#wampus hair

[ldrfanatic]

this happens once every few lifetimes

mattheo riddle x reader

synopsis - reader transfers to hogwarts from ilvermorny. she and mattheo fall in love with each other at first sight.

warnings - none, i think?

listened to while writing - the alchemy by taylor swift

i have a clara bow theo one in the works right now that i'm excited to drop at some point. ngl this gif of benjamin in deadly class inspired this idea A LOT.

part two?

slytherin boys works

you waited with baited breath outside of the great hall.

any moment now the doors would swing open and albus dumbledore, who you knew only through legend, would announce your transfer to hogwarts.

it was terrifying honestly. leaving ilvermorny was indescribably difficult. but when your father got a job opportunity at the british ministry of magic, it was decided. already you were feeling overwhelmed. you'd done your research but hogwarts was much larger than ilvermorny. it was much older as well, and thus had gained a reputation over a thousand years of producing some of the greatest witches and wizards the world has ever seen.

the large magnificent doors opened and every pair of eyes was on you.

you walked forward with sweaty palms, subtly attempting to dry them on your plain, black hogwarts robes. another change. the wardrobe was much more strict here than back in america. and where every student at ilvermorny wore the same blue and gold, students at hogwarts wore colors representative of their house.

finally, you reached the end of the walkway and stood face to face with a dusty and rather ancient looking hat. to your light surprise, it spoke. a woman whom you'd met briefly beforehand, professor mcgonnagall, picked up the hat gently and motioned for you to sit on the stool.

it was time to be sorted into one of hogwarts four houses. you'd been in wampus, the house of the warrior, at ilvermorny, and despite hours of research, you couldn't distinguish what the hogwarts equivalent would be. all four houses seemed to be good choices but there was one in particular that stood out to you.

no shorter or longer than exactly fifteen seconds after the sorting hat touched your head, a declaration was made.

"slytherin!"

an older student in green robes gestured you over to the table on the far right. not wanting to sit at the very front and continue to be gawked at, you briskly walked a little further down and took a seat at the middle of the table.

once you'd taken your seat, dumbledore began to explain that hogwarts would be hosting the triwizard tournament this year. after a flashy introduction from beauxbatons and durmstrang, you effectively decided that you were not the most interesting shiny new toy at hogwarts this year and silently thanked the universe for this turn of events.

at last, it was announced that you could eat and the tables filled with food. all around you students' plates began magically creating complex dishes. there were even some dinners that held food that you were sure you couldn't see anywhere on the table.

frustrated, you stared down at your empty plate. it was a long journey to hogwarts. you were hungry and quite frankly tired of things being so different. if one more complicated situation made its appearance at this school, you were undoubtedly going to lose it.

"just think about a food you really want to eat. it can be anything."

a boy next to you with brown hair and bright blue eyes leaned over. a thick italian accent levied on his deep voice.

you closed your eyes and thought about a delicious juicy cheeseburger with golden-crisp french fries. sure enough, when you opened your eyes, your plate had filled with food.

absolutely giddy with glee, you turned to thank the mystery man.

"no problem. i'm theodore nott. this is draco malfoy next to me."

the platinum blonde boy didn't even look up to acknowledge your existence. theodore, seemingly sensing your mild displeasure, spoke up.

"don't mind him. welcome to slytherin house. riddle, say hello to our newest recruit."

the dark haired boy directly across from you who you assumed was 'riddle' did in fact look over from his conversation with a boy with a chestnut colored complexion. yet, when your eyes found his, he didn't say hello.

he didn't say anything actually. he just sort of stared. as you held eye contact, it was like lightning running through your veins and sizzling at your fingertips.

for a moment, you wondered if he'd ever seen a person before.

then, as if he'd snapped out of a daze, a gentle smile played at his lips. dark curls fell over his brown eyes that seemed to sparkle the longer you looked at them.

his large hand crept over the table until it was outstretched towards you with a kind smile.

"mattheo."

you shook his hand with a shy smile. mattheo was currently looking at you like you were the only thing that mattered. in fact, your little interaction had gone on so long that theodore and the boy mattheo had been speaking with had both strucken up conversation with other students at the table.

"y/n."

mattheo eyed your appearance. his gaze flickered across your face, then to your hair, and all over the parts of your body he could see.

"sorry if this is a little awkward, but i can't remember the last time i was this captivated by someone." mattheo finally released your hand and you had to stop yourself from begging him not to.

"welcome to slytherin house. you're in the snake's nest now, beautiful."

---

7.8.2024

[wisteria-lodge]

What do you think JKR did best in Harry Potter, and what do you think she did worst?

I'll just do the first five good and first five bad that pop into my head.

GOOD

JKR writes about grief and fear extremely well. It's complex, nuanced, visceral, messy. When I pull out really good passages of her writing, that's almost always what they're about.

She has a good eye for friend group dynamics. Harry, Ron and Hermione work. The way they crack and splinter, the way that two of them will gang up on the third and then work it out, that's really well observed. Their banter works. Their arguments work.

She has an incredible knack for side characters. There are SO MANY of them, and most spend very little time on screen. But the details we get are memorable, interesting and well-chosen - not only do you remember who all these people are, it's perfectly reasonable that your favorite character is like, Tonks - even though we barely see her.

JKR never wastes a transition. These books have a *lot* of scene transitions, and they are used to drop characterization, clues, worldbuilding, or build suspense. You never get "Harry was late to class." You get "Harry was late to class because Peeves had vanished two-thirds of the stairs up to the astronomy tower." It's a good trick for making a world feel alive, and make a mystery feel satisfying. Also, JKR ends *chapters* really well.

She's good at naming things. Good place names, product names, character names. They're memorable, whimsical, build a really strong brand identity and no wonder themed entertainment based off this series does so well. It's hard to invent a word that means something to your audience, but she's good at it. Dementor, apparate, muggle, Slytherin, Gryffindor. There's a ton of specialized vocab in this universe, and that's how she gets away with it.

BAD

... she's good at naming so long as the thing she's naming exists in Western Europe. The second it doesn't, we run into problems *real* quick. No-Maj? Cho Chang? Ilvermorny and the four houses Wampus, Pukwudgie, Horned Serpent and Thunderbird?

JKR can't write romance. It's strange, because her grasp of family and group dynamics is so good, but she just can't write a romantic couple being romantic. She can write pining, she can write longing, she can write cringingly awkward couple, arguably she can even write exes - but she will bend over backwards so the two halves of a romantic couple never actually have to be in the same scene, interacting with each other. In HP this mostly shows up in the way the Harry/Ginny stuff (and the Ron/Hermione stuff...) falls flat, and Remus/Tonks comes out of absolutely nowhere. But the Cormoran Strike books and the Fantastic Beasts movies clearly *want* to be romances, and she just can't do it.

Being uber-femme/girly in the Harry Potter books is consistently a very negative trait. Pink, bows, ruffles, painted nails, styled hair, being interested in fashion, being interested in boys (versus boys being interested in you...) It hovers somewhere around being pathetic and being villainous. If you're girly, you can redeem yourself by becoming a mother (like Fleur) or you can reject girliness (like Hermione - who can look all pretty and femme for the Yule Ball, but "that's far too much bother to do everyday.")

There is often a disconnect between a character's actions and the way the way that character is framed by the text. Like, JKR obviously has a very clear idea in her head of who Severus Snape or Draco Malfoy or Molly Weasley is... and that idea does not 100% make it onto the page. Most characters are hit with this to some degree. Someone like Ron is the exception: I do think that the version of him on the page and the version of him in JKR's head are exactly the same.

There is a very *young* sort of moral simplicity in these books... kind of. The Ministry of Magic gets more nuanced and grey as the story goes on, Dumbledore and his plan gets more nuanced and grey... JKR clearly wants to make the thematic underpinnings of her story more complex and adult... but the Slytherins are all just the bad guys. That's not a stereotype, that's not 12 year old Harry with a simplified worldview, they're all just like that. They all run away from the final battle (and/or want to turn Harry over to Voldemort.) She goes out of her way to make Snape an honorary Gryffindor, when it would have been easier and better to just... say that this is a guy who used slytherin traits in a positive way? There is something very deep in her that just wants an infallible force to pick out the Good People, and then put the Good People in charge. that's literally the plot of fantastic beasts 3.

[sheawritesstuff]

Redacted Pet Headcanons

[In no particular order]

Aggro is a black persian cat with yellow-golden eyes

Wampus is a short-haired white cat with orange tabby spots

Ivan had a green and gray conure growing up

Asher won a goldfish at a fair once and killed it by trying to feed it bacon bits

Marie spoils Aggro like she would a human grandchild

Sam had an old cattle dog he had to leave behind in Mont Blanc

Anton has a soft spot for senior animals and has adopted several throughout his life

David grew up with a basset hound but it died not long after Gabe did

Ollie's parents have a crusty-eyed white dog

Aaron has always wanted a rottweiler but has never had the time to actually take care of one

Elliot has a bearded dragon

Caelum once made a list of reasons Gavin and Freelancer should adopt a puppy because he wanted a reason to come visit them more

Camelopardalis loves snakes but doesn't like feeding them mice, so he's never had one of his own

Sam grew up raising chickens and always named them so he could refer to them all respectfully

Vincent has never had a pet but he spent a decent chunk of his childhood and adolescence visiting and volunteering at animal shelters

Geordi had a terrarium of insects that were very well taken care of

Lasko got a puppy for his birthday once but his mom got mad at him and took it to the pound a few weeks later

Huxeley's moms feed the deer in their yard every day and some of them still recognize Hux when he comes to visit

Damien had a hampster in middle school - he refuses to give details on what happened to it

Guy's family has what can only be described as an army of golden retrievers

Marcus had a gecko that would just lay on his shoulder while he went about his day

[fandomwriterstuff]

The Alchemy

James Potter x Fem!Reader

Words: ~3.1k

Heavily inspired by The Alchemy by Taylor Swift

AN: I made up a bunch of stuff about Ilvermony because I don't know anything about it. I also wanted this to be longer but was struggling.

You were a transfer student, an American who was studying magic at Ilvermony School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You were the pride of Thunderbird house, the well-loved heart and soul of your Quidditch team with a curious and adventurous heart. 

When your mother and father told you they’d been called from their jobs at the Magical Congress to liaise with the Ministry of Magic for an indefinite stretch of time, forcing you to live in Europe, you were disheartened. You worked so hard to achieve your status as captain of the Thunderbird team, and last year you’d finally beaten Wampus after a looong winning streak. 

