#storeowner!harry

[atlafan]

Costumes Galore - One Shot

a/n: this one was based off a few asked for my Halloween themed one shot requests. A lot of you wanted to something around a costume rental store, so I just made Harry the owner of that store! Feedback and reblogs are helpful, hope you enjoy! (not proofread) 

Warnings: pining, smut, friends to lovers

Words: 8.7K

Don’t ask him how, but Harry is the owner of a costume rental shop. He was a business major in university, and with some luck and patience, he was able to take over the very shop he worked in as a teenager. Halloween was his busiest season, of course, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t doing well year round. He would give deals to the local schools and community theaters, and people who dressed as characters for parties would come see him. So, needless to say, business was steady. He often had big sales right after Halloween, and people would come in and clean him out.

Preparing for Halloween was his favorite thing to do. As soon as it was September 1st, he would transform his shop, pulling out tons of decorations, and putting out different bowls of candy. He liked making his customers happy, and everyone usually left satisfied. His changing rooms were comfortable and spotless, and he even set up backdrops in the lounge area for people to take Halloween pictures of their kids. People would come in to do that all year to save time and money. He was a smart business man. Harry did most of the work himself, he had a couple of teenagers that worked for him after school, but other than that it was all him. He didn’t mind, it gave him the control he needed over his shop, and he just didn’t have the money to pay someone for full-time help. He was only entering the fourth year of owning the place, after all.

Harry enjoyed the small traditions the downtown area had. Every year on October 30th, all of the shops would open their doors so kids could come trick or treat. It was a great way to give out pamphlets and coupons, while also getting to know the people that lived in the area. He loved kids, so when Harry was told about the tradition by his shop neighbor he got right on it, splurging for the king sized candy bars.

It was getting to be that time of year again, just about the end of September, his shop was looking good, and the Halloween crowds had slowly been trickling in and out. He was at the register when he heard the chime of the bell he keeps above the door to signal someone was coming in. It was a beautiful young woman, and she made Harry’s mouth run dry.

“Hello.” She says shyly as she walks up to the counter.

“Hi.” He swallows, and then smiles. “May I help you find something? Picking a costume up?” He moves to walk into the back door to see what reservations he had left for the day, but she stops him.

“No, um, I was wondering, actually, if you were hiring seasonally? I’m a grad student at the local university, and I could really use the extra cash before the holidays approach.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t expecting such a blunt and honest answer. “Well, I usually only hire high school students…it’s a bit easier to pay them under the table.”

“I don’t mind! I have another job at the university I get a pay stub for and all that, I really just need the extra money for the season. If you’re not hiring it’s okay, I can check with the other shops, I just figured since this is a costume shop you’d be getting really busy soon.”

“You figured correctly.” He sighs. “Do you have much experience in retail?”

“Oh, sure, tons! I worked in a grocery store when I was a teenager, so I know how to work a register, and then in undergrad I worked at an Old Navy, so I know how to fold clothes properly and check inventory.” She pulls a folded piece of paper out of her back pocket. “Here’s my resume, not the most professional way of showing it, but I brought it nonetheless.” She unfolds it and slides it on the counter towards him.

Harry takes it and furrows his brows as he reads it over. Seems like she was in her first year of grad school, but had graduated from her undergrad a couple of years ago. Her undergraduate degree was in social work, and it looks like she had been working in an office for a couple of years. Now she was going for a graduate degree in school counseling. She had plenty of experience, that wasn’t his worry, he just wasn’t sure he would be able to properly compensate her.

“My busiest hours during the season tend to be between 3 and 7PM, and then I’m swamped on Saturdays. How many hours a week do you think you could work?”

Her features soften as she perks up from his question.

“I’m honestly free by four most days, and Saturdays are no problem. Well, as long as I don’t have to be up at the crack of dawn.” She chuckles. “I’m no good early in the morning. I could do Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday if that works for you?”

“I wouldn’t be able to pay you more than ten dollars an hour, and you’d need to keep track of things on your own. I expect the honor system too, no trying to stiff me.”

“That’s perfect!” She was doing the math in her head. “Do you close right at seven? Would I stay after to close up?”

“Probably would need you here until eight. Saturday I’m open eleven to five, would need you here ten to six for that.”

She furrows her brows as she thinks about it. That would roughly come to about twenty hours a week, which was exactly what she was looking for. Then that would be $200 extra in her pocket a week, or $400 if he decides to pay her bi-weekly, and she wouldn’t have to worry about a dime of it coming out for taxes.

“Well, uh…”, she squints at his nametag, “Harry, I think we have a deal.” She smiles and extends her hand for him to shake. He takes it gently and smiles at her. “When can I start?”

“Why don’t you come in this Saturday around 9:30? I can go over everything with you without have to rush. There’s a little kitchen in the back and all that so feel free to leave food here if you feel like packing a lunch or snacks. I also keep a lot of snacks around.”

“Works for me.” She shrugs. “If you’re here until eight most days, what time do you usually open?”

“Around ten, I get here for nine.”

“Those are long days.”

“I don’t mind it, there’s always a lot to do.” It’s quiet between them for a moment.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. See you Saturday!” She beams.

“Wait, uh, the door will be locked when you get here, and I can’t just give you a key, barely know you.” He chuckles. “But here.” He grabs a business card and writes his cell phone number on it. “Just text me when you get here, and I’ll let you in.”

“Perfect.” She looks at the card. “Thanks, Mr. Styles.”

“Stick with Harry, we don’t need to be so formal.”

“Alright, thanks, Harry.”

Out the door she goes feeling way better than when she walked in. He wondered how close in age they might be, she had to be around the same age as him, if not only a year or so younger. It would be nice working with someone he could actually talk to. He likes the teenagers, but sometimes he just had no idea what they were talking about.

//

Saturday morning Y/N isn’t sure what to wear. Harry hadn’t said anything about a uniform, so she decides on a pair of khakis and a black polo to at least look the part of a retail worker. She tucks the shirt in to look professional, and to make sure she looked cute. She puts her hair up in a ponytail, and out the door she goes. She grabs a coffee from the shop across from Harry’s, and takes out her phone to text him.

Y/N: Good morning, Harry! It’s Y/N, I’m outside the shop 😊

She sips her warm drink as she waits for him to appear in the windows. She smiles as she sees him walking up, and he opens the door for her.

“Morning, Y/N.” He smiles, voice still a little gravelly from sleep. It makes her blush.

“Morning.” She nods as she walks in. “Oh…I should have asked you if you wanted a coffee.” She frowns at herself. “I’m sorry.”

“No worries, had mine a little while ago. I should’ve asked you if you wanted anything.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Anyways…”, he looks her up and down, “don’t feel like you need to dress so…well, I should have texted you about attire. Um, you can wear pretty much whatever you want. I just ask if you wear jeans that they’re not ripped, and if you wear leggings make sure you’re bum is covered. You never know what kind of old creeps might be coming in here to steal glances.” She nods at him and follows him behind the register and into the back room. “So this is where I keep reserved costumes. People will call ahead sometimes with their measurements and what they need.” He opens another door that leads into a breakroom. It was small kitchen with a slop sink, decent sized fridge, microwave, blender, toaster, and hot plate on the counters.

“I think you have every appliance known to man.” She laughs.

“Well, I can’t exactly have an oven in here, so I stalked up on other things. There’s some small pots if you feel like having pasta, that’s why I have the hot plate, you just need to remember to unplug it when you’re done. Turns out a lot of clothes are flammable, go figure.” His jokes makes her giggle, and he likes the sound of it. “And then through this door is the office. I have some lockers in here so you can hang your coat up, or put a bag away. Bring a lock if you feel like it, but I promise not to steal your things if you promise not to steal mine.”

“Promise.” She nods. “Where are the bathrooms?”

“In the back of the store along with the dressing rooms. We’ll get there in a moment. Every night I have a cleaning crew come in to make sure everything is spick and span, but accidents happen during the day sometimes so it’s on us to clean that up when it occurs.”

“No problem there. I used to clean the bathrooms at the grocery store all the time. Not my favorite thing to do, but I’m no stranger to it.”

He nods and then leads her back out to the register. He explains how he bookkeeps, and how important it is to save every receipt. Then he takes out what looks like a magazine that explains all of the types of costumes and accessories he keeps. He essentially had the shop on a grid system so everything was easy to find. She would need to learn this so she could properly help the customers. Then he leads her to the back of the store, shows her the dressings rooms and bathrooms, and then to the very back room where all of the storage was.

“Holy shit.” She says to herself. “You could get lost in here.” She swallows.

“You shouldn’t need to come back here too much. I usually have what people need out front, but sometimes you may need to snag some things from here. Mostly shoes.” He takes her back into the main area and into the office so they can sit. “I have cameras just about everywhere. Kids can sometimes pocket the costume jewelry. I have security codes for the doors as well, but I’ll always be here before you, so you won’t ever have to open, or close for that matter.”

“Okay.”

“What’s your class schedule like?”

“I have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and then on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I go to a middle school for my practicum hours. I’m hoping to become an adjustment counselor, you know, helping students with more serious issues.”

“At the middle school level no less, wow.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Good for you.”

“Thanks.” She smiles.

“You said you had a job at the university too, how do you have the time for that?”

“Oh, I get a stipend as a TA.” She shrugs. “The classes I actually take are online, so I have plenty of time. This is just for the season anyways, so it’s fine.”

“Right.” He opens his desk drawer and slides a nametag towards her. “There you are, no you’re a proper employee.”

“Thank you.” She takes it and puts it on, her tongue slightly peeking out as she does so. “So, how do I get paid? Are you gonna sneak me an envelope every week?” She chuckles.

