#witch on a trolley car

[weirdlookindog]

G. W. Peters - Witch on a Trolley Car

[oldpaintings]

Witch on a Trolley Car by G. W. Peters (American, ?)

[imissnanami]

T.T. | Ch. 1 | Back to Hogwarts

Teacher! Teacher! | m.list

S. Snape x F!Reader x R. Lupin | past S. Black x Reader 

Reader is in the same year as them, use of Y/N, takes place during Prisoner of Azkaban. Contains swearing & angst. In which you become the new part time Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts. You’d never thought you’d be back in these halls, and with Lupin and Snape to boot. Not to mention Sirius Black is on the loose. Great. Enjoy! :)

Ch. 1 Back to Hogwarts

White knuckling the handlebar of the trolley, Y/N pushed it through the bustling Kings Cross station. Why was she, an adult witch, pushing a trolley full of her belongings like a student? Well, because apparition was kind of like driving. She could do it, well at that, but it was also kind of scary and honestly the rules around apparition and Hogwarts still kind of confused her. 

Oh, that and the fact that she’s been living as a muggle since her graduation. Between the deaths of her friends and the incompetent nuisance that the ministry of magic is, taking a step back was the only thing that kept her sane. At least, thats what she’s been telling herself. 

Forcing the wonky wheels of the trolley to roll straight, she sent a dirty look to the group of tourists that blocked the path. Continuing to march through the crowds, she bee-lines to the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Taking a quick look around, she picks up her pace and runs into the wall- or through it, to be more accurate. 

Billowing steam and the familiar crimson of the Hogwart’s Express met her as she slowed her pace and moved to the side. Platform 9 and 3/4. It wasn’t nearly as busy as she remembers, mainly because her childhood trips to Kings Cross took place exactly three minutes before the train departed. In fact, there were maybe a handful of people meandering about. Realizing there was no point in just standing there, she approached the first train car’s door. After one of the trolley men helped magic her bags into the cargo hold, she thanked him and shuffled into the Professors cart. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. 

Plopping herself down on the harder-than-she-remebered benches, Y/N drops her tote bag and pulls out her pseudo Hogwarts letter. Looking over Professor McGonagall’s neat writing, she thinks back. 

⁂

When Harry Potter, the boy who lived, first resurfaced in the wizarding world, Y/N had expected a lot of things to change. The ministry would overreact. Hogwarts would have a very special student. It would giver her a headache. The likes. What she did not expect, was a mere two years later, for a one Professor McGonagall to send her an owl in the middle of spring. 

Dear Y/N L/N 

I think you and I would both prefer if I skipped the pleasantries with what I’m about to proposition.

‘Well that sounds promising’ Y/N thought to herself, already having a sinking feeling of where this was going. Yes, she wasn’t part of the wizarding world anymore, but that didn’t mean she lived under a rock.

As you’ve been away since graduation, I’m unsure how caught up you are with the current news and events. 

Sighing Y/N closed her eyes and flipped the letter over. Of course she knew. How could she not know one of her ex-best-friends-turned-alledged-criminal was supposedly on the loose. When she had first found out Sirius escaped Azkaban, her initial thought was ‘Good job Siri,’ before going back to her writing. Glaring at the back of the paper, she crossed her arms as if that would do something. Heaving another dramatic sigh, Y/N picks up the letter and begins to read it again. 

Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban. (Duh) The Ministry has contacted us as a courtesy and informed us they will be passing the order for the detainment of Y/N L/N: for previous collusion with the dangerous criminal, Sirius Black. 

“Alleged collusion, you old fart,” Y/N mumbled sourly, the minister’s dumb face popping into her head. 

Knowing this would not go over...smoothly with you, Albus had managed to offer an alternative. With everything going on this year I’ll have my attention split between aiding Albus and teaching the students. 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry herby offers Y/N L/N the position of Assistant Transfiguration Professor. 

That way we can guarantee your whereabouts-

Not bothering to read any more of the letter, Y/N heaved yet another sigh, much bigger than the last. She felt that she’s been sighing an abnormal amount today. Reading the last few sentences again, she rolled her eyes. Be detained in a magic cell. Or be watched 24/7 at Hogwarts? What a choice. 

“Like I have a fucking choice.” Y/N said flatly to the empty room, before getting up and grabbing a pen and paper. 

⁂

Which, after much stress and doing more magic in 4 months than she’s done in the past 10 years, it brought us to now. Zoning back in, Y/N realized the platform was much busier. Students greeted one another excitedly and parents said tearful goodbyes. If she had looked a little closer, she’d have caught a hauntingly familiar head of messy black curls.

Pressing her face into the glass, she spied the clock on the platform, 10:50. Finally. Deciding get some sleep in preparation for the inevitable stress that this year will bring, Y/N, using her bag as a pillow stretched out and closed her eyes. 

⁂

“So cold.” Y/N mumbled, cracking an eye open.

She then noticed two things. One, that the train was stopped. And two, that it was completely dark. 

Her brain having finally caught up, Y/N sat up rubbing her arms, much more alert. Grabbing a cloak from her tote bag, she stood. Something was clearly wrong. Other than there not being another professor in the cart – McGonagall has said that there would be – they were no where near Scotland. 

Clutching her cloak tighter she made her way to the door. Carefully sliding it open she peaked out, seeing that the students were doing the same, some of them even standing in the corridor. Wondering if someone was going to do something about the situation she smacked her face. 

“Me, I’m the fucking adult” She whispered to herself. Groaning Y/N stepped out before immediately doubling back. Her wand. Having not had it on her person for the past decade was really biting her in the ass right now. 

With her wand in her hand and her cloak secured, she stepped out. Making her way through the students, some of them parted while others looked at her in confusion. She stopped by a group blocking the hallway. A small crowd of students were pressed up around the windows excitedly talking. 

“What’s going on?” Y/N asked. No one answered or even looked in her direction. Gathering her courage, and her elbows, she simply pushed through the crowd. 

“What’s everyone looking at?” She asked much louder this time, her breath fogging up in the air. 

Finally getting their attention, a young boy pointed to the glass

“The windows are all frosting up Miss.” 

Sure enough frost was crawling up the glass, and even into the cabin. Feeling dread pit in her stomach Y/N bolted out of the cabin before pushing into the next one. Frost. And the cabin across from that one. Frosty too. Well shit. 

Cold temperatures, frost, and a feeling of dread. Dementors. 

“Stay in the cabin and don’t open the door for anyone” Y/N instructed, before exiting and closing the door behind her. As she made her way down the train cars, she pushed students into rooms and locked the doors. The dread and fear getting stronger as she moved further back towards the end. She curses as she walks, she could have sworn McGonagall had said they’d be at the school, not on the fucking train. 

At least the dementor was stopping her from remembering that she was approaching the cart her and the marauders shared going to Hogwarts. Well damn, I guess not. Huffing a mirthless laugh she shoved a particularly stubborn 7th year into his cabin. A sudden piercing scream cut through the air. Y/N felt as if she was gonna suffocate. As her teeth started to chatter, and she felt fear grip her ribcage, she pushed forwards. 

Y/N reached for the door, separating this cart and the next. Her hand began to freeze to the metal handle the second it made contact. Yanking it back she wrapped her cloak around her fingers before pulling hard, the screaming child kept her body moving. With a final yank, the ice that sealed the door broke. Rushing to the sound of the scream, her feet carried her to the open door. Her brain snuggled to process what she was seeing.

The dementor was sucking the soul of a screaming child. And the screaming child was, ...James? 

Before Y/N could properly react, a strong pale blue light burst froth. A silver wolf barrelled into the chest of the dementor, driving it out. Ducking out of their way, Y/N clung to the door as the wolf pushed the dementor back and out of the train. 

Sat flat on her ass, Y/N was staring at the place the wolf ran off to. That was a patronus. A corporeal wolf patronus. Y/N only knew one person who had a wolf as a patronus. But it couldn’t be. It shouldn't be.

“-ssor? Professor?” Feeling like her world had momentarily stopped Y/N looked dazedly up at the girl calling to her. Two sets of concerned eyes stared at her. A ginger boy and a girl with frizzy brown hair. Quickly remembering the screaming boy, Y/N scrambled to her knees frantically scanning the cabin, for James. 

“Ja-” his name caught in her throat the moment she actually saw the boy. Once the dementor had left, the power had flickered back on. Now illuminated by the warm cabin light, Y/N saw that it was not in fact James, but a tiny James with Lily’s eyes. Feeling her eyes well up she quickly looked away, blinking rapidly. 

“Professor? Are you alright?” The girl's calm voice called to you again. Before quieter and directed to your right;

“Do you think she needs some chocolate too, Professor Lupin?”

Professor Lupin? Professor. Lupin?

Slowly standing and keeping her head down, Y/N could feel herself shaking. This had to be a joke. 

She held her breath as she looked to the 4th person in the cabin. The one she’s conveniently ignored this entire time. The one who cast the patronous. 

Her eyes took in the man hunched in on himself. He was wearing an old, tattered suit. His knees brought up to his chest as he sat on the ground. His scuffed briefcase lay beside him along with a half eaten bar of chocolate. He wrung his hands, before stopping and fiddling with his fingers, picking at his skin – a habit he hadn't seemed to have outgrown. 

Shyly looking up at her, Remus looked almost guilty for being there. 

Y/N’s breath caught before a lump quickly replaced it. She took in his face. A large scar ran down his left cheek. That's new. Smaller ones littered his face, where the skin was previously unmarred. Barely there wrinkles on his face were deeper now, more pronounced. Though she remembers him having a few grey hairs, there were many more now. Not yet salt and pepper, but far from brown. Though he looked older, the same kind green eyes stared back at her. 

Nervously bringing his hand up in a half-wave, Remus offered a tentative;

“Hi Y/N,”

Though she’d have loved to be more eloquent, the only thing that Y/N was able to get out was a curt nod before turning tail and running back to her cabin.

⁂

next

tag list | @unconventional-lawnchair

[starlingflight]

A/N a little PoA missing moment. AKA: the only thing I've been able to finish recently.

Read on AO3 or below:

Aimlessly, Ginny wandered the Hogwarts Express. She hadn't really expected Ron, Harry and Hermione to welcome her into their little group, but a foolish part of her had hoped they might, and she hadn't given much thought to where she would go when they inevitably sent her away. 

Which, of course, Ron had, as soon as Harry had whispered something mysterious and, quite obviously private in his ear. 

Ginny couldn't even find it within her to be angry, not really. How could she expect anyone to trust her after the mess she'd made last year? Least of all Harry, who had been forced to risk his own life saving her. 

The very thought made her feel sick, and, as she'd resolved to do all summer, she decided not to dwell on it. She had bigger problems to deal with now anyway, namely finding somewhere to sit. It wasn't the easiest of challenges, considering she'd spent the majority of last year withdrawn, held tight in the clutches of Tom Riddle's control, and now she had no friends to speak of. 

It was stupid, she knew, to miss the diary. Not just stupid; pathetic and childish too, but, for a while, Riddle had been her only friend and now Ginny didn't even have him, leaving her lonelier than ever as she peered into the different compartments of the Hogwarts Express, searching desperately for a place she might fit. 

She paused outside the compartment housing Fred and George; they were with Lee Jordan, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson. The little gathering was so deep in conversation they didn't even notice Ginny peering in at them. 

She hesitated, her hand clasped around the door handle. Probably, they'd let her sit with them; Lee had always been nice enough to her, and Angelina and Alicia seemed perfectly pleasant, but none of them would be happy to have her there. 

She would be an imposition. The Weasleys’ little sister, humoured as a novelty and absolutely nothing more.

Shaking her head, Ginny took a step away from the door to the compartment, careful to brace herself against the steady rocking of the train. 

Steadfastly, she turned away, determined to find somewhere she would be more than an imposition. 

The sky grew darker outside the window as Ginny continued her search. It was slow progress, hampered by groups of students who, apparently, had an overabundance of friends, meaning their groups spilled out onto the corridor, blocking her path. 

There was also the trolley witch to contend with, who, upon seeing Ginny, leaning against the wall at the end of one of the carriages, contemplating her next move, had given her the kind of sympathetic look that Ginny hated to be on the receiving end of. 

“Anything from the trolley, dear?” The witch offered gently, giving Ginny a kind smile. 

She shook her head resolutely, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the now-squashed sandwiches Mum had given her on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. “I'm fine.” 

The trolley witch's head tilted sympathetically. “No charge?” She offered. “You look like you could use a pick me up.” 

There had not been many previous occasions upon which Ginny had been offered free sweets, but she was sure that up until this moment she would've thought anyone who turned down such an opportunity was quite mad. Still, she shook her head resolutely in refusal of the offer, unable to stand the suggestion that she was too weak to endure a train ride alone without pity. 

The trolley witch only shrugged before continuing onwards, pushing her cart of sweets up the train. 

Ginny waited for her to leave, disappearing out of sight through the door that led to the next train car. Alone once more, she slid down the wall, making herself comfortable on the carpeted floor, and unwrapping the ham and cheese sandwich from her mother. 

The rain started when Ginny was halfway through her solitary lunch. The clouds outside the window had turned a steel grey so dark it was almost black, and icy sheets of water rattled against the windows. 

Swallowing down the final mouthful of her sandwich, Ginny rose to her feet once more. She had taken only a few steps when the lanterns lining the corridor sprung to life, casting a flickering light over her surroundings. 

She paused in the next carriage over, watching as Draco Malfoy's pale head emerged from one of the compartments ahead, closely followed by the oaf-ish figures of Crabbe and Goyle. Ginny shrunk against the wall, determined not to be seen; fortunately, she appeared to be just as invisible to them as she was to everyone else; Malfoy and his cronies didn't spare her a glance as they stalked past looking extremely displeased about something. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ginny continued in the opposite direction to the one Malfoy had just gone, not wanting to test her luck. 

She peered into the compartment they had just exited, eyes falling first on Ron's familiar face. He was scowling, apparently unhappy with whatever interaction had just passed. He performed a violent gesture; Hermione gave him her customary look of admonishment and Harry sat across from them, watching with vague amusement. 

Ginny wavered only long enough to take in the scene before turning decidedly away. She'd already been dismissed by them once, she didn't particularly fancy the indignity of repeating the experience. 

The rain continued to swell as she moved further up the corridor, battering the walls and the steel roof. A powerful gust of wind made the whole train sway violently; Ginny braced against the wall to keep herself upright. 

A loud shriek of laughter from the compartment beside her compelled her to peer through the window in the door. Her heart sank as she took in the scene; the rest of the Gryffindor second year girls, the ones Ginny shared a dorm with, were huddled inside. A small mountain of sweets had been piled on one of the empty seats and a raucous game of exploding snap was unfolding between them. 