Of course, it wasn’t always easy. No-Maj’s and wizards alike were being recruited into the military, inflation was at an all-time high, and there was somehow only one wizarding school in America, which meant the admissions process was rigorous. You were one of the lucky ones with good grades and magical talent strong enough to get you an invitation. 

Your one saving grace was that you were entering sixth year at Hogwarts at the beginning of the year, and not the middle. So at least you weren’t the only one being sorted into a house. Unluckily for you, the only other students being sorted were first years.

Therefore, you stood in a crowd of sweaty eleven-year-olds two heads shorter than you, sticking out like a sore thumb. Nonetheless, you stood tall and waited for your name to be called. Their sorting process was different from yours, but no less magical. When you were called up to sit on a stool in front of the entire school, and the sorting hat was placed on your head, you were surprised to hear him speak inside your head. 

“Oh, an American. How exotic. A clever one, and proud. But so full of heart. You’ll be a challenge to sort, so very well-rounded.”

And then out loud, he spoke in that creaky old voice: “More than anything else, you’re a team player. Better be… GRYFFINDOR!” You glided over to the long table all robed in red and gold. Chin up, your eyes roved over the table looking for an empty space to sit. You were lucky to see a redhead smile at you and nod her head to the empty seat between her and a girl with curly dark hair. 

You gave a relieved smile and made your way to the group near the center of the table. 

“Hello,” the redhead gave you a crooked smile. “Must be awful being new to school and stuck with all the first years. I’m Lily. These are Mary, Marlene, and Dorcas, my best mates,” she gestured to the three girls seated nearest to her. “Come on, sit and I’ll introduce you to the rest.”

“You’re a shy thing, aren’t you,” Mary smiled from right beside you and you let out a laugh and gave them your name before responding. 

“Shy? Not a chance. Wary of being the only brand new sixth year at this school? Definitely.”

There was a moment of silence as the girls (and the four boys sitting across from you all) took in your accented English. 

“No need to be wary, you’re in good hands,” you turned from Mary’s lighthearted gaze to lock eyes with the handsome boy in front of you. He had dark curly hair and a pair of glasses set slightly askew on a strong nose. 

“I don’t know, pretty boy,” you raised an eyebrow at him. “You look like mischief.” There was a blonde, shorter than the other boys, watching the two of you like a tennis match. 

“You look like you’d enjoy a bit of mischief,” the curly-haired boy spoke again, and you gave him a smile. 

“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”

“Alright, ladies and gents, that’s enough of that,” the long-haired boy next to him was fanning himself with his hand. “Now, James, if you’d introduce us to our new friend, that would be lovely.”

“Right. On the end is Remus, he’s very handsome and tall but don’t let that fool you. He’s very smart and he’s mean to me.”

Remus pinched his nose in his long fingers and shook his head. 

“I am not mean to you. I’m just the only one with a sense of responsibility around here-”

James pointed to the long-haired boy next. “This is Sirius, he’s the man with a plan. It’s why his hair’s so long and luscious, it’s full of ideas.”

Sirius choked a laugh out of his nose as he took a sip of his water.

“This is Peter, unassuming but mighty.”

“Hey-” Peter looked amused but put off by the group’s bursts of giggles at his description. 

“And I’m James,” he was smiling directly at you then, and you couldn’t help the warmth in your cheeks. 

“And who are you, James?” You asked, the silence around you alerting you that the group was hanging on your every word.

“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”

This happens once every few lifetimes

These chemicals hit me like white wine

“Do they play Quidditch at Ilvermony?” Lily asked you one Sunday night as you sat in the Gryffindor common room. You were studying with her and Remus. Somehow after the first week of school you were already bogged down with work.

“Do they- of course! It’s only my favorite thing other than pizza.” You gushed, assignment forgotten. 

“So you play?” Remus had a look in his eyes, something you were beginning to recognize as gears turning and a new idea forming.

“I do. I was the Thunderbird captain, a seeker, and helped bring our team to win in the finals against Wampus who held the title for sixty years.”

“Were you looking to play here?” Remus wondered aloud, and Lily was staying mysteriously quiet during your interaction. 

“I… Well I want to. But it’s all an adjustment. New school, new friends, getting lined up with classes and transferring my old work. It would be hard.”

“Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. If it makes you happy, you could always talk to James, he’s Gryffindor’s captain. And,” Remus was smiling mischievously and you just knew he was plotting. “We’re in need of a seeker.”

“James has been holding tryouts every day since the school year started and hasn’t found anyone up to his caliber yet,” Lily added. “Plus, you know you want to get to know him better.” 

You inhaled deeply, going over your options. On the one hand, you were already bogged down with work and didn’t need an additional commitment. On the other hand, you loved quidditch and it brought you so much joy. On another third hand, Lily was right. You wanted to see more of James. Aside from classes he was elusive, and you’d finally found out why. So maybe if you made the team you’d be able to get to know him better. 

That’s how you ended up out in the rain the next day after class in what was somehow both an unfamiliar uniform… but also a uniform that made you feel like you were at home again. 

The team was running drills while James tested out the seekers, of which you were in a group of six. Sirius explained it all to you. James would test all the prospective members on speed in a group setting; speed was the most basic of a seeker’s skills. Next, he would whittle it down to a smaller group (you and three others at that point) to test hand-eye coordination and agility. Could you catch a snitch? Could you dodge a bludger? 

Then there were two of you. You and a boy whose name you didn’t care about. You were in your element and there was no way you were letting this opportunity go. 

“Now, I want to see the two of you at your best. You’re going to have one last challenge today, I’ll discuss with the team, and we’ll let you know tomorrow whether either of you make it.”

“Whether or not we make the team?” The boy next to you balked. “You’re in desperate need of a seeker. The season is starting soon. You’ve got to pick one of us… right?”

James raised an eyebrow at him, and stared him down. It was pretty hot, if you were being honest with yourself. 

“If you’ve got what it takes, we’ll keep you on. But this team is a family built on mutual trust and understanding. If you haven’t got the right attitude, you won’t last a day here.” He looked at you, his seriousness not fading. “That goes for both of you.”

You nodded, taking his words to heart. You wanted that feeling of a family again, you were never close with your parents. They were always working, and their work was more important than you in a lot of ways. Quidditch was everything to you because it introduced you to many of your close friends. You felt loved and important. You weren’t about to give that up. 

“Now, for your challenge.” He grinned, that lovable goofy look lighting up his face. “Sirius is going to release the snitch on my signal. All you have to do is catch it.”

The boy next to you frowned. 

“We already practiced catching the snitch, why are we doing it again?”

James, in response, put two fingers to his lips and let out a long whistle, you followed his gaze to the skies where high above you could see a long flowing red and gold cape topped with a head of shiny black hair. Sirius. 

As you watched, he pulled a shiny golden ball out of his cloak and released it. 

“Go.”

You went off like a bullet. Your broom was an extension of your body and as you sped high into the sky, eyes searching for that golden glint, you could barely hear the squawking of the boy behind you as he failed to catch up. 

“Beaters, at the ready!” James shouted, and you suddenly realized this was going to be a little more difficult than just beating your competitor. The team that was once running drills was now lined up with bats in hand, and one of them was on the ground with a box with what you assumed to be a bludger. 

“Release!” 

“Fuck,” you muttered as not one but two bludgers were released. 

You wove and dove out of the way of the bludgers, eyes searching until you saw it. A tiny golden flicker off to your left. But once you spotted it and zoomed off, your competitor noticed and followed you. 

It must have been a charmed snitch, because it was only a few minutes of flitting about before it took a dive directly towards the ground.

So, what did you do? You dove. 

You shot towards the ground faster than you would have had you been falling, your tight grip on your broom the only thing keeping you from flattening against the ground as you pulled up at the last minute and grasped the snitch in your gloved hand. However, the sudden slowdown and one-handed grip didn’t help you when Mister Second Best and his broom collided with you, sending you tumbling a couple feet to the ground. 

You skidded across the dirt before rolling to a stop, your iron grip on the snitch not loosening. 

“Dude! Pay more attention!” Were the first words out of your mouth once you had it in you to stand up. You were lucky that quidditch uniforms included some padding. “You could have killed me if you’d knocked into me any higher!” 

“So sorry, princess. Maybe you should have had two hands on the broom!” He shot back at you, and you didn’t notice James coming up behind you as your anger flared. 

“I only had one hand on the broom because I caught the snitch you absolute oaf!” You thrust out your muddy arm, two fingers pinching the winged ball between them. That shut him up, his lips snapping together with a wet sound. 

“Wonderful job, both of you,” You nearly jumped out of your skin at James’ voice, but calmed yourself as you turned to him. He had a good poker face but if you were correct he looked a little impressed. “Go get cleaned up, I’ll get back to you tomorrow.” 

You nodded with a smile and grabbed your broom, swung a very sore leg over it, and flew back towards the changing rooms. 

“So, how did it go?” Lily and Mary were waiting for you in the Gryffindor common room, and you lit up with a smile. 

“I think it went really, really well.” You sat down on a couch and winced, your bruised back protesting at the movement. “There was a collision at the end and I got knocked off my broom but I think other than that it went really well.”

“That’s an understatement,” you turned your head to see Sirius walking in, hair freshly washed and tied into a low knot. “She wiped the floor with McLaggen, it was a sight!” You pursed your lips, trying not to show how pleased you were with his assessment. You were hoping James felt the same. 

You didn’t see the curly-headed boy until he was seated in front of you at breakfast the next day, Sirius and Remus to his right and Peter to his left. You weren’t sure what to make of him, the obvious chemistry between you was alluring but he also held your fate in his hands in regards to the quidditch team. 

“So,” he started after taking a bite of toast. “The team has decided to take you on as our Seeker with McLaggen as a back up.”

You froze, and the girls were silent beside you as you processed for a split second before bursting into a joyous grin.

“That’s awesome!” You exclaimed and suddenly the group was alight with whooping and congratulations. “I can’t wait.” You said, quieter, and tucked into your breakfast. 

So when I touch down

Call the amateurs and

Cut 'em from the team

Ditch the clowns, get the crown

Baby I'm the one to beat

Cause the sign on your heart

Said it's still reserved for me

Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?

It was a few days later, days of rigorous practice behind you as you approached the weekend. You were somehow navigating quidditch and schoolwork, but you needed a break. 

“Hey,” you heard your name called and turned in the busy hallway to see a flushed James walking towards you. 

“What can I do for you, pretty boy?” You loved to see that bashful look on his face. God, he was precious. 

