#his title makes me imagine him collecting lupines

[feheroesmaxlvl]

Red beast Keaton in FE Heroes

Submitted by @kazeshxni

[castexpectopatronum]

Liquid Amber - Part III [Remus Lupin x Reader Imagine]

Summary: You had been crushing on Remus Lupin for an eternity when you finally decided to ask him out. However, things do not go as planned and you remain wondering just what exactly is going on with this boy.

notes: reupload because the original got deleated

trigger warnings: none

word count: 1.9k

Masterlist

What was Remus Lupin hiding?

The question was burning inside of you ever since your encounter in the corridor a few days ago. And even though you knew that it was none of your business, you still were determined to find out.

Concerning this matter, it was fortunate you fancied Remus as that made you far more observant of him. Whenever you could, you shot glances at him, during meals and classes, and paid special attention to his behaviour. You did notice that he seemed rather sick, he looked pale and peaky and he seemed to be growing weaker by each day.

Then, he disappeared. When you stepped into the Transfiguration classroom one day, already late, only to find his seat empty, a deep frown appeared on your face. His friends, James, Sirius and Peter, were there, but unusually quiet and had black shadows under their eyes. Peter even fell asleep during the lesson; his soft snores filled the classroom until Sirius nudged him with his ellbow causing Peter to almost fall from his chair. You observed them carefully while pretending to listen to Professor McGonagall’s lecture. Perhaps the Marauders had pulled off an all-nighter of some sort but that still didn’t explain Remus’ absence. Maybe he had a hangover – although you failed to imagine Remus as some kind of party animal.

Remembering how sickly he had looked the day before, you decided to check the Hospital Wing for him and bring Remus some chocolate bars from Honeyduke’s which you knew he loved.

However, when you entered the Hospital Wing, you found that it was already occupied. James, Sirius and Peter were huddled around a bed at the far corner of the room, hiding the person lying in it from your view. The expression upon their faces turned into one of surprise once they spotted you, mirroring your own.

“Sorry,” you said, taken aback by their presence – although now that you thought about it, you should have expected it. “I didn’t know you were here. I was just looking for Remus.”

The three of them exchanged looks, as if they knew something you didn’t, and stood up.

“No problem, we just wanted to leave, anyway,” Sirius said. Next moment, he groaned all of a sudden, leaving you to raise your eyebrows in surprise. James bent down to whisper something in Remus’ ear who looked rather alarmed. He replied something in a hushed voice but James simply gave him a crooked grin, patted him gently on the shoulder and barely gave Sirius and Peter the chance to say their goodbyes before he pushed them towards the door. Playing with your sleeves, you observed them with furrowed eyebrows.

“Y’know, if it’s not a good time, I can come back tomorrow or-”

“Nonsense, the time is perfect,” James interrupted.

“Just make sure to be gentle with him,” said Peter in a concerned voice. “He’s been through a lot.”

Your frown deepened. “What do you mean?”

“Just a nasty flu, tha’s all,” said Sirius quickly, shooting Peter a warning glance. “Nothing to worry about. Give it a few days and he’ll be as good as new.” He turned to his friends. “C’mon, we best be going.” They shot you one last glance and Peter flashed a smile, then the door closed behind them, the sound echoing in the room, leaving you and Remus alone in the Hospital Wing.

You turned around to him and chuckled nervously. “Well, that did not quite go as I expected.”

Remus didn’t laugh. He didn’t smile. He didn’t give any indication whatsoever that he was happy to see you. He simply stared at you, his eyes shining like liquid amber.

“What are you doing here?”

“I missed you in class today. Here.” You placed the chocolate bars on the nightstand next to his bed. “A little something to cheer you up. Thought you could use it.”

Remus nodded weakly. “Thank you,” he muttered and watched you sit down on a chair.

You smiled sheepishly. “So, the flu, eh?”

Remus shrugged and pulled the blanket up to his chin. “Happens to the best of us.”

You took in his appearence with furrowed eyebrows. Remus was whiter than the bedsheets, his face was hallow, and his eyes, usually so attentive and full of warmth, were now dull. Dark bags circling them, and he looked very thin and weak. You doubted he even had the strength to get up.

“How are you feeling?”

Remus turned his head away from you and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m fine.”

You cocked your head. “And Dumbledore isn’t two-hundred years old.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “I don’t think he’s quite that old.”

“How would you know? Do you know when he was born?”

“No wizard gets that old.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Dumbledore did. The man is ancient.”

This finally evoqued a smile from him which you couldn’t help but return. But he remained silent.

“You don’t really have the flu, do you?”

Remus’ head spun around, and although he hid it quickly and put on a neutral expression, you did not miss the flash of panic in his eyes.

“Of course I have the flu. What else should I have?”

“Remus, you’re as white as a ghost. The flu is terrible but it doesn’t make you look as if you’re on the brink of death.”

The moment the words left your mouth, you knew you had hit a nerve. Remus’ jaw clenched and his eyes suddenly turned colder. He turned his head to stare at the ceiling, avoiding the worried yet piercing look in your eyes.

“It’s a nasty one.”

You snorted. “Sure. Don’t try and fool me, Remus. I know a flu when I see it and whatever it is that you have, it’s not that.”

He didn’t respond.

You sighed, regretting the harsh tone in your voice. “Listen, Remus... You don’t have to tell me what you have or why you get sick so often. But... I just want you to know that I’m there for you if you ever do want to talk about it. And whatever it is – I can’t imagine it could change my opinion on you.” You gave your best to give him an encouraging smile and stood up. “You should eat some chocolate. You’ll feel better afterwards.”

You knew he wouldn’t answer but still lingered for several moments to a least give him the opportunity to. When your conviction proved to be right, however, you gave him one last half-hearted smile and left the Hospital Wing.

A part of you had hoped that after this incident Remus and you would grow closer but instead Remus was more determined than ever to avoid you. Every time you passed him in the hallway, you felt a painful sting in your heart. However, the original issue of Remus refusing to go out with you became less and less important to you although your crush on him grew stronger by each day.

Your academic success was quite average but you weren’t stupid – to you there was no doubt that Remus’s illness was the cause of all this trouble, also considering he often looked pale and sickly. Every time you saw him looking particularly weak, your wish to help him grew even more urgent than before but you could only help him with his condition if you knew what it was – and trying to get Remus to open up about his sickness was about as effective as convincing James of writing a love letter to Snape.

It was two months of this slow torture and several stupid theories later that you realised Remus’s sickness was not only a frequent but also regular occurence. As far as you remembered, he seemed to be getting sick every once a month.

A deep frown appeared on your face and you turned around in your seat to look at Remus who was taking notes on Professor Flitwick’s words. His face was pale again with dark bags circling his eyes. A strange cut peaked out from under his shirt collor.

As if he had felt your intent gaze, Remus suddenly lifted his head. For one moment, is amber eyes burned into yours, then his intense expression turned into one of guilt and he quickly looked back down at his notes.

That day you merely picked at your food, your thoughts far away. Your friend watched in concern as you ripped a breadroll into tiny little pieces without eating any of it, staring absent-mindedly onto the wooden table.

“(Y/N), are you alright?”

Startled, you looked up, halting in your motion. “Yeah, I uh...” You hesitated, looking at the breah crumbs in your hand. “Actually, I still got something to do, uh...” Pushing your plate away, you stood up from the dining table, your friend watching you in confusion. “I’ll catch you up later,” you promised and left the Great Hall before your friend had even opened their mouth to protest.

The library was dead quiet as every student was at dinner which was very much to your liking. That way you could follow your suspicions without having to worry about anybody asking unwanted questions.

Pensively, you let your fingers brush over the back of the old books until you finally pulled one out, feeling the weight of it in your hands. You viewed the cover thoughtfully for a moment before you tucked it under your arm and continued to collect more books.

Half an hour later, you carried a great stash of books out of the library, carefully transporting them the long way to your common room as they didn’t all fit into your bag.

“What the hell is that?” your friend asked incredulously as you entered your dorm room and let the books fall onto your bed where they scattered all over your blanket.

“Books,” you answered.

Your friend raised their eyebrows. „Really,“ they said blankly. „Good thing you explained that, I had no idea.“ You threw them an half-annoyed, half-amused glance as they strolled over to your bedside and viewed the book titles.

“Magical Diseases and Epidemics,” they read aloud, “Dragon Pox or Measles? An Encyclopedia on Magical Maladies.” They raised their head to look at you, their eyebrows raised so high they almost disappeared in their hairline. “Are you sick?”

“No,” you said, shaking your head, and started stacking the books on the nightstand, pushing your friend aside as you did. “It’s ... a new hobby.”

“A hobby?”

“Yes. That’s what you call an enjoyable freetime activity.”

“I didn’t know purulent dragon pox were an enjoyable free time activity.”

You threw her an annoyed glance as you put another book on the growing stack. “It’s an interesting topic as I have realised.”

“And you had to skip dinner to get those books?”

“Yes,” you said, avoiding your friend’s eyes.

You knew they didn’t believe a single thing you said but thankfully, they didn’t further inquire. Instead, they rolled their eyes and let themselves fall onto their own bed. “I always knew you were weird,” they said. “Just make sure you don’t actually get sick. I don’t fancy getting dragon pox.”

“No one is going to get dragon pox,” you replied, but a small smile was tugging at your lips. The two of you walked down to your common room to do your homework which, although you had quite some trouble concentrating on, you hurried to finish, so you could get back to your books.

Remus Lupin had a problem and you were determined to find out what it was.

[mfingenius]

Hey, idk if you’re taking prompts rn, but I was wondering if you could write something where Draco was raised by Sirius, or Sirius and Lupin? Like Narcissa gives baby Draco to Sirius bc she doesn’t want him raised by death eaters (or maybe doesn’t want him raised by an abusive Lucius if it’s a no Voldemort au), and it’s drarry with Draco having a protective dad au? This is def in part inspired by your Weasley!Draco fic that I’m obsessed w rn 😬

“Draco,” Sirius says.

“No.” Draco says firmly.

“Draco,”

“Dad, I swear to Merlin-”

“Leave him alone, Sirius,” Remus laughs from the kitchen, where he’s baking cookies. “When he’s ready to admit it to himself, he will.”

“I don’t need to admit anything to myself!” Draco says, face burning. Sirius is sitting upside down on their couch, grinning brightly at their son. “I don’t like Harry!”

“Yes, you do,” Both of his dads say, Remus much more calmly than Sirius.

“Come on,” Sirius rolls his eyes. “You’ve been moping all summer!”

Draco’s face heats further. 

“I wasn’t moping!” He defends feebly, pulling at the frayed hem of his jumper. He’s wearing soft pajama bottoms and a jumper Harry gifted him when they were twelve. It’s been four years, and it still fits him too big.

“Oh, you were so definitely moping,” Sirius rolls his eyes with a smirk. “You spent hours waiting for his owl-”

“Did not!” Draco exclaims.

“Here, try this.” Remus has come into the living room holding a tray of cookies, and he hands Sirius a small piece and Draco another; he took it up as a way to relax before the full moon when they adopted Draco. He seemed to have a special radar for whenever Remus was in a bad mood, and he cried like mad - which did not help at all - until it got better, leaving him no other option but to find something that made him happy quick.

“It’s good,” Sirius says immediately, mouth full. “More?”

“No,” Remus says, putting the tray on the counter and sitting on the couch next to his husband. “They’re for my students.”

Draco gives his father his best imploring look. “I’m your student.”

Remus throws him an amused, exasperated look. “My summer students.”

He teaches Defense against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts; in the summers, he teaches art and science in kindergarden. Sirius is the coach of the Quidditch Little League year-round, has been for years now, since he opened the kindergarden. He does it in the summer, too, since they have a summer camp.

Draco’s spent the better part of the mornings helping them take care of the kids, since Harry and his parents had gone to a holiday in Rome. The afternoons, he’s been spending at Hermione’s house, and the weekends with his uncle Regulus in his tattoo parlour. 

He’s the best tattoo artist in magical England, and though both of his dads have tattoos of their own, they haven’t given him permission to get one until he’s eighteen. Draco’s anxiously waiting.

“No fair,” Draco pouts. 

Sirius mirrors the pout. “We’re your husband and son, and you don’t want to give us cookies? Cruel, Moony, plain cruel.”

Remus rolls his eyes fondly at their antics, and summons two cookies from the kitchen to give to them, which immediately makes them smirk. “You’re both spoiled.”

Neither Draco nor Sirius bother denying it. 

“Come on,” Remus says. “You need to get ready for tonight or we’re going to be late.”

