#which is the happier ending for carewyn

[carewyncromwell]

"Come with me and you'll be In a world of pure imagination... Reach out -- touch -- what was once Just in your imagination..."

~"Pure Imagination (cover)" from Wonka (2023)

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Hey, I told y'all that the new Wonka movie made me want to draw some Jacob Cromwell content!! Hehe! 🥰

But yes. Considering that Timothee Chalamet has been my fancast for my boy Jacob for ages (though I initially picked Timothee because how he appeared in The Adderall Diaries, since I always imagined Jacob with long hair), I couldn't have been happier by what I saw of Wonka's trailers, because really, I thought to myself that even if I didn't end up liking the film, I'd have lots of fun new gifs to use in RP posts for Jacob. But as it turned out, I absolutely loved Wonka...and for a good chunk of the movie, all I could think is, "...Timothee is basically just playing an illiterate, chocolatier Jacob Cromwell right now. 😂" So yeah, a Jacob Wonka concept seemed like an absolute no-brainer...especially when the "dumb big brother/smart little sister" dynamic Wonka has with Noodle in the film reminds me so much of Jacob's dynamic with his sister, my OG girl Carewyn. Which reminds me...I also did a concept for a Noodle!twelve-year-old!Carey Bear to go along with this too!

In this alternate universe scenario, Carewyn and Jacob wouldn't be biological siblings -- instead Jacob Wonka is the orphaned son of soft-spoken chocolate genius Lane Wonka, while Carewyn is the orphan ward of a nasty conwoman who's simply called "Pipsqueak" by everyone because of her small size, only for Jacob to shorten the name down further to "Pip" and then ret-con the nickname to be short for "Pippa" (meaning "lover of horses"), because his new surrogate little sister sings songs about wild horses when she's sad and come on, it's a much better name than "Pipsqueak." And of course as it turns out Pippa's past is ultimately tied up with one of the three main members of the Chocolate Cartel, Charles Cromwell. It is weird to split this family up this way, but ehhh, the idea made me smile anyway. No idea who most anyone else would be, but I imagine all of the other characters would mainly be people significant to Jacob's story more than Carewyn's, such as Rakepick, Duncan, Olivia, and Madam Rosmerta, rather than anyone from the Circle of Khanna.

Oh yes -- and for those of you who need proper audio for that above bonus comic of Jacob Wonka and "Pippa"...here. 😝

Hold your breath -- make a wish -- count to three...and hope you all have a lovely night! Much love!! xoxo

[carewyncromwell]

"Together at last! Together forever! We're tying a knot they never can sever! I don't need sunshine now to turn my skies to blue... I don't need anything but you!"

~"I Don't Need Anything But You" from Annie (musical)

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Awww, yeah, here's some happier belated birthday content for my boy Jacob! ❤️

A while back, I was asked for a headcanon about the Cromwells and either Apparition or the Knight Bus, and in my response, I talked about Carewyn's first time using the Knight Bus, which was when seven-year-old Carewyn rode it all by herself to go surprise Jacob at Liverpool's train station when he came home for winter break in his fifth year. (While he was at school, Jacob would have to take not one but two trains each time to get home for summer/winter/spring break, since Lane wouldn't be able to get off work early enough to drive all the way from Liverpool to London and back.) So this is right after Jacob -- just getting off his second train and preparing to walk home -- was taken completely aback by his precious little sister running out of the assembled crowd to meet him.

"JACOB!" "...Pip? PIP!" "Jacob!" "C'mere! (insert big hug here!) Ah...Merlin's beard, Pip! What are you doing here!? How did you get here?!" "I came to get you! 'Cause it's Christmas. And I wanted to walk home with you...so I asked the Knight Bus to take me!" "You took the Knight Bus here all by yourself?" "Mm-hmm...I paid my way with my allowance. I was gonna walk home with you, but when I told the driver where I was going, he said that once I picked you up, he'd take us home for free, if you just hold your wand arm out over the street." "Wha -- really?" "Mm-hmm. He said it was because it's Christmas, but I think he was just being nice, because he didn't want me walking so far. But I can do it! You walk home from here all the time -- I can do it too..." "Aww, Pippa...of course you could. But it would be awfully rude not to accept the free ride home, when the bloke was so nice about it. Besides...if we get home early, we can cook up some pigs in a blanket as a surprise for Mum!" "...Yeah!"

Jacob and Carewyn ended up sitting in comfy armchairs right behind the mustached driver that slid to and fro with every precarious turn the Bus made around those twenty-five blocks. The bus driver was a pretty sweet fellow -- he was actually a father of a little boy himself, and since his son (Christopher) was a Squib who wouldn't be attending Hogwarts, he was planning to retire from his post on the Knight Bus the following school year so that he could drive him to and from his new school instead. (Carewyn suggested that the bus driver drive Christopher to more fun places too on his days off, like the beach and Liverpool Central Library. Jacob recommended that Christopher should pick a good chunk of those places they went to, so the driver could get to know the Muggle World his son was going to be a part of and the Muggle things he was most interested in.) The bus ride only took about five minutes, but the driver took a bit of extra time parked to help Jacob unload his trunk and pet owl Hoo's cage and wish the two Cromwells and their mother a happy Christmas before zipping off to his next stop.

Sure enough, when Lane got home from work late that night, Lane was delighted by the wonderful surprise her bairns made for supper. Jacob and Carewyn, however, didn't give their mother the full context of how Jacob got home so fast that night until they were much older and were sure Lane wouldn't be upset that her seven-year-old little girl had ridden the Knight Bus all by herself.

[carewyncromwell]

"Who knew that I would be So unexpectedly, undeniably happier, Sitting with you right here, right here next to me?"

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HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri // Jacob's outfit // Duncan's outfit (plus a coat and sash)

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The Best Ideas Jacob Cromwell's Ever Come Up With

(according to the "Counselor" of Spades, Duncan Ashe)

A new variation of steam-powered engine powered by a combination of hydroelectric and solar energy. (This would be tested successfully both on the royal zepplin and to power the entire palace and its surrounding buildings, cutting the overall cost of energy production in the Country of Spades by a good twenty percent.)

Several new vaccines, many of which adapted into oral supplements so as to make it easier to vaccinate small children. (Jacob specifically wanted to make something that people who are afraid of needles would be able to take safely, as his little sister Carewyn got very teary as a toddler, when getting her first shots.)

Mecha suits specifically designed to protect coal miners in treacherous underground conditions. (This idea would sadly be "co-opted" by the Tyrant of Spades Patricia Rakepick and repurposed into weapons of war. Fortunately the Joker called the "Escape Artist" destroyed every last one of them before they could be used to attack other parts of Cinderhaven.)

"We could just lock old Madam Ace in her office for a night. Then maybe you could force the army to cut their spending." (Sadly this idea, however tempting and amusing it might've been, was one Duncan couldn't go along with.)

A close-to-unbreakable puzzle lock, perfect for small drawers or boxes. (Jacob put this on Duncan's desk as a belated birthday gift, after he suspected Rakepick was sending spies around to try to rifle through his papers. The Spades technological expert took it upon himself to take out ten different books on locking mechanism and even consult with a locksmith for two weeks when constructing it, and it's thanks to this undertaking that Jacob became very, very proficient at picking locks himself.)

A record player that could be powered through pressing a pedal, rather than being plugged in with electricity. (Jacob put this on the desk in his workshop so that he could play music with his foot, while working on other projects. Duncan actually gifted Jacob several records to play on it, including Sitting on Top of the World, which is one of his favorite songs.)

"Let me come with you, Ashe. Rakepick's stooges will think twice about messing with you, if I'm there." (They didn't, at first. Fortunately Jacob ended up shutting up one particularly mouthy bloke, after he had the audacity to suggest Duncan only ever tapped people for positions at court if he was sleeping with them. Clearly a mean-spirited, untrue dig at his BFF Coby and both obvious and oblivious OTL Jacob. Jacob punched the guy so hard in the face that he nursed a bruised jaw for a solid three weeks. After that, no one dared say a single bad word about Duncan in Jacob's earshot.)

A prototype of a dirigible shaped like a dragon, powered by both wind and hydroelectric power, which uses giant wings to steer. (This also was eyed by Rakepick as something that she could modify into a weapon of war. Fortunately none of her subordinates were sharp enough to figure out how to give such an "air dragon" the ability to breathe fire without damaging the modified prototypes.)

A set of sparkling silver cuff links that, when the sides are squeezed, expanded into very sharp hatpins. (Inspired by the hatpins women sometimes wore in their hats for self-defense, Jacob made these as yet another birthday gift for Duncan, with the idea of them being helpful for self-defense. Duncan personally found them a little gaudy, but wore them anyway.)

"Come on, Ashe...you sing the next line!" (The night that Jacob finally encouraged Duncan to come over to the Cromwell house for dinner, he encouraged Duncan to sing along with him and Carewyn the way they always did, whenever they rode the trolley home together. Duncan actually did hold his own incredibly well alongside the two trained singers, and soon he, Carewyn, and Jacob were all singing together. It was one of the few times in Duncan's life -- alongside his times with Veruca and Coby -- that Duncan felt the way he imagined other people felt, with their families.)

[carewyncromwell]

Fluff Alphabet: Carewyn/???

Okay, so I was tagged by @cursebreakerfarrier, @montaguehphm, AND @lins-hogwarts-mystery for this...but I have two current possible end-game ships for my girl, Carewyn Cromwell -- Carewyn/Chiara and Carewyn/Diego.

