#if i were harry i’d have a bout of accidental magic too

[halothenthehorns]

TLTNL- The Fountain of Fair Fortune

Harry made to hand the book to Remus out of habit, but Lily offered, "I'll read the next one." She was enjoying the honest bliss Harry seemed to be carrying while reading these, something she'd been afraid would be long absent with his recent bout of memory returns, but thankfully just being in Sirius' presence seemed to be holding him in good spirits for now and she wanted to keep this up however she could. So she passed her infant along to her husband and happily found the next story.

"I call dibs on my favorite then," Sirius declared at once as he watched Lily skip around their order.

Remus got a bad feeling about letting Sirius do that, because he was now worried about that look he was being given like his mate was going to be picking the story for him as well, but Lily was ignoring the both of them and starting.

High on a hill in an enchanted garden, enclosed by tall walls and protected by strong magic, flowed the Fountain of Fair Fortune.

Once a year, between the hours of sunrise and sunset on the longest day, a single unfortunate was given the chance to fight their way to the Fountain, bathe in its waters and receive Fair Fortune for evermore.

On the appointed day, hundreds of people traveled from all over the kingdom to reach the garden walls before dawn. Male and female, rich and poor,

"Why would a rich person show up? Judging by the tale, that person should automatically know they're not getting picked," James rolled his eyes.

"Rich people can be unhappy," Sirius shook his head at him, "I'm sure they think their woes are justifiable enough even if no one agrees."

"I still doubt the fountain would ever choose someone with gold to spare," James shrugged.

  young and old, of magical means and without, they gathered in the darkness, each hoping that they would be the one to gain entrance to the garden.

Three witches, each with her burden of woe, met on the outskirts of the crowd, and told one another their sorrows as they waited for sunrise.

"My mother always told me they were sisters, not strangers met," James said in surprise.

"Like the one before, I'm sure they all get tweaked with every retelling," Sirius shrugged.

The first, by name Asha,

"Ooh," Lily couldn't help but coo with a small smile as she turned to Harry and explained, "that's what we were going to name you if you were a girl."

"That's what she wanted to name you," James corrected. "I wanted to name you Poppy, or Rose."

"The flower thing is getting ridiculous James," Lily sighed with a small smile saying otherwise.

"I disagree," James defended, "the one thing I ever remember Petunia telling me was all the women in your family being named for flowers, and I don't need your mother to have another excuse to dislike me if I break that tradition."

"You're being ridiculous," Lily said in exasperation, but James was still going full steam to Harry.

"Her mothers name is Delilah, her Grandmother was Fern, and then there was her sister Iris-"

"Of all the things you remember from that one dinner," Lily blushed faintly as he tried to keep going.

The two parents began arguing the point, leading Sirius to lean over and whisper to Remus, "think they're arguing about this a bit more than necessary?"

Remus started to smirk and say, "those two? The ones who argue like that about what to eat for dinner?" Then he paused, kept watching, and muttered, "though Harry was a surprise as well."

Sirius couldn't help but snort, but then Harry got their attention and they decided to keep going.

was sick of a malady no Healer could cure. She hoped that the Fountain would banish her symptoms and grant her a long and happy life.

The second, by name Altheda, had been robbed of her home, her gold and her wand by an evil sorcerer. She hoped that the Fountain might relieve her of powerlessness and poverty.

The third, by name Amata, had been deserted by a man whom she loved dearly, and she thought her heart would never mend. She hoped that the Fountain would relieve her of her grief and longing.

"Must be some magical fountain to have the potential to heal any of that," Harry muttered.

"The things we still wish magic could do," James agreed.

Pitying each other, the three women agreed that, should the chance befall them, they would unite and try to reach the Fountain together.

"I think Asha wins from that group outright, she's the one most likely to die, the other two's fortune could change without some mystic help," Sirius muttered with a sideways look at Remus, who was blatantly ignoring him.

The sky was rent with the first ray of sun, and a chink in the wall opened. The crowd surged forward, each of them shrieking their claim for the Fountain's benison. Creepers from the garden beyond snaked through the pressing mass, and twisted themselves around the first witch, Asha.

Lily smiled brightly, gaze flickering to her child and back to the story with even such the silly happiness of the character she liked best being chosen.

She grasped the wrist of the second witch, Altheda, who seized tight upon the robes of the third witch, Amata. And Amata became caught upon the armour of a dismal-looking knight who was seated on a bone-thin horse.

The creepers tugged the three witches through the chink in the wall, and the knight was dragged off his steed after them.

"Seems a bit ridiculous all four were let in," Remus couldn't help but scoff at this logic. "What was to stop the whole crowd from just forming a chain and all going in together to reach the fountain."

"Clearly it's because they didn't expect idiots like you to be sitting around questioning them when they made up this fairy-tale," Sirius snipped.

The furious screams of the disappointed throng rose upon the morning air, then fell silent as the garden walls sealed once more.

Harry shivered heavily, at the reminder of being in hedges that blocked out the noise of a crowd. He was being ridiculous, he told himself sternly without looking at any of them who had surely noticed. It had already happened, no need to get spooked over a kids story!

"It's alright Harry," James kept eyes on his infant as he spoke calmly and softly, though the child was gurgling with delight and for once looked better off than the adult watching.

Asha and Altheda were angry with Amata, who had accidentally brought along the knight.

"Only one can bathe in the Fountain! It will be hard enough to decide which of us it will be, without adding another!"

Now, Sir Luckless,

"Much nicer than I would have called him," Sirius snickered.

as the knight was known in the land outside the walls, observed that these were witches, and, having no magic, nor any great skill at jousting or duelling with swords, nor anything that distinguished the non-magical man,

"Then, why was he a knight?" Harry asked, trying to picture in his head and not coming up with anything.

"Anyone can put on a costume I suppose," James chuckled.

was sure that he had no hope of beating the three women to the Fountain. He therefore declared his intention of withdrawing outside the walls again.

At this, Amata became angry too.

"Faint heart!" she chided him. "Draw your sword, Knight, and help us reach our goal!"

"Honestly I'd have tried to retreat too," Sirius rubbed at the back of his neck with his face pinched up. "Being stuck around three women who are assuredly going to get into a fight, I'd happily stay out of that one."

"Faint heart indeed," Lily sniffed, now easily picturing Sirius in that get up instead of Sir Cadogan from before.

And so the three witches and the forlorn knight ventured forth into the enchanted garden, where rare herbs, fruit and flowers grew in abundance on either side of the sunlit paths.

They met no obstacle until they reached the foot of the hill on which the Fountain stood.

There, however, wrapped around the base of the hill, was a monstrous white Worm, bloated and blind. At their approach, it turned a foul face upon them, and uttered the following words:

"Pay me the proof of your pain."

Harry couldn't help but shift restlessly again, despite the description, his mind flashing to a Sphinx from so long ago, but then the infant burst out laughing as James continued to make faces at him, and Lily kept reading in such an assured voice with a warm smile it easily soothed the dusk filled night from his nightmares.

Sir Luckless drew his sword and attempted to kill the beast, but his blade snapped.

"Credit for trying?" Remus offered with a halfhearted smile.

Then Altheda cast rocks at the Worm, while Asha and Amata essayed every spell that might subdue or entrance it, but the power of their wands was no more effective than their friend's stone, or the knight's steel: the Worm would not let them pass.

The sun rose higher and higher in the sky, and Asha, despairing, began to weep.

Then the great Worm placed its face upon hers and drank the tears from her cheeks.

"Eww," Lily muttered with a crinkled nose, while James started snickering at the expression and promised her, "don't worry Lily flower, I'm the only one who can do that to you."

"More eww," Sirius told the pair while Lily rolled her eyes at them and kept going loudly.

Its thirst assuaged, the Worm slithered aside, and vanished into a hole in the ground.

Rejoicing at the Worm's disappearance, the three witches and the knight began to climb the hill, sure that they would reach the Fountain before noon.

Halfway up the steep slope, however, they came across words cut into the ground before them.

Pay me the fruit of your labors.

Sir Luckless took out his only coin, and placed it upon the grassy hillside, but it rolled away and was lost.

"Poor bloke," Remus tried to smile at what was likely meant as a joke or just another instance of the characters trying to take the story too literally, but sadly he had an idea of being down to your last Knut.

