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bush-viper-cutie · 4 years ago

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“All Friends Again” || YEAR 3 – Ch.25 (HP au)

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Day posted: 10/6/2020

Word count: 2, 841

Relationship: EVENTUAL severus X oc (slow burn)

Rating: E for everyone

Warnings: none

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A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.

This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D

Hey guys! Sorry I didn’t update last Friday! I’d been way too exhausted with a bad night’s sleep to write anything. I’m working on time management this month so I hope to have these chapters done before the morning I’m supposed to post them XD I miss being ahead by like ten chapters XD

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Heather and Hermione sat by their salamander log staring at Ron and Harry laughing obnoxiously about something. She rubbed her hands over the fire and fed the salamander more dried leaves.

“When will they get over it?” Heather said, trembling under her cloak. It was mid-January morning and Hagrid had thought it a great idea to have them all sit in the chilly air and frosted grass feeding the fire-loving creatures some leaves.

Hermione shrugged, pulling her eyes away and setting her jaw. “They can be mad for however long they please. I’m far too busy to worry about them.”

Hermione was right. She was far too busy. Her workload had started to affect her sleeping schedule and every day they were spending less and less time together. They only really talked now during the classes they shared together and a bit after before parting ways, which left her feeling alone.

During Defense Against the Dark Arts Heather overheard Harry asking Professor Lupin about the lessons he had promised them. They were scheduled to work on it Thursday after dinner in the History of Magic classroom. She wrote that down and decided she didn’t care if he was mad at her. She deserved to learn the same spells as him.

The bells rang and Hermione and her packed their bags quick and left the classroom before Harry and Ron. They were halfway down the hall when Hermione’s bag ripped.

“Do you HAVE to bring all your books at once?” Heather helped her gather her fallen textbooks.

Hermione sat at the feet of a suit of armor and sighed. “Yes. You never know when you’re going to need something.”

Heather heard Ron’s voice as they exited the classroom.

“Does he still look a bit ill to you?”

Harry nodded. They were walking their way.

“What d’you think’s the matter with him?”

“Tuh,” Hermione rolled her eyes.

Ron and Harry paused and turned around to look at them shoving books into Hermione’s ripped bag.

Ron frowned at them. “Why’re you tutting us?”

She didn’t want to make their fight worse and quickly spoke for Hermione. “We weren’t. It was nothing.”

“Yes you were. I said ‘What d’you think’s wrong with Lupin?’ and she – ”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Hermione rolled her eyes again making Ron red with anger.

“Fine. Don’t tell us then,” Ron snapped. He pulled Harry with him and they both disappeared around the corner.

Heather looked at Hermione. “D’you… You know then?”

Hermione looked at her with narrowed eyes. “That he’s…”

Heather grinned. “The floating orb. And being sick every month.”

Hermione smiled. “Yes. The symptoms are practically the same as the text.”

That was their way of confirming to each other that the other knew as well, without giving it all away in case the other was only pretending to know. They finished repacking the bag and headed their separate ways. Hermione to wherever she normally went and Heather to the Slytherin common room to hang out with Pansy and her friends and Draco preferably if he was there.

Thursday came around and after dinner she made her way down to Professor Lupin’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he called back.

She opened the door and smiled. “Evening Professor.” He was finishing up grading some essays and smiled at her. “I was wondering if I could join Harry on his lessons? You did promise us both.”

He nodded, “Of course. I don’t see why not… er, I’ve noticed you two aren’t hanging out recently. Are you two alright?”

She gave her best smile. “Of course.”

He didn’t look too convinced but asked nothing more. Together they walked down to the History of Magic classroom. Harry was running late which was good, since he didn’t know she’d be joining him. She sat at a desk, looking at the carrying case Professor Lupin was heaving onto Professor Binns’ desk, when Harry entered.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked immediately.

Professor Lupin looked to her and she responded. “It’s both our lessons. We both asked for them.”

Harry rolled his eyes and made his way to a desk.

“Right then… I’ve found a boggart to work with – took some looking but I found it inside Mr. Filch’s filing cabinet. When we aren’t using it I’ll store him under my desk, I think he’ll like it in there. Are you two ready?”

Heather nodded and looked at Harry who tried his best not to grumble at her and nodded too.

Professor Lupin looked at them both. “Right... Harry why don’t you go first? Wands out.” He waited until their wands were out. “The spell we’ll practice is advanced magic – far beyond Ordinary Wizarding Levels. In fact it can be hard for even experienced wizards to get it right. It’s called the Patronus Charm. Heard of it?”

