#where he called Cauldron lake a black mirror

[velvetjune]

that moment when saga fights against the darkness in her mind place and opens the door to leave and it starts to pan out—showing nothing but stars just like the Night Springs intro before she appears in the dark place’s new york. Traversing the void in between worlds just like her dad. cinema!!

[tamlinsbedroom]

Chapter 7: Rhysand

The strange faeries voice rung in my ears, and I stood there, half naked, in shock. Tamlin was quick to step in front of me.

“What are you doing here? Never mind I don’t care, get off of my land.” Tamlin snapped, venom dripping off his tongue.

Rhysand’s smile turned feral as he tutted.

“Ever the hospitable high lord.” Rhysand walked forward and began circling me. I looked down in shame and crossed my arms, attempting to hide beneath them as he gazed me up and down. Tamlin took a daunting step towards him, then stopped mid-way.

“I would remember your place, Tamlin. You know what I’m capable of.” The male chuckled.

“What a pretty flower you’ve acquired. Where did you pick her?” Rhysand asked, his violet eyes on me again.

“It’s no business of yours.” The violet eyed faery looked at my midriff, the bandage covering it. I almost saw what mirrored worry in his eyes, but it vanished in a flash.

“Anyways, I’ll be visiting a little more often now that you’ve got something at this tiring court worth my while.” Tamlin snarled like an animal.

“What so you mean ‘worth your while’? You are not welcome here. And you certainly won’t be going near Alanna.”

“Ah, that’s the flowers name, is it? Alanna. I think she should decide whether or not I’ll be going anywhere near her, don’t you darling?” He locked eyes with me, and it was hard to keep looking into them.

“I—I don’t know you.”

“You didn’t know Tamlin here, either. Until he saved you.” Both Tamlin and my eyes widened in shock, how did he—“What if I saved you too? Had something to offer that you couldn’t possibly refuse?”

“I don’t even know you’re name.”

“It’s Rhysand. But you, my little flower, can call me Rhys.” He said teasingly, tracing his hot finger against my collar bone. I should have wanted him to stop, to go away, but at the same time it felt like it did with Tamlin. That magnetism, pulling me towards him. What was going on? I was starting to get angry. It was as if he read my mind as he spoke next.

“I have an answer to that question you keep asking yourself, Alanna. I know it’s eating you up. Poor thing, being so illiterate to this world and it’s laws.” The gears in my mind were turning ten million miles an hour. I wanted to know what it was, but wouldn’t Tamlin just tell me?

“No, he won’t.” Rhys read my mind again. I looked at Tamlin, and he looked at me with pleading eyes. I had to know.

“Fine, deal. Now tell me.” The black haired faery laughed and put his hands behind his back.

“My end of the bargain comes first, you’re coming with me.” He grabbed my arm and the next thing I knew, I was gone from the Spring Court.

When I observed my surroundings, I was in a very nice home. It was like the manor, but more—comfortable. Relaxed. Rhys came into my view. I shuddered, realizing I was still in undergarments.

“W-where am I? Please don’t hurt me I didn’t know—“ He grabbed my face and shushed me.

“Alanna, you’re fine. I’m not going to hurt you. Now. About your question.”

“Tamlin, is your mate.” My eyes widened in shock. Mate? I have heard that before, in mortal legends. The way that the High Fae bonded to each other—

“But, he is not your only one.” My jaw must have literally dropped to the floor. I didn’t understand, how could someone have more than one mate? And I thought humans couldn’t have mates.

“My goodness, your think so fast. It’s extremely rare for even high fae to have two mates, let alone a human. But, you, my dear Alanna, are not entirely human.” This was all too much…father has spoken legends passed down my family about my great grandmother being a high faery, but we thought it was just a family whim or something. Two mates. It wasn’t hard to figure out who my second one was.

“And…you’re my second.” He nodded. “How did you even find me?” I asked, conduction expressed clearly on my features.

“I had dreams about you. About a girl in a human village, a girl who loved to read, and could never hurt a fly. I saw you in the prythian, in the forest running from those pigs. I saw Tamlin find you, and bring you back to the Spring Court. I couldn’t get to you in time, I knew Tamlin had to be the one to meet you first.” I looked at him in disbelief. I didn’t know what to think. Two mates? Two High Faery mates? I began to get lightheaded. He grabbed my chin gently, making me look up at him.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, and I truly am sorry that I’m putting this on you. I just couldn’t hold back any longer, I couldn’t bare Tamlin hiding you from me.”

“He really knew? And he wasn’t going to say anything?” Rhys nodded.

“You’ll soon learn that he is very protective. Too protective. Nonetheless, he is your mate too. So, we will all just have to deal with each other. Good thing is, Tamlin and I are both High Lords of of own courts and—“

“What? You’re a High Lord too?” I put my hands on my head and couldn’t believe what fate had felt me. Rhys chuckled, a real chuckle full of warmth.

“The cauldron truly has blessed you, Alanna darling. Now, get changed and just hollar when you’re done. I’ll carry you to dinner.”

“I can walk.” I stood up shakily, trying to prove my point and almost fell down. I guess all the strength it took me to stand up in the lake of starlight had drained my energy.

Rhys was quick to grab my arms and steady me, touching his pointer finger to my nose as a cute gesture.

“Sure you can.”

I opened the drawers in my luxurious but cozy room to find purely lingerie. How the hell was I supposed to get comfy in this? I stormed to the closet and that selection wasn’t much better, but I settled on a satin black dress. It hugged my figure in all the right places…

I didn’t even have to hollar for him as he knocked on my door.

“Come in.” He did so. He looked at me as if I was a long lost treasure chest full of rare gems.

“This was the only suitable thing to wear…” I admitted. He smiled softly.

“You look beautiful, my mate.” He said the last two words with a growl, and my thighs clenched together. I heard stories of how when mates first came together they fucked…over and over and over again.

“Well darling, as much as I’d like to do that, it’s going to have to be with us both. It’s only fair to Tamlin.” He said, his words lingering as he traces a hand down my back. He kept reading my talked mind, I assumed it was some sort of fae magic.

“Listen to me Alanna. We won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with. If you don’t want this, say the words and I walk away. I can’t make promises about if Tamlin will do the same, but you have mine.” He kisses my cheek before picking me up gently. I groaned at how close he felt to me, his hands holding me up just under my arse. I couldn’t deny that I had wanted them both, from the moment I met them. This was going to be a crazy ride…

[spiritmaiden23]

CHARACTER SHEET FOR ZELDA!! 

This is a headcanon sheet that will go deep into the depths of Sky Zel, namely for fantasy verse because I do have another post to dissect Zel’s character as a whole coming up! Fantasy verse I feel needs more info than what I have for her character sheet this way more people can understand her and hopefully play around in that verse because hunny witch zel is an excellent concept I refuse to go to waste. I’d love to rp with more people in this verse because it’s refreshing as well. Anyhow! Bear was kind enough to provide the sheet and now here I am taking advantage of it! Be warned fellas, it’s gonna be a long. Like very long, this took like an hour or two to complete. With all dat juicy details. Feel free to copy and paste this if you want, it’s good for main characters or OCs. But it is long as hell! Let’s jump into it! 