Unbidden, Ginny's hand curled around the door handle. She had never wanted anything more than to enter the compartment, to be greeted warmly and invited to play. 

Her mind was almost made up; doubt seized her before she could push the door open. 

She had isolated herself from her peers last year. Would it be strange for her to intrude now? Would they welcome her as the fifth member of their dorm? Or share a secret look that conveyed Ginny had no place among them? 

Did she even deserve a place among them? 

Before Ginny could decide upon an answer, the rattle of the train clattering across the tracks fell away, the loud squeak of the breaks sounded and the train began to slow. 

Ginny released the door handle, frowning as she looked around. They couldn't have reached Hogwarts yet, despite the darkness gathering outside the window, it was still much too early. 

Along the corridor, doors began to pop open, a dozen curious heads hanging out, evidently looking for the source of the delay. 

The train stopped abruptly; the resulting, unexpected, jolt knocked Ginny off her feet. She landed with a thud on the carpet, her head swivelling to look for any indication of what was happening. She had no opportunity to find out before, suddenly, the corridor was engulfed in pitch black darkness. 

There was another shriek from the compartment that contained her dormmates, but this one was filled with fear rather than amusement. 

Ginny scrambled to her feet, fighting hard to keep her breathing even as panic threated to overwhelm her. With enormous force of will, she placed her hand on the wood paneled wall, forcing herself to focus on the warm smoothness of the surface, so unlike the rough, damp stone walls of the chamber. 

She was on the Hogwarts Express. The Diary – and Riddle – had been destroyed. Nothing was going to harm her. 

Still, her feet carried her hurriedly back down the corridor. One hand remained on the wall, guiding her straight. She counted the doors she passed until she was sure she was at the right one. It was already open; Ginny collided hard with someone standing in the doorway.

“Who's that?” She asked, at the same time as the person blocking the door. 

“Ginny?” 

“Hermione?” 

“What are you doing?” Hermione demanded. 

Ginny's explanation escaped her before she could think of a slightly less pathetic excuse for careening into their compartment. “I was looking for Ron.”

Hermione's hand pulled gently at Ginny's arm, leading her into the compartment. “Come in and sit down –” 

“Not here! I'm here!” Harry squeaked as Ginny leapt up from the seat she'd attempted to sit in; the one that was already occupied by him. She was sure her brightly burning cheeks must be visible even in the dark gloom that surrounded them. 

“Ouch!” Said another, less familiar, voice as Ginny's foot landed on someone's shoe. 

“Quiet!” A hoarse voice hissed, this one evidently belonging to an adult.

Ginny fell silently into the empty seat beside Ron, aided to her destination by the flickering light that had suddenly filled the compartment, illuminating the worried faces of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville. 

The light's caster was a weary-looking man who Ginny had never seen before. “Stay where you are,” he commanded, getting to his feet with his brightly shining fire held out before him. 

The door, however, slid open before he could reach it. The creature that faced him was one Ginny had only heard about in hushed whispers. Still, the cloaked figure looming in the doorway was instantly recognisable; Ginny's mouth fell open in horror. 

Her heart was hammering in her throat, suppressing the scream that threatened to escape her as the Dementor inhaled one slow, rattling breath. 

A frigid chill overtook her, creeping through her veins like ice water, frosting over her bones and stealing the breath from her frozen lungs. 

Her vision blurred, the darkness surrounding Ginny absolute once more. She could feel nothing but the cold seeping into her soul, could hear nothing but the familiar drip of dank water on stone walls. 

Then there was the voice; high and cold as it had been the last time she'd heard it, when she'd thought she'd hear nothing else ever again. ‘Come to me, Ginny.'

A small whimper ghosted on her lips, but it sounded a million miles away.

‘Come,’ Tom said again, a quiet command in his voice. ‘No one will miss you. It will be a relief for them to be rid of you, once they realise what you've done.’ 

Ginny's frozen heart shattered into a million pieces. Her head began to spin; the cold rose up, engulfing her, threatening to drag her back to him. 

‘I'll make it quick,’ he murmured. ‘No need for you to suffer, even I'm not interested in you really. No one ever is, are they?’ 

No. Ginny tried to shake her head, tried to move her arms, to free herself from the grip Tom had seized her in, but she couldn't move. 

‘Pitiful.’ He laughed, high and cruel. 

Ginny tried not to hear it, refusing to be swept under his spell ever again. 

Suddenly, a thick, white fog surrounded her. The cold swept out of Ginny's body, leaving only numbness in its wake. 

There was a loud gasp from the other side of the compartment; the lanterns flickered to life, allowing her to see Neville gripping the arm of his seat tightly.

Still paralysed in her seat, unsure if she would ever be able to walk again, Ginny's eyes swept around the compartment, taking in the sight of Ron and Hermione looking bewildered at one another; the strange man withdrawing a large bar of chocolate from his case; and Harry on the floor beside his chair, looking pale and shaken. 

Ginny's knees folded up to her chest; she hardly heard the conversation happening between the others. Their voices were distant, barely audible above the sound of Tom Riddle's voice still echoing in her ears. 

[underthenightskydreamsneverdie]

Carnal, chapter three

Summary: Sparks fly between Mattheo Riddle and Daisy Waters aboard the Hogwarts Express

Warnings: 18+, at least one mention of his cock, but mostly cuteness, fluff, Daisy using her wolf senses

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x f!OC Daisy Waters

Word count: 1322

A/N: This chapter is so cute I wanna cry. Also, I'm not sure where I got the idea that Mattheo is left handed from, but I'm making it true for this fic.

Divider Credit to @enchanthings

Find chapter one here Find chapter two here

Chapter one/character mood boards here Chapter two mood board here Chapter three mood board here

Tag list: @helendeath , @sylviaonyx , @secret-sophieee , @hotcinnam0nspicy , @evaslytherpuff ,

In a small compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express, Daisy waited impatiently. Every few minutes she would lift her head, take a deep breath, and inhale all the scents platform 9 ¾ had to offer, searching for one person in particular. I know this boy is not about to miss the damn train. She tried not to fiddle with the silver wrapped packages on the small table in front of her, instead tapping her nails on the table. 

When a group of younger students tried to enter the compartment she quickly shut them down and sent them on their way. Sighing as the door closed she looked back to the open window, taking another deep breath. Grumbling as she didn’t pick him up yet again, she started to doubt herself. Pinpointing his location in only a couple hundred students was easy, but a couple thousand strangers, that may be asking too much of her only slightly enhanced human nose. 

Rising to her feet she opened the compartment door, leaning against the door frame. It was so noisy out in the hallway, she almost couldn’t take it. Closing her eyes, she listened hard, blocking out every noise she eliminated. No, he wasn’t here. Wait. The sound of a pounding heartbeat caught her attention. Ducking back inside she moved to the window, taking one more deep breath. Yes! There, through the steam and oil, sweat and fear, perfume and cologne, she found him, Mattheo Riddle. Throwing her hands in the air she did a little happy dance, proud of herself and ecstatic to soon be reunited with him. She wanted to rush into the hallway, wrap him in her arms, and have a long overdue heated make out session, but instead she closed the door of her compartment, picked up her book and relaxed in her seat. She knew he would find her when he was ready. 

Desperate to find his Daisy, Mattheo broke off from his friends as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Squeezing past groups of friends spilling into the hall, excited first years running around, and the Honeydukes trolley witch, he searched car after car for her. There has to be a better way. He wanted to simply run the length of the train calling her name but also didn’t want her to know exactly how desperate he was for her company. 

Finally, he found her, in the last car he searched. At first he thought she was asleep, curled up with her bare feet on the seat, a large book resting on her legs. But then she turned onto her back, raising the book into the air and crossing her ankles. It didn’t look very comfortable to him and she must have felt the same because she stood up, nose still buried in her book, and laid down on her stomach facing the window. This seemed to make her happy for a few minutes before she sighed and stood up. He pressed himself into the doorway of the adjoining compartment, not wanting to be caught watching her. The door slowly opened, her sweet voice ringing out into the hallway. 

“If only there were a tall, dark haired man to keep me company on this long, lonely train ride.” She sighed in a dramatic, dreamy way that sent tingles up Mattheos spine and when her hand suddenly jutted out into the hallway he took it eagerly, letting her lead him into the compartment, both of them laughing at how easily she’d caught him. How did she know I was there?

Fighting every instinct that screamed for him to pull her close he sat across from her, searching her face for any sign she was even half as excited to see him. His heart skipped a beat when her lips turned upward into a soft smile, her blue eyes bright with happiness. That smile told him everything; she was fighting just as hard against the invisible pull between them, but she was almost ready to give in. 

“How come you’re on the train today, Daisy? I thought you lived in Hogsmeade.”

“Maybe I wanted to see you…” Yes! “Or maybe I needed things I couldn’t get in town…” Oh. “Or maybe it’s a bit of both…” You little tease. She shrugged and then giggled, the sound of it making his cock twitch. “These are for you.” Her voice was much more sincere as she gently pushed the packages on the table towards him, looking at him excitedly. The telltale sound of pencils rattling in a metal case came from the two smaller packages, making his eyebrows raise momentarily. Did you buy me art supplies?

“For me?” Chuckling as she nodded, he pulled the big package close wondering why she would have bought him something and what it could possibly be. Slipping a finger under the paper he raised an eyebrow, feeling extremely soft leather under his fingertip. A journal, maybe? As the paper fell away he gasped. No, it can’t be. Oh Daisy, you incredible woman. A sketchbook cover, the largest one he’d ever seen, embossed with his initials. Opening it he let out a happy laugh.  She doesn’t miss a thing. It was designed for someone left-handed unlike the mass produced kind he saw in most art supply stores. Did she have this custom made just for me? He stood and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. 

Most of the things he owned had come from Draco, things his cousin had decided he didn’t want. Even Artemis, his beloved owl, had been originally bought for Draco. But this…Daisy had searched out something he was interested in, spent her time thinking of what he would like, and made sure it would be personalized to fit his needs. “Why? This must have cost a fortune, Daisy.” 

She looked up at him, those damn beautiful eyes of hers shining bright as though she thought the answer should have been obvious to him. “When spent for a good reason cost does not weigh heavily on the heart.” 

“But…” 

Her fingers brushed over his lips, stopping his doubt in its tracks. “The cost does not weigh heavily on my heart Mattheo.” 

Why must she be so poetic? “Say it to me plainly, Daisy. I need to be sure I understand.” He did understand, had absolutely no doubts what she meant, but he needed to hear it anyway. 

She took her time responding, tracing his lips with her fingertips, brushing her nose against his jaw. “You’re worth the cost, Mattheo.” 

The way she whispered her words set him on fire and without a second thought he kissed her, moaning as he felt her soft lips, tasted her. It was their first kiss, but it held none of the usual hesitation or shyness, only certainty that this was where they were always meant to be. He kept the kiss soft, loving, pouring all his unspoken affection into it. 

Her soft giggle as they pulled apart made him want to lay her down and take her right there, claim her until they reached the school then get her in his bed and keep going until the sun rose. But, he also wanted to take it slow. Mattheo knew the feelings between them were special, more special than he could comprehend, and it made him want to do this right, love her emotionally before loving her physically.

He sat down, pulling her into his lap, and picking up the sketchbook. “What do you say we break this in, pretty girl?” Snuggling her in even closer to him they spent the next few hours laughing and exchanging little kisses as he sketched. She eventually fell asleep, face pressed against the crook of his neck. Setting his pencil down, one of the two dozen high quality sketching type she had bought him, he wrapped his arms around her, sighing happily and closing his eyes as well.

[rollercoasterwords]

they welcome me 2 hogwarts school of witchcraft + wizardry they put me on the train but i won't go into a car i just keep crawling up and down the corridors on all fours like a horrible prowling crocodile + the trolley witch is so upset that she can't go down the corridors because i am out there crawling around and it's very frightening. so nobody gets any snacks and by the time we reach the school everyone is so so so so hungry but they have to wait for the first year sorting but the first years r delayed bc i won't stop gnawing through the wood on my rowboat and i keep sinking so hagrid has 2 keep turning around and fishing me out of the lake bc i don't know how 2 swim so i am shrieking and flailing and drowning but the moment he sticks me in a new rowboat i immediately begin to gnaw through the wood again and i do this to several rowboats causing many other students (who are sharing the rowboats with me) to also sink and so by the time the first years arrive for the sorting we are many of us soaking wet and shivering cold and the weaker amongst the brood are sniffling and crying due to being very rattled by their little swims in the lake. but everyone says well they all made it over thank christ let's get this sorting over with except my name is the very first one alphabetically because it is spelled with 5 As in a row and when they guide me to the stool i pounce immediately upon the sorting hat and rip it to shreds with my teeth and eat it bc i am so hungry and starving due to cowardly trolley witch and thus i immediately and within the blink of an eye destroy a priceless and extremely powerful historical magical artifact. like and subscribe for more

[bridgertonbabe]

In your hogwarts au when did Sophie get a crush on Ben?Was it like the first time she meet him or something that happen over time? Also could we get it from her pov????

Okay; breathe. Just breathe. Everything's fine. Sophie desperately told herself as she stood idle in the middle of Kings Cross station.

She had been there for half an hour, having been dropped off by Araminta in a rare act of her stepmother willing to be of any actual assistance - even though Sophie was well aware Araminta had only done so for her own benefit, gleeful to be finally rid of her for a whole school year. She and Rosamund had sat in the car while Posy helped Sophie get her trunk and belongings out of the boot and onto a trolley, unhelpfully snapping at them to get a move on. Only Posy had offered her an actual goodbye, with her stepsister squeezing her into the tightest hug and whispering how much she'd miss her. Sophie had then watched the car screech off as her stepmother couldn't wait to get away from her fast enough, and she gave a single wave to match the one Posy had turned and given her from the backseat.

Sophie had then pushed her trolley into the station and looked about for the platform where the Hogwarts Express would be - except, Platform Nine and Three Quarters didn't appear to exist. She stared helplessly at platforms nine and ten, as if hoping her platform would magically appear in between them if she stared hard enough but unfortunately it didn't materialise. She had then gone to a station attendant and asked for directions but he didn't take her seriously and in fact scolded her for wasting his time before marching off.

Fretfully she thought back over what Professor Danbury had told her a couple of weeks previously when the headmistress had appeared on her doorstop and informed her she was a witch, much to Araminta's shock and horror. Danbury had then escorted her to Diagon Alley, which had been Sophie's first glimpse into life in the wizarding world as they collected all of her necessary school items ahead of her first term. It had been an eye-opening and wondrous experience for Sophie, relieved to know there was finally a place and a community in the world for her who would welcome her more than her stepmother did; but it had also been incredibly overwhelming and Sophie began to worry that she hadn't properly listened to everything Professor Danbury had told her, particularly in relation to accessing the platform she needed to be on in order to go to the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

There were a couple of times that she spotted other children her age pushing trolleys along carrying trunks and owl cages, and she had tried hurrying after them to see where they were going but she kept losing sight of them altogether, as if they had vanished into thin air.

