#have i told about the flavour of the wardrobe incident?

[threezoz]

witnessed one of my mom's grandkids talking to her on the phone: yeah ('she said') bring (prefix-multiple)-papers ('all') because boss(suffix-'the') usually asks for ('many things') so it's good ('to bring it all in') (prefix-'at')-once.

im going to have a stroke

[kreacts]

Superhuman [NCT]

Chapter 1: A New Start.

NCT Superhero AU.

Word Count: 3740.

There are still so many questions about what happened to humanity that night. Grace certainly can’t even begin to start answering them, she’s just trying to deal with being sort-of-homeless. There’s a chance she could find a new place to live at Yuzuki House, and Johnny appears to take her there. But the kids at Yuzuki House are special, and Grace gets her first glimpse of just how dangerous this new life could be.

The soft tick of the clock seemed deafening in the quiet café. The waitress was perched on a stool behind the counter, tapping silently at her phone. One man was tapping away on his iPad, an empty coffee cup on the table in front of him with the wrapper from his muffin discarded on the table.

Grace had already counted the crumbs on his table. There were 16, plus one very large clump that the man really should have eaten. She’d had a lot of time to think, sitting in the quiet coffee shop. She’d counted the 32 books on the far right wall, the nine tables and the 28 chairs around them, the 7 different types of flavourings that could be put into drinks. Anything and everything to keep from focussing on reality.

As she sat, tapping slowly at the rim of her cup, the door pushed open and a light, pleasant tinkling filled the room. The waitress stood up quickly, hiding her phone, and smiled at the young man. Grace didn’t look over, she didn’t want anyone to think she was in the shop just to stare at people. Still, she listened as he approached the counter and ordered a coffee and cookie, the quiet tap at the till. When he turned to begin looking for a table, she ducked down to begin rummaging through her backpack as if she were looking for something.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” Grace jumped up, mouth agape, and lifted her head to stare at the man. All she noticed was that he had dark hair and was a young adult, probably just a little bit older than herself.

“Uh,” Grace glanced down at her table. It was a table for four, sure, but there were plenty of spots still available in the room. “I guess? I am waiting for someone though…” Before she could finish her sentence, the man had grinned and pulled out the seat.

“Yeah, I know. That’d be me,” The man grinned as Grace raised a brow at him, her shoulders curling forward slightly.

“You’re not what I expected,” Grace admitted. “My mum said I’d be meeting a professor-“ Grace cut off as the waitress approached them, a tray resting on one hand. She smiled as she looked between them and moved the coffee cup and plate to the table in front of the man. She muttered a quiet ‘enjoy’ and the man gave his thanks as she walked away. He turned back to Grace slowly and shrugged.

“Sorry about that, there was a bit of an incident at the school, the professors had to stick around to fix the place up. Don’t worry!” The man reached out a hand seeing the look of alarm on Grace’s face. “It’s not a dangerous place, really. But so many Superhumans in one place, training, practicing. Sometimes things happen. Like minor explosions,” He paused to grin, taking in Grace’s shocked expression, then continued. “But we’re used to fixing things up by now. No worries.”

“No worries,” Grace echoed, staring at his face. His smile was friendly and warm. He was handling himself with ease, as if he weren’t there to pick up a random girl and take her half way across the country to a special school for magical people because her parents had decided that they didn’t want to support her any more.

“I’ve been at Yuzuki House for years now, before it was even a school, so don’t worry too much. You’ll be in good hands there, mine included,” The man lifted his hands to wiggle them, laughing quietly before reaching out to grab his cookie. He took a huge bite of it then scrunched his brow. “Why you lookin’ at me like that?” He asked around his chomped up mouthful.

“You don’t look familiar,” Grace admitted. She had been studying him carefully, looking for something she recognised.

The kids of Yuzuki House had become famous, many had travelled across the whole country to help in emergencies, some even internationally. Some had appeared more regularly than others and become quite famous across the whole world. Everyone knew Mark, for instance, his ice powers capture a lot of attention. Haechan, too, was a regular on peoples T.V’s as he lapped up attention. Jaemin was usually at his side, a favourite across the whole world for his good lucks and easy charm. But this man, she wasn’t sure about him. He was tall, tanned, and quite good looking. But she didn’t recognise him.

“Yeah, I don’t linger for the cameras,” The man had swallowed his bite of cookie and was nodding slowly. “My powers scare people so I tend to stick to the background. My name’s Johnny,” He added, grinning as Grace frowned. “I know. Not a name that appears on many reports. Government ones, sure, but who’s gonna read those?” Johnny shrugged and paused to take a long drink of coffee. When he placed his cup back down, he lifted an inquisitive look to Grace.

“You’ve just had a normal schooling, right? Nothing for your abilities?” He asked softly, taking another bite of his cookie.

Grace nodded. “Nothing. It took a while for anyone to really notice that I could do anything. Subtle power,” Grace lifted a hand and waved it slightly in an uncertain manner. “I didn’t think I used it too much, but apparently people began to notice that people acted differently around me. A man turned up at my house, a guy in a suit, to test me…” Grace trailed off and glanced away from Johnny. He smiled and nodded once.

“I get it, no worries. You’ll fit right in at the House, we just have to go and find a few more kids and then I can take you there. Is this all your stuff?” Johnny pointed towards the suitcase besides her. Grace nodded quickly, pursing her lips. She’d had a lot more, but it had seemed far more of a hassle to drag it with her. She had encouraged her parents to give it all to charity rather than keeping it in storage for her. “Fab!” Johnny drained his coffee, shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth, then leapt up to grab the handle of the suitcase.