Character’s Name: Zelda Lockewood  Character’s nicknames: Zel, Zellie, Zeldy, witch of the woods, Hylia’s apprentice Gender: Female  Righty or Lefty: Righty  Age: 19-20  Height: 5′3 around 161 cm  Weight: 104 lbs  Eye Color: Light blue, similar to the skies. They twinkle with mischief intent yet benevolence is within her gaze. Hair color: Golden blonde, often tied with ribbons and in a very low ponytail  Distinguishing marks: She has a scar on her chest below the collarbone and at the end of her ribcage where the scar has a slight turn to it towards the left, right above her heart. After a summoning spell gone wrong, she was stabbed there by the creature, thankfully miss OP Hylia was there to save her from dying.  Describe physical traits in one passage: Whew, ok I sound like a broken record but here we go. She often has red cheeks that tend to grow redder when angry or embarrassed or shy or when she has the dokis. Very long ears that also can grow red towards the tips, as such people have mistaken her for an elf which is why she wears the witch’s hat in the first place. She likes to tie her hair in a low ponytail in order to work without it getting in the way but out of her hair is super long to the waist. She has blunt bangs or hime cut as I like to call it! And is petite but don’t let that fool you, she does have monster strength much like main verse.  FAMILY/ RELIGION  Parents: Hylia is her biological mother within this verse, she’s unaware of the fact and believes her mother to be dead. She lives with her adoptive father, Gaepora.  Siblings: An only child  Significant Other: None thus far! But I’m open to shipping here ;v;  Children: Again, none but it’s something she’d want in the future!  Other relatives: Gaepora keeps his family at an arms length, though jolly and wise he tends to be a bit of an introvert at times as such Zelda doesn’t really get to meet with her family too much or get to know them.  Pets: Her familiar, the Loftwing Indigo! Black cats seem to like her as they surround her though! Friends: Tons! But well in case future RPers are interested I can’t really fill it out.  Enemies: Sorceresses are typical enemies to a witch, she tends to avoid other witches too due to their cold-hearted nature.  Relationships (other): It’s tough to put Wylan in a category so this might be best. Though he is an annoyance and she finds him a bit of a troll slowly she’s starting to get to know him bit by bit.  Ethnicity: A witch! With connection to the gods thanks to her mother being the Goddess of Witches who goes by the name Circe to mortal realm and witches, her true name is Hylia though so don’t be confused by this. She comes from a nation called Lanayru, so prehaps Lanayruen if you wanna call her that! Religion: Most witches tend to follow something akin to Wiccan belief, Zelda follows that! Superstitions: When making a potion, she often likes to pray to the Goddess of Witches and sing a small tune while making sad potions as a means to break the silence. She doesn’t look at mirrors in the dark or but two mirrors opposite of each other as it’s believe it could make a portal of sorts for demons and other evil beings, as such she often covers her mirrors and doesn’t look at them too much aside from when she has to get ready. It’s silly, she knows, but it’s trauma from opening the portal when summoning a being far beyond her skill.  Diction, Accent, ETC.: So, she has a light accent that’s typical for those coming from Lanayru. Certain words, you can hear it spilling out. It’s best to describe it as a sing-songy accent where certain vowel sounds are stretched out. She’s learned to shorten the vowels though, trying to fit in with the nation she lives in now! Which is Hyrule a land far more bigger than her humble homelands with advancements in magic and certain technology. They have a more... I wanna say North american accent that can range from Canadian to the typical eastern accent for USA to southern accent from again, USA.  SCHOOL/ WORK / HOME  Education (Highest): Hmm, college equivalent of fantasy world? She was a fast learner and skipped a few grades which is why she graduated so early (it helps being the daughter of the Goddess of Witches too, demi god to be exact haha) she and had a natural affinity for magic, also she was studious as well and often aced tests.  Degrees: Oh damn... well she doesn’t have the title Hylia’s Golden Apprentice for nothing. So let’s consider that a degree, or maybe a degree in magic pft! Vocation/Occupation: A potions seller! Employment History: Let’s explain how she has experience in this! She worked with a brewing master, who owned a shop that was full of wares and while some cursed and forbidden, as well as the owner being sketchy, she learned about how the potions business works while working for him from 14 to 18. Four short years! Nice! Upon moving to Hyrule, she kept her potions making a bit lowkey. Selling her wares in the small town near the lost woods known as Tarrey Town. Under the guise as a merchant, it was soon discovered that she was a witch and while certain residents tend to avoid her due to low reputation of witches as a whole, many are attracted by her refreshingly friendly nature and excellent quality in potions. Rumors begin to spread out and she does tend to travel to the big city, Castle Town, from time to time to sell her wares. Though she’s still learning the ropes, and though her business isn’t really that big, she’s doing not too bad. Salary: Potions aren’t cheap, she’s her own boss as well. So, let’s put it that way. HWEOH  Status and money: Despite how well her business is doing, she’s not exactly rich but she’s not too worried about her money situation either. Resourceful, she tends to save her money by collecting her own ingredients in the Lost Woods, though if she has to she will go out to get the ones she couldn’t find within the forest and while some are expensive, she tends to barging with cheapening the price somewhat.  Own or Rent: OWN! She made her little hut deep within the woods through magic of course, it’s hard to find unless you know how to navigate within the ever changing nature of the Lost Woods. It’s a bit like OOT in that regard, ALTTP with the mysterious fog you can get lost in, and well... I’m also taking small inspiration from Paper Mario 64 with the spooky forest in one level since the Lost Woods here is a bit... well, spooky!  Living Space: It’s a small, humble sized cottage crafted with grey bricks for the chimney and front entrance sticking out with some tudor elements to the building where the house is half-timbered walls! The outside has a white little gate with a plant arch full of roses, and there is a garden full of flowers and herbs, with ivy crawling up the building towards the back of the house along with a weeping willow within her large yard, a lake is nearby and there is a lovely waterfall but beware of the creatures lurking within! The window in the kitchen is the biggest window in the house, almost like a bay window of sorts but you can’t exactly open that window yet there is a another on the lower floor where you can, while her bedroom has a slightly smaller window where they are opened outwards and always opened in the daytime, there is a large window seat, large enough to sleep on it with comforting pink cushion as well as little pillows she’s knitted herself. There are drawers underneath where she stores extra stuff. Now, as for the inside, aside from the kitchen and her bedroom along with the bathroom, it’s a big mess! The small space is cluttered with tons of books and tomes, some on the millions of shelves (along with tons and tons of potion battles) she has and some on the floor with pages scattered throughout the wood flowering. She has plants like wisteria hanging on the walls and several others like witch’s herb among other examples hanging from the celling. There’s a small sitting area with a wooden desk and stool and that’s where she often works with her research. It’s pretty much well lived in and is the result of working too much to notice the mess. It’s two stories, with a small attic being the second floor. Her bedroom is located on the first floor and despite the window seat, she has a nice slightly small queen sized sleigh bed in the center and up against the wall, it looks super comfy, like you can sink into it and well it’s possible! Along with a vanity mirror with brushes for light makeup she wears for special events, and a small bottle filled with flowers, her knitting area with a small basket full of yarn balls and a wooden wardrobe to keep her clothing in. There is a cute rug on the floor to bring the room together. Along with book shelves. It’s a cute yet ery simple style.  Work Space: As described above, it’s a wooden desk within the main hub area of the house. It’s in the corner of the room, near a window as a means to get sunlight and fresh air! Her cauldron is not too far from the desk and once again, she has tons of flowers. There’s always her research papers and books on it, a quill with a feather, annnnd a small candle stand in case she’s working late in the night! Main Mode of Transportation: Either her “broom” which is an enchanted feather from her Loftwing or her Loftwing himself! She thinks it’s silly to ride on a broom and wanted to be more creative! PSYCHOLOGY  Fears: Well when you face near death and actually saw the reaper’s scythe coming at you hot, you tend to not fear much. She doesn’t really like to summon things though due to that accident, so there’s nervousness whenever she absolutely has to. Mirrors there’s a slight fear due to how they can act as portals into the other realm. And losing loved ones, failing to protect them. Perhaps knowing the truth about her birth is also a fear, as she will deny being a demi god let along to the Goddess of Witches. There’s this feeling she has where she knows she’s not an ordinary witch but out of fear she does not investigate too much with a slight hint of curiosity.  Secrets: Much like main verse she can hear the gods and spirits of the realm, something she denies and keeps to herself. While she can do wandless magic, a feat only known to Hylia, it’s a bit hard and her spells tend to go wild so it’s why she likes to stick to tomes as it better handles her powers. Whenever mana blockage happens, she tends to get embarrassed and will only reveal it if she has to.  IQ: VERY HIGH as expected of someone with a lot of wisdom despite her age. That is all for this one... Eating Habits: NOT VERY GOOD!!! She just throws together anything that’s edible enough and eats it, while it doesn’t taste good she’s always in a rush to get back to work because she’s a bit of a workaholic in this verse! Sometimes, she’ll take elixirs to suppress her hunger if she’s working very hard on something like research or recipe hunting, at times she doesn’t always get the potion right so she tends to try again and again until she does. Neglecting her need to eat. Pretty much, it’s like putting fried rice, egg, and leftovers in a blender and eating that disgusting mess. And though she can cook mainly simple enough dishes, she tends to not do it too much. Someone get this girl some food.  Sleeping Habits: AGAIN NOT VERY GOOD THIS POOR BABY!! When cramming in the night, she gets so focused she tends to stay up until four o’ clock by drinking lots and lots of coffee... and that’s when the sleepiness tends to hit her once that caffeine is all gone, you’ll most likely see her asleep at her desk. Being an early bird though means she won’t get much sleep so ;v; That said when not cramming, she tends to get sleepy once the sun’s down so she does get normal hours of sleep mostly. She loves the morning and always wakes up to the sun greeting her as she tends to leave the curtains open, not at all afraid to do that since like... no one goes deep into Lost Woods aside from Wylan pft.  Book Preferences: She loves reading research and recipe books! It’s always fun for her to learn new things and as such she always has her head buried in a book that discusses tons and tons of research. When not learning and sitting back to relax, she likes tales of adventures and will sometimes read romance novels as well.  Music Preferences: Harp and lyre along with other string instruments! She tends to love folklore as there is a history behind it and she does find that super interesting. Though she can somewhat play the harp/lyre she’s not as talented as say the bard Kina! Groups or Alone: While good enough in a group as she does like teamwork, she’d rather do things on her own. Blame being responsible to a fault for that one alongside slight hero complex for more dangerous things she has to face HJKA! Leader or Follower: Are you kidding? Leader all the freaking way! She has a natural charm about her and is ambitious in a sense, she would make a good leader because she’s wise enough to make good decisions when in a pinch. That said she can be a little bossy when worry wart tendencies pops up and will def assume that you need her help. She’s just trying to be a good friend who believes in you and your potential, don’t mind her. Just... her supportive attitude is pretty strong haha!  Planned Out or Spontaneous: With her carefree nature, you’d think she’d be spontaneous and while she can be at times because adventure is fun, she tends to plan a lot of things out... of course, her plans never work out. But again, she’s resourceful enough to work around the issue she may come across.  Journal Entires (Do they keep one?) YES OF COURSE MY GIRL LOVES TO WRITE!! She actually has a few, four in total. One for researching plants and other things, another to keep track of her inventory, one for folklore and ghosts/monsters findings perhaps, and one for her personal feelings. If you find the last one, she will end your life.  Hobbies, Recreation: Girl loves to knit! It’s very relaxing and she’s really good at it along with sewing her own clothing! She loves flying, and collecting plants in case that wasn’t obvious already. She also loves monster hunting despite how dangerous it can be, but due to how unique the monsters are in Hyrule she just can’t help it! Catch her taking pictures whenever she comes across one while a friend grabs her and runs for dear life. Jam making is a fun things she enjoys and gardening. Overall, really good hobbies she has! How Do They Relax: A nice bath filled with floral oils that’s meant to relax you and certain flowers as well. It’s how she’s got that flowery scent after all. She tends to read in the bath, and well reading in general along with writing is how she unwinds! She loves knitting and gardening and jam making is relaxing from time to time. Drinking tea while sitting underneath the weeping willow. She does love practicing her magic and hexes too!    What Excites Them?: MONSTERS DESPITE HOW DANGEROUS THEY ARE AND SNAPPING PHOTOS TO RECORD THEM, finding new spells, new tomes and other books! Seeing friends will make her super happy, flowers, wild plant life never seen before. Whenever other people from distant cities learn about her potions shop, new cauldrons, successfully making a new potion, exploring new cities and towns, traveling, flying, learning new things because she’s a nerd with a thirst for knowledge... pretty much she’s very excited over tons of things, it doesn’t take much to excite her, actually haha! Pet Peeves: Wylan breaking into her house, she has tons of charms in the place so it’s a bit worrying and annoying to find him in there doing whatever, messing up with a spell or burning potions, hunger pains when she’s deep at work along with her natural sleepiness once it’s dark out, prideful hero types mayhaps where they’re all talk and no action more like (she does value bravery though), bullying since strong sense of justice, and finally gossip and judgement.  Prejudices: She... doesn’t really have one? Aside from not liking bullies and again prideful hero types who are all talk and no action... liars too? And creeps who flirt with her. Flirting is fun but not when it’s unwanted. Yeah... that’s about it I think! Attitudes: Very determined and ready to face the day and is a hard worker! She’s a cheery girl through and through and very kind but don’t let her kindness fool you as she’s not afraid to put her foot down and call you out. She’s charming and a playful girl who has a love for learning. And is very supportive but can be a busybody if she worries for you. And though somewhat scared about the truth of her origins, once the time comes she’s ready to face those fears. She tends to get either angry or embarrassed (it’s ambiguous really) whenever Wylan is around doing... Wylan things actually haha! Stressors: I guess failure or deadlines that she can’t make if the recipe for the potion is too hard. As well as vague customers too because what sorta potion do you want from her she can’t read minds? Tarot cards and palm reading, while she knows how to do these things as it’s natural for all witches, knowing the future is scary and she’d rather live in the now while looking forward to the what the future has in store without knowing of her fate. Also, dark magic. She tends to stay away from it, corruption is a thing that can happen causing her to become a mindless yet very OP being known as sorceress.  Obsessions: WORK. Very much a hard worker to a fault actually due to her high sense of responsibilities playing into that. It’d be cash money if someone could help with relaxing her.  Addictions: Book collecting, along with flower collecting too and finally she has a super bad sweet tooth. That’s about it.  Ambitions: Right now, she wants to become a bigger name in order to help out people as she loves helping others, and well, the extra money doesn’t hurt either. She wishes to become a bit more powerful as she already is, up to the Grand Witch Hylia levels and wishes to increase her mana, not that it’s low but just in case! As Seen by Others: A cutie pie! Who’s kind though sometimes people do avoid her since Witch.  As Seen by Self: She’s cute and she knows it haha! Aside from that she doesn’t see herself as kind but someone who wants to do the right thing, there’s no reason behind this aside from it’s natural for her to be this way. That said she wants to work harder than she already is someone stop her. ASTROLOGY/PHISIOLOGY (hoo boi i know shit about that but let’s go) Birth Date: March 20 Time of Birth: 3:07 AM, right during witching hours with the magic number seven in it, that’s why Hylia went “oh crap she’s gonna be powerful like me and make poor life decisions if she sticks with me time to yeet this baby outta here” Western Astrological Sign: Pisces  Traits Associated with Western Sign: I’m lifting this from a sight but strengths are Compassion, artistic, intuitive, gentle, wise, musical. While weakness is fearful (not really she’s pretty brave but does have some fears) overly trusting, sad, desire to escape reality, can be a victim or a martyr. Some traits don’t really fit her, I guess you can say she’s the odd man out with typical pisces haha!  Chinese Zodiac Sign: That’s a little difficult since it goes by year rather than date but I’ll try! Year of the Monkey! It fits her best I feel! Traits Associated with Chinese Zodiac: according to this site monkeys are fast learners and crafty, they tend to have many interests, they are clever and creative and love to accept challenges. They tend to have magnetic personalities are witty and intelligent but can be naughty aka playful. I feel this fits her better than Pisces... or maybe a mixture of both haha! Handwriting: DOCTOR’S WRITING!! SHE... HAS SLOPPY CURSIVE THAT ONLY SHE CAN READ HWEOH but she can write neat cursive it’s just she’s always in a rush to get her thoughts out there.  Sexual History: Girl was too focused in her studies she did not date anyone. She’s not one for ahem “hooking up either” So... no history there I guess pft.   General Health: Healthy as can be! Medical History: Aside from that one time where she almost died, her medical history is really not that interesting. She does get mana blockage from time to time and they hurt hard and makes it harder to use magic. Her spells going haywire.  Allergies: Hmm... I don’t think she has any. Chronic Illnesses: Nope again! Handicaps: And again no on that either.  OBJECTS Purse / Bag: She has a leather bag around her waist, it’s charmed to be a hammer space of sorts so like... tons of things. Books, tomes, scrolls, diary for ingredients gathering, another journal for folklore and monster tracking, pictograph/camera athame knife just in case because you never know, wallet and plenty of others stuff Wallet: Well, it’s a pouch that’s full of money, a lot just in case. That is also a hammer space of sorts! Fridge: NOT A DAMN THING she’s better at storing bird food for her loftwing and cat food for any stray cats hanging around her area but her fridge is like... leftovers from the little meals she makes from time to time, jam, potions that need to be stored in cold place, veggies, and one battle of water that’s it.  Medicine Cabinet: While she knows some healing spells it doesn’t hurt to have bandages just in case! Along with medical brews that’ll help with things such as colds and other illnesses. Tooth brush and paste of course... and uh the little makeup she has because this girl a goddess and doesn’t wear it too much.  Glove Compartment: CARS DON’T EXIST BUT ACCORDING TO BOTW MOTORCYCLES DO, that said she doesn’t have a motorcycle so like... nothing! Junk Drawer: Utensils, knives for food... for one draw. As for the other real junk drawer full of papers, dried and pressed flowers, journals, and extra quills alongside some cute jewelry! Kitchen Cabinets: Plates, bowls, and glasses of course with spices in another and any food to help with cooking!  Bedroom Hiding Place: Underneath her bed is where the personal journal is... for the most part. Closets: Clothing, it’s a small closet along side other junk like her old wand, and anything relating to her school memories such as supplies.  Backback: Isn’t that the same thing as purse/bag? Either way, read above! Locker: None Desk: WEEPS DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF ON THIS? Read above with living situation.  Clothes pocket: Mostly letters for her father... a pocket watch, and sometimes she’ll have the athame knife in there too. There’s not much she can store with her dress apron! 