“That’s the plan, yeah. The pay period will be like Saturday to Saturday, so I’ll pay you on Fridays, sound good?”

“Sounds great! Thank you again. I’ve been budgeting just fine and making things work, but things add up during the holidays: dinners, gifts, parties, all that stuff, and I just wanted to have some extra cushion.”

“I think that’s really smart. It’s nice to see you don’t mind working hard.”

“How did you come to own a costume shop?”

“Worked here as a teenager, so after uni the old man was selling it and he took a chance on me. Been running it for four years now.”

“Shit, you’re really young to be doing all of this.” She looks at him wide eyed. “I still have to call my mom to ask her if I should separate my delicates from the rest of my wash, and here you are…owning and running a business.”  

Harry swallows, and nods at her.

“Um, let me show you how the register works, and then we can open up.”

They get up and go back out front. He shows her the prices for everything that he keeps on a laminated sheet of paper. She listens to him intently, nodding along and taking mental notes.

//

It was a little slow in the beginning, so Harry has Y/N put away some costumes that people left in the dressing rooms. A small rush comes in right at noon, and they work together to get everyone settled.

“No, I wanna be Batman!” Y/N hears a small girl whale out at her father.

“But you’d look so pretty as Cinderella, honey.” He pleads with his daughter.

“Pardon me.” Y/N says. “We have tons of Batman costumes in girls sizes.” She smiles.

“You do?” He asks her.

“Sure! Lots of girls like dressing up like super heroes, and their costumes cover up a lot more, so it’s much more practical. She’ll stay warm and won’t trip over a long dress.” She leads them over to the area. “And she’ll still look plenty cute.”

“Alright.” He sighs with defeat. “Batman it is.”

“Yay!” The little girl exclaims as she snatches a costume off the rack.

Y/N looks over and sees that Harry was watching the interaction. He gives her a thumbs up, and goes back to the register. They take their lunch breaks at different times, and when the end of the day comes she lingers while he checks everything over at his desk.

“You can go, Y/N. Good first day.”

“I…well, this is sort of embarrassing, but I walked here because I live close by, but it’s raining…”

“Oh…you need a ride?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.” Her face flushes. “I can order an uber if you-“

“I don’t mind.” He gives her a soft smile. “Sit on the couch if you like, I’ve got a few things I need to finish up.”

She nods and does as he says. She scrolls through her apps on her phone while she waits for him. She hears him sigh, and he knuckles at his eyes before standing up.

“Alright, let’s go. Where do you live?”

“Just over at The Ledges.”

“No shit? I live there too.”

“Seriously?!” She stands. “Okay, now I don’t feel bad.” She chuckles.

“No need to feel bad regardless.” He puts his coat on, grabs his keys, and they head out. He double checks that the doors are locked, and they make their way to his car. He even opens the door for her. “What building are you in?”

“Five, you?”

“Three. Got a roommate or anything?”

“Yeah, I live with a girl in the same program as me. She’s nice enough, we’re still getting to know each other, but we like a lot of the same movies and music, so it’s been easy to hang out when we have time. What about you?” She tucks some loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Got a roommate?”

“Nope.” He says proudly. “Can finally afford to live on my own, which has been nice.”

“Doesn’t that get lonely, though?”

“Not really.” He shrugs. “Most of my time is spent at the shop talking to people all day, so I don’t really mind the quiet once I’m home.”

“Not even a pet to keep you company?”

“I’ve just learned to take care of myself properly, I don’t think I’m quite ready to keep another thing alive.” She laughs at that and it makes him smile.

“You’re really funny, you know that?” He pulls up to her building once he’s turned into the complex. “Thank you so much for the ride, I really appreciate it. I definitely would have caught a cold if I walked in that rain.”

“Anytime, seriously, don’t be afraid to ask.”

She nods and gets out. He makes sure she’s inside before making the turn to his own building.

//

Harry drove Y/N home most evenings. Her help was the best he’s had in a long time, maybe he could afford to hire her on like a regular employee…only if she wanted. She was personable with the customers, and he noticed she’d pick an accessory to wear during all of her shifts to get into the Halloween spirit. One day it was a tiara and a sash, another day it was cat ears, and another it was devil’s horns. Harry would mostly wear graphic tees with old movie posters on them. She thought it was cute. Y/N noticed how well Harry was with the customers too. The kids adored him, so it seemed.

It really didn’t take much for Y/N to develop a crush on Harry. From the moment she walked into his shop she thought he was handsome, but as she got to know him she realized his personality was just her type. She tried to be sneaky decipher whether he was seeing someone or not. There were no pictures of girls on his desk, other than a family photo of him, his mother, and sister. Harry wore a lot of rings, but nothing that screamed he was in a relationship or married. Surely he would mentioned it by now if he was, right? She even got a glimpse at his lock screen on his phone, and all it was, was a picture of a sunflower.

“Just ask him out, Y/N.” Her roommate, Ronnie, says to her one evening over wine and popcorn as they watch The Addams Family. “What do you have to lose?”

“My job.”

“You’re a seasonal employee. As soon as Halloween hits, you’re done there.”

“Not true, he asked me to stay through November. He has sales throughout November so people can buy costumes at a discount. Also, a ton of people come to get fitted for Santa costumes, so I’ll be there a bit longer than anticipated.” She takes a sip from her glass. “I think that if he liked me he would have made a move.”

“He could be thinking the exact same thing about you! And from what you’ve told me, he seems either too shy or too respectful to do something like that. I mean, you work for him, he wouldn’t want you to think he was harassing you.”

“Hm, I never thought of it like that.” She chews on her bottom lip. “Maybe…maybe I could ask him to dinner one night after work. That wouldn’t be totally weird, would it? He drives me home anyways…”

“I think that’s a great idea. Totally casual, off the cuff.”

“Exactly, like, smooth…cool.” She takes a bite of some popcorn. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Y/N, you wrangle middle school kids for half the week, asking a guy out should be a cakewalk.”

//

Saturday Y/N decides to wear a sweater dress over some leggings, and goes with a small witch’s hat that’s on a headband to add some flare to her look. Harry had given her a key since he trusted her, so she lets herself in. She goes right to the back to go say hello. Harry was in the kitchen finishing up his coffee.

“Morning.” He says to her.

“Morning.” She takes a deep breath. “Um, do you have plans tonight, like, after work?”

He furrows his brows as he thinks about it, taking one final sip of his coffee before rinsing his mug in the sink.

“Don’t think so, why?” He almost wished he had made something up. It was sort of lame to not have plans on a Saturday night, wasn’t it?

“Well, I was wondering if I could take you to dinner…” His eyes grow wide at her, so she back-peddles. “You know, as a thank you for being so great to me, and driving me home and stuff.”

“You…you don’t have to thank me for anything, Y/N. You’ve been the best temp I’ve ever hired.” He watches as she looks down at her feet. “But, um, dinner sounds good either way.”

“Really?” She perks up as she makes eye contact once again.

“Yeah, where were you thinking?”

“Nowhere special…do you like Mexican? We could go to Chipotle…” It sounded awful leaving her lips, but it was all she could really afford at the moment.

“I love it there, that sounds good.”

“Great.” She smiles and walks over to the coffee maker to pour herself some. She slips around him to get the creamer out of the fridge. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Harry was distracted all day. Y/N rarely wore dresses to work. Had she dressed up in hopes they’d be going out together later that evening. He looks down at himself, and he’s thankful he decided on a black jumper. Was this a date, or was this to be a casual dinner between two people who work together? He really couldn’t be sure. He thought Y/N was insanely attractive, she was lovely inside and out, but he was her boss so that made things a little…sticky for him. She was around the same age as him, so it wouldn’t be weird if they went out, and she was the one to initiate dinner. So it’s not like he was using any sort of position of power over her.

Around lunch time a boy that works at the coffee shop from across the street comes in. Harry greets him, and he says he’s looking for Y/N.

“She’s in the back on her break.” Harry says. “Do you want me to get her?”

“That’d be great.” The boy smiles.

“Hey, Y/N? There’s someone here to see you.”

“Oh?” She swallows the bite of veggie wrap and stands up to see who it is. “Hey, Charlie.” She smiles.

“Hi.” He smiles back at her. “I…I snagged you some of those chocolate chip cookie squares you like so much.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She comes from around the counter to hug him. “That is so sweet, thank you.”

Harry’s jaw tenses as he tries not to pay attention. He was looking over receipts at the register, but he couldn’t help but be a little nosey.

“No problem.” He hands her the small bag. “Um, I know it’s last minute, but would you wanna catch a movie tonight?”

“Oh, that’s so nice of you to ask, but I actually already have dinner plans tonight, so I can’t.” She gives him a soft smile.

“Alright, another time, maybe?”

“Sure.” She nods, and then he makes his way out. She goes back behind the counter. “Harry, you have to try one of these, they’re so good, nice and chewy. I get them all the time.”

“Clearly.” He reaches into the bag to take one out. “You know, if you wanted to go out with him…you could have…”

“Why would I break our date that I literally just asked you to this morning to go out with someone else?” Ah, so it was a date, he thinks to himself as he bites off a piece of the cookie. “Good, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Charlie’s nice enough, but I don’t like him like that.”

Harry leaves the conversation as that when she goes back to finish her lunch. Did she like him like that? Was that it? Dinner couldn’t come soon enough.