The moment he stood up, she saw it. She hadn’t been able to see it before, he had been facing her throughout the whole conversation. Now, as he turned, she took in the long black coat and, at the bottom right corner, there was a small white square with an embroidered red rose on it. The symbol of Yuzuki House.

“Come on, the kids aren’t far from here,” Johnny waited for Grace to shrug on her raincoat and sling her backpack over her shoulder before walking from the café. Grace glanced around the café once and gulped then hurried after him. She had committed to this path now, there was no time to hesitate.

***

“So, where are these kids? Who are they? Do you know what they can do?” Grace asked, striding alongside Johnny. He seemed to be shortening his strides for her, making it easy for her to keep up. She was grateful, her bag weighed a tonne on her back. Johnny glanced down to her and grinned, he lifted a hand slowly and brushed his hair behind his ear. Unable to stop herself, Grace followed the movement of his hands and grinned as she noticed what looked like a black ear piece in his left ear.

“I know everything, but we can talk about that on the journey. They aren’t far from here. They said they were going to do a bit of quick shopping before meeting us. One boy insisted he needed to get some new clothes,” Johnny rolled his eyes and grinned.

Grace didn’t think he had any right to judge people on their fashion choices. Johnny was dressed simply with black business trousers and a nice white shirt. His shoes were black and gleaming, clearly an expensive outfit. Whoever this other kid was, he would probably need a new wardrobe to fit in with this standard of clothes, if Johnny was anything to judge the rest of the House by. Grace, on the other hand, was wearing ripped blue jeans, a grey hoodie and dirty black converse. Perhaps she should do a bit of quick shopping when they found these boys, too…

“Oh, crap,” Johnny had skidded to a sudden stop and Grace had to flail to keep herself from falling over the suitcase. Johnny stood staring at the entrance to a huge shopping centre. The building was just walls of glass towering high into the sky. It was the type of place Grace wouldn’t even glance in as she walked past, knowing that even the socks being sold would be too expensive for her budget. What had caught Johnny’s attention, though, was the sight of four security guards performing a highland jig outside the entrance who were staring helplessly after the three boys running from the store, one boy with a large pile of clothes in his arms.

“I told you this was a bad idea!” The smallest of the boys yelled, leaping down a few steps before sprinting on. His cheeks were pink as he huffed and puffed, clearly desperate to get away. The boy with the clothes laughed.

“Oh, shut up Yangyang. We need to look good for the House. It’s not my fault the shop assistants don’t understand the cruel world we live in, where young people are discriminated against because of their fashion!” As he yelled, the boy stumbled and several items from his pile of clothes tumbled to the floor.

“Grab those, Yangyang,” The third boy yelled, pointing at the clothes. “I need my hands free in case we run into more trouble!”

“Hendery!” The young boy whined as he swooped down to snatch up the fallen clothes.

Johnny and Grace stood in a stunned silence across the road. Traffic moved past them quickly, no one noticing the scene. Grace couldn’t believe they didn’t notice the dancing guards or the fleeing boys, she thought it was quite noticeable.

“What do we do?” Grace whispered, her eyes bulging as the boys streaked towards the crossing.

“Stop them,” Johnny stated, releasing the suitcase. Not waiting for a response, he ran forward. He timed his movement perfectly, slipping across the street between the moving traffic.

“What should I do?!” Grace yelled. Johnny didn’t respond, he was already running to the boys, lifting his hands to get them to stop. Grace grabbed the handle of her suitcase and grunted, tugging it as fast as she could towards the crossing. Not trusting her ability to make it across safely, she reached out to push the little button then glanced at the traffic lights, huffing when they didn’t immediately turn red. All she could do was stand on her tiptoes, trying desperately to watch the scene as she waited for the lights to turn red.

Johnny had reached the boys and forced them to stop. The moment he did so, the guards stopped dancing. They had been keeping their eyes on the boys when they could and, as soon as they were free of the spell, they started to walk towards them, stumbling slightly as they made their way forward. The boys were all in a clear state of panic but they listened to Johnny’s words quietly, their heads slowly dipping to keep from meeting his eyes. Johnny was waving his hands around, pointing at the boy called Hendery that Grace had heard speak, then he pointed at the boy holding the clothes who had the decency to look nervous.

The guards had reached them by this point and they were yelling. Two of the boys leapt to hide behind Johnny. The third, the boy with the clothes, made as if to run away, but was caught by the bulk of one of the guards. He dropped the clothes immediately and began to struggle. Johnny was talking loudly, clearly trying to reason with them, but the guards were all red face, exhausted and embarrassed. Grace could tell Johnny’s reasoning wouldn’t work.

A sudden honk snapped Grace from her thoughts. She looked down and saw that traffic had stopped, two cars to her right. The man in front waved her across. Not giving it a second thought, Grace gripped her suitcase and bolted across the road. It took only 10 seconds to reach the boys, but one of the boys was nearly in cuffs by the time she got to them.

“Stop!” She yelled, barrelling past the boys. She released her suitcase and it landed near Johnny as she skidded between the boys and the guards. “You don’t want to do this!” She yelled, staring at the guards each in turn.

