#oobleck x oc

[novelizt]

EXPECTO PATRONUM I ☁︎ ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

⚜ PART 2 | SERIES MASTERLIST

GENRE ➺ HOGWARTS AU [slytherin! lockwood x fem! ravenclaw! reader]. rivals to lovers (and a dash of 'everyone knows but them'). fluff and angst.

WC ➺ 13.7k

SYNOPSIS ➺ after a six year rivalry with lockwood, your patronus suddenly matches his when it didn't before.

DISCLAIMER ➺ reader is implied to be shorter than lockwood. appearance of harry potter next gen characters and a few ocs. lockwood calls reader 'sweetheart' and 'my dearest vexation'. prefect! lockwood. (i also headcanon him being a cunning-flirt, so lockwood might read slightly ooc.)

WARNINGS ➺ strained family dynamics (for reader), love potions (misuse of magic), dragons on the loose, wizard duels, and a lot of unpolished dialogue.

NOTES ➺ it's been a long time coming. i hope this finds you when you need it 💙 happy nanowrimo !!

this was originally a one-shot that got split in two. please read part two after this to see their happily ever after 💙

For every Gryffindor came a Slytherin waiting to trouble them. You thought you were in the clear after you'd been sorted into Ravenclaw four years ago. So, you questioned how you had the misfortune of being vexed by a serpent such as Anthony Lockwood.

He boasted the status of being the sole muggle-born Slythern in your year, as well as a colossal thorn in your side. He made it routine to test you. You knew his M.O. well enough to recognize the sound of his footsteps before he even reached you.

"We're learning advanced protective charms in Defence today," he announced like you didn't speed through the syllabus already.

You didn't have to look at him to know he was sporting that lilted smile of his. If you were in a bitter mood, you might have even slung a hex at him.

Luckily for him, you just wanted to get through the day. You quickened your steps. He followed like a parasite.

He even had the gall to bend at the knees to be at eye-level with you, the right side of his mouth curved higher than his left. "Come on, sweetheart. Not even a nod of acknowledgement?"

"If it will get you to leave me be..."

You granted his request and even offered a stiff nod, hoping that would suffice.

You hoped too much because all he did was grin and return to his regularly scheduled goading by matching your stride.

"Away with you," you shooed.

You threw your arm out, aiming for his shoulder. He caught your hand before it even made contact—giving your knuckle a quick tap just to aggravate you.

"I know that trick, sweetheart." He unfurled fingers from yours, slow and deliberate. "Let me walk you, at least. I am a gentleman. Oh– Don't make that face. I really am!"

"If you are such a gentleman, you'd pay attention to my request and leave."

"Suddenly, I'm a barbarian." He shot you a wink that made you wish the floor would swallow you whole. "I could do much worse, you know. Have you heard of oobleck—the stuff muggles are raving about? Bet you'd have a jolly time finding out how to get a non-Newtonian fluid out of your hair."

He feigned a yawn, dropping an arm over your shoulders and giving your arm a subtle squeeze to drive home the fact that he had no intentions of letting you go.

"Arse," was your gracious response.

"Oh, don't be like that. If you are going to play that game, I do have a divine rump. So do you," he said without missing a beat. He played a fool to your slack jaw and widened eyes. "And would you look at that! We've arrived to your classroom. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

If only looks could kill.

Your systems stalled when he dipped his head and planted an ever-cheeky kiss on your temple.

It was futile to throw out a fist to dent that pretty face of his, because he caught your hand before you could even land a hit.

"Cheeky," Lockwood crooned. He tapped your nose before letting you go. You made a show of flicking off the invisible mites he gave you. "Nice try though, sweetheart."

"You—" When you tried to stomp on his foot, he veered out of the way, finessed as a Chesire.

At that point, you knew you were fighting a losing battle. You lifted your chin and crossed the threshold into Potions, ignoring the exorbitant waves and kissy faces he made at you.

Your classmates levelled you with looks of intrigue but you ignored them, too.

Of course, Lockwood had to have the last word. "Remember not to mix up your asphodel and lavender. Wouldn't want another smokey incident, would we? You basically handed me that perfect score."

You tried not to shrivel when a ripple of giggles disrupted the stillness of the classroom.

You threw a nasty look over your shoulder and turned sour when he left, his laugh echoing down the hall. You estimated that he'd be a few minutes late to his class, even if he had to run to make it. Poor chap.

Finally, you were rid of him, but the newly realised smell in the room replaced his slot as your morning vexation. The smell of old parchment, clipped grass, and (much to your bereavement) the Lockwood Stench viscerally assaulted your senses.

You blanched, falling into your seat. "Heavens, did he leave his perfume in here? It smells awful."

As if seeing his face wasn't bad enough, he managed to be the subject of your irritation even if he was absent from the room.

James Potter II, your seatmate and friend, laughed. Eyes crinkling like he knew something you didn't. "He, meaning Anthony Lockwood?"

Your lip curled at the name. Even while preoccupied by your review notes, the smell clouded you. Your attempts to wave away the stench only made it stronger.

It wasn't the worst smell in the wizarding world but you'd rather go through the only class you don't share with him without the incessant thought of him. A huff left you as you came to peace with the fact that your nose would lose its sense eventually.

James's most devious grin stretched across his face. "That's Amortentia over there."

Your breath caught. He jutted a finger at the cauldron that sat at the end of your two-seater desk.

Surely enough, the brew had a pearlescent sheen with curls of peach smoke spiralling into the air, infecting the room with its fragrance. Now that you'd been made aware, your ribs felt too right for your lungs.

Your laugh came out stiff. You coughed, hoping it sutured the cracks in your façade. "I was mistaken then. I only smell the Quidditch Pitch."

James hummed, unconvinced.

—

Time passed slower when you were dying to forget the incident at Potions. Your eyes kept jumping to your watch before the middle of the day had even passed.

Classes had come and gone, and a certainly foul smell clung to the walls of this classroom—as was always the case for Defence Against the Dark Arts. For a moment, you missed smelling the amortentia, then jolted at what other thing that implied.

You knew class started when your peers fell silent, listening attentively on tipped toes. It was every man for himself on days the tables and chairs were pushed to the side of the room.

"On this fine day, we are covering a very tricky, but very utilised charm." The Professor circled the room, inspecting posture and wand grip as she passed.

For a moment, her eyes fell on you, and you stiffened under her gaze. Her lip quirked, like she found comfort in scaring you.

You were made aware that she was a rival of your grandmother's, back in their heyday. You surmised that because she couldn't get one up on your grandmother, she transposed her efforts onto the next best thing: You, and she wasn't afraid to show it.

Her heels clicked, grating your ears as she went on to terrorise a few more unfortunate souls in the way. The vast majority were daft to her impartiality.

She went on a lecture about the charm's importance in the Battle at Hogwarts. You were about to doze off when she slapped her wand against her palm. "Now that the lot of you are in your fourth year, I feel that it is important to know how to cast it in light of grave circumstances."

She waved her wand and muttered a few words before a silvery line jumped from her wand, spinning in the air and illuminating the room before taking on the shape of a rabbit.

The silvery manifestation hopped along with great speed, passing you briskly and making you stumble.

A hand caught your arm before you hit the floor. You were quick to retrieve yourself when you realised that it was Lockwood. You tuned out his mild laugh as you turned away without thanks.

The patronus then skidded to a halt at James's side, speaking in the Professor's voice. "I expect you to know this, Mr. Potter."

It dispersed and a vicious applause shook the room. Even you found yourself wide-eyed in exhilaration. Fighting the fact that the professor was rude, the patronus charm was something you'd been dying to learn way back when.

In the midst of the celebration, your eyes caught Lockwood's, only to find him already staring. There was a pinching sensation in your gut. It forced you to look away. You missed his smile completely.

The Professor ordered the class to break into pairs. Lockwood glued himself to your side before you could blink. He was shooing people away before you could even shoo him away.

"She's got a nasty temper, that one. Wouldn't want her patronus to lunge at you."

"I will have it bite your head off," you murmured, watching a nice Hufflepuff back away. Thus, leaving you alone with the bane of your existence.

"You're too nice for that," Lockwood replied, tapping your side with a half-smile.

"You just said I have a temper."

"With me, yes. But I can handle you."

You had a lot to say about that. The Professor spoke before you could.

"Now," Professor mused. Her voice bounced off the walls in higher vibration. "Using the instructions in your books, attempt to cast your patronus. Remember! The lighter the memory, the more efficient the patronus."

A chorus of turning pages echoed. You and Lockwood withdrew your wands, already knowing which spell to use.

His lips quirked. "Did some advanced reading, did you?"

"You know me so well."

You shook in anticipation, but, after shortly regarding your partner, you refrained from looking too eager.

"Dunderheads first," you urged with false cheer.

The insult flew over Lockwood's head. "Gladly. I like to think my patronus would be a lion."

You couldn't help but snort. "I assume yours would be a housecat with a lot of overgrown hair."

"That would be you."

You had an inkling that he found joy in watching you frown.

After a long while and a generous amount of griping, his wand moved, and he muttered, "Expecto patronum."

A silvery burst of light exploded from his wand. Wisps spun in the air before the dust settled, revealing a crane. It stretched, showcasing several inches of its incandescent neck and wingspan before Lockwood waved his wand once more. The motion sent it in a circle around the room.

It was so majestic, you couldn't pry your eyes away. Other students stared in envy as the crane weaved past other patronuses, nipping at them playfully before soaring back to you.

Wait, not to you... At you.

You found your feet, ready to duck before the silvery bird crashed into you, but it never did. It dispersed before it even touched a hair on your head.

It was an explosion of silver sand. It brushed your cheek with unexpected warmth. The cold seeped into your robes as the darkness veiled you.

"Shame." Lockwood clicked his tongue. "Thought I could freak you out a bit. I couldn't hold it for too long, though."

"Truly a shame," you simpered.

Professor's applause rang out from the other side of the room. Likely for Lockwood's expert execution or his taunting you. Mayhaps both.

"Good work, Mr. Lockwood! Keep practising and your patronus could glide over the Atlantic one day."

"Hear that?" He brightened at the compliment, standing taller as he leaned toward you. "It's your turn, dunderhead."

The number of hexes you could have used . . . You didn't need them. You needed happy thoughts to conjure up a patronus. It was hard enough standing in the same room as Lockwood and Professor Loathes-Your-Guts.

Your inspirations were of holidays and golden scores; your parents' approval; Lockwood falling on his face during Quidditch (your lips twitched at the memory); and the muggle fantasy novels you hid in your room.

A warm feeling shot down your arm, heartening you to mutter the enchantment. The feeling wrapped around your body like a blanket, and when you opened your eyes, your own patronus stared back at you.

It stood metres above the rest, towering over students and patronuses alike. Wisps of silver waved to and fro its body. The only apt description for it was 'colossal'.

"Is that a giraffe?" Lockwood muttered.

"No, It's a pelican." You smiled at his frown. "Of course, it's a giraffe, Lockwood."

You'd never seen one so pretty.

It glowed so bright that Lockwood looked blue in its light. He spared you a look of resignation.

You win.

A swell of pride came to the surface before the patronus wilted away. The space it stood turned black.

Hollers rung out, shaking the bricked walls. A new wave of excitement seized the room. You didn't even glance at the Professor but you could feel her heated gaze on the back of your head. That was victory enough.

—

Three years following that day, you're harrowed by the thought of leaving this place behind. Hogwarts felt like home, more so than the one you shared with your parents.

It was difficult to imagine life without the sky above the dining tables or the constant presence of Prefects scolding lower years.

Soon, your rivalry with Lockwood would fade to the black, too. As far as you knew, the fool was gunning to be an auror. Becoming one yourself wasn't a path you were inclined to take.

You passed the hourglasses of House Points and watched as more trickled into Slytherin's glass, and you felt nothing. The fact that you came to peace with having less points should have been concerning. Your mother would scorn you if she ever caught you thinking that way.

Not wanting to linger, you turned for the dining hall.

You didn't flinch when a weight fell over your shoulders and Lockwood's pretty face invaded your periphery. You should have known he couldn't leave you alone for too long.

"Lockwood."

He grinned. "My dearest vexation."

Your nose scrunched, irritation injected with the smallest feeling of familiarity. "Don't call me that."

"Copy that," He smiled, dragging you closer by the arm around your shoulders. "sweetheart."

It was a lost cause to correct the priss.

"I thought you would've matured by now. Disappointing, really."

"I could be mature, or I could point out the fact that we have fifty points above Ravenclaw."

"I don't mind."

He stalled, and you stopped with him. You didn't really have a choice when he had you under his wing.

He searched your eyes, bewildered. Unsettled, even. "What's on with you?"

You tried to shrug him off but he held fast, fingers practically melded to your arm. "I'm fine, thank you very much. I just don't see the point of upholding this... this–" What was this? You didn't finish the thought before swaying the conversation elsewhere. "We're graduating this year. Might as well set an example for the first-years."

"Our squabbles make it fun for them." On the brink of being offended, he insisted, "They have plenty of examples as is. Kat Godwin sucks the life out of everything, George is best friends with Moaning Myrtle, and Lucy is off talking to the illusive Gray Lady."

You groaned. "That isn't the point."

You made an attempt to shove him, but he caught your hand.

"You have got to start thinking of better ways to express yourself other than hitting or shoving. You should know I always see it coming."

"I can express myself just fine," you respired, yanking your hand away. "But do go ahead. Indulge me. What, pray tell, does that make us?"

Lockwood flourished his free hand as he spoke. "We are 'the arch rivals who makes their problem everyone's problem'. The lower years adore it!"

"Do they?"

In time for your asking, a group of second-years waved at Lockwood, and then to you. He waved back whilst you offered them a terse smile.

One of the girls elbowed her friend. As whispery as her tone was, everyone still heard her. "See? Told you they suit each other."

"They are a couple. Of course, they do," the friend replied.

"Not a couple," you corrected swiftly.

They scurried faster. Before they left the hall, one yelled out, "Just kiss already!"

Despite his matching flush, Lockwood turned to you with a cheeky grin. "You heard them. Let us kiss." He advanced, lips puckered.

You blocked the way with your palm, spreading your fingers until you could push his head back by his forehead. "Yeah– No."

You pried yourself free from his grip to sit with your friends. He didn't fight it, but you weren't surprised that he shouted after you. "But I was right! We have to give the audience what they want!"

"Mr. Lockwood!" Professor McGonagall stood to reprimand him.

You turned away to hide a laugh.

—

The day was lovely. The previous day's rain left a dewy haze in its wake. It was chilly but not cold, and the sun and clouds looked remarkably friendly that morning.

