#selene fraser

[whatwouldvalerydo]

The theory of blow magic - Quidditch tent rumors - 2/9

OC's mentioned in this part belong to: @slytherindisaster @the-al-chemist @lifeofkaze and @that-scouse-wizard

Warning: minor sexual references (nothing major)

Come morning Ethel and Selene were sitting together at the far end of the table inside the Great Hall, breakfast cold as they studied a piece of paper, brows knit together as they turned and twisted it trying to make heads and tails of the piece of drawing in the right corner.

“It looks old are you certain?”

“As certain as I can be. I feel it in my bones.” Ethel gave a firm nod “Plus I heard it was found in the Ravenclaw changing tents so it must be some strategy.”

“Or a new play in order to try and gain an advantage.” Selene gasped, looking up in order to ensure no one heard them or paid close attention to what they were doing “Do you think they would resort to a last minute tactic.”

“Of course. Probably spent all year devising it. But why does it say magic?”

They both looked at the page once more, pushing each other as the idea came to their minds at the same time “They’re going to use magic.” Came their voices in unison, several people turning to look at the pair of friends.

“But that’s cheating.” Selene said alarmed while trying to keep her voice down.

“Indeed but it is not like we can go ask the captain if they plan on cheating. They would never divulge such information. And one gust of perfectly timed wind can blow someone off course at just the right time.”

“That is a vulgar notion. They cannot do that right at the end of the season. We must find out more.”

Ethel nodded her head before finally taking a piece of bread from her plate and shoving it in her mouth, trying to look as nonchalant as possible as she located Reuben in the crowd at the Ravenclaw table “Just look at him, chatting away.”

“Clearly up to something. We must to something.” She said casting a nasty look his way.

Cleaning the crumbs from her fingertips, Ethel devise a plan in two seconds flat “We divide and conquer. If there are several pages of this play, then someone must have found more. We ask around and if push comes to shove” she inhaled deeply “we go to the source.”

“Reuben?”

“No, the other source.”

Selene’s eyes widened “You know Leila will not utter a word.” Watching the girl in question pass the Ravenclaw table without sparing a glance at Reuben, the girls smiled at each other “The fates appear to be on our side.”

Letting some distance be created, they both nodded at each other as they bolted down the length of the Great Hall in pursuit of Leila. Turning a corner, Selene bumped into someone, causing Ethel to bump into her, the momentum carrying all three bodies to the ground.

“What the bloody muggle Hell are you two doing?” Laurent huffed as he gathered himself, a glare being directed at the two girls “Watch where you’re going would you?”

Apologies left their mouths as the girls got back on their feet, looking past Laurent, a heavy sigh leaving Ethel’s mouth “We lost her.”

“For now.”

Also getting up, Laurent picked up the piece of paper Ethel had dropped “Great, another one of these.” He rolled his eyes, passing it over to her.

“Wait, there are more? Can we have it?”

Shaking his head, he smirked “What’s it worth to you?”

“Only the very outcome of our most beloved game?”

Looking between them, Laurent shook his head “Don’t know what you two are on about, but we found a similar page in the Dueling club. Then someone started rambling about a curse or something.” Selene looked at him up and down as if the boy before her was talking a different language entirely “I don’t know who’s trying to stir trouble, but if it’s anything I know, someone is trying to blow some smoke up our asses right at the end and is playing a prank.” Passing then, he chuckled to himself “Blow magic, of all things.”

Looking over their shoulders, the pair straightened their backs and dusted their clothes. Hoax or not, something was happening and if by any chance it led to Quidditch being sabotaged, they would never forgive themselves for sitting back and doing nothing.

[lifeofkaze]

Late to the party as always but...

thanks for the great challenge idea! @drinkyoursoupbitch

[the-al-chemist]

The Beginning of a Symphony - Chapter 39

A/N: We are coming to the end of this journey, but before they go, each of the main characters has one last farewell chapter. First is Ethel, with my favourite chapter of this whole story. It’s dedicated to my beloved @lifeofkaze, with love.

Warnings: All the emotions. No, really. In an Ethel chapter. I know.

OCs featured/mentioned: Selene Fraser @lifeofkaze

June 1897

The Gryffindor Common Room was hosting the most raucous party that Ethel had ever known it to host in all the years she had been at school, and with good reason: Gryffindor had just won the Quidditch Cup.

It had been a fiercely fought game, with both sides having high stakes in the match; the Hufflepuff team were desperate to keep their title as champions, and the Gryffindors were determined to steal that title from them. For Ethel more than anyone, this was personal. She had sworn blind to Lysander Mercury the year before that she and her team would beat him and his, and finally, she had made good on that promise.

She should have been delighted, but she was not. Naturally, she was happy to have been victorious and to have bested Lysander, but even so, she could not help but feel hollow somehow. It was for that reason that she left the celebrations in the Common Room and retired early to her bedchamber.

She had barely finished donning her nightrobes when the door opened and she was joined by Selene, who looked at her as if concerned.

“Are you quite well, Effy?” she asked.

“Yes. Just tired from the excitement, I think,” Ethel replied. “You need not worry on my account. And you need not miss out on the party, either. You can attend without my being there.”

But Selene shook her head. “There’s no party worth attending if you are not also in attendance.”

She changed into her nightrobes and unbraided her hair, before climbing not into her own bed, but Ethel’s. They sat propped against the pillows, with Selene’s head resting on Ethel’s shoulder, and Ethel’s resting on Selene’s crown.

“In truth, Effy, I also feel too tired to attend the party.”

“You do?”

“Yes. It do not know why, but I have not felt like celebrating all evening. I should be ecstatic, but I feel a little empty. Is that not strange?”

“It is rather strange, and yet I feel the same way,” Ethel frowned. “I wonder why that is.”

“I do not know. I suppose we shall have plenty of time to find out.”

“We shall indeed. After all, it’s not like there will not be other victory parties to attend in the future.”

Selene sighed heavily, but she smiled. “Yes, I suppose we are bound to attend many victory parties when we both join the Chudley Cannons.”

Ethel returned Selene’s smile, but her words made her feel even worse than she already did. Now, she did not just feel deflated, she felt guilty as well.

“Selly, my dear, I… I am afraid that I have a confession to make,” she said. Selene lifted her head from her shoulder and frowned, and Ethel sat up a little straighter. “I fear that perhaps I no longer wish to be a Quidditch player when I grow up. I am sorry. I know that it has always been our dream to play for the Cannons together, but-”

“Effy, no!”

“It is true, Selene. Will you ever forgive me?”

“There is nothing to forgive.” Selene was also sitting up straight, facing Ethel. She did not look upset or angry, but hopeful. “I have also had doubts as to whether my dreams have changed. I was worried that you might never forgive me!”

“There is nothing you could ever do that I would not forgive,” Ethel told her. “So, pray tell, what might your new dream be?”

“I am not certain, but I know that it must be a dream we both can share,” said Selene. “I have been spending a great deal of time with Eliot Gerard of late, and it is his dream to be a travelling Healer.”

“I do not think that Healing should be our new dream.”

“No, me neither, but he has told me such wonderful stories of the mysteries and miracles of the world, and I would like for nothing more than to see and experience those for myself. I have been cooped up in my parents’ house for so many years, it is time that I saw everything else the world has to offer.”

“And we shall see to it that you are able to do precisely this.” Ethel nodded. “We shall travel together, and while we do so, we shall study and practice law.”

“Law?”

“Yes, Selly. While you have been listening to Eliot Gerard’s stories, I have been reading and reading and reading about the subject. I have discovered so much, and so much that I wish to change. By studying and practising law, we could be the ones to change that.”

“Oh, yes! That we could definitely do!”

“Oh, we shall see so much and do so much good. One day, we may even be able to be in the Wizengamot, or be Ministers for Magic! Wouldn’t that be superb?”

“It would,” Selene agreed, but the smile had slipped from her face. “But, Effy, how would we join the Wizengamot or be Ministers for Magic if we are travelling the world? We cannot change the laws of this country if we are always away visiting other places.”

That gave Ethel pause. She frowned, considering Selene’s words. She was right, Ethel could not travel the world and still achieve her political and legal ambitions in the country she lived in now. If she wished to join Selene and be a part of her dream, then she would have to leave those ambitions behind.

“Very well,” she said slowly. “In that case, I shall not set my sights on either. Instead, I shall come with you.”