“I think we do,” One of the guards replied, tutting quickly. “These boys just tried to steal hundreds of pounds worth of clothes, if you think for one second that they won’t be arrest…” The guard’s words trailed off suddenly, a blank look washing across his face. He blinked slowly, scrunching his brow, then shook his head. The others were doing the same, too.

Grace was stood with both her hands raised, looking between each of the guards in turn. Her forehead was scrunched with effort, beads of sweat appearing and running down her cheeks. She’d never tried so hard to manipulate people’s emotions before. She didn’t know what to aim for, either, she was just trying to make them confused.

Someone stepped up besides Grace’s side, lifting a hand to join hers.

“I will pay for what they took, if you let them go. They’re just kids, they were confused. It won’t happen again,” Johnny’s voice was a calm murmur. Grace grunted and shifted her effort, beginning to chant be agreeable, be sympathetic in her mind as she continued to look between the guards. The guards were all a lot calmer now. Two looked confused but the other two were looking quite affectionately towards the boys, sad smiles on their faces.

Taking the moment of calm, the third boy slipped away from the guard and squatted down, slowly beginning to draw the clothes into a pile again whilst no one was watching him.

“I, no, well yes, of course. So young…” One of the guards squinted towards the boys and Grace focussed her efforts on him. Instantly a wave of calm washed over him and he sighed heavily. “I think we can agree to that. Peters, grab the clothes, we’ll go and get them paid for. Thank you, Sir.”

Grace sighed heavily, dropping her arms. She brushed the sweat from her brow quickly, watching as one of the guards stepped towards the boy and took the clothes from him with a happy expression. All of the guards turned and walked slowly towards the shop, much more relaxed than when they had emerged.

“Good job,” Johnny whispered quietly in Grace’s ear. He patted her shoulder a few times then turned towards the boys. “You lot stay here. And don’t steal anything else whilst I’m gone. Grace is in charge,” Johnny pointed at each of the boys sharply, staring at them with intense annoyance before turning and following the guards.

“Thank you so much,” One of the boys sighed deeply, rushing forward to hug Grace. He pressed his face into her arm, slumping as if completely exhausted. “I thought for sure we were going to be join. I didn’t even want the clothes, but Xiaojun insisted that we had to look good…”

“Do not blame me, Yangyang,” The boy who had been carrying the clothes stepped forward, shaking his head at the boy hugging Grace. “At least I didn’t force the guards into doing a flash mob like Hendery here,” Xiaojun rolled his eyes to the last boy who just shrugged, giving Grace a quick smile.

“I’m a sucker for synchronised dance,” He replied quickly, turning to share a grin with Xiaojun.

“I hate you both,” Yangyang muttered, stepping back from Grace and looking up to her. “But seriously, thank you. We all owe you one.”

Grace hesitated, looking between them. They didn’t look like hardened criminals. Maybe it was just a one-time mistake. She sighed and rolled her shoulders back, shaking her tiredness from her.

“It’s fine,” She smiled cautiously, pointing slowly at her suitcase. “But one of you can pull that for me till we get to the House. I will collect from the other two later. Deal?”

The three boys shared a quick look then nodded, each turning towards her.

“Deal.”

***

It only took 10 minutes for Johnny to work things out with the shop. Grace was glad. There was no telling when the guards might suddenly realise that they were actually angry at Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang and, since Johnny and Grace had helped them, they probably would want to arrest them, too.

It was a huge relief to them all when Johnny emerged from the shop, five huge bags filled with clothes. He scowled at the boys for a moment then shoved all the bags at Xiaojun, letting him figure out how to carry them, and turned to the others.

“Where do we go now? Are we getting a taxi? Or a… shuttle bus?” Grace stepped past Hendery, who was gripping her suitcase, ready to go. Johnny shook his head quickly and turned to mumble. Grace had a feeling he was talking to someone through his ear piece.

“And spend loads on taxi fare? Heck no. Yuzuki House has a bus, which is right here,” Johnny pointed down the street where, he was right, a bus was coming towards them. It looked like a normal grey city bus, it was even a double decker. There were adverts down the side of the bus, too, for Subway. Grace’s stomach rumbled at the sight.

“We have to ride on a bus for four hours?” Xiaojun questioned, a distinct whine in his voice. Johnny didn’t reply, he only laughed as the bus pulled up besides them, the door sliding open.

Yangyang, one of the only people unencumbered, leapt on the bus. He yelled a cheery hello to the driver, turned slightly, and let out a loud and long “woooowwww” then dashed off up the bus.

“After you,” Johnny smiled softly at Grace, sweeping his hand towards the bus. Not hesitating, she leapt up onto the bus.

Wow was right.

It was a bus, but it was actually clean and… nice. Where there were usually two individual seats, there were small, comfortable looking benches with padded seats. Directly to her right, where there was usually a luggage rack, was a big space that looked like a fridge freezer. As Grace moved slowly down the bus, she noticed storage spaces under the seats, and air-con fans in the ceiling. On the back of the seats were little tables, like an airplane, and places to put a drink.

A slow smile spread across Grace’s face as she slipped into one of the seats. Yangyang was at the back of the bus, bouncing up and down with a bright grin on his face.

“This is fantastic, right? Talk about travelling in style!”

Grace nodded slowly, running her hands over the soft leather of the seats. Xiaojun and Hendery both walked past her with changing looks of excitement on their face, talking about luxury and comfort and loving the smell of leather.