So I’m going to split it up like this -- italics will be for Carewyn/Chiara, bold will be for Carewyn/Diego. Maybe you guys can reply to this post with your thoughts about which ship you favor, after reading these over? LOL XDD

Tagging @thehogwartscursebakers​, @dat-silvers-girl​, @angellazull​, @samshogwarts​, @ariparri​, @hphm-brooke​ @drinkyoursoupbitch​ and any other HPHM players who wants to do this for their MC ships and hasn’t gotten tagged yet! xoxo

A: Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

Carewyn has always been enamored of Chiara’s modesty, passion for Healing, patience, and unwavering kindness. Carewyn constantly feels like she has to work at being kind and forgiving, and it’s something that comes so easily to Chiara, even despite her horrible lot in life, and Carewyn loves that about her. Chiara was first attracted to Carewyn’s strong compassion, but later also fell in love with her courage and determination. Plus she also thinks she’s really friggin’ pretty and she can’t stop looking at her mouth whenever she’s talking *blush*. XD

Carewyn loves how steadfast Diego is, once he’s set his mind to something. Even though he seems like a flaky flirt, he’s actually very loyal to the people he cares about. Carewyn also loves how much fun he is to be around, and surprisingly -- even though she finds his flirting hilarious rather than swoon-worthy -- she does like Diego’s more sincerely romantic, sentimental side, such as when he wears one of her earrings so he can feel like she’s closer to him while they’re apart, or when he calls in to request a song for her on the Wizarding Wireless Network while she’s at work. Diego was first interested in getting to know Carewyn because he’d heard she was an amazing duelist (which he’ll always find hot as all get-out), and of course he thought she was rather pretty -- but what he actually finds most attractive about Carewyn isn’t her talent or her courage, but her laugh. Carewyn’s prone to mask her emotions a lot and she usually covers her mouth to try to hold in her laughter -- but Diego loves nothing more than when usually super-serious Carewyn is so happy that her cheeks flush pink, her sparkling eyes flutter closed, and she just cannot stop giggling.

B: Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

Chiara is intimidated by the thought of having a family because of her lycanthropy. Carewyn doesn’t want biological children, and is very happy simply caring for her adopted “son,” Erik Apollo.

Diego would like a family, but isn’t picky about what kind. He’s perfectly content with treating Carewyn’s ward Erik as his son, since Carewyn doesn’t want to bear children of her own. He’s also dotes on his friends’ kids just as much as Carewyn does.

C: Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

Chiara really likes cuddling my poor touch-starved child, but is very shy about initiating any kind of intimacy, since she knows she gets more out of cuddling and sex than asexual!Carewyn. Fortunately Carewyn can usually sense when Chiara really desires closeness and so will often initiate cuddle time for her. When the two do cuddle, it usually consists of either Carewyn sleeping behind Chiara with her arm around her waist and her head on her shoulder, or with the two leaning against each other and holding hands in one of their respective laps.

Diego LOVES cuddling, but is aware of Carewyn’s lessened interest in it, so he tries to find creative ways for them to be close without cuddling frequently. Since Carewyn likes holding his arm when they’re in public, Diego adds onto that by resting his hand on top of hers holding his arm. If Carewyn’s holding his wrist, Diego will twist his arm around to hold hers in return, rubbing his thumb lightly along her skin.

D: Dates (What are dates with them?)

Concerts! Chiara and Carewyn love going to concerts together -- they always dress to impress and always go out of their way to get matching concert tees. The best concert they’ve been to so far was for Prince, but they also have gone to see artists like Queen and the Cure live. Besides that, they actually spend a lot of dates at home, sitting under the blankets reading books together. One of Chiara’s favorite memories is Carewyn reading Mr. Darcy’s romantic monologue from the end of Pride and Prejudice aloud for the first time -- when she’d finished, Chiara couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward, bringing a hand up to Carewyn’s face to make her look up, and ensnaring her lips in a deep, hungry kiss. Around Christmas time, Chiara and Carewyn like taking turns reading A Christmas Carol aloud to each other.

The obvious one is dancing. Diego LOVES finding an excuse to dance with Carewyn, whether by taking her to a small nightclub, by signing them up for a dance class, or just by turning on the radio while they’re home alone and twirling her around the kitchen. One of the most fun classes they took was for ballroom dance -- Carewyn wore one of her prettiest, flowiest dresses and when they danced together, Diego felt like he was in an old Hollywood movie musical. Besides dancing, though, Diego and Carewyn also go to the movie theater and watch movies at home a lot. Carewyn’s favorite type of movies are musicals, period dramas and detective stories, while Diego’s favorite genres are musicals, action movies, and chick flicks (yes, really -- he cries so hard watching The Notebook).

E: Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…))

Carewyn to Chiara: “You are my sanctuary.”

Chiara to Carewyn: “You are my courage.”

Carewyn to Diego: “You are my sunshine.”

Diego to Carewyn: “You are my inspiration.”

F: Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

Chiara knew she was in love with Carewyn the moment she saw Carewyn first transform into a robin so she could stay with her and keep her company during the next full moon. The fact that Carewyn had put in so much effort and work, all for her, moved Chiara so much that, when she returned to her dorm after that full moon, her eyes flooded with tears just thinking about it.

Carewyn knew she was in love with Chiara the moment that Chiara took hold of Carewyn’s face in both hands, holding it as she leaned in close and whispered in a voice fiercer than Carewyn had ever heard her use before that she didn’t care how much Carewyn hated herself, that she -- Chiara -- would love her until Carewyn could love herself. That day had been one of the worst for Carewyn after Rowan’s death -- she’d disappeared for almost an entire day and had only just reemerged, ending up in a crying clump on the ground with Bill, Charlie, Ben, and Merula, and Chiara had arrived with Talbott and a few others behind her, racing straight to Carewyn’s side. Her unconditional support and passion with which she spoke touched Carewyn more than she could ever hope to express.

Diego knew he was in love with Carewyn when he stood side by side with her before the Circle of Khanna’s final battle with R. She’d been standing alone, dressed in robes worthy of a general, and Diego had approached her, asking if she was all right. They talked for a while, before Diego gave one of his usual “charming” quips -- and Carewyn just started laughing. She laughed harder than Diego had ever heard her laugh before. Diego smiled, dumbfounded, asking if he was really that funny; Carewyn finally managed to rein in her amusement and, through a fond smile, reached up, gave Diego a light platonic kiss to the cheek, and thanked him. “I was terrified, looking out at everything,” she’d said. “It was...overwhelming. But you reminded me why I’m doing this at all -- because you all are worth any risk. So I can love you more strongly than I could ever fear anything.” As she said it, the sunrise behind her made a crown-like halo of sunshine around her head -- and in that moment, Diego knew he was lost.

Carewyn knew she was in love with Diego when he finally, finally manged to beat her in a duel one day. Even though she’s much more mature than when she was a kid, Carewyn has always been a rather sore loser, berating herself whenever she falls short, and so as she rose to her feet, there was a noticeable drop of her head and weight on her shoulders. Rather than gloat, Diego immediately rushed over to Carewyn, gushing over her technique at the top of his lungs as he led her away from everyone else. Once the bystanders were out of earshot, Diego asked Carewyn if she’d sing something for him. Carewyn was startled by the request -- Diego explained that Carewyn always looked so happy and free whenever she sang, and in that moment, he couldn’t bear to see “his General” hang her head. Carewyn settled on “Angel,” a song by her favorite band, the Eurythmics. She sang it softly so only the two of them could hear it as they walked side by side...and after a while, she caught the sound of Diego lowly singing the chorus (“Angel, my angel...fly over me...Angel...”) along with her. She looked into his dark eyes, saw his full, delighted smile...and she knew.

G: Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

Chiara and Carewyn are both the EPITOME of gentle, the first because she’s a shy Healer, the second because she’s a total empath. Whenever they’re ever actually physically intimate, Chiara and Carewyn usually caress and hold each other’s faces a lot and trail their hands through each other’s hair.

Carewyn is gentle, yeah, but amusingly, Diego is also an absolute friggin’ gentleman. When Carewyn can’t reach something, Diego will sometimes offer to physically lift her so she can get it, and he always holds her waist with both the strength and gentleness of a male figure skater.

H: Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

Chiara loves interlacing her fingers with Carewyn’s while they’re holding hands, whenever appropriate. She likes being able to feel Carewyn’s pulse when the inside of their wrists are touching.

Carewyn will frequently hold onto Diego’s arm, so Diego often holds Carewyn’s hand holding his arm. He likes to rub his thumb affectionately over the back of her hand.

I: Impression (What was their first impression?)

Carewyn of Chiara: ‘She seems so...lonely.’

Chiara of Carewyn: ‘Why is she looking at me like that? It’s like...she can see through me...’

Carewyn of Diego: ‘...Is he for real?’

Diego of Carewyn: ‘Such a lovely smile, and yet...such closed eyes. I wonder what’s behind those eyes.’

J: Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

Chiara isn’t jealous, exactly, but she does frequently doubt herself and lament that Carewyn deserves someone better than her -- someone who isn’t a werewolf and wouldn’t have the potential of hurting her or damaging her reputation at the Ministry. It’s more that she becomes depressed and hopeless at the thought of Carewyn with other people, rather than territorial.

Diego does get jealous. He’s very aware of how much Carewyn attracts others around her, and although most of the time he’s a pretty chill dude, he hates it when other men flirt with Carewyn. He’s cool with Carewyn’s relationships with people like Bill, Charlie, and Talbott, since he knows that the love Carewyn feels for them is strictly platonic -- but when someone he doesn’t know tries to make a move on Carewyn, he can’t help himself from asserting himself a bit and making it clear that she’s taken. Fortunately Carewyn, being the incredibly monogamous sort she is, is usually able to soothe Diego’s concerns, either by introducing Diego to the person properly or by likewise making her relationship status clear by introducing Diego as her boyfriend and/or kissing his cheek.

(In both cases, Carewyn is remarkably unfazed by jealousy. Once she makes a commitment, she’s in it for the long haul, and she expects nothing less from her respective partner. As long as you love her and she loves you, that’s all that matters. But if you give her real cause to doubt you, such as you having a romantic affair with someone else, that’s it, you’re out of her life. No forgiveness.)

K: Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

Carewyn initiated the first kiss, which was very short and chaste. Chiara froze like a deer in the headlights, but after she finally recovered herself and the two hashed out their feelings a bit, she rather clumsily moved in and kissed Carewyn herself much more fully. Since she knows Carewyn prefers short kisses to long ones (since Carewyn likes to look at her partner’s face to see their reaction and keeping your eyes open during long kisses gets uncomfortable), Chiara tries to keep most of her kisses rather chaste, only dipping into deep kisses when she’s feeling particularly affectionate or turned on. When they do kiss, though, it’s usually always on the lips, except for when one of them has to wake up before the other to go to work and they kiss each other on the forehead before heading out.

Diego initiated the first kiss after asking through a charming smile if Carewyn would slap him if he did. (She laughed quietly before assuring him she wouldn’t.) Since Carewyn’s less physically affectionate than him, Diego tries to get creative with his kisses, just like he does his cuddling. Sometimes he’ll ask Carewyn for a kiss, and when she moves in to kiss him on the lips or cheek, he’ll kiss her nose instead. He also loves kissing her hands, whether a gentlemanly kiss on the back of her hand or a more sensual one to her palm while they’re more intimate.