“What about studying and practising law?” Selene asked.

“I can still study the law whilst we travel.”

“But… Your new dream, Effy!”

“It is no matter. If we search the whole world, I am certain to find another dream elsewhere,” said Ethel, trying her hardest to keep the doubt and disappointment from her voice. Clearly, she had not tried hard enough, however, for Selene shook her head.

“No, that will not do. I cannot stop you from achieving your ambitions,” she said. “I do not need to see the world. I can read about it in stories and imagine it. Who knows, my imagination may even be better than the reality.”

“Selene, you cannot mean to give up your wishes for mine.”

“You meant to do the same for me.”

“I know, but I cannot abide the idea of you being miserable on my account.”

“I shall not be miserable if I am to see you happy.”

“And I could never be happy if I knew that it was at your expense,” Ethel replied. “We shall go together.”

“No, we shall remain here together.”

“But, Selly…”

“You are my best friend, Ethel. I cannot allow you to abandon your dreams.”

“And I cannot allow you to abandon yours.”

Both girls knew the other to be incredibly stubborn. There was no way in which one might give way to the other. They had to reach a compromise.

“So, what should we do?” Selene asked with a puzzled expression.

Ethel thought for a moment, before coming up with a suggestion. It was not a suggestion that filled her with hope, but it was at least some sort of solution to their problem.

“We could stick to our old plan,” she said, feeling her heart sink at the words. “Of course, neither of us would be truly happy, but at least we would both be slightly miserable together.”

“We could do that, yes.” Selene sighed, and bit down on her bottom lip before adding: “Or…”

“Or?”

The word Ethel had hoped to hear. Naturally, Selene would find the answer. But Selene’s answer was not one that she had expected, nor wanted to hear:

“Or we could both be truly happy separated.”

Ethel’s lips parted and her eyebrows furrowed. She did not understand Selene’s meaning. How could either of them ever be truly happy if they were separated? How could they be separated? They were inseparable, everyone knew that.

“Listen. Really, listen,” Selene insisted. “One of us is going to have to sacrifice our dreams, and neither of us is prepared to watch the other do that. If we both sacrifice our dreams, we will be together, but we will both be unhappy.”

“I don’t mind being unhappy,” said Ethel, completely honestly.

“No, but I mind your being unhappy. And you mind my being unhappy.” Selene’s eyes were filling with tears. “If the only way for us both to be happy is for us to be so apart, then that is what we shall have to do. We shall miss each other greatly, but I would much rather miss you and be content knowing that you are happy than to see you miserable. Do you not feel the same?”

Ethel did not want to admit it, but it was true. If it was a choice between sacrificing Selene’s happiness or sacrificing Selene’s presence at her side, she knew which she must sacrifice. So, reluctantly, she nodded her head.

“Our dreams are pulling us down two different paths,” Ethel said. Her own eyes were teary now, it made her vision blurry. “And if we must go our separate ways to follow them, then go our separate ways we must.”

“I believe so.”

A tear ran down Selene’s cheek. Seeing her so upset was enough to render Ethel entirely resolute. She was also upset, but could be strong, if only for Selene. She put her hand to Selly’s face, wiped her tear away with her thumb, and told her:

“You shall go, and you shall see the world.”

“And you shall stay, and you shall change it for the better.”

Selene took hold of Ethel’s hand and squeezed it, tight. Ethel blinked back her tears, to no avail.

“I will miss you, though,” she told Selene.

“And I you,” was Selene’s reply. “But we…” She swallowed. “Effy, do you promise that whatever we both do, and wherever we both go, that we shall always be sisters?”

“Always, Selly. I promise.”

The two girls - the two sisters - were both crying now, and there was nothing that could stop either of from doing so. And though they both knew it was impossible to console the other, they still wrapped their arms around each other in a hug so tight that no one other than they themselves would ever be able to separate them.

[slytherindisaster]

Let's break Ethel one crack ship at a time - what about Selene and Lysander?

Lysander would do anything to mess with Ethel, even try to court her best friend. Except turns out Selene is not what he expected, because she's witty, and surprisingly funny, and her eyes are beautiful and, oh no, they're secretly dating now.

send me a non-canon ship between our characters and i'll make some content!

[usernoneexistent]

Autumn 1895: Ravenclaws and Gryffindors play a friendly game together while Glenn plots on how to distract the opposing team's keeper and his rival, Nolan.

Characters featured: Nolan Miller @hogwartsmysteryho, Oliver Gerard @kc-and-co, Ethel Hexley @the-al-chemist.

Characters mentioned: Selene Fraser @lifeofkaze, Lysander Mercury @slytherindisaster, Daniel Gibson @catohphm, Siobhan Llewelyn @kc-and-co.

Warnings: mentions of Sethel

"That was a foul!"

"Not again, Miller," cried his teammate. Ravenclaw looked like they were having a tough time with their reserve keeper. Glenn minded little, except for Nolan Miller's incompetence which was getting on his nerves. He wanted a nice clean, and fair game, which shouldn't be a hard ask. Especially since Hexley and Fraser made the least amount of trouble on the quidditch field.

As all the quidditch teams have completed their tryouts and added new members to make up for the lost ones, his friend and captain, Oliver Gerard, made a deal with Ravenclaw to share the pitch for a quidditch friendly due to an accidental mishandling of the reservations. It allowed the reserves to keep up with the practice.

"He wasn't haversaking Miller. Sorry guys, let's have a rematch." The Ravenclaw captain called with the quaffle under his arm, returning it back to the referee. He was getting all the different balls back in the box before re-releasing them.

Both the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw team groaned out loud before flying back into their respective position.

"Augh! I wish Miller wouldn't spoil the game so much. He's worse than Lys and Hexley." Glenn groaned.

"Miller may be annoying but he is also their weakest link, Rosewood." Oliver flew beside him. "Besides you know how to get to him fumble better than anyone else."

"Well, he is only a reserve. It's not like he will affect the big matches."

"And so are you." Oliver retorted back, almost in a backhanded way. Glenn groaned at him before focusing back on the game.

"As much as I would love to give my sole attention on quidditch I have other duties to attend to."

"Ah yes, becoming the number one prefect that Gryffindor has ever seen. You're doing a great job at that." He teased.

"Be quiet, Gerard."

Oliver laughed before everyone was finally settled and ready to go. The referee opens the box of quaffle, bludgers and snitch, and the opposing team grabs the quaffle first.

Oliver and Glenn swerved to either side of the chaser, trying to hold her in. Hexley followed behind, blocking the other Ravenclaw chasers.

"Scatter!" Hexley yelled. Glenn took a quick glance to see why. A bludger was incoming at a rapid speed. There was no way that any beater could come in time to defend the chasers.

Glenn and Oliver abandoned the chaser. The bludger came at lightning speed before almost knocking the Ravenclaw chaser down. He dropped the quaffle just as Glenn had hoped.

Hexley was sharper and quickly swooped down to grab the quaffle before any of the Ravenclaw chasers had a chance. She shot straight towards the hoops, already crossing the midline of the pitch.

Glenn and Oliver followed quickly behind. Fraser and Daniel Gibson were in a chase below them for the snitch. Glenn was hoping they would stall a little more. It would be annoying to end the game so quickly without even putting in a score.

"Rosewood!" Hexley yelled as Glenn got close. He saw it too. Siobhan Llewelyn was ready to swing the bludger towards Hexley's broom with her stick, and he knew what she wanted to do. Oliver swooped in and blocked any other chasers interrupting her pass.

With a good throw, the quaffle landed heavily on his hand before almost dropping the ball. He groaned slightly in pain when he saw Hexley give a slight smirk. 

Nolan looked ready, prepared for Glenn to come. He swerved about, trying to cover all the hoops.

"I would take a heads up if I were you," Glenn warned, but Nolan smirked.

"I'm not falling for it this time, Rosewood." He shifted lower to block the bottom hoops.

Perfect.

Glenn made his arm look like it was going to throw down, but at the last second, he made an overarm throw at the tallest loop.

Nolan swiftly moved his broom up, but it was too late. The quaffle smoothly sailed through the hoop.

"That's ten points to Gryffindor." The commentator stated.

Glenn smirked broadly at Miller. The Ravenclaw pretended not to be shocked by Glenn's tactic and muttered excuses about why it wasn't his fault.