The three witches and the knight continued to climb, but though they walked for hours more, they advanced not a step; the summit came no nearer, and still the inscription lay in the earth before them.

All were discouraged as the sun rose over their heads and began to sink towards the far horizon, but Altheda walked faster and harder than any of them, and exhorted the others to follow her example, though she moved no further up the enchanted hill.

"Courage, friends, and do not yield!" she cried, wiping the sweat from her brow.

As the drops fell glittering on to the earth, the inscription blocking their path vanished, and they found that they were able to move upwards once more.

"You think that's just what this magical fountain is full of? The sweat and tears of all the witches and wizards over the years?" Sirius pondered.

"That was vaguely gross, and yet I kind of believe it," Remus chuckled.

Delighted by the removal of this second obstacle, they hurried towards the summit as fast as they could, until at last they glimpsed the Fountain, glittering like crystal in a bower of flowers and trees.

Before they could reach it, however, they came to a stream that ran round the hilltop, barring their way. In the depths of the clear water lay a smooth stone bearing the words:

Pay me the treasure of your past.

Sir Luckless attempted to float across the stream on his shield, but it sank. The three witches pulled him from the water, then tried to leap the brook themselves, but it would not let them cross,

"You'd think by the third time they'd realize something was up other than just try to go around," James snorted.

"Yeah, these dense broads should be asking the fountain for something more to do with smarts than love or whatever," Sirius smirked.

"Remind me again how you're not the one married," Lily muttered, though she couldn't help but agree with him, these witches weren't exactly using a lot of problem solving skills.

and all the while the sun was sinking lower in the sky.

So they fell to pondering the meaning of the stone's message, and Amata was the first to understand. Taking her wand, she drew from her mind all the memories of happy times she had spent with her vanished lover, and dropped them into the rushing waters. The stream swept them away, and stepping stones appeared, and the three witches and the knight were able to pass at last on to the summit of the hill.

"There they have it," Remus mock applauded.

The Fountain shimmered before them, set amidst herbs and flowers rarer and more beautiful than any they had yet seen. The sky burned ruby, and it was time to decide which of them would bathe.

Before they could make their decision, however, frail Asha fell to the ground. Exhausted by their struggle to the summit, she was close to death.

Her three friends would have carried her to the Fountain, but Asha was in mortal agony and begged them not to touch her.

Then Altheda hastened to pick all those herbs she thought most hopeful, and mixed them in Sir Luckless's gourd of water, and poured the potion into Asha's mouth.

At once, Asha was able to stand. What was more, all symptoms of her dread malady had vanished.

"I thought the worm did that," James scratched at the back of his head as he tried to recall his mothers old retelling with this instead. "The three trials cured the other three and then Sir Luckless didn't because he no longer needed to or some such."

"You've got to stop comparing retellings," Lily shook her head at him before continuing.

"I am cured!" she cried. "I have no need of the Fountain, let Altheda bathe!"

But Altheda was busy collecting more herbs in her apron. "If I can cure this disease, I shall earn gold aplenty! Let Amata bathe!"

Sir Luckless bowed, and gestured Amata towards the Fountain, but she shook her head.

The stream had washed away all regret for her lover, and she saw now that he had been cruel and faithless, and that it was happiness enough to be rid of him.

"Good sir, you must bathe, as a reward for all your chivalry!" she told Sir Luckless.

"What do you think he'd even ask for? To have his name changed?" Sirius kept picking at the idea while Remus and James snickered along.

So the knight clanked forth in the last rays of the setting sun, and bathed in the Fountain of Fair Fortune, astonished that he was the chosen one of hundreds and giddy with his incredible luck.

As the sun fell below the horizon, Sir Luckless emerged from the waters with the glory of his triumph upon him, and flung himself in his rusted armor at the feet of Amata, who was the kindest and most beautiful woman he had ever beheld. Flushed with success, he begged for her hand and her heart, and Amata, no less delighted, realized that she had found a man worthy of them.

The three witches and the knight set off down the hill together, arm in arm, and all four led long and happy lives, and none of them ever knew or suspected that the Fountain's waters carried no enchantment at all.

"Dun, dun, dun!" Sirius cried, throwing his arms in the air for emphasis.

"I've got to give him that one," James chuckled.

"I can see the moral it was going for, but remember it had chosen Asha first," Lily said with a creased brow. "If the water wasn't meant to heal, and the poor thing would have died by the journey of just getting up to the magical herbs that did heal her, than it's still a good thing she dragged someone along who knew what they were doing."

"Agreed, teamwork seems to be the point of it all," Harry said watching those around him, his mind on a much more recent memory from his past where he was sure he wouldn't have made it out anymore than his godfather if not for his friends backup.

Albus Dumbledore on "The Fountain of Fair Fortune"

"The Fountain of Fair Fortune" is a perennial favorite, so much so that it was the subject of the sole attempt to introduce a Christmas pantomime to Hogwarts' festive celebrations.

"Oh, this was it!" Remus burst out laughing.

"You mentioned the school tried to put on a play once, should have known it was Dumbledore's actual idea," Sirius snickered.

"Let me finish," Lily scolded, having read ahead and contradicting him.

Our then Herbology master, Professor Herbert Beery,1 an enthusiastic devotee of amateur dramatics, proposed an adaptation of this well-beloved children's tale as a Yuletide treat for staff and students.

"Ah well, lets see why it was such a disaster then," James said eagerly.

I was then a young Transfiguration teacher, and Herbert assigned me to "special effects", which included providing a fully functioning Fountain of Fair Fortune and a miniature grassy hill, up which our three heroines and hero would appear to march,

"We absolutely should have got those parts," Sirius huffed.

"Padfoot," Remus began slowly and kindly, "think about what you just said."

It took him a second, but his slightly pouting expression didn't change much. "Flip it to three hero's and a heroin then, Lily could totally be a knight."

"Thanks," she muttered, "I always do feel luckless with you around."

Sirius went wide-eyed but defended his claim, "come on Lily, you know it's perfect! Remus is Asha-"

"Because no one saw that coming," Moony said while giving him the stank eye.

"Prongs is Amata," he kept going on the same breath while James put his arm around Lily without contesting being love sick most of his life.

"-and you're the random person that got plopped down with us but we'd never replace."

She eyed him for a moment like she couldn't decide if she was supposed to be insulted or warmed by that, Sirius had a gift of managing both at the same time.

"Since when have you ever been poor and down on your luck?" Remus accused. "I think I should just play both parts."

"Let you steal the show?" Sirius gasped. "I can play a part!"

"Honestly, I think he has enough energy to play all four main characters," Harry muttered.

while it sank slowly into the stage and out of sight.

I think I may say, without vanity, that both my Fountain and my Hill performed the parts allotted to them with simple goodwill. Alas, that the same could not be said of the rest of the cast. Ignoring for a moment the antics of the gigantic "Worm" provided by our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn, the human element proved disastrous to the show. Professor Beery, in his role of director, had been dangerously oblivious to the emotional entanglements seething under his very nose. Little did he know that the students playing Amata and Sir Luckless had been boyfriend and girlfriend until one hour before the curtain rose, at which point "Sir Luckless" transferred his affections to "Asha".

"May as well have done a play over A Midsummer Night's Dream." Lily chuckled at how confusing all this could get.

Suffice it to say that our seekers after Fair Fortune never made it to the top of the Hill. The curtain had barely risen when Professor Kettleburn's 'Worm', now revealed to be an Ashwinder2 with an Engorgement Charm upon it,

"Whose terrible idea was that?" Remus muttered, then he remembered his old Care of Magical Creatures teacher hadn't exactly been any more steller than Harry's in recognizing when particular magical creatures should be in a situation.

exploded in a shower of hot sparks and dust, filling the Great Hall with smoke and fragments of scenery. While the enormous fiery eggs it had laid at the foot of my Hill ignited the floorboards, "Amata" and "Asha" turned upon each other, duelling so fiercely that Professor Beery was caught in the crossfire, and staff had to evacuate the Hall, as the inferno now raging onstage threatened to engulf the place. The night's entertainment concluded with a packed hospital wing; it was several months before the Great Hall lost its pungent aroma of wood smoke, and even longer before Professor Beery's head reassumed its normal proportions, and Professor Kettleburn was taken off probation.3

"And the school didn't want to try again?" James demanded. "Where's their sense of adventure?"