Sirius hums and stands, making his way to their bedroom; they’re invited to Fleur and Bill Weasley’s engagement party - Draco can’t go because it’s in a bar he can’t get into, since he’s underage - and Draco’s planning to spend the night watching muggle films on their telly. The only reason they have one is because they live in Muggle London - Draco’s never particularly understood why - and, although he can imagine the city to be more boring than magical ones, it’s his home.

Remus follows Sirius down the hall. Draco begins to flip through their film collection, and he’s trying to choose what to watch tonight, when the bell rings.

Draco frowns; he’s not expecting anyone - he’s literally in the oldest clothes he owns - and neither are his dads, that he knows of. It must be Alex, looking for their cat again. They’ve only had the cat for three months, but Draco’s already made friends with Alex because of how often it’s gotten lost.

“I haven’t seen Mrs. Fluffington, Alex,” He calls while he opens the door; insead of staring at Alex’s pale face and lavender hair, he finds himself staring at a deep red shirt.

“I’m not Alex,” He freezes momentarily at the voice, before looking up - and up, and up - and straight into Harry’s handsome face.

He looks him up and down a few times.

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Draco says, irritated.

“Watch your mouth,” Sirius says as he passes by, which make’s Draco’s face twist in embarrassment. He hadn’t thought before speaking.

Harry laughs. 

“It’s not ridiculous,” He says. “It’s normal.”

“It’s not normal to have grown half a meter over the summer!” Draco says. He’s not used to having to strain his neck to look up at Harry; he’s not used to having to look up at Harry at all. He’s always been shorter than Draco is!

“It’s not my fault you haven’t grown at all,” Harry says with a cheeky smirk. Draco’s cheeks heat, and he sticks his tongue out at Harry. “Isn’t that the jumper I got you when we were twelve?”

Draco wrinkles his nose - he’d pleaded Harry wouldn’t remember that the second he’d opened the door - and says, “No.”

“It is,” Sirius says, from inside. “He sleeps in it.”

Draco turns beet red and Harry grins smugly. 

“When did you get back anyway?” Draco asks, dying to change the subject. He moves out of the way, and Harry takes that as the invitation that it is and walks in. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

“This evening,” Harry says. Draco shuts the door behind him while Harry greets Sirius and Remus. “I thought we could have a movie night. My parents are going to Bill’s and Fleur’s party, too.”

“Of course,” Draco swallows.

He wants to go change, but it’s a bit pointless now; plus, it’s not like Harry’s never seen him in his pajamas. They sleep at each other’s regularly, but now… well, Draco hoped that if Harry came back from a month without seeing him and Draco looked dashingly good - he has no idea how he hoped to achieve that, if his entire closet is made up of soft jumpers and muggle jeans, except for his dad’s old leather jacket - maybe he’d magically develop a thing for him, like Draco most definitely has for him.

It is hopeless now; Harry has already realized he’s just the same old Draco.

“Well kids, we’re heading out,” Sirius claps Harry on the back and then kisses Draco’s cheek. Remus does the same. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“There’s nothing you wouldn’t do,” Draco tells him.

He hears Sirius’s laughter even after they close the door.

“So,” He says, awkwardly. 

“How was your summer?” Harry asks, sitting on the couch, cross-legged.

“Fine,” Draco says. “I helped my dads at the Kindergarden. How was yours?”

“Rome was gorgeous,” Harry says. He’s grinning. “I brought you something.”

“Oh?” Draco hopes he doesn’t sound as nervous as he feels. He walks over to the couch and sits across from Harry stiffly.

“Yeah.” Harry says. He searches his pockets, and then hands Draco a small box. “Open it.”

Draco looks wary as he does so, but, when he does, his expression turns to amazement.

“Harry,” He says. “What is this?”

He’s looking up at the cieling, where thousands of tiny stars are shining, some brighter than the others.

“They were selling them in Rome,” Harry says. “Look at that,” he points to a set of specially shiny stars. “That’s Draco. The constellation. I thought you’d like it.”

Draco stares at him, eyes wide.

“If you don’t, I can take it back,” Harry says nervously. “I mean, I can’t, but I can keep it. I didn’t want to - is it too much?”

Draco swallows. “No,” He says. “It’s perfect. I love it.”

I love you.

Harry grins. “Good. What are we watching?”

As he reads film titles out loud, Draco swears to himself he’s going to work up the nerve to tell Harry how he feels about him.

Some day.

———————–

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[cross-d-a]

Pass the happy!💖 When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications!

(I have decided that Discord notifs count because I love you dearly and wanna hear what makes you happy)

HELLO!!!! I love you and I kinda really needed this and I think you know that so thank you!!!!! I love and appreciate you SO MUCH!!

Also I've literally been thinking about this post for two hours and so I'm not gonna stick to just five- I'm gonna list MORE than that because I wanna remind myself that there are many wonderful things in the world to be happy about and also PICS!! I'm adding PICS bc I CAN!!!!!!!!!

under the cut bc it gets LONG! :)

1) YOU make me happy, Sierra!!!!!!! Also @s1utspeare and @vishcount and of course my bff @haru-tl !!! You guys are so fucking incredible and talented and AMAZING!!!! I love you all SO MUCH!!! You always make my day!!! And all the dmbj peeps!!! I am so lucky to know so many wonderful people!!!!

2) as long as we're on the subject of people- I absolutely can't leave out my coworkers!!! Literally some of the best people I've ever met in my life. I have so much fun with them. I can always count on them making me laugh.

Like today, we were talking about this reptile house a few towns away and my manager was telling us about their cool anaconda exhibit where you can crawl under the glass tank and watch them eat and she mentioned their teeth being scary. So I googled Anaconda Teeth and went WOAH THEY'RE COOL and our Resident Snake Expert came over and went actually that pic is from the movie Anaconda. And then he helped me find Real Pics and the teeth were even COOLER. I left the Google search up on the work computer and a couple hours when I was on lunch I heard Mike exclaim: "I had NO idea that ANACONDAS had TEETH!!!!!!" Which?? MIKE?? WHAT??? Hahaha everyone burst into laughter :)

3) my cat BOOTS makes me happy!! He's always asking for belly scritches and he drools when he's happy. Here's a pic bc I adore him:

4) my new baby boy So Mun from The Uncanny Counter makes me VERY happy!!!!! He's just- the Sweetest Boy to have ever Baby'd!!! I adore his little crinkly-eyed smile and curly hair!!! He's just so GOOD it makes me cry!! Also!! Disabled rep!!!!! LOVE HIM!!!!! Look at his lil' FACE:

and bc he is Unfortunately Very Hot in his mourning outfit:

adding this too bc LOOK AT THAT ADORABLE SMILE I wanna SCREAM

5) my Pangzi necklace makes me happy!!! I have an Iron Triangle matching set, but the Pangzi one I first put on bc of Brigid's Pangzi chapter for Swiftly Tilting and then I kinda just- never took it off haha. It's just so pretty and makes me feel like I've got a bit of Pangzi with me at all times. I love that man SO much and if I can be even a fraction of how wonderful he is, then I can die happy

6) the smell of the sea makes me happy!!! It makes me feel refreshed and relaxed! I live by Puget Sound and on very lucky days I can smell it at my house! Tonight was a lucky night! I came home and it smelled like the seashore, so I kept my window open as I folded laundry :)

7) my new collection of Kpop CDs makes me happy!! It's entirely bc of Vish's influence and I LOVE her for it!!! The packaging is just so pretty and I always love being able to hold things that give me Good Feelings in my hands :)

8) since we're on the subject of COLLECTIONS, I love to collect things!! And one collection of things that makes me happy are my books!! I have- too many. Working in a bookstore makes it too easy to buy them! But seeing the bright spines on my shelves gives me delight. I particularly really like my queer manga collection!! I've got four whole shelves of it! :) I'd offer a pic but I'm too tired to go upstairs, haha but I love the art and the representation 🌈

9) I ALSO really love all the figures I collect! Seeing characters that I love on a daily basis makes me happy. I usually decorate my bookshelves with them. One set that makes me particularly happy are my Pingxie ones. They look like they're getting married and it delights me:

10) another purchase that is entirely bc of Vish (I ADORE you!!) is my Chimmy blanket!! He's just so adorable and bright and coming home every day to see him waiting on my bed makes me very happy

11) yet another bright yellow thing that makes me happy is my dmbj Xiao Ge coaster!! It's so sparkly and fun AND it's a friendship coaster I share with Sierra!! We've got a matching set, babe!! I love you!! Let's just shake them around and be distracted by the sparkles forever!!

12) coming back to work from my weekend to find a bunch of manga to shelve always makes me very happy!!! Buying/pricing/shelving manga is my favourite thing to do at work! I love seeing familiar and new titles!

And it's interesting to see how prices can change if it goes out of print! Sometimes every single book in a series but ONE is the same price. Like last month we had a series where like/ volume 8 was worth $250 vs the regular $7.99 for the rest of them. And someone BOUGHT IT!! Things like that can happen randomly. It can be bc it was a smaller printing for that particular volume. OR something special happens in it (new character appearance/fan favourite story arc/BOOBS), so more ppl want to keep it which means it's harder to come by (and then sellers raise their prices BC it's difficult to come by). You usually see the collectible value go up for out of print BL or older series like Aria or Lupin III. Not everything that's out of print is collectible, but it's always interesting when it is :)

13) DAY6's The Book of Us: Gravity has graciously given me a big serotonin boost the last couple days!! It's just- I dunno! Uplifting! Catchy! Full of energy! :)

14) similarly, I've been listening to Close Your Eyes by Isaac Hong almost exclusively for like- five days now! It's from The Uncanny Counter and it makes me very happy! It's very emotional and just reminds me of my baby boy So Mun :)

15) sunshine makes me happy!! I'm at that point in the year where I don't want rain anymore, just sun! So it's always nice having my windows open at home with the sun shining through. Or the back doors at work propped open while we go about our day. It's almost impossible to feel sad when you get to bask in the warmth of the sun and smell the nice fresh air

16) finding weird random books at work makes me happy! It's so fun seeing the kinds of things people read! And sometimes you find cool ephemera in the things people sell to us that they don't want back. Like- look at this pic from an older fortune-telling birthday book I found. She is 1000% Drowning Him and I love that for her :)

17) reading manga makes me happy. There are just so many wonderful and ridiculous series out there. There really is nothing "too weird to publish" in the manga world. I was reminded of this the other day when I discovered a series about a girl who timetravels and finds out that her soulmate is a Neanderthal. You can literally find a series about ANYTHING in the manga world and I love that about it. There's no limit to the imagination and there's something for everyone :)

18) when I'm in the mood, writing and drawing make me happy. There's just something about creating that really just- fills the soul :)

19) making playlists makes me happy!! I love having playlists for characters and relationships and fics and even specific fic chapters or moods or going to sleep! (And rec playlists! Like Vish's :) ) It's just- so satisfying having the Perfect Playlist on hand! Plus it's fun actually making them- like figuring out the mood/lyrics and what they fit into :) I listen to music almost constantly, so this is essential! :)

So thank you Sierra!! It was nice to remind myself about a lot of different things that bring joy to my life!! I love and adore you SO MUCH 💖💖💖

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 47: The Firebolt

Sounds of jubilation rang in Alice's ears before the rest of her senses had even caught up with her. The place smelt strongly of wood polish and she flinched in surprise when something bright red looked like it was fixing to sock her in the face. She stumbled back in surprise and managed to tip over a whole casket of something that went spinning across the floor in every direction.

"Alice?" Frank called in concern as she muscled her way around what she finally recognized as Quaffles, the projectile charmed to be spinning in place showing off its new apparent aerodynamics on display.

"Over here," she called from the corner and following the loud noise around the mess of balls she made to find herself in the store proper, Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Frank sprinted over to her in relief, still shaking wood shavings out of his hair. "Sorry love, I landed in a pile of Make-Your-Brooms, I think some little kid was in the process of carving something into the handle when I interrupted." He caught her hand as he continued to look about. "Do you know where we are? I think that's Diagon Alley past that window, but-"

"You've never been in Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Alice asked in surprise.

"Me mum never brought me in here," he shrugged. "Thought the sport was a bloody waist."

"It's no wonder you wouldn't help me practice for the Beater tryouts next year," she laughed in surprise as his chagrin grew. "Don't worry love, I'll help you learn how to ride a broom over the summer, if you want," she quickly finished.

"I, ah, could give it a try," he uneasily agreed, clearly putting more enthusiasm into his voice than he meant. "Can't be worse than Neville's first try, eh?"

The two exchanged a look of pure love and excitement, their future spanning before them in that moment as Alice's mind corrected the instance, of teaching her son all about a sport she'd loved for ages.

Lily came over to them then with a deeply annoyed expression seemingly frozen in place. "Well, no use in expecting any of them to help us find the book soon. They seem to have reconsolidated their friendship by acting like even bigger loons than usual, if you can believe it."