"Well done, Rosewood." Oliver complimented. "Figure you would be able to fool Miller."

"He's a fool." He said. "Which is a shame. If his incompetnece weren't in the way the game would be more interesting."

[rusharound]

IT’S FINALLY HERE! THE SIGMA ACAPELLA PROSHOT HAS ARRIVED!

When a non-descript University’s development plans involve the destruction of all “degenerate" and "unnecessary” clubs and societies, one Frat-star and his house of "Himbos" must team up with a "Theater Dad" and his underdog squad of the theatre department in order to save their home.

And maybe experience a little romance and kisses and whatever too. >>

Written and Produced by Annahis Basmadjian

Co-produced, Musical Direction, Associate Composition, Music and Lyrics, and Mix by Samuel Gillmore

Directed by Kate Ely

Choreographed by Selene Dublanko

Stage Managed by Emily Hoff

Associate Musical Direction by Florence Reiher

Composed by Sebastian Ochoa Mendoza

Filmography and Editing by Robert Hunt

Art by Oliver Love (@doorstoplord)

Featuring the talents of:

Nathan Mannion (Ray Rhiner)

Blake Sartin (Oliver Keaton)

Hailey Fowler (Veronica Mathers)

Katrina Teitz (Xena Zacharian)

Justin Low (Tyler)

James Penco (Chad/Brad)

Jared White (Josh)

Juliana de Medeiros (Hazel)

Sam Fraser (Westley Azuish)

Ken Tynan (Dean Guy)

Julia Halabourda (Barbara)

Garth Phillips (Adam)

Stacy Albrecht (Stacy Dawson)

Nicole Eves (Sierra Dawson)

Heller (Mayor John)

ENSEMBLE:

Kiefer Seeley, Kseniya Yemelyanova, Holly Krauchi, Viviana Renteria, Zoe Soupidis, Berfin Yildiz, Yasamin Isfahani

[dear-indies]

Disabled actors with ungiffed roles (of course any roles are welcomed) for disability pride month:

Michael J. Fox (1961) - has Parkinson's Disease - Designated Survivor (2018), See You Yesterday (2019).

Mat Fraser (1962) - has thalidomide-induced phocomelia - Loudermilk (2017-2020).

Daryl Mitchell (1965) African-American - is paraplegic - Fear the Walking Dead (2018-2023).

Warwick Davis (1970) - has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita - Willow (2022-2023).

Selene Luna (1971) Mexican - has dwarfism - Mayans M.C (2022-2023).

Cherylee Houston (1974) - has Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - Coronation Street (2010-2023).

Callan Mulvey (1975) ¼ Maori, ¾ Scottish - is blind in one eye - has been in a lot of things including Last King of the Cross (2023), Firebite (2021-2022), Till Death (2021), and Mystery Road (2020).

Shannon Murray (1976) - is paraplegic - Viewpoint (2021), Get Even (2020).

Kurt Yaeger (1977) - is a leg amputee - Another Life (2021).

Katy Sullivan (1979) - is a double leg amputee - Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022).

Jamie-Lynn Sigler (1981) Cuban / Ashkenazi Jewish, Romaniote Jewish, Sephardi - has multiple sclerosis - Big Sky (2021-2023).

Prince Amponsah (1985 or 1986) Ghanaian - is a double arm amputee, with his right arm amputated above the elbow and his left arm amputated below the elbow - Avacado Toast the series (2022) and Station Eleven (2021-2022).

Rana Daggubati (1984) Telugu Indian - is blind in one eye - Rana Naidu (2023).

Rick Glassman (1984) Jewish / Italian - is autistic - As We See It (2022), Not Dead Yet (2023).

Ali Stroker (1987) - is paraplegic and bisexual - Echos (2022), Only Murders in the Building (2021-2022), Ozark (2022).

Josh Thomas (1987) - is autistic, has ADHD, and is gay - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Jillian Mercado (1987) Domincian - has spastic muscular dystrophy - The L Word: Generation Q. (2019-2023).

Ruth Madeley (1987) - has spina bifida - The Almond and the Seahorse (2022).

Tim Renkow (1989) Mexican Jewish - has cerebral palsy - Jerk (2019-2021).

Melissa Johns (1990) - is an arm amputee - Grantchester (2021-2022).

Steve Way (1990) - has muscular dystrophy - Ramy (2019-2022).

James Moore (1992) - has cerebral palsy - Emmerdale (2018-2023).

Arthur Hughes (1992) - has an upper limb indifference - The Innocents (2018).

Madison Ferris (1992) - has muscular dystrophy - Panic (2021).

RJ Mitte (1992) - has cerebral palsy - The Unseen (2023).

Mei Kayama (1994) Japanese - has cerebral palsy - 37 Seconds (2019).

Ryan J. Haddad (1995) Lebanese - has cerebral palsy - The Politian (2019-2020).

Lauren Spencer / Sitting Pretty Lolo (1996) African-American - has Lou-Gehrig’s disease - The Sex Lives of College Girls (Season 2).

Annabelle Davis (1997) - has dwarfism - Hollyoaks (2023).

Kayla Cromer (1998) - is autistic - Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (2020-2021).

Micah Fowler (1998) - has cerebral palsy - Speechless (the latter seasons!)

Daniel Monks (?) - is quadriplegic - Sissy (2022).

Matthew Jeffers (?) - has dwarfism - New Amsterdam (2018-2023).

Ben Mehl (?) - has macular degeneration called Stargardt's disease, which causes one to lose central vision- You (2021).

Gloria May Eshkibok (?) Mohawk, Ottawa, Irish, French - is Two-Spirit (she/her) and has one eye - OChiSkwaCho (2018).

Zack Weinstein (?) - is quadriplegic - Sing It! (2016).

Angel Giuffria (?) - is a congenital arm amputee - To the Dust (2022), Good Trouble (2022), Impulse (2019).

Joci Scott (?) - is paraplegic - Smash or Pass (2023).

Jacob Mundell (?) - congenital hand amputee - The Expanse (2021-2022).

+ HERE'S MY DISABLED FC MASTERLIST FOR MORE!

+ let me know if you have suggestions!

+ let me know if anybody wants suggestions with youtube content!

[chromashmellow-celestial]

Astra Constellatio - Paths, Sins and Sodas

Symbols for my OCs which are goddess, representing their domains,and i implemented in my game, and now im obssessed with it! I based the symbols on actual mythological symbols from different cultures

----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ink Celestial - Art , Intelligence and creativity

Selene Celestial - Sleep,Moon and Wisdow

Fraser Quaysine - Strawberry Jam, Music  and Aesthetics. ( Based on agriculture gods)

Infiniboolean Gekkohera -based on idle games and is ther goddess of Money,Work and Idling/ Skilling

Silkymoccha Flamewar -  Hunt and Dexterity

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sin Symbols - Sloth / Pride / Wrath

Sin Symbols - Envy / Lust / Greed

Sin Symbols: Gluttony

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sodas:

Cherry / Lemon

Grape / Passion Fruit

[programmedradly]

5 Favorite Characters Poll (Tag Game)

Thank you for the tag, @forerussake! <333

Rules: make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favourite.

(These are obviously not my top five ever; that would be impossible. Just a random selection of blorbos I've loved!)

Tagging: @sarking @elenothar @problematicturtle @clevermanka @siterlas

[whatwouldvalerydo]

Carnage Circus 🔥

Part 20/20 - The conclusion

The end is here.

Thank you all for making this possible, for trusting me with your characters: @kc-and-co @lifeofkaze @the-al-chemist @cursebreakerfarrier @that-scouse-wizard

I can’t believe it's been more than a year since Circus was announced, but like all things, this too must end.

Shaking the cold from his bones, detective Winger walked with his head bowed, cursing under his breath as the sharp wind lashed against his face. As far as he knew the weather should have been sunny, however that morning proved to be the opposite as a dark, heavy, grey sky loamed over the city.

Stopping to get a coffee in order to warm up, his hand hovered above the door handle, eyes reading the poster in front of him. He felt as if his heart stopped for a second before it suddenly picked back up, Talbott feeling sick to his stomach.

Making his way to the station, the captain just set on the desk of his colleague a heavy dusty box “Looks like you’re in luck rookie, the Carnage Circus is back in town. Been a while since we had them in our jurisdiction.” Turning around, the captain pointed at Talbott “Winger, you go with him, help, show him the ropes. Maybe this time two heads will manage to get something out of that scum.”

