#pitch prefect 2

[pomefioredove]

could you perchance do a part two to the yuu getting sold to the highest bidder? like how would that characters treat them if they actually get them? sorry if this doesnt make sence!! but thank uu!! ^_^

more than happy to! <3 I'm writing this as a follow up/pt. 2 to this post but if you'd like something different don't be shy! I love getting requests

parts 1 | 2 | 3 | kalim | bad ending

summary: joining their dorms + wearing the uniforms (for some). a proper ending to this type of post: short fics characters: trey, cater, leona, rook, idia, lilia, malleus additional info: yuu is gender neutral, rook is weird, both fem and masc french words are used during rook's part but reader is still gn, I need to replay book 2 to get leona's voice down, Idia being fun to write, maybe a little ooc

If you thought it was bad before, the news that Malleus intended to marry you made everything about twenty times more chaotic. Bids were upped to insurmountable sums, rumors were spread like the plague, fights were raging through campus as the deadline to donate approached. Even Crowley was starting to feel a little antsy, despite all of the brand new amenities he had already ordered for his office.

Finally, the day came. The announcement was held in the courtyard, where just about any student who had stakes in the matter had shirked whatever after-school responsibilities they had to gather. The prefect themselves was nowhere to be found, though only few noticed their absence.

"Maybe it'll be nice," you say to your direbeast companion, the both of you tucked away in a dark corner at Ramshackle.

"It'll definitely beat living in this dump. You think they got good food in Diasomnia?" Grim murmurs.

You grimace. "Uh... sure. I can't imagine they wouldn't, right?"

Crowley clears his throat, pulling a thin, delicate envelope out of his coat pocket while the crowd eagerly watches on. He takes his sweet time opening it, much to everyone's utter dismay, and when he finally withdraws the contents the entire courtyard falls quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

"And our winner is..."

Trey and Cater's Ending

"Cater Diamond and Trey Clover!"

Everyone stops dead and turns to the back of the crowd. There's a certain sense of unity that, for a brief moment, everyone can feel in the form of a single thought: Them, of all people?

Cater, ever the people-person, can already tell what's on everyone's minds. "What can I say? I run a mean social media campaign. I had some sick infographics,"

Trey can only smile and shrug at the growing disdain coming from the other students, most of which from his own housewarden, who is s currently turning a lovely shade of crimson.

"...Right. Well, the prefect will be ready for you shortly," Crowley says, folding the envelope and setting it back in his pocket. "I trust your housewarden will help you sort out the details."

Riddle looks more like he's about to start throttling them.

"Nah, it's cool. We got this," Cater smiles, though he's only half paying attention as he posts an update to Magicam. "The prefect is in great hands. Right, guys?"

Ace and Deuce shrug. Not the best outcome, not the worst, and either way it's still their friend coming to stay with them. Riddle is gritting his teeth so hard you could practically hear them grinding from Ramshackle.

"Was anyone going to tell me you two had pitched in, as well? Or was it a surprise?"

Trey smiles, almost nervously. "Well-"

"We were only giving the dorm a better chance. It's basic statistics- more Heartslabyul names in the hat, more of a chance one of us will be drawn, y'know?" Cater beams. "No disrespect, of course."

"None whatsoever," Riddle hisses back.

---

"And you're sure he's not really mad?" you ask, trailing behind the two third years.

It had been almost an hour since you'd updated your Magicam feed and read the announcement firsthand, but the shock is still wearing off.

Cater scoffs. "Whaaaat? No, he's totally cool about it,"

"Well. Now he is, anyway," Trey murmurs back. "But he certainly won't kick you out. As long as you're in the dorm uniform, you're one of us. He's just upset we went behind his back."

"...Understandable,"

Cater holds the door open for you, letting you inside to see a precariously placed mannequin with a dorm uniform in your size already on it. You hate to admit it, but it's lovely.

"Riddle had one ready. You know, just in case," Trey says, gesturing you forward. "And don't worry, we'll all be taking it easy on you while you adjust."

You run your fingers down the durable fabric. "Hm. Thanks,"

"You should get changed, I need a post to commemorate the moment," Cater says, beaming. "And I kindaaaa want to rub it in for everyone else who lost out on the best giveaway ever."

Leona's Ending

"Leona Kingscholar! Please... be responsible. Ruggie, I hope you'll keep an eye out for the prefect,"

Ruggie rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything. Leona, who had been absent-mindedly picking his teeth before the big announcement, flashes a big smirk to the audience while swaggering to the front of it.

"Well, well. Look who's come in first place, after all. What, didn't think I'd bother to try?"

Vil grimaces, crossing his arms. "Is there a point to this?"

"Obviously. I'm showing off," he rolls his eyes. "I guess I'll be seeing the rest of you lot around my territory a lot more, then?"

He snickers and then disappears back inside the building. Ruggie can only shrug at the disgruntled crowd before tailing after him.

---

"Well, that felt nice," Leona sighs, stretching out on one of the lounge chairs. "Pity that I couldn't see the lizard's reaction, but I'm sure we'll get to that eventually."

You're sitting at the table across from him, playing cards with a very invested Ruggie. You raise an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Malleus," Ruggie mutters, shuffling his cards around in his hand.

"It's never a party without him, right? He was probably off cowering somewhere with his tail behind his legs," Leona chuckles, picking his teeth again. "But everyone else's faces just about made up for it."

"Whatever," Ruggie grumbles. "I'm all in."

Though you're not exactly invested in the game anymore. You set down your cards, much to Ruggie's dismay, and stand over Leona with your hands on your hips.

"I hope you know that I won't be one of your errand runners for you. I've done enough of that with Crowley,"

He pauses, sharp eyes scanning you over. "You certainly know how to rain on someone's parade,"

"This is not a parade. This is my sanity we're talking about,"

"Tch. And what're you gonna do? Run away?" Leona rolls his eyes. "Hide in the jungle? Maybe you can take Ruggie with you and make it a party!"

"Hey, leave me out of this," the aforementioned says, shuffling the deck.

You stand your ground, though you don't know what else to say. Eventually, Leona sighs.

"Fine. I won't make you do anything you don't want to if you're just going to whine about it,"

He pauses, and a small smirk crosses his face. "But you'll at least have to wear the uniform. I need the satisfaction of seeing the look on everyone else's faces."

You smile triumphantly, and sit back down across from Ruggie for another round while Leona watches on, pretending not to care about the game.

It could be better, but it could also be worse.

Plus, something about that smile of his let on more than just a little self-satisfaction.

This could definitely be interesting...

Rook's Ending

"...Ah. Rook Hunt!" Crowley says, folding the paper back in his pocket and leaning down to whisper to Azul in the front row. "Tell the prefect I said good luck."

At the heart of the crowd, Vil turns to Rook, hands on his hips. "Rook..."

"Ah, magnifique! How happy I am, my heart could weep for joy!" he says, completely ignoring whatever disappointed comment Vil was about to unleash. "I must run to my prize at once, there's not a moment to lose!"

Vil grimaces as Rook bounds off into the school, moving so swiftly that he cuts through the crowd of confused (and mildly concerned) students like an arrow.

As always, Rook is genuine with his words- he truly feels as if his own heart is about to leap out of his chest and race him towards Ramshackle.

What a chance, what an opportunity! Not only to be close to someone he has his own private fan club for, but to truly, finally possess beauty in physical form. He would display you on a shelf if it were feasible.

The idea so overwhelms him with joy that you barely had time to ask what was going on before you suddenly found yourself sitting beside him in the Pomefiore lounge as he smooths out the crinkles in your new uniform.

He murmurs under his breath, kneeling before you while inspecting the uniform. "Magnifique, joli, belle, quelle beauté, une rose parfaite..."

...Leaving you in a torn state of embarrassment and shyness. You look across the room to Vil for help, and he rolls his eyes.

"I coulda get used 'ta this!" Grim shouts, lounging on a nearby silk pillow with a mouthfull of pâté. Two freshman are tediously brushing his fur with the nicest set of combs you've ever seen.

"Comfortable?" You ask, only a little sarcastic.

"Uh-huh! Ya know, when I found out the winner was Rook, of all people, I was a little worried. But this is way nicer than collecting dust in Ramshackle!"

You couldn't have said it better yourself.

Rook smiles. "Tsk, tsk. I would never let anyone harm a single hair on your precious head,"

The question is directed to Grim, but he looks straight at you when he says it. "Like a delicate porcelain doll, I will handle you with the utmost care,"

You're not exactly sure what you had been envisioning- maybe he'd release you on a remote island and hunt you for sport?- but this had far exceeded any of your expectations.

Though his gaze is as unsettling as ever, and any hopes of personal space are gone out the ornate glass windows, his usual guarded demeanor had softened just the tiniest bit.

It was unnerving. But nice, in a way.

"Mon trickster, this is just the beginning for us. We have many shining days ahead, and I plan on spending every beautiful breath of them with you. Do you hunt?"

"Oh, sevens," Vil murmurs.

Unfortunately for Vil, Rook's smile is contagious and you can't help encouraging him. Just this once. "Not usually, no,"

"A merveilleuse opportunity! I will teach you all I have learned, then. Ah, this reminds me of a poem I wrote for this exact occasion!"

He may or may not be watching you sleep tonight. Hopefully you're the kind of person who can live with that.

Idia's Ending

LOL. Normies.

Look at them, crowding around like a bunch of sheep. As if anyone has a real chance. SMH.

I knew it was pointless to begin with, but getting into Crowley's banking account and seeing the bids... now I feel lame for even trying at all.

That money could've gone to some new parts. I've been itching to build another PC...

The door flies open, slamming against the wall behind it so loudly that even if Idia wasn't completely absorbed in watching the announcement on his biggest monitor, he would've jumped anyway.

He whirls around in his chair, wide-eyed and shaking like a prey animal, expecting to see some high level boss or classic horror game antag waiting for him.

Instead, it's Ortho. "Idy! You'll never believe-"

"Geez, Ortho, you nearly killed me. And I don't have any extra lives this time," Idia says, spinning back around to face his screen. "Something wrong?"

"Actually, I have some really great news! Wanna guess what it is?"

Idia grumbles, powering off his computer. "Nah, not in the mood,"

Ortho's brow furrows as he catches a fleeting glimpse of the camera feed playing over his brother's screen before it flickers to black. "You've been watching the announcement on the courtyard cam footage?"

"No! I mean- well, I was just curious," Idia says. "I watched for like two minutes. Who even cares about this thing, anyway?"

"Well-"

"I mean, it was a game over from the start. Taking on the highest level bosses at our school with my measly stats? Forget it,"

"But Idia-"

"Who even cares where the prefect ends up, anyway? I doubt they'd wanna be trapped in a basement like this for all eternity,"

"Idia!" Ortho shouts, loud enough to shake his brother from his ensuing pity party. Idia can only stare as he moves to the side, revealing a rather surprised looking you, dressed in the dorm uniform, behind him.

"Idia, you won!"

And then he dies.

That's what he thinks, anyway. Really, Idia goes into a state of complete shock and blacks out so hard that, for a moment, the blinding light shining through his eyelids feels like the light at the end of the tunnel.

"Is he okay?" you ask, tentatively watching as Ortho clicks off the small light he'd been shining in his brother's eyes.

"He's displaying symptoms of a panic attack. Don't worry, he gets them quite frequently,"

A distant groaning pulls the both of you back into the present moment and you watch Idia slowly rise.

"His heart rate has steadied to 70 BPM," Ortho says. You raise an eyebrow. "That's normal. Idia, can you hear us?"

He takes a long moment to respond.

"This isn't real. I'm sleep-deprived from my last speed run and now I'm hallucinating. There's no way,"

You look between the two brothers. This hasn't exactly gotten off to a stellar start.

"Your vitals are normal, although you're lacking Vitamin C. Might I suggest having a fruit cup while we talk?" Ortho asks. Idia shakes his head. "Yuu? Snack?"

"I could go for something,"

Ortho hovers out of the room, leaving the two of you alone. You're too nervous (or is he too nervous?) to ask to sit, so you stand over him while he practically rocks back and forth. His face is so red and hot with embarrassment you could cook an egg on it.

"Um..."

He mumbles back. "Just pretend I'm not here. IK you probably wanted one of those epic SSR students to pull you, I don't blame you for being disappointed,"

He talks so fast and quiet it's hard to make out what he's saying... but you get the gist of it.

"Hey, don't put words in my mouth. This is a hell of a lot better than it could have been,"

He seems to genuinely consider your words for a moment before you're interrupted by Ortho coming back with snacks.

Idia is back on high alert the second he's returned. "This doesn't make sense. I got into Crowley's online bank info and saw all the bids, I wasn't even close to the top five. How?"

"Oh, easy!" Ortho chirps. "I simply rewired funds from Crowley's bank account to up your offer!"

"You... took money out of his account and sent it back to him?"

"Clever," you murmur.

Idia grumbles. "I guess that's not technically stealing... fine. But why? I thought I told you not to bother!"

"My user intel indicates that the prefect is very popular amongst the student body. Their top three descriptors are helpful, kind, and friendly! I thought you two might be able to practice your social skills together... Perhaps you could show them around the dorm as a starting point?"

You turn around to look at Idia, who's sheet-white. Nonetheless... he sighs and stands, muttering a quick "Let's get this over with,"

You watch, as still as stone, as he stops in the doorway and turns to look at you from over his shoulder, his face and hair a pleasant shade of pink.

"Well? Are you coming?"

Lilia's Ending

"And our winner... is... hm. I don't even remember seeing this one in the pile," Crowley grumbles, scratching his head under his hat. "Um, Lilia Vanrouge!"

Silver is the first to look at him. "Fa-Lilia, I thought we talked about this,"

Lilia, currently hovering in the shade of one of the courtyard's signature apple trees, simply shrugs. As if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh, we did. I really thought about what you said, about the prefect's freedom, and I decided that you're right! But how could I guarantee their safety from everyone else?"

Silver groans (which turns into a yawn) and Lilia puts on his best cute look as everyone else in the audience turns to him.

Crowley clears his throat. "The prefect will be ready for your-"

"Oh, no need! Thank you, though," he says, and then disappears into the building.

---

You've been distracting yourself by counting cobwebs for far too long, as evident by your headache and the taste of dust on your tongue.

You turn to look at Grim. "Should be over by now. I'm surprised I haven't heard anything yet,"

"Surprised, you say?"

No matter how many times he does that, you're never quite prepared.

You jump, nearly hitting your head against the table you'd been taking refuge under. Grim yowls, clawing into your sleeve (and just barely missing the tender flesh on your arm, thank goodness), and you both stare at the fae ahead of you.

Lilia is sitting on the table, hanging his head upside down and staring right at you. Grim mumbles.

"Don't even tell me. I'm out!"

Lilia waves him goodbye as he makes a swift exit, and then turns back to you.

"I have a secret. Wanna guess?"

You're a little curious (aren't you always when it comes to him?) but that isn't enough to overpower your rising dread.

"No,"

"Aw. Really? I'm sure you'll like it,"

"Definitely not, then,"

He slinks off the table and lies on the floor, cupping his face in his palms and kicking his legs back and forth.

It would be amusing if you weren't so sure of what he's about to say.

"Well, despite your best efforts, I'm not surprised at all. But Malleus couldn't even come here to get me himself?" you sigh.

Lilia tilts his head to the side. "Now, why would he do that?"

There's something written within the margins of his tone that makes your eyes lower at him. Something he's keeping from you.

"...Well... he did win, didn't he?"

"Oh, my. You were hoping for Malleus to win? Now I'm sure we both feel silly,"

You raise an eyebrow. "Hoping is... a strong word. But I was expecting it, yes. So he didn't win?"

"No, dear, Malleus is not the winner,"

"Then... who is?"

Lilia gives you a sweet, self-satisfied grin, his fangs glinting. "You're looking at him,"

Ah.

If there's one thing Lilia Vanrouge is good at, it's surprising you. No matter how stoic you act, no matter how clever you are, he always manages to catch you off guard.

This might take the cake, though.

"I didn't even know-"

"No. Initially, I wasn't going to. But Silver and I... we had a long talk about valuing your freedom and independence, and thus I so valiantly threw myself into the flames to save you from becoming someone's slave," he pauses to smile. "Chivalrous, yes?"