OTHER (bitch we almost done!!)  Halloween Costumes: SHEET GHOST!! She won’t go as a witch since well she is one, sheet ghost is probably meant for laughs really. Also she’d make her own black cat costume due to her affinity with them. A black dress, with cat ears and whiskers drawn on... yeah that seems good! Tricks: Little things like charming you to float! Or having giant rabbits chase after you before they cuddle you! Spiders crawling out from your ears! Bats following you. See? Nothing harmful but something funny to witches yet not so much to mortals or other supernatural beings for that matter.  Talents: Magic, she’s insanely talented but it helps having a Goddess mother who created magic and witches/mages in the first place! She’s good at knitting as we established and sewing, very good at brewing all sorts of potions as they’re always high quality, very good at researching stuff. ETC ETC.  Politics: Hmm well,,, Hyrule is absolute monarchy where the king and royal family lie about being descendants of gods so... yeah! Not much to say there since she’s not one who’s tied to mortal virtues.  Flaws: Worrywart which turns to her assuming things and taking the wheel so to speak she’s trying her best to support friends but well being nosy and like this isn’t always the best, sometimes while good with words and advice to comfort someone she doesn’t always say the right thing to comfort said person, she works too hard and is responsible to a fault, she often likes to give others the benefit of the doubt despite being screwed over. And perhaps... she doesn’t worry about herself so much as she worries about others. Not only does she think she can handle most things but also it’s a bit of a hero complex or something similar to that where she always sacrifices herself for others. Because, it’s the right thing to do. She tends to get embarrassed easily and has a bit of a nasty temper at times but it doesn’t take long for her to get overall as she’s not one to hold grudges.  Strengths: Very joyful and charming, many find themselves drawn to her as the result of this. Kind as well to everyone, aside from mentioned above in prejudice section and dislikes, she likes to treat everyone equally as best as she can. Reasonability is her middle name and tends to always get things done. She’s also very wise for her age and someone who encourages you to do your very best because she believes in you and sees this great light in you that gives you great potential for the bright future. She can be a little flirty towards someone she likes once she gets over her initial shyness upon discovering her feelings but well romance is new to her so sometimes she’ll miss certain romantic intentions. And playful girl who’s a bit witty too. She has talents for magic and is a fast learner for the most part. Also love learning too and is a nerd. She has a creative side to her! Drugs/Alcohol: Nope! Passwords: Probably her birthday for like things that require numbers such as safes and the like! Email Address, Home Page, Blogs, etc.: Well none pft Time and place: Very vague middle ages that takes inspiration from the Magic Technology BOTW has along with other games too such as TP and SS.  Special Places: The sky... does that count? And the Haunted Grove deep within the Lost Woods.  Special Memories: Meeting her familiar for the first time, any time spent with her dad as he was loving and kind, getting accepted to become a student for Hylia despite her wanting to keep a distance but takes her under her wing just in case. 

[wollymalfoy]

Double trouble x2

George Weasley x reader

Tags: @peaceofflights

Description: can you write a George Weasley x reader where the reader and her brother befriend the twins because they’re fraternal twins. Her twin always teases her because she has a huge crush on George.

Writers note: I’m sorry if this ain’t exactly what you asked for I got very carried away! 😭

July 24th was the day your life changed forever. You and your twin brother, Jamie sat down on the couch watching cartoons, the knock on the door was surprising, you didn’t get visitors often. A tall man and woman entered the living room with your mother. The man had a long white beard and blue clothes that looks a lot like pyjamas. He smiled down at the two of your blank faces, his half moon spectacles glistening in the sun. The woman wore a black pointy hat and green clothes with a similar look to the mans. She smiled at your mother and moved to sit next to you on the couch. You gasped at her as she explained that you and your brother had magical abilities and was able to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your mother was shocked but evidence was provided to show her that these two people, you now knew where a witch and wizard where telling the truth. You and your brother was extremely excited and couldn’t wait to arrive at the school. when you entered Diagon ally you and your brother spoke to as many witches and wizards as possible to find out more about the school. While there you got the items on your list, your wand, Cauldron, school books as well as your pets. You had gotten a white ferret and your brother Jamie got a screech owl.

Once you arrived at Hogwarts you couldn’t believe your eyes. ‘Pinch me Y/N’ Jamie had said once you was on the boats sailing over the lake. A great big castle stood tall and proud, much larger than you had imagined it to be. ‘What the fuck is a sorting ceremony’ Jamie exclaimed as you waited on the stairs to enter the hall. Before you could speak a red headed boy behind you answered, ‘I’ve heard it’s extremely painful’ he smirked. ‘Yeah terribly painful’ said his identical twin, ‘I’m George Weasley and this is my brother Fred’ he held his hand out and you and your brother shook it. ‘I’m Y/N Y/L/N and this is my brother Jamie’ you smiled. ‘We’re fraternal twins’ you brother said. ‘Cool’ the twins said in unison. As you walked into the hall with the Weasley twins right behind you you where in awe at the ceiling, it looked just like the night sky. Stars dotted the ceiling and great white clouds moved slowly across it. ‘We’re the first in our family to be witches and wizards ya know’ your brother said proudly. ‘Is that so? I’m guessing you don’t know about each house then?’ Fred has said. ‘A little, We asked about when we went to Diagon ally’ you said, ‘Gryffindor, hufflepuff.’ ‘Ravenclaw and Slytherin.’ your brother finished, ‘What house do you think you’ll be in?’ ‘Gryffindor’ said both the redheads. ‘All our family has been’ George said smiling at you and this made you blush. ‘Bell, Katie!’ Shouted Professor McGonagall. This made you turn your head to the front. An hold patched hat was placed on her head. ‘Gryffindor!’ It yelled loudly making you jump. After some time the twins where both sorted into Gryffindor, the whole Gryffindor table burst into cheers as each person was sorted there. Of all the houses that cheered, Gryffindor was by far the loudest. ‘Y/L/N, Jamie!’ McGonagall said. You brother gave you a worried look and you smiled to comfort him. The hat sat on his head for some time then finally shouted, ‘Gryffindor!’ You clapped as he walked over to the Weasleys. ‘Y/L/N, Y/N’ you heard McGonagall call your name. Your heart began to beat fast, what if you wasn’t put with your brother, would that mean you’d be split up forever? The hat was put on your head and spoke on your head:

Another Y/L/N, incredibly like your brother I know just what to do with you...

‘Gryffindor!’ Yelled the hat and you smiled widely as the griffindors erupted into cheers. Your brother smiled as you walked over to him. George ruffled with your hair as you sat down in front of him making you blush uncontrollably. Did you have a crush? Is this what a crush was?

For years You had this crush on George and your brother would often tease you on it. At first it was subtle, nudging as George walked past, Laughing at you when he saw you blushing or staring at the boy. However since your third year he has been trying to get you two to date.

-

‘Y/N and George kissing in a tree K-I’ ‘Y/L/N!’ Snape shouted, ‘I’ve had enough of your foolishness, go outside.’ You smirked as your brother left the class. You looked at the door after some time of listening to snape and Jamie stood and began to mime the song to you. You gave him a rude gesture and carried on with your work.

‘Awww has ickle Y/N got a crush on ickle George Weasley’ he said in a baby voice one night as he lay on your bed. ‘Shut up and get out!’ You yelled. ‘You want a big kiss from ickle George, a big sloppy kiss’ he made kissy faces as he did this. You kicked him off the bed. ‘You wanna go on late night walks and dance under the stars’ he said as he got up off the ground. ‘MUMMM!’ You shouted and he soon ran out of the room. ‘IM NOT DOING ANYTHING MUM!’ He yelled from the landinng.

-

‘Come on Y/N it’s our fourth year now just get with him!’ He cried as you sat in a compartment of the Hogwarts express. ‘Get with who?’ George said as him and his brother entered the compartment. ‘You’ your brother laughed. You gave him a harsh look, heat rising in your cheeks. George sat across from you with a shocked look. ‘I’m glad someone’s said something!’ Fred said sitting next to his brother, ‘George here has liked you since first year.’ ‘Shut up’ George said heat rising to his cheeks.

The rest of the train ride was silent, the only noise was from your brother lips slapping as he stuffed his face with Licorice wands, chocolate frogs and many other things from the trolley.

-

You sat alone on the couch reading a muggle book. The common room was fairly quiet, most students were tired because of the journey and headed off to sleep. You favourite red headed boy came and sat next to you. His eyes twinkled in the fire light, as he gave you a smile. ‘So, is it true?’ He said awkward, ‘you know, that you like me?’ He laughed slightly as he said this, hoping it was true. ‘I guess I do’ you smiled scared to look him in the eyes. ‘Great!’ He said loudly, then looking at you in shock, ‘I didn’t mean to say it that loud’ he laughed. ‘You’re gonna wake the whole castle up’ you said finally looking at George’s face.

-

‘What in merlins bushy beard is a chamber of secrets’ your brother yelled the day after a threatening message was written on the walls of a corridor, accompanied by a petrified Mrs Norris. ‘Honestly, Jamie don’t you read’ you sighed. ‘Why would I wanna read’ he said cockily. ‘Well you’re a Muggle-Born, wouldn’t you wanna know every nook and cranny of the Wizarding world?’ You went on but Jamie ignored you and shoved a bit of toast in his mouth. ‘Aren’t you going to explain then’ he said spitting food onto the table accidentally. George slipped in next to you and gave you a kiss on the cheek, Fred and lee sitting in front of you. ‘What you talking about’ Fred said. ‘I was just about to explain to jamie what the chamber of secrets is’ the twins looked at you with a terrified look. ‘What you don’t believe it do you’ you said laughing but a little uncomfortable from their reaction. ‘I mean kind of’ George said sadly, ‘and if it is-‘ ‘which I think it definitely is’ Fred butted in. ‘-then you’re in danger, both of you’ George said looking at jamie.