“I was wondering if you wanted to take a break with me?” He started, a crooked smile on his face. “It’s not a Hogsmeade weekend, but we could go for a walk by the Black Lake.”

“That sounds really nice,” you smiled. “When?”

“Well, if you wanted to sneak into the kitchens with me and grab a few pastries… We could go right now?”

“That sounds like mischief to me, I’m in,” you let out a giggle as he took your hand and pulled you through the hallways towards what you assumed was a secret entrance to the kitchens. You both plucked a few fresh pastries from the counters, wrapped them in cloths, and ran out of there. 

The walk to the lake was nice, the two of you talking about your families and friends, what you liked about your classes so far, and more. 

You found that as you sat there with him, you had more in common than you thought. It felt like there was an electric current running between the two of you, your energy fed off of each other. You must have sat there for over an hour because the sun was high in the sky, definitely later than the mid morning when you’d left.

“You know,” James said after a comfortable silence. You turned to look at him but he was gazing over the lake. “We’ve only known each other less than a month but I can’t imagine my days without seeing you around in the halls or at quidditch. You’re unforgettable.” You inhaled deeply, the scent of blooming trees heavy in your nose as you thought about what he said.

“I never felt such an instant connection with anyone like I did with you,” you admitted, a bit shyly despite your original introduction all those weeks ago. “I like being around you.”

“I like being around you, too,” he parroted with that beaming smile. 

You spent most Saturdays after that taking walks with James, and the Black Lake became a special place where the two of you could spend time together away from your group of friends. 

It was there, sitting with your backs against a wide tree, that you found yourself a few weeks later on a cool Saturday in late October. You’d been planning quidditch plays for hours with James in the early morning, getting ready for a match against Slytherin. Your former position as captain of Thunderbird’s team gave you a plethora of knowledge and skill related to planning and strategizing, making you James’ favorite person to bounce ideas off of. 

However, you needed a break from the intense planning and suggested a walk in the cool air to clear your heads. James was never one to say no to you. 

So you sat, breathed in the crisp air, and turned your head to gaze over at the object of your affections. 

“James?”

“At your service,” he replied formally, eliciting a soft laugh from your lips. 

“I’m serious, I have a question,” you replied, waiting for him to turn his head. 

“If this is about quidditch, I thought we were taking a break from that,” he was smirking as he turned his head, and suddenly you were both so close.

“I was wondering if you wanted to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you.”

He was silent for a moment, eyes wide behind his spectacles. 

“Well yeah, I thought that was obvious. I’m absolutely smitten,” he was grinning from ear to ear, and reached out to tangle his fingers with yours in what could only be called a hand-hold. 

“Absolutely smitten, you say?” You pondered, tapping a finger against your chin.

“Devastatingly.” He nodded at you.

“Better kiss me now then, before you lose your chance.”

He laughed, a joyous noise, before cupping your chin in his hand and kissing you. 

It felt like you’d shaken up a vial full of chemicals and you were slowly burning on the inside, an explosion of wonder and light. 

When you broke apart, you could only stare at him with glazed over eyes. 

“We should do that again, yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

Masterlist

[dreamcubed]

miss americana & the heartbreak prince | sirius black x reader

song; miss americana & the heartbreak prince [taylor swift] pairing; sirius black x fem!american!gryffindor!reader genre; s2l, fluff, slightest touch of angst word count; 3,2k timeline; marauders' sixth year warnings; swearing, references to sirius' bad childhood summary; after making an impromptu transfer from ilvermorny to hogwarts, you are thrust into a world of british boys and pranks - with one in particular catching your eye

a/n; i'm not american so sorry if y/n is ooc for an american!

masterlist

"voted most likely to run away with you."

—————————————

"Welcome to Gryffindor! I hope we were the house you wanted," were the first words that came out of the curly-haired boy with glasses who approached you at dinner.

"Uh, I mean, I guess?" you replied, "I think Gryffindor and Wampus are equivalents."

"Why did you transfer?" the red-headed girl stood next to him asked, tilting her head out of curiosity.

You looked down at the ground ashamedly: you had already decided honesty would be the most sustainable way of making friends, "I got expelled."

"Yes, you did," an elderly voice said sternly from behind you, making you jump. You had to admit that the Gryffindor head, Professor McGonagall, scared you a bit. "And you should be very grateful that Professor Dumbledore agreed to offer you a fresh start. Don't waste it, Miss L/N."

"I won't, professor."

"And considering the reason for your expulsion, I suggest you avoid Mr Potter here, along with Mr Black, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew, otherwise we may have to worry about a repeat offence," she continued, "I have high hopes for you, Miss L/N, but you must understand that you are going to be judged much more harshly than the other students."

"Yes, professor," you said, head hanging low. Webster, had she had to embarrass you like that before you'd even had a chance to make friends?

"What was the reason for your expulsion?" the Potter boy asked after McGonagall had left. You couldn't help but notice that three other boys had joined the conversation now: likely the other three the Gryffindor head had mentioned.

You continued with your truthful streak, "Oh, I just- a prank backfired."

"You do pranks?" one of the newly joined boys said excitedly. His hair was long and black, and you could smell his cologne more strongly than the others.

"Yeah, I guess- probably not anymore, though. My parents would kill me if I got another expulsion."

"Ah, don't worry about that," the black-haired boy batted a hand, "McGonagall can be scary, sure, but only Dumbledore has the power to expel, and he's all bark, no bite."

The red-headed girl rolled her eyes, "That mindset will get you expelled, Black-" so that was his name, "-I'm Lily, Lily Evans," she held her hand out to you, and you awkwardly took it.

"Y/N L/N," you replied, though they already knew that. They had heard your name be announced during the sorting ceremony, during which you had stood out like a sore thumb next to all the first years.

"You'll be in the same dorm as me," she said, "I hope we can be friends."

"Woah, slow down, Evans," Black interrupted, "Our good friend L/N here has just told us she's a prankster, and we know you don't approve of that."

Lily rolled her eyes, "If you want me to stupefy any of them, just let me know. C'mon, Lupin, we have head boy and girl stuff to do."

The tallest of the four boys followed her over to the first year section of the table.

"Sirius Black," the boy grinned, lifting your hand to press a kiss to the back of it, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He dropped your hand, "This here is James-" he gestured to the Potter boy, "Over with Evans is Remus, and this is Peter." He pointed towards the final boy, whose last name could only be Pettigrew.

"We would absolutely love to hear all about your pranking genius," James said as he looped an arm through one of yours, Sirius doing the same on your other side.

The latter nodded enthusiastically, "And we would adore an in-depth retelling of your expulsion."

Okay, maybe you wouldn't be unpopular just because you were a late transfer with a bad record.

***

Somehow, some way, the boys - self-named as the Marauders - had roped you into committing another prank. They had described it as the "initiation prank" that would solidify your place in the group and allow you to be included in all of their secrets (of which you could tell there were many).

It was only your second week at Hogwarts: you could tell McGonagall wasn't so pleased when it came to your blooming friendships with the infamous pranksters of the school, although she was happy to see you were also forming a strong bond with Lily. Also, your grades were good - after all, creative pranks didn't come from a stupid mind.

"Are you all set?" James asked just as you had rushed around the corner, completely out of breath.

You nodded, "I almost got trapped in it myself."

From the distant corridor, sounds of people cursing and in general making loud exclamations began, and one by one you and the Marauders peered around the corner.

You had charmed the floor to have the solidity of an (overly bouncy) bouncy castle - and now you could only watch in satisfied glee as people lost their balance and began bouncing around higher than they could control. Many had fallen over and were completely helpless, meanwhile a select few were beginning to get the hang of it but ultimately failed when a helpless one crashed into them. A crowd had formed at both edges of the charmed floor, meaning it was a matter of time before a professor showed up.

"We should get out of here," Remus whispered, suppressing his giggles in the process.

You all nodded in agreement and began backing away from the situation when a stern resounding cough echoed around you, making you freeze in your tracks.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

McGonagall.

You all slowly turned around to face your angered head of house.

"Detention, the lot of you," she then turned to you, "Miss L/N, I am incredibly disappointed that this is the start you're getting off to."

You bowed your head in shame.

***

Detention involved scrubbing every single cauldron in the potions classroom by hand - an immensely tedious task. Though, truthfully, with the Marauders there, you were having at least some amount of fun. Plus, Professor Slughorn was mostly out of the room, only checking in every twenty minutes or so, meaning you could converse relatively freely.

"Your prank was so good," Sirius, who was stood next to you as you cleaned, said, "I was very impressed."

You couldn't stop the heat from rising to your cheeks and ears, "Thanks, I just hope I didn't hurt any-"

"Oh, speaking of the prank!" James interrupted from across the room, "You're now officially initiated! You want to know our secrets?"

"I mean, sure-"

He reached into his satchel and pulled out a piece of parchment, slamming it down on the table as he unrolled it.

"Prongs, be careful, Slughorn could be back any mi-" Remus tried to say, but James made another interruption.

"He was just here two minutes ago, we've got a while," he gestured for you to come over and look at the paper, so you obliged.

You frowned, "It's blank."

"That, Miss Americana-" their favourite nickname for you, coming from Sirius' mouth this particular time, "-is what you're supposed to think."

James pulled out his wand and waved it over the paper, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

To your pure amazement, a map of Hogwarts' many corridors and rooms formed on the page in a maroon ink colour. Not only that, but there were names as well: student and professor names that you recognised, and some of them were moving around on the parchment.

"This is our most beautiful creation," Sirius said to you with a charming smile, "The Marauders' Map."

"It displays every single secret room and passageway in Hogwarts," Remus said, "Plus the locations of all the students and professors."

"That's amazing," you said, genuinely astounded, "It must have been so difficult to make."

"About as difficult as becoming an animagus," Peter said, which made you furrow your brows at the oddly specific choice of simile.

"Which brings us on to the next secret," James continued, "We're animagi."

"It's what our nicknames our based off of," Sirius beamed, "I'm a dog - a black dog - hence the name Padfoot."

"I'm a stag," James said, "'S why I'm Prongs." He put his hands on his head in a way that symbolised antlers.

Peter sighed, "I'm sure you can guess what Wormtail is."

You thought for a second, "...Rat?" You felt bad guessing it, but the boy simply nodded.

You then turned your eyes to Remus, who had been particularly quiet during this part of the conversation.

"What's Moony then?"

"Wolf," James said with no further explanation.

And you simply thought that Remus had a wolf animagus: why would you think any differently?