"...Charming," you mutter. "But what was that thing about-"

"Oh, yes. Don't worry, you'll be treated as any other student at Diasomnia. In fact, I'm sure we already have some uniforms in your size!"

"This is... quite the turn of events,"

"Ah, isn't it? I haven't felt this elated in... well... a long time," he grins. "Come along, now. I plan on treating you to a hearty welcome dinner!"

You can only grimace at that.

Malleus' Ending

During all of the confusion, the fighting, the rumors that shook the school, no one, again, had remembered to invite Malleus Draconia to the announcement.

Not that it mattered. Not this time.

One knock at Ramshackle's creaky door and you were suddenly in the depths of the forest around the school, admiring a crumbled stone structure.

"What was it?" you ask, turning to your walking companion.

Malleus smiles slightly. "I believe it was a wall. Fascinating, no? Since you have inhabited Ramshackle, I come here when I want to be alone,"

Ah, right. You'd almost forgotten that you'd made a home out of his ruins of preference.

Ramshackle was in a much better state than this, though. At least you had four walls and a roof over your head.

"Are you alone a lot these days?" you ask, rather absent-mindedly for such a heavy topic.

You're well aware of the answer already. No, of course not. Malleus is constantly surrounded, whether that be his friends, personal guard, mentors...

"Yes,"

Oh.

"I'm... sorry to hear that," it's all you can think to say.

Fae don't seem to know the conventions of human small talk. Or maybe that's just him. Not that you mind. "What about Silver, and Sebek, and Lilia...?"

"Fine companions," he crosses his arms. "I owe them a debt of gratitude. But being physically surrounded does not amount to closeness."

Oddly profound.

You can't help but relate, thinking back to everyone you know. Even with good intentions, they're still out there, bartering over your life.

"I'm glad you came and got me," you say, breaking the tense silence. "I was afraid you'd gone to that... announcement thing."

He raises an eyebrow. "The what?"

"...Never mind. I guess my point was that I've been feeling a little lonely lately, myself,"

Malleus is quiet for a moment, staring directly ahead at the mess of stones and moss that once made up a sturdy wall. Now crumbled, scattered across the ground.

And the, he smiles.

"Well, there is a solution to this trouble of ours. But I'd need your consent,"

What exactly is he getting at? You raise an eyebrow. "Go on,"

"I've been so preoccupied with the formalities that I haven't had the chance to ask you properly, yet. Lilia suggested I might have more success this way,"

He pauses, and then smiles. "I would like us to marry. Does this agree with you?"

You thought you might be stunned. Speechless, even. But the answer comes so naturally.

"Yes, it does,"

[lovegoodlane]

Pursuing the Prefect- 3

3.7k words

Warnings: mentions of sex, teasing, oral sex [female receiving], fingering

Summary: Fred and his prefect continue to grow closer, but their relationship grows tense when he suggests a public date (soft Fred, dom (ish) Fred)

Author's note: Here's another part! I'm trying to build up a storyline in case y'all want this short fic to continue. Enjoy <3

Link to part 1, part 2

----

Another week at Hogwarts had passed. You had spent a bit of time with Fred, sneaking kisses in empty classrooms and even spending Saturday night curled up on a blanket at the quidditch pitch. It was nothing official yet, but you were enjoying getting to know him.

It was already Thursday. The weeks were passing by in a blur. As a Sixth Year, you were focused on studying as much as you could before taking the entrance exams for an Upper School program in potions. It was difficult to get in, so you spent much of your free time cramming as much information into your brain as possible.

You walked to dinner with Cho and Beatrice, chatting about the Winter Ball coming up next month. Beatrice had been talking your ear off about Oliver Wood for the past week, and she was hoping that he would ask her to be his date.

"He's so dreamy," Beatrice swooned. "If he doesn't ask me to be his date, I might use a curse on him."

"Do you talk about anything other than Wood?" Cho snapped, clearly annoyed.

Cho's relationship with Cedric Diggory had been on the rocks. She had a bit of a jealous streak, and watching other girls fawn over Cedric got on her nerves. They'd been arguing about it nonstop for the past month.

"Cho, leave her alone," you said defensively. "She's allowed to be chuffed about Wood. You were the same with Diggory. I get that you're brassed off, but that's not Bea's fault."

Cho glared at you, huffing. She knew you were right. "Who are you going with? Seems like Adrian is your only option," she said, veering the conversation topic away from herself.

"I'm definitely not going with Adrian," you said empathically. "I don't need to have a date, I'm not worried about it."

"Maybe Fred will ask you," Beatrice teased, nudging you. "He seems pretty fond of you."

"I'd rather go to the ball with a toad than Fred Weasley," Cho asserted.

"Godric Cho, pull the stick out of your arse, will you?" you said, clearly irritated with her. 

You still hadn't filled Cho in about your situation with Fred. The only thing she would do is make snarky remarks and tell you that it's a bad idea. She was too worried about her squeaky clean reputation to see any value in associating with the Weasley twins. It pissed you off.

"I think I'm actually going to skip out on dinner, I'll grab something from the kitchen elves later. I want to get a start on my Potions assignment," you said as you had reached the Great Hall.

It was just an excuse to not have to sit through dinner with Cho. You could barely stand her recently, and taking some space felt like a good decision. 

Beatrice squeezed your hand in a goodbye, and Cho only shrugged and rolled her eyes. You turned to head for the library, wanting some peace and quiet after dealing with Cho's attitude.

You were only paces from the library when you ran in to the Weasley twins. 

"Hey birdie," Fred greeted you. "Heading back into your abyss?"

"My abyss?" you questioned.

"The library," he said matter-of-factly. "They should give you a cot so you can sleep there, would save you a trip to your dormitory."

"Have you two even seen the inside of the library? Or do your pranks occupy too much of your time?" you asked, crossing your arms and jutting out a hip. You raised your eyebrows at them expectantly.

George chuckled, enjoying the attitude that you were hurling at his brother. Very few people had the guts to stand up to Fred.

"You can show me if you'd like," Fred retorted, stepping closer to you. "Though I can't promise that I'll be much interested in doing homework, if you know what I mean."

You bit the inside of your cheek. These flirty showdowns were routine between you two, but somehow it was more embarrassing when someone was watching. Like George. But that didn't mean that you were going to let Fred win.

"I would be willing to tutor you again, Merlin knows that your grades need it," you said, closing the space between you and Fred. You reached for his tie, playing with the end. "It'll cost you, though."

George cleared his throat, an attempt at reminding you two that he was still there. It didn't matter though, both of you were locked in to this battle.

"Name a price, darling," Fred muttered, his hands ghosting underneath your robes and finding a place on your hips. 

You looked up at him, trying to soften your gaze to appear innocent. You were going to put the nail into his coffin.

You stood on your toes so you could whisper in his ear. "I keep having a dream where you bend me over a desk in Potions class. That sounds like a sufficient payment to me."

You nipped at his ear before pulling away, grinning at him sweetly as if you hadn't just whispered something filthy in his ear. Fred stared at you, a slight blush in his cheeks in response to your words. He still wasn't used to your boldness.

"Are you two going to shag in the hallway or what?" George piped up, causing his twin to turn around and give him a slap to the chest. 

"We were on our way to dinner. And I am still very hungry, in case you have forgotten," George said, directing his last sentence at Fred. It was a not so subtle reminder for him to keep things moving. 

"Did you have dinner already?" Fred asked after giving George a glare.

"No," you responded. "I was going to get something from the kitchen elves later."

"Then why don't we do that," Fred proposed. "George, you can go on to dinner. I'm sure you won't miss me."

George shrugged and offered you a wave before he headed off in the direction of the Great Hall. You hadn't been intending to spend your evening with Fred, but you could think of worse things you could be doing instead. Like sitting through dinner with Cho.

"The kitchen elves love me," Fred said sarcastically. "You'll have to do your prefect sweet talking to get them to hand over the goods."

——

After getting some sustenance from the kitchen elves, you and Fred ended up back in his dormitory. He wanted to show you the music player that Hermione had gotten him for his birthday last year. It was Muggle technology, and he found it incredibly fascinating.

"What is it called again?" you asked as you settled onto his bed. You propped yourself up with a pillow, waiting for him to work the music player.

"I think Hermione called it a record player," he replied, fiddling with the machine. "You have to put these records on it to make it play music."

He held up a few of the records in his collection. To you, they just looked like big black discs. 

Fred finally settled on a record and put it on the machine, adjusting the volume. It was something you had never heard before.

"This is from a band called Mother Mother," Fred explained. "Hermione says that they're pretty edgy."

He finally joined you on the bed, leaning up on the wall behind him. You both sat there listening to the music for a bit, content without conversation.

"I've been wondering..." Fred started, looking over at you.

"Oh no," you teased. You jokingly put your head in your hands.

"I haven't even said it yet, you git," Fred replied, pulling your hands from your face. You grinned at him, and he grinned back.

"I wanted to know how you started dating Pucey in the first place," he said.

You breathed out. You knew that Fred was curious about your relationship with Adrian. Everyone at Hogwarts knew that you were dating last year, and it took most people by surprise when they found out that you had broken up.

"Adrian's dad is my dad's boss," you answered. "We've gone on holiday together every year since we were kids. The summer before 5th year, he suddenly fancied me. That's pretty much it, I guess."

"That's it?" Fred questioned. "You didn't put him through trial after trial like you're doing to me?"

He flicked at your thigh, emphasizing his teasing. 

"Adrian was different. I was younger then, less experienced. And no one had been interested in me before," you said. 

"There's no way that can be true," Fred said, adjusting his position on the bed. "You've always been pretty. I'm sure lots of blokes have fancied you."

"If they did, none of them told me," you replied, letting out a dry chuckle. This topic was a bit of a sore spot for you. You had always felt like you weren't pretty enough, as you hadn't drawn the attention of the boys like some of the other girls at Hogwarts. But this insecurity subsided a bit as you got older. Who needed attention from a boy when you could have good grades?

You and Fred sat in silence for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about what to say next. 

"Of all of the blokes at Hogwarts, you chose a Slytherin?" Fred asked, half joking and half serious.

You slapped at him. "I don't care what House someone is in. I dated Adrian because he fancied me, and I was tired of all of my friends having boyfriends. Adrian is smart, and he's good looking. And whether you like to admit it or not, he's cracking at quidditch."

"Cracking is a bit of an overstatement," Fred replied. "Did you even fancy Pucey then?"

You shrugged. "I liked the companionship. We had always been friends. It wasn't difficult to turn it into something more. And I wanted to keep up with everyone else at Hogwarts who was snogging and shagging anyone they could get their hands on. Adrian felt like a safe option."

"So it sounds like you never really liked him," Fred said, leaning his head on your shoulder.

"I liked him, but I didn't love him," you answered. "He really loved me. And I still feel bad about that. But I just....my heart wasn't in it."

"Is that why you broke up?" he asked.

"Part of it. He wanted things to get more serious. Slytherin pureblood families are really intense about dating and marriage, and he wanted to consider next steps. I wasn't ready, and I wanted to focus on academics," you said. "I didn't want to break his heart. And I know that he still really cares about me, but I'm not cut out for a life like that."

"What, you mean that you don't want to be the next Narcissa Malfoy? I can't imagine why not," Fred teased, poking at your side. 

"Shut it," you replied, slapping at his hand. "I'm not made to be a pureblood trophy wife who pops out perfect pureblood babies. I want a career."

"That makes sense," Fred said. "You've got enough brains to do anything. So what would you want to do?"

"I want to go to Upper School for Potions," you said. Every time you talked about it, it sounded far away and impossible. "I don't know where I'll go from there. I could make potions for hospitals. Or maybe I'll teach, I'm not sure."

"You'll be cracking at teaching," Fred said, a smile stretching across his face. "My marks in Potions were way better when you tutored me."

A slower song started to play from the record player, and Fred popped up onto his feet. He extended a hand toward you.

"Dance with me?" he asked, giving you a wink.

You tried to fight the smile that started to spread across your lips, but it was too late. You accepted his hand, wiggling off the bed and joining him.

He guided you to the center of his dormitory, placing one of your hands on his shoulder and holding the other. His hand found its way down to your waist.

You began swaying together to the music. It was a bit awkward and clumsy at first, but after a bit, it felt romantic.

"Do you have a date to the Winter Ball yet?" Fred asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," you teased him, squinting your eyes and scrunching your nose.

"I would actually, because I'd like you to be my date," he said.

"I'll have to think about it," you replied, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of an easy "yes".

"What, do you need a grand gesture?" he asked, squeezing your hip. A lopsided grin was on his lips. 

"The only thing I need is time to think about it," you replied, cocking your head slightly at him.

You leaned your head onto his chest, finally closing the small gap between the two of you. You stayed like this for at least one whole song.

"Birdie?" Fred said, a question clearly on the horizon.

"Yes, Fred?" you replied, your cheek still pressed against his chest.

"We don't have to talk about it if you're not ready, but it's something to consider," he started.

"You're making me nervous," you said, pulling back so you could look up at him.

"No, it's nothing to be nervous about," he soothed. "I wanted to talk about next steps. Y'know, what you're comfortable with and what you're not."

"What do you mean?" you asked.

"Well....we seem to have a comfort level. We snog, mess around a bit. But I wanted to see how you feel about anything more," he said. "And I don't want this to feel like I'm pressuring you, I want to know so I don't overstep."

You could feel your cheeks heating up. Talking about sex in any context made you feel a bit flustered. At least Fred was being polite about it.

"Uhm...well...I'm not sure," you answered. "It feels like a big step."

"I know, birdie," Fred said, his hand moving to your back to rub soothing circles. "There's no rush. I want us to be able to talk about these things if we're going to keep seeing each other."

"Right..." you said, still feeling a bit sheepish. "I just...Adrian and I had sex, but that was only after he said that he loved me. I'm not sure that I'm made for casual hookups like some other people are."

"And that's absolutely okay," Fred replied. "I don't need to shag to know how much I like you."

You looked up at Fred. He was staring at you with those soft eyes again. His patience and willingness to communicate only made him more attractive to you. 

You put your hands on either side of his face, standing on your toes to kiss him. His hands found your waist, pulling you in as close as possible.

Your kisses were sweet, and it felt like Fred was reassuring you that he didn't just see you as a shag. His feelings were genuine and his intentions were pure. Well....pure might not be the best word, but his intentions were good.

Your hands found their way down to his shirt collar, and you tugged at it. You pulled him back towards his bed, pushing him back onto it. You straddled him like you had the very first time you were in his dormitory. 

He kept kissing you, his hands wandering up your thighs. Everywhere he touched felt like an electric shock, and you were dying for more. 

"Freddie?" you said, interrupting your make out session.

"Yes?" he replied, a tad breathless. 

"I need you to eat me out," you commanded, looking him dead in the eye.

Fred smirked. "Your wish is my command, birdie."

He flipped you on your back, propping your head up on his pillows. He resumed kissing you, biting at your lower lip while his hands gripped at your thighs.

Fred worked his way down, undoing your tie and unbuttoning your shirt in what felt like seconds. Your cheeks flushed as he took in your light pink bra. You hadn't considered that Fred would see you bra when you put it on this morning, otherwise you would have chosen something different. 

"Pink? I love it," Fred commented with a smirk. He kissed along your collarbones and down to your chest, leaving a love bite between your boobs. 

He made his way down to the top of your skirt. "I think the skirt is going to stay on this time."

His words were enough to make you want to clench your thighs together. He could feel your body tensing in desperation, so he graciously positioned himself between your legs.

Fred kissed along your thighs all the way down to your knickers. His fingers played at the waistband.

"You still want this?" he asked.

"Please Freddie," you whined.

He pulled your panties down your legs, tossing them onto the floor next to the bed. He worked your skirt up just a bit so he could see what he was doing.

Fred's tongue darted out, teasing you. You almost yelped, gripping onto the sheets to try to keep it together. You were so desperate for him that it felt embarrassing. 

His tongue worked around your clit, purposefully avoiding where you wanted him most. He loved the whimpers that were coming out of your mouth. He knew exactly how desperate you were. 