"Safe in the hospital wing," Lily giggled.

Headmaster Armando Dippet imposed a blanket ban on future pantomimes, a proud non-theatrical tradition that Hogwarts continues to this day.

"They are really missing out," Sirius insisted.

Our dramatic fiasco notwithstanding, "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" is probably the most popular of Beedle's tales, although, just like "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot", it has its detractors.

"Of course it does," James rolled his eyes.

More than one parent has demanded the removal of this particular tale from the Hogwarts library, including, by coincidence, a descendant of Brutus Malfoy and member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, Mr. Lucius Malfoy. *

"Is Malfoy on the board of governors already?" Lily spluttered in pure disgust. Admittedly more outraged than anything he'd pulled so high in the Ministry while only being a few years above her and she was still at the bottom.

"There's a nightmare we need to fix soon," Remus agreed in disgust.

Mr. Malfoy submitted his demand for a ban on the story in writing:

Any work of fiction or non-fiction that depicts interbreeding between wizards and Muggles should be banned from the bookshelves of Hogwarts. I do not wish my son to be influenced into sullying the purity of his bloodline by reading stories that promote wizard-Muggle marriage.

"How dare he hear someone else's opinion on something," James mocked.

My refusal to remove the book from the library was backed by a majority of the Board of Governors. I wrote back to Mr. Malfoy, explaining my decision:

So-called pure-blood families maintain their alleged purity by disowning, banishing or lying about Muggles or Muggle-borns on their family trees. They then attempt to foist their hypocrisy upon the rest of us by asking us to ban works dealing with the truths they deny. There is not a witch or wizard in existence whose blood has not mingled with that of Muggles, and I should therefore consider it both illogical and immoral to remove works dealing with the subject from our students' store of knowledge.4

"And Malfoy didn't take to this idea? What a genuine astonishment," Sirius said dryly.

This exchange marked the beginning of Mr. Malfoy's long campaign to have me removed from my post as Headmaster of Hogwarts, and of mine to have him removed from his position as Lord Voldemort's Favorite Death Eater.

"A children's novel got those two started against each other," Lily said deadpan.

"Ah, it would have been something, I'm happier it's something memorable," James rolled his eyes.

"Oh look, they're are notes at the end of this one," Lily said in surprise.

"The man has notes on his notes?" Sirius demanded in disgust.

1Professor Beery eventually left Hogwarts to teach at W.A.D.A. (Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts) where, he once confessed to me, he maintained a strong aversion to mounting performances of this particular story, believing it to be unlucky.

Harry blinked slowly at the mention of that, suddenly a world of questions about other wizarding schools popping to mind he'd have to ask about later. He was more surprised than anything Sirius hadn't gone there.

2 See Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for a definitive description of this curious beast. It ought never to be voluntarily introduced into a wood-panelled room, nor have an Engorgement Charm placed upon it.

"Anyone sensible could have told them that," Remus rolled his eyes.

3 Professor Kettleburn survived no fewer than sixty-two periods of probation during his employment as Care of Magical Creatures teacher.

"Kettleburn just got better in my memories!" Sirius burst out laughing.

His relations with my predecessor at Hogwarts, Professor Dippet, were always strained, Professor Dippet considering him to be somewhat reckless. By the time I became Headmaster, however, Professor Kettleburn had mellowed considerably, although there were always those who took the cynical view that with only one and a half of his original limbs remaining to him, he was forced to take life at a quieter pace.

"A shame, we might sympathize with Hagrid more since Kettleburn seems exactly like him when he started," Remus chuckled.

"On the plus side, if the pattern continues, hopefully that means Hagrid will continue to mellow out as well," Harry said with a wry smile.

4 My response prompted several further letters from Mr. Malfoy, but as they consisted mainly of opprobrious remarks on my sanity, parentage and hygiene, their relevance to this commentary is remote.

"I disagree, those sound extremely relevant!" James protested.

He was ignored as Lily told this one was done.

HPHPHPHPHP

*First and only time, hopefully, I'll have to edit these books for my purposes. The actual line is 'one-time' member of the board, but of course he hasn't been taken off yet. I believe the timeline of Dumbledore writing for this happened sometime between books two and three, when he was still looking for the other Deathly Hollows as a side project, but due to the purposes of this fic it's obviously been modified a bit more.

[xseamus]

⧼  jordan fisher, cismale, he/him   /   KODACHROME by PAUL SIMON + that part of your left eyebrow that never quite grew back after you-know-what, and that singed corner in your apartment that you swore you would clean up but still haven’t gotten around to, and the scorching memories of times you’d rather forget, but still they stay, just like the scar on your brow and the burn in your home. hugging your friends so tight it’s almost too hard to breathe, and even then only letting go when they ask you over and over again. singing and dancing and drinking and causing a ruckus, until the night grows old and there’s hardly anyone left, so you’re left chatting with a warm drink in your hand until finally, finally, you need to sleep.   ⧽   ━━   hey, isn’t that SEAMUS FINNIGAN? i read a daily prophet article on them, once ; the 24 year old [ half blood ] WIZARD is a [ GRYFFINDOR alumnus who has gone on to be a QUIDDITCH COMMENTATOR. ]. i’ve heard they can be quite LIVELY & DETERMINED, but i don’t know… they came off very IMMATURE & HEADSTRONG in that interview. it really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it?   

hello everyone!!! i’m cas, i’m so excited to be here and write with you all! for the RECORD, this is my first ever golden-trio rp, and therefore my first everrrrr time writing dear seamus, so this is gonna be a fun journey!!!!! pls bear with me while i figure him out <3 (also, i guarantee u i’m gonna forget about the irish accent constantly while i write, so pls use ur imaginations djgkdjgfksdg)

i’ll set y’all up with the classic: “me dad’s a muggle, mam’s a witch. bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out.”

so yup, he’s a half-blood! from good ol’ kenmare, ireland, where his father lived most his life - he met seamus’ mother in america on a business trip, and they quickly fell in love. she moved to ireland to live with him, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

she did forget to mention she was a witch until long after they were married and seamus was born, when he first started showing signs of magic by accidentally turning the cat pink, crying, and turning half the carpet the same ugly shade of pink - in that order. 

seamus was is hm.... how 2 say this simply..... a chaotic child. finally turning 11 and getting his hogwarts letter was a big sigh of relief for his parents, who loved him very much but were very excited to finally have some peace and quiet in the household!!!

seamus was equally as excited - the muggle school he was enrolled in was boring, and while he had a decent amount of friends from taking up the title of “class clown,” this paired with the occasional bout of accidental magic got him into a decent amount of trouble. 

some of his favorite things about his time at hogwarts, in no particular order: DADA classes, hogsmeade trips, dean thomas, quidditch games, the rest of his friends, gryffindor parties, great hall feasts.

some of his least favorite things about his time at hogwarts, in no particular order: realizing that he wasn’t that special because now everybody else could do magic too (and many of them were better than him at it), potions classes, quidditch tryouts, most slytherins (he’s a biased lad, what can he say). 

when shit got real, to put it lightly, seamus didn’t want to believe any of it. he was kind of a brat at first (i say as if he still isn’t a big brat constantly), refusing to believe that you-know-who was back and that war was at their doorstep. he argued with his classmates about it constantly, until finally the truth was undeniable and he allowed himself to be dragged (see: he asked if he could come) to the dumbledore’s army meetings. 

and then seventh year, his mom almost didn’t allow him to return to hogwarts because of how bad everything had gotten. she reminded him that he was still just a half blood, and even if things were okay for them at the time, there was no guarantee it would stay that way.

seamus did a lot of growing up that year (better late than never), fully investing in dumbledore’s army and helping the younger students deal with everything going on, all of it culminating with the battle of hogwarts 

the battle of hogwarts was chaotic, hard to place any specific thing - a cacophony of flashing lights and shouting and people falling around him. he remembers three things: 1) blowing up the bridge (while the battle itself could obviously not be described as anything close to fun..... come on, that was pretty great), 2) learning his corporeal patronus was a fox (nice), and 3) watching a curse come at him straight from you-know-who’s wand, only to be blocked by harry potter. 

after all of that, well, it was just a matter of picking up the pieces, wasn’t it? he helped fix up hogwarts where he could, spent some time at home with his parents, and sorted things out. he didn’t ever really give himself time to think about the events of his last year at hogwarts, because he didn’t want to think about it. he still doesn’t ever really talk about it; we love repression, babey! 