//

The ride to Chipotle is comfortably quiet, the radio could be heard just over the rumble of the streets. Y/N bumps Harry with her hip when he tries to pay for their food, shoving her card into the chip insert. She told him to go grab a table in a snappy way that made him smirk, but he listened to her regardless. He finds a quieter table for two and sets their things down. She comes over with some napkins and sits down.

“You really didn’t have to pay for me.” He says.

“Try again.”

“Thank you.” He sighs.

“Much better.” She smirks and dives into her burrito bowl. “I see you went with the tacos, those are my second favorite.”

“I love tacos, obsessed with them really. I must make them for dinner twice a week.”

“Really?” She asks with a giggle.

“Only because I usually have leftovers. I try to meal prep and stuff like that.”

“Same here! Every Sunday I go to the market, and cook up a storm when I get back. Then it’s all done, and you don’t have to worry.”

“Exactly.” He smiles and takes a bite of his food. It was a little messy, but she didn’t seem to mind. “So, what made you wanna grab a bite tonight?”

She nearly chokes on her food, and she takes a sip of her water.

“Um…I…well…” She stops talking and just looks at him. “I just thought it might be nice to do something outside of work for a change. It’s nice sharing a meal with someone, you know?”

He nods at her and takes another bite of his food. He asks her questions about school, and how things were going balancing working at a middle school and being a TA. She explains that she’s very organized, so she hasn’t been terribly stressed. She was looking forward to her school’s winter break so she could just work at the middle school and not teach at the same time. They had lost track of time, sitting there for over an hour talking. He drives her to her building, and she lingers in his car for a moment.

“That was fun.” She says to him.

“Yeah…thanks again for paying.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Do…do you have plans on Halloween?”

“Aren’t we doing that trick or treat thing at the shop?”

“That’s the evening before.”

“Oh, right! Here I am telling you I’m organized and I can’t get my days straight.” She takes her phone out to look at her calendar. “I think Ronnie and I were planning to put a bowl of candy out in the hallway and watch movies…why?”

“Well, I have a party to go to…my mate Niall throws a Halloween party every year…would you like to come with me?”

Her eyes widen, and he feels like he’s made a mistake. Had he misinterpreted everything?

“That’s only a week away, where on earth am I going to get a costume on such short notice?” She looks at him seriously, and then she laughs.

“Good fucking thing I own a costume shop, or you’d be shit out of luck.” He laughs. “Is that a yes, then?”

“Yeah.” She smiles and leans over the console to give him a peck on the cheek. “See you Monday.” She gets out of the car, tummy full of butterflies, and goes inside her building.

//

Ronnie was thrilled for Y/N’s upcoming date, and didn’t mind her breaking her roommate date at all. When Monday rolls around, Y/N can’t wait to see Harry. He was running around when she got in, and he basically yelled at her to get busy. He texted her Sunday night to warn her that the week of Halloween was usually wild with last minute costume buyers. The two of them run around, and don’t close up until nearly nine.

“I can come in tomorrow and Thursday if you need me to.” She tells him as they walk to his car.

“I don’t want you to be stressed out.”

“I won’t be! I’ll be stressed knowing you’re doing all of that alone. Please, you don’t even need to pay me.”

“Y/N.” He chuckles as he drives her home. “Don’t be silly, I’ll pay you. You can come in if you need the extra hours.”

“Alright.” She nods. “Have you already decided on your costume?”

“I think while we’re at the store it would be fun to dress up as a witches?”

“Definitely, and for the party?”

“You…you wanna dress as a pair for that?”

“Well, we’re going as a pair, so I thought that would be fun…but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Okay.” He pulls up to her building and he turns to face her. “Niall’s dressing like Barney from the Flintstone’s and his girlfriend is gonna dress up like Betty, so I was wondering how you’d feel if we dressed like Fred and Wilma…”

“Do you have those costumes at the shop?”

“Yeah, in the back.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

“Really? Not too cliché?”

“Not at all, I think it could be fun.”

“Great, I can pull everything out for you tomorrow, and you can tell me how it all fits.”

//

It was a busy week, but worth it to see all of the little kids come by the shop. Y/N and Harry made quite the pair of witches. He had invited her back to his place for a movie after everything was all said and done. Tomorrow would be another busy day with the really last minute people, but he wasn’t worried about it.

“Right, so, make yourself at home. I’m just gonna get us some snacks. Can I get you anything to drink?” He says to her as he leads her inside his flat. “I’ve got water, soda, seltzer water…”

“Anything with alcohol in it?” She chuckles. “Long week, you know?”

“Oh, sure! I’ve got these pumpkin ciders you might like, they’re really good.”

“Sounds perfect. Do you need help with anything?”

“No, go sit.” He smiles, and she goes to make herself comfortable on his couch.

Her eyes scan over his living area, it was nicely decorated. He had some decals in the windows for Halloween, little black cats and pumpkins, it was cute. He comes in shortly with some cheese and crackers, and a couple of ciders.

“I threw some pizza rolls into the oven, thought this could hold us over for now.” He says as he sits.

“Good thinking, thank you. This is a nice place, just a one bedroom?”

“Mhm.” He smiles. “I like living here a lot, it’s the perfect location if I need to get to the shop quick.” They each take a sip of the cider as he grabs the TV remote. “You like it?”

“Yeah! It’s delicious. So, what are we watching?”

“How do you feel about Beetlejoice?”

“It’s one of my all-time favorites.”

“Thank god.” He says with relief. “It’s one of my favorites too. I don’t love super scary movies, but ones like these are fun.”

“I’m the same way. I don’t get that thrill other people do from being scared.”

He queues up the movie and presses play. She takes her sneakers off so she can sit with her feet under her, and he likes that she’s able to get so comfortable. He hears the ding from his oven timer and goes to retrieve the pizza rolls.

“They’re really hot, gotta let them sit. I don’t want you to bun yourself.” He grabs the blanket from the back of the couch. “Here, you look cold.” She smiles and takes the blanket from him, draping it over her legs. “Let me know when you want a refill too.”

“I will, thank you, Harry.”

He sits back on the couch and pops a cracker into his mouth. This was normal behavior him. He often doted on her in the shop. If she fell asleep at the table during her lunch break she’d miraculously wake up on the couch in the office, or with a blanket draped over her shoulders and the lights dimmed. He knew how tired she had to be, working so much. She didn’t mind it one bit. She was used to taking care of herself, it was sort of nice to let someone else take a turn.

“We can share if you want.” She speaks up as she sees him cross his arms over his body. “If you’re cold too.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s your blanket.” She chuckles, and places some of it over his legs. “There, all cozy.”

They devour the pizza rolls, and drink three cider’s each during the movie. They laugh at the funny parts, and are quiet during the more serious parts. She looks away a couple of times, and even squeezes his hand during one of the scarier scenes. They didn’t touch other than that, though. He didn’t want to make things awkward before the party.

“Oh, I love this part at the end with the football team.” She giggles and finishes her last drink. “I’m really glad we did this tonight.” She turns her body to look at him.

“Me too.” He stands up, and starts cleaning everything up. She follows him into the kitchen with the empty cans. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t mind.” She tosses them in the recycling bin he has next to the trash.

“I can walk you home if you want.”

“That’s okay, I think I can make it.”

“I really don’t mind.”

“Don’t be silly, Harry.”

“Will you…at least text me when you get back?”

“Sure.” She nods and gets her shoes and jacket on. He walks her to his door with his hands in his pockets.

“I can pick you up before work tomorrow if you like.”

“That I’ll definitely take you up on. It’s gonna be cold tomorrow, I think.” She throws her arms around him and kisses his cheek quickly. “Thanks for a nice night.”

“Bye.”

He sighs as she leaves, and sighs heavier as she makes her way out of the building. She gets inside her own flat and tells Ronnie everything.

“Shit! I forgot to text him!”

Y/N: so sorry, I got in like 10 min ago

Harry: no worries, glad you got in safe

Y/N: thanks again for a really nice night…you’re fun to watch movies with

Harry: you’re welcome, and so are you

“God, why does he have to be so sweet?”

“So, he really didn’t make any moves?”

“No.” She sighs. “We shared a blanket, but that was about it, and I was too nervous to do more than to touch his hand a couple of times.” She groans and sits down on the couch with a huff. “Like…are we dating? Just friends? I’d love to know.”

“You should ask him.”

“You can’t just ask that sort of thing!”

“Why not?!”

“Because it’s awkward. Ugh, I just had to go work for someone like him. Why couldn’t it have been some old lady?”

//

The work day goes by like normal. Y/N uses ladies room to get into her Wilma costume. Harry had given her an orange wig for the hair, and she got it up into a decent enough bun. The dress was really cute on her figure, and she felt good about it. She’d be cold, but only for the couple of minutes she’d be outside. Harry was waiting for her in the main area with his Fred costume. He was not wearing a wig.

“I’m pretty sure Fred Flinstone has black hair.” She runs a hand through his curls and his face flushes. “But I suppose this will do.”

“You look great, Y/N.”

“You think so?” She does an innocent twirl. “Not too skimpy?”

“Not at all.” He smiles.

They drive to Niall’s, and Y/N is welcome with open arms from the second they walk in. Everyone at the party had great costumes, and she was happy her and Harry went all out. There was music playing, plenty of snacks and drinks, and even a few games. People were playing beer-pong in the kitchen, others were playing some card games. There were some people dancing in the living area. Y/N wondered if some other grad students were mixed into the bunch.

“Want something to drink?” Harry asks her and she nods yes. He takes her by the hand and leads her to the drink cart in the kitchen. He looks at her with raised eyebrows.

“Vodka tonic, please.”

“Coming right up.” He makes two drinks, and hands her one. “Let me know if It’s too strong.”

