#georges malkine

[grundoonmgnx]

Man Ray (1890-1976), Groupe surréaliste, c. 1924-1925,

Top: artist Georges Malkine kissing his first wife Yvette Ledoux. Front, from left: André de la Rivière, poet Robert Desnos and sculptor André Lasserre

“GROUPE SURRÉALISTE” MAN RAY // circa 1924-25 [gelatin silver print | 9.2 x 8.3 cm.]

[icedbatik]

Steelers' season opener September 10, 2023

[artemisia-black]

Wizarding clothing and fashion

This meta/list of HCs has been sitting in my drafts for a while. But here is my meta about wizarding fashions. 

1.0 An insular culture with its own unique dress

No shade to people who enjoy seeing and drawing characters in muggle clothing, but I think that the majority of wizards and witches dress in wizarding clothing. 

Indeed, the fact that most wizards can’t dress as muggles and are quite conspicuous is mentioned in the first chapter of the series: 

“People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn’t bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion.” PS 

And then becomes a sort of running joke: 

“Both were dressed as Muggles, though very inexpertly: The man with the watch wore a tweed suit with thigh-length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho” GoF

And in DH it is (partly) how Harry recognises that people are watching Grimmauld Place: 

“The lurkers were never the same two days running, although they all seemed to share a dislike for normal clothing. Most of the Londoners who passed them were used to eccentric dressers and took little notice, though occasionally one of them might glance back, wondering why anyone would wear such long cloaks in this heat.” DH

Side note: it is peak Londoner to barely take notice of something odd. And this also implies that robes and cloaks are all year wear and that wizards potentially don’t have seasonal clothing.

Given that wizarding culture is very insular (with its own economy, government, and education system), it would make sense that while it may occasionally borrow trends from the muggle world, wizarding fashion and clothing are unique. 

In fact, only the younger generation are seen in muggle dress, with Harry commenting: 

“Their children might don Muggle clothing during the holidays, but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley usually wore long robes in varying states of shabbiness.” GoF

2.0 Class and generational differences in dress

The previous quote demonstrates two things: much like in real life, there is generational and class stratification of dress. The condition and quality of wizarding clothing serves as a non-verbal cue about a character's economic status. This disparity is not just a background detail but is frequently brought into focus, such as through Draco Malfoy's derisive comments about Professor Lupin's tattered robes.

“ Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the delapidated suitcase.” PoA

“Look at the state of his robes,” Malfoy would say in a loud whisper as Professor Lupin passed. “He dresses like our old house-elf.” PoA

Even Harry comments on his robes and observes that: 

“Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes”

The patched and frayed nature of both Lupins and Weasley’s robes seem to indicate that robe repairs can’t be done by an individual (or when it is done, it is really visible). Another example of this is when Ron removes the lace from his dress robes and leaves: 

“...the edges still looked depressingly frayed as the boys set off downstairs.” GoF

Additionally,  in Padfoot returns Sirius’s prison robes still appear tatty despite him having had a haircut and left the country. This indicates that he either can’t obtain new robes or can’t/hasn’t bothered repairing his Azkaban robes. 

This is interesting, given that Molly Weasley is able to make jumpers and scarves yet can’t seem to alter robes. While knitting and sewing are separate skills, it seems odd that there aren’t means of repairing robes. 

This suggests that robes can only be repaired and bought at official vendors such as Madam Malkins/Gladrags/Twifitt and Tattings. 

 It is also interesting that both Fred and George buy clothing when they become successful (also a parallel to the real world). They gift their mum:

“….a brand-new midnight blue witch’s hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace.”  HBP

However, things being ‘frayed’ aren’t always an indication of poverty. Tonks is first introduced wearing an outfit that is a mix of muggle clothing but with something that is distinctly wizarding: 

“Tonks stood just behind him…. wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend THE WEIRD SISTERS.” OoTP

This outfit is heavily reminiscent of Sirius and James in the Elvendork prequel: 

 “Both were dressed in T-shirts emblazoned with a large golden bird; the emblem, no doubt, of some deafening, tuneless rock band.”

3.0 The underwear question

Something that gets bought up a lot is whether wizards wear underwear. 

Harry (who was raised by muggles certainly seems to): 

“He was just piling underwear into his cauldron when Ron made a loud noise of disgust behind him.” GoF 

And:

“He was shivering now, his teeth chattering horribly, and yet he continued to strip off until at last he stood there in his underwear…”  DH

So does Neville (in the UK, Pants means underwear)

“He broke off as Neville entered the dormitory, bringing with him a strong smell of singed material, and began rummaging in his trunk for a fresh pair of pants.”

And infamously, so does Snape: 

“Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants.”

Also we get some information about witch’s underwear from Sirius’s very Freudian joke: 

“Sirius looked slightly disconcerted for a moment, then said, “I’ll look for him later, I expect I’ll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother’s old bloomers.”

Bloomers are a type of historical, baggy underpants (think boy shorts, but make it victorian). 

In conclusion, Archie, who wanted a breeze around his privates, was probably an outlier.  

4.0 Materials and accesories

So what is wizarding clothing made of? 

For robes and cloaks the materials most mentioned are silk/satin and velvet: 

“ She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.” GoF

Additionally in GoF, we learn that even witches and wizards from other countries wear robes and cloaks: 

“Now that they had removed their furs, the Durmstrang students were revealed to be wearing robes of a deep bloodred.” 

And 

“...Bulgarian minister loudly, who was wearing splendid robes of black velvet trimmed with gold.”

Other materials include Dragon hide which appears to be used to make practical gloves and boots but also fashionable jackets. 

“... followed by Fred and George, who were wearing jackets of black dragon skin.” HBP

Additionally, robes can be embroidered: 

“ The man’s scowling, slightly brutish face was somehow at odds with his magnificent, sweeping robes, which were embroidered with much gold thread” DH

“Harry glimpsed Slughorn at the head of the Slytherin column, wearing magnificent, long, emerald green robes embroidered with silver” HBP

“Madam Rosmerta scurrying down the dark street toward them on high-heeled, fluffy slippers, wearing a silk dressing gown embroidered with dragons.” HBP

Interestingly, both men and women appear to wear heels: 

Dumbledore: 

“He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots” PS

Madame Maxine: 

“Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage..” GoF

Monsiour Delacour: 

“However, he looked good-natured. Bouncing toward Mrs. Weasley on high-heeled boots, he kissed her twice on each cheek, leaving her flustered.” DH

Madame Rosmerta: 

“ Next he saw another pair of feet, wearing sparkly turquoise high heels,” POA

Furthermore, witches carry handbags: 

“Mrs. Weasley now came galloping into view, her handbag swinging wildly” COS

“ She was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar today, and her crocodile-skin handbag was over her arm.”  GoF

“Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag”  OoTP

“Ron was rummaging through the little witch’s handbag.” DH

5.0 My HCs

When I imagine what male robes look like, I imagine something akin to a Morrcan thobe or an Indian Sherwani.

I imagine robes to be enchanted to move and in my fic Pietas, I describe my OC Aeliana’s robes as follows: 

“She smiled slightly, smoothing the front of her dress, which was decorated with embroidered flowers and birds that had been enchanted to flutter their wings.”

I also HC some cultural variance in robes- with certain countries using different cloth or the skin of magical animals that are native to their countries. With hotter countries, having lighter robes and cooling/anti-perspiration charms.

[l0standn0tf0und]

George Fabian Weasley ☆ fic recs p.5

part 1.

part 2.

part 3.

part 4.

♡ = smut, 18+ only

alphabet headcanons (a: affection, d: domestic, g: gentle)

take care of each other (1st part - oh, brother)

tis the season... mistletoe season

you scared the hell out of me

parting is such sweet sorrow

christmas at the weasleys

another and another

the bookworm

orange bitters

stay the night

show and tell

days gone by

𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦

pygmy puffs

i can't do it

three years

nightmare

shampain

first date

sneak in

promise

handsy

malkin

♡against the wall

Not my stories. Just my favorites from other writers. All credits and support to the original authors: @harrysweasleys @ickle-ronniekins @thoseofgreatambition @crazyk-imagine @never--doubt @george-weasleys-girl @henqtic @cannibalizedyke @georgeweasleyslostearhq @hello-everyfandom @girl-next-door-writes @kinzis-writing @pepper-up-potion @myboipotterimagines

masterlist

[hollowed-theory-hall]

i don't remember in which book, but there is an episode where Narcissa takes Draco away from a clothing store (Madame Malkin, I think) because they cater to muggleborns. i understand it was a political statement...

but with that in mind, question is: how far is pureblood bigotry actually goes?

are there shops exclusively for purebloods and we just don't know about them bc harry didn't go there, or were they decades ago... do purebloods buy products invented by blood traitors like the Potters and Weasleys? after all, they are good quality, but it is not good to give money to dirt yk. at the same time, most shops probably fall away from public bigotry bc even if they are run by purebloods who believe in pureblood supremacy, they will still serve everyone, because money in the first place.

this is an interesting topic for research, in my opinion, and very comparable to reality

Like, my immediate answer was: Very far.

I mean, once the most blood purists of their society gain control of the ministry they are literally rounding up muggleborns to be sent to Azkaban.

That being said, casual blood purity, like you mention, seems to not go as deep as Narcissa would like you to believe. Like, we see Draco using Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in book 6, which was invented and only sold by Fred and George. I think, like with a lot of irl bigotry, it's a lot of performance.

Like, blood purists would talk a lot about not buying from filth and mudbloods, but if a blood traitor has a good idea or a good product — they don't put their money where their mouth is. They'd buy from blood traitors and muggleborns if it's the better product. They do copy ideas from the muggles. Like, I'm sure blood purists who have access to the Floo ridicule the concept of the Hogwarts Express and the Knight Bus, thinking of them as filthy muggle inventions; but I'm certain they were all too glad to bring indoor plumbing into Hogwarts and their mansions because it's an invention they liked.

We also see a dark pureblood store like Borgins & Burkes hire filthy, poor, orphan Tom Riddle. He was good at his job, he probably wasn't paid a lot, and so it didn't matter his blood purist employers/customers thought he was a mudblood and filth if he was good at what he did. They'd hire, buy and sell to muggleborns and blood traitors if there is money on the line.

We see this attitude with Slughorn as well. He's surprised by Hermione and Lily being muggleborns and exceptional witches and potion makers because he doesn't expect it (the bigotry of low expectations, which we also see irl). But, he does invite them into the Slug Club and he expects them to then be able to get into positions they usually can't because he basically vetted them as 'talented filth'. They're okay and good to hire by purebloods because they're good at what they do. Now, I don't think Slughorn is a bad person, and he's actually doing a very useful service for talented muggleborns in the bigoted society they live in by opening doors for them, but I digress.

I think it's telling that an ancestral house of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, the "always pure", is a muggle house. Grimmauld Place is a house built by muggles, for muggles, that the Blacks decided to have as their own. They have muggle plumbing, muggle baths, muggle toilets, and muggle wallpaper, and they like it. but if you asked them, they'd call their house a "wizarding home", even if every brick was put in its place by muggles without a drop of magic.

We are told by Pottermore a good chunk of the Malfoys' inherited wealth is muggle. Their manor is also, most likely, muggle-built. They live their pureblood lifestyle, thinking themselves oh so much better than blood traitors when the food on their table was put there by muggle money. That the reason they can act the way they do, that they have more money than the Weasleys — is because their ancestors made business deals with muggles. And they know it but choose to pretend to have forgotten.

The point is, yes, blood purists would talk all day about how they want no filth in their house and how everything muggle is lesser, but when muggles/muggleborns/blood traitors have something good going, when they have a good product or are themselves talented, they'd be blind to their filthy blood for the sake of money/good idea. They'd tell themselves whatever lies they needed to tell themselves to believe they weren't blood traitors for installing a toilet. That they're not supporting muggle ideas by living off of muggle instructors.