L: Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)

Although the two women suspected each other’s feelings for a long while beforehand, Carewyn said the actual words aloud first. "...I realize that...neither of us is very good, when it comes to admitting these sorts of things...but...after everything we’ve been through, I couldn’t live with myself if you didn’t know. My heart is yours, Chiara. It has been for a long time. And it doesn’t matter to me if you want to take the next step with me, or make it official. Just...know that I love you, with everything I am.”

Diego confessed first, after inviting Carewyn to sing some karaoke with him at a local pub. He chose a love duet from a movie musical he and Carewyn had gone out to see with some friends and really enjoyed, and after the two had something of a silent conversation with their eyes the entire time they were singing, Diego offered Carewyn an oddly self-conscious smile as they headed back to their table. “...I wanted to make sure you knew I was serious.” “So you were?” “What? You think I wasn’t?” “It was a little melodramatic.” “Well yes, but -- wasn’t it romantic?” “Yes. It was. ...So you were being serious?” “Yes! Incredibly! ...I love you, Carewyn Cromwell. I have for...well, quite a while, now.”

M: Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

Chiara’s favorite memory is when Carewyn first turned into her robin Animagus form to keep her company during the full moon. Carewyn’s favorite is when she first brought Chiara home to her mother Lane at Christmas time, and the two connected instantly.

Diego’s favorite memory is when he first invited Carewyn to dance with him in the Three Broomsticks during OWL season -- he’ll never forget how much his heart grew, seeing her self-conscious smile and flushed face as she sang along to the song being played. Carewyn’s favorite is when they first dueled the troll together -- even years later, she looks back on that day very fondly, as it was when she realized what a truly loyal companion Diego was.

N: Nickel (Do they spoil one another? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Neither Chiara nor Carewyn are the sort to spend a lot of money, but they do always go out of their way to save up and buy each other something really nice every Christmas. Carewyn likes to surprise Chiara with little packages of baked goods that she can take into work, while Chiara loves saving up over the span of several years to buy Carewyn a really nice pair of diamond earrings or something.

Diego loves surprising Carewyn with little tokens of his affection. They usually won’t cost much, but nothing gives him more joy than being able to give Carewyn a gift for no other reason than “I saw this and thought of you!” Carewyn teases Diego for his little “unbirthday” gifts in the beginning, but before long, she’s reciprocating in kind by baking him stuff and leaving sweet little handwritten notes on the fridge and in the pocket of his robes for him to find. Diego always melts into a pile of lovestruck goo whenever he finds one of her notes, even if he’s in the middle of tutoring some rich pureblood family’s kid in Wizard Dueling.

O: Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

Carewyn always thinks of Chiara whenever she sees anything silver -- she actually gravitates more toward silver jewelry largely because of her other half. Chiara thinks of Carewyn whenever she sees anything bright blue, like her eyes: Chiara actually mentally dubs any cloudless blue sky as a ‘Care-Blue sky,’ and always feels a spring in her step whenever she sees one.

Carewyn associates Diego with navy blue, not just for the jean jacket he often wore at school, but for her favorite of his dress robes that he wears for work. She always thinks he looks very handsome in them, even if she always has to fix the collar whenever it comes undone. Diego associates the color orange with Carewyn, specifically orange roses, which was one of the first presents he ever gave her when they started dating. When he gave her the single orange rose, he explained that in the language of flowers, they stand for desire, and he associated them with Carewyn not just because of her ginger hair, but because she desires so much from the world and the people around her, and he desires being beside her as long as he can. Carewyn grows an incredible fondness for orange roses over the years, thanks to the many times he’d give her them and even just point them out to her whenever they were out and about.

P: Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

Carewyn calls Chiara “Chi.” Chiara calls Carewyn “Care.” Sometimes they’ll also call each other “dear” and “honey.”

Diego calls Carewyn “General” -- a nickname he developed when she first led the Circle of Khanna. Diego also uses many affectionate variations, such as “sweet General,” “fair General,” “dear General” and “my General.” Carewyn calls Diego “Cap,” though she’ll also call Diego “dear” and “love” when she’s feeling particularly affectionate.

Q: Quaint (What is their favorite non-modern thing?)

Chiara finds old-fashioned strap-on roller skates beyond cute. She also loves it when Carewyn wears vintage-style dresses -- they’re always so pretty on her!

Diego likes old-fashioned glass soda bottles. He and Carewyn actually collect them and reuse them as glasses when they’re eating at home.

(In both cases, Carewyn picks records. CD’s are fine, but records have WAY better sound quality, thank you.)

R: Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Carewyn and Chiara read Muggle fiction books aloud together, either in bed or on the couch under a blanket. Some of their favorites that they’ve read together are Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, The Secret Garden, and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Diego and Carewyn watch TV and/or a movie together. Carewyn is a sucker for crime shows, but she will let Diego change the channel so he can watch Days of Our Lives at the proper time.

S: Sad (How do they cheer each other up?)

Chiara reassures Carewyn that she’s there for her and tries to get Carewyn to talk about whatever’s upsetting her, with the thought that she’ll feel better once she vent her feelings properly. Carewyn tends to coddle Chiara, showering her with affection and trying to encourage her enough to tell her what’s wrong and how she can help.

Diego tries to be physically present for Carewyn, when she’s upset. He often won’t broach the subject directly, preferring her to open up on her own if she wants to talk, but wants to make it clear that he’s not going anywhere. Carewyn will likewise coddle Diego.

T: Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Carewyn and Chiara love talking about their respective jobs and coworkers with each other, and they always feed off of each other’s passion for their work. They also talk about music a lot, ranking bands and songs and getting into friendly debates about musical artists they disagree on. When things are more serious, they’ll sometimes talk about the political landscape, too.

Diego's conversations with Carewyn are often aimless and laid-back. Even when Carewyn starts off talking about something serious, they’ll usually banter and drift off so much that the conversation always ends up somewhere completely different than where they started. They can start on a topic like one of Carewyn’s upcoming court cases and end up talking about a new flavor of ice cream at the parlor down the street.

U: Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

Chiara and Carewyn both relax when they’re able to sit quietly and comfortably together after a long day.

Carewyn likes when Diego offers to brush her hair. Diego loves when Carewyn offers to give him a neck or back massage.

V: Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

Chiara isn’t a show-off at all -- but she does get some secret, giddy satisfaction whenever she can bring Carewyn to St. Mungo’s, not just to show Carewyn where she’s working and what she’s been up to, but also to show off her friggin’ gorgeous girlfriend to her co-workers. Yes, that girl is mine. 83

Diego is a total show-off while dueling, both when Carewyn’s around to watch or not. He also makes it a point to show off Carewyn when they’re in public, especially if she’s dressed to kill.

(In both cases, Carewyn loves showing off any new outfits she’s wearing...and of course, she loves telling everyone about her partner’s achievements.)

W: Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

In both cases, I’m not sure I would have Chiara or Diego propose. Carewyn is actually quite a romantic person, but she’s not huge into the idea of marriage. (Considering how her parents’ marriage turned out, I can’t say I blame her.) I’m more likely to see Carewyn’s happy ending with her respective partner being a domestic partnership or even queerplatonic relationship, over a marriage.

X: Xylophone (What’s their song?)

I actually have aesthetic playlists for both ships! Here’s Chiara/Carewyn, and Diego/Carewyn.

Y: Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Touched on above on “W!”

Z: Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

Chiara and Carewyn would have a pair of black and white tuxedo cats named Annie and Johnny Rotten.

Diego and Carewyn would have a golden retriever named Prince and a snowy owl named Evita.

[carewyncromwell]

“But when I get my check,  I just ain’t gonna give a heck --  I’m gonna be a party-popping, show-stopping,  Wig-flopping witch for a night!” 

~“Witch for a Night” by Sugar Pie DeSanto

x~x~x~x

Eeeeee, wittle Carewyn! Look at how adorable my wittle baby Mama Bear is! 🥰

But yes -- this is Carewyn’s very first real Halloween where she got to actually dress up and go trick-or-treating! She was seven years old, and her mum Lane was able to help her daughter put together a Glinda the Good costume with a plastic magic wand and an old flower girl dress they found at a yard sale (the second of which Lane then used Colovaria on to turn from yellow to pink) and a crown that Carewyn cut out of construction paper and decorated herself. Carewyn ended up getting a lot of adults cooing over how cute she was (especially whenever she’d get distracted twirling around in her wide, princessy skirt), but what made the little girl feel really happy were the many people who guessed who she was and called her a “good witch.” She couldn’t stop herself from smiling so big as she said, 

“Yeah! I am a good witch! I am! I’m gonna be the best one!”

This earned only an indulgent chuckle from the Muggle adults who heard it -- but Lane Cromwell was full to the brim with pride, seeing just how bright and happy a flush clung to her daughter’s face. 

Eventually Lane asked another parent they collided with while walking around the neighborhood to take a picture of herself and Carewyn with Lane’s Polaroid camera, so as to send to Jacob back at Hogwarts. The still picture and accompanying letters (one long and detailed from Lane and one messily scribbled-out in orange marker from Carewyn) warmed Jacob’s heart so much that for a moment, he could completely forget about the Cursed Vaults and R’s threats --

Happy Halloween, Jacob! 

Look what Mum and I did! We found this dress and Mum turned it pink with magic! Isn’t it so pretty? It’s so fun to twirl, even if you can’t see it in the picture. I made the crown myself! I wanted to make it out of wax paper, so you could see through it, but it didn’t work that good. It kept falling apart. But I guess this one turned out okay anyway! I got lots and lots of candy, and everybody called me a good witch! It was SO much fun! I wish you were here and could help me eat all my chocko chocalet sweets! I asked Mum if I could save some for when you get home, but she said we’d all be able to enjoy some sweets together this Christmas. Mum says work is going really well! She seems happier now. I think it’s because she’s able to send back all the checks she gets in the mail a lot faster. Maybe when you get back home, Mum can buy you some new jeans, so you don’t have to wear those ripped ones anymore. Your knees will get cold.

I love you THIS much! Please write back soon. I want to know about the candy and the pumpkins and the bats and the ghosts they have at Hogwarts for Halloween! I don’t want to know about the tricks. They’re mean! I’m glad people only ever give treats when you say Trick or Treat at the door!