Alice saw a beach-ball sized Snitch now being tossed into the air at the front of the store and believed her without question. She tugged her boyfriends hand and began waving Lily off to the side, "there's a collection of Quidditch manuals and how-to's on the far wall over there, we should start there."

They found Regulus there flipping enthusiastically threw Brooms to Buy. He began jabbering without even looking up, "these designs are fantastic! I can't believe how sleek the models become in a few short years! Do you think they worked out the design flaw of-"

He did look up then and flushed in surprise to see who it was.

Alice smiled politely and encouraged him to finish, "you mean the tailwind on the Cleensweep models? I sure hope so. I've been angling to save up for a new Silver Arrow because of it."

Regulus blinked several times in confusion, before a smile slowly lit his face. "You follow Quidditch?"

"It's a thing me and my mum love," she agreed. "I was going to try out for the house-team next year."

"We might be playing against each other then," he stated, and to her surprise she saw some excitement beginning to light his usual dower expression.

"You already on then?" Frank asked, eyeing the third year, who seemed almost miniscule to them sometimes being two years older.

"Yep, though I've only been a reserve player so far. The usual Seeker has actually been in the Hospital Wing all week though, so if he didn't make it out by classes today, I got to play in the match next week!" He exclaimed in pure child-like delight, then his face clouded over as he muttered in confusion what day of the week it was supposed to be exactly.

"I hope things work out for you then," Alice told him sincerely as Lily had long since lost interest in the conversation and perused every spine along here, but between the cover of Witch Weekly being dominated by some person with a surly face and heavy dark eyebrows, and a copy of Quidditch through the ages, not finding the book they needed.

Regulus nodded, blinked again in surprise as if just realizing who he'd been talking to, and managed the most friendly smile any of them had seen as he waved them off and began flipping through the magazine again.

"He's a weird kid," Frank muttered as they went traveling aimlessly down the isles of the store now with no clue where to look next, and not in any big hurry to be done and put in a more unpleasant place to use magic to find it. "Sometimes he's so hostile I feel like I can't take my eyes off him, then other's, he's..." he struggled to put into words what they'd just seen.

"A normal kid," she offered politely. "I'm still trying to figure that out as well. Seems he really only gets defensive when his big brother starts pushing his buttons and the pureblood issues come up. Makes you wonder what his home life's like," she finished with a sigh, eyes on Lily as she watched a Bludger go sailing over their head without interest. They heard it crash somewhere in the back of the store, and they all steered clear and went to the front instead.

The Marauders were beside themselves with pure energy, clearly all that candy they'd inhaled had taken hold. Black and Pettigrew were responsible for the majority of the objects being thrown around, unable to handle one for any length of time before daring the other to throw it, and the other complying. Lupin was sitting on the counter with an indulgent smile in place, occasionally waving his wand to fix something right only so his friends could go at it again. Potter was conspicuously missing.

"You lot have no restraint!" Evans snapped as a pile of Puddlemere United towels crashed into the floor from their wild antics. "Would you have some bloody respect for one place?"

"Live a little Evans!" Pettigrew called back, before he burst into a mad fit of laughter that almost sounded like a shriek. He jumped onto the space beside his friend and began hanging from the rafters in the ceiling, scrambling madly to lift the rest of himself up there.

Alice felt a bit of pity for him, it couldn't be easy to learn of this kind of future and the lad seemed to be taking his words to heart and enjoying himself to the fullest now. His friends were clearly indulging this. She turned away, and finally spotted the book. Potter was unintentionally drooling on it and didn't even seem to realize it, as it was propped on the display next to the Firebolt.

She darted over there as well, eyeing the beautiful, sleek design with relish. It looked fast just simply sitting there in the sun, she couldn't imagine the feel of one beneath her. She was surprised Potter wasn't crashing around the store on it yet.

As if reading her mind, he groaned in pain, "it's a display model only, not the bloody real thing."

"That's almost fair," she sighed with longing. "I can't imagine any security charms in the world would stop someone from trying to steal it." Her mind was already putting together Potter discovering this by trying to take one along with him now.

He looked to her in surprise, it looked almost painful for him to drag his eyes away, but clearly hearing her tone. "You like Quidditch?"

"Why does everyone seem so surprised by this?" She pouted.

"You've barely said a thing when Harry's games were going on," he shrugged.

"I like to play it, don't have much enjoyment for listening to it," she said back, while finally and reluctantly grabbing the book.

"Enjoy the chapter then, seems we'll be getting skipped forward to one of Harry's matches," Potter gave her a genial wave and went back to panting over the broom.

Alice wasn't so sure, the timeline didn't seem right for it at all as she'd thought Harry was just starting his winter break, but opened the book curiously to read the chapter title, which gave things a little more context.

Pettigrew fell from the ceiling in surprise, and didn't even seem to notice. "Harry's going to get a Firebolt!"

Alice gazed fondly at the picture, which didn't at all do justice to the lovely bit of wood in the window.

"I guess losing his Nimbus model changed his mind about getting a new broom like that," Frank laughed at the kids indulgence. "Poor lad needs a pick me up I'm sure," he finished more quietly, eyes still on Black who looked like he was trying to do a cart wheel for reasons beyond both of them.

The excitement of this news made everything feel like there was a new energy around it, even the dampening opening reminding them all how Harry was taking this news. It was clear the Marauders were trying very hard not to even listen, the three even abandoning the front counter to join their friend at the window and talking painfully loudly about anything they could think of.

Alice couldn't do the same, and not just because she was the one telling of poor Harry's suffering turned to hatred towards Black. She watched the teen flinch and edge even closer to his best friend, throwing an arm around Lupin like he was trying to hold himself upright at his soon to be godsons feelings. She'd been wondering about her own future ever since she'd learned about Neville, worried why her son never mentioned his parents and was raised by Frank's mother. If her son hated his parents even a fraction of what Harry was feeling for someone he should have been so close with, she didn't know how she'd be able to live with that. She honestly wished she had a better answer for him rather than more accusations.

Lily listened as Harry's friends tried to cheer him up, and Harry wouldn't let them as he reminded Malfoy may have been aware of this news. She vividly remembered the brats words to Harry about the elder Black, Sirius, and how she'd wondered if somehow he and Lupin were in on that horrible murder together. Now with this new information of learning their friend was involved, she wasn't so sure, but then how had the child of a Death Eater been so informed of the event? Was it really possible they'd both turn on their friend in a few years? What of Potter? The longer she thought of this the less sense it made.

Frank hoped that Harry going to visit Hagrid would help him. He needed someone to vent at, an adult in his life who would be a solid presence in this troubled time. He'd never known his dad, but thought he'd be a lot like Hagrid if he hadn't been killed by Death Eaters.

James turned to actually watch Alice with concern and surprise of what was wrong with Hagrid, then they all muttered, "I'd forgotten about that hippogriff."

"I say we start a Quidditch team for him!" Peter said at once, breaking off and making a run for the isles. "The Hogwarts Hippogriffs!"

"I don't think they'll give a school an international team," James snorted as he followed after him.

"If they did, we'd have to form one giant team, and the body count would never end," Remus snickered as he trailed after them.

Sirius hesitated to follow, eyes still lingering on the book. His friends refused to treat him any differently no matter what came to light, but he'd noticed these three with something new on their faces from that last chapter. It had not passed his notice Regulus had been about to draw his wand on someone either, for him. He felt like he owed all of them, something. A peace offering, a thanks, an apology, he wasn't sure, but some way to show he really wasn't this mad man of the future. He'd never really cared what anyone thought of him in school before, but this was different, he didn't want anyone to think he was capable of this! Now it was clear they were reconsidering and even agreeing with the Marauders something was going on about this story, now how to reinforce this when Harry's opinion of him was lower than ever?

Harry helping his friend to save the hippogriff was too sweet, almost sickly so, Regulus wanted to laugh. Hagrid was certainly one strange person, crying over a beast. He wondered idly, as he found a nice chair to sit in and continue flipping through his magazine, how Hagrid had survived Azkaban for as long as he'd been there. Regulus froze when he even realized Hagrid and Sirius would have been in there at the same time. He shivered and was happy for the change of topic to Harry getting Christmas gifts, especially that new broom he'd already snuck a peek at.

The boys ideas of who had sent it to him all had merit, he could even hear echoes throughout the store of varying people's ideas, most of them thinking it was McGonagall or Dumbledore again. Regulus wondered if they were really missing a rather obvious person, Sirius. He was certain he cared enough about Harry to use money he claimed no right to.

There was some scattered sympathy again for Scabbers once again being chased by that cat, and quite a few mutters when Hermione only made her position worse by worrying over who sent the broom instead of just enjoying the gift! He rolled his eyes even harder when he in fact heard the other Muggleborn present voicing this same worry Harry should not just be accepting this gift without question. He'd probably agree, if he thought there was anyone out to hurt Harry that wasn't around the last two years. He'd finally had to admit to himself there was no doubt Sirius was innocent of these crimes, and there was just no reason he'd be 'going after,' Harry.

Once again nobody seemed to give much of a passing notice to Lupin being absent for his health. It was a common enough thing for him in school, seemed he never grew out of that.

Remus flushed at this being pointed out anyways, then paused in confusion as the potion Snape was apparently making for him was again mentioned with no real understanding of it all. There was just no chance it was a coincidence. Snape knew he was a werewolf, and was giving him something for it?

James and Peter froze in front of him with weary expressions as well, but dared not speak of this in such a compact store where anyone could hear. Instead they gladly took the distraction of McGonagall coming to confiscate Harry's broom, and very loudly spoke of how infuriated they were with Hermione going behind Harry's back like that.

"She was looking out for her friend!" Evans shot back from five isles over. "I'd hardly think you would complain about that Potter, considering that's what you've been doing for your friend since the beginning!"

"It's different!" James thundered back, but with that light back in his eyes of finally getting the chance to spare with her again openly. "I'm defending Sirius from false accusations, not tattling to a teacher so they can nick his stuff!"

There was no response, and James preened with satisfaction, seeming to think he'd finally gotten through to her. He even went jogging back over to them, Peter hurrying to keep up.

Remus was all for standing around and watching the show of Prongs and Evans again, but got distracted. "Oi, Padfoot, I found you a Whimborn Wasp Jersey with Bagman's numbers!"

"Moony, you're the best mate ever!" He'd spoken without thinking, all but apparating to the isle he was in, but froze when he reached for it and their hands brushed together.

There was a pause as the two just stood there for a moment gaping at each other.

It's stupid to flush like some school girl, Sirius quickly corrected himself, he knew what you meant! Their fingers were still overlapped over the bright yellow stripes.

The two hadn't found an alone moment in quite some time now, and the more this kept happening the more charged the air became between them. They'd agreed to hold off the awkward conversation of whatever this was and include James and Peter in it, but that had been when they'd thought they were just traveling through Harry's first year. Now all of this horrible new information kept coming up between them all, the two honestly just wanted an escape.

Remus cleared his throat and finally stepped back, effectively putting the conversation off again like it had never been turned back on. "Well, put it on before Smith finishes!"

Neither gave a single care to the exclaims of surprise that Sirius could have sent Harry that broom, it felt obvious to them, and it's not as if this news would change anyone's opinion of him in either way.

Sirius shucked his bag, slipped out of his school robes and threw them off without care, grinning as he exposed his top half and Remus cleared his throat again. It wasn't anything the other hadn't seen over the past five years of sharing a room in the morning, he told himself, but he still found himself preening a bit and hesitating longer than he should have before pulling it on.

Moony caught his eyes and smiled again, whispering, "perfect fit," as they were teleported away.

[waynewifey]

Reunited —

Pairing: POA!Sirius Black x reader; young!Sirius Black x Slytherin!reader.

Summary: (request from @holdupwhat) hey there! can i request a sirius x slytherin!reader? maybe sirius and reader reunite after sirius escapes from azkaban but reader is unsure about him. angsty with a fluffy ending? thanks btw love your works!

Words: 1.6k

Warnings: angsty, mentions of death, crying, fluff?, bad writing lol

A/N: I got very excited but idrk how to write angst?? I tried my best tho, hope you like it. <3 Oh, and english isn’t my first language so I’m sorry for any mistakes. Flashbacks in italic!

(gif not mine)

Godric’s Hollow’s streets were strangely empty for a summer afternoon. All doors and windows were closed, not a single car passing by. Complete silence in the village, if not for the tapping sound of your sandals. You walked down the sidewalk, to your neighbour’s cottage, slightly holding the skirt of your white dress. Once at their door, you knocked three times. A couple seconds later, an old lady answers, pointing her wand at your face.