They're bigoted hypocrites is what I'm saying.

[enjoyprettythings]

great interview with nick where he shares about:

the delicacy of identifying as straight and playing queer roles (he touches on this topic twice)

how much rehearsal and consideration went into his intimate scenes with taylor in rwrb, and their collaboration process with matthew lopez

working with the intimacy coordinator, robbie, on rwrb and then again on mary and george (where george sleeps with 14 different characters!)

hurting his ankle on set, and being glad for some rest after carrying the lead role on such a large project (he filmed 100 out of 109 days on mary and george)

the costuming choices on idea of you and how they wanted to create a new character (not harry styles)

how catchy the music is in the idea of you

how incredible it was to work with and learn from anne hathaway and julianne moore, who both brought different skill sets to the job

and so much more <3

[binary-bfs]

ok but why do I barely see anybody talking about the new series Mary and George coming out soon where Nicholas’s character, a duke, sleeps with 14 people throughout the show and tries to seduce a king??? and the fact that this is based on a true story?? oh you better believe I will be SEATED for this👏

[hunterrrs]

The moment Evgeni Malkin became a dad, with son Nikita arriving between Games 1 and 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final and weighing in at seven pounds, one ounce, his already-huge heart grew even bigger.

"I remember those first hours after Nikita was born, and it's kind of like someone flipped a switch," said George Birman, a longtime Penguins employee who's a good family friend of the Malkins. "He completely changed and he became such a guardian, a caring person. He's a great dad, he's a crazy dad (laughs), protective dad. He loves Nikita so much, it's unbelievable."

It's been wonderful for Birman - and for all of us! - to watch Geno embrace fatherhood with Nikita, who turned 7 on May 31. With Malkin still a big kid himself in so many ways, it's clear he has a blast being Nikita's dad, posting about some of their adventures to his Instagram account, @emalkin71geno. My personal favorite was the two of them posing in blazers on Nikita's last day of school, captioned, "We are smart and fun."

During hockey season, Nikita loves going to his dad's games, wearing a Penguins jersey and screaming "Let's Go Pens!" with the rest of the crowd. Then, during the summers, Evgeni enjoys taking his little boy to other sporting events, including basketball games, tennis tournaments and, most importantly, soccer matches, as 'fútbol is life' for Nikita.

Last year, Geno gifted Nikita with a Lionel Messi jersey - which he'll surely be wearing even more now that the Argentinian superstar signed with Inter Miami of Major League Soccer, as Evgeni and his wife Anna have a residence in Florida.

"Geno fully supports him, but somewhere pretty deep down it's like damn, Nikita loves soccer more," Birman laughed. "Right now, he's so serious, and he's doing so good, so I don't think it's killing Geno that he plays soccer. He's a great skater. He's unbelievable playing hockey. But at some point, because he was doing hockey in the winter and soccer in the summer, he completely switched to soccer."

Nikita hasn't just inherited Evgeni's athleticism - he inherited his looks. "He looks just like you. It's uncanny, as if you were the same person," Evgeni's parents Vladimir and Natalia wrote in a letter to their son when he reached 1,000 points. "Anna says, there is nothing of mine here!'"

And personality-wise, Birman says that Nikita is competitive like his dad, which comes out whenever father and son play chess.

"When they are playing chess, it gers to the ridiculous point when they both start fighting," Birman laughed. "I'm like, dude, Geno, let him go, or let him win! But no. None of them wants to lose. When they are playing together, it's the funniest thing to watch them. One is like, you're not gonna beat me, you're my kid. And the other one is like, you're not gonna beat me, you're my dad. I'm like, all right, I'm just gonna watch and enjoy."

Well, maybe today, just this once, Nikita will let Geno win. Happy Father's Day to all of our hockey dads!

this was way too cute

[yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere]

and then i saw this and i actually fucking sobbed.😭💜 #RWRBMovie #RedWhiteAndRoyalBlue #ACD #AlexClaremontDiaz #bi #bisexual

bi ig highlight : https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18280848235083086/

+ also queer history/facts from RWRB(Alex engaging with queer history)(thank you SO. MUCH. CASEY MCQUISTON!!)-GREAT POST here on tumblr!!-many links here, lots of information! (Waterloo Vase, Stonewall, SCOTUS decision 2015, Walt Whitman, Laws of Illinois 1961, The White Nights Riots, Paris Is Burning, THAT David Wojnarowicz photo 'If I Die Of AIDS-Forget Burial-Just Drop My Body On The Steps Of The F.D.A' https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/757305651356729344?source=share (I encourage you to research more about David!!) , Thisbe & Pyramus, The V & A, James I & George Villiers and MORE!!) https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/757308307835895808?source=share (Learning about things referenced in Red, White & Royal Blue, thank you @ elipheleh)

+https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/red-white-royal-blue-director-matthew-lopez-queer-rom-com-1235558672/

+

. https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/730271147075207168?source=share

. https://www.tumblr.com/yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere/730271268903043072?source=share

. https://www.tumblr.com/bisexual-cowboye/730489969068670976?source=share

.

[nicholasgalitzinemedia]

New interview for Variety - April 2024

[valentineforlemonandcherry]

Joke's On You 19

When Fred Weasley carelessly bumps into you into the hallway, you decide to take him a notch down; not by berating him, but by showing him up at his own game of using your charm and intellect to get what you want. And it’s fine if the end result doesn’t leave everyone quite satisfied - in fact, that’s what you want…

[Fred Weasley x Reader.] [Warning: Story Contains Explicit Smut.] [Warning: Non-Consent.] [Warning: Manipulation.] [Warning: Humiliation.] [Warning: Light Bondage.]

Note: *The smut isn't very strong in this one, but the humiliation aspect is played up a little. Please take care of yourself and do not read if it will upset you in any way.

⍟ Click Here for Joke’s On You Home Page (All Chapter Links) ��

You were the very picture of calm as you waltzed in through Fred’s door later that evening. You were holding a letter in one hand, and a stack of papers in your other arm as you came in. As George and Lee were out (for they took every advantage to set up pranks while you were distracted with Fred), you immediately made yourself at home in Fred’s bed – though you had to take a moment to straighten out the sheets and fluff up the pillows – and began rifling through your papers.

Fred studied you closely. There was a small bandage taped to your cheek. Fred wondered if that bandage was there for the reason he guessed it was… But she seems entirely too calm. Hm. There was a long beat of silence between the two of you, until Fred finally tossed an old Chocolate Frog wrapper at you.

“What’re you up to?”

You held up the store catalogue that you were looking through. It was from Madam Malkin’s shop, Robes for All Occasions.

Fred peered at the page you were on – and wrinkled his nose. “Is that your idea of an upgraded ‘mistress’ costume? ‘Cause I have to say, it’s a bit too formal to turn me on, love.”

You snorted. “You wish, Fred Weasley. This is for my internship interview.”

“Internship? Internship where?”

“With the Wizengamot.”

 “Oh. Those prats.”

“Have some respect. Doesn’t your father work for the Ministry?”

“Yeah, but he works in the Muggle Things office.” Leaning back in his chair and roughing up the back of his hair, Fred explained, “They’re all a bit funny, but they aren’t prats.”

You wrinkled your nose. “The what office?”

Fred shrugged. “I forget the actual name. But my point is that the Wizengamot is where all the prats are at. It’s just one giant gathering of prats.”

“Will you stop using that word?”

“Prat?” Fred pondered. “What’s wrong with that word? Prat… prat, prat, prat.”

You stopped perusing the magazine to shoot Fred a hard look.

Willfully oblivious to your glare, Fred went on, “Besides, you have to wear that hideous black cloak over all of your clothing, so what’s the point of dressing so formally?”

In fact, you had often wondered this yourself. But you were hardly going to admit this to Fred. You said stoutly, “Because it’s a symbol of how seriously you take the position.”

Fred chortled. “So, if you were naked under the Wizengamot robes, you’d just be having a laugh, is that it? In that case, I bet Fudge is butt naked under his robes, because he can’t even take Voldemort seriously, can he?”

You decided to ignore Fred, but he carried on, “Merlin, imagine this: Fudge grandly opens the door of the Wizengamot chamber – but oh no, the wind’s lifted his robes and the truth is out – our Minister is as naked as a stripped chicken – Hey!” Fred suddenly cried out as you, having reached your limit of how much of this nonsense you could take, abruptly picked up your magazine and threw it at him. Fred quickly ducked, and your magazine flopped sadly onto the floor behind him.

Meanwhile, you shouted, “I don’twant to imagine such a thing! And I do not need that image in my head as I go into this interview!”

Fred laughed heartily. “Good, so you won’t join the prats, then.”

You groaned and buried your head into your arms.

Fred got up from his chair and came over onto the bed. He tried to slide onto the bed, next to you, but you, while keeping your head down in your arms, refused to move.

Finally, Fred elbowed you and grunted, “Oi, shove aside.”

“Go back to your desk,” you muttered, annoyed. “You’re not wanted here.”

Fred shoved at you harder, pushing his shoulder into yours. “It’s my bed, you crocodile.”

With a sigh, you fidgeted over to make room for Fred. Pulling your wand out of your jacket, you pointed it at the magazine. “Accio.” It flew back to you. You spread it down neatly on the bed and began to flip through it once more.

Fred watched you. He stared at the bandage on your cheek again. He suddenly blurted out, “What if I told you there’s an organization better than the Ministry?”

You replied dryly, “Being a prankster’s assistant is not better than being a member of the Wizengamot.”

“It so is,” Fred replied. “But that’s not what I was talking about.”

“What were you talking about, then?”

Fred chewed on his lower lip. “Well… Say there was an organization that fought against all of this pureblood nonsense and Muggle prejudice directly. An organization that didn’t have to deal with all of stupid denial that Fudge is putting out at the Ministry. Would you join?”

You looked up at Fred. “Is there an organization like that?”

“I dunno,” Fred said quickly. “But I was just saying, if there was, would you join that organization instead of the Ministry?”

“Hm…” You turned over onto your back as you thought through what Fred was saying.

Fred watched you, strangely tense, as if your answer was singularly important to him.

“No,” you decided. “I would still want to join the Ministry.”

Fred blinked. Then, his gaze quickly dropped away from you. 

Stretching your hands out towards the ceiling, you explained, “Because the problem is that the Ministry of Magic is seen as the legitimate wizarding body, so no matter how many rogue groups appear – and they should appear – they still wouldn’t address the issue that Muggle-borns are not adequately represented within our ruling body. How can we vote to restrict the rights of Muggle-borns and call that fair, when there are no Muggle-borns on the Wizengamot? How can we judge the experiences of Muggle-borns and decide whether they are magical or not – although they are, by definition – when there are no Muggle-borns on the panel? It doesn’t make any sense. And I know that having just a few Muggle-borns join the ranks won’t solve the problem at all. But still, it has to start somewhere, doesn’t it?”

While you were speaking, Fred’s gaze had slowly but surely found its way back to you. He looked up at your hands, reaching towards the sky, and then traced your lovely arms back to your bright, intelligent face. He let out a quiet sigh, so quiet that you didn’t hear it, before he said, quite simply, “Yeah, s’pse so.”

You picked up the magazine and began rifling through the last few pages. Coming across the menswear pages, you observed, “It’s a shame you aren’t more refined, Fred. Then maybe I really could call you ‘sir.’”

“You just wait, love,” Fred assured you. “Once I have a bit of money to spend, I’m definitely gonna be worthy of the name ‘sir’. I’ll look so good, I’ll blow your socks off.”

“If you look so good, shouldn’t I be blowing you?” you murmured, very casually.

