#no matter how much it seems that he's saying it for merlin's sake

[poisonedfate]

bbc merlin - 04x05 His Father's Son

top 10 breakups of all time

[mrsdarkandyandere7]

Amortentia

Pairing: Yandere Regulus Black x (female) Reader

▶ This is a yandere/dark work and it may contain triggering content so please READ THE WARNINGS before. Do not read if minor.

More at Masterlist

SUMMARY: Regulus is tired of seeing you lust after his brother, so he takes matters into his own hands. 

WARNINGS: Use of Love Potion = Forced Love; Obsession. 

AN: Please, reblog and give me feeback.

--

Regulus tries hard to ignore it.

The way you ogle at his brother, how you enthusiastically talk with him, your eyes sparkling with happiness. You practically kiss the floor he walks in. 

And it bothers him. It bothers him that you’re in Gryffindor. It bothers him that you’re half-blood. It bothers him that you completely ignore his existence.

But most importantly, it bothers him that you have a crush on his older brother. 

He fervently wishes you’d do the same for him instead of Sirius. After all, he is more deserving than his brother, that traitor that keeps going against family traditions.

He is the one that deserves your love and appreciation. 

Instead, Regulus has to settle with eyeing you from a distance, hoping that Sirius doesn’t take a chance with you. He’s practically sure Sirius won’t. 

You’re the type of girl that wants commitment, a strong relationship - all things that Sirius isn’t willing to. But he is. 

Seeing you every day hanging around in Hogwarts but not having the courage to ask you out is taking a serious toll on him, becoming more and obsessed with you but almost losing any hope of becoming part of  your life. 

Until one day, Professor Slughorn introduces an interesting subject in Potions class. One that could end all of Regulus’s problems.

Amortentia. 

Most commonly known as love potion. Regulus couldn’t take his eyes off the cauldron that contains the potion. It smelled exactly like you. That sweet addicting scent of yours...

Through the entire class Regulus doesn’t listen to a single word, instead hatching a plan to finally get you all to himself. 

 “No…no, I’m fine, thanks.” you weakly mumble, cleaning your eyes with the robe.

Regulus stands in front of you with furious eyes as he earlier got a glimpse of Sirius and some Ravenclaw girl sneaking around into an empty classroom.

No doubt you’ve seen it too. 

“Are you sure? You seem... shaken up.” Regulus says, watching how broken you seem. He feels like punching his older brother. 

You nod your head, giving him a small strained smile and his heart melts. Despite everything, you still try to seem strong.

Regulus would never do that to you. 

“Listen, let me just offer you pumpkin juice, it’ll make you feel better.” he insists, pulling out a silver canteen out of his cloak and handing it to you.

"Oh no, it's okay, really."

He pushes the drink towards you.

"It'll make you feel better, I promise."

For a moment, he thinks you’re going to refuse it but at last you accept it. His stomach jumps as you take a long gulp of the drink, his eyes scrutinizing your face. 

You become expressionless for a moment, eyes going black and dead for a short moment but then you direct your eyes to Regulus and for Merlin’s sake, they are filled with so much love and passion that he knows it worked.  

“Regulus... this is kinda crazy but I need to tell you something,” you pause, taking a step closer to him and a smile starts growing in Regulus face even before you complete your sentence.

“I think I love you.” 

[larluce]

Have you ever thought of the episode A Servant of Two Masters with a scene like Ella Enchanted when she breaks her curse? If you don't know the scene or the movie, that's okay because I have ✨a vision✨

Like that:

Merlin inside is dying because he's trying to kill Arthur and that's his worst nightmare, but Arthur decided that needs to be open and honest to Merlin and just tries to confess. I don't know how they got there, but just imagine that Arthur is talking sweetly to Merlin, holding his face with love and going to kiss him, but Merlin is crying because he's with a knife in his hand and trying to stab Arthur in the back. He breaks the curse, but Arthur saw the knife and assumes the worst.

I did watch that film! "A Servant of Two Masters" had the pontential to be very angsty indeed. But of course they decided to make it comedy. Not that I didn't like it anyways, but a more serious take like the one you are proposing would have been GOLD.

I recently saw a post similar to this, not quite, but kind of captures the same idea: LINK

But you inspired me. So I'll add this to your vision:

Just as the movie, Agravaine orders for Merlin to be arrested before he can explain anything, proclaiming he's in alliance with Morgana. However, Arthur, though still very hurt and confused, starts to analyse the situation. Why would Merlin try to kill him now? Is not like he didn't have better chances before. Has he done something to make Merlin change his mind about him? What did Morgana offer him? And why a knife? Merlin literally serves him his food, he could have poisoned him, find a more discret way to do it, he's a physician apprentice for gods sake! Was his servant this dumb? Then he remembers, Merlin was crying through all of it, and he seemed like he was trying to tell him something but couldn't. He thought it was due his emotional confession that his servant had tears in his eyes, but now... could it be that Merlin was forced to do it? Maybe Morgana threatened someone dear to him? Like his mother or Gaius. Or maybe he just can't bare the thought of yet other person betraying him, specially if is Merlin, that now he's making excuses for him? Doesn't matter, he can't execute Merlin, even when his uncle keeps insisting on it. So he just keeps him in the dungeons ad pospones his death sentence as much as he can.

Just as Arthur gathers the caurage to go visit Merlin to ask for answers, against his uncle's wishes of course, Gaius aproaches Arthur and tells him Merlin was under the fomorroh's control giving him the burned cut head of the snake as a prove. He explains he went to visit Merlin and Merlin gave him that and told him Morgana put it in his neck to control him when he was captured, but somehow he managed to break the spell. His uncle intervenes, telling him is all lies, that Gaius just wants to save the boy because he's dear to him and accuses him right then and there of being the traitor they were looking for. For Arthur, however, there was never a doubt, his Merlin is innocent, he never wanted to betray him. He almost cries of relief and, ignoring his uncle and his physician's dicussion, he runs to see Merlin.

His smile fades once he gets there though, cause Merlin, his Merlin, is hanging from a rope. Horrified and in full panic mode, he puts him down as quickly and as carefully as he can. He yells desperately for the guards to fetch Gaius and starts making CPR, but even when Gaius later appears to help it's too late. Merlin's dead and Arthur's whole world is put upside down.

There's a note Gaius finds hidden in Merlin's clothes, it says: "I'm sorry, Gaius. I couldn't fight it much longer, I could feel it, growing back again, trying to control me and I couldn't let it, not again. I would rather cut my own arms and legs and being burn in the pyre a thousen times than hurt Arthur, much less kill him. I won't go through that nightmare again. Please tell him I love him too, that i never mean to do it. I love him more than I love myself. But if he doesn't believe you, if he hates me forever, it's alright. I don't blame him, so don't blame him either. Keep protecting him, please. Specially from Agravaine. Loves you, Merlin".

Gaius shares this letter with Arthur and of course he breaks all over again, but then he asks, "Why did Merlin told you to protect me from my uncle, Gaius?". Gaius doesn't want to answer at first, but Arthur commands him and Gaius answers carefully "he believed he was the traitor, sire". Arthur responds after a pause "And you believe that too?". There's a silence before the physician says "I gave him the pergamine and the ink, he said he wanted to write a message for you that later I would deliver. I was a fool, I should have known..." he sighs. "But I wonder... where did he get the rope?". And that's when when all clicks to Arthur. Agravaine was the one insisting on killing Merlin inmediatly amd Merlin didn't have access to any rope. He confirms it when the guards tell him Agravaine visited Merlin once, they couldn't hear what the man was telling to the boy, but it sounded like he was threatening him.

Agravaine was the traitor, Agravaine gave Merlin the rope. Agravaine is the reason his Merlin now is gone.

Arthur goes to his uncle a sword in hand and demands answer with the blade on his throat. First he dinies it, but then he laughs. "You killed my sister. You and your father" he admits. Arthur's expression remains as a stone "What did you tell him?" Arthur demands. "I just offer him a less painful way to die". Arthur kills him, but finds no satisfaction. He's dead inside. His Merlin died thinking he hated him and he let him believe that. He didn't visit him for days after all, he didn't confront him inmediatly for answers, he let his uncle cloud his mind. This was his fault.

Arthur looks at his sword and puts the point of the blade on his heart. He's about to push the blade when suddenly the doors open and the sword flies from his hand. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" a familiar panic voice shouts at him and Arthur turns. A Merlin with golden eyes is running to him and then hugs him tightly. "Are you mad?!" Merlin's still scolding him, but Arthur's just watches him in shock. "Merlin" he's only capable to mumble.

It turn's out Merlin's magic saved him somehow. It just put his body on the verge of death enough to make the fomorroh believe that the body was uninhabitable so it left his body completely. His mortal body was now too weak though, so his only vital energy left is his magic. That's why his eyes are constanly gold now. It takes a while for Arthur to understand it. Specially the magic part, but honestly, he's far too happy and relief to have Merlin back that he can't be mad about Merlin lying about his magic. In fact, if anything, he's thankful for it, since it saved Merlin's life.

"But you didn't plan that, did you? You did actually try to kill yourself" he accusses however, still heartbroken at the fact.

"It was the only way I could think of-"

"Never, Merlin" he commands him very serious. "Never do that again"

"I can't promise you that"

"Then any harm you do to yourself, I'll do it to me"

"You can't do that!" the warlock shouts horrified. "You are the king! You have a kingdom-"

"Our kingdom, Merlin! We built it together and it's nothing without you either"

"I'm just a servant, an illegal warlock now. My life doesn't matter."

"Don't ever say that again!" Arthur holds Merlin fiercely. "Didn't I tell you're the most valuable person to me? The only person I could trust with my life" tears run down his eyes.

"But.. I lied to you. I even tried to kill you"

"Lie to me then, kill me. You have my permission"

"Arthur-"

"No, I just got I glimse of what a life without you would be and I won't live it again. Not for a second. I can't lose you again".

"I can't lose you either". Merlin cries too. "My magic, everything I am, is yours. It has always been yours". Arthur caresses his cheek.

"Then let me take care of what it's mine"

Between tears, they kiss. Is not really tender or passionate, but pure necessity for the other.

"I'm sorry" Merlin snifs separating the kiss "Gods! My eyes won't stop shining" he says embarrasssed and tries to cover them.

"Don't" Arthur says while he uncovers his eyes gently. "They're beautiful" Merlin smiles but then sighs, sadly.

"The rest won't think the same"

"You don't have to worry about that"

Arthur gives Merlin a royal pardon so he's the 'only legal sorcerer' unless until he can make magic legal again completely. Gwen and the knights accept him inmediatly. The rest are wary at first but eventually they accept him too, when they realise he's the same clumsy servant they always knew. As Merlin recovers from his near death experience, his eyes glow less, but Arthur loves to see Merlin's eyes turn gold everytime.

Aaaand that's all I got. My imagination can't do much.

[bunnybird-afk]

AAAAAAAAA NOVELIST PHRAESTO MY BELOVED!!! okay i do have an idea about that one.

Phraesto's a really popular novelist, but he at first he went by a pen name cuz he didn't really like all the attention and popularity... even to this day. He moved to the small town that Merlin was in so he could continue writing in peace. At first, people only really knew him by pen name, but eventually his identity was revealed which made him want to move.

Some would say the decision was pretty pointless, considering how people already know his name as a famous writer, but to him it doesn't really matter. The town is small, he's new, no one knows who he is. It gives him a better chance to rewind, even if that chance is short lived

I love this so much. Poor guy is an absolute introvert at heart. He just wants to be left alone to write his novels in peace and not be bothered by his hoards of annoying adoring fans.

If we're shipping him with Merlin, I can imagine Phraesto being absolutely fascinated with this random small town professor who seems to be the only person on the frikkin planet to actually understand his writing. He sees/overhears a recording one of Merlin's students took of them discussing the novel and unpacking it's themes and he's immediately enamored. Cue Phraesto deciding to audit Merlin's class just so he can get to know more about them as a person. Maybe Merlin becomes his muse, maybe they're just a fun person to discuss ideas with. Either way, he's starting to think this small town might not be that bad after all.

If we're shipping him with Dionel though! Dura above, Phraesto would be absolutely livid. Especially if we're working with the Dionel that @meepinmeat mentioned in the comments of the last post.

Poor Phraesto moves to this empty little town in the middle of nowhere to get away from his rabid fan base and all the stupid big wigs in Holiwood who are trying to bastardise his work into some shitty film, only for fucking Dionel to show up. The last thing Phraesto wants or needs is another stupid movie producer attempting to profit off his work without understanding a damn thing about it. Except Dionel swears that he's also just there to take a break from the industry and that he really isn't interested in adapting Phraesto's work at all. Cue one passive-aggressive conversation where they begrudgingly decide they can both stay as long as they keep out of each other's face, them soon realizing that that's impossible in such a small town, and them eventually deciding to atleast be civil for the sake of both their peace. I'm thinking enemies to begrudgingly respectful to purely casual hookups with no possibility of them ever falling in love because that would be dumb and it happened already didn't it? Dionel definetly becomes Phraesto's muse, and Phraesto hates it.

Also, I've decided that Dionel has a white Persian cat who hates Phraesto's guts at first which is weird because Phraesto loves cats. (@meepinmeat, would you be mad if I decided that the cat is this universes version of Celestino?)

[artstelle]

Not Mine To Keep

The first time Arthur came to Merlin's shop, he looked so out of place, unsure of what to do. Merlin guessed he was either too "manly" to be seen buying flowers, or a rich prat who never had to buy his gifts himself. Neither were exactly wrong guesses. He felt bad for the woman the man was buying the flowers for.

They had a rather unpleasant encounter that day and Merlin was sure the man would never, ever come anywhere near the shop again, and would probably tell everyone he knew not to buy from there either. So it was a surprise when he saw the other man again. He said that while the employees were rude, the place unfortunately had the best flowers around. Of course, that would be a better excuse if the man actually bought any flowers that time.

After that, it became a regular thing, Arthur visiting once a week. At first, he asked questions about flowers, then it turned into them chatting, insulting each other sometimes and joking, laughing.

Merlin knew he shouldn't, but he was sad and depressed when the man – Arthur, he learnt – stopped coming. He was worried when Arthur didn't show up for two weeks in a row, but weeks turned into months and he accepted that the other man had probably just grown bored of their little conversations.

And then, he just showed up. Merlin welcomed him as he would any other customer, tried not to stare or ask demand an explanation as to why he just vanished. But he knew he had no right to, they were two strangers having casual conversation, that was all. If Merlin had feelings for that gorgeus blond man who turned out to be actually funny and charming, then it was his problem alone.

Arthur stayed silent for some time, and he seemed nervous, god knows why. He looked at his hands, the flowers, the walls and anywhere other than at Merlin. Just as the silence started to be too much and Merlin thought maybe he should say something, Arthur opened his mouth.

"I had things to deal with. Things to arrange. Both personal and business issues." Merlin wanted to say there was no need for explanation, but was too shocked by Arthur's next words to say anything. "I am sorry."

Arthur Pendragon did not apologize. He would show that he was sorry, but never put it into words.

But Merlin had to talk, because the man was looking at him, obviously waiting for an answer. "Oh, um... O-ok." What he wanted to say was: why do you look like a kicked puppy? "It's fine, life gets busy sometimes." That seemed to ease Arthur's mind, if the smile that formed on his lips was any proof. His beautiful lips, how nice it would be to kiss them. Oh for god's sake! Merlin had to get rid of those thoughts.

"Well, is there anything you want? If you aren't going to buy anything, I can get you a chair, but you're blocking the way. Though I don't think I can talk much, there's a big order I need to prepare." He didn't mean to sound harsh, didn't want Arthur to leave, but it was hard to go back to how they used to be. Maybe in a week, he would stop wondering what the personal matters he had to arrange were.

"Actually... I want to. I'm here for a bouquet."

Oh... Ok then. That was unexpected. Merlin remined himself that there was nothing for him to be sad about.

"Ok, which one?" He showed the bouquets that were prepared for customers to choose from. It helped them to see how the thing would look before purchasing, it and was faster to have some made up already when it was busy. And if they didn't sell, Merlin took them to the local hospital to give someone a little smile. "Or do you want a custom made one?"

"A custom one. But I was hoping you could help me choose the flowers." Arthur twisted the end of the ribbon on the counter around his finger.

"Sure, it is my job." Stop being so nervous, Merlin told himself firmly. "What kind of bouquet do you want?" He didn't want to know but he had to ask.

"To show... Something that says 'You are important to me' and 'I think of you all the time.'"

Merlin's heart hurt so much he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hide it. It was no surprise the bouquet was for Arthur's lover, but he would never have expected Arthur could say such things. He must really love her. "And 'I wish to spend more time with you.'" Arthur looked at Merlin for the first time since he had entered the shop that day. Merlin wished he wouldn't. "And..." Please, enough, go tell those things to her yourself. I don't want to hear them! "'I love you.'"

Merlin turned his back, knowing he should be happy that Arthur had found someone he loved. Arthur often talked about the girls his father threw his way and how he never had any feelings at all, at least most of the time. Whenever that happened, Merlin thought about Arthur's first visit to his shop, the bouquet he'd bought, but he couldn't bring himself to ask who it had been for.

"I'll make something." He bit his lip while choosing the flowers. Merlin stared at the bright lamp to prevent the tears from falling down his cheeks. He didn't want to make a fast and simple bouquet just to get away from the situation. It was important to Arthur, and if Merlin couldn't be happy for him, at least he could do his job right.

After who knew how long, he had the flowers ready. "Here, I hope she likes them."

But Arthur did not reach out to take them.

"I hope he does," he said instead. "Keep them, please. They're for you."

_____________________________________________________________

Look… I drew that in November. Then when I was posting, I realized I forget to add the bouquet and since then it is waiting to be posted in my wip folder. Not even wip! I put that in completed folder cause like, it was mostly done. I wanted to pick flowers with correct meanings. I gave up and just drew a pretty bouqute cause it is better than never finishing it. Please pretend they have suitable meanings to what Arthur wanted to say.

I wasn't planning to write something that long! Wow.

Edit: I posted it to ao3 too. Here is the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48305071

Flowershop AU for @merlinbingo

art by @artstelle

[astraea802]

Merlin "Rewatch" w/ Mom -- 5x10

("Rewatch" here meaning "Mostly first time watch, but with the knowledge of what happens.)

First of all: WHAT THE HECK WAS UP WITH THAT HORRIFIC FACE DISFIGUREMENT THING AT THE END?? I've never seen ANYONE discuss how messed up that is, and they SHOULD. I know this aired in the same time slot as Doctor Who, but Mom and I were NOT prepared.

Second of all: Uggghhhh

We're coming into the final three episodes.

Mom doesn't want to know what's coming, but knows it won't end well. She suspects Arthur's going to die (but we all know it's the execution that's the real kicker).