Even then, you didn't know what it was. Your stomach churned for a reason unseen. In the stillness, you could hear a pin drop. You could hear yourself think for once.

Not long after the nagging feeling arrived, you came to the horrific conclusion that Lockwood's absence felt off-putting. You were walking to potions class alone, for the first time in years.

There was no Anthony Lockwood galloping behind you, throwing his arm around you and messing up your hair when you shrug him off. There was no warning as to what your class would be covering that day or a passive-aggressive jab about the most recent Quidditch match.

And, bizarrely, you missed the chaos. You shuddered as the thought struck you.

You held your books tighter and quickened your pace to get to class. When you arrived at Potions, Lockwood-less, your classmates stood to verify the emptiness of the doorway for themselves. Even they were puzzled.

James cocked a brow as you sat and laid out your items without a noise. "Where's lover boy?"

"Using his brain and finally leaving me alone," you responded, wincing at the hint of exasperation in your tone. You didn't mean to sound so dejected, and you definitely didn't intend to slam your things on your desk either. There's a lot of things you didn't intend to do today and 'mentioning Lockwood' was now at the top of that list.

"Mhm," James leaned back in his seat, eyeing you warily. "You don't look too happy."

"I stayed up late doing that essay about counter-potions," you reasoned, having a hard time getting the words out.

James looked pained when you mentioned it. Seconds later, you stifled a laugh when he admitted to forgetting all about that assignment.

Contrary to what you'd promised yourself, Lockwood remained in the back of your mind the entire period.

—

When had Anthony Lockwood ever been interested in Oriana Cai?

That's the first question that popped into your head as you watched him kneel before her with a bouquet of the reddest roses you'd ever seen.

The display was so unexpected, it knocked the air out of your lungs. Your jaw fell slack. James had to pick it up off the ground before you came back to your senses.

In that time, Oriana squealed and clapped, throwing herself forward and strangling the bane-of-your-existence in a hug he enjoyed a little too much. The flowers ended up discarded on the floor.

You had more sense than to gawk. Your chest constricted when Lockwood didn't even acknowledge you as you passed. You shook off the feeling along with the sense of dread you felt from earlier.

His affairs were none of your business, yet, you found yourself thinking about it when you didn't intend to. It's a stake to the heart that his scheduled banter and crude comments were put on hold for whatever that was.

Lockwood had forsaken his seat across from you in favour of sitting with Oriana and her clique. They laughed all through lunch break, his teeth on display, stuck in an unmoving smile.

He looks like a clown, you thought as you skewered a floret of broccoli onto your fork.

You glanced at the professors' table to see if they'd caught onto Lockwood's bizarre behaviour, but they were daft to it.

To any normal person, Lockwood was being a silly boy with a crush. To you, it was abnormal.

Lockwood didn't have the balls to be that forward. How could you say that without sounding obsessed with him?

"If you stare any longer, you might actually burn a hole through his head." James nudged your side and you returned it with a harder shove. "Woah! Cool down, smarty pants. I'm on your side here. I'm just saying, glaring daggers at him won't do much."

"He's being odd," you whispered petulantly.

"I know!" James set his elbow on the table. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Me? Why would I do anything?"

Your eyes landed on Lockwood again. You sucked your teeth before looking away.

James snapped his fingers, forcing you to look up as he pointed an accusatory finger at you. "That. That's why you would do something."

"I don't meddle in Lockwood's affairs. He can do whatever he wants," you said tersely. "If he's so immersed in his romantic life, I might as well get ahead and score more points for my house."

"It bothers you, doesn't it?"

"No." Another unfortunate vegetable faced the wrath of your fork. James flinched. "It doesn't bother me in the slightest."

"If you need me to help, just give me a bell." James vacated his seat, gave your shoulder a firm pat, then went off to check on his cousins, praying none of them caught whatever Lockwood's got.

You stewed in your own thoughts before you gave into temptation and looked at Lockwood for the last time. For lunch, at least.

He blinked rapidly, like there were stars stuck in his eyes. The distorted look on his face dissipated when Oriana popped a wad of gum into his mouth. He chewed and chewed until the colour returned to his face. Redder than before.

You tried to shovel your conspiracies down with your lunch. You even chewed slower to put your focus elsewhere, but you couldn't shake off the dread that roiled in the recess of your mind.

—

"I can extend my essay by three paragraphs," you said to Lockwood in the library, attempting to coax him out of his stupor. "I'd beat your record."

"Yeah." He sighed, daydreaming. He hadn't written anything in his scroll. His competitive spirit died somewhere between his confession and now.

You slid into the seat across from him and waved in his face. He looked right through you, staring at the wall. When you followed his gaze, your expression fell flat.

He wasn't staring at the wall, he was staring at Oriana Cai, again. She wiggled her fingers at him, giggling behind her hand.

The moment she saw you, she didn't even attempt to hide her disdain. Suddenly, the library felt colder than before. For the first time in forever, you couldn't find the right words to explain it.

—

You watched Lockwood's change of behaviour with a scrutinising eye. You managed to pick up on a few things that changed.

First, he was infatuated with Oriana Cai. You caught them snogging the other day and you had to hold your breath to keep your lunch down. So much for decorum.

Second, he'd lost all interest in everything other than his girlfriend. He hadn't mentioned Quidditch in the past week, and he didn't have a modicum of concern for his plummeting scores. It was a scenario you never thought possible.

Lastly, Lockwood had a newly acquired addiction to bubblegum. Not just any type of gum. It was Bombarda of Flavour: Berry Kiss.

With a bit of research, you discovered that BOF was a brand run by Oriana's family. Any sane person would assume that Lockwood was an avid fan of his girlfriend's family business, but you were everything but sane.

When you presented the facts to James, he continued to chew on his liquorice. "And? Where is this going?"

"The sweets are infused with Amortentia," you concluded.

James stopped, stared at his liquorice with distrust, then threw it into a bin. "How can you be so sure?"

"Cai's family runs a gum business. Lockwood's been acting weird since he started chewing the gum Cai brought him. It can't be simple coincidence."

"So, not only are you accusing Cai of spiking gum with amortentia, but her family of being an accessory to misuse of magic as well?"

"They've got to be aware of what she's doing, at least! And they're not stopping her, are they? They're just as guilty," you said fervently.

"Fine," James relented. "How are we going to prove that and save your guy?"

"He's not my guy."

"Sure."

You cleared your throat before sitting down. "We need to steal from the potions classroom."

"You are... insane."

There was a bated silence that followed. You raised your brows at him.

He cracked a smile. "I'm in."

—

Potters had a speciality for breaking rules. You came to that conclusion after James, Albus (James's younger brother), and Scorpius Malfoy managed to steal the ingredients you needed without being caught. They looked quite proud of themselves too.

You wasted no time laying out your theory scrolls and recipe book.

"What's she doing?" Albus asked.

"Saving Lockwood," James answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I knew something was wrong with him," Scorpius rasped. "Knew something was up with them too."

You silenced him and ordered James to escort the boys back to their dorm. They didn't go without a fight, but James was experienced enough to wrangle them away.

—

"Lockwood—"

He passed you without a second glance.

Your heart flatlined, but you fought against the feeling and recalled why you were there. You steeled your resolve.

With shining eyes and pulled shoulders, you pivoted and captured his arm. The indifference in his eyes was an arrow passing straight through you.

You had to swallow the lump in your throat to find your voice. "Could you try this for me?"

There was no readily available remedy for amortentia, leaving one with the mere hope that its effects diminish over time. The problem was that Oriana Cai had a continuous supply of bewitching gums intentionally keeping him under her enchantment.

You used all your potions knowledge to concoct a solution that would—cross your fingers—work. It was blended into a scrumptious looking cookie thanks to the expertise of culinary enthusiast, George Karim.

You were worried that he wouldn't even give it a try, but he took the package from your hands.

"Thanks."

He walked away without a second thought. It tore your heart in two, but he accepted the cookie! You raised your arms in triumph, stopping short when he tossed the cookie and its cute wrapper out of the nearest window.

Your excitement plummeted along with it.

—

You took a chapter out of Lockwood's book and persevered. He no longer competed with you to answer the professors' questions, but you took every chance to goad him into a debate. All for naught. He barely did anything anymore.

You tried to cure him several more times with the same anti-Amortentia solution. Three times to be exact: ice cream, soup, and—your most desperate attempt yet—gum.

In the end, he'd throw them all away.

All he would put in his mouth was anything Cai spoon-fed him. It made you want to throttle him.

Lockwood was a capable wizard, and the witch had reduced him to something short of being a man-baby.

On your worst days, you'd reluctantly admitted to missing the banter. Even his annoying grin; the one that rose higher on the right side. The same one that had eluded you since the beginning of term.

The seasons changed. Oriana Cai still had Anthony Lockwood under her thumb.

You melted into the velvet blue couch, sighing to the starlit window of Ravenclaw turret. Even the sheer beauty of the common rooms did little to console you.

You draped your arm over your eyes. "Who knew things were this boring without that pest?"

James, who wasn't even supposed to be allowed into the tower, grasped his chest. "Ouch. What of the rest of us?"

"Rowena!" shouted George. You jumped when he slammed his book shut. "I thought your raving about your books was bad enough. Just tell him you miss him already,"

He was done with you sneaking James in to concoct whatever else you were thinking up. He had lost the plot. At that point, even he was versed in anti-amortentia theory.

"She doesn't miss him," James sighed, bored. "apparently."

"I don't," you said promptly. "Karim, you should be more concerned. Your friend is being spelled into being a muppet."

"I am concerned," George retorted hotly. "But I am so sick of staying up 'till Merlin knows when to find out what you're going to spin into a dish next. I can't even study in peace!"

"We're not that bad, are we?" Looking for backup, you propped your chin over the back of the couch, shooting your most precious smile at your youngsters, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander.

Lorcan shook his head, and Lysander nodded his.

"It's a draw," James chuckled.

Frustration poured from George. "Can you please just find somewhere else to scheme? I want to study and not hear 'Lockwood' every bloody second."

"Fine." You hugged your pile of recipe pages to your chest. "We'll go somewhere we're appreciated."

"Oh, please. Don't go too far. The end of the world doesn't actually exist," George nipped.

James snorted, amused.

You closed the door behind you, finally giving Ravenclaw Tower some much deserved silence.

—

Another crumpled up piece of paper rolled on the rim of the bin before unceremoniously falling out.

You knew your onions, but this was getting tedious. After wasting hours relishing in the staleness of your coffee and the soreness of your fingers, you were just about ready to throw in the towel.

James had left you a bit ago, something about helping Lucy with setting up the flying lesson for the first-years.

They were probably done with it by then and you were still there, trying to brainstorm a method that would knock some sense back into the tosser you called a rival.

About a metre of wasted scroll and dried ink were the results of your efforts. Even then, you didn't reach a plausible solution to your problem.

When you succumbed to your headache and glanced at the clock, the lateness kickstarted your bloodstream. When you stood, you swayed from the dark spots that danced in your vision.

You didn't allow yourself to stay in a haze for too long. You had already missed two and a half classes by the time you broke out of your reverie.

The halls were all empty. You were bound to be in trouble.

You were a punctual student, an excellent student. You were miffed that all it took for you to slip was the absence of a boy. Pathetic. Then again... The boy was what made winning fun.

Your brisk walk quickened to a jog, dreading the inevitability of explaining your tardiness.

"Sweetheart?"

You paused, opening your ears.

Silence.

You scoffed and picked up your stride. Then you heard him again, saying your name. It was odd — odd enough for you to realise that it wasn't a figment of your imagination.

His voice was a trap and you submitted to it too easily. You spun back around to trace the voice and stopped short of the bend. Anyone would have stalled at the rare sight of Oriana Cai angry, her nails sinking into Lockwood's cheeks.

Bile rose to your throat.

Lockwood's back was pushed flush against the wall, he was fervently shaking his head like he was shaking the daze out of his system.

"Quiet!" she commanded him. "Darling, I'm only doing this for us."

His hand closed around her wrist but whatever the potion had done to him left him fatigued. "No, my—" He licked his bottom lip, correcting himself. "She's—"

"Not here! How many times am I going to tell you?"

To your relief, she retracted her nails from him. Your heart started back up when she produced a pack of gum.

"You're better off with me, Ant. I love you, not her. She's nothing but a bitter wench who didn't realise what she had until someone took it from her. See how she only looks for you when we're together? She's selfish!"

"You don't understand," he tried to slap the gum from her hand but she was more sober than he was. For the first time in a long time, the right side of his mouth tipped up. It wounded you. "She needs me. She just won't admit it."

Oriana didn't take it well. Her face bursted in shades of red. Her beautiful features twisted into a grizzly scowl. "None of her!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Your hand quivered as you casted, but your magic did what it was meant to. The gum flew from her hand.

Her glowering face turned to you with killer intent.

"You!" She flew at you. Her billowing robes a thing plucked from your worst nightmares.

Your hand flicked instinctively. "Expecto patronum!"

She shrieked. Your silvery protector crashing against her face.

None of you saw what form it took, but the burst of silver straight into her eyes stunned her long enough for you to run around her and take Lockwood by the arm. His hands quivered; less from adrenaline, more from pure exhaustion. You could almost feel his pulse under your palm.

You coaxed him to muster his strength. "Come on, you barbarian. We need to get help."

The chuckle he let out was pathetic, but it's familiar enough to make you crack a smile. There's your Lockwood after all. He wasn't all gone.

"Knew you'd save me," he rasped. You held him tighter when he stumbled. He held on with what strength he could muster. "You always do."

Not the time to disarm you with a statement like that. An angry stupefy soared overhead, quickly followed by what you assumed was the cruciatus curse. You grunted when an angry zap nicked your side.

You held onto Lockwood and he held onto you, both clattering down the longest steps of your lives. An inspired, deranged girl at your heels.

"Give me my boyfriend back!" She shrieked, casting a fury of spells at you. The echo of the halls amplified her bellows. "He's mine! I earned him!"

He tripped on a lifted tile, leaning on you as you rushed for the landing.

Your heartbeat made it's way to your ears. Every breath felt forced. You pushed ahead, dragging Lockwood's weight down every winding twist in the moving steps.

A very explosive bombarda forced you to stagger back and reconsider your escape route. Only, there was no escape route. The changing stairwells had you and Lockwood trapped on a landing.

Oriana descended like an angel made from her own delusions.

Your lungs struggled to take in air with an unbearable stitch in your aide. Lockwood collapsed to his knees, drained of energy. As his eyes fought to stay open, he clung to your hand like it was his lifeline.