Fred paused. “Well – Well - ”

You pretended as if you hadn’t said anything at all, but out of the corner of your eye, you saw Fred suddenly twitch, and you barely held back a smirk.

“Worthy of the name ‘sir’? Really?” you continued, letting your skepticism bleed into your voice. “What would you wear? Something like this?” You pointed to an image in the magazine, of a sharp-looking pair of black and silver wizard robes.

Fred scoffed. “Are you kidding me? That’s for pillocks.”

“I think it looks rather dashing.”

“That’s because you’ve got no imagination, love,” Fred said, shaking his head at you. “No, I’d wear something like – Hold on, I’ll show you.” He slid off of the bed and walked over to his desk. He pulled out a catalogue, which he had marked with a chocolate frog card, and then brought it back over to show you. Confidently putting his finger down on his preferred outfit, he announced, “Feast your eyes! I’d wear something like this.”

You looked down to where he was pointing so proudly.

“Fred, this is absolutely horrendous.”

“What!?”

“This is – Crimson dragon skin? Oh, Merlin. Could you be any more unrefined? Why don’t you just Stupefy an Erumpent and wear it around your shoulders? It would be less obvious.”

Fred flared up indignantly. “Excuse me for having a sense of fashion that’s not based entirely around having a stick up my ass!”

“You are so dramatic.” You rolled your eyes. “Listen to me. Crimson? Against your ginger hair? It’ll clash. And dragon skin? That just screams ‘needy’ and ‘flashy.’” You paused. “Wait, on second thought, that’s perfect for you.”

Fred growled, “You take that back.”

“Then you agree that these are ill-fitting on you?”

“No!”

“Oh, so you agree that you’re needy and flashy?”

“No – Wait, what?” Fred said, confused.

You tried to maintain your serious composure, but your giggle slipped through as you teased him, “You can’t have it both ways, Fred. You know what that means, right? You’ll never be a ‘sir.’”

Fred exhaled sharply. He snatched the catalogue back from you. “I was being serious!”

You laughed. Reaching over, you patted his shoulder. “Oh, Fred… I’m sorry, but it’s impossible not to tease you when you bring out suggestions like that and act all serious about it.”

“I’m not acting, I am serious about it,” Fred protested, looking away from you in a rather annoyed manner. “You just wait and see.”

“All right,” you said pleasantly. “I’ll wait and see.”

Fred paused. Still holding the catalogue in one hand, he swiveled his head around to look at you. “You will?”

You nodded earnestly.

At this, Fred slowly melted. He reached out with one hand and stroked your hair as he murmured,  “Well, I dunno why the hell you’d want to be in a group of prats, when you’re a special prat, and you’re better than all of ‘em, but if you really want this… I hope you get to join and work for chicken-butt Fudge.”

You smiled wanly at this heart-felt encouragement. “Thanks, Fred. Thanks very much.”

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

It looked as though you were all done for the evening, as if you were getting all ready to leave Fred’s dormitory and head down to dinner, when  -

“Ah, that’s right. I nearly forgot.” You whirled around and, lifting your wand, shouted, “Incarcerous!”

Black ropes appeared out of thin air and wrapped themselves all around Fred. Fred, who had been standing beside his desk and putting away the catalogue, yelped as he suddenly found himself all wrapped up. He instinctively stumbled backwards, but he tripped and started to fall over.

You leapt forward and grabbed him, but instead of helping him stay upright, you lowered him to the ground. Then, while Fred was shouting indignities at you, you very slowly stepped over Fred and then sat on him, until your knees were tucked tightly against either side of his hips.

“What’re you playing at?” Fred yelled hotly.

You stared at Fred for a moment.

“Let me go!” Fred protested. “This isn’t your stupid sex dungeon, it’s my room!”

“Same thing,” you said dismissively. Then, you cocked your head, studying Fred for a second longer. “Hm.”

“What, you maniac?” Fred said angrily.

You decided, “Right, I prefer pink.” You tapped your wand against the ropes crossing Fred’s chest and the black ropes instantly turned pink.

You smiled. “Much better.” Then, you reached into your pocket and pulled out a long pink ribbon, with a little silver bell on it.

“The hell is that?” Fred cried out, already fearing the worst.

“My gift for you,” you said innocently. “Don’t you like it?” You swung the ribbon, and the bell let out a little tinkle sound.

“Why in the world would I ever - ?” Fred began.

But you’d already leaned forward to loop the ribbon around his neck.

When Fred cursed at you and then tried to bite you, you said sternly, “Down, puppy,” and gently swatted his cheek.

“Wha - ? Wha - ? Puppy?” Fred sputtered indignantly.

“Yes, and there’s your leash,” you said lovingly, as you tied the ribbon prettily, so that the bell hung at Fred’s neck. Once tied, you patted the bell, and when it rang, you let out a loud sigh of happiness and you sank down further onto Fred’s chest. In fact, you even blushed with pleasure for Fred looked so cute wearing his little leash.

“Mm, you’re really so pretty, Fred,” you whispered, looking down at him with adoring eyes. “Ropes and ribbons… Yes, I want to cover you with ropes and ribbons…” You leaned down and bit at Fred’s neck. “Mmm… You’d be all mine.”

“Wha…?” Fred repeated mindlessly, gaping at you like a fish.

“Hah…” You let out the softest little laugh as you breathed your mouth against his neck. “Little puppy, all dressed up with nowhere to go… But you can perform for me.” You sat back up and said, with a tight smirk on your lips, “Maybe I’ll throw you a few treats if you play nicely.”

At a loss for words, Fred turned bright pink.

Then, crossing your arms across your chest, you looked down at Fred. The playfulness suddenly disappeared from your demeanor as you said, rather seriously, “Surely you know why I’ve done this to you.”

Fred replied irately, “Do I ever?”

You reached up and ripped the bandage off of your face. “Get rid of it.”

“Ah.” All of Fred’s anger melted away at once, for Fred grinned brightly when he saw the heart stamped onto your face. “So you weren’t quick enough to avoid my punch of love, eh?”

Your eyes smoldered with a silent, but building fury. “I said, get rid of it.”

A wicked glint shimmered in Fred’s eyes as he chirped, “Nah, I’d rather not. It suits you.”

What had happened, of course, was that Fred’s little “gift,” which he had given you after your love-making session in the classroom wardrobe, had actually been a prank. Inside the little box, you’d found a tiny telescope. You’d curiously extended it and then put it up to your eye, at which point a tiny punching hand had popped out. You’d been quick enough to start to dodge it, but the hand still got you in the face, right on your cheek, so that your cheek was now stamped with a tiny ink heart. Worse still, no Spell or Potion could get rid of the heart imprint, and you’d had to resort to covering it up with a bandage as you went about your day, attending classes and conducting prefect duties.

“Fred,” you whispered, not letting your voice betray even a hint of your impatience, “I’m about two seconds away from making you bend over for me to spank you until you cry like a baby.”

Fred scoffed.

Your eyes narrowed. “You pretend like it’s a ridiculous thought, but both you and I know that you would do it.”

“Not in a million years,” Fred replied flatly. “And not when you look so ridiculous, you heart monster.”

Your nostrils flared for a second, but you managed to control yourself. “Fine,” you said matter-of-factly. “Then, I’ll leave you here, tied up in your bedroom with your little puppy bell on, and leave your bedroom door open for all to see.”

“You’re such a sadist,” Fred muttered. “If you want me to take the heart off of you, shouldn’t you be trying to get on my good side? Why are you threatening me?”

Your eyes went wide. “I’m threatening you?” You shifted forward and then sank your nails into Fred’s chest so abruptly that he gasped a little. “When?” you whispered. “When have I ever threatened you?”

“Now,” Fred said dryly, despite the fact that he was wincing slightly as he felt you drag your fingernails down his chest. Even though he had his shirt on, he could feel the fabric being dragged by your fingers. “Right now. You want me to embarrass myself in front of the whole world.”

“But you’d enjoy it,” you pointed out, padding your hands against his chest. “I mean, isn’t that what you do with your pranks – display how embarrassingly immature you are to the whole world?”

“You’re mad that I got one up on you,” Fred said knowingly. “I’m pulling off all of my pranks. I got to make the first move in your stupid little board game. I got you to sign off on my detention sheet. And now you fall prey to my punching prank. You can’t stand that I’m winning at your stupid little games. That what’s going on, isn’t it?”

Ignoring him, you murmured lovingly, “Don’t lie, Fred. You’d love to be all laid out like that, for everyone to see just what a cute puppy you can be for me.” As you spoke, you began to move your hips a little, rubbing yourself gently against Fred. At the same time, you began to hum softly. “Mm…”

Fred corrected you, “First of all, I’m not a damn puppy. Second of all - No, I wouldn’t love that. I think you’d love other people to see that.”

“Oh, no,” you said, and your voice suddenly became a tad more serious. “I would never want anyone else to see how vulnerable you get for me. That’s for my eyes only, Freddie.”

Fred paused. “Well then, why - ?”

Leaning over him, you kissed his cheek (and gave his neck another bite, hard enough to make him suddenly cut off) before you murmured, “Enough talk. What’ll it be, Freddie?”

“Huh?” Fred said, confused.

“Choose,” you ordered, while sucking on his neck. Your voice came out slightly muffled, as you said, “And choose wisely.” You’d only just given him your order when you grabbed the collar of his shirt and started to properly grind your hips against him.

“What – What’re you doing?” Fred suddenly stuttered out.

You felt his stomach tense beneath you. You smiled as you hid your face against his neck. “Nothing. Now tell me, what will it be, hm?”

“Well, Merlin, at least give me a chance to t-think straight,” Fred muttered, only to moan a second little as he felt you move on top of him.

You leaned down and sucked on his neck. “Mmm,” you moaned, more loudly now. Then, you confessed breathily, “You know, Fred, I couldn’t stop thinking about you in class. I reckon I even came a little in class, just from replaying our little session in the cupboard moments before I walked into class. You left me a right mess, baby, and I was having a hard time holding back in class. I wanted to touch myself to the thought of you, but I couldn’t, and it was so, so frustrating.”

“Fuck,” Fred breathed out softly. “Baby, get rid of the ropes so I can touch you. I’ll give you what you want right now.”

“No,” you whispered back, though you kept your voice quite soft. “Because that was before you betrayed me and pulled this stupid prank on me.”

Fred let out an impatient huff. “It was just a little prank. Come on.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I told you. It’s because I hate your stupid punching telescope.” As you gave your explanation, you let your hands roam his chest before you began to slowly drag your hands down his body, all the way down to his waist and then lower… lower… “Such a shame,” you whispered. “I really wanted you again.”

Fred moaned again, more loudly this time. “Forget about the telescope,” said, half-ordering you and half-pleading with you.

You shook your head softly at him as you gathered your hands just above his cock. “Can’t, Fred,” you said, sounding completely heartbroken. “I can’t just forget about that.”

“You c-can,” Fred stuttered out bravely. “Besides, it’s cute! And I thought you like hearts! It was a gift from me, your boyfriend.”

Yes, but I don’t want one punched on my face! you thought. And you made me feel stupid. When I opened the box from you, I thought there’d be something else in it. Maybe a piece of jewelry or… or my button back… Something cute or heartfelt. But all I got was a ridiculous punch to the face!

You replied, “Well, but a good boyfriend wouldn’t pretend to give his girlfriend a gift that punched her in the face and left an un-erasable mark.”

“It is erasable,” Fred protested. He was now straining against the ropes, trying very hard to be able to touch you, to have you again…

Ah, there we go, you thought, ignoring Fred’s efforts to touch you. I knew it would be. It’s just that ordinary erasing spells and potions won’t work. He’s created a singular ink with a singular corresponding eraser. I bet that’s why he asked me about creating permanent ink the other day. I can’t believe I helped him make this ridiculous product!