“Mm.” She takes a sip. “It’s perfect.”

Much to her surprise, Harry keeps an arm around her shoulders for most of the night as they mingled with his friends. It was loose around her, but he was making it pretty clear to anyone else looking at them that she was spoken for. They didn’t drink too much, enough to have a healthy buzz, but not so much that Harry wouldn’t be able to drive later.

“Are you having fun?” He says into her ear. She looks up at him and nods yes. He smiles and goes back to the conversation he was having with Niall.

Y/N liked Harry’s friends. They were all really nice, and did their best to include her in the chit chat. It was a fun night. A little after midnight they decide to call it quits, and head out. Y/N takes the wig off and shakes her hair out the second they’re in the car.

“Man, that thing was itchy.” She runs a hand through her hair and looks at him. “What?” He was already looking at her.

“You’re…you’re just so…” He reaches for her and cups her cheeks in his large hands. They were barely an inch apart, and she could feel his breath fanning over her face. “I really want to kiss you.”

“Please.” She nods slightly, and then he does it.

His lips slot between hers, and her eyes flutter closed. His lips were soft, and he tasted like the mint from the gum he was chewing. Her hands move to the collar of his costume and she tugs him closer to her. He pulls away just as she was opening her mouth a little more, her lips moving towards him. His forehead presses to her.

“Fuck, I…I’ve wanted to do that since the day you walked into the shop, but-“

“Do you wanna go back to my place?”

He nods yes, and throws the car in drive, speeding to their complex. His hand rests on her thigh, squeezing it occasionally, reminding her that he was there and this was happening. He parks in one of the free spaces in front of her building, and gets out of the car. He jogs around the other side and opens her door for her. The air was cold, but the heat radiating between the two of them was scorching. He helps her out of the car, and his lips are on hers again. They shuffle to the main entrance, and she keys in. He’s about to push her up against the wall, but she pushes on his chest.

“Cameras.” She says against his lips, and she tugs him down the hall, and to the elevator.

He keeps his hands to himself while in the elevator, unsure of more cameras, but when she gets them to her door he puts his hands on her shoulders as he stands behind her.

“Is Ronnie home?” He whispers in her ear and goosebumps raise on her skin.

“N-no, she decided to visit some friends for the weekend.”

She keys into the apartment, and she just barely gets the door closed when she’s being pushed up against the wall. If she had the strength to pick him up and carry him to her room she would, but she can’t, so she just tugs on him to move further into the flat. His lips felt so good on hers, and she sucks his bottom lip into her mouth, causing him to groan against her. She finally gets him in her room, and she pushes him back onto her bed. She straddles him immediately, and his hands squeeze at her hips.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” He asks as he looks up at her. “It’s not too fast?”

“Consider it third date sex, I’m good with it if you are.” She reaches for the hem of her dress and lifts it off herself, revealing a white lace set of underwear. His hands slide up and down her sides.

“Third date, huh?” He smirks.

She leans down to kiss him.

“Chipotle.” Her teeth tug at his bottom lip and she lets it snap back. “The movie last night.” She sucks a mark into his neck, just under his earlobe. “And tonight.” She sits back up. “So, no, I don’t think this is too fast, do you?”

“No.”

He flips her over onto her back, and she giggles as he works to get his costume off. He hovers over her, and kisses down her neck. He mouths over her covered nipples and sucks on her through the fabric. Her hips buck up towards him as he continues working his way down her body. Her heart was about ready to beat out of her chest.

“Wh-what are you doing?” She asks just as his lips go right below her belly button.

“Uh…I was going to take your underwear off, if that’s alright.”

“And then what?”

“I’d love to have a taste of you, if you let me.”

“You really wanna do that? It…it doesn’t gross you out?”

“What’s gross about it?” He smirks. “This right here?” He cups her mound and she whimpers. “One of the greatest wonders of the world. So, can I?”

“Yes.”

He hooks his fingers into her panties, and he tugs them down her legs. He kisses on her hips as he opens her legs. He sucks on each of her lips before licking up her slit. He swirls his tongue around her clit, which was positively throbbing for him. He wraps her lips around the small bud and sucks. Her mouth falls open and her hands fly to his hair.

“Oh, fuck.” She moans.

He moans against her, and it just makes her pool between her legs even more him. He was really enjoying this, which was making her enjoy it even more than usual. It was usually a force with guys her age, but Harry had no problem with it. If she didn’t want to suck his dick before, she definitely did now.

Harry removes his mouth from, only for a moment, to suck his middle and ring fingers into his mouth. He slides them through her folds, and then carefully slips them inside her center. She gasps from the stretch at first, and then she feels like she’s melting into the bed. His mouth goes back to her clit while his fingers curl up inside her to pet against her front wall. Her hips start moving along with the rhythm of his fingers, chasing her release.

“Shit, Harry, ngh.” She was panting now.

Her legs move over his shoulders and her heels dig into his back. He groans against her as she falls apart underneath him. He works her through it, giving her clit slow licks as he pulls his fingers from her. He sucks his fingers into his mouth. They make eye contact, briefly, before she’s pinning him down, and she’s yanking his boxers off. Her eyes widen when she sees his length slap back against his lower tummy. She pecks his lips before getting situated between his legs.

Y/N licks up the underside of his hard length, and his head falls back. Her mouth wraps around his tip and she suckles on it before popping off. She spits into her hand and wraps it around him to pump him slowly. She cradles his balls and moves to suck and lick gently on them.

“Oh, dear god.” He moans. “Y/N, I’ll come if you keep doing that.”

“Do you wanna just fuck now? Wanna fuck me, Harry?” She pouts at him.

He was surprised by her. He nods at her, and she smirks at him. She gets up and takes her bra off while she walks into her bathroom to grab a condom. She tosses it to him as she knees back onto the bed. He rips it open and rolls it on, and he gets back on top of her. He rolls the head of his cock between her folds and around her clit before pushing inside her.

“Still sure? I can stop.”

“No, please, I want it, Harry.”

He smiles and continues to push inside her. She grits her teeth at the feeling. Once he’s all the way in he gives her a moment before slowly pulling back out. He sinks back inside her, and that’s when it starts to feel good. She was nice and tight around him, not that he really cared. He knew it would feel good because he liked her so much. He did wonder, though, when the last time someone had the privilege to stretch her out like this.

“You feel so fucking good.” He says and leans down to suck on her bottom lip. His hands move to knead her breasts, and she moans.

She wraps her legs around his waist to pull him even closer. She just want him to smother her. She moves her hips up to rock along with his, and she gasps when she feels him hit her g-spot.

“Fuck, just like that, don’t stop.”

“Yeah? Like that?”

“Fuck, Harry, yeah, keep going.”

He had per panting again, and her nails were scratching down his back. It felt good, though, to feel her just about breaking his skin because he’s making her feel so good. Her back arches off the bed as she comes undone again, and he presses hard inside her so she can really feel it. She thought maybe he had come too since he was pulling out, but he grips her hips and flips her onto her stomach. He pulls her back, spreads her apart, and pushes back inside her.

“Oh!” She gasps.

“This okay?” He grunts.

“More than okay, fuck.” She pushes back against him and he nearly chuckles.

Quick, deep strokes were entering her. Her bed was shaking, and her cheeks were straight up getting clapped. It was such a breath of fresh air to be with man who knew what to do with it. He grips the back of her neck to steady himself as his thrusts get sloppy.

“I’m gonna come.” He groans. “Shit, I’m gonna-“ He moans out as he spills into the condom.

He was so vocal, and she really liked that. He pulls out of her slowly, and takes the condom off.

“Trash is over there.” She breathes and points towards her desk. He nods and gets up to dispose of it. She gets up and waddles into her bathroom to use her toilet. When she comes back out he’s getting his boxers back on. “You, um, don’t need to leave if you don’t want to.”

“Normally I’d stay, but…” He runs a hand through his hair. “Sort of embarrassing to walk back tomorrow morning as Fred Flinstone.” He smirks.

“Right.” She nods as she throws on a bed shirt, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable.

“But I could stay a little longer, lay with you a bit.”

“I don’t want you to be upset if you fall asleep.”

“I won’t be…suppose it would be funny.” He comes over to her and gives her a kiss on the forehead before going into her bathroom.

He gets into bed with once he’s done, and she snuggles up to his side, laying her head on his chest. Her fingers trace around his various tattoos. He rubs her back, and it lulls her to sleep.

//

The next morning she wakes up to an empty bed. Where he was laying wasn’t even warm so he must have left soon after she fell asleep. She sighs and takes a shower, washing her night away. She checks her phone, and smiles, all worry leaving her body.

Harry: slipped out after you fell asleep, hope you don’t think I’m one of those guys…I had a lot of fun, talk at work Monday?

Y/N: definitely don’t think you’re one of those guys…now lol yeah, let’s talk Monday

She sighs and sits at her desk to get some grading done. Or she was hopeful to get work done. The ache between her legs was proving to be pretty distracting.

//

Y/N takes a deep breath before walking into the shop Monday afternoon. There were plenty of customers buying discounted costumes, so Harry’s only able to smile at her as she slips into the backroom to hang her coat up.

“I guess…do you think he’ll still like this in a year?” The woman asks Harry.

“I’m not gonna like to you, he easily couldn’t, but if I know kids, they like to have options. If he ends up having a couple of parties to go to, he won’t want to wear the same costume to each event.”

“That’s true…alright, you’ve sold me, Harry.”

“Excellent! I’ll you ring you up.”

Y/N brushes behind Harry as he works the register. The whole evening was busy, so when he’s finally able to put the closed sign up, he’s relieved to see her sitting standing in the office.