God, what if there's a spell I should have learnt to get to the platform. She thought to herself. She had eagerly pored over her schoolbooks for the last fortnight but she hadn't come across any information about Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and to her recollection Professor Danbury hadn't mentioned anything about it either.

Nervously she looked to the clock in the station, the hands informing her she had fifteen minutes left before the train departed, which did nothing to calm her down. She helplessly looked around, willing for some loud obnoxious sign to direct her to where she needed to be. She dreaded to think what might happen if she missed it, how humiliating it would be for her to return home to Araminta...

Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. She insisted as she felt her bottom lip wobbling and felt a lump forming at the back of her throat just at the thought of having to endure her stepmother once more when she thought at long last she might get a chance of freedom from her. She had pinned all of her hopes on Hogwarts and her newfound identity as a witch because even though it was a journey into the unknown, she'd rather take the unknown over life back home with her stepmother every single time; but to think that she might have no other choice than to be saddled with the life she had wished for an escape from-

"Hello there."

Sophie turned her sorrowful gaze to the woman who was suddenly in front of her, a woman with kind blue eyes and a soft smile that provided Sophie with immediate ease.

"Are you trying to find the Hogwarts Express?" the woman asked and all at once Sophie felt as though all of her prayers had been answered as she nodded in response. "Come with me, sweetheart." she smiled, placing a hand on her back before guiding her towards platforms nine and ten where Sophie had been searching earlier.

As the kind woman led her through the constant flow of commuters, Sophie spotted a group gathered by the platforms and noted the two trolleys carting trunks and an owl cage each.

"It's our Colin's first year too." The woman informed Sophie as they drew up to the group.

"Hi!" a boy her age waved at her exuberantly, his chestnut hair, blue eyes, and rounded face matching his mother's.

"Hello." Sophie replied back timidly to Colin as she took into consideration the fact that this boy would be in the same year as her, and hoped they might have classes together so she could at least know someone in this brand new world.

"And what's your name, sweetheart?" Colin's mother asked her.

"Sophie." she answered, looking from the woman, to Colin who smiled affably at her, and then to the little girl perched on top of a trunk on the trolley that wasn't Colin's who stared at her curiously.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sophie." the woman said, drawing Sophie's attention back to her. "I take it you're not sure how to get to the platform?" she figured and Sophie nodded, feeling self-conscious about not knowing how to access the platform to the Hogwarts Express. "Not to worry. All you've got to do is walk straight at the barrier between nine and ten." the woman explained - as if it was all so simple and straightforward. "Colin, why don't you show her?"

The boy grinned excitedly before taking a few steps back and then breaking into a run with his trolley. Sophie watched in bewilderment, expecting him to collide with an almighty crash into the barrier but just before she expected him to do so, he brought his feet up onto the trolley and sailed along without a care in the world.

"Yipp-!" he started to cheer - but Sophie never heard the end of it as all of a sudden he was gone, vanishing into thin air.

She gawped at the barrier, where she would have thought Colin would be crashed against, but instead there was no trace of him.

But how-?

"It's a portal charm." A voice piped up.

Sophie turned in the direction of who had spoken, and when she looked past the girl with the fringe sat on the trunk, she found the person who the voice belonged to; and as soon as she laid eyes on him her heart skipped a beat.

Leaning against his own trolley stood a boy who must have been Colin's older brother, seeing how much taller he was. His hair was a shade darker than his brother and mother's, his eyes a paler blue than theirs, and his face longer and more angular than theirs; but most notably to Sophie, he was the most handsome boy she had ever seen. She couldn't help the way her cheeks instantaneously flushed pink, utterly enamoured with him like she had never experienced with anyone before and she felt her heart starting to pound as he spoke further.

"That's how we have to access the platform. It's to avoid raising muggle suspicion."

She nodded in acknowledgement, remembering how Professor Danbury had referred to non-magic people as muggles, though Colin disappearing when he should have collided into the barrier still baffled her.

"A bit like the entrance to Diagon Alley." he added, providing her with a point of reference.

"Yes, except instead of finding certain bricks to press, you've got to just walk straight at the barrier."

Sophie looked to the man holding a baby, who was undoubtedly Colin's dad. She realised that while Colin and the baby (who gave Sophie an adorable gummy smile) looked like their mother, his brother took after their father and had inherited more of his features. Meanwhile the girl on the trolley was more of a mix of her parents as her inquisitive eyes continued their silent study of Sophie.

"And remember don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it." the family patriarch told her.

"Yes, it's better to do it at a run if you're nervous." his wife advised.

Sophie nodded and then realised the family were all watching her expectantly; it was now her turn to access the platform.

Squaring her shoulders, she tried to prepare herself and looked to the barrier where Colin had just disappeared from - but the thought of not successfully hitting the portal charm and instead crashing straight into the barrier made her tense up with apprehension.

Couldn't there be an easier way to reach the platform? she fretted to herself.

"I'll do it with you, if you'd like?"

Sophie turned instantly to the older boy, her cheeks rosying even more from his chivalrous offer and she quickly nodded. The boy smiled softly at her, making her heart flutter and relief washed over her knowing she wouldn't have to run at the barrier all by herself.

"I'll take your trolley through then, Ben." his father said.

Ben. His name was Ben. The first person to ever make her heart skip a beat, to smile at her and make her heart flutter, to know exactly what she was feeling without having to ask.

"Are you ready?" he asked her as he came to her side, his hand taking a hold of the bar of the trolley alongside her.

"I think so." she swallowed as she met his kind gaze, and as soon as she had she knew there was no need for trepidation, not with Ben by her side.

"Okay, on my count; three, two, one!"

Together they pushed her trolley, making a run at the barrier and though Sophie wanted to squeeze her eyes shut in fear of collision with the wall just in front of them, with Benedict's hand lined against hers she felt a jolt of courage and kept them open wide. The barrier fast approached them until suddenly it wasn't anymore and instead Sophie blinked in amazement as she looked at the brand new platform she and Benedict were now on. Grounding to a halt Sophie gazed in awe at the scarlet engine right before her and peering up she read the sign that confirmed she was right where she needed to be; Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"This way." Ben said and steered the trolley around for her.

The platform was packed out and seemed to be filled with more people than the entirety of Kings Cross station as Benedict let go of the trolley to lead Sophie through the masses. As she followed behind him she got distracted by parents hugging their children tightly, younger siblings throwing strops that they couldn't go to Hogwarts, students cheering as their playing cards exploded, owls hooting and cats yowling, someone crying out that they had lost their toad, a man making his ears grow big and flapping them to the laughter of his kids, a mother warning her son not to transform the teacher's desk into a lion again...

When Sophie returned her attention up ahead of her she realised she had lost sight of Ben who was no longer in front of her. She tried craning her head around to see if she could find him but to no avail and with a sigh she continued pushing her trolley along the platform until she came across the luggage carriage. She parked her trolley and began the uneasy task of transferring her trunk onto the train. It was incredibly heavy, what with all her school books and a cauldron amongst other things weighing it down, and Sophie tried her hardest to haul it from the trolley and straight onto the carriage but the trunk ended up tipping onto the platform with an audible thud.

"Hey!"

She perked her head up at the sound of the familiar voice and once again there was Ben - and once again her heart skipped a beat.

"Here, let us." he grinned at her, a grin which made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

Another boy helped him pick up her trunk and right away Sophie noticed the family resemblance, realising there was a third brother who was older than Ben and Colin. As they assisted her she quickly glanced around and saw Colin with his parents stood a bit further down the platform and it was then Sophie observed two more girls and a little boy gathered altogether, and she was astonished by the vast volume of siblings that Ben and Colin possessed.

"There we go." Sophie turned back round as the eldest brother reappeared from the carriage and hopped down. "I'll put this away for you." he obliged with a friendly smile and pushed her trolley off.

Ben jumped down after his brother left and smiled warmly at Sophie.

"Thank you for helping me with my trunk." she said, though inwardly cringed as she heard how pitchy her voice was just from speaking to him.

"No worries." he beamed back.

"And can you thank your family for me, for being so nice and telling me how to get onto the platform." she added graciously.

"Of course." he nodded. "Did you need anything else?" he kindly asked.

It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if it was okay if she could sit with them on the train but she stopped herself as she realised how sad that sounded. And besides, just because Ben and his family were lovely enough people to help her to the platform didn't mean they had to be saddled with her from here on out; they had done more than enough for her.

"No, that's okay. I'm fine." she assured him. "Thank you though. For everything."

"Any time." he nodded, his expression soft as he smiled at her.

She smiled back timidly before clambering onto the train and making her way along the carriage, her face tinged pink as she replayed Ben's smile in her head again and again and again. He had been ever so sweet and kind to her and seemed so genuinely considerate, and in spite of how nervous she felt, she found herself feeling a lot more at ease by his calming and assuring influence. While she had no idea what was in store for her attending a school for witchcraft and wizardry, and though there was underlying worry of not fitting in or being any good at magic, Sophie could at least take solace and a little bit of hope in being able to see Ben around school. Sure, for all she knew they might never exchange another word or be in each other's company ever again, but Sophie decided she could settle for admiring him from afar to make her days ahead a little easier - utterly unaware that this was the first day of being in love with Benedict Bridgerton for the rest of her life.

[artiesredemptionarc]

That One Love (Remus x reader)

Can also be found on ao3 and wattpad with the same title

Desc: Y/N Potter was now in her fifth year, the Marauders now in their sixth, it was meant to be a calm year, what with the usual antics of James being in love with Lily and the boys playing pranks on the Slytherins as a whole. Lately however, Y/N has started to pay a little more attention to Remus, seeing as he had started to talk to her more this year, leaving to let her wonder if he was always this nice and attractive.

(A/N: A remake from a fic I wrote back on Wattpad when I was 11/12, it's an xreader for Remus cause I was unhealthily in love with him. Anyways enjoy!)

Chapter 1: The Express

Y/N sat in the empty train car, looking around for her brother and his friends. As usual, they were nowhere to be found, well, Y/N didn't really want to find them per se, she just didn't want them to be getting into trouble already when they hadn't even left the station yet. Once it was clear the boys were nowhere near her cart, she decided to close her door, choosing to invite the calmness instead of the chaos lurking somewhere in the train, feeling the tracks shift under her, knowing that they were now departing for Hogwarts as the whistle blew and the station began to pass from her window.

"Oi! Let us in, won't you?" A voice sounded from behind the compartment door, belonging to a long dark-haired boy, her brother's best friend, Sirius Black, three others stood behind him in the small walkway. Y/N groaned, having just settled with the silence before moving, opening the door, and allowing the boys in, sitting next to the one with round-rimmed glasses and unnaturally unruly hair, also known as her older brother James.

"What took you guys so long? I started hoping you had gotten left on the platform." She said, looking to her brother for an answer. It wasn't like she was impossible to find, in fact, they had all sat in that same compartment the entire time they had attended Hogwarts, Y/N only joining them one year after when she herself started attending Hogwarts.

"Sorry, your brother there had to go ogle Lily before the train left," The boy opposite her said, Remus, the only marauder she could even stand.

"Did you know she got her hair cut over the summer? It looks amazing." James said, now lost in his own thoughts of the poor red-haired girl that he had been in love with longer than Y/N had taken to get through her reading list. At the sound of his dreamy sigh, the rest of the car collectively groaned, having to put up with it the entire time.

"How is it that you are so in love with her when she barely gives you the time of day, and when she does it's with a scowl on her face," Y/N asked, her brother and his feelings remaining an enigma to her.

'Well, my dear sister, you don't know what it feels like to be in love." James pointed out, thinking that his argument had any ground.

"That doesn't matter even in the slightest, at least I can tell when someone doesn't like me." She contradicted, a small argument now beginning between the two siblings, the other inhabitants of the car just watching, Sirius having taken out his own little bag of chips and eating, enjoying the small show in front of him. After what seemed to be half the ride, the two settled down, Peter having been put between them so they wouldn't attack one another. Silence had settled amongst the car, a knock on the door drawing everyone's attention.

"Anything from the trolley?" The old witch pushing a trolley full of sweets asked, Sirius and James, being the first to stand and ask for something, Remus moving to also get something, his eyes meeting Y/N's as he did.

"You want anything?" He asked, his voice quiet so no one would hear them, knowing that he only had money to pay for her as well, Peter would have thrown a fit if he knew that his best friend paid for a girl he barely knew over the person he's known the entire time.

"Just some candy floss if you don't mind, I'll pay you back once we get off at Hogwarts." She replied, her money being up with the rest of her luggage, knowing it would be a pain to get now that everyone had put their own bags up there as well. Remus nodded at her request, grabbing a few pieces of chocolate for himself and the candy floss for her, sitting down and handing it over, earning a small smile of thanks from the girl as the other two boys settled in their seats for the rest of the ride now.

The rest of the ride was rather uneventful, Y/N sat with her head against the window as she listened to the boys plan their first prank back at Hogwarts, taking a bite of her candy floss every now and then, even offering some to Peter when she noticed he hadn't gotten anything from the trolley. Even if she couldn't stand him, she wasn't going to let him feel even more left out of the group.

Finally, after nearly three hours the train pulled into the Hogwarts station, coming to a slow stop as they all got out of the car, grabbed their bags, and heading out onto the platform.

"Alright, first years follow me! The rest of you off to the carriages!" Y/N heard the groundskeeper call, seeing the eager newcomers follow him off to the boats, Y/N surely not missing how cold the water felt during her first year, her partner having hit her with some as they moved. Moving from the platform she made her way up to the carriages, getting on an empty room and setting her beg beside her, hoping for some solitude before hearing a person sit next to her, looking over she saw Sirius, Remus and Peter following him to the carriage.

"Where's my oaf of a brother?" She asked, seeing as James wasn't with them. Sirius just groaned in response while Peter pointed off to a different carriage, James had chosen to sit with Lily, not by her own choice, instead of his friends. "Wow, the betrayal." Y/N joked, looking at the very distraught boy beside her.

"We should lock him out of the dorm tonight," Sirius suggested, looking at his other two friends, his body shifting against Y/N before correcting himself, the carriage now moving towards the castle.

"Right, and have him mope outside of it the entire night, as if," Remus replied, shooting the idea down almost as soon as it left Sirius' mouth.

"Also he could just use alohomora." Y/N mentioned, Sirius suddenly remembering that the spell exists.