Heather nodded, “Yes. I have at least.”

Harry stuck his tongue out at her. “How’s it work?”

The question wasn’t aimed at her but she couldn’t help showing off. “It conjures a patronus. It’s like a shield that wards off dementors, among other uses.”

“Very good, Heather. A full patronus is a guardian, almost, and it doesn’t exactly ward them off… more so feeds them while you get away. It’s a projection of positive force that the dementors can feed upon – except the patronus doesn’t feel despair when being fed on.” He rested his wand in both hands and looked at each of them. “You two may not be able to conjure one, at least not first try. Keep that in mind.”

“What’ll it look like?” Harry asked curiously.

“It’s different for everyone, isn’t it? There’s no way of knowing until you conjure it.”

“Precisely. And to do that you must focus on a single, very happy memory.”

Heather frowned. A ‘very’ happy memory? Did she have any of those? She supposed arriving at Hogwarts every year is the happiest ones she has. Or maybe winning the house cup? That one was a good one.

“The incantation is as follows…” he cleared his throat and turned towards the case so they could copy his wand movements. “Expecto Patronum!”

“Expecto Patronum,” they repeated and pointed their wands like he was doing. Nothing came out of their wands.

Professor Lupin turned. “You’re both concentrating on your happy memories?”

They nodded and tried again. Heather focused on the feeling of seeing the castle for the first time after the summer holidays as the train neared Hogsmeade and it came into perfect view. “Expecto Patronum – Expecto Patronum – Expecto – ”

Something silvery swooshed out of Harry’s wand, like silvery gas. It was small, yet far more impressive than Heather’s nothing.

“Did you see that? Something came out! I almost had it!” Harry was smiling wide.

“Very good!” Professor Lupin nodded. “Heather why don’t you keep trying while Harry gives the boggart a go.”

She frowned and turned away, focusing on winning the house cup first year. Everyone was cheering and she’d earned enough points to keep them in the lead. She’d been so happy and proud then. “Expecto patronum!” She stared at the end of her wand but nothing came out. She thought of making it onto her Quidditch team. “Expecto Patronum!” Nothing.

She heard a thump and turned to see Harry fallen on the floor and Professor Lupin making the dementor turn into the moon and putting it back in its case.

“Harry, are you alright?” Professor Lupin knelt beside him, helping him sit up.

“Yeah.” Harry rubbed his head. Professor Lupin handed him a chocolate frog and Harry bit into it. “It’s getting worse… This time I could hear her clearer… And him – I heard Voldemort.”

Professor Lupin looked paler than normal.

Heather crossed her arms. “Maybe we should stop for today then.”

“No! We’ll keep going. I will. If dementors show up for the Ravenclaw match I need to keep them away.”

Professor Lupin nodded. “Heather… Have you gotten anything to happen? Are you ready to try?”

Heather looked at her wand and shook her head.

“I’ll go again. I’m fine.” Harry stood.

Professor Lupin walked over to the case again and gripped the lid. “Ready?”

Heather turned around again, huffing to herself. Why weren’t her memories making her happy enough? She was happy then… But none of them were making her feel happy now. There was too much going on in her head. How could she be happy about winning the house cup her first year when she’d lost it their second. And as much as thinking about Quidditch made her happy, she was still feeling very bitter towards Ron and Harry for not checking to see if she was alright when she fell.

She raised her arm and thought of being told they were wizards. “Expecto Patronum!” Nothing wooshed and nothing silvery came out. They were told together, walking into a whole new world together, they were all they had, and now Harry was mad at her over a broom? None of these memories were making her happy. Just angry.

THUMP. Harry was on the ground again.

Professor Lupin shook his shoulders. “Harry? Harry wake up. Harry.”

Harry mumbled something and fixed his glasses. “I heard my dad… I’ve never heard him before. He tried to – he took on Voldemort himself, trying to give my mum time to run for it... Giving her time to save us.”

Heather looked at Harry, and for the first time in several weeks, he looked at her without anger in his eyes. There were tears there, running down his cheek and he quickly wiped them away.

“You heard James?” Professor Lupin looked distant, eyes staring out at nothing.

“You knew him?” Heather asked.

Professor Lupin looked at her, nodding. “We were friends at Hogwarts… We should end for tonight. This spell might be too advanced.”

Harry stood, shaking his head. “No, no! I can do it. I’ll give it one last go. I’ll just think of a happier memory.”