“Nice, huh?” Johnny appeared in the aisle and dropped in the seat opposite Grace’s. He lifted one leg up onto the seat and turned so that he was facing her, his back pressed the window. “It’s comfy for all journeys, short and long. Upstairs, the benches fold out, making one massive mattress for over-night journeys. There’s a toilet under the stairs, too.” Johnny grinned, gesturing around him. “You should get some sleep, it’ll be a while before we reach the House and you’ll probably need a lot of… energy… to handle it…”

“Yeah, sure,” Grace wiggled in her seat, trying to get comfortable. After a moments silence, she turned to Johnny. “The boys really aren’t going to get into trouble? They stole clothes…” Grace lowered her voice, glancing back at the boys. They were all gathered close together, chattering quietly. Yangyang was curled on his side, resting his head on Xiaojun’s shoulder, apparently he’d already forgiven him for nearly getting him arrested.

“It’s hard for people like us,” Johnny sighed, kicking off his shoes as he settled back into the comfy seat. “For adults who showed abilities, it was easy for them. They were already self sufficient. Anyone younger than them… they relied on kindness and the open minds of people around them. But normal parents. Well. Most can’t handle people like us,” Johnny was looking at Grace as he spoke, his tone gentle so as keep from getting the boys attention. “Some have to rely on stealing to live. So, no, they won’t get in too much trouble. Now that they have people to look out for them, they should be okay…”

Grace smiled. “You’re a good guy, Johnny.”

“I try,” Johnny chuckled, slumping down into the seat. He yawned loudly, smiling sleepily across at Grace. “I want to be a good Superhuman.”

“I guess it’s pretty easy not to be,” Grace admitted. The bus was rumbling quietly around them, already moving through the busy streets. She had barely noticed, so entranced by her surroundings of the bus and the people. “What I did with the guards… I could have gotten away with stealing millions.”

“That thought had never occurred to you before?” Johnny asked, watching her carefully across the seats.

“No. Never,” Grace replied instantly. “I’ve never really wanted much. I just sit at home and read, mostly. Go on Tumblr, you know…” She shrugged and turned to face the window, resting her cheek against the back of her seat.

“Well, don’t let those thoughts get into your mind. You’d do just as well getting a job and earning money to buy your books,” Grace laughed and nodded, but didn’t reply.

Things were quiet on the bus, but a far more comfortable quiet than she’d been in at the café. She felt safe here, around people like her. Maybe she would make it through this day after all. Maybe she could find a home with these people.

[casputin]

22. The Boggart in the Wardrobe

Thursday morning the Slytherins and Gryffindors had double potions. Malfoy still hadn't made an appearance since the incident with Buckbeak.

'Today,' Professor Black began, 'we will be making a Shrinking Solution. But before we begin, I would like to address the erumpent in the room. I am sure that by now you are all aware that the murderer Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison. I am sure that many of you have even come to the conclusion we are related. This is true, we are. In fact he is my older brother.' There were gasps around the room at this revelation, particularly from Lavender and Parvati.

'I can assure you,' Black continued, 'that I do not condone his actions and the Dementors that surround this school have my full support to do what they deign necessary to capture him and make sure he never sees the light of day again.'

Harry thought it was all very cold, calculated and over-rehearsed, but could dwell no further as Black began their lesson proper.

Halfway through their class, Malfoy swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Harry's opinion, as though he was the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.

'Mr Malfoy,' said Black, as Draco took his seat. 'You are an hour late to my lesson. Would you care to explain yourself?'

Malfoy looked as if he'd just been struck by Buckbeack again.

'I'm waiting for your excuse, Mr Malfoy. And it had better be good.'

'Madame Pomfrey has only just signed my out of the Hospital Ward, Professor,' Malfoy said eventually.

'You and I both know this to be false, Mr Malfoy. Madame Pomfrey fixed you up immediately after the incident and recommended bed rest for the rest of the day. That was at the start of the week. You have missed every class since and you have turned up to mine an hour late. 50 points from Slytherin, and I will see you in my office tonight at 6pm sharp to discuss you detention. And please take off that ridiculous bandage; Madame Pomfrey is one of the best healers in this country and you do her a disservice by wearing it.'

Malfoy had gone as red as a beet. He looked downcast at his Cauldron and took off his bandage, revealing a scar free arm.

'Carry on,' Black said to the class before returning to his marking.

They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. He began chopping his daisy roots in silence. The other Slytherins were glaring at him furiously.

'Father's written to the Governors, by the way,' Malfoy said quietly. 'And the Ministry of Magic. I thought you ought to know. He's going to try and get Hagrid sacked.'

'Is that why you were still wearing your bandage?' Harry hissed. Malfoy didn't answer, but his embarrassed silence told Harry everything.

'Hey, Harry,' said Seamus Finnegan, leaning over to borrow Harry's brass scales a little while later, breaking the uncomfortable silence, 'have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning - they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted.

'Where?' said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely.

'Not too far from here,' said Seamus, who looked excited. 'It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she 'phoned the telephone hotline. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone.'

'Not too far from here ...' Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely. 'What are you looking at, Malfoy?'

Malfoy's eyes were subbing malevolently, and they were fixed on Harry. He leant across the table

'Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handedly, Potter?

'Yeah, that's right,' said Harry offhandedly.

Malfoy's thin mouth was curving into a mean smile.

'Of course, if it was me,' he said quietly, 'I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good little boy, I'd be out there looking for him.'