You watched Fred carefully as you murmured lightly, “Oh, is it?”

“Duh,” Fred replied. “It’s not a joke if you can’t get it off at all, moron.”

Just then, you pushed your hips against Fred hard. Fred let out a whimper. His hands twitched, as he meant to grab your hips, but his arms were still tied down against his body.

“Ah…” he breathed out.

 “But I could get this mark off, then?” you whispered gently, trying not to tip your hand too much. You were close, you could feel that you were. “There’s a Potion, isn’t there, Fred?”

At that moment, Fred glimpsed down.

“I see.” You reached behind you and put your hand on his cock, through his jeans. Got you, you thought victoriously, but you remained calm, playing your part ever so slowly to make sure that Fred would be off his guard at the most important part.

Fred groaned, feeling your sweet hands grasping so needily at his cock through his pants. “Yes, baby…”

“Mm, Fred,” you moaned, biting your lower lip. Your hands slipped messily over the front of his pants as you started to palm his cock. “We just can’t seem to get enough of each other today, huh?”

“Fuck,” Fred breathed out. “You really want more?”

You let your blush as you nodded softly, almost sleepily. “Yeah,” you whimpered.

Oh fuck, she’s getting all soft on top of me, Fred thought. He swallowed hard. I love it when she gets all dreamy like this. Godric, I wanna touch her…

“Well,” Fred told you, “I wouldn’t say no to making love to you again. I’d never say no to that.” He pushed against his ropes again, trying to free himself.

Finding himself still tied down, Fred implored, “Baby, if you want me, you should free - ”

You suddenly cut him off. ���Yeah,” you moaned. “Want – Want you…! Mmm!” You rolled your hips around once – in a perfect, mesmerizing circle, as you sat on top of Fred. You let your panties just catch against his belt buckle as you moved your hips.

Fred jolted slightly and his mouth fell open. “Uhn,” he moaned back, shaking his head out of want for you. “Gods, you look so good right now. I bet you’re wet, bet you’re all fucking wet for me.”

You nodded, confirming that you were.

Fred breathed out harshly. “Let me see your pussy.”

You palmed his cock harder, but you also shook your head.

“Uh!” Fred let out a short, tight whimper, before he blurted out, “D-Don’t shake your head at me. Just – Just lemme see your pussy, baby. Please…”

“No, it’s your turn to show me,” you whispered alluringly, pushing your hand greedily against his cock now. “Fred, sweetheart, get hard for me again. Want your cock in me. Want your cock all inside of my tight little pussy. You can get hard for me again, can’t you?”

Fred moaned, and then his moan curved into a hard, needy whine. That was when you let your hand just slip off of Fred and onto his pocket, and – there it is! You took your hand off of his cock and plunged it into his pocket. You quickly pulled out a few sweets, all of which you pocketed.

“Where is it?” you growled, entirely breaking out of your sweet, dreamy voice. “Where?”

“Oi!” Fred shouted.

You chucked away a handkerchief, a Chocolate Frog card, and a tiny coin featured some Quidditch Beater on it. Then – “Aha!” Finally, you pulled out a small tin circle. It was labelled, “Anti-Bruise Ointment.”

“Got it,” you sang, holding it up so that it glimmered in the lamplight.  

“You thief!” Fred cried out. “Give that back!”

You smirked. “Thought you’d have this on you.” Then, leaning forward, you shoved your breasts against Fred’s face as you reached over and dragged Fred’s chair over. You brought the chair over until it was just beside Fred’s head. Reaching down, you quickly stretched out a bit of the rope around Fred’s shoulders and tied it around one of the chair legs, effectively pinning Fred to the ground.

Fred protested, “What d’you think you’re doing? You think you’re going to get away with this? Oi! Stop ignoring me!”

You reached into your pocket and pulled out one of the sweets – a Chocolate Frog. You ripped open the package and then pushed the Frog gently but firmly into Fred’s mouth.

“Mmpfh!” Fred let out a muffled cry.

“You like them, don’t you?” you said innocently.

Fred let out some garbled words, one of which sounded like a muffled version of “demon.”

“Oh, it’s a bit too much chocolate for your cute mouth, isn’t it?” you murmured. “I forgot about your little puppy mouth, Fred. My bad.” You leaned over, and putting both of your hands down solidly on Fred’s chest, you gave Fred a kiss before you gently bit off half of the frog into your own mouth.

Then, you reached down and, with your forefinger, gently pushed the rest of the Frog into Fred’s mouth. You instructed, “Chew.”

Fred tried to talk back, but he couldn’t with the chocolate in his mouth. It was beginning to melt in his mouth, and he figured that the fastest way he could get to insulting you was to just eat the damn Frog. He finally started to chew the chocolate.

You smiled. “Very good.” Meanwhile, you started chewing on your half of the Chocolate Frog. 

“Mm,” you let out a sigh of content as you enjoyed the Chocolate Frog. You were still sitting on top of Fred, and, as you took your time eating the chocolate, you reached down and gently tucked away your skirt, strip by strip, into the waistband. You stared down at Fred all the while, saying with your eyes, Remember this? Remember how I didn’t let you have me, didn’t let you even touch me? And now you know that I still have that power. Silly Freddie.

Then, right after you swallowed the chocolate, you reached down and pushed your fingers against your panties, right over your pussy. “Mm, so sweet,” you whispered, while staring down at Fred through half-lidded eyes. The innuendo was clear enough, and Fred whimpered.

“Gods, I’m so wet,” you breathed out. “I want a thick, hard cock to sit on. I need to be filled.”

Fred blinked feverishly. His cock was throbbing so hard right now, and he couldn’t believe that you were doing this to him.

“I keep thinking about how well you fill me up, Fred,” you whispered. “To tell you the truth, I dream all the time about you cumming in me. And I wake up all wet, and I’m moaning your name before I’m even properly awake. Did you know that, Fred?”

Fred’s mouth fell open slightly, and the bell around his neck let out a light tinkling sound.

You giggled. Reaching down, you put your hand on his face, slotting your palm under his chin and squeezing his cheeks and jaw slightly, you whispered, “If you’re done chewing, now swallow.”

Fred stared up at you with wide eyes. He couldn’t quite believe the situation you had him in, but he also couldn’t quite believe what you were telling him – about how you might dream about him, about how his name was the first thing that spilled from your lips every morning.

Your eyes glittered, and you squeezed Fred’s sides with your thighs, as you repeated softly, “Swallow.”

Fred swallowed.

“Good,” you cooed softly. “You’re so good, Fred.” You leaned down and kissed him. As you pulled away, you noted, with a charming and pleased smile, “Mm, I can see why you like Chocolate Frogs so much.”

Fred was breathing quick hard. He seemed to have entirely forgotten about the telescope as he whispered, in quite hurried tones, “You really dream – about me?”

You laughed lightly. “Oh, poor puppy… Don’t believe everything you hear.”

Fred blinked – and then he scowled. “You lied?”

Patting his chest consolingly, you whispered, “Well, I do dream about you. But mostly I’m spanking you and you’re all pink – kind-of like right now – and I’m having loads of fun teasing you. But see, I don’t need to dream about that anymore, because I’m nearly living it, aren’t I? I mean, take right now, for instance. I could go one step further and make you cry right now, Fred. It’d be so easy. I’d make myself cum right in front of you – and then not let you taste me. How’s that?”

Fred groaned, both at his frustration that you’d tricked him once again and at his frustration that you were putting that irresistible image of yourself into his head.

You let out a false sigh. “Looks like it’s best for your stupid little heart if I leave you alone. Yes, I’ll let you live. This time.” With that, you got up from the floor.

As your steady warmth suddenly disappeared, Fred blinked awake. He became rather abruptly and rudely aware of his unfavorable situation. “Wait!” he blurted out. “You’re not really gonna leave me like this?”

You fluffed your skirt back out neatly and then went to collect your magazine and papers.

Hearing the shuffling of papers, Fred realized that you really might leave him all tied up like this. “Oi, you come back here! This is – This is kidnapping!”

You replied in a bored voice, “Is it? You’re in your own room, though.”

“I’m not going to let you get away with this!”

You walked back over to Fred and then yawned in front of him, politely putting your hand before your mouth.

“When you wake up a bald toad tomorrow, you just remember what you did today – Ah!” Fred suddenly cut off, as you had put your foot on Fred’s cock and began to rub him through his pants again.

“A-Ah!” Fred bleated out pitifully.

You pretended to be surprised. “Oh, were you still thrashing about down there? Oops, I didn’t mean to step on you.” As you emphasized the word ‘step,’ you pushed you foot down against his cock even harder.

“Hah… Ah!” Fred panted, and he blinked hard up at you.

Finally looking down at Fred, you smiled at him. “Lost for words, I see. You know, I think you like being tied up. I’ve never felt you quite this hard.” You pushed your foot against his cock again.

Fred gasped. “D-Don’t! I’m s-sensitive!”

You grinned. “Oh, I know.” You took your foot away. “Well, good luck getting out of your ropes in time. But not to worry, you’ve got a – uh – nice tent here to camp under.” You laughed sweetly. “Bye, bye, Fred.” 

Leaving Fred’s room, you kicked the door wide open, and you triumphantly skipped down the staircase of the boys’ dormitory.

When you got to the common room, you stopped in the middle of the room. You counted to ten. That should be enough time for Fred – but only just. You cupped your hands around your mouth, and announced brightly, “Hey! Rumor has it there’s a member of the Weird Sisters in the boys’ dormitory right now! Special guest of Dumbledore!”

A murmur ran through the crowd, and many of the female students jumped to their feet, for the Weird Sisters were one of the most famous wizarding bands in the world, and despite their name, all eight members were male.

“Apparently, he’s going around topless and open to giving autogr – Whoa!” You were properly spun around by the sheer force of the stampede of students racing up the stairs to the boys’ dormitory.

Laughing merrily, you left the common room, sure that Fred would get himself out, but hoping that he’d hear the stampede of people charging up the stairs just before he succeeded. 

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

That evening, Fred came to your room to let his grievances be known.

“I would have given the ointment to you eventually, you impatient ass!”

“That rumor about the Weird Sisters? What are you, crazy? Someone could’ve really seen me, you maniac!”

“Don’t you know how to have a civil conversation? Huh? Or does your puny, primitive brain only ever work in battle mode because you’re a stupid, musty, bitter, old crocodile!?”

“I’m not a puppy! And stop – stop messing with my head by making me all crazy for you and luring me into your stupid traps!”

“Just to be clear, I didn’t enjoy the ropes! Why would I enjoy being tied up by a loon with pink ropes? I was only hard because – because you looked so damn pretty sitting on top of me like that – Aargh, that’s not the point!”

“You don’t get to mark up my chest for another week, you crazy hellcat! There, that’s your punishment!”

And he ended with his extremely eloquent insult of, “You’re a – You’re a downright hag!”

You paused. “That’s a new one.”

Fred retorted furiously, “I can come up with plenty others right now!”

You smiled at this. “I’m sure you could. Oh, and by the way, Fred, it’s my move.”

Fred paused. “What?”

“I helped McGonagall catch you, remember? And that - ” You pulled out the tic-tac-toe board and decidedly drew an ‘O’ on it. – “Makes it my move.”

Fred stared at you angrily for a second. Then, he flopped over on your bed in defeat. “You’re such a… a witch,” he mumbled in a muffled voice, burying his face against your pillows. “Always tricking me, always getting your stupid way…”

You reminded him, “It’s like I said, Fred, you might win the battle, but I will win the war.”

Fred turned his face just enough to look at you with one eye. “You, my mistress?”

Knowing what he wanted to hear, you softened. Smiling, you slid into bed beside him and hugged him as you confirmed, “No, Fred. Me, your girlfriend.”