Scoffing, Talbott just nodded as he marched over to his own desk, hands fumbling to light up a cigarette, lighter not producing even a flicker “Fuck.” Searching in his drawers for another, he finally managed to light it up, smoke filling the office from his desk.

Pulling out some notes his eyes landed on several names and information dotted down. Ethel and Selene left the moment they were set free, last he heard was that they were travelling, jumping from city to city and country to country as they were used to doing. They told Siobhan that way Akira could never find them, if they don’t settle, he cannot hurt them.

Siobhan on the other hand was still in the city. She found the love of her life and was working together with him, having opened up a veterinarian clinic. She was happy from what Talbott could gather, however if she ever caught a glimpse of him or anyone she knew, her face would pale and she would always look away. But who could blame her?

Reuben and Leila were also close to the city, living on the outskirts in a small home, content with their life together. She was even speaking or started to at least, that much he knew since she actually told him to “fuck off” in a not very friendly tone.

As for Talia, well most nights they spent together in the confines of his own home. She made a full recovery as far as her body was concerned, but her heart was healing still. When she did not know what to do with herself she would go and speak to Victoria and Oliver, them managing to put her back on the right path.

But Talbott knew that the moment she saw the posters plastered all across the city, it would be chaos and fear would bloom inside of her heart like a disease that decided to rear its ugly head after such a long time.

Just like years prior, Talbott made his way to the circus grounds at night, his colleague shuddering as the winds blew past them, the ticket booth screeching at them, the voice even more distorted than Talbott remembered.

The grounds were filled to the brim, despite the weather, main tent illuminated, peering through the thick fog, music playing from within it as Akira’s voice boomed, announcing the beginning of the show. Closing his eyes, Talbott took a deep breath as he walked inside, dust rising as a new act started under the cheerful applause of the crowd. The acts have changed, new faces smiling back at the crowd of people, but the detective knew the price that came with joining the circus.

It was all an act, hiding behind it a gruesome curse.

They patiently waited for the show to end and people to start leaving the tent before Talbott and his partner for the night approached the heavy curtains leading back stage “Listen to me” he stopped him from advancing, Talbott facing him “he’s very guarded, odd. You need to be careful alright?”

“Please, he’s just a man. They all crack eventually and if he’s responsible for those murders and people disappearing, then we will get him.” Puffing his chest, he walked past Talbott, hands moving aside the curtains. A gush of hot air rushed over their bodies, whispers being heard despite no one being in sight “Akira Crane, this is the police. We need a word.”

Shyly, a member from the team showed herself from behind some boxes “The director is busy. He must never be disturbed. You need to leave.”

“Not going to happen mam. Where can we find him?”

The girl shook her head, blonde locks falling in her face and Talbott recognized her from the poster as being the other half of the brand new trapeze act “Come on, I know where his changing room is. There’s no need to bother her.”

Walking ahead, Talbott felt as if it he could barely breathe, the air thin and far too hot. The corridor leading to Akira appeared to narrow down, shadows as if dancing around them, a low growl reaching their ears before they knocked on the door.

“You brought a friend.” They heard from inside the room, Talbott turning the handle. The setting was as he knew, him going to sit down on the couch, letting his partner take the lead “And somehow with two, the questions are just as boring.” Akira looked around, eyes dramatically rolling “I would have expected, all things considering, that this time you would…” he suddenly stopped, springing to his feet, eyes searching around, chest heaving.

“Akira?” Talbott leaned in closer, his partner basically having jumped back out of fright.

Letting out a shaky exhale, Akira shook his head, trying to gather himself “It would appear the last days spent preparing have been far too tiresome, haven’t slept you see. I don’t have time for the same line of questioning detectives. You know the drill, I’m here for an entire week and I know you’ll be returning.”

Watching him walk outside, Talbott’s brows rose. Something was off, way off, he could feel it. The sudden shift he could never deny his gut feelings. Something was about to happen. Or was already happening inside the circus and that’s why Akira suddenly reacted.

His eyes widened, Talbott also getting up “No, no.”

Running outside, his partner hot on his heels asking a million questions, the detective could not deny what was happening. The air was warmer, lights brighter, atmosphere a tad less creepy, even the fog lifting slightly. She wouldn’t. No. But it was the only scenario that made sense. The key was still out there and Akira was still in tune with her. Even if she was free from his clutches.

“We need to go, if you see Talia Crane let me know.”

“What? Why would she be here? Isn’t Akira the one that put her in the hospital? By the way isn’t it odd that she didn’t press charges?”

Sighing, he had hoped for once in his life that the new recruit wasn’t actually trying to make a name for himself “Look, I’ll explain later. If we find her, we find him. She’s like a magnet for Akira.”

And how right detective Winger was. Akira knew exactly where to go, Talia waiting for him at the camping area, the current squad not knowing how to deal with the stranger before their eyes. She asked questions, if they were treated right, if he was being mean or cruel to them.

Walking slowly towards her, she turned to look at him, a smile directed his way, his name leaving her lips “Leave us.” He ordered the crew, who shared confused looks between themselves, however still obeyed his command.

Walking in front of her, he removed his gloves, extending a hand out to her, Talia’s palm grazing his, a kiss being placed to the back of her hand, eyes never leaving hers “I wouldn’t have expected to see you again in this lifetime.”

“Truth be told, I did consider it. You have kept me under the veil of your darkness for so long.”

“You know why.”

Nodding her head, her eyes closed for a moment “I do now. But I hated you so much.”

Upon hearing her name being uttered, she opened her eyes to witness Talbott and a stranger running towards them. Stepping between them, Talbott stared Akira down “Never again.”

“What is going on Winger?” his partner demanded answers, Akira chuckling.

“I can’t force her to rejoin me. It needs to happen out of her own accord if she wishes to.” He tried to glance at her, however Talbott didn’t let him, instead pushing Akira a step back for good measure.

“She will never come back to you. You’ve done enough.”

Darkness swarmed them, Akira’s glare vicious “I’ve never hurt her.” The temperature appeared to suddenly drop a few degrees, the circus reacting to the director’s rage “I still won’t.”

Directing Talia towards his partner, Talbott refused to let Akira take even a single step “You forge destinies on blood and when you’re done with them, you dispose of them too. Don’t you?”

Akira scoffed, shaking his head “You still don’t understand, how can you?”

“He can’t.” Talbott and Akira turned towards Talia “Not yet at least.” Finding she managed to take the gun off Talbott’s colleague and was directing it at him “Don’t move, none of you.”

“Talia? What are you doing?” Talbott asked, trying to approach, stopping when she shook her head.

Her forehead creased, hand slightly shaking “As long as I am alive, I am linked to him. So that means I am never truly free, am I?” her eyes travelled to the gun, directing it at her own head, her taking a step back to create some distance “I can end it, tonight, pull the trigger and get it over with.”

“Please don’t do anything stupid.”

“Shut up detective. I can’t think with you talking constantly.” Her eyes travelled from Talbott towards Akira, who just shook his head “You know right? You feel it. What does it feel like?”

“Like you’re splitting me in two.” Akira replied his voice shaking.

“Mam, put the gun down and let’s talk about this.”

“Shut up!” Looking back at Talbott, Talia exhaled “You wanted to understand why some days are bad? It’s because I still feel the connection and it’s like it never went away despite being free. It tears you apart and you can’t replace the emptiness with anything. And I kept asking myself why? What’s the reason. But deep down I knew. Oh how I knew and refused to believe it.” The fog started covering the terrain more and more, winds stopping for a second, a sudden uninvited calm, Talia gripping the handle of the gun, trembling in her limbs subsiding “A life for a life detective. I hereby free Akira Crane and nominate Talbott Winger as the director of Carnage Circus.”

Turning the gun on Talbott’s colleague, she pulled the trigger, the sound of it drowned out by the fireworks illuminating the sky.  Akira’s caravan crumbled to dust before them, blood painting the earth as Talia dropped the gun from her hand.

The darkness travelled towards Talbott, leaving Akira entirely, the detective feeling as if the weight of the world landed on his shoulder, crushing him under its weight “You don’t love him.” Knowledge that was not there previously suddenly latching onto every part of his mind, history not his own becoming a part of him.