Fred squeezed your thigh with one hand and brought the other to your clit, rubbing circles with his thumb. His tongue worked its way down to your entrance, and your back arched off of the bed in response.

"You like that, darling?" he asked, pausing for a moment.

You only nodded in response, unable to get any words to come out. Fred resumed, his thumb playing with your clit and his mouth teasing your entrance. 

He pulled his mouth off of you, dragging a long pointer finger down to your entrance. 

"Is this okay?" he asked before going any further.

"Yes. Please," you answered, burning for his touch.

Fred's finger teased along your entrance before finally pushing it into you, a whine escaping your mouth. He worked it in and out slowly, kissing your thighs and leaving love bites.

"More please," you begged, feeling a knot tighten in your stomach.

Fred obliged, plunging another long finger into you. He picked up the pace, and you were rocking back and forth to meet his fingers. 

A number of profanities fell from your lips as you chased your release. Fred was admiring the sight in front of him, relishing in finally having his fingers inside of you.

"Such a good girl for me," Fred murmured. "So gorgeous like this."

You moaned in response, so close to your release. Fred's fingers had found the trigger spot inside of you, and he pounded against it again and again. 

You finally finished, your back arching off of the bed. Fred slowed his fingers, working you down from your high. He kissed the inside of your thigh.

"Fuck, you're perfect," Fred commented, admiring your form as you tried to catch your breath. 

He kissed a trail down your thigh, nipping at your hip bones. He left another love bite just above your hip bone. He loved marking you up, and secretly, you loved it too. His marks were nothing that you couldn't conceal with a glamor charm when needed.

Fred returned to your center, licking a stripe from your entrance up to your clit. You groaned at the overstimulation.

"Think you have another one in you?" Fred asked, massaging your thighs with his hands.

"You're going to be the death of me," you replied, ruffling his hair with your hand.

"That sounds like a yes to me," he smirked, placing one more kiss on your thigh before returning his attention to your clit.

He alternated between sucking on it and playing with it with his tongue, driving you absolutely mad. Your nails dug into his scalp, urging him for more.

"Fuck Freddie," you whined. 

You pulled at his hair, causing him to groan into you. Your hips started to buck up to meet his mouth, trembling at how sensitive you were after your first orgasm.

Fred was determined to make you finish again. One of his hands wandered up to your chest, sneaking under your bra. He pinched and played with your nipple, forcing moans and whimpers out of your mouth. 

"Freddie...so close," you breathed out, struggling to form words. 

Ten more seconds was all you needed to find your second release, trembling and whimpering as you finished. You panted in disbelief at the boy who was able to get you to finish twice. You had a hard enough time finishing once.

Fred kissed along your stomach, working his way back up to your mouth. He finally kissed you on the lips, and you gripped at his hair to pull him even closer.

He pulled back, grinning at you. "Good?" he asked. 

"Don't even," you slapped at his shoulder, giggling at him. 

His head came down to rest on your chest. You ran your fingers through his hair, placing a kiss on the top of his head. 

"I want to take you out on a date," he stated, nuzzling further into the crook of your neck.

"Where?" you asked, still playing with his hair.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend, how about then?" he said, picking up his head to look at you.

"I'll have to think about it," you replied.

"You are going, right?" he asked, sounding almost confused.

"Yes," you answered. Not a single Hogwarts student would want to miss out on a trip to Hogsmeade. Not even you. 

"Then why not?" he asked, pushing the issue.

You readjusted so you could sit up. Fred sat up too, putting his back against the wall behind his bed. 

"I haven't told all of my friends about you yet," you admitted. "Spending time together at Hogsmeade would make us look like...well, a couple."

"And you have a problem with that?" he pressed on, sounding a bit hurt. 

"No, well....I just like how things are now. It's private. It's just you and I without other people getting into our business," you said with a shrug. 

"So you don't want people to know that you've been seeing me," he stated, turning his head so he wouldn't have to look at you.

"No, Fred," you replied, reaching for his hand. He pulled it away. "I'm just not sure that I'm ready for something so public after Adrian. I need a bit more time."

"You're willing to sneak around and hook up in my dormitory but you can't be seen with me at Hogsmeade?" he said, now very clearly upset. 

"Fred...." you trailed off, trying to find something to say. You agreed, it did sound that way. But you just weren't quite ready for a public commitment. The whole school would be buzzing, and you liked to remain out of the spotlight when it came to gossip. 

"Please, just go," Fred said, still refusing to look at you. You sat there frozen for a minute, absorbing his words. You quickly dressed yourself, pulling your robes on and grabbing your back pack.

You headed for the door, turning over your shoulder before you left. "I'm sorry, Fred," was all you could say before turning the knob and walking out.

----

Next part

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

One of Us is Guilty; Chapter 2

The night started with only one body, and now there are two; both the Headmage and the Ramshackle Prefect are dead. Will the killer ever be found before more people die?

Characters; Vil Schoenheit, Divus Crewel, Rook Hunt, Azul Ashengroto, Silver, Jade Leech, Cater Diamond

Content; Unreliable narrators, murder mystery

Content Warning; Murder, blood, death, reader death, character death, description of a dead body & method of death, dead dove content in general

Word Count; 1.1 K

Find this content triggering but still want to participate? Go to this Google Form!

As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist

Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Epilogue (Part 1) | Epilogue (Final)

It was foolish, it was dangerous, but Jade could not blame the Ramshackle prefect for wanting out of that room. He may be used to — in some sense — the eyes clouded in distrust that are usually sent his way, but the Prefect? To have their friends turn on them in such a manner? He could not blame them for fleeing, for wanting to distance themselves. Yet, fleeing was how they ended up in this situation, and Jade froze at the top of the staircase to the main hall.

He had seen blood before, for the ocean was not a kind place, he had witnessed death, but the scene in front of him? He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t.

In some sick turn of events, you were now dead. Glassy eyes, and a peaceful expression on your face. You didn’t know… it was sudden.

“Jade-” Azul was coming up from down the hall… he wouldn’t be able to see the scene, and Jade lifted his hand, motioning him to stop, which Azul did. “... did you find them?” 

Jade nodded, and Azul could tell from his posture that something was horribly wrong. He was shaken, a rare sight, which could only spell the worst.

…

…

Everyone had come back to the mirror chamber, with the last two people being Jade and Azul. All eyes were on them.

“What’s with the gloomy faces,” Cater asked, fidgeting with his phone, a nervous habit.

Jade cleared his throat, “The Prefect is dead.” His voice was monotone, but everyone could tell that it disturbed him, a rare thing indeed.

Several things happened at once. Professor Crewel started shaking visibly. Rook had silent tears rolling down his face. Vil took a step back, face pale. Cater stopped fidgeting and was now clenching his fists. And Silver clenched his jaw, and was standing stiff as a board.

Whoever the killer was, they did a good job of hiding it. Did they find this amusing? Why did they do this? What is their motive?

“Who came across them?” Professor Crewel said through gritted teeth.

Jade looked at the man with suspicion, “I did, sir.” He knew what the next question would be; ‘how did they die?’ “... their throat had been slit.”

If he had done it, wouldn’t he be covered in blood? Eyes scanned over everyone, but as far as they could all tell, no one had a speck of blood on them. 

“We need to stick together,” Azul spoke up, analyzing everyone knowing they were doing the same in turn to him. “And since the prefect,” his voice pitched a bit, his emotions getting the better of him, “was innocent, we have to vote again.”

Everyone shuffled, but once again they all wrote down who they thought the murderer was, the room, and the weapon; whoever killed Crowley had thought it would be ‘funny’ to dispose of the Prefect in the manner the majority thought they had disposed of the Headmage. 

“Seven people, eight rooms, six weapons. One person is guilty, two dead, and until they are found, no one is safe; from the perpetrator of the crime, or of being accused.” The mirror repeated what it had said last time, but with adjustments to reflect what had happened since then. 

Everyone waited with bated breath as the mirror started to show who was voted. And in the mirror was Professor Crewel in the main hall, with his mage stone in hand.

The mirror then faded again to black, “He is not the killer. The Headmage was not killed in the main hall. The weapon is magic.”

Divus was shaking again, and everyone knew that this time it was anger; he was first angry that the Prefect was killed, as he was technically responsible for them with being staff and all, but now that his own students had thought him capable that he would murder Crowley. Yes, the man aggravated him to no end, but he wouldn’t stoop to homicide of all things. And these pups had also thought that he would slit the throat of one of his own students… So yes, he was angry, rightfully so. 

Instead of lashing out though, Divus took in a long breath through his nose, and let it out through his mouth, getting a grip on himself. He was the eldest here, he couldn’t let his ire and grief get the best of him and make him do something foolish… that’s how you had met your end after all.

“From here on out we will be staying together,” he barked out. “Do not stray from the group. Am I understood?”

Everyone gave him a pensive nod as their answer, turning their eyes back to one another, judging, analyzing, trying to pin a motive on one another. 

Divus cracked his whip against the ground, gathering everyone’s attention. “Now, Jade, can you show us where the Prefect is?”

Everyone looked to Jade, and he nodded, guiding everyone to the main hall. “Do be warned though,” he murmured, just loud enough so that everyone could hear him, “it isn’t for the weak of heart.”

…

…

It had been a few hours since Crowley was killed, and now everyone understood why the crime scene was so clean; magic killed him, someone had used their magic to kill the Headmage. But your death was not clean, it was a bloody mess. And since Jade had seen the scene before, everyone else had not.

Rook grimaced but didn’t look away from you, tears running down his face again. Silver put his hand over his mouth and looked away, as if he was going to be sick. Cater nearly fainted, and was bracing himself on the bannister. Divus was shaking again, and his anger was back in full force. Vil had seen you, but then looked up to the ceiling; he didn’t want his last memory of you to be this. And Azul, Azul was shaking, and pacing; thinking.

Jade’s jaw was clenched, and he wasn’t looking at the scene again, but his mind was trying to put the pieces together. Why kill the Prefect?

But his train of thought was interrupted by a loud crash of thunder, and the power went out. The thunder continued for a solid minute, drowning out any other sounds. And by the time the power flickered weakly back on, Professor Crewel was crumpled on the ground, face distorted in anger and shock. 

He was dead, much like the Headmage and the Prefect.

There was no blood this time either, with the weapon finally pinned, it seemed like the murderer stuck with it, playing into this game. A sick game… would he win? Or can the remaining students find him before there is no one left?

LINK TO FORM (Voting will end on Friday, October 13th at 9 pm EST)

SUSPECTS:

- Silver; the kindhearted knight with a mysterious past, is it just for show?  (Plum) - Vil Schoenheit; the actor who is always pigeonholed into the role of a villain (Scarlet) - Divus Crewel; the alchemy teacher with a penchant for fashion, Crowley’s co-worker (Peacock) DECEASED - Rook Hunt; the enigmatic hunter who always has a hunch of what’s happening (Mustard) - Azul Ashengrotto; the owner of The Mostro Lounge, a businessman with dubious morals (Green) - Reader; the ‘house-keeper’, a role that was imposed on them by the late Headmage (White) DECEASED - Jade Leech; a student enamored by fungi and seems to have a foreboding presence about him (Orchid) - Cater Diamond; the preppy beau of Heartslabyul, but his smile seems forced (Peach)

ROOMS:

- Main hall (eliminated in Chapter 2) - Teachers’ lounge - Cafeteria - Kitchens - Lecture theatre - Botanical garden - Alchemy lab - Library - Crowley’s office (eliminated in Chapter 1)

WEAPON: MAGIC (found in Chapter 2)

...

To be continued

[the-colourful-witch]

i'd love to know more about astrid cresswell if you're willing to tell us more. such as her family, is she dirk cresswell's daughter? what's her wand like? what year was she born? etc

Hiya! I can't believe you found her! I forgot I shared an illustration of Astrid on my page a long time ago :) Astrid Cresswell is my OC. And yes, I did take inspiration for her name from Dirk Cresswell, who is an Auror at the Ministry. He was one of the Aurors who was supposed to arrest Dumbledore if I remember correctly. In Order of the Phoenix. The two of them have no relation, actually. I took the last name when I was toying with the idea of her being the daughter of Dirk, but I went in a different direction. The last name kind of stuck, oops :) Anyway! Astrid!

Astrid is a Slytherin, in the same year as Fred and George (born 1978). My story for her is:

She was raised by her dad, who is a Healer at St Mungo's, in the permanent ward. Her mother was a Muggle, who died in childbirth. Robb Cresswell, Astrid's father, never told his girlfriend he was a Wizard. Astrid grew up with her dad, who was always working. They lived in the hillside village of Ottery St Catchpole where a few more magical families were housed in the hills. Robb regularly dropped Astrid off at the Weasleys, where Molly was more than happy to look after Astrid when he went to work. And so Astrid grew up with her two best friends: Fred and George Weasley. But that friendship didn't last very long after Astrid got sorted into Slytherin House. From that moment on, Astrid and the twins became rivals. They will do anything to destroy each other, both on and off the Quidditch pitch.

Astrid is a Chaser, the only girl on the Slytherin team. She's constantly dealing with Marcus Flint's sexist antics but is determined to play. She has something to prove, after all. Her patronus is a fox and her wand is 9 1/2 inches, Aspen wood with a dragon heartstring core. It stylishly resembles ivory; excellent for duelling and charm-casting. It's a wand made for revolutionaries but can be temperamentful, reacting to uncontrolled emotions. Astrid has two best friends: Maeve and Dorian, both Slytherins in her year. Dorian plays on the Quidditch team with her, as a Beater. He wants to be an Auror, like his father John Dawlish and is ahead of everyone in their class in all subjects. Maeve is the oldest of seven girls and the only one sorted into Slytherin. Hogwarts is the only place where she doesn't have to be a parent to her sisters. She enjoys reading and is Captain of the chess club. Oh, and she has a pet: a tubby black and white cat named Tibo. Tibo likes treats and scratches behind his ears. He has one of those loud purrs.

Astrid herself has a toad, which is a surprisingly uncool pet for a girl of her status. He's called Samuel the Second. You don't want to know what happened to the first. Sebastian usually hangs out in Astrid's room, but she takes him with her to the greenhouses sometimes when she's doing extra credit work. And Astrid is popular! After finding out she wasn't ever going to fit in with her Gryffindor friends (not really friends anymore), she decided to really embrace the Slytherin identity. She is clever and cunning. She knows how to get what she wants. To everyone who does not know her, she is perfect. Prefect, Quidditch player, star student. Behind the scenes, it's a little more rough... But she tries. She wants to become a Healer, after a successful Quidditch career, of course.

I am still figuring out Astrid's story, but it's fun for me to work on her every now and then. I admit, it's been a while. I dream of writing a fic for her one day, but I am not much of a writer. I start with something and then I can't finish, because I get distracted and instead draw my characters. What can I say, I like to draw! Maybe one day I'll actually finish a first draft :)

(an older version of Astrid - I don't love how I drew this)

I would like to share some more OC work in the future, but it's been a while since I worked on my characters. All the existing HP characters take up a lot of my time at the moment. One day :) I hope you like this. I'm happy to answer more questions if you have them <3

Magical wishes, Fleur

Some more earlier concepts of Astrid..

[drarryspecificrecs]

2024.04 ~ Top 7 longest fics posted on AO3

1. He’s a good boy now by Basilface [M, 299k]

►Harry doesn’t know what to do with himself after the war. He pushes away his friends, seeking solitude until he stumbles upon a mysterious mosaic, made from one of the windows that had been shattered in the recent battle. The artist leads him on a wild goose chase to obscure their identity, unknowingly garnering the hero’s fixation.

2. Within the Hollow Crown by @into-the-midst [M, 114k]

►Lucius failed at the Ministry, and Draco is sent to Hogwarts with a cryptic warning that he will be tasked with an unknown mission. He expects to spend his sixth year on prefect rounds with Pansy and finally beating Potter on the Quidditch Pitch. He never expected his new roommate to be Voldemort himself, or that Voldemort's obsession with trophies would apply to him.

3. Unknown / Nth by @heyjude19-writing [E, 107k]

►A life partly forgotten; a love story remembered out of order. Harry resents this past version, the one he can’t access on demand. The one who looks at home in Draco Malfoy’s arms.