Fred was still for a minute. But then, he wrapped your arms around you and brought you in to kiss the top of your head.

You smiled and leaned into him. “And Fred?”

“What?”

“All that stuff I said about dreaming about you…”

“Your stupid lies,” Fred sighed knowingly. “Can’t believe I fell for them.”

“No, no,” you said honestly. “They weren’t lies. I did say those things in the moment to confuse you, but they’re all true.”

“Stop it,” Fred groaned, even as his arm tightened around you. “You have the ointment, you’ve made me a mess – haven’t you created enough chaos for one day?”

“But it’s true,” you insisted.

“Shush, you,” Fred insisted right back.

“Well, fine,” you said, shrugging. “But I meant what I said.”

“Okay, well, which dreams are true?” Fred questioned. “The ones where you spank me? Or the ones where I’m cumming in you?”

“All. And then there’s a third kind-of dream. It’s my favorite dream, to be honest. It makes me feel all warm for the entire day when I have it.”

“And what are those dreams about?” Fred asked you skeptically, waiting for the punchline. “Better not be about feeding me to a crocodile.”

You smiled, amused. “That’s a good one, Fred. But no…” You gazed up at him steadily as you confessed, “You’re setting off a bunch of fireworks, and they’re all glittery pink hearts and they’re so brilliant and bright, exploding all over the sky. There’s a crowd of people clapping. I’m not among them, but I’m watching you, too. I’m so happy. I’m happier than I ever thought I could be. And so are you.”

Fred stared back at you, suddenly completely disarmed. What… What’s that supposed to mean? What is she saying to me?

You laughed softly at his bewildered face. But it wasn’t a condescending laugh at all – it was a laugh that plainly showed how much you loved Fred. You reached up and gently pushed Fred’s hair away from his face. Then, you lay down against Fred’s chest and melted into him, even more in love with him than you’d ever been.

Knowing that Fred was feeling secure again, you teased him gently, “And sure, you’ve got a little ribbon on, and a cute little bell going ring, ring ring, but what’s a little bell to the ego when you’re the grandmaster of pyrotechnics?” Your voice fell into a soft, lulling tone as you went on.

Fred wondered, “What in the world are you babbling about now?”

You fell silent, with a soft smile on your lips. A life together, you thought. That’s what I dream about most often, Fred.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 4

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (Please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

"How do I look?" Trang asked nervously. I was standing in front of the body length mirror, putting the careful finishing touches to my hair. I had done my best to make it shine with Moroccan oil and had put it up in curlers six hours before the wedding. Now, they were hanging down in luscious curls, all flowing down my back. 

My dress, I had designed myself through sketches and then had asked Madam Malkin if it was possible to make. I had chosen a dark green colour and I looked absolutely gorgeous in it. 

I turned now, both to grab the pearl bobby pins for the finishing touch, and also to look at Trang. "You look gorgeous." I said sincerely. 

Her long frame was wrapped in a tight fitting, red dress, that look rather traditional from Vietnam. There was also intricated, gold designs sewed all over the dress, with a tight fitted collar. 

She had pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail, with some of it loose around her face. She had paired it with light makeup, besides the eyes which were dark and made them pop. She looked stunningly pretty. 

"Oliver is going to have a field day." I continued, grinning. She blushed, looking down at the floor. 

"Is the cake done?" Trang asked, changing the subject as she came over, taking the pearl bobby pins to help me with my hair. I'd always been hopeless at this sort of thing. 

"Yes. I put the finishing touches to it today." You said with a bit of a smile. "I think it's a bit. . . different." 

"Oh? Did you make it chocolate icing instead of vanilla?" Trang smirked. 

"No, it's still a white cake and I still did roses." I answered. "But, well it is seven layers Trang. And so I did some not very traditional flavors for a couple of them. Like one is a softer sort of cake and its cookie dough flavored. And I might've baked some very small chocolate chip cookies to act as the leaves for the roses." 

"It sounds delicious." Trang hummed. "Who cares if its not traditional, I just want to eat the whole thing myself now. Thanks, I'll be salivating the entire time." 

"I'm sure Oliver can help you out." I jested and then yelped as she punched my arm. "Sorry!"

"Are we almost ready to go down?" Trang asked, her blush fading a little as she carefully finished the entire outfit off by adding some earrings. 

"We are," I joked, "But Remus is another story." 

I was waiting last minute to dress my baby boy up in his little tux since I knew he probably wasn't going to like the long sleeves in the beginnings of simmering August. But they were the only kind out there and I wanted him to look smart. I was going to take pictures of him and find a way to get them to Severus. 

I hated that Severus was missing out on his sons 'firsts'. He hadn't spoken yet though, so maybe he would hold off on that until I went back to Hogwarts. 

Remus was a little cranky as I picked him up from his crib. He was pouting, though he wasn't crying yet. He was whimpering in displeasure though. I decided to breast feed him and change his diaper. 

I dressed him up in his smart suit, making sure the bow tie was straight. He had quieted down a little and I smiled. I wondered if it was okay if I let him lick some icing off of my finger. I would ask Mrs. Weasley. It was made of milk but it was also sweet. 

Trang and I walked down the stairs to find that the most everyone was outside. 

The first people I saw were Fred and George, standing with Ron and another red headed boy who was Harry in disguise. They were holding seating plans that they were using to help other people to their seats. 

I saw Fred dart forwards to seat a group of Veela cousins. I smiled a little, knowing that years ago my jealousy would've spiked through the roof. Now, I was just hoping that he had a good time. 

"Do you see Oliver?" Trang's voice was breathless. It would be the first time in seeing him in a while. I knew that she was nervous. I had never seen her show interest to a boy before so I knew this was a big deal for her. 

I scanned the crowd, but didn't see the Quidditch player anywhere. 

"No. But it's still early. It's still just mostly the family here." I said in comfort. If I was right about Oliver, he was rather serious about Trang. He would be here. 

I did see Tonks and Dad approach Harry- or the boy that was Harry. Tonks spoke to Harry but Dad looked miserable and I frowned. 

I knew I could've interfered. Told dad that the baby wasn't going to end up like him. But I also knew that Harry needed to be the one to put him in his place. It was necessary to the future. 

"Trang!" A voice behind the two of us said. I didn't turn around right away because Oliver sounded like a strangled chicken and I really didn't want to laugh in his face. 

After a second, I turned to see that the both of them were blushing crazily, holding hands and talking in soft tones. Oliver did look over and he smiled a little easier, "Hello Elizabeth. How are you?" 

"Good, thanks." I smiled, though it was mostly a lie. "How are you? And Quidditch?" 

"Oh it's been great!" Oliver relaxed completely, and smiled hugely at Trang. "I was actually just telling Trang that we've got a new Captain. I think we're going to make it at the top this year." 

"Well, you are a superb Keeper." I said with an easy smile. "Anyways, Trang. I'll see the two of you inside. I'm going to say hi to dad." 

I quickly left them by themselves and approached the tent as Hermione had just joined Ron and Harry. 

". . . personally, she's rude to everyone." Ron was saying to Hermione. 

"Talking about Muriel?" George asked as he and Fred exited the tent now. "Yeah, she's just told me my ears are lopsided." I giggled hard. "Old bat. I wish old Uncle Bilius was still with us, though; he was a right laugh at weddings." 

"Wasn't he the one who saw a Grim and died twenty-four hours later?" Hermione asked. 

"Well, yeah, he went a bit odd toward the end." George admitted. 

"But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of the party. He used to down an entire bottle of firewhiskey, then run onto the dance floor, hoist up his robes, and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his-" 

Harry roared with laughter and I smiled a little. 

"Yes, he sounds a real charmer." Hermione said dryly while Ron added, "Never married, for some reason." 

"You amaze me." 

We were all laughing until a new, thickly accented voice said, "you look vunderful." 

"Viktor!" Hermione shrieked, dropping her bag, which she scrambled to pick up while blushing. "I didn't know you were- goodness- it's lovely to see- how are you?" 

I smirked. 

"How come you're here?" Ron demanded. 

"Ron!" I scolded while Krum replied, "Fleur invited me." 

Harry shook his hand and then Krum turned to me and smiled. "Hello Elizabeth." 

We hugged tightly and I offered to show him to his seat since we were sitting near each other. 

"He is very cute." Krum offered, motioning to my baby. 

"Thank you." I smiled a little. 

Krum and I had kept in contact with each other ever since he'd left school in the fourth year. I felt that I knew him as much as I did with the Weasleys or Hermione or Harry. We kept up a steady stream of chatter until I told him I had to get to my seat. 

I settled down next to Trang who was gaping at me. "You know Viktor Krum?" 

"Oh." I blinked. "Did I forget to mention that we're penpals of like three years?" 

"Yes!" Trang nearly shrieked. "He's a famous Quidditch player!" 

"I'm a famous Quidditch player." I heard Oliver mutter quietly to himself which made Trang giggle and then drop the conversation. 

Harry, Ron, Fred, and George settled around us as well. Harry next to me and Fred and George in front of us. 

Bill and Charlie stood at the front- Charlie being Bills' best man. Both of them were wearing dress robes with white roses in their buttonholes. They both looked extremely handsome and Fred wolf-whistled, which encouraged the veela cousins to giggle. 

The crowd fell silent as music swelled from what seemed to be the golden balloons that decorated the marquee. 

I heard Hermione gasp and I turned to see that Monsieur Delacour and Fleur were walking down the aisle. Well, actually, Fleur seemed to be almost gliding. The dress was actually very simple. But that seemed to work for her best, as she seemed to be almost glowing, the way I imagined elves did in the Lord of the Rings with their long blond hair. 

Ginny and Gabrielle were wearing dresses of gold, Fleur's light seemed to envelope them to make them shine as well. As Fleur reached Bill, his werewolf scars seemed to almost disappear. 

"Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls-" 

"Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely. But I must say, Ginevra's dress is far too low cut." Aunt Muriel's' voice carried from the front row so that I couldn't hear the squeaky wizard that was performing Bill and Fleur's wedding. 

Ginny, hearing her proper name, glanced around and winked at someone- probably Harry. 

"Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle to be your lawfully married wife?" 

"I do." 

Mrs. Weasley and Madame Delacour were sobbing into scraps of lace in the front row. I could hear Hagrid blowing his nose from the back of the tent, sounding a bit like an elephant. Trang had her hands pressed to her mouth, tears in her eyes while Oliver put an arm around her shoulder. Hermione too, had tears in her eyes. Meanwhile, I fought the urge to starting laughing. 

"Do you, Fleur Isabelle, take William Arthur to be your lawfully married husband?" 

"I do." 

"Then I declare you bonded for life." The wizard waved his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiraling around their now entwined figure as they kissed. Fred and George led a round of applause, the golden balloons bursting open so that birds of paradise and tiny golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din of hands clapping together. 

"Ladies and gentlemen! If you would please stand up!" 

I stood quickly, starting to rock Remus a little. The loud noises of the cheers and claps along with the explosion of the bells had woken him from his sleep and he was starting to fuss. 

The wand was waved again. The seats we had been sitting on rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanished, so that they stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the center of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the golden-jacketed band trooped toward a podium. 

"Smooth." Ron said on the other side of Harry. 

"We should go and congratulate them!" Hermione declared. 

I stood up and moved away to see that Tonks and Dad had taken a table. Tonks was beaming but dad seemed to have a storm cloud over his head. He did brighten a little upon seeing me. 

"Oh! You look gorgeous!" Tonks declared, hopping up, pulling me into a hug. 

"Thank you." I said, hugging her back tightly. "As do you." 

She was wearing dress robes of a pale pink colour. Her hair was blond and she looked gorgeous. 

"Elizabeth." 

I turned to see Charlie there, grinning, "Do want to dance?" 

"Oh!" I said in surprise. "Sure." 