“Oh, it’s just you.” She lowers her wand, getting out of behind the door. “How can I help you, Ms. (Y/L/N)?”

“Hello, Mrs. Clearwater.” You smiled. “I was baking some cookies and ran out of brown sugar, I was wondering if you could lend me some. The Seven Swans is closed, for some strange reason.”

“Of course honey! Come inside, it’s not safe to be outside at down anymore.” You walked in, smelling the known vanilla scent. She closed the door, running to the kitchen, already grabbing a small bowl with the brown sugar.

“Um, I’m sorry Mrs. Clearwater, but why you say it’s not safe anymore? Does that has something to do with the reason why the village is void?” You asked, and she gave you a scared look from the counter. She looked around, the emerald eyes searching for something. Finally, she grabbed a newspaper and handed it to you. The Daily Prophet.

BLACK STILL AT LARGE, said the article’s title. Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today; under a picture of him screaming.

“The Ministry said he could come back here. Many murderers tend to visit where they killed their victims.” She said, replacing the paper in your hands for the bowl. You thanked her with a weak smile; no words would come out of your mouth. You walked away, with your mind still a little numb.

/

You whimpered, your hand in front of your mouth, holding a sob. You stared at the black lake, salty tears rolling down your chubby cheeks. You took off your green tie and threw it on the grass. It was the reason why all of that happened. Simply because you were a Slytherin, you had to hear those terrible words from James Potter. You hated it, and wished you could be sorted to Gryffindor like the rest of your family. Suddenly, you felt a warm hand on your left shoulder, which made you flinch. A boy with black curls seated beside you, his grey eyes meeting your gaze. You looked at his tie; red, of course.

“Want to bully me some more? Go ahead, I don’t care anymore.” You sobbed, your vision getting blurred from the tears.

“No, I’m here to say that I’m sorry. I should have stopped James.” He broke eye contact, staring at the lake. “I have a brother who’s a Slytherin, Regulus Black. He’s in first year, and I wouldn’t want him to go through the same as you.” You remained quiet, wiping your tears with your hands. “My whole family is Slytherin, actually. You can call me the black sheep.” He giggled, returning his gaze to you.

“Why are you saying all this? Just go away, it’s not like you care.” Your voice broke, but you hoped he hadn’t noticed.

“I- I do care. I always thought you were fun, you see. I’m truly sorry for my friend’s attitude, I can promise you it won’t happen again. And maybe we could be friends...?” He said and you giggled, nodding. He extended his hand out. “Sirius Black.”

You grabbed it, shaking a little. “(Y/N) (L/N).”

And after that evening in second year, your friendship never ended. Instead, it only grew. You started dating in fifth year, fought against Death Eaters in seventh year and were moving in together when he was arrested.

/

While remembering his presence and your story, you somehow ended in front of the ruins of the Potters Cottage. (Y/E/C) eyes filled with tears as you remembered the first time you visited it, when it wasn’t destroyed, in Harry’s first birthday. You remembered the broom Sirius brought as a gift, how he held your godson and him telling you that he wanted a baby of your own. The love of your life, a murderer. He betrayed James and Lily. He killed thirteen muggles. The sky was getting darker and you could barely see the end of the street, so you decided to go home. You crossed the front garden, glancing at the door. It was slightly opened, not how you left. You were sure you locked before leaving. Your right hand automatically ran to your pocket and held tightly your wand. You raised it, opening the door with your foot. “Who’s there?” You said loudly, walking through the living room. The first floor was clear, so you went up stairs. Your heartbeat accelerated at each step. You opened your room’s door, stepping in. A man sitting on your bed wearing a large t-shirt and sweatpants, his long black hair was wet and he looked down at a picture frame. “Sirius...?” You mumbled. His eyes met yours and his lips formed a wide smile. A hundred emotions busted inside of you. All the memories of the moments you spent together flashed through your mind. “Love.” His voice was hoarse and low. Black stood up and walked towards you. “You stay where you are! Not one more step. I- I’m warning you! I won’t hesitate.” Sirius stopped, his smile breaking. Your mind was racing. There was a murderer inside of your house, but he was also the man you loved. For the first ten years you tried to collect evidence that he was innocent, that he was not the monster everyone thought but there wasn’t proof enough and you gave up eventually. Your mind raised expectations that maybe you were right, maybe he was innocent, maybe if he explained everything... Deep down you trusted him, but fear spoke out first. “You- Why here?” “You know I’m innocent. You know it was Wormtail-“ “YOU KILLED HIM! James, Lily, Peter, it’s all your fault! And you have the courage to come here? You betrayed everyone, Sirius Black! You betrayed me! You’re a monster. I don’t want to see you ever again. I won’t take you to the ministry, but you better leave.” You felt the same pain and anger you felt in November 81. Your heart broke again, just by seeing him standing there, hoping you would help him. “(Y/N) I-“ He stared at you, tears falling while you held yours. “Leave.” And then he was gone.

/

Living without Sirius Black again was worse that you could imagine. It took you ten years to finally recover, and now the sore was open again. Every night your words tormented you, filling you with regret. You was always reading the news, would it be better if they found him or not? What if he was already dead? Was he alone, lost in the world?

It was late May when Remus Lupin, an old school friend, showed up at your front door. He looked tired and sick, with dark circles around his eyes. You invited him in.

“I came from Hogwarts.” He was anxious, almost tense.

“You’ve been teaching, right? Defense against the dark arts, if I remember it correctly. Harry writes me sometimes, usually at Christmas, when I send him presents. He likes you.” You poured some tea on his cup, smiling proudly at the thought of your godson.

“Yes, exactly. But I’m not here to talk about Harry.” He sipped the beverage. “I met with Sirius. He gave us some trouble, actually.” You stared at him, holding your breath. “You have to believe me, he is innocent. But unfortunately we can’t prove it. He told me he came here and that he misses you.”

“Where is he now?” Your voice broke a little, while you hold your tears.

“His family house. Are you willing to meet him?” You only nodded, getting up.

At 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius and Remus explained everything to you. You were relieved to finally know the truth and to be reunited with your husband. You three spent the night chatting and telling your stories from the past few years. Around 11pm Lupin left for his room, wishing you a good night. You sat on the couch next to the fireplace resting your head on Sirius’s chest, his arm embracing you and his hand laying on your waist.

“I’m sorry for what I said before. I- I don’t know, I guess I believed for so long that you were this horrible person, and-” You tried to explain, but he cut you with a kiss on your lips. Merlin, you missed him so much.

“It’s okay, I understand. The house is a little dusty, but we can make it work.” He said, staring at the fire.

“You want me to stay?” He turned to you, a confused look on his eyes as it was so obvious. You could see your reflection on his grey orbits, given the small distance between you. You brushed your fingers through his curls, smelling his natural sweet perfume.

“Of course I want you to stay. I would like to be your handsome husband again, if you’ll have me as so.” Sirius giggled and leaned closer, kissing the top of your forehead. You entangled your fingers with a smile. It felt so good to be reunited again, this time with no worries, just the certainty that they both loved each other. He looked at you, as you were his whole world and cupped you face with his big hands. “I love you, (Y/N)(L/N).”

“I love you too, Sirius Black.”

[bladesquall]

Nights of Dragons and Genies:  Chapter 1

Chapter 1:   "Work of the Smith Dragon"

The town of Witherbrand was quite a close-knit community. Despite the numerous species that lived there--from the versatile humans to the aged and experienced elves, to the calm and passive halflings and the boisterous orcs, even the sharp gnomes and the ever-curious goblins, Witherbrand was a very blended town. It wasn't really famous for a lot, but it had representatives of almost every race on the continent of Odiosera.

The fires of the smithy burned bright, as the metal inside of the heat glowed brightly in the dark of the shop. Weapons, armor, tools, horseshoes, and all sorts of objects made from metals decorated the shop. A giant warhammer with a dragon-shaped hammerhead hung from the wall with a sign that said, “Do Not Touch”. The hill dwarf smith, wearing a black mask over his face, a brown apron over his red shirt, and brown pants with black thick boots, grabbed the piece of metal with a black glove-clad right hand and held it over an anvil. The dwarf grabbed his smithing hammer and began pounding away at the hot metal. His hand kept a firm grip on the non-heated part, allowing him to calmly shape the heated metal, turning it into a sword. Once he was satisfied with the shape of the weapon, he quickly turned to a nearby cooling tub and dunked the sword into it.

As the dwarf cooled the weapon, a red-haired human male walked in, wearing a set of fine blue and black clothing, complete with a black cape. He gave the smith an annoyed glare as he didn't look back, and raised an arm to wave.

"One second!" the dwarf called. "Gotta let that project cool." He walked over to the desk, flipped the helmet up, revealing a red-headed dwarf with a pair of thick sideburns and a short mustache that culminated with a short beard. The dwarf greeted, "Welcome to the Forgefang Hall! I'm Gunnar Fireforge. Are you interested in a particular product, or do you have a custom order in mind?"

"Seriously, Gargec?" the noble asked aloud. Gunnar's eyes widened at the name. "Fifteen years since you gave up your position as heir, you could have done anything, been anyone, ruled wherever you pleased in Odiosera, and I find you simply living amongst the lesser beings... as a common dwarf smith? 'Gunnar Fireforge' was the best alias you could come up with? You couldn't even bother creating a noble identity?"

"Stratreo," Gargec frowned. "I should question what you're doing here, but there is a tone of hypocrisy, considering you're disguised as a human, right now."

"Only because Father ordered me to not just burn the Odioseran countryside we allow these weak vermin to occupy down looking for you," Stratreo answered. "And until he either retires, dies, or I make my move to properly challenge him for leadership, his word is the law. Of course, big brother, accidents CAN happen. That is unless you obey his order to assemble." He then pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to the dwarf.

"Father truly wants me to return?" Gargec asked opening the sealed letter. His eyes scanned the contents of the letter.

My son,

If you are reading this, then Stratreo finally tracked you down after all of this time. You certainly kept quiet when you renounced your title as my heir. You impress, Gargec with your desire for privacy.

But our people's politics have called for an end to this silence, and your exile. I am ordering all members of Tribe Raithwall--you included--to return to Raithwall territory. The fate of our people is on the line, and it's going to require ALL of us to decide this. We will begin the assembly on the first day of the Waxing Cachou Moon, and I'd like my sons to be by my side when we decide this.

Gargec, I know I'm asking a hell of a lot by calling you back, but... I feel that the fate of our people is about to be decided are going to need you to return. I'm not going to ask for you to retake your position as heir. I'm asking you to be a voice of reason in the next coming moons. We will need it, especially once Stratreo finally inherits the position. Please, son... come home.

Raithwall Tultoc

"You weren't the easiest to track down," the human replied as Gargec dropped the letter. "But yes... Clan Raithwall is being summoned together. Now, we can do this the easy way or the fun way. Your choice."

"Just let me add the finishing touch on this project, brother," Gargec said, looking at the scimitar.

"It looks complete to me," Stratreo observed. "Brother, why waste yourself on such insignificant drivel such as these lesser beings' mere cutlery they call 'weapons'?"

"The smaller races have a lot to teach us," Gargec answered, walking over to grab the sword, and held it up to Stratreo. "Tell me something, brother: what do you know about the 'smallfolk'? What trait is each of their races famous for?"

"You ask that like it matters," Stratreo scoffed. "These creatures are mere parasites on Skyeria. We only let them live because of tributes of wealth and food."

"That's it?" Gargec asked in disappointment. "It seems that somebody ignored the lessons about other races in Odiosera." Pointing to the sword, Gargec began, "This blade was made with the techniques of dwarven artisans who dedicate their lives to creating the sturdiest weapons and armor. It was made with the metals found by orcs, who take pride in their combat skills and strength. The goblins' style of experimentation taught me how to fold and forge pieces like this and more, encouraged by their sheer determination through trial and error. Lupine unity taught me how it was okay to ask for help and advice when I wasn't improving during my first few weeks at smithing.

"Gnomish research allowed me to understand where I came up short, and how to improve my technique, even inventing a style that works for me the same way a gnome would. The halflings' calm, cool, and collected nature and peaceful ways taught me how to properly barter and haggle to fetch a good price for all of the components, and their luck taught me how to know what was the best deals. Kitsune wit makes one question if the material is legitimate or an illusion. Felkin wit and speed taught me how to predict when the metal is just hot enough to work on or cooled enough to pull out of the water. Featharian sharpness showed where to spot imperfections. Human creativity taught me how to think outside of the box. And elven magic... well, I learned this from elves."

He reached behind his desk counter and grabbing a small, teal and brown chest. He then placed it atop the counter and opened it to reveal the collection of glowing stones shining in the shop's dimmed light. He picked one out and placed it into the hilt of the weapon before clipping the hole he had inserted the stone in shut, causing the blade to glow with a dark green hue.