***

"Alright, we're back," Sirius announced, immediately plopping a pouch of sweets into your hand, "Here's your request, Miss Americana."

"Thanks, Siri," you said, giving him a warm smile which he returned before following the other Marauders up the stairs. They had, of course, snuck down to Hogsmeade through one of the secret tunnels: you had been invited, but due to the amount of catch-up work you still had to do, you declined, staying with Lily instead.

That exact redhead sighed at you, "I see the way you look at Black, L/N. I'd have to advise you not to go there."

You were flustered at her having caught on to your feelings so quick, but pushed that aside in favour of asking, "Why?"

"He's the heartbreak prince to put it lightly," she said, "Never had a long-term relationship. Dates a girl for two weeks, gets her all attached, then dumps her so her friends can find her crying in the toilets."

Your heart sunk: was he really that selfish?

"Great friend, don't get me wrong. Just not a great boyfriend."

You sighed, "Thanks for the warning, I guess."

"I don't wanna see you get hurt," she said, "Especially when I could've done something to prevent it."

You gave her a soft smile.

***

"This doesn't seem like a good idea," you said sceptically, watching as the boys tied some string across a section of the corridor in a spiderweb sort of fashion.

"It is, trust us," Sirius said, winking at you, "Now grab that string and help us."

You sighed, but couldn't say no to Sirius so agreed and got to work. Eventually, when the pattern was deemed complex enough, James put his hands on his hips in triumph.

"Step one is complete," he said proudly, moving over to a satchel in the corner to pull out a small potion, "A special thanks to Y/N for creating and cooking this potion for us."

You bowed sarcastically at the following applause.

"Now for step two," James continued, grabbing more bottles from the satchel and passing them around, "Douse the string in this."

You got to work on one of the ends of the string while Peter used his rat animagus to easily complete the task in the middle. After what felt like ages, the task was finally finished, and the potion was in full effect: the string was entirely invisible to the human eye.

"Quick, it's almost six," Remus said, glancing at the sun about to rise over the horizons, "We need to get out of here."

Strategically, you all split into different directions as you always looked more suspicious when you were altogether. You found yourself heading the same way Sirius was and did very little to change course.

"Yet another brilliant prank set up," he said gleefully, tugging on your arm to pull you in the same direction as him when you reached a T-junction.

"If I get expelled because of you guys, I'm suing," you spat, although your tone held no real malice.

"Relax, relax, Miss Americana," you rolled your eyes at the nickname, "We've told you a thousand times. Dumbledore doesn't expel unless it's legally required."

"What if this falls under the legal requirements?"

He shook his head dismissively, "It doesn't. I've read them."

You frowned, and before you could ask why he explained.

"Wanted to see what loopholes I could find."

"Even if I don't get expelled my parents will still slaughter me if they find out I'm back to pranking."

He hummed, "Well that's parents for you."

As he said that, you passed who you had learnt to be Regulus Black in the corridor: you hadn't been told the details, but you knew that the Black brothers did not get along. The external differences were obvious, with Regulus being cold and closed-off - accentuated by his Slytherin tie. Sirius, on the other hand, was sociable and warm - accentuated by his Gryffindor tie. Difference in personalities was seldom enough reason for two brothers to avoid each other like the plague, though, so you knew it was something deeper.

On a separate note: what Regulus was doing up so early, you had no idea.

"Where will the others be headed?" you asked, trying to get the good mood back into Sirius after seeing his brother.

"Godric knows," he said with a shrug, "We didn't plan this far ahead."

"Where are we headed?"

He paused in his movements, "Where do you want to go?"

You thought for a moment, "The Astronomy Tower."

"Bit weird to go there during daylight."

"I never claimed to be a mastermind."

He chuckled a bit, "Okay, let's go. It's this direction anyway."

***

"No, you're lying," he laughed, "So you charmed your headmaster's beard to mimic worms?"

You couldn't help but snort, shoving Sirius slightly from your position sat cross-legged opposite him. You both had been up in the Astronomy Tower for roughly half an hour by that point.

"And that still didn't get you expelled?"

"Yeah, in hindsight, I was pushing it way too much."

"I'll say. What possibly made you think that the dragon prank would be a good idea when you were already on thin ice?"

He was referencing the prank that had ultimately led to your expulsion, which you had already told the Marauders about in great detail.

You shrugged, "I told you, it was meant to be a non-physical illusion. I didn't mean to fuck up the spell and temporarily create a fully solid dragon."

"You must be an incredible witch if you could accidentally create such a powerful illusion, Miss Americana."

"I guess, I mean... it's not like the illusion had firepower or sharp claws or anything."

"Still hurt people though."

"Yeah, when a heavy-as-fuck being barrels into you at full speed some damage tends to be taken," you scoffed, "I'm just lucky I didn't kill or permanently disable anyone."

"And you apologised."

You smiled, "Yeah, but I reckon some of them will never truly forgive me."

"Ah, well, you live and you learn."

"What about you?" you asked, "That's the most interesting thing about my backstory, what about yours?"

"My family are elitist pure-bloods," he said, taking you by surprise, "They hate me for disagreeing with that and not being exactly like Regulus."

You hummed, "Old Reggie's the favourite then?"

"I mean, yes, but that doesn't mean they're particularly nice to him either."

You chewed your lip in thought, understanding what Sirius was implying. The friction between him and his brother now made sense, as well as his aversion to talking about his home life.

For a few moments, your eyes locked on to Sirius', and just when the cliché moment to lean in for a kiss arrived, you quickly looked away and awkwardly coughed. It's not that you didn't want to kiss the ridiculously handsome boy, but you just couldn't get Lily's words out of your mind. Sirius sensed your apprehension and avoidance, making him frown.

"Are you okay?"

You nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I just thought maybe we were having a- we were going to-..." he trailed off, bringing his lower lip between his teeth.

You remained silent.

"Sorry, I must've read the signals wrong."

Shaking your head, you sighed, "I can't."

"Why not? Strict parents?" he asked, "I mean, if that's the case, I don't think you could make 'em anymore pissed."

"That's not it, Padfoot," you said quietly, "Lily told me about you."

"What about me?"

"That you're the heartbreak prince," you said simply, "Never had a relationship longer than two weeks."

"Okay, that's true."

"See? I can't get myself hurt."

He pushed his long hair back messily, "No, no, let me explain."

You gave him an expression that told him to continue.

"Yes, I've had a lot of short relationships... it's not because I'm bad at commitment and move on quickly, I swear."

With a sceptical expression, you folded your arms.

"Whenever I get asked out, I just can't say no. So I just... say yes and then avoid them as much as I can until they break up with me... which normally takes a couple weeks."

"That's bad in a different way, Sirius," you scoffed, "You got their hopes up for nothing. That still makes you a heartbreaker."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I feel shit about it."

"Look," you sighed, gazing at his handsome face in the sunlight, "I like you - I really do - but I can't date a guy that's hurt so many people without fixing it."

"Godric, Miss Americana, you really are the queen of morals, huh?"

"Someone in this group has to be."

He smiled at you, and despite the previous conversation, the atmosphere didn't feel awkward.

***

"Morning," you yawned, sitting down by Lily on the Gryffindor table. She didn't reply, instead giving you a dumbfounded expression that had you waking up a bit more. "What?"

"What the fuck is Black doing?"

"Hm?" you said confusedly, looking around to try and spot the black-haired man.

"Miss Americana," you heard James call, hurrying over to you, "What did you say to Padfoot yesterday? He's like a completely different person."

"What are you talking about?" you responded, finally locating Sirius in the room. He was moving about, going from one girl to another after exchanging a few words with each of them.

"He's apologising to every single girl he's ever left heartbroken," James explained, "What did you do?"

Your heart suddenly warmed at the realisation of what he was up to, and you now understood that maybe he was in fact serious about you.

Eventually, he came over to where you had been blatantly watching him from and sat down at your side. All of you, including Remus and Peter who had joined since, stared at him blankly as he began tucking into breakfast like the previous events were nothing.

"Padfoot, you feeling alright?" Remus asked.

"Never better, Moony."

"How come?" James ventured to ask.

"I can finally start a clean slate," Sirius beamed, turning to you, "One in which I hope Miss Americana will agree to go on a date with me."

You stared at him, your mouth slightly agape.

"You really did that just for me?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "I realised I had to show you how serious I am - no pun intended."

You sighed, "Okay. I'll go on a date with you."

He didn't need to know that butterflies were swarming in your stomach.

———————————————

masterlist

written; 08/11/2022 —> 24/01/2023 published; 25/01/2023 edited; —/—/——

taglist ; @workinatdapyramid @iluvweasleys

[nioumin-draw]

Facts about Lorelei Sanders ( HPMA) #1 :

•Lorelei been sorted in Gryffindor house, if she were in ilvermony she would be sorted to Wampus or Thunderbird

•she live to Nothing hill with her family

•When she spent her summer vacation to Uganda her family for visit her mother's family side , the thing she loves most is doing Safari.

• she used to have some muggle "friends" before Hogwarts , after she go to Hogwarts she told them she been accepted to a boarding school. She tried to sent them some letters but they never write her back but she haven't been upset because she knew it will happen and she have new true friends now.

•her patronus is a lioness

•the most happiest memory she remember for creat her patronus is : when she met the Holyhead Harpies atvher first quidditch game.

• Robyn Thistlethwaite became her best friends during Hogwarts because of their love for quidditch and she also have a bond for Daniel Page and consider him as a precious friend, she is always worry about him and protect him if it's necessary.

•At first the first sight she found William Lee too immature and is annoyed by him and his shenanigans but appreciates his kindness towards animals and his optimistic and funny personality and you'll never find a better dance partner than him , people wondering how that could work between them XD 🤣.

•During the 3 first year she had long curly hairs and cut them for year 4

• her cat , Comoros ( Named from a African région) is a present from her parents for her first year to Hogwarts.

•She realize she fell in love with William Lee at the end of year 2 and in year 4 the became officially a couple.

• she can't stand Cassandra Vole but is always ready to help her.

•Fischer Frey have a crush for her but she rejected him all time.

• according to William Lee , she smell Vanilla and coconut, probably because of hair care cream.

• Because of a misunderstanding with William she was a bit jealous of Abigail Grey ( who had a crush on him ) but after a explanation they become great friends

• She play quidditch as chaser with Liam Whitlock-Kim @chirithy564 at year 2 and became seeker at year 4

•William and her first date was supposed to be in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop in Hogsmeade but it finally end to The three broomsticks because it was to Pink for them XD and a butterbeer sound better than tea 🍻.

