#viktor should make him piss himself like the rat he is

[burningfunobject]

I hate heimerdinger

Idc abt jayce hate or caitlyn hate. We are losing focus of the true enemy

THIS RAT FACE BASTARD

I hate everything about him

The way he walks, the way he's so fuckuing incompetent, the way he's just casually classist, the way he's so oblivious to the world around him, the way he goes on and on about being a scientist and then does jackshit, the way he starts mourning viktor before he's even dead, the way he slurped that fucking tea made me violent, the way a like 17 year old had to teach him that poor people deserve to feel happy too, the way he allowed zaun to get like that in the first place, the way he's like 300 and acts like a literal child, his dumb ahh mustache, he looks like one of those old trolls dolls, his eyes creep me out, hus ears too, the way he's literally the worst character INCLUDING Marcus and fin and hoskel

GOD I HATE HIM

I hate the fact I'm supposed to feel bad for him when something goes wrong because of his FUCKING INCOMPETENCE. Like omg you didn't do your job properly for like 200 years and you get kicked out that is sooooooo sad

Ekko is the only good thing about seeing him

Pretty sure he just got rid of his poro like where tf did it go??

I want to kick him, hard

Watch him go flying

Hope he suffers with the weird orb hextech thingy

Not ekko tho

Ekko is great

[samuraiko]

The Price of the Past - More thoughts on THE ROYAL TUTOR

(THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING - I’M GONNA TALK ABOUT STUFF ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE END OF THE SERIES, SO IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED THE ANIME, STOP READING RIGHT NOW. LIKE, NOW. AS IN, WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS?)

A lot of folks seemed to like my Pleading Their Case essay, so I’m going back and doing another one, this time on what’s probably my favorite scene in the entire show, from episode 9 (”The Price of the Past”).

The wine cellar scene.

Now, I adore this scene, as you may know from my Top 10 Moments in THE ROYAL TUTOR post. But I want to kind of expand on that here, rather than just gushing about how awesome it is.

THE BACKGROUND:

From the minute our heroes (Kai, Heine, and Maximilian) end up in the cellar, we get a real sense of the danger that they’re in. All three are handcuffed to the wine racks, and Fuchs is openly taunting them that he is quite willing to hurt them (or possibly kill them) to get what he wants. 

Up until now, almost every single challenge the princes have faced have been mental (and to some degree, emotional) - Licht being ratted out for working in the cafe, Bruno being tempted with an offer to pursue another career, Leonhard having to overcome his learning problems, and even Kai overcoming his natural shyness and reticence. This is a much, much bigger problem.

Sure, the palace will figure out something’s wrong, and sure enough, this is immediately confirmed when Fuchs outright admits that this is for ransom. Why is this important? It means that Fuchs and his cohorts have pretty much gone “all in” on this one. As Fuchs admits to Heine, “High risks yield high returns,” which means they’re looking at prison for possibly the rest of their lives at the least, and possible execution at the worst. And if your captors are willing to risk prison and/or death, this will generally not end well.

THE PLAYERS: 

Maximilian might be awestruck by the estate, but his instincts as a guard are still reasonably solid (he is after all the one to wonder TWICE where Ludwig is, even if no one follows up on that, including himself). And he’s probably kicking himself pretty hard that he wasn’t quite taking this as seriously as he should have. (More on him a bit later, though.) Sure, he might be the best fencer among the guards, but this is real life. And it’s something that I *REALLY* wish the manga would have him learn... like, dude, people’s LIVES are your responsibility here.

For Kai, this is its own sort of nightmarish replay of the incident at the Academy - while Fuchs hasn’t laid a hand on him (yet), Kai already knows that Fuchs has no qualms against fighting dirty, either. (On the flip side, Kai has no qualms about taking care of himself, and he gave Fuchs as good as he got.) And while Kai might not have the same emotional attachment to Maximilian that he does to Bruno, he sure as hell cares a lot about Heine. Not to mention that this is more than a little out of Kai’s league, and he is VERY aware of that fact. So Kai is obviously pissed, and more than a little self-reproaching.

Heine is doing his best to keep things calm (whether defusing it through obstinate humour or trying to rationalize with Fuchs), while providing an anchor for Kai. You also get the feeling that he’s genuinely trying to reach Fuchs in those moments, appealing to things that the princes (Fuchs’ peers) are smart enough to value - solid morals, familial approval, open communication. It also is probably more than a little frustrating for Heine that he knows Viktor is counting on him to protect his sons (”I leave my sons in your capable hands”), and then THIS happens. As we’ll learn later in the series, Heine is more than capable of taking care of himself (yeah, a 16-year-old (ish) kid going up against four of the Royal Guard and WINNING), but now he has Kai (and to a lesser degree, Maximilian) to worry about.