4. this heaven of mud by @garagepaperback [E, 94k]

►A love story told in two somewhat unreliable parts, over six years. Featuring secret shagging, to friends, to the 'how is it fair for someone to say your name like that' sort of friends, to, finally, someone you could call a home.

5. The Pan-Dimensional Frisbee by @dracoandthehounds [M, 60k]

►Harry, Ron, and Hermione accidentally stumble their way into multi-dimensional travel. Together, the three try to find their way home, despite the detours Harry keeps taking with each new version of Draco Malfoy they find.

6. Passing Stranger by @lettersbyelise [E, 53k]

►Five years after the war, Harry, listless and depressed, stumbles upon Draco Malfoy playing the violin in an underground bar in Muggle London. The catch? Draco lost his memories five years ago. Ignoring his friends’ advice, Harry befriends an unwitting Draco, overlooking the fact that their mutual attraction might not survive if Draco’s memories return.

7. cigarettes and full moons by organboner69 [T, 43k]

►During the war, Draco had been bitten by Greyback. Draco now has to return to Hogwarts to finish his N.E.W.Ts- not only with the whole school against him, but now a werewolf. Harry Potter of all people has been ordered to watch Draco until the end of the year. How would he keep being a werewolf from him?

—

※ Word count: 1k ~ 10k

※ Word count: 10k ~ 40k

Bloody Business by IlliterateBastard [E, 10k]

Code One-Eight-Seven by Hashi2 [E, 36k]

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Ft: Draco Malfoy) by sailortzu [G, 39k]

Poison by @dracowillhearaboutthis [E, 16k]

Twelve to dinner, an angsty murder romance by HedgehogWrites [M, 28k]

—

Ongoing Fest/Exchange

※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.

Draco Tops Harry Fest 2024 | @dracotops-harry

[kitty-tea]

The bad girl gets what she deserves

(Part 2)

Read part 1 here

(Link to masterlist)

I’m (probably) so sorry for making a part 2!🥺

UPDATE: I made a part three here

Pairing: Cedric Diggory x reader

NSFW 18+ Only! Graphic smut ahead!

Summary: After you congratulate Cedric on winning the Quidditch game, you both sneak into the library alone for a “study session” which leads to questions about if you’re ready for something more

A/N: I know the summary sucks I didn’t know how else to word it without giving the whole plot away.

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings/tags: SUPER cheesy dialogue, graphic smut, fluff, oral sex (f receiving), pet names, semi-public oral sex, rule-breaking, Cedric and reader are of age, teasing, sneaking around, making out, might contain typos

After what happened in the Prefects’ bathroom, you were too hyped for many reasons to be able to go to sleep. The biggest one was that you couldn’t get over the fact that you literally hooked up with Cedric Diggory, the Captain and the Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, who also happened to be one of the most popular students in the entire school and someone who would be playing against your house’s Quidditch team in the next match.

You both had gotten dressed quickly and brushed your teeth and hair after getting out of the water. You were too nervous to make conversation with him, and you assumed he was too. Carrying the pile of dirty clothes in your hands, you bid each other goodbye before making your way into the Slytherin common room.

Your friends were waiting to bombard you with questions in your shared dorm.

“Where have you been?”

“You disappeared after dinner!”

“How long were you showering for?”

“What were you doing at the Hufflepuff table at dinner?”

You ignored their questions as you dumped your dirty clothes next to your bed.

“I’m just tired.” You lied. “I just want to go to sleep.”

“Don’t forget it’s Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin tomorrow. Make sure you have enough energy to watch the game!” One of them exclaimed.

Oh, I’ll have more than enough energy. Especially for Cedric. You thought to yourself as you pulled the blanket over your face and smiled.

He was all you ever thought about in your sexual fantasies ever since your mind became capable of conjuring such images. Even more than that, you admired his personality, he was like a breath of fresh air compared to the boys in your house who thought they had a chance with you. A hard-working, humble, and honest person like him was definitely something that you’ve been lacking in your life lately.

You mentally congratulated yourself for finally working up the nerve to make those fantasies come true.

“Yeah, save your voice. You’ll be screaming for our team.” You heard your other friend’s voice through your blanket.

Not like how I was screaming for Cedric earlier. You weren’t going to share that thought with your friends.

Being the opposite sex, you didn’t know how to read Cedric like you did with your friends, so it made sense to you that he didn’t seem to be as open with his feelings as you were. He was a boy, and boys are taught to keep their emotions bottled up which you hated. While it was flattering that he kept commenting about how beautiful you were during your encounter, there was something else you wanted to ask about him that itched at the back of your mind.

As the Hufflepuff players zoomed across the Quidditch field, your eyes searched for a certain set of yellow robes. You didn’t bother cheering with your housemates as Lee Jordan announced the Slytherin team’s entrance.

The game had already commenced when the two Seekers whipped past the other players in search for the Golden Snitch. There were as many people cheering for Malfoy as there were for Cedric. The only difference was which side of the pitch you were on.

Despite the majority of Lee’s commentary focusing on the action between the Chasers and the Keepers, your eyes were drawn to the flurry of yellow and green that constantly flew up, down, and between them. Watching something so fast was like a thrilling little game in your mind for testing your focus.

You couldn’t take your eyes off the two Seekers. Everything else you saw and heard around you became like white noise to you.

A few goals from both teams later, Lee’s commentary returned to the two Seekers when a Bludger came for them thanks to the four Beaters, causing one of them to lose the near-grip they had on the Snitch.

You and the rest of the spectators had to crane your necks to get a view of what Cedric and Malfoy were doing.

What happened was that Crabbe or Goyle, you didn’t care to tell them apart from far away, was aiming the Bludger at Cedric, but hit Malfoy instead, nearly knocking him off his broom. This gave Cedric an opportunity to grab the Snitch. Just like that, he had won the match for Hufflepuff, earning a chorus of loud groans from the people next to you.

While you were looking forward to congratulating Cedric, you were dreading the complaining and bickering you would be hearing from your housemates for the rest of the day.

“You’re too stupid to play on the team, my father will hear about this!” You could already hear Malfoy’s annoying voice yelling inside your head.

It wasn’t hard to find Cedric at the after-match party in the Great Hall. He was surrounded by his teammates and his friends. All the players had gone to get changed into more comfortable clothes while everyone else was still in their uniforms. Your hair bounced behind you as you weaved through the crowd. You rolled your eyes at the bickering coming from the Slytherin team.

“That was a stupid move Goyle, you should’ve let Malfoy handle himself against Diggory then maybe he would’ve had enough time to catch the Snitch!” Came from Adrian Pucey.

“What was I supposed to do?!” Goyle argued back. “I was making myself useful by doing something!”

“Well, now you’re even more useless!” Pucey scoffed.

“Shut up, you lot! Do you want a teacher to hear us?” Terence Higgs shushed them with a finger to his mouth and loudly whispered, “I don’t want Madam Hooch to hear us fighting and suspend us from Quidditch!”

He had a point even if you didn’t care about their stupid infighting. If they did happen to get suspended from Quidditch, you would still have Cedric’s matches to look forward to.

Speaking of whom, you saw a perfect opportunity to get closer to him as his teammates went in and out of conversations with the rest of their house.

With his back to you, you got on your tiptoes and used your fingers to cover his eyes.

“Surprise.” You whispered into his ear, making him turn around and you let go of him.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there.” You thought the memories of last night must have been coming back to him as a blush crept up his cheeks.

“Of course you didn’t. Your back was turned to me.” You quipped, smiling at him. “That was quite a fight you put with Malfoy in the game.”

“I wouldn’t say I fought him, but I know what you mean.”

“I’ve got an idea.” You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and slid your palm up his chest. “How about we sneak away from here, just the two of us, and catch up on some studying at the library?” You eyed him from his lips to his eyes, hoping he’d catch on.

“S-Studying? Right now?” Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play.

“Come on, Cedric. You know I loved our study session last night. Even though it wasn’t at the library.” You smirked. You adored the flustered look he’d get on his face when you’d act flirty with him whether it’d be in your conversations or you just eye-fucking him from across the room.

“I guess I could use some studying. Where’s Madam Pince?”

“Don’t worry she’s over there talking with Snape.” You pointed across the room.

The whole school was too focused on their conversations with each other to notice you and Cedric sneaking out of the Great Hall. In the event that someone inquired about your absence later, you would tell them you were in the library studying. Only one of those things was true.

Thankfully, no one was lingering outside in the corridors where you and Cedric decided to join hands.

“We better do a quick check around the library to see if anyone else is hiding.” Cedric said once you both stepped into the room.

You nodded before you decided on which sections you would each cover.

Since you couldn’t go into the restricted section to check it for yourselves, you agreed to move somewhere as far away from it as possible without being close to the library entrance.

You were seated with your legs crossed on one of the tables in the upstairs area while Cedric sat on the chair next to you.

He reached his hand out and twirled a strand of your hair around his fingers. He looked at your face as if to say something, but stopped himself.

You didn’t want to push him further, so you filled in the awkward silence. “I forgot to say to you, congratulations.”

“Thank you. Never actually thought someone from another house would congratulate me, let alone a Slytherin.”

His eyes were transfixed to yours as he grabbed you by the waist and pulled you off the table and onto his lap, so that your legs were dangling from his side and your left arm was wrapped around his neck. You couldn’t stop being mesmerized by his eyes which you frequently thought about while pleasuring yourself.

“You are so beautiful.” You’d never get tired of hearing him say that.

You brought your free hand up his hair where you lightly ran your fingernails over his scalp. You felt the heat growing between your thighs at the sight of him closing his eyes at the pleasurable sensation. You could have sworn you heard him muttering something about how good it felt.

You couldn’t resist squirming and squeezing your thighs together at the sound of him begging. Not long after, you felt something poke at your ass, and you knew exactly the effect your movements had on Cedric.

You continued to massage his scalp as you leaned forward and planted a trail of kisses from his neck to his lips.

You saw his big hand wrap around your thigh, his thumb rubbing circles on the inside. The ache between your legs was bordering on unbearable as he squeezed the handful of flesh that was covered by your black tights.

“What have you done to me?” Cedric grunted out hoarsely.

“Didn’t I just give you the most mind-blowing sex last night? And plus it’s what you do to me too. I know that you made me cum harder than I’ve ever made myself. You’re all I ever think about when I touch myself. I can’t ever cum without imagining what it’d be like if it were you instead of my fingers making me feel so good.”

You smirked at seeing Cedric’s reaction when you bluntly admitted to him about your sinful activities. You thought you could never get over how cute he looked with his red cheeks accompanied by his deep breathing and his eyes that nervously darted to anywhere but your own.

“Maybe I should give you a little taste too.” You lifted your skirt higher but not high enough to show your crotch. You caught a feral look in his eyes as his eyes widened. He lifted you up and slammed your ass down on the table but not hard enough to hurt you.

You leaned your head back as you wrapped your legs around him and rubbed yourself against his body, desperate to create friction where it ached the most.

“Fucking hell. Please, Cedric. I want you to eat me out.” You were expecting yourself to sound like a depraved whore.

“Of course, Love.” You could’ve melted at whatever pet name he gave you even if he actually did call you a dirty whore. He gave you a quick peck on the lips. But you wanted more than that, so you pulled him in by his T-shirt, holding him in place along with your thighs wrapped around him, as you let your lips connect deeper and deeper with each other’s. In your state of drunken lust, you couldn’t think of anything else except for your desire to keep tasting his lips. As if acting on instinct, you both started to thrust your hips against each other’s, too entranced by the sounds of the deep breaths being exchanged.

You were so into your make out session that you almost didn’t hear voices entering from below the mezzanine. Apparently, you and Cedric heard them at exactly the same time because you pulled away at once, widening your eyes at each other, as if both of your lips electrocuted each other’s. Cedric gave you room to get down from the desk and you both made sure to not have yourselves be seen.

“Fuck! It’s Pince and Snape!” You whispered, both of your heads peeking out from behind a bookcase.

“I’m sure I can help you find exactly what you’re looking for before your classes tomorrow, Severus.” You heard Madam Pince say.

“Very well, Irma.” Snape said. “You of all people know how imperative it is to have these books for my seventh year students. Which is precisely why I came to you, seeing as how you’re the only one I can trust to help me find the appropriate materials.”

You and Cedric both let out an exhale as you saw the two staff members walking towards one of the bookshelves. You were relieved that the potions section was nowhere near where you were.

“You mentioned Pince hasn’t ever caught you touching yourself in her library, right?” Cedric lowered his voice to the same volume as yours was at.

You nodded.

“I’ve got an idea.” You thought you saw a playful smile on his face as he put a hand on the small of your back and guided you back to the same desk in the corner you were previously at.

You knew what he wanted. He was going to see how quiet you could be without getting caught.

“Do you think you could be a good girl and not get caught?” You were right, after all.

He trailed his hands under your skirt until they caught on the waistband of your underwear and tights.

“I’ve never been caught and I never will be.” You whispered determinedly as you got on your tiptoes and gave his lips a kiss.

“This should be no different. Except I’m here.”

“And they’re here.” You gestured to where you last heard the two other voices. “Isn’t it exciting? Doing something so naughty with the threat of getting caught?”

You grabbed a hold of your shoes and threw them aside before Cedric hooked his fingers under the waistband of your undergarments and slid them down your legs.

“I’ve never done something sneaky like this before.” Cedric chuckled quietly.

Your heart was pounding so hard in your chest that you were afraid it would jump out to where Snape and Pince were downstairs.

As soon as you planted your ass and your hands on the desk, Cedric could see how wet your pussy was when he knelt down.

Without losing eye contact, he took one of your ankles in one hand and planted his lips over and over on every inch of exposed skin on that limb until his head disappeared under your skirt. That’s when you clamped your hand over your mouth to stifle a whimper that threatened to rip through you as you felt his tongue trace the slightest bit along your pussy lips. Not even your wildest sexual fantasies could’ve prepared you for how weak he was making you feel, and he had barely even tasted you.

The second time his tongue was on you, he pushed it between your inner lips and even into your opening before pulling it up and swirling it around your clit. A wave of pleasure ran through your body which made you throw your head back. If you were alone in the library, you would’ve screamed at him, demanding that he’d never stop.

Cedric gathered the fabric of your skirt in his hand, revealing his eyes to you, which he kept on you this whole time. You knew he wanted to watch as you fell apart under his control just as it had been last night.

As if what he was doing to your clit wasn’t enough, he took the little bundle between his lips and sucked on it. Your breath continued to come out in shallow bursts as he held your gaze, making you squirm against his mouth. You were gripping the edge of the table so hard that your knuckles were turning white.

You tried anything you could do to muffle the screams that threatened to escape your body whether it’d be biting your thumb, biting your lip, or holding your breath.

It was obvious he knew how much you loved having your clit touched. It wasn’t long before you were rocking your hips against his mouth, so desperate for your orgasm which was approaching at an alarming rate.

Placing a foot on his shoulder, you maneuvered yourself so that you could open your legs further, giving him better access, enabling him to reach places he hadn’t before.

With each flick of his tongue that spanned from your entrance to your swollen clit, you felt that familiar tightening sensation in your body expand until you couldn’t hold onto it anymore. Your orgasm crashed down on your body, tipping you over the edge, making you shake under his control. You couldn’t help it as your thighs were shaking and squeezing his head on both sides. You knew it wasn’t enough to hurt him, though. Despite using all of the strength from both of your hands to cover your mouth, there was a soft muffle that escaped from you and you hoped that you and Cedric were the only ones that heard it.

Your head fell forward as you finally came down from your orgasm. You took deep breaths to calm yourself down, as Cedric got up from his position on the floor. He reached his fingers towards you, and you felt another shudder going through you as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, his fingertips brushing against your cheek before kissing you on the other side.

The look he gave you was something you’d only dreamed about as a little girl, having someone so handsome look at you as if you were the most beautiful treasure he’d ever laid eyes on. You knew you wanted more intimate moments like this with him beyond just sex, but you weren’t completely sure if he wanted the same.