•she a big fan of the Holyhead Harpies.

•she is inspired from the actress and Singer Zendaya.

• she is very proud of her father despite the fact he is a squib and would punch anybody who say trash about him.

• She is Aries 🐏♈

• her favorite flowers are begonias , tulip 🌷 and flowering plant.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Day 17 - Nekomata

Race: Beast

Alignment: Neutral

April 12th, 2024

Ferocious felines are a commonplace story in fiction- Whether it be the Matagot of French fairytale, the Wampus cat from Cherokee myth, or the Cat-Síth of Scottish folklore, many a cat has become a cornerstone of popular mythology. However, none are as famous, or perhaps infamous, as the yōkai pair, Bakoneko and Nekomata.

Based primarily in the mountainous regions of Japan, though some are domestic, Nekomata are twin-tailed cats that are perceived as ferocious monsters while out in the wilds, yet kind and loving long-living pets when domesticated. Nekomata purportedly had very long shelf-lives, so to speak, typically growing very old, and as each year goes on, their tail would grow in length. This is actually due to a reason for why they come to be, as it was commonly believed that, when a normal cat grew old enough, its tail would split, and it would become a Nekomata. As Arai Hakuseki put it, "Old cats become 'nekomata' and bewilder people."

This is a borrowed observation from Tony4You, but commonly, people inflicted with a so-called Nekomata disease from the mountainous variety of these mystical cats likely began to suffer from rabies instead, and the erratic, almost unnatural behavior of the cats within the mountains was likely as a result of them being rabid as well. Nekomata likely had a very real and natural explanation, as unfortunate as rabies can be.

In terms of the SMT series, Nekomata is a very common early-game demon, typically specializing in physical and force skills. This likely is related to the commonplace depictions of Nekomata lashing out physically within the mountains, as well as their wise ways possibly giving way to an understanding of magic. The depiction in the series is rather faithful visually, with my personal favorite version being far more unique with a humanoid shape and brown, long hair, alongside a furry coat and black tights. It looks like something that I would personally wear, honestly. My main question with the design is, where are the two tails? The double tails are the main thing separating Nekomata from Bakeneko, yet they appear absent in the SMT design.

Despite that, Nekomata are a rather strange bit of folklore with a very real explanation, and they have one of the most iconic and cute designs in the series, earning a favorite spot from me.

[humonculuss]

Finished painting of my sphinx sona, Laurel.

This time with wavy red Oni hair as an alternate look~

She is in the Legendary category of Haint*. *(org. Gullah: spirit/ghost/demon)

She's a Wampus Cat, Sphinx type.

A six-legged version of the black panther cryptid of Appalachia.

[birbcat]

Dislyte Chai reference sheet

I hope it's readable with the image quality but if it's hard to read, here is what written:

Chai

Powers: Wampus Cat

Age: 34

Height: 195 cm

Weight: Unknown

Species: Mountain Lion/Wolf hybrid

Occupation: Food Truck owner

Javid & Jin Qiu girlfriend/wife

*3 scars on right side of muzzel

*Moon symbol on each shoulder

*Colored hair underneth

*Two stripes on each forearm and thigh

* Dark blue around her eyes

*Always wears her bracelets (never takes them off)

*Moon crystals magically transforms into claw weapons

*Claws act like extended gloves (movable fingers)

*Extremely sharp

*Wears contacts/glasses (is pretty blind)

*When angry, white part of eyes turn black

*Regular glasses sit on cheek floof

*Sport/hunting glasses wrap around head

'DEATH CAT' form

*Is blind but can see divine power aura and blood

*Can only last for 10 minutes before going insane

*Form is triggered by strong emotions

[boxdstars]

Hi ma'am, it's question time

1) 21) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) please 🤓

AYYYYYYEEEEE MY GIRL 🤝 I GOTCHU

Oh this is easy! Have the MC save Anne. What was the point of the foreshadowing and parallels to Isidora if we couldn’t even save her — or try to in vain 😭. I know everyone in development was pressed for time — and that’s not their fault. But it makes the story fail on a fundement level come time for the climax. Additionally (to give more consequence and endings) maybe the Anne saving outcome is determined on how the player chose to use their ancient magic (good/bad system). Anne is saved or meets a worse fate. 

Spring. It used to be autumn, but during November 1891 was when she was bit… so now it’s forever tainted by that whole situation. Spring signals that she’s made it another school year, and that the hurdle is over and it’s smooth sailing. Also, having to wake up after a full moon in the cold of fall and winter is the worst. 

Also during the spring, Natsai likes to put flowers in her hair. Totally unrelated of course, definitely doesn’t make Mara swoon. 

A wampus stuffed animal, crudely stitched together. It doesn’t even resemble one anymore, it was a handmade gift from a family friend before Mara was even born. The malformed little beast can still be found in her school trundle, if you know what you’re looking for. 

Amara isn’t actually a classical fan. And unfortunately for her it’s all everyone around the time listened to. So for ages she was very much “not a music person.”  That is until new genres start popping up come turn of the century and suddenly she finds herself enraptured in jazz, which then becomes all she listens to. 

Modern Amara listens to a slew of stuff, but her favorite would be 90’s rap. Dr. Dre, DMX, 2pac, MF DOOM — and a billion others. It’s just her vibe, ya know? She’d skateboard around trying to pick up the pretty girls from the other houses and study while listening to some bangers. 

[unfortunate-arrow]

𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐧 | hp ww1 character profile

warnings: mentions of death and war trauma

✧ IDENTITY ✧

Full Name: Linus Matthew Sullivan 

Nicknames: Yank, Yankee 

Name Meanings: Linus → Greek, “flax” ; Matthew → Hebrew, “gift of god” ; Sullivan → Irish, “dark eyes, hawk eyes.” 

Date of Birth: November 26, 1893 (Sagittarius)

Gender: Male (he/him)

Sexuality: Heterosexual 

Blood Status: Muggleborn 

Nationality: American 

Residence: Buffalo, New York, United States of America (birth to 21) ; TBD

✧ APPEARANCE ✧

Faceclaim: Joseph Mazzello

Height: 5’9” 

Build: Lean but athletic 

Hair: Sandy brown that’s short

Eye Color: Hazel 

Scarring:

Childhood & Ilvermorny: None 

Adulthood: A bullet scar in his left shoulder 

Modifications: (glasses, piercings, tattoos, etc.) None

Other Distinguishing Marks: None 

Clothing Style: Collared shirts ; suspenders ; trousers ; jeans ; boots ; sweaters ; jackets ; loafers ; ties ; flat caps ; newsboy caps

Accessories: Identification tags 

What’s in His Pockets: A pencil ; small journal ; a compass ; a pocket knife ; pay-book ; his uncle’s pipe ; handkerchief

✧ SPEECH & LANGUAGE ✧

Voiceclaim: Joseph Mazzello 

Accent: American 

Dialect: Inland Northern American English ; General American English 

Languages Spoken: English 

Languages Understood: English

✧ PERSONALITY ✧

MBTI Type: INFJ — the advocate

⤷ The INFJ personality type is Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Judging, which means they are energized by time alone, focused on understanding ideas and concepts, led by their values and intuition, and firm decision makers. This combination of personality preferences produces people who are intensely idealistic, authentic, and empathetic. Although INFJs do not tend to have a large circle of people they are close to, they value deep connections and emotional intimacy with their close friends and family. INFJs believe the world can be a better place, and they concentrate on doing their best to help it get there. 

Enneagram Type: Type 6 — the loyalist 

⤷ Sixes are defined by their desire for safety and security. They seek to anticipate and avoid risk, and to ally themselves with trustworthy authority figures and institutions. Sixes are alert and vigilant, always thinking several steps ahead to anticipate and prepare for what could go wrong.

Positive Traits: Creative, insightful, intelligent, principled, passionate, altruistic, responsible, compassionate, conscientious, dependable

Neutral Traits: Stubborn, private, reserved, idealistic, logical, trustworthy, courageous, loyal, tenacious, adaptable, focused

Negative Traits: Sensitive, reluctant to open up, perfectionistic, anxious, can be aggressive, very private

Common Stressors: The war, MACUSA, work, finances, life 

Comforting Things: Books, comic strips, drawing, baseball, ice hockey, ice skating

Interests & Hobbies: Baseball, ice hockey, reading, ice skating, drawing, sketching

Description: Linus is a “think before you act” type of person, who rarely makes a significant decision without thinking everything through. He’s a quiet person, who usually keeps to himself and takes a while for him to open up to others. He generally holds firmly to his beliefs, principles, and ideals… which isn’t always the best thing as it leads to Linus’s consistent violations of MACUSA’s Rappaport’s Law. In addition, Linus is intelligent, stubborn, and kind. He tries to help those who need it, but often feels like he’s falling short… something exacerbated by the way his mind interprets his role during the Great War. Despite it all, though, Linus tries his hardest to be the man that his mother always believed he could be.

✧ MAGIC ✧

Wand: Linus’s wand is made of fir wood with a wampus cat hair core and is 10 ¾ inches with an unyielding flexibility. 

⤷ There is no doubt that fir wood, coming as it did from the most resilient of trees, produced wands that demanded staying power and strength of purpose in their true owners, and favored owners of focused, strong-minded and, occasionally, intimidating demeanor. They were poor tools in the hands of the changeable and indecisive. Fir wands were called 'the survivor's wand' as its owners were known to come out of mortal peril unscathed. Fir wands were particularly suited to Transfiguration.

Other Magical Abilities: None 

Patronus: Lynx

Patronus Memory: The first trip to the Pan-American Exposition with his uncle in July of 1901

Boggart: 

Pre-war: A shadowy iteration of President William McKinley’s assassin with a smoking gun

Post-war: Himself walking away from someone who needs help (typically a soldier)

Riddikulus:

Pre-war: The shadowy assassin is revealed to be his Uncle Frank holding a smoking loaf of bread 

Post-war: Himself, kneeling by the person and singing a silly (and sometimes bawdy) song

Amortentia:

Linus smells like sandalwood, allspice, mint, and ink.

Linus smells baking bread, popcorn, and a few things related to Maritza. 

Mirror of Erised: Linus would see the muggle and wizarding worlds coexisting peacefully, without Rappaport’s Law. He’d see his mother and uncle with his own family, mostly as a reflection of that.