And as for Fuchs, he is clearly a case of someone who claims he suffers at the hands of those of greater privilege, while completely failing to notice how much of his own he actually has. For those not in the know - the traditional ‘von’ you see in most German and Austrian surnames? It’s an indication of nobility. Ralf von Fuchs is actually a NOBLE. The academy he and Kai and Bruno attend? It’s a NOBLES ONLY academy. But over and over, we see how everything is always everyone else’s fault. He doesn’t get top marks? It’s because of Bruno, and not even because Bruno is SMART, but because it’s FAVORITISM. His family disowns him because of what happened? He still “suffers under the pressures and influence of the Royal Court.” And Fuchs’ natural jealousy and not-so-hidden sadism have once again led him to lash out at the princes, to do it where and when he thinks no one else will find out (or be able to stop him), and with others who are willing to back him up (or at least not stop him). Let’s be honest - he could have KILLED Bruno during those ‘training’ sessions.

THE SETUP:

Things come to a head when Fuchs pulls a knife on Kai. Now look at their reactions:

Kai might be afraid, but that stoic facade of his serves him well in this instance because he knows that bullies want to see your fear, and he is not about to oblige.

Maximilian goes from cheerful fanboying over the idea of being famous to being terrified that something will happen to Kai before he can stop it.

And Heine says nothing. Not a single word.

Fuchs’ frustrations lead him to grab Heine by the collar and threatening to cut his throat. And not surprisingly, Kai does not take this well. He takes it even less well when Fuchs tries to make it sound like it’s KAI’S fault that Heine’s about to get hurt (back to that again). And Kai is literally a single breath away from beating Fuchs within an inch of his life (if he doesn’t outright kill him in a blind rage).

RIGHT THERE - that’s when you realize who’s really in control of this situation. And it isn’t Fuchs.

Yes, the focus of the moment is all on Kai as he remembers Helene smiling at him, a remorseful Bruno apologizing to him... but a single glance and two words from Heine freezes him in place.

“Prince Kai.”

(By the way - this is one of the ONLY times in the series we ever hear Heine raise his voice.)

You want proof how intelligent Heine is? Never mind that he’s figured out Leonhard and Kai in the space of a single conversation. Never mind that he beats Bruno at every task the prince could come up with. Never mind that he figures out Licht’s secret in moments.

Watch the scene again.

Here they are in the cellar - Kai is trying to break free, Maximilian is lamenting about the estate, Fuchs is openly taunting them. 

What is Heine doing?

He gets Fuchs talking, and he’s steering the conversation every step of the way. He’s keeping Kai from being afraid by letting Fuchs make him angry. He’s giving Maximilian all the information he needs that this is too well-thought-out, too planned for it to be a spur-of-the-moment thing, and clarifies the scope of the danger to the prince. He knows he’s in no real danger, so he LETS Fuchs manhandle him.

And most importantly, HE’S BUYING TIME. Fuchs can’t help but be focused on Kai, he’s almost obsessed with him... which means he’s NOT watching Heine.

And even when Fuchs has a knife to his throat, Heine is utterly disdainful of Fuchs. The expression on his face alone says volumes. “You arrogant child...”

And then Fuchs goes after Kai.

The first domino falls.

THE ACTION:

Watch the moment when Fuchs turns on Kai... and watch Heine in the background. He’s stopped watching Kai, and is now watching Fuchs... and the second Fuchs turns his back on Heine, boom - Heine’s out of the cuffs and in front of Kai.

“With the requisite amount of time and knowledge, Herr Fuchs, a little toy like this is unlocked quite easily.”

One swing of the chain, and Fuchs is cuffed to the wine rack. But it doesn’t stop there - Heine promptly tears down the young man’s arguments by admitting that yes, maybe his family expectations were too high of him, but had he bothered asking for help, he might have gotten it.

And look at Kai’s face - sure, he’s probably wondering what the hell just happened, but at the same time, I get the sense that he’s suddenly seeing what he could have become, had he not had the supportive mentor that he does. He would have kept withdrawing, kept hiding, kept blaming himself (and maybe others) for what happened.

And then... comes the awesome.

