s wand, but Eme didn’t spare his fallen ally so much as a second glance.

Eleanor was putting up a good fight, but Eme was advancing on her. He had almost driven her to the ship’s rail when Eleanor conjured a shimmering rope of light which wrapped itself all around Eme’s body from his neck down to his feet. With a grim look on her face Eleanor drew her wand back and the rope tightened, biting into Eme’s flesh. The more he was struggling against it, the tighter it was coiling around him. Narrowing his eyes, Eme mumbled a spell and flicked his wand as best as he could. A deep gash appeared on his front, cutting through Eleanor’s rope and his chest alike. Blood spurted from the wound on his torso onto the deck of the ship and Eme’s knees buckled as he collapsed to the ground. A moment later, he was dead. 

Eleanor had just enough time to sprint away from the rail before Eme stirred again and rose to his feet. His wound had healed but he was covered in blood. His face was twisted into a horrifying, ecstatic sneer as he set after his sister.

They started duelling again and Mina was so distracted by the sight, that she didn’t see the Banishing Charm being sent her way. It hit her square in the chest and pain exploded from her sternum into the rest of her body. She hit the deck of the ship and her vision faded to black for a second before stars exploded in front of her eyes. When they cleared, it was as if a fog had lifted from Mina’s senses. 

Time wasn’t moving slowly anymore. Everything around her stood out sharply, the lights flashing in front of her eyes overly bright. The white noise inside her head had ceased and she could hear the rushing of the waves and swishing of spells flying around her with a strange clarity. 

Her eyes settled on the smirking Death Eater who had sent her to the ground. Mina felt the fury that had been boiling at the pit of her stomach bubble and rise until it was filling her chest and spreading into the rest of her body. She shrugged off the hands trying to help her up and struggled to her feet on her own.

How dare they? How dare they take her home from her? How dare they commit all those crimes and still believe themselves to be in the right? How dare they attack her and stand there, laughing in her face?

Gripping her wand tighter, Mina put her whole focus on her attacker. The sounds of the battle around her were drowned out by the sound of her heart pounding in her ears as she set after him, hurling spell after spell after spell at him, advancing, driving him back from his comrades and towards the railing of the ship. She didn’t care for her defences, she didn’t care for Kaari shouting at her to get back into line. All she cared fore was the man backing away from her, towards the black water. All she cared for was getting revenge for everything they had taken from her.

Her sudden change in pace had taken the Death Eater by surprise but once he had taken her measure, he fought back, forcing Mina to come to a halt. But this time, Mina was able to hold her ground and hold it well. She was fighting with everything she had but before long, her movements slowed. Her arms and shoulders were hurting, as was the back of her head where she had hit the floor. 

Ducking beneath a spell, Mina stumbled as the ship suddenly swayed. Ceasing his chance, the Death Eater raised his wand and a flash of green light shot in her direction. Just before the Killing Curse could hit her, Mina was roughly jerked back. Not losing a second, Kaari’s Stunning Spell sent the Death Eater reeling. He crashed to the ground and Kaari pinned him to the deck with a Binding Spell.

“What are you doing?” he screamed and shook her. “We need to get off this ship, right now!”

He pulled Mina back towards the others. Ellie was struggling to keep the Death Eaters at bay, while Henry was doing his best to defend Devon, who was slumped against the ship’s rail, pressing her hands to her ears and rocking back and forth. Ryoko had cleared a gap in the Death Eater’s ranks and those who were still trying to fight the dragon were making sure to keep their distance. It was to him that Kaari was pushing Mina.

“Climb on his back,” he shouted and threw an advancing Death Eater back with a spell. “You’re going with me!”

Mina wrenched free of his grip. “We can still win!”

Kaari’s eyes were hard. “We came for Devon. We’ve got her and she needs help immediately.”

He shared a look with Henry, who nodded briefly, took hold of Devon’s hand and Disapparated. Ellie Hopper followed suit, a curse hitting the floor only moments after she had disappeared.