after a bit of time at home he decided to move to a very cheap apartment in london bc he wanted to experience the Big City:tm:, where he quickly got a job as a quidditch commentator with [insert generic news station here, cas is tired] which he absolutely fell in love with. he gets to travel to quidditch games all over europe - and the globe during world cup season - and he’s quick to tell people he’s famous in the sports world (hardly true, but some people recognizing his name has gone to his head). in the quidditch off-season (and during some messy overlap), he’s a muggle sports commentator, mostly sticking to tennis. 

he’s a bit of a mess but he’s got a heart of gold, sometimes he just needs a lil shoving in the right direction. he loves his friends & his family more than life itSELF and he’ll do anything (see: anything) for ‘em. unless they do something to piss him off, then they get approx. 1-2 weeks of The Seamus-Free Zone before he drops his grudge and all returns to normal

i’m getting out of control so i’m ending it here but pls plot with me and vibe with seamus thank u the end <3

potential connections:

FIRST OFF i’m down for L I T E R A L L Y anything so if you think lil seamus over here might fit a wanted connection you have PLEASE lmk bc i’d love to do anythingggggg

an ex or two, spicy spicy (seamus is bi so the possibilities are endless, as the kids say)

a roommate (oh my god they were roommates; seamus does like hosting get togethers at their place so they’ll either be chill w/ it and enjoy the parties orrrrr they think seamus is the worst roommate ever)

friendsssss gimme friends of all types for this lad 

enemiessss, seamus is v hotheaded & it’s easy for people to get on his nerves, but it’s also very easy for him to get on other people’s nerves

fellow quidditch fans, he does give out his spare press tickets like candy, feel free to take him up on that offer 

and more! endless possibilities 

lil fun things:

he’s a big mama’s boy, 10,000%, loves his mom so frickin’ much 

in the world of sports commentary, he’s quite popular among younger fans because he’s extremely biased in quite a comedic way, and he’s gathered quite a decent following for being “that funny sports reporter” (which is, yes, his full instagram bio). he’s always put on for a bit of lighthearted fun, it’s rare that he does any extremely serious commentating, but that’s the way he likes it. 

his favorite local team is the Kenmare Kestrals and he’ll never say a bad word about them during games, no matter how bad they play, and during world cup season he obviously always supports ireland. if they don’t make it to the final he nonstop makes quips along the lines of “ireland could’ve done that play better, but we’ll let it slide”

has a french bulldog named gregory, gregory also has an instagram account and has more followers than seamus, don’t bring it up

hosts "small get togethers” (see: parties) in his apartment quite often, thank U silencing charms

good god he’s so very clumsy and is constantly hurting himself (and accidentally setting things ablaze, he doesn’t know how it still happens but it ALWAYS HAPPENS) pls help him

[light-and-darkness-equally-well]

I Saw The Crimes of Grindelwald

And like any movie, there were things I loved.

Baby. Nifflers.

The freaking artistic departments and the COSTUMING were all very beautiful.

I liked Theseus Scamander more than I thought I would - maybe I was getting more realistic older sibling vibes, maybe his human moments just hit me. Idk.

OMG the cast performed so well??? I’d literally just list all their names if I wanted to point out anything specific. If you’ve seen the movie yell about the spoilery things in the comments with me?

SPOILERS BELOW

Okay, Leta was awesome and I had honestly expected her to follow Grindelwald? But they definitely broke expectations with this one. Really pulled a Last Jedi on us in that regard - the person we expect to be tempted to the dark gave her life for the right reasons, and one of our brightest, most hopeful and wholesome characters in the first movie goes dark.

BTW she made me want to cry when she screamed “Walk with me,” ugh. I really hope she doesn’t die still on Grindelwald’s side. The man must be a powerful occlumens to not reveal his actual endgame to a legilimens that just hears people without even trying. I’m glad it wasn’t just “for love”, though that is a driving factor for her - it’s for freedom to express that love, and being caught in a moment of vulnerability in the crowd, and Jacob finally calling her crazy out loud for that decision.

Also, like, can we talk about how her descent into darkness was definitely not unexpected? She enchanted Jacob to keep him compliant! I mean, I get it - but Jacob was the one who loved more in that scenario, because he cared more about her than about them being together. She could have campaigned for the right to marry him at the Ministry - but she went with mind control. There’s a clear difference in what she believed was right and wrong versus others.

IDK I just hope that if she does come to a breaking point it won’t take someone killing Jacob to bring her to the Light again.

Nagini was pretty cool even though she was just kind of along for the ride? I liked her companionship with Credence. Unfortunately we already know how her story ends.

Okay, gonna touch on Johnny Depp - I’m not extremely well read on the irl controversy and really based off of what I know I can’t personally condemn or acquit him just because I don’t have all the info.

But I’m able to separate a person’s actions from their work either way and - he was a goddamn good Grindelwald. Very charismatic and softspoken when he needed to be, cruel in turn to see where loyalties lie, and he knew how to push all the right buttons. The only part that just made me giggle at the absolute wrong moment for a movie to make me want to giggle (with death and destruction on the line, ugh) was the “I hate Paris”. It was too cheeky for me at that moment, idk.

ON TO HOGWARTS

Freaking Jude Law, ugh. He definitely was an amazing Dumbledore. I was all for his performance, and there were definitely images with the Mirror of Erised scene where I just was like wow, you two had such a profound bond. And Grindelwald used “The Greater Good” line, which was a thing between the two of them regarding their positions on this whole new world order thing. He’s enigmatic and friendly, especially in his interactions with Newt and Leta.

(OMG McGonagall was there for a hot second and it was perfection)

Theseus Scamander, my friends. He is SUCH an older brother around Newt. I am an older sister, and can confirm. My heart broke for him when Leta died, omg.

and Flamel was unexpectedly hilarious and simultaneously badass?

Tina was kind of following a trope that I expected of the spurned girlfriend, so meh on the storyline but A+++ with the “salamander” dialogue between her and Newt and the moment when she pulls out the little bell toy.

I don’t have much to say about Newt because he was very typical Newt. It worked well and I was glad he wasn’t the only main player in the movie, but I adored every bit of him.

AND OKAY THE NIFFLER BEING THE ONE TO STEAL THE THING FROM GRINDELWALD OMG

Okay, you’ve guessed that I’ve been holding back on the Credence bit because -

What the actual fuck?

Okay, the very first option is that Grindelwald is a lying liar that set it all up, and that would not be a surprise honestly.

(Gonna still call him Credence for a bit on account of that notion)

But these things tend to be important, these “phoenixes come to Dumbledores” type of things. So I’ll take it as truth for now.

And we have heard nothing about an Aurelius Dumbledore even existing until this point - and we know very little about Ariana and Aberforth. So I suppose it’s plausible that we never heard his name before. Still!

He has been pulled from every side for every reason to use him or destroy him, and that breaks my heart. Look at how freaking powerful he is at the end at Nurmengard (which we know later, of course, will be Grindelwald’s prison) - all he could do. And that of course worries me, because under Grindelwald he could do a ton of damage.

The one good thing Grindelwald does, imo: give Credence a freaking wand. Ezra Miller has been waiting too goddamn long for this moment, probably vibrating in his seat with excitement, let him be a proper wizard.

And how in Merlin’s name did he get where he is? I have a pretty interesting timeline.

Ariana Dumbledore, the youngest Dumbledore until now, was an Obscurial child because of muggle bullies. She died during a fight between Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald (who may have already witnessed her power and had ideas of how to use her? Albus hadn’t enjoyed the burden of caring for, essentially, a disabled sister. Maybe he had been wondering how to take her off his hands, and Aberforth had seen it coming and that’s how that mess occurred.)

Anyway, she died in the fight - no one knows who killed her out of the three. This was 1899.

Credence was born two years later.

Now, he doesn’t necessarily have to be a brother - he could be a cousin - but I’m super inclined to think that if he is indeed Aurelius Dumbledore, that he’s the youngest brother, or at least is symbolized as such if he is a cousin. (Wizards live a lot longer than average humans, so it’s totally plausible to have siblings that far apart I think) It would be a different mother, because Kendra Dumbledore (Albus’s mother) died some time the same year before Ariana did.