Fuchs’ cohorts come down the stairs (after watching the scene multiple times, Heine is outnumbered six to one, I think). Heine issues his declaration to ‘educate’ them, and after ordering Maximilian to protect Kai (a scene better handled in the anime than the manga, I think, because during the fight itself, Maximilian is all business, and he does the smart thing here - the second the kdinappers are past, he and Kai are heading toward the stairs), Heine proceeds to lay a smackdown that is poetry to behold.

THE FIGHT:

Heine has had the last several minutes to study his surroundings, and he uses that information well. He knows where everything is, and where everyone is.

The first thing Heine does is plant his feet and balance himself. Good plan, since the first one to come after him has a knife. He dodges three times to get the measure of his opponent’s skill (and a sense of his reach), lets himself be backed up toward a second opponent behind him, then neatly pivots, grabs his would-be backstabber and throws him right into his assailant. Two down.

The guns come out after that, but Heine’s as lithe as an acrobat, and draws their fire down the room... AWAY from Fuchs, by the way, who’s still chained up at the other end of the row. It takes a certain measure of confidence to nab his cap as he dodges the gunfire, then he picks up a cask lid just as the kidnappers shoot some of the provisions (namely a flour sack), causing flour to go everywhere. While they’re choking, the lid comes flying out of the dust and bam, third attacker is sent reeling.

Unfortunately, he crashes into Fuchs, dislodging the support beams of the casks and causing two of them to fall toward Fuchs, who can’t dodge because of his handcuffs. No problem, Heine has snatched up the fallen beam and shunts the casks away from Fuchs and the guy he just hit.

And now Heine has a weapon that can attack at greater reach (not much good against guns, but as the martial arts adage goes, “If you can’t stand, you can’t fight”). And when all the kidnappers try and rush him at once (since by now they’re out of ammo, and Heine’s not about to give them the time to reload, so it’s back to knives and/or fists), he swings the beam and takes them down. Even better - he’s swinging clockwise, which means he’s more likely to take out the right arms of each of his opponents (all his opponents have come at him right-handed). Heine’s also not shy about aiming for the head or ribcage, either (”if you can’t see, you can’t fight, if you can’t breathe, you can’t fight”).

Once they’re all down, he goes after the leader, who tries to attack him with the riding crop/teacher’s pointer. Heine’s not having that, and two quick dodges and one wrist lock later, that’s the end of that. The leader is cowering on the floor, while Heine nonchalantly kicks the revolver up into his hand, cocks it, and takes a shot between the leader’s legs. (I can only imagine that concrete shrapnel ‘down there’ must HURT, and lucky for him, the ricochet doesn’t kill him, either.)

(By the way - Heine’s ambidextrous - he fires the revolver first with his left hand, then with his right.) And while he’s spinning the barrel to see how many shots he has left, he manages to load the ammo that ends the scene the way it does.

“Who ARE you?! Tell me!”

“The Royal Tutor... my name is Heine Wittgenstein. Let this be a lesson to you, sir.”

Title first, name second. Says quite a bit about which he considers more important, doesn’t it? And said with utter, chilling calm.

THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:

Hands down, visually, this is my favorite scene in the anime. The lighting and colouring are fantastic, although I admit that the animation itself is a bit more spare than I’d have liked. Still, it works gorgeously well, and for a street fighter like Heine, a lengthy drawn-out fight might not have worked as well (street fights are more visceral and less elegant). Angles and perspectives are handled beautifully, emphasizing the almost claustrophobic confines of the wine cellar, and constantly showcasing who’s dominant in the scene.

The whole fight scene, by the way, is practically storyboarded from the manga, and made even more impressive by being able to use a moving camera and shifting perspective to give it motion and flow.

(I have to make a side note here - there is ONE notable difference that I caught after first watching the series, then reading the manga. There’s a still frame where Kai is frozen after throwing the punch, and Fuchs is holding up Heine by the collar. In the manga, Heine is pretty much on his knees. In the anime, he has one foot out in front of him. And of the two versions, I prefer the anime one because it captures Heine’s intent more clearly. Heine is ready to make his move as soon as Fuchs turns his back.)

The music is also my favorite track in the series (roughly translated to “Teaching Weapons,” a marvelous dual meaning), to where it almost seems like a dance. The time keeps shifting, keeping things just off-balance enough to convey that sense of chaotic movement. And unlike virtually every other cue in the show, this scene is the ONLY place it appears.