"Enchantment," Gargec smirked. "And the patience of our true race made this possible. And this is only a sample of what the races of Skyeria can teach us... imagine what we can learn from studying the smallfolk more closely."

"Has anybody tell you that you talk far too much, older brother?" Stratreo asked.

"I get excited," Gargec said. "The humanoids that are easily written off by our kind as mere fodder, when given a chance, can not only impress us with a mere fraction of their capabilities... they can offer us something legendary with the full extent. Humanoids will rule this world, one day, Stratreo, and I'm excited to see what they'll bring to it."

"You should be excited that your self-imposed exile is finally coming to an end," Stratreo scoffed. "Now, I have orders to bring you home, but Father wants it to be YOUR decision. So, I'm going to ask this one last time: are you going to come on your own, or am I destroying this little life you've built and dragging you back?"

"No need," Gargec answered his brother with a wave. "I'll pack this place up." Stratreo finally offered a smile.

"Glad you're seeing things my way," the younger of the brothers declared. He then hunched over, only for Gargec to stop him.

"Not in here," the dwarf begged.

"Fine," Stratreo scoffed. "One hour, by the gate. If you're not there... I'm not going to be held responsible for what happens." He then left, leaving Gargec to look around.

“Fifteen years, huh?” Gargec asked. “We dragons live way too long for this to feel so short.” He began packing his supplies, taking one final look around the shop. He then looked at the fire that he once used for his shop. "Here's hoping it's not the worst-case scenario." He then inhaled, causing the fires to suddenly die out as Gargec, formerly Gunnar, absorbed the magical flame that burned bright, leaving the shop in darkness save for daylight.

When someone would later come to the shop to place an order, almost an hour later, they would find a locked door with a note placed on it:

Attention, Citizens of Witherbrand:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Forgefang Hall shall be closed until further notice. And if I do not return or write back in a month, assume I’m dead and return the shop and the land to the town... or better yet, quite possibly leave Witherbrand altogether. The dragon clans that rule the continent may be preparing for war with each other. I apologize that I cannot explain the reasons for my sudden departure beyond that. But know that I’ve grown to care about this town enough to risk everything for its safety. So I plan to name my final piece created here after the town itself, to carry a part of it with me.

Sincerely,

Gunnar Fireforge

A.K.A.,

Raithwall Gargec

On the outskirts, Gargec looked at the town of Witherbrand, a familiar warhammer hanging from his back, and a bag of things he took from his shop adorned to his side. Stratreo rolled his eyes.

“These small, weak creatures live such quick, insignificant lives,” the human scoffed. “They’re parasites on Skyeria. Without guidance, they’re barely good for food, let alone worshipping us as gods. One day, they’ll be nothing but dust, and yet, we’ll be here for millennia. Why bother with them?”

“Because eventually, you’ll figure out we’re not immortals,” Gargec reasoned. “And they, the weak, will inherit this world, outliving us as a species. If I can build them up… forge our successors… make them remember us for the good we did for them… then THAT is the definition of godhood for me.” He then hunched over, and a pair of brass-colored, leathery, scaled wings sprouted. He then was surrounded by fire, and in his place stood a massive brown and yellow dragon.

A red and yellow dragon, somewhat smaller than Gargec, stood by him. “You are incredibly lucky we’re brothers and I’ve yet to become Chief, Gargec. Any other dragon who would have suggested that would find themselves eviscerated under my rule.” With a mighty roar, Stratreo took to the skies, Gargec behind him.

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

2020 Megaman Summer Fanart Contest Results Thread ~ Cat. 2 - Star Potter Reloaded Episode V: The Fate of the Fictional Filmstrips

The entries in our second category don’t push the envelope anywhere near what the first category did...do they? *The envelope, please* Prepare to find out after these short messages...

Thank you again to all who participated! As always, you make it very hard to judge these pieces, with how great they all were! I will be contacting all winners today, after these posts go live. For the full gallery with images at their actual resolution, please check out these two links:

https://imgbox.com/g/opNtPQ655O   [Everyone’s entry, except...]

https://imgbox.com/g/sFE1a6dV3c   [...inanehipsterslang’s multi-page entry]

I will also include a direct link after each entrant’s name, if the images won’t load or are crunched for legibility.

Category 2 - Star Potter Reloaded Episode V: The Fate of the Fictional Filmstrips (this category focused on Megaman characters in parodies of popular movies.) 1.) @inanehipsterslang [ENTRY FULL GALLERY - 20 PAGES] *For coming in 1st, inanehipsterslang has won $125 via Paypal*

Using an assortment of parodies shown through a comic utilizing the pre-feature movie previews, this entry took a completely different route from the rest. I also really loved the movie design elements you used on the preview page, with the tickets, film strip, and photo booth roll.

2.) Ryan Vogler [ENTRY] *For coming in 2nd, Ryan has won $75 via Paypal*

Glad that Skull Man got a job as a stunt double for Mega Man in this creepy horror parody. ;D Actually, nice job connecting the font similarities from Night of the Living Dead to the Megaman lightbulb brand. It does mesh fairly well. Love the feel all the sharp jagged lines give throughout. It’s got a nice balance, and looks like a great poster!

3.) JaxMagnetic [ENTRY] *For coming in 3rd, Jax has won $50 via Paypal*

Appropriately titled Kattleostro, this mashup with an iconic Lupin film is quite Legendary! I just loved the aesthetic of this pic, with how pretty the flowers and background look. Volnutt and Roll fit perfectly into Lupin and Jigen’s roles in this scene. 

4.) @hyperbole1729 [ENTRY] *For being the honorable mention, Hyperbole has won $25 via Paypal*

Draw me like one of your Ameropean girls. Playing off Episode 26 of EXE, where a Null virus named Ibo controls a ghost ship, it turns out Masa became a little more than just friends with Ibo during his time aboard. Absolutely excellent idea that left me laughing really hard!

______

And here are the remaining entries that are all wonderful film re-imaginings in their own right, but just missed out; all in alphabetical order by alias:

@annvolans [ENTRY]

The perfect mashup for a movie in which a clone of one’s self goes rogue and tries to take out his older self. I like the little variations in his color and shine, along with the darker eye lines to help differentiate the older original Gemini from the younger, shinier clone. 

@okamijake​ [ENTRY]

I love that you were the only one who tried to mash up multiple franchises, much like the category title alluded to, in this Indy/Terminator/Hobbit smorgasbord of an action film. I sure hope Meijin can retrieve that ring artifact before the flirty pilot robots from the future take him out in their battle for using formalities!

@rafatello [ENTRY]

A totally excellent concept parodying Venom to portray Zero’s battle with himself as Omega. I almost like this idea as a bust figure concept more than the split Zero/ZX bust we got with the game collection’s collector edition, in all honesty! Great job conveying both personalities in this piece.

rose_to_the_occasion09 [ENTRY]

This take on Kiki’s Delivery Service is super cute, perfectly swapping Roll - in her Powered Up witch costume - , Tango and Beat into this iconic poster. But the little changes, opting for a night scene and the skyscrapers of Mega Man 2, instead of the sunny oceanfront, give it a unique spin. Love the full moon backdrop, and how it centers her in the frame like that. 

Steph O’Dell [ENTRY]

The most official looking movie poster entry goes to this take on Baby Driver. Despite the serious tone and looks on most everyone’s face, it’s still hilarious as a parody seeing the disk drive speeding along in the car’s original place. Funny, but seriously clever. This turned out really great! Would have placed, had you not also done so well in Cat. 1.

[ladyrealgar]

Fandom: Lupin 3rd

Characters: Goemon Ishikawa XIII, Fujiko Mine

Warnings: None

Title: Wearing other's clothes

The pouring rain dripped from his headdress like a stream and his clothes were soaked, but the samurai, accustomed to much more hostile climates, hardly noticed.  He hadn't even noticed the heating inside the museum, where he had gone to do an inspection dressed as a tourist.

He didn't like to dress up and even less to wear the western clothes that Lupin chose for him, but if it was for work he would have accepted it.

But now that the western clothes were stored in a backpack and that Zantetsuke had returned to swing meekly at his side to the rhythm of his steps, Goemon Ishikawa XIII felt much more comfortable.

Working with Lupin had led him to learn skills that his samurai training could not teach, such as tracing the map of a building's CCTV surveillance system just by looking and memorizing the cameras inside, or identifying the type of alarm system  inside the display windows.

As a living embodiment of the concept of tradition, Goemon couldn't even have imagined that one day he would have been able to do all of this and that was one of the aspects he preferred in working with the gentleman thief.

The rain had not stopped falling for a moment all the way from the museum to their hiding place and when Goemon had opened the door of the apartment at his feet a pool of water formed.

He listened for a moment to the noises of the house: during his training, he had been taught to perceive the presence of potential opponents before his eyes could see them.

Not that he expected anyone to find their hiding place, last of all Zenigata, who was their most stubborn pursuer, but it was a habit that always resulted to be useful in the past.

He didn't perceive the smell of Lupin's colony nor that of Jigen's cigarettes, which were usually enough to announce the presence of his associates, and no sound, except for the ticking of the rain on the glass, reached his ears.

His shoulders relaxed, while his mind reassured him that he was the only one present in the apartment.

So he decided to take a hot shower to get rid of the humidity from the outside waiting for his colleagues to finish their duties and join him in the apartment.

As he ran the water from the modern shower, Goemon sighed at the thought of the thermal waters of the springs in the mountains where he had immersed himself only a few weeks before.

Modernity certainly could not offer anything comparable to the feeling of being surrounded by sulphurous water and regenerating vapors among the landscapes of the Japanese mountains.

It was a quick shower, just long enough to wash his skin and hair, and the samurai came out, wrapping his waist with a towel.  Only then he noticed that one of the towels that had been hung at the bathroom entrance was missing and his nerves stiffened: someone had entered the apartment.

He grabbed the faithful Zantetsuke, who had just sat outside the shower and tiptoed out of the bathroom to inspect the house.

He noticed almost immediately that the kitchen door was ajar and cursed against himself for not checking it earlier.

He bared the blade, which shone as cold as lightning that heralds a summer storm, and prepared to attack.

He took a long breath and kicked the kitchen door open, ready to engage in the fight, but what he saw left him with salt.

Fujiko sat at the kitchen table, reading a magazine and sipping hot tea.

The two stared at each other in surprise for that unexpected meeting, but then Goemon realized that he was only wearing a towel in front of a woman and the free hand ran to support that one piece of clothing.

Fujiko noticed his embarrassment and chuckled: -You mustn't be ashamed!- she told him, going back to drinking her tea -I certainly am enjoying the view.

At those words the samurai felt his face and ears heating up and ran out of the kitchen in search of his clothes, while the woman continued to read as if nothing had happened.

A few moments later Goemon returned to the kitchen, making himself presentable with a change of kimono and hakama, to face Fujiko.

He found her where he left her: -What are you doing here? - he asked.

-I have been surprised by the rain- the woman explained, turning a page of her magazine with her long fingers with perfectly manicured nails -And since your hiding place was on the way I thought I'd have given myself a refresh.

Goemon looked at her from head to foot for a moment, noticing the turban made with the missing towel that wrapped her hair and the white dressing gown that covered her body.

At a second glance, however, that dressing gown seemed very familiar to him: -Is that my kimono? - asked the samurai, pointing to the piece of clothing in question.

-You say this? - said Fujiko widening the edges of the dressing gown and thus showing a few centimeters more than the generous neckline.

Goemon felt a blaze again but he forced himself to keep his gaze and not give her the satisfaction of seeing him give in: -Yes- he nodded at last.

-It's just a little thing that I borrowed- replied the thief, better accommodating the long legs on the chair so that the kimono just covered the bare minimum and left them in view -You have always had such good taste in dressing! I certainly couldn't take one of Jigen's shirts, don't you think?

-What happened to your clothes? - Goemon urged her, feeling flattered by the comment on his good taste: all the clothes he wore were made to measure by a seamstress who had made clothes for her father and was proud of that.

Obviously he didn't say any of this to Fujiko.

-Don't get upset- the thief smiled, deliberately causing the opposite effect -They are drying in the living room in front of the dehumidifier.  In a few minutes they will be ready.

The samurai nodded slightly, but his assertiveness was only apparent: years of work and experience had made him wary in front of Fujiko's presence and if that woman was in their apartment it couldn't have been only because of the onset of rain.

-What are you aiming at? - he asked calmly.

-It's like to hear Jigen and, my dear Goemon, I assure you that it is not a compliment- Fujiko tried to digress, but before the determination of the samurai, apparently impassive in front of her charm, she had to empty the bag -You really thought you were going to embark on the project of the theft of Maria Luigia's jewelry collection without involving me? - a large mischievous smile opened on her face -Lupin will have to give me explanations for having ousted me from the plan and, of course, I want a slice of the loot.