"Right, that too." Remus agreed, his head nodding at the girl's mention.

"Well, still, he shouldn't just get away with leaving us behind." Sirius exclaimed, not wanting James' betrayal to go down without retaliation.

"He'll just do it again next year." Peter chimed in, the other two murmuring their agreements.

"Great help you lot are." Sirius groaned, his arms crossing over his chest as he now sulked over the loss of his best friend.

The rest of the carriage ride was silent, the occasional word from Peter or Remus, Y/N choosing to just watch the creatures in the forest as they passed, the castle looming overhead as they continued, the new school year and any secrets that might be revealed from it causing an almost uneasy feeling amongst the returning students.

[eriquin]

The Trolley Problem, Part 17

More Tommy and Carol and Steve, this time with an attempt at reconciliation. Things are both going to fast and not going fast enough.

(master post)

Part 17

Friday had Steve on edge. He didn’t sleep well. The nightmares had traveled into the past with him, and the stress of what he had to do this weekend was bringing them out in full force. Mom commented on how tired he looked, but he assured her that he was feeling fine. 

He got through his first few classes with no problems. People around him groaned about the amount of homework being assigned and chatted about weekend plans and he listened in half-heartedly. It was strange to not be pulled into the conversations. If he kept his head down and didn’t look directly at people, they assumed he was busy or annoyed or upset. This was familiar.

At lunch, there were no quiet corners of the cafeteria to take refuge in. He nearly went to join Eddie’s table because he wanted to finalize the last piece of the vague plan he had for Sunday, but the memory of Eddie’s private rebuke stopped him. He thought about going to eat in his car, or finding an empty classroom, but instead took an empty spot at a table with a bunch of the sophomore basketball players. 

If nothing changed in the future, these guys would lead a witch-hunt against his friends, turning the whole town against them. But right now they were awkward fifteen-year-olds who were excited that basketball was starting soon. They were falling over themselves to make room for him at their table, like they looked up to him. He listened to them talk up the team and the coach and the plans for that season, quietly agreeing that they had a chance at the championship with their lineup. Maybe there was a lot more that he could change, if things went right.

Steve was sorely tempted to skip the last couple of classes, but he didn’t because his plan to talk to Eddie involved catching him before Hellfire started. He was alone and pacing in the boy’s bathroom, figuring out what he wanted to say, when Tommy came in. They stared at each other for a second, and Tommy walked back out again. He was back in another moment with Carol. Steve groaned and shook his head in frustration.

“Wait, just hear us out,” Carol said. “Tommy was just making sure no one else was here.” 

“Finally figuring out that you shouldn’t be in the boy’s bathroom, Perkins?” Steve crossed his arms.

“No, I don’t give a shit about that,” she said. She looked around the bathroom. “It’s actually less gross in here than in the girl’s room near the cafeteria. Ugh, stop distracting me.”

“We’re trying to apologize,” Tommy said. Steve did a double take, and Tommy nodded. “Yeah, really. You’ve got shit going on, obviously, and we didn’t mean to be dicks about it.”

Steve waited a second. “... But?” 

“No buts,” Carol said. “We talked about it, and whatever freaky shit you’ve got going on... Well, that’s not our business, right?” 

Steve watched them both, trying to figure out what their game was. “Right,” he said warily. “So... What then?” 

Tommy shrugged. “That’s it. Carol just wanted to make sure we did this in private. Can’t have anyone in the school realize she’s capable of being wrong, you know?”

Carol hit him with the back of her hand. “You were wrong too, asshole,” she said. She turned back to Steve and pouted a little. “But yeah, that’s it. Can we be cool with each other again?” 

The whole interaction threw Steve for a loop. “Yeah,” he said, brushing his hair back. “I guess, yeah. Sorry I’ve been such a pill lately. I wish...” He stopped and rubbed his forehead. “Look, I’ll tell you what’s going on when I can, okay?” 

Tommy nodded. “You are joining the basketball team this year, right? I saw you talking it up with Carver and his crew at lunch.”

“Yeah, I am,” Steve said. He chuckled a little, biting back the ‘assuming I survive’ that threatened to spill from his lips. “Yeah, don’t worry about that. I’m not ditching the team.”

“Cool. Good,” Tommy said. He glanced at Carol. They both looked nervous.

“Hey, I like what you’ve been doing with your hair,” she said. She gestured at her own hair, and then at his. “You’ve parting it the other way, right? Looks good.” 

Steve touched his hair self-consciously. “Yeah, I... I dunno. Changed my routine a little.” 

“It works for you,” Carol said. She looked back at Tommy. Steve watched them have whatever silent conversation they had going on. 

Tommy sighed and resigned himself to using actual words. “Okay, so your parents are heading away on a trip, right?”

“That’s right.” 

“They’re leaving Sunday?” 

Steve frowned, knowing where this was going. “Yeah, Sunday morning.” He was prepared to tell them that no, he was not going to be throwing any parties at his big house while his parents were out, no matter what they expected.

Tommy nodded. “Cool. You want to stay at mine, then?” 

This threw Steve for a loop. “What?” 

“Come over for dinner, hang out, that kind of thing. Like we used to.” Tommy shrugged and tried to look casual about it. “Mom’s worried that you’re not going to cook for yourself, and just live off of pizza or something. She’s making a roast, like always.” 

A lump caught in Steve’s throat. He liked going over to the Hagan’s house for dinner. He hadn’t done that in... years, effectively. And he could tell that this was an olive branch from Tommy, something to get their friendship back on track after the weirdness of the past couple of weeks. He just wished that they hadn’t suggested Sunday.

“I could maybe do Monday night,” Steve said. “But not Sunday. I’m busy then.” 

Tommy and Carol glanced at each other. “Busy doing what?” Carol asked. 

“Just... Busy,” Steve said. He sighed and held up his hand to keep them from asking any more questions. “Look, we’ll catch up next week, okay?” 

Carol looked like she was going to say something else, but Tommy put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “Yeah, man. Plan on it.” He smiled but it looked tense. 

Steve pushed past them and left the bathroom. He stopped just outside the door and sighed. From inside, he hears Carol say something about how he hated staying home alone. She sounded suspicious. He sighed and walked off, shaking his head. Just a couple more days to get through, and then maybe he could figure out what the new version of normal was going to be.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 4

Warnings: 18+ readers only, smut

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎

𝕴 𝖉𝖎𝖉𝖓'𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖐𝖊 up on the day we were supposed to go to Kings Crossing until nine-thirty and was immensely glad that I had already packed my trunk the night before. I'd stayed up late because Dad had said he'd try and drop by before the last day of school. Unfortunately, we got an owl around eleven o'clock saying he wouldn't be able to make it but he wished me and Trang a good time at school.

I'd also been woken by a nightmare around one o'clock which I'd immediately recognized to be a vision, and wrote a letter to Hannah Abbott telling her that'd I'd just had a vision telling her that I'd seen her being pulled out of Herbology class only a few weeks into term because her mother had been found dead. I told her that she would be safe at Hogwarts, but if her mother and anyone else in the house could find a safe place to stay or take up extra precautions, it would be advisable.

I didn't know if Sadie would be able to deliver it before Hannah left for school and I also didn't know if the Death Eaters were going to attack Sadie by delivering it. I waited for Sadie with a horrible sickening feeling in my stomach and wished I'd used a different owl.

I ate a quick breakfast and helped Mr. Weasley put my trunk in a second Ministry car which would be taking us to Kings Crossing today. Trang and I sat in the car with Ginny and I stared out the window, wishing I could see Sadie fly back to me. Meanwhile, my pygmy puff who I'd christened Amelia, was sleeping in her cage. Trang had christened hers Oliver. But I couldn't even bring myself to make fun of her.

Trang could barely sit still the entire car ride- which wasn't long. It would be her first time on the Hogwarts Express, riding to school. Of course, she'd been at Hogwarts last year, but only in the hospital wing and Dumbledore's office, and I suspected she'd seen a bit of the grounds too. But this year was different. She'd be attending classes and I knew her deepest wish was to become a witch and she was finally going to be able to achieve it. It was a weird turn of events and it made my strangely uncomfortable.

The Ministry cars stopped in front of the train station where two, grim-faced Aurors were waiting for us. I wished that Tonks was here but I knew I'd see her on the other train station when we arrived at Hogwarts. Of course, I'd have to help Harry first.

The Aurors didn't speak as they walked into Kings Crossing with us, our things on trolleys. We approached the barrier, but Trang was looking around, looking apprehensive and I realized that I'd forgotten to tell her how we got onto the platform.

"Quick, quick, through the barrier." Mrs. Weasley said nervously and glanced at the Aurors, "Harry had better go first, with-"

One of the Aurors nodded and gripped Harry's arm, steering him towards the barrier. Harry wrenched his arm from his grip and pushed ahead, the Auror quick on his heels. Trang watched them disappeared through the wall and her mouth dropped again. I put a finger out, pushing it closed.

"Elizabeth, Hermione, you two next." Mrs. Weasley said and we went through with the next Auror walking between the two of us. At least he didn't attempt to grab my arm.

"Let's go" Hermione said and we quickly loaded our things off the trolleys and carried them up to the prefect carriage. Then we came back out to see Mr. Weasley come through the platform with Trang. I was glad- she looked much more relaxed until she saw the train and all the students on the platform. She didn't drop her mouth again but she seemed very nervous and looked pale.

Harry came up on the train, Trang following him quickly.

"We gotta go down to the prefect compartment, Harry and then patrol." I said.

"Right" Harry said and I waved to him and Trang and then followed Hermione and Ron to the prefect compartment. To my surprise, only Pansy Parkinson was in the compartment representing the Slytherins. Anthony and Padma were representing the Ravenclaws and we all nodded to each other.

Ernie was waiting as the male Hufflepuff. He shook hands with Ron and Hermione and gave me a quick side hug.

"How was your summer?" He asked.

I sighed, running my long hair back. "Cold."

He chuckled and then turned his attention to the head students so that we could learn about all the different security measures that would be taken at Hogwarts this year and also how we'd be asked to patrol the corridors more often along with teachers. So in other words, I wasn't going to be getting a lot of sleep this year.

Finally, around mid afternoon we were let go and we patrolled the corridors. Ernie and I stopped by a compartment that a lot of Hufflepuffs were sitting in including Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Zacharias Smith.

Hannah looked up when we came and stood up abruptly and hurried past me and down the hallway. My face flushed and I looked at Susan, "What did I do?"

"She said she got a very disturbing letter from you this morning." Zacharias answered. "What was it about?"

"Er- if she didn't tell you the contents of the letter, then it's none of your business." I said softly. Did she not believe me? Did her parents not believe me? Did she think it was a trap? I ran an aggravated hand through my hair again.

I saw that Dean Thomas and Ginny were walking past and suddenly Zacharias was on his feet and he was calling after Ginny who turned.

"What happened at the Ministry?" Zacharias asked.

"None of your business." Ginny said coolly. "Eliza's behind her, why don't you ask her?"

I shook my head quickly behind Zacharias back, giving her an exasperated look.

I sat down next to Susan and waited as Zacharias continued to barrage Ginny with questions and then I stood up as Ginny pulled out her wand and then hexed Zacharias. He flew backwards, skidding to a stop at my feet. I looked down at him with zero pity. "You deserved that you know."

Suddenly, the compartment door opened and Professor Slughorn came in. Ginny flushed pink and then Slughorn chuckled and said, "That was a good bit of magic now! Ah, Elizabeth, I was looking for you! If you two would like to come with me."

Ginny gave me a nervous look and I rolled my eyes. With a wave of my wand, I performed the counter-curse on Zacharias and left the train compartment without a look backwards. I smirked as I closed the door behind me.

We entered the compartment where a tall black Slytherin was waiting. Blaise Zabini, yuck (yuck only because he was a Slytherin, not because he wasn't hot or nothing). Then there was Cormac McLaggen, a seventh year Gryffindor. Also yuck (because he was a jackass). And then there was a seventh year Ravenclaw by the name of Marcus Belby. I only liked him because his Uncle made the Wolfsbane potion.

Ginny and I sat down across from each other. She was sitting next to Professor Slughorn and I was sitting next to Zabini.

A few moments later, Harry came through the compartment door with Neville.

"Harry, m'boy! Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Slughorn said, jumping to his feet as they came in. Neville nodded and they also sat opposite each other close to the door.

"Now, do you know everyone? Blaise Zabini is in your year, of course." Slughorn started but none of them made any acknowledgement. "This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you've come across each other-? No? And this is Marcus Bely, I don't know whether-? -and this charming young lady tells me she knows you!" Slughorn finished. I supposed that was what Ginny and Slughorn had been talking about in the hallway when I was envisioning Tonks finding Harry in the compartment. "And of course Harry, your sister!"

"Er actual-" I spoke awkwardly as the other students shot me a look, but Slughorn was already speaking again.

"A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on licorice wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things. . . Pheasant, Belby?"

Belby gave a start and took half a pheasant.

"I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles. Outstanding wizard, outstanding and his Order of Merlin most well-deserved. Do you see much of your uncle, Marcus?"

Belby started to choke on his pheasant, not realizing that he'd have to speak. Professor Slughorn pointed his wand at him and said, "Anapneo." Interesting spell, I'd certainly never heard of it before.

"Not. . . not much of him, no." Belby gasped, eyes streaming with watery tears and the purple hue slowly started disappearing from his face.

"Well, of course, I daresay he's busy. I doubt he invented the Wolfsbane potion without considerable hard work!"

"I suppose. . . Er. . . he and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't really know much about. . ." Belby drifted off as Slughorn gave him a strained smile and turned to Cormac.

"Now you, Cormac. I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?" Professor Slughorn asked.

"Oh, yeah, that was fun, that was. We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour- this was before he became Minister, obviously-"

"Ah you know Bertie and Rufus too?" Slughorn said, offering around a plate of pies that I politely declined. I hated pie. "Now tell me. . ."

I tuned out the rest of the conversation as Slughorn turned Zabini who had a famous mother. I'd heard the stories before. Married seven times to rich men who died under mysterious circumstances. Sometimes, she married rich Muggles and it turned out they were suicidal, jumping off cliffs. Considering he was a Slytherin, I would assume that his mother put a number of spells on the men.

I made sure to tune out Neville's conversation particularly hard as he was getting flustered, his parents being famous Aurors and being tortured so horribly their minds broke. Ginny and Harry were also determinedly blocking out the conversation.

"And now!" Slughorn said, jerking me out of my thoughts. I wished I'd thought to bring a patented daydream charm. "Harry Potter! Where to begin? I feel I barely scratched the surface when we met over the summer! 'The Chosen one', they're calling you now! Of course, there have been rumors for years. . . I remember when- well- after that terrible night- Lily- James- and you survive- and the word was that you must have powers beyond the ordinary-"

Zabini gave a little cough and Ginny burst out angrily, "Yeah, Zabini, because you're so talented. . . at posing. . ."