Professor Lupin nodded but Heather didn’t want to stay there any longer. Every time Harry failed he talked about their parents. It exhausted her to push unwanted thoughts and feelings out of her head. She was tired and sad, and just wanted to go to bed.

“I’m going to go… Good luck Harry.” She walked out of the classroom and wiped a tear from her eye after the door had closed.

Deep down… she wanted to know what he sounded like too, but those were memories she knew she’d destroyed a long time ago. She stopped halfway down the dungeon stairs and sat. It was close to after hours and everyone was normally inside already, so she didn’t think anyone would bump into her on the stairs. She let a tear run down her cheek, and then another one, and another. She dropped her face into her hands and started crying, not knowing what she felt or why.

Why did she feel so… angry? Not just at Harry, but towards her parents as well. She couldn’t even bring herself to call them anything but her ‘mother’ and ‘father’, distancing them from her heart. But they gave up their lives for them, sacrificed themselves to keep them safe. Wasn’t the least she could do to show them love is call them ‘mum’ and ‘dad’?

She sobbed. Did she even love them? She loved Harry, with all her heart… But did she love her parents? They were gone. And didn’t it hurt to love people that are gone? That you can never get back? If Harry died… would she stop loving him too?

She heard a door open – Professor Snape’s office – and quickly wiped her tears. She stood and continued down the stairs, meeting him at the bottom.

He stopped. “Potter. Is it so incredibly hard to remember that you are not to be outside the common room after hours?”

Heather avoided his eyes, knowing hers were red and puffy. “Sorry, Professor.”

He must have sensed he couldn’t break her further because he all he said was, “Get inside,” before continuing up the stairs.

Heather ducked into the common room. There were still people around so she went straight for the girl dormitories and decided to take a long bath. Right before bed Cindy offered her more berries, seeing she was looking a little sad, and Heather accepted. She fed them to her toad and watched the berry juice drip down his little toad chin and stomach.

The month of January went by slowly and February rolled in even slower. Hermione was now too busy with classes to talk after any lessons, saying she had no time. Harry had been continuing his lesson with Professor Lupin by himself and apparently was finally producing more than just a bit of silvery gas. Professor Lupin kept asking her if she’d join them but she always declined. Maybe if something very magnificent happened to her she’d join with a new ‘very’ happy memory, but currently, life was as it always was.

One February morning, on her way to meeting Hermione outside the Gryffindor common room, she saw Ron, Harry, and Hermione making their way down the stairs together. Heather stopped and looked at them as they came towards her.

“Oh.” She crossed her arms and stared at Harry. “We’ve made up then have we?”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I got my firebolt back – ”

“Which was perfectly fine,” Ron interrupted.

“Well it might NOT have been,” Hermione snapped.

Heather stared at the obvious tension growing between Ron and Hermione.

“Scabbers is gone and Crookshanks might be to blame,” Harry filled her in.

The four of them made it to breakfast and sat together at the Gryffindor table. When she looked back at the Slytherin table she saw Pansy glaring at her. For several weeks they had been sitting together, mutually benefiting off each other’s popularity, but now Pansy was alone and unable to keep up any Quidditch talk by herself.

“Explain the blood then!” Ron was yelling with a mouth full of toast. “Blood on the sheets and ginger hairs all over! Explain!”

Hermione had a book up between her and Ron. “Well maybe you just aren’t looking hard enough.” Ron scoffed. “Have you checked under ALL the beds?”

“Oh, UNDER the beds. I’ve only been looking above them because of Scabbers ability to FLY!”

Harry looked at Heather and sighed. “Pass the jam?”

Their fighting got worse after Herbology. They were all studying in the library when Hermione suggested Ron was just prejudice against her cat ever since Crookshanks chased Scabbers out of the Magical Menagerie.

“Only a maniac would buy the cat that almost ate their friend’s rat!” Ron closed his book and left the library.

“Hermione – ”

Heather knew what Harry was about to do and shook her head at him. He ignored her.

“Ron did find blood where Scabbers normally sleeps and I don’t think those ginger hairs would have stayed there since Christmas. We’ve been walking around and sweeping the floor with our socks.”

Hermione shut her book. “Oh I knew you’d side with Ron! First you’re both mad at me about the firebolt and now you’re mad at me about something Crookshanks DIDN’T do – ”

“Where IS Crookshanks?” Heather regretted asking almost immediately.