The samurai smiled: -In short, the usual courtesy visit.

That comment left Fujiko speechless: - Was that a joke?- she asked, but the samurai was already gone from the kitchen.

His voice came to her ears from the other room: - Make sure Lupin finds you with your clothes on or he will get the wrong idea and neither of us will see a piece of Maria Luigia's jewels.

Hi! This is a little work to improve my English writing skills (so please be free to make corrections and comments about the structure and the grammar) and to give my contribution to the Fandom. This should be the first of a bunch of oneshots involving different characters from the lupin III fandom.

[hpwipfest-blog]

Masterpost HP WIP Fest, part 1

Hello dear fest participants and exited readers. I hereby give you the first masterpost of the HP WIP Fest, announcing all WIP’s that have entered so far. As it is a long list, I have put it under a cut, with the WIP’s that are already on ao3 first in case you want to start reading already. 

If you signed up for the fest but do not see your WIP in this list, this is probably because I do not yet have a title for your work. In that case, please email me the title so I can include you in the next masterpost.

I hope all the participants find lots of inspiration to finish in the upcoming weeks, and to our early readers, enjoy these wonderful WIP’s!

#1

Skin Deep by @loganaa-fic

Pairing: Drarry

When Harry accepts a job at Dean's tattoo parlor, he never expected that Draco Malfoy would show up, looking for a tattoo. But then again, since when did Malfoy do what was expected?

#2

The Boy Who Killed God by @sirius-black-killed-god

Pairing: Wolfstar

Sirius Black has a secret. Well, no, that's not true. Sirius Black has many secrets. His wand is dying, his parents more or less want to kill him, and there's the small matter of the cursed TOUJOURS PUR tattoo right above his heart, that he's had since he turned eight years old. Sirius Black is no stranger to secrets.

Then, Remus Lupin walks into his life.

Thus, begins a whole new history - one of darkness, of magic, of bravery, of family - as four boys set out to unwind the endings so many others have written for them.

This is the story of the Marauders at Hogwarts and afterwards, and all the love that lies between.

This is Year One.

#3

Apparently by justanotherloser

Pairing: Drarry

Father says apparently I feel too much.

Mother says apparently my mask needs to hide more of my emotions.

The Dark Lord says apparently I'm too weak.

Blaise says apparently I hate too often, and Pansy says I apparently need to let go.

I never get to make choices with them. Not with my family, not with my life, not with my house.

Apparently I can only choose who I hate, and I can't even get that right.

Apparently I love Harry Potter.

#4

Are You Here To Finish Me Off, Sweetheart? by @geekmom13

Pairing: Antonin Dolohov/Hermione Granger

Antonin gets held by the order for the secret he keeps and Hermione is put in charge of him. They end up relying on each other more than anyone had expected.

#5

Children of war by @the-purple-black

Pairing: Bellatrix Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange

A promise made by Bellatrix to the Dark Lord seemed unimportant at the time, though years later it seems her loyalty must be put to the test.

#6

Fixed Point by @frumpologist

Pairing: Dramione

Draco and Hermione are Time Unspeakables who travel through time to stop anachronists from using illegal time travel to change the course of history.

Their adventures lead them through the whole of history and the unwritten expanse of the future. Hermione learns about the History of Magic and Draco learns about science, Muggles, and falling in love.

However, there are fixed points in time, events so important that they cannot be altered. Hermione Granger’s tragic life as an Unspeakable is one of those points, and nothing Draco can do will change the path they’re forced to follow.

#7

Not In Love (Letters) by @drarryangels

Pairing: Drarry

It's eighth year at Hogwarts, and Harry is unsurprisingly beyond miserable. Ron isn't coming back for his last year of school, Hermione is suddenly best friends with Pansy Parkinson, and Draco Malfoy won't stop ignoring him. Even all the House unity is going too splendidly to be exciting. Truthfully, Harry wishes he had never come back at all. That is, until he starts receiving letters from an anonymous sender.

#8

Sequel to Palo Alto by @nachodiablo

Pairing: Wolfstar

Modern AU set in Northern California. It's been four years since Sirius and Remus got their shit together. James and Lily aren't doing too shabby, either. Things are going great. Sure, James still hasn't gotten any of his business ideas off the ground quite yet. And yeah, Lily's still not ready to move in with James, even though she spends every night at his place. And okay, Remus might be starting to freak a little about whether his PhD is going to land him in some no-name wasteland town for a job. And fine, Sirius has stalled out a bit since he left work to pursue his dreams of... well, to find a dream to pursue. Regardless. Things are great. Very chill. That is, until a family tragedy brings an adorable bundle of responsibility into their lives.

#9

The End Is Just The Beginning by @the-fifth-marauder

Pairing: Drarry

When Draco decided to join the Auror forces, he knew life would be made hell for him by just about everyone in the Ministry. Yet never did Draco think he would be condemned to a fate like this.

Or

The one where Draco gets the second chance he never knew he wanted. Before he realized that 'Happy Endings' just aren't for his destiny. Or were they?

#10

New Beginnings by @kaarina-riddle

Pairing: Dramione

Hermione comes home to find her husband in a compromising position on the kitchen table and wants to get away from everything, the perfect job opportunity as a professor of Charms at Hogwarts is offered and she takes it. Only to find that there's a surprise Draco Malfoy old school nemesis is the new DADA professor what will happen?

#11

A Girl Worth Fighting For by @saintdionysus

Pairing: Hermione Draco, Hermione/Theo

Due to the events of War, The Ministry of Magic has ordered students to repeat their final year, despite being legal wizarding age and completion of OWLs. Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini form a friendship as head boy and head girl and find a way to use their authority to challenge the Ministry. Along the way, she finds herself caught between two unexpected love interests, while Blaise plays referee between his two friends.

#12

The Promise by @tofadeawayagain

Pairing: Drastoria, Dramione

When Astoria Malfoy learns she is dying, she asks Hermione Granger to take care of her husband Draco. It's not until the following New Year's Eve that he starts to let her. A tale about the seasons of grief, friendship and love, and moving on after a devastating loss.

#13

All the Stupid Things in Between: A Gryffindor and Slytherin Love Story by ForeverEvan

Pairing: Fred Weasley/OFC

Evangeline "Evan" Carter, the illegitimate daughter of Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, is moved from Ilvermorny to Hogwarts at the beginning of the 4th Year. She is facing the task of hiding her true identity while falling for a boy from the wrong family. Evan must rely on her brother and her teacher to navigate the dangerous world of being the daughter of a Death Eater and a killer.

#14

Prowler by @goldie-writes-things

Pairing: Harry/Hermione

Harry and Hermione thought winning the war was the hard part. They had no idea how difficult surviving it would be. Newly engaged Lord Potter and Lady Black must navigate the murky waters of parenthood while rebuilding their lives. But when their world starts crashing down around them they are faced with a startling question: What wouldn’t you do for your child?

#15

Stressed Teen to Yes Queen by @drarryandharry

Pairing: Drarry

The fab five sort out post war Harry. That’s it. That’s the summary.

#16

Shockwave by maraudersaffair

Pairing: Drarry

When Harry fled Britain he had no idea murder and Draco fucking Malfoy would follow. Now in Las Vegas, he’s faced with a vampire mystery and a Malfoy who refuses to tell him the truth.

Veelas and vampires! Yay!

#17

Destiny Intertwined by @vinoamore

Pairing: Hermione/Dolohov

In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the DFFandCabalChristmasFest collection.

Prompt: A marriage law is passed just before the Christmas holidays. Hermione is matched with a former Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov...and Hermione is furious. "Why is this happening?!" she demanded. "He tried to kill me!"

#18

The Seven Year Witch by @thelastlynx

Pairing: Dramione

A boy and a girl have been meeting, coincidentally, for seven summers. While they pretty much hate each other most of the year, for those little moments in July or August they manage to see one another in a different light. But will that be quite enough to bring them together?

#19

Distant Stars by @of-stars-and-moon

Pairing: Wolfstar, Jily

(The story of Sirius Black, a Slytherin student as he finds friendship and love from someone he never expected)

'The memory was still so new and clear, feeling like it was yesterday but an eternity away at the same time.

In first year, Sirius would have never ever imagined that on his last day at Hogwarts, he would be lying on a roof, holding hands with Remus and listening to James and Peter.'

#20

A Home For Christmas by @motherbookerao3

Pairing: Drarry

High on a barely legal pain potion, Harry accidentally ends up adopting a child with Draco Malfoy.

#21

The Noble and Most Ancient Guide to Vice and Virtues by grimyoufuck

Pairing: Wolfstar

Toujours Pur; the words had been branded into Sirius' subconscious from a young age. It was a motto he'd never been able to live up to, even when he had tried. But now? Now, he was going to escape his mother's scathing words and his father's ambivalent silence to travel the continent with his best friend, and nothing was going to stop him. His mother was determined to keep the bloodline pure, and uphold the name of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Sirius was determined to do the opposite.

When Sirius Black journeys to France to begin the first leg of his European tour with best friend James Potter, he'd expected a holiday of booze and boys. What he hadn't expected, much less wanted, was an educational trip, including nights out at the opera. But when a particular cast member catches Sirius' eye, he wonders if some good old fashioned fun could be obtained after all.

#22

Serendipity by @mrsren96

Pairing: Harry/Hermione

Like any girl, Hermione has dreamed of her future nuptials, at least once or twice. So far it's not going so well. There's a marriage law, and well, Harry Potter to deal with.

#23

Avignon by bittercape

Pairing: Gen

Voldemort is dead, and Wizarding Britain is controlled by the totalitarian Umbridge Ministry. The resistance, mainly centered around our heroes from the books (with some additions and some changes), is working against overpowering odds to overthrow the government. Think a reversed French revolution meets Cold War-era Berlin. With magic.

#24

A Bond Beyond The Vast Wave by @mangopassionfruity

Pairing: Sirius/Lucius, James/Lily, Lily/Severus

Sirius was a many things, rebellious, lazy, a prankster, troublemaker, lady's man, irresponsible, carefree. Or that is what he likes to appear as. And why break that image he's crafted for himself? Even if it'd make his life easier, especially with his hidden relationship with a certain Malfoy heir.

But things backfire and it leads to making decisions that change his way of life.

#25

Though My Mind Could Think (I Still Was a Mad Man) by Cassiara

Pairing: Drarry

After the war is over Harry thinks it's finally his turn to rest after years of pretending he's fine, and just waiting for the day he isn't needed anymore. He tries to kill himself, but of all people, Malfoy saves him. Harry realises that if he has the courage to die, he should also have the courage to live.

Ultimately this is a story about recovery, but it's also about all the things you sometimes have to go through to get there.

This is a rewrite of my fic "Favourite Scar".

#26

Explosions in the heart by @hp-rbiim

Pairing: Drarry

It's back to Hogwarts and Malfoy is annoying as ever.

Unpublished WIP’s

#27

Time is gone (thought i'd have something more to say) by Thestias

Pairing: Fremione

After the battle of hogwarts, the dead number in the hundreds; the loss of the brightest witch of their age hits hard, and for one wizard, his desperation to fix what had been broken sends him travelling back in time in a frantic attempt to save her. angst, fluff and angst, time travel, alternate universe - canon divergence, slow burn

#28

Encounters by @pottercrew

Pairing: Drarry

Harry is finding it difficult to keep his relationship with Draco apart from his relationships with Malfoy. What if he no longer wants to? Kink negotiation, anal sex, blow jobs, hard sex, bondage, voyeurism, sex club.

#29

The Side Of The Angels by @hiddenhibernian

“Focus,” Hermione told herself, forcing her breathing to slow down. “What's the worst that can happen?”

 Bad question. Her heart was hammering so hard it drowned out the buzz from the bar on the other side of the door to the cleaning cupboard she unceremoniously had been bundled into. The bar was the Hag's Head, and it was usually a friendly place for the Order of the Phoenix. They were still fighting, five years after the fall of Harry Potter, but Aberforth had turned against them... It didn't bear thinking about. 

Then the door opened.

#30

Not Gryffindor…? by Dracomalfoyy_youlittleshit

Harry gets sorted into Slytherin, finding an unlikely friendship in Draco Malfoy. Basically a retell of Harry Potter but with Harry in Slytherin.