-

‘I really think you should go home Y/N’ George said as you were curled up into his side. There was now 3 victims, 4 including Sir Nicholas, and George and you too (even though you didn’t want to admit it) where scared. They where only petrified, thank Merlin, but who’s to say someone didn’t die next. That person could be you or Jamie or Hermione. ‘I’m not going home until I have to, I love it here Georgie, I love being with you’ you wined sitting up. ‘I just don’t want you to get hurt’ he said and kissed you gently, ‘I love you Y/N.’ ‘I love you too George’ you said and gave him another kiss.

-

‘Come on George I’m starving’ you said pulling George by his hand. ‘We just ate love’ he laughed. ‘I know but I didn’t eat enough then’ you said tapping your stomach with your hand. You had decided to go on a kitchen trip like you had done many time’s before with the twins, Lee and Jamie. ‘It’s not safe though’ he said looking at a painting, ‘has this always been here’ he examined the painting. ‘Come on your just stalling’ you teased as you turned the corner. There was a small mirror on the floor, you picked it up and looked at it curiously. George still admiring the painting. You opened it and in the reflection of the mirror where two bright yellow eyes. Your body seized up and you fell to the floor with a thud. ‘Y/N?’ George said and walked round the corner. When he saw you spread across the floor he ran to your unconscious body, ‘Y/N!’ He looked up and saw the body of what looked like a large scaley snake slithering past the end of the corridor. His heart began to beat loudly. Was you dead? He screamed for help but none came. He picked up your limp body in his arms and ran as fast as he could still calling out for help. ‘Mr Weasley?’ Professor McGonagall said still in her day clothes. She saw your still body in his arms and her face furrowed. ‘What happened?’ She said shocked. ‘I don’t know I turned the corner and she was on- on the floor and- and there was a big snakes body’ he stuttered. ‘We need to get her to the hospital wing’ she said putting a hand on the distraught boys back. As he placed you in the bed tears fell from his eyes, realisation had kicked in. ‘Is- is she d-dead?’ He asked tears falling and slowly making their way down his cheeks. ‘No, she’s just petrified’ Madame Pomfrey said with a soft smile to comfort the boy.

-

George slept by your side every night, he’d often talk to you, telling you how much he loved you. All of your friends including Jamie would visit for a few hours everyday, bringing sweets, flowers and other gifts. Hermione would even read you story’s when no one else was there with you, until she herself was petrified. George couldn’t stand loosing you, although you weren’t dead seeing you lifeless and unable to communicate killed him. He’d let himself go completely, he stopped eating properly and he’d hardly slept because he’d keep watch that the thing didn’t come back to finish you off.

-

When you was finally no longer petrified George have you the larges, tightest hug you had ever received. You felt as tears wet your shirt from George’s sobs. ‘I’ve missed you so much’ he cried. ‘I love you George’ you whispered in his ear. ‘I love you too’ he sniffled. ‘Is she awake!’ Your brother screamed as he, lee and Fred sped into the hospital wing. He jumped onto the bed and gave you a huge hug. ‘You best not get petrified again!’ He mumbled into your shoulder. ‘I’ll try not to’

Thanks for reading! :)

[slytherinknowitall]

Potion Fumes and Cauldron Leaks

Chapter 18: Hogsmeade Rendezvous

(Click here for chapter 17!)

(Click here to start from the beginning!)

Disclaimer: I don’t own the “Harry Potter” book series. The story of “Harry Potter” is the property of J. K. Rowling, it is not my intellectual property. There is no financial gain made from this nor will any be sought. This is for entertainment purposes only.

“Where are you going?”

Already halfway out the hole in the wall that made the entrance of the Potions professor’s chambers, Hermione turned around surprised. “Um, I was just going to the lavatory.”

Snape gave her a calculated look from his seat in front of the fireplace. “You could just use mine, you know. It’s the door to the right.”

“Oh, o-okay …” Hermione trailed off, feeling terribly abashed by how much she was stuttering. “Thank you.”

And with that, she staggered through the room to said door before disappearing into the bathroom behind it.

Once inside, however, the witch immediately had to gasp in amazement. The bathroom itself was not special; if anything, it was rather dilapidated. In the middle of the room, a big, round bathtub was embedded into the floor. It had most likely not been used in a really long time as it was covered in a thick layer of dust. The left corner of the room was home to a huge walk-in shower, one of its faucets leaking heavily at its base, and opposite of that, there was one of those outdated, eggshell white toilets with a flush chain, its lid slightly crooked. The only piece of furniture was an elongated wooden cabinet that extended from one end of the wall to the other. On top of it, there was a washbasin, with its enamel already starting to chip in some places.

But the one thing that made the room extraordinary was that one of its walls was not made of stone – instead, it was just one big window looking out into the depths of the Great Lake.

Her mouth wide open, Hermione took a few steps towards the glass just as a school of small fish swam by. The murky water gave the entire bathroom an eerie, greenish tint – how amusingly fitting for the quarters of the Head of Slytherin. Taking a closer look, she could see the amazing panorama that was normally hidden away within the depths of the lake: the ground mostly consisted of natural boulders covered in seaweed, with countless aquatic creatures either swimming around freely or using them for hiding. A small Grindylow could be seen; it had apparently repurposed a lost suitcase as a nice, little home. Above it, a group of Selkies was patrolling. And maybe it was just imagination, but Hermione thought that she could even make out the shadow of the friendly Giant Squid dancing around in the background somewhere.

The Muggle-born waved her hand around, trying to catch the attention of the creatures; but they paid her no mind. She soon realised that the glass must be enchanted in some way, acting as a sort of magical one-way mirror. Regardless, she was mesmerised. She had always loved the water and how it gave her the freedom to move around weightlessly. So unsurprisingly, she had fallen in love with the Great Lake during that first boat ride she had taken as an incoming first-year. But while she had spent many beautiful hours by its shore, she had never once seen it from this perspective before. After all, she had been unconscious during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

She was so captivated by the beauty in front of her that a sudden loud knock at the door made her jump.

“Hermione? Is everything all right?”

Shit. She must have been staring out of that window for too long!

“Yes, I’ll only be a minute!” she called back and could soon hear footsteps walking away from the door.

Quickly using the toilet, the thing for which she had originally came here, she washed her hands and was just about to leave the bathroom, her slender hand already on the doorknob, when she suddenly heard the unmistakable sound of the Floo Network coming from the other room. Hermione pulled back hesitantly. She did not know who the mysterious visitor was, of course; but at any rate, it would be better if no one saw her in her teacher’s quarters and started to ask questions.

I really should have taken Ginny’s advice to heart. What if Professor Snape’s guest needs to use the loo, too?

She carefully placed her ear on the door, not once thinking about the fact that she might be eavesdropping on a very private conversation.

“Severus, my boy!” The cheerful voice obviously belonged to Professor Dumbledore.

Hermione’s heart missed a beat. Had she returned to the sitting room just one second earlier, she and Professor Snape could have been in a really sticky situation!

“Headmaster.” Snape’s voice was almost too low to understand. Hermione had to smirk when she thought about the long face he was certainly making right now; she knew all too well how much he disliked the older man’s antics. “What brings you here today? Unannounced, if I might add …”

There was a thud-like noise, and Hermione assumed that it came from Professor Dumbledore sitting down in the wing chair she had occupied just minutes ago. She prayed to the gods he would not notice that the seat was already warm.

“I came to enquire your expertise, of course! You see, I’ve recently received an interesting flyer from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes and immediately felt intrigued by one of their products, the WonderWitch’s Everlasting Eyelashes. Now, with how busy I am right at the moment, I can’t just get up and leave to take a quick trip to Diagon Alley, and with Christmas right around the corner, shipping would take ages. But then I thought, ‘Well, Severus is such an intelligent and capable brewer, I am sure he could help me out!’”

“So let me get this straight … You are asking me, a Potions Master who could brew you everlasting life in a bottle, to throw together a simple eyelash serum?”

“Yes!”

Hermione let out a silent laugh. Sometimes, it really was hard to believe that Professor Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard of his time.

For a few seconds, no one said anything. “I am not even going to get into how ridiculous this is,” Snape then said in an impassive voice. “But even if I wanted to fulfil your request, I couldn’t. Any magical cosmetic product requires Mooncalf oil which I do not have in stock right now.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I thought as much which is why I already placed an order at the apothecary in Hogsmeade. It should be ready to be picked up right about now!” The next part made Hermione perk up her ears. “Why don’t you take Miss Granger with you? Ordering potion ingredients is something she should familiarises herself with during her apprenticeship, and I am sure that it would also be good to get out and away from the seventh-year stress for a bit.”

“May I remind you that students, regardless of their age or position, are not allowed to leave school grounds just like that?”

Hermione heard what sounded like footsteps on a rug.

“You have my special permission,” replied Dumbledore with a chuckle before once again, the sound of flooing resonated through the wizard’s quarters. Still, Hermione waited another minute or two before emerging from her hiding spot.

Professor Snape was still sitting in the exact same spot as earlier and did not even look up as she walked past him. But when she finally arrived at her chair, she noticed a small mug filled with plain black tea hovering above it. Her face immediately broke out into a smile. The first few times he had prepared a cuppa for her, she had just figured that he had not been considerate enough to offer her any milk or sugar. But during one of her visits – the professor had just left to get something from his office – a small house elf had appeared and handed her the beverage with the words, “One black tea straight up, just like Master Snape says Miss Hermione likes it!” It was only then that she had realised that he had been paying attention to her, after all.

“Looks like we are going on an outing today,” Snape suddenly said before taking a sip of his own cup without lifting his eyes from the book on his lap. He liked his tea disgustingly sweet with at least half a dozen spoonfuls of sugar and enough milk to make it have an almost white appearance – Hermione had been paying attention to him too, of course.

*************** *************** ***************

“What do you mean it’s not ready yet?!”

“Ze delivery arrived just a few minutes ago,” explained the young apothecary at J. Pippin’s Potions in a thick Eastern European accent. “I still need to veigh it and carry out ze usual tests to prove ze content’s auzenticity.”

“I’m a bloody Potions Master! I can do that myself!” Severus growled threateningly, but the man did not even bat an eye; he had obviously not been a student at Hogwarts and therefore had never learnt to fear the bat of the dungeons. Severus could not help but feel a tiny bit uneasy. He knew that he had softened up a lot over the past few months, and now, he was afraid that at some point, he was going to lose his innate authority completely.

“As one, you should be avare of ze laws and regulations dictating zat I am not allowed to give you any goods vizout checking them zoroughly beforehand.”

Severus snorted in disgust. “Well, how long will it be then?”

“If I ztart right now,” the apothecary answered. “Probably about an hour.”

“AN HOUR!” The only thing that outburst got him was a nasty look. “What am I supposed to do for an hour?!”

“It’s okay, Professor.”

So far, his apprentice had kept in the background. But now, she took a step forward and positioned herself between the two wizards, blocking their direct view of each other and therefore immediately reducing the tension in the room. She looked him directly into his eyes, a slight smile on her face as she gingerly placed her hand on his forearm. Severus instantly felt like he had a gigantic lump in his throat.

“When you think about it, an hour is not even that long. We could have a look around the other shops or maybe even get a drink somewhere.”

“With all due respect, I can’t just go to the Three Broomsticks and have myself a butterbeer. Merlin forbid someone should see me in there!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said with a smirk. “If you want to be absolutely certain that you won’t meet anyone you know, then I have just the place!”

At first, he was rather confused and also a bit intrigued by her smug expression; however, that feeling quickly died down when about ten minutes later, he found himself jammed between the wall and a small gaudy table in Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.

Severus felt extremely uncomfortable, almost like a fish out of water. He had known about the place, of course. It had always been the dating hotspot for Hogwarts students, even back in his days. But unsurprisingly, since he had never been one of the popular kids and thus had never scored a date, he had not once set foot inside the infamous tearoom.

Looking around, he felt overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of tacky and frilly décor covering every single inch of the small room. All corners were filled with ridiculously small, round tables pilled with cheap china and fake flowers, the walls were plastered in a terribly ugly floral wallpaper, and there were a few random bright pink garlands hanging from the ceiling here and there. The man did not understand how anyone would ever voluntarily frequent this establishment and thanked the universe that he and Hermione were the only customers at that moment; he did not even want to imagine the weird stares the two of them would otherwise have got.