“Irma, I assure you I am capable of carrying these books on my own. I don’t require your help.” Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard those two pairs of footsteps echo throughout the nearly empty space, along with their voices.

“Your classroom is in the dungeons. I won’t have you risk carrying such a heavy load long distance. There’s too many things that could happen. What if a student trips you? Or you could fall down the stairs. Then the books would be ruined.” Madam Pince sounded like she was on the verge of panicking with the way she was talking about her precious books, and you suppressed a giggle at the mental image of Snape clumsily tripping and falling on his face.

“Very well, then. We will bring these books to my classroom. Then you and I can resume keeping those dunderheads from acting up in the Great Hall.” Snape huffed.

“Boys will be boys.” You could picture Madam Pince rolling her eyes behind her stack of books she was carrying.

You and Cedric let out a breath of relief as the two pairs of footsteps faded out of earshot.

“I thought they’d never leave.” You sighed.

“I’ve been wondering…” Cedric spoke up after a moment of silence. He scratched the back of his neck as his eyes darted from yours to some random bookshelf. You didn’t understand what was stopping him from speaking his mind. You knew you were just as intimidating as he was shy which was only in certain situations. Why was he acting shy all the sudden after you slept with each other?

“I think you’re really beautiful.” You could tell there was more that he wanted to say.

“And I think you’re really handsome.” You threw back playfully, attempting to ease him. You planted your bare feet on the ground and pecked his lips. The conversation was paused as you took the time to get decent, hooking your legs through your panties before doing the same with your tights.

“I mean, it’s okay if all you want to do with me is to sleep together. I’m sure you have plenty of boys telling you how gorgeous you are. I know you can get any guy you want, and I’m not really sure why you chose me.” He was right, you could get any guy you wanted and that guy happened to be Cedric.

“What?” You couldn’t believe that’s all he thought he was good for. “No, Cedric. I really do fancy you. And I want us to do so much more together than just have sex… And I want to go out with you.” You awkwardly pushed that last sentence out as you avoided his eyes and fidgeted with your fingers.

It was as if Cedric was taking your breath away as he put his finger under your chin and tilted it up, making you look into his eyes.

“I want to go out with you too, Darling.” He whispered and instantly brought your lips together.

[calcifiedunderland]

What We Brew in the Dark

or, Encounters of a Disney-Aware Prefect, ft. Epel Felmier

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (here), Part 4

GN reader, they/them!

Warnings: none I think? Some claustrophobia and descriptions of the dark

Enjoy the brainrot, thanks for reading!!

—————

That first week, when Epel was sorted into Pomefiore, was more hellish than when the apple trees back home were infested with an apple-eating pest.

And that was saying something.

Sometime after the first night, when Vil was still on his haughty-gaudy throne, Epel had been so fed up that he challenged his housewarden to a physical fight. At the time he thought that the prissy fancy-schmancy actor wouldn’t be much of a fight, but Epel had gotten his ass utterly handed to him while Vil’s stupid smug face taunted him. That night, sore and still smoldering from the anger, Epel had wandered around the dorm to clear his head, grumbling curses under his breath that his grandmother would’ve boxed him over the head for.

At some point, he’d looked up and realized he’d gotten lost in his own dorm. That was before he nearly fell down a spiraling staircase that lead down, down, down into the dark.

His curiosity had gotten the better of him, and so he’d flicked on his phone’s flashlight and inched down slowly. Torches lined the walls, and judging by how the wood was slightly damp and moldy, they hadn’t been lit for quite some time. Epel flinched as mice scampered, but thankfully the staircase wasn’t too long. In front of him stood a rounded door framed with stones, and from the looks of it, it hadn’t been renovated with the rest of the castle over the years.

Still, he was curious, and it wasn’t like he wanted to go back to his dorm and run into anyone, especially Vil. And he was already this far, anyway. Meemaw didn’t raise a coward. So, Epel gave the door a sturdy shove, and it swung open with a loud, reverberating creeeeaaaak. The door opened to a small, cramped room stuffed with potion supplies that were now disintegrated beyond recognition. Flasks and looping glass potion-making gadgets sat on the work table. A skull stared back at him from the bookshelf.

Clothes and broken glass were strewn on the floor as if someone had left in a hurry and knocked over several items. Several undoubtedly expensive, and dangerous items. He pointed the phone’s light around the room, feeling more and more creeped out by the second.

A large sturdy black cauldron sat in the center, the heavy-duty kind that only professionals like Crewel used for specialty potions. Whoever used them last was clearly a serious potioneer. Rotted apples were spilled around the base, and Epel could faintly make out the dead carcass of a black bird on the floor. But what the hell was that dark greenish sludge sloshed on the floor by the cauldron, that seemed to glint and swirl ominously even in the phone’s dim light? And why was there a hideaway potion room in that huge castle in the first place?

He could feel his heartbeat in his throat and his limbs go rigid. By the sevens, what the hell was this place?

He’d seen enough. He didn’t dare go into the room. Turning on his heel, he marched himself up the spiral staircase, through the doors, and didn’t stop until he reached his dorm room. Not even caring that it was far past curfew and Rook, who was somehow aware of everything even while asleep, probably sensed him darting past his door.

As he tried to fall asleep and shove that strange basement out of his mind, his mind drifted. Meemaw was right, don’t go stickin’ yer nose about if ya don’t want it to be cut off.

—

This time, instead of gazing into a talking mirror or singing at a well or being stalked in a forest, you were dreaming of darkness.

A deep, pitch-black ominous darkness where dark thoughts spiraled and evil came to fruition. A dark where a black-cloaked old woman cackled gleefully in a dark hall with a covered basket. Was that apple you smelled? It reminded you of the sledathon in Harveston. That was nice, you wanted to go back to that. You’d have to ask Epel—

PREFECT!!! Where r u

Twisted wonderland to (y/n) can u hurry plz

before vil throws me out of the lab

no apple juice for u >:(

WILL YOU HURRY TF UP ISTG

By the third buzz you’d fully awoken from your nap as Epel continued to spam you. Then you shot up, catapulting a sleeping Grim off your lap, and grabbed your alchemy things.

“Nya— HENCHHUMAN!” Grim rubbed his side as you stuff your alchemy notes in your bag.

“Sorry! Be good Grim!” You called before racing out the door.

You reached the Pomefiore alchemy labs in record time, puffing. Epel looked over at you apathetically while stirring the cauldron. “Took ya long enough, I started without ya since we gotta brew this for two hours. Yer’ welcome.”

You huffed and opened your notes. “Okay, so you’re on step three, now we add…”

After some time, you two were finally able to let the cauldron simmer. “‘S gonna be about an hour ‘til it’s done,” Epel said. “Crewel’s class is gonna wreck me,” you groaned and flopped into a chair. “Seriously, without Rook helping me, I would’ve failed that last report. We need to do good on this one.”

“I hear ya,” Epel sighed, then frowned at you. “But couldja not be late next time? Vil kept hoverin’ over me like a hawk when he saw me alone. You’d’ve thought I’d’h’ve wrecked the whole damn lab,” he huffed.

“Look, I’m sorry,” you sighed, “I’ve been having these weird dreams and I’m just exhausted. I’ll help you though, as best I can.”

Epel looked at you curiously, and you elaborated “this time, I was in this weird room with a cauldron and potion stuff. And there was some old lady laughing and holding apples too,” you shrugged, nonchalant as if you haven’t had alarming encounters with objects ever since you dreamed the Fairest Queen. Or any of the Seven, at that. “I don’t know. I’ve been having deja vu lately.”

Epel frowned. “I know y’told Deuce and Ace about yer weird dreams, but that kinda sounds like somethin’ I stumbled across the first week here.”

Unwillingly, a chill went down your spine. What are the odds? “What.” Epel nodded, eyes wide. “Looked real spooky, too. Had bars over the windows ‘n everything.” You remembered green lightning flashing in your dream, through the barred windows.

Epel took your shock as a challenge, “what, y’don’t believe me?” He stood and crossed his arms, eyebrows drawn. “I c’n take y’there now!”

You swallowed, feeling dread settling in your stomach. “I… yeah, sure Ep.” With that, the two of you set of, leaving the cauldron gurgling gently as you left the safety of the lab.

As you walked, you thought back to your dream, straining to remember the details. Okay, it was dark, but Pomefiore is all windows and natural light. In your dream, the room had cobblestones and fire-lit lamps. Still, Epel lead you deeper and deeper into the dorm, and as the gilded glamour of Pomefiore melted into weathered gray stone walls, dread pooled in your stomach.

Any hope you had that your dream was a coincidence melted when Epel swung open a door that lead to pitch-black darkness. Immediately your mind flashed to your dream. A dark figure rushing down the stairs, cloak billowing out behind her—

“Prefect? Ya good?” Epel turned to you concernedly, “if ya don’t wanna go, y’don’t hafta. Creeped me out, too.” Any annoyance he had when you’d ‘doubted’ him melted away. “Y’don’t have to. Promise.”

You shook your head quickly, “no, I… I’m fine. Lets go.”

Epel switched on his phone’s flashlight, “alright. Watch yer step. There’s—“ “Stairs?” You finished for him. His eyes widened, but he nodded.

You both carefully stepped down. Somewhere you could hear the echoes water dripping, and the chill in the dark seeped in with your impending apprehension. Before you, Epel’s uniform blazer fluttered and he held his phone aloft. For an instant, in your minds eye, it looked like the Fairest Queen’s cloak, and the shine of the phone like her tall, pointed crown

You both stepped in front of a wooden door that was cracked open. “Opened it when I first came here.” Epel shoved his shoulder into it and hefted it open with a loud creeeaaaak. The room was washed in his phone’s light. “See, toldja.”

Your breath hitched. You brushed past Epel, who tried to stop you, as if in a haze. In your minds eye played your dream from earlier, the one you’d tried so hard to remember but couldn’t before. Until now.

Your feet took you to a shelf lined with books, and where your hand stopped was a gap in the books. You looked down instinctively but saw nothing on the workspace in front of you.

“(Y/n)…?” Epel walked cautiously to you, gingerly putting his hand on your shoulder. You shut your eyes tightly, saying absently, “just let me…”

You opened your eyes and walked over to the cauldron. You peered into it, seeing the remnants of the last potion ever brewed in it. Your shoes crushed down rotting apples, the pungent smell curling into your nose.

She stormed into the room, slamming the ornate Hunter’s box down. She spoke to herself, but what she said didn’t matter to you as she brushed her fingers over a book she plucked from the shelf. She opened to a page, reading aloud—

“Poison apple,” you said aloud, straightening as if you’d been struck by lightning. “Sleeping death. And…” Peddler’s Disguise.

Epel looked at you curiously. “…Yeah, that’s what it looks like,” he looked into the cauldron. “Goin’ by the look n’ smell, looks like sleepin’ draught poison. ‘N there’s apples everywhere.” He nudged one sadly, “what a waste.”

“No, it’s… that’s what she made in my dream. The Queen. And then…” you glanced at the broken glass on the floor. “She… made a potion to make herself look old.” You came to a chilling conclusion as you remembered your dream from a week ago. She looked at a girl with a blue and yellow dress with such hatred. “She was going to poison someone. A girl.”

Epel rocked back on his heels, and had no idea what to say. “Well… she was the fairest in the land. It’s no wonder that she’d have enemies.”

Going by your dream, you didn’t know if Epel meant the Queen or the girl.

You frowned, confused, but before you could say anything, your phone’s timer went off. Epel’s eyes widened, and you both yelled, “THE POTION!”

Abandoning the room, the two of you raced up the steps and through the halls, until you barreled into the labs again. Thankfully, the potion was still in good condition, and you were able to bottle it for tomorrow’s alchemy class.

As you and Epel began to unwind after your initial panic, your mind drifted back to the room and your dream.

This couldn’t be a coincidence. Everything you’d encountered lately, from overblots to dreams to premonition dazes, couldn’t have been mere happenstance. And Epel finding that room, the exact room, in your dream mere months ago?

It was time you took measures into your own hands.

——

These chapters are getting longer and longer each time, I don’t want them to run too long but here’s the third part!

Next up is a Neige chapt I thought of at 3am. I want to do the other dorms too, lmk if there’s anyone you’d like to see :D

Ngl I didn’t think this would be as popular as it is, but I’m really happy that you all seem to like it!! Hopefully next part will be up soon, thanks for reading this far <3 I appreciate it literally so much

[ask-elland-n-will]

To the badge-less prefect,

Ah-ha ha! I had your badge all along and thought I’d put you to a test as I couldn’t help but overhear your boasting atop a box of your so-called ‘unmatched’ Seeker skills.

I’ve stuck it to one of two snitches and unleashed them in the school entrance gardens! But be warned, a mini dung bomb is strapped to the other!

Now let’s see how good a Seeker you really are!

HA HA HA HA HA!

- Also sorry -

The letter didn’t contain a name of the sender but there’s no mistake who this sassy owl belongs to. Did it just do an eye roll? Is it even possible? This one certainly seemed to before it flew off

William is no stranger to questionably-looking owls crossing his path, but only a few of them are sassy enough to roll their eyes at him. Or at the very least do an owl equivalent of such a motion. The urge to childishly stick his tongue out was strong but he was a polite young man. He wouldn't do it with other students walking around. He would wait for when he's alone with Elland or Allegra and THEN complain about it.

Will frowned and examined the letter. There better not be any pixie dust in this one — the inside of his bag was still sparking because of the last letter Asani sent him. He shakes the envelope and opens it very slowly. Well, well, well, he was RIGHT about the owl at least.

Boasting, he?! Rightfully so, he IS a great Seeker! No matter what Anderson says, Imelda will set this right eventually! What is this, a challenge? Oh, wait, it is… He tied a WHAT to the snitch?!

The prefect gasps out loud and stands up from his seat. What kind of test even is this, apart from it bein an unsanctioned one? How would the culprit even know that Will did it? Nevermind that, a mini mung bomb! What if somebody gets hurt by accident, where did that student even get two snitches! He better not have stolen them from the practice chest on the pitch. Oh, Will will be checking that shortly.

After a quick glance at the clock (he has 2 hours left before his extracurricular), Will packs his things and changes into his old Quidditch gear.

The next time the new fifth-year sees William is by the greenhouses before the Herbology class. The prefect sports a pretty bubble-head charm reminiscent of a soap bubble. There is something shimmering in both of his hands but only upon closer inspection and the fluttering of golden wings does it become clear what.

"Hey, fifth-year! Fancy I ran into you!" exclaims Will cheerfully.

Truth be told, he knew the boy would be here as the prefect has been long aware of his schedule. Will wraps his arm around Fifth's shoulders, and the reason behind the bubblehead charm becomes clear. Will smiles the most pleasant smile and pushes something into the other boy's chest, patting it with his Seeker glove a few times, making the SMELL come to the NFY in waves more pungent than what Will's uniform was giving off.

"Pretty neat, isn't it? Somebody thought to CHALLENGE me by setting a couple of snitches free. Ha! Anyway, I could've sworn you're collecting snitches, take this one as a gift! There was something tied to it but I for the love of Merlin do not remember what. Oh well. Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Extra: If the NFY makes a face at the smell, Will chuckles and comments on it: "Is something the matter? Oh, look, your class is beginning, better hurry now!"

[wolfstarmicrofic]

November Prompts

Gather round for Wolfstar season, friends! We're taking you to all your favorite Hotwarts places this November, but don't get caught out after hours! Grab your invisibility cloak, and get ready to explore the castle and grounds with us.

Don't forget to grab the Marauder's Map, solemnly swear you're up to no good, pick a word, get inspired, write a fic, and don’t forget to Keep it Mini! Tag us, and we’ll reblog it for you.

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Mischief Managed!