Eleanor and Eme were still fighting. When Eleanor saw the rest of the Phoenix Resistance leaving, she pushed Eme off her and sent a Banishing Spell straight at his chest that threw him high up into the air. The sharp sound of breaking bones could be heard as he landed hard on the floor. Unfazed by his injuries, Eme grunted and came to his feet. His jaw was askew and the bone was sticking out of the torn skin of his arm. He grabbed it and with another grunt snapped it back into place, the wounds in the skin already closing again. 

His eyes settling on his sister, he raised his wand. For a short moment, an expression of pure hate flickered over his face. His lips moved but Mina couldn’t hear what he was saying. The tip of his wand lit up and there was a soft, almost gentle wind, warm on Mina’s face, that had nothing to do with the sea breeze. 

Suddenly, with a roaring, billowing noise, a stream of flame sprung from his wand and engulfed him. The fire immediately rose and whipped in the direction of Eleanor, who sprang backwards as quickly as she could. She turned and darted away, the fire following her, and Mina thought there were forms discernible in the flames, stretching to catch their fleeing victim. Just before they could reach the ends of Eleanors long hair, she lurched forward and Disappareted. 

Stunned by the display, Mina and Kaari quickly came to their senses when the flames turned in their direction. They advanced with incredible speed, engulfing everything and everyone in their wake. Mina stumbled backwards as she saw one Death Eater after the other after falling prey to the fiery beasts.    

Kaari was already on Ryoko’s back, extending a hand to her. He didn’t wait for her to take it, but grabbed her around the wrist and hauled her up. Mina slung her arms around his back and Ryoko took off, only moments before the fire reached the spot they had been standing in. 

After the blazing heat of the Fiend Fyre, the cold air of the night prickled on Mina’s face and she could smell the smoke in the air as Ryoko shot away from the burning ship. She turned her head and sucked in her breath. 

At the railing of the flaming ship a lone figure was standing. He was engulfed by the flames raging around him, his hair burning and his skin scorched and melting away, but healing as quickly as it was devoured by the fire. And even though they were almost out of sight, Mina could feel the eyes on her back, as cold as ice and burning with the fire reflected in them. 

[the-al-chemist]

🎵 + Kaari (of course 😌) and 🎵 + Devon for fun!

-Lari💕

Kaari my boyyyy 🧡 and Devon, too! Thank you for the ask!

KAARI - Thunder by Imagine Dragons (of course!)

Just a young gun with a quick fuse

I was uptight, wanna let loose

I was dreaming of bigger things and

Wanna leave my own life behind

Not a "Yes sir", not a follower

Fit the box, fit the mold

Have a seat in the foyer, take a number

I was lightning before the thunder

DEVON - The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

And in the naked light, I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never share

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

[id-pack-archive]

Plain Text

1980s ID Pack

Names | aaron. adam. adding addison. adrian. alex. alexis. ali. alyssa. amanda. amber. andie. andrea. andrews. andy. anne. annie. anthony. april. ashley. aubrey. audrey. babysitters: belinda. bill. billie. billy. blair. bobbie. bobby. bonnie. brad. brandi. brandy. bret. brett. brian. brianna. brittany. caitlin. carey. carla. carly. carol. cary. casey. charlie. chris. christie. christina. christine. christopher. cindy. clare. clarissa. claudia. cody. corey. cory. courtney. crystal. dan. dana. daniel. darrell. david. dawn. devon. drew. dustin. elliott. emily. emmett. eric. erica. erik. erika. fran. francis. frankie. georgie. gloria. greer. greg. harriet. harry. heather. hollis. holly. jackie. jamie. jason. jayme. jeffery. jennifer. jeremy. jessica. jessie. jody. joe. john. zach. jory. joseph. josh. joy. jules. justin. kelly. kevin. kim. kimberly. kit. kristen. kristy. kyle. landry. larissa. laura. lauren. lee. linden. lisa. loren. lou. lucas. lynn. mallory. maria. marie. mark. marlowe. mary matt. matthew. meaghan. megan. melanie. melissa. melody. merit. michael. michelle. mickey. mike. mikey. mindy. misty. mo. morgan. natalie. neil. nick. nicky. nicole. ollie. other ozzie. parker. patrick. paul. paula. paulie. polly. quinn. rachel. randall. randell. randy. rebecca. rees. reese. richard. rob. robbie. robert. rory. royce. ryan. sabrina. sam. sarah. scott. sean. seth. shannon. shea. shelby. skyler. stacey. stacy. stephanie. stephen. stevie. taylor. the tiffany. tim. todd. tonya. tracy. tyler. valerie. victoria. will. wyatt. xavier. zack.