Love,

Carewyn

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

[carewyncromwell]

Penny 🤝 Carewyn

Requested by Anon

Carewyn Cromwell was, by and large, not much of a party person. She had always been much happier just spending quality time with her closest friends, rather than being surrounded by a bunch of exciting strangers. Even when she attended parties, she almost always tended to stick close to her friends, especially those friends who found parties even less comfortable than she did, like shy wallflower Liz or solitary smart-mouth Talbott. 

Penny Haywood, however, was the definition of a party person -- and she always tried to yank Carewyn along with her to them, whenever possible. 

“Come on, Carewyn, it’ll be fun!” she’d say. “Everyone’ll be there! There’ll be lots of food and dancing and games...I even heard Gwenog Jones herself might make an appearance!”

Carewyn very gently declined off most of these such invitations so as not to hurt Penny’s feelings, but every now and again, Penny was able to convince Carewyn to go to a few of them. Sometimes it was because of who’d be there, such as the house party Penny helped Charlie organize at the Burrow -- not only was Carewyn happy to spend time with Charlie, but she also thought that such a party would need at least one adult present. And sure enough, Carewyn ended up being the one to pull in the reins and make sure Charlie wouldn’t get in any trouble for hosting a party while his parents were out. Another time Penny had asked Carewyn to help her with and attend a Christmas party she was throwing to celebrate the professors and all of their hard work over that school year -- the event ended up being a rather modest, classy affair, which Carewyn was secretly very grateful for.

This time, however, Carewyn was coaxed in by her one true love: music. Penny had caught wind of a huge get-together at the Three Broomsticks, being put together by several members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, where they planned to smuggle in a modified Muggle jukebox and dance the night away. Since Carewyn so rarely could play any of her favorite non-magical songs anywhere but at home, it seemed like listening to a lot of Muggle oldies would be a lot of fun. So Carewyn put on one of her favorite dresses and went to the event, ready to spend an evening drinking a butterbeer by the jukebox and singing along with any songs she recognized. 

Penny, of course, wasn’t willing to settle for that. Upon finding her friend sitting by the jukebox, she immediately flounced over, her own bright yellow dress sweeping behind her.

“Come on, Carewyn!” she said brightly, taking both of her hands. “Let’s go dance!”

But Carewyn stayed seated. “It’s okay, Penny -- I’m fine right here.”

“Oh, I know,” said Penny earnestly, “but this song is really good...and we can’t let Diego have all the fun!”

She indicated their mutual friend, Diego Caplan, cutting a rug a short way away.

“The last thing I’d want to do is get in the way of a master at work,” Carewyn said with a ruby red smile. 

“You wouldn’t be in the way, Carewyn,” Penny said brightly. “I’m sure you’ll be brilliant! You’ve always been so attuned to music...”

She gave Carewyn’s hands a very light tug. 

“Come on...I’ll dance with you! It’ll be fun!”

Carewyn was pretty unaffected by peer pressure, but Penny’s earnestness was wearing at her resolve. She knew if she said no flat-out, she might hurt her friend’s feelings -- so she tried to find a way to soften it.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go out there with you, Penny,” she said bracingly. “It’s just that...dancing isn’t really my particular skill set -- ”

“That’s okay!” insisted Penny. “You don’t have to be great at dancing -- this is all just for fun, anyway...”

“I know,” Carewyn cut her off a bit more crisply than she meant. She immediately tried to soften her tone again. “But...well, I like watching all of you dancing. I like sitting back here and watching you and the others having fun. That is fun, for me.”

Penny blinked, slightly confused. “But...wouldn’t it be more fun to go out there and do it yourself?”

“For some people, maybe,” said Carewyn. “But me...I like just watching. Sometimes it’s fun to go out and do things, but other times...well, it’s nice to just take a moment, sit back and just...enjoy everything. See everyone interact, and talk, and live their lives. Even if it’s not something you’re that good at or even like yourself, it’s...nice to just see other people being excited about something.”

The memory of her brother Jacob going off on a long, animated tangent about the ingredient break-down of Skele-Gro rippled over her mind. Carewyn barely even remembered everything he’d said about the potion and its composition anymore...but it’d still made her smile so fully, listening to how happy all of it made her older brother.

Penny considered Carewyn’s words, before her lips curled up in a slight smile.

“...I guess I know what you mean,” she granted. “I don’t fully understand you and Badeea sometimes, when you’re talking about art -- or you and Rowan, when you’re talking about History of Magic. And Charlie -- wow! Dragons are cool, sure, but the way he talks about them with you...I wonder if he’ll ever love any one person more than he does dragons...”

Carewyn giggled behind her hand. “Likely not.”

Penny settled herself at the table next to the Slytherin Prefect. 

“It’s something I’ve always admired about you, Carewyn,” the blond Hufflepuff said softly, “how in-tune you are with people. It just kind of makes me sad that everyone doesn’t know how good at it you are.”

She sighed, but it didn’t dampen her smile.

“I guess it’s the same reason Talbott doesn’t seem to care that no one knows how loyal of a friend he is, once you get to know him.”

Carewyn smiled. “Well, sure. Not everything that’s valuable is meant to be shared. Sometimes you have to earn it.”

“Now you sound like Orion Amari!” Penny said with a laugh. She gained a slightly more longing glint to her smile. “Oh, I do miss when you were on the Slytherin team...it was so much fun, to watch you, Skye, and Orion fly together...”

A twinge of discomfort and guilt panged through Carewyn remembering her time with the Slytherin team and the fall-out between her and Skye that had resulted in her departure. Fortunately, at that very moment, the jukebox changed songs, playing a light, upbeat tune that caught both Penny and Carewyn’s ears right away. 

“Here comes the sun -- doo doo doo doo...”

“Ooooh, I love this one!” Penny said eagerly.

Carewyn grinned too as she immediately sang along. 

“Here comes the sun, and I say...”

“It’s all right!” Penny jumped in to finish the line brightly. 

Hufflepuff’s resident gossip queen leaned over to turn the knob on the jukebox to increase the volume as Carewyn sang along a little louder.

“Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter... Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here...”

Penny kicked her legs back and forth leisurely as her bright, slightly sharp voice joined Carewyn’s much more trained tone again for the chorus.

“Here comes the sun -- doo doo doo doo...

Here comes the sun, and I say...it’s all right!”

A few of the people dancing on the floor took notice of popular Penny Haywood and “Cursebreaker Cromwell” singing along to the jukebox on the sidelines together. Most of the others, though, were too preoccupied doing their own thing...and Carewyn liked that quite well. 

Friendship Drabble Prompt! 

[carewyncromwell]

“For one so small, you seem so strong... My arms will hold you, Keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken... I will be here -- don't you cry...” ~“You’ll Be In My Heart (Radio Version)” by Phil Collins

x~x~x~x

Okay, after that last piece I did with Jacob Cromwell, I figured he deserved some happiness -- so here’s a snapshot of Jacob and Carewyn from a happier time...namely, at 16 and 7 years old respectively, before Jacob got fully ensnared in R’s web. This would’ve been the same year that -- as referenced in the game Hogwarts Mystery -- R targeted Carewyn and Rakepick ended up protecting her...and for those of you who have read the still unfinished good!Rakepick AU, I think you can totally see why Rakepick ended up protecting this sweet little child who loves her brother so much and is so, so happy to have him home. 

Jacob and Carewyn Cromwell were always very close, from the moment Carewyn first appeared in Jacob’s life. Not only did their father Evan Bach kind of emotionally unplug completely from Carewyn’s life, so someone needed to fill that void, but both Jacob and Carewyn were born with very strong Legilimency potential, which made them both kind of subconsciously latch onto each other’s minds and never really let go again. Carewyn in particular, being such an empath with her abilities, made it so that she could very easily read and was very easily influenced by her brother’s feelings, and with Jacob being able to consistently predict other people’s behavior, including his sister, it made him a surprisingly good caretaker, predicting her desires even before she could properly articulate them. Because he could predict whenever baby Carewyn was about to start crying, or when she wanted to get to the other side of the room, or if she needed help reaching something, he could bridge the gap and help her with whatever she needed before anyone else. And Carewyn in return fed off of Jacob’s enthusiasm and reciprocated his encouragement and unconditional love ten-fold, knowing in the back of her own mind and heart just how much her big brother needed it. This makes it so that they really were each the best confidante they’d ever had, which -- partnered with Jacob’s intense protectiveness of his little sister -- makes it very obvious why Jacob was so terrified of R hurting her and ultimately why Carewyn’s whole world and life fell apart when her brother vanished. There’s a reason why in two incredibly angsty AU scenarios I wrote where Jacob loses Carewyn or Carewyn loses Jacob, the remaining Cromwell sibling completely falls apart -- Jacob and Carewyn truly do understand each other in a way no one else could, and that bond is only strengthened after Carewyn rescues Jacob from the Portrait Vault and they both have to fight and live together more as equals after their age gap has shrunk from nine years down to two. 

Jacob’s shirt is based off this design -- those of you who can pick out the reference might understand the choice, given Jacob’s adoration for the King Arthur mythos and overall nerdiness. Meanwhile Carewyn’s dress is loosely based off of the one Anne Boleyn wears in Six the Musical, solely because I took a liking to it a long while back and so I’ve consistently draw little!Carewyn in it since the very beginning. (I headcanon it being one of only three second-hand dresses she owns and has to wear multiple times in a week.) 

Hope you all have a lovely day! As always, please consider liking/reblogging/commenting, as well as checking out 

[carewyncromwell]

May i have 9 & 20 for all your ships? I just cant choose i love them too much (insert heart eyes)

Oh gosh! All of my ships! *deep breath* Okay -- let's go!

9. Have they made each other cry?

Carewyn/Orion ~ Carewyn couldn't keep the tears out of her eyes when she found out that Orion has the same Patronus as her. She'd been so conflicted about her growing feelings, so seeing that their souls were truly that alike was so powerful of a thought that she never had trouble conjuring a Patronus again.

Jacob/Ashe ~ Jacob was inconsolable both when he found out Ashe had died and when Ashe passed on to the next life post-Vaults. His tears on both occasions could've filled an ocean.

Erik/Roxy @mira-shard ~ I could see Roxy getting kind of teary when awkward turtle Erik proposes marriage. Particularly since he'd lean into his inner-Mr. Darcy and give a rather sincere speech confirming the extent of his feelings, even if Erik by nature is much more mind over heart.