“Don’t I?” taking a small bow, Talia looked him dead in the eye “It’s your turn. You will need to find your key, set them all free and end it. End it all. The last time, the last curse. Free yourself, free them all.”

Turning towards Akira, she extended her hand out to him, him taking it as they both walked away. Taking the gun, Talbott aimed it at Talia, her turning around to look at him, a smile on her lips “You can’t hurt me or him. We’re free director Winger.”

“What if you are my key?”

Glaring at him, Akira spoke “Even if you think it, want it, she was never yours to begin with.”

Inside the fortune teller’s tent, Orion welcomed his latest customers, a smile shaping his lips as he stared inside the crystal ball.

“I see you are happy with the outcome.” Victoria smiled, taking out a random card from the desk, Oliver sitting beside her.

Lifting his eyes, Orion nodded “As are you, only you knew how she could free Akira. Tell me how did you convince her?”

Putting the card back, she shrug her shoulders “I didn’t, she asked, she wanted this. It was there, despite what we did.”

Flipping the card around, Orion hummed in response “I have all but forgotten she drew another card.” The lovers being set between them.

Glancing at them, Oliver shook his head with a chuckle “What now?”

Peering inside the crystal ball, Orion smiled “Now we do it all over again, but this time is the last one.” His brows drew together as he looked over at Oliver “Please don’t intervene again, once is enough too many. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go help the new director.”

[lifeofkaze]

Something Wicked This Way Comes

A/N: This story is was written for @hp-12monthsofmagic October prompt. Happy Halloween. OCs featured belong to @whatwouldvalerydo (Victoria Summer... sorry for bothering her again), @the-al-chemist (Jim and Ethel Hexley), @endlessly-cursed (Nilüfer Sultan, in mention), @slytherindisaster (Gabriel Sapieha, Lysander Mercury) and @kc-and-co (Bradford Pendleton IV). Warning: serious Shakespeare blasphemy. I'm sorry.

The day had been overcast, and darkness come early over the Forbidden Forest. Swathes of mist rose from the moss and root covered ground, and the night was silent except for the rustling of fallen leaves, the soft sounds of the creatures that had ventured out under the cover of nightfall, and a resounding scraping sound as something heavy was dragged over a piece of stone, followed by a groan and the hasty shuffling of feet.

“How much further is it?”

“It can’t be very far, I daresay.”

“You said that ten minutes ago, Ethel. I swear I recognise this tree.”

“Hush, I believe I can see it from here. Quickly, now.”

Three figures stepped into an opening in the trees, in the middle of which the ground rose gently to a grass-covered mound. On it, bathed in the light of the full moon, six boulders of varying sizes had been erected to form a circle, in the middle of which a seventh stone lay on its side, forming what looked to be an altar.

It was there that the three girls, clad in skirts and blouses that marked them as students of the nearby Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, dragged the cauldron they had been pulling behind them. They were breathing heavily by the time they had made it to the top, and the faces of Ethel Hexley and Selene Fraser grew red as they hoisted the heavy metal pot on top of the horizontally lying stone. 

Selene and Ethel had found the stone ring a couple of days ago while prowling the woods, and had been dying to return ever since. They had prepared diligently, but with the unsteadiness of the late October weather, it had taken them until the very last day of the month to make their way out into the Forbidden Forest again. They were chatting in hushed whispers amongst each other now, excitedly checking the contents of the bags slung around their shoulders.

Victoria, who had seen herself half-compelled, half-forced to accompany her dormmates, seemed less enthusiastic. She looked around uneasily, observing the shadows cast by the tall stone monuments. Wrapping her arms around herself to keep from shivering, she stepped closer to the stone altar.

“Are you finally going to tell me what this is all about?” 

Ethel and Selene stopped whispering and shared a meaningful look.

“We have something special planned for tonight,” Selene said in a low voice.

“Something to mark the occasion,” Ethel agreed.

“We’ll do magic,” the two of them said in unison, the sable-coloured ferret that had appeared on Selene’s shoulder nodding his head as if in agreement. 

Victoria looked between them sceptically. “But why come here? Why all that hustle? We could have just as well stayed at the castle.”

“Because, dearest Victoria,” Selene said and motioned at the stones surrounding them. “This place is special.” 

“Most magical.”

“Of the utmost importance.”

Ethel paused, looking at Selene curiously. “It is?”

“It must be, must it not?” Selene shrugged. “Why endure all the hardships to set these stones up otherwise?”

“You must be right, of course.” Clapping her hands together, Ethel turned back to Victoria and pointed at the cauldron. “There is a spell that Selene and I have been wanting to attempt but Professor Sharp refuses to let us into the Potions classroom by ourselves after this most unfortunate incident with Carolyn Nyberg’s calming draught.”

“Which was not our fault, if I may say so.”

“Far from it.”

“The farthest.”

“And what did you need my help for?” Victoria asked patiently.

“See, the spell needs three wielders to succeed.”

“Three witches, to be precise.”

“And who would be more inclined, more perfectly suited to complete our trio than you?”

Victoria could think of a handful of people better suited; the matter of inclination was another one entirely but she chose to remain silent. 

“Shall we begin then?”

Victoria was still at a loss for what was about to happen when she was directed to stand at the head of the stone, with Selene and Ethel facing each other on its side. 

“You might want to take that,” Selene whispered to Victoria, producing a densely written note from the folds of her skirt. “We have it memorised.”

Victoria was just about to ask what she meant when Selene and Ethel began chanting, in grave, hushed voices that didn’t sound like them at all. 

“Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d. Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined. Harpier cries ‘Tis time, ‘tis time. Round about the cauldron go; In the poison’d entrails throw.”

They began moving to circle the stone altar with the now bubbling cauldron, underneath which Ethel had set fire. 

��Toad that under cold stone Days and nights has thirty-one Sweltere’d venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.”

Selene reached into her bag and pulled out a stoppered bottle which looked suspiciously like the ones Professor Sharp had on display behind his desk in the Potions classroom. She held it over the cauldron and shook its contents inside. The slimy green something that had fallen out sank to the bottom, and Selene and Ethel continued to sing, in a much louder, almost gleeful voice,

“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble.” 

“Hold on,” Victoria cried out. “Did you drag me out here to enact a play?”

“We never would even think of dragging you.”

“You walked quite by yourself.”

“And this is not any stupid spell from any stupid play we are putting to the test here. This is Macbeth!”

“By the greatest poet of all times.”

“The master of words.”

“The bard of bards.”

Wearily, Victoria held a hand up and the stream of chatter ceased. “And does Professor Sharp know you stole… borrowed one of his cauldrons and ingredients?” 

Ethel and Selene exchanged a glance that had the sinking feeling in Victoria’s stomach intensify. She stifled the sigh lodged in her chest. 

“Go on then.”

Breaking into smiles, Ethel began rummaging through her bag again, while Selene reached across the stone to squeeze Victoria’s hand. The chanting recommenced as Ethel produced a small parcel. In places, moisture had already seeped through the parchment, and Victoria could only briefly glimpse something reddish as its contents were tossed into the cauldron. 

“Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s legs and owlet’s wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, ike a hell-broth boil and bubble.”

They continued in that fashion as ingredient after ingredient made its way into the cauldron. Selene and Ethel seemed to have acquired everything the recipe listed, adding newts’ eyes and lizards’ legs with more and more glee as the potion boiled up and began changing its colour, bathing the clearing in an eerily green glow. 

“Liver of blaspheming Jew, Gall of goat, and slips of yew Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse…”

“You didn’t actually put someone’s liver in there, did you?” Victoria asked with wide eyes.

“No,” said Ethel and sounded almost regretful. “A piece of someone’s liver is surprisingly hard to come by.”

Victoria chose not to comment on this. “Then what did you put in just now?” 

“We got some calf liver from the kitchens. Did you have any luck with the Tartar’s lips, Selly?”

“No,” sighed Selene, “and not with the nose of Turk either. I asked Nilüfer Sultan if she cared to help out but she wouldn’t hear of it.”

“How rude.”

“Don’t you think so?”

“So can we go back now if you don’t have everything to complete the spell?” 

“Oh Victoria, don’t be silly,” Selene laughed. “A good witch knows how to adapt!”

With pinched fingers, she pulled a tissue from her pocket and let it float into the cauldron, topping it up with something that Victoria could only assume to be a handful of ground meat. She and Ethel took up singing again.