Pronouns | arc/arcade. arcade/arcade. arcade/arcem. beam/beam. beep/beep. bling/bling. bo/booth. boom/box. bop/bop. bou/boutique. bright/bright. buzz/buzz. ca/car. cartoon/cartoon. cass/cassette. cassette/cassette. class/classic. color/color. cor/vette. dated/dated. dazzle/dazzle. dine/diner. disc/disc. disco/disco. elec/electric. flash/flash. gae/game. gli/glitch. glitter/glitter. glow/glow. jazz/jazz. juke/box. light/light. loud/loud. neon/neon. nostal/nostal. pac/man. par/parlor. pattern/pattern. phone/phone. pin/ball. po/pop. polybi/polybius. pop/pop. rain/rainbow. ret/retro. retro/retro. rock/roll. salon/salon. ska/skate. star/star. synth/wave. text/text. vin/vintage. vintage/vintage. vivid/vivid. walk/walkman. 🌈. 🍭. 👾. 💥. 🕹. 🧩.

1980's ID PACK

NAMES ⌇ aaron. adam. adding addison. adrian. alex. alexis. ali. alyssa. amanda. amber. andie. andrea. andrews. andy. anne. annie. anthony. april. ashley. aubrey. audrey. babysitters: belinda. bill. billie. billy. blair. bobbie. bobby. bonnie. brad. brandi. brandy. bret. brett. brian. brianna. brittany. caitlin. carey. carla. carly. carol. cary. casey. charlie. chris. christie. christina. christine. christopher. cindy. clare. clarissa. claudia. cody. corey. cory. courtney. crystal. dan. dana. daniel. darrell. david. dawn. devon. drew. dustin. elliott. emily. emmett. eric. erica. erik. erika. fran. francis. frankie. georgie. gloria. greer. greg. harriet. harry. heather. hollis. holly. jackie. jamie. jason. jayme. jeffery. jennifer. jeremy. jessica. jessie. jody. joe. john.zach. jory. joseph. josh. joy. jules. justin. kelly. kevin. kim. kimberly. kit. kristen. kristy. kyle. landry. larissa. laura. lauren. lee. linden. lisa. loren. lou. lucas. lynn. mallory. maria. marie. mark. marlowe. mary matt. matthew. meaghan. megan. melanie. melissa. melody. merit. michael. michelle. mickey. mike. mikey. mindy. misty. mo. morgan. natalie. neil. nick. nicky. nicole. ollie. other ozzie. parker. patrick. paul. paula. paulie. polly. quinn. rachel. randall. randell. randy. rebecca. rees. reese. richard. rob. robbie. robert. rory. royce. ryan. sabrina. sam. sarah. scott. sean. seth. shannon. shea. shelby. skyler. stacey. stacy. stephanie. stephen. stevie. taylor. the tiffany. tim. todd. tonya. tracy. tyler. valerie. victoria. will. wyatt. xavier. zack.

PRONOUNS ⌇ arc/arcade. arcade/arcade. arcade/arcem. beam/beam. beep/beep. bling/bling. bo/booth. boom/box. bop/bop. bou/boutique. bright/bright. buzz/buzz. ca/car. cartoon/cartoon. cass/cassette. cassette/cassette. class/classic. color/color. cor/vette. dated/dated. dazzle/dazzle. dine/diner. disc/disc. disco/disco. elec/electric. flash/flash. gae/game. gli/glitch. glitter/glitter. glow/glow. jazz/jazz. juke/box. light/light. loud/loud. neon/neon. nostal/nostal. pac/man. par/parlor. pattern/pattern. phone/phone. pin/ball. po/pop. polybi/polybius. pop/pop. rain/rainbow. ret/retro. retro/retro. rock/roll. salon/salon. ska/skate. star/star. synth/wave. text/text. vin/vintage. vintage/vintage. vivid/vivid. walk/walkman. 🌈 . 🍭 . 👾 . 💥 . 🕹 . 🧩 .