Ana/Charlie @drinkyoursoupbitch ~ Sadly, both of these two did make each other cry, and it wasn't just out of joy. Before they got together, there was a very bad misunderstanding between them (classic third-act-misunderstanding, if one looks at the "chick flick" formula these two write out with their romance, LOL), where Ana was controlled by the Imperius Curse by some blood supremacists and Charlie was left wondering if she'd really do those things or not. The true root of the miscommunication, though, had to do with Ana resisting Charlie's friendship for so long only to abruptly stop writing to him out of the blue -- which in truth was because Ana had developed romantic feelings for Charlie and had trouble watching him talk about other girls. Once the two talked everything out, though, and Ana for once was the one chasing after Charlie rather than the other way around, their tears were a lot happier.

Jackson/Monty @cursebreakerfarrier ~ No, unless you count the times Jackson gets watery-eyed whenever Monty does anything particularly sweet.

Bat/Grim @cursebreakerfarrier ~ Grim has never made Bat cry, no -- though there was one significant time that he cried because he was so overwhelmed by the knowledge that he could embrace Grim with no repercussions. I also see both of them crying in the Reincarnation AU when they finally put together their real connection. Sadly I do see two ccasion where Bat made Grim cry -- the first, in their first lives, when he was murdered in Hogsmeade; the second, in their second lives, at the start of their sixth year. Grim's father discovers a letter for his son from Bat, sees that it's a name he doesn't recognize and deduces he's a Muggle-born, and orders Grim to write a letter back telling Bat to not contact him again. Grim reluctantly agrees, but thinks he can explain to Bat later that they can just talk at school, but that his father just can't know they're friends. Bat, however, doesn't take it well. When they return to school, Bat completely detaches from Grim and treats him as coldly as a stranger -- when Grim tries to figure out why, Bat actually shows a bit of cold temper, saying that he may have had no friends growing up, but even he knows his own worth enough to know that he deserves better than a friend who won't stand by him the way he always has his friends. Grim's made it clear what's important to him, he says coldly -- his father's approval means the most to him, and if Bat is such a burden that their friendship will get in the way of winning that approval, then he'll just stop being his friend. Grim was utterly heartbroken when Bat left him alone in the commonroom at the end of that conversation and he couldn't hold back the tears streaming down his face.

Ru/Estrid @thatravenpuffwitch ~ Estrid cried pretty hard when Ru died. Ru cried pretty hard themselves when they were recording their final message to Estrid, Galen, and Siobhan @kc-and-co, thinking of how their friends would be without them.

Farid/Reva @lifeofkaze ~ Both of them got pretty emotional when they came clean to each other about their feelings -- Reva got choked up (and kind of aggravated) when Farid admitted he felt romantic feelings for her after how long she’d stayed quiet about it, convinced he didn’t feel the same way, while Farid got choked up when Reva said that yes, she could see them getting married someday (which communicated to him just how deep her feelings were and made him feel SUCH relief because his were that deep too!!). I also see Farid crying pretty hard when Reva gave birth to their first child, out of joy, of course. He just couldn’t believe he was really a daddy!! 😭

Ed/Regulus ~ Sadly, yes. Regulus cried inconsolably when Ed broke things off between them. Ed, who normally never cries, was just as inconsolable when he found out Regulus had died.

20. What is a promise they have made to each other?

Carewyn/Orion ~ Carewyn's to Orion is on the ring she gave him, when they had their legal partnership ceremony -- "I will always fight for us." (Orion’s wasn’t a promise, but an affirming statement about his partner, namely the magical creatures he associated with her over the years they knew each other: “Snidget, Firecrab, Phoenix, Abraxan.”)

Jacob/Ashe ~ Ashe has promised to look after Carewyn in the past, for Jacob.

Erik/Roxy ~ Erik has promised to protect Roxy on more than one occasion.

Ana/Charlie ~ Both of them promised to have better communication, after they patched things up after their misunderstanding and got together as a couple.

Jackson/Monty ~ I see Jackson and Monty each writing their own custom wedding vows (both written in French! Jacko needed a bit of help to manage that, but it made Monty so friggin’ proud), and one promise they both made to each other was “Je promets de t'aimer pour toujours” -- “I promise to love you forever.”

Bat/Grim ~ In their second lives set in the Golden Era, Grim promised Bat as the Second Wizarding War was getting worse that he wouldn’t leave Bat’s side, no matter how dangerous things got. 💙

Ru/Estrid ~ When Estrid lost her grandfather, she in the height of grief was convinced that Ru would leave, if she set them free. When she removed their “bridle,” though, thoroughly convinced that they’d hightail it away, Ru stubbornly stayed and promised that they would not leave her, bridle or no. 

Farid/Reva ~ The promises these two made to each other largely came down to trying to be flexible and accommodating for the other’s sake -- Reva wanting to respect Farid’s Muslim beliefs and Farid wanting to respect Reva’s Quidditch career and more progressive views. 

Ed/Regulus ~ The last time they saw each other, Regulus swore to Ed that he’d love no one else as long as he lived. As much as Ed said that he was certain he’d never love anyone the way he did Regulus, however, he also said he could see no way that they could ever be together. 

OTP Ask!

[carewyncromwell]

☀️ 🎃 🏝 for Ru, Carey and Farid, please!

☀️ Time of day

Carewyn is an afternoon/evening person. She ends up working very late hours because she's a workaholic, but she usually needs coffee to get through those nights. (She needs even more of it to get through mornings, which are her immortal enemy.)

Ru is a night person. They love the peaceful tranquility of night out in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of big cities, though admittedly they can get into taking pictures and such of nighttime cities now and again, if they're there for a visit.

Farid is a sun-up-to-sun-down person. He does best when the sun is up and everything is bright and awake.

🎃 Holiday

Carewyn loves Christmas best. It's always been a special time for her, Jacob, and Lane as a time where they can bake cookies and sing carols together, and even as an adult, she always makes her way back to her mother's cottage for Christmas to spend it with her and Jacob, even once she adopts Erik and becomes legal partners with Orion.

Ru is a little confused about the idea of holidays overall, but they always get a kick out of Halloween. They love getting into the act of scaring people (since Ru isn't easily spooked themselves and enjoys horror/gory sorts of stories) and enjoy the creativity of everyone's weird costumes.

Farid always looks forward to Eid ul-Fitr, or the end of Ramadan, when families decorated their homes and get together for a huge dinner full of sweet treats. After a month of fasting, being able to cook and eat with his family makes Farid that much happier. He also, oddly enough, really enjoys New Year's Eve (or, in Ireland, Oíche Chinn Bliana) celebrations, even though the Muslim calendar celebrates the start of the new year at a different time. Farid doesn't like how often people drink at such events, but he likes being able to attend a party in his hometown with his family and "ring in the new year" with lots of good food and fireworks.

🏝 Place to go

Carewyn's kind of a homebody, largely because of how much of a workaholic she is, but she still loves to take some time off work to visit Orion and Eos in their cabin in the woods in Montrose. She also will always have a soft spot for Hogwarts -- the few times she's been able to return post-graduation always make her so happy.

Ru likewise has a large soft spot for Hogwarts school, but their favorite place is their cottage in Denmark with their OTL Estrid @thatravenpuffwitch. The garden is one of Ru's favorite places to spend their time, both planting new things and tending to what's already there, as well as taking a short dip in the pond in their regular form.

Farid loves the Magical Creature Preserve at Hogwarts, as well as the woods of Ireland like the kind he used to explore as a kid, but his favorite place will always be "home," whether with his parents, brother, and sister when he's younger or with his wife Reva @lifeofkaze when he's older.

OC Favorites!

[carewyncromwell]

The next piece of the POTC AU is here -- and with it, the Revenge’s return to Isle de Muerta, the breaking of the curse, and ...what’s this? A new player in this drama?

Pictured above are Carewyn’s villainous relatives, the Cromwells -- Blaise (green), Pearl (red), Claire (gold), and of course the GodGrandfather himself, Captain Charles Cromwell (lime). If you’d like to learn more about their canon R-member versions, including what fancasts inspired these characters’ designs, you can find that here! I’ll make it clear right now that none of these characters, in any version of Carewyn’s canon, would ever be considered good people -- but maybe after this section and the next one, you’ll get to know them all a bit better and see some of the grayer wrinkles to at least three out of these four.

The song “Saucy Sailor” (or alternatively “Saucy Sailor Boy” or “Saucy Sailor Lad”), like “A Maid in Bedlam,” was first developed in the 18th century, but has since had its words and overall sound changed a LOT over time. The lyrics I’m using are from a more modern variation, which I put in the link to, simply because I prefer the flow of the words. The sentiment is nearly identical to the original, older lyrics, though. ^.^

Previous part for this AU is here -- full tag is here -- and, once again, Jules Farrier belongs to ma chere @cursebreakerfarrier! xoxo

x~x~x~x

It was a very long morning locked in the brig of the Revenge. Carewyn found herself singing more, just to keep her mind occupied -- it was something she and Jacob had done a lot when they were kids too. Even their mother, when she still alive, used to sing with them. It was one of the few things that could bring them joy on board the red-stained pirate ship, as even if Charles was very controlling, he found it mildly entertaining. The rest of the crew often ended up being in a better mood whenever they’d sing too -- like all of the sailors Carewyn had encountered in the Navy, they’d seemed to think that a song could make the work day go faster.

“‘Come, me own one; come, me fair one; Come now unto me -- Could you fancy a poor sailor lad who has just come from sea?’ ‘You are ragged, love, and you’re dirty, love, And your clothes smell much of tar, So be gone, you saucy sailor lad! So be gone, you Jack Tar!’ ‘If I am ragged, love, and I’m dirty, love, And me clothes smell much of tar, I have silver in me pocket, love, and gold in great store.’ And then when she heard him say so, On her bended knee she fell -- ‘I will marry my dear Henry, for I love a sailor lad so well!’”

“Ah -- I thought that little ditty sounded familiar.”

Carewyn stopped immediately and looked up.

Through the bars of the cell, she could see the frame of Charles Cromwell’s only son and First Mate, her uncle, Blaise. His almond-shaped blue eyes -- identical to all of his siblings, Charles’s and Carewyn’s -- were narrowed slightly, and his arms were crossed over his chest.

“I seem to recall that was Jacob’s favorite when he was alive, was it not?” said Blaise rather drolly.