'Mr Malfoy,' came Professor Black's voice, before the conversation could continue. 'Is it not enough that you were late, but you have to continue chatting incessantly too. Ten more points from Slytherin. At this rate, you'll be single handedly responsible for taken us into negative figures, something not achieved since the Great Hufflepuff Folly of 1846.'

At the end of class Black tested everyone's potion on old textbooks. Everyone's potion worked, except for Malfoy's. Neville's book shrunk the most, closely followed by Hermione's, gaining Gryffindor give points apiece.

...

Lupin led the Gryffindors down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staff-room door.

'Inside, please,' said Lupin, opening it and standing back.

The staff room, a long, panelled room full of old, mismatched furniture, was empty of staff.

'Now, then,' said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class towards the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe in which the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe have a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.

'Nothing to worry about,' said Professor Lupin calmly, as a few people jumped backwards in alarm. 'There's a Boggart in there.'

Most people seemed to feel this was something to worry about. Neville face Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnegan eyed the note rattling doorknob apprehensively.

...

'We will practise the charm without wands first. After me, please ... riddikulus!'

'Riddikulus!' said the class together.

'Good,' said Professor Lupin. 'Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. Let's see ... ah, Ronald, perhaps you can help in this next bit. What would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?'

'Spiders, Professor,' said Ron, shuddering at the thought. There were a couple of titters amongst the class. 'And I prefer Ron.'

'Very well, Ron. Now, let's think about how we could make a spider amusing. How about giving it roller skates?'

Ron blanched at the thought. 'But then it could get me quicker!' The were a few more laughs this time. 'I'd rather it have no legs, just rolling around like a Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Bean.'

'Very good, Ron. When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe and sees you, it will assume the form of a spider,' said Lupin. 'And you will raise your wand - thus - and cry "Riddikulus" - and concentrate hard on it having no legs and rolling around like a Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Bean.'

The wardrobe wobbled more violently.

'If Ron is successful, the Boggart is likely to turn his attention to each of us in turn,' said Professor Lupin. 'I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical ...'

...

'Ron, we're going to back away,' said Professor Lupin. 'Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward ... Everyone back, now, so Ron can get a clear shot -'

They all retreated, backing against the walls, leaving Ron alone beside the wardrobe. He held his wand ready and gulped, ready for the Spider that was about to confront him.

'On the count of three, Ron,' said Professor Lupin, who was putting his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. 'One - two - three - now!'

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking it's pincers menacingly. A few students screamed. Harry thought of Hagrid's pet, Aragog, who he and Hermione had encountered last year and was about twice the size of the best in front of them. If Ron had been with them, Harry dreaded to think how he would have reacted.

'Riddikulus!' bellowed Ron. There was a noise line a whip-crack and the spider's legs vanished. It rolled over and over until it landed at Dean's feet. The legless spider turned into a severed hand with a crack. It flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

'Riddikulus!' yelled Dean.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

'Excellent! Seamus, forward!'

There was another crack and the hand was now a woman with floor length black hair and a skeletal, green tinged face - a banshee. She opened her mouth wide, and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek which made the hair in Harry's head stand up on end -

'Riddikulus!' shouted Seamus.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.

'Parvati!' Lupin roared.

Parvati stepped forward, her face set. The banshee turned to her and with another crack became a blood-stained, bandaged mummy. It began to walk very slowly towards Parvati, dragging is feet, stiff arms raising -

'Riddikulus!' cried Parvati.

A bandage unravelled at the mummy's get; it became entangled and fell forwards and it's head rolled off.

Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then - crack! - became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before - crack! - becoming a single, bloody eyeball.

'It's confused!' shouted Lupin. 'We're getting there! Neville!'

Neville stepped forward, nervously. The eyeball turned into his grandmother, who was writing on the floor, seemingly in great pain.

'Ri-ri-rid-' Neville stuttered. Lupin took the opportunity to jump in and Neville's grandmother disappeared in another crack.

For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where the Boggart was. Then they saw a silvery white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who said 'Riddikulus!' almost lazily.

Crack!

'Forward, Ron, and finish him off!' said Lupin, as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. Crack! The spider returned.

'Riddikulus!' Ron shouted, the Spider lost it's legs again and as it fell to the floor it exploded, bursting into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.

'Excellent!' cried Lupin, as the class broke into applause. 'Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone. Let me see ... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart - ten for Ron because he did it twice - and give each for Harry and Hermione.'

'But I didn't do anything,' said Harry.

'You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry,' Lupin said lightly. 'Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarise or for me ... to be handed in on Monday. That will be all, except for you Neville, I'd like to have a word, if I may.'

Talking excitedly the class left the staff room. Harry, Ron and Hermione hung back to wait for Neville.

'That was the best Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson we've ever had, wasn't it?' said Ron excitedly.

'He sends a very good teacher,' said Hermione approvingly. 'But I wish I could have had a turn with the Boggart ...'

Harry couldn't help but agree. It hadn't escaped his notice that Lupin's eyes passed over him whenever he chose a student to confront the Boggart.

'What would it have been for you?' Ron asked Hermione, sniggering. 'A piece of homework that only for nine out of ten?'

The door opened and Neville walked out, looking slightly less shaken than before.

'Are you alright Neville?' Harry said.

'Yeah, fine thanks, let's go get our stuff,' said Neville, before leading the way back to the classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a glance, silently agreeing to drop the subject of his Boggart until Neville felt comfortable discussing it with them, before following him back to the classroom.