I will say, I was surprised Season 5 has actually had a lot of nice moments I never knew. It's a little moodier than I'd like, and Merlin as a character makes me sad, but there's still some nice comedy and character moments. Like Arthur saving that woman from being burned at the stake, that was so good! (Maybe it's easier for me to appreciate certain scenes knowing what's going to happen? I'm not as tense?)

(It also helps I sat out The Disir and The Dark Tower since I was walking the dog. I don't know I could have bore either without spoiling the finale out of pure frustration)

Mom's been just absorbing it all. She's had a lot of questions, like:

Mom: Why did Aithusa join Morgana? Me: We don't know. They never told us. 😒

Mom: (after The Dark Tower) How did Gwen turn evil? Me: Magic. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Mom: Oh, for gods sake! 🤦‍♀️

Mom: When do they find out about that bracelet Morgana gave Gwen to make her love Lancelot? Me: They don't. 😤 Mom: ...Are you kidding??

The deaths have been a little tougher this season, especially Elyan's. She liked the Dolma, but rolled her eyes a bit at Merlin trying to "act like a woman" instead of just getting on with curing Gwen. And she was NOT happy with Uther's ghost (who was??) or Gaius telling on Merlin and endangering Finna.

But god... watching Merlin's struggles, I just keep thinking, what was the point of it all?

There's so much back and forth the whole season, the whole series really, about destiny and duty and following your heart, and I just... what's the moral here? Follow destiny and get screwed? Follow your heart and still get screwed? It's good to know prophecies and Merlin just didn't know how to handle it? It's bad to know prophecies because you cause them to happen? If that was the case, why did Finna die to pass that last prophecy on? Also, you deserve to die, even when you haven't done anything wrong, because a prophecy says you will? You have choice? You never had one? Some will say the point is "the friends we made along the way", or there doesn't need to be a moral, but there's just no consistency, except whatever keeps the drama going.

It doesn't help that, except for the Camlann prophecy, we never actually hear any of the other prophecies everyone talks about. So we never know for sure if the problem was a misinterpretation of the prophecies in terms of what the Golden Age looked like, or if Merlin failed because of his choices, or if he was ALWAYS going to fail no matter what he did, or if he even failed at all! Because the dragon tells him he didn't in the end, but it doesn't make much sense.

Did the writers even know? They have admitted in interviews they were working nonstop on the show for five years, at grueling pace, so I forgive them for being fuzzy, but it seems like the show's moral code and prophecy lore really depended on who was writing the episode that week.

What I've always loved about Harry Potter is that while prophecies exist, the power of choice is emphasized. Prophecies can be, and often are, misinterpreted. Not every prophecy in the Department of Mysteries was ever fulfilled, so destiny is not the be-all end-all. It's made very clear that it's whether you act on prophecies or not that matters. The characters' beliefs and convictions still matter. It's consistent, it's clean, and it leaves the characters' agency.

In Merlin... you can interpret it a million different ways and still be wrong. And maybe part of the issue is that while Harry agrees to be the Chosen One since he already wanted Voldemort dead, Merlin's heart and destiny are so often divided. And that's what makes it so darn frustrating. And why I believe they gave Merlin too much of a burden for one person. No "almost" about it.

(We'll see if I revisit this after the finale)

[moonllightt91]

ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤

Text translated by Google translator, it's my first story, please be patient and forgive spelling mistak

Remus Lupin x reader

(Use of y/n, no warnings)

Content: y/n and Remus meet in the Hogwarts kitchen on a sleepless night and share their views of the world and a cup of hot chocolate

𝕋ℍ𝔼 buttery sunlight brought an ethereal glow to her face, everything about her seemed so; they said that things like true love were nothing more than fairy tales, made more to deceive than comfort the heartbroken foolish, Remus Lupin tended to agree with such statements, at least until he met her...

It was another first of September, being a second year, this day had become a little less mystical after all, having gone through the experience of being sorted into a house and a year of seemingly endless homework and tests, the first time at Hogwarts no longer seemed so magical; not that he found the castle and everyday life in general to be in any way boring, the boy knew that even if he lived a thousand years he would not know every one of the enchanting and mysterious surprises and adventures that the ancient school had to offer, he just thought that the sorting ceremony was no longer that interesting after having already been through it.

That was when she entered the doors of the great hall along with the other first-year students, looking so adorably dazzled by everything around her, the girl eagerly drank in every detail of the place, with so much enchantment in her eyes that Lupin couldn't help but want to see the world through her eyes, in some inexplicable way, despite his young age he knew that now his life would be divided between before and after that day, every other major event in his life, no matter how important it was, would never surpass the day he saw s/n for the first time...

Back to the present, Remus Lupin was sitting in the library, in theory he should be doing his potions homework, but anyway Sirius and James wouldn't stop talking about tactics for the next match against Slytherin, so there wasn't much he could do other than observe y/n, who was sitting with Lily at one of the tables near the window, the two had become friends, and even with the age difference they seemed attached at the hip.

—My dear Moony, although we know how interesting it is to observe our dear y/n, it would really be good if you helped me and Prongs here to think—said Sirius trying to get his friend's attention.

—It's not like I'm part of the team, my dear friend Pads, my support is limited to cheering for you two from the stands.

—Actually, even at that you're kind of bad, Moony, no offense, but Peter doesn't look like he's come face to face with a Basilic in every match—interjected James wanting to make fun of his friend-I bet you get irritated thinking that you could be spending that time chasing y/n in the library, you spend so much time in this place that I honestly think you'll end up getting married right here, for Merlin's sake!

—James is right about that, and I'll say more, you should stop being a coward and ask the girl out to dinner before someone gets in front of you. I heard that Amos Diggory has a crush on her, and even invited her to the next weekend in Hogsmeade.

—You can't be serious,” Moony snorted.

—And I'm not, but that's what's going to happen if you don't get the courage to ask a girl out soon. Besides, if someone finds out that you don't have the courage to ask a girl out, you might as well be expelled from Gryffindor, the courage thing and all that...,” Sirius teased.

—That's true, and it wouldn't be nice not to have your lessons to copy, a change of house would mess up the scheme of things,” James added in a tone of feigned concern.

—I definitely hate you two, now let's go because we still have to put our books away before dinner, since the two dolls always take a long time to fix their hair and we're always late and end up with the worst seats.

Despite knowing that what Sirius had said was nothing more than provocation, Remus found himself lost in thought throughout dinner. If any of his friends had noticed anything, they had miraculously not commented on it. Knowing him very well, they knew when Lupin really shouldn't be disturbed.

Having been consumed by the internal battle between his insecurity and the growing feelings he had for y/n for the rest of the night, Remus decided to go in search of a cup of hot chocolate after everyone went to sleep. He knew that the silence of the night and the comforting warmth of the drink would help him get his head together, or at least make his incessant thoughts a little more manageable. Armed with the Marauder's Map and the cloak he had stolen from Prongs, he made his way to the castle's kitchen, taking advantage of the moment of calm that only the night could bring to the chaotic building.

The walk was uneventful, the boy was finishing closing the door he had passed through when he noticed her, she was wearing a pink, fluffy robe that matched the purple slippers she had on her feet covered by blue socks, Remus had never seen anything so adorable in his entire life and he couldn't help but stare at her for five long, awkward seconds; if she was surprised or even annoyed by the interruption, the girl didn't show it, she simply gave an amused smile and said:

—Can't sleep either, Lupin?Before she could add anything else, the Gryffindor couldn't help but interrupt her:

—Do you know my name?!-she asked in a tone divided between a little scream and an embarrassed whisper.

— I don't think there's anyone in this castle who doesn't know the infamous Marauders, you're quite famous - the girl commented in a friendly teasing tone - besides, I'm friends with Lily, because of Potter you're a fairly common topic, but you can rest assured that you're definitely her favorite Marauder, and mine too if you want to know, although I think Black is cute.

— We both know it's only a matter of time before those two get together - the boy replied and then walked over to the table where y/n was sitting - Can I?

— Of course, we insomniacs need to help each other - he said, patting her gently, indicating the seat next to her I'll make you some hot chocolate.

While Remus settled into the bench, y/n stood up, and while preparing the drink she asked calmly, with the teasing tone already gone from her voice:

— So, what made you come to the Hogwarts kitchen at a time like this?

—Internal conflicts, they suck if you ask me - says the boy, using his mischievous side to disguise how vulnerable he felt when sharing a lost moment at two in the morning in a dimly lit kitchen with the girl he was foolishly in love with.

—Cinnamon?- the girl asks, finishing the drinks after a positive nod from the boy.

—Thank you very much for the drink - says Lupin as y/n slides the hot chocolate towards him - I'm sure it's delicious.

—I really hope so, it's the only thing I know how to do in the kitchen - she answers with a weak laugh and a shrug, and sits next to Remus.

Both teenagers drank in comfortable silence, the only sound being the rustling of the embers in the fireplace. Despite the lack of words, the feeling of contentment and peace took over the young people. It was a welcome break from the extremely chaotic routine that reigned at Hogwarts.If Remus Lupin were asked, he would deny it to his death, but the reality is that he was blatantly staring at y/n while she looked at the fire with that enchantment that never left her gaze. The light danced in the girl's eyes, throwing the boy into a state that bordered on hypnosis.

—Is there something on my face?— the girl asked, running her hand over it, trying to remove a nonexistent dirt.

The question seemed to shake Lupin out of his stupor. With a shy smile, but moved by sudden courage, he answered:

—Actually, there's nothing wrong with that. I just... I keep thinking about the way you look at the world around you. Ever since I first saw you, I couldn't help but notice how everything seems dazzling in your eyes. There's something about them that I can't understand, much less explain.

—Well, a wise man once said that we should find everything we can beautiful. Most people never see enough beauty. I know there's a war lurking behind the walls of this castle, a darkness that unfortunately won't go away on its own. And don't even talk to me about the injustice that plagues this world that God has forgotten. It drives me crazy... but if we can't find a little light in the midst of all this vastness of despair, what will become of us? I believe that since everything is lost, since greed has taken over everything, there's no point in looking for even the slightest comfort, looking for something that brings hope? We are a lost generation Remus, cursed I would say, but I truly believe in a future where children are free and where prejudice and hatred do not dominate us, but until then what we can do is seek in hope the strength necessary to build that future, if not for ourselves, for those who come after.

—It's a very beautiful way of seeing things, believe me, but I think that unfortunately the world found a way to break me enough to no longer have hope, hope in the end is for people like you, not for a monster like me, at the end of the day I am everything they say I am.

—I don't see any reason for you to be a monster, Remus, even though I know you're human, and like everyone of our kind, you make mistakes, but when I look at you, all I see is someone loyal to the bone, with amazing kindness and intelligence, if you want to know my opinion, and if you don't, you'll listen anyway! — y/n answers seriously, looking at the boy next to her with such fervor in her eyes that it made the older man feel as if he were going to be consumed by her gaze, which during that moment never looked away from his.

Even though he was reluctant, Remus couldn't help but believe in her, even if just a little; in the end, he was sure of one thing, he would never let this woman go again, no matter how long it took, he would gather the courage to ask her out, but for now he would set

—Would you like to have hot chocolate with me tomorrow? It's on me.

—It would be an honor, Mr. Lupin.

[boxdstars]

Terrible Deals and Better Company

This little drabble is dedicated to @damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog who's work is absolutely incredible, both her writing and her character interpretations and narratives. I've been dying to write something within this verse, canon or not - I hope you enjoy!

This fic is entirely self indulgent, and is mostly banter between Ominis and Amara (with background Ominis x f!MC) as an exploration of their adult characters

This fic probably won't make a whole lot of sense without reading THIS first, as it was my muse and explains the conflict.

Word count: 2.1k

The journey had been ghastly. Awful was quite the understatement. There was no easily accessible portkey from England to the States, at least none that he’d been familiar with. No doubt there was something tucked away within the Ministries walls themself, but he wasn’t privy to those secrets. So Ominis had to defer to the muggle ways of travel. By boat. Even the word hellish felt too kind to refer to the voyage, which had made him queasy the entire time, and entirely dependent on quick charms to alleviate the nausea.

But he was here now. In the office of the Chief Auror herself. The Magical Congresses up-and-coming pride and joy. But before she was all of that, she was the nuisance who pestered him throughout her time at Hogwarts. And his friend too, of course.

“You look awful,” Amara remarked bluntly. “Merlin’s sake, how come I haven’t seen you in four years? I wish you’d write more candidly, I knew it was bad but…” There was the click of a lighter, and the sound of her breath as she pulled a cigar to her lips, “This is something else entirely. When’s the last time you slept?”

“Last night.” 

“You know what I mean. Slept well. Anything more than six hours?”

He mulled it over, brows furrowing as he did so. Though he’d always had a penchant for napping.. six whole hours of uninterrupted peaceful sleep felt wholly unobtainable. His wife was such a dear, but even her warmth felt so far away in lieu of recent happenings. Though it was scarcely the truth, and despite their best efforts the pervasive anxieties never seemed to fade entirely.

“I can’t recall.”

“You’ve gotten worse at lying I see.” Her lips curled upward into an impish smirk. “Try again.”

There was no point in beating around the bush. She’d called him across the sea for some catching up, and he might as well get the kneazle out of the bag. He sighed in defeat and pulled out several sheets of bound parchment from within his inner coat pocket. 

“Here.”

_

Amara skimmed the pages a thousand times over. Ominis sat across from her, his unseeing eyes ghosting just adjacent to where she sat at her desk. No longer did she don her blazer, only clad in her suspenders, pinstripe trousers, and her white dress shirt whose sleeves were pulled up high above her forearms, resting at her elbows. Her legs crossed over the ornate desk, occasionally bouncing to a rhythm only she could hear. 

“Nasty business.” Amara sat the parchment down. “Figures, with the Ministry. I keep my business with them cut and dry for this very reason.” 

“I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. I did what I had to.”

“Ease up, I’m not accusing you of anything. Given the circumstances... I’d say you didn’t do too shabby. How’d the wife take all of this?”

“Not.. well.” He faltered. The twinge of regret flickered across his already furrowed brow. It was a classic Ominis expression, one Amara had seen many a time while the blond stewed over his potions cauldron. In a way, she missed it — if not for the circumstances.

“Just as I thought.” She tapped her cigar atop the ashtray before taking another languid drag. “Can’t say I blame her either. The whole thing is a damned mess. I take it she isn’t all too pleased?”

His wife was the interesting sort, Amara remembered her fondly back from their tenure at Hogwarts. Albeit their relationship was a bit strained to start, the girl had been headstrong, reckless, and irritatingly sharp at times. But that was a long time ago, and they hardly wrote to one another these days, except the snippets mentioned in passing from her letters to Natsai.

“It’s more complicated than that. For the time being... I think it’s going to be alright. But this arrangement.. as much as I stand by my word and my choice… part of me worries if it’s going to cause more harm than good.”

That caused her interest to pique tenfold. “Because of the workload no doubt?”

“Something to that effect, yes.” Ominis was holding back, which was of little surprise to her. They were friends, but she’d need to sweeten the pot with a few more drinks before he would start speaking candidly. Still, the fact he was telling her anything was enough to satiate her curiosity for the time being. 

Amara whistled long and low, “The old brass has got you both working to the bone.”

He nodded dismally. It was no wonder Ominis seemed so quiet. He’d always been distant back in school, but where the two of them were concerned, the banter and snark were nothing short of rambunctious. She was staring at a man now, slightly haggard from the anxiety that hung over him.

The auror exhaled a long plume of smoke from her mouth, “I could get you out of this, you know. No physical contact.. no written terms… seems like it’s just itching for someone to dig their claws and tear it all to shreds.”

“Amara…” Ominis warned. He had no doubt his friend was sincere about this as she was shrewd. But even her power base, influential as it may be, was newly established. The connections were there, but they weren’t centuries old. Getting him out of a Ministry agreement was one thing, finding a solution to the wicked nature of his family was another. 

“What? I have more Galleons to my name in just my left pinky than your family has combined! It would be no trouble.“

“It’s you. Of course, there’d be trouble.”

Amara scoffed. “That's beside the point. And it’s not like I don’t know how to take care of myself, honestly, you’re not giving me credit here. It would be quite simple.”

“I disagree..” He spoke tersely under his breath.

“..You’d have to uproot and bring your missus overseas.. but once you’re in our jurisdiction you’d be in good company. No tiresome busywork, no Ministry-sanctioned duties, and not a single Gaunt on your back—“

“Amara.” His voice hardened, turning stern. “You’re not listening.” 

She quickly shot back, “Stop calling me that, you’re in my office.”

“You’re the one acting impetuously. Let me finish first, I’m not denying any of your achievements.”

Impetuous. She gnawed at the inside of her lip. The audacity of the blond knew no bounds. Part of her wanted to refute the word, the other knew if she said anything more she’d only be proving him right. 

“Alright.. speak.” 

He sighed, rubbing one thumb over the other. A nervous tick. Had it been so long he’d started doing that around her again? 

“You are tenacious, yes. And Merlin knows there’s nothing that can stop you from getting what you want. But my family — they’re not the same thing. This is bigger than that.”

She just couldn’t help herself, “How? I'm not some useless receptionist, I'm Chief Auror! And  — and you’re married to well — her of all people! Just between the three of us, we could turn them to dust!”

His voice raised, “That’s the problem. That's what you don’t understand, that you could never understand. You can’t just throw Galleons at the problem until it goes away. And you aren’t going to threaten them either!”

“I’d wager I’d win.” She scoffed. “It’d be a waste of time.”

“Let’s not take that chance then.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

The silence was terse, but at least this was familiar. Many a fight had ended in this way, as the two former Slytherins would skulk off to their respective quarters. There was nowhere to hide now, and Amara swallowed the lump in her throat. Arguing was pointless, this was all so exceedingly pointless. She couldn’t win Ominis over today, but admitting that was admitting defeat. So she reveled in the silence, her gaze transfixed on the trails of smoke she exhaled every so often.

“I know you mean well.” His voice was soft now, melancholy even. “I know you’re just trying to do what’s right, in your own horrible way.”

Did he have to throw that in there? Damn him. Still, his words seemed sincere enough so Amara let it linger in hopes he’d continue. 

“It would never work. The situation is grave, it wasn’t as if this deal was thrust upon me. I had to fight with everything I had to protect her. And you must know she’d never agree to it, even less so than our current arrangements. She’ll defend our home with everything she has, no matter how tempting your real estate may be.”

At least he was starting to joke again.

“You’re a match made in heaven, the both of you. Unfathomably stubborn.” 

The clock ticked onward, and they sat there again, rotting away in their thoughts. Really, that was the last thing either of them should be doing. Amara had to do something, say anything. A sidelong glance at her expansive liquor bar seemed to be the timely distraction they needed.

“I think I need a drink after all that, you game?”

He looked as though he were about to refuse. But then, to her immense delight, Ominis nodded. She poured the liquor into two glasses, making sure to fill his a bit more than her own. Maybe it'd help ease his nerves. With a wave of her wand, she slid the glass across the desk and onto his side. The sickly sweet smell of brandy filled the room as he took a long whiff off the top of the glass. 