✧ ILVERMORNY ✧

House: Wampus

Classes:

Astronomy — Exceeds Expectations 

Charms — Outstanding 

Defense Against the Dark Arts — Outstanding 

Flying — Exceeds Expectations 

Herbology — Acceptable 

History of Magic — Acceptable 

Potions — Acceptable 

Transfiguration — Outstanding 

Electives:

Arithmancy — Exceeds Expectations 

Extracurriculars: Quodpot

✧ EMPLOYMENT ✧

Affiliations: Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ; the Canadian military 

Professions:

Age 12 to 21 - Newsboy

Age 21 to 23 - Soldier, private 

Age 23 to 24 - Soldier, lance corporal 

Post-war is TBD

✧ FAMILY ✧

Father: Ephraim Cornelius Lovell [deceased, 1858-1913]

Born in late 1858, Ephraim Lovell was the eldest and only child of Cornelius and Jemima Lovell to survive to adulthood. Ephraim had a good and mostly happy early childhood, but everything changed when he went away to school at the age of thirteen. Life was tough at school, and by the time he graduated, Ephriam had become an only child. His four siblings had all contracted different illnesses and passed away. This left a deep mark on Ephraim, and while he had already begun to take after his father’s philandering ways, he fell deeper into them. Even marrying Ellen Blackmore at the age of 28 wasn’t enough to curb Ephraim’s philandering ways. His first child and only child with Ellen, Eugene Silas Lovell, was born in 1887. Ellen died three years after their son was born and Ephraim did mourn his first wife. Two years later, Ephraim married his second wife, Martha Burke. They had a daughter shortly after, whom they named Ophelia Florence Lovell. Shortly after Ophelia’s birth, Ephraim went to the United States for his merchant business. It was there that he met the young and innocent Bertha Sullivan, whom he was quickly taken with. Like many previous affairs, Ephraim hid his marriage and won Bertha’s affections. They carried on an affair for two months before Ephraim returned to London. He didn’t know that he had left Bertha pregnant or that he would have a second son. Of course, that was kinda par for the course with Ephraim. It was likely that he had fathered multiple children. Ephraim died in 1913 after suffering a fall. He only ever knew two of his children. 

Linus never knew his father. In fact, he didn’t even know his father’s name until he met Eugene and Ophelia and they discovered they were half-siblings. Unfortunately, by that point, Ephraim had been dead for a few years and Linus never had the opportunity to meet the man. However, given Eugene’s and Ophelia’s summations of the man, Linus wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to know Ephraim. 

Mother: Bertha Mary Sullivan [deceased, 1874-1906]

Born in January of 1874, Bertha Sullivan was the eldest child of Mary and Lewis Sullivan and the twin sister of Frank. She had a pretty good childhood, although her parents passed away when she and Frank were fifteen. They lived alone from that point, both working to make ends meet. Four years later, Bertha stumbled upon British businessman Ephraim Lovell and she began a quiet affair with the man. He gave her a lot of hope for marriage, but in April of 1893, he returned to England. Bertha was left heartbroken… and pregnant. Desperate to leave New York City and her recognition there, Bertha left the city for Buffalo, New York with Frank joining her two years later. Her son, Linus Matthew, was born on November 26, 1893 and Bertha raised her boy in Buffalo. She loved that boy and did everything that she could to make sure that he never had to work before the age of 18. Unfortunately, that ideal failed as Bertha fell ill with influenza in February of 1906 which then turned into pneumonia. She died in March of 1906, when her son was twelve. 

Linus had a good relationship with his mother. They were close, especially given that a lot of the time it was just the two of them (and Uncle Frank most of the time too). He loved her a lot. Linus was heartbroken when she died and he spends a lot of time wishing that he could turn to her (or even Uncle Frank).

Uncle: Francis Michael “Frank” Sullivan [deceased, 1874-1906]

Born in January of 1874, Frank Sullivan was the youngest child of Mary and Lewis Sullivan and the twin brother of Bertha. Like his sister, Frank got his first job at the age of 15. He started as a newsie, before finding work in a factory. He wasn’t a fan of Bertha’s clandestine relationship with some older British businessman and after learning that Ephraim Lovell had abandoned and impregnated Bertha, Frank threatened to go find the man. Bertha told him that it didn’t matter and shortly after she left New York City. Frank remained in the city for two years, before following his sister (and nephew) north to Buffalo. He moved in with Bertha and Linus and did his best to help with his nephew. Frank indulged the young boy, as much as he could. He took Linus to the Pan American Exposition in 1901 and even hoped that his nephew would get to shake the hand of the President. Eventually times grew hard on Frank, and in 1905, he decided that it was time to journey out west and find a fortune. This venture failed and Frank died in the April 1906 San Francisco earthquake, only a month after his sister had died from influenza-induced pneumonia. 

Linus had a good relationship with his uncle. For much of his childhood, Frank was the main male influence in his life and helped to shape Linus’s view of masculinity. He had a close relationship with Uncle Frank as well, adoring the man. Linus was heartbroken to learn of Uncle Frank’s sudden death, mixed with some of the shock of the earthquake. 

Half-brother: Eugene Silas Lovell [1887-1918]

Ephraim Lovell’s son with his first wife, Ellen, Eugene was born on January 24, 1887. His mother passed away when he was three and two years later, his father remarried. Eugene was mostly raised by nannies, staff, and occasionally, his step-mother. He attended boarding school, and did not have magic. His childhood was fairly lonely and Eugene became determined to be a different, better man than his father. When war erupted in 1914, Eugene joined the army and by his death in 1918, he had achieved the rank of sergeant major. Eugene was killed in 1918 in an explosion and some exposure to mustard gas. However, he was able to meet his brother.

Linus had never expected to learn that he has siblings and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had a brother. Eugene, on the other hand, was not impressed nor surprised to learn that his father had fathered a third child. It took a little while for the two to warm up to one another, but they exchanged letters and greetings throughout the war, up to Eugene’s 1918 death. 

Faceclaim: Lachlan Nieboer 

Half-sister: Ophelia Florence Lovell 

Ephraim Lovell’s daughter with his second wife, Martha, Ophelia was born on December 9, 1892. She grew up alongside her brother, Eugene, and was mostly raised by her mother, nannies, and other staff. She spent very little time with her father, who was a workaholic who had multiple affairs throughout her childhood. Ophelia was accepted into Hogwarts when she was eleven and she was sorted into Slytherin, where she ended up becoming a prefect and headgirl. After Hogwarts, Ophelia began working as a journalist for the Daily Prophet. In 1914, when World War I broke out and Eugene joined the army, she decided to join a small coalition of wizarding journalists who were determined to report on the affairs of the wizarding world during the war. It was there that Ophelia discovered that she had another brother. 

Linus never expected to learn that he had a sister, but he was grateful to meet Ophelia. They were never extremely close, but it was nice to know there was someone else in the world, especially after the war. Linus liked his sister, she was quite different from him, but they got along quite well. 

Faceclaim: Julia Brown

Pets: 

Childhood: None 

Adulthood: A black Labrador retriever named Blackie 

✧ ROMANCE & CHILDREN ✧

Love Interest: Maritza Krum (@potionboy3)

⤷ Linus first saw Maritza Krum when he arrived in France in 1915. A year later, he saw her once again, this time during the Battle of Somme. A few months later, while on a 10-day leave in Paris, Linus runs into Maritza. As it turns out, most of Linus’s leave is spent getting to know Maritza and possibly, kinda falling into something that could turn into love. Before he returns to the Front, Maritza gives him her necklace and makes him promise to return it to her after the war. Throughout the war, Linus and Maritza exchange letters. They share a few moments in-person here and there, throughout the war, before officially reuniting in November of 1918. They eventually married on March 4, 1919.

Son: Constantine Marinus Sullivan

Faceclaim: Omar Rudberg

Son: Malachi Francis Sullivan

Hufflepuff | b. November 26, 1935

Faceclaim: Jack Fisher

✧ OTHER RELATIONSHIPS ✧

Best Friends: TBD

Close Friends: TBD

Friends:

Sydney Barlow (@gaygryffindorgal)

Kit Enfield, Alexej Kavinsky (@potionboy3)

Acquaintances:

Colm O’Shea

It’s Complicated: TBD

Ilvermorny Dormmates: TBD

Rivals: TBD

Enemies: TBD

✧ HISTORY & BACKGROUND ✧

Place of Birth: Buffalo, New York, the United States of America 

Hometown: Buffalo, New York, the United States of America 

Childhood: 

Linus Matthew Sullivan, born November 26, 1893, was the only child of Bertha Sullivan and Ephraim Lovell, although he never knew his father. Therefore, he was raised primarily by his unmarried mother. When he was two, his uncle Frank joined Linus and his mother in Buffalo. Uncle Frank became a permanent fixture in his life, mostly as the fun uncle which included taking his nephew to the Pan-American Exposition in 1901. Linus had a pretty good childhood before learning that he was a wizard. Sure, there were some weird things that happened, but the Sullivans mostly wrote them off. 

At the age of seven, on September 6, 1901, Linus attended the Pan-American Exposition with his uncle. His uncle, Frank, took him to shake hands with then-President William McKinley. What happened then would stick with Linus for years to follow. President McKinley was shot twice in the abdomen and Linus never got to shake the president’s hand.

The rest of Linus’s childhood was fairly quiet. His mother and uncle worked a lot, mostly to ensure that Linus never had to even think about going to work himself. It worked until their deaths in 1906. 

At the age of 11, Linus learned that he was a wizard, which came as a complete shock to the Sullivans.

Ilvermorny Years:

Upon starting at Ilvermorny, Linus was chosen by Wampus. It took him a while to become comfortable at Ilvermorny and he balked at some of the strictness of the American wizarding world. It seemed at odds with the values of no-maj America. Eventually he settled in, but much of his first year was disrupted by sudden changes to his life. 

In March of his first year, Linus was pulled out of charms class and informed that his mother had died of pneumonia. Less than a month later, Linus learned that his Uncle Frank was a victim of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

Linus generally enjoyed his time at Ilvermorny. He ended up playing quodpot, although he generally kept to himself. During the summer, Linus worked as a newsie to make money and supplement the care that he was receiving in the orphanage. 

Adulthood:

After graduating from Ilvermorny, Linus continued his work as a newsie. He felt adrift, unsure of where to go or what to do. Thus, he stuck to what he was familiar with. Unfortunately, what he was familiar with led to multiple, continuous violations of Rappaport’s Law which forbade unnecessary contact between wizards and no-majs. Even after being fined, Linus continued to violate the law. His constant violations led to a hit wizard being assigned to his case in late 1914.