____________________________________________________

I like the idea that Black isn't as forgiving of Slytherins as Snape is, much closer to McGonagall's way of teaching. I also like the idea of him not putting up with Draco's shit and molding him into something more humane from the get go.

Of course, with Snape out of the picture Neville needed a new Boggart, but with Regulus being quite supportive I figured the next thing he'd fear would be losing his grandmother, his only family left, to the curse he lost his parents to.

I also get in a dig at the movies in this scene regarding the spider on roller skates!

[randomactuallywrites-57]

Candid Complex (Chapter Three)

Title: Candid Complex Author: randomwriter57 Rating: G+ Pairing/s: sormik Summary: Wednesdays are always hectic. But at least Sorey has something to look forward to, today.

AO3 Link

Wednesdays are always hectic.

For all intents and purposes, there’s no reason they should be this chaotic. He only has a couple of classes today, the first one being in the morning, hours before the rest. Really, his day should be a lot more relaxed than it actually is. But there is never a Wednesday morning which does not turn into a catastrophe, thanks to an arrangement Sorey should have called off ages ago.

To be fair, he didn’t know at the time that Rose had terrible time management.

It’s strange. Rose somehow manages to be where she needs to be, exactly on time, no earlier and no later, at all costs. Yet, she never leaves the house early enough for Sorey to be sure he’ll be on time for his own lecture, which is on the other side of campus from where Rose parks the car. His Archaeology lecturer must think he goes to the gym before class, because he always shows up out of breath and red-cheeked, three minutes before the start of class, due to panic.

(It can be argued, paradoxically, that Rose’s time management is impeccable, since it gets her exactly where she needs to be, when she needs to be there. She has no concept of an appropriate time to show up to classes, though.)

Still, it’s more beneficial for him to get a ride from Rose when he can; it saves getting up as early to walk there, and she only lives next door, so it’s no trouble for her.

Having Rose next door is both a blessing and a curse, though. Sure, it helps in the department of getting a ride to university, and it’s nice to have a friend living so close by. Rose, however, practically lives in Sorey’s comfortable one-bedroom flat, considering how much time she spends on his couch. Even if she makes it to his house at an acceptable enough time for them to leave without being late to class, she always comes up with a petty excuse to stay a little longer.

“Rose, I appreciate your help,” Sorey says, clenching and loosening his fist restlessly, “but you really don’t have to choose an outfit for me.”

With a double-dagger glare, Rose says, “Sure, maybe some chicks dig the nerdy aesthetic, but if you’re going on a date, you need to look presentable.”

“Mikleo’s not ‘some chick’, though. Besides, it’s only the ice cream parlour.”

“Don’t you think that nerd boy will appreciate you making an effort?”

In all honesty, he doesn’t think how he’s dressed will make so much of a difference. It doesn’t look like he’ll be able to get out of this though. At least Rose’s fashion sense isn’t completely terrible.

(She isn’t even that interested in fashion. In fact, Sorey can’t remember a time when she’s ever fussed so much over her own clothing choices; she prefers comfortable clothes which are easy to move around in. He supposes it’s because she wants this relationship to work out, even if she knows it isn’t supposed to be real in the first place.)

Rose pulls some clothes out of the wardrobe, scrutinises them, then stuffs them back inside. “Anyway, I thought you wanted things to work out with him.”

“I do,” Sorey says. “But with Mikleo, appearances don’t matter like they do for other people. That might be why he seems so modest about himself.”

“So what, he’s the living embodiment of physical perfection?” Rose says.

Flustered, Sorey waves his hands in refusal. “What? No, I didn’t-”

“I’m teasing you,” she says, turning to him with a smile, “but it’s obvious that you think he’s hot.”

Sorey looks down at his hands. “It’s not just his looks, though. He’s such a great person.”

Rose turns away, pulling a different shirt out of the wardrobe. “I hope you’re right.”

Before Sorey can ask what she means, Rose thrusts the shirt into his hands and pushes him into the bathroom to change. He decides not to push the subject - after all, it’s unlikely he’ll get an answer from her, now.

Once their classes end for the day, Sorey and Mikleo meet up beside the statue of Meliodas, as usual.

(The statue doesn’t really fit Ladylake University, in Sorey’s opinion. Meliodas lived centuries before Ladylake was founded, so unless he visited the lake itself whilst unifying the continent, this choice makes little sense.

It still makes an interesting feature, though, especially considering the rumours surrounding it. Apparently touching the sword held by Meliodas allows you to get away with any wrong act with no repercussions. Sorey isn’t sure how believable the rumour is, but Meliodas was supposedly a bit of a tyrant, so he can see how it came about, at least.)

When Mikleo arrives, his eyes hold a hint of questioning. Sorey shrinks a little, suddenly feeling the naked judgement the clothes chosen by Rose are conducting. It’s not like she chose anything outlandish, either - only a blue shirt and black trousers, paired with his favourite feathered earrings and a red and black bracelet, also with feathers on it. Maybe it’s his jacket - the white definitely contrasts with his darker shirt, though the navy detailing makes it blend more nicely. Or at least, so he’d thought.

Mikleo lifts a hand, hesitating for a moment at the side of Sorey’s face. Gently, he lifts one of the feathered earrings with the tips of his fingers. “I’ve never seen you wear these before,” he says softly.

For a moment, Sorey forgets to reply, too distracted by Mikleo; lips pressed into a small pout, eyes focused and curious, with a touch lighter than the feather it holds. Most people might be uncomfortable, with someone they barely know in such close contact. Sorey, however, leans into his touch. Purple eyes to latch onto green, caught in a moment of unexpected intimacy.