"Oh dear! You want to be careful, Blaise! I saw this young lady perform the most marvelous Bat-Bogey Hex as I was passing her carriage! I wouldn't cross her!" Professor Slughorn chuckled comfortably. "Anyway, such rumors this summer. Of course, one doesn't know what to believe, the Prophet has been known to print inaccuracies, make mistakes- but there seems little doubt, given the number of witnesses, that there was quite a disturbance at the Ministry and that you were there in the thick of it all!"

Harry nodded but said nothing.

"So modest, so modest, no wonder Dumbledore is so fond- you were there, then? But the rest of the stories- so sensational, of course, one doesn't know quite what to believe- this fabled prophecy, for instance-"

"We never heard a prophecy." Neville said, turning pink.

"That's right. Neville, Eliza, and I were there too, and all this 'Chosen One' rubbish is just the Prophet making things up as usual." Ginny said.

"You were there too, were you?" Slughorn asked with interest, looking between the three of us.

"There were actually quite a few students there." I said dreamily, sounding a bit like Luna. "Ten of us in total."

Slughorn was very interested but I said nothing more and he looked quite disappointed. Then he rambled off about many different things and I watched the sun fall lower in the sky and finally I said, "Professor, I don't mean to be rude, but it's getting very late, I just wanted to warn you!" My cheeks flushed.

Professor Slughorn looked out the window and said, "You are quite right! You'd better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on nogtails. Harry, Eliza, Blaise- any time you're passing by. Same goes for you, miss!" He said to Ginny and me. "Well, off you go, off you go."

We filed out of the compartment and I stretched, thankful to be out of there. Now, to go find Trang.

"I'm glad that's over." Neville muttered. "Strange man, isn't he?"

"Yeah he is a bit. How come you ended up in there, Ginny?" Harry asked.

"He saw me hex Zacharias Smith. You remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was in the D.A.? He kept on and on asking about what happened at the Ministry and in the end he annoyed me so much I hexed him- when Slughorn came in I thought I was going to get detention, but he just thought it was a really good hex and invited me to lunch! Mad eh?"

"Better reason for inviting someone than because their mother's famous." Harry said, scowling after Zabini. "Or because their uncle-" He broke off and then he said. "I'll see you three later."

"But what're you-?" Neville asked as Harry flung the cloak over his body.

"Later!" He whispered and he was gone.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm going to go and get my stuff and go find Ron and Hermione and Trang."

"Oh, I know where they're staying!" Neville said, "I'll come with you."

We said good-bye to Ginny and then headed back to the compartment that I'd been in. Susan was no longer there either and Hannah had never come back. I got my stuff and then followed Neville to the compartment with Hermione, Ron, Trang, and Luna.

"What'd he want?" Ron asked.

"Dunno, he never talked to me and I blocked out most of what he said." I answered, sitting down next to Trang and opening the Daily Prophet.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno." Neville answered. "He said he'd be back eventually."

"I'll go find him if the time gets close. Also Trang, Luna here is a fellow Ravenclaw so she'll show you where the Ravenclaw table is."

"Great." Trang said, sounding relieved and Luna smiled at her before disappearing again behind her magazine.

As the train came to a stop and we started to get our stuff out, Harry still had not returned.

"Eliza we have to do our prefect duties." Hermione said nervously, "Where is Harry?"

I hesitated and then turned to others, "Can you guys get my stuff out on the deck?"

Neville, Hermione, and Ron nodded and I dashed out of the door towards where I knew the Slytherins were going to be staying. I watched Zabini, Goyle, and Crabbe coming down the compartment and though they gave me nasty looks, they passed by without a word. Pansy was waiting in the compartment and then she left too, throwing me a nasty look as she passed by.

I heard a crash and knew that Harry had been immobilized.

I rushed to the door, throwing it open, my wand raised. Harry was lying on the floor and Draco was standing over him. Draco spun around and though I had the shield charm halfway out of my mouth, he was faster and my body froze. Draco laid me down next to Harry, smashing my nose in with his foot, and throwing the Invisibility Cloak over the two of us.

Blood rain down my face and onto my clothes. Lovely. My wand was still in my hand and I tried very hard to think of the countercurse. I managed to do it and sat up just as Tonks came into the compartment. There was a flash of red and Harry unfroze as well.

"Wotcher Harry, Wotcher Elizabeth." Tonks said. Harry picked up the invisibility cloak. "We'd better get out of here, quickly. Come on, we'll jump."

We hurried after her into the corridor and she pulled open the train door and jumped onto the platform. I jumped after her, feeling a rush of adrenaline and then Harry landed next to me. The landing, jolted my nose and my hand leapt up to it but didn't touch it.

"Who did it?" Tonks asked.

"Draco Malfoy. Thanks for. . . well. . ." Harry said.

"No problem." Tonks said, not meeting my eyes. "I can fix your nose if you stand still."

Harry and I stayed still as she said "Episkey" twice.

"Thanks a lot!" Harry exclaimed as our noses were mended.

"Thanks." I murmured.

"You'd better put that cloak back on and we can walk up to the school." Tonks said. I turned into a cat, and Harry swung the invisibility cloak over himself. Tonks waved her wand and a wolf appeared and shot off towards the castle.

"Was that a Patronus?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you two or they'll worry. Come on, we'd better not dawdle."

"How did you find us?" Harry asked.

"I noticed neither you or Elizabeth had left the train and I knew you had that cloak. I thought you might be hiding for some reason. When I saw the blinds were drawn down on that compartment, I thought I'd check."

"But what are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I'm stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection." Tonks said.

"Is it just you who's stationed up here, or-?"

"No, Proudfoot, Savage, and Dawlish are here too."

I wanted to ask how Kingsley was but I had the two-way mirror still and besides, I was a cat- I couldn't talk.

"Dawlish, that Auror Dumbledore attacked last year?"

"That's right."

I started to fall behind, my cat legs much shorter than their human ones and Tonks stopped, bending down and picking me up and carrying me. I purred in her arms and the slightest smile came over her face before flitting away.

We finally made it to the castle and Harry, still hidden under the cloak, rattled the bars and then I heard him say, "Alohomora!"

"That won't work on these, Dumbledore bewitched them himself." Tonks said.

"I could climb a wall." Harry suggested.

"No, you couldn't. Anti-intruder jinxes on all of them. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer." Tonks said flatly.

"Well then." Harry said, sounding annoyed, "I suppose I'll just have to sleep out here and wait for morning."

"Someone's coming down for you. Look." Tonks said. I jumped out of her arms and turned into a human. Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak.

"Well, well, well." Professor Snape said. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance." He tapped the padlock once so that the chains snaked backward and the gates creaked open.

"I couldn't change, I didn't have my-" Harry started.

I was glad I was in my Hogwarts robes, though blood was all down the front of them, and I knew there was dried blood on my face.

"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora, Potter and Kane are quite- ah- safe in my hands." Severus said.

"I meant for Hagrid to get the message." Tonks said, frowning.

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter and Kane here, so I took it instead. And incidentally," Professor Snape said, standing back so that we could pass through. "I was interested to see your new Patronus."

He shut the gates in her face and I frowned at him. "I think you were better off with the old one. The new one looks weak." His voice was full of malice and before I knew what I was doing, anger flew through me and I strode forward and slapped him across the face so hard that it echoed through the courtyard.

"Elizabeth!" Tonks exclaimed but I was already striding off, my anger pulling me towards the castle.

"Elizabeth- wait-!" Harry exclaimed, sounding nervous. I was already on the castle steps and heading up past the front doors and then found my way to the Great Hall. I pulled open the double door with a hard jerk and then hurried off to the Hufflepuff table, my eyes flashing with anger and I sat down next to Ernie.

"What happened to your face?" Susan asked in horror.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" I asked, reaching for a chicken wing.

"You're covered in blood." Ernie said, "what happened?"

"Malfoy." I said darkly, pulling out my wand and closing one eye and pointing it at my own face and said, "Tergeo! Better, Susan?"

"Yeah." Susan said, though her eyes were lingering on my clothes. I pointed my wand at my clothe and said, "Scourgify!"

Harry came into the Great Hall now and hurried down to the Gryffindor table, people whispering and pointing and standing up to look at him.

"So why did you get on Draco's bad side?" Susan asked. Rose had come to sit down next to me. Justin and Zacharias were now sitting closer but Hannah was sitting far away, determinedly avoiding my gaze.

I rolled my eyes, "I've been on his bad side for about five years Susan." Then I sighed and said, "In this particular incident, I was actually just going to save Harry and got caught up between their fight."

"Oh." Ernie said, glancing up at the Professors table.

Dessert appeared and I helped myself to some ice-cream, trying to look over at the Ravenclaw table. Trang was sitting next to Luna, looking down at her dessert and looked up. I smiled at her and winked and she grinned back.

Then Dumbledore stood up and the laughter and talk died away. "The very best of evenings to you!" He said, spreading his arms wide and showing the very tips of his black hand.

There were gasps and outbursts from the tables as they caught sight of his hand. Dumbledore smiled and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve of his robe over his injury and said, "Nothing to worry about. Now. . . to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. . .as many of our old students and new students should take to heart is that the Forbidden is off limits- especially now. . . and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes. Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise. We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

The word seemed to spread around the Great Hall as people tried to figure out what that meant. Ernie and Susan were showing identical faces of shock. Rose was looking around, frowning, trying to figure out what the significance of this word was.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Professor Dumbledore said.

"NO!" Harry shouted loudly at the Gryffindor table while the Slytherins exploded into cheering and clapping. Other students looked at each other, muttering.

"Dumbledore is going to let him teach Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Ernie asked, shocked. "How could he?"

Susan, Rose, Ernie, and I were all in a small little huddle. I could feel Professor Snape's eyes on me, but I was to angry at him to acknowledge him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and the buzzing died down. "Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe."

I looked over at the Slytherin table to see that Draco was levitating his fork with his wand, not paying attention to Dumbledore. Deciding that I too was bored, I lowered my wand under the table and muttered, "Acuelo!"

Immediately, his concentration on his fork dropped and the gold fork dropped against the golden plate, making the loudest clatter that sounded throughout the hall. I grinned, watching him bend down with a pink face to grab his stinging knee. Dumbledore didn't break stride in his speech, but I heard Severus' voice, plain as day in my head, 'Enough.'

I scowled, dropping my face back to my plate, not acknowledging him.

"The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them- in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

There was a bit of silence and then Dumbledore smiled and said, "But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

Ernie and I got up to approach the new first-years and we led them through the castle and taught them the password at the door and then Ernie led the boys up through one door and I led the girls up to their dorm in another one.

Then, reluctantly, I headed into my own dorm where Susan, Megan, Leanne, and Hannah were. Megan and Leanne were deep in conversation and I'd never really spoken to them. Hannah had her back to me and I motioned to Susan to come out of the dorm.

"What's up?" she asked.

I hesitated and then said, "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Madam Bones. . . well she was a really great witch Susan."

Susan blinked sudden tears out of her eyes and said, "Thanks Elizabeth. I'm really sorry about your Godfather too."

I nodded, looking down. "It's alright, it's how he wanted to go. He always wanted to go down fighting." I smiled a bit, now looking up at the ceiling. "That's how I want to go too if I don't make it."

"Me too." Susan said softly.

We went back into the dorm and I stood there awkwardly, looking at Hannah's back. And then she turned to face me and said, "I just wanted to say thank you for warning me ahead of time."

"Er-, you don't seem happy about it." I said hesitantly.

She hesitated too and said, "Mum doesn't believe. . . she doesn't. . . she thinks it was a joke."

I closed my eyes with horror. "I'm sorry Hannah."

Her eyes were filled with tears. Susan had our backs to us but Leanne and Megan were looking on with interest. "I just. . . I'm glad you warned me anyways. I've told my other family members not to pull me out. I'm already prepared and I don't want to leave Hogwarts anyways."

"It's going to be okay." Susan said softly now, putting a hand on Hannah's shoulder.

Hannah nodded and climbed into bed.

Soon, Hannah, Susan, Leanne, and Megan were all fast asleep. I kept pacing the room, unable to sleep. I kept picturing Severus's horribly mean face and the malice in his voice as he said, 'The new one looks weak'.

Finally out of frustration, I walked out of the girls dorm and turned into a cat outside the Hufflepuff dorm and started to head towards the potions room before remembering that Snape was no longer teaching potions and had to take a much longer route to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

I turned human once inside the classroom and headed up to where the office was, knocking on the door.

"Come in." a sleek voice said.

I pushed the door open and walked inside, closing the door behind me.

"Oh." Severus said, dropping his quill on his desk. "Er I didn't think you'd come tonight."

I didn't say anything.

Severus stood up and approached me and said, "Look-"

"Don't." I said coldly.

"No?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow, his tone close to matching mine. "I think I should get a say in the matter."

I glared at him. "You said her patronus was weak, Severus. And you know perfectly well what her patronus looked like and why that offended me!"

Severus strode over to me, pushing me up against the door and putting a finger to my lips. "I didn't say it looked weak because of the animal it took. I said it looked weak because it was weak. It wasn't as bright as it used to be and it was certainly less solid than her old one was."

I opened my mouth to speak and he pinched it closed between his thumb and pointer finger. "Though I must admit. . ." He leaned forward so that our cheeks were touching and his lips were close to my ear, "you get your point across through. . . actions. . ."

I blushed bright red, feeling flustered. His hand was snaking around towards my backside and his other hand moved from my lips, down to the side of my neck. He pressed his lips to mine and I closed my eyes. I found my hands were on the front of his shirt, pulling him to me.

I couldn't stay mad at him forever. I loved him to much, it was a flaw. I couldn't stay mad at Fred or Cedric or Harry or Dad either. I loved all of them too much. And then, I pushed away from the door, pushing Severus towards the bed with so much force, he fell backwards perfectly. I jumped up high, almost like a cat and landed ontop of him gently.

Severus grabbed my hips, rolling over ontop of me now, our clothes coming off in layers. He immediately hooked my legs over his shoulders, burying his face into my cunt. I whimpered, closing my eyes in pleasure as he ran his tongue through my folds, adding two lovely fingers to work me up.

"Severus please." I begged through a whisper, wishing I could grab his hair, bring him closer to me.

"Let go love." Severus murmured and I released on his lips and tongue.

He smirked as he pulled back, taking his cock into his hand, before lining himself up with my entrance. He pushed himself inside until he was balls deep.

Now my hands did come up, one lacing through the soft strands of his silky black hair, the other gripping his shoulder tightly.