You shifted to hide his crumpled form from Cai.

"You've had your chance, Scarecrow." Cai laughed, on the brink of tears. In her eyes, she was as innocent as a girl who simply had something swiped from her. "He was at your knees for years! Why can't you let him be happy with me? Give him to me, please..."

Your jaw tensed. The lick of anger in your chest stoked to a fire the longer she spoke.

"He's not an object," you managed without spitting flames. "He can feel what he wants, when he wants. If he wishes to walk away from me after all this... I wouldn't blame him. But casting a spell on him? That's not love, Cai. It isn't love. You're trapping him."

Cai's nose flared. "What a saint! Sorry, should I let him grieve something he never had with you? You're blind to not see it. You ruined him! This is the only way. I can help him if you just let me—"

Something moved in your periphery. A mop of black hair, the best wingman in Hogwarts.

You were on the verge of a smile, feeling your adrenaline decrescendo. "Your family, they know what you're doing?"

She grinned. "My family supports my decisions. Contrary to yours, I hear. They agree that you're a heartless witch, and a dose of amortentia should fix him for me."

Your breath hitched. Lockwood clenched your hand, bringing you back.

"For your information," your lip twitched. "I'm an Eagle, not a Scarecrow. Get your house representatives right."

You collapsed the moment a barrier surged around her, her screaming muffled by the incantations.

James came down the steps in stride with Professor Flitwick.

"Not 'your guy', huh?" James taunted, crouching beside you. You offered him a tight-lipped smile.

Professor Flitwick fortified his barrier before he addressed you. "Splendid patronus. You're the first to project your voice and have it travel as far as it did. I expected no less from our ace student. As for Ms. Cai..." He looked at her with pinched brows.. He wasn't sure what to do, really. There had never been a situation that drastic before. "She will be penalised accordingly."

The weight on your shoulders lifted, but a new one came just as quick. You straightened your back to support Lockwood's limp weight.

The warmth of his breath fanned your neck, a feeling that made your stomach churn for all the wrong reasons. He still smelt like the berry-flavoured gum that got him into this mess in the first place.

The same mess that had made you miss a few classes for the first time in six years.

With the last of your energy, you raised a trembling hand. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Are we considered tardy?"

He pushed his glasses higher up his nose before replying. "That should be the least of your troubles, you." Professor Flitwick turned to your friend. "James Potter?"

James saluted. "I've got them, prof."

"Please refrain from calling me 'prof', Mr Potter."

"Yes, prof."

—

Madame Pomfrey had a lot to say about the unforthcoming mess that was Lockwood, post-Amortentia.

For the better part of the appointment, Madame Pomfrey concluded that Lockwood wasn't severely altered by the prolonged exposure to love potion. For the worse part, he was advised to sit out of anything too physically demanding until he felt like himself again.

"But how can I feel like myself without Quidditch?" he agonised, as if you beheld all the answers.

You were forced to hear it, seeing as you were roommates until Madame Pomfrey declared you both stable enough to go free.

You buried yourself into the stiff pillows of the medical ward. "A week of rest and observation isn't as bad as the months you were bewitched, honestly."

"Pray, how can it be worse?"

You lifted your head. "Ever read out a lengthy love poem in the middle of the dining hall?"

"No..."

Your lips tipped up. "Yes."

He shut his eyes and splayed his hand over his head, trying to wash out the visualisation of actually doing that for all of Hogwarts to see.

"End me," he rasped.

"If you insist," your smile stretched. "You recited one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every. Single. Day."

He slapped another hand over his face. "Oh... what have I done to deserve this?"

"Caught the eye of a loony, apparently. It was horrid. I felt sorry for you."

"Don't patronise me."

You jerked a finger at him. "I earned the right. I got a nasty laceration in my side for you. Unwillingly, might I add."

His arms fell away, honeyed eyes set on you. "Please, if you were unwilling, you wouldn't have tried so hard to save me."

"If I left you for dead, I would be a monster."

"A very pretty one," he chimed.

"So you can still pull that drivel out of your arse. Good to know we didn't lose you."

"Say what you will." He crossed his arms behind his head, smiling like a jester. "I know you have a place for me in that shrivelled, darkened heart of yours."

"My heart isn't shrivelled or darkened," you said defiantly.

He quirked a brow, smirking. "You correct that but not the fact that I have a place in it?"

"You—" You opted to chuck your emptied juice carton at him.

In classic Lockwood fashion, he caught the carton in his hand and waved it triumphantly. "Try again, sweetheart. I know your habits like I know the back of my hand."

You raised a not-so-friendly finger and slid your curtain to hide yourself from his view. Still, you heard his laughter, loud and alive.

You weren't aware of how much you'd missed it until you caught yourself smiling.

—

Anthony Lockwood was the kind of child who would climb up the slide. Not because it was fun, but because he liked the thrill of breaking the rules.

Some things never changed, because he had convinced you to accompany him on a night fly while Madame Pomfrey was off collecting herbs from the green house.

You had flown through the worst weather while playing Quidditch, but it struck you that you'd never been out this late. Not one-on-one with Lockwood, at least.

It was a terrible, unsafe idea, but he had a way with words. He made it seem like a once in a lifetime opportunity. You weren't sure whether that was true, since he did use his prefect status to sneak into places he wasn't allowed into.

You knew that turning around was crossed off your list the moment he broke into the closet and extracted your broom for you.

"I have a hard time believing you've never done this before," you whispered as you took in the sight of the Quidditch Pitch, void of life and light.

It was a haunting sight, but Lockwood had been right about it being a once in a lifetime scene. The moon was the only guiding light, drowning everything in a seductive mauve colour. It brought out the beauty of sparse light and silhouettes, you almost believed you stepped into one of your fantasy novels.

He flashed his teeth at you before he vaulted over the partition and traipsed across the grass. His trusty broom already levitating by his side. "I've never done this with you before, if that's what you're asking."

It wasn't, but you didn't want to know who else would join Lockwood in his idiocy.

You followed suit and mounted your broom, allowing yourself to rise several metres to feel the bite of the nocturnal chill.

"It's an amazing feeling, isn't it?" Lockwood shouted, his two feet still on the ground.

"I'm not going to admit that I enjoy breaking the rules," you responded, flying modest circles while taking in the scene.

While the wind whistled in your ears and tousled your hair, he wheeled a box out of storage and flipped the latches.

You squinted, trying to see what he was doing but his back was covering the contents of the box.

"What's that?"

A golden streak of light veered away from him. Even as the breeze bellowed in your ear, you could hear its tinkling wings.

The Snitch.

"Can't have fun without a challenge," Lockwood said. His boisterous laughter echoed in your ears as he hopped onto his broom and zoomed up, up, and up, already chasing the golden menace.

He passed you, his robes grazing your elbow. You didn't think twice. You gave chase, following the direction you had seen the Snitch blitz to.

Lockwood's curls fought against velocity. You were almost tempted to comment on it before you saw a glimmer in the corner of your eye.

You and Lockwood swerved at the same time. Waves of black, blue, and green flagged through darkness as you bent forward, urging your trusty broom to overtake Lockwood's. You were closing in on the Snitch, stretching your hand to reach for it.

It's buzzing crescendoed in your ears, forcing your blood to pump as Lockwood did the same.

Oh, so close.

The Snitch brushed your fingertips before it zagged. Spinning in the air before rushing right at you.

You bent your body, narrowly missing a Snitch to the nose. The same couldn't be said for Lockwood.

You heard the thump of the collision before you saw him clutching his mouth. It was futile for you to hold in a laugh.

"You alright?"

His glare only made you laugh harder.

"Ouch," he hissed, taking his hand away from his mouth.

You snorted after seeing the damage.

Luckily, nothing was broken, but there was a faint pink smudge across his bottom lip and cheek.

You raised a brow. "You wear lipstick?"

"It's lip balm," he said haughtily, wiping away the smudge. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," You held a laugh long enough to reach across to wipe the smidge he couldn't quite swipe away. He stiffened at your touch. You did your best to hold in a reaction of your own. "I just didn't expect you to be a lip balm sort of guy."

"Do I look like a lipstick guy?" he inquired, regaining himself. "Thank you for thinking so, but you can keep your pigmented cosmetics to yourself. They look better on you anyway."

"Complimenting me now? You're sure your noggin's alright, chap?"

"Don't 'chap' me, sweetheart. It makes me feel old."

"I thought you liked the seniority," you taunted. "'Being in seventh-year means the youngest look up to us' and all. Your words, not mine."

"You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

You gasped, clutching your chest. "How can you say that when the moon is out?"

"Oh, bother." He bristled. "You've shown greater concern for the moon's feelings than you have mine for the past six years. You wound me."

"That's because the moon listens. You never do," you pointed out.

"I do," he replied. "Only for things that matter."

"So, the camel-llama debate didn't matter?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "You're still on that?"

"I always will be. What muggle can't tell those animals apart? You should be ashamed."

"We were eleven!"

"Old enough for you to have admitted defeat, but no! You kept getting them wrong and saying you were right." He pinched his nose as you went on. "Then you started bothering me because you couldn't admit defeat. Now look at us. Six years later and I'm still right."

His eyes met yours, creased with an impending smile. "When we passed the hourglasses, Slytherin was ten points above Ravenclaw."

"You prat—"

Your head was thrown sideways as a flit of gold smashed into you. Your lip pulsed. Luckily, you had the mind to stretch your hand and catch the golden bugger.

The Snitch fought in your grip. Eventually, its wings tucked in. Then, a bated silence. Only for a moment. Lockwood snorted as you massage your jaw.

You gave him a nasty glare. "Not a word."

"I wasn't going to say anything," he lied. "Except, your lipstick smeared."

"Rowena..."

"Here, let me."

He sported a boyish grin as he reached across, mirroring your actions from earlier. You swatted him away and he simply laughed in response.

—

With your feet on the grass, you were glad to be done with your excursion; More relieved that he let you take the win.

You're not sure a bleeding lip was worth it though, but, at least, it was over.

After packing up the Snitch and putting away your brooms (plus making it seem like you two had never been there at all), you started the walk back up to the castle's medical ward.

Somewhere on the cobblestone path, Lockwood had drawn a curious notebook and quill from his robes. "So," he flipped to a page that had been sectioned into two, scored by stick lines. "What have I missed while I was bewitched?"

You eyed the notebook. "Is that... a tally?"

"Yes," he replied. "Now, what did I miss? I had one up on you before my memories went hazy."

"Just start a new one," you urged him.

Thinking of what you achieved while he was out of it was in the same league as winning a race against a slug. There was no fulfilment.

"C'mon," Lockwood cajoled, stepping closer to you. "I've been tallying since fourth year."

You raised a brow. "Fourth year?"

"The class on the Patronus charm inspired me," he replied. "Since we're always butting heads, having a tally made it feel official."

"How do I know you haven't picked your wins and excluded mine?"

"Have you no faith in me?"

"Do you want a real answer?"

He pursed his lips, earning a laugh from you.

"I respect you, you know. Even if you are the way you are," he told you, turning the notebook to show you the tally.

The first column was his score. The second one beheld 'vexation' instead of your name. The scores were neck-and-neck, save for the singular tick on his side that put him in the lead.

He quickly drew one more stick under your column, putting you two at a draw once more. "I'll count this impromptu Quidditch match, on the condition that you won't tell a soul that it was me who snuck out first."

"You must be dedicated," you chortled. "Just count from here on out. I haven't done much, honestly."

He quirked a brow, speaking slowly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why are you talking like that?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised." He closed the notebook and pocketed it with his quill. "You're usually more competitive."

"That's when I don’t spend an afternoon running for my life, Lockwood."

"You make a fair point."

You were making your way into the thresh of the castle now. The torches warmed the air, thawing the chill as you flounced forth.

There was a peace in the silence and a sweetness in the solitude. You felt Lockwood's hand brush yours and found that you enjoyed it more than you thought. Not that you would say anything about it.

You're not sure whether he caught on to the lilt of your lips before he threw his arm over your shoulders, just like old times.

This time, it felt different. The heat he let off was a juxtaposition to the bite of the night, and you found yourself melting into him even more.

You would have been fine in the quiet, but Lockwood had never been friends with it.

"George told me you were scheming to cure me. How were you planning to do that exactly?"

He kicked a pebble out of your way. You withheld the urge to smile.

"It was an amplified version of a regular love potion reversal. Same one we did research work on last year."

"What did you change?"

"Thrice the dose of rosemary and dried salamander. I also added a touch of pig tongue."

"Wouldn't doubling the wormroot do the same thing?"

"No," you scoffed. "That would expel the fragrance, but it wouldn't counteract the effects of the love potion."

"Doesn't the dried salamander do that?"

"Rosemary thins out the viscosity of the love potion and the dried salamander washes down the magic that messes with your thought process."

He smiled but there was no commitment in it. "Apologies, I'm no love potion whiz."

"Next thing you know, you'll be telling me crushed jasmine will cure insanity."

"I get it, sweetheart. That doesn't explain the pig tongue."

"I was hoping the horrid taste would wake you up from your delusions."

"I think it would have worked."

"It would have," you boasted, "if you had any sense in you to try."

He chuckled, apologising in smiles. Lockwood closed the distance by ruffling your hair. You waved him away, but that did little to stop him.

"You got the higher mark on that research paper," he recalled.

"I did." You glowed with pride. "As is always the case for Potions, and Transfiguration, and Charms—"

"What are you planning to do when we're done with Hogwarts?"

His expression turned dire, like he had been agonising over when to ask the fated question. It might have been a trick of the light, but his eyes glazed.

You considered his question for a moment. "I'm expanding into healing magic." Just envisioning how far your knowledge could go brought a smile to your face. "I'm good at the cardinal subjects for healing. I enjoy them enough to see myself heading in that direction."

"That's serious," he said, genuinely taken by your answer. "You have to be recommended by a professor to take on a role at a hospital or ward, don't you?"

You tried to keep your smile humble. "I already have a recommendation."

He tilted his head so you could see the surprise on his face. "Really? Who?"

"Madame Pomfrey. I'll be her apprentice next year. Hopefully, I'll move to St. Mungo's in a few years."

"Funny," he jested, bumping your hip with his. "What would she say to the bludgers you've batted at me?"

"Your insults about me are tantamount to nothing in her eyes. She adores me."

"Because you're a kiss-up?"

You stopped, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Because I have wit."

His lips lilted into that smile you knew so well. The right of his mouth rose higher than the left, short of turning into a smirk. "You have a lot more than wit, sweetheart."

Your heart did unspeakable things. For a heart-stalling moment, you forgot to say something back.