And Albus, upon finding out about Credence and perhaps guilty about his own treatment of Ariana, thinks I am not fit to care for a child keep away and offers to send Aurelius and his mother to America. Thus we have Credence.

NOW this is assuming we don’t get an entire retcon of the Dumbledore history. If we do that, then my mini-headcanon is a bit more disturbing.

We know very, very little about Ariana Dumbledore. We didn’t know she existed until the seventh book. Same for Aberforth. We learn a lot about Dumbledore all at once from some unreliable sources (Skeeter etc) through Harry, who finds certain information more important than other info.

I looked up the timelines earlier, so the first theory fits better with canon. If we throw timelines and whether Kendra Dumbledore died at a certain point out - if we assume that the little tidbits might be wrong -

What if Ariana wasn’t hidden away in the house? What if she was born later? What if she and her mother moved to America when it became clear that Albus wouldn’t support them?

And this is sort of fanfictiony, and very weird, but what if -

Aurelius was Ariana? I mean, Obscurials. Dumbledores. What if Dumbledore didn’t love his sister enough to keep her close, and supposedly lost her to a storm at sea?

What if, in a bout of childhood accidental magic, Credence changed their own body, uncomfortable as a little girl?

(This leads Mary Lou Barebone to scream about witchcraft for the rest of her days, but she still takes care of the cursed little boy. She feeds him, houses him, hopes his sins will be forgiven, punishes him because he’s a little curse on her too, and Lord if it happened to her-)

So Albus believes Ariana to be dead, but if he can save this Obscurial boy, just maybe -

Yeah. Okay. So. Tangent over, fanfiction to be written, this movie was great and weird and confusing and cool. Ta-da.

[queenofthyme]

#library #fluff #madam pince (kicking them out)

Prompts: @bleeding-fandom-heart Author: @queenofthyme

Hermione and Ron weren’t in the library like they said they’d be. It wasn’t surprising, really. They were always sneaking off or running late these days. Harry stopped asking where they’d been after the fifth bout of giggles he’d received in response. He was happy for them of course, but it did leave him feeling a little bit lonely at times. Like now. He’d actually have to study (rather than play noughts and crosses in the margins of his Potions textbook with Ron).

Harry plonked his books down (ignoring Madam Pince’s ominous Shhh from across the library) on an empty table squeezed between two shelves of books, happy for the privacy. The Hogwarts library was similar to the rest of the castle in the way that it had a mind of its own. The tables and bookshelves were constantly rearranging themselves and each day there would be a new configuration. This was Harry’s favourite so far. No one would even know his table was there unless they were specifically looking for it, or for a book on the spiritual properties of Flobberworm, which sat nestled on the shelves behind Harry’s head.

He opened up his Potions textbook and considered playing noughts and crosses with himself before sighing and flicking over to chapter seventeen to read up on the brewing process of Veritaserum. Apparently, it wasn't enough to make the potion, they had also been assigned to write an entire essay on the method before even attempting it in class. To make the whole thing even more unappealing, they weren’t even allowed to keep the potions once they were completed. Harry could do with some Veritaserum, he thought. He’d chug a whole flask, take a walk around Hogwarts and finally tell everyone what he really thought. “If only,” he whispered to himself.

“If only what?”

Startled, Harry looked up quickly and found Draco Malfoy peering around a bookshelf at him. He frowned. This was the first time he had heard Malfoy talk all year. They'd been avoiding each other mostly, looking away when they caught the other staring (which, admittedly, was often) and keeping a wide distance as they passed in the corridors.

Draco looked at him expectantly, remaining half behind the bookshelf as if afraid to come out any further. Harry realised Draco was still waiting for an answer. “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “It was stupid.”

“As stupid as this?” Draco asked. His hand went to the cuff of his sleeve but then he pulled back and just pointed at his left forearm instead. Harry understood all the same, although he couldn’t quite get Draco’s tone. Was he joking?

“No,” Harry said slowly, “I guess not.”

“Then I’m in no position to judge you,” Draco said, his face impassive. It was impossible to understand the tone of the conversation they were having with Draco doing that. Harry was used to identifying Draco’s various scowls and glares but this was devoid of any tell.

What the hell, Harry decided. “I was just thinking that it might be nice to be dosed up on Veritaserum so I’d be forced to tell everyone the truth all the time.”

Draco took a step out from the bookshelf and the faintest smile flickered across his face. “Is Harry Potter a liar?” He asked.

Harry couldn’t tell if it was a genuine question or a jibe. He wished Draco would give him some clue. “It’s not that I’m lying,” he answered carefully. “It’s just that I’m not always telling the full truth.”

Draco stared at Harry for a moment – far too long a moment, Harry was starting to sweat – and then pulled out the chair across the table and sat down. He propped his chin on his hands. “What’s the full truth?”

Harry was a little taken back by the directness, and still not sure of Draco’s intentions. He couldn’t think of an answer. “I don’t know.”

Draco smiled properly then. It was teasing, but not in a cruel way. It was the kind of way that made Harry feel like he was in on the joke. “You want everyone to know that you don’t know.”

Harry laughed, surprised that the sound had been elicited by Draco of all people. His once sworn enemy. “If I had Veritaserum, I wouldn’t have to know what I wanted to say, it would just come out.”

“I don’t think it works like that. You still have to know,” Draco said, tilting his head thoughtfully and blinking through eyelashes Harry only just realised were strikingly long. “I know what I’d say to you.”

“What?”

“A lot of things. Many that I definitely won’t be saying without Veritaserum.” Draco dropped his hands and let his eyes fall to the table. There was a slight blush on the edges of his cheekbones that made Harry curious. “There is one thing, though, that I’ve been meaning to…” He trailed off and looked back up at Harry seriously. “I’m sorry,” he said. “For the big things. For the little things. For everything I’ve done that’s made your life harder. For every hex and for every line of ink in this stupid mark on my arm. I’m sorry.”

Harry blinked back at Draco in surprise. It was not what he’d been expecting. Not after months of silence. And now Draco was looking at him, waiting for a response, and Harry didn’t know what to say.

Draco dropped his gaze back down to the table and– “I like your eyelashes,” Harry blurted out. Loudly.

Draco’s head snapped back up. He and Harry both flinched when a heavy Shhh, courtesy of Madam Pince, floated their way.

“Excuse me?” Draco whispered, staring at Harry strangely.

Fuck. “They’re long,” Harry said because it was the only explanation he could think of. Inside, he was screaming at himself for opening his mouth at all. He felt his face heating up. Why had he said that?

Draco laughed (and another Shhh came their way). It was light and high-pitched (the laugh, not the shhh), and nothing like Harry expected Draco’s genuine laugh to sound like. He had never heard it before. 

“I don’t think you’re cut out for Veritaserum,” Draco said.

“Why?”

Draco smirked but there was no cruelty in it. “If you blush like that just from telling me you like my eyelashes, then you probably won’t be able to handle the things a truth serum makes you say.”

The way Draco said it, it was like he knew. Instead of asking the obvious, as Harry could only imagine the horrible circumstances in which Draco would have been fed the potion, he asked: “What kind of things?”

Draco hummed for a moment – a pretty sound Harry also hadn’t heard before – and then said: “All kinds of things. Simple things, like eyelashes, but other things too. Fears and anxieties you’re used to keeping hidden. Debased things you usually only think of in the dark. Desires you convince yourself you don’t feel but you know you do.” He shrugged as if to take away from the seriousness of what he was saying. “If the Veritaserum allows you say it aloud, then it’s something you already know.”

Harry felt himself unconsciously leaning into Draco over the table. He stopped himself before he went too far. Draco’s words made him curious. “Debased things?” He repeated. “Like what?”

Draco didn’t say anything for a moment. He looked to be thinking carefully. And then: “I like your hair.”

Automatically, Harry lifted a hand to his head and pushed back his hair at the mention. Draco’s eyes followed the action. “How is that–“

“I won’t answer that,” Draco interrupted. His lips quirked upwards. “At least, not without Veritaserum.”

Harry tried to imagine the implications himself but thought better of it when a number of images appeared in his head too inappropriate to entertain in a library. He shuffled in his seat. “I like your cheekbones,” he said.

Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise but replied quickly. “I like the green in your eyes.”

“I like the sound of your laugh,” Harry shot back.