Love from your Wolfstar obsessed mods! 🐺⭐️

1 Great Hall

2 The Room of Requirement

3 Forbidden Forest

4 Hagrid's Hut

5 Three Broomsticks

6 The Cave in Hogsmeade

7 The Quidditch Lockerroom

8 Trophy Room

9 History of Magic Classroom

10 Madam Puddifoot's

11 Zonko's Joke Shop

12 Moving Staircase

13 On the Grounds

14 The Hog's Head

15 Pumpkin Patch

16 Hospital Wing

17 Dumbledore's Office

18 The Shrieking Shack

19 Astronomy Tower

20 Transfiguration Classroom

21 The Tunnel to Hogsmeade

22 The Prefect's Bathroom

23 The Dorm Room

24 The Black Lake

25 Gryffindor Common Room

26 Potions Dungeon

27 The Quidditch Pitch

28 A Broom Closet

29 Hogwarts Library

30 Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom

[drarryspecificrecsdaily]

2024.04.28

Complete fics posted on AO3 this day

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Ft: Draco Malfoy) by sailortzu [G, 39k]

►What if Draco were to meet Harry again on the Hogwarts Express?

2. Within the Hollow Crown by @into-the-midst [M, 114k]

►Lucius failed at the Ministry, and Draco is sent to Hogwarts with a cryptic warning that he will be tasked with an unknown mission. He expects to spend his sixth year on prefect rounds with Pansy and finally beating Potter on the Quidditch Pitch. He never expected his new roommate to be Voldemort himself, or that Voldemort's obsession with trophies would apply to him.

[mia-does-nonsense]

Walkis Gang Headcanons - Charles Contini:

Warnings: None; Some slight manga spoilers

Being the only third year and the oldest out of the Walkis gang, Charles is the closest thing to a Responsible Adult™ this motley crew of madlads have. He has definitely looked at his juniors and thought, "Wow, thank god I'm the only normal person here" (No, Charles, no you're not).

Charles had probably one of the happiest childhoods out of the whole gang, because like I said before, most noble families (+ Innocent Zero) are shit at raising their kids. It wasn't 100% that great at first because Charles' father was a dick to Charles and his mom, until Mama Contini had enough and divorced her husband when Charles was still a little kid.

Honestly, shoutout to Mama Contini. One of the few good parents in the upper crust of magic society, and the one who introduced painting to Charles. Her only fault is that she coddles him a bit too much despite him being literally eighteen.

Mama Contini didn't raise no fool, though, because any household chore that needs to be done, Charles does it without being told to and without complaints. He finds it preposterous that there's guys his age and older who don't know shit about cooking, doing their own laundry, or cleaning up after themselves.

Whenever Charles visits his juniors in their dorms, 7 times out of 10 he gets an aneurysm because of how disorganized they are ("Do you make your mothers clean up after you at home, you pigs?!"), and kicks them out of their own rooms so that he can clean the place up from top to bottom. Galuf and Malcolm are the biggest offenders.

GREAT with kids. If anyone at Walkis needs someone to babysit their little siblings, Charles is their guy.

In terms of his magic ability, Charles is strong enough to have a Secondths. He just didn't get a chance to use it during the Tri-Magicathalon because 1) the rules of the Whack-a Mole room prevented him and Lance from directly attacking each other and 2) he underestimated Lance that badly. (I have no idea what his Secondths could be though 😭)

His personal magic, Vorp, currently has a distance limit. Charles can portal himself to anywhere in Walkis and is therefore never late to his classes, but he can't, for instance, create an effective portal connecting his dorm at Walkis to his mom's house. He's working on being able to travel longer distances via portals and is also trying to expand the size of his portals.

He has definitely jump-scared people by suddenly appearing behind them. Even though it's mostly by accident, almost the entire Walkis gang thinks he does it on purpose, and Charles at this point is too tired to correct them. The first time Charles accidentally portaled behind Galuf, Galuf let out a high-pitched scream, and no one has let him forget it since.

I have nothing to back this up, but Charles gives me dorm prefect vibes.

Charles is, in general, a pretty cheerful guy; you just can't tell at first though because his default expression makes him look bored to death at everyone and everything.

An absolute crybaby when he was in middle school at Walkis. It was his first time away from his mom, and the rabbiphone wasn't invented yet, so the homesickness hit him like a truck every damn day for like about a year.

The rest of the Walkis gang is pretty certain that Charles has some sort of pocket dimension in his, well, pockets because whenever someone needs something, Charles always comes in clutch with that exact thing. Galuf's dry eyes? Charles always has eyedrops at the ready. Levis, Lovie, and Domina's hair keeps getting in their way? Charles' got so many hair ties, it's ridiculous. Kenny's feeling more chilly than usual? Charles is already pulling out a handmade scarf. Anyone sneezed? Not to worry, Charles has spare handkerchiefs. And of course, there's his rabbiphone.

If there's anyone from Easton that Charles would actually get along with, it would be Margarette because they both have 'maternal instincts'. Listen, just imagine these two having brunch and gossiping about the shenanigans their rowdy kids juniors get into at their schools. Heck, they'd probably try to out-mother each other like it's some competition.

For the love of god, do NOT leave Charles alone in the same room with Lance ever. They will throw hands (wands?) at the slightest provocation. Charles is incapable of withholding snide remarks, Lance's Divine Visionary status be damned, and Lance won't hesitate to put him in his place. The siscon vs mama's boy beef is eternal.

[shitakimooshrooms]

since I’m feeling like talking about Percy Weasley, here are some of my headcanons about his year/friends.

- There had originally been more kids in the year but most of them were muggle born or half bloods who grew up in the muggle world

- all the half blood and muggle born kids left part way through the first year aside from Oliver Wood and Penelope Clearwater, as well as the muggle born Audrey Westwind

- some more on Audrey; yes she is supposed to be the same Audrey that Percy canonically marries. Since we don’t know her maiden name I decided on Westwind to keep with the ‘w’ name. I made her a muggle born because the fandom wiki puts her as a muggle so she’s a muggle born witch.

- Percy befriend Audrey, Oliver, Penelope, and Marcus on the train to hogwarts as they all shared a compartment on the train.

- I am deciding that Marcus is indeed a pure blood for this though I don’t know if the Flints are part of the pristine 28. If not then we will say that a few generations ago his (however many) great grandparents who were both from pure blood families realized they wouldn’t be getting inheritance so created a new family and have still been intermarrying but now is a new one. Idk though.

- When they get to hogwarts they all get sorted into different houses(Marcus in slytherin, Penelope in ravenclaw, Audrey in hufflepuff, and Percy and Oliver in gryffindor)

- after all the muggle borns and half bloods drop out Dumbledore decided that the five of them can go to any of the common rooms to hang out so that they have friends their age

- in their second year Oliver, Marcus, and Audrey join their respective quidditch teams

- Audrey made the hufflepuff team as a beater and during her first game which was against gryffindor which was also Oliver’s first game, she somehow managed to hit him with the bludger within the first 2 minutes.(this is a canon thing to happen to Oliver)

- Oliver is out for a full week and the whole group spends all their free time in the hospital wing with him

- during this time is also when the rests of the group meets Percy’s older brothers Bill and Charlie who come to check on Oliver and also make sure Percy is ok

- Bill then graduated

- charlie still sorta floats with the group and sometimes tags along to make sure Percy is ok

- Audrey befriends a first year hufflepuff by the name of Cedric and he starts tagging along with the group

- In their third year Penelope befriends a first year ravenclaw named Cho

- During this time they also have a camaraderie with two gryffindor first years who just so happen to be Percy’s younger brothers Fred and George Weasley

- in their fourth year any camaraderie that Marcus and Audrey had with the twins was gone due to immense rivalry on the quidditch pitch. While the twins now have an immense hatred for those two, they are have a more friendly rivalry with Cho and Cedric

- the twins pranked the whole group quite a lot

- charlie then graduated

- in their fifth year they meet Ron, Percy’s youngest brother, as well as Harry Potter.

- they each (minus Oliver) become prefects of their respective houses as they are the only options (yes I have decided Marcus is also a prefect for plot reasons)

- Percy has the same kind of light camaraderie with Harry as his friends had with the twins.

- Oliver becomes a mentor to Harry, while Audrey, Cedric and Marcus become rivals. Harry doesn’t meet Penelope that year. Though he does meet Cho and starts to have a very obvious crush on her

now at this point the story can split in one of three ways, so I’m taking the polyamorous route right now but under maybe eventually there will be the more canon route as well as the route where Percy and Oliver get together

- Percy and Penelope start flirting with each other, which kinda throws off the group

- After a slight confrontation between Oliver and Percy the two realize that they like each other, which gets more complicated when Marcus reveals to Oliver that he likes him

- Audrey also makes a love confession to Penelope and after the five of them have a sit down and talk about their feelings they all realize that they like the idea of being in a romantic relationship with everyone in the group, so they secretly become polyamorous

- in public Percy and Penelope are dating as they really are the most showy and romantic out of the group and also are the ones who can truly be seen as a romantic couple through those affections.

- obviously the whole philosophers stone thing happens but that doesn’t really affect any of them. Did I put Percy and Audrey getting together a little early? Maybe. But they aren’t really fully public yet and just seen as most definitely flirting.

- In their sixth year they meet Percy’s little sister Ginny. Part way through the year she starts acting weird and everyone in their group is worried for her.

- Cedric becomes a prefect for hufflepuff

- almost immediately after Penelope and Percy become a public couple, Cho and Cedric corner the group and basically tell them they know they are polyamorous and they want in.

- its a little awkward with Cho Chang being 2 years younger, but they don’t want her to be left out and she and Cedric are publicly dating by that point so they let her in.

- She and Cedric aren’t really the most involved with the rest of them but they enjoy the group and didn’t want to be left out.

- when the chamber of secrets is open they walk in pairs (minus Marcus who walks with the his fellow prefect the year below him)(Oliver gets away with walking with Percy due to him being Percy’s roommate. Somehow that’s allowed.) (if it wasn’t obvious I made them all prefects so Audrey and Cedric could ‘patrol’ together) (also same thing with Cho as with Oliver, so she and Penelope ‘patrol’ together)

- Marcus, Audrey, Cho, Cedric, and Oliver all get really upset when quidditch gets canceled that year.

- in their seventh year shit gets Sirius. Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and the whole school is on edge.

- Cho becomes a prefect for Ravenclaw

- Cho, Marcus, Cedric, Audrey, and Oliver are all way too happy when quidditch isn’t cancelled that year.

- The only real change was that Percy became Head Boy, while Penelope and Audrey became Head Girls

- oh and also they each have to go to therapy after Ron reveals that Scabbers was actually an illegal animagus. So much therapy.

- after they graduate, Percy works for the ministry, Penelope works at St. Mungo’s, Oliver plays for Puddlemere United, Marcus plays for the Kenmare Kestrels, and Audrey plays for the Montrose Magpies

- the whole group ended up going to the Quidditch World Cup (qwc) in 1994

- At the qwc, they met Bulgarian quidditch star Viktor Krum. They immediately befriend him and after the dark mark was released, he spent time with the group and ended up joining the polycule.

- Cedric and Viktor both become triwizard champions and Percy someone convinces the ministry to allow him to be part of the committee or whatever ran the tri wizard tournament.

- Percy befriends all the champions and helps Fleur get in contact with Bill

- at the Yule ball Cedric takes Cho, Viktor takes Fleur because they actually have a good healthy friendship in this and we don't need to involve weird age gaps, the golden trio go together as friends(and since Harry needs to dance with someone he dances with Ron), and then Penny goes with Percy.

- Cedric DOESN’T die because he actually knows how to apparate because look at this group, you think they don’t all know how to apparate? Anyways Voldy does still come back because Harry got nicked before getting ahold of the cup.

- Cho, Cedric, and Viktor all also become pro quidditch players. Cho joins the Chudley Cannons, Cedric joins the Kenmare Kestrels, and Viktor continues playing for whatever the Bulgaria team is called.

- After that I honestly have no clue as I never actually read the books after that. Maybe post war Percy and Audrey have Molly II and Lucy, but Audrey, Oliver, Cho, Viktor, Cedric, and Marcus continue their careers. Cho and Cedric also have a boy named something like Reggy(short for Reginald). Idk everyone lives/nobody dies and we have the daughters and son being raised by their 5 dads and 3 moms. I honestly don’t know how to end this.

[lifeofkaze]

Bright Moon Above

A/N: I swear to God, I'm never doing a mirror scene again... ever. This story is for @hphm-ship-week Day 2, using the prompt "First Kiss." Mirror to his mirror can be found here.

Silence embraced him as Orion stepped from the bustling post-match party going down in the Hufflepuff common room. He commended the spirit of his house, joining together to celebrate their team’s spectacular win earlier in the day, but for all the joy they had been met with, it was the stillness of his mind Orion was really longing for. 

That, and something else.

He’d been watching Lizzie for the better part of the evening, both wanting to share her company and strangely reluctant to go near her. It was just as well. Observing her among the people she loved, elevated by the glow of the adoration she so justly deserved - not only because of the fantastic match she’d played but because of who she was - was enough to bring a smile to his face, to make his heart leap with every laugh of hers carrying over the music to his ear.

Yes, this was another reason he had been eager to leave.

Frustrated, Orion sighed as he made his way towards the stairs leading to the ground level of the castle. There had been a lot of back and forth between him and Lizzie lately, many things he shouldn’t have said or done. His thoughts were constantly revolving around her, like moons around their fixed star - always circling, never near, doomed to live in the shadow of the very thing they gravitated towards the most. 

He sighed again. Maybe what Skye had said about them the other day was true, maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t know and was too afraid to pursue even the idea of it. What would it mean there was more between them than either of them wanted to let on? For himself, for his team? And most of all, for their friendship?

The sound of quick footsteps behind him made Orion pause. His heart began to beat faster. Waiting for the steps to catch up with him, he told himself that it could be anyone - a prefect even, which would get him into all sorts of trouble - but deep down he knew who those steps belonged to. 

When Lizzie rounded the corner and set her eyes on him, his lips curved into the same smile that was blossoming on her face. “Tired of the party already?” 

Lizzie laughed quietly, a sound like water running over smooth stones. “Same as you, apparently. Where are you going?”

“I don’t care much for huge parties with so many people,” Orion admitted. Preferring the company of a few friends to many, he’d occupied himself with Murphy McNully for a while, but when his quick-mouthed friend had found another source of divergence for the evening, Orion had gladly abandoned him to her.

Lizzie looked at him questioningly, breaking him from the thoughts revolving around Murphy and one of Ravenclaw’s Beaters. “So, what are you going to do now?”

 He shrugged. “I’m going to seek respite from the crowd in my favourite place.”

“The Quidditch pitch?”

“My second favourite place then,” Orion chuckled; she knew him too well. Pushing himself off the wall, he took the first couple of steps, then turned back to her again with a smirk. “Are you coming or not?”

Lizzie was by his side immediately. Together they climbed the steps to the ground level and then further on, higher and higher, always checking if the path was clear from professors, prefects and (maybe most importantly) Peeves the poltergeist. Neither of them spoke as they wandered the castle’s corridors and they didn’t need to; the silence between them was comfortable, Lizzie’s company as familiar to Orion as his very own. The sun outside had set, and aside from a couple of torches and candles flickering in their holders, the school had gone dark. Orion was glad that he knew where he was going, for he sure didn’t pay his steps much mind. It had been some time since he and Lizzie had spent so much time together one-on-one, and the longer she was walking by his side, the harder he found it to focus on their surroundings. The darkness had brought her close, so close that she was brushing against his arm every now and again. She had just said something to him but Orion wasn’t sure what; the way she spoke was too distracting for him to listen properly, as was the smile playing around her lips, the echo of it was reflected in her eyes.

They soon reached the grand stairwell traversing the castle from top to bottom. Lizzie was still talking when she stepped onto the staircase that had swung their way when Orion saw it - a light, bright like a star, piercing the darkness on the far side of the landing. A lantern.

“Who goes there?” The lantern was raised higher, turning the weathered face of caretaker Argus Filch into a sneering landscape of light and shadow. “Hey you, stop!”

Without thinking, Orion grabbed Lizzie’s hand and pulled her down from the staircase and back into a corridor branching off the great stairwell. Together they dashed away, up and down spiral staircases, through corridors and across abandoned hallways. They must have lost Filch some time ago but still they kept running, spurred on by each other and the adrenaline traversing their bodies.

Despite their mad dash, Orion did his best to keep his orientation, and soon the passage opened into a perfectly round room of sand-coloured flagstone. From its centre, a wrought iron staircase rose upwards, spiralling around its axis until it was lost in the darkness above. It was on its lowest step that Lizzie finally collapsed, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Struggling to catch his breath himself, Orion caught her eye and, simultaneously, they burst into laughter. 