"I'll take this little guy." Tonks said happily, pulling Remus out of my arms, cuddling him close. I smiled and then took Charlies' hand, letting him lead me onto the dance floor. 

We spun around on the dance floor and I managed to forget most of my worries. I still had months before I would lose the people closest to me. And with Fawkes, I now had plans in the marking to save their lives. All of them. 

Charlie and I danced through several different songs. I was half afraid that with the romantic atmosphere, he would try breaching the conversation of the two of us. It wasn't exactly a secret he liked me at this point and Mrs. Weasley had been rather encouraging of it. But I think he also knew that I wouldn't accept him and he was happy enough to simply have this. 

Lee wanted to cut in after though, so I smiled at Charlie and went dancing with Lee. After two songs, Bill stepped in and danced with me while Charlie danced with Fleur. 

"He's very interested in you, you know." Bill said suddenly, eyes flickering to Charlie. 

"I know." I said softly. I guessed I was slightly wrong. He was just going to have his brother broach the conversation. "But I can't." 

"I know." Bill said. "Your heart belongs to someone else." 

"Yes. As stupid as it sounds." I smiled a little. 

"No, it's not stupid." Bill said seriously. His blue eyes suddenly made me wary. They reminded me of Dumbledore's in a way, like they were looking through me to my very soul. "I may not have like Snape and Snape never liked any of us. But he had a soft spot for you and, well, he loves you Elizabeth. Regardless of his path he has chosen." 

"Don't get to wise on me Bill." I joked to cover up my anxiety and feelings. "I still prefer being the wisest person you know." 

Bill chuckled, letting the conversation die out thankfully. But it still left me unsettled as I went and took Remus back from Tonks. 

He had fallen asleep contentedly and I sat down in one of the chairs to rest. I kicked off the thin stilettos heels that I had been wearing the entire time. They were killing my feet- but I hadn't expected to dance. 

Viktor was in a terrible mood, eyeing Lunas' father with an extreme dislike. I knew what Krum though the small triangular sign on his chest stood for. But I also knew what Lunas' father thought it stood for. 

Fred and George both wanted to take me for a spin on the dance floor, though they later sneaked off with some veela cousins after releasing me. I didn't mind. I was more preoccupied with letting Fred have as much fun as possible. 

The red headed Harry was sitting at another table with Elphias Doge and Aunt Muriel. They seemed to be in a great argument while Harry seemed rather stunned and uncomfortable. I knew what the conversation was there and I had no ambition to join it. 

Trang and Oliver seemed to have disappeared and I had my suspicions of where they'd disappeared off to. I had told Trang there would be problems later and she'd probably 'snuck off' with Oliver to keep him safe. 

I figured I might as well do the same. 

I got to my feet now, ready to head back to the Burrow. I wasn't sure where I would go, but I knew I had to go underground before I went back to Hogwarts. 

As though my actions and thoughts prompted instant reaction, a glowing, silver Lynx patronus gracefully landed lightly in the middle of the dancers. Everyones' heads turned towards it and I stiffened. 

My eyes immediately found Harry. It was a little early for this, Hermione had not yet reached him either. 

I pushed aside my own safety, being the only person moving as I ran towards the red-headed disguise. 

"The Ministry has fallen." Kingsley's slow, deep voice emitted from the Patronus. "Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming." 

I grabbed Harry's shoulder. "Time to go Harry." 

Harry let me drag him by the hand while he fumbled, drawing his wand. Hermione was with us in seconds, her wand already drawn as well. 

"Ron!" Hermione screamed as someone else screamed and then the crowd was panicking, scattering like cockroaches under a light. "Ron, where are you?" 

Masked figures apparated around the tent. I drew my wand, switching Remus into my other wand. I saw Tonks and Dad raising their wands. I only heard Dad's confident voice shout, "Protego!" 

Harry and Hermione got separated from me in the chaos. I was using the tall figures of the other people around me to hide. I needed to get away from here. Remus was starting to cry and Death Eaters heads' swiveled towards the sound. 

Shit. They knew about Remus. 

"ELIZABETH!" That was dads' voice shouting above the crowd. Trying to find me. I slipped towards him, before there was someone blocking me. 

Hagrid grabbed my arm, dragging me away from the crowd towards my father. Spells bounced off his back as they usually did and I fired back as I ran with him. 

"Elizabeth!" Dad's voice was relieved and he nearly shoved me towards Trang. "Take her to your parents house! Now!" 

Tonks grabbed my arm and we disapparated on the spot. 

I blinked, feeling slightly disoriented. Tonks was gone again in seconds, possibly back to The Burrow. 

I stumbled up the stairs and knocked on the door. 

Andromeda opened the door. "Elizabeth?" 

"The Ministry has fallen." I repeated Kingsley's words as I hurried into the house, putting Remus down in the crib. I needed to grab something- all of my preparations were still at the Burrow. "They attacked the Burrow. All of the houses have lost their protection. I have to-" 

The sounds of several people apparating sounded outside and all three of us turned silently towards the door. Pounding at the door proved that it was not someone friendly. 

Andromeda opened the door with a flick of her wand while I pushed the crib into the room slightly so that it was hidden. 

I didn't recognize any of the Death Eaters as they entered the house. I could only hope that meant none of them knew who I was too. 

The next few minutes seemed to pass in some sort of hazy blur as I was half stuck in reality, half stuck in my visions. I remember that the others were screaming under the use of the Cruciatus Curse. I remember that I too was put under the curse. 

I remember that they asked about Harry and the flight. Things became a little clearer after that. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were safe. I hoped Hermione had read the letter I left her about how she shouldn't use Voldemort's name since it was taboo. 

I focused on them. I was on my knees, my body radiating in pain. I was stupidly aware of my dress and how I was afraid that it was going to tear. 

"Well?" The Death Eater demanded, turning the wand back on Ted. Meanwhile, one of the Death Eaters had found Remus and had him in his arms. The Death Eater smirked viciously, turning the wand on Remus. 

"I wasn't there!" I blurted out. "None of us were. I was just in charge of getting Mad- Eye Moody's body back. That was it! I wasn't with Harry! I don't know where he is!" 

Lie, after lie, after lie. But Remus was the only thing I really had left of Severus. And he was the person I cared about more than myself. I couldn't bear the thought of my son even getting a paper cut or a small bruise on his knee. Torture? It would kill me. 

"Please." I sobbed, holding my arms out for my baby. 

Remus wasn't given back to me, but handed over to Andromeda who quickly sheltered my little boy. 

"Take her." The Death Eater snarled. 

I knew that if I fought, they would become more suspicious. Right now, none of them seemed to know that I was Elizabeth Kane. I couldn't risk Remus. 

I struggled a little, making sure that my wand fell onto the floor and then I kicked it under the couch. I had had that wand for so many years, I wasn't going to let it get snapped. 

I struggled a little more once we were actually out of the house and as I heard the sounds of more apparition, wanting to see who was here now. 

"ELIZABETH!" Dad's voice bellowed in the air and with a gut wrenching swirl, my eyes met his, before I disappeared. 

⬅️➡️

[the-delta-42]

Ripples 2

Ripples

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Chapter 2: Diagon Alley and Hogwarts

Harry fell flat on his face as they entered the Leaky Cauldron. One of the Hags smoking tutted, as Harry slowly got up, only to be flatted when Bones landed on top of him.

“Hey, Harry.” Said Bones, before a dull thud was heard, swiftly followed by swearing.

Lily stumbled out of the grate, her hand on her forehead. Bones rolled off of Harry and the two boys got to their feet.

The rest of their group came along shortly, Rose darting off to the nearest bin and her breakfast came back up. Ginny wobbled and leaned against Harry, while Mrs Weasley brushed everyone off.

“You usual, James?” Tom the barkeeper called.

Lily took a moment to pause from her swearing to look at James.

“I’m called here pretty often.” Said James, before looking at Tom, “No thanks, on Hogwarts business.”

Tom’s eyes fell onto Harry, who quickly shoved Bones in the Barkeepers line of sight. Bones only grinned and hooked his arm with Harry’s and started spinning in a circle. Bone let go of Harry’s arm and cause Harry to take a few staggering steps towards the bar.

“Bless my soul,” Tom gasped, “Harry Potter, it’s wonderful to meet you.” Tom was shaking Harry’s hand, “Your father says a lot about you.”

James smiled, “Tom, Harry’s going to need his hand back.”

Tom quickly let go of Harry’s hand, allowing James to herd the group out the back of the Leaky Cauldon, where he tapped the brick that opened Diagon Alley. The younger ones gaped at the Alley, while Fred and George shot into the Alley and went straight for the joke shop.

On the way to Gringotts, James and Molly were arguing.

“You really don’t have to, James dear,” Said Molly, wringing her hands, “I’m sure we’ll manage something.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Said James, “you’re my cousin.”

“Second cousin, twice removed.” Molly corrected him.

“You’re still a Prewett and my mother was a Prewett.” Said James, as they reached the steps of Gringotts, just as what looked like a Walrus, a Giraffe and a Pig in a blond wig walked out.

Lily and James stopped dead at the sight of the Dursley’s, who looked down at the Potter’s group.

Petunia stuck her nose into the air and made to walk past them, only to walk into Amelia Bones.

“Watch where you’re going!” Snapped Amelia, as she guided her niece around Petunia, muttering about a ‘bloody idiot woman’ as she walked away.

Harry, Ron and Bones started laughing as Petunia looked flustered. Lily shook her head and started guiding her group into the bank. Lily was about to walk into the bank herself when Petunia spoke.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Petunia demanded, glaring at her sister.

Lily turned and glared at Petunia, “I have nothing to say to you, Petunia Dursley, not anymore.”

Lily spun on her heel and walked into the bank, ignoring the sound of protest coming from Petunia, Lily marched over to the Goblin Teller.

“James has gone down to our vault, right?” Lily asked, getting a nod from the Goblin, before she walked over to the seating area and pulled out a shrunken book from her pocket and enlarged it with a tap of her wand. Lily flicked through a few pages, before she settled on a page near the middle of the book.

Harry zoomed past a few minutes later and made a bee-line towards Ollivanders, before Lily grabbed the back of his jumper.

“Harry,” Lily said, “Let’s get the rest of your equipment before getting you a wand.”

“Why?” Harry whined, eager to have a wand of his own.

“Because getting a wand is the best part and is reserved for last.” Said James, as he caught up with them, “Let’s go get your robes fitted, I’m sure Malkin’s is clear at the moment.”

It was a rather comical sight, Harry and Bones were making funny faces, up until Harry received a needle to the leg making him yelp. Ron and Neville were done next, before they wandered out of Madame Malkin’s and to Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary to get their potion ingredients and then to Flourish and Blotts to get their school books, then to Potage’s for a cauldron, Wiseacre’s for a Telescope and then to Eeylops Owl Emporium to get an Owl. Harry gazed at the snowy owl adoringly, despite the owl having her head under her wing.

James and Lily had stocked up on Defence Against the Dark Arts books, seeing how Harry had taken to reading their old schoolbooks at home, James even found Harry practicing the wand movements with a chopstick.

They entered Ollivander’s, the Weasley’s splitting from them, namely because Molly had felt that James had spent way too much on them and didn’t want to drain any more money out of them and Neville and his grandmother were in Magical Menagerie getting food for Neville’s toad. Bones grinned as he and Harry looked around the shop.

“Hello.” Came a soft voice, making Harry, James and Lily jump.

Bones turned and looked at the owner of the voice, “Hello, Grandad.”

Ollivander smiled, before his eyes darted over to Lily, “Lily Potter, Willow 10 ¼ inches, Dragon-heartstring, swishy, a nice wand for Charm work.” His eyes then found James, “James Potter, Mahogany, 11 inches, Dragon-heartstring, pliable, excellent for Transfiguration.”