#31

A Lotus In The Mud by @kaokumasparkle

Pairing: Drarry

Harry always had problems with common sense, everyone knows this. And now that he's sick with Hanahaki over a certain slytherin blonde, it looks like he may never get the chance to learn. Possible tags: mutual pining, angst with a happy ending, parseltongue Harry, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Hogwarts 8th year, Hermione just wants ONE year where Harry doesn't almost die, jealous Draco, protective Harry, Forbidden Forest adventures, minor mentions of blood

#32

It’s A Kind Of Magic by ive_beenfound

Pairing: Drarry

It's 8th year and the war has been hard on everyone. And having a future to think about and look forward to is terrifying Warnings/Tags: 10 year time jump, difficult conversations about lgbtq and war, harry being oblivious, draco being a shite, potentially triggering conversations about family.

#33

Flirting With Chaos by @alexandrao

Pairing: Dramionarry (Draco x Hermione x Harry) 

The Ministry of Magic passes a marriage law, forcing all those above the age of 17 to be married. Hermione, furious with the law, is paired not to one wizard, but two! Determined to change the law, she flirts with the line that could send her relationship into complete and total chaos.

#34

Friendship, Football, and Fireworks by @LegendaryWrighter

Pairing: Deamus

One lazy Sunday morning, Seamus finds Dean going through some old sketchbooks and joins him in reminiscing on several memories. 

#35

The Winder Of My Life by @nuclearnik

Pairing: Dramione

Hermione's special bond with her Snippets of Hermione's life as she grows up raised by a single mother. When Hermione is an adult, their bond grows to include Draco, who accepts him as long as he loves and cares for her daughter. As her mother's health declines, Hermione has hard truths to face and a supportive husband who is smitten by her mother. 

[writesbatty]

days 14-29

complete with unedited content notes from the facebook group i’m in

29/30

i love to rewrite the classics

to make persephone send hades running

(keep that 'rewriting the story of persephone as a love story’ shit several hundred miles from me, thanks.)

to give echo back her voice

to let arachne weave her tapestries once more

rewrite pride and prejudice so lydia bennet does not marry a rapist

get jane eyre out of her aunt's home sooner rather than later

find ophelia a therapist

remind everyone that tragedy can still have a happy ending

  28/30 content warning: mentions/discussions of sex and consent. this is very vulnerable and im uncomfortable and DOING IT ANYWAY rip

.

.

.

i tell my boyfriend i think we should start scheduling sex

but that this is not some indication of failure in our relationship

i know he worries that my complicated relationship with sex is some reflection of how attractive i find him

(it doesn't help that the past few years seem to have taken my ease of flattery away from me

i don't know when it got so hard to tell the love of my life he looks good in tank tops

and black jeans like the ones he wore when i met him)

but it's not that

it's that i don't think about it, the same way i don't notice i am hungry till i'm starving, don't notice i'm thirsty till my head aches and spins, don't notice i am anxious until i am already in the middle of panic

it's that i was in a relationship where i never thought about the word no, it never occurred to me as an option, and now i end up consumed with pointless worry that i do not really want this

i try to talk to my therapist about these things, but i never really know what to say

how to explain my ex never set out to hurt me and half of it was my fault, but i am still feeling the aftershocks years later

without sounding like i am making excuses

(maybe i am, i don't know, i have always had a hard time with blame, with holding others accountable)

but at the same time i never want to imply what happened was more serious than it was

nothing like a genuine violation, nothing that should label me victim or survivor

nothing like what others have gritted their teeth and fought through

maybe some of it is the meds

it's hard to tell

how much is the meds and how much is the trauma and how much is just me

and why has it been six years and i still can't

-casually tell my boyfriend he has a nice ass

-sit in my boyfriend's lap

-fearlessly messily uninhibitedly make out with my boyfriend

because some paranoid corner of my mind is afraid to say 'no'

(nothing would happen if i said no, because everything would stop happening, it's not fear that makes me question, it's the idea of disappointing someone i love, and that's all on me, not on him)

my boyfriend is an angel with a nice ass

(seriously, i am not overstating this, he has a very nice, round butt)

and when i tell him

i think we should start scheduling sex

he kisses the top of my head

and talks about how bob and linda on bob's burgers schedule sex, and they have like, the best marriage on television, so clearly we're in good company

and pulls me over to the couch to feed me ice cream and scratch my back

  27/30 warning for like. harry potter/jkr 'discourse' or something i guess?

listen, we all should have known jk rowling was going down in flames the moment she made harry james potter a fucking MAGICAL COP at the end of the series

i have a list of problems with the deathly hallows epilogue that is longer than the actual epilogue and this is at least three of them

will somebody cut harry a fucking break?

why on earth would someone punish this abused, traumatized, exhausted person by giving them a career that will repeatedly remind them of every bad thing that has ever happened, which is most things that have happened to harry potter

harry potter should have been the defense against the dark arts instructor

harry potter has intimately seen both sides, every inch of light and dark

and he saw them as a child, he grew in them like a weed in brackish water, an in between neither fresh nor salt

(but he chose good, he always chose good, and it was always a choice, and it wasn't always easy)

let him teach other children to protect themselves

let him eat lunch with neville longbottom so they can discuss their students and make sure no teacher ever treats kids the way snape treated his students

the way snape treated harry and neville

let harry spend his weekends in hogsmeade with friends both old and new remembering only the light spots in the dark days of his schooling

let him know the joy of helping a struggling student

(this is how he will carry on remus lupin's legacy; that and the bar of honeyduke's finest chocolate in his desk)

let harry potter retire and spoil the ever loving shit out of all of his grandchildren

let harry potter put the past behind him

consider the fact that we don't all want to devote our lives

to fighting the demons we met in childhood

  26/30

nightmare at 20,000 feet is the most terrifying episode of the twilight zone

and what an apt title

what an apt metaphor

because what could ever be more nightmare then knowing the worst is just outside the window

but no one else can see it

25/30 this ends like super abruptly but idk how to end it Properly and i need sleep so. shrug emoji.

it's like a bad joke, this harmless word that never stops following me

you know those tasteless reddit posts about trigger warnings? how there's 'no way' someone could be traumatized by something so normal

so small

that's me. i am that joke.

a man at the aquarium calls his young daughter pumpkin and i–

i swallow a wave of nausea

i try to ignore the way my skin begins to crawl

and my heart speeds up

and i can hear the sound of his voice

it's like time travel

it's like a curse

just say 'pumpkin' and i fly back in time and it's like my body does not know that he is dead

that he hasn't called me pumpkin in nearly a decade

you would think it would be the mocking, the insults, that would ring like shots through my echo chamber brain

but

it's that fucking petname

it's 'i'm sorry, pumpkin' in his voice and the look in his eyes as he digs the hole in my chest just a little bit deeper with another fake apology

an apology all for him

when he came to my high school graduation there were rules

-he could not drink

-he could not apologize

-he could not call me pumpkin

24/30

it's funny

this disconnect between the me i know and the me other people know

at home i pace the floor, building up the courage to call for a cab

at work they tell me i am good with people, that i am no nonsense

at home, i twist my hair in my fingers as i struggle to tell my partner of nearly six years i need something to eat

at school they called me confident, self assured

i wonder where this other me is when i need them most

where is this confident and self assured version of me when something actually happens?

when someone is in trouble?

when someone gropes me in the street?

when someone needs them?

when i need them?

23/30

weirdly specific sections i wish i could find at the bookstore:

unconventional sci written by women and queer people

dystopian fiction that ends hopefully

non-ableist romance novels with disabled protagonists written by disabled people

young adult romance novels about lesbians and magic with happy endings

poetry for queer girls who really like artemisia gentileschi's art

collections of personal essays about hospital waiting rooms

college kids from dysfunctional families getting their shit together and falling in love

narratives about found families of misfits

young adult novels about queer romance and theatre kids

the exact novels you needed to read at 15 when you were scared and alone and will still make you cathartically sob while reading in a public park

(this last section is real except it's just the francesca lia block shelves in the young adult section)

how to guides on how to be a person when your body and the world you live in are crumbling to pieces rapidly

advice on how to make your best friends move out of state to be closer to you

novels where the protagonist goes through hell but they come out the other side and are still an essentially good and optimistic person despite their trauma because the world is a terrifying place and we need fiction and narrative to remind us of the potential for hope

22/30

edit: i just word vomit typed this directly into the comment box and it got weirdly long so Be Aware

elle woods is my personal hero

i'm blonde

'yes sarah'

i'm sure you're thinking

'i know, i have seen you'

but it's more than that, okay? i am blonde on the inside. my heart and soul are blonde. i talk to people and they say 'i can't imagine you not blonde' because the concept of me any other way is absurd

maybe because its the one thing everyone always loved about me. when i was a kid, everyone wanted to play with my hair. i had barbie hair, disney princess hair. long blonde waves like strands of gold.

i grew up telling blonde jokes, so everyone would know i was Smart and Cool. i got teased for being a nerd and a four eyes and for awhile everyone called me 'dictionary' because i knew how to spell zombie. smart was more important to me than cool, but i still told blonde jokes. the blonde swims ninety percent of the way to the other shore, gets tired, and swims all the way back, and god if that isn't a metaphor for my life. god if i haven't spent 25 years fighting not to be the blonde who turned back.

when i almost failed math in my freshman year of high school my father told me i should give up and become a playboy bunny because i didn't have a future. a childhood friend asks when i will grow out of the color pink.

i am a blonde the way i am pink. spiteful. elle woods walking malibu barbie through the halls of harvard. elle woods taking notes in pink sparkling pen. elle woods handing in her scented resume printed on pink paper.

elle woods saying

'what, like it's hard?'

i tape my thesis pages to the wall with glitter tape and pin my blonde hair back with a flower clip and i wear baby pink leather heels with bows on them.

'what, like it's hard?'

21/30

why do the aliens always want to kill us?

why do we always build a giant weapon?

why can't the aliens come to earth to help us?

why aren't scifi movies about healing?

20/30

ode to vestibular stimming

i do not like metal music

i'm sorry, it's just not my thing

but good god do i understand why people head bang

and why people mosh

when i was a kid i loved jumping on the trampoline, and the way it made my heart and brain jump and soar and bounce

now i can't jump on trampolines anymore but

i can listen to british pop music in my living room and laugh and feel that soar and jump and bounce as i swing my head from side to side and up and down and sometimes, for extra fun, twist my torso around a little

like i am so much energy and so little body but finally it has somewhere to go as my hair swishes against my face and an unstoppable grin spreads across my face and

don't you ever wanna just let go?

don't you ever wanna shake your head until the dizzy chases everything else away?

19/30

i like to talk to the creatures in the tanks when i do my aquarium rounds

the old man of an octopus in the floor tank i call gramps

my favorite sea star, a purple velcro star in the touch tanks, i call zippy

mostly i just call everything 'buddy'

'hey buddy, how ya doing today?' or 'come on buddy, scootch down from the top of the glass'

i apologize to the anemones when they close up because people have touched them too much

and i apologize to the jellies when it takes me more than one try to scoop them out so i can change their water

in middle school i noticed a rip on my baby doll's neck so i made her a neck brace from the sash of a build a bear robe and propped her up on pillows every night, so she wouldn't rip anymore

i am nearly 25 and i still feel guilty when my stuffed animals fall to the ground

i am nearly 25 and i keep multiple stuffed animals in the bed i share with my boyfriend of nearly six years

a common misconception of autism and other similar social disorders is that people on the spectrum do not experience empathy

and in some cases this is true

but an often ignored aspect of these disorders is that anything you could lack, you can also have too much of

hyper-empathy is when you are so receptive to others feelings they become your own

they become so much your own it causes you physical distress

and everything

everything

has feelings

i once got sad about throwing away a pair of pants because i had them for just... so long

i once cried on an apartment balcony because my neighbors i had never met, never even SEEN, were fighting

today i watched a young boy scare simon, a seagull who hangs out by the aquarium, by screaming at him

and it broke my heart a little even though i not especially fond of birds and am, in fact, kind of afraid of them

sometimes i sit and think about the things my dad experienced and my aching too big heart thinks

maybe it was okay

maybe the things he said were okay, because of what happened to him

my aching too big heart always forgets

things happened to my mother, too

things happened to me, too

and neither of us turned out like that

articles on the internet talk about hyper-empathy like a super power

call it 'being an empath'

to me it has always felt more like a bruise

like my aching too big heart just can't stop pumping blood to the tender surface of my skin

18/30

a very angry letter to a lady who came into the aquarium yesterday. less poem and more just 'complaining' but wow, i am still mad like 36 hrs later

for the love of god, lady

what is your fucking problem?

you are a grown adult. you have multiple children, some of whom are teenagers, and this is how you behave, in public, in front of your family?

are you incapable of basic human decency? did no one ever teach you manners?

yes, there is a disabled person and their caretaker in this aquarium, and yes the person is making noise. people make noise. you are in a fucking public place. children scream in here literally all the time. the seals scream. parents scream. sometimes the people who work here scream, because it is the only way you can hear us over the damn seals.