You looked at him, he looked at you. He was closer than you'd thought. Lockwood was unfairly dashing in torch light. Windswept hair, sweat on his brow, and everything.

He seemed to drift closer and closer, but it's you who inched forward. The lesser the distance, the more honest you felt.

His eyes dipped to your lips and—

A shriek, high and shrill, broke the spell. Both you and Lockwood leapt apart. You dusted off your cloak and he rubbed his nape.

The shrieking voice returned. "Dragon!"

Dragon?

You lurched for the entrance. You couldn't see much in the mouth of the castle. Neither could Lockwood, but you felt it. The buzz before the chase, the stacking of adrenaline and the thrill of trouble creeping up on you.

Your eyes locked with his, and you knew you're thinking the same thing.

When the winds of a Romanian Longhorn flattened the trees and blew out the torches, it was the flag at the beginning of a race. You and Lockwood were running for it.

—

You found that sprinting in the dark was akin to swimming upstream. You'd tripped over several roots and rocks, and you still haven't found which pocket you hid your wand in. It was a humbling experience, being in the throes of losing something with extension charms in your robes.

After furiously tapping himself down, Lockwood found his. He flicked his wand and yelled into the air, "Accio Brooms!"

"Why didn't we do that earlier?"

Lockwood flashed a smile. "We have an excuse to destroy the storage room door now."

You were on the verge of yelling. "How would we explain why we're out here?"

"Don't think too hard, you'll hurt yourself." He made another gesture with his wand before a glow illuminated from the tip of it — lighting up the path. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, sweetheart. We have a dragon to catch."

As the Lumos rose in intensity, the path turned treacherous. The cobbled walkway was turning into pointed stones and angry branches. The trees began to move, contorting into all sorts of grotesque shapes and snares.

Lockwood had taken the lead, taking the brunt of their greedy clutches. You had to grab the back of his robe to make sure he didn't get snatched away by the foliage.

You would have buckled at the wooden stakes that bent toward you if your brooms hadn't snapped through their grappling, snapping inferior splinters before you found your grip.

The uptake was sharp, desperate to get away from the furious trees. You clung to your broom and swallowed down the urge to retch.

Lockwood, who had levelled beside you, looked fine. You would have thrown a rock at him if you weren't turning green.

He set a hand on your back, rubbing slow circles as he surveyed the area. You appreciated the gesture.

"It's heading for the Quidditch Pitch. If we get there fast enough, we can trap it there. Easier to manage in a controlled area."

"It's a dragon, Lockwood. It would burn the place down." You straighten up ever so slightly. "On top of that, it's a Romanian Longhorn."

"I know. Endangered species. We'll have to be cautious. She could turn us into a kebab." His lips tilted into a smile. "I wager we can tame her in less than an hour."

You exhaled the last of your nausea. A grin forming on your face. "Think half."

"Ambitious, aren't we?"

You flew forward, seeing the whiskers of fire curling in the distance. "Scared, serpent boy?"

There were flames in his eyes as he sped ahead, robes soaring behind him. "Never!"

—

"You distract her. I stun her," Lockwood prompted as soon as the Quidditch Pitch came into view.

Metres above you, the Longhorn huffed plumes of smoke down on you. You tried to be quiet, but you did have qualms with Lockwood's plan.

"You're the faster flyer, why am I the distraction?"

He pointed at his chest, like that was the answer. "I'm still recovering."

"That's rich!" You still haven't found your wand and the tosser was playing sick. "You dragged me out here to fly thirty minutes ago. Don't give me that."

"What? I can't hear you!" He veered further from you. "You're the most capable witch of our age. There is no one else I'd do this with!"

He was gone from sight before you could bump him off of his broom.

Then again, you'd rather die fighting than die a sitting duck. You angled your broom up, zooming into the beast's sight before it spotted Lockwood.

Its breath was sulphur against your skin, fighting the chill but lighting a spark of fear. Its pondering yellow eyes circled on you before its mouth creaked open.

"Lockwood, work quickly!"

In a dragon chase, one must remember three things: your size advantage, the dragon's breath hurt as much as its fire, and the dragon can and will play dirty.

You were an agile flyer, ducking whenever the strokes of its inner fire hurled for you, but even you had to exercise all of your flyer's knowledge to evade its claws. A swipe, a lick of flames, a swipe, another swipe — it was practically toying with you.

The only good thing that came with it playing with its food was the fact that you had lured it right where you wanted it.

The Quidditch Pitch was gargantuan compared to the juvenile specimen. You just hoped the place wouldn't go up in flames.

You hadn't seen Lockwood in a good minute, almost believing he'd shirked you, but then you glimpsed a flicker of serpent green in your periphery and ease up.

Before long, the dragon grew tired of the play and decided that she wanted to sink her teeth into something real.

You felt a nip at the end of your broom and zagged in the air. You steadied your mount before feeling your blood rush faster.

She was snapping at you. You chanced a glance and found the black in her eyes flattened to slits, hunger dancing in the embers of them.

"Lockwood!" you cried, narrowly dodging an eager claw. "Double time!"

"I found a soft spot! Give me a minute!"

"We don't have that much time," you surmised based on the increased momentum of the beast's strikes.

After a full turn-around to swing her tail at you, you dove. Nose aimed right down to the grass. You didn't even want to look back and see how close she was.

Gravity would be on her side but pulling up now could mean flying right into her furnace of a mouth. You didn't know which gruesome death was the lesser of two evils.

In the distance, you heard Lockwood. "Stupefy!"

The dragon nipped on your broom once more before you felt a tug on your robe. Your grip slipped, your broom flew in the opposite direction. Leaving you to crash and roll into the grass, ignoring the pain of carpet burn as you helped yourself onto your feet.

You didn't get far before your legs collapsed, your whole body weight crashing on your shoulder. You were never the type to go down without a fight. You kept kicking in a desperate attempt to escape the giant.

"Lockwood!"

"Wait for me!"

You felt its breath. Molten and fear-rushing, melting the hair on your legs as you watched your own reflection in its eye.

And then, its head hit the ground and its jaw lulled. Craning open but never snapping, just barely missing your foot as you pulled your limbs towards yourself.

The lines on Lockwood's face were deeper when you laid eyes on him. When he saw that you were alright, his expression flipped like a switch. A smile formed on his face, like you didn't almost lose your life.

He hopped off of his broom and approached.

"I didn't know you could look scared."

"I was almost a dragon's dinner," you spat.

You didn't fight him as he hooked his arms under yours and hauled you up. He kept an arm around you while the feeling returned to your legs.

He chuckled in a way that could make anyone believe he was faultless. "Sorry. It was a bother finding a soft spot. This big girl has pretty solid armour for a juvenile."

"That is the last time I ever follow your instructions. I knew getting mixed up with you was a death sentence."

"Yet," he chirped, brushing off the soot remains of the edges of your hood. "you're standing here, alive."

"I regret trusting you."

"No, you don't." He flourished a hand at the slumbering beast. "Just look at what putting your heads together did."

"It won't stay asleep forever," you whispered.

Just standing there, right at the alcove of its jaw, felt like standing on the tightrope of death. Suffice it to say, you wanted to be elsewhere.

You tasted the sweet, cool air as you replenished the oxygen in your lungs. Annoyance crept in as you realised that, despite your best efforts, you were still heaving. Adrenaline refusing to crest.

You tried to shove Lockwood but he had caught your arm. "Had to wait 'till the last minute, didn't you?" you nipped.

"I just told you, it's not easy to look for a chink in a dragon's scales. Be optimistic. I could have let her take your legs."

"You wouldn't."

"You're right, I wouldn't, but it's nice to imagine that I could be spiteful."

You snorted, trying not to flinch as the beast blinked its bleary eyes at you. "Let's put the big guy to sleep. Whoever takes care of him must be worried."

"She's a lady," Lockwood corrected.

You forced a smile. "My apologies, I didn't have the time to check in the midst of my near-delimbing."

"Easy mistake." He shrugged. "How about we tie up those loose ends?"

"We would've had it done by now if you stopped chattering."

"Last I checked, you were chattering back."

"You—"

The dragon blew out a warm breath, chilling you. You would've crumpled if Lockwood wasn't holding you up.

"Never you mind," you rectified. "You know the Sleeping Trance Charm, don't you?"

He balanced you on one arm, his hold snaking around your waist. With his free hand, he raised his wand at the dragon. "How to Pacify A Dragon 101. Of course, I do."

"Semi-circle motions," you reminded as the giant gold eyes blinked at you.

"I know that already, sweetheart. You know," Lockwood trailed off. His eyes landed on you. You ignore it for the sake of your already racing heart. "We make a pretty good team."

You allowed yourself a smile. "When you're not being insufferable."

"You always think I'm insufferable."

"So, you are self-aware."

"Oh, shut up." He didn't sound like he meant it.

The world must have been pitted against you, because the drowse in the dragon's eyes disappeared before Lockwood could even mutter the spell.

Its jaws widened, and Lockwood pulled you back just before they snapped. Half a foot from taking a chunk out of you and Lockwood.

"That's not good," Lockwood grunted. He accioed his broom closer. By how hard he was pulling you, you assumed he was trying to get you to clamber on as well.

That would be dooming the two of you. Being a singular target was like turning yourselves into a barbeque.

You pushed him away, catching the panic in his eyes for a moment.

You threw your arms out, signalling him away. "Go!"

Lockwood stalled, hand on his broom. "But—"

"Go!"

He mounted reluctantly. Taking off to grab the Longhorn's attention while you were squabbling for your broom.

When you found it, your worst fears were confirmed. The world really did want you dead.

Your broom was snapped clean in two after colliding with the base of the highest hoop. Mourning your trusted companion wasn't an option, because the dragon had spotted you. Its neck craned, rearing like a snake before it struck.

You tapped your pockets, desperate to find your wand. Not in that pocket, not in that one—

At long last, you fished it out of your most unused pocket. You pointed its end at the beast but a flash of green and silver disrupted your vision.

A tug on your arm and the feeling of rising winds brought you to the present. Lockwood had grabbed you and given you a seat on his broom, saving you from a very fiery end. The patch of grass you were standing on was charred to a crisp.

"Calm down, sweetheart. I can feel you shaking." His mouth was at your ear. You shrunk even more to hide from his view.

Your heart lurched as the Romanian Longhorn roared. You leaned closer to Lockwood, feeling the steady lub-dub through his shirt. It sang your anxieties to repose.

"We need a new plan," you told him, trying to keep your mind in one place. "I don't think she'll fall for another one of our two-person schemes."

"We're one broom down, so, how do you suggest we do that?"

You two watched as the Longhorn stretched its wings, kick starting your panic.

Lockwood leaned forward and tapped your leg. "Hold on tight."

Your hands on the broom fastened until your knuckles turned bloodless.

With renewed determination, he said, "We have to try the Sleeping Trance Charm again."

"While it's wide awake?"

"I'm sorry, would you like to ask her to sit and make it easier for us?"

You pinched his arm in response. The gesture was returned with Lockwood twisting his broom to have you two dangling upside down. One hand jutted out and grabbed Lockwood by the cloak.

"Lockwood, you prat!"

"Say sorry."

"You — Gah! Sorry!"

He smirked as he righted the broom.

Given a new perspective, you wheezed. "We have to do something before it burns down the whole pitch."

"We could summon the rest of the brooms," Lockwood suggested.

He flew higher as the Longhorn swiped for your legs.

"That would just make a mess. She can burn them. Then we'd have a bigger mess to clean up, plus a debt to whoever owns those brooms."

"Well..." Lockwood looked down at the dragon. "I could offer a special deal on pens to rack up enough pounds to pay it back."

"Pens?"

"A muggle writing device. Better and cleaner than ink and quill," he quipped. "I sell them to earn a few pounds. Don't give me that disapproving look, I gave you one for your birthday."

You reeled. "That's what it was? I didn't think 'pens' looked like that. They're supposed to be made of metal, no?"

"The archaic ones, yes. Now, there are plastic, ballpoint pens."

"Why are we talking about this? We can be turned into crispy bacon at any second now."

"Sweetheart, it's either we sacrifice the brooms or we turn into bacon, as you so nicely put it."

Your heart lurched. "My mother would kill me if we fell into debt, Lockwood. Thinking about it now, she'd behead me if she finds out about this mess."

He was genuinely perplexed by the fear that laced your voice. "I thought you were from a pureblood family."

"I am!" You trilled, sounding like you needed to prove something. "But things aren't that easy. Things are earned."

"They would understand. This is a life or death situation here!"

"No, I– Just– We can't."

"Okay..." He did his best to calm you down. It didn't help that he could practically feel the dragon's breath at this distance. "We ditch that idea. How's a firework charm?"

"Yes! Good idea."

You readied your wand. Only to stop short as silver-blue figures circled the dragon. It didn't take a genius to spot a patronus, a handful of them. You spotted a silvery cat crash into the dragon's side.

A non-corporeal patronus materialised at your side, speaking with the voice of Professor Flitwick. "Do your best not to use explosives. Her caregiver's orders."

More patronuses rose like shrouds of smoke and magic, disorienting the dragon in the midst of them. Some were fully manifested, some were faint — like they had been casted by a novice.

One look down confirmed your thoughts. Students and teachers alike were casting patronuses to keep you and Lockwood from turning into Dragon Dinner. Others were busy casting a large-scale protego to isolate the creature.

The Romanian Longhorn's only choice was to fly higher and higher. Lockwood followed, strategically hiding behind patronuses as they passed.

"You have your wand?" Lockwood inquired as the air began to thin. Breathing was a task you had to do consciously to stay awake.

"Of course, I do."

"This is our chance," he told you. He poised his wand.

You raised yours, too. "I'll cast a patronus to hide the glow of the Sleeping Trance Charm."

"Here's to hoping we keep all of our limbs."

He eased closer. You readied yourself, going through all of your best memories. You didn't go back to thoughts of your favourite books or your academics—No. Your mind kept circling back to your earlier moments with Lockwood: the sneaking out, the snitch, that moment at the threshold...

Blue sand trickled from the tip of your wand. Kicking up magic that twisted into the form of a crane. Your brows furrowed as you muttered the enchantment again, only for the patronus to stretch its wings and soar towards the dragon.

You threw a glance at Lockwood from over your shoulder. "I told you I would cast the patronus."

"You are," Lockwood quipped. He did a terrible job of hiding his smile, voice pressed like he was using the last of his air to say it. "That's your patronus."

"No, it's yours." Your tone lacked conviction, and substance — seeing as the crane did burst from your wand.

Lockwood chanced a glance at you, giving you a glimpse of that smirky smile that you'd recognize even in another life. "Have something you need to tell me, sweetheart?"