“The Astronomy Tower, huh?” Lizzie said after she had regained her composure.

“Where better to be one with the universe than beneath the starry sky?” 

Tilting her head to look upwards, a slender beam of moonlight found its way from a small window in the tower wall and caught in Lizzie’s hair, caressing the curve of her neck. Orion forced himself to look away but it was no use. As he set foot onto the staircase and offered Lizzie his hand, and she laced her fingers through his, his heart beat as rapidly again as it had during their race through the castle. 

Upon reaching the top, Lizzie let go of him and wandered toward the star-lit platform surrounding the tower. Orion didn’t look at her as he leaned against the railing next to her, even though he knew she was watching him. Instead, he turned his eyes skywards, to the inky vastness dotted with silver. The stars had never failed him before. They would lead him now as well.

“So this is your favourite place in the castle?” Lizzie asked.

Orion nodded. “It’s the most peaceful place I know.” 

She didn’t reply, merely turning away and letting her eyes trail the firmament. They stood like this for some time without speaking, watching the earth, sky and anything but each other. The little room where their shoulders were almost touching had become tangible, as if the starlight had spun invisible threads of energy there that were pulling him towards her, body, mind and soul. Orion was used to trusting his instincts, believing that the universe would guide him where he needed to go, but with Lizzie, it was different. When she was near, everything else was wiped away. With her, all that mattered was the moment she was by his side, all that occupied his mind what she said, thought, felt, could possibly feel. He didn’t know. He had known once, or at least he had thought so. Now, he knew nothing anymore.

The night air, which had been cool to begin with, seemed to grow even chillier as a breeze swished over the platform, carrying with it the scent of wood, grass, and dew. Earlier, Orion had shrugged out of his coat and offered it to Lizzie, who - despite her claiming otherwise - had begun to shiver. Now, goosebumps were covering the backs of his arms but the cold air brushing over his skin helped ground his fluttery thoughts. When they wandered to places full of doubt and worry, the sharp bite of the wind pulled him back to where he had much better employ his focus - the present. Eventually, he took heart and turned to Lizzie. 

“Do you know why I like to come here?” 

“You like stargazing?”

A smile was playing around her lips but Orion remained serious. “Yes. The stars have a way of revealing your true self, if you know how to read them.”

Lizzie looked surprised. “You’re talking about astrology.”

He nodded. “I don’t know much about my past but the stars have taught me more about myself than I ever thought possible.” Lizzie gave him a wry response that made him laugh. “You don’t believe in it?” 

“Not really.”

“Why do you never take off your necklace then?”

His eyes dropped to where Lizzie’s hand had flown, right beneath the dip in her throat. She closed her fingers around the yellow topaz he had given her for her birthday, toying with the tiny pendant, not meeting his eye.

“I don’t know,” she said after a while. “It comforts me knowing it’s there.”

“That’s what birthstones are supposed to do.”

He touched the pendant of his own necklace, like he had done more times than he could remember. Twirling the silvery stone attached to it this way and that, a wave of calm washed over him. The waters of his fleeting peace rippled, however, when Lizzie reached out to take the stone from his hand to inspect it more closely. Her hand was cold but where it brushed against his, Orion’s skin was burning.

“Is this your birthstone?”

“Not mine,” said Orion quietly, waiting for the familiar surge of sadness, of longing, to pass. “It belonged to my mother. It gives me comfort when I feel unsettled. That’s how I came up with the idea for yours.”

Lizzie had gone still next to him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Orion shook his head. “All of this shaped me into who I am, and I wouldn’t want to change that. I know who I  am, even though it’s a truth I cannot share with many people.” 

The words were out before he could stop them. He’d never asked for pity, preferring to find solace in the inevitableness and purpose of any situation the universe seemed fit to challenge him with. But here, high above the world with no one but Lizzie and the star-dotted sky by his side, his innermost thoughts  were bubbling to the surface, longing to step forward and be heard, even just this once. 

“I never noticed,” Lizzie said, blissfully unaware at how open his heart was lying right in front of her. “To me, you’re always acting the same. Maybe you’re a little more direct when you’re around friends, but that’s about it.”

“Masking what you want to say behind words helps figuring out who really wants to listen. To most, I am merely the eccentric captain of our Quidditch team. They don’t see beyond what they expect, so in turn, it is all which I am ready to show them. With you, it’s different. You listen to what I have to say. With you, I can be truly honest.” 

Lizzie froze. She let go of his necklace and turned away, wringing her hands.

“Sometimes I wonder if it’s good to dig too deep,” she said quietly. “You might not like everything you find out about yourself.”

It had been bothering him, the change he’d witnessed in her this year. Trust was a flower, grown from constant care and nourishment, but even the most hardy plant needed fertile ground to thrive. As her friend, it was his duty to offer her a place to rest, provide her worries with a soil that would transform them into something beautiful, should she wish it so.

“Some things do remain mysteries to us,” he consequently said. “I don’t know what you’re running from, Lizzie. But I want you to know that you can always trust me if you need someone to share your burden.”

For a long moment, Lizzie remained silent. She had trouble keeping control of her features, Orion could tell, but there were so many things fighting each other in her eyes that it made it equally hard for him to watch her struggle than it was to look away. She opened her mouth but didn't speak. Instead, she reached out and lightly placed her hand on his, her voice a constricted whisper.

“I know.”

Orion waited a moment longer in case she wanted to say more. When she didn’t, he let it go. If she wasn’t ready, or if it wasn’t him she wanted to confide in, he would have to accept that, as much as it stung. Trust was a gift granted, not a debt to be claimed. 

“It’s lucky the moon isn’t full tonight, don’t you think?” he said, as much to change the topic as to distract himself from the surge that shot through him when Lizzie laced her fingers through his again. “You can see every star in the Leo constellation.”

“Can you?”

Orion turned his head, trying to take her measure. As captain of the Quidditch team, Professor Sprout kept him updated on the scores of his players. Lizzie was good at Astronomy; not exceptional, but certainly  good enough.

“You don’t see it?”

Much to his surprise, Lizzie shook her head. “I don’t.” 

“Well then.” 

He moved away from the railing to step behind her. Hesitating briefly, he wrapped his arm around her waist, closing what little distance had remained between them. His heartbeat picked up when she leaned against him, head resting in the spot where his shoulder met his neck, and placed her hand on the arm he was holding her with.

“See? There,” Orion murmured, barely able to focus. He pointed at a cluster of four stars forming a jagged vertical line. “The legs of Leo. From there to the side you can see Denebola, the second brightest star of the constellation. Work your way in the other direction, along its spine, to Algieba, which forms part of the Sickle, head and chest of the mighty lion.”

He moved his arm as he explained the glittering stars above their heads, all the while enjoying the way Lizzie’s hair brushed against his skin. The motions of her head were minuscule as she followed his directions, but every move of hers sent a pleasant jolt through him.

Eventually, he pointed at the final star - Regulus, the lion’s heart - which he had purposefully saved for last.

“Even though it is the brightest of them all, the light of the moon still eclipses it. That’s why we’re lucky the moon isn’t full tonight. On a night like this, you can see straight to the heart.” Aware of the goosebumps on the side of her neck, he murmured into her ear, “But I believe you know that very well.” 

The movement of her fingers ceased. For a moment, everything did; the wind, the turning of the stars, the rise and fall of her chest, the beating of Orion’s heart. 

Then, Lizzie turned in his arms and her eyes found his. He held his breath as she parted her lips, her eyes dropping to his mouth. She raised a hand and placed it against his cheek in a touch as light as the wind that brushed around them, stirring their hair and caressing their skin as tenderly as lovers would. Her hand was cold to the touch but it didn’t matter; the heat spreading from his chest was enough to warm him as Lizzie rose onto her tiptoes and he closed his eyes, losing himself in the softness of her mouth as her lips grazed his.

Everything around them was forgotten. They could have stood on the highest peak or in the deepest pit in the centre of the Earth, the sky could have shattered into glittering shards and rained down on them and Orion wouldn’t have cared. Lizzie’s lips against his were all that remained, all that mattered. She was pervading every last one of his senses and he let her do so gladly. The scent of her perfume - jasmine and mint, a combination as unlikely and singular as herself - was clouding his mind, sharp and fresh, underlaid with the earthy warmness rising from his coat around her shoulders. Her lips tasted like cherries - of course they did - courtesy of the lip balm she always used, the one giving them the enticing red tint Orion had so often found hard to look away from. Touch, hearing, sight, he didn’t know where to put his attention first, being constantly drawn back to the point where their lips connected, where their breaths mingled, two spirits moulded into one beneath the starbright sky. 

Eventually, they broke apart, both their breaths coming heavily. There were no smiles anymore as they locked eyes again, just a mutual understanding, a need, that made Orion pull her in again. She flooded him, the entirety of her, a tidal wave which he was happy to meet face on and be washed away by it. His hand wandered from her neck into her hair, tangling in her locks as she moved closer until her body was flush against his. Lizzie shivered, almost imperceptibly so, and Orion was brought back to his senses, ready to stem the tide at a moment’s notice, when a sharp sensation in his lower lip made him pause. Surprised he pulled away but the corners of Lizzie’s mouth rose into a smile that matched the challenge in her eye. 

“Anything wrong, Captain?” 

Her eyes were captivating, mercilessly putting him under her spell. Their lips met again, a desperate edge to their kiss this time. Pushing herself onto the ledge behind her, Lizzie wrapped her legs around his midsection as he stepped into her. They were only inches away from the perilous drop into nothingness but they were too intoxicated with each other to even notice. In this moment, they were flying.

They were still kissing, Orion’s hands on Lizzie’s waist holding her steady, hers roaming, fingers raking through his hair, when…

“Get your hands off each other this instant!”

The fire that had burned between them just a moment ago went out, doused by the rigidness that suddenly got hold of Lizzie’s body. She firmly pushed him away and scrambled off the parapet. It was like he had ceased to exist, all her attention focused on the person who had come up the tower steps unnoticed. Following Lizzie’s wide eyes, Orion saw why.

Whom he had thought to be a random prefect controlling the castle was truly Rowan Khanna, the friend Lizzie was rarely seen without. Rowan’s eyes were fixed on Lizzie with a look in them Orion couldn’t read. A tremor went through her and she shook her head, slowly backing away. Then she turned and dashed back towards the staircase. 

“Rowan, wait!”

Lizzie set after her friend, dipping from the silver light of the platform back into the shadow of the Astronomy Tower. Orion followed them more slowly, unsure what was going on or whether the heated exchange between Rowan and Lizzie by the landing was for him to hear. All that he knew was that Rowan sounded agitated, and Lizzie desperate.

“Rowan, you need to calm down,” he said when he reached them, making his words as calm as possible. “I’m sure we can clear this misunderstanding together.” 

Rowan looked like he had lost his mind.

“Misunderstanding?” she barked with a laugh that sounded entirely unlike her. “The only misunderstanding here is that I thought Lizzie was my friend when in truth, she’s nothing but a liar. Did you never wonder why we wanted you to be our tutor when neither of us needed it, Orion? The truth is, it was a lie, a ruse, and nothing else. The truth is, our dear Lizzie can’t handle it when all attention isn’t on her.”

Orion didn’t understand what was going on but he had no time to sort his thoughts. The pain in her voice mirrored on her face, Rowan jerked away from Lizzie’s outstretched hand and drew her wand.

“Flipendo!” A pang cut through the night as Lizzie stumbled backwards, hitting the flagstone floor without uttering a sound. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Rowan whirled around and bounded down the steps until she was out of sight.  

On the floor, Lizzie was struggling to get to her feet. Within a heartbeat Orion was by her side. When he placed a hand against her cheek, willing her to focus on him, her skin was cold to the touch.

“Are you okay?”

Wordlessly, Lizzie shook her head. Her eyes found his, only for a moment, before something shattered in them and she averted her face, turned her entire body away from him. A sob racked her frame and then another and another as her tears began to fall. 

Orion tried again but she refused to talk to him, to talk at all. Not wanting to press here when she was so distressed he let her be. All he could do was kneel by her side and watch her cry, feeling numb, confused and farther away from her than ever before. 

[mariamermaid]

Joelle, Chapter 2

Summary: Joelle Coleman lived, since she could remember, in the circus. In the year 1936 there was a time, where the circus la d'or rosé came to New York, where it pitched its tents and planned on staying there over the winter break. For exactly three months Jo would stay in New York and go hunt her little adventures. The winter of 1936 in New York changes everything and her fate becomes entangled with that of the so-called Winter Soldier.

Words: 1.4k

Warning: Swearing, Alcohol

Masterlist

16th November, 1936

In the night it had snowed and big flakes were still falling from the grey sky. Steve's apartment didn't feel like being warmer than outside and when he dragged himself into his kitchen, he realized that there was draught. He found it's source in the bathroom where the window was opened. Confused he closed the window and returned to the kitchen, where he wanted to grab his already made coffee. But when snatching the mug, he grasped at nothing. Multiple times he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, maybe he wasn't awake yet. But then suddenly there echoed a quiet melody from the living room. Steve couldn't believe his ears, but there was one of his records playing. Scared he grabbed a pan and followed the music. 

"What do you want with that pan?" In front of the record player stood Joelle, a mug with coffee in her right hand and in the left a cover from a record. Without looking up again she sipped at the coffee. Slowly Steve let the pan glide down his side. 

"What are you doing here?" he looked at his clock, 7am. Her hair was still prefect in place and Steve asked himself how she could look so awake at a so early time. Joelle scurried and went back to the kitchen. When walking past Steve, he caught the smell of her perfume and alcohol. An unusual mix, decent and not too intrusive, that reminded Steve of adventures. She put down her mug and looked into the fridge. 

"You don't have anything to eat here?" The fridge was disappointing empty and Joelle sighed. "Well, then we'll go with an empty stomach." First Steve wanted to ask questions, but then he gave up. She wouldn't answer him anyway. Five minutes later Steve was finally dressed and Jo was impatiently waiting for him. She threw his coat over to him and before he was able to put it on, she walked through his door. When running down the old metal stairs after Jo, Steve realized that she wasn't wearing a dress anymore. Instead of a dress she wore a pair of brown pants and of course a tightly wrapped coat around her waist. On her head leaned a beret and Steve recognized the wisp of French in her. She didn't wear shoes with a heel, which allowed her to hurry through the streets. 

"Where are we going?" 

"You should know where your best friend is living." Three minutes later they stood in front of Buckys door waiting. Jo knocked again, no sign of opening. 

"Does he have a fire ladder?" Joelle asked and Steve thought for a moment, but then shook his head. She sighed and knocked again, this time harder and louder, once, twice. Finally, they could hear slurping footsteps and a sleepy Bucky in a dressing gown opened the door. His sleepy eyes starred at Steve and Jo, but he wasn't able to form one word. 

"What is it, James? You wanna stare at us all morning?" Bucky kept a straight face and he looked befuddled at them. Jo clapped her hands right in front of his face and he flinched at the loud sound. "Go and get dressed."

Bucky didn't take long to get dressed and the moment he left his apartment, Jo was already five steps ahead. 

"What happened?" Bucky asked his friends, while they were still behind. Steve shrugged. 

"I know as much as you do, pal." Brooklyn's street were awaking slowly and within a few steps, Bucky was next to Jo. 

"Where are we going?" But in this very moment, she abruptly stopped and Steve almost ran into her. They stood before a building the two boys knew very well. The brothers Johnson lived there. Since the beginning of time the brothers had terrorized and bullied Steve and Bucky and the four of them were involved in more than just one fight. 

"Your two friends flooded a whole tent last night and then stole two horses." 

"They're not our friends." Steve muttered. Bucky ignored him. 

"Why would they do that?" For a second Jo bit her lip, then she looked grinning to the ground. "Maybe a girl won against them in a few games." Bucky felt his heart ache a little, the thought that those two morons even trying to talk to a girl like Joelle made him sick. Or maybe it made him sick that she allowed them to talk to her? 

"What kind of games?" Bucky asked his jaw clenching. 