“Hey.” He says to her.

“Hi.” She blushes.

His hands grip her hips and he effortlessly lifts her up onto the desk. He presses his forehead to hers.

“Y/N, I know we’ve become close, but I’ve been feeling conflicted because I’m also your boss, and the last thing I wanna do is take advantage of the situation.”

“Hey.” She says, cupping his cheeks so he’ll look at her. “We weren’t even at work…everything we’ve done has been outside of this place. You didn’t do anything wrong. Do you regret the other night?”

“No, not at all.” His hands rest on her thighs as he stands between her legs. He tucks some hair behind her ear. “I just don’t really know what to do here.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ll be working here much longer, just until the end of November, right?”

“Right.”

“So…do you wanna, like, keep dating? Going out and stuff?”

“I’d really like that. I want us to keep getting to know each other. I wish I had stayed the whole night the other night. I felt like such a dick for leaving.”

“Don’t, it’s fine. I would have done the same thing.” She smiles and then bites her bottom lip. “Besides, you’ll have plenty of other opportunities to sleepover.”

“I will?” He smiles.

She nods and he leans in to kiss her. Harry was a simple guy who owned a costume shop, and thanks to the girl in grad school he hired for the season, he made it through Halloween yet again. This time, instead of celebrating his profits with Niall down at the pub, he was kissing the very same girl that took his breath away when she walked in.

[wisteria-blooms]

apparition licence (fred weasley & reader)

summary

“You know, he’d be right pissed,” George said leaning over the counter, a semblance of his old self taking hold of him, as if his twin were there alongside him to agree, “if you’d finally gotten your bloody licence and never apparated again.”

In which Fred Weasley’s promises to you are cut short. 

warnings: major character death, major radio hit

apparition licence (2,485 words)

For the longest time, you knew you loved Fred Gideon Weasley. Loved him in his youth, white Christmases when freshly-sewn oversized jumpers swallowed his awkward and lanky frame. Loved him through the phases of his rebelliously long hair, silently cheering for him on the sidelines as he attempted to swindle the age line with George. Loved and laughed at him as he turned snot green from a miscalculation on a product he tested on himself. Loved him entire summers as the freckles on his skin darkened and his fiery hair seemingly set ablaze under the beating hot sun. Loved him as he streaked through wreckage and rainbow fireworks in your fifth year, leaving the formality of education behind in his own way. And loved him when he promised to do the same for you when you graduated.

Through the insanity of their pranks and your willingness to volunteer as their reliable product tester, Fred always handled you like delicate flower. His love, unbeknownst to you, was especially prominent when you begged him to teach you how to apparate before you were legally allowed to. The sweltering August you spent cooped up at 12 Grimmauld Place, you’d become particularly persistent. That summer was when the twins had just gotten licensed in apparition, abusing the privilege much to their mother’s chagrin. You couldn’t get anywhere in the house without hearing the familiar crack, and Fred’s warm body suddenly flush against yours. He’d laugh when you jump back in surprise but not before pulling you towards him in an embrace. How you loved feeling his warm flesh on yours, fingers intertwined in his when you fell back on the sofa.

“Why not now?” You pleaded, face close to his, much closer than friends should be. The question of your relationship was something you vowed to resolve after the impending war.

“Nope,” he spoke firmly, drawing circles with his calloused thumb on your hand. “Next year, you’ll learn it properly.”

“But I can’t take the test until the year after.”

“Summer birthdays are just awful things, aren’t they?” He teased, a form of payback from all his spring birthdays spent in the rain.

“Fred,” you huffed. “You and George break so many rules anyway, what’s different about this one?”

He racked his head for an excuse.

“Nothing,” he stated with a wink. “Just that you’d look bloody gross if you were splinched.”

You made a face. Fred looked at you with an uncharacteristic tenderness. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to teach you at all; it was the thought of his teachings failing that terrified him. If Ron splinched, he would’ve sat there laughing with George before his twin would realize the severity of the situation and call for help. If it was Ron that was reprimanded by the Ministry for underage apparition, he’d tease him endlessly, knowing his father would step in for that little git. But not you. You just sat there pleading with perfectly pouted lips, and the temptation to just kiss you right there was taking precedence in his heart.  But no, not now. No, for you, everything had to be right and proper.

“Now, if you stop asking, I may take you for a side-along stroll through this place,” he offered instead.

You looked back to the kitchen where Molly was preparing tonight’s dinner, humming as she chopped carrots and onions and stirred the stew, blissfully unaware of her son’s proposition.

“You’d really?”

He held out his arm.

“Really.”

With a crackle, you were both gone, the last thing you heard being Molly’s voice scolding Fred for excessive apparition. You appeared in a spare room where Ron was rehearsing something akin to flirting in front of the closet mirror. Before he could react – crackle – you appeared in an unused bedroom where Kreacher was quietly pilfering through old possessions. The old house elf turned around a second too late, because you were now in the twins’ room, where George was laying on his back, twinkling a prototype of some sort between two fingers. He looked up, noticing your arm still linked in Fred’s, and smiled.

The rest of the day was well-spent using Extendable Ears to listen in on Ron’s feeble attempts at chatting up women.

The disappearances of Fred and George in your last year left a gaping hole in your heart. Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s absence did nothing to soothe that pain. Where Headmaster Dumbledore used to sit, it was Headmaster Snape. Where Filch used to censure, there were the Carrows. Where grumbles came from being forced to write lines or polish trophies, instead echoed screams of pain from deep down the dark hallways. You remained quiet, bit your tongue and obeyed the rules to just get through it all. You prayed every day for your friends’ safety. And if there was anything to get you through this horrible year, it was the prospect of passing your apparition test in April. And Neville, who turned out to be surprisingly good at emphasizing with your worries and your confiding in him of your long-time infatuation with Fred Weasley. Being the kind boy he always was, he assured you you’d see him again, that he’d feel the same way about you. You felt relief wash over you at his words. 

When this was over, no matter how bloodied and bruised any of you were, you’d leap into Fred’s arms, relishing in the feeling of him spinning you around in celebration. His girl, he’d proclaim. Then in his melodic laughter, you’d kiss him for the first time. And the rest of the story would write itself.

But as comforting as his words were, they were heinously wrong. That ill-fated night came beating down like a sledgehammer to a mirror, shattering your hopes and dreams. You’d gotten just a quick glance at Fred alongside his brother Percy before the walls caved in, taking him and twenty years of joy and jubilant laughter in the aftermath. All you got to see after braving the worst year of your life was his lifeless stare as he was laid in the makeshift infirmary. His hand didn’t offer the same warmth and protection as they always did, instead, they were bitterly cold in yours. Through tears, you whispered about all the things you planned to do after you’d gotten your apparition licence, fully knowing he couldn’t hear a damn thing. He was gone. You cried and cried into his chest, stopping only when Molly pulled you up and embraced you, shedding her own tears with you. A mother’s intuition always knew, but this was a love that would never be.

Months after, you still couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Apparate. A skill you yearned so strongly to do, waited for that April day so patiently for. And no, not for just yourself. No, the sensation of it and any talks of it was always reminiscent of Fred Weasley. The feeling of taking his strong arm, the smell of his well-worn flannel– of bonfires and the warmth of a loving home – and the sound of his strong heartbeat as you lay against his chest. He lavished you with grand dreams of how you were going to apparate around the country à la Weasley after this was over, to the salty seaside of the beach, paying a quick visit to Bill and Fleur at the Shell Cottage, then through the earthy forest where you could spend the day with just nature, then through modern London for a quick show, then re-appear in the Burrow without barely a sound, but always just in time for dinner.

Now, all the wonderful memories sunk to the bottom of the ocean, never to be found again.

So, you’d taken to chimneys and flying for your travels. It was slower but at least it didn’t hurt. At the very least, a walk to the lovely shopping streets signified that things were back to normal. As normal as they’d ever be after the brutality of war. Boarded shops slowly opened their doors again, painting some much needed colour after a grey drought. You’d taken to buying small quantities of floo powder, sparsely replenishing your little flowerpot on the fireplace mantle every Monday. Weekly trips became routine and whether it was healthy or not, you didn’t care.

One early morning with nothing in particular to do, you found yourself on a walk to Diagon Alley. The skies were amber and the sun was shyly tucked under the horizon. You were probably Floo-Pow’s first client of the day, and you wondered if anyone thought oddly of you for making so many stops here. But what would they know? This was your way of coping, and no matter how ridiculous it was, it helped you.

You paid your sickles and received your purchase in a bag through a small wooden hole. You then stopped at a bakery. With it being so early in the day, the only patrons were other storeowners who sought peace before opening their own doors. They sat nursing their coffees and languidly flipping through The Daily Prophet. You didn’t even have to ask the employee at the counter, who memorized your order: two coffees, a few pastries, and a copy of today’s news. With your purchases in stow, you slowly walked to your last destination.

93 Diagon Alley. The brightest store of the lot of them here was Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

George let you in immediately when he saw you waiting at the window. There was barely a quiet moment in this shop, so early mornings were quite inviting.

“Morning, Georgie,” you greeted as the doors opened for you, watching the younger twin stock his store. You held up the coffee and a bag of pastries. “Breakfast?”

“You didn’t have to,” he murmured, descending his ladder and cleaning his hands with a towel before making his way to the door. He always thought it should be him treating you with all the earnings of his business. Nonetheless, he accepted your weekly offering of breakfast as usual, a sentimental token of your thoughts. “Thanks.”