"Piss off," you said. You pulled his cheek forward, forcing him to face the winds of the dragon he was supposed to be charming. "Focus on what you have to do!"

"We'll get back to this."

He aimed at the dragon and muttered, "Dormitus."

Its eyes were locked on your patronus, following its path, unaware of its eyelids drooping and its waving wings slowing.

Slowly, the dragon began to lose altitude. Closer and closer to the ground as students and professors scuttled out of the way.

The winds dissipated as it laid its scaled head on the grass, finally quelled.

You expelled a breath you were holding in. Lockwood did the same, you felt his chest flush against your back as he laxed.

Lockwood landed a ways away and dismounted first, helping you off but never actually letting you go. Your connected hands dropped between you as you both took the time to calm your heartbeats.

A deranged laugh slipped from your lips. "If you weren't such a danger magnet, you'd have a promising future as an auror."

He looked at you, a confusing mix of disbelief and hope on his face. "You mean that?"

You shrugged with a lipped smile. Not even his habit of looking at the floor could hide his smile from you. You could see it clearly as the sun rose higher.

The moment of peace was interrupted by the furious shuffling of boots on grass. You raised your heads and spotted the unmistakable figures of Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid.

"There you are." Lockwood said charmingly, casting a smile to match. "We were just about to come and ask what we should do about this—"

McGonagall called you both by name. Even you flinched at her vehemence.

"Why, I never!" She looked between you, clear aggravation carved into the lines of her face. "In all my years, I have never seen such a display of recklessness! You could have died. How could we ever explain that to your parents?"

You watched Lockwood's smile widen. A precursor to him saying, "Professor, with all due respect, my parents are dead."

Professor McGonagall was speechless, momentarily at a loss.

You took the chance to fill in the silence. "And I do believe Mr. Harry Potter has done worse."

Her eyes hardened as she wound her cloak tighter around herself. "I apologise for my earlier statement, Mr. Lockwood, but this kind of disobedience and endangerment cannot be tolerated. I expect you both to know where this is leading."

"Cleaning the toilets?" you two said in sync.

"Worse," Professor McGonagall looked quite proud of herself. "Detention."

You and Lockwood sobered.

"Professor, I'm a prefect," Lockwood reasoned. "And still in recovery."

"And I'm your best student," you chipped in. "Certainly, that means something."

McGonagall tipped her chin. "Then you'll be pleased to hear that the pair of you are the first to make it to detention with those accomplishments." Her tone turned frosty. "Friday evening. You know which room. Good day."

You were still reeling when Professor Flitwick motioned to his mouth. "You two should clean yourselves up, lest some misunderstand the smudges on your lips."

Hagrid flashed you two a friendly smile as you and Lockwood disconnected arms to swipe at your lips.

—

Detention didn't last too long. After a good three debates where you and Lockwood vaulted between being friends, being enemies, and being on the brink of committing murder, the kind, ghostly professor in charge let you free for his own sanity.

—

By the time you two returned to your regularly scheduled programming, Cai had been expelled and given a fancy room in St. Mungo's. Lockwood was properly compensated by the BOF company, and the pair of you received an additional fee to assure your silence. You gave your word, but one, James Potter, never made the pact. He reported the happenings to his father and promptly had the company shut down for misuse of magic.

Best wingman, indeed.

In the aurora of a half-realised friendship, you allowed Lockwood to keep his arm on your shoulder as a form of gratitude. He took every chance he got to practise his privilege.

He pulled you closer, practically nuzzling your hair. "You do appreciate me, after all."

"Barely," you replied.

The admission was enough to bring a smile to his face. If you got too soft, he'd assume you transformed into someone else entirely.

Lockwood, himself, had returned to his usual self; disputing you in class, outdoing your word counts, and (a recent development) stealing your quills to replace them with pens. How the professors didn't notice was beyond you.

You missed the banter and the thrill of the competition, but not the dingy smell of the DADA classroom. It was as pungent as always.

"Seventh years." The Professor's tone was different compared to the hundred lessons you've had before this. Dare you say she even sounded melancholic. There's a gaggle of students that laughed about it but she was more lenient, she said nothing to them. "This is your last year in Hogwarts and your last year under my tutelage. This year, we focus on practicality and efficiency. Using your knowledge against another witch or wizard."

She flicked her wand and the crowd parted, pulled in opposite directions by invisible hands.

Gasps rang out, friends clung closer to each other, and you grabbed Lockwood's sleeve when you were shoved aside. His arm dropped to support your weight by the small of your back.

You looked up and he was smiling down at you, the right side of his smile higher than the left. Familiar. Though, he was rather close.

You opened your mouth to complain, only to shudder at the sound of glass breaking. The chandelier above fell, and Professor proceeded to transfigure it into a glass cage of sorts.

She looked pleased with herself as the crystalline cage settled into a dome shape, resting both hands on her wand as she beamed at the parted crowd. "Today, we duel!"

You covered your ears at the sheer volume of your classmates' bellows. Several students looked forward to this day. They could finally let loose and cast spells like they were meant to. The girl to your right bit the end of her wand, looking a lot like a panther ready to lunge.

You grimaced and sent your prayers to Rowena Ravenclaw to save you from the hungry ones.

"Looking forward to it?" Lockwood asked, glueing himself to the spot next to you, chivalrously blocking you from the onslaught of moving bodies.

You could barely see him because the lights have been dimmed to bring all eyes to the duelling cage. You didn't know why you were even searching for his eyes in the first place.

"No," you finally answered. Your eyes landed on the cage, catching the faint veins of blue shift in and out of existence around it. Kind of like the webs of light at the surface of muggle pools. You would have missed them if you weren't squinting. "I aspire to be a healer. This is the type of thing I advise against."

He caught on to the magic, too. "Don't stress too much. The cage is enchanted to snuff out all malignant magic to avoid injury."

"How do you know?"

"That's a large-scale protego charm. Knowing the professor, she tweaked it to limit anyone who goes too far." He nudged your side. You heard the smirk in his tone. "Not bad for an aspiring auror, right?"

"Right," you agreed.

You didn't expect him to sputter. You shushed him when several heads turned your way.

"What was that?"

He patted down his robe, like it would help him collect himself. "That was surprise, sweetheart. I didn't expect you to agree with me."

"Are you suggesting that I'm unnegotiable?"

"No," he answered. "You simply... oppose me most of the time—all of the time."

"You're very easy to oppose. I just pick the choice that has a lower mortality rate. You always seem to be doing dangerous things, Mr. Lockwood."

"I'm Mr. Lockwood now, huh?" That smile again.

"Yes, you are."

"Could you call me that more often?"

His smile made you conscious. You crossed your arms over your chest, like that would protect you. "Why?"

"I like how it sounds," he replied. "I'd do just about anything to hear it again."

"Hm..." Your eyes drifted to the sparks of spells being swished back and forth. The cage turned into a mirrorball. "Win your match."

Lockwood drew himself up to full height, rolling his shoulders back with a confident grin. "Easy."

"Really? Easier than being love-spelled by a fangirl?"

Your stomach turned. That's how you knew you'd said something wrong. Your stance changed. You almost hit yourself for saying something so uncalled for.

He opened his mouth to defend himself but the Professor's voice cut through his.

"Anthony Lockwood and James Potter versus Daria Thomas-Finnigan and..." She dragged the silence on, smirking as she finally uttered your name. Professor Loathes-Your-Guts clearly, still, loathes your guts.

The room divided into two once more; those cheering for Slytherin and Gryffindor, and those cheering for Ravenclaw. The energy could rival that of a Quidditch match.

"May the best team win," was Lockwood's cold farewell. He was gruff and unjesting—a complete departure from his usual visage that it scared you. He had never been so forbidding to you, even as rivals.

He and James entered on the right wing, and you and Daria entered through the left. The circle under you lit up blue. The Professor's magic gripped you, encompassing your whole body.

Lockwood had been right. Professor kept strict tabs on everyone in the cage, and you regretted stepping in when you looked across the way.

Both Lockwood and James were ready to kill. It was an exaggeration, but you'd never seen either look so deathly competitive.

Daria's hand on your shoulder reeled you back to the present. She graced you with a smile. "Gryffindor might have good fighters but we've got something better." You were tempted to say 'female anatomy' but she spoke over your thoughts. "We've got brain."

You drew your shoulders up and gripped your wand fiercely. You faced forward as the Professor yelled, "Start."

⚜ PART 2 | SERIES MASTERLIST

SWEETHEARTS ➺ @kiyasoup @toddandersondupe @locknco @onecojg @avdiobliss @mentallyillsodapop @mitskiswift99 @mischivana @bella-rose29 @wordsarelife

⌠ @novelizt 2023 ⌡

[trainer-sean]

OC Stand- [Cake By The Ocean]

[Cake By The Ocean]: this stand is a Automatic stand that manifests as Four little Gremlins about the size of a Bottle of soda, with Birthday candle helmets with a lit flame, and metal Segmented arms that wrap around a target and fuse with the spot they wrapped around. Targets that have [Cake By The Ocean] fused to their body will always be stepping on Quicksand, the ground they stand on is converted into Quicksand that, if they don't want to sink in, must keep running, the second they stop, they will begin to rapidly sink, and the Candle on [Cake By The Ocean]'s heads is lit, creating heat that will tire the target out, and will burn and destroy anything keeping them off the ground. Once the target is completely buried in the Quicksand, [Cake By The Ocean] will immediately raise the temperature to the point the quicksand is immediately melted down, as when as turning the target to coal and ash, which leads all the material of the melted sand and the Targets remains to be pulled in on the fire, turning into a Abstractly shaped Gem, colored in shades of Blue, Green, and Pink based on the targets Emotional Value, Physical Value, and Potential Value, and will Have Opalized sea Shells inside.

-however, that's only if the Target is a Foe in the eyes of the user. if the Target is an Ally or the user themselves, [Cake By The Ocean] latches onto the target and Gives the Target a limited use of Pyrokinesis, and Sand Manipulation, as well as cover the ground around them with save that they can effortlessly Skate and Slide on. If Two of [Cake By The Ocean] latch onto the Target, the Fire and Sand Manipulation combines into Glass Manipulation, from Glass in a Liquid(like Oobleck or honey) or Melted States, and glass constructs.

-Handling more then 2 of [Cake By The Ocean] leads to the person bursting into Flames, regardless of Friend, Foe, or Stand Owner.

-The Gems made from Foes also give those holding them Limited power over Gravity, forcing a target being Glared at by the user to suddenly be shifted on a Gravity axis, forcing them to be pulled by the X or Y axis rather then The Z axis. Though, this is easier said then done by the holder because the Gem is the Size of a Foot ball and weighs 20 Pounds, and they have to be standing Straight for its power to activate, and they have to be actively Glare at the target, if line of sight is broken, target is freed.

[lazyjadeart]

I’m not just down bad I’m down in the trenches. Im simpin for a man named BARTHOLOMEW😭

[hitsugayarose]

Tales of Team HAZL Chapter 2: Well This is Annoying

Artemis’s POV:

Training with my team is a pain, it’s not like they are bad people. But they don’t listen, well accept Levi. Though he does keep flirting with Zara and that’s a bit annoying, and then he and Hyō keep cracking jokes all the time. And that’s the other thing every time Levi wants to get Hyō’s attention he just yells ‘HYŌ’. It scares the shit out of Hyō, so that’s a little funny. I’m just glad that at the end of this week I’ll be working at the bar so I will have a weekend away from them.

That weekend I went to my apartment to get ready for my shift. Once at the bar I began to go around taking orders, running drinks and so on.

Hyō’s POV:

Backstage I was getting ready for the set. “Hey guys, my team is going to be coming tonight.” I inform them excitedly.

“Are you the leader?” James, the lead guitarist asks.

“No. Artemis the waitress is.” I reply.

“Then it’s not your team. It’s Artemis’s team.” Cody, the lead bassist says.

“Oh ha ha. Very funny.” I chuckle.

“Hey Hyō? You and your boyband ready? It’s time to go on.” Artemis says stepping into the room.

I turn and glare at her and throw a water bottle at her back as she leaves. She catches it not even turning around. “Thanks.” She takes a sip. “Bet you feel like shit now?” She laughs letting the door shut behind her.

We get ready and go on stage and start the set.

Artemis’s POV:

While Hyō and his boyband play I walk back to the front of the bar. Seeing that a couple had sat at one of my tables I walk over. “Welcome to Tails Bar, can I take your order?”

Before I have time to react a hand reaches out and grabs my tail gently pulling on it. “Is this real?” a voice I recognized asked.

Wrenching my tail free I smack him upside the head. “Yes Levi, it is. Don’t do that again.” Looking at the other person at the table I saw it was Zara. “What are you two doing here?”

“Hyō invited us.” She says. “Why didn’t you tell us you were a faunus?”

“Because I don’t need a bunch of humans staring at me. I mean have you seen the way some of the other students treat the faunus? It’s not something I really want to deal with.”

Levi turns to Zara and points at her laughing. “You’re the minority now.”

Both Zara and I looked at him confused. “What are you talking about? Everything is even, two girls two boys, two faunus two humans. How am I the minority?”

“Because I prefer the company of faunus.” He says.

I roll my eyes. “Yet another reason I didn’t say anything. So what do you two want?”

They ended up ordering two waters and some nachos. After taking their order back to the kitchen I walk over to another table. “Welcome to Tails Bar. May I take your order?”

“Artemis what are you doing working in such an establishment, being a student such as yourself?” I recognized that fast talking anywhere. Looking up I was met by the faces of Professors Ozpin, Oobleck and Glinda Goodwitch.

“Yes I would also like to know why you are here.” Goodwitch says looking over her glasses arms crossed. Ozpin simply leaned back in his chair, all three sets of eyes were on me as I explained.

“Well when I first moved here I needed a place to live so I got a job at the bookstore, but I couldn’t pay for my apartment with just that. I got a job here as a DJ but then Hyō’s band started playing cutting my days. So I had to pick up some extra hours as a waitress.” I quickly explain with a nervous laugh while they all just look at me.

“You know we have dorms.” Ozpin says slowly.

“Oh yeah I know I live in them.” I laughed nervously again. “It’s just when school isn’t in session I still need a place to live.”

“What about your family.” Goodwitch asked.

My tail drooped a little and I could tell that it did not go unnoticed by Ozpin and Oobleck. “Well my family and I are estranged.” One of my other tables waved me over. “I’ll give you a moment longer to look over the menu. Please excuse me.” I leave and go over to the other table.