so why, lady, do you feel the need to make some rude ass comment about a person you don't even know, and look at me like

you expect me to play along

i wish i could say something to you but i am an employee and that is not polite but

if i was just a person i would tell you to shove it

but i wish i could have been a staff member AND told you to shove it

so i could have told you, hey, lady

this person helping you, telling you all this information about sea stars, is also fucking disabled

and your rude as hell eye roll and 'oh great, here we go' and 'really?' and loud scoffing is not appreciated

and frankly you can kiss my autistic ass and get the fuck out

17/30

capitalism is broken

and the reason i know this is because of jurassic park

not the franchise but the canon, the universe it exists in

every time i complain about the jurassic park universe

demanding to know why, for the love of GOD, do people keep opening these parks full of dangerous dinosaurs

someone always tells me 'the money, obviously'

as if capitalism was a reasonable excuse for making a super t-rex that eats people

as if money were an excuse for making yet another death trap

yet another super dinosaur that's going to –inevitably– escape and eat and/or traumatize someone

the idea that the people who built jurassic world looked at the events of jurassic park and thought

the money is worth it

we won't fuck up this time

is completely fucking baffling to me

i suppose maybe i am meant to see this as a heartwarming representation of the american refusal to fail

if at first you don't succeed, try try again, after all!

but i think about the news article i read last night

about how insurance companies worry curing diseases is not profitable

and i think about all the lives lost and therapy needed because everyone in jurassic world refused to learn from john hammond's mistakes

and i don't think any of this is saying americans refuse to fail

it's just saying we don't care how many times we kill people if there's good money to be made

16/30, inspired by how affectionate the characters on new girl are with each other

all through high school i did theatre, and i don't know if this is a universal theatre kid thing, or just something we all did

but we were all about physical contact

we were a bunch of misfit touch starved pets

piling seven teenagers on one sofa, every part of you touching somebody, every part of you warm

and i miss that

all that platonic but physical affection

i am a very affectionate person, and i find myself fighting to seem 'normal' in social situations

reminding myself not to wrap my arms around people, or rest a hand on someone's leg, or call casual friends babe, or offer people bites of food

this is how i lived all of high school

sitting in laps, holding hands in the halls, kisses hello, shared drinks and forks

i miss it

i don't understand our desire as a society to deem intimate touch romantic

why shouldn't i kiss my best friend on the cheek? why shouldn't friends hold hands?

we are social creatures, after all

we don't start out like this

we sleep in heaps at slumber parties, we play doctor, we play house, we do each other's hair

why does all that stop because we get old enough to want to kiss people?

doesn't that seem silly?

15/30 write more love poems about your friends guys. love your friends tell people you love them. i love telling people i love them. i love u. all of u. here's a poem about my best friend aka the greatest human on earth, the guildenstern to my rosencrantz

so i've known my best friend since 9th grade

except

except actually i met her in 3rd grade and didn't know it until 10th grade

and she wasn't my best friend until college

except

except she was, i think, maybe the whole time and we just didn't know it

on my fifteenth birthday she came with me to get my nose pierced and gave me a hand drawn birthday card that quoted my favorite green day song

once we spent six hours on skype drawing bad caricatures of celebrities

and when i left to grab a snack she yelled after me

"don't you go where i can't follow"

our senior year we read "rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead" for ap english and we started calling each other rosencrantz and guildenstern

and when she gave her senior project speech on william faulkner she cried, not because she was nervous, but because she loves faulkner and she got emotional

she is exactly 12 days older than me, and a taurus, and she plays a bunch of different instruments and one day we're going to start a folk punk band called the rebel amish

last summer we went to the deyoung together and laid in a shag covered bean bag chair watching the light show in the summer of love exhibit for like an hour

and we took a selfie in some giant gold antique mirror

and when i picture my future, she is as much a part of it as my boyfriend

this other love of my life, this girl with the bright eyes and the once broken nose and who is always willing to sit and talk about books

or the shitty people we went to high school with

or weird titles for potential memoirs

this amazing person, who is the only person i would trust to drive me through marin county while eating a mcdonalds cheeseburger

it is a different kind of love, sure

but it is a love story

and it is ours

14/30 which i wrote but forgot to post because i was playing video games

i wish my own mysteries were this easy to solve

just look for the spot that glows

and unearth what's hiding

no crying

no years of therapy

no buried memories

just point and click

[lilac-reading-nook]

Ravenclaw × Slytherin (Part 4)

"The Shrieking Shack?!" Ravenclaw exclaimed in surprise.

"Trust me," Slytherin soothed her with a soft peck just above her hairline. He took a few bills from his wallet and pressed them into her hands.

"You get the book and I'll take care of the rest."

"The rest? What are you on about?"

"It's a surprise. A proper one this time, I promise."

"Okay... I trust you. I'll see you... at the Shrieking Shack, then."

"See you soon!" Slytherin called over his shoulder as he sprinted away.

Ravenclaw stared at his footprints in the snow, thinking. What was he planning? She was intrigued... and a little bit wary.

While Slytherin saw to his secret preparations, Ravenclaw made her way to Tomes and Scrolls. The familiar smell of books greeted her, a stark and welcome contrast to the aromatic chaos of Madam Puddifoot's tearoom. That's not to say the book shop offered a single, simple scent. Each volume contributed something unique. Some tomes wore a chocolatey musk on their well-worn leather jackets, with yellowed pages fraying at the edges. Others were fresh off the printers with crisp pages and a sharp pine scent. Age and youth, history and possibility. Black ink given color and vibrancy, knowledge and life through collected experience.

Libraries and book shops were the home away from home that Ravenclaw could count on wherever life took her. She would stand among the towering, overfull shelves to quietly rifle and rustle through pages to her heart's content. Doing so put her mind at ease.

A gentleman poked his balding, age spotted head around a nearby shelf. Ravenclaw recognized him as the shopkeeper.

"Can I help you find anything?" he asked. His voice was a touch hoarse.

Ravenclaw smiled kindly. "I could use a recommendation, if it's not too much trouble."

"Why, it's no trouble at all for my favorite customer!" He grinned, the reddened orbs of his eyes nearly lost in the folds and creases of the surrounding skin. His wizened face glowed with renewed energy and vigor.

Ravenclaw was glad that she could bring out this lively side of him during her visits. While she never failed to find a good book on her own, she appreciated his grandfatherly company.

"Well, let's see... What are you in the mood for today, my dear?"

"I was thinking a mystery with a bit of romance, but I'm open to anything, really."

"I see..." The old man nodded to himself, deep in thought, and hobbled down the aisle to find a particular shelf. His arthritic fingers stroked the spines of several volumes before settling on one.

"How about 'The Lycan Auror' by Delphina Perguese? You'll like the main character, I reckon. She had an unfortunate brush with a werewolf, you see, but she's determined to retain her position as an Auror even in the face of her newfound lycanthropy. There's romance too, between her and her longtime partner and friend. Of course, a relationship between two female co-workers, one of whom is hiding her lycanthropy, is bound to cause all manner of drama. It doesn't overpower the plot, though. Sound like anything you'd be interested in?" By the time the shopkeeper had gotten to the end of his question, he'd long since run out of breath and was noticably wheezing. He held the book out to Ravenclaw with a trembling hand.

"Yes, thank you," she accepted with gratitude.

"It's my pleasure, miss," he said, adding, "You know, that book was a favorite of Remus Lupin during his later years as a student at Hogwarts. Smart lad, that Lupin. Used to come here often with young Sirius Black on his heels. Of course, that was a very long time ago." The shopkeeper's expression was wistful.

Ravenclaw thanked him for his time and paid for the book, which she tucked under her arm. She hoped it would suffice for whatever it was Slytherin had planned.

Outside, snow continued to fall. The cold powder dusted her hair and clothes as she began to make her way towards the Shrieking Shack.

Meanwhile, Slytherin was frantically wrapping up his preparations. As soon as they'd entered Madam Puddifoot's, he'd known it wasn't the place for them. Now he had a vision of their date as it was supposed to be. With a few last waves of his wand, his work was done. Everything was as he'd imagined. He hoped Ravenclaw would like it.

The Shrieking Shack awaited her. It was as she had expected, a dilapidated building with boarded up windows. Its wood siding had been weathered and cracked over time. Cautiously, she stepped up to the front door and knocked.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" she called out.

Silence.

Ravenclaw ran her fingers through her hair, as she often did when she was nervous. Where was Slytherin? Was she too early? Should she wait out here, or...? The door creaked open. Ravenclaw's eyes went wide. She took a step back.

"Is someone there?"

A soft light appeared among the shadows inside. It flickered as if beckoning her forward. She hesitated, casting a look behind her. Still no sign of Slytherin out there.

Hugging the book to her chest, Ravenclaw crossed the threshold into the Shrieking Shack. The door slammed itself shut behind her. She jumped and squealed in spite of herself, spinning around to face the source of the sound. The light at her back threw her feminine silhouette onto the heavy wooden door like a shadow puppet screen. It was... unnerving. Even more so when a second shadow joined Ravenclaw's, taller and thinner. It raised its arm to lay a single finger on her shoulder. She shrieked and threw herself sideways at the door.

Slytherin chuckled. "It's just me."

Ravenclaw straightened, one fist clenched at her side, and strode up to him. Even in the dim lighting, Slytherin could see her expression was fierce.

"Of course it's you!" she shouted and punched his upper arm.

He grimaced. "Ow!"

"You deserved that."

"Still worth it. I meant what I said before. You're cute when you're scared."

"Try anything like that again and I'll show you what it means to be scared," Ravenclaw snapped. "I'm the new head of the Hogwarts dueling club for a reason."

Slytherin massaged his arm with a scowl. "You're a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure," he admitted. "Now, if you're quite done punching me, would you like to see the real surprise? Or shall we continue to stand here in the dark?"

Ravenclaw went quiet.

Slytherin pulled out his wand, muttered a spell, and flicked his wrist. Candles ignited throughout the room as if in a chain reaction, illuminating the space with a gentle, wavering light.

Ravenclaw gasped. While she had never set foot inside of the Shrieking Shack before, she'd heard and read enough about it to know what it was supposed to look like. This wasn't it. The infamous peeling wallpaper and broken furniture had all been repaired. A blanket was spread out on the floor in the middle of the foyer, laden with an assortment of foods and sweets from a handful of different Hogsmeade shops. From Honeydukes, there were cauldron cakes, pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs, licorice spiders, treacle fudge, crystalized pineapple, toothflossing stringmints, and -- of course -- two small boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. In addition, there was a meat and cheese tray and--

"Is that fire whiskey?" Ravenclaw asked, astonished.

"Yup. It's best not to ask where that came from."

"Wow. You really went all out."

Slytherin laughed half-heartedly, embarrassed. "No, no. If I learned anything from today so far, it's that going all out spells disaster. This... This is simple. Do you like it?"

"Oh, of course! This is really nice."

Ravenclaw took Slytherin's hand and leaned into his shoulder, admiring the little haunted house picnic he'd set up for them. Coming here to this abandoned building, she hadn't known what to expect from him. This was a pleasant surprise.

Slytherin kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you like it. C'mon, let's sit."

The two fifth-years settled in next to each other on the blanket with their knees touching. They smiled and blushed but did not move apart. Slytherin passed Ravenclaw a cauldron cake. She set 'The Lycan Auror' down on her lap while she dug into the moist dessert. Slytherin glanced at the book.

"That's an interesting title," he said. "I don't think I've ever heard of an Auror who was a werewolf before."

Ravenclaw licked stray chocolate crumbs from her lips. "Well, I can't say I've ever heard of that happening either, but I reckon it must, on occasion. The Ministry surely wouldn't want anyone to know, assuming they would even be aware themselves. So it's entirely possible there's a 'Lycan Auror' on the job right now," she reasoned.

There was a light in her eyes when she talked to someone who cared to listen no matter how silly or outlandish her ideas might seem. Slytherin was content, no, honored to be the pair of listening ears she longed for.

"What did you ask me to pick a book out for, anyway?" she asked.

His smile was shy and guilty. "Well, I needed to keep you occupied while I set up here," he confessed, "but also..."

Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Slytherin's sheepish grin grew. "I was thinking that we could read it together, maybe. If you'd like to."

Her face froze without expression. "I think," she began carefully, "no, I know... That is the sexiest suggestion I've ever heard, or read, in my entire life."

Suddenly, she was kissing Slytherin, and he was kissing her, their faces painted in shadow and flickering candlelight.

When their lips finally separated, Slytherin and Ravenclaw curled up together to read. Thus, the two young lovers found a safe haven of their own making in a haunted house and the tender pages of a good book.