“Cool it with a baboon’s blood, Then the charm is firm and good.” 

Ethel produced a slender vial from her now empty bag, unstoppered it and poured some red liquid into the cauldron. She and Selene exchanged excited looks and stepped forward to peer inside. Victoria did not. The eerie green glow from before had vanished, the colour of the potion they had brewed changing disconcertingly fast. The soft sound of the bubbling had given way to a deeper rumble, too, making the metal pot shake on the stone altar.

“What exactly did you brew there?”

“We brewed a potion most potent and most fantastical.”

“Dare I say, the potion of potions.”

“I gathered,” said Victoria, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear and watching the quivering cauldron from the corner of her eye. “But what does it do?”

Selene and Ethel stopped in their tracks.

“What do you mean, what does it do?”

“What are its effects? What’s going to happen now?” Victoria paled as a thought struck her. “I’m not going to drink it if that’s what you intended.”

“Well, in the play, Macbeth is supposed to see apparitions telling him of his fate now.”

“There is no Macbeth here, though, and no apparitions either.”

Ethel and Selene looked at each other shrugging, as if the thought had only now occurred to them. Feeling suddenly more stupid than possibly endangered, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I can’t believe you two,” she sternly told her friends. “Every time I think you can’t get anymore silly you top my expectations. Not only that you drag me away from the Halloween feast in the middle of the night to clamber over sticks and stones with a stolen - yes, Ethel, stolen - cauldron, you didn’t even spent a thought at the purpose of such a doing, or what might possibly come off it!”

“But we did!” Selene protested loudly. She was barely audible of the rumble of the potion. It splashed higher and higher, and glowed brighter and brighter, coming up as high as if someone had thrown a stone into water. “In the play —“

“‘Play’ being the operative word here,” Victoria scoffed. “Did you really think I would fancy seeing a severed head and a bloody baby telling me about my doom?” She snorted. “Pray, forgive me if I do decline.” 

Selene looked torn between feeling sorry to have upset her friend and the righteous urge to prove Victoria wrong, while Ethel geared herself up to defend their endeavour. Before it could come to it, however, the light changed yet again. With a resounding boom, the cauldron shot up into the air and came crashing down with a loud bang, bouncing off one of the vertical stones as it did so. 

Victoria and Ethel gasped as they jumped away from the glowing drops flying their way. Selene shrieked and pressed Alan to her chest with one hand, rubbing at a stain on her skirt with the other. The formerly peaceful, moonlit clearing was reduced to chaos, but when suddenly a low, agony-filled moan reached them from the blackness of the trees, the three girls and one ferret froze. 

Alan gave a whimper, clambering up onto Selene’s shoulder. Selene held him and stroked his fur, but her excitedly glittering eyes were trained on the darkness ahead. She started towards it with a couple of determined steps, but Victoria caught her by her sleeve and pulled her back. Reluctantly, she turned and followed her fleeing friends, quick footsteps carrying them away from the stone circle and back towards the castle. 

When they were gone, the moaning and groaning stopped. A rustle sounded in the underbrush beyond the clearing, and from the darkness four figures emerged, three of them grinning broadly, and one not so much, slowly trailing behind the others. They approached the clearing, standing in the middle of the exploded potion with three of them on one side, and the remaining on the other. 

“Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen,” said Gabriel Sapieha, watching his vandalised surroundings with a look of profound satisfaction.

“Anytime, old chap.” Bradford Pendleton hooked the toe of his boot under the handle of the cauldron and pushed it back into a standing position. Curiously, he peered inside. “Who would have thought that my tempering with potion recipes would not result in failure for once?”

“Carolyn Nyberg would be proud of you.”

Brady chuckled. “I certainly hope not. Good aim, Mercury.” 

“Thank you. Did you see their faces?” asked Lysander Mercury with a grin. He screwed up his face and it morphed into the features of Ethel Hexley, her eyes wide and her mouth rounded to a perfect circle as Ethel-Lysander waved his arms above his head in a hysterical gesture. He held his stomach as he laughed. “This was priceless, gentlemen, absolutely priceless.”

“If you say so,” Jim Hexley mumbled, watching as the hair on his friend’s head turned back to its original golden shade and he looked like himself again. “Are we quite done now? There are honeyed cakes at the feast. I’d be loath to miss them.”

“Not afraid of the dark, are we, old chap?”

Jim was spared a reply when something - or someone? - moved beyond the treeline. A low howl carried through the moonlit night toward them, swelling in volume and pitch. The boys in the clearing looked at each other uneasily. Jim swallowed.

“It hasn’t worked, though, has it? The potion?”

“Don’t be a fool, Hexley,” said Lysander, but he didn’t look away from where the howl had come from. “It is bound to be a wolf or something.”

“You sound like that wouldn't be a problem in itself.”

The howling took up again. The four boys looked up at the full moon hanging silvery above their heads and back at each other.

“I say we make for the castle,” Gabriel suggested in a light tone but his eyes never left the shadow of the trees. “My friends are eager to hear of our success, and we wouldn’t want Jim to miss his honeyed cakes, would we?”

They all agreed, and so left the clearing. One by one they stepped onto the path leading under the canopy of trees, which Jim could swear looked darker than it had upon their arrival. He was the last to follow, and he cast one look back at the stone circle across his shoulder. The cauldron still sat where it had fallen, now upright again, in a ring of glowing specks of potion, which shimmered ominously in the moonlight.

A shiver running down his spine, Jim turned away, hurrying his steps to catch up with his friends toward the warmth and safety of the brightly lit castle. 

[the-al-chemist]

The Beginning of a Symphony - Chapter 34

A/N: after an embarrassing encounter, Jim decides to face his fears at last…

Warnings: mild angst, pining.

OCs featured/mentioned: Bradford Pendleton @kc-and-co, Lysander Mercury @slytherindisaster, Selene Fraser, Alan the ferret, Henry Lovecraft and Carolyn Nyberg @lifeofkaze

April 1897

It was lunchtime, but Jim wasn’t hungry. It was also time for his Art Society meting, but he was not feeling particularly creative, either. He only felt nervous, but he knew that he could not let his nerves get the better of him. So, he took a deep breath and swallowed the hard to get the knot out of his tongue.

“Very well… I’ll just say what I wish to say, then,” he said. He cleared his throat. “And, er, what I wish to say is… Well, it’s this. I’d very much like to accompany you to the ball. To the Celestial Ball. As your friend. Actually, no. Not as your friend. I mean, yes, we are friends, but I’d like for us to be more than that. And perhaps, if you’d grant me the honour of… of your company next weekend, we might make our first, um, steps in that direction. How does that suit you?”

Jim’s offer was met with silence. He sighed.

“That was no good at all, was it?” he asked. “Well, if at first you don’t… Try and try again. Right. It’s the Celestial Ball next weekend, and I know lots of people are partnering up for it, and I wondered whether you might like to partner up. With me, that is, not... So,what say you, Héloïse?”

Héloïse said nothing, because Héloïse was not there to say anything at all. Jim was merely practising asking her, and her stand-in was the only person Jim could think of who would neither judge him for his stutter, nor interrupt him whilst he was speaking. However, he could have used some constructive feedback. Perhaps he should have practised on a person rather than a ferret.

“Okay, Alan,” said Jim. “Third time lucky, yes? Well, I really do enjoy your company, and I consider you to be a very dear friend. I also think that you are… incredibly beautiful and… I’d rather like to escort you to the ball on Saturday. Only if you’d like me to, of course.” Jim sighed. “I wonder if I perhaps should not mention the beautiful thing. It’s rather… forward, don’t you think?”

In response to Jim’s question, Alan the ferret twisted around on the desk to nibble at the base of his tail. He made no noise, but somewhere nearby a snickering noise could be heard. Jim frowned. The noise was coming from behind a cupboard.

He pulled out his wand and walked towards it, and the snickering grew louder, and louder, until he came around it to find…

Ethel and Selene, sitting with their backs against the cupboard, their knees tucked up by their chests and their hands pressed to their mouths, in a poor attempt at stifling their giggles.

At the sight of his sister and her friend, Jim lowered his wand, and at the sight of him, they dropped their hands from their mouths and gave into their laughter.

“For the love of Godric,” Jim said crossly. “This isn’t… It isn’t funny!”

“Oh, but it is!”