By the time my break rolled around I was grateful. I stepped outside was glad for the cool night air behind the bar, taking a deep breath I leaned against the wall.

“Artemis.” A voice called out my name, turning my head in the direction I saw Ozpin walking towards me. “Can we have a moment to talk?”

Getting up off the wall I turned to him. “Of course Professor.”

“You know that there are programs at the school that can-”

I shook my head cutting him off. “I know that Professor Ozpin, but I need to make my own way and I don’t want to be in debt so I don’t really wanna borrow any money I have to pay back. It’s ok really, the owner makes sure that rowdy people don’t come back. It’s really not to bad.”

He looks at me for a while. “Well in that case, just be careful and let me know if you ever need help.”

“I will thank you.” He gives me a soft smile then heads back inside.

When my break is over and I get back inside one of my regulars is making a scene. He was drunk, again. With a sigh I go over and slip his arm over my shoulders. “Hey want me to call you a cab?” Out of the corner of my eye I could see Levi watching, I’m assuming in case he decided he needed to step in.

“I’m fine!” The man says his words slurring as he leans into me.

“Sir, I do believe that you are intoxicated and as such I do believe it would be better if you were to relocate to a different establishment, perhaps your home?” Oobleck says coming up next to me.

“I’m not drunk, you’re all DRUNK.” He hiccups gesturing around the bar. He tightens his arm on my shoulders. “Hey Artemis you should come home with me tonight.”

“I do-” before I finish my sentence Oobleck had be behind him and Levi had flashed over and gotten the man off of me.

“Hey bud how about I get you that cab and we leave the nice girl alone. Hm?” Levi starts walking the man out and before they are out the door I hear the man yell ‘I’m Catbug.’ And Levi sighed.

Once they were safely outside Oobleck turned to me. “Artemis are you aright, he didn’t do anything did he?”

“No I’m fine. That wasn’t really necessary. He’s harmless, normally I just laugh him off and get him into a cab. Honestly he means no harm.”

“Ah yes but it only takes one time for a man that intoxicated to do something that could harm you. You should be a lot more careful working in an establishment that sells alcohol such as this.”  He pats my shoulder and goes back over to the other teachers.

By the time he left Levi was walking back over. “Are you-?”

I cut him off with a nod. “Yeah I’m ok. Thanks.” I flash him a smile then go back to work.

When Hyō’s set was done and my shift was over we sat with Levi and Zara at their table.

“This place is so cool.” Levi says looking around. “So many good looking faunus girls.”

“I don’t think I like where this is going.” I groan. “You can’t sleep with every single faunus girl you meet.”

“Challenge accepted.” Levi says with a cocky smile.

We laugh and Zara speaks up. “So Artemis what kind, um…” She trails off nervous.

“What kind of faunus am I?” I ask.

She nods and Hyō pipes up. “She’s a BITCH.”

I smack him with my tail. “I’m a snow wolf.”

“See like I said a bitch, like a female dog. Eh get it?” He laughs at his own joke and so does Levi while Zara and I face palm.

The four of us talked and joked around until it got late. With a yawn I stood and bid my teammates a good night and start waking back to my apartment.

 Third Person POV:

As Artemis walks home she was unaware that she was being followed. Normally with her nose she could smell it, but the city was filled with strange scents so she had no idea that was until one familiar one crossed her nose and she froze.

‘It can’t be her, I left her, a while ago…�� Artemis thought looking around. ‘But there is no mistaking that scent it is definitely her.’ “You can come out Rouge. I know you’re there.”

A girl with long black hair and a devilish smile walked out of an alley her tail swinging slowly behind her. “It took you a while. You’re losing your touch.”

Artemis growled and glared at the new comer. The girl just simply smirked. “Rouge what are you doing here?”

“Adam has requested that you come home at once.” Rouge says leaning against the wall.

“I’m sure he wants that but I’ll have to decline.”

“Oh, because of that school of yours? You really think that the school, that your team, is going to accept you when they find out about...”

Artemis cut her off with a loud growl that tore through her throat. “Don’t you dare push me. You have no idea who you are dealing with.”

“Oh I think I do. Besides, I was there the day you left.”

“If that’s true then you know not to push me.” Two men grabbed Artemis from behind and she struggled against their grip. “Let me go!” She growls.

“Oh you really are a wolf aren’t you?” One of the men ask and he takes off her hat revealing her wolf ears.

“Hm you have two animal traits?” The second of the two men asked.

“Let’s go.” Rouge says.

As the group was getting ready to leave a shout was heard behind them, and the sound of running footsteps heard.

“Let her go!” Levi shouts.

“Oh dear looks like your team is here.” Rouge says to Artemis. “They could be trouble. Maybe I should stop them here.”

“You wouldn’t stand a chance.” Artemis scoffs.

“Adam told us not to get into a fight if we didn’t need to.” The first of the two men says. “Let’s go.”

The group of Faunus run off with Artemis and Levi yells at them to stop. “Zara, Hyō, go after them! I’ll go back to the bar and get the teachers!” Levi says before popping away.

Zara and Hyō go after their leader making sure to keep to the shadows as they follow the group.

Back at the bar however Levi was trying to find his Professors to tell them what happened. “Professor Ozpin!” Levi shouts seeing them.

“Levi what is it? What’s wrong? What has gotten you acting in a state such as this?” Oobleck asked.

“Some people came and took Artemis. They were Faunus.” Levi explains.

“Where did they go?” Ozpin asks.

“I don’t know but Hyō and Zara are following them. They will let me know where and then I can teleport us there.”

“Right. Let’s go outside and start heading to the last place you saw her. We can find clues there.” Ozpin says calmly. “Glinda head back to the school and make sure its secure.”

She nods and heads off, while Levi leads Ozpin and Oobleck to the place where Artemis was taken.

 “Hyō they’ve stopped.” Zara says to her teammate. She was hidden behind a crate on the docks. “But why bring her here?”

“I don’t know.” Hyō answers. ‘If Adam was planning on bringing her back by force, then why did he send me to keep an eye on her? What is he planning?’ Hyō thought as he watched the group.

“I’ll let Levi know.” Zara says pulling out her scroll and calling him.

Artemis was struggling against the chains they put her in. “You really think these are going to hold me?!” she laughs.

“They will because you aren’t going to use that pesky semblance of yours. If you do and the school finds out I’m sure you will be expelled.” Rouge laughs.

“Look around, they aren’t here, and nobody is on the dock. What is stopping me?”

“Just because they aren’t here now doesn’t mean somebody won’t be quickly. Be it your team, or your professors, or even a civilian. Besides you and I both know that you can’t control it. And you are too afraid to hurt somebody to really let loose.”

Artemis bit her lip. Rouge was right, she doesn’t want to hurt anybody, but she also really, really doesn’t want to go back to her brother. With a growl, her eyes got bluer and colors started fading as her arms started growing fur. Her teeth got longer and she barked at Rouge. “You underestimate how much I don’t want to go back to my brother.” Artemis struggles on the chains and pulls them tight trying to get to Rouge. “And how much I hate you!”

“What is happening to Artemis?” Zara whispers to Hyō.

“Just stay back, trust me.” Hyō says hand on Zara’s shoulder ready to pick her up and run.

“Oh please I know this is just a show.” Rouge says. “You don’t have what it takes to follow through.” Artemis changes back falling to the ground. Rouge was right, she never could be as ruthless as her brother was.

An airship lands behind them. “Looks like our ride is here. Oh I can’t wait to see what Adam plans to do with you. He told us to keep you alive because he plans on dealing with you personally.” Rouge laughs.

Just as the two men grab the chains binding Artemis three figures appear before them with a pop.

“I will thank you kindly to release my student.” Professor Ozpin says coolly. With another pop Levi had himself and Oobleck next to Artemis and the two men holding her. “Not that I am giving you a chance.”

As Ozpin says his last sentence, Levi and Oobleck knock the men back. Oobleck grabs Artemis and Levi grabs Ooblecks arm and teleports them behind the crates next to Hyō and Zara.

“Bout time.” Zara says. “Artemis are you ok?” She asks worried about her team leader.

“Yeah I’m fine I just need to get these chains off.” Artemis says as Oobleck sets her down on her feet.

“I got the key.” Levi says getting them off.

Artemis sniffs the air. “There are more of them coming from the airship. Ten in all.” She growls.

“Why do they want you miss Artemis what have you done to anger them so?” Ooblek asks.

“They are trying to take me back to my brother.”

Sounds of fighting start as Rouge and Ozpin start fighting.

“You four should call your weapons I don’t think we will be getting out of here without a fight.” Oobleck states before joining the fight himself.

Team HAZL call their weapons and prepare to fight. Even with the two teachers at their side the fight was proving difficult. At some point Artemis started fighting Rouge.

As they traded hits back and forth it appeared to be evenly matched, both sides fighting with their hands as opposed to their weapons. The rest of her team was faring well, Zara keeping back by the crates to snipe hits from the cover they provided, seeing as she was not an experienced close-range fighter. Levi using his various collected semblances to stay out of their reach and getting them to attack each other. Hyō dodging around with his agility and knocking them out with his billy club.

The only fight that seemed to be taking the longest was Rouge and Artemis.

“You don’t belong with the humans. Come home willingly and Adam will take it easy on you.” Rouge teased dodging a punch.

“No! I will never go back! The White Fang are nothing but bullies now! And Adam is no longer my brother and you can tell him that.” Artemis says dodging a kick.

They continue to pass blows until Rouge aims her electrified whip towards Oobleck’s back and Artemis, using her semblance to give her speed a boost, blocks it. “Ah!” The whip wraps around Artemis’ wrists that she had held up to defend her face.

“You can’t beat me without using your semblance. Just admit it. You are weak, and I’m going to kill you, and then your team here.”

“You will not touch them!” Artemis shouts.

Her eyes again became bluer and color started fading from her vision as she glared at Rouge. No now she wasn’t a person or even a Faunus, now she was Artemis’ prey. Fur started covering her arms starting from the hands and traveling up the arms then down her legs to her feet. In a swift movement she broke free of the whip and ripped off her jacket letting it fall to the ground. The jumper she wore ripped as her size doubled. Her hands started growing claws and her tail got bushier. She rips off her bag and it falls to the ground along with her weapon along with the shredded remains of her jumper. Her body now fully covered in fur and becoming more wolf like by the second.

Rouge aims her whip again and as she swings it in the air Artemis grabs Oobleck and dodges out of the way setting him back down on the ground. “Run!” She barks at the others.

“WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” Hyō shouts, he grabs Levi and runs back to Zara. “IT’S NOT SAFE HERE! LEVI, GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW! TAKE US TO BEACON!”

“We can’t just leave her here!” Levi says.

“Fine but at least get us to a rooftop away from here.”

Levi looks around grabs his teammates and with a pop they are on a rooftop a little distance away but are still able to see the fight. “What is going on with her?” Levi asks looking at Hyō.

“It’s her semblance. She becomes an actual wolf. But one that is two times the size of a real one, she has the speed strength and mentality of a wolf. Friends and foe disappear from her mind, she will attack anybody who gets in her way. She can’t control it; that’s why she told us to run.” Hyō says as he watches the scene unfold in front of him, his voice is initially void of any emotion. As he remembers the last time he saw this happen, his stare intensifies, and his panic starts showing in his voice. “We either need to calm her the hell down now, OR WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE HERE TONIGHT MAN!!”

He had not been there for the fight but he saw the aftermath, it was the day Artemis left the White Fang. Adam was not happy by his sister’s choice to leave and when he tried to change her mind, a fight broke out and the camp was nearly destroyed and Adam was nearly killed. The camp was in ruins and several people had been hurt.

Rouge lets out a laugh. “You must learn to control that temper of yours, that is why the cats always win against stupid dogs like you.”

Artemis now down on all fours, her feet now paws, runs after Rouge. Catching her, Artemis swipes at her, scratching her arm as Rouge jumps back just a second too late.

“I think I’ll take my leave now.” She and the other Faunus who were apart of the battle retreat to the airship and leave.

Artemis lets out a howl as the transformation nearly completes itself. The only remaining part of her that resembles a human is her face, which is covered in fur.

“We need to get her back to normal.” Ozpin says as Artemis turns to him and Oobleck. “And we can’t let her get into the city in this state.”

“I know but how are we supposed to stop her? We must be careful not to hurt her and that we don’t get to hurt this is truly a dilemma though she is a dog perhaps I have an idea!” Oobleck quickly runs over to some of the broken crates and grabs a plank of wood. As he does this Artemis lunges for him but Ozpin intercepts her as the last moment pushing her away. “Here girl!” Oobleck calls holding up the piece of wood and waving it in the air. “Fetch!” He shouts throwing it away from where Ozpin had tossed her.

The rest of team HAZL just stood dumbfounded at what Oobleck had just done from their safe place on the roof.

“Did he just yell at her to fetch?” Zara asked.

“I think so.” Levi says.

“What’s worse is I think it worked…” Hyō adds.

Artemis, upon seeing the piece of wood stopped growling and looked at it curious. When Oobleck threw it she watched it as it sailed through the air. For a second it looked as if she might go after it but she then turned back to Oobleck and growled.

“What was that?!” Ozpin said as dumbfounded as team HAZL.

“It was worth a shot.” Oobleck ran up to Artemis and dodged a swipe of her paw. “Bad Artemis. This is not how we treat our friends or our teachers, you need to change back this instant the threat is gone and therefore there is no longer any reason for you to continue to act in such an unfriendly manor!” All the while he was saying this he was dodging swing after swing of Artemis’ paws. After the last swing of her paw he jumped in the air and landed on her back.

Artemis was confused and looked around for the fast-talking professor, it wasn’t until he landed on her back that she knew where he was. She proceeded to thrash about trying to knock him off.

Oobleck thinking he had nothing else to lose, and not wanting to have to resort to knocking his student out cold, began scratching behind Artemis’ big ears. After a moment her tail started wagging and she backed her head into the touch letting out a happy bark. Slowly she began turning back. Oobleck shed off his jacket and put it over Artemis before all the fur was gone from her body.

When she had finally transformed back she was out cold, and she hoped she stayed that way for a while because she knew that she would have a lot of explaining to do when she came to again.

The rest of team HAZL popped over, Hyō and Zara got Oobleck’s coat on Artemis and Zara buttoned it up. Once they were finished Oobleck picked up his student and carried her over to Professor Ozpin and Levi, who had retrieved Artemis’ weapon bag and jacket.

“So let me get this straight.” Hyo said. “Fetch doesn’t work but scratching behind the ears does?!”

Oobleck shrugged. “My only other option was to knock her out and seeing as she is a student and I would prefer not to do such a think I decided it was best to, try something else. If that had not of worked then I would have knocked her out, but it all worked out in the end.”