"Just some little games in a pub, calm down." 

"And what now?" Jo snapped her head in Bucky's and Steve's direction. 

"What is wrong with you?" She asked almost furiously but in the next second she smiled again. "We're playing a prank on them to get revenge, duh?" 

A small break. "And because they messed with me it will be a masterstroke. Oh, and we need to get back those horses."

-20 minutes later-

"In what kind of trouble did she get us into?!" Steve asked while sliding over the icy ground and ducking from yet another snowball. Bucky nodded in agreement. "That was not the plan!" "Where is Jo?" Bucky asked and together they turned a corner. In front of them laid now a big junction. A snowball almost hit Bucky and he jumped in surprise. They both searched the junction, they were supposed to meet Joelle there. 

Then Bucky suddenly grabbed Steve's shoulder and his other hand pointed to a building on the other side of the crossing. It was a rather new building and a scaffold was built around it. On the third floor of the scaffold stood the young woman, a tall man next to her. By his posture it was probably Gustav or some other man from the circus who performed acts by lifting heavy things. A snowball landed dangerously close to Steve and Bucky grabbed him to run over the crossing with him. They stopped the traffic and many cars honked and drivers angrily screamed at them, but they didn't even bother to look back. While the brothers Johnson appeared and followed them, Bucky's glaze followed Joelle. Around the scaffold was a rope which lead to the ground. Hidden in the snow he could make out a loop. Now he understood.

He exchanged looks with Steve, who had seen the rope as well and they nodded in agreement. Finally, reaching the other side they made a big jump over them loop and then stopped after a few feet. They turned around and saw the brothers running to them. Steve and Bucky smiled at them innocently. "Now you're done!" One of the brothers screamed threatening. Then they both stepped inside the loop and Gustav jumped down, the rope tightly holding. The loop closed around their feet and within a second, they were hanging upside down. Steve and Bucky laughed and Joelle climbed down, joining them. "Well that happens when you mess with me!" She grinned at them triumphantly and even Gustav had a small smile hiding under his thick beard. Many people around on their way to work stopped, laughing at the two. Most of them knew the brothers and clapped in recognition. 

"Where are the horses?" Jo asked, her voice now being serious. The brothers were dangling and every little gust, made them dangle more. "They're in a workshop down 46th street. Please let us down." Jo looked over to Steve and Bucky. 

"What do you think boys? Should we disturb them while hanging out so casually or should we let them chill a little more?" Bucky made a thinking pose. "I think they look pretty good up there, let's better not disturb them." Steve nodded and together they left the crossing, letting people stare and laugh at the brothers.

"Do you know where the workshop is?" Joelle asked, the boys nodded. She and Gustav followed them and after a 15-minute walk, they arrived. The front door had sign that said: closed, but Jo wasn't deterred. She crouched down, took two pins out of her hair and started fumbling in the lock. Not much time passed and the lock made a clicking sound and the door got opened. The two horses were tied in between all kinds of tools and implements. Gustav and Jo immediately untied them and calmed them down. When they left the workshop, Jo looked at Steve and Bucky. Her cheeks still had a glow from the adrenalin and she brightly smiled at them. "I owe you. How about breakfast." 

"Sure."

[15001700tt]

2. ...And the New

Chapter index

September, 2023 (7th year) 

The first day of their seventh year was brimming with new and exciting things. First, Scorpius and Rose became Head Boy and Head Girl, and that of itself, dictated the entertainment for the rest of the year. Just the thought of the two of them, trying to figure out how to deal and tolerate the other, had many returning students placing bets on their first day back, some as soon as they settled in for their first Hogwarts dinner of the upcoming year. 

“To our new students, Welcome to Hogwarts!” McGonagall says in a way of welcome, earning an excited applause and some high-pitched cheers from the fresh meat.

“And to our returning students, Welcome Back!” This brought out some walloping whoops as the Great Hall filled with bursting applause from the older students, overwhelming the excitable, happy newcomers. 

The sheer enthusiasm and liveliness of youth brought a surge of warmth and pride to McGonagall, causing the Headmistress to give one of her rare smiles as she let her kids run through their rowdiness. It was going to be an exhilarating year, after all.

“As with every year, I shall expect the very best from all of you! Tradition dictates a select group of upper-year pupils assist the Heads of Houses and myself in the day-to-day functions of the school in the capacity of Prefect. So I give you, your Head Prefects for this year: Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy! Congratulations to the two of you!” 

Another round of applause overtook the Great Hall, however, this time McGonagall raised her hand to silent the mass before they became too rowdy. There would be time for that much later. 

She needed the students' calm for this next 

announcement. 

“Now, I am thrilled to announce that this year, Hogwarts will once again be hosting the Triwizard Tournament! It is a privilege and honor to have this international celebration of magical excellency and fellowship, right here at our school! The tournament will test one of your peers in the most dangerous and punishing of tasks to win the Triwizard Cup, one thousand Galleons, and Eternal Glory!” 

“And probably an eternity of bruises,” Alice whispered snidely to Rose. 

“Given the nature of this tournament, rules have been stipulated for the safety of all candidates and to ensure a fair competition.” A grim expression replaced the earlier joviality McGonagall had displayed. 

“Additional rulings have been made in light of the tragedy that befell us the last time we hosted such an event. The Interim Chief of Magical Games and Sports, as well as Hogwarts Alumni, Serafeim Avery, is here to disclose such proceedings.” 

She gestured to the man with short blond hair and in traditional wizard robes standing behind the podium. He looked very old and yet young at the same time, a certain eerie aura surrounded him. 

“But first, let us take a moment to honor the dearly departed. A moment of silence for the tragic loss of a most beloved son, a kind and exceptional student, Cedric Diggory.” 

As a heavy silence overtook the Great Hall, Rose glanced at her family, who were all somber, knowing they were recalling the story of Diggory's death just as she was. They knew how dangerous it was. How Uncle Harry was set up by a death eater. How quiet and sad her parents would get at the mention of Cedric’s name. How her uncle and parents refuse to talk about the event at length. Rose felt hot liquid tear up in the back of her eyes and mentally riled herself up.

She knew McGonagall was a great headmistress, but this was stupid. Way too many students have died during the tournaments. Three bloody times, for Merlin’s sake! That’s why it was discontinued in the first place. And it should’ve stayed that way. Albus better not be getting any bright ideas or else she’d wring his neck before he even gets past the age line of Goblet of fire. She didn't want anyone to get hurt really, worried eyes fleeting towards the Slytherin table where Scorpius, Albus, and Cole were sitting. 

“Think long and carefully before you drop your name,” McGonagall said gravely, breaking the solemn silence. “Eternal glory is a worthy cause, but not worth any of your lives.” 

A pause. 

“Now for the Head of Magical Games and Sports.” The Headmistress left the podium to her seat. The man standing behind the podium stepped up, and began to announce a very long and boring list of new or changed legalities. 

Rose took this time to wonder. Cole might join in, just for kicks and giggles. Scorpius had on a blank expression as usual. She could hardly ever read his emotions, let alone this far away. A brick had more expressions than the bloke. Somehow, he noticed her staring at him, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at her gaze. Quickly averting her eyes, she focused on the podium again. A deep part of her hoped that none of her cousins entered this stupid competition (her cousins were all crazy, it didn't matter what their gender was, they were all insane). 

“-To summarize, the most imperative revisions are as follows. Those who can enter their name in the Goblet of Fire must be at least seventeen years old, no exceptions. Anyone putting in a name not their own will be met with severe punishment.”

The man’s eyes moved slowly across the Great Hall, never wavering or staying on anyone for too long. “Contestants are not allowed to investigate or attempt to actively elucidate any challenges after sunset without a professor’s permission or supervision. Because of the nature of this competition, the Board has decided, if there is any proven suspicion of malicious intent, the Triwizard Tournament will be stopped immediately. Student safety is our priority, first and foremost.” 

After finishing his closing remarks, the man promptly stepped off the podium, the Hogwarts Headmistress smoothly replacing the now unoccupied space. 

“Earlier, I declared that the Triwizard Tournament is an international event,” McGonagall started, though her earlier elation now replaced by haunted shadows. 

“And so, Hogwarts will be home to two astounding institutions for the upcoming year as they also participate in the Triwizard Tournament. Let us welcome our friends from Beauxbatons Academy and their Headmistress!” 

McGonagall pointed at the huge double doors of the Great Hall, just as they burst open to reveal three rows of beautiful young girls in light blue uniforms. 

Dominique softly gasped as she recognized some of her old classmates. Soon, they began to sing a lovely tune, with a lifting melody, in perfect harmony, that put everyone in a haze as the gals made their way slowly down the middle of the hall. The tune was familiar to Dom, who quickly realized it was an old hymn from an ancient text they had to memorize at the all-girls’ academy. It was written by the Veela in the Dark Age to lure people to follow through on their desires. The tune didn't hold as much effect on those part Veela, like herself and her siblings. Despite the very small percentage, the subtle lineage was quite prominent in Dominique (⅛ Veela has more negatives than positives I suppose). 

From how small the Great Hall had seemed, they probably used a charm to expand the room space and tables, Rose deduced distractedly. McGonagall resumed after the visiting students settled in one half of the extra tables provided. 

“Next, welcome Durmstrang Institute and their Headmaster!” Adorned in maroon outfits with ruby red accents, handsome young men marched through the open doors in three rows, canes in hand that struck the ground in a rhythmic beat. 

The Durmstrang students mirrored the French students’ entrance, but in stark contrast to the latter's grace and elegance. Delicate motions, pretty smiles, and a flexible dance exhibition, were now replaced by stiff movements, stoic expressions, and deep, rumbly chanting. Their performance was an impressive martial arts display of various techniques and formations, showing off the even more impressive physique. 

As the three schoolmasters reconnected, the 

Durmstrangs made their way and filled up the leftover seats in the Great Hall. After personally greeting the visiting school’s respective Headmistress and Headmaster, McGonagall addressed the restless mass of hungry students. 

“Now that we are all settled, I extend another warm welcome to our guests. Please consider Hogwarts your home for the next year. And before we begin to eat, a speech.” 

“We are currently making history. As we sit here now, and continue to join together, understand that this year will be a remarkable year for yourselves and the world. For in this year 2023, we hold The Triwizard Tournament. A rare and legendary opportunity to show off all the skills and knowledge you have accumulated throughout your education. 

Though most will not be able to participate, after all, only three will be chosen. One student from each school will be chosen to stand alone. Chosen to compete in three deadly tasks that will challenge you. Have no doubt about it. These tasks will confuse you, they will scare you, and they may kill you. 'Tis’ not for the faint of heart.” 

A pregnant pause filled the room, many students holding their breaths, some even clutching their chests or pants. 

“But, if you do survive, if you happen to win, then your name will be legend. Have no doubt about it. Doors will open. Imagination becomes reality. Possibilities are limitless. And your name will forever be remembered in honor. For legends never die. For that is why this competition was founded. All for Eternal Glory! To have a chance at such a legacy, one need only write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it into the Goblet of Fire before the time limit. Take care though, if this is the path you choose to take, there is no turning back.” 

Rampant whispers began to fly, heads turning back and forth excitedly as the students began to speculate. Before she lost the hold on their attention for good, the Hogwarts Headmistress finished curtly. 

“But more specifics on that later. Now, let’s feast!” With a wave of her hand outwards, McGonagall made a bounty of food appear in generous amounts on all the tables.

Chapter index

[cecilia01]

Ordinary

Chapter one Rumours

The arrival of a new fifth year student was a top secret, that only the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry professors and a few prefects heard anything about. So naturally, the whole school knew about it by time the shiny Hogwarts Express has left the London station on the sunny 1st of September, leaving a trail of grey mist on the platform full of witches and wizards waving goodbye to their relatives.

The cabins were full of excited faces with gleaming eyes, students greeting old friends, meeting new ones. Hardly was there anyone who dreaded going back to Hogwarts despite the enormous expectations and the mountains of homework waiting for them in the following year. Hogwarts just felt like home away from home to everyone who stepped inside, although no one could really fathom the reason why.

This year, the usual excitement was met with curiosity and wonder of the girl, who soon became the subject of all sorts of different rumours. One Slytherin professed loudly that she knew exactly who the mystery girl was, but out of respect for her privacy she wouldn’t share. ’You can’t imagine how inconvenient it would be for her if everyone knew. It’s best if it is only me, isn’t?’ she said. Others were wondering about which house she would get sorted into. ’She must be a Gryffindor, I can’t even begin to think about the courage it takes to start the school so late!’ shivered a timid Hufflepuff.

But the thrilling stories of the two-month-long summer holiday brushed the thought of the new student out of the minds of everyone except for the passengers of my cabin.

’I really don’t care which house she gets sorted into,’ proclaimed Garreth Weasley, sweeping his flaming red hair out of his freckled face, ’all that matters is if she’s pretty. This school could bear a few more fine gi ... HEY!’ Imelda Reyes’ roll of parchment missed his head by inches. ’It is not proper to talk like that in the presence of ladies, you idiot!’ she said with flaming eyes. ’Surely, you don’t mean yourself, Imelda.’ said Garreth with an smug grin. ’You are dead when we get to the quiddich pitch, Weasley!’ jumped Imelda on her feet, her neat dark ponytail flying behind her, raising her fist. ’That is enough now, you two.’ said Natsai Onai standing between the quarrelling pair, trying to make Imelda sit back down.

On the other side of the cabin Poppy Sweeting was showing pictures of all the fantastic beasts she managed to observe during the summer with her grandma to Amit Thakkar. ’And here you can see this adorable mooncalf with her babies, isn’t she just precious, Amit? Don’t you want snuggle them all?’ she grinned with a smile from ear to ear. Amit smiled kindly at Poppy over his open Advanced Astronomy Book 2, his brown eyes flickering through the drawings. ’Oh, I hate mooncalves. Something about their enormous eyes... Eerie...’ shivered Sebastian Sallow, grimacing his freckled face. Hearing this horror filled Poppy’s huge brown eyes. ’How can you say that?! They are the dearest animals on the planet. Here let me show you some of my drawing...’ she quickly sat down next to Sebastian showing countless pictures into his face, ignoring the boy’s attempts to escape.

Watching the situation unfold before me, I bursted out laughing, realising just how much I missed them all during those past two months. Summer is nice, but it can never live up to a few minutes with my precious friends. ’What do you think, Cecilia?’ Ominis Gaunt nudged my left knee with his, raising his pale eyebrow above his milky blue eyes. ’About mooncalves? I don’t adore them as much as Poppy, I reckon no one really can, but I am not afraid of them like Sebastian. How can he? It’s hilarious.’ I replied mopping my eyes with the sleeve of my robes. ’No, about the new fifth year. But I must admit it is quite funny.’ he chuckled. ’Haha, yes. Make fun of the one with the... what was the word... yes, phobia. Speaking of which, aren’t you irrationally afraid of spiders, Cecilia? It is bold of you to talk. I know all your secrets.’ sounded Sebastian under the pile of mooncalf pictures. ’Well, I don’t think it is wise to make assumptions about someone without ever meeting them... And I wouldn’t like to be in her position. Everyone wondering about me...’ I shuddered, ignoring Sebastian’s comments. ’Though, I would be lying if I didn’t admit I asked Samantha to check the library when we get to Hogwarts for information about anyone starting school this late in their life. She reckons there hasn’t been anyone in centuries.’ ’You’re thinking about the library already! A true Ravenclaw.’ said Ominis with a smile on the corner of his mouth. I opened my mouth to object, when Sebastian, desperate to escape the torture of mooncalf drawings looked out the window of the cabin and shouted in excitement. ‘Look! We can already see the castle!’ Everyone leapt to their feet to rush towards the window, pushing each other, stepping on feet, giggling and… there it was. Over the water of the lake, that was shining in the moonlight, on the great rocks stood the grand, majestic castle. The countless windows were sparkling with lights from the inside, the stone walls reflected the sparse moonlight and the towers seemed to be scraping the skies, with a million and more stars. I let out a deep sigh, hugging Natty from the side. She looked at us all, our eyes all gleamy, our mouth open in awe and said with a warm smile wide as the lake in front of us:

‘Welcome home!”