“Are you going to make love to that thing or should I pour it back in?” Her blunt words caught him off guard and caused his face to flush in embarrassment.

“As always, you’re obnoxious.” He snarked and took a long sip. “Well, I’ll say it. Not bad.”

To his chagrin, it was better than he’d hoped it would be. Ominis had sorely wished he could’ve found something to nag her over, but her alcohol was clearly not the case. Besides, the last thing the Chief Auror needed was him swelling up her ego any more than MACUSA already had. 

“Always delighted that my liquor pleases you, M’lord.” Amara joked wryly. The banter was coming easier now, and some of the visible tension from his forehead began to dissipate. 

The bustling enterprise within the Manhattan landscape seemed oddly quaint from within her outcropping. There was the occasional shuffling and clink of glass and the distant tune of far-off classical from.. someone indiscernible.

“It’ll be alright, Ominis.” She spoke after a few blissful seconds. “I swear it. And should anything happen, you know you can call on me.”

“I know.” He twirled the brandy around his glass, “I know if there’s one woman more hellbent on justice than even my wife, it’s you. As strange as all of this is to even consider, I’ll take that to heart. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Let’s hope.” She leaned over and clinked her glass thusly against his own. “And I mean.. there’s always Sebastian. Though Godric knows what heinous mischief he’s up to at the moment.”

That garnered her a small chuckle from his end. “Whatever it is, he’s probably having more fun than the both of us.”

“Speak for yourself, I’m having a ball!” She scoffed playfully. 

“As am I.” 

That was quite a compliment. She inquisitively glanced him up and down, regardless of the fact he wouldn’t notice. But the statement seemed in earnest. In truth, it wasn’t all that rare these days in their friendship, but it still felt like she’d been doused in the freezing depths of the Black Lake.

“Don’t tell me you’re finally fond of me after all.”

Another laugh. “Oh don’t be absurd, the only reason I came mincing across the sea was to pilfer off of your liquor.”

She gave a mock gasp of dismay. “Absolutely not! I’m going to send you away at once, do you even know how much this cost me?”

“Do I want to know?”

“..Probably not.” Her voice pitched slightly in embarrassment, losing the cool confident edge she’d been carrying throughout the bulk of the conversation. 

He snickered at that, “I better get my golds worth, fill me up another won’t you?”

Amara grinned, "It would be my pleasure."

[brawngp2009]

please... i can't stop thinking about them... any spare shovson spirk thoughts 🎤

like what is there even to say, really.. i had this Vision a while ago and i shared it with a friend and we talked about how this dynamic is always compelling! i love it, literlly one of my most favourites. the captain and the first officer is a kind of thing that always slaps! some of my other favourite examples besides star trek are "the master and commander" i haven't read the books but from what i've gathered it's basically jack aubrey and dr. maturin slow burn, and another one is "the terror" s1 -- whatever transpired between captain crozier and fitzjames. 10/10 no notes. (also should i add merthur of BBC merlin fame? it kind of fits the narrative in my opinion, and generally like... the knight and some guy who's always with him??? is this anything??)

whenever i see this dynamic im like a dog that has found some garbage on the sidewalk, i grab it and i don't let it go no matter what. and circling back to spirk -- it's one of the pairings i ALWAYS come back to. star trek is just SO deeply ingrained into my brain and into my life (im literally learning klingon for fucks sake and all my friends are aware of that bc i cant shut up! Qapla!) and my legacy on this site (if you've ever seen edits with star trek characters and van gogh painting 'twas i! my doing).

so it was only natural that i took shovson and run with it basically. there are no thoughts, really (you've probably realised that at this point if you are still reading). 've never had one of those. unfamiliar with the concept of thought. BUT there are association, there are vibes, there are similarities, the dots were connecting too well to resist. basically these two fuckers matched my freak EVERYTHING. literally everything. the flirty one and the reserved one? check! the courageous one and the logical one? check! the fighter and the thinker? check! even the damn hair colour thing??? check! bitches are colour-coded, you gotta connect the dots!!!

now i don't know how well shovson could be translated into an actual star trek AU because in my opinion you can't just copy-paste it, you have to sort of warp both universes together or around each other to fit the narrative of your choice. SO NO TAURUS IV. NO TRAUMA. OR AT LEAST NOT THAT MUCH. and like they should remain human, but yes to the kobayashi maru test. jenson would've definitely tried to win or cheat, there's no doubt about it. he seems like the type.

IN CONCLUSION (as if i said anything that makes sense and can be concluded in any way) there is SOMETHING and i'm glad that i'm not the only one who sees that! i shall contemplate about it and maybe, when i familiarize myself with the concept of thought well enough, i will come back here with actual things to say. and not. whatever this is (rambling, straight up mad woman speaking nonsense on the streets about apocalypse).

[jazlynriddle]

Welcome to your life - Pt 3:

It's My Own Design Ch 16:

Summary:

Ominis fought to control his expression, to keep his hands from trembling. Five years. Five years since he'd seen his parents, and this. This was the reason they'd given him the honour of their time? This was the reason they'd sought him out at Hogwarts?

The bitterness welling up within him was thick enough to gag on.

New year, new allies, new responsibilities, new avenues of revenue, and new aspects of their own Ancient Magic to explore. As the Keeper and their partners enter their last year at Hogwarts, it remains to be seen if the new school year will bring with it new problems or adversaries, but they are confident in the strength of their relationship with Sebastian and Ominis. The three of them would endure, no matter what befell them.

And if they were wrong?

What a joke, they would suffer no alternative.

Warnings: Sebastian x MC x Ominis! Drug Addiction! Spoilers! Slow-burn corruption! Dark content! Fucked up 1800s orphanages! MC has no love for Anne or Solomon! Dubious happy ending (it's happy for MC, Seb and Ominis at least).

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Cliffhanger, sort of.

Oh lord, over 11k words now. I really wanted to split this chapter up, but it would damage the effect I was going for, so, yeah x'D

I also wanted to do art for this chapter but I was so damn tired this month, so I'll probably add art later. Next chapter might be shorter if I can cut it earlier because 2 weeks really isn't enough time for a 10k+ chapter, lol I wanna try to go back to 8k-ish if possible.

Inb4 next chapter comes in at 15k.

Edit: I drew the art! Yaaaay, I finally drew the art for this chapter- So congrats to you tumblr readers, you get the art at the same time as the chapter lol

“Expecto Patronum!” Ominis flicked his wand and then paused. “Anything?”

“Just light mist.” Sebastian shook his head, and the blond boy sighed.

“Expecto Patronum!” The Keeper cast as well, before sighing when they conjured nothing but glowing mist. “If it's any consolation, I'm not having much success either.”

“Seriously, Sebastian. How did you do it?” Ominis folded his arms with an irritated expression.

“I told you, I just think about how lovely both of you look when you're happy.” Sebastian answered with a shrug, while his small glowing otter swam through the air around him.

“Well that's not very helpful for me, now is it.” Ominis grumbled.

The Keeper shook their head with a huff. “All that does is make me horny.”

There was a moment of silence, before Garreth gave them a disgusted look. “For Merlin's sake, can you three go ten minutes without flaunting your relationship in front of us single bastards?”

“Speak for yourself, I think it's quite sweet.” Natty waved off his complaints.

“Aha! So, you aren't single?” Garreth asked with a grin.

“I never said that.” Natty gave Poppy a nervous glance and seemed relieved that the Hufflepuff wasn't paying attention, before shooting him an annoyed glare as she flicked her wand. “Expecto Patronum!”

The funnel of mist that poured from her wand was probably the most corporeal besides Sebastian's, with the almost discernible form of a dog.

“Oh, almost got it!” Poppy clapped for Natty, who had on somewhere between a proud grin and a frustrated grimace.

“Still need more practice, Professor Sharp says that being able to cast a corporeal Patronus counts for a lot when being considered for admission to the Aurors.” Natty sighed, shooting Sebastian a mildly jealous look, which he returned with a cocky smirk.

“Don't worry, Natty, I'm sure you'll succeed. Christmas holidays start next week and there's still half a year before graduation.” The Keeper patted her on the shoulder, when a single freezing drop of water hit them on the arm.

Looking up, the Keeper eyed the dark clouds that had gathered overhead while the group had been practising spells in the courtyard after classes ended for the day. It wasn't cold enough to snow yet, but it was getting cold enough to hurt.

They were about to suggest that everyone head indoors, when the unmistakable sound of thunder rumbled across the moors, followed by a flash of light in the heavens.

Poppy gasped. “Is that!?”

“Lightning!” Sebastian and Garreth exclaimed at the same time, before glaring at each other.

“Come on!” Natty lifted her wand to create a barrier against the falling rain as she began to run towards the forest.

Exchanging excited grins, the rest took off after her, while Amit scrambled to shove his book into his bag. “Wait for me!”

The rain fell heavier and heavier with every moment, until it was pelting against the group's magical umbrellas as they filed into the forest. Each quickly dug up a box containing their crystal phial, before rushing back to the castle. The rain now a deluge that made it difficult to see or hear each other through the darkness, thunder shaking the earth with every rumble.

The group stood in the castle entryway for a few moments, catching their breath and lowering the hood of their school robes.

“The classroom we use on Saturdays should be empty by now, right?” Amit asked.

“Yes, hopefully. We don't know how long the storm will last, so the sooner we start, the better.” Natty nodded. “Let's go.”

The group made to follow her, when Poppy looked about, realising that there were only six of them present. “Hang on, where's-”

The doors opened again for the Keeper to slip in through them and lower their hood.

“Oh, there you are!” Poppy gave a relieved sigh.

“Sorry, tripped on a root.” The Keeper explained as they rejoined the group.

“Great, everyone's here, now can we get a move on already?” Garreth complained, getting several glares in response. “What? We're on the clock, I'm just saying it like it is.”

Natty rolled her eyes but didn't disagree. “Alright, let's go.”

Fortunately, the lightning storm continued to rage outside and didn't seem like it would let up any time soon. The group of teens were soon sitting in the middle of an empty classroom, removing their crystal phials from their dirt crusted boxes and unstopping them.

“Of course it would be red.” Garreth sighed, holding up the phial. “All I can think of is that this used to be a baby moth.”

“Thanks for reminding us.” Amit side eyed him.

“Alright, everyone, you'll need to do the daily chant one more time.” Natty instructed and the rest of the group, sans the Keeper, drew their wands to point at their hearts.

“Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” The five chanted and their wands glowed with a soft gold light that also shimmered around the crystal phials a moment later.

“Well done!” Natty clapped. “That glow means everyone has been doing the chant correctly. Now you just need to drink the potion. You'll have a vision of your animal form and then the double heartbeat will become painful, but don't panic. If you do, you might lose yourself to the animal.”

Nodding with varying degrees of nervousness, the five drank their potions, Garreth holding his nose as he did.

“Well, that wasn't so bad.” Ominis smiled as he passed Sebastian his empty phial and the brunet set both down on a nearby table.

“Speak for yourself.” Garreth grumbled as he set aside his phial as well.

“Oh!” Poppy suddenly exclaimed, while Sebastian pressed a hand to his forehead and Garreth shook his head.

A moment later, each of the five doubled over with a groan of pain while the golden glow shone from their skin.

“Alright everyone, take a deep breath. Don't fight whatever your body wants to do, listen to the second heartbeat and focus on the animal form you see.” Natty instructed and the Keeper could see everyone struggling to follow those instructions.

The Keeper desperately wanted to comfort Ominis and Sebastian, but didn't want to distract them either. So, they were forced to watch as the two boys collapsed to the floor with expressions of pain, sweat beading on their brows, and fists tight around their robes.

Several minutes passed this way, until Poppy cried out, her body contorting as a swirl of light shone around her and then, in her place was a brown coated deer with pale spots speckled across her back.

Natty immediately ran to her side, brushing her hand over Poppy's pelt and whispering comforting words to the deer.

A moment later, Sebastian grunted and the same happened, his form changing in a swirl of light, into a large dog with long brown fur and patches of white across his snout and belly. The Keeper finally allowed themselves to go to his side as well, and soft whimpers of pain came from the dog as they cradled him close.

The next to be enveloped in light, was Amit, who seemingly disappeared. Until the Keeper realised that there was a palm sized tortoise shell where he'd lain, its spiky black shell patterned with geometric star-like lines of orange. A few seconds passed, before a tiny orange snout poked out from under the shell.

The Keeper was relieved when Ominis finally finished his transformation too, becoming a rather large and beautiful white feline that was just slightly smaller than Sebastian, and had tufts of fur extending from the tip of his ears.

Dragging himself to his feet, Sebastian plodded over unsteadily to lie down beside Ominis, dwarfing the cat with his form. The Keeper too followed to his side, and with one hand, stroked the large cat's soft cream fur as he panted for breath, while with the other, ran their fingers through Sebastian's thick warm fur to soothe him as well.

Finally, the last to transform was Garreth, and he made a rather amusing squeak, before turning into a raccoon with reddish fur, lying on his back, puffy tail twitching as his chest heaved.

“Webale Katonda...” Natty murmured, smiling with relief. “It looks like everyone managed without complications.”

“Thanks to your guidance.” The Keeper nodded to her in gratitude, chuckling when they felt Ominis purring quietly against their palm. Finding the way Sebastian shoved his snout under Ominis’ chin to be quite adorable, though the big cat seemed to find it annoying and batted at Sebastian with a paw.

“When you feel able, I'd like everyone to try turning back into human form, just to make sure that everything went right.” Natty stroked Poppy's neck soothingly as she spoke.

With a huff, Sebastian pried himself from Ominis’ side to sit up and closed his warm brown eyes in focus. Amit's snout disappeared under his shell once more and Ominis opened his eyes, which seemed to still be unseeing milky pink orbs. A pity, the Keeper had hoped that Ominis might be able to see in his animal form.

A few minutes later, the five kids were kids once more and Garreth groaned, running a hand through his ginger mane. “Bloody hell, everything hurts, even my hair...”

“Quit whining.” Sebastian grumbled, holding his head between his hands while Ominis leaned tiredly against the Keeper.

“I think I need to lie down.” Ominis murmured.

“Best idea I've heard all day.” Amit gave a tired laugh.

“Help me back to the common room?” Ominis asked the Keeper.

“Of course.” They nodded and stood slowly, helping Ominis to his feet, before offering Sebastian a hand as well.

“What's the rush?” Garreth asked, raising an eyebrow at the three from the floor.

“Unlike you, I'd rather pass out in a bed.” Ominis rolled his eyes. “Bit more comfortable at the moment.”

Poppy gave a breathless laugh against Natty's side, and the Gryffindor nodded. “Yes, we should probably get some rest this weekend, we can have our Saturday meetings after school resumes.”

With a nod, the Keeper left with both boys leaning against them, supporting them out into the corridor, which was empty since most of the school was likely at dinner.

“Shall we use the Undercroft to do yours?” Ominis asked quietly, startling the Keeper and he gave them a wry smile. “I know you went to get your phial too.”

“I can help you to the common room first.” The Keeper shook their head, if he was aching enough to want a proper bed, that took priority.

Ominis rolled his eyes. “I only said that so we could leave quickly. If you think we're letting you attempt the transformation unsupervised, you're barmy.”

“Can't wait to see what you end up as.” Sebastian gave a tired chuckle.

“You guys...” The Keeper felt their heart warm with affection, really hoping that they would be something that could cuddle with their partners. “Alright.”

The trip to the Undercroft took a while but the reassuring sound of thunder followed them all the way to the secret entrance. Slipping inside, the Keeper left the boys sitting together on the bench while they set down their satchel, and sat on the floor with their crystal phial.

“Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” The Keeper chanted, with their wand placed to their heart, waiting for the phial to glow before taking a deep breath and bringing it to their lips.

The potion's taste was... weird. Not much of a taste actually, it just felt warm, maybe a tad salty. Like piss- which was a nauseating thought to have while drinking it, and the Keeper was happy to set the empty phial aside.

The strength of the second heartbeat caught them off guard and their vision hazed over for a second before clearing to the sight of... snow?

A white snowy sea, speckled with the occasional tree, as far as the eye could see.

The Keeper was puzzled, weren't they supposed to see their Animagus form? A slightest hint of movement caught their attention and there, in what they'd thought was a mound of snow in the shadow of a tree, a pair of golden eyes peered out at them.

The mound rose up on four legs and they realised that the shadows were grey fur, it growled low and threatening. Then the ferocious beast was charging at them, and before the Keeper could react, it dove into their chest, vanishing as though absorbed into their body.

Then the pain began.

It felt like hair-thin needles were being driven into their skin, four loud pulses throbbing between their ears, heat burning through their chest and searing through their body.

Golden light burned behind their eyelids, and they felt restrained, like they were wrapped in a thick blanket, tight around them, constraining every movement such that even breath could not be drawn.

Free.

They needed to be free. A scream built in their throat, and they fought their restraints but as they tore through their bindings and their mouth opened, a howl emerged instead.

Slumping forward, the Keeper collapsed to the floor, chest heaving for breath. They felt something touch their head and tensed, surprised when a growl rumbled in their chest.

“It's okay, you're safe...”

Sebastian. The Keeper tried to speak, but instead a soft whine emerged from their... snout. Right. Animagus form. Fucking hell, Garreth was right, everything hurt.

“A wolf, somehow I'm not particularly surprised.” Sebastian chuckled.

A wolf, a dog and a cat. The Keeper huffed in amusement, enjoying Sebastian's gentle caresses. Well, at least they'd gotten their wish to be an animal that would easily cuddle with their boyfriends.

A flash of light came from beside them and then there was a pretty white cat rubbing up against the Keeper's side. Huh, they'd thought Ominis rather large for a cat, he seemed smaller now.

A moment later, Sebastian joined him in dog form, and the Keeper was amused to realise that this was simply because they were quite a bit larger than both Ominis and Sebastian. Stretching out so that the two boys could lie against their belly, the Keeper gave a tired sigh and lowered their snout to the floor to rest.

Rumbling purrs came from Ominis’ chest as he started licking the fur on the Keeper's head, while Sebastian draped a front leg over Ominis’ back, nuzzled his muzzle against the cat's pale neck and promptly began snoring.

It was a curious feeling, being an animal, the light of the candelabras was somehow brighter, Ominis’ purrs and Sebastian's snores felt louder, the sound of rainfall audible even from the underground chamber. The smell of melting wax and burning wick, mingled with wood and oil, lit up like paths in their vision.

Most wonderful however, were the scents of Ominis and Sebastian. Somehow, the Keeper knew them. Knew what they meant.

Mates.

Family.

Pack.

Despite the ache still throbbing through the Keeper's body, the comfortable warmth that they felt with their partners by their side was pleasant enough that they considered it rather worth all the effort.

Closing their eyes, the Keeper allowed the rhythm of Ominis’ grooming to soothe the pain, and their tired consciousness soon faded into darkness.