“We should all head back to the school.” Ozpin said. And the group headed back with lots of questions in their heads.

[flightofaqrow]

ship tag dump 

for tweaks and additions and bc it makes me happy

“+” denotes platonic dynamic “x” or ship name denotes romantic/sexual dynamic

canon but non-fandom ship names:

earth and sky / event horizon - qrow x Oobleck

right hand witch and left hand familiar - qrow x Glynda

feathered bandits - qrow x Robyn

double down  - qrow x Qrow

oc and polyship names

starry skies - qrow x @hvithale

songbird - qrow x @hopeandharmonizing

pack mentality - qrow x @hopeandharmonizing x @hvithale

calamitous harmony  - qrow x @hopeandharmonizing x @charmedglass

wildfire - qrow x @hopeandharmonizing x Oobleck ( @erudite-rebel )

[lunanightingaleart]

So Lucky To Have You

This is going to be an Oc x Canon Fanfiction, if you aren’t comfortable with that do not continue reading. Otherwise I hope you enjoy and maybe Heart and Reblog if you wish <3 

Chapter 1 

“Ah, good evening Miss Violette. Good to see you back.” Bright indigo eyes scanned for the source of who addressed her, only to find a few familiar faces of Beacon. Lillian turned with a friendly smile to her lips. 

“Oobleck, Port! Good to see you two. Still torturing the students around here?” 

“Oh come now, you know our classes are completely necessary for the survival and intellectual growth of our students. Not to mention-” Lillian listened to Oobleck go onto one of his tangents again, politely listening even though her brain had already checked out at this point. It’s a good thing Oobleck wasn’t her teacher when they were kids.

“I was kidding Oob, come on you know I wouldn’t judge you for your teaching. You both do pretty good work as far as I’ve seen anyway.” Pulling her hood down, she ruffled her hair a bit and sighed. 

“I suppose you’ve finished your mission out in Mantle?”

“Oh yeah, yup. All finished with that and ready to be a teacher again. How’s the new students this year?” Truth be told Lillian didn’t wish to speak about her mission, especially since as far as everyone was told it was just some sort of political based mission, nothing too serious. Except it was, and none of them were allowed to know. She continued to speak with the other teachers about the new students, when one of them brought up a familiar name. 

“And then there’s our youngest student to ever join the school. Little Miss Rose.”

“Ah yes, Ruby Rose has shown to have remarkable talent and skill for her age. It’s no wonder Ozpin allowed her to enter Beacon so early.”

“Ruby Rose? You’re talking about Yang’s little sister yes? As in Summer and Tai’s Kid?” Lillian found herself quite shocked to know that she had gotten in. When was the last time she even heard that name? Probably last time she saw Yang and Taiyang, which admittedly was a long time ago. Maybe she should go and visit them on one of her free days. While Oobleck and Port continued to praise their students, Lillian gave them a polite wave before heading off to do her own thing. She would have to tell Oz she was back in town, and she’d probably start class back up by tomorrow knowing him. Opening her scroll while walking through the all too familiar courtyard she noticed she hadn’t gotten any messages. 

“Hm, that’s odd. He usually replies by now.” She mumbles to herself while walking past the mess hall. A sudden commotion got her attention as she turned towards one of the large windows. Inside showed two teams of students having a food fight, a very intense one she might add. Uh oh, Glynda would not like this. Just to make sure she didn’t get absolutely coated in the flying food she watched from the safety of outside. She hummed in thought, watching the students and trying to see if she recognized any of them. For starters, she recognized the fiery hair of Yang who had whole turkeys over her fists. Another student was using a beam from the room with a watermelon attached, the entire fiasco was actually really fun to watch. She smiled to herself watching the kids just have an absolute war in there. Seeing a speeding ball of red Lillian focused on it, finding the red ball was in fact a little Ruby Rose. She’s grown up since the last time she saw her. 

“What on earth is going on in there??” She turned to see Glynda and right behind her Oz, who seemed to be the calmest about the situation. 

“Ah welcome back Lillian. Good to see you.”

“You too Oz, and there’s nothing that bad going on. Just some kids having a food fight.”

“And would you care to tell me as to why you didn’t choose to stop them!?”

“I’m not their teacher, at least not yet. Besides they’re just kids, give them a break.” A very loud bang grabbed our attention, and Glynda ran in. Looking up towards the sky I noticed a flash of yellow and hummed to myself. Eyes beginning to shine much brighter than before, I began to mumble under my breath while focusing on the sky. 

“She’s going to fall right back into the hole already made in the roof and safely on some soft materials made up of the tables Glynda have already fixed. She will be completely unharmed, and in fact laugh it off with her friends.” With a soft flash of her eyes, they went back to normal as the scene she just described happened the moment Yang’s falling form got close enough. 

“I see that still comes in handy.” Oz mentioned with a smile.

“Oh you have no idea. Though admittedly it’s odd having to use it to make sure a student isn’t harmed from their fall at such heights. Usually I just use it to make someone trip or something.” She grinned and offered her hand to Oz who took it and shook it gently.

“It’s good to have you back. Have you by any chance had any contact with Qrow recently?” Her smile faded.

“No, not since the last message he sent out about Her. I’m sure he’s just busy, we’ll surely hear from him soon.” She reassured, gaining a nod before watching the kids inside get scolded by Glynda. Ozpin went inside first to cool Glynda off, and Lillian went inside after.

“Well, that was quite the show. I noticed you all used different foods based off certain weapons along with using your semblances when only necessary. Impressive.” They all stared at this stranger for a minute of silence, only for Yang to suddenly brighten up.

“Holy cow, Miss Lily is that you?”

“The one and only firecracker~” Yang stood and ran over to her, offering a fist bump to which Lillian reciprocated. Doing a small handshake between the two ending with a childish little explosion, everyone still looked quite confused. 

“Yang, do you know her?”

“Oh yeah that’s right. You haven’t really seen her all that much since you were little, huh? Ruby this is Miss Lily. She’s a friend of our dad and uncle Qrow. Plus, she’s actually a teacher at the school.” Ruby’s eyes sparkled as she somewhat zoomed over. 

“You know Dad and uncle Qrow?”

“Sure do, have since we were all in school together.” Lillian couldn’t help but smile watching who was once this tiny spawn of Summer turn into a beautiful young lady of Beacon. She looked so much like her mom it was insane. 

“It’s so nice to see you again Ruby, I haven’t seen you since you were this tall.” She gestured towards her knees, and Ruby giggled. 

“What seriously??? That was forever ago, how come you haven’t come to visit?” 

“Well, being a huntress is pretty serious business. We get super busy with missions and helping those who need it, sometimes you have to sacrifice some personal time. Though…” Looking down at Ruby, Lillian smiled and ruffled her hair. 

“Maybe now that I’m back, maybe I should take some time to revisit old friends. I don’t know…” 

“While that sounds like a fantastic idea, perhaps you should report on your last mission first, Miss Violette?” Glynda reminded Lillian who pouted.

“Yup, that too. And with that, I’m off. It was nice seeing you again Yang, Ruby. I’ll see the rest of you in class tomorrow~!”

“See ya~”

“Bye~!” Following behind Glynda and Oz, Lillian opened up her scroll again with a sigh. 

“Still nothing back from him it seems?” Oz asked, slowing down to Lillian’s pace.

“Yeah, but I’m confident that he’s okay. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.”

“Yes, well...we wouldn’t want anything to come out of you panicking now would we?” Lillian rubbed her arm a bit. 

“It only works if I can see exactly how it could happen. It’s why I don’t ask for the full details of Qrow’s missions. If I were to be the reason he got hurt..” Oz set his hand on her shoulder.

“Not to worry, it’s as you said. You’re confident he is okay. He’ll get back to us when he can…” Walking back to Oz’s office, Lillian took the time to admire the Academy of Beacon with each passing step. She hasn’t been here since the first week of the first semester. Thinking back, she remembered in the beginning of the school semester Oz and Glynda talking about a special case student brought in two years early. She never imagined they had been talking about Ruby. She really has taken after her mother. Plus the fact Qrow had been a teacher at Signal does make complete sense. Once the doors had closed to Oz’s office Lillian watched as he sat down, sipping his coffee. 

“Alright, now you were sent to find a bit of information and maybe have a bit of a…” Oz gestured a bit while holding his coffee. 

“Premonition..?” Lillian nodded and pulled out her scroll, setting it on the table and a bright screen shining a hologram. 

“Okay, so a few weeks ago we got a message from Qrow stating and I quote ‘Queen has Pawns’ I can in fact confirm this, as I was able to gain a bit of information on the ones currently taking place here.” Glynda looked to Oz and then to Lillian. 

“Here? They’re already taking action?”

“Yes, it seems she has taken into consideration our dependence on peace. She’s gotten a few recruits here, one of them as we’ve already figured was Torchwick and his goons. But it seems we have a much more...interesting case.” She changed the screen from the text message to a screenshot of the video taken of the attempted robbery months ago. She pointed to the silhouetted figure that attacked with fire.

“We couldn’t identify the one in this shot, and from what we’ve noticed in our criminal files she doesn’t describe anyone we know at all. However from what I’ve noticed, she doesn’t seem to be a lacky of Torchwick. If anything she seems to be protecting the goods more than him. I believe this young lady is actually one of Salem’s closer pawns sent here to keep her recruits in check. Also, just by body type alone it seems this definitely isn’t an adult. This is a younger lady, probably aged closer to our own students.” Glynda crossed her arms and looked at the information. 

“While this is helpful. What exactly are you attempting to imply?”

“That this young lady is probably not their only younger pawn. If they have younger ones here, they can take full advantage of our festival coming up and possibly pretend to be students from other schools. I’m not saying we stop the festival, however I am saying that we need to be at least on guard.”

“And I agree.” Lillian stopped and looked to the door, seeing Ironwood now standing at the door. He looked at Lillian with a gentle smile. 

“Lillian, good to see you.”

“James, didn’t hear you come in. Still playing with those toy soldiers I see.” 

“Haha, very funny.” Ironwood went to greet Oz and Glynda, and Glynda immediately took the time to leave. 

“Well she certainly hasn’t changed.” 

“Well she is Glynda. She hasn’t gotten where she is for changing herself. And with that, I’ll see myself out. Good seeing you James.” 

“Lillian wait, you can stay if you’d like.” James offered, gesturing towards her scroll still on the table.

“You don’t have to stop on my count. Please continue.” Lillian looked to Ozpin who nodded silently. 

“Go on Lillian.” She sighed softly and walked over to Oz. She pointed at her temple for a second, before looking at her scroll.

“I had...a moment while finding information, and I saw a silhouetted pair behind our younger pawn. She seemed to have two others around the same age and all I really saw were silhouettes. One had bright glowing red eyes, another green hair, and the other silver. It seemed two women and a man all of student age, and that’s all I saw. As far as Qrow and his current whereabouts I have no information at all.” Taking her scroll, she looked between the two and nodded.

“I did just get back, so I’m gonna go unpack, rest a little and maybe get prepared for my class tomorrow.”

“Oh that’s right. Yes you brought up a good point. You start teaching again tomorrow, so go and take this time to rest. Thank you.” Lillian left the room and looked to Glynda who leaned against the wall. 

“It’ll be quite troublesome if we can’t find those spies. However I feel that your words might have convinced James to bring more firepower.”

“Convince him or not, Oz can tell him not to. I don’t think making a show of our abilities is wise. This is why I teach the students the way I do. A semblance is powerful, but you shouldn’t become dependent on it. Your weapons and your wit should be your first instinct in a fight. A semblance while it should be honed and able to be controlled, it shouldn’t be used unless completely necessary. Its the same thing with James’ army. If he shows everyone his biggest weapons as a show of power, all that does is give the enemy information. I agree we should be careful, but that does not mean we should scare everyone with large ships and constant robo-guards on duty. Now, I have class tomorrow, and I have had a long journey. I’m going to go rest. Have a good night Glynda.” 

After the excitement had finally died down Lillian took the chance to plop onto her bed and let out a large sigh. Unbuttoning her hood she slipped it off, her long sleeves following it as her arms now reveal several scars across her skin. She then unbuckled her weapons from her wrists and set them on her bed to examine her new scars and bandaged injuries. The last battle she had been part of was a bit problematic, especially on her own. 

“Shit, well could be worse.” She sits on the floor of her room, medical boxes now open and sprawled out around her while she does her best to deal with the wounds now with proper medical materials. While doing so, there a small chime coming from the scroll on her bed. She perks up, glancing over her bed and seeing the familiar profile on her screen. As if her wounds were healed just by the chime, a big smile formed on her face. She dropped the materials and climbed onto her bed, checking the text with full attention. 

“Hey Lily~ How’s my Vixen? Sorry about the late reply, I just got a chance to check. I’m okay, a little scraped up, but alright. Have you gotten back?” A big smile continues to shine across her features as she begins to quickly text back. 

“Hey! I have, are you in a safe spot? The others are worried about you, we haven’t heard from you since that last message. I’m glad you’re okay, I knew you would be, but it doesn’t stop my worrying.” Her heart was pounding with both joy and worry over him. At least he wasn’t hurt, or you know...not hurt a lot. Another chime rung through and her heart continued to pound. 

“Yeah, I’ve found a good place to rest up. As far as I know I wasn’t followed and can talk. Why? Did you miss me that much Vixy? ;) ” Lillian felt her face heat up and slowly typed in his number. Calling him, she rested her head atop her pillow and stared at the ceiling. A few rings chimed through and eventually a click and silence. Then she heard his voice, and her purple eyes sparkled. 

“Guess that’s a yes~ Hey Vixy~” Lillian let out a happy shaky sigh and gripped her scroll tightly.

“Hey~ It’s so good to hear your voice. I felt like I haven’t heard it in forever.” 

“Yeah, honestly it’s a little weird hearing your voice too. I can’t believe it’s been this long. But hey, how was your mission? We were stopped pretty abruptly that last call.” Lillian absentmindedly looked to her now bandaged arms. 

“I’m okay, got a bit scraped up myself, but it could’ve been worse. You didn’t tell me Ruby was in Beacon now. The teachers are praising her for her skills. Looks like you taught her well.” The two continued to chat for at least an hour, relaxing from both of their exciting days and joking around about old and new circumstances. It seems just talking with each other has lightened an unspoken heavy atmosphere around the two. The sun has dropped, and the two continued to speak until a single yawn from Lillian stopped the conversation.

“Getting tired?”

“Yeah, how about you?”