“I like the way you fly.”

“I like your hands.”

“Shhhhh,” whispered Madam Pince’s voice from a distance.

“My hands?” Draco repeated, lowering his voice. They both looked down at them.

“They’re elegant looking,” Harry explained lamely. Draco’s fingers were long and delicate and his hands looked like they’d be soft to hold, albeit a touch boney. Not that Harry was thinking of holding Draco’s hands. He’d just happened to notice is all.

When Harry looked up, Draco was already starting back at him, although Harry could have sworn Draco was looking at his lips in particular. He stuck his tongue out and swiped it across his bottom lip, and Draco’s eyes darted right back down. Harry could feel his face heating up again. If he really was dosed with Veritaserum, he’d tell Draco–

“I’d really like to kiss you right now.”

The words were Harry’s but they fell from Draco’s mouth.

“Me too,” Harry said quickly.

Draco smiled, warm and soft at every edge, and he leaned across the table, taking Harry’s face in his hands. Harry was right – they were soft. Harry leant forward himself – he couldn’t let Draco do all the work – and pulled his hands up onto the table to lift himself up a little. In the process, he accidentally knocked his Potions textbook to the floor with a loud ka-plunk, but he wasn’t particularly concerned; his only thoughts were of Draco and how those lips would feel against his. Would there be sparks? Electricity? Heat? He was feeling all those things in his body just from the anticipation alone so he knew it had to be something more.

He closed his eyes as their lips grew closer and braced himself for the impending magic. And sure enough, when his lips met Draco’s, it was an instant flash of magical energy. He’d never felt so charged in his life. But it only lasted a second. Because as soon as their lips met, they were ripped apart.

Harry fell backwards with the force and toppled backwards over his chair. He looked up to find Madam Pince standing above him, wand raised. “This is a library,” she whispered, a look of horror on her face. “A place of study. It is not your bedroom.”

Harry nodded quickly, scrambling to his feet. He could see Draco doing the same on the other side of the table.

“Get out of my library. Now,” Madam Pince said venomously. “And pick up that book!” she ordered, eyeing Harry’s Potions textbook on the floor.

Harry hastily grabbed it, shoved it into his bag and after a quick side-eye to Draco to make sure he was doing the same, made a run for it. Harry was surprised, but not unhappy when Draco slid his hand in his and they ran together, Draco’s laughter in his ear.

“And no running in the library!” Madam Pince yelled out after them.

more like this l @queenofthyme

[snortinglaughter]

Flowers and Antlers.

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3

It is a general belief held by the Wizarding World that only those who are pure of heart are able to perform the Patronus Charm. According to legend, one of the most famous Patronuses of all time was a lowly mouse that belonged to a young wizard named Illyius. Illyius cast the Patronus Charm while his village was being attacked by the Dark wizard Raczidian and his army of Dementors. Despite the mouse’s diminutive size, it shone with the brightest of lights, bringing the Dementors to a halt as it nimbly moved through the ranks of fleeing villagers. Enraged, Raczidian decided to enter the fray himself and tried to summon a Patronus to ward off Illyius’s mouse. However, he failed to remember that only the pure of heart can produce a Patronus, and thus, for the first time in history, it was revealed what happens when a competent but unworthy wizard or witch attempts the spell. Maggots shot out of Raczidian’s wand and quickly devoured him as they engulfed his entire body.

Harry closed the book, horrified by what he had just read; the silence in the library had never felt heavier. He didn’t know if Malfoy would ask him for help, but he wanted to be ready if he did. Harry had excused himself to Ron and Hermione by saying he would go to Madam Pomfrey for a headache potion, but instead had used his free period to do some quick research.

Malfoy had been branded with the Dark Mark, but Harry had witnessed his attempt to cast the charm last night and nothing wretched had happened; it gave Harry hope.

“I know what you did.”

Harry looked up, his eyes widening; Malfoy was standing next to him.

“W-what?” he stuttered, covering the book’s title as much as his hands allowed.

“I know what you did. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t notice?” Malfoy said with a raised eyebrow.

“Shit,” Harry whispered; when he’d left the Charms classroom he’d thought he’d been stealthy-smooth, like a ninja in one of those movies Dudley used to watch. “Listen, Malfoy I… I thought -”

“Thought what, exactly? Being The-Tit-Who-Lived doesn’t give you the right to search through my belongings, Potter,” said Malfoy with the poshest of accents.

Harry remembered his little burst of curiosity the night before and his jaw dropped almost to the floor.

“How did you -”

“I never leave my sketchbook under my pillow.” Malfoy bit his lip and looked around for any eavesdroppers. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep whatever you saw to yourself.”

He stalked out of the library without another word. Harry stuffed the book in his bag and followed; he couldn’t let Malfoy walk away like that.

“Malfoy, wait!” Harry grabbed him by the elbow, making him stop reluctantly. “Listen, I shouldn’t have; it was wrong, I know. I did take it and I’m sorry, but I didn’t open it; I promise.”

Malfoy frowned slightly.

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? Did you want me to have a look or not?” Harry frowned a tad deeper. Was this a contest to see who could scrunch their forehead the most?

“No, I mean, why are you apologizing? Why are you being nice about this?”

“Because…”

Harry’s heart skipped a beat; ‘because I have a massive crush on you’ didn’t seem like the right answer at the moment. He looked around as if expecting the suits of armor in the corridors would give him advice. One of the portraits, an old witch who was aiming her ear trumpet at them, gave him an encouraging nod when she realized Harry was looking at her.

“Because I want you to show me; I want you to want to show me.”

He was making a statement; Harry hoped Malfoy would understand what came with it. Malfoy swallowed hard and Harry couldn’t help noticing the slight bobbing of his Adam’s apple. Green eyes bored into grey ones; something hot ran down Harry’s spine, making the hairs on his arms stand. They inadvertently moved closer; Harry’s heart seemed to want to crawl up his throat.

“Yes,” Malfoy whispered.

They were standing so close now, their breaths ragged.

“Ahem!”

They jumped at the sound and looked around until they realized it came from the witch with the ear trumpet; she giggled quietly.

“Yes,” Malfoy repeated, recovering his composure. “I - I’d like that.”

Harry tried, but couldn’t stop a massive grin that almost reached his ears.

“We, um, we can talk about it after class, or tomorrow - whenever you want.”

“Tonight, in the Common Room.” Malfoy’s gaze drifted to Harry’s lips. “I’d like to have my arm back, Potter.”

Harry hadn’t even been aware that he was still gripping it.

“Right, of course; there you go,” he said as he almost reluctantly let go. “Tonight, then.”

“See you, Potter.” Malfoy smiled.

Harry couldn’t stop staring at Malfoy for the rest of the day: during class, in the corridors, as they entered the Great Hall.

“Harry, watch where you’re going!” Hermione said.

“Wha – oh, sorry.” He had stepped on her heel, making Hermione step out of her shoe.

“What is it with you today?” She frowned, wiggling her foot to get it in her shoe again.

“Oh, um,” he looked at the Slytherin table, catching Malfoy’s gaze. “I actually wanted to ask you something.”

“Sorry, mate; she already has a date for the Yule Ball,” Ron joked.

“Damn, maybe next year,” said Harry, making his way to the Hufflepuff table. “So, ‘Mione, do you think it’s possible for a Dark Wizard to cast a Patronus?”

“Why? Is this for a DADA essay?” She frowned, “I don’t remember Professor Daythorn saying anything about it.”

“No, no; it’s – it’s kind of…” Harry looked to her side, making sure Ron was too busy stuffing his mouth with Shepard’s pie. “Kind of personal,” he mumbled.

“Oh?” Hermione frowned in confusion for a moment before realization hit her; Harry could swear she looked straight at Malfoy for a fraction of a second. “Oh! Well, um. Ron, I forgot my Potions book in the dungeon.”

“Agh c’mon ‘Mione, ‘m ‘bout to stah wih’ da roaf beef.” Harry never failed to be amazed by Ron’s capacity to speak with his mouth full without spitting any bits of food.

“Please, babe?” Hermione pouted.

“Fine,” Ron sighed and gulped. “Don’t let anyone near my plate; be back in a jiffy.”

Hermione waited until Ron was far enough away and then turned to Harry giving him a very McGonagall-ish look.

“Ok, let’s hear it.”