“-which made it difficult to pinpoint since caracals have those tufts of fur on their ears that make them look like lynx. And while there weren't any records of albino caracals, all records of albino lynx were spotted, so I'm fairly certain of my conclusion.” Sebastian finished with a confident nod.

“So, Poppy's a Fallow Deer, Amit is an Indian Star Tortoise, Garreth is a common Raccoon.” The Keeper recited. “You're a Border Collie, I'm an Eurasian Wolf and Ominis is an albino Caracal.”

“Yup.” Sebastian beamed, clearly pleased that they'd listened attentively throughout his lecture. “Amit's is actually pretty rare, endangered species apparently. Albino caracals are basically unheard of too.”

“Of course, our Ominis is one of a kind.” The Keeper smirked proudly. “Though he probably shouldn't go about in Animagus form too often, since he stands out.”

“Bit of a bummer, that. He's only ever wanted to be like everyone else.” Sebastian murmured. “For some unfathomable reason.”

“Not so unfathomable I'd say, since the loveliest rose in the bush gets picked first. I mean, the biggest danger to him, particularly in Animagus form, would be poachers who would sell his pretty arse for a pretty penny.” The Keeper pointed out.

“Fair enough.” Sebastian conceded, before he snickered. “Something Garreth doesn't have to worry about, seeing as he's just a common raccoon.”

The Keeper rolled their eyes, they still didn't know where the odd rivalry between the two boys came from, but at least it was entertaining. “I think it's interesting how compatible Poppy and Natty's forms are.”

Sebastian hummed thoughtfully. “On the surface maybe, but fallow deer and gazelle come from very different environments, and one's got antlers while the other has horns.”

“I mean that they can prance together through the woods.” The Keeper chuckled fondly.

“I suppose they could, but gazelles are actually quite a bit faster than deer. So, Natty might have to wait for Poppy.” Sebastian shrugged.

“Knowing her, I doubt she'll mind.” The Keeper gave him a wry smile, before jabbing a thumb at the large double door that they'd been leaning against this whole time, patiently waiting for Sebastian to finish his verbal vomit. “It's ready, want to give it a try?”

“Sure.” Sebastian grinned and they moved aside.

He reached out to grasp the door's handle and it glowed for a moment, before there was an audible click, and he easily pushed the door open, before rubbing at his thumb absently.

“Excellent, it works despite the features I added.” The Keeper grinned, rather pleased that they'd managed to create a door for their bedroom that would only unlock in response to their Ancient Magic or Ominis’ parseltongue or Sebastian's blood. “I'm still impressed you managed to figure out how the blood verification ritual works with half the page covered in smudged ink.”

“Why thank you! It certainly wasn't easy.” Sebastian beamed proudly. “Though I do wonder why a locking charm this useful isn't more commonly used.”

“Probably the same reason people don't use dark magic, blood is creepy or something equally absurd.” The Keeper rolled their eyes.

“Yeah, probably. Now all I need to be concerned with is making sure no-one draws my blood and uses it for a key.” Sebastian gave a cocky grin. “Easy.”

“Even if that happens, I added a stipulation to the door so it rejects cold or stale blood.” The Keeper shrugged. “Blood degrades after it's been removed from the body, and the only way to preserve it would be to keep it cold, so that should be enough to counteract that.”

“You're supposed to agree that my duelling skill is unparalleled.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow at them.

“Well, can't really say that when I've put you on your arse.” The Keeper chuckled, giving him a teasing smile.

“Yeah, but I've spanked yours. So, where does that leave us?” Sebastian grinned.

“Doesn't count, because I liked it.” The Keeper' smile became amused.

Despite his ears going adorably red, Sebastian gave them a smirk, stepping closer and running his thumb over their bottom lip, murmuring softly. “Did you now?”

Flicking their tongue out, the Keeper caught the edge of his thumb with it and took a moment to revel in the heat that sparked in his eyes, before raising their wand and casting a tempus.

“Alright, now that we've confirmed that the door works, we can set up the hidden door to the basement with the same security design when we get back.” The Keeper patted him on the cheek. “We should get going, or we'll be late to meet Borgok.”

With that, they slipped out from between him and the wall to make for the stairs, and Sebastian let his forehead fall forward to rest against the stone with a sigh.

“Come on, Sebastian.” The Keeper called.

“Coming...” He replied with another sigh, grumbling under his breath. “Sure wish I actually were.”

Laughing internally at Sebastian, as he followed the Keeper down the stairs, they poked their head into the kitchen, where Ominis was lying, curled up and cuddled with the little dragon on its bed in his Animagus form.

Smiling at the adorable sight, the Keeper called out. “Ominis, we're heading out.”

The white caracal's ears twitched, and Ominis waved his tail at them in acknowledgement, so the Keeper chuckled and withdrew to join Sebastian in the entryway.

The two brought out their brooms and were soon off to Knockturn Alley.

The pub was lively as always, and since Borgok hadn't arrived yet, the Keeper brought Sebastian with them to the bar counter.

“Evening, Alasdair.” The Keeper greeted as they seated themselves, Sebastian following suit.

“Salamander.” The bartender smiled at them from behind his glasses. “What can I get you this fine evening?”

“Two of my usual and the house special.” The Keeper answered and when his eyes flickered towards Sebastian, they added. “This is Sebastian, he's assisting me with my work.”

“Is that so...” Alasdair eyed the brunet critically. “You sure about that, kid?”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Sebastian raised an eyebrow at the man, and he gave a deep chuckle as he mixed their drinks.

“You've got bollocks lad, but I know a daredevil when I see one.” The bartender flashed him a knowing smile. “You like the heat of danger, but this line of work ain't a game. You would be ill suited to Mercenary work.”

“It's fine.” The Keeper waved off his concerns before Sebastian could retort. “He's not here to join, he's simply accompanying me to ensure that I do not perish in battle.”

The Keeper found Alasdair’s response rather interesting, seeing as they had been accepted by him on sight. Though they supposed that it should have been plain that it was their reputation and the guildmaster's intuition that made their admission so smooth.

“If you say so.” Alasdair shrugged. “Owl asked me to inform you that he cannot make it tonight, but he's made some headway and identified several potential leads.”

“Alright, thanks.” The Keeper nodded as the bartender set two glasses of chocolate coffee ice before them.

They had to admit that they missed the convenience of Owl's pocket mirror, which they'd returned last week, since they no longer needed to coordinate so precisely. They really wanted to get a set for communication with Sebastian and Ominis, such artefacts were incredibly useful, but also apparently quite rare.

At this moment, the doors opened to admit Borgok and he lumbered over to the bar. “Evening Salamander, Sebastian.”

“Borgok.” The Keeper nodded as the goblin took a seat as well. “I assume you have my items?”

The goblin nodded, offering them the expanded pouch they'd given him before. “As agreed.”

When the Keeper took the pouch from him, a blue flame appeared over their hand. Despite this, they took a peek to verify that the pouch did indeed contain their promised artefacts, while Borgok greeted Alasdair and ordered a drink, before placing it in their satchel.

“How much coin would you like for them?” The Keeper asked and to their surprise, Borgok glanced at Alasdair, before shaking his head.

“In light of the unexpected difficulty and the surplus of silver you provided, I will consider this round of wares paid for.” The goblin smiled, accepting his drink from the bartender and raised his mug. “To our continued camaraderie.”

“To our mutual cause.” The Keeper raised their glass in answer as well, before taking out their contract with Borgok, handing it to Alasdair to be discharged with a stamp.

“Sebastian, I would like to discuss your apprenticeship further, if you are willing.” Borgok asked once the contracts were settled.

The still pouting brunet glanced at the Keeper, and they nodded. “I have things to discuss with Alasdair anyway.”

“Alright.” Taking his glass with a sigh, Sebastian followed the goblin to one of the tables, a distance away, to speak.

“Ah yes, I have something for you.” Alasdair smiled and retrieved a wooden box from behind the counter, presenting it to the Keeper. “As you have completed your first bounty, you are now an official member of the Phantoms. Congratulations.”

Having an inkling of its contents, the Keeper opened the wooden box and found a silver venetian half mask within it. It was simple and elegant, with a pattern of a salamander along one side and the flame emblem of the Phantoms along the other, while intricate swirls were etched into the edges of the silver.

“Figured you wouldn't want anything too fanciful.” Alasdair chuckled. “If you should wish to conceal your identity and wear only your status as a Phantom Mercenary, you need only don this mask.”

Giving him a grateful nod, the Keeper closed the box and placed it in their satchel with a simple. “Thank you.”

“No thanks needed, you are an investment, after all.” The bartender flashed them a small smirk. “Which reminds me, Vesper should be stopping by soon.”

“Excellent, I'll give him his payment then. Speaking of which, are there any new jobs I can take?” They asked after a moment. “The Christmas holidays have started, so my schedule is more flexible.”

“Certainly.” The bartender nodded. “Any preferences?”

The Keeper hummed thoughtfully, they could use more test subjects, now that they had the collars and cauldron to experiment with. Not to mention, they wanted to reassure Sebastian that they could handle Mercenary work on their own, that Gnarlak’s difficulty was really an exception, so a relatively easy job would be good.

“Any jobs with a human target but no obligation to bag a kill?” The Keeper asked, taking a sip of their drink.

“That's specific.” Alasdair cocked an eyebrow at them, but seemed to consider the request for a few moments, before bending down to rifle through something behind the counter.

“This might match what you're looking for.” The bartender extracted a contract to hand to the Keeper. “The target's wife put out a request to retrieve their coin from him. Apparently, he absconded with the family wealth and left her with debt and two children to raise.”

Accepting it, they examined the contract which outlined a request to steal all of worth from a man named Frederick Taylor, with a promised reward of twenty percent of the stolen valuables. It included a family photograph of the man, what was likely his wife and two children... and a familiar looking house elf.

Recognising the elf, the Keeper's eyes widened, and rage coiled within them. Tobbs. The friend of Deek, whom they'd found deceased in the spider infested caves, trapped within those tunnels with barely any supplies, forced to collect fucking leeches for his abusive master.

“I'll take it.” It took all their willpower to speak evenly as they returned the contract to the bartender.

“Alright, if you're free tomorrow, I can ask the contractor to drop by for the signing.” Alasdair nodded.

“Sure, keep me posted.” The Keeper nodded, taking a drink from their neglected glass to cool their anger. At least they didn't need to wait, without classes on Monday, they could afford to be out late into the night.

They'd sworn, a little over two years ago, in that dank cave, standing over the small body, that they would make Tobbs’ owner pay for his cruelty if they ever got the opportunity. Well, it seemed like said opportunity had arrived, and what a perfect candidate for a new test subject.

“If that is all, we'll speak again tomorrow.” The Keeper nodded to Alasdair and the bartender waved them off as they made their way over to the table where Sebastian was speaking with Borgok.

“That was fast.” Sebastian commented as they took a seat beside him.

“Mhm, got a new job too, I'll fill you in later.” The Keeper patted him on the shoulder. “How's your chat going?”

“We've agreed to lessons on Sunday afternoons, starting next week.” Sebastian explained simply and the Keeper nodded, about the same time as their lessons with Rackham then. An excellent time to select, on his part.

“Oh.” The Keeper spotted Vesper entering the pub. “I'll be right back.”

Slipping out of their seat once more, the Keeper left their drink in Sebastian's care and approached the man as he seated himself at the bar.

“Vesper.” The Keeper greeted, drawing the wand they'd retrieved from Gnarlak. “Is this yours?”

Vesper's eyes went wide, before a wry grin stretched across his scraggy beard as he reached a hand out for it. “Well, I'll be damned. You actually completed that bounty?”

Nodding, the Keeper handed him the wand. “Thanks to your warning about a large creature, I was better prepared.”

“What'd it end up being?” The man asked curiously as he gazed lovingly down at his wand.

“A dragon.” They answered dryly.

“A dragon, eh.” He chuckled. “That's a pretty big fish. Surprised you got out alive, how'd you get Gnarlak with a dragon to dodge?”

“By killing it first.” The Keeper shrugged.

The old hunter gave an incredulous snort, shaking his head. “Sure you did.”

In response, the Keeper wordlessly removed, from their satchel, the dragon scale they'd ripped out, and flashed it at the man.

His jaw went slack at the large ventral scale that could only have come from a dragon's belly, for it was perfectly intact and still bore the roots that would have been embedded in the dragon's flesh. There were no further words or proof needed, since dislodging the scale through impact would have caused some damage to it or its roots, and a naturally shed scale would be old and dry.

Thus, the only possible way to obtain a dragon's magically resistant scales in such pristine condition, would be to rip it out, and the only way most people might imagine getting close enough to pry it free with tools would require it be dead. Not to mention, its vibrant and rich magical energy marked it impossibly fresh.

“Well, I'll be damned, indeed.” Vesper laughed and guffawed. “A kid like you took down a dragon and that crafty goblin? Merlin, I wouldn’t have thought such a thing possible.”

“A force to be reckoned with indeed.” Alasdair chuckled and the Keeper belatedly remembered that the bartender was also within earshot, though they supposed it was of little consequence.

“Well, I now know who to ask if I need something done. It was a pleasure doing business with you.” Vesper holstered his wand and offered his prosthetic hand for a shake, which they took after a moment, and he tipped his hat at them. “Good luck, kid.”

“Enjoy your retirement.” The Keeper replied politely, accepting the conclusion of their conversation and made to return to Sebastian's side.

As they did, they saw Borgok standing and they exchanged parting nods, before sitting down beside Sebastian, and he related to them the details of his arrangements with the goblin. That he would work with Borgok at Gringotts for a few hours every weekend and that the goblin would see to it that Sebastian got the opportunity to meet the head of the Curse Breakers’ division, and that Borgok would vouch for him.

Their businesses settled, the two finished their drinks and left for home, the Keeper's heart filled with anticipation and an eagerness to test their new toys. There was much work to begin tomorrow and though they would need their energy for those tasks, they had a feeling that sleep would not come easy.

“Ominis, there's a letter for... you.” The Keeper called as they strolled into the master bedroom at Dìon the next day, after their usual Sunday afternoon lesson with Rackham.

Amused to see their partners lounging on the large king-sized bed, Sebastian reading a tome, lying on his front, while Ominis dozed, curled up with his head nestled comfortably in the small of the brunet's back. Cute.

Lifting his head, Ominis yawned before asking. “Who from?”

“I'm not sure.” The Keeper hummed. “But this has to be the most posh envelope I've seen in my life.”

The emerald green paper was thick with embossed letters and silver decorative swirls along the boarders of the silky smooth surface, and was that fucking perfume they were smelling!? Bloody hell, this one letter felt like it was worth a galleon on its own.

“Give it here then.” Ominis sat up and raised his hand as the Keeper climbed onto the bed, before placing it in his hand obediently.

The moment it touched his fingers however, Ominis stiffened, and the letter almost tumbled to the floor.

The Keeper frowned. “Ominis?”

Hearing the concern in their voice, Sebastian lifted his head as well, turning around and sitting up. The moment he saw the letter, he went. “Oh.”

Giving Sebastian a puzzled glance, the Keeper watched warily as Ominis took a deep breath and opened the envelope, withdrawing the letter with a discomforted expression. Raising his wand to charm the paper, he ran his fingers across the parchment and his lips pursed with disappointment.

“What's it say?” Sebastian asked and Ominis wordlessly held up the parchment for him to take.

Looking at the paper over Sebastian's shoulder, the Keeper's narrowed, an invitation to a yule gala in two days’ time from-

“Huh, it's been ages since your parents last tried to get you to attend.” Sebastian commented and Ominis flinched.

“Indeed, one would think they'd given up by now.” The blond's voice was strained with forced indifference and the Keeper smacked Sebastian on the head.

“I take it that you're turning the invitation down?” The Keeper asked hesitantly, wary of causing more hurt.

“I'll do what I've done for the last five years. Nothing.” Ominis huffed, folding his arms and murmuring quietly. “They can't even bother to invite me in person, why should I entertain such paltry and empty gestures?”

“As you should. You owe those awful people nothing and you never liked those parties anyway.” Sebastian agreed and Ominis wore a conflicted smile in response.

“If you like, we can hold our own Yule gala right here.” The Keeper suggested, giving Ominis a kiss on the cheek, whispering softly into his ear and making him shiver. “My prince.”

“I say, that's a fantastic idea.” Sebastian grinned and bounced off the bed, taking Ominis’ hand and pulling him to his feet, a bemused smile forming on the blond's face.

“Do you even know how to dance, Sebastian?” Ominis asked in a dubious tone.

“Nope, not a clue!” Sebastian announced confidently. “But I've seen dancing before, shouldn't be too hard to copy.”

Hearing this, the Keeper scrambled to get off the bed quickly as well, just as Sebastian began to... dance, to soundless music, pulling a mildly alarmed Ominis along with him as he swayed haphazardly across the bedroom floor.

“And I believe here's where we do a spinny thing.” Sebastian attempted to do a spin and dip, which failed spectacularly, and the Keeper quickly caught Ominis as he lost his balance.

“Oh, you absolute buffoon.” Ominis complained as he straightened with the Keeper's help and adjusted his rumpled pyjamas primly, drawing his wand and marching over to Sebastian's side. “This is how you dance.”

Manhandling Sebastian into the proper position and setting his boyfriend's hand on his shoulder, Ominis placed the hand gripping his glowing wand on Sebastian's hip and with the other, took Sebastian's hand in his. The whole process of which seemed to startle Sebastian somewhat, and he blinked as Ominis began leading him in the most recognisable part of a waltz.

“The box step is the easiest, we just slide one foot to the side and then bring your other foot to match it in a three-beat rhythm.” Ominis explained as he tugged Sebastian to the side. “And you want to keep your feet on the floor as we go, so you don’t step on my toes.”

“One two three, one two three...” Ominis slid his foot forward as he counted, nudging Sebastian's backwards and the brunet followed his lead.

The Keeper watched in amusement, as the two boys danced in a square circle in the middle of the bedroom for several minutes, till Sebastian seemed to get the hang of it, and a rather dopey grin appeared on his face as he danced with Ominis. At least until he made the mistake of looking up, catching the Keeper's wide amused smirk, and Sebastian promptly lost his rhythm, his cheeks going red.

Covering it up with a cough, Sebastian released Ominis’ hand and declared. “I think I've got it now, your turn!”

With that, he dragged the Keeper over and shoved them at Ominis, who took the change in partners in stride, and the Keeper happily allowed him to manoeuvre them into the same position. Having seen Ominis lead Sebastian, the Keeper had an idea of what to expect and it wasn't too long before they were following him smoothly.

When the Keeper tossed Sebastian a small cocky grin, he huffed. “Not fair, you had an advantage.”

“Fair enough. Then, in that case.” The Keeper conceded and tapped Ominis on the shoulder to signal a stop. They then guided him back to the bed, where he reclined, while the Keeper went over to Sebastian and gave him a low bow. “May I have this dance?”