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed coldly and didn’t respond.

Blaise uncrossed his arms, strolling over so as to prop one of his arms against the wooden bars so as to better look down at his niece.

“Little word of advice,” he whispered coolly, “you might want to tone it down a bit. The Revenge’s crew has not much liked singing these last fifteen years -- especially Pearl.”

“Since we left?” Carewyn said, and she couldn’t fight back a humorless laugh. “Should I be touched by that, that you all lost that last piece of humanity you still had, because Jacob and I did the one thing you’ve never been able to do?”

Blaise lashed his arm out violently at the bars, making Carewyn flinch despite herself, but she kept her glare firm.

“You forget our curse, little Winnie,” the First Mate murmured, and his blue eyes darkened noticeably. “No earthly pleasure can reach us, so long as one medallion is parted from that chest and the blood is not repaid. All food becomes ash in our mouths. No drink can satisfy. All carnal pleasures make us ill, with no cure...”

Something flickered in the back of his eyes.

“...Even music...the one thing that always brought your mother back to our minds...sounds like a death’s rattle.”

Carewyn’s glare faltered slightly, losing some of its edge. Blaise’s eyes drifted over her face for a moment. His brimmed black hat cast a shadow over the top of his face that obscured his expression somewhat, but it was definitely less arrogant than when he’d first arrived.

“You don’t resemble her much at all,” he murmured, almost lamenting the fact. “Neither you nor Jacob...ever resembled her much.”

Carewyn crossed her arms, her legs folded in front of her on the floor.

“We resembled her in the way that mattered,” she said quietly, “knowing that we deserve to live free, not stuck in a cage.”

Blaise gave a short, harsh sigh, throwing up a hand in aggravation.

“Must you bite my hand off when I’m trying to show you sincere sentiment?” he asked in a tired, condescending type of passive-aggressiveness that made him sound all the more like Charles. “I am your uncle, little Winnie.”

“I wasn’t biting your hand off,” said Carewyn, and her voice echoed with a bit of edge in return. “I’ve never understood why you, Claire, and Pearl stayed. Mum used to say you were so ambitious, when you were a kid -- that you wanted your own fleet and an entire island all to yourself. She said Claire was happier than she’d ever been in her life living on Shipwreck Cove, when she was too pregnant to sail. She said Pearl wanted to be captain of the Revenge herself someday, after Grandfather retired and you got your own ship. But not one of you ever chased any of that -- instead you just march lock-step with Grandfather like none of your dreams ever mattered -- ”

“I will not have a Navy brat chastise me for ‘marching lock-step,’”spat Blaise.

Carewyn got to her feet and got up right next to the bars so as to better glare into her uncle’s face.

“I may be a so-called ‘Navy brat,’ but I still have a heart and a soul that are mine. And the East India Trading Company couldn’t buy those with all the coin on earth. You, though? You gave up everything you ever wanted and are, for nothing at all. You gave it up without even fighting for it.”

Blaise stared Carewyn down for a very long moment, his glare rippling with resentment.

“...Nothing...yes. I suppose that is what I’ve received, through this venture. We found the treasure of Cortes -- a chest worthy of a king -- and yet the wealth we accrued through selling it could not replace the humanity we lost...nor the family. Not Lane...not my sweet Marianne...”

Carewyn’s eyebrows furrowed. She’d barely known Blaise’s wife, since he’d been very newly married when she’d left and her pregnancy ensured her place in Shipwreck Cove, away from Charles’s ship. All Carewyn and Jacob had really gathered was that the woman had gotten swept up in Blaise’s good looks more than any particular charm on his part -- if nothing else, then because Blaise, as well as the rest of the Cromwells, were the furthest thing from charming imaginable.

Blaise’s smile twitched with a completely humorless smile. “Did you not wonder why I have no sons or daughters on board, while Claire and Pearl’s children run wild?”

The unpleasant smile vanished instantly.

“I first saw what I’d become while visiting Shipwreck Cove to spend a night with Marianne. I’d been feeling so out of sorts, with nothing tasting right and my thirst never being quenched, and I’d so looked forward to holding her in my arms again. But when she saw me, bathed in the moonlight...she ran from me. I begged for her to stay. I grabbed her, tried to hold her down and explain...she ripped herself out of my arms...and in her panic lost her footing and fell down the stairs.”

Carewyn’s heart clenched.

“She was alive,” Blaise said in response to the concern that rippled over the Commodore’s face. “But only just. The injury made her miscarry, of course, but she’d also hurt herself beyond repair. She was never able to leave her bed again. And knowing what I was...my Marianne grew cold. Didn’t wish to see me. I broke down her door more than once, trying to force her to come with me, so I could take her somewhere more comfortable with better medicine, where it could just be her and me, but she said she was in too much pain to move. It was then...that she first asked me to kill her.”

Carewyn’s lips came together tightly. Blaise’s eyes had drifted away from her and now bore into the wall of the brig.

“My Marianne asked me to kill her multiple times -- but I refused. She was my wife. She was mine, mine alone...I was not going to let anyone take her from me, not even Death himself.”

The possessive attitude again reminded Carewyn unpleasantly of Charles.

“But...as the years went by...as I returned time and again, her presence gave me no pleasure, and mine...repulsed her. I didn’t need pleasure, of course -- only her. Even if we could have none of the children we wanted while I was cursed, that could come later. She could wait for me. Even if she could not leave her bed...at least that way, she could never leave me...”

“You’re disgusting,” Carewyn spat.

Blaise didn’t seem to hear her -- he was too lost in his own memories.

“At least...so I thought. But in the end...she did leave me. After I’d vowed never to let anyone take her from me...she took herself away...by poisoning herself.”

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed grimly, but couldn’t reply.

“So in the end...I truly do have nothing. No wife, to love me forever and a day. No child of my own, to mold the way I see fit. No member of my family who has ever shown me any genuine love or kindness...that isn’t now in an afterlife that I will never reach. Pearl has her husband and sons, and Claire has her family...but I...I have nothing.”

Blaise’s voice was never choked and his face never showed outward grief, but there was a bizarre, isolating gloom swirling around him.

Carewyn’s eyes were still narrowed as she studied him. Then, after a moment, she reached a hand through the bars and took hold of the sleeve of his dark red coat.

“...I’m sorry,” she said solemnly.

They weren’t the right words, for she really didn’t feel remorse or regret for Blaise’s sake, but they were the only ones she could think of to express any shred of sympathy.

‘As despicable as you are, and however much you brought a lot of this on yourself...it’s not something I can take pleasure in.’

Blaise looked down at her hand, and then up at her face, his expression appearing wounded and almost confused. Then he roughly pulled himself out of her hold, his expression contorted in disgust -- as if he didn’t know what to do with basic human compassion.

“And here I thought you’d toughened yourself up, in the last fifteen years,” he said, his voice again dripping with condescension and scorn.

Carewyn’s gaze hardened, but Blaise didn’t seem to care.

“No matter,” he said, his voice a low growl in the back of his throat as his eyes bore into the upper corner of the brig. “Things are going to change, once the curse is broken. I may have nothing now, but mark my words...I’ll have everything soon enough.”

The vengeful tone of his voice made Carewyn ask suspiciously, ”What are you planning to do?”

Blaise’s lips spread into a smirk, but did not answer. He turned his back and Carewyn and started to walk out of the brig. On his way out, he paused, his hand absently resting on his scabbard as he looked over his shoulder at her, his blue eyes twinkling with malice.

“When the curse is lifted, little Winnie...you’ll be singing quite a lot for me.”

And with that, he left up the stairs back toward the main deck.

Meanwhile the Artemis was making very good time. The Revenge was a very fast ship, but sure enough, any outside observer watching the ships’ trajectories from the air would’ve seen the Artemis was shortening the distance between it and the Revenge rapidly. Even McNully hypothesized as much.

“According to my calculations,” said McNully as he addressed the crew early that morning, “the Revenge travels about 7 knots, normally -- well above any of the Navy’s fastest ships -- and they had a half-day’s head start. But the Artemis is a schooner. We may be a lot smaller than a galleon like the Revenge, but we’re built for speed, so we’ve made it to 8 knots consistently since we started. And since we presumably don’t have as much loot weighing us down as the ship that can only make berth in one place and Orion dealt with our mermaid problem, meaning we didn’t need to slow down while traveling through their waters the way the Revenge no doubt would’ve...and most importantly, Charles Cromwell has no reason to think anyone’s following him...I reckon there’s a 96.5% chance that we catch up with them tonight.”

Knowing that soon they’d be catching up to a whole ship full of pirates, Bill and Charlie spent the rest of the day training Jules in sword combat on the main deck. Jules had asked Bill to teach her some moves earlier in the voyage and had soon proven quite capable with a blade -- though Charlie had teased that it was because Bill had been going easy on her, even he had to admit Jules was a fast learner. At one point Skye even jumped in to show Jules, Charlie, and Bill how to do the “Pincer,” a move she’d developed where three people “hem” in their opponent little by little until they can reach in close enough to trap the person’s neck between all three of their blades crossed in a triangle shape. McNully also got in on the action by talking her through fighting with a sword while in the ship’s rigging.

“Very good!” said McNully, as he supervised Skye and Jules fighting each other in the rigging that afternoon. “Try to attack your opponent’s stance every-so-often, that’ll improve your odds of victory by a good 26%!”

Orion strolled down from the helm to get a better look, his arms crossed over his chest as he came to a stop between Charlie and McNully.

“A clever strategy as always, McNully,” the captain said levelly.

McNully grinned. “Thanks! Though it being done by a woman always helps. I’d say a good 89% of all men on the high seas fear nothing more than a woman who could kill them.”

“I reckon Bill’s in that remaining eleven,” said Charlie amusedly.

The three men glanced at Bill. His gaze was locked on Jules up in the rigging and his lips were spread in a full, admiring smile.

“There admittedly is also a good two percent of men who love the idea of a woman who could kill them,” said McNully amusedly.

He nudged Orion in the side with his elbow, and the Captain actually bowed his head and grinned from ear to ear, showing white teeth.