Speaking of Hermione, he turned his attention to the young woman sitting across from him. She looked so pretty with her cheeks flushed red from the cold and her brown hair all fuzzy from the fluffy woolly hat she had been wearing earlier as she studied the menu in absolute concentration. Severus could not help but be a bit flustered – this was feeling suspiciously like a date, and that made his stomach do somersaults.

“I think I’ll just have a cup of coffee,” Hermione finally spoke up. “But I’ve heard that their tea selection is also quite good if you’d rather have that.”

When he shook his head, she put down the menu to signal that they were ready to order which in turn set Madam Puddifoot in motion. She was certainly an interesting character – her greasy black hair tied into a strict knot at the top of her head, the corpulent witch had quite a bit of trouble navigating through the cluttered salon without knocking over a bunch of chairs. When she finally reached their table in the far back, she proclaimed in her screeching voice, “What can I get for you, my darlings?”

Severus raised one of his black eyebrows – no one had ever called him that.

“Could I get a caramel macchiato with an extra shot of caramel syrup, please?”

“Oh, good choice! You must have quite the sweet tooth!” The older woman let out a deafeningly high laugh before turning around to face Severus. “And what about you? The same or –“

“Black.”

The short and crisp reply seemed to throw her off for a second. “A-alrighty then … I’ll have your beverages with you shortly.”

And with that, she staggered away, knocking over a nearby gilded statue of an angel in the process.

For a few minutes, there was an awkward silence. Stealthily studying her through his lashes, Severus noticed that as Hermione was letting her look travel around the room, she was fiddling with the bracelet she was wearing around her left wrist. He had seen it before; it was the very one she had received from Dumbledore for her birthday. This made him think of his own gift, the one he had so stupidly gone overboard with. He realised that he had never got the chance to explain himself regarding that foolishness. But just as he was about to open his mouth, he was interrupted by two cups of steaming hot coffee suddenly appearing on their table out of thin air.

Surprised at first, Hermione let out a small squeak. Severus then watched as she carefully pulled her cup closer before taking a rounded sugar bowl from the table next to them and adding about three teaspoons worth of white sweetness to her beverage without tasting it even once. Afterwards, she took her small spoon and used it to gingerly skim off the heavy layer of whipped cream topping off her drink, devouring it little by little.

Severus was observing her so intently – almost as though he was mesmerised by her trivial movements – that he had to force his eyes away from her form in order to finally take a sip from his own mug. He took a few seconds to savour the bitter taste in his mouth.

“Miss –“ He quickly scanned the room and only continued when he saw no sign of the café’s owner. “Hermione, do tell how you thought of this place? I never took you as the sappy type.”

“Oh! Well …” She seemed a little nervous all of a sudden, a bit of whipped cream still stuck to the corners of her mouth. “I’ve actually been here before.”

Severus tilted his head just ever so slightly – he did not like where this was going. “Have you then?”

“Yes …” Why was she suddenly avoiding eye contact? “With Viktor Krum.”

BANG – it was like a bullet straight to his heart. He had completely forgotten about the fact that she had been that Krum bloke’s date to the Yule Ball three years ago. Of course – any woman, even a bookworm like Hermione, would be incapable of resisting the famous foreigner’s mysterious charms. Severus began to feel nauseous. How could he ever compare to someone like that?

“How romantic,” was all he managed to squeeze out, his gaze fixated on the floor.

“Not really. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Viktor is a really great guy, not at all what you would expect from a student of Durmstrang, and I enjoyed his company greatly.” BANG, BANG – another two hits right to the chest. “But while we certainly took a liking to each other, the real spark was just never there. And either way, it would have never worked out in the long run. That whole Quidditch thing is so not my cup of tea and a long-distance relationship at that age? No, at the end of the day, it was for the better that we separated on friendly terms.”

What?! Could it really be true that the Bulgarian was not in her life anymore?

“Plus, Ron kind of ruined it with his jealously anyway.”

The Weasley boy! Severus would have never in a million years thought that he would one day be thankful for that brat’s existence.

“I guess that Viktor was just not the guy I’m looking for.”

Not thinking rationally, Severus decided to be bold. “So what are you looking for then?”

Her cheeks somehow became even more flushed than before.

“I don’t really know,” she said quietly. “I guess I want someone who cares more about academics than sports. Someone who would not get annoyed with me for spending hours reading, because he would be just as immersed in the pages as me.”

There was a short pause.

“But I think that most importantly, I want … I need someone who understands what I went through during the war. Someone who has felt the same pain that I have felt. Because how could I ever explain that to an outsider?”

(Click here for chapter 19!)

[justanoutlawfic]

All I Want For Christmas: Chapt. 1

Day 1 of @charmingfamilychristmas :)

Summary: 10-year-old Emma's appendix bursts during the Christmas season. Her foster mother, Mary Margaret, calls on her best friend, David to help her through the challenging time. It'd seem despite a curse, the family's found it's way back together. That is until a certain wicked witch turned mayor gets wind and sets her sights on destroying this family.

Also on AO3/FF

Emma would rather be found outside getting dirty and playing wooden swords with her daddy. She pitched a fit any time she had to get dressed up for anything. Emma was quick to learn to crawl and walk. She had the entire kingdom wrapped around her little finger at only 4-years-old, despite not being what would be considered a typical princess. Snow and David wouldn’t have her any other way.

 Though sometimes, Snow had to get creative to get her into a dress. That was especially clear on her 8th birthday. Emma was putting up a bit of a fit over her dress, wearing a white dress with a blue ribbon around the waist.

 “Emma, it’s just one day,” Snow tried to bargain. She rarely made Emma wear a dress, normally she had suits made for her, however the one she had planned hadn’t panned through. Emma had said it was fine until the actual night of.

“No, Mommy!” She whined. “I don’t want to wear it!”

David entered the room just as Emma was dressed. None of his girls noticed his presence, so he coughed a bit. Both turned around, Emma beaming at her daddy merely being there, though Snow was grinning at how handsome he looked in his new suit.

 “Now, where could my little girls be?” David asked.

“Right here, Daddy!” Emma said.

David shook his head. “I don’t think so. My daughter is itty bitty, she’s not this big.”

“I am!” She argued. “I’m 8!”

“You are? I thought you were 2!”

She giggled, suddenly forgetting all about her dress. “Silly Daddy.”

“Well, is not-so-silly little girl ready for her party?”

 Emma nodded, running out of the room. Snow and David linked arms, following close behind her. It wasn’t long before the ball was in full swing. Regina made her way over to her step-granddaughter once she arrived.

 “GiGi!” Emma said, excitedly. Regina wasn’t too much older than Snow and didn’t feel like she was old enough to be a grandma quite yet.

“Hello lovely,” Regina said, cupping her face.

“I don’t like my dress.” She made a face.

Regina chuckled. “Of course you don’t.”

“Don’t hog my goddaughter,” Red said as she made her way over, swooping her into a big hug, showering her face with kisses.

 Snow and David watched on with a big smile. They were truly blessed over how loved their daughter was. Both sets of their parents had long passed on, but Emma didn’t lack for family. Outside Regina and Red, there were the dwarves and Granny. Even Ella and Thomas had become like surrogate aunt and uncle, their daughter, Alexandra was very close with the her. Yes, they felt very blessed.

 Suddenly, there was a chill throughout the air. Snow was going to ignore it, until she saw a cloud of green smoke. In the center of the room stood someone they hadn’t seen in quite some time.

 “Zelena,” Regina seethed.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said with a smirk. Her skin was green as the grass growing outside, her usual broom in hand.

“Leave, now!” David demanded, drawing his sword from his belt, causing Emma to curl into him. She didn’t like the scary lady. She had been fortunate enough to never meet her. Zelena had been banished after Snow and David fought to get their kingdom back.

Zelena merely let out a tsk. “Now, now, is that any way to talk to a guest?”

 She stepped closer to the royal couple. Regina went to throw a fireball at her sister, but was frozen in place. Zelena reached out to stroke Emma’s cheek, but Snow protectively stepped in front of her.

 “So innocent, so pure,” Zelena purred.

“You touch my daughter, I will end you,” Snow told her, her voice firm.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to harm a hair on her little head,” she replied, condescendingly. “I have just come to give the little one a gift.”

“We don’t want anything from you.”

“That’s too bad,” Zelena’s eyes filled with fury as she looked around at the packed ballroom. She could see the fear written all over Emma’s face as they cowered into her parents. “My gift to you is a curse, one that will make you all pay for banishing me.”

From her spot, still frozen, Regina gulped. “No. You can’t…you’ve been working with Rumple.”

“One of us had to, sis.” She smirked. “You were too weak to go through with it, but me…” She let out an evil laugh. “Well, Mother is going to be quite proud of me.”

“You won’t hurt our family or any of our kingdom for that matter,” David told her, his eyes narrowing.

“There’s not a thing you can do about it, Prince Charming,” Zelena taunted. “The curse is coming whether you like it or not. So, I’d cuddle that precious angel a little tighter, because soon, you’ll have lost that luxury.”

 David threw his sword in her direction, ready to end her, but she disappeared before it could even graze her. He and Snow looked from each other and down at the little girl in their arms. What the hell was going on?

After Zelena had left, everyone attempted to get back to the festivities to distract Emma, but the mood was definitely different. She had been tucked in bed early, but knew that Regina was still there, waiting to talk with her parents. She didn’t want to miss a word of it, so she pressed her ear to the other side of her father’s office door, listening to the conversation going on.

 “What exactly is this curse?” Snow asked Regina.

“It’s to send all of us to a faraway land, in another world. It’s a place where our lives are merely stories,” she explained.

“What does that even mean?” David asked.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Well how do we stop it?”

“We can’t.”

“You said she was working with Rumpelstiltskin, he’s locked in our dungeon,” Snow pointed out.  “Doesn’t that mean that she can’t cast it?”

“She was his prodigy, I’m sure he’s taught her everything he knows.”

“Well, how does the curse get enacted?”

“She has to crush the heart of the one she loves the most, which may buy us some time. I’m not sure that Zelena loves anyone,” Regina replied, lowering herself into a chair. “The thing about this curse is, we wouldn’t remember who we were, we’d have new identities and all.”

“All curses can be broken,” David said. “Look at the infertility one that George placed on Snow. We were able to break it with the water from that lake.”

“This curse is a bit more complicated. We’d need a savior.”

“Well, who’s the savior?”

Regina sighed. “That I wouldn’t know.”

 Snow and David exchanged a look, lacing their fingers together.

 “We won’t let her hurt our daughter, our kingdom,” Snow said, firmly. “We’ll do what we can to stop it.”

 David nodded. He wasn’t sure how they were going to do it, but they’d figure something out, somehow. Together, they walked to the door to see Regina out. On the other side of the door, they found Emma standing there, clutching her blanket.

 Snow raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing up?” She asked.

Regina partially smiled. “I can see myself out, good evening.” She descended the staircase, ready to head back to her own castle to game plan.

 David and Snow lead their daughter back up to the nursery, tucking them into her bed once again. Snow sat on one side of Emma, David sitting on the other.

 “What have we told you about eavesdropping?” Snow asked.

“Not to do it,” Emma mumbled.

“Exactly.”

“Is that mean lady coming back?”

David sighed, wrapping an arm around her. “No, sweetie. Never again.”

“What’s a curse?”

“It’s just…it’s not something we have to worry about.”

“GiGi can’t fix it, though. She said so,” Emma pointed out. “And GiGi can fix everything.” She had always fascinated with her step-grandmother’s magic, she thought she had the answers to everything, much like she did with her parents.

“Listen,” Snow said, rubbing her back. “We’re going to fix this. We’ll always be a family.”

“Even if we ever were separated, we’ll always find each other,” David promised them, kissing the top of Emma’s head. “That’s what we do in this family.”