For the dub, you’ve got Micah Solusod as Heine, Daman Mills as Kai, Dallas Reid as Maximilian, Justin Briner as Fuchs (by the way, Justin REALLY needs to play more villains, as he’s fantastic at it), with Chris Sabat cameoing as the ringleader. Everyone’s on their A game here, to the point where it’s hard to point out which one is best. Kai’s emotional reaction to everything going on means that Daman has more of a chance to move past Kai’s usual softspoken voice, Justin manages to give Fuchs an almost delusional, unhinged arrogance, but Micah’s absolute stoicism with its underlying anger and disdain just sells this scene as Heine’s crowning moment of awesome.

So yeah, I love this episode, and I love this scene. Hope you do, too. :)

[letsprayitwritesitself]

Harry Potter AU; Javid

(so the way this is going to go, because i’m so hyped about this, is four sections, following along with the plot of the last four books in the series. this is part one, with the next three to be posted in the next few days.) (also like this is all assuming the reader will have knowledge of the plot of the last four harry potter books!! wikipedia that shit if u dont know!)

again, sincerest hugest thanks 4 this prompt!!!!!!!

/

Davey knew, logically, that there was no way he could really be hurt at this thing. He was far enough away that he could enjoy the thrill of the event without being nervous (for himself, that is, the kid that was down there was another matter entirely.) But all the same, there was a fucking dragon there.

He would have been content to hear about it from his friends after it happened, head full of fantasies of how quiet the library probably was, how he’d be able to get at the herbology book he’d been coveting for weeks - but they’d forced him out, stressing how historic this tournament was, and how much he’d regret missing it. He didn’t tell them that actually, he’d missed a lot of historic events before, and he was really quite alright with it. For his part he’d made them stand at the back (although he was sure that if a dragon really wanted to hurt them it wouldn’t be put off by the extra fifty feet or so it had to travel.)

‘I wonder how they’re meant to pull this off?’ Albert squinted out into the field, trying to assess what the poor bastards taking part had to deal with. ‘Do they get any help?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Davey had read up a little on these tournaments. ‘I think the point is they’re meant to be able to come up with their own way.’

‘I couldn’t do it, ya know. I’d piss my pants and cry for a really long time, til everyone went home.’

‘That might work.’ Davey raised his eyebrows. ‘The dragon might feel sorry for you and let you win.’

‘Maybe I should have entered my name after all!’

They were interrupted by a short Gryffindor wielding a wad of parchment. 

‘You guys want some action?’

‘I’m sorry?’ Davey couldn’t unpick this guy’s phrasing.

‘Good odds on Potter and Diggory. C’mon, let’s liven it up.’

‘It’s already pretty lively, I think.’

‘Give it up, Race,’ another Gryffindor appeared behind the kid and affectionately pulled on his friend’s woolly hat. ‘Them Weasley boys have monopolised the game.’

‘Rats.’ Race tucked his betting slips under his arm.

Davey turned back to Albert. ‘I was about to complain about being cold but I don’t want to tempt fate.’

‘I don’t think the dragon cares too much, Davey.’

‘Hey, I know you.’ Race’s friend butted in. ‘Albert, you’re in my potions, right?’

‘Right! What’s up? Davey, this here’s Jack Kelly. He’s the kid who exploded the Confusing Concotion in Snape’s face in second year, oh my god.’

Davey nodded in greeting, vaguely remembering hearing the story. Jack smiled and reached out his hand to shake Davey’s. It was at that moment that the dragon decided to show the world what a bad mood it was in, and blast a stream of fire over the entire stadium. Davey gasped, and ducked - because there was a fucking dragon there - and if he happened to accidentally squeeze this stranger’s hand, well, that was probably entirely understandable.

Because of the fucking dragon.

Jack grinned and raised his eyebrows but he didn’t pull his hand away. If a cute stranger needed him to protect them, he’d be there.

‘Sorry,’ Davey muttered. He dropped Jack’s hand and looked towards the arena, where the first competitor was coming out to somehow fight the god damn dragon. ‘Apparently dragons make me anxious.’

‘It’s no problem.’

Race and Albert, sharing a look, stepped away so Jack and Davey were standing next to each other. They all turned their attention back to the action. Cedric Diggory looked tiny among the rocks and the dragon had apparently noticed him going for the golden egg. This was terrifying. Davey jumped at every movement down there and, after only a few minutes was watching through his fingers. Cedric was shooting curses to try and distract the creature and they were almost working - not well enough for Davey to be anything less than petrified. A shocking near miss involving a badly timed leap from the champion saw him jump and physically look away.