“Hear what? I just -”

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Harold; I know this is about Malfoy.” Her expression softened when Harry didn’t answer. “You’re my brother and I love you, Harry; I don’t know what exactly is going on between you two, but if he hurts you I’ll flip him like a fucking omelet.”

Harry was momentarily speechless. He’d never heard Hermione speak like this, but it made him smile –and a little proud.

“That being said, Snape and Dumbledore ensured Malfoy’s soul was kept intact, and I don’t think he’s truly an evil person; I’ve always thought he tried to help you back - back in the Manor,” Harry took her hand and she squeezed back, giving him a sad smile. “We all went through hell in that place, but he was the one who lived for months under the same roof with the madman who tortured him and his parents; I think Malfoy could be able to perform the charm if he can concentrate on a happy memory, Harry, but maybe he doesn’t have happy memories at all.”

Harry was sitting on one of the couches in front of the fireplace in the Common Room; he quit trying to join his friends’ conversation as mixed memories of old quarreling and sixth year kept distracting him. Ever since he’d spoken with Hermione earlier, his mind had been a tangle of roads, all of them leading to the same destination: Malfoy.

Harry had seen him go up the stairs; he thought of following, but decided that being alone in the dorm after the moment they’d shared outside the library was quite dangerous. That was another thing he kept thinking of; Harry had never felt the same way with Ginny –not to mention Cho– and he’d barely touched Malfoy’s arm, for-crying-out-loud. And then, that night when he’d thought Malfoy and Neville were a couple… The only time he could remember being that angry was when he’d lost control of his magic and inflated Aunt –‘stop it, she’s not your Aunt’– Marge.

“Are you coming, Harry?” Ron looked at him expectantly; they were the only ones left in the common room, Harry realized.

“I’ll stay here just a tad longer, mate.”

His friend looked like he was about to question him, but merely shrugged and said his goodnight. Ron had a way of knowing when something was bothering him, and Harry had never been more grateful for it; he wasn’t quite ready to talk about this whole feelings thing and, besides, he had no idea what Ron’s reaction would be.

Harry got more nervous as the minutes passed by; would Malfoy really show up to their d- meeting? Maybe the other lads in the dorm were still awake; maybe Harry should just go upstairs and leave it for some other time. No, he should stay, give Malfoy a few minutes; he was probably just as nervous as Harry. It was five past midnight on his wristwatch. What if Malfoy had gone to the bathroom and accidentally locked himself in? Harry should probably go check. No, no; he should wait.

A light shuffling sound came from the stairs at his back; Harry felt the nape of his neck bristle. He awkwardly stood up and turned to see Malfoy in navy blue pajama bottoms and a tight –very tight— matching long-sleeved V-neck; sketchbook in hand. Harry’s fingers itched with the urge to touch pale collarbones. Thank Merlin he was still in his school robes; they were proving to be very useful at the moment.

“Potter.” Malfoy was smiling; Harry was sure Malfoy knew he looked fit as hell.

“Malfoy,” Harry responded, trying to summon the calmest expression he could manage as he sat with his hands fisted at his sides.

“I apologize for taking so long,” Malfoy said, sitting beside him at a safe distance; a whiff of cool minty freshness filled Harry’s nose.

“No, that’s quite alright. Um, listen, Malfoy, I just - about what happened in sixth -”

“Stop.” Malfoy looked directly into his eyes. “We both made the wrong decision that day. I’ve put it behind me.”

Harry was about to protest but fell silent as Malfoy determinedly opened the sketchbook and an image of a flower caught his eye.

It was a drawing of a narcissus in grey and white shades; the lines were smooth and flowing, giving Harry a sense of serenity. He was so used to the school portraits and hideous vegetable paintings at the Dursley’s that he was awestruck for a moment; he’d never seen anything like it.

“May I?” Harry asked.

Malfoy slowly passed the sketchbook over; it felt as if he was about to hand Harry a piece of his heart. Harry lightly touched the sheet, almost certain that he would feel the soft petals with his fingertips.

“Did you use magic?”

“One would think magic would give you a better result, but I’ve learned the muggle way is better; you have more control over the lines.” Malfoy watched Harry’s face intently.

Harry skimmed through pages of drawings of different types of flowers. He didn’t know the names of most of them, although he recognized a peony. When did Malfoy learn to do this? How was he so good?

He turned another page and his heart stopped.

On the page was a majestic pair of Stag antlers. The heavy contrast of dark and light created a sense of realism that made the drawing seem to pop off of the paper.

His heart began beating again with so much force that it seemed it was trying to smash its way out of his ribcage. Harry could see it beating through his chest; he could barely control his agitated breathing. Harry was afraid he might implode.

“It’s beautiful.” The words came out as a soft whisper.

Harry looked up and took in every detail of Malfoy’s face: his slightly thicker bottom lip and pronounced cupid’s bow, smooth pale skin that highlighted the pinkish tint of his cheeks, and those vivid grey eyes.

“Beautiful.”

Read more on Ao3

[darkcloud-kcalifornia]

OK, wasted most of the day, but there’s still time to dive into Nanoha A’s!  I haven’t seen an episode of this for years, so here’s to having fun experiencing it again!  Episode 1 “The Beginning Comes Suddenly”

* I’m gonna have to go back and check just when the first season took place, aren’t I?

* So it starts with a girl in a wheelchair in a dark and empty house listening to a voicemail from a nurse about grabbing a bite to eat for her birthday after her checkup at the hospital tomorrow.  They really waste no time in establishing loneliness in this season.

* And then there’s the incredibly obvious eldritch tome on Hayate’s bedroom bookshelf.  Can’t forget that.

* Yeah, I’ve accidentally read a few hours longer than I was supposed to while lying in bed before. Heck, one time it only ended when the book did, and I looked up to see the sun was rising.  The next day was not a good one for me.

* So the tome starts glowing black and purple at the stroke of midnight, levitates off of the shelf as the house around it shakes, and fleshy veins seems to pulsate as the book groans against the chains holding it shut.  CALL ME CRAZY BUT I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A BAD SIGN.  Hayate might need some priests rather than a hospital visit at this point.  Though if I saw that happening I’d probably appreciate having a hospital’s bedpan at least.

* And so the book bursts open, releasing the Clow Cards across the… wait, wrong series.

* Second sign that this book is trouble?  It’s universal translator is set to German! Like the TSAB using English wasn’t weird enough…  Although I suppose English is a Germanic language, so if we’re going by translation convention this could be showing that while there’s a difference, they aren’t completely unrelated.

* Huh, well I haven’t checked out the timeline for the original series yet, but this season then skips to the beginning of December.

* I just adore Nanoha’s disappoint that after bouncing a juice can in the air 100 times with a magical blast at high speeds the shot to the garbage can has it bounce off the rim. It is totally ridiculous, and yet completely relateable.

* Oh, so the subtitles for this season switched to Raising Heart.  Well, she’s still just gonna be called RH.

* Of course Nanoha asks for a grade after her self-induced weapons practice.  And of course RH is ready to give her a rough figure.

* OK, I can get the TSAB wanting some way to get in contact with Nanoha, but now they have a mailing address too?  And apparently it isn’t in Japan.  Are they officially based in England?  That’s the only other place I can think of that could be it right now?  That or they’re going through some elaborate ruse of teleporting packages into Nanoha’s mailbox that look like they were mailed from overseas, but that would raise the question of why do that instead of just dropping them in her room?

* And apparently at some point they covered Yuuno’s disappearance (going home) by claiming they found his original owners.  That… actually does seem plausible.  I mean, Yuuno was found with a collar of sorts, which would imply previous ownership to those who aren’t in the know.

* Chrono acts completely seriously for prepping Fate and Arf for the trial later that day… but then refers to Yuuno as a ferret-wannabe.  I’m not sure if they hate each other or if I should be writing Chrono/Ferret slash fic.

* So why exactly would a verdict of Not Guilty still carry a probation period?  That says some pretty messed up stuff about the TSAB justice system. I mean, I could understand court ordered counseling or psychiatric evaluations after what she went through to see if she’s capable of joining society at large or what would need to be addressed, but that’s different from having to report to a probation officer and having a rap sheet for, again, NOT being guilty.

* Oh well, at least they eventually let her move out of the brig.