You did your best not to wallow in sadness in George’s presence; it made you feel selfish. George had lost his twin brother, his loyal partner in all his marvellous mischief, and most importantly, a part of himself. You had just lost a friend. You were not Fred’s family, you had not grown up together, had not taken your first steps or said your first words together. You had no right to complain or to pity yourself at the future you lost when George got up every day and continued his brother’s legacy the best he could.

As he bit into his pastry, he eyed the little sack you kept at your side.

“Again?” He raised an eyebrow.

You flushed.

“I know, it’s such a stupid thing to get hung up on,” you admitted, remembering how he said the same thing last week. “But I just can’t do it, Georgie. It still hurts.”

George sighed.

“You know, he spent that entire week asking if you’d gotten your licence,” he recalled, in reference to the week that elapsed between your examination and the final battle, the day of Fred’s death. “And of all the crazy things you were going to do. I was sure he’d forgotten I even existed.”

You chuckled before the first tear rolled down your cheek, memories of things that would never be consuming your mind.

“With distinction, like you,” you said, voice wavering. You were at least glad that you remained in Fred’s last thoughts. “I was so excited to tell him.”

The younger Weasley twin handed you a handkerchief from his jacket which you happily accepted.

“I reckon he knew,” he said through a sip of coffee, “Longbottom might’ve said something to him.”

You dabbed your tears, a smile lighting your face. So, he knew. He must’ve known before he passed. 

“You know, he’d be right pissed,” George said leaning over the counter, a semblance of his old self taking hold of him, as if his twin were there alongside him to agree, “if you’d finally gotten your bloody licence and never apparated again.”

The image of Fred jokingly chiding you for your wasted efforts in your head caused you to laugh. Genuine bouts of laughter. How could you have never realized? He would’ve revelled in your ability to apparate so flawlessly like him, and what a shame it’d be if you never did it again because of him.

“I suppose you’re right,” you admitted. “He’d be so upset with me.”

“Mum's making a big breakfast today,” George stated, taking a quick glance at the clock to his left, its centre adorned with a puppet Weasley caricature. Its abnormally small finger on its left hand long past seven and its large finger on the other was pointing precariously close to the twelve.  “If you can make it by eight, she’d love to have you.”

“I’ve always loved your mom,” you complimented, thinking of how loving Molly was, and how at certain points in your life, she considered you her own daughter and her, your own mother.

You spent your last moments of sunrise embracing George, feeling the pain of losing Fred slowly dissipate. One day it would disappear completely, but to start that process, you had to start taking the first steps. To not fear what Fred loved to do. What he would’ve loved you to do in his absence. 

“Careful now,” George warned, chin rested on your head as he stroked your hair. “Don’t splinch yourself.”

“With distinction, George Fabian Weasley,” you corrected, “I passed with distinction.”

And so you left George’s presence, disappearing from the shop with barely a sound as the stubby finger of the Weasley caricature jerked upwards to meet the eight. The familiar rush of apparating coursed through your body. Your friends often described it as though being unpleasantly squeezed, but for you, it was the nostalgic feeling of holding onto Fred Weasley’s arm as you apparated alongside him in Grimmauld Place. It was the blazing rush of his sun-kissed arms, strong around you, keeping you safe as if hurting you was the worst thing he could ever do. It was the excruciating bliss of his lips against your cheek, on your forehead, but not your lips lest he mess it all up. It was every glorious sunrise you saw outside your windows, staying up far too late to fulfill orders with him and sleeping when his mother called for breakfast. It was the unbridled joy you felt, heart tingling listening the wild promises of what was to come. It was the longing anticipation of him telling him how proud of he was of you in front of all his friends and family, how he knew his girl could do it.

But proud you would make him as you walked up the hill to the Burrow, feeling that in some ways, Fred would always be alongside you.

#fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x you 

[classifiedinterests]

look. i know the symbiote is possessive as fuck, so i understand why fics always show them as adamant about being enough for Eddie ��� which often includes keeping Eddie from interacting with anyone else, besides maybe Annie and Dan and Mrs. Chen. but Eddie is the kind of guy who strikes up friendly relationships everywhere; it’s a big part of who he is. i have to think that one of the compromises he makes with his symbiote is that he has to be allowed to reach out to other human beings for the friendly banter he’s always partaken in.

the symbiote is possessive, yes, but they’re also very curious about earth life, and they’re eager to learn how to be good, and they chose Eddie — they accept and even seem to love everything about who Eddie is. well, a big facet of Eddie’s personality in this film is his friendliness towards people that most people of his social status pass right by. Mrs. Chen the small storeowner, Maria the homeless woman, Richard the lobby guard....making friends with these folks is a big part of who Eddie is. he wouldn’t be Eddie, the kindhearted disaster who’s passionate about exposing the injustices of the world and protecting the vulnerable from getting screwed over by those with power, without his tendency to strike up connections with those people whom most of us overlook.

so Eddie pushes back when the symbiote makes claims about them not needing anyone else and tries to pull Eddie away from casual acquaintances.

“Yeah, i know we don’t need anyone else babe, but i like to meet new people. i like making friends. you can feel my emotions, my thoughts — you know that none of these people are a threat to you, to us, to what we have. i’m not gonna leave you behind just cuz i ask a sanitation worker how his day is going.”

so the symbiote grudgingly accepts...and then comes to really enjoy the small interactions their host has every day: with a woman on the subway who’s struggling with a fussy baby; with the kid at the coffee shop who’s always getting grumbled at by their boss; with the homeless guy with the harmonica who starts frequenting Maria’s old spot.

the symbiote finds they like observing Eddie’s conversations with these people because they learn so damn much about how this planet works that way! but even more, the symbiote discovers a warmth building inside them, brighter and brighter with each chuckle Eddie draws from a harried employee, each handshake Eddie offers to a homeless person. the symbiote gradually realizes it’s pride for their host, pride that the human they chose cares about others so damn much, and is so good at encouraging people and making them feel listened to. the symbiote remembers all too well the intense, gnawing, terrible loneliness of their time Before Eddie, and they can’t help but fall even deeper in love with Eddie for his efforts at keeping others from that same kind of loneliness.

Eddie reaches out to society’s “losers,” and how can the symbiote fault him for that? losers have to stick together.

[littlebitofeverythingphff]

Chapter 16 Part 1

A/N: Here is the next chapter! It is a big one! I have split it into two parts and will be posting the second part tomorrow, monday at the latest to not keep you guys waiting too long! I apologize for the wait, but it has finally turned out the way I wanted it! Happy Reading!

Harry’s feet kicked away the sand, separating it apart as his boots stepped into the ground. The heat of the dessert barred down on him as the beads of sweat trickled down his face. Releasing a hot breath he tried to cool himself down. The sand, the insurmountable heat made him vow to never miss this place.

Glancing up ahead he saw Kane looking back over his shoulder his rifle in his hand at the ready. Their unit had been on high alert after the previous days attack on a school by a suicide bomber.

The streets that once were swarmed with life stood barren. The women with their traditional Afghani clothes that sold goods in the market were gone. The children whose laughs filled the streets as they ran through the crowds were gone. The storeowners boarded up their livelihoods in search of a safer home for their families.  Even the birds were silenced; the only serenade was the rumbling of the artillery tanks that moved amongst the deserted village.

This was what war did. It took people’s homes, their loved ones, their livelihoods from them, snatching it away from them in the second it took for a bomb to explode, a stray bullet finding it’s unintended destination or the screams of loved ones holding lifeless bodies. This was the cost of war, all to which Harry had seen.

Flashback*

WARNING THE CONTENTS OF THIS FLASHBACK CAN BE DISTURBING TO READERS, PLEASE USE YOUR DISCRETION.

 24 hours ago…

Hearing the laughter of kids playing in the school yard brought a sense of hope within Harry. After this war they would be able to lead a better a life, a life not engrossed with fear or loss. They would be able to live free.

“God they make me miss my own kids…” Kane admitted as he walked beside the prince resting his gun snug against his body. Their unit was out patrolling walking around the outskirts of the town their base presided by.

The sounds of their laughter suddenly stopped as the crackling of a blast filled the air knocking Harry’s feet from under him. 

Harry’s body flew backwards hitting the sand hard with a thud. An extraordinary force sent him flying in the opposite direction. His head slamming against the ground rendering him unconscious for a brief moment.

Feeling a hand on him Harry’s eye flew open gripping his gun tightly ready for a fight. His blurred vision formed a soldier kneeling by him. Trying to refocus his eyes Harry squinted to see his bunkmate Kane mouthing words to him.

Ringing in his ears from the blast had made him deaf, unable to understand the words coming out of Kane’s mouth. Kane looked away from him pointing and yelling in silence to another person.

Attempting to sit up Harry felt his sore body protest pleading him to lie back onto the sand. The ringing in his ears dissipated replacing it with blood curdling screams from women running ahead of him to a pile of rubble. Kane’s commanding voice overpowered them.

“Harry! You alright mate?” Kane roved over his body searching for any injuries he may have endured.

Harry’s hand went to his forehead patting a spot just above his left eyebrow. Looking at his fingers spotted with blood Harry slowly nodded as a sharp pain in his head came in a wave.

Glancing up he could see a fiery mushroom cloud of smoke and fire engulfing the blue sky, leaving a series of smokey rings floating higher and higher. The fireball cracked loudly blinding a flash of lighting as another explosion rattled the earth beneath Harry. A deadly rainfall of smoke and red dust trickled down amongst them.

Harry saw the once sturdy school engulfed in burning flames, the structure crumbled to the ground. Realization finally hit him harder than the explosion itself. There were children in that rubble, specifically Tariq, a small boy he had be-friended in his time there.