He felt a nudge from next to him and turned to see Jack smiling and offering his hand.

‘Might help?’

He looked down at the hand and back up at Jack. Part of him wanted to defend himself, say he didn’t need protecting, that he wasn’t even scared - but a way bigger part of him, a very sensible part of him, was on edge, and grateful for the comfort.

And Jack was pretty.

He took the had and held it tight. None of the champions died, and the protective stranger turned out to be good company. Jack managed to supply witticisms to offset the tension of what they were seeing, and Davey appreciated it as much as he appreciated having a hand to squeeze when things got edgy. Even if he’d just met the guy, comfort was comfort.

At the end he let Jack’s hand go with only some reluctance, cringing at the white imprint his fingers had made on Jack’s skin.

‘Sorry. And thanks.’

‘Don’t mention it.’ Jack flexed his hand (it was only moderately painful.) Students around them were emptying the arena fast. Albert and Race started to head off in different directions. Jack took a couple of steps backwards, following Race. ‘Maybe I’ll see you around?’

‘Maybe you will.’ Davey smiled, almost daring himself to ask Jack when he might see him around, but panicking at the last moment. He headed away with Albert.

Race stared, incredulous, at Jack. ‘”Maybe I’ll see you around?”’

‘Didn’t wanna come on too strong!’

‘You just held his had for almost two hours, Jack.’

Jack glanced back over his shoulder and caught a fleeting moment of eye contact with Davey who was doing the same.

‘It’s a good start, isn’t it?’

/

Davey went to watch the next task with Sarah. Again, he had been planning on staying in and studying, even with the potential draw of handsome strangers offering to protect him from danger. At the same time, he may or may not have been keeping an eye out for Jack Kelly in the week since they had met, and he hadn’t spotted him once. He might not even be at the event, and if he was, there was no guarantee Davey would see him.

Like he had even thought about it. 

But Sarah had cornered him at breakfast and told him categorically that they were going on a sibling date to check out the foreign kids in their bathing suits. They ambled down to the hills to take a sailboat into the lake, clad in their big coats and knitted hats, using the opportunity to catch up.

‘What happened to the little kid who used to come and find me every mealtime, huh? Haven’t seen you in weeks.’ Sarah aimed a light kick at him from across the boat. Davey smiled as he remembered how scared he’d been of starting at Hogwarts.

‘I guess I thought that you’d be able to introduce me to people, but you weren’t as cool as you pretended to be.’

‘Excuse you! I happen to be very popular… among… my friends.’

‘You’re right, I’m very sorry, Sarah.’

‘I actually do have some exciting developments in the gal pal department. You know Katherine from seventh year?’

‘I know Katherine from seventh year.’ He clambered out of the boat up to the stand, reaching in to help her up.

‘I’ve been getting to know Katherine from seventh year.’ She grinned, pushing him towards the crowd. ‘We spent all day together in Hogsmeade last weekend and then we had an accidental sleepover by the lake.’

‘Ew. I’ve heard enough.’

‘Not like that, gross! But I am feeling really good about her.’

‘Is she not here today?’

‘No, she’s on press duties. How cool is that?’

‘That is cool. In fact, maybe too cool. Definitely too cool for you.’

‘Luckily she hasn’t realised that yet.’ She poked him in the chest. ‘Your turn.’

‘What?’

‘Anything on the horizon?’ They found a place at the front and Davey leaned over the railing, letting the cold air whip his face, trying to decide if “I met a hot guy a week ago” was sufficient gossip for Sarah.

‘Not really.’

‘Your pause was very telling, Davey.’

‘It’s nothing. There’s no-one.’

‘You’re not getting out of it that easy!’

‘Davey!’ He heard the voice over his shoulder and for a split second he was glad of the distraction, before he realised who it was. Oh boy. He turned to see Jack heading over. He smiled in greeting, ignoring Sarah’s raised eyebrows. ‘You look cold.’

‘Yeah, it’s the… cold.’ His cheeks turned even redder as Jack reached out and touched one gently. 

‘Better than almost being set on fire, I guess.’

‘A lot of things are.’ Jack stood next to him, leaning on the rail, looking at Sarah. ‘I’m Jack.’

‘Sarah.’

‘Not crashing a date or something, am I?’

‘Not at all. This here’s my baby brother.’ She grinned at Davey, who had managed to blush harder.

‘Bet you could tell me some stories, huh?’

‘Depends what you wanna know.’