Sebastian stared at them in faint disbelief and with a smirk, the Keeper took his hand and pulled him close. Discerning the Keeper's intentions, Ominis smiled and began tapping a beat on his thigh as they led Sebastian to the rhythm.

“Show off.” Sebastian grumbled, his face still slightly pink.

“Pot, kettle, darling.” The Keeper chuckled fondly.

As they swayed slowly, the first dusting of fine snow began to fall on the other side of the glass balcony doors. The cold winter air went unnoticed by the happy throuple, dancing in the warm home they'd made for themselves, as the afternoon turned to evening, and the time came for the Keeper to meet their new contractor at the pub.

The lady from the photograph was visibly nervous from the moment she entered the pub, jumping at every raised voice, as she approached the bar to speak with Alasdair. The Keeper was mildly amused by how conspicuous she seemed in this environment, they wouldn't even need to know her face to identify her as a contracting guest.

Her expression was, as expected, quite surprised when Alasdair directed her towards the Keeper's table, where they sat with their usual chocolate drink, and in a few moments, she was hesitantly approaching them.

“Are you the Salamander?” The lady asked and the Keeper nodded.

“I am, and you're here to discuss the contract, yes? Please, take a seat.” The Keeper gave her a small smile, hoping to put her at ease and it seemed to work. “Tell me a little more about the job you'd like me to do.”

With a grateful nod, the lady sat across from them and gave them a strained smile. “Well, my husband, Frederick Taylor and I used to run a potions shop together. He'd brew and I'd sell the potions. He was never the most even-tempered man, but it got worse when our business started failing.”

“What happened?” The Keeper asked, though they could guess the answer, they wanted confirmation.

“The elf he inherited from his parents went missing and we couldn't afford to buy a new one to harvest supplies for our potions.” She shook her head. “We tried for two years but couldn't keep the shop open and I wanted to sell the family heirlooms to pay off our debts, so we could start afresh, he was furious at the suggestion and then he disappeared with them and what coin we had left.”

Her lips pressed together into a thin line. “Then while searching for any remaining coin, I found letters between him and a mistress, going back five years. Last I heard, my friend saw him in Edinburgh with her, a younger woman.”

The last words were understandably bitter, and the Keeper mentally noted down the town, nodding as they spoke. “You said in the contract that payment would be a portion of what I steal from him.”

The lady nodded anxiously. “Yes, I know that you could always keep it all instead of splitting the proceeds, but I can assist you with stealing it, whatever you need and-”

“Madam.” The Keeper interrupted with a smirk. “Before that, I'd like to ask if you would mind him... disappearing for good, after I've retrieved your coin.”

“Disa- oh.” Her eyes widened. “What do you-”

“That's my business. Though I can tell you that he will be in a lot of suffering until the moment he dies. Would you consider that fair, in light of the injustices he's committed against you and your children?” The Keeper asked evenly.

It was tedious, but they had promised Ominis that they wouldn’t harm the innocent, and he'd made it clear that he considered their own metric, for determining innocence versus guilt, to be... not up to his standard. So, who better to judge if the punishment fit the crime than the woman who had been the target's victim and wife?

The one who knew all his flaws and sins, and had been hurt by them.

There was a long moment of silence, a thoughtful frown on her face as she deliberated, before she met their eyes with a resolute gaze. “Do whatever you want with him.”

Well, that was that, the Keeper nodded, before asking after a moment's thought. “How was his relationship with your children?”

“Distant, for the most part, but he never raised a hand against our sons at least.” Her tone made it plain that he'd held no such honour with her.

“Do you think he would go to their aid if he saw one of them in what appears to be danger?” They asked and her expression was wary as she answered.

“Yes, I think he would...” She trailed off hesitantly.

“Then if you don't mind, I'd like several strands of hair from one of your children.” The Keeper requested and the lady's eyes widened with understanding.

“Oh! Yes, I can do that!” She nodded with a relieved smile. “Do you want me to take the polyj-”

“It's quite alright, I have an assistant who can handle that role.” The Keeper waved her off casually, they didn't need a civilian to worry about in the middle of a mission. “The man himself and my share of the proceeds from selling the heirlooms will be acceptable as payment.”

“So, you'll take the job? Thank you!” The lady clasped her hands together with a smile.

“No thanks needed, I have my own interests that I'm serving.” The Keeper shook their head and strangely enough, her blue eyes became sad, and they had a feeling that there was more she wanted to say but was uncertain if it would be welcome, so they asked. “What is it?”

“I just- my oldest looks around your age.” She murmured tentatively.

Okay, weird thing to comment, the Keeper raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged. “Pick the younger kid then. People naturally panic more, the younger a child is when in danger.”

Her expression looked somewhere between alarmed and shocked, for reasons they couldn't be arsed to discern, and they instead asked. “If that is all, shall we sign then?”

“I- I suppose-” She stammered.

With that, the Keeper stood with their drink and, leaving the oddly stunned lady to scramble after them, the Keeper made their way to the bar. Somehow, interacting with her was rather tiring, and it would probably be for her benefit if she left the pub sooner than later anyway.

The signing took a tad longer than usual, since Alasdair gave the lady twice the amount of painkiller, making her writing a little slow and wobbly, but it wasn't too long before the Keeper alone at the bar.

“The target is a civilian, if I'm not mistaken?” The bartender asked casually and at their nod, asked. “Any leads?”

The Keeper hesitated a moment, but for now, while they were learning the ropes, it might be good to seek guidance from the guildmaster, so they answered. “Edinburgh.”

A good thing too, because Alasdair hummed thoughtfully. “That so?”

“That's Rogue territory.” Pausing to pull out a paper from behind the counter, the bartender scribbled something on it, before handing them the sheet with an address and directions on it. “Drop by the guild and give the guildmaster a heads-up about your plans, wouldn't want to give them problems.”

“Noted.” The Keeper nodded, tucking away the paper. “Should I wear my mask?”

Alasdair shrugged. “Up to you, but it would make things a tad easier, I should say. Guildmaster Gilfred worked as my second for a while, moved back up north a couple years ago to take over the family business.”

“Anything else I should know?” The Keeper asked before finishing their drink.

“...well...” The bartender trailed off before shaking his head with a wry smile. “You know what, you'll find out.”

They cocked an eyebrow at Alasdair as they slid the empty glass over to him and stood to leave. Well, they supposed they would. It'd be interesting to see how other guilds looked anyway.

Stepping inside their study on the second basement floor, the Keeper opened their satchel and retrieved the pouch that Borgok had given them. The room was still rather sparse, containing only a desk, a single chair and a cabinet that they'd moved their jars of Pain and Fear into.

Both the cabinets’ doors, and that of their study, required Ancient Magic to unlock, as did the doors to the Repository Chamber.

Though, hopefully such measures wouldn't be necessary to begin with, since the door to the basement facility not only had the same security as their bedroom door but was also hidden in the stone wall behind the portrait of Charles Rookwood. So that the magic of the artwork would mask that of the secret door, should someone cast a Revelio charm.

There were still more doors for cells and unused rooms, not to mention, much furnishing to add, but the Keeper was quite happy that they could already live and work comfortably in the castle.

Opening the pouch, the Keeper took its contents out one at a time, to examine and then lay them on the desk, starting with the collars. The craftsmanship of the three collars was quite something, even though they were smaller than the one that they'd retrieved from the dragon's neck, which sat now in their cabinet.

They found, on the inside of the collars, a thin needle. For injecting energies? The needle seemed like it could be retracted too, from its telescopic design. Well, they'd find out how it worked, and the Keeper set the collars aside, looking forward to testing them when they had time.

The highly anticipated armlet was next, and the Keeper eagerly tried it on. The narrow band sat comfortably around their bicep and was surprisingly light, despite how solid it looked and felt. They would probably wear it under their clothing so that it couldn't be seen, and they were pleased to find that its inside was lined with some soft material, so that it didn't shift or chafe.

Excited to test it out, the Keeper removed the armlet, pulled out their jar of C-Pain, and drew the energy from its container with their wand, before lowering it to the band. Fascinated when the lava-like substance melted into the metal, turning the silver to red and black, the rolling magma crawling along the swirls and patterns that were carved into the armlet.

Fastening it to their upper arm once again, the Keeper felt immediately the difference, the band was now warm and they could feel the energy waiting, resting in it. It felt like standing in fog, moisture licking at one's skin, and the Keeper wondered for a moment how they might intake the energy. If it felt like fog, then perhaps...

Closing their eyes, they focused on the cloud of warmth and thought of how it felt to breathe when standing in fog, the feeling of pulling the air, heavy with moisture, into their lungs. As they did so, they felt the energy flow into their body like warm mist, it was so smooth, so fluid, so powerful, so delicious, so easy to take just a little more-

We'll be holding you to your word.

The Keeper's eyes snapped open, and they hurriedly ripped off the armlet, sending it flying across the room and gasping for breath, the memory of Ominis’ voice breaking their trance, his trust and Sebastian's. They shook their head, gripping the side of their desk for stability, chest heaving with the effort it'd taken to resist.

What were they doing? Hadn't they promised that they wouldn't let Pain control them?

Taking a steadying breath, they squeezed their eyes tightly shut, collecting themselves for a few more moments, before opening their eyes and raising their gaze back to the glowing red band of silver, where it lay innocuously on the floor.

Well, it looked like the armlet, while convenient, brought temptation to a whole new level. How could they possibly walk around with that power right there and not partake of it? When it was within reach. When consuming more was as easy as breathing.

They would have to practise, and they couldn't do it alone.

Leaving the armlet where it lay and setting the matter aside for now, the Keeper next removed the blade from the pouch and then from its sheath, eyes wide as they took in the magnificent weapon.

It was incredibly light and almost wavy in its shape, a relatively narrow dirk blade with a tapered tip, and it was breathtakingly beautiful, polished silver so smooth that they could see their own reflection on its surface. Only broken up along the spine, by the intricate etchings that resembled the swirls carved into the armlet.

Taking a jar from the cabinet, the Keeper extracted the Fear-Pill with their wand and then paused. The pill was a solid, unlike Pain energy in whatever form it took, how would this work?

Shaking their head, the Keeper decided to try anyway, it was magic, who the fuck knew how any of this really worked. So, they lowered the black orb onto the dagger's surface and was awed when it melted into the metal, and the silver surface turned entirely pitch black, as though it'd been dipped in paint.

The Keeper wore a sharp grin as they examined the blade, admiring its new appearance with wonder.

It was incredible, the once silver surface now absorbed every speck of light, so black that it almost looked like a flat drawing, devoid of any reflections or any indication of depth. It was tempting to touch the blade's surface, but the risk that their lack of understanding presented was too high.

They still hadn't figured out how the collars and blade injected energies in a harmful way after all. They'd have to thoroughly test the blade, to see its effects and how long the Fear lasted too. The first small Fear-Pill they'd given Selwyn had kept him in his nightmares for three days and even after it wore off, and he returned to his senses, he'd been... different.

Quiet, jumpy, he barely ate and had lost some weight, a haunted look in his glazed eyes. They supposed that the Chinese water torture and Fear-Pill had been enough to break the boy's mind. Macnair was in even worse condition, since he'd lost his emotions, they'd needed to employ the Imperius curse to force him to eat and eliminate, otherwise he'd simply lie on his bed unmoving, wasting away.

On the upside, at least they didn't need to spend much on feeding the two, but at the same time, that made it difficult to conduct experiments when they didn't react properly. Even the amount of P-Pain they'd been extracting from Selwyn had been diminishing over time. He was becoming desensitised to pain, and so he yielded less energy with each torture session.

They were overdue for a fresh face to add to their number, the Keeper grinned as they sheathed and set aside the blade, especially now that they had what they needed to resume their experiments with the energies. Happily extracting the cauldron made of goblin silver, they set it down on the desk.

A quick examination of the cauldron's lid revealed two latches on the side and the Keeper unhooked them, lifting the silver cover to peer into the smooth empty bowl, excellent. Now they could finally find out what Pain and Fear could create.

As they removed the box containing their Phantom’s mask, a knock on the door caught their attention, and the Keeper lifted their head as Ominis’ voice came from the other side. “Love? Are you in here?”

“Yes, come in.” The Keeper replied, setting the box down and flicking a pulse of Ancient Magic at the door. With a click, it opened to permit the two boys on the other side.

“It's been fifteen minutes since tea, darling.” Ominis entered with a wry smile, followed by Sebastian, who was carrying a tray of tea and biscuits, as well as a rolled-up newspaper tucked under his arm.

“Has it?” The Keeper blinked in surprise, they must have been occupied with the armlet for longer than they'd thought. “My apologies, I must have lost track of time.”

“What've you got there?” Sebastian asked curiously as he set the tray down on the table.

“I was just checking out the stuff I got from Borgok.” The Keeper explained, accepting with a smile when Ominis offered them a steaming cup of tea. “Thanks.”

“Oh oh, can I see the dagger?” Sebastian asked excitedly, and the Keeper could practically see a tail wagging behind him.

With an amused smile, they handed him the sheathed blade. “Careful, I've already added Fear to it.”

As Sebastian eagerly examined the blade, Ominis took a seat on the corner of the table and the Keeper's first thought, was that his elegant perch, long slender legs hanging off the side, was a fantastic height for a blowjob. Their second thought was ‘ouch’, as Ominis bopped them on the head with his glowing wand and crossed his legs.

“My face is up here, love.” Ominis sighed. “I swear you're getting as bad as Sebastian.”

“Don't pretend you don't like it.” The Keeper chuckled as they took a sip from their tea, and Ominis lifted his chin with a huff, but didn't deny that he did like feeling desirable.

“This is incredible...” Sebastian murmured.

The Keeper glanced at him, only to exclaim in alarm. “Don't touch it! I already said I've added Fear to it!”

“It's fine, it doesn't seem like contact with the flat of the blade injects it.” Sebastian waved a hand dismissively and, setting down their teacup, they stormed over to snatch it from him.

“Glad to know, but I'd much rather slap Selwyn with the flat side to find out, than to risk you passing out with nightmares!” The Keeper huffed as they sheathed the blade and stuffed it into their satchel before he could do anything else with it.

Sebastian pouted for a few moments, before spotting the box on the table and curiously picked it up. “What's this?”

“Keep your hands to yourself, Sebastian...” Ominis sighed.

“It's just a box.” Sebastian protested.

“I don't care what it is, please put it down.” Ominis snapped.

“Fine.” The brunet grumbled but obediently passed it to the Keeper when they held their hand out for it.

“It's my mask, for work.” They explained, opening and removing the mask from the box. “Apparently it's our uniform and to protect our identities.”

“Have you tried it on yet?” Ominis asked.

“Not yet.” The Keeper shook their head.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sebastian grinned.

“I'm not exactly sure how to wear it.” They admitted with a sheepish smile. “There's no string on the back.”

“Might have a sticking charm, try placing it on your face.” Ominis suggested.

Following his suggestion, the Keeper raised it to their face and was surprised when it did indeed remain in place after they let go. “That's pretty handy.”

“Huh.” Sebastian squinted at them. “Remarkable, even though it's only covering half your face, you somehow look unfamiliar. Your jaw looks different, and even your hair is oddly difficult to focus on.”

“Is that so...” The Keeper murmured, that was handy indeed, and it was rather comfortable too.

Ominis expression was mildly disturbed as he added. “That's not all, you sound off too.”

“Really?” The Keeper blinked, that was quite a thorough disguise, and they quickly removed the mask when Ominis shuddered at their voice. “Well, it's nice to know that this will be enough to conceal my identity when working.”

“May I see?” Ominis asked curiously and the Keeper passed him the mask so that he could feel its surface. “Oh, this is quite beautiful. It suits you.”

“You flatter me, darling.” The Keeper chuckled, accepting the mask from him and tucked it away.

“And this would most certainly flatten me.” Sebastian joked, peering into the large cauldron like the Keeper had minutes ago, before fiddling with the latches. “This has to be the largest cauldron I've ever seen!”

He eyed the enormous pot speculatively for a moment.

“Here, hold this for me.” Passing the Keeper his newspaper, Sebastian braced himself to lift the cauldron, before pausing in surprise. “Huh, lighter than I expected.”

“I wanted something big enough to mix a large batch if necessary.” The Keeper explained, raising the newspaper. “What's up with the paper anyway?”

“Oh, right.” Sebastian set down the cauldron and leaned against its rim. “Page three, looks like the Aurors finally made their move.”

The Keeper flipped to the third page, finding the article, titled ‘Auror Raid Finds Dozens Of Dead Goblins’.

The article described the discovery of almost a hundred goblins dead, in what the Keeper recognised as Gnarlak’s base, and though it was annoyingly vague on the details, it did include a short interview with a junior Auror. Who, when asked if this was infighting within the goblin rebellion, called it unlikely, describing the causes of death to be ‘strange’ before his superior hurriedly shooed the journalist away.

“They probably died from the shock of cold turkey when their bodies burnt through their remaining E-Pain.” The Keeper murmured as they finished reading the article.

Lowering the newspaper, they noticed Ominis’ lips pursed and fingers tight around the edge of the table.

Touching their fingers gently to his knuckles, the Keeper smiled softly. “There's no danger of that happening to me, we have ample stock available, and it isn't in danger of running out.”

The unspoken ‘because I can make more’ hung in the air and Ominis sighed with a pained expression, giving them a curt nod. He was clearly still not comfortable with what the Keeper was doing, and they were uncertain if he ever would be. The reminder that he was merely tolerating their activities was both heartening and saddening in equal measure.

It felt nice, powerful, to know that he was willing to look the other way out of love, but they also knew that that came at a cost. A cost to his self-image, and that had already not been great to begin with, being a snake that wanted to be a meek lamb.

They wished desperately that he could just accept himself the way he was, to just commit himself wholeheartedly to a decision, and not beat himself up for what he wanted. He would be so much happier, but that wasn't exactly something anyone could force him to do. Sebastian had been trying since they were eleven and he still hadn't gotten anywhere.

Though, admittedly, the brunet was terrible at it, being completely unable to even see what Ominis despised about himself at all. Perhaps understandable, since Sebastian loved him so innocently and wholeheartedly, warts and all.

“What's that, off in the corner?” Ominis asked, perhaps looking to change the subject, he pointed off to the side.

Towards the armlet.

The Keeper almost wanted to laugh, but it would be quite inappropriate at the moment, so they swallowed it as Sebastian glanced over too. “Oh, is that the armlet? What's it doing on the floor?”

The Keeper sighed. “Because I almost took more than today's maintenance dose.”

Ominis frowned. “You tried it on without us?”

Wincing, the Keeper took his hand and placed it on their face, allowing him to see their expression. “I'm sorry, I thought I'd be able to control myself. It was just supposed to be a quick test to figure out how to use it.”

“Did you toss it because you lost control?” Sebastian asked and the Keeper paused for a moment.