Hermione’s face went red. “I’m very busy and I can’t work with everyone talking,” she said shrilly. She got up and left the library as well.

Harry and Heather stayed to work on their potions essay on Undetectable Poisons.

A day later and the Weasleys were trying to cheer Ron up, seeing he was thoroughly devastated about Scabbers. During breakfast all but Percy were sitting around him, patting his back and offering him candy.

“Think of his death this way, at least it was quick and painless. He’d been off-color for ages, losing hair and all that. One swallow and his misery was over.”

“Fred!” Ginny hissed.

“Oh come on. You always said he was very boring. All he did was sleep and barely eat and sleep some more. Now you can buy a new rat,” George shook Ron’s shoulders a bit.

Ron lifted his head from the table. “He bit Goyle for us! He put that disgusting sausage finger in his mouth for US, remember?”

Heather and Harry nodded.

“A true hero,” said Fred while biting his cheek to keep from laughing. “And now the scar on Goyle’s finger will stand as a lasting tribute to Scabbers’ memory.”

Surprising to no one, Fred and George couldn’t manage to cheer Ron up. Maybe Ron was doomed to remain sad for the rest of the year without Scabbers. He did say he’d never be happy again. Heather told him at least then the dementors would leave him alone and he did nod appreciative.

Mopey Ron was a new normal they’d have to get used to, but Heather was far happier now. She was back to being friends with Ron, she had Harry back, and Hermione was talking to them – except Ron – so everything was almost like normal.

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#harry potter #heather potter #pro snape #severus snape x oc #severus x oc #snape x oc #severus snape x reader #severus x reader #snape x reader #snape fan fiction #snape fanfic #snape fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #fanfiction

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thelastyearinmyforties · 8 years ago

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Day 92: The things I read...

I am a reader. I love to read. LOVE. I’ve read two books in the last two weeks and am a third of the way through another, which I started at lunch today. I read fast, and when I get engaged in a story - which is sometimes from page one but many times after a chapter or two - I can hardly stand to put a book down. I stayed up too late the other night finishing one of those books and could easily stay up all night to finish the one I’m reading now. But part of me wants to wait a bit so I can hang out with these characters a bit more. I just love to read! I love to escape into the land the characters inhabit whether that’s the north side of Chicago (in my current book), a dystopian future on an unknown planet, Victorian Europe or the streets of New York City. It’s probably the most relaxing thing I do other than actually going to the spa.

When I was a kid I was all about Nancy Drew. I read all of them and over the years have been picking up old copies from used bookstores to rebuild my collection. But it wasn’t just about Nancy…I read everything I could get my hands on and for several years read above my grade level. In high school I read fiction, primarily that which was written by Stephen King. I mean he did write a book about me after all. Fine, it wasn’t really about me but at least he spelled my name right. After high school I lost interest in reading, likely because college requires a different kind of reading and I felt like I couldn’t read anything else. When you’re required to read something the joy of it is completely lost.

Somewhere toward the end of college I picked up a little non-required reading when Field of Dreams came out. After seeing the movie I decided I wanted to read the book, Shoeless Joe, by WP Kinsella. And then I wanted to read other books about baseball, and for a year or so that’s all I read. Then came grad school and well, it was back to a different kind of reading.

At some point my mind shifted and I only had a desire to read non-fiction, so I read more books about baseball, biographies and autobiographies and that sort of thing. I read semi-regularly but I wouldn’t have called myself a reader, which seems insane now, but you know, life changes and many things change along with it.

After grad school and my year-long internship I started reading a lot of Christian books, many by Chuck Swindoll, designed to inspire and motivate, and I loved them. I know now I was really trying to figure out who I was and where I belonged. I knew I was a Christian but I never felt like I totally fit in. I read books about being single and how that was okay and how I should wait for Mr. Right (still waiting by the way, but that’s a separate blog). I read very little else during this time of my life and while I read a lot I don’t think I would have called myself a reader. I’m a tiny bit embarrassed to tell you that I read the entire Left Behind series. Yes. Every. Single. Book. And I think I even knew they weren’t great as I was reading them but for some reason I didn’t feel like I would be a good Christian if I didn’t read them. Trust me, I know better now. But beyond those books, I was still reading primarily non-fiction, and I might have said I liked to read but I wouldn’t have said I was a reader.