Davey cleared his throat. ‘Guys, it’s starting.’ He didn’t want their conversation going any deeper - he knew what Sarah was like. She loved him a lot but god, she liked making him squirm. 

The four champions stepped forward and a distinct impressed mumble passed through the crowd. Jack took a few seconds to rake his eyes over Viktor Krum and his tiny red shorts, and piped up. 

‘I’m gayer than I thought.’

Sarah, just barely hearing, was captivated by blonde hair and lycra.

‘Me too.’

/

During breakfast the day before the first task, an owl dropped a handwritten note into Davey’s porridge.

How about we meet at the last task on purpose?

It was complete with a little moving doodle of cartoon-Jack valiantl protecting cartoon-Davey from a dragon, a drawing that might have been embarrassing were it not, you know, true. All the same it made Davey chuckle quietly, and he pulled out his quill to scribble a yes. Hanging out with Jack at the second task had been fun, even if Davey felt like an asshole for letting Sarah be turned into the third wheel. Jack was funny, making quips about what the mermaids might have stolen from him, and how he’d go about trying to do the task (transforming into a giant squid and fucking up everyone and everything until they handed Crutchie back to him with an apology note.) 

At the end when Katherine came over to find Sarah, having finished composing her report, Jack confessed that he’d lost his friends when he spotted Davey, so the two ended up sharing a boat back to the castle. It had all seemed to get very… date-like, something Davey was totally fine with of course, but he was a little reticent in acknowledging it, in case he’d misread all the signals. Even now, telling Jack that he’d like to go with him to the last task, he didn’t want to let himself get too hopeful about the two of them, telling himself that it was still a good thing that Jack wanted to hang out. Even without any… intentions.

He gave the note back to the owl and watched as it soared across the great hall, over to the Gryffindor table he’d spent so long looking for Jack at. It flew all the way to the end, by the door, and he sat up as straight as he could to spot him.

Jack was sitting at the very end of the table, backwards, which went some way to explaining why Davey had never been able to spot him before. He was talking animatedly to a kid at the Hufflepuff table, one who had similarly turned his back on his own housemates. Davey recognised him, it was the kid everyone called Crutchie - he assumed it was an affectionate nickname, but he couldn’t be sure. Now he had found Jack, he watched him read the reply, felt the violent sting of butterflies in his stomach when he saw Jack say something to Crutchie, and Crutchie react with sheer delight.

Then Jack looked over his shoulder and caught Davey staring. Crutchie waved. Davey blushed, obviously. But he smiled too.

They met by the front door and walked across to the arena in the twilight. Davey itched to reach out and take Jack’s hand but even though they’d been there and done that, it would have felt like an enormous assumption. He took his cues from Jack, the more confident of the two, who was interested in using the cold weather to his advantage. They found decent spots towards the back.

‘Who d’you think’s gonna take this?’ Davey asked as they stared down at the hedges.

‘As much as I wanna say one of our guys, I kind of want it to be Krum. But I think that’s just me falling for his charm.’

‘Is that your type?’ This felt like a very brazen and un-Davey thing to say, but he saw a tiny window and had to leap through it. Jack pretended to think about it for a moment.

‘You know, I’m not sure. I’m starting to think I prefer someone a little taller. Little cuter.’ He looked at Davey. ‘Little smarter.’

‘How do you know how smart he is?’

‘I know how smart you are. Odds are he don’t match up.’

Davey looked at the ground to hide the grin that forced it’s way on to his face. Jack bit his lip, shuffling from one foot to the other.

‘Sorry, that was too corny. You can tell me to stop it.’

‘I don’t really want you to stop it.’ He looked back up at Jack. The air was full of excitement. Student babbled incoherently around them, and suddenly they’d both admitted something. They were quiet amongst the chaos for a moment and it was Jack who, with a smile on his face, started to lean in.

Cheers exploded around them as they kissed for the first time and they took a couple of seconds to pretend it was for them, riding the high of what sounded like a Hogwarts victory, with their own personal wave of elation. It only lasted a moment, more sweet and searching than anything else. 

Their resultant dopey grins fell quickly as they heard an anguished scream from the field. Something was wrong.

Reflexively Davey reached for Jack’s hand, seeking that comfort, as he tried to figure out what was going on. The news of Cedric’s death travelled up to them via murmurs in the crowd and catalysed the wave of unease that the castle wouldn’t shake for months, that contradicted fiercely with the new happiness Jack and Davey had found, and yet that gave them more reason to cling to each other.