“Well... yes.” They admitted.

“Then you were fighting it, and won. I think that counts for something.” Sebastian pointed out and the Keeper gave him a grateful smile for his support. “And they have been doing pretty well despite having to drop dosage after their dragon fight.”

Ominis frowned at him for a moment, trapped between still being upset at their testing of the armlet unsupervised, and not wanting to denounce the Keeper's efforts, for obvious reasons, and they were mildly amused at the corner that Sebastian had seemingly accidentally backed Ominis into.

“I suppose you're right.” Ominis eventually sighed, turning back towards the Keeper. “I'm glad you managed to stop this time. I just wish you could... completely stop.”

“I know.” The Keeper murmured and smoothed out the frown on his forehead with a thumb, rather happy to have their efforts recognised, it wasn't easy to take a gradually decreasing dose of Pain energy every day. “But if we keep thinking of what we can't change, we can't do anything about what we can change.”

“Does anything even need to change?” Sebastian asked, folding his arms. “I mean, let's not pretend that my dagger was the only thing that brought them home. Without Pain energy, they wouldn't have gotten far enough to even use it.”

The Keeper eyed him curiously, while Ominis narrowed his eyes and declared. “That may be true, but they still shouldn't be over-reliant on that stuff. The sooner they can stop, the better.”

“Why?” Sebastian challenged. “As far as we've seen, aside from withdrawal, there haven't been any negative side effects.”

“That's-” Ominis bristled, his hand leaving the Keeper's face to gesture wildly, exclaiming in disbelief. “We've already heard of Isidora going mad and Ranrok turning into a monster and almost a hundred goblins dying from it! Are you really so reckless as to risk any of those happening to them!?”

Sebastian's eyes narrowed at the implication that he didn't care about danger to the Keeper’s life.

“Yeah, sure! They've been using it for two years without problems. I'd take an unknown percentage chance of either happening over having a stick of charcoal to bury!” Sebastian retaliated and Ominis recoiled in indignation.

“So you're fine with them taking something so inherently dangerous forever!?” Ominis’ voice was now pitched high in distressed incredulity.

“We don't even know if it is dangerous for them!” Sebastian groaned in frustration. “Isidora was already insane to begin with, who in their right mind would think losing all emotion and sense of self is a cure!? Maybe their Ancient Magic makes them immune to becoming a monster. And the goblins died from cold turkey withdrawal, but we have the means to create more so that's not a concern.”

“Means to make more.” Ominis echoed bitterly. “How lightly you speak of torture.”

Seeing that none of his words were getting through to Ominis, and perhaps hurt by being painted so negatively by someone he loved, Sebastian growled, low and angry. “Why don't you just say it? You think I don't care! You think I'm a heartless monster!”

“What else am I supposed to think!?” Ominis exclaimed, and at that confirmation, redness began darkening the skin around Sebastian's eyes.

Oh boy, the Keeper sighed, they needed to get their partners back on track, both of them were going completely off the rails.

Raising their hands and voice before things could get worse, the Keeper interjected. “Look, boys. Quarrelling over this achieves nothing!”

The two paused and the Keeper barrelled on before the boys could start shooting again. “The facts are these, I need the Pain energy, at least for now, if I want to achieve our goals. And I'm doing my best to be cautious. I'm thinking of wearing the armlet outside of battle to see if I can train up my resistance and self-control.”

“Or, you can just stick to the jars that have worked so far.” Ominis countered.

“Oh, great!” Sebastian barked a disdainful laugh. “Let's never improve our methodology. Let's keep giving enemies more openings to kill our partner. And all to avoid a potentially dangerous outcome that hasn't even been proven to exist!”

“Sebastian.” The Keeper held a hand up to hush him before Ominis could explode, and the brunet obediently folded his arms with a sulky expression.

Taking Ominis’ balled up fists and coaxing them to relax, the Keeper spoke as soothingly as possible. “Love, we haven't even tried yet, we don't have any information to be afraid over. I made a mistake, I should have tried the armlet with you and Sebastian, but even then, I managed to catch and stop myself. Cast diagnosa on me, and you can see for yourself that I'm alright.”

“Their eyes weren't even red when we came in.” Sebastian added with a pointed huff.

Ominis threw a glare in his general direction, casting the diagnostic charm on the Keeper with an irritated flick of his wand. He frowned for a moment, before giving them a grudging sigh. Well, that's encouraging.

The Keeper placed a gentle peck on Ominis’ lips, before continuing with a smile. “Let's just try, slowly. I'll put a tiny sliver into the armlet. Wear it around the house and to bed tonight. Just a small amount that won't go over tomorrow's maintenance dose, even if I accidentally take some. And you can be right by my side and monitor my condition the whole time. Alright?”

His expression was still sour, but Ominis gave them a curt nod and the Keeper bit back their own sigh, knowing from the look in his eyes that this discussion was far from over.

Notes:

You can also view the artwork in HD for free on my Patreon page!

I feel like Sebastian would get the Patronus charm really quickly, mostly just because he's so one-track minded, ma boi is just super happy when he's happy and just super angry when he's angry. Ominis is constantly feeling a mix of conflicting emotions and the Keeper's just kinda desensitised and dead inside.

Also, fun fact, in cat sociology, the higher cat in the hierarchy grooms the ones beneath them. In other words, that was some dom power move from Ominis, to be grooming a bloody wolf twice his size xP

I really wanna draw these kids cuddling as Animagi, but I'm not super confident that I can draw animals well, so it'll take some experimentation xD Edit: It was hard, holy shit, it was so hard. But I am kinda happy with how it turned out, so yay! God, I love the fold of Sebastian's ear, I feel like it fits him, so I'm happy with how that turned out xP

Wheee! We finally get to torture Tobbs’ owner, it's gonna be great. Hope you guys are looking forward to it xP I feel like one of the root causes of Sebastian and Ominis’ conflict in the game is their differing ways of making decisions.

Ominis uses morality to value things, including himself. Am I a ‘good’ person? However he kinda goes with vibes to decide what's ‘good’, because he's not experienced enough to realise that what feels ‘good’ or doesn't, is subjective. ‘Good’ changes depending on what you prioritise, what angle you view a scenario from.

Sebastian on the other hand, is very critical, very logical and almost oblivious to the vibes around a topic, and that can come off as cold and calculative, when it's the more objective and empirical approach. Especially because it doesn't come naturally to him, to give people like Ominis good vibes before trying to reason with them. Throw in Sebastian's tendency to honestly display his very strong emotions and opinions if he's feeling them, and people somehow decide he's faking them because he's usually so logical.

Which is probably why some people like Ominis more than Sebastian, because Ominis is more visually and vibe-y relatable (especially for people who are also vibes based) and he virtue-signals super hard, and people tend to wrongly conflate that cold/calculative vibe with manipulative. When in reality, Ominis is vibes-based PLUS manipulative, whereas Sebastian is logical and calculative but not manipulative.

The next chapter will be almost entirely dedicated to resolving this (particular) conflict and I hope ya'll will like how the drama goes ;)

[evmorfiad]

Hello *waves* Since you wanted asks ... I'm curious, what are your top 3 Joseph Mawle characters? And what makes him so special in your eyes? Cheers!

Those are awesome questions! I suck at explaining my thoughts, sometimes I feel I don’t even know what they ARE exactly and I tend to give too much of a backstory, but I'll try my best.

May be the second question first; What makes him so special in your eyes?

I'm from Germany, and though there are some good shows, I always find the actors performances lacking. I can 'feel' them acting, instead of 'being' the characters. No matter how good and experienced an actor is. It must be the German acting and directing culture, or may be the language, because when German actors are in international productions, they are so much better. Therefore, I tend to be very sensitive to people’s performances being natural.

I think Joseph Mawle is one of the most 'naturalistic' performers that I've ever seen. I can feel him 'be' that character. I think his 'disability' is what has let him grow into this, being hard of hearing and dyslexic. I think he's a master at non-verbal communication, and he conveys so much emotion through facial expressions and body language even in very fleeting moments, and it gives his characters so much depth. I think he's also forced to be very conscious of intonation, so every word carries very thought-out emotional meaning. In both cases you might not even catch it, but unconsciously it influences you. He's said himself that he takes longer to read and learn lines and I guess also to do research into a new character. I would also guess he therefore has to additionally use all other senses available to him very intensively to do so, and I think that can force an actor to get even more emotionally involved. I think that is reflected in the performances that I have seen so far, and it makes for an even more immersive experience of that story. It seems that he completely melts into his roles. It's so intense, you can't look away when he's on screen.

I also think the fact that he seems to avoid the limelight intentionally nowadays by more often than not choosing side characters or main ones in very niche genres, shows that he chooses his vocation for the sake of the art of acting itself, of wanting to tell and also experience that specific story arc of that specific character. He does not want to be side-tracked by anything else. This of course applies to many performers, but coupled with the above element, it makes for a very potent mix.

Therefore, I also think it is imperative to include many, many more people with 'disabilities' in any kind of art. It will make art bloom in full and reach its inherent potential of giving a unique kind of life to society.

I could say many, many more things about this unique individual, but I'll shut up … for now.

Now onto the first question: What are your top 3 Joseph Mawle characters?

HARD!!! So UNFAIR!!!

So far I've seen him in: Sir Gadabout, Soundproof, Silent Witness, The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton, Persuasion, Merlin, Sometimes the Moon is Velvet, Murder on the Orient Express, Made in Dagenham, Women in Love, The Cold Light of Day, Twelve, In the Heart of the Sea, Ripper Street, A Winter's Tale, Game of Thrones, Troy - Fall of a City, Mr. Jones, Land's End, the music video to 'Behold the Hurricane', the TOYOTA commercial, the documentary 'Words of the Titanic' and The Rings of Power.

WOW! I did not realise how much I already HAVE seen. And still there is SO much to STILL see!

Special mentions beforehand: Captain Harry Harville from 'Persuasion' (2007). It was the first role I ever saw him in, back in ca. 2009. He has a special place in my heart. Sir Tificate from 'Sir Gadabout - The worst Knight in the Land', because I just LOVE the fact that he was part of a children’s show, and I'd found it, unexpectedly, VERY entertaining. AND Michael from 'Land's End'. That performance. The eyeliner. Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy' is finally a permanent fixture on my favorite songs playlist.

In no particular order … or … may be yes … or no …

Detective Inspector Jedediah Shine (Ripper Street Seasons 2 & 5)

While only the first season existed, I'd loved Bennet Drake, such a sweety, but the MOMENT Jedediah arrived on screen when the second season came along I was HOOKED. HOOKED I tell you! He was SO fascinating! Such a bastard, so self-assured, so confident and stylish. He also had some of the best lines I ever heard in any series. He seemed vulnerable and such a hard ass at the same time. And he TERRIFIED me! I'd never been terrified of any fictional character THAT intensely before. I just didn't know what he would decide to do next. I wanted him to lose and win at the same time. SUCH a roller coaster ride of emotions. An amazing performance. - And I am SO not a fan of the bulky kind of man, but DAMN…!

Dean Whittingham (Soundproof)

What he managed to do here is special. Not only to him, since it was his breakout role, but his execution of the depiction of the 'disability' of being deaf. He was praised in an article written by a deaf person who saw the movie. That is a feat. This story was also a roller coaster ride of feelings. Is Dean the murderer or not? Experiencing WITH him the frustration and helplessness of being dependent on another person translating while being accused and interviewed by police. There is a scene where he does suddenly verbalise his frustration because he is SO desperate, and the way he was able to produce that 'sound' was AMAZEBALLS! I fell in love with Joe’s talent all over again.

Adar (The Rings of Power)

I've loved the design of the Uruks ever since I saw 'The Fellowship of the Ring' back in 2002, but to feel FOR and identify WITH them took the appearance of Adar. I think it was only at the beginning of last year, that I read that Joseph was a part of The Rings of Power, and I'd been excited about it long before that, but this information just increased my excitement by a MASSIVE amount. I was not disappointed. Adar is by far my absolute favourite character of the show, and it's in no small part because of Mr. Mawle’s embodiment of him. The moment he was on screen and I saw those tears in his eyes when 'saying' goodbye to Magrot … I was IN LOVE! I KNEW that this storyline would be something special and unique, and I am so happy that Joe was a part of that. There is still so much mystery around who he used to be, and so many interesting theories about what will happen to/with him, that I am still HEARTBROKEN about the recast. The coming together, the amalgamation of THAT character with THAT artist was a chemical reaction that resulted in a unique and very impactful experience.

There you have it.

End of my two-and-a-half page essay. Ooops … sorry, not sorry.

Credits for the wonderful gifs featured here go to @joemawle

Thank you SO much for all the time and work you put into making them ❤️

And thank you @chris-pikes for these wonderful questions! 💗

[adhd-merlin]

ok there were some cute moments I guess (still kinda boring overall imo)

random thoughts/observations:

• I know they spent most of the budget on the location because that snake shield looks like it was stolen from the set of a primary school play

• THE CGI SNAKES AREN'T ANY BETTER

• the foundations of Merlin & Gaius's relationship seem already established. Merlin sneaks around when he shouldn't (and lies about it), Gaius worries. (At some point Gaius says "I fear you'll land yourself in trouble" [!] which I found interesting, especially because of the use of the word "fear". I realise it was most likely used as a standard idiomatic expression, but it sums up Gaius pretty well). And:

GAIUS: What do I do if you get caught? MERLIN: What would you do? GAIUS: Well, you just make sure it doesn't happen, for both our sakes.

• "he gets all the glory and the girls" > he doesn't know. he doesn’t know yet that Arthur's a friendless loser

• Arthur's first "shut up!" ٩(^ᗜ^ )و

• Merlin spends so much of this episode sans-neckerchief. I'm not used to it. Sir, your neck is not meant to be thus exposed. Cover yourself.

• Merlin going to Gwen for help with the armour was so cute. He was like, "I only have one (1) friend here, hopefully she can help". (Because he was actually surprised that Gwen knew so much about armour? boy just took a chance)

• Also firmly established in this ep: Arthur's daddy issues

• Merlin and Arthur's first moment 🥺 (immediately ruined by Arthur being Arthur)

• It doesn't matter how much they make Morgana ogle men, I know she is a lesbian

• I like that Morgana and Arthur squabble like siblings, BUT Morgana tells Arthur she used to help her father with her armour when she's helping Arthur prepare for the final battle? How old was she when she got "adopted" by Uther?? Because they're making it sound like it wasn't too long ago

• Aww, Merlin was actually enjoying the tournament. Cheering for Arthur and everything. I think S5 Merlin would be tense as fuck; this poor baby doesn't even know that Arthur is a magnet for assassination attempts

• ¿¿WHAT'S WITH THE GIANT CHESS PIECE??

• THE SNAKE'S RUBBER HEAD PLEASE 😭 WHAT WAS THE BUDGET FOR THE PROPS. Did they spend it all on the giant chess piece

• Rewatching the scene in which Arthur accuses Valiant of using magic now that I know more about Arthur and Uther’s relationship makes it easier to appreciate how much of a Big Deal it was for Arthur to be made to look like a fool in front of his father. I felt sorry for him in a way I probably didn't the first time :(

• Even so, Arthur confidently proclaiming that there is a witness to Valiant's sorcery while in the background Merlin’s being informed that said witness is dead was actually so fucking funny. > Arthur: we have a witness! he can tell us everything! (cut to Merlin facepalming in the background as he listens to Gaius)

• I didn't remember Merlin got sacked in episode 2 already LMAO

• Merlin and Gwen being partners in crime <3 She literally didn't know what Merlin needed that dog statue for. He said, "hey, can you help me steal this?" and she just went, "okay :)" (I love them)

• HELP HE IS SO SMOL I CAN'T BREATHE 😭

• Genuinly impressed by this good boy's acting skills

• Merlin gets a first glimpse of Arthur's noble soul (or stupidity) when Arthur refuses to back down from the fight even though he knows Valiant is using magic. He's almost shocked by it. It's interesting to contrast to S5 Merlin, who knows Arthur "better than he knows himself", and knows that he would go to Camlann even if he knew he was destined to die there.

• Arthur's confident mask almost slipping when he tells Morgana "I'll see you at the feast" because he believes he will die in the tournament. PLEASE HE'S BEING SO NOBLE AND BRAVE AND HE'S LITERALLY JUST A BABY

Funny/notable lines:

Do you hear clanging?

ARTHUR: I don't get nervous. / MERLIN: Really? I thought everyone got nervous. / ARTHUR: Will you shut up!

I wouldn't lie to you. (!!)

The half cannot truly hate what makes it whole.

[sigh] on to episode 1x02

[aurorablue22]

YO- i just saw your most recent work and i knew i had to request something asap. would you be down to write a super soft n cute scene between a fem reader and sirius? maybe she’s had such a stressful day from studying so he gives her some self care and loving attention <33 much love! :D

Uhh yes this sounds so cute??!!? And thank you for the request - my inbox is always open!! Just please have patience, school can be time consuming <3

Much love to you too <3333

Warnings: mentions of eating, a few suggestive comments but no smut. 

~~~

When Slughorn finally dismissed the class, you were relieved. Potions was your final course of the day, and thank Merlin it was. You shoved your notes and quills into your bag and quickly made your way back to Gryffindor tower, ready to settle down for a nap.

After giving the Fat Lady her password, you entered the cozy atmosphere of your house's common room. The squashed chairs, fuzzy carpets and roaring fireplace gave a comforting feeling. Just as you turned to make your way upstairs, a voice called to you.

"(Y/N), hey!"

You looked over your shoulder to see Lily walking towards you, arms open. You hugged her and smiled.

"I haven't seen you since lunch, I've missed you!" she said, and you could tell she meant it.

"I've missed you too." you replied, and Lily took your hand.

"Come sit down, you look tired."

Before you could object, Lily had taken you to sit on one of the big couches, and you were greeted by Marlene, Alice, Frank and Peter. Truth be told, you had missed your friends, and figured your nap could wait until later.

"Where are the rest of the boys?" you asked, taking some of the candies Marlene had offered you.

"Helping McGonagall clean up her classroom." Peter piped up.

"Apparently Sirius transfigured the light fixtures into sprinkler systems. Blamed it on school budget cuts." Marlene snorted.

"Hmph. Sounds like him." you smiled, relaxing into the cushions. Your friends kept up with the lively conversation, while you felt yourself nodding off. You decided to close your eyes for only a moment, but next thing you knew, somebody was shaking you awake.

"Hey!! (Y/N/N)!! Wakey wakey!"

You sat up and rubbed your eyes, only to open them and find Sirius practically nose to nose with you.

"Oh.. hi Siri.." you yawned, stretching your arms. "I must've fell asleep.. what time is it?"

"9:30."

"What?!" you cried, jumping up from your seat. "Oh no no no, how could you let me sleep for so long?! For Merlin's sake, I've got so much work to do-"

"Woah woah woah," Sirius stopped you, gently taking hold of your shoulders and turning you to face him. "Take a breath, why don't ya?"

You heaved a big sigh, then your stomach growled.

"Oh Sirius, I missed dinner.." you frowned, flopping back onto the couch.

"No bother my darling, I made you a plate." he said, picking a dish up from the table and handing it to you.

"Sirius, you didn't!" you beamed, immediately hugging him. "Good Godric I'm so lucky to have you." you took the plate and utensils from him, digging in.

"Well I'll say, if I knew I'd get this reaction from you, I'd have brought you the whole table!"

After you'd eaten most of the plate, in which Sirius took the time to complain about his new set of detentions, you laid back down, resting your head in his lap.

"Personally, I believe James should've gotten the same amount as me, considering he- oh, you alright (Y/N/N)?”

“Wha?” you mumbled, looking up at him. “Oh yeah, just a little sleepy..”

“What for? You seemed well rested during breakfast.”

“It’s that bloody double-Potions.” you said matter-of-factly, furrowing your brows. “That Slughorn never gives it a rest! I’m exhausted.”

“Ahh I see..” Sirius nodded, then looked as though he was pondering something. “Wanna try something?”

“Sirius, I’m really not in the mood-”

“No no no no,” he chuckled. “Not that type of something. Just lay on your stomach f’me.”

In your tired state, you obliged, laying opposite of the way you just were. Once you’d nestled into a pillow, you felt Sirius’ hands trailing up your back, and resting on your shoulders. 

He pushed his thumbs in circular motions through your tense muscles, and you let out a groan of relief. 

“Oh Siri, that feels so good...” you mumbled.

“I’ve heard that one before.” he chuckled, continuing the massage. 

You soon felt your eyelids getting heavy, and your breathing becoming deep and steady. You felt as though you could melt into the couch. 

“Go ahead and rest lovely, you deserve it.” Sirius said quietly, leaning forward to kiss the crown of your head. 

With that, you closed your eyes, and listened to the crackling of the fireplace. 

“My beautiful, brilliant girl.” 