Mikleo pulls his hand away.

It takes a second for him to snap out of it. When he does, Sorey finally responds in a more rushed manner than he’d have liked. “I’ve had them for a long time, but I don’t usually wear them for classes.”

Making an ‘oh’ shape with his lips, he nods slowly. For whatever reason, when he meets Sorey’s eyes again, it feels like he has more questions, but he does not ask them. Instead he says, “Shall we get going, then?”

The two begin their walk towards the ice cream parlour, chatting absently about whatever comes to mind. Sorey can’t help it when his thoughts go in a different direction, distracted from Mikleo’s casual conversation about his morning lecture. All he can think about is how nice it feels to walk by his side, to listen to his voice, to be able to experience moments like this with him.

If only they were dating for real.

It’s only as he thinks this that he remembers that, even if this relationship is temporary, the purpose of dates like this is to make it seem like they are. If they’re supposed to be on a date, then it’s only fair to assume they should be acting more like a couple - or at least, that’s how Sorey sees it.

How does a real couple act? There aren’t any other couples around at the moment, only single stragglers. Thinking back to whenever he has seen couples, though, he always remembers seeing them showing affection through physical intimacy, like holding hands, hugging, or… kissing.

(The last thought makes heat rise to his cheeks, and he dispels it.)

Holding hands should be a good start, right?

Carefully, he extends his hand across the short distance between them, the back of his hand brushing against Mikleo’s knuckles.

“Sorey?”

He looks up to find that Mikleo has stopped. Mikleo gives him a concerned look, even more questions popping into his eyes.

“A-ah, sorry!” Sorey gives a nervous laugh. “I just thought that, since we’re meant to look like we’re dating-”

Mikleo interrupts him by finishing what Sorey started, twining their hands together between them. Though the warmth comforts him, he is frozen in place by the action.

“Your timing is awful,” Mikleo teases. He starts walking again, pulling Sorey behind him and continuing his story as if nothing had happened.

For the remainder of their journey, their hands stay clasped between them, a link growing stronger with the contact. Sorey actually feels some regret once they reach the ice cream parlour, at which point he is forced to drop Mikleo’s hand so he can open the door.

(It’s required two hands to shove open ever since The Incident a year ago, or so he’s been told. He honestly doesn’t know why the owner hasn’t had it fixed yet, or what The Incident even entailed, but no matter.)

As ever, the ice cream parlour is quiet, mostly due to the time of day and week. It’s dinnertime on a Wednesday, after all - not exactly peak ice cream time. As such, most of the diner-style booths and tables are free, save for a woman Sorey doesn’t recognise reading a newspaper at a table in the corner of the room.

One would think the bright colours and welcoming nature of the parlour would make it more popular, but with it being on a back street, he supposes it makes sense for it to be so quiet.

In any case, this is Sorey’s favourite time to get ice cream, and he’s happy that today he’ll be able to share this happy moment with Mikleo.

They make their way to the counter, which is currently unmanned; the staff are most likely all in the kitchens right now. Sorey looks over to Mikleo, trying to gauge his reaction to the place. Mikleo’s face does not betray much, though his eyes are fixed on the menu hanging behind the counter, moving over each item and scrutinising it.

“What are you thinking of getting?” Sorey asks, both in an attempt to make conversation and out of genuine curiosity as to what kinds of flavours Mikleo likes.

Mikleo hums, putting a hand on his chin in thought. “They have a good variety of flavours, so it’s difficult to choose. I’ll probably go for matcha, then.”

Suddenly, a new voice enters the conversation. “Matcha for Meebo? Why am I not surprised.”

Behind the counter is one of the workers, a short girl with blond hair and a teasing smirk, aimed at Mikleo. Sorey recognises her from a few of his past visits, though he hasn’t spoken to her much, save for ordering his own ice cream.

Mikleo groans. “I forgot you worked around here.”

“Is that any way to greet a lady?” she admonishes. “Have some respect.”

“Hello, Edna,” Mikleo says in a flat tone. “Is that better?”

Edna does not answer, instead looking over to Sorey with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

“I could say the same for the two of you,” Sorey says with a laugh.

“Oh, Meebo and I have a long and complex relationship,” Edna says.

Mikleo crosses his arms over his chest. “By which she means that she’s friends with a family friend of mine, and I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity of knowing her since I was quite young.”

Edna does not make any further comment, instead turning to Sorey. “I’m guessing you want two scoops of vanilla in a waffle cone, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Punching the order into the register, she tells them how much they owe. Sorey pulls out his wallet and passes some gald over, much to Mikleo’s chagrin.

“You don’t need to pay for me,” Mikleo says.

“We’re dating, right?” Sorey says with a grin. “Let me treat you every once in a while.”

Mikleo, surprisingly, does not push the issue - not that he gets a chance to. At Sorey’s words, Edna speaks once more.

“What? Meebo, you finally got a boyfriend?”

“Can you stop calling me that?” Mikleo says with a sigh. “But yes, Sorey and I are dating.”

For a moment, an expression of sincere surprise crosses Edna’s face before she returns to her usual poker-faced expression. “Well, he’s something, alright. Just keep your gross affection out of my store.”

Sorey frowns, not really understanding what she means by ‘something’, but he doesn't ask.