[neotriohp]

Snowman building in Hogsmeade ⛄️

[phoenixresistance]

The Phoenix Resistance - Epilogue: Devon Marlowe

A/N: Here we are! My last chapter. There might be more epilogues from other people? But if not, this is the last PR chapter 😭. It might be the shortest I’ve ever written but that’s cuz it’s mainly all exposition and lore drop. Henry belongs to @thatravenpuffwitch

What came next was months of hard work as the Death Eater Trials commenced. Kingsley appointed Devon Marlowe as one of the head lawyers. The information she presented from the notebook she saved during the war was instrumental in the arrests and trials that followed.

Corban Yaxley was found guilty of willfully supporting Lord Voldemort. He was also charged for his use of the imperius curse upon Pius Thicknesse, which was an unforgivable curse after all. His own daughter Eloise Yaxley, who Devon made sure to exonerate, testified against him and sealed his fate. For his crimes, he would be imprisoned within Azkaban.

Justice was served when Devon also discovered the identity of the man in the forest from her childhood. His name was Finn Pryce. He was charged for the crimes he committed during the second war, which included the torture of Devon herself. He was also charged for the murder of an Auror during the first war. Devon took to the stand to testify against him herself, having been a victim and witness for both crimes respectively.

However, where there was justice, there also was failure. The hardest part of the Death Eater trials were the numerous cases of the use of Imperio. Some were genuine, in which case Devon made sure their names were cleared. Unfortunately, many cases were hard to prove otherwise.

One such case gave Devon a lot of trouble. Roland Wilson had died at the Battle of Hogwarts, leaving his wife Neira to claim that she was under the curse and that it broke when he had died. Devon worked tirelessly on this case but ultimately couldn’t prove that she wasn’t. Neira Wilson returned to her manor where she kept Lenwin and Kiri under her service. They were her legal property, Devon couldn’t do anything to save them.

All of this work came immediately after the war ended. Devon threw herself into the work without a break to distract herself from the memories. Eventually, the exhaustion and mental weight she bore from the war took its toll. Luckily, she had Henry by her side to help her out of her deep pit of depression and trauma.

Once all her work on the trials were done and she had made sure every muggleborn refugee she had smuggled to Paris had found their families again, she decided to leave the Ministry. What she chose to do instead was to work for the Daily Prophet.

She had of course worked for them as a journalist before the war but this time she practically ran it herself. The muggleborn propaganda and lack of knowledge the public had was one of the biggest weapons the Death Eaters had possessed.

Media, Devon knew, could be terrible. But she also knew just how important it could be. Devon swore she would turn the Daily Prophet into a reliable source of information. This meant no more frivolous articles gossiping about Harry Potter’s love life.

On a lighter note, the entire Phoenix Resistance was awarded the Order of Merlin for their tireless effort to save so many muggleborns. Upon their request, a few members of the Resistance were struck from the records of ever being involved, not wanting the attention. Kaari was not one of them. He wore his medal proudly and playfully boasted to anyone he met.

As always, life continued on for the living. The Phoenix Resistance disbanded and its remaining members scattered to their own separate businesses. Time passed and the horrors of the Second Wizarding War faded for most. However, for the brave few who stood on the front lines or those who had lost loved ones, those horrors would never fade entirely. But maybe that’s for the best. Afterall, history has a habit of repeating itself when its lessons are forgotten.

McClarnon Cottage, Hogsmeade, Scotland - August 1st, 2007, 6:12 AM

Ten years after the first day of the war, the bright golden rays of the morning fell through the window and landed upon the bed as Devon opened her eyes. The sun illuminated his face as he slept and shone against his long dark hair sprawled upon the pillow. She could feel his heartbeat under her hand that rested upon his chest as it gently rose and fell with each breath he took. She laid there for what felt like forever, lost in the perfect moment until his eyes finally opened.

“Good morning, love,” Henry murmured and kissed Devon’s forehead, his words entering her mind.

“Morning,” she replied in sign and then stretched her arms in the air with a yawn.

“Oh no,” she heard Henry suddenly exclaim in her mind and a shock of panic caused her to sit upright.

“What is it? Are you ok?” Devon started to sign.