~~~

Hi lovelies! If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. Just another reminder that requests are open, so if you’d like, just leave a comment or drop something in my inbox. 

~Aurora xo

[mrssnivellussnape]

NOT my gif, creds to original owners

Do You Still Love Me?

Requested by Anon: ‘Hi love, i really enjoy reading your stories. Could you maybe write a reader × snape fic where the reader is pregnant and he doesn't touch her because he's scared to hurt her and the baby and then there's this whole "don't you find me attractive anymore" going on and than in the end they work it out ;-) like angst fluff and smut’

An: Kind of proud of this one right here :,)!! I hope you enjoy! ❤️❤️

Pairing: Severus Snape x Reader

Words: 4.1k

Warnings: SMUT, NSFW, explicit language, dirty talk, oral sex, fingering, unprotected sex [even though that doesn’t matter lmao], pregnancy sex, slight angst, slight fluff

You’d like to say that your pregnancy so far had been smooth, and in a sense, it had. Except for the fact that your husband hadn’t touched you in months. You were nearing the middle of your second trimester, and no matter how much you tried, Severus refused to get intimate with you.

He didn’t ignore your kisses or your small displays of affection, no; he never allowed the two of you to go further than just that. Alright, that wasn’t entirely true. He’d let you go down on him and he was more than happy to do the same, but if you even thought about suggesting him fucking you, he tensed up and stopped - coming up with excuse after excuse as to why he wasn’t able to (“I’m sorry, darling, I have summer assignments to grade”, “I’m not in the mood to continue”, etc).

It aggravated you and due to your ever increasing libido, it started to affect your everyday attitude. He’d tried speaking with you but you’d ignore him and use your own form of reasoning as to why you didn’t want to be bothered with him.

Today in particular, though, you couldn’t seem to sit still. You needed something to satisfy yourself but you didn’t want to use your fingers, and considering you had a husband to remedy that, you weren’t going to. But said husband was acting as if he wasn’t interested in touching you at the moment.

You didn’t understand it, if he was perfectly fine with eating you out, and he obviously didn’t mind when you returned the favor, then what was the problem? It wasn’t like you two had never had sex, you were pregnant for Merlin’s sake. It was far too late into your marriage for him to put sex to the side.

The fact that he didn’t want to have sex with you had started to feed into your insecurities. Maybe, because of your newly added weight, he found you repulsing. Or because your breast and ass had nearly doubled in size, despite your stomach not doing the same. But that couldn’t be, he’d seen you naked since you’d gained a few and never had he said anything about it. His eyes had clearly displayed his love and affection that he held for you. And no matter how much Severus loved you, you couldn’t see him holding back on a comment that he wanted to say.

Him not telling you what his problem was only dampened your spirits. You hated not knowing what was going on in his mind, but you loathed that it was at your expense. Whenever you two had an issue, it would take a day or less for either of you to come to one another and state your problem. But no, Severus was perfectly content with keeping his thoughts to himself, for once in his life. It angered you yet again.

He’d just come back from being somewhere he’d gone, he’d told you earlier but you didn’t care to remember. Walking through the archway, he announced his presence with a “Hello, love”, but you paid him no mind, instead finding an interest in the novel you were reading. He sat down, lifted your feet onto his lap, and stared at you. You continued to ignore him, clearly he had no problem doing so when it came to your needs.

“Darling,” he rubbed your calf soothingly. “Is something the matter?” He could tell by the way you were slightly facing away from him that you weren’t in the best mood, but he knew to be careful with his words.

“No at all, Severus.” You responded dully. As much as you wanted him to give you his undivided attention, you weren’t going to show him.

His face frowned in confusion, clearly you were upset and not telling him. “Have I done something wrong?”

You slowly raised your eyes up to peer over your book and at him, the question alone caused an unsuspected amount of irritably to arise in you. With your most bored countenance, you answered, “Have you done something, Severus?”

“Why are you calling me Severus?” He scowled.

“Is it not your name?” You countered.

His face fell still in irritation, “You don’t call me by my name unless I’ve done something.” He argued.

You put your book to the side and folded your arms over each other, giving him your undivided attention, “Then I guess that would answer your question, wouldn’t it.”

That made him raise his eyebrows in agreement, you had him there. If only he knew exactly what it was that had you vexed. He tried to recollect and focus on what he’d done over the past few days. He’d helped you when you called, returned to your sentiments, and even relaxed with you every night.

You watched as his eyes went back and forth, he was in his head trying to find what’d made you tick - you knew that. His posture had slouched, taking on a defeated tone, and you shook your head when he finally looked back at you. A new wave of anger washed over you at his next words.

He sighed, “I can’t seem to find the problem.”

“Of course you can’t.” You snarked. You aggressively yanked your feet off of his lap and abruptly stood up. Severus stood, too, ready to follow wherever you were about to go, “Get away from me, Severus.” You growled.

“What is your problem?” He exasperatedly asked. “If you would tell me what I did wrong, Y/n, I could help.”

You glared at him, wishing to set the sleeve of his robes on fire but not wanting to harm him. Your husband was an exceedingly brilliant man and clever as a fox, so you knew there was no possible way he was really this dense. “Why the hell won’t you fuck me!” You yelled.

Well… that wasn’t exactly what Severus had been expecting to hear. Of all the things that could’ve caused your anger, he hadn’t suspected the problem to be lack of sex. “What?” He dumbly answered.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” You seethed.

“Darling—” he tried.

But you held your hand up, “No, Severus. I see you’re perfectly fine with me sucking you off, but when it comes to doing more than eating me out; you absolutely decline the idea.” You stepped away from the couch and walked towards the steps. “You won’t even try and attempt to be in me. Do you really find me so unattractive that you’re disgusted to even have sex…” it wasn’t a question but it had tread closer to one rather than a statement.

Severus was quickly at your side, not wanting you to refer to yourself that way, “I absolutely do not.” He rejected that thought and stomped it out. “Why would you ask me that?”

Your lip trembled. Seeing how he reacted to that question made you feel silly and had you question why’d you’d even assume that, but then you remembered how he’d been acting. If he hadn’t thought that the thought of you was revolting, than why hadn’t he already tried having sex with you yet?

“Y/n, why would you think that?” He repeated, but you turned yourself face away from him to hide the tears. “Talk to me, love. Please.”

His voice was gentle and welcoming and you found yourself walking towards it. You stopped an inch in front of him, still looking down and sniffling. You cursed your hormones for betraying you. He wasn’t having that, though, and he lifted your head up so he could see your eyes.

“Please, love,” he whispered. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me why.”

“Severus, I’m pregnant.” You stated.

He rolled his eyes because that didn’t answer his question, “Obviously…”

You ignored him, “And since I’m pregnant, I need affection from my husband. I can’t help but feel unattractive when we’ve gone from having sex on literally every surface and any space we could, to barely having actual sex.” You saw him getting ready to comment something and knew, “I want to be fucked by you, and as much as I love your mouth, your cock is better.” Your blunt words made him widen his eyes in surprise but you didn’t care.

Although you’d told him exactly what the problem was, Severus hadn’t said anything. Instead, he looked away from you and loosened the grip he had on your chin. You could feel him pulling away from you and you shook your head. You’d just told him your reasoning why and you’d be damned if he didn’t do the same.

“No, Severus, don’t even try it.” You called out. “Don’t you dare fucking try and walk away!” Your voice had raised on its own accord.

“I… I can’t, Y/n.” He apologized.

But you weren’t having it, and you weren’t going to let him leave without telling the truth, “Why do you always try to leave whenever I attempt to ask you this! Tell me why you don’t want to make love to me, Severus Snape, or I’m leaving!” You weren’t going to actually leave, however, there was nothing wrong with making him believe you were.

He still made a move to talk and you’d decided enough was enough, “Are you cheating on me?” You questioned. You didn’t think you wanted to know the answer, and you were afraid of what you’d do if it was anything other than what you wanted to hear.

“I would never cheat on you.” He promised, voice having gone deathly serious.

“Why are you not trying to have sex with me!” You demanded, all but screaming at this point.

Severus’ face was marred with indecisiveness. He was warred between telling you what his internal battle had been and just not answering, accepting that you’d just have to be mad at him. He knew that you wouldn’t prefer the latter, and as you were his wife, he decided to be honest. “I’m… scared that I’m going to hurt you or our child.”

His confession made you still. Well… now you felt dumber than ever. Your husband, the man you loved so dearly and would lay down your life for, was afraid of hurting you and your unborn baby. Your anger completely dissipated, no more were you upset, but instead completely understanding.

You grabbed his hand and guided the two of you over to the sofa. When you looked at his sullen face, your heart did a little leap. Severus, despite all his flaws, and underneath the heavy layer of sarcasm, had the most loving heart a man could have. You were lucky, you truly were, and moments like these reminded you of that.

Playing with his wedding band, you caressed his left ring finger. You sat in a brief silence, both of you reflecting on the others purpose of attitude the past days (or months in your case), before you spoke up, “Sev, sweetheart, we’ve been cleared for sex since we’ve found that I was pregnant. Why would you be afraid of hurting me?”

He sighed, “Darling, we don’t have the best history of gentle sex, and we’ve both been known to accidentally hurt one another from going too far.” He grabbed your hand now, mimicking your actions, “I’m afraid that, if I happen to get too caught up, I’ll lose control.”

“Well, I think we both know that you are not a man of little self control, but I understand your concern.” You conceded.

“Thank you.” He nodded and squeezed your hand.

“Of course.” You supplied. “But, honestly, Sev, you’re not going to hurt either of us. You know when to rein yourself in - so to speak - and if anything should happen or you accidentally hurt me; I will tell you.”

Severus still looked somewhat conflicted, but accepted your words anyway, “Alright.” Another moment of quietness fell between you and you smiled to yourself when you felt Severus’ fingers dance up your leg, from your knee to the top of your thigh. “Would you happen to… be in the mood?” He whispered in your ear, having leaned closer, and nibbled on it.

You giggled, “I’m always in the mood when it comes to you, and luckily for us, I’m ready right now.”

“Right here?” Severus asked incredulously.

“Why not?” You shrugged. “We’ve done it on the couch numerous times, hell we’ve had to get a new one before.” You reminded him.

A smug look fell upon his face and made you roll your eyes, “I remember. But you’re pregnant now, wouldn’t you prefer our bed?”

You gave him the most bewildered look he’d ever seen from you before you turned his head your way and murmured on his lips, “Please just take me.”

At once, Severus picked you up and spun you around, softly laying you on the couch and taking off your simple teddy. His rough lips melded with yours, slowly trailing his mouth down and paying the required attention to your breasts, rolling your erect nipples around in his mouth, feeling your body twitch when he softly bit down on one. He traveled down to your small stomach. You giggled when you felt him whisper on your silky skin, it tickled.

His light, patient lips, pressed against your warm inner thigh as he glanced up to catch a second of your very eager, hungry eyes. He knew you wanted him - that’d been obvious, and you knew he’d been waiting for this just as much; you knew it and you loved it.

He liked to take his time, torture you as you so impatiently squirmed underneath him. His hands gently glided up to your hips as he pulled himself up just enough to smell the sweet aroma of your hot cunt. His tongue ever so gently trailed up and down your slit, stopping to smile at the small gasps he heard you make. With one hand clutching your side, his other hand slid down to your small, tight hole, barely touching it when he said, "Merlin you're so tight and wet, my love, but don't worry, I'll make myself fit. I'll stretch you out so you can feel all of my hard cock in you."

At that moment, his finger found its way inside you and damn did he feel good. You were so slippery that his finger slid in and out of you with ease. He inserted another finger. He started off slow, teasing you, as his other hand traced the small tiger-like marks on your stomach, evidence of you carrying his seed. With two fingers in your taut, wet pussy, he started slowly pumping them in and out of you, hearing your strained moans of pleasure.

You couldn’t stand it anymore and started moving up and down on his hand. He noticed your struggle and accommodated by thrusting his fingers benevolently inside you, lifting your ass to get better leverage.

He was finger fucking you fast now, and you started letting out louder and stronger moans, “Ohhhh, Sev,” you whined.

Your hands quickly found the back of his relaxed, cotton shirt to take it off. He lifted up his head and kissed you hard but you shook your head, pushing his back down to your leaking twat. He retracted his fingers out of you and tasted your pleasant nectar as you bucked your pussy up to his mouth. His tongue darted in your hole as far as he could go, sucking your pussy lips. He then traced the letters of his name as he said, "That's right, moan like a good girl... you're mine."

You saw him stand up and start to unbutton his trousers, “You… you ready?” You panted.

Watching his hands the entire time, you knew he was trying to hide the fact that he too desperately wanted to be inside of you - neither of you had gone this long without each other, but his shaking gave him away. “I’ve been ready since I saw that glistening cunt of yours.” There was your husband.

You heard the zip of his trousers as he brought them down to his knees to take one leg out at a time. He was trying to add in a little bit of teasing, but you could see his rock hard bulge beneath his boxers. You sat up to feel him. You could barely get your small hand around him.

You moved your fingers to his waist band and inched them down till they fell to his ankles; his fat cock, stiff and warm against your hands, he was hard just for you. You kissed the tip as he grabbed on to the back of your hair, enough for you to feel pressure but not to hurt you. You went down to the base of his cock, licking it all the way back up to the top in one swift move.

You heard him groan as you put your mouth around his throbbing dick and slid your mouth down on it to let him in as far as you could. You started to bob up and down on him, sucking and stroking, moving faster and faster. His volume increased as you played with his balls with your other hand. You sucked faster, faster, faster, moving your tongue around his cock, flicking it and tasting him.

Severus realized how close he was to cumming, “Stop, beautiful.” And he took his cock out of your mouth and bounced it on your lips as you kissed it once more.

Then, without warning he slid back down your body and you moaned loudly. He followed you as you rolled slightly over, nearly falling off of the couch, wantonly looking at your exposed, naked body bathed in the illuminating brightness coming from the candle light around you. Every time he saw you, naked, exposed and with that gleam in your eye he was at your mercy.

Taking a deep breath you prepared yourself, smiling as you knew what you were in store for. You felt his breath over your cunt, sending tremors up your body to all of your erogenous zones. Then it happened, his tongue extended and flicked over the top of your clit, once... twice, you were once again moaning loudly, a third time, your hips were off the couch and they were begging him for more.

The tongue pulled back and your hips sank to the bed again. You were aching for him to finish you, again, and again and... his tongue dragged between your inner lips, spreading your most delicate of places and opening you up, he dragged it up and swirled around your clit.

He could feel you jerk, looking up he met your eyes for a moment before your head snapped back as it got to be too much. Smiling he took your clit in his mouth, like he had with your nipples.

Sucking then nibbling, pushing you closer to the edge. Your hands dropped away from your breasts, clutching the material of the couch as an orgasm smashed over you, screaming out as one of many hit you like a coming storm.

Smiling, he felt and tasted your juice as it squirted from you. It had started and it wouldn't finish for some time. As your body trembled he thrust his tongue deep inside you, slick running down his tongue, his hands came up to hold your glorious ass as his tongue slid in and out of your twitching pussy.

Your moaning hadn't stopped, and the pool that had formed under you was growing. Without warning Severus lifted you out of your delicious juices and moved you higher to the right side of the sofa, knowing that once they cooled it wouldn't be pleasant for you.

Once more he attacked, this time using his fingers to spread your lips so he could lick your entrance before returning to your swollen clit to lick as your hood retracted, then to suck and nibble. You were gone now, lost in a world of lust, pleasure and orgasms that linked together for as long as your mind could remember.

He couldn’t wait anymore. He’d been patient for too long. He pushed you down on the couch, mindful of your stomach, and tried hard not to throw himself on top of you. "Sweating already?" You teased.

He replied, "You make me so damn hot, I need to fuck you - right now." He took your nipple in his mouth, licking and biting it, making it hurt so good. He kissed up your neck, finding your mouth, finding your tongue and intertwining it with his. With one hand on one of your breasts, his other hand found his way back down to your pussy, he could feel how wet and ready you were for him.

Your eyes were partially closed, and you were loving every second of it. Then they snapped open, he was kissing your neck, and sliding inside you. All the way inside you.

Grinning, you wrapped your legs around him, pulling him deeper. If eating you out felt perfect, feeling him slide deeper and deeper inside you felt... you didn't know a word that meant 'more than perfect'.

You felt complete again, like every minute spent without him inside you was spent as half a person. “Fuck I missed this.” Smiling more, you met his face and kissed as another orgasm washed over you. Then he pulled out, looking down at you as you recovered from the second or third orgasm of the night (you weren’t keeping count, and try as you might, you didn’t care too) while he was inside you, then thrusted back as deep as he could go.

Your eyes popped open again and your moan was long as your eyes met. Everything was right with the world. He pulled out again, your hips lifted off the sofa to follow him and he let you. Pulling him with you so he was kneeling on the couch (as best as he could at least, this position wasn’t flattering him like it was you) and you were face to face with him, legs wrapped around his waist and completely full.