He moved slowly and sensually as he usually did, his lips kissing my collarbone and breasts. I hummed in content, kissing his cheek and shoulders, whatever skin I could reach.

He grabbed both of my hands in one of his, pinning them above my head as he took one of my nipples into his mouth. He thrusted a little harder, his free hand reaching between our bodies to roll my clit between his fingers.

"I love you Elizabeth. I don't ever want you to forget that." Severus whispered softly across my skin.

"I'm sorry I slapped you." I apologized, cunt fluttering around his cock as he continued to fuck me. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I'm sorry I only had a one track mind about the situation instead of hearing what you really meant. I'm sorry."

"I accept all of your apologies." Severus said, suddenly pulling my body upright so that I was straddling him in his lap. I wrapped my arms around his waist, crying out at the new angle as he thrusted up into me. "And now I want you to cum all over my cock like a good girl."

"Fuck." I whimpered, doing just that, feeling my release wash over me hot and then cold. He spilled into me, kissing my neck and then my lips.

"I love you too Severus. I love you a lot." I whispered softly.

Severus gently pulled out of me, using a simple spell to clean the both of us up, before he wrapped the sheets around my naked body. He tucked himself behind me, wrapping his arms around me.

He kissed my cheek, his fingers in my hair. I closed my eyes with a small smile on my face. And I could still feel him running his fingers through my hair as I fell asleep.

⬅️➡️

[captain-lessship]

Toffee Pt. 1: Hogwarts

Synopsis:

What goes best with Toffee?" "Chocolate." 

You had always been taught that sharing made people like you. That's why you shared the toffee your mother had made with the four boys that sat with you on the train to your future school. Little did you know that those boys would change your life: For better and worse.

You ran to the wall, Eyes closed tightly. You wondered if the man in the funny hat and odd scarf had told you the truth. You didn't crash. Wait! You didn't crash into the substantial brick wall. You flung open your eyes to see trolleys with luggage, cages with owls, kids running up and down the platform, and most importantly: The most majestic train you'd ever seen. In flaked gold letters it read 'Hogwarts Express', the man hadn't lied to you. You hurried up to the train and then to the tall, lanky brunette boy who was helping children about your age heave their trunks into the luggage car. You smiled at him. 

"Are you a Hogwarts student?" you asked.

"Yes, I'm a sixth year. You are a first year?" 

"Yeah!" 

"Well," he picked up your tunk and stacked it on the growing pile, "I would go find an empty place to sit before they all fill up."

He helped you up and you walked through the train cars looking for an empty or mostly empty car; You saw one and dove in. You put your stuff up into the overhead hanger when you heard a small voice, almost mouse-like. You turned to see a blonde boy, nervously rubbing his hands. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you saving this space for someone?" 

"No." he shyly answered. You smiled. 

"What's your name?" 

"Peter. Peter Pettigrew."

"That's a nice name!" you told him yours and you slowly began talking when you heard a thud. Two boys slammed into the car. They were laughing and being rather rude not acknowledging you and Peter. You scowled lightly but you promised your mother you would have manners. 

"Ugh I hate that guy already! and the girl was kind of annoying too-Oh!" the slightly taller one said when he turned to see you and the nervous boy. 

"Sorry." The one with glasses said. 

They shared an awkward look so you decided to speak up. 

' You can sit here if you'd like, we don't care, do we, Peter?" He shook his head yes. The two boys finished stuffing their stuff and sat down.

"What're your names?" 

"James Potter." the one with glasses said.

"Sirius Black." the other followed. 

You were surprised, "You two almost seem like brothers, are you related? Cousins maybe?"

"I don't think so." 

You were about to speak up when the train jerked forward and the whistle blew. 

"Off to Hogwarts!" Sirius yelled, making Peter slightly jump. 

"Well esteemed wizards and witch, I think we should celebrate!" James pulled an odd box from his jacket, he opened it, and pulled a few jelly beans out. 

"Ooh!" Peter said, reaching for the caramel-y color one. He popped it in his mouth and began chewing; the other two boys looked at him with expecting looks. Peter softly smiled. "Creampuff." You noticed the look of relief on Sirius's and James's faces. You were confused. 

"What flavors are there?"

The three boys looked at you with equal looks of confusion. "Have you never had Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?" 

You froze, "Yeah no." 

"Have you been living under a rock?!" Sirius said, flinging his hands up. 

"No, I just."

Peter, with a much softer voice, spoke "Muggle-born?" 

"Yea." 

The boys looked at each other and left out an 'Ah' in unison. You frowned slightly, "Does this mean we can't be friends."

"No no!" James started, "It just means that we get to witness your first taste of wizard candy! Which is exciting!" He dug in the box and pulled out a red jelly bean and handed it to you. You, not wanting to seem like a loser, put it in your mouth and started chewing as Peter did. You gagged and began fanning your mouth.

"I think it's hot sauce!" you screeched. It wasn't that you disliked hot sauce but by itself? It was foul and it burned. 

Sirius handed you a bottle of pink liquid, and you hesitated, "Is it going to turn me into a... flamingo?"

"No, it's just strawberry soda." he said, giggling at you. You chugged it, the burn in your mouth slowly going away. 

You handed him the empty bottle and began laughing along. It must've been kinda funny to see you act like that. You heard a voice from the doorway, you looked to see another boy, You stood up and opened the door. 

"Hey, Um, Can I sit with you guys? I was sitting alone and I heard you all laughing and it sounded... fun?" He shyly said. You looked at him, he had a few scars on his face but he had really kind eyes that looked sort of like honeyed tea. You liked honey tea and that's why you let him in the compartment. You scooted over to the window so he could sit between you and James.

It was an hour or so later and the compartment had calmed down. Peter was reading a book, Sirius had his legs propped up on Peter's lap and James was playing with his wand.

You quietly looked at the boy who was picking at the skin on his fingernails. You couldn't stop looking at him, he just looked so cool. You jumped when his eyes met yours. He opened his mouth to say something but you interrupted. 

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to stare." you said quietly as if that would make it better. He smiled.

"No, I was just going to say thank you."

Somehow that made it worse, you felt your cheeks turning red out of embarrassment. "O-oh. You're welcome! I never asked your name?"

"Remus." He said you told him yours in response and he reached into his pocket, he pulled out a single chocolate bar. 

"That isn't going to explode or anything? Right?"

He grinned, "Not all sweets are dangerous. It's just chocolate." he broke you off a piece and handed it to you 

You smiled back and dug in your pocket and pulled out a small bag, you opened it and handed him a small square of yours. He looked at it, confusion growing. 

"It's toffee."

"Oh!"

"What goes best with toffee?" 

"Chocolate."

You were spriting it through the hall, blowing by so many students and ghosts as you took a hard left and ran to the library. Only once you got to the door did you stop to breathe. You had requested a book and you had received an owl that it was returned to the library; You walked to the front desk and calmly asked where you could find it. After the librarian told you what section it was in you quickly walked to it, just as you lifted your hand to grab the book, another and lifted. You looked at who it was and you saw a shorter, red-haired girl. 

She looked back at you, looking you up and down. "I know you." 

"You do?" You've never seen this girl, at least you thought you didn't but she looked kinda...

"You hang out with James Potter and his friends that bully Severus." 

Oh shit. 

"Oh, yea... You're Lilian, right?"

"Lily." 

"Oh sorry. Well, do you need that book?"

"No, I was just going to pick it up for some reading. Do you need it?" 

"Yeah, I wanted to add some more notes to my transfiguration notes. You know, can't be too prepared." 

She smiled at you, "You're a lot nicer than your friends." 

"Oh I have my moments but thank you."

"Could you ask them to lay off Severus? They think they are funny but they are just being mean."

"I make no promises but I will try my best." 

"Thank you and here's your book." 

You smiled as she walked away. She was kind of right. 

You were walking back to your common room when you bumped into someone. You dropped your book and yelped slightly. 

"Oh I am so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" You stammered as you stooped down to pick up your book. You stood back up to see the boy you'd just been talking about: Severus Snape. You smiled at him.

"I wasn't watching where I was going either." He said, looking down. 

You softly sighed, "Well, I will be heading off. Oh! and remember, we got potions homework." you said as you walked down the hall. 

Before you knew it, you were already packing up to return home. It was bittersweet. Your parents hadn't written you a lot of letters since they were mildly scared of the owls as your mother had read somewhere that they rip their prey apart with their claws and she had a thing about dead animals. You flicked your wand and your books began to float into the last trunk, you then swiped it and saw as your luggage and loose books shrunk. You scooped them up and put them in your tote you had gotten from Sirius during Christmas. You smiled as you thought back to opening gifts with them in the Great Hall: Peter and James were having a pumpkin juice chugging contest, Sirius was trying to unwrap the gits perfectly and you and Remus were playing a calm game of wizards chess.

"That was a dick move." he said as your bishop swiped his last knight off the board. 

"That's wizards chess," you said smugly.

You smiled, even more, when you picked up the picture from your nightstand; it was from that Christmas and it was moving, you loved magic. James and Sirius were lifting Peter, you lifted your leg up as Remus crouched to the ground and threw up a peace sign; you all were laughing and you could watch the image twirl and move for hours but you didn't have them. You put it in the tote bag and walked out of your dorm, taking one last look at the dorm. You all had promised to write to each other and you had invited them to come to visit you after you made sure it was okay with your parents. You sighed as you closed the door. Til next year.

You smiled as you walked calmly through the brick wall this time. You sighed happily as you felt the steam of the train fill the area, you looked at it, still amazed by it. You heaved your trunk into the luggage car, helping a few other kids do theirs. Suddenly you felt an arm loop around your waist, lift you up, and spin you. You laughed as you knew who it exactly was: Sirius Black.

"Sirius!" you laughed as you flung your arms around him and hugged him. "You look great! Did the flea and tick shampoo help?"

"Surprisingly, yes. And you look absolutely lovely." Anyone else would have thought you two were lovers but you would literally throw up if he asked you out and he would rather swan dive off the Astronomy tower. You loved each other, but exclusively platonically. You had eyes elsewhere. You walked with him til you saw a familiar pair of socks.

"Lookie Lookie, James and...Lily! Oh my god!" you ran to her and she stood up and grabbed your hands. You two started rambling about Elton John and the Revlon magazine you'd sent her last week. You and her had become best friends and you would stay up on the phone until there were marks on your fingers from twirling the phone chord. As you and Lily talked each other's ears off, Sirius had put your bag up for you and sat on the opposite bench opposite of James and Peter had found his way to the car from yours and Lily's high-pitched squeals. You stopped when you heard a voice. You whirled around and there he was! Remus Lupin! You jerked him in the car and you let him have it.

“You literally didn't write me back and I was tempted to track you down and throw rocks through your damn window," you said, making swift motions with your hands. “I will do it!”

"I missed you too." He said, making you stop in your tracks.

"I missed you and next summer, write me back or I will be under your bed when you go to sleep and that is a damn threat."

Your friends were chuckling; you and Remus playfully argued like this all the time. You pulled him down to sit with you and Sirius, who was digging in his bag. "I brought a little deja vu with me." The black haired boy pulled out a box of these infamous Jelly Beans. You could almost feel your mouth tingle.

"Who wants one?" he asked. Of course, Peter reached for some. He, Remus and Lily always had the better luck out of the six of you. The worst flavour Peter had gotten was raw flour, Remus hated liquorice and Lily's worst flavour was cheese which wouldn't have been the worst but she is lactose intolerant and even the taste of dairy products makes her gag. Yours was shoe polish, James ate a spoiled milk-flavoured one and turned an odd shade of green, Sirius had once gotten shampoo and you all made jokes about how his mouth needed it.

You shook your head no as you reached into your pocket and pulled out toffee pieces and handed them to Remus. '"Don't think I've forgotten."

He took them and handed you a small box of chocolate. Every year, you exchanged toffee and chocolate in memory of the first time you met. This time, it was Remus that was staring at you. You had such a pretty smile, a beautiful laugh and enchanting eyes that seemed to sparkle when you started talking about what you did over the summer. You grabbed your wand from your pocket and took out a lipstick. "Lily, Check this out. I may have doomed the lipstick economy. Colorvaria" You lifted your wand and flicked it. The red colour changed to pale pink, you said it again and it turned a plum shade. 

Everyone was pleasantly surprised at this, lily reached for the lipstick and pulled out a compact mirror and put it on. “Is it my color?” 

“Yeah!” You started rambling about how with Lily’s complexion it was perfect. Remus continued to stare at you, James, Sirius and Peter noticed. 

“Hey Remus, what’s got you all smiley?” 

Remus looked at his friends with a shocked look, “Just excited for Hogwarts.” He stammered out. They picked up on it. They knew. He knew that they knew. God damnit.

Pretty soon the compartment had fallen quiet. Peter was gently snoring as he laid head up against the window, James and Lily were holding hands as Lily was using her free one to do a crossword, making her requests for words the only peaceful noise besides the train clanging and whispers of other people in other carts. Sirius had put his legs, that were too long for the rest of his body over you and he was making an god awful choking sound as he slept.

Despite this, sleep was clouding your eyes. You were side eyeing the book Remus was reading, it wasn’t a text book, it was poetry. 

“Rem, could you read one out loud?” You softly asked, not trying to disturb the others, like Sirius wasn’t. He looked at you, he hadn’t noticed you reading along.

He cleared his throat as he tired the page, slowly and softly began reading “When your kiss hovers on my lips, and each of my nerves trembles, when your cheek lies hot on my cheek, and your breast clings to mine,” He stopped when he realized the subject matter. He looked to you and saw your head bobbing in sleep. He looked to James, who gave him a thumbs up and made a motion for him to move your head. Remus, although terribly confused, gently pushed your head to his shoulder. 

James looked at Lily and smiled. They had a new job; getting the two of you together and they were already making progress. Remus looked out the window before shutting his book and gently plopping it down in his bag, he laid his head back against the wall and began trying to fall asleep.

You were walking through the hall, re-reading the chapter you had just gone over in Advanced Charms. Your N.E.W.T classes were a lot harder than you’d expected. You knew you could do it though because the more you read it, the more it began to click. You heard two familiar laughs which made you look up and you were not disappointed. James Potter was walking down the hall and Cousin It was right beside him, holding on to his arm. You stifled a laugh and asked what had happened.

“Well now we know that if we ever need help with potions, Sirius could help.” James said, trying to push some hair out of Sirius’s face.

“I bet it was Snivilius. It wasn’t my fault I got shoved in that class with him.”

You scoffed, “Maybe it wasn’t him and what were you trying to brew anyways?”

“Alihosty something.”

James shook his head, “It was supposed to cause spontaneous laughter, but it gave him spontaneous hair extensions.”