Snow nodded. “We love you more than anything in this world. We won’t let a thing happen to you.”

Emma gnawed on her bottom lip. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

 They gave her a soft kiss to her forehead and began to sign a lullaby.

 Blacks and bays, dapples and greys, Go to sleepy you little baby,

Way down yonder, down in the meadow, There's a poor wee little lamby. The bees and the butterflies pickin' at its eyes

 Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, Go to sleepy little baby, When you wake, you shall have, All the pretty little horses.

 hey didn’t have as much time as they thought they did. For just a mere two days later, Regina realized that the mirror she had once used to force her mother into Wonderland had been stolen. She scoured the kingdom for it, before she came about an old farm cottage. Inside, she found a cauldron, bubbling. Beside it was…her mother.

 “Mother,” she whispered. “How are you here?”

“That’s what I would like to know,” Cora replied, an eyebrow raised.  “I thought you banished me to Wonderland.”

“I did,” Regina looked around for a minute until she saw that all too familiar broom. She gulped after a moment. “Zelena.”

“How do you know who that is?”

“She returned years ago, Mother.” Regina couldn’t even meet her eye. She would never forgive Cora for all she had done to her over the years. To top it all off, she had ruined Zelena’s life as well, causing her to become so screwed up.

Zelena suddenly appeared in her trademark cloud of green smoke. “Well, well, well, isn’t this a lovely family reunion,” she said, smiling from Regina to Cora.

“Zelena,” Cora breathed. “You turned out so beautiful.”

“Flattery will get you zero.”

“Why are you doing this, Zelena?” Regina asked. “She’s dangerous.”

“Oh, she can’t harm me. I made sure of it.” She stepped closer to her mom, staring down at her. “You see, ever since I found out what you did to me, I had to wonder why. Didn’t you love me? How couldn’t you?”

“Of course I love you,” Cora tried to say. She was putting on a good front, but Regina was beginning to wonder if, for the first time, her mother was afraid.

“That doesn’t matter. What does…is that I do you. All children love their mommies. And since I don’t have anyone else in my life…”

 Regina caught onto just what Zelena was doing. She hated Cora and had pictured doing the very same thing many times over in her life, but had refrained. Despite how awful she was, she was still her mother.

 “Zelena, don’t!”

 Regina was once again frozen before she could do anything. Zelena picked up a box, smirking from it to Cora.

 “I found your most prized possession, Mother,” she told her. She flipped it open and removed the beating heart, the one Cora had taken out all those years ago. “Rumple told me what you once said and you were right: love is weakness.”

 The heart glowed and pulsed in her chest. She held it over the cauldron and focused on it, her lip trembling as she crushed it, causing Cora to go limp in her chair. The cauldron bubbled over and Zelena grinned over at Regina, who looked pain stricken.

 “Toodles, sis,” Zelena said, flicking her wrist and disappearing.

 There was nothing Regina could do. She stared at her mother, becoming the curse’s first victim.

 Back at the palace, Snow looked out the window and in the distance, she could see the looming green clouds taking over everything. One by one, she could see the people she once knew disappearing as it touched. She quickly ran to where Emma played with her father. David met her eyes and they had one of their silent eye conversations. He quickly grabbed hold of Emma and Snow clutched his hand. Emma held her baby blanket tightly to her chest.

 hat are you doing, Mommy?” Emma asked.

“We’re going to play a game,” Snow improvised. “We’re going to run, as fast as we can, to the carriages outside, alright?”

 Emma nodded and clung tightly to her dad’s shirt. There was no time to say “I love you” or even continue to hold hands. They had to try to outrun the curse, protect their daughter. They had failed their kingdom, they wouldn’t do the same with her.

 As they got outside, Snow hopped into the carriage, holding Emma close on her lap. David wasn’t far behind, until suddenly Zelena appeared. Snow was about to go after her, when the horse unexpectedly took off. Snow screamed and held on tight to Emma, who was now sobbing.

 “Mommy! Daddy’s over there!”

“I know, angel, I know, we’ll find them,” she shouted over the loud clomping of the horseshoes. Before she could say anything more, they were engulfed by the curse.

David watched the carriage take off, his heart hanging heavy in his chest. His girls were gone, but at least they were together. He drew his sword, pointing it towards Zelena.

  He watched as his little girl took off, drawing his sword. “Emma is with Snow, we’re going to beat this.”

“That’s what you think,” she told him. With a flick of the wrist, she sent him flying against a tree. He let out a moan on impact before falling out of consciousness.

 A green cloud of smoke over took the two, a sick smile on Zelena’s face.

Long gone was the shepherd turned prince who had to adjust to a grand castle. No more was the husband of Snow White and the father of a little girl. He was no longer the hopeful man he had been.

 In his place was David Nolan. The son of a wealthy business man, who had passed on his company to his son. David had been married to Kathryn in this universe, as far as he knew, she had died in childbirth with their daughter. He lived alone in a beach front mansion in a small town in Maine. 36 years of fake memories had replaced the real ones. He wore stuffy suits and only really smiled for business purposes

 When he woke up for the first time in Storybrooke, he was laying in his king-sized bed. He was wearing Yankees pajama pants and a white t-shirt, his hair a tangled a mess. He had just lived through a terrible nightmare, reliving the night he lost his wife and child. They had been stolen from him and there was no way of ever getting them back. Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a long sigh.

 “It was just a dream,” he muttered, before slipping back to sleep.

 In another part of town, laid the former princess, Snow White. Except in this new land, she wasn’t her, her name was Mary Margaret Blanchard. Her long curls had disappeared and she had a pixie cut. Any signs that her body had once bared a child, from the stretchmarks to the tiny bits of baby weight that never went away, had disappeared. Unlike her husband, she wasn’t living in a mansion. Instead, she slept in the small loft that hung above the orphanage that she ran with the help of a few others.

 She could hear the rain falling outside as her eyes flickered open. Nearby, she could hear Jefferson snoring. A man that she had once considered a friend, now just a fellow employee. Both had their child ripped from them in this new curse. However, unlike David, she was closer to her daughter, just not in the way she’d like.

 Mary Margaret tied her robe around her waist and headed down the stairs. The twin beds were arranged in neat rows, all the children soundly sleeping. 36 years of fake memories were on her brain. She was a woman who had lost any family she had, one who couldn’t have any children of her own. So, she had taken a job at the orphanage to help find families for the orphans. Just as Jefferson would find himself moved to Grace and Robin had a close bond with Roland, Mary Margaret found herself checking on Emma.

 The young child laid in her bed, curled up in a ball. In her arms was what she believed to be the only thing left of her parents, a baby blanket with her name on it. As far as she knew, her parents had dropped her off at the orphanage in the middle of the night, never to return. Mary Margaret had been the one to find her on the doorstep and taken her in. She was the closest thing she had to a mother.

 Emma woke up a bit when she felt someone looking down at her. She blinked a few times. “Mary Margaret? Is it morning’ time?”

“Not yet, sweetheart,” Mary Margaret whispered. “Go back to sleep. Tomorrow will be a brighter day.”

 Emma nodded and let out a yawn before drifting off to sleep. Mary Margaret frowned, wondering how no one could want such a sweet little angel.

   2 Years Later

Emma stood outside, her legs planted firmly apart with her baseball glove in hand. She looked behind Roland, to her best friend Grace, who winked at her.

 “Throw the ball,” Roland complained with a small whine.

“I’ll throw it when I’m damn good and ready.”

“I’m gonna tell Mary Margaret and Jefferson that you cursed,” he threatened.

“And I’ll tell them that it was you that stole Jefferson’s wallet last weekend,” she countered.

 Emma was honestly just bluffing. She found herself having a soft spot for Roland, along with all the older kids in the orphanage. They were all in the same spot, less likely to be adopted the older that they got. Well, Emma didn’t really have that problem. It was just that the people that wanted to adopt her, weren’t the families she wanted. She wanted one person to be her mother, it just didn’t seem to be possible.

 Roland rolled his eyes and adjusted his hold on the bat. Emma threw the ball, which he missed. Grace giggled, holding it up in the air.

 “Strike three!” She announced. “You’re out!”

“Aw man,” Roland mumbled, stomping off.

“Who’s next?” Emma asked, looking over at the other children that were lined up to bat.

Suddenly, a window above them could be heard opening, followed by Mary Margaret’s voice. “Emma! What are you doing playing out in the dirt? I told you we have that meeting today!”

“We’re kicking the boys, butts, Mary Margaret!” Emma tried to explain.

Mary Margaret shook her head, taking in the little girl’s dirty overalls and messy hair. “Come on! We’re gonna be late!”

“Five more minutes!”

 She was fixed with a look, one that made her let out a long sigh and toss her glove over to Grace.

 “Guess I’ll be back later,” she said dramatically.

“Hey, good luck,” one of the other kids called out.

“She doesn’t want to be adopted, dummy,” Grace told them, folding her arms over her chest. She knew just how Emma felt. She wanted Jefferson to adopt her, but that didn’t seem to be happening.

“I don’t know why you two are so stubborn about that.”

“Mind your own beeswax,” Emma told him, heading back into the orphanage.

 A borrowed pair of clean jeans and a quick brush through her tangled hair later, Emma was sitting in the passenger seat of Mary Margaret’s station wagon. She kept glancing from the older woman to the road.

 “I don’t want to do this,” she mumbled.

“I heard that the Spencers are very nice people,” Mary Margaret said.

“Why can’t you just adopt me?” Emma said, looking up at her with narrowed eyes.

 Mary Margaret sighed, focusing her glance on the road. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about it. Actually, she had done more than just “think”. She’d gone to the head of social services in their town, Sidney Glass, and done all but begged to adopt Emma. She loved her, she had been looking after her for so many years. However, Mr. Glass, was heavily influenced by the town’s mayor, Zelena Greene who hated Mary Margaret for a reason she never understood. She said that given her salary, she could never provide for Emma properly, the same excuse she gave Jefferson when he wanted to adopt Grace. They weren’t exactly flowing with cash, but they made enough. It didn’t seem to matter, though. Whatever Mayor Greene said, went.

 “I already told you, they won’t let me,” she replied after a few moments of silence. “Plus, you deserve a mother and a father.”

“So get a husband.”

Mary Margaret laughed, shaking her head. “It’s not like buying a car, ya know.”

“So you keep saying.”

 Soon, they pulled up at the Spencer’s residence. Emma took it in, sighing. She knew all about Albert Spencer and his wife, who went by the nickname of Blue. They were pretty shady in her book and she was only 10. As she got out of the car, she folded her arms over her chest.

 “Come on, the house looks nice,” Mary Margaret tried to tell her. Truth was, she had also heard of the Spencer’s reputation, but they were well liked by most of the public. Blue and Zelena seemed to get along very well, the latter of which had really been pushing this match. “Just give them a chance, Em, please. You don’t want to be an orphan forever.”

“I already told you who I want to be my mom.”

 Emma stomped up the steps of the house, while Mary Margaret let out another sigh. She followed close behind her and rang the bell. The door opened and Emma found two of the coldest people on the other side. They were smiling, but not with their eyes. She looked from them to Mary Margaret, raising an eyebrow.

 “Well,” Blue said, coolly. “Isn’t she just precious.”

“Very,” Albert agreed. “Come on in, both of you.”

 Emma had been through a few meetings that she could remember. They all went the same, for the most part. Most of the time, they didn’t realize just how old she was and she’d head back to the orphanage. Every time, Mary Margaret would promise her that she would find her a real family one day.

 This was different, though. As cold as they seemed, they were also interested. They showed them both a room they had set up for a child. It had about as much personality as they did, but Mary Margaret tried to stay optimistic for Emma’s sake.

 “What sorts of things do you like to do, Emma?” Blue asked as they settled down at the kitchen table for a snack.

“Baseball, watching T.V, I dunno,” she shrugged.

“Baseball?” Albert raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s appropriate for a girl to be playing.”