“It’s not technically your store,” Mikleo points out, but Edna ignores him in favour of scooping ice cream into two separate cones. She passes Mikleo his first, and he takes off to a table in the corner.

“Sorey,” Edna says quietly. Her eyes glint with an unexpected determination which takes him aback. “You’d better be serious about him. Meebo doesn’t like being played around with.”

Before Sorey gets a chance to answer, Edna passes him his ice cream and disappears into the kitchen once more, leaving them on their own. Sorey shrugs to himself and moves over to the table where Mikleo waits for him.

“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable,” Sorey says as he sits down. “I didn’t realise you two knew each other.”

“It’s fine,” Mikleo says. “I knew she worked in this area of town, but I didn’t know she worked here.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sorey eats some of his ice cream, smiling as soon as the familiar flavour hits his taste-buds. This is the reason he loves this place so much - he hasn’t found a better tasting soft-scoop yet. None of the others have such a smooth texture, or such an enticing flavour. They’re all either too grainy or bland for his liking.

Across from him, Mikleo raises an eyebrow with a fond expression. “You really like that ice cream, don’t you?”

“It’s my favourite,” he confesses. “Do you want to try it?”

Mikleo nods. Sorey tilts the ice cream towards Mikleo, watching as he leans over to try some. In the background, someone starts coughing rather loudly, but when he turns around in concern, all he sees is the door to the kitchen swinging shut.

“It’s good,” Mikleo says as he leans away again. “Though it’s not as good as the ice cream I make.”

“Woah, you can make ice cream?”

“Yes. It’s the first thing I was ever taught to make.” Mikleo opens his mouth, as though to say more, but his expression turns to surprise as his own ice cream drips onto his hand. He saves his ice cream from any more catastrophes by eating some, at which point Sorey remembers to eat his own before it also melts.

After a few minutes, Sorey says, “How’s your one?”

“It’s good.” He tilts it towards Sorey in offering.

Without a second thought, Sorey tries some of the matcha ice cream, humming at the sweet flavour, which leaves an unexpectedly bitter aftertaste, at which he wrinkles his nose. “I prefer vanilla, but that one’s good too!”

“I guess you like sweet things,” Mikleo says, going back to his own ice cream.

“I’m not particularly fussy, actually,” Sorey says with a shrug. “Ever since I was young, I’ve pretty much had to eat whatever is put on my plate.”

“Strict parents?”

Sorey looks down at his ice cream, sunken beneath walls of waffle cone. “Not really. I mean, I grew up with just my Gramps, so I ended up doing a lot of the cooking.”

He feels Mikleo’s eyes on him as he says, “Did your parents…?”

“My mother died just after I was born,” Sorey says simply. “I was premature, and her body was pretty weak at the time.” He honestly doesn’t feel saddened by the thought. As much as he would have loved his mother had she lived, he doesn’t remember her at all, so it’s not like he knows what he’s missing. He can’t deny a little bit of curiosity as to what she might have been like, but it’s never been all that important to him.

“I see,” Mikleo says. By his tone, Sorey can tell he understands, somehow. “What’s your Gramps like?”

Finally looking back up at Mikleo, Sorey grins. “He’s amazing. Even though he’s pretty old, he’s still doing stuff for everyone in the village. I think you’d like him.”

“You’re not from Ladylake?”

“Nope! I’m from Elysia, a village in the mountains.” At the name of his village, he feels a pang of homesickness. It’s been a while since he’s been home. “Hey, you should come visit with me sometime!”

Mikleo gives him a small smile, which for some reason doesn’t manage to completely reach his eyes. “That sounds nice.”

Sorey grins, and they go back to eating their ice creams for a few minutes. That is, until a thought strikes Sorey, and he turns back to Mikleo.

“Were you born in Ladylake, then?”

“No, I grew up in Camlann. It’s not too far from Elysia, if I remember correctly.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that place! The Origin Village, right?”

“Yes,” Mikleo says. “A village which became the origin of hope once the last known Shepherd defeated the Lord of Calamity. Or at least, so the legends say.”

The idea of growing up in such a historical place amazes Sorey. He wonders if that’s why Mikleo is so interested in history as he is.

“Isn’t it where The Celestial Record was written, too?”

Mikleo nods. “Most of it, anyway.”

“That’s so cool,” Sorey says. “There must be so many places to explore there, so much history to discover!”

“Maybe you could visit, sometime.”

Something in Sorey’s chest heats up at the pseudo-invitation. “I’d love that!”

Despite his happiness, however, it’s only once he and Mikleo part for the night that he remembers that this is only meant to be temporary. Once Mikleo suggests they ‘break up’, their friendship could be on the line. After all, the feelings in Sorey’s heart only continue to grow, and he’s not sure what will happen if they reach overflowing capacity.

In any case, he can’t burden Mikleo with feelings he doesn’t reciprocate. From what he’s seen, Mikleo isn’t interested in a romantic relationship at all, and Sorey has managed all his life so far without one, too. Even if he has to live with unrequited feelings, he can survive so long as his friendship with Mikleo continues as before.

Until he can put these chaotic feelings in his heart to rest, Sorey will do his best to support Mikleo in whatever way he can. He will not burden him with these feelings, not if it will only end up hurting him and putting a stopper on their friendship. He can’t imagine having to live knowing that he’s made Mikleo feel uncomfortable with him. To stay with Mikleo, he’ll put up with keeping his emotions hidden.

Even if that means heartbreak.