With one arm around your shoulders, and the other around your ass with that hand cupping one of your perfect cheeks, he pulled his hips back and thrust into you, over and over again.

He could feel his own climax building, pushing it back he quickened his pace, “Fucking hell, woman, you’re killing me.” Pumping in and out of you, repeatedly.

“Then you’ll die a happy man.” You retorted. His shaft and your thighs were covered in your sweet juice and he knew he needed to get his mouth back down there before he finished, there was just something so intoxicating about your cunt. After your next orgasm broke through you he released his hold and you fell back to the couch.

Flipping you over, he pulled you to all fours, thinking he was going to enter you from behind you lifted your ass to meet him. With another smirk he leant forward and lapped at your sweet pussy, getting as much as he could. Probing with his tongue and fingers, urging you to cum again.

He knew you couldn't take much more, so when your next orgasm carried you away, he re-positioned himself. The final charge, holding himself against your opening, he let you thrust yourself back onto him. Impaling yourself with speedy rapidity, fucking yourself on him and loving it.

The faster you went the louder you moaned and screamed and you were stretched from behind. “Oh, Sev!” You wailed.

Soon he was at the point of no return, he gripped your hips and thrusted into you, stopping your reverse charge. “Right there, love. Stay right there!” Grabbing you tenderly, he began pumping in and out of you until he was right on the edge.

Rolling you, you both collapsed with him carefully on top of you, still inside. Your lips met, and you kissed with the passion of newlyweds, him slowly returning to his thrusting. Then, with lips locked, you came together, as he slowly slid in and out, filling you with his cum while you squirted more onto him and the couch.

Again you both slumped, this time beside each other. A mess of legs, arms, and hair. With a short but deep kiss you were gone. With a smile, he shifted over so that you were as comfortable as possible and your child wasn’t potentially being harmed. Severus accio’d a thick cover for you two and threw it over you both.

You scooted closer into him, fitting snugly against his chest. Two soft kisses to the top of his neck, his hand slid over your hip to rest on your thigh, then a third soft kiss, “Rest easy, my love.”

“Best… sex… ever.” You tiredly mumbled before drifting off to a peaceful slumber.

[dracoscene]

Hi friend! Just ran across your work and I love it!! 😍🤍 would you be willing to write something angsty where the reader overhears him talking to Blaise about how clingy she is and decides to give him space only to find out he was taking about Pansy? And then all is good and there so much fluff and love 💕

Crossed Wires | Draco Malfoy x Reader

Contains: angst, kinda mean Draco, FLUFF

A/N: Thank you so so much for the request, hope this is close to what you wanted!

Word count: 1.6k

_______________________________

"She's pathetic, Blaise."

You came to a halt when you heard the familiar voice of your boyfriend.

"No matter where I go, she's there, all the time. Like a bloody dog." His voice was filled with pure hate. It felt as if the blood in your veins froze as the words fell from his lips.

"What do you expect mate, this girl is head over heels for you. Don't you see the drool on her chin everytime you're within a five mile radius of her?"

Draco scoffed at his friend's words. "It's repulsive."

Repulsive. You weren't unfamiliar with those kind of words coming from him. He almost used them on a daily basis; when students ran past him in the hallways, when Crabbe and Goyle stuffed their faces with pastries at dinner, when first years cried after Draco had just threatened to hex them, or when Potter just so much did as breathe. What you were unfamiliar with, was him using those words in connection with you, and it made you feel sick to your stomach.

A tap on your shoulder ripped you from your thoughts, making you flinch. You turned around to see Pansy standing behind you with her hands up.

"Woah there, didn't mean to scare you." She laughed, waiting for a response that didn't come.

Pansy cleared her throat as she re-adjusted the bag on her shoulders. "So, do you think Draco and Blaise are here already?" Shit. It totally slipped your mind that the reason you came here was the study date the four of you agreed on having before dinner. You watched Pansy silently as she took a few steps forward to look around the bookshelf you two were standing next to.

"Found them!"

You didn't care to move, all you wanted to do was just turn around and get out of there, dreading to face Draco after what he'd just said. Still, you followed Pansy to where the boys were sitting.

Your heartbeat skyrocketed when you spotted the blonde already looking in your direction, the annoyance in his face very much visible. Your eyes met for a moment before you felt the urge to look away, feeling small under his gaze.

Confusion was growing inside of Draco when you took the free space on the couch next to Blaise and not him like you usually did. It felt weird doing so, but you were too embarrassed to sit next to him right now, knowing that he probably wouldn't want you to anyway.

Blaise's eyes alternated between you and Draco, trying to figure out what was going on when Pansy dropped her bag with a loud thud before making herself comfortable next to Draco, grinning. "Well then, shall we begin?"

Minutes went by like hours, the only sounds being the turning of pages and the occasional scoffs coming from Pansy when she didn't understand something in the Potions book.

"Draco could you help me with th-"

"No."

Draco didn't even bother to look at the book in front of him. His eyes had been burning into you from the second you sat down next to his friend. You shifted in your seat, staring at that one sentence in your book that you were trying to read for the seventh time now, but you just couldn't focus long enough. Your cheeks were on fire, feeling utterly intimidated by your boyfriends stare.

After what felt like an eternity, Pansy and Blaise started packing up their books. Draco didn't even move a muscle.

"See you at dinner then." Blaise stated before leaving the library with Pansy by his side. You hurried to gather your stuff, trying to catch up to them, but a firm grasp on your wrist stopped you.

"Why are you ignoring me?" Draco's voice was stern, but you could still make out a hint of insecurity.

"I wasn't ignoring you, I'm just.. tired I guess? Oh and I've been having this awful headache all day and I don't really want to bother you with that so I think I should just g-"

"I'm not stupid, y/n." he cut you off. "I know when something's up with you. What is it?"

You didn't know what to say. Confronting him about what you heard would've been the mature way to handle things, but you were hurt. Hurt about the way he talked about you, and especially how he did it; behind your back. So, you removed your hand from his grasp and looked up at him. "I'll go now. I know you don't want to have me around anyway, so don't act like you care."

You left, leaving Draco completely baffled. If you wouldn't have been in such a hurry to get away, if you would've looked a little more closely, you might have seen the effect your words had on him.

He did care. A lot.

__________________________

Draco knew you probably wouldn't want him to sit next you during dinner, that's why he did exactly that. He wasn't just going to let this go, so he plopped down next to you.

Your whole body tensed up, and Draco noticed.

The poor boy was confused as ever, you could almost see his brain working with high speed, thinking of every encounter and every conversation with you he had that day, trying to figure out what in the world he's done that made you avoid him.

Confusion turned into frustration real fast when he just couldn't seem to think of anything.

"This is ridiculous, y/n." his voice was barely above a whisper, but the desperation in it was loud and clear. "Will you just tell me what the bloody hell is going on?"

Draco's eyes followed your every move as you turned to look at him. "Can we go somewhere else?" your voice was shaking and you could feel a lump forming in your throat.

He gave you a quick nod before standing up and taking your hand to lead you out of the Great Hall. Pansy called out his name when you two walked past her, but Draco simply waved her off.

The laughter and chatting of students stopped when the doors closed behind you. He led you a little further away with your hand still in his. You felt your heart pounding in your chest when he turned to look at you, it was beating so fast you were scared he might hear it.

"Will you talk to me now?" his thumb started caressing the top of your hand when he saw how nervous you were, as an attempt to calm you down. "I need to know what's going on, did I do something?" "What happened?"

Tears fiilled your eyes when you replayed the words in your head.

"She's pathetic."

"Like a bloody dog."

"Y/n?" his soft voice pulled you out of your thoughts.

"I heard what you said." You tried your hardest to keep your composure. "In the library, about how I'm always with you and how pathetic you think that is." Your voice broke at that last part.

Draco's face fell when he realized that you thought his words were directed to you. Thinking about how hurt by his words you must've been made his heart break.

"Darling." he breathed out, gentle hands cupping your cheeks as he used his thumb to wipe away the single tear that fell from your eye. "I wasn’t talking about you."

You furrowed your brows as confusion replaced the hurt look on your face. "Huh?"

"It was Parkinson I was talking about, she's been bothering me the whole bloody day."

You felt your face heat up in embarrassment, the color of your cheeks became a crimson red, which you tried to hide as best as you could by covering your face with both of your hands.

Draco let out a laugh as he took your hands into his and pulled you into a hug, his head resting on yours. "I'm so so stupid, oh my god." your voice was muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"Sometimes." he chuckled while rubbing soothing circles on your back with his hands. "You should know better than to think I’d ever talk about you like this, love."

"I know, I'm sorry." you lifted you head and looked up at him through wet eyelashes, hands resting flat against his upper body.

"Merlin y/n, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you." he planted a kiss on your forehead, lingering for a second before you buried your face back into his chest. Your arms draped around his waist, holding fast onto him.

The creaking of doors made Draco's head shoot up, looking in the direction of approaching footsteps. His face turned into a sneer as soon as he saw Pansy turn around the corner, looking for him.

"Draco why aren't you in th- oh. Am I interrupting something?" Her gaze landed on you.

You felt the muscles in Draco's arms flex around your body as he pulled you even closer into his chest like he was trying to protect you from her prying eyes.

"For fucks sake, Parkinson. Get lost." he snapped at her, voice brimming with venom. This was all it took for Pansy to leave as fast as she came.

Draco scoffed before he let one arm fall to his side, leaving the other one around your waist to keep you close.

"Pathetic, isn't she?" You leaned into him, smiling. Draco couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips at your statement.

"Hey" he grabbed your chin, lifting it so you were looking at him. "I love you, always will. You know that, right?"

You gave him a reassuring nod before planting a kiss on his lips. "Love you too, Dray. More than anything."

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 63: Hair

After the war, after his eighth year at Hogwarts, after training to be an Auror, after quitting that soul-sucking job, and after accepting the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, Harry started to let his hair grow out. It wasn’t intentional at first, not really, he was just unbelievably busy teaching. But after a few months, his hair, which had always had a mind of its own, had grown long enough that the wavy-curls brushed his jaw.

He'd looked at himself in the mirror one morning and heard his Aunt Petunia's voice in his head, scolding him and telling him that only girls had long hair. He told that voice in his head to fuck right off and kept growing his hair out.

Not that it mattered what anyone else thought, but nearly everyone had said that his hair suited him. The exception, as it so often seemed to be, was Draco Malfoy. It wasn't as that the Potion's Professor had said outright that he didn't like Harry's hair, but his eyes were always slightly narrowed as though his hair was doing something offensive just by existing. Harry couldn’t understand it.

It all came to a head one afternoon, Harry was in the staff room grading papers and generally minding his own business, when Malfoy marched in and plopped down a pile of his own parchments on the table to mark, “Do you mind if I work here, too?” he asked.

"Not at all," Harry said, gesturing to the place Malfoy had already decided to occupy. He looked down and marked his place on the paper he was struggling through before looking up at Draco and pushing his hair out of his face.

Draco rolled his eyes and gave his head a little shake.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Nothing,” he replied, very clearly looking at Harry’s wild curls.

He sighed, “Out with it.” It had been a very long day, in Harry’s defense, and he just couldn't take another minute more.

“It’s nothing,” Draco insisted, even as his eyes flicked over to where Harry’s fingers were toying with the ends of a strand of hair.

“What have you got against my hair, Malfoy?”

(Read more below the cut)

“Oh, it’s back to Malfoy is it?” he asked, voice light and teasing. “I haven’t got anything against your hair,” he repeated.

“Come on," Harry urged, "You think because your hair is cut short and is always a perfect quiff that it’s better than mine?” Harry asked, and he knew it was childish but he couldn’t stand Draco thinking mean things about his hair for one more instant. “Do you think I look like a girl?”

“What?” Draco asked, sounding startled. “Of course I don’t think you look like a girl. What are you even saying? My father always had long hair, if you remember,” Harry flushed, knowing that was indeed the case. “And while my hair does, as you said, always look perfect,” he added with a smirk, “Your hair is very nice as well. Very healthy, the curls suit you.”

Harry felt his neck grow warm at the compliment, “Then why are you always glaring at it?”

“Because you’re always fussing with it. When you’re anxious or grading papers, it seems like it’s in your way and there are a million things you could do with it so it wouldn’t hassle you so.”

“Like what, cut it?”

“No, don’t be an idiot,” Draco said, rolling his eyes.

“Then what?” Harry muttered, petulantly pushing his hair out of his face once more.

“Like a plait, or a bun, a twist, a half bun even. There are also a myriad of products that could help you.”

Harry chewed on his lip, shoving his curls back behind his ear and thinking about what the other man was suggesting.

“For Merlin’s sake,” Draco muttered. "Here," he snapped, standing up and moving around the table near Harry.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked.

Draco's fingers slipped into his hair, "Trust me."

I do. Harry thought as Draco's fingers started weaving through his hair. It felt surprisingly nice, actually, and Harry found his eyes drifting shut.

"There," Draco said and Harry opened his eyes to see that he'd conjured a mirror and was holding it up for Harry to look into. He'd braided part of his hair back, clasping the hair that was always in his face and pulling it back into a barrette while the rest remained down around his shoulders.

"Thanks," Harry said.

"No problem," Draco replied carelessly as he sat back down to grade papers.

Harry went back to marking his own and they graded in silence for quite a while until Harry spoke up, "This is actually pretty nice."

"Hmm?" Draco hummed, scratching out something a student had written and writing a note in the margins.

"Having my hair back," Harry replied.

Draco looked up at him, giving him a little smile, "You have perfect hair for braids and buns, lots of volume."

"This would be good for teaching," Harry mused, "Especially on days like tomorrow when I have my older students practicing dueling."

"I could stop by in the morning before breakfast," Draco offered, "put it in a braid or something?"

"I wouldn't want to impose-"

"It's no imposition," Draco interrupted. "Honestly, I'll be glad not to watch you fiddling with it all day."

-----

And so began their tradition of Draco stopping by Harry's rooms before breakfast. Harry made coffee for both of them and they enjoyed the quiet together while Draco did something with Harry's hair.

How he would do Harry's hair each morning was always a mystery but every day when he showed him the finished result, something warm and pleased unfurled in Harry's chest.

After about a month of this Draco asked him one morning, "What's your hair care routine like?"

Harry shrugged, eye's closed as Draco's fingers worked through his curls, "shower, shampoo, conditioner," he replied. "Every other day usually."

"That's it?" he asked.

"What else is there?" Harry replied, too relaxed by the way Draco's fingers were moving through his hair to get worked up by his indignant tone.

"Potter, do you know what I did while you were training to be an Auror and all that nonsense?”

“Err? Your potions proficiencies?” Harry ventured.

“Well, yes, obviously,” he said as he tucked some hair up into what Harry suspected was becoming an elaborate bun at the base of his neck. “But I also developed potions for a beauty company. Especially potions for healthy hair.” Harry felt a hair pin sliding into place, “when Minerva offered me this position I almost didn’t take it. I had several offers from businesses who wanted to fund my research and allow me to build a brand for them.”

"Really?" Harry asked. "I didn't know that."

"Yes," he replied, "And you are literally killing me. We're going to start doing weekly conditioning masks for your curls. Spa night," he demanded. "Every Saturday."

"Alright," Harry agreed.

"I'll bring the hair care and skin care supplements."

Harry hummed, "Alright. What should I bring?"

"Dinner."

-----------

So they did. Spa nights on Saturdays and Draco every morning to do something different with his hair, and he loved every moment of it.

Harry had never been a morning person but for the first time in his life he found himself looking forward to being awake and out of bed each morning. He was happy and his hair seemed to be, too.

It seemed impossible, but Harry's hair had grown and grown and grown in the past five months since Draco had started all of this. His wavy curls reached halfway down his back by this point and Draco never seemed to tire of coming up with new ways to do his hair.

One warm Sunday afternoon in May, Harry invited Draco for a picnic and Draco had given him a pleased smile and said yes.

They found a quiet spot on a hill and ate lunch while they chatted and laughed as they watched students goofing around and generally just having fun.

"Merlin," Draco laughed as a group of second years rolled down the hill, sending up puffs of dandelions in the wind, "Were we ever that young."

"Honestly?" Harry asked, glancing over and tossing the curls that Draco had left loose over his shoulder, "I don't think so."

Draco frowned at him, "Even before you knew about Voldemort?" he asked.

Harry laughed and looked at the kids who were skipping rocks over the lake, "Especially then."

Draco moved to kneel behind him, taking down the part of Harry's hair that he'd put up earlier that morning, "Tell me about it?" he asked softly.

He hummed, "Not much to tell, really," he replied.

Draco's fingers started at the hair just above his right temple, "Tell me anyway?"

"Well this," he sighed as Draco started braiding, "Would never have been allowed. Long hair was for girls."

"Pfft," Draco huffed.

Harry smiled, "they," he swallowed, the words still somehow causing him bitter grief, "they didn't want me."

"What?"

"Just," he shrugged, "They had their own child and I was just a burden dumped on them. I wasn't allowed to be a child, I was there to do chores and not get in the way. Everything about me was wrong from my skin color, to my hair, to my eyesight, to my accidental magic."

"That's horrible."

"Yeah," he agreed, "But it was a long time ago. And I turned out alright."

"You did," Draco affirmed and Harry saw him pluck a flower from the grass beside them.

"Were you allowed to be a kid?" Harry asked.

"Sort of." Harry saw flowers zip past him and into Draco's outstretched hand. "There were things that were befitting of Malfoys and things that weren't. Anything that was appropriate for an heir of a noble pureblood house was fair game."

"Draco?"

"Mmhmm?" he hummed.

"It's been nice defying my childhood with you."

When Draco spoke he could hear the smile in his voice, "Likewise, Harry." He tied off the elaborate seven-strand braid he'd been working on and put it over Harry's shoulder to show him to flowers he'd woven in.

"Beautiful," Harry murmured, brushing his fingers over the array of flowers.

"Yes, you are," he replied.

Harry's gaze snapped up to find Draco watching him closely. "There's another way that I'd very much like to defy my upbringing with you," he ventured, clinging to every shred of Griffyndor bravery he'd ever possessed.

"Oh?" Draco asked with a little smile.

He nodded and reached out to cup Draco's cheek in his palm, "Can I kiss you?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Draco replied, leaning in and pressing his lips to Harry's as he buried his fingers in Harry's hair.

And if several groups of students caught sight of the two of them kissing on the hill, well, no one was surprised.

-----------

ahhhh! Sorry friends. This one got a bit out of control. I was just feeling a lot of feelings about Harry having long hair.

Side note, if anyone feels inspired draw Draco doing Harry's lovely flower braid (and I'm not saying it has to be @pato-roldnart but I'm obsessed with your art) I'd love that more than anything.

AHHHHH pato-roldnart did the thing! Look at this GORGEOUS art. I'm in love, please go look at it!

Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy it even though it's long! <3 Thanks for the prompt anon!

Day 62: Clothes | Day 64: Shower