“I play better than any of the stupid boys at the orphanage,” Emma mumbled.

“A proper young lady doesn’t mumble,” Blue corrected her with a stern look.

 Mary Margaret sighed. This wasn’t the family for Emma and she knew It. They just had to get through the meeting. She’d talk some sense into Sidney, even he had to see that these two were just off. There was no way she was going to send her there.

 The rest of the meeting was just awkward. Emma wasn’t saying much, outside the occasional sassy remark. Albert and Blue didn’t seem to be that interested anyway.

 “Thanks for meeting with…” Mary Margaret tried to say as they walked out, only to get the door slammed in her face.

Emma scoffed as they walked back to the car. “Can we just go back home now?”

“I’m sorry, Em. You know I’m really trying here…”

“Everyone wants the puppy, no one wants a mutt.”

“Hey,” Mary Margaret knelt in front of her, taking Emma’s chin into her hand, “You listen to me, Emma Swan, you are not a mutt. One day, you’ll have more family than you know what to do with. I promise.”

“I thought you didn’t make promises,” Emma told her, biting her lip.

“I don’t make promises I can’t keep. You’ll get a family. Here, look. I was going to wait to give this to you, but…”

 Mary Margaret reached into her glove compartment and pulled out a book. She had found it at the bookstore where a sullen Lacey French worked. She mostly ran it for her father (when she wasn’t getting drunk at the Rabbit Hole). She said the book had just come in and she couldn’t help but think it’d be perfect for Emma. She wasn’t a princessy type person, but she remembered fairytales helping her when she was young.

 “Once Upon A Time?” Emma asked, looking at the cover. “Like fairytales?”

“Yes. I want you to have it, maybe you could read it to the little kids, or yourself.” She gave her a soft smile. “Think about the classics, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, what do they all have in common?”

“That they were all stupid damsels in distress that needed a guy to save them?”

Mary Margaret shook her head. “They had hope, even in the darkest of times. All happy endings start with hope, Emma. You just have to believe.”

 Emma gave her a look. She felt like Mary Margaret had said a lot of crazy stuff over the years, this seemed to take the cake. A part of her wanted to believe, though. She held the book to her chest and shrugged.

 “Thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome. Now come on, I think we’ll just make lunch. Jefferson arranged for Granny’s to cater today, we’re having grilled cheese.”

 That got Emma smiling again as she climbed into the passenger seat, the book not leaving her lap.

Zelena strode up the steps of the Spencer household. She had the misfortune of knowing both George and Blue back in the Enchanted Forest. They could’ve actually been allies of her, if George wasn’t an insufferable man who preferred to work alone and if Blue had actually been up front and honest about her shadiness. Zelena didn’t have patience for fake people…or fairies. It only made sense to pair them in the curse and make them both more than willing to work with her.

 Except apparently, they didn’t want to follow her plan to adopt Emma Swan from the orphanage. It was the next phase of her plan. The girls were getting older, the only ones that actually aged within the curse. In order for her to permanently freeze the town, she needed them to lose all the hope they had inside them. That started with Emma being adopted by ghastly Spencers. Once and for all, Snow White would lose everything that mattered to her. Soon, she would wake her from the curse, allowing her to watch as her husband was miserable and mourning a woman who never existed, while her daughter was being raised by others. There would be nothing she could do and eventually she would end up in asylum.

  Albert opened the door, giving her a polite smile. “Madam Mayor, how may I assist you?”

“I heard you and your wife met Emma Swan this weekend,” she said. “Yet Sidney said you told him you weren’t interested.”

“Blue doesn’t even want children,” Albert explained. “Emma was a stretch. Plus, as I told you, I need a son, an heir.”

Zelena rolled her eyes. “Do not be so prehistoric, Albert. A girl can just as well be an heir as a boy, if you train her right. I’m sure with proper redirection, Emma would be an amazing heir. Plus, I could more than make it worth your while.”

Albert raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t usually the parents who are looking to buy the children?”

“I’m a modern woman. So, do we have a deal or not?”

He sighed, knowing that the mayor was not going to back down. “I’m sure I can talk to Blue. Last we checked though, the paperwork is complicated.”

“You leave all that to me, darling. You just convince that wifey of yours that all’s that missing in your life is a precious little girl.”

 Zelena turned around and headed back to her car, driving to the orphanage. She wasn’t completely cruel to the children, she always made sure that it had enough money. She had once been an orphan herself and though each of these children actually had cursed parents they were separated from, she didn’t want them to suffer. Well, not all of them anyway. She made her way through the crowd of little ones that were playing outside under the aide of Jefferson. He looked away from her, clearly still bitter from the last time he pleaded to adopt Grace.

 She made her way inside and found Mary Margaret in the kitchen, cooking. There was something funny to her to watch the former princess now forced to do housework. She put her hands on her hips.

 “Miss Blanchard.”

Mary Margaret looked up, offering a polite smile to the mayor. “Hello Madam Mayor. How may I help you today?”

“I just wanted to talk to you about Emma.” She saw the woman’s eyes light up. “It seems that Albert Spencer has had a change of heart. He believes he might actually want to adopt Emma.” She could see her face instantly fall at that news. “What is it? I thought the idea behind this orphanage was to find all the children homes.”

“I know that and I do want that, for all of them,” Mary Margaret tried to clarify. “It’s just…I don’t think that’s best for Emma. Not with the Spencers, I mean.”

“Albert is quite wealthy, he can provide for her plenty.”

“With all due respect, Madam Mayor,” she put down the spoon she was holding. “Money isn’t all that a child needs. They need love, stability.”

Zelena let out a sigh. “Here we go again.”

“Please, at least just consider it,” Mary Margaret pleaded. “I did the numbers. I make enough to support Emma and myself. I know it’s not a luxurious mansion or anything…”

“Not to mention you are single,” Zelena reminded her. “A child needs two parents.”

Mary Margaret let out a sigh. “Come on, wouldn’t you rather allow her with someone who actually wants her?”

“Miss Blanchard, this conversation is highly inappropriate. I do not like what you are insuating about the Spencers. How do I know that you’re not spewing this around Emma?”

“I’m not, I swear…”

“Do I need to move you to an orphanage out of town? Because I will.”

“No, no, please, I’m sorry!”

 Zelena smirked. This was the one main difference between Snow White and Mary Margaret Blanchard. Snow would’ve never allowed anyone to speak to her in such a way. Mary Margaret was a shrinking violet and didn’t want to step on toes.

“I won’t ask you again,” Mary Margaret whispered. “Please, just let me keep your job.”

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, Miss Blanchard. Next time, please watch your mouth. Now, I would prepare Emma for probably another visit with the Spencers.” She dipped her finger into the bowl of mashed potatoes that the care worker was making and licked it. “Needs more salt.”

 Mary Margaret let out a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair. What was she supposed to do now? There was no way she could let Emma end up with the Spencers. There had to be another way, any other way.

 The door to the kitchen burst open once again and Grace ran through. She let out another sigh. “Grace, dinner will be ready…”

“Mary Margaret, something’s wrong with Emma!”

 She instantly dropped the spoon and ran into the room with the beds. She found Emma curled up on her bed, pushing away Jefferson who was trying to figure what was wrong. Sitting next to her, she quietly shooed him away to try to get the other kids from crowding Emma. Putting a hand on her forehead, she frowned.

 “Emma, you have a fever.”

“I’m fine,” she whined, despite the look on her face.

“I don’t think you are.” She noticed Emma was clutching her stomach, more specifically the right side. “Okay, Jefferson, I need you to call an ambulance.”

Jefferson had managed to get all of the kids, barring Grace (who was clinging to his leg), out of the room. “Why?”

“I think she has appendicitis.” Mary Margaret ran her fingers through Emma’s hair. “It’s going to be okay Emma, you’re going to be okay.”

 Emma whimpered, looking up at Mary Margaret, for the first time in a long time, appearing to be afraid. The ambulance came quickly and the paramedics were rushing Emma into the ambulance. Mary Margaret started going after them, but then paused, turning back to Jefferson and Robin.

 “I…”

Robin waved her off. “Go, it’ll be fine. We can handle the kids, you take care of Emma.”

 She nodded and got into the back of the ambulance with them. She held tightly onto Emma’s hand, answering as many questions as she could as it sped down the streets to Storybrooke General. Upon arrival, Emma was taken away from her and she was left alone, standing in the middle of the waiting room, her heart beating heavily. She couldn’t stand being alone in that moment.

 She couldn’t call Robin or Jefferson. One person couldn’t handle all the kids alone. There was only one other person that came to mind.

 Digging through her pocket, she retrieved her cell phone and quickly dialed a number.

 “Mary Margaret?” David asked.

“I…I need you. One of the kids is in the hospital…I can’t do this alone.”

[floatingseaotter]

The Wedding

or Rhapsody In Blue

Song - You've Got the Love by Florence + the Machine

"...at length" count - 25

This chapter... it pains me. But it's so good from what I remember!!

This is another exampled of tlat Lily being a wee bit Slytherin and all schemey-like. I love it.

The absolute travesty that is James breaking his two-way mirror by the way. But of course, "And y'know, if you had been there, you would've been impressed. It was very dramatic. I almost took out Adam McKinnon's eye with the debris." — ahahahahah

Lily's dress was yellow.

— Like a... 😭😭😭

I love the image of Lily walking around the church, by herself in her lovely yellow dress humming 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Not Lily purposely being sketchy around Vernon to creep him out! Excellent form.

Lily The Nearby Florist™️

Lily learnt the magic extension charm in fourth year? You go girl... And her calling it the Mary Poppins charm🥹

Somewhat predictably, Lily had always been good with flowers.

I was proper scandalised that Lily smoked, forgetting she did it with Sirius by the lake a couple of chapters ago. Nice to have Lily talk about/to her dad though through that. Petunia knows she fixed her bouquet and she says they're lovely and she is so close to like, being nice to Lily but she's just not getting there!

I appreciate calling them crisps and not chips.

She was pretty and blonde, and the moment the Marauders spotted her—directing a wizard toward the lift—Sirius cleared his throat and brushed his black hair from his eyes. "I think it's fair to say that I've got this one," he said confidently. The others rolled their eyes, but followed him to the desk nonetheless. "Hello there," greeted Sirius, and the witch looked up at them. Her eyes barely touched on Sirius, however, before flickering to one of his friends. "James Potter?"

—AAAhahaha

"Why were you running from us?" "Where were you chasing me?" countered Byron. "Because you were running!" James retorted, frustrated. "James considered other people running... as a personal challenge," Remus remarked...

— That's amazing, I absolutely love that.

Lily threw champagne in Marge's face for being rude about her mum and dad. Everyone applauded, the crowd cheered, the room celebrated.

"You can just shut up about my mum and dad, you sagging, irrelevant hag!" Lily snapped to the older woma, before rounding on Marge once again. "And you are an awful woman! You are cruel, and rude, and... and..." But her mind suddenly went blank: "fat!"

— Get 'em, Lily.

Why is Piers Peasegood supposed to be familiar to the Marauders?

Lily and her mam have a really love relationship :)

"It's... it's just I don't know when I'll see you again," Lily murmured. Petunia lingered in indecision for a few moments. "We both chose our paths," she said at last. She gathered up the last of her belongings and was gone a few seconds later.

— Bloody Petunia man. Talk about Petty... I wonder if she was every supposed to show up again.

Sirius is so upset about the broken mirror, it's so sad. He blames himself because it was him who James was so angry at that he broke it in the first place. He's using the mirrors as a symbol of James's forgiveness because the mirror being broken is "concrete evidence" that James hated him 😭

Is this Pierson Peasegood fellow at Petunias wedding or something? I am so lost... AHAHAHAHA he's PIP the drunkard from the Leaky Cauldron. I love that sneaky reveal! The mirrors are fixed for it was a mystery whether they ever would be... But I enjoyed the Marauders little story line there.

IS DONNA A CAPRICORN? ahahahaha oh my god she might be, her birthday is around Christmas isn't it. I was only joking. Her charging Mary and Marlene a galleon each to help them with homework is brilliant by her.