“It really, truly is!”

The two girls laughed even harder, their eyes watery and cheeks pink.

“Stop laughing, Ethel!”

“I cannot,” Ethel wheezed. “I cannot stop. Oh, Jimmy. I did not realise you held such strong feelings for Alan.”

“I can see for why you would,” said Selene. “He is a very fine ferret.”

“A beautiful ferret, or so I’ve heard it said.”

“Indeed, I believe I have heard that said, too.”

“Unfortunately, Jim, Alan shan’t be accompanying you to the ball. He prefers to form attachments with his own species. I’d strongly suggest that you do the same,” Ethel told him. “I know that Mamma and Pappa are rather liberal in their views, but this might be too much for them to take. And I dread to think what Héloïse would think of you having such an unnatural-”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Jim snapped at his sister, far louder than he had intended. Ethel blinked, but otherwise appeared nonplussed.

“Suit yourself, Jimmy. We have far more interesting people to spend time with. Ferret-fancier or not, you still bore us terribly.”

She and Selene stood up and crossed the empty room. As they did, Selene scooped Alan the ferret up into her arms and threw a dirty look at Jim over her shoulder.

“Don’t you fret, Alan. We shall take you far away from this nasty depraved boy.”

Jim sighed loudly as he watched them disappear from sight, before picking up his things and making his way through the castle to the empty classroom where Brady and Lysander were having their meeting.

“Jim, old chap,” said Brady. “You’re late. What kept you?”

“My sister.”

“Ah.”

Lysander frowned. “What’s the matter with frog-face this time?” he asked. “Bitter that no one’s asked her to the ball?”

“I’m not sure,” Jim replied. “Someone might have asked her.”

“Really? Who?”

“I don’t… What does it matter to you? You despise Effy.”

“It doesn’t,” said Lysander quickly. “And I do. I was simply wondering whether or not we might have a lunatic in our midst, that is all.”

“I see,” Jim nodded slowly. “Have either of you two asked anyone?”

“Indeed I have, old bean. I’ll be escorting Carolyn Nyberg.”

At Brady’s announcement, Lysander’s eyebrows shot up.

“Perhaps we do have a lunatic in our midst,” he muttered. “There is a fine line between lunacy and bravery, or so they say. Carolyn Nyberg… You’re a far braver wizard than I am.”

“And me,” Jim sighed. Brady’s eyebrows furrowed, and so he explained. “I cannot even pluck up the courage to ask Héloïse.”

“Really?” Brady shook his head. “But, Jim, this is your perfect opportunity to get closer to her.”

“Yes, I am aware of that.”

“So why on earth have you not taken that opportunity in both hands? Carpe diem!”

“Precisely for that reason,” said Jim. “It is too… I feel a lot of pressure, and that makes me too nervous. I try to ask her, and then when I do, my mouth goes dry and my words get stuck and I can’t say anything at all.”

“Not even a word?”

“No. Well, yes. In a way. The other day I managed to tell her that she has lovely handwriting.”

“Ah,” Brady said. Lysander looked up from his sketch.

“Does she?” he asked.

“Does she what?”

“Have nice handwriting.”

“Oh, yes. Very nice handwriting. Small and neat and pretty and French… Like you’d expect, I suppose,” Jim told Lysander, who exchanged glances with Brady. “Um… What?”

Brady rolled his eyes and placed his head in his hands. “I simply cannot cope with this,” he said. “You must ask her.”

“But… Excuse me!”

Jim’s mouth fell open as Lysander pointed his wand at his hand, the one holding his favourite sketchbook. The sketchbook shot up into the air and hovered above Jim’s head, tantalisingly out of reach of his fingertips.

“Here’s a bargain for you, Jimbo,” Lysander said with a smirk. “You can have the sketchbook back when - and only when - you ask Héloïse to attend the Celestial Ball with you.”

“But that’s… Brady, make him see sense.”

But Brady chuckled and shook his head.

“Jim, old chap, I think Lysander is making perfect sense. You require a - pardon my French - jolly good kick up the derrière.”

“That’s…”

“The library is two corridors away. If you hurry, you’ll have a companion for the Celestial Ball and your sketchbook back by the time we start afternoon lessons.”

Both Lysander and Brady’s faces were earnest, and Jim knew that there was no persuading either of them to give him back his sketchbook, not until he had done what he had so far failed to do. He sighed angrily, as frustrated with himself as he was with his friends.

“Go on, old chap. Be bold.”

“Carpet demon,” said Lysander, and Brady put his head in his hands again.

Jim left them alone and walked through the two corridors to the library, his heart beating faster and his feet growing heavier with each step. He was not ready for this, he would never be ready for this. What if he was unable to get his words out again? What if he did, and she laughed at him? What if she said no? Oh, Godric… What if she said yes?

He found Héloïse in a quiet corner of the library, far from the noise that was coming from the librarian’s desk, where his sister was pestering Madam Khanna about something, he did not care what. At this moment, he cared bout nothing but managing to be bold, to ask Héloïse to attend the ball with him, and getting his sketchboook back from Lysander.

“Héloïse,” he said as he approached her. Slowly, she raised her brown eyes from her astrology textbook and regarded him with a look of curiosity.

“Jim. Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Héloïse.”

There was a long pause in which neither of them spoke. Jim swallowed hard three times and cleared his throat.

“Héloïse, I was wondering…”

“To what… Sorry. I am… intruding your speaking.”

“No, I’m sorry,” said Jim. “You continue.”

“I was to ask why you are here, but I think you are now to tell me,” Héloïse said with a wry little smile. “What have you wondered?”

This was it. Jim’s chance. He had to take it. He had to be bold.

“I wondered whether anyone had already asked to accompany you to the Celestial Ball, and if no, then whether you might allow me to accompany you.”

Jim spoke faster than he had intended. It potentially was too fast, for Héloïse frowned as if she had not understood his meaning.

“You are wanting to… escort me to the ball?” she asked, and Jim nodded.

“Yes. Yes, indeed. I… It would be my privilege. Only if you wish to do me that honour, of course.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Jim was half-hope, half-achingly deep despair and longing.

“I… Jim, this would be nice.”

His heart skipped a beat. “It would?”

“Yes,” Héloïse smiled sadly. “But… Unfortunately, I cannot to go with you. I am sorry. I have promised to my friend Henry that I will to go with him. I did not think… I am sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry,” said Jim. He forced himself to return Héloïse’s smile, in spite of the fact that he felt more like crying. “A promise is a promise, and… I am sorry.”

“Why?”

“For… asking, I suppose. I hope that this shall not ruin our… our friendship.”

“Friendship, yes,” Héloïse nodded. She swallowed and looked down at her book. “I must to study.”

“I must to go… I must be going. I shall see you soon. At the ball, maybe.”

Héloïse said nothing in response, just stared at her book, already clearly engrossed in it. Jim walked away from her, focusing on the sound of his footsteps echoing on the floor of the library, for her knew that if he did not focus on something, his thoughts would fly to Héloïse, and then he would look back. And if he looked back, then the tears that pricked his eyes would start to run away from him, and he would start to cry in front of everyone.

And if that happened, he might never be able to be bold again.

[slytherindisaster]

web weaving: selene & frederick + jealousy & rivarly

for @lifeofkaze

eros the bittersweet by anne carson / i can’t handle change by roar / northanger abbey (2007) / jude the obscure by thomas hardy / heather by conan gray / supernatural 13x21 / the infinity sign by michael bassey johnson / interlude: i'm not angry anymore by paramore

[usernoneexistent]

Autumn 1895: Starting fourth year, Winona seeks out her cousin, Lysander to spill what she discovered during her holidays. Apologises, I didn't have time for the drawing but it will be coming in an edit.

Characters featured: Victoria Summer @whatwouldvalerydo, Nolan Miller @hogwartsmysteryho, Lysander Mercury @slytherindisaster, Jim Hexley @the-al-chemist.

Character mentioned: Selene Fraser @lifeofkaze, Ethel Hexley @the-al-chemist.

Warnings: disastrous cousins.

Winona couldn't wait for the Headmaster's speech to end. All she wanted to do was find her cousin, Lysander and tell him everything she had discovered. She felt she had to say the details in person rather than through correspondence, which was far too complicated to explain.

"Are you alright, Winona?" Her best friend, Victoria Summer, asked.