“We have incoming,” he answered back a second before the door to their bedroom burst open.

What entered the room was not Death Eaters, but instead two small children, a girl roughly seven years old and a boy around five.

“Mom! Dad! Wake up!”

They both ran and jumped upon the bed, landing hard on their parents. Renée and Rhys’s laughs and shouts of joy didn’t reach Devon’s ears, but she heard them just as loud in her mind, her laugh joining theirs as they are both tackled in hugs.

They all had a busy day ahead of them, but none of them cared to get out of bed and ruin this perfect moment of peace. The four of them wasted away the early morning together on the bed talking about everything and nothing at all.

The August morning sun stretched up the wall and shone off the two Order of Merlin medals, sending prisms and orbs of light dancing across the entire bedroom. Beside it on the wall, a wrinkled and slightly torn piece of paper within a picture frame shone in gold. On it were the words Devon once wrote on this exact day ten years ago, the goodbye note she would never need again.

[ellie-e-marcovitz]

to remember

November entry for @hp-12monthsofmagic. tw: memory issues, COVID (iimplied) IYKYK.

early November, 2023

I sealed the envelope in front of me, before flipping it over and scrawling ‘Devon’ on the front. There only tended to be a few birthdays in November among my friend group, but there were some, and I dutifully did my best to owl them a card between exams and homework.

The cards would go out over the next few days. Kleio, Jasmine, Marlowe, Bill… That should be everyone… I mentally counted, reaching for my list to double check.

Which I had misplaced. Great. Stuff like this had happening more and more frequently since February.

I rested my elbows on my desk and stared intently at the small round object sitting quietly under my secondary computer screen.

Both Kleio’s and Devon’s cards needed to be sent ASAP. Aurora could handle both as soon as she returned from hunting… The small object shifted in colour, turning from a placid, near transparent sphere into an opaque, deep red sphere that seemed to glow a little in the dim light of my office, as my thoughts drifted.

You’re forgetting something…

No… really? I thought sarcastically, starting to shift the already graded work on my desk into neat-ish piles. The Remembrall had been taunting me since April, when it was given to me after misplacing my car keys one too many times.

It wasn’t exactly helpful, considering all it did was turn red and glow a bit to let you know you were forgetting something. It didn’t show you what you were forgetting.

I’d seen doormats that were more useful.

Papers somewhat sorted, I found one of my cookbooks, a Mary Berry one, along with my list stuck in at the Yule Log recipe I’d been wanting to try.

I sighed, finding an old, marked up envelope (with several lists, all largely checked off) and sticking it in the book instead.

Looking at the list, I realised I had forgotten both Victor Kesueki and Levi Kidd’s birthdays, though I had lost contact with both of them a long time ago. I’d never been close with Victor, and I hadn’t heard from Levi for quite a few years, not since the Middle East exploded with infighting in 2011.

I wrote him one anyways, setting it with Jasmine’s and Bill’s cards. No doubt there were plenty of others I didn’t remember, as I pinned my list back to the corkboard.

Weasley family birthdays were a task unto themselves, considering the immediate family was huge. Somehow, I just managed to keep the nieces and nephews ones straight, let alone Charlie’s siblings and their partners.

There was also my family, which was more manageable. Just. Eileen had a better grasp on our wider family, and more patience with card finding.

Families aside, there was also my (surprisingly large) group of friends. Uni, the phoenix resistance, Hogwarts and even a couple from the years wandering the world.

Another couple cards filled out, I shuffled them into a stack, keeping them in the correct order, helped by the date written in the corner.

A flutter of wings caught my attention, as Aurora landed in the open window. I threw a few owl treats into the bowl next to it, which she chased around the bowl, as I tied Devon’s and Kleio’s cards together.

Jacob would be able to send Aurora on to England.

Having eaten her fill of the treats, Aurora hooted dolefully as I attached the letters. I gently petted her feathers, apologetic. I, too, wished for even a brief break, but there was always something.

“I know,” I replied. “Jacob will probably have some treats or something. Greece should be nice, even.”

A little bob, almost curtsy, or the owl equivalent of rolling her eyes, before flying off. Hopefully, Devon and Kleio would appreciate the cards.

Devon belongs to @kathrynalicemc 😊