Sirius flung his head back, “How am I supposed to impress the cuties when I look like a fuzzy Christmas tree? It’s a crime against humanity… those poor lads and ladies. They will go through Sirius withdrawal!”

“Okay Okay, Drama King.” You pulled out your wand, “If you end up totally bald, my bad. Calvirio.” You said swishing your wand in a zigzag. The hair seemed to retract back into his face and body til he had slightly shorter hair than before, no stubble that he had been trying to grow out and part of right his eye brow was rather thin but it was a definite improvement. You put your wand back in your pocket as Sirius as he ran to a mirror.

“No! Dave!” Sirius yelled as he slumped down the wall, fake crying.

“Dave?”

“He named his ‘beard’” James said, doing air quotes. 

“Ah…” You sighed.

“Where were you going?” James asked, “Me, Sirius, Peter and Remus got a free period though, it isn’t really free.” 

You laughed, any spare time was spent studying and practicing for your classes. “Well, Remus had promised to study with me in the library. So that’s where I was heading until I ran into you and swamp thing.” You smiled pointing at Sirius, who was really try to see if one eye brow was thinner.

“Oh? Well, I guess we’ll let you head on.” He said, walking to Sirius and grabbing him by the cloak hood. You playfully rolled your eyes and sighed as you walked off to the library.

After you were out of sight, James shoved Sirius in a closet and turned to him.

“Alright, we all know Remus has a thing for her, right?”

“Right?”

“So…” James started hoping Sirius would catch on. Sirius looked at him, few thoughts being thinked behind his eyes. “Oh my god… is there a word for a male bimbo?” James sighed. “We, Me, Peter and you, help them to get together.”

“Why does Peter come before me?”

“What?”

“In the order you listed, Peter came before me. “

“You’re the most jealous man I know.”

“Other men?! James Potter!” Sirius joked. At that moment they heard their short blonde friend, whistling down the hall. They threw out their arms and jerked him into the small closet.

“Bloody hell! What is wrong with you two?” He shouted, grasping at his chest as if he had a heart attack.

“We need you in on this plan, Peter. So we all know who Remus likes and I am eighty percent sure she likes him too. They are perfect for each other and they need our help realizing it.” James stated.

“I mean yeah they obviously like each other but I really don’t know… shouldn’t we wait for them to come together on their own?”

Sirius scoffed, “James and Lily would have great-grand children by then. Somethings just need a shove in motion like that muggle science guy says about like gravy.”

“Gravity.” Peter corrected.

“Of this situation? Astronomical.” 

Peter opened his mouth to correct him again but James just held up his hand and shook his head, making Peter close his mouth.

“Well, first things first, we need out of here.” Sirius said, flinging open the door and promptly hitting someone in the face.

“Damn!” Remus yelped, grabbing his face, he looked up to yell at who ever came out of the but was very confused when he saw his friends. “Uh, hi guys.”

“Remi-Semi-Demi-Fi-Fo Fimmy! We got some ideas!” Sirius said, walking and looping his arm around Remus

“What are they and what happened to your eye brow?” 

Sirius whimpered and turned to James, “You said it wasn’t that bad.”

“Remus! You didn’t tell us you had a study date!”

He looked confused then he remembered, “Oh, well it is not a date. She and I are just studying and working on a… special assignment.”

“Kissing isn’t a special assignment.”

Remus whacked James across the head with a book, making him recoil, “We are not, have not and will not be kissing in the library.”

Peter piped up, “So you’ve done it other places.” Awarding himself a hit with the book as well.

Remus huffed, “Even if we did, it is not your all business!”

“She’s our friend and so are you. So it kind of is.” Sirius pointed out.

Remus scowled at Sirius, “What makes you all think I like her like that anyway?”

James threw up his hands, “I don’t know man. You carry her books, walk her to the Hufflepuff common room door, you always sit beside her and you always come so close to holding her hand. “

Sirius joined in, “Then there’s the matching necklaces, Honey Duke's outings, staring holes through her and you look so pissed when anyone that’s attractive talks to her.”

Peter was the last, “You only share food with her, you sometimes blow us off to go sit near her but not talk to her and you pretty much stalk her.”

They all had points, Remus sighed. He looked at his friends, “Listen, I like her, I like her a lot but we all know it won’t work.”

“Remus, she wouldn’t judge you. She’s very sweet and good-natured. If anything, she’ll find it unfair and she’d be sad for you.” Sirius said, rubbing Remus’s shoulder as the group began walking.

“I just- What if she doesn’t? What if she’s scared of me after?” 

“I don’t think that would happen.” Peter said, trying to comfort him.

“Do you all really think that?”

“Have we ever lied to you about something like this?” James asked.

“No. No, you all haven’t.”

James turned to walk backwards as he looked at his friend, “She’s your friend too. There’s nothing she won’t understand if you sit down and explain it to her.” 

Remus smiled, he was lucky to have such good friends but unlucky that they were so pushy he thought about you and he couldn’t help but smile. He really liked you and he couldn’t deny that you made him so happy. He often sang softer songs with you, he and you made a secret code, you had been in each other’s common rooms and you often took late-night walks up to the Astronomy Tower and stayed there for hours.

"Alright, what is the plan?" he asked, accepting defeat. 

James clapped his hands together, "Okay, so you and her are going to be in the library. We are going to be far enough away to where she can't see us, we will cast Muffilato so no one besides us can hear, in case it goes south. Then you are going to finesse her, get her to be your girlfriend and then Bam! Wedding bells in the future!"

Remus didn't think it was a good plan but it was better than what he could come up with in five minutes.

Sirius asked a question, "So what is the special assignment you and her are working on?" 

Remus grinned a mischievous grin, "Well, we all know the fear of being caught when we pull a prank, right? We have figured out a way to prevent that." 

The boys were intrigued, "What is it?" 

Remus looked around before speaking, "A map. It will tell us where everyone is, every minute of every day."

They smiled, "So it's like a prize for when we get the two of you together?" Peter said. 

"In a way." 

Remus rolled his eyes, "It isn't a carnival game."

Your quill was working away as you quietly read off some notes and ideas you were gathering from a book you had picked up on Transfiguration. You flipped the pages when you heard the door to your far left open, you hoped it was Remus as he was ten minutes late. You were right as you saw the boy look for you. You gently whistled to catch his attention. He saw you and rushed over and sat down. You smiled. 

"So what was keeping you?" 

"Oh just the boys." 

You snickered, "Did you see Sirius earlier?" 

"No? Why?" he asked, wondering why you were laughing. You went on to tell him about a muggle TV show you watched with your mother during October called the Addams Family and how Sisirus was giving a character called Cousin It a run for his money.

"It's a very interesting show because it is a sort of reversal of the Nuclear Family."

"The what?" 

"Oh, it's an idea from the fifties that was really solidified during The Cold War between Russia and The United States. It consists of a mother, a father, and two children. the mother stays a housewife and the father is the sole provider and income for the family. It isn't a bad thing but the obsession they had and still kinda have with it was weird."

"So you don't want a family?" Remus asked.

"Oh no, I want a family but I've always thought about a bigger one and two incomes will always be better than one." You said, changing the piece of parchment from under the quill, and you handed it to Remus. He wasn't paying attention as he thought about it.

"What is the ideal number? For you personally?" 

"Three. Three is the best number out there. Beginning, Middle, End. Everything has three parts to it." then you remembered the previous conversation and turned slightly red, "Well, even numbers are... Good." you internally cursed yourself for being this damn awkward.

He has started copying your notes, "Well... Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

You thought for a moment, "I would love to open a store in Diagon Alley." 

"What kind of store?" 

You grinned, "The Store Of Muggle Wonders." 

You talked about your time back at home as if it was a dream which is why Remus thought of the next question; "Do you get homesick?" 

You were slightly stunned, "I guess... I really miss my Mom. She's alone when I'm not there. Like she has friends and everything but she writes me and she tells me she misses me. She isn't trying to make me feel guilty but I end up feeling like it. Especially during fall, she would make apple cider and I could smell it from my bedroom and we'd have cider and scones." you went on a little longer talking about your life and Remus just listened. He was very good at that. 

"Well, It is almost Christmas, you'll get to see her." He comforted.

You smiled, "She is asking if... My friends would like to come and visit her. She's very curious about everything." 

Remus couldn't help a huge grin that spread across his face, you told your mother about him? Well him and the rest of the boys. "I would love to." 

You smiled as you lifted up the book and showed it to him, you began pointing out the incantations to Remus. You were a great study partner: You not only focused on what you struggled with but you made sure to point out and help the people you were studying with. You once had pestered the daylight out of Slugghorn for extra potions notes when you heard peter groan slightly at his homework. 

Speaking of Peter, He was currently peering out from behind a bookshelf as James lifted Sirius up onto the top of the bookshelf. Sirius, under the Invisibility cloak, slowly pulled out his wand to dim the exact light you two were under and get down, he then handed the cloak to James, who was finishing writing the guide for Remus. He slipped it on and gently walked to the table, put down the letter, and tapped Remus's foot to get him to notice it. Remus looked at you, you were ranting about how unclear the book was and how on earth did they expect you to understand this. He quicked reached to pick it up and open it. 

"One: Gently get her attention. Two: Compliment (Must Be genuine, girls know, man, they know.) Three: Look at her and smile. Four: Genuine compliment on something she has input in (i;e her nail polish (Have ever really seen her without it?) grades, specific interest or family) Five: As If single. Six: Ask if you can hold her hand or go for it. Seven: talk more while holding hands. Eight: When you get up to leave, offer to carry her things. Nine: Open the door for her. Ten: Gently lean in to kiss her."

It was a lot simpler in theory. There was still something eating at his mind. He interrupted you, "Do you know about werewolves?" 

"Yes?" 

"What you would do, if like, one of us was a werewolf?" 

You thought for a moment, "Well, I would be... I would feel scared for them. From what I've read and been told, almost all of them don't want to be werewolves. Werewolves are very discriminated against and the discrimination has put them in positions that make it harder for them to help their condition. It's a vicious cycle. Why do you ask?"

He felt his throat begin to close up around his words, he just looked at you until he saw it click behind your eyes. He waited for you to start screaming but that never happened. Instead, your hand went over to his and gently laid on top of his. He took your hand in his as he felt like he was about to cry. You were so kindhearted: he would have gotten it if you had accepted just him but you denounced the treatment of all. 

"Hey... There is something else. I get it if you don't feel the same way but I really lik-"

"I like you too!" you practically yelled. You slapped your hand over your mouth before turning a violent red. He started to chuckle, which made you playfully huff. "You are so so mean to me." 

"Only you."

You squeezed his hand tighter before checking your watch, "One last class. Are you ready?" You said, briefly. He shook his head before collecting his things.

"They are getting up! Do you think they are gonna do it?" Peter asked the two boys. They had made a piggyback tower to observe the two of you.

"I hope so, I wanna know what the geniuses have been cooking up." Sirius said.

James shushed them.

You walked to the door and you turned to tell him something when he put his hand on your face and gently pulled your face to his, planting a soft but long-awaited kiss. You smiled as he pulled back but were shocked when you heard three loud cheers. You jerked your head to see your three idiots beside a bookshelf. You turned to Remus, who was looking down, slightly ashamed. You grinned to yourself as you, grabbed him by the waist, spun him, and dramatically kissed him. You gently dropped him as you opened the door and walked out. Remus was laying on the floor, surprised and very happy. He sat up and looked to his friends. Your lipstick had smudged onto the side of his mouth and on his face.

You were now his only study buddy and the only person he'd accept notes from.

You felt a few tears roll down your cheeks as you sat in the great hall in your fancy robes. You looked to the far left and saw the entire student body of Gryffindor House to your left, you scanned for them, only seeing Sirius as you we supposed to stand by the last name and alphabetically. He was smiling so brightly, white teeth glowing almost. You sighed as you looked forward. Each house had chosen a person to speak as a representative and for Hufflepuff, it was you.

You clapped as the Ravenclaw boy finished his and turned to return to his seat. You heard your name called so you stood up as the applause came from the houses, more so Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. You smiled as you walked up to the podium.   "Today, we are leaving these halls as students. It's bittersweet since we are all excited and happy to have made it but sad to leave the place that has become our home. Home is where your heart is and my heart has never found a better place. I plan on being back as a Professor and I hope to see a few of you do the same." you looked and eventually saw James who gave you a thumbs up.

"Now, I know we all want to cheer and say our last goodbyes but I have a few people I would like to thank. First, I would like to thank my best friend, Lily Evans." She looked up and smiled as you looked at her. "She has been the dearest friend anyone could ask for. Gryffindor's house stands for several things and I see now why the Sorting Hat chose her: Her nerve. She will never let you down, she finds her purpose and she finds good in all she does and all she befriends.”

You smiled as a small round of applause rang for Lily. “Second, I would like to talk about a significant friend group who we all know. James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. We have all had an encounter with them…”

You were outside, watching the snow when you heard a whoosh and felt a strong breeze that blew your hair and pages of your book. You huffed as you looked up to see James flying off in his broom. He looped around the tower and came back. He landed beside you, “Whatcha reading?” 

“It’s a book on herbology.”

He raised his eyebrow, “Didn’t you already pass that class like years ago?”

“I did."

His eye glowed under his snowflaked eyelashes, "Do you wanna take a spin?" he asked, hand extended. You sighed as you closed your book and put it in your tote bag. You knew he wasn't going to let it go if you didn't. He grabbed your hand, dragged you to his still-hovering broom, and helped you onto it. He sat in front of you and pushed off a little too fast for your liking. You let out a loud screech as he blew through the sky, quickly making the courtyard where you reading shrink in size. You began to laugh as he weaved in and out of the bridge columns and did terrifying tricks. James Potter was very wild but he was the purest embodiment of fun. 

You wiped off the flour from your face as you coughed. You looked down at the rat that had run into your apron pocket and grinned, "Well Pete... Now we know not to do that." you started laughing as you pulled him out and dusted him off before sitting him on the ground. Slowly he changed back into the short man you were used to.

"That was a fail," he said as he pulled out his wand to clean the mess. "You just had to use that muggle contraption." 

"You mean a hand mixer?" you said, looking at the turquoise mixer that was covered in flour and cocoa. You started laughing.

He looked at you, confused til he saw what you were laughing at. Tiny footprints in the flour were made before he ducked for cover. 

You pulled a bin to the counter before sweeping the flour into it. You and Peter were the most trusting, which led you both to some pain but when it was with each other, you both knew you'd be safe.

You held on to Sirius’s shirt with a shaky hand, you jumped at every noise, making you tighten your grip. You looked at Sirius, he didn’t seem scared as he held his lantern. You were completely terrified of the dark but you would never admit it but Sirius was clued in from how violently you were clutching to his sleeve. He stopped and looked at you. "Nothing in the dark isn't in there in the light." 