It didn’t take long for Carewyn to figure out what Blaise was planning. She’d stopped singing, not to placate her uncle, but so as to listen, and soon she could hear the whispers. The unhappy mutterings from Pearl’s son, from Claire’s husband, son, and three daughters. Some about how much more controlling Charles had gotten in his old age. Some about how their plunder on the Isle de Muerta was still in a giant pile and had still not been parsed out evenly between the crew. Some about how much they hated being cursed, speaking longingly of drinking an entire bottle of liquor or eating a bushel of apples or screwing every woman they laid eyes on, once their humanity was restored...blaming Charles’s expedition to Isle de Muerta for their fifteen years of misery.

It all added up to one thing in Carewyn’s mind. As soon as the curse was lifted and Charles was mortal again, Blaise was planning to spark a mutiny.

From what she could deduce, the only people who didn’t know were Pearl, Claire, and Charles himself, and Carewyn thought she could guess why. Pearl had treated Jacob and Carewyn with the most active hostility after Lane and her husband tried to escape with them: she was furious by their attempt at desertion, and Carewyn figured mutiny wouldn’t be something she’d support much either. And Claire had always been the “follower” out of her relatives to whomever was the most powerful, in this case, Charles: she would’ve been far too much of a liability to have in the loop until after the mutiny was complete, at which point she’d probably fall into line.

It was sort of sad, Carewyn thought. The Cromwells had always claimed to be a family -- but there truly wasn’t an ounce of love or trust anywhere to found in them. It made her miss Bill, Charlie, and Percy all the more.

The Revenge docked in Isle de Muerta late that afternoon. Part of that time was spent unloading the loot they’d collected into the cave -- there was quite a large store of it. Considering that pirates usually spent anything they stole right away rather than saving it -- and, more specifically, that her family had always done that before, when she was a kid -- Carewyn supposed that even enjoying the gold and riches they’d collected fell under the umbrella of “earthly pleasure” the Revenge’s crew couldn’t enjoy.

It was as the sun began to set that Carewyn heard the sounds above deck starting to quiet. She peeked out the magic-patched hole in her cell -- because they’d docked, they were in shallower water, and she could see a large swath of dark red heading into a large cave, lit torches held aloft. Among the landing party were Pearl, Claire, and Blaise, and at its head, Carewyn could just barely spot the one lone red hat that belonged to Charles.

‘Five, six...nine,’ Carewyn thought. ‘They’ve left two people aboard. Probably Claire and Pearl’s husbands.’

She could hear raucous laughter from the room below deck, just above the brig.

“Another win for me, then!” said a rather muffled, raspy sort of voice.

“Aye, but can you do it again?” challenged another much more boorish voice. “Let’s have another go at the dice, then!”

Carewyn could hear a rattling sound and then two loud thunks on the table overhead.

‘They’re playing Liar’s Dice,’ she surmised.

“I s’pose ‘Captain Blaise’ and his new mate would be more open to it than old Charles,” said the raspy voice smugly, “but I don’t reckon your biddy would be too happy about it...”

“Look, I’m just saying, I haven’t had a good lay in fifteen years,” said the boorish voice, “I’m sure Claire won’t put up too much of a fuss if I borrow ‘er for a bit, on the side -- it’s not like I can sleep with my own daughters -- ”

More raucous laughter followed. Carewyn cringed, but she quickly put his words out of her mind and got right down to business.

There were now only two people on the Revenge -- sure, they were currently undead, but they wouldn’t be much longer, and they were distracted. This might be the only chance she had, to get the upper hand. And so the Commodore got to work plotting her jail break.

Since she’d been changed out of her Navy uniform against her will, Carewyn didn’t have any hat pins she could turn into a lockpick, but fortunately the dark red jacket she’d been forced into did have thin metal clasps for its buttons instead of holes, even if it was too small for her to button the jacket around herself properly. After some work, she managed to rip one of the entire fastenings and twist the clasp into a flatter wire that she could stick into the keyhole of her cell door.

Within fifteen minutes, there was a click, and she very, very carefully inched the cell door open and sneaked out up the stairs, right past the room the two pirates were playing Liar’s Dice, and up onto the deck.

‘I can’t move against those two until I know for sure the curse is broken,’ thought Carewyn. ‘So I’ll have to bide my time, at least for a short while...’

She glanced around before her eyes settled on the door to Charles’s cabin, just below the helm. She swept over, trying the handle -- upon finding it locked, she took her new lockpick back out and, within two more minutes, had opened it.

Charles’s cabin was much more opulently decorated than Orion’s cabin, with fiery red Persian rugs, black silk curtains, and gold-trimmed mahogany future. Carewyn also noted with some scorn that her grandfather did, in fact, have a pair of ridiculously voluptuous, naked woman carved into his headboard. Fortunately it also held a store of weapons -- so Carewyn stole a cutlass, a pistol, a couple of grenades, and some spare bullets and powder, just to be safe. She’d just been securing the sword’s scabbard when she heard a raucous cheering from below deck.

“AYE! AYYYYYE, YEAAAAAH!”

The two pirates sounded elated beyond reason -- almost gleeful. 

‘The curse has been broken!’ thought Carewyn.

She charged out of Charles’s cabin, ready to seize her chance -- but when she made it out on deck, she was shocked by what she saw.

The whole of Isle de Muerta was surrounded. There were a good ten pirate ships, all hovering just off shore in a noose-like shape around the island. The largest of them, which was also closest to the Revenge, was a pitch black vessel with a winged harpie carved into its bowsprit.

The blood drained out of Carewyn’s face at the sight of it.

It was the Tower Raven.

[carewyncromwell]

Alright. Okay. So... after finishing your quest for the quidditch cup story I have come to the conclusion that I now ship Carey with Orion and I just had to let you know 😭

@drinkyoursoupbitch SOMEONE ELSE SAW IT!! 💚💚

Yes. Um. So while writing that Quidditch quest...yeah, I realized I ship Carewyn/Orion too. XDDDD It actually kind of perfectly fixes my biggest problem when looking for an endgame ship for Carewyn -- I couldn’t decide whether I thought the happier ending for Carey, after all of the hopelessness, fear, and despair, would be “peace” (i.e. Chiara/Carewyn) or “fun” (Diego/Carewyn).

But with Orion...Carey could theoretically find both! Orion is a very mediating influence -- unlike Carewyn, who isn’t really optimistic herself but is able to inspire people with her resilience and stubbornness anyway, Orion does tend to see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty and he’s very focused on finding balance and diffusing conflict. He’d be a great level head when Carewyn gets emotional, and the two could totally have deep, meaningful conversations. But on the other hand, Orion also loves flying and Quidditch and is a free spirit with no boundaries and a longing for family. Carewyn could provide great structure and a small, close family unit for Orion, and she’d be able to provide a kind of steadfast and sincere affection that Orion’s never really had in his life. (I could totally see Orion actually being a little unsure about how to even express physical affection and so sometimes having to defer to Carewyn and/or follow her lead a bit, which is kind of adorable, honestly.) Orion also can be so pacifistic at points that he isn’t great at standing firm when people are in the wrong (just look at his relationship with Skye), and we all know Carewyn would be more than able to swoop into Orion’s rescue in those instances. Following my headcanon of Orion having anxiety as well, Carewyn would likely be a good grounding influence for him too when things get particularly scary or he’s lost his “balance.” They both have a talent for leadership and tend to gather people around them, and yet it’s difficult sometimes for someone to truly get to know them as individuals. They’re both very independent and self-sufficient people who still love being around others. Not to mention they could help each other face off against their respective “magical beasts” of anxiety and self-loathing.

In any case, like with the other two possible endgame ships for Carey, nothing romantic would really go into effect until the Second Wizarding War’s timeline and after and I really don’t see Carewyn getting married (more likely she’d end up in a domestic partnership or queerplatonic relationship)...but I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel some real chemistry while writing these two together. It was such a wonderful surprise, and I loved every second of it. ^.^

[carewyncromwell]

[Bill’s modified Cursed Barrier would allow its caster to keep anyone with a Dark Mark from entering a certain space. He demonstrated the wand movement for the assembled students so they could follow along with their own wands -- then everyone split into small groups and practiced it together.

When Bill felt confident about how everyone’s wand movements looked, he addressed them]

Bill: “Well done, everyone! Now all that’s left to give the spell a go.”

[He turned to Carewyn with a smile.]

[Carewyn grinned, striding up to the front of the class. Raising her wand, she slashed at the air in front of her.]

“Relinquo Mortis!”

[A bright flare of white light created a pretty, star-like shield around her like a bubble, before quickly dissipating away.

Carewyn gave Bill a frown.]

“...How do you know if it’s worked? No one here has a Dark Mark, so we can’t test it...”

[Merula whirled on Andre, opening her mouth as if to retort, but Carewyn ended up talking over her, looking both shocked and very disapproving.]

"Andre!”

[Andre was startled by the level of severity in her voice -- Merula was too.

Charlie shot Andre a reproachful look out the side of his eye.]

Charlie: “Not cool, mate. You gonna say the same thing to Barnaby next? His folks knew You-Know-Who too.”

[Startled, Andre glanced over at Barnaby, who looked hurt.]

Andre: “(upset) No! No, I didn’t mean it like that -- ”

[He looked up at Carewyn imploringly.]

Andre: “Carewyn, you know I wouldn’t think that -- I was just ribbing, I swear...”

[Carewyn crossed her arms, her gaze so piercing it could’ve rivaled McGonagall’s.]

“Maybe you were, but it wasn’t funny. Merula and I may not see eye-to-eye much of ever, but she is not her parents. None of us are.”

If Jacob and I were anything like Dad, we’d be pretty rotten people.

Tulip: “(gives a dry laugh) Ha! I’m certainly evidence of that.”

Tonks: “(cheekily) Me too -- I know if I were ever to procreate, I’d never name my kid something dumb like ‘Nymphadora’ -- “

[Some of the tension ebbed from the room -- Penny and Jae were both laughing, and Liz and Charlie were grinning. Even Carewyn herself spared Tonks a smile.

Andre looked down at the ground, abashed.]

Andre: “(mumbling) ...Yes, of course.”

[He glanced at Merula, clearly reluctant to apologize. Fortunately Merula’s focus was elsewhere -- she kept glancing from Carewyn to Charlie, as if she were still stunned that the two had defended her.]

Bill: “(levelly) Why don’t we go ahead and call it a night? I’ll see you all Friday, after your classes.”

[As the assembled students started to head out, Bill added,]

[Carewyn noticed Rowan watching, as if silently asking if Carewyn wanted her to wait for her. Carewyn gave her a small smile and wave.]

“I’ll see you back in the commonroom, okay?”