"Relax, Prongs," said Remus dryly. "In this version of the narration, he's already duelled an ogre and tortured someone for information... I don't think anyone but Sirius believes he's telling the truth."

— Amazing.

I forgot about Sirius calling Mary, Marlene, Donna, and Lily a Beatle each! "Where's John Lennon anyway?" and not them disagreeing about who's who lmao.

They have all just went to retrieve Lily with tequila and I remember the rest of this chapter so fondly but also painfully. I am not ready!

Did Sirius talk up James in that rendition of the tale just for Lily?! Sirius playing Wingman.

"Never have I ever... cooked my own supper." He [Sirius] shuddered at the mere thought."

— Because of course. Though this also implies that Sirius has not cooked a meal while he has been living by himself all summer?

"Never have I ever... jumped off a muli-storey car park!" "Marlene!" "What? I don't intend to!"

— GIRL

JAMES IS TAKING LILY HOME!

Moonlight suited James Potter just fine, Lily reasoned, when they stepped out into the sand, and the white glow illuminated a part of his face, reflecting off one lens of his specs. It was a moment before Lily realised that she was staring and looked away.

— AAAAAAHHHHH

"This way," and she guided him, looping her arm through his rather than letting go. Anyway, it was easier to walk with the support.

— AAAAAAHHHHH

"it's a nice dress," he told her. "You look like a sunflower."

They stepped into the street in order to cross, and Lily, overcome by the sudden urge to twirl, let go of James's arm. She spun around like a ballerina, and only stopped when she nearly tripped over the curb. Laughing, James hurried up to her, steadying her.

— For whatever reason, this specific paragraph lives rent free in my brain.

"She hopped onto the sidewalk again and pulled James along with her, this time, taking him by the collar of his shirt. "This way, Potter." "I'm coming, Evans."

—After the celebration of 'crisps' earlier, the points have been taken because of the lack of 'pavement'. But anyways, I LOVE THEM.

NOT THE IMPENDING TRIP TO THE COAST!!! I HATE IT HERE!!!

"You're toasted, Snaps." "Well, so are you! I bet you couldn't even... couldn't even..." "Couldn't even what?" "I dunno!" Do something really simple that only sober people could do! Snap with both fingers!" James raised both hands to eye level and began to snap, causing Lily to laugh. "You're ridiculous," she told him. "Stop it." "No," teased James. "You wanted me to snap, and I'm snapping." ..."Lily grabbed both of his hands with her consdierably smalled ones, trying to hold them donw, to little success until James relaxed his arms. The victorious Lily smirked up at her defeated adversary, only to realised that she now stood quite close to him. The toes of her shoes brushed the rubber tips of his trainers, and she stillheld his warm hands in hers. The space between their oses was primarily due only to the height difference; James stared down at her, and she stared back, the smiles not quite faded from her lips... Her lips, which were, incidentally, dangerously near to his. This sobered Lily at once, as did the unexpected seriousness of James's expression. Neither of them smiled now; it was almost as though all the air had been sucked out of each, and, for a second, they both held their breath. James had really, really, really, nice eyes. And he was about to kiss her. No, she was about to kiss him. No... Oh, what did it matter? They were both moving closer and closer, dimindishing the infinitesimal space between their lips. Lily was conscious of closing her eyes, and she didn't close them all the way, anyway, but her lids dropped, and suddenly, she wasn't seeing James, but feeling him. Her purse fell to the sidewalk; her hands had moved to his shoulders, then his neck. She stood on her toes. His breath warmed her where it touched her—her head was angled, titled just to respond to the angle of his, and she wasn't sure if she actually felt the brush of his lips or if it was only the anticipation.... imagination, maybe, because she'd wondered for so long what it might be like, and... Wait.

James took a a step back too, looking he'd had the wind knocked out of him, as he ran one hand through his thick hair.

Lily was about to hyperventilate.

I HATE IT. I HATE THIS. It's the fact that THAT is the closest we get in the entire fic to them being together pretty much. AAAAH. I HATE IT.

I am re-reading The Life and Times

And it is getting documented. Purely for my own benefit.

The Life and Times by Jewels5

She was dramatic. He was dynamic. She was precise. He was impulsive. He was James, and she was Lily, and one day they shared a kiss, but before that they shared many arguments, for he was cocky, and she was sweet, and matters of the heart require time.

[findandselect-blog]

Iceland Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia has been published on Find and Select Business Reviews

New Post has been published on http://www.findandselect.com/travel/iceland-vacation-travel-guide-expedia.html

Iceland Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia

It’s dotted with hundreds of volcanoes, yet is home to Europe’s largest glacier; it’s perched on the edge of the arctic circle, yet is warmed by the Gulf Stream,…Icelandtruly is, the Land of Fire and Ice.

It’s also theland, of story.

The marks of human hands are few and far betweenon this windswept land.

Footprints are quickly reclaimed, but stories,…lingerforever.

Such is the sheer force and beauty of thisplace that Viking warriors have been transformed into poets, and familystories into epic sagas.

When Norseman, Ingólfur Arnarson, first caught sight of these shores over eleven-hundredyears ago, he cast the wooden seat pillars of his chieftain’sthrone overboard and vowed to build his farm wherever theywashed up.

Three years later the pillars were found anda settlement was born.

That settlement became Reykjavik, Iceland’scapital, a city two-thirds of Icelanders now call home.

With a population of only 300,000, Iceland can feel like the most isolated placeon earth, yet Reykjavik is only a three-hour flightfrom London, and just under six from New York.

Reykjavik is one of those places that’snot sure if it’s big town, or a small city, and therein lays its charm.

It’s relaxed and welcoming, yet possesses a fierce creativity and cultural life that holds its own againstother European capitals.

Most buildings here are a response to thenatural environment,… simple and low, to beat the North Atlanticwinds,…colourful, to brighten the spirits through the long darkwinters.

Yet there's grand civic architecture heretoo, buildings truly inspired by Iceland’s naturalbeauty.

Like a spire from a fairy tale ice-castle, the soaring central tower of Hallgrímskirkjawatches over all of Reykjavik.

Designed to mirror the geometric shapes ofancient lava flows, few other churches in the world so honourthe natural world.

Iceland’s conference and concert center, Harpa, is designed to reflect the city’ssky, harbour and cultural energy.

Once again, the island’s dramatic geologic formationsare honoured here, as well as the incredible winter spectacleof the Northern Lights.

Icelanders value their heritage buildingstoo.

When Reykjavík modernised in the mid-twentiethcentury, dozens of the city’s older buildings wererelocated to the last of the city’s farms.

Today, Arbaejarsafn, serves as a museum whichallows visitors to walk through the pages of earlier times.

While at the National Museum of Iceland, take a voyage through Icelandic history, from the present day, back to the SettlementAge.

Wherever you step in this city, nature beckons you,…over windswept waters,across the mountains, and into limitless horizons.

Many of the country’s most popular sightsare within easy reach of Reykjavík, often by public transport.

Immerse yourself in the spirit of Iceland, at the Blue Lagoon.

Here, and at hundredsof volcanic baths across the island, locals come to soak in the healing thermalwaters, share gossip with neighbours, and even conductbusiness meetings.

Not far from Reykjavík is an area known asThe Golden Circle, which encompasses three of Iceland’s greatestnatural wonders.

Just 30 miles from the capital, is ThingvellirNational Park, considered the country’s heart and soul.

Here, you can actually walk between the tectonicplates of North America and Europe, that have been drifting apart for millennia.

Stand upon the shore of the country’s largestlake, …wander the grass covered lava flows and imagine the clans who gathered here forIceland’s open air parliament, for two weeks each year, for over 800 years.

Also in the Golden Circle, experience a boiling cauldron of hissing steamvents and belching mud pools, at the Geysir Geothermal Field.

The Great Geysir itself has been quiet inrecent years, but nearby, it’s little brother Strokkur,still puts on a show, thrusting water into the heavens every 10minutes.

If there’s one natural wonder in The GoldenCircle that outshines them all, it’s Gullfoss.

Early last century, the waterfall was threatenedby a hydroelectric project, until a local farmer’s daughter walked barefootto Reykjavik and threatened to throw herself from the fallsunless the project was stopped.

Today, that woman is regarded as Iceland’sfirst environmentalist, and The Golden Falls have been protected,forever.

For many visitors, their Icelandic story continues no further than Reykjavik and The Golden Circle, which is a shame, because the further youroam, the greater the adventure.

Iceland’s main ring road circles the entireisland, stringing together an endless series of epiclandscapes and tales.

An hour and a half’s drive east from Reykjavik is one of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss.

Follow the trail behind a 200 foot veil ofpure glacial water, where throughout the ages, adventurers havecome to pause, and breathe in the mists of this sacred place.

Drive another 18 miles east, to Skógafoss,where according to folklore, a Viking buried his chest of gold behind thefalls.

Years later, a local boy found the chest and attemptedto wrench it from it’s hiding place, only to tear off its handle before the chestvanished again.

On sunny days the falls create a double rainbow,a treasure in itself.

Continue eastward towards Vík, the southern-mostvillage in the country.

Here wedged between the mountains and thesea lie some of Iceland’s most dramatic landscapes,weather, and legends.

Explore the basalt sands of Black Beach, considered one of the most beautiful non-tropicalbeaches in the world.

Just offshore rise the basalt sea stacks ofReynisdrangar.

Locals say the formations are the remainsof two trolls heading out to sea, who, when caught by the rising sun were frozenin the morning light.

The shorelines here are made up of otherworldlyrock formations and caves, like Hálsanefshellir, said to be a monster’s lair until a landslidesealed the entrance only a century ago.

Hike across the natural arch of Dyrholaeyand sit surrounded by puffins.

While below, waves that have travelled uninterrupted, all the way from Antarctica, end their journeyagainst Iceland’s most southerly point.

Follow the ring road for another two hours, into the ethereal light of JökulsárlónLake.

Here, at the tongue of Vatnajokull, Europe’slargest glacier, icebergs break away and float for years, melting down until they are small enough totumble out to sea.

A magnet for photographers and filmmakers, Jökulsárlón has been the setting for modernday legends, like James Bond, Batman, and Lara Croft.

From the wild, windswept shores of the EastCoast to the volcanic wonders of the north, Iceland’s ring road offers one jewel afteranother, all strung together with mile upon mile ofabsolute solitude.

Stand before the northern horseshoe fallsof Selfoss.

Then just downstream, feel the earth rumble beneath your boots atEurope’s mightiest waterfall, Dettifoss, who’s plume can be seen overhalf a mile away.

Nearby the Myvatn region awaits, whose centerpieceis a tranquil lake, surrounded by nature in all its violent beauty.

Take a careful walk through the boiling landscapeof Namafjall.

Lose yourself amid the lava pillars and darkcastles of Dimmuborgir, the place where Satan is said to have landedwhen God cast him from Heaven.

Then, peer into the caldera of Krafla Volcano, and witness the incredible geothermal powerthat resides just beneath the ice.

Just to the west of Myvatn, is a waterfall forever linked to a turningpoint in Iceland’s epic narrative.

When civil war threatened to tear the islandin two in the 10th century, Iceland’s law speaker united the countryunder one faith, Christianity.

In a symbolic act of conversion, the chieftain hurled his pagan totems offthe falls, which have been known as Godafoss, the waterfallof the gods, ever since.

After a few days on the road, the tiny city of Akureyri appears like anarctic oasis.

Known as the Capital of the North, Akureyri is the perfect place to warm up andenjoy some comfort and culture, before heading off into the wilds again.

There are some stories we never want to end,that we never want to put down, but rest assured, this, is only an introduction.

In Iceland,every side road, every path is a story waiting to unfold.

Fromthe vast interior, to the West Fjords, each untouched beach andwindswept plain is an unwritten page.

So come, and live your own Icelandic story,it’s one you’ll keep telling for the rest of your days.

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