His eyes then snapped to Bones, “I assume you are still carrying your mother’s wand?”

Bones nodded, before pulling a wand from his pocket. It was 11 inches in length and had what looked like a vine stretching up it, with knots along the shaft. The handle was black and had what looked like Runes painted on it.

“Spruce, 11 inches, with a single Unicorn tail hair.” Ollivander murmured, before looking at Bones, “I assume the Ministry destroyed your father’s wand when he was arrested.”

Bones shook his head, “They couldn’t get me to let it go and when I did, I hid it.”

Ollivander nodded, before handing Bones’s mother’s wand back to the boy, before he started taking their measurements. It wasn’t long before Harry was trying wands out, with the reject pile growing. Eventually, Harry settled on a Holly Wand, 11 inches with a Phoenix tail feather for its core. Bones then went about trying the wands, before settling on a Silver Lime wand, 12 ¼ inches with a Demi-guise hair entwined with the heart string of a Demi-guise.

James cleared his throat, before looking at Ollivander, “I sent a letter to you last week, regarding a certain wand.”

Ollivander nodded, “It’s not very often that I get custom wand orders, let alone ones that allow me to decide the aspects of the wand. Mr Potter,” Ollivander started addressing Harry, “I am certain that you’ve been informed about this.”

“Actually Mr. Ollivander,” Said James, “Harry is in the dark about this.”

“Ah.” Said Ollivander, before retrieving a wand from his stores, “14 inches, Rowan with a Royal Phoenix tail feather entwined with a Griffin hair as the core. A drop of your blood was added to both the wood and the core, so only you are able to use this wand.”

Harry grabbed it, causing it to emit a myriad of gold and silver sparks, “Wow…”

“That wand is to show your status.” Said Ollivander, “You father had one, as did his father.”

Harry looked at his parents, “What’s he talking about?”

James sighed, “Harry, you are aware of the Sacred 28?” Harry nodded, “While the name Potter doesn’t appear amongst them, it is still an Ancient and Noble House, especially considering its standing in the background of the Wizarding World.”

Harry was quiet, before paling, “Does this mean I have to deal with politics?”

James winced, making Harry groan.

James nodded to Ollivander, before herding the group out of the shop, passing Augusta as she and Neville entered the shop.

“I’m glad that you managed to convince her to let Neville have his own wand, rather than having him use Frank’s.” Said James, making Lily smile.

“Ariana’s visiting today,” Said Lily, making Harry perk up, “She’s managed to take a break from her lesson plans to visit.”

Ariana Potter, nee Dumbledore, taught Wand Lore and creation at Hogwarts, it was one of the more recent classes and was added as an elective for the Third-year students. Harry loved it when she visited, because she always had a story, Harry’s favourite was the story behind Uncle Aberforth’s goat grooming charm.

Harry once joked that something like that should be made for Scabbers, Ron’s rat, he also suggested that Scabbers be shown to them, since none of them had actually seen the rat. Ron actually turned up with a bleeding finger after that, apparently Scabbers didn’t like strangers. Scabbers had actually vanished recently, after James and Remus appeared at the Burrow to collect Harry.

Ariana smiled as Harry and his friends entered the living room.

“Harry.” Said Ariana, getting to her feet and striding over to him, “You’ve grown.”

There was a stifled snort to Harry’s left, quickly followed by another to his right. Harry made sure to give both Ron and Bones a filthy look, before looking back at Ariana.

“I suppose you think I’m here to tell you another story.” Said Ariana, walking back over to the chair she vacated, “But, I don’t have a story that’ll keep you interested, especially since you’re going to Hogwarts at the end of next month.”

“Well,” Said Harry, “I’m sure there’s something.”

“Oh,” Ariana responded, looking at her Grandson, “like what?”

“Like how we get sorted into our houses.” Said Harry, making Ariana laugh.

“But that would ruin the surprise.” Chortled Ariana, “Besides, it’s not all that exciting anyway.”

Harry shrugged, before he reached into his pocket and produced his Holly wand, his parents had taken the Rowan Wand and were keeping hold of it until Harry hit 14, something about magical inheritances or something.

“Oh, you got your wand?” Ariana asked, before pulling hers from her pocket and examined the two side-by-side, “What’s it made of?”

“Holly, with a Phoenix feather core.” Said Harry, proudly.

“An unusual combination, but it makes a good wand for duelling.” Ariana commented, putting her wand back into her pocket and handing Harry’s wand back to him, “An interesting wand.”

“Yeah,” Said Harry, “apparently it had a brother that belonged to Voldemort.”

Ariana hummed, frowning, “Yew, 13 ½ inches,” Said Ariana, “it is against the nature of a Phoenix feather to be used for dark means.”

Ariana then looked around to make sure no one other than the boys were listening, before she leaned in close to Harry, “And did you get another wand?”

Harry nodded, “Rowan, 14 inches and a Royal Phoenix feather entwined with a Griffin tail hair.”

Ariana raised her eyebrows, before Harry winced and pulled out another wand3, “Oak, 9 ½ inches with a Dragon-heartstring.”

Ariana nodded appreciatively, before Harry quickly stowed the wand away in his pocket, “Only use that when you’re unable to use your first wand.”

Harry nodded, before he picked his books up and started to go upstairs.

“Oh, and Harry?” Ariana called, making Harry stop, “Be sure to pack everything you need.”

Harry grinned and nodded, before racing up the stairs.

Ariana laughed and shook her head, heading back to her chair.

The rest of the summer passed quickly for Harry. He had been practicing some of the spells in his schoolbooks, at least he had until his mum confiscated his wand half-way through August. Harry was practically dancing when the September 1st came around, he was racing around the house, eager to get to King’s Cross and Platform 9 ¾. So much so, he completely missed his mum telling him that his wand was in the sideboard in the dining room, he only realised he didn’t have it when they were doing the final checks and Bones practically threw it at him.

Bones had a sour look on his face, having barely woken up. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was messier than Harry’s. Harry internally winced, recalling that Bones suffered from nightmares and the occasional bout of sleepwalking. Harry and Bones once shared a room, up until Bones started sleepwalking and muttering things hoarsely in his sleep. Bones barely remembered what he’d been dreaming or talking about, but he didn’t like to share.

The group arrived at King’s Cross at Quarter past Ten, with Harry literally running off to get trolleys for him and Bones, he returned with two trolleys and they began to unload their trunks onto the trolleys, when Lily stopped and near gaped at a certain family hovering around the station. James followed her gaze and frowned, before herding their group towards Platforms 9 and 10. They made sure that the Dursley’s spotted them.

“Excuse me,” Said Harry, trying not to bounce, “but you’re blocking the way to the platform.”

The Dursley’s were silent, before Vernon spluttered, “What platform?! It doesn’t exist.”

Harry sighed, before manoeuvring himself around the Dursleys and practically sprinted towards the Ticket Barrier. Lily tried not to look amused at the look on Vernon Dursley’s face when Harry vanished inside the wall. James then went through with the girls and Lily accompanied Bones through, they joined up with the others. Harry had already joined up with Neville and the two found a compartment to share with Bones and Ron.

Bones lifted his trunk off the trolley, only for James to tap it with his wand and hovered in front of them, Harry’s trunk doing the same after James saw him struggling with it. Harry quickly bounded off the Train and enveloped his parents in a tight hug.

Harry held onto them tightly, making Lily frown.

“Where’s all the excitement gone?” Lily asked, crouching down.

“I’m scared.” Said Harry, his voice small, “what if there’s been a mistake and I’m not supposed to be there?”

“Then Dumbledore will have more than a few Howlers demanding to know what happened.” Said Lily, “If it makes you feel any better, I was scared as well, when I first went to Hogwarts. And besides, you’re not going to be amongst strangers, there’ll be the Weasley’s, Neville, your grandmother, Severus, Mercutio, and that’s not even covering the other teachers who’ll be excited to meet you.”

Harry nodded, as a few tears escaped, he swallowed, before James spoke.

“If it helps, we’ll write to you.” Said James, looking down at Harry, “Even if you want a letter every day.”

“Not every day.” Blurted Harry, his face going red, “Once a week would be fine.”

James laughed, and it was one of those rare laughs what reached his eyes. Bones stood slightly behind them, only for Harry to pull him into a group hug. James smiled as he felt the boy melt into the hug. He hoped that if they were in separate houses that they wouldn’t turn on each other.

At Ten minutes to Eleven, The Weasley’s arrived, James immediately set about helping them load their trunks onto the Train, placing Ron’s with the other boys in his year. James and Lily tried not to smile too widely when Harry quietly told Ginny that he’d write to her over the course of the year.

A warning whistle sounded, before everyone quickly got on the train. James and Lily were waving as the Train disappeared.

“Now, all we have to do is wait another couple of years and the girls will be off as well.” Said James, looking down at his watch, “I’m glad we got the day off, seeing how tightly winded everyone’s been lately, especially since that break in at Gringotts.”

A quiet cough caught their attention, James and Lily turned and found themselves face-to-face with Vernon and Petunia. The girls hid behind James and Lily, obviously not trusting the two Dursleys.

Meanwhile on the Hogwarts Express, Harry, Ron, Neville and Bones were chatting.

“I know mum and dad have been keeping their lips sealed about it.” Said Harry, as Ron leaned forwards.

“My dad thinks a Death Eater could be behind it.” Ron whispered, making Neville frown.

“I doubt it, I remember Gran saying that they had charms to prevent anyone other than a Goblin opening that type of Vault.” Said Neville, “It’s kind of scary, really.”

Bones snorted, “This is when it turns out that whoever it was had a Goblin’s help, or it was a publicity stunt, so they had more people to lock away.”

Everyone stared at him, “What?”

“Well, aren’t you a little ray of sunshine.” Said Ron, looking down at Scabbers, “Actually, George gave me a spell the other day, apparently it’s supposed to turn things yellow.”

Bones smirked, “Yeah, let’s torment a rat, just to make out day a bit more interesting.”

Ron pulled out his wand, before the compartment door opened, revealing a girl with frizzy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

“Has anyone lost a Toad?” Said the Girl, holding Trevor in her hands.

Neville looked embarrassed, before taking Trevor and hastily shoving him in his pocket. The girl’s eyes were on Ron’s wand.

“Are you performing magic?” The girl asked, “Let’s see it then.”

The girl sat down across from Ron and next to Bones, who scowled.

“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!” Said Ron, waving his wand. The most he did was knock the sweet box off Scabbers head.

“Are you sure that was a real spell?” The girl asked, in a bossy sounding voice, “It’s not very good is it.”

Harry pulled his wand out, pointed it at Scabbers and said “Wingardium Leviosa.”

Scabbers started floating, the girl grinned, before Harry smirked, “Want to see something cool? Accio!”

Scabbers started to fly across the compartment towards Harry, before he just dropped to the floor.

Bones looked at the rat, and then at Harry, “Wasn’t that the spell that caused you mum to confiscate your wand?”

Harry scowled at Bones, before looking at the Girl, “Who are you?”

“Oh, I forgot that I hadn’t introduced myself,” Said the Girl, before holding her hand out, “I’m Hermione, Hermione Granger.”

The boys chimed their names it one after another.

“Neville Longbottom.”

“Ron Weasley.”

“Stevens.”

“We all call him Bones, I’m Harry Potter.”

The girl’s eyes widened, before they flickered to his scar. Hermione opened her mouth, before Harry held up a finger and pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her.

Hermione looked down at Harry’s untidy handwriting.

‘Yes, I’m really Harry Potter, no, I don’t remember what Voldemort looks like and no, I can’t remember what happened that night.’

Hermione closed her mouth and looked at the group, before she looked directly at Bones.

“Why do they call you ‘Bones’?” Hermione asked, making Bones jump.