Feeling desperate, Linus made the decision to flee into Canada in the winter of 1915 and he made an uncharacteristically impulsive decision to join the army. He entered the war as a private and was sent a few months in boot camp. He was shipped out to the Western Front in June of the same year… which led to a first glimpse of his future wife, Maritza Krum. 

During the war, Linus generally kept his head down. He met his half-brother and sister during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. In late 1917, he ended up joining the company of Kit Enfield (@potionboy3) and was exposed to the wizarding culture of the British Isles. In addition, he had a confrontation with Ralph Myers, the hit wizard after him, in October of 1918. The confrontation occurred after Linus was hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. 

After the war, Linus marries Maritza Krum and they have two sons, Constantine and Malachi.

Old Age:

After retiring at the age of 96, Linus spends his time working on hobbies and taking some time for himself. 

Death: 

Linus passed away in his sleep at the age of 102 in 1996. He left behind a wide array of direct descendants.

✧ MISCELLANEOUS ✧ 

Favorite Color: Blue 

Favorite Food: Tomato soup ; popcorn 

Favorite Drink: Coffee 

Favorite Weather: Crisp and sunny 

Favorite Season: Winter 

Favorite Book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum 

Dislikes: Wet clothes ; MACUSA ; war ; broccoli ; peas ; mushy vegetables 

Trivia:

Linus’s post-war trauma (PTSD) is defined by reliving his experiences in a very different way. In other words, Linus’s war memories are remembered in a way that paints himself in a fairly negative view. One example is believing that he did nothing to help a dying soldier when, in reality, he held the man’s hand until he died.

Every Christmas season, Bertha Sullivan paid for a photograph of her son. Sometimes they included her and Frank, but mostly, they were just Linus. He holds tightly to them, for his mother’s handwriting on the back. 

Important Links & Tags:

tag: Linus Sullivan

More information about his sons, Constantine and Malachi

[esbenandall]

This is Amy, randomized OC of day #35. He's a Harry Potter OC, technically my first Harry Potter OC if you don't count my persona.

Amy has an ENTP personality type, and a Kit Fox patronus, which is the sketchy blue thing beside his feet. He's in Ravenclaw, his second year, and most enjoys his astronomy classes. He's pure blood, tall, (I haven't decided exactly what height yet), and has a pet ferret (I wish I had had time to draw the ferret).

Moving on to his wand it's made of Rowan wood, 14 inches long with a swishy flexibility and veela hair & wampus cat hair core. It also has a elegant swirl design on the handle colored blue.

[dreamerofasgard]

Hopes of The Thunderbird & The Dragon (Series) - Concept & Prologue

Draco Malfoy x F!Reader

Disclaimer: This is the first time I have written a whole series by myself, plus it's been a while since I wrote anything, let alone something for Draco Malfoy. This is a concept that has been in my head for a while and I haven’t seen anyone do something like it, well from at least what I’ve seen that is. I don’t see a lot about transfer students along with incorporating magical beasts. I plan on making this a long multi-part series that takes place through all 7 years at Hogwarts as well as a time skip.

Word count: 1.9k Pt1

Concept: I had been thinking about what if the reader was from America’s Wizarding School of Ilvermorny but was transferred to Hogwarts after their parents were transferred to the British division of the Ministry of Magic after a huge promotion. Father and Mother are Pure-bloods but they don’t particularly care, unlike other pure-blood families. Father has been working for the ministry for years after he graduated from Ilvermory and got a job as an Auror where he then met your mother who was working as an Investigative Assistant of Magical Beast Activity for the UK Branch. Your father Frederick Whitlock, the New Chief Auror in the London Ministry Office, and your mother Katherine Pierce-Whitlock, the New Head of the Department for the Control of Magical Creatures have decided that it would be best to have you transferred to your mother’s alma mater, Hogwarts. Being a proud graduate herself, she is overjoyed when she receives a letter from Dumbledore that you are allowed to transfer from Ilvermory during the second week of the semester. Y/n Whitlock has always loved to bring the joy of music wherever she went but what happens when the Slytherin Common Room becomes your escape. Y/n becomes friends with many people at Hogwarts along with gravitating towards a certain blonde boy as their friendship develops into something more over the years. Even with the growing darkness that seems to make its way into the halls of Hogwarts, there is always a way through with compassion and acceptance.

Tigger warnings: Pureblood. I think that's it.

.

Y/n paced around her new room in her parents' house as her mind raced about all the wonderful and nerve-wracking things to come at her new school, Hogwarts. From as early as she could remember, her father told her all the amazing stories about his alma mater, Ilvermory. Your father recalled how during the sorting ceremony, the older students would watch from the balcony on the next level, looking down with anticipation as the first years got sorted. The school would then wait for one of the four wooden creature carvings, which represent four houses, to react. When the Horned Serpent wanted a student, the gem set into its forehead would glow, while Thunderbird showed approval by beating its wings. The Wampus would roar, while the Pukwudgie raised its arrow into the air. The way your father described it was so magical that you could barely wait to get there to see it for yourself, and join your father’s house of Thunderbird. You had your wish for as your first week had gone almost perfectly, you were sorted into Thunderbird and made a few friends. But all that changed when you got a letter from your parents a few days later saying that due to their promotions in the ministry, you’d be transferring to Hogwarts within the next two days. Needless to say, you were heartbroken. You had just gotten here and now you were leaving them. 

Flash Back to 2 days ago

“I love my parents Rebecca but why can’t I just stay here and live with my aunt or you?” Y/n said as she talked with her best friend and roommate, Rebecca Madison, a short, brown-eyed, black-haired girl who had been your best friend since diapers. “Because your aunt is already busy enough managing your cousins and that little band of theirs. My parents can barely handle us when you come to visit. Just imagine what it would be like with you living here?” she replied as she giggled. “And besides Merlin went to Hogwarts. How cool is it that you’d be going to the same school that is home to many powerful witches and wizards like him.” Rebecca said as she played with her white and tan cat, Cinnamon, on her bed.  “You have a point Becky but we just got here.” You pouted as you fell back onto your bed. This was quite possibly the worst thing that’s ever happened, and if your cousins didn’t start their band then you could be living with them. Despite your current situation, you were actually the one who convinced them to start a band.  Christopher, Sarah, and Patricia were some of the most musically gifted in your family on your Father's side, other than yourself and dear old Dad. You've been planning music with them for as long as you could remember. Who knew that love for music that somehow backfired on your dreams of attending Ilvermory. “I know, that’s why I’m your bestie.” Rebecca says as she stands up and walks over to your bed while smiling, “Now you are going to write letters to me about the wonders of Hogwarts and we’ll see each other like we always do over the breaks.” All you could do was smile as you sat up facing your friend. “Time to start packing I guess,” you said as Rebecca smiled and extended her hand for you to take. “Let the packing competition begin!”

End of Flashback

“Y/n darling, your father is waiting in the carriage but I have something to give you first,” your mother says as she slowly opens the door holding a medium-sized cage with a cloth over it. 

“I wanted to surprise you with a little friend to keep you company at Hogwarts. I already got approval from Professor McGonagall though this creature is technically allowed, ‘better to be safe than sorry’ your father says” as she sets the cage down taking off the cloth to reveal a gray and black with emerald eyes Kneazle.

“Mom, they are beautiful. What’s their name?”  Kneeling down to let the creature sniff your hand and get familiar with you while smiling.

“Her name is Lux. Her mother is one of the Kneazles I was nursing back to health had a litter a few weeks ago. Plus I thought Ripley would like a friend when you are in class. You take care of them-” your mother says while smiling. “And they’ll take care of you,” you say as Lux mews cutely at you while you gently take her out of the cage and let Ripley your owl inspect her new furry friend.

“Let’s not keep your father waiting Y/n darling, Hogwarts awaits.” You look at your mother as she is proud and excited for your first year at Hogwarts as you take her hand and make your way to the carriage. On the way to Hogwarts you thought about the professors your mother told stories about, the dangers she warned you about hidden in the forbidden forest, how that next year she hopes you could play quidditch like she did for Ravenclaw, and that no matter which house you were placed in she would be beyond proud of you. 

Your parents have always wanted you, their pride and joy, to be kind and make your own opinions of those around you. Even though they came from Pureblood families your parents never understood the way most Purebloods thought, it always seemed so backward to parade around blood status like it was a huge accomplishment not marrying a person with muggle blood. So your parents did what other Purebloods would most likely hate, raise you around the culture of both the wizarding and muggle worlds. As you sat in the carriage for the couple-hour journey it would take to get to Hogwarts your father tapped you on the shoulder taking you out of your thoughts.

“I know your mom already gave you little Lux but I also have something for you,” he says as he hands you a medium-sized wrapped box.

“Dad, you didn’t have to get me anything but thank you” nudging your father as you unwrap the present you see a Walkman with several different albums on cassettes. 

“It’s a Walkman, I know we already packed up your record player and your guitar but I figured you’d want to listen to music while walking around the grounds after class. Plus we’ll send you your favorite bands' new albums while you’re at school.” Nudging you just as you did a moment ago while chuckling. 

“You sure do think of everything, don’t you Dad?” Smiling as you took out the Walkman and pulled out Journey's Greatest Hits album your father smiled with pride as he thought about all the new friends you’d make.

The hours passed by quickly with you listening to music and talking with your parents about all the different legends and secrets that Hogwarts held. It wasn’t until your house elf Winter opened the door that you all realized you had arrived at Hogwarts Bridge. 

“We have arrived,” Winter said as she smiled brightly as she looked at the youngest Whitlock.

You take a deep breath and stepped out of the carriage and take in your surroundings. You had visited Scotland before on family trips but the Hogwarts Castle and the Great Lake were certainly spectacular. As you took in your surroundings an older-looking woman approached with an older gentleman which you assumed were Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall along with four students you didn’t recognize, three boys and one girl, dressed in school robes one each house color you assumed.

“Katherine Pierce-Whitlock welcome back to Hogwarts dear,” Professor McGonagall said as she hugged your mother, “Now I know that this is a big change for your daughter Katherine. I can assure you and your husband that Y/n is in good hands.”

“Now let's give them a tour shall we,” Professor Dumbledore says as he motions the four students to come over and introduce themselves.

“Good afternoon, I’m Gabriel Truman, one of the prefects of Hufflepuff.” Said the tall brown-haired boy wearing a yellow and black robe before stepping back in line as a ginger boy around his height stepped forward.