[Rowan smiled in return and nodded, before heading out with Barnaby and Liz. Carewyn also shared an offhand wave with Charlie before he headed out. Merula caught her eye briefly and Carewyn thought at first she wanted to say something, but Merula seemed to have changed her mind almost instantly and rather quickly shuffled out with Ismelda.

Carewyn turned back to Bill. His expression had lost some of the confidence and composure he’d shown in front of the others, making him seem a bit more vulnerable than before.]

Bill: “...Charlie told me...you talked him out of leaving Hogwarts, while you were practicing the Barrier spell with Penny and Rowan.”

[His voice was a lot softer and very grim. Clearly he’d been upset when he’d learned what Charlie had been thinking of doing too.

Carewyn’s eyes softened sadly.]

“I couldn’t have done anything else.”

If Charlie left now, I know he’d regret it. He’d miss out on finishing school, his family would be so worried -- and...I could never protect him from R, if he were that far away...

[Bill’s face broke out into a very small, warm smile.]

Bill: “For...supporting him...the way I should’ve.”

[He suddenly looked very guilty.]

Bill: “I’ve been throwing myself into my cursebreaking work to take my mind off what happened in the Vault -- with Rakepick...and, in the process...I completely missed how badly Charlie’s been affected too. Probably feeling the same things I’ve felt...”

[Carewyn’s eyes fell to the floor just to the right of Bill’s shoe.]

“...Yeah. Some of the things he said...did remind me of you a bit -- you know, when we were last in here?”

The anger and sadness -- the pain of being betrayed by someone who was supposed to protect us...

[Bill nodded solemnly.]

Bill: “I remember.”

[His voice then grew a little softer again as he gave Carewyn a weak smile.]

Bill: “I’m just so grateful that you were there for him, like you were for me.”

[Carewyn met Bill’s eyes, her face very serious even despite the gentleness of her voice.]

"And I always will be.”

[Carewyn knew how painful it was to feel truly, horribly alone. She’d had no friends growing up, so when her mother was busy with work and Jacob was at school, Carewyn had become very used to doing things on her own, whether it was finishing homework or playing one-sided games of jacks or checkers. It made her latch on that bit more desperately to her mother and brother -- made her hoard their attention and love that bit more every time --  made it so that when Jacob disappeared, her whole world came crashing down around her ears...

All of her friends at Hogwarts -- Rowan, Bill, Chiara, Talbott, Barnaby, all of them -- they’d made her life more than just obsessively chasing after the Vaults and Jacob. They’d given her the chance to care for them and solve their problems, which in turn gave her real confidence and made her happier than she ever could’ve imagined before walking through those castle doors.

Her friends gave her joy, even in the midst of so much danger and fear -- and for that, she knew she couldn’t let anything happen to them. Even if she had to lie to them -- even if she had to keep secrets and say things she didn’t mean -- she had to make sure they survived. If they did...the best part of herself would still exist.]

I promise. I’ll protect Charlie, and you, and Rowan, and Barnaby -- all of you. I promise I’ll take care of you.

Bill: “Thank you, Carey. My brothers...Ginny...they mean the world to me.”

[Carewyn’s heart ached with empathy. She knew exactly how Bill felt.]

If anything happened to Jacob...if anything has happened to Jacob, out there...

[The thought was too painful for Carewyn to bear. She shoved it down fiercely, unable to put the sentiment into words.

Almost as if on cue, Bill and Carewyn were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Percy, who dashed up to them looking very anxious.]

((OOC: DUN DUN DUN! XD Will probably compress the twins’ disappearance somewhat in my next roleplaying post so as to get to that dragon sidequest, but hey, I do love some Bill and Carewyn interaction. I’ll love it even more, though, when Carewyn can actually lean on Bill emotionally too sometimes...oi! Bill really can’t do much better than Carewyn to look after his brothers, though -- once you are Carewyn’s friend, she is your surrogate Mama Bear, no questions asked. XDD

Honestly, Andre’s little jab at Merula did feel really below the belt to me, did anyone else think so? I mean, it’s not OOC for him exactly, given his wit and critical nature, but...ow, dude! Still adore you to all get out, but I know your ex-girlfriend would have something to say about it, however much Merula still frustrates her. :P

The incantation I made up for Bill’s Cursed Barrier comes from the Latin words for “leave” and “death”...so yeah, it pretty literally means, “Leave, Death!” LOL. The Latin word “mors” is also used in the incantation to cast the Dark Mark, Morsmordre.))

[carewyncromwell]

[By the end of the day, Carewyn was exhausted. The very last place she wanted to go was detention, but unfortunately she couldn’t just “play hooky” from that, and so she begrudgingly trod downstairs to the kitchens.

She found Jae already there when she arrived and -- to her surprise -- Merula was waiting too.]

[Merula scoffed.]

Merula: “It wasn’t even a good guess. I’m here to find out what’s taking so long.”

[Her exhaustion and irritation over Peeves’s antics made Carewyn’s answer a bit sassier than usual.]

“If Rakepick’s so impatient, maybe she should just run along to Dumbledore and tell him to make Peeves hand over the portrait.”

But noooo, I have to be the responsible one here...

[Carewyn coaxed herself to get back to business. As irritated as she was that Rakepick had the nerve to prod her, there was no point in taking it out on Merula -- for once, she wasn’t the one being irritating, she was only the messenger.]

“...I was able to set up a meeting with Peeves about it...and so far, Peeves has had me set fire to Filch’s coat, stir up arguments among the portraits, and fend off Kettleburn’s Chimaera. Again.”

[Jae’s eyes widened.]

Merula: “*frowning* What does any of that have to do with Peeves giving us the vault portrait?”

[Carewyn rolled her eyes in aggravation.]

“Nothing, of course! It’s obvious Peeves knows he has something we want, so he’s toying with us...”

[She brought up a hand to her eyes, rubbing her temples.]

“If I thought I could appeal to his heart, I would have, but there’s no point -- he doesn’t care at all about Beatrice or anyone else affected by the Portrait Curse, he just cares about entertaining himself. From the way he’s going, I’m guessing I’ll have to play support to his goings-on until he grows bored enough that he’ll give us the portrait.”

[Merula gave a short, almost thoughtful nod, her eyes actually quite serious as she considered Carewyn.

It was strange -- Merula had seemed a bit less condescending to Carewyn this year. Carewyn wasn’t sure if it was because Merula was happier now that she was one of Rakepick’s apprentices or she was actually growing up a little -- but either way, it wasn’t something Carewyn was quite used to.]

Merula: “...Well, then,”

[Carewyn massaged her left temple with one hand.]

“The only thing I can do. Peeves is testing my limits to see how far he can push me -- if I try to push back, Peeves will probably just dig his claws even deeper into the vault portrait. I may not like it...but I can’t put my own pride over getting that portrait, not if it’ll help me save Jacob and Beatrice.”

[Merula and Jae suddenly seemed to notice something behind Carewyn, and she looked up just in time to see a familiar blue face materialize on the other side of one of the tables.]

[Fixing Peeves with a dull eye, Carewyn walked around the table to join the poltergeist. Peeves, however, rather than give Carewyn any direct attention, merely floated around, his eyes darting over the pots and pans and plates piled high with food on the tables.]

Peeves: “Aren’t kitchens grand? So full of kitchen things!”

“What now, Peeves?”

[Although she managed to keep her voice low, Carewyn was losing her patience. In her defense, most anyone would be a little irritated after being forced to fight a chimaera.]

Peeves: “Kitchen chaos! I’ll tell you no lies, I enjoy when food flies!”

Huh?

“...So getting the vault portrait depends on me starting a food fight?”

[She’d only witnessed one other food fight before, back in primary school -- she’d actually gotten really upset because she’d ended up getting turkey gravy splashed all over one of her favorite dresses.

Peeves cackled in delight.]

Peeves: “Indeed! Start a food fight at once!”

[Carewyn sighed tiredly.]

“*sardonically* All right, Peeves -- your wish is my command.”

[She glanced around the room. Jae had migrated to the other side of the kitchen. Just across the table from him and slightly closer to Carewyn was Merula, who seemed to be considering sampling some of the elves’ food before she left.

It was obvious which target would be more likely to retaliate if she pulled something.

Carewyn’s eyes then fell to the plate of food on the table closest to her.]

What would make the least mess and yet be big enough to get Merula’s attention...aha!

[She picked up one of the dinner rolls, feeling guilt, but finding herself able to bite back a grin despite herself.]

Sorry, Merula!

[She chucked the roll right at the back of Merula’s head.]

[Merula swiveled around, her face contorting with anger and her fists up like she was ready for a fight. It was as if all at once, all of the maturity and reluctant cooperation that had built up between her and Carewyn had been set aside, and suddenly they were two hot-tempered first years competing over who was the better student in Flying Class again.

Jae laughed loudly, prompting some weak, defensive, almost childish giggling from Carewyn as well.]

Jae: “FOOD FIGHT!”

[Soon the entire kitchen was in chaos, with all of the students gathered for detention and Merula throwing food through the air. Carewyn very quickly ducked for cover, chucking food over her head and crawling around behind the tables so as to avoid any blows herself.]

The last thing I need is to get my Sports Chic jacket stained! It’s bunk, trying to get food stains out of patches...

[She’d successfully ducked behind the butcher’s block when Peeves caught up with her.]

Peeves: “It shan’t ever be enough chaos! But perhaps negotiations can begin!”

[Carewyn was absolutely gobsmacked.]

“Begin?! What have we been doing all day?”

Peeves: “Amusing me! *cackles* I’ll only talk to Duncan about the portrait.”

[Carewyn exhaled through her nose.]

Well, at least if Duncan’s there, maybe he can mediate. Never thought I’d think so, but he is more reasonable than Peeves.

“...So should I meet you two in the Prefects’ Bathroom, then?”

Peeves: “If you want the portrait, come prepared!”

“Prepared?”

[Carewyn didn’t like the sound of that.]

Peeves: “For mischief! Bring along something to cause chaos in the bath!”

[Without another word, he swept away.

Carewyn sat on the floor, thinking carefully, as the sound and fury of the food fight raged above her.]

Chaos in the bath, huh...hmm. Maybe Tonks might have an idea that’ll work...

(OOC: I feel so bad for the poor elves that have to clean up this mess -- but I must admit, offended-and-angry!Merula made me laugh so unbelievably hard. Some things never change~ XD)