“Ah, I’m alright. You should sleep though, don’t worry. This dusty old crow knows how to take care of himself.”

“Yeah? Well this sleepy Fox knows how stubborn the dusty crow is. You should rest and at least let your aura heal up. Come on like old times, let’s go to bed together.” She heard a chuckle from Qrow over the scroll.

“Really now? You know next time I see you I’m going to hold you up to that~” Lillian giggled and hugged her pillow close. 

“...Hey Qrow? When do you think you’ll be getting home?” There was a silence, before a sigh.

“I’m not sure, not too long I guess. Why? Wish I was there to share a bed with you~?” 

“Come on Qrow be serious, also yes. I really miss you.” Her voice was soft, and she couldn’t help but feel vulnerable.

“Okay okay, I’m sure I’ll be home soon. And I promise when I get home you can keep me there for at least a day.”

“Two Days~”

“You drive a hard bargain, but you’re cute so I’ll say sure.”

“Deal~” Lillian smiled and yawned again. 

“You better rest tonight Qrow, no take backsies.”

“What are you, twelve?”

“Fight me~ Goodnight.” She hears a chuckle once again. 

“Goodnight Lily~” Once the call ended, Lillian turned on her side and let out a soft sigh. Relief overcame her as she finally got to hear from Qrow. Now knowing for a fact he was alright, she let sleep take over and she finally found a good comfortable rest throughout the night. 

Continue To Chapter 2

[jace-the-writer-guy]

Differences with the B&B AU

Since probably not a lot of people know this from what I wrote in some of my OCs' bios, here are the differences between the B&B AU, which is my fanfic's universe in The Brave and the Bold, and everything I do on Tumblr. They are significant changes, which I understand may turn people off from sending asks about this AU but here are all the differences. Most of these are detailed from what would be the end of my fanfic.

The differences

1. In this story, there is a legend of powerful beings called One-Winged Angels, who are often those who's lives have been wrongfully ended. These angels very rarely come down to help those in great strife and on the verge of death. Jace has been saved by one.

2. This is set twenty five years ahead of the Fall of Beacon. Team JKDW were in Beacon with teams RWBY and JNPR and RWBY and Oobleck are who helped Jace and his brother escape from a facility that experimented on them while the team were on their way to Mt. Glenn.

3. Auron is deceased.

4. Inigo (The only form of the character in this AU) has a prosthetic left arm and right leg. His arm is a mix between plates of blue and black metal all heavily infused with water dust, with three plates of metal overlapping each other at the shoulder where it connects with the black metal base in his shoulder. He can send his aura into the whole prosthetic to make a wide, black blade protrude from the top of the wrist out five inches past his fist, which is malleable thanks to his semblance and the water dust the blade is infused with. His prosthetic leg is all black metal with a blue tint to it, and it isn't infused with any water dust.

5a. Rosa has a very rough-looking scar across her throat that she keeps covered by a dark-blue scarf Inigo bought her.

5b. Rosa has a prosthetic right arm made of mostly dark-blue metal plates on the outer side with black metal and padding on the inner sides.

6a. Wave (The only form of the character in this AU) has light, rough looking scars in the shape of the bottom half of a large 'X' on his face, the center between his eyes and the ends of the shape are mismatched, one ending halfway under his left eye on the middle of his cheek and the other down past his jawline under his right eye. He wears a blue bandana to hide the scars on his forehead. He gained the scars from a horrible injury.

6b. (Mercy Drive in the B&B AU) Mercy Drive's upgraded form was largely designed by Weiss, Wave's idol, after Ebony's team visited her in Atlas. Yang aided Wave in anything he needed to know, and he had modified his gauntlets to transform like Yang's to fire dust slugs but take belts of dust vials, hoping to make one of his teachers proud.

7. Atlas is still in the process of being rebuilt after the Fall of Atlas, which saw the Amity Colosseum fall onto Atlas after the final match of the Vytal Tournament and then Atlas fall to the ground below.

8. Rivy is the second-in-command of a small band of huntsmen called “Sha-Brytol”, which was a title given to Ulysses by an old man after he defended a his village from bandits. It means “Revered Defender". Ulysses formed the group and is the leader. Each member wear masks on missions against bandits and go by codenames to keep their identities a secret.

9. Pyrrha is deceased.

10. Yang's arm was grown back by Alyss.

[ao3feed-widowtracer]

Halo: Remnant Drop

Read it on AO3 at http://ift.tt/2vUJ6vH

by Serakame_D117CurrentlyMIA

The events that led to the discontinuation of the SPARTAN-III program never happened, and an unit of so called SPARTAN-III's have been created. . . a team that have special talents. . . meant for insanely difficult missions. . . Belladonna Team. Made up of several Hyper-Lethal SPARTANS, they have been augmented differently, equipped differently, trained differently. . . but as Belladonna Team knows, the so called "impossible" will have happened somewhere, and anything that can go wrong, will go wrong at the worst possible time. The former's sure happened on THIS mission though. . .

Words: 494, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms, Doom (Video Games), RWBY, Overwatch (Video Game), Tokyo Ghoul, Team Fortress 2, 幼女戦記 | Youjo Senki | Saga of Tanya the Evil (Anime)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, Other

Characters: Your OC, Kamishiro Rize, Widowmaker | Amélie Lacroix, Bartholomew Oobleck, Glynda Goodwitch, Ozpin (RWBY), Peter Port, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Red Team, Doomguy, Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Tanya von Degurechaff, Sombra (Overwatch), Jesse McCree, Kurt-051, James Ackerson, Catherine Halsey, Ana Amari, Kaneki Ken, Tsukiyama Shuu, Kirishima Touka, Hana "D.Va" Song, Mei-Ling Zhou, Lucio, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Bastion (Overwatch), Winston (Overwatch)

Relationships: OC/Kamishiro Rize, Widowmaker/Tracer, Medic/Mercy, Glynda Goodwitch/Ozpin, James Ackerson/Doctor Halsey, Kaneki x Touka, Ana x RED Spy, Scout/D.va

Additional Tags: OC's Reaper's sister, All ghouls are human

Read it on AO3 at http://ift.tt/2vUJ6vH

[hitsugayarose]

Tales of Team HAZL Chapter 1: Team Formation

Artemis’ POV:

           Today was the day I started at Beacon Academy. Well I got here yesterday; today is the day we get our teams. It’s weird I can’t find to many other Faunus around. Not like I was looking for them. I kept a hat over my ears and my tail tucked in my coat, as a Faunus I’m only supposed to have one animal trait but I have two because of my semblance. And that is a long story, the point of which I am a freak even for a Faunus. Buttoning my sleeve-less coat up over my jumper I put my weapon on the small of my back and put my waist bag on to put my skirt and jacket in incase I use my semblance. I made my cloths specifically for my semblance; a jumper with no back and no stomach that has a hole for my tail, and it comes down to form shorts, and made from a material that is easy to tear. My coat has no back around the shoulders and a low dip in the front so that part of my jumper can be seen from under it, and the coat only buttons down to the waist. From the waist to the floor is open, the front falls from my hips to the floor not coming around much past the left and right middle of my legs respectfully. There’s a long slit up the back that my tale can come through if I want, and for when I don’t want it to I can button the coat while my tail rests against my back out of sight. Finally I have a break away skirt that connects above and below my tail.

           Taking a deep breath I walk to the cliffs and get ready. Looking around I could see the Faunus boy from the cover band that plays at bar I work at, this should be interesting. I stand on one of the plates on the ground as professor Ozpin explains to us the rules. We’re going to be launched off the cliff and whomever we make eye contact with first shall be our partner.

           The platform launches me and I pull out my hand scythes and put them together to form a double bladed scythe- one blade on either end each blade pointing a different direction- and I fire off the gun to use the recoil to slow my decent until I make it to the ground. “Well that was easy,” I mutter.

           Looking around I see that I am the only one in the little clearing I found so I decide to walk to the direction of the ruins that the Professor had mentioned. A few Grimm came along during my walk but it was easy pickings. I hear another rustle in the bushes and I turn ready to attack when the boy from the bar steps out and we make eye contact. “Not you.” I sigh putting my weapon away, it folding up easily into a single riffle, hanging it back on my back.

The boy laughs and puts his hands behind his head holding a pair of drum sticks in his hands. “Guess we’re partners.” He grins. “Didn’t think it would be a cute girl.”

“Oh shut up Hyō.” The look of surprise on his face from my knowing his name was priceless.

“Do I know you?” He looks me over, then I can see when the lightbulb clicks. “Artemis?” He asks looking for my tail.

“Yes. What are you doing?”

“Where’s your tail?”

“Hidden. Not really looking forward to letting every human around here know I’m a Faunus.”

We start walking and he questions me. “Why, are you ashamed?”

“No of course not, I love my people and I am proud of what I am. It’s just that well, humans aren’t the most kind and though I don’t hate them I don’t really trust them all either. One too many hurtful words.”

“I get that.” He says looking away towards a noise. “What was that?”

I take a whiff of the air. “Smells like that girl from the cliffs who was wearing way too much perfume.”

He laughs. “I knew you were some kind of dog.”

“Just what every girl wants to hear.” I glare at him. “But close, white wolf. Not dog, same family though. She’s not in trouble. I don’t smell any Grimm around her.”

“Good nose.” He chuckles, “She didn’t have that much perfume on.”

“To me she does. And it didn’t even good smell. It’s cheap, real cheap.”

“Oh well you’re just full of compliments. And this is the same girl who just last night got an entire bar to dance?”

“Yes well dancing is fun, this is work, and you.” I shrug, “Still deciding. Just because-”

“Because you are desperately in love with me?” Hyō says wiggling his eyebrows.

Laughing. “You wish, I was going to say just because sometimes I sing with you and your little boy band sometimes doesn’t mean that we’re friends. Though if I was going to have anybody as my partner I would rather it be you than one of these people I don’t know.” I flash him a smile. “We better hurry to the ruins. We need to get that relic.”

“Agreed.” Hyō says and we run off. When we get there, we see a large a pedestal with stone figurines of Grimm on them.

Slowly I walk over and grab the Beowolf. “Looks like we’re the first ones here.” I say looking at the pedestals.

“Yeah…. Hey we’re not a boy band!” Hyō yells angry glaring at me.

I just start laughing gripping my sides as I bend over, “It took you that long to realize what I said?” I just kept laughing.

“It is not a boyband!” He says again arms crossed in front of his chest.

“It’s a band of all guys. It’s a boy band.” I finally stand up wiping a tear from my eyes.

He just shoots me a glare then we both look in the same direction. “Did you hear?” He asks tail perking up.

“Yeah you?” I took a deep sniff of the air and growl. “Grimm, a big one.”

I hear a scream and look to see a girl and a guy running out of the forest a Beowolf chasing them. The guy grabbed the girl and disappeared reappearing in the trees above the Beowolf with a loud popping sound. The creature confused heads towards Hyō and I. He flicks his drumsticks forward and they turn into billy clubs with metal balls at the ends by the elbows, in a flash he scooped me up and got me out of the way of the charging Grimm. He set me down again on the outskirts of the forest and I took out my weapon putting the statue in my bag.

Flicking my scythes, they transform from the gun to the two hand scythes. “Hey, you two in the tree, there is another one coming from the left. Take care of that one and Hyō and I will take care of this one. Careful, there is a group of students close by. Their path is going to intercept with the Grimm.”

“Sure.” The guy stands and with another pop he and the girl are both on the ground next to Hyō and I.

The Beowolf starts charging towards our group and I shoot at it while Hyō carries me off to the side along the edge of the forest. In its anger it starts following us. When Hyō stops I step in front of him combining my weapon and, shooting off the gun in the back, I’m propelled forward and using the momentum I swing my scythe slashing the Beowolf. At the last moment of impact I activate my semblance my arms growing fur and, giving me the strength of a wolf, I’m able to cut it in half. Landing on my feet I stop my semblance before it can take over and my arms go back to normal. Looking over at the other two they already handled the other Beowolf. The pair then went over and grabbed one of the statues and we headed back to the school without waiting for the other students.

Once all the students were done and paired up we gathered in the assembly room for Ozpin to give us our groups.

“Artemis, Hyō, Zara, and Levi. You will form team HAZL lead by Artemis.” Ozpin said and I froze.

I didn’t want to lead a team, I just left the white fang I just want to lay low and help the world. Guess this can’t be changed, oh well I can’t let them down.

We walked off the stage and headed to our assigned dorm room and unpacked. I leaned back on my bed and took a book off my book shelf.

“Shouldn’t we, like, get to know each other better?” Zara asked. She was a pretty girl, her hair was a soft pink and her eyes a pretty shade of green. She had on shorts and tank top tucked in, and from what I can remember he weapon was a rifle that doubled as an ax.

“Yeah that’s a good idea since we have to work together as a team for the next three years.” Levi said. He was a little taller than I and his skin was dark. He had on a tee shirt and jeans, and his weapon was a glass sword with some kind of gem around it that used dust.

“I guess so.” I closed my book and put it back. “I’m Artemis.”

“And I’m Hyō.” Hyō said shaking his dark hair out of his face.

“We already know each others names. I mean something more personal.” Zara pouted.

“Well I’m a Faunus,” Hyō said his, tail smacking me in the back of the head as he set on my bed next to me. I grabbed it and pulled and he yelped in pain and glared at me. “And she is a bitch.” I chuckle and smack his shoulder.

“That’s not nice!” Zara wines.

“I’m not entirely wrong. I’m also in a cover band. We perform at the Tails Beer bar downtown on weekends.”

“What he neglects to say is that it’s a boy band.” I say as I dodge his tail before it hits me again.

“Do you two already know each other?” Levi asks.

“Yeah I work as a waitress and a DJ at the same bar.” I say.

“And as a hype to the crowd. She gets them to dance.” Hyō cuts in.

“I can talk about myself by myself if I want to Hyō.” I kick him off my bed and he lands on his butt on the floor. “What about you two?”

“Well I come from a small village and I wanted adventure. So I came here.” Zara says. “I like clubs and love to fight.”

“I like to fight too, it’s a rush when you have a good fight.” Levi says. “And the more people I fight the more semblances I can collect.”

“Excuse me?” We all say staring at him.

“My semblance’s name is Collection. I can ‘collect’ the semblances of people that I have defeated. Though I’m only good at the ones I use the most.” Levi explains shrugging while slouching in his chair.

“Well don’t collect my semblance.” I say. “Trust me.”

He cocks his head but just shrugs and we all continue talking. By the end of the night we know a lot about each other. From basic stuff like favorite color to the reason why we are all here. Though I didn’t tell them that I was a faunus, that is something I don’t want them to know yet.