“Hello my name is Percy Weasley, I am one of the Gryffindor prefects. I believe my mother went to school with yours.” He says as he looks over at your mother who smiles at the Weasley boy before he steps back in line for the boy in blue to speak.

“Ello Whitlocks, my name is Robert Hilliard, one of the prefects of Ravenclaw. It is a pleasure to see that the famous Blue Devil had a daughter. Your mother was a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, you are just as good as your mother at quidditch” he smiles before saying quietly “And a Ravenclaw” The Scottish boy happily steps back to let the girl in Green robes step forward. 

“Welcome to Hogwarts Y/n, I’m Gemma Farley, one of the prefects of Slytherin house. We are excited to have you here.” The blonde girl says as she hands you a bouquet of flowers from the four houses, “I do hope that you enjoy your time here” smiling as she steps back and lets Professor Dumbledore talk.

“Now that introductions are out of the way I do believe we can give you a proper tour of the castle while the students are at lunch. Wouldn’t you agree, Minerva?” Dumbledore asked as Professor McGonagall nodded and led the way with Dumbledore by her side, the students and your family not too far behind.

“Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin'' she began as you walked across the bridge seeing a few Hippogriffs fly overhead, thinking you could get used to being here.

[chaotic-starlight24]

The Appalachian 4

Me and my friend @wise-wolfie are co-authoring this together! So here is...

CHAPTER 2

Word count: 1.3k

Emmy-Lou and Natalia (pronounced Na-tall-ya) walked into the downtown area. Not that their town was a bustling metro or anything. On their main street was a department store, a candy shop, an abandoned movie theater, and at the very end of the road was the library. The building was actually quite large for such a small town. It was nestled in the undergrowth, covered in winding vines and moss. Natalia was friends with the librarians so the duo thought maybe they would know something about the Appalachian legends. Or at least details or sightings. Emmy-Lou creaked open the door. Now compared to the outside, it was incredibly nice on the inside. Not quite an architectural masterpiece but it was kept-up. At the desk was a teen with scruffy black hair and headphones in. Just staring into space.

“Sorry, Ems. Mrs. Yarly would probably know everything about the legends. I forgot it was Nathaniel’s shift.” Natalia sighed.

Emmy-Lou shrugged, “He might still know something?”

“Alright, I’ll talk to him. You go search for some books on it.”

Emmy saluted and strided off to look. Natalia then made her way up to the desk.

“NATHANIEL THOMPSON!”Natlia shouted, slamming her hands onto the surface.

Nathaniel yelped and fell backwards with a thud.

“What the heck, du-oh it’s you.”

“What do you mean “Oh It’S yOu” I feel offended by your tone.” 

“Nevermind… What do you need.”

“Do frogs have bones?”

Nathaniel gave her a glare. She always liked to ask strange questions to bother him.

“Probably, what do you actually need?” He responded, annoyance tinging his voice.

Natalia scanned the library, “Have you ever gotten attacked by a 6 legged creature? Or like… walked into a ring to h-e double hockey sticks?”

“Are you serious? That is your question? Those are just legends you know…” He tore a hand through his hair.  

Natalia shrugged and began to walk off, “Well, if you're going to use that attitude then I’ll just leave without telling you what we’re doing.”

“Just don’t get killed, ok.” Nathaniel called out.

Emmy-Lou emerged from the depths of the library with a giant stack of books. Way more than they probably needed. This was going to take forever. Natalia slid the books onto a wide table close to the front desk. Then flipped the first page open.

“Hey, those books won’t give you the answers you probably need.” Nathaniel relented, “I guess I can help.”

Natalia had realized that as soon as she discovered that Emmy had grabbed any book that had “Appalachian” on the cover. Something told her they weren’t going to need anything about Gatlinburg: Guide to the Tennessee part of the Appalachians. 

Nathaniel began to flip through the pile of books, “So what are you looking for?”

“Anything on the creatures of the Appalachians.” Emmy-Lou answered.

“Like this kind of creature?” Nathaniel inquired, holding up a birdwatching book.

“No!” Natalia explained, “Like the ones of legend obviously!”

Nathaniel nodded and skimmed through the book covers. He worked quickly, throwing out those that they didn’t need. Eventually he had come up with a neat pile of 10 or so books.

“Thanks so much! That saved us a lot of time.”

He shrugged and returned to the front desk. Right then another girl with white-blonde hair burst in.

“Charlie!” Natalia exclaimed.

A boy who looked similar to Nathaniel followed her in as well.

“Nash…” Natalia mumbled.

“What are you guys doing?” Charlie questioned.

“Oh, just studying the legends of the Appalachians.”

Nash raised an eyebrow, “You really think those are real?”

“Hey! They might be! You never know.” Nathaniel argued.

“You were arguing with us a few minutes ago, don’t even.”

The duo began to bicker over the topic. Charlie sighed with a roll of her eyes and took a seat next to Emmy-Lou and looked into one of the books. Chuckling to herself when she came upon the Wampus cat.

“Six legs, a lot harder to get around then!” She said between fits of giggles.

“Yep, but they still move fast.” Natalia warned, “Now, why are you here?”

“Well, I was helping referee a soccer game and it finished. Then I realized I had a library book that I needed to turn in and Nash just happened to be hanging around the bleachers since there was no Track & Field. So we headed here.” 

Natalia acknowledged the response and went back to work glancing through the books. In the background they could hear the brothers arguing louder and louder over something stupid.

“You know this is a library right?!”

Nathaniel and Nash stopped and looked at her.

“...Yes?”

“Then respectfully, shut up!”

Emmy-Lou then burst out laughing while flipping through the creature profiles.

“These creatures may be scary, but they don’t exactly have creative names.”

“Lemme see!”

Natalia took the book from her hands and also started laughing.

“The Not-deer? Wonder how long it took to come up with that!”

“Well, I for one wouldn’t want to run into one of those.” Nathaniel grimaced, looking over her shoulder.

“I think I saw those digging through our trash cans.” Nash nonchalantly announced. 

Emmy-Lou went rigid. Natalia did agree with Nathaniel on his statement. No one wanted to greet the Appalachians mountains and their mysteries at midnight. 

Emmy-Lou shook her head, “We best not psych ourselves out before we go out there.”

“You-You’re not going alone are you?!” Nathaniel clammored.

The group did have to admit, it was kind of stupid.

“You can’t do that! You will actually die!” Charlie agreed.

Nash shook his head as well, “We can’t have “attacked by the Not-Deer” written on your gravestone. Or like, have a gravestone at all.”

Emmy-Lou rolled her eyes, “I know. But we need to know more about what is going on in the mountains.”

“Well, you’re in the mountains. Boom, research done.” Nathaniel retorted.

Zoiee then paraded in, “SALUTATIONS YOUNG FE-”

Everyone gave her a look.

“This is a bad time. I can come back later?”

Natalia sighed and leaned back into her chair. Maybe they were making a bad decision. And if she died then Charlie and Nathaniel and all her friends would probably kill her again. What were they going to do?

“Here, I’ll make you deal.” Nathaniel exhaled, “How about, we all go with you too.”

“HEY! I’M NOT GETTING SACRIFICED!” Nash refused.

Charlie smacked him across the head.

Natalia objected, “Nash is right, I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”

“I know you care about us. But what is the worst that could happen?” Charlie answered.

“Yeah! What’s the worst that could happen? Death?” Nathaniel smiled.

Of course only he would say something like that.

Natalia groaned, “Fine! Fine. I agree to your conditions.”

Emmy-Lou gave her a look of are you sure? And Natalia was honestly not really sure.

Zoiee was still standing awkwardly at the door. 

“Should I get slushies for all of us? Might cool our brains a bit?”

“Yeah, go ahead. And grab Lil. She needs to hear this too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoiee was right. They all needed the break. And sugar. While they were slurping the cool liquid down Emmy filled Lillian in.

“Wait a second. Isn’t Emmy the one deciding on what we do. She is the one who sort of devised this whole expedition in the first place!”

Emmy-Lou took a deep breath in, “I know, I know. But Natalia just sort of took the lead.”

“Sorry, I did get a bit into it.”

“Nah, it’s all good. But I think if we are going to be a team we should, you know, decide as a team.”

Everyone made different sounds of agreement. Finally.

“Ok, if you vote for the original expedition, me, Natalia, Lillian, and Zoiee, go into the woods raise your hands.”

Only Natalia and Nash raised their hands. Which earned Nash a kick from Charlie.

“And if you vote for Nathaniel, Nash, and Charlie to join us, raise your hands.”

Everyone else raised them.

“Well that settles it. It’s time to prepare for it.”

[apintofslytherinale]

🍻 : ale, aelius, rion, citalic

🗝️ : they/he/helios

🍻 : 11 — 27

🗝️ : bigay omni afab male

🍻 : entp 5w4

🗝️ : occamy, 11 ¼ unbending cedar wand w/ unicorn hair, slytherin, wampus

⚠️ 87-MARI-027 : 44-CHI-011 ⚠️

🖋️ @snakesandcoffeegrounds

🪶 @llightasafeather

🔮 @strangelieswiththemad

not an rp blog bodily 18 fictive sourced from potterverse FUCK JKR

🪲。redemption

🍻。a pint of ale / ale

🖋️。snakes & coffee grounds / tom

🥄。silver spoon fed / abraxas

🪶。light as a feather / avery

🔮。strange lies with the mad / magnus

🔗。the architect of pandemonium / mulciber

🥀。a rose’s thorns / rosier

🌌。a constellation’s tomb / orion

🧺。love battle & death / freya

🕯️。witchcraft & trickery / blair

🪮。cemetery light / lucius

🐦‍🔥。dumbletoes / dumbledore

🧑‍🦰。the lion and / septimus

🐺。and the wolf / godwin

🍾。a slug is always alone / slughorn

[elizabethplaid]

daily notes - may 31, 2023

Good news! I passed the lab test and am getting antibiotics. Really glad I went in early, instead of my usual waiting-til-it-gets-worse.

Counseling was also good. We noted that I’m getting better about tuning into my body and its needs, rather than my usual denial/avoidance. She also liked the little essay I wrote about my heating pad experience.

Had to kill half an hour between counseling and labs, so I stopped by the grocery store. Had an iced coffee and people-watched for a bit. Then grabbed a salad, new hair clips (small but adequate), and a frozen gelato treat.

Haven’t eaten lunch yet. I felt too warm when I got home, so I’ve been chilling in front of the fan, with an ice pack on my neck. Wampus is on the couch with me, though not in front of the fan. I guess she’s hiding from all the roof repair noise?