"It isn't about that."

You scowled at the boy who had gotten you dentition. He smiled as he looked around.

"It's rather peaceful if you just g-" he opened the lantern and blew out the light, making you yelp.

"Sirius-" he put his hand over your mouth

"Shh, just listen."

You pulled his hand off your face and looked around. Slowly you heard soft twinkling and buzzing. You saw dainty pink sparkles swirl around as Sirius grabbed your hand, leading you closer, quietly stepping. Eventually, the two of you came to what appeared to be a fairy dance party. You both gently sat down and watched them.

He looked at you, "I take back what I said, some things are not there in the light. But that doesn't mean they're bad." 

You were wadding in the cold water, focused on the plants when you heard your name, You looked at saw Remus waving and walking at you. You smiled and waved back. Remus came to find you to ask you a very important question.

"Hey Rem, what's up?" you asked as you bent to pick up a purplish plat that smelled awful. You walked to the edge where you had put your jars and grabbed one to put it in.

He just watched you for a minute before asking the question, "We... We've been together for two years."

"Yes, best two years ever... Why?" 

He walked closer to the bank and sat down, slowly taking off his shoes. "I just, I am wondering if you still... like me?" 

You sighed lightly, "Remus, If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have put up with you for two years." 

"Am I that bad?" he asked, lighter in his voice. He put his feet into the cold water before jerking them back lightly, the water was freezing, it felt as if the ice had barely thawed. "Damn, that's cold, how are you not frozen?"

"I got used to it and no, no you're not." you said dipping your hand back down into the water. 

He watched you feel around blindly for a moment til he asked another question, "What are we going to do after graduation?" 

"Well, I am going to study to be a professor like you said I should." 

"What are you going to teach? Herbology?" 

"No, No. This is a hobby. I was going to go for potion but the potions classroom gives me the creeps. Maybe I could do Muggle Studies." 

"You'd be perfect."

You laughed, "Pretty much an expert on it! What are you going to do?" 

He looked down, "I don't know... Options are limited for people like me." 

You frowned lightly, "Rem, I think you'd be a good professor. You said a few months ago that you would love to teach Defense Against The Dark Arts." 

"But-"

"There are few people good enough to teach and you are one. Please, at least try."

He looked up at you, "Fine. Though, way back when, you said something about opening a shop and that sounded lovely." 

You opened another jar to scoop up some mud, "Yeah. I thought about that too. A book store. We could sell books and coffees for the people that stayed to read their books."

"A Cafe Bookstore," he said looking out across the lake at the sun slowly dipping down over the mountains. "Together." 

"Forever." You stepped out of the lake and grabbed your shoes, you put them on. They were your lake shoes anyway. 

You looked down at him, "I love you." you said, without thinking.

He looked up at you, eyes glowing. "I love you more." he stood up and grabbed your jar-filled bag. 

"I love you most."

"Oh, I love you so much more than most."

It was a playful contest all the way up to the castle.

You were now walking in the train compartment, tears in your eyes. You and your friends talking in hushed whispers. It was supposed to be a happy day but there had been a terrible accident in James's hometown. You all knew there was a war, it weighed heavily on your minds but never had it been so close to one of your front doors.

"What should we do?" Lily asked, hand on James's shoulder.

"Obviously we join the fight," Sirius said, matter-of-factly.

"Are you sure it's a good idea? Aren't they close to stopping it anyway?" Peter said.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "How do you know that? Besides, we can't just... Ignore it."

Remus shook his head, "We should at least try to help. In any way that we can. We may not have to actually fight."

"I am not going to be a pathetic cowardly spy!" Sirius snapped. 

"It isn't about you!" Remus snapped back.

"Stop fighting the both of you," James said sternly. He looked at all his friends. "I say we join," he looked around and shut the door, "Think for a minute, they are expecting older wizards. We go and fight and they'll never suspect us."

"What about our families?" you said. You looked at them, "Don't they need us?" 

Sirius scoffed, "No."

James shook his head.

Peter just looked at the ground and fidgeted.

Remus looked at you, he knew what you really meant: You were scared of bringing your mother into this.

Lily had a similar fear. "She has a point. Though, I think it would be best to prevent it from getting to them by fighting."

Remus slipped his hand into yours. "Lily is right. Peter?"

Everyone looked at the short blonde, he sighed, "Alright."

Sirius slapped his hands together, "Let's go kick some ass!" 

[gemtvusa]

Los Angeles 4K Walking Tour - 4-hour LA Walk with Captions & Immersive Sound [4K/60fps]

Walking Tour of Los Angeles, California https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VINOSu5y4ic 📍 Beverly Hills - Rodeo Drive: As you begin your tour in Beverly Hills, the luxurious Rodeo Drive greets you. This world-famous shopping street, adorned with high-end boutiques like Gucci, Prada, and Chanel, offers a vibrant atmosphere. Expect to see luxury cars, stylish locals, and maybe even a celebrity or two. - Beverly Gardens Park: Strolling north, you'll come across this picturesque park known for its cactus garden, rose garden, and the iconic Beverly Hills Sign. It's a great spot to relax, take photos, and admire the well-maintained landscape. - The Beverly Hills Trolley Tour: Though this is a walking tour, it might be worth mentioning that for those who want to delve deeper, the trolley tour provides an insightful ride around Beverly Hills with fun anecdotes and history. - Spadena House (The Witch's House): Venturing a bit off the main road, you'll encounter this quirky and unique house which looks straight out of a fairy tale. Its whimsical design has made it a popular location for photos. - Celebrity Homes: As you walk the streets of Beverly Hills, you might catch glimpses of opulent mansions behind high gates. Some of these are homes to Hollywood's A-listers, and while privacy is paramount, the grandeur is evident. - Beverly Wilshire Hotel: This iconic hotel at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard is famous for its role in movies like "Pretty Woman". Feel the classic Hollywood vibes as you pass by. 🎵 Ambient Sounds: - The soft hum of luxury cars driving by. - Occasional chit-chat of tourists and shoppers. - Birds chirping in the background, especially as you approach Beverly Gardens Park. - The faint sound of classical music or live performances from street musicians or nearby cafes. 🍃 Scent and Feel: - The aroma of fresh flowers from the gardens and boutiques. - A gentle breeze, especially in the early morning or late afternoon. - The subtle scent of expensive perfumes as people pass by. "4K/60fps" refers to a specific video resolution and frame rate: - 4K: This is a high-resolution video format. In the context of TV screens and consumer media, "4K" usually refers to a resolution of 3840 pixels × 2160 pixels. This offers four times as many pixels as a 1080p HD display, which has a resolution of 1920 pixels × 1080 pixels. - 60fps: This stands for "60 frames per second." It denotes the frame rate or the number of individual frames (or images) that are displayed per second in a video. A higher frame rate like 60fps can offer smoother motion, especially beneficial for fast-paced content like sports or action sequences. When combined, "4K/60fps" suggests a video that is both highly detailed (because of the 4K resolution) and smooth (because of the 60 frames per second). This quality is desirable for many applications, including: - Gaming: Modern gaming consoles and gaming PCs aim to achieve 4K/60fps for a visually stunning and fluid gaming experience. - Sports Broadcasting: The smooth motion of 60fps is especially beneficial for capturing the fast movements in sports. - Cinematography & Filmmaking: While many films traditionally use 24fps, some filmmakers might choose 60fps for certain sequences to achieve a hyper-realistic look. - Streaming and YouTube Content: As internet speeds have improved, content creators can now upload and stream in 4K/60fps, ensuring viewers get the best visual experience. To play back 4K/60fps content without stutters or lags, both the playback device (e.g., TV, computer, or gaming console) and the display (e.g., monitor or television) need to support this resolution and frame rate.

Los Angeles

Certainly! Los Angeles, often abbreviated as L.A., is a sprawling Southern California city known for its Mediterranean climate, ethnic diversity, entertainment industry, and its sprawling metropolis. Here's a brief overview: Overview of Los Angeles, California - Geography: Los Angeles covers a vast area from the Pacific Ocean to the mountains, with forests, valleys, and many neighborhoods in between. It is the largest city in California and the second-largest city in the United States after New York City. - Economy: L.A. is a global economic powerhouse, with strengths in entertainment, media, fashion, science, sports, technology, education, and more. The city is the headquarters for many entertainment studios, like Warner Bros., Universal, and Paramount Pictures. - Entertainment: Known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World," Los Angeles is home to Hollywood, the center of the American film and television industry. There are many iconic venues here, such as the TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, and Dolby Theatre. - Tourist Attractions: - Hollywood Walk of Fame: Stars embedded in the sidewalk honor celebrities from the world of entertainment. - Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park: Offers spectacular views of the city and the iconic Hollywood sign. - Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and The Getty Center: Must-visit places for art lovers. - Santa Monica Pier and Beach: A popular coastal attraction with shops, restaurants, and amusement rides. - Downtown L.A. (DTLA): Features attractions like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Olvera Street, and the historic Bradbury Building. - Sports: The city is home to many professional sports teams, including the L.A. Lakers and Clippers (NBA), L.A. Dodgers (MLB), and the L.A. Rams and Chargers (NFL). - Diversity: L.A. is a melting pot of cultures, and neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, and Boyle Heights reflect this diversity. - Transportation: While the city is known for its heavy car traffic and expansive freeway system, it also has a growing metro system and bus network operated by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro). - Education: The city houses renowned institutions like the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC). - Cuisine: Thanks to its diversity, L.A. boasts a variety of cuisines from all over the world, from food trucks to high-end restaurants. - Events: L.A. hosts many events annually, including the Academy Awards, L.A. Film Festival, and various music festivals. Noteworthy: Los Angeles is also known for its contributions to music, with the Sunset Strip being historically linked to many rock and pop legends, and Compton, a major place for hip hop. Whether you're seeking beaches, hiking trails, cultural experiences, or a taste of the entertainment world, Los Angeles offers something for everyone. Read the full article

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Witch on a Trolley Car - art by George W. Peters (c.1900)

[mrcleanheichou]

Wolves are (NOT) Scary Chapter 11

Pairing: Werewolf!BTS X Female human reader

Genre: Fluff, smut, angst

Warnings: Talks about slipping a substance into another person’s drink unknowingly. I do feel bad about that being a major plot point and it that it’s really not ok so I’m very sorry if it may be triggering.

Word count:  1,233

Summary: All Y/N wants to do is find her creativity and motivation but she finds 7 werewolves instead.

Author note: Hi guys! This is where the story is going to actually start getting to the plot. It’s all uphill from here!! Both in the past and present setting.

Chapter 10 // Chapter 11 // Chapter 12

Taglist: @dustyinkpages @thickemadame @moonlitehunter @thedarkwinterrose @momoriki @iistrangers @openup-yourmind @sinceritythatcouldntbedelivered @lovelyseokjinnie @scuzmunkie @bjoriis @maddypool31 @tfkp0p @blubearxy @stealth-liberal @potaetopic

Chapter 10 // Chapter 11 // Chapter 12

~3 years ago~

Ryujin’s party was gonna start in 20 minutes and the bakery was bustling with nervous energy. Yuna was nicer than most witches but she still can be petty. Petty in the sense that she may decide against helping them if they’re late. Especially if her easily irritated familiar had any say on the matter.

It was all hand’s on deck putting boxes of cupcakes into the back of Jungkook’s truck and into the trunk of Hobi and Jin’s cars. Jin took the lead making sure all the flavors were labeled correctly and grouped together. He did not allow Namjoon to help pack them in because they could not afford for their clumsy alpha to potentially screw things up.

“Knock it off, you’re gonna drop those trays.” Hobi said sternly to the two youngest wolves who were both pretending to be waiters at a fancy restaurant and balancing trays with one hand. Jungkook balanced one in both of his hands.

Tae pouted and gave his tray to Jin as Jungkook grumbled under his breath, “We weren’t going to drop them.”

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

Finding parking on the street for three vehicles was difficult, the whole normally quiet block was packed with cars.

“Hmm, I thought witches traveled on brooms.” Yoongi wondered a loud touching his chin. Jin laughed his windshield wiper laugh behind him as he popped his car’s trunk.

Namjoon also stared at the cars pondering the conundrum, “Would a broom closest count as a parking lot?”

“I’ve found that leather seats are much more comfortable.” An amused sounding voice sounded right in Namjoon’s ear causing him to jump. She was definitely not there a second ago.

“What the hell?” Jimin said clutching a hand to his chest staring at the strange woman cloaked in a blood red lace corset dress who just smiled sweetly back at him. “Why can’t you witches be normal?”

“Who said you mutts were normal?” A woman with brown bunny ears wearing only a light blue collar snarked back to the silver haired man. He was going to come up with another comeback but he was having trouble when he noticed the woman’s lack of clothing.

“Do you people not own clothes? Why are your familiars always naked?” Taehyung piped up getting out of the passenger seat of Hobi’s car.

“My eye’s are up here, Fido” She smirked at Jimin when she noticed him staring at her breasts before he growled and turned his head as if he wasn’t looking.

“Where’s Yuna?” Namjoon interrupted.

“She’s busy. My name’s Jihyo and this is Nayeon.” The witch said before telling everyone to step back. When the wolves reluctantly stepped away from their cars Jihyo snapped her fingers and two trolley carts ,that looked like old fancy hotel carts that bellhops would use, appeared out of thin air. Then with a flick of her wrist all the boxes from inside Jin’s trunk started floating up and stacking themselves perfectly onto one of them. Then Hobi’s trunk opened when she pointed at it and the same thing happened again. Like clockwork all of the boxes from Jungkook’s truck and the box that he was holding floated to join the others. The sudden force yanking the box from his hands surprised him causing him to yelp.

The whole pack stood there in awe at the magic show they just witnessed until Yoongi piped up breaking the trance they were all in. “Wow, you didn’t even have to say Wingardium Leviosa.”

“Keep it up and I won’t give you the potion.” Jihyo frowned at him.

“The potion? Yuna told us that she needed to go get supplies to make it and it needed to ferment.” Hobi stated cocking his head like a confused puppy.

“Yes, that is true but luckily for you I happened to have left overs of one of the potions she promised you.”  Jihyo once again snapped her fingers and with a magical poof of blue smoke a small glass bottle appeared. “This is ‘accept me’ potion.”

“You could give this to someone and tell them the sky was green and they’d accept that without arguing.” Nayeon pointed at the floating bottle.

Jihyo moved her hand in a ‘shooing’ motion and the bottle moved to Namjoon. The bright green liquid sloshed around with a wine bottle-esque cork to keep it inside. He reached out to grab it but Yoongi got it before he could.

“You need to make sure you use it all at once, in a beverage is the