Bones simply grabbed his glove and pulled it off, revealing the silver bone prosthetic where his left arm used to be.

“It was a real pain as well,” Said Bones, move the silver fingers of his left hand, “I’m left-handed and can barely do anything right.”

Hermione let out an unladylike snort at Bones comment, before he pulled his glove back on. The compartment door opened again, revealing a pale faced boy with a pointed chin and two burley looking boys either side of him. Harry internally groaned.

“So, the rumours are true, Harry Potter is in this carriage.” Said the boy, “My name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, these two are Crabbe and Goyle.”

Ron barely concealed a snort, making Malfoy look at him.

“I don’t to be introduced to know who you are, red hair, hand me down clothes and more children than they would afford. You must be a Weasley, I think you’ll find that some Wizarding families are better than others, Potter, you wouldn’t want to get mixed up with the wrong sort, I can help you there.”

Malfoy held his hand out for Harry to shake, Harry took one look at it and frowned.

“I know who you are.” Said Harry, his voice quiet and ice cold, “The son of a Death Eater who bribed his way out of Azkaban.”

“My father was bewitched.” Said Malfoy, his face sour.

“Ah,” Said Harry, “So he’s weak.”

Malfoy took a threatening step forward with Crabbe and Goyle cracking they’re knuckles, bumping into Hermione.

“Watch where you’re going.” Hermione snapped, glaring up at him.

“Who are you?” Malfoy sneered, looking down at her.

“My name’s Hermione Granger.” Said Hermione, her tone becoming polite.

“Oh,” Said Malfoy, “So you’re a Mudblood.”

Harry jumped to his feet, pointed his wand at Malfoy and yelled “Expelliarmus!”

The spell hit Malfoy in the chest and sent him tumbling out of the compartment. Bones jumped up and pointed his wand at Crabbe, while Harry did the same to Goyle, both speaking simultaneously, “Flipendo!” The two boys fell back and landed on Malfoy.

Malfoy looked up as Harry walked over to the compartment door. Harry looked down at Malfoy and said, coldly, “I think I can judge the right sort for myself thanks.” And with that, Harry slammed the door.

“What a dickhead.” Said Bones, after a moment had passed.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Said Hermione, her voice tight, “You could’ve gotten in trouble.”

Harry looked at her, “Hermione,” Harry began, “Do you know what ‘Mudblood’ means?”

Hermione quietly shook her head.

“It’s a term for Witches and Wizards whose parents are Muggles.” Said Bones, “There are some families that believe that only those of ‘Pure’ blood should study Magic. A large amount of Voldemort’s victims was either Muggle-born or those who sided with the Muggle-borns.”

Hermione was quiet, making Harry groan.

“It’s the Wizarding equivalent of the N-word.” Said Harry, bluntly, “Who’s going to stand outside while we change?”

Bones and Neville stood outside of the compartment with Hermione, so Ron and Harry could change.

“I don’t get why you’re being so nice to her, Harry.” Said Ron, as he pulled his robes on, “She was trying to boss us about.”

“Yeah, and how much of that is down to her not having many friends?” Harry asked, “For all we know, she hasn’t made any friends before and she doesn’t know that what could be her normal conversation voice is her sounding bossy.”

Harry squinted at Ron, “You’ve still got dirt on your nose.”

Harry and Ron swapped places with Bones and Neville and stood silently with Hermione, who was looking down at her feet.

Harry internally groaned, “You heard everything that we said, didn’t you?”

Hermione quietly nodded, Harry thought he saw tears brimming in her eyes.

“Do you,” Hermione swallowed, “Do you really think I’m bossy?”

“You’re tone when talking could use some work, but can I ask you something?” Said Harry, “Before today, how many friends did you have?”

Hermione let out a small whimper, which confirmed Harry’s thoughts.

“You’re probably just trying to make friends with as many people as you can, but you don’t know how to actually approach them and hold a conversation with them.” Said Harry, before Ron butted in.

“I don’t know, I think she get on swimmingly with Percy.” Harry shot Ron a glare.

“Tell you what, why don’t you sit with us when we go to the Castle?” Said Harry, making Ron look at him.

“Really?” Said Hermione, her voice small.

“Yeah,” Said Harry, “My mum said I at least need one female friend who’ll keep me on my toes.”

Hermione gave a small giggle, before she spotted a Fat blonde haired boy stomping up to them.

“Oh no,” Hermione whimpered, “not him.”

“If I’d known Bugs Bunny was going to be here, I’d’ve come found you sooner.” Sneered Dudley, as Hermione tried to hide behind Harry and Ron.

“Dudley,” Said Harry, his voice cold, “The circus let you out of your cage? I don’t know why they did that; they’re losing money.”

Dudley turned red and looked at Harry, before he paled and started to walk away.

“Oh, don’t run away!” Harry called, “We were having such a lovely conversation.”

Dudley disappeared, before Harry muttered “Prick.”

Hermione looked at Harry with something that could only be described as awe.

“You know that walking pig?” Harry asked, as Hermione straightened up.

“He bullied me in my last school, my parents had to move because he kept hitting me.” Said Hermione, “How do you know him?”

“He’s my cousin, I actually forgot he existed.” Said Harry, making Hermione giggle.

Harry turned and looked in the compartment window, before jumping when he saw Bones’ face pressed against the glass.

“Don’t,” Harry gasped, “do that.”

Bones just gave Harry a grin before pulling the door open.

“If we’re quick, we can have a quick card game before we arrive.” Said Bones, as the train pulled into the station.

“Or, we can get off the train.” Dead-panned Harry, walking out of the compartment, “Come on, Hagrid’s waiting.”

Bones looked at Harry’s back as he walked away, “No, Harry.”

Harry spun on his heel and walked in the other direction.

“Harry, aren’t you forgetting something?” Hermione asked, making Harry look down.

“Shoes.” Said Harry, getting a nod from Hermione.

Harry quickly shoved his shoes on and raced off the train.

“You get used to him eventually.” Said Bones, looking at Hermione, “He’s all serious and mature one minute and then completely childish the next.”

“Isn’t being serious a good thing?” Asked Hermione, as they walked to Hagrid.

Bones made a non-committal noise, “Maybe, but it’s like dealing with two different people.”

Hermione nodded, before getting into a boat with Harry, Ron and Neville.

“See you guys there.” Said Bones, before clambering into a boat, his face falling when he was joined by Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

“Oh dear.” Said Neville, as Bones��s face twitched.

Thankfully, they made it to the castle without incident, or at least they thought they did until they realised that Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle had mysteriously fallen into the water, all babbling about a tentacle.

Hagrid knocked on the door to the castle.

[drarryspecificrecsdaily]

2022.12.05

Complete fics posted on AO3 this day

1. Draco Malfoy & the Journal of Dreadful Things by @lilbeanz [G, 34k]

►[...] Future-Draco paused in his actions, his face scrunched into a sneer. “Yes,” he said, “you meet him when you get your robes fitted at Madam Malkin's. You don't make a good first impression, clearly.” “Why ever not?” Draco pouted. “What's not to like about me?”

2. The Locker Room by Glitterfanfics [E, 11k]

►Slowly Malfoy's gaze travels up his body until he's looking him in the eyes. The moment their eyes lock, Malfoy's cheeks and neck flush beautifully to a bright red. Now Harry's sure. Malfoy wants this too. [...]

3. Thunder by @caffeinepills [G, 1k]

►What it meant before, and what it means now

---

Fest/Exchange

1. The Prototype by @ladderofyears [G, 1k]

►George Weasley’s owl delivers a very stubborn Elder Wand to Harry and Draco's home. ★ Drarropoly '22: Magical Artefact Smugglers edition | @gameofdrarry

2. The Binding and the Loosing by Anonymous [M, 34k]

►Draco Malfoy is a reclusive academic who works on layered generational magic under the pseudonym Scholar Griseo. When he is contacted by a ‘James Black’ for help with a tricky situation with a magical House, he can’t help but notice the similarities between his potential client and Harry Potter. Since he can’t exactly refuse to help the Saviour of the magical world, Draco girds his loins and visits Grimmauld Place, where he ends up involved in what he must presume is one of those classic Harry Potter misadventures. ★ H/D Erised 2022 | @hd-erised

3. Unfolded Heart by Anonymous [G, 5k]

►Draco had only had three months getting used to Potter joining Hogwarts as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, before Headteacher McGonagall had asked him to organise a whole ‘educational but festive’ Christmas event with that energy ball of a Gryffindor. Merlin knew what the outcome would be. ★ H/D Erised 2022 | @hd-erised

[evan-julia-smythe]

The Grimalkin

Legend says the Grimalkin is a vicious monster that sleeps until winter when it awakens and stalks the forest, to enter its territory would be to forfeit your life. Deòrsa, a lifelong resident of the local village, knew this but the promise of acceptance by his peers is enough to have him disregard the warnings. A misadventure later and Deòrsa is perplexed to discover the Grimalkin isn’t all he’d thought it was. In fact, they don’t seem much different than him.

The Grimalkin takes place in the Scottish Highlands during the 1600’s and tells the story of a human boy, Deòrsa, as he navigates an evolving relationship with “Grimal” – a cat-sìth (cat fairy). In modern terms, Deòrsa is pansexual and autistic while Grimal is non-binary (they/them).

Pronunciation Guide:

Deòrsa – Dorsa (the Scottish version of George)

Seòras – Shoras (a variant of Deòrsa)

Sìth – shee (means fairy in Gaelic languages)

Grimalkin – gree-mal-kin (from Grey Malkin, an archaic term for a cat)

WARNING for fantasy violence, childbirth, unlawful imprisonment

Rating: 13+

Word Count: 20’873

[micaiahfalkov]

starter for: @emreakbar

location: mansion somewhere in the scottish countryside

In all honesty, Micaiah had never attended an event like this. He'd seen it in movies at most, on the few rare occasions that he decided to watch any. So, seeing this happen in real life felt almost surreal. Like a fantasy world. He let his eyes wander around the room, trying to figure out where, among the masked figures, Aleksander Malkin was.

Micaiah had never returned to his home commune of St. George, but the Eyes of Eden had spread all over the world, smaller and bigger communes taking foothold in every place they could. When the teleports had opened up, after a period of cowardice, they had finally mustered up the courage to visist the chapterhouse and London - and had found it intact. Ever since then, the few trips off the island Micaiah undertook where to the remnants of the communes. Micaiah couldn't visit them as often as they wished, though they had managed to hire Orion to deliver messages for them.

And that was why they were here. His legs had been troubling him for a while now. The pain had gotten worse, especially if he wore his legs for too long. He knew the prosthetics were a little bit ill-fitting, needed adjustments, new casts. And he still couldn't run with them. He had a wheelchair but that felt... limiting. Frustrating. So, when one of his followers had caught wind of a gathering of former tech-industry giants, Micaiah knew it could be a chance.

Their target was Aleksander Malkin, a genius inventor. And one person who might be able to help Micaiah. He specialized in all kinds of things but one of them was prosthetics. Micaiah knew it was a chance - so they'd not spared any effort. Even asked Tamyra for a suit - and here they were, black suit with a black undershirt and equally black, gold-tinged mask covering their eyes. Visually, they fit in. Now, they just needed to do so socially.

Having held back for now, they finally took a deep breath and pushed away from the shadows below the mezzanine and finally made their way into the main floor. Just to almost run somebody over who'd been jostling by. For once they didn't stumble, instead having to steady the other person by the arm so they didn't fall. "I'm sorry, I didn't look where I was going. Are you alright?" Micaiah offered an apologetic smile as they looked at the man they had almost run over. Despite the mask, something seemed... familiar. Too familiar. After a few seconds, the realization hit. They spoke, forgetting the implicit etiquette of a masquerade ball.

"... Emre?"