"Yes, I am completely fine," Winona assured though the knot forming at Victoria's forehead said otherwise. "How come? Do you think something is wrong?"

"You seem..." The Gryffindor carefully chose her following words, "restless."

"You shouldn't worry about me. I am fine, chirky even."

"If you say so," Victoria said, still uncertain but turned to chat with Selene Fraser and Ethel Hexley. Winona watched across to the Hufflepuff table, looking for a blonde boy whose hair could change on a dime. She spotted glimpses of blonde hair sitting next to darker hair and a more wiry-looking boy, most likely Jim Hexley. The prefects took the first years to their common rooms, leaving the rest to join later. This was Winona's chance without her brother getting suspicious.

"I shall meet you later in our dorm." She mentioned it to Victoria, giving a nod of acknowledgement before returning to the conversation. She walked around the long table between the Gryffindor and the Hufflepuff table.

Her shoulder bumped into a certain Ravenclaw; however, she was too busy to care.

"Oi, watch it where you're going, Rosewood!" Nolan Millar exclaimed.

"You better shut it, Miller!" She quickly stuck her tongue out, but she couldn't afford to wait for his reaction.

"Lys!" She quietly tapped his shoulder. "Artefact room in five minutes."

"Um, but we're having our dinner right now."

"Sorry Hexley, but I need to steal him from you." Jim didn't look too pleased with Winona taking his friend away, "I promise it will be only for a couple minutes."

"It's fine, Jim. I'll be gone for only a couple of minutes." Lysander could sense it was big news, and she only rushed to her cousin like a seeker when it was colossal gossip. No, huge news.

Winona and Lysander quicken their pace. Some second years were already in the artefact room before they sent them out to their proper place.

"So? What is the news of the day, cousin?" Lysander was curious than ever; his hair changed to a playful Scheele's green.

"So, do you remember when I wrote to you that I discovered something in papa's office?" She referred to their regular correspondence over the Summer, sharing the latest gossip about the neighbours and adventures they had.

"Yes? I recall that you had some out-of-this-world news." His hair changed to purple as the anticipation built.

"Well, I found some letters from his mistresses." It was the first time Winona finally could say it out loud. The word felt strange and foreign to her. It wasn't as bad as she had expected herself to feel. Lysander's mouth gaped wide open for one of the few times; he was genuinely speechless.

"And..."

"There is more." His mouth turned into a partial smirk.

"I have an older half brother." Winona finally said. Lysander was really now grinning. "I knew there would be more. Who is it? Is he here, at Hogwarts?"

Winona knew her cousin would naturally be curious as to who it was.

"Yes, he's actually in your dorm," Winona teased.

Lysander muttered through the potential suspects, eliminating them one by one until he reached only one name. He almost gasped out in excitement.

"No, it can't be? It's Colin Moss!" He glanced over at his cousin, and Winona nodded in confirmation. Though Lysander furrowed his blonde eyebrows. "But I thought you had said his father was a werewolf. Well, we knew he wasn't a werewolf for two years, but still."

"I never said that he nor his father was a werewolf," the girl clarified. "I simply said that there were werewolves at his family's establishment. There is a huge difference."

"Same difference," Lysander rolled his eyes before glancing over at Winona. She is fraught with excitement and a bit of relief; it is like the weight of her world has finally been lifted off her shoulder. The fact that she had Lysander to talk about everything was an immense consolation. "Are you going to tell Colin about this?"

"Yes, I do plan on telling him about our shared paternity. However!" Winona gave a firm stare. "Don't tell Colin that you know until I have informed him."

Lysander morphed his mouth shut as he mimicked locking it and throwing away the key. It will be challenging, but Winona knew that her cousin would be quiet for her sake.

"I better let you scurry back to Jim before the feast ends."

"And you better tell me when you and Colin had that talk." The metamorphagus winked before slowly leaving for his Hufflepuff friend. Winona took her to leave too.

Walking to the fat lady portrait. What kind of life has he led so far? She had a rough idea based on what she'd heard. What were his mother and grandfather like? How similar were they? Does he look like their father?

All these questions fluttered around her head. Winona knew she needed the resolve to tell him today. She was ready; all Summer had time to brace herself and talk to him. Tell him the truth.

But that will have to wait for another time soon enough.

Previous chapter: Pandora's Box

Next chapter: New Kin Folk

[endlessly-cursed]

Hellooooo 💛

First of all, thanks again SO much for doing this project. It must be so much work and is such a nice thing for the whole community. Just amazing!

Second, I'd love my three gremlins to be included so much:

Selene Fraser for Gryffindor (FC: Felicity Jones) Carolyn Nyberg for Slytherin (FC: Natalie Dormer) Henry Lovecraft for Ravenclaw (FC: Matt Smith)

Again, thank you so much and take care! xx

Hiiii!!!

First of all, sorry for my lateness wkehsksnsn my mind and creativity has been all over the place!!

But fear not, for your characters are now on the Yearbook 2024 list!!!

And you!!! Yes, you, don't be coy! Submit your MCs via DMs or asks before December 31st at 23:59 Paris-Berlin-Madrid timezone!!!

[spacenutspod]

Understanding what lies under the lunar surface could be critical to future exploration efforts. A series of missions have already mapped some parts of the sub-surface of the Moon. Still, few have delved deep inside, where large lava caverns or potentially valuable water or mineral deposits may lie. But that might be about to change. NASA’s Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) supplied funding to a novel technology developed by a team at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that could solve the long-standing problem of seeing what lies within the Moon. The project, the Passively Expanding Dipole Array for Lunar Sounding (or PEDALS), uses a self-deploying technique to position a large-scale antenna on the lunar surface. Once deployed, it can collect data on the lunar sub-surface down to a few kilometers, comparable with the deepest data we have ever collected. Currently, the deepest data was collected by the Lunar Radar Sounder on the SELENE orbiter (better known as the Kayuga). However, it was intentionally crashed into the Moon back in 2009, and, despite being able to monitor signals up to 5 km deep, it did not provide anything resembling a high-resolution image. Lava tubes are one of the most intriguing parts of the lunar sub-surface. Fraser explains them here. Other sounds, some of which date back as far as the later Apollo Missions, had a higher resolution but could reach the depth that would unlock a better understanding of the lunar surface’s structure. A presentation created by the JPL team notes five scientific objectives that can be solved by PEDALS, ranging from mapping the 3D interfaces of volcanoes to understanding rock density in a particular area. So just how would the system achieve those objectives? PEDALS would land using the time-honored tradition of falling to the surface in an airbag. Once there, it will deploy a coilable boom, a concept that has been the focus of several years of NASA research already. In theory, there’s no actual constraint to the size of the boom PEDALS deploys, but the volume of the landing airbag and the surface area the antenna will need to cover will have an impact. After deployment, PEDALS collects data using its antenna. What that antenna would look like remains a point of study, as the presentation details two potential configurations – a loop antenna or a coupled dipole. Both have advantages and disadvantages, but the JPL team needs to do more research to determine which would be more useful for the lunar use case. Lava tubes are especially interesting on the Moon. One obvious question is – where could you deploy this thing? Passive viewing of the Apollo missions shows that the Moon isn’t particularly flat, and massive boulders are randomly strewn. Calculating the large rock sizes (they estimate 50 cm max diameter) and how much room they would need to deploy to a field with many times the area of the deployed antenna as a “free path,” according to the JPL report. That’s not necessarily a deal breaker, as there are areas on the Moon that meet the criteria – and maybe in a best-case scenario, they could get some help from an autonomous rover to move some of the rocks out of the way. But for now, the idea appears to be on hold, as it is unclear if PEDALS received a Phase II grant after being funded in 2021. However, it’s likely that deploying a large-scale antenna to the lunar surface will someday get its day in the Sun. Learn More:McGarey et al. – Passively Expanding Dipole Array for Lunar SoundingUT – Lava Tubes on the Moon and Mars are Really, Really Big. Big Enough to Fit an Entire Planetary BaseUT – GRAIL Data Points To Possible Lava Tubes On The MoonUT – Stable Lava Tube Could Provide a Potential Human Habitat on the Moon Lead Image:Artist’s depiction of the PEDALs antenna being unfurled & supporting info.Credit – McGarey et al. / NASA-JPL The post Deploying a Huge Antenna On The Moon Could Study Its Insides appeared first on Universe Today.