His sore body begged him not to move but his will overpowered its protests as he stood to his feet. Clutching his gun in one hand Harry sprinted towards the rubble with Kane right beside him.

He ran amongst the maze of lifeless bodies that were too close to the impact zone. Mothers holding their children praying to the skies above in wails of endless cries and screams begging to understand why their child had left them in such a horror filled way. The smell of burnt flesh mixed with the heat of the sun caused a wave of nausea to course through the prince.

That’s when Harry saw the soccer ball. The ball he had given Tariq. The ball he had kicked around laughing and playing with the young Afghanistan kids that called this town their home. 

“Tariq!!” Harry hollered turning around searching for him hoping to god that he was not amongst the rubble as death would already have welcomed him.

“Harry! No!” Kane yelled after him grabbing his uniform from the back forcing the prince to turn around.

“We need to go, there isn’t anything we can do. If that was the Taliban, they know we are here and we are sitting ducks. We need to get our wounded out now!” Kane ordered Harry with a stern tone.

Nodding reluctantly Harry understood. Taking a step to follow in behind Kane he heard a small voice call out his name.

 “Harry.”

Turning to look over his shoulder he saw Tariq on the ground covered in his own blood, his body sporadically charred from the blast.

Harry ran to his side slinging his rifle behind him. He picked Tariq up his arms as the young child screamed out in agony. “It’s ok Tariq. You are going to be ok.” Harry kept speaking on repeat as if he was trying to convince himself of the same thing.

The patrol unit had returned to their base with their wounded. All the soldiers thankful had made it back with only one sustaining life threatening injuries. Harry had handed Tariq off to a doctor promising the prince he would do everything he could for Tariq.

Sitting patiently outside the make shift hospital Harry stood unable to be still as he waited for the news on Tariq’s condition, not being allowed in his treatment room. Kane approached the prince telling him he needed to get checked out and see if his cut needed stitches. As Kane expected Harry refused until he heard about Tariq.

“We need to get those bastards that did this to them Kane…” Harry’s voice laced with anger at the mere thought of what the Taliban had done. Targeting children with a suicide bomber, an act of cowardice, an act unthinkable.

The doctor rushed out to find the prince displaying an urgent look. “Lieutenant Wales. Tariq is not going to make it. He has little time left…” Harry followed the doctor back inside finding the little boy lying on the stretcher struggling to keep the life within him. 

“Hey buddy.” Harry chocked back the tears; not wanting Tariq to feel scared or worried. 

“It’s all going to be ok.” Harry picked Tariq up in his arms, the little boy wincing at first but feeling a sense of comfort from the soldier that held him. Not wanting the little boy to pass away alone Harry held him despite all the internal screams in his mind telling him not to; that this moment would be etched in his mind forever.

“Pretty soon you will be able to play all the football you want…” Not knowing what to say Harry held the little boy close. Tariq locked eyes with the prince, his eyes smiling at the thought. Taking his last breath his eyes closed, no longer feeling the pain this earth had caused him.

End Flashback* 

Harry laid his head down on the flat pillow. Closing his eyes all he could see was Tariq’s body in his. His heart pounded in his chest in an uncontrollable beat. Trying to concentrate on breathing Harry pushed the thought from his mind replacing it with memories of home, particularly Adalyn.

Turning his head Harry rolled over onto his side. Reaching out he pulled her picture off of the wall beside him. Her wide smile beaming at him while her green eyes shown bright instantly making his heart calm. 

The door creaked open breaking through Harry’s thoughts. Kane sauntered in, his head hanging low to the ground unable to make eye contact with the prince. Harry had bore witness to that look before hand, a look his father was graced with when bad news was about to flood out of his mouth.

His tense body sat up placing his feet on the hard ground. Kane paced back and forth slowly, contemplation growing steadily on his external features. Harry shook his head releasing a deep breath before telling Kane to sit his arse down.

“Harry…” Kane started, his eyes finally lifting to lock with the prince’s.

 “You are going home.”

 Those words cut deep within Harry. His brow furrowed trying to understand why.

Harry remained silent, deep in thought as Kane continued.

“The British press got wind of the Australian’s leaking the information that you are in Afghanistan. They gave your father a heads up knowing your safety would be at risk, the safety of others, as they somehow know your exact location Harry. I thought it would be best that it came from me instead of the commander.”

Harry didn’t know how to respond. He knew that once his location was leaked, that not only his life, but also the people he served with became too much of a risk, one that the military could not afford.

Running his fingers through his ginger hair Harry let out an exasperated breath knowing what Kane had said was the truth. There was no way out of this one. Trying not to let his fiery anger get the better of him he tried his best to understand.

Kane waited for Harry’s response tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, the only sound in the space between them. He knew this information would crush Harry after all the work he had done here he was to be sent home due to the fact that he was a prince, a piece of his life that would cling to him forever no matter what situation he found himself in.

It did not help that the news came at the wake of the suicide bombing at the school. Harry had vowed that he would get the guys who had done the unspeakable horror to those innocent children and families and now that was taken from him too. 

“Is there anything I can do Kane? I can’t leave without –“

“No Harry.” Kane interrupted sternly not being able to hear his friend’s pleas. He had fought for Harry to stay begging the commander of a way to keep him her for the remainder of the 25 days left of his tour. The risk was just too high to even consider an alternative option.

“I promise that in the end we will get them. But, you have done your part here and it is time to go home. I need you to be proud of what you have done here and the way you have served your country Harry. You proved everyone wrong and it has been a privilege to get to know you as a friend. You were way different than I thought you would be so thank you for proving me wrong mate.” 

Kane spoke words of truth. He had fought hard to come here and he made it here. Of course he was disappointed that once again the media had influenced his life in a major way, but he was proud that he served his country to which many did not think was possible for him and had also made life long friends along the way.

There was no use in fighting it; the powers that be had made a final decision that sent Harry packing his bags. He left that night on a plane, going home with a group of soldiers he hardly knew.

Harry could hear screams and moans of pain coming from the blocked off medical area of the plane where wounded soldiers were on their way home to get the proper treatment they needed. He knew that his outcome could have been different, that in a flash he could have traded places with that screaming man. Thankful that his body was intact and he had sustained no serious injuries made him grateful.

Sighing the only good thing about leaving this place was he would soon be able to see his family and Addy.

                                 -------------------------------------------------

August 14th

 “Addy! Get up!”

Ainsley jumped on Addy’s bed waking her up from a deep slumber. Covering her head with the pillow she blocked the sunlight. Ainsley pulled the blanket off of Adalyn forcing the cool air to wake up her roommate.

“NOOO!” Addy squirmed herself into a fetal position. Ainsley beat her body softly with fluffy pillows until she sat up in surrender. 

“Happy birthday roomie!!” Ainsley yelled loud enough to wake up their whole floor. Addy released a low groan from deep within. Today was her 26th birthday. She never wanted to make her birthday big deal, the more low key the better they were. An evening with her close friends meant more to her than an elaborate party. Rolling her eyes she knew that Ainsley would not agree to a simple quiet day.

“Alright. Get up. We have a full day planned ahead of us.”

Ainsley had planned ever moment of her birthday much to the dismay of Addy, but she knew it came from a good place so she reluctantly she agreed after laying down some ground rules with her roommate. So far they had gotten fresh cinnamon buns at a local farmers market, went shopping for an outfit for the evening festivities and had a surprise barbeque at her fathers home with her family.

After dinner with her family the two dressed up and headed for Mahiki, a nightclub frequented by Lindsie who had used her influence to get a spot in the VIP section.

“Hey birthday girl!” Lindsie hollered over the loud music pulling Adalyn into a friendly hug. It had been weeks since she had seen Lindsie. Lindsie had apparently traveled to France with her job at Vogue and had recently returned to the country.

Adalyn released Lindsie from her hug feeling intoxicated from the smell of alcohol evaporating off of Lindsie. “Seems like you already got the party started!” Addy raised her eyebrow suggestively while her friend grabbed her a shot of tequila.

“Of course! You are behind. Drink up!” Lindsie slammed back the shot while Addy hesitated for a moment. Adalyn had never been a big drinker; she did enjoy casual drinks with friends but rarely let herself get to the point where she could no control her inhibitions. Taking the shot she felt the strong burning of tequila running down her throat.

A hand grabbed her from behind turning her around to see a flash of blonde hair pulling her towards the dance floor. Eva looked back over her shoulder hollering over the deafening music.

“Happy Birthday Addy! We are going dancing!” Bodies surrounded them, each one succumbing to the beat of the music like a trance. Turning her head from side to side she let the music guide her taking away all of her worries that plagued her. 

Addy’s feet slowed down, her swaying body became still as she glanced around at the nameless faces searching for someone. Hoping that there would be a slight chance that Harry would be breaking through the crowd finally within her grasp and be home safe and sound. As amazing her birthday already had been, that would be icing on the cake. Knowing that idea was simply impossible, she turned back to the music dancing the night away.

                            --------------------------------------------

 “I have one more surprise for you!” Ainsley drawled out still feeling her effects of the alcohol that had not quite left her system. The pair were striding down the hall of their building in bare feat slowly reaching their flat. Why did Adalyn always have to be the sober one?

“Noo! No more surprises. I think I have had more than my fair share for the day.” Addy let out a small giggle her mind replaying the day over. Smiling she laced her arm around her friend causing them to stumble a little and crash not so gracefully into the wall.

“Thank you for today Ainsley. I needed a day like this.” Confessing Addy beamed at her friend as they finally had made it to their destination.