But then came a little series of books about a young wizard with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. I heard about the books but didn’t actually care until then I started seeing the preview for the first movie, and I knew I needed to read the book before it came out. So I bought the paperback and read it on a plane ride to visit my mom. I finished it that night. To be fair, the first book is pretty short. While on vacation I bought books two and three, also in paperback, and I read one while I was there and the other on my way home, finishing it shortly after I got back. And then I had to WAIT. Book four wasn’t out yet and I was dying. I needed it. But here’s the other thing you need to know…I decided that since I started buying the series in paperback that I couldn’t buy the hardcover version. This is still a thing for me with all the books I buy. So I waited for the paperback to come out. I know! It seems insane now. Like I couldn’t check it out from the library or just download a digital version? Maybe digital versions weren’t a thing then. Anyway, the point is, Harry Potter made me a reader again, and I will forever be grateful to JK Rowling for that. I now own all the books in paperback and actually own a hardcover set of the UK versions, which is actually pretty cool.

And then came chick lit and authors like Jane Green and Jennifer Weiner who made me realize that it was okay to be smart and single and that if I was myself the right guy would come along (still waiting!). I found other authors through them, and then…well, then my closest friend on the planet wrote and published her first novel and my world of reading changed dramatically.

First and foremost, reading Tasha’s books (Tasha Alexander…look her up and buy all of her books!) made me realize that I actually like historical fiction and mystery. To be fair, there’s a little romance in them, too, and that certainly doesn’t hurt. I have learned so much about writing and reading and the world of publishing from Tasha, and it’s all made me love reading even more. It’s certainly made me a better writer, and I get giddy every time she sends me an early draft to read.

Through Tasha I found other genres and other authors - several of whom I now consider good friends. I jump from the cozy mysteries of Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey) to the thrillers of Andrew Grant (Tasha’s husband) to the delightful novels of Renee Rosen and Allie Larkin and Christine Son (now Fickel) and the genius that is Bill Cameron. While Bill’s thriller series was a little extreme for me, his new young adult series is one of my favorites - I need more Joey in my life, sir! And there are more. So many more. And of course I continue to find other authors as I explore bookstores, where I usually get myself in far too much trouble but I don’t even care. They’re books!! I do have an eReader but if given the choice, I will always, always, always choose the physical book. There’s just nothing like the feel of the paper, the way the spine cracks, and the way the cover invites me in.

In the past few years I’ve also Kickstarted a couple of books by new authors and without the magic of the internet I never would have known about them. Had I seen the books in the store I’m not sure I would have read them but after supporting them through the process of making the books, I count them among my favorites: Nick Miller’s Isn’t It Pretty to Think So? and Jack Cheng’s These Days: A Novel. I discovered Nick Miller on tumblr and his book was the first project I ever backed. I love that.

So yeah…now I read all the time. And it’s primarily fiction but I jump around from genre to genre as I mentioned above. The last two books I read were young adult novels - Paper Boats by Dee Lestari and Flower by Elizabeth Craft. I found both of these randomly while searching for other things. That is quite often how I find some of my favorite reads. The book I’m currently reading, Windfall, is the latest novel from one of my favorite YA authors, Jennifer E Smith. Honestly, since I decided I didn’t actually have to be a young adult to read YA books, it’s become my favorite genre. I still love good chick lit, which most seem to call women’s fiction now - Sarah Pekkanen, Allison Winn Scotch, Alyssa Goodnight, and of course, the wonderful Jane Green, who I will never get enough of. I love cozy mysteries and historical fiction and while I’ve tried to love thrillers the truth is, I really just love Andrew and his are the only ones I read.

I can’t fully explain why I love YA so much. Maybe it’s the joy of living a youth I didn’t experience. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m almost 50 and I want to relive some of those younger days. Mostly I think it’s just the fact that I love good stories and YA authors write some of the best ones around. Don’t even bother trying to argue that point with me. You will lose. The fact is, I’m young at heart. I tell people all the time that I’m actually 12 so it makes sense that this is my favorite genre.

This has been a very long post but clearly I’m passionate about this topic. I came by it very naturally. Both of my parents are avid readers - mostly non-fiction for them, and my step parents are readers, too. Between the five of us we probably own 3 million books. That might be a slight exaggeration. Or it might not be.

If you stuck it out this long, thanks! If you just skimmed and got to this part more quickly than others, that’s okay. Now you’ve got more time to read a book. See what I did there?

So tell me…what do you love to read?

#life #books #reading #nancy drew #stephen king #wp kinsella #jk rowling #harry potter #tasha alexander #jennifer e smith #jane green #laura bradford #bill cameron

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