* Oh hey, weren’t those two part of the initial assault team on the Garden of Time?  You know, the one that got fried by Precia?  And now they’re getting mugged by Vita for their mojo. Man, even among red shirts, some guys just cannot catch a break.  At least getting killed on the mission is final.  These two get to suffer over and over again.  Is one of them named Harry or something?

* Aww… Suzuka is such a nice girl, running over to help Hayate reach a high book.

* Oh Shamal, I’d lecture you about how grocery shopping without a plan is always a surefire way to spend more than you intend… if I didn’t constantly do the same thing myself.

* I like how the new antagonists are set apart visually by their magical “circles” being triangles.

* It’s impressive just how much space Vita covered with her barrier.

* I remember being so pissed at the Knights when I first watched this for suddenly attacking Nanoha like this.

* One of the more infamous Nanoha moments: saying “Listen to what I have to say!” while firing a Divine Buster.

* It’s funny how pissed Vita gets about Nanoha blasting off her hat… when it’s part of her barrier jacket and thus will just be reformed the next time she goes to fight.

* To be fair, a rocket propelled spiked hammer is a genuinely intimidating thing to have coming right for you.

* And then there’s that big dramatic moment when Fate shows up to fulfill her promise to save Nanoha next time.

* You know, while its funny that the ending song is a blatant love ballad to Fate, it’s even funnier that she says she’ll always remember their first meeting when said meeting involved Fate trying to slice her feet off.

 And that’s it for the first episode!  This season doesn’t waste time getting things running, with the establishment of a new threat, even if the nature of that threat isn’t clear yet, and a decent amount of battle in the very first episode.  One that Nanoha unambiguously lost, showing the new antagonists to be a threat, but at the same time Vita was obviously winded from her bout with Nanoha so it wasn’t a complete curbstomp that the heroes would need a miracle to rise up and overcome either.  The enemy has the advantage at the moment on a one on one basis, but not by that much.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 71: Mad-Eye Moody

The last thing Regulus needed after finally getting his head on straight was to crash face first into a chalkboard. Coughing and spitting out dust, he saw he'd completely ruined whatever Professor McGonagall had been in the middle of writing, and it was a lesson far above his own head anyways. The accompanying images showed a rock halfway through a transformation into a dog.

Everybody else was getting to their feet, groaning and eyeing their new surroundings suspiciously as usual, so Regulus took the moment to eye Peter curiously. Ever since Peter had declared them as friends on the campgrounds, Regulus had surprisingly likened to the idea. Looking back, he'd never had anyone call him a mate before. None of his other dorm mates, certainly not the others he hung out with who were too afraid to call themselves what they someday wanted to be. To each other, they were always accomplices, allies, associates and in the end, it was more of a unity they all knew where they were going.

Did he even want to be associated with any of them anymore? It wasn't possible they knew what he did of the Dark Lord, but would they be questioning it the same way he was? That everything they'd ever known and planned to be themselves was a lie?

Peter Pettigrew had never told him what to think, and though he wasn't a pureblood, it would be nice to have just one friend who he didn't always have to consider his words around. He at least didn't see him as the coward he now saw himself as. The guy sounded like he'd been in a very messy situation, reprehensible to be sure, but a betrayal that hadn't even been enacted yet. Who's to say what decisions would be made until the moment of? Even with this future spelled out, now knowing could change everything. Why was he the only one seeing that?

Then Regulus winced as he wondered if he was still thinking about Peter, or himself.

Sirius had found the book in a student's bag, but had tossed it clear across the room without a second look. Moments later, an ink splattered copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration followed and smacked into a window before he discarded the bag entirely and went on to the next.

Alice Smith seemed to volunteer herself to go over and read the chapter, but also seemed to regret it with just the chapter title.

"Oh great, what's Mad-Eye Moody going to get up to now?" Potter demanded. "Making first years wet themselves? Accidentally drowning kittens?"

"Teaching, I'd assume," Lupin rolled his eyes at his friend, though his eyes continued to track Sirius' progress through the back of the classroom. It was obvious to the walls itself Sirius was working through something, and he thought Prongs still needed him more. Even now, with Evans only feet from him in his favorite class he'd barely spared her a glance, and he was positive it wasn't for the novelty of being near her wearing off. Remus didn't really think that was possible. However, he didn't seem to be doing him much good just bumming around his side.

"And here I thought this was the one class I could count on you to take notes in," he said cheerfully enough as he made his way to Sirius' side as Smith began Harry's morning breakfast.

Sirius ignored him and traveled onto the next bag. He'd been avoiding everyone since they'd spent their brief time under the Dark Mark, and Remus' innards twisted uncomfortably that he didn't automatically know why. Sirius was not the type to blame himself for, anything, he was too proud and more than happy to pin problems on anything else. His hand in Snape's near-death and his following response last month had proved that to Remus, but he could also not come up with any other explanation for the look keeping him locked away from him and James now. It was the same vicious hatred he'd held since what Peter had done had been revealed, but now permanent whether he was looking at Wormtail or not.

He was making progress even farther away across the room while Remus hesitated, wondering if he even should go after him or let Sirius come to them? That seemed even less likely to happen than world peace at this point. Remus glanced at where Peter was, at the far end of the room and having a rather stilted looking conversation with Sirius' little brother. The number of times he'd been seeing that lately was baffling, but not his concern right now.

Remus' attention was admittedly distracted by Harry reaching his Care of Magical Creatures class and Hagrid introducing a brand new species he couldn't even identify. Blast-Ended Skrewts? Now what on Earth...it's not as if he was doing any good and it couldn't hurt to hear of this new development.

James let out a soft laugh under his breath no one heard as he watched it all. He gave credit to Remus for trying, and just as predictably letting himself be distracted. He tracked Sirius' progress as he kept himself away from everyone, as he'd been doing during their previous fight, but Sirius was not a solitary person by nature. He'd hated his home for how alone he always felt, considering his little brother prided himself on spending more time with his parents and his own house-elf over him. Before all this there'd hardly been a time at school he'd left James' side, that he couldn't glance over and see him with a mischievous plan at the ready to keep them all going to their next bout of trouble.

Yet he hadn't a chance to send a very important response back to Harry, and as his son made his way to Divination and Trelawny echoed even worse fears he couldn't help agreeing with his son. This future was more than proof enough something could happen to the four of them and they could never make up from it, and James didn't want that! Surely Sirius didn't either...

Regulus' face fell as Peter sidestepped another question for the fifth time, and he finally decided to take the hint and leave him alone. Peter flinched with guilt as he saw this, he really did have a knack for driving everyone away, but he didn't call Regulus back as Harry and Malfoy erupted into a fight. It would do him no good, he told himself, to look like a pathetic rat trying to worm up and make friends with Sirius' little brother, he should have never done so in the first place-

Everyone froze what they were doing rather abruptly as Malfoy got turned into a ferret. The person responsible for this living up to the mad part of his name.

Then James and Sirius were laughing again, together, loudly, as if they hadn't a care in the world except putting whatever student had messed with them in their place.

Evans clearly didn't agree, she was scowling ferociously that a teacher would do what Potter was so fond of in problem solving, and Frank seemed to agree with her, he seemed astounded any teacher would resort to such a thing. Alice seemed the most undecided, as if she were trying her hardest not to seem smug at this comeuppance but failing all the same.

Regulus turned back to him curiously, and then the two shared a look of excitement Peter hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime. There was nothing quite like the euphoria of watching others at work, knowing you were apart of something. They may not have had a hand in the proceedings this time, Peter was sure in another life Regulus actually would have been one of Draco's friends, but for now they both seemed able to agree the little furball had got what was coming to him.

Well, not entirely. Regulus was mostly laughing at the little idiot getting caught. It made perfect sense to strike while an enemy had his back turned to you, served the Potter's kid right doing such a foolish thing, but also Malfoy had made a very obvious mistake doing this in the Entrance Hall. He could certainly appreciate someone learning their lesson. Regardless of why Peter was snickering, it still felt good to see they could still agree on this being hilarious.

Remus didn't have anything to hide behind to show his amusement, and he didn't think he would regardless at the amount of textbooks available. Alice got through the rest of the chapter with the boys in high spirits, James and Sirius were finally in the same mood with something to tie them together again once more. He hoped it wasn't the simple, cheap thrill of laughter that held them together, but still held his breath it could at least be the start of mending their group once more as the chapter finished.