Addy sorted through her purse trying to find her flat’s key, fumbling with them as she unlocked the door. Turning the handle of the door she pushed the door open before being pushed out of the way by Ainsley.

 “Stop!” Ainsley giggled uncontrollably. “Cover your eyes!”

 Rolling her eyes Adalyn complied with her one last demand. “This better be worth it.” She blindly walked into her flat with one hand covering her eyes as requested.

Hearing the flick of a light switch she desperately wanted to peak but knew that Ainsley would kill her for doing that and ruining the so called surprise.

“How many more surprises do you have for me cause this is just getting ridiculous.” Her feet stopped in place hearing Ainsley reply from far away her head turning to the direction of her voice. A deafening silence began to form making her feel a bit uncomfortable hoping someone wasn’t going to pop up behind her and scare her.

“Ok. You ready for your surprise?”

 “I have been ready ever since we walked through that door Ainsley! Now quit fucking around already. It is soo agonizing that you just won’t tell me what it is and having to make me – ”

 “Happy Birthday Addy.”

 Her rant was interrupted by a deep male’s voice, one she had come to miss. Her eyes immediately flashed open not believing what she had just heard.

To be continued....

[junker-town]

All 21 NCAA allegations against Ole Miss, ranked by zestiness

ACT test fixing: that’s both bad and interesting. Letting a player crash on a couch, though?

Ole Miss’ football team is facing 21 NCAA allegations, including 15 of the most serious classification, Level I. The Rebels were already staring down 13, and that number grew on Wednesday and came with a self-imposed postseason ban for 2017.

Current head coach Hugh Freeze’s staff is responsible for the entire round of new charges, making Freeze look pretty lousy for his defensive tone when people started to raise eyebrows about Ole Miss years ago. Here’s how the situation looks going forward.

Ole Miss has 90 days to issue a formal response to the NCAA’s newest Notice of Allegations, and then this judicial process will keep going. In the meantime, here’s a ranking of the NCAA’s current allegations against the Rebels, sorted by the only criterion that matters: zestiness.

1. Boosters paid at least $13,000 to a recruit who later spurned them.

That’s what the NCAA says a couple of Ole Miss boosters did. In its new batch, the NCAA alleges a former Rebel staffer set up a couple of boosters with a recruit, and those boosters furnished the player with between $13,000 and $15,600 in cash between April 2014 and February 2015. And then the recruit didn’t even go there.

What a waste of 13-grand this would’ve been. Ole Miss doesn’t deny that the boosters had contact with a recruit, but it’s not saying yet whether it agrees with the existence of payments.

2. Two former Ole Miss assistants helped fix recruits' ACT scores.

Before the Rebels’ alleged failed Bag Man attempt, this was the top of the ticket, as part of the NCAA’s initial 13 allegations last year.

The NCAA says previous assistants Chris Vaughn and David Saunders instructed recruits to take the ACT college entry exam at a specific high school in Wayne County, Miss., in 2010.

Vaughn and Saunders instructed the recruits to leave blank any answer spaces they weren't confident about, the NCAA says. This would allow correct answers to be filled in later, presumably so they'd qualify at Ole Miss.

As a result, the NCAA says three Ole Miss players competed while they weren't eligible in 2011, and one continued to play while ineligible for three more seasons.

Ole Miss agreed testing fraud happened, though the school was light on details.

3. Ole Miss demonstrated a lack of institutional control.

This is a big one. The NCAA says “institutional” control describes “the efforts institutions make to comply with NCAA legislation and to detect and investigate violations that do occur.” To say you’ve “lacked” it is to say you haven’t cared about rules, and it can be a pretext for a hammering.

The LOIC is an evolved form, according to Ole Miss, of a “failure to monitor” charge the NCAA had previously announced. Ole Miss is contesting it.

4. A former staffer knowingly broke rules and lied to everyone about it.

The staffer the NCAA believes set up the big payment to the recruit is charged with trampling over NCAA regulations. Ole Miss says that staffer lied to the school, too. It’s juicy in the same way perjury is juicy in actual courts.

5. An Ole Miss booster gave a player’s family member $800 in cash in August 2014.

The juice depends mostly on the means of transfer. Was the alleged payment delivered in a duffel bag? A wad of cash? A wire transfer? Venmo? It’s down on the list because it’s a lower dollar amount than the $13,000-plus, but it has mysteriousness.

Ole Miss has responded affirmatively, that a booster met the family member in Oxford's airport and handed him $800. This family member is referred to throughout the NCAA's allegations and Ole Miss' response to them as "Family Member 1."

Based on everything we've known for months, this appears to be former offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil's stepfather, and Tunsil appears to be listed as "Student-Athlete 1." He personally told the NCAA about much of this.

Tunsil’s comments at least year’s NFL Draft helped lead to this second round of allegations, but Tunsil isn’t apparently involved in them.

6. A trio of Ole Miss assistants cheated in recruiting six players in 2010.

This focuses mostly on Vaughn and Saunders, the alleged ACT fixers, but also on current assistant Derrick Nix. (Ole Miss agrees Vaughn and Saunders were involved but says the NCAA has overstated Nix's involvement.) In total, the NCAA says $1,750 in impermissible benefits reached six recruits.

The aim of the help, according to the NCAA, was to help the recruits with transportation to a summer class that would aid their eligibility status. Ole Miss is in trouble for helping recruits get to class.

7. Players got a lot of help with car loans.

All under one allegation, the NCAA outlines four automobile-related charges occurring between 2014 and 2015. They're all boring, relating to plumb loan deals players got on cars.

Three of the four are against Student-Athlete 1, Tunsil. There's one other car allegation against a non-Tunsil player.

The NCAA estimates the car arrangements resulted in $7,495 of impermissible benefits altogether. Ole Miss agrees this happened.

8. A booster with a store gave stuff away. 9. A booster with a restaurant gave stuff away.

The NCAA’s new allegations include these. Both are Level I allegations, though the storeowner’s “merchandise” was reportedly worth $2,800 and the restaurant owner only gave away a few hundred bucks’ worth of food, drinks, and cash. If you’re going to be a booster, I guess you might as well spread the love?

10. Ole Miss made personalized hype videos for recruits.

The NCAA claims Freeze, in 2013, directed a video staffer to take pictures of recruits in the Rebels' indoor practice facility, wearing official team apparel, and then had the pictures incorporated into "commercial-style" videos to be played for recruits and their families while they were on visits. This seems like a silly way to get tripped up.

11. A current assistant helped link recruits with a booster who gave impermissible benefits.

Ole Miss accepts that a booster whom also volunteered at a local high school gave several recruits what amounted to $2,250 worth of "recruiting inducements," including lodging, transportation and meals.

Maurice Harris, still an Ole Miss assistant, facilitated $485 of that and knew of the booster's relationship with prospects, the NCAA estimates.

12. Ole Miss put up a player's family members in hotels and rental properties.

Ole Miss admits to $2,253 of extra benefits having gone out to a player's family (and an associated boyfriend) in the form of free lodging around Oxford. I can’t muster the energy to care about this.

13. Former assistant Chris Kiffin let some player sleep on his couch without demanding $33 in payment.

We've got a real bombshell here.

It is alleged that in the summer of 2013, the former assistant coach provided an unnamed player with two nights' lodging at his residence.

There are a lot of questions. Did the player sleep in a bed? On a couch? On an air mattress? Was there a TV in the room? If so, how many inches was it? It's fascinating that the NCAA devoted hours to figuring out the per-night value of a stay in a coach's home.

Ole Miss agrees this happened.

14. A former staffer set up lodging and transportation for recruits.

This is the same staffer from Item No. 1. The benefits were worth more than $2,000, and they make up one of the many Level I allegations. It’s against the rules, but it’s hard to get outraged about it.

15. Kiffin talked to two high school players in an office when he wasn't allowed.

Ole Miss agrees Kiffin spent 10 minutes speaking privately with two players about their recruitment at a high school in the spring of 2014.

Neither committed to Ole Miss, and Kiffin was banned from doing off-campus recruiting for 30 days, which sounds like a reward.

16. A current staffer had impermissible off-campus contact with a recruit.

Yawning.

17. Kiffin had Ole Miss give benefits to a man who wasn't a player's "real" father, but a "father figure."

NCAA rules permit schools to pay for things when recruits take one of their five "official" visits to a campus, and those benefits extend to legal guardians.

One recruit came to Ole Miss with a man whom Kiffin viewed as the player's father, but was not his biological father. Kiffin "failed to make the distinction clear," Ole Miss says, and so the man and his wife received meals and lodging.

The NCAA calls this a Level II violation, but Ole Miss wants it to be a lesser Level III and cites precedent to that effect.

18 and 19. The NCAA says Vaughn and Saunders, once they were already gone from Ole Miss, lied to investigators and weren't fully cooperative.

Two allegations are lumped into one.

Both Vaughn and Saunders deny they were involved in the fixing of ACT scores, and the NCAA claims it has evidence that illustrates they're not telling the truth. The NCAA also says Vaughn had inappropriate contact with enforcement investigators in 2013.

Ole Miss isn't taking any position, because both men were out of the program by the time the actions may or may not have occurred. This feels like an offshoot of the more serious allegations.

20. Freeze didn’t live up to his responsibilities as head coach.

You don’t say, NCAA?

21. A player went hunting on a booster’s private land while a recruit, then a few more times after he signed at Ole Miss.

Nature is to be enjoyed by all. Let everyone enjoy the Mississippi wilderness in peace.

A version of this post appeared last May, after the NCAA’s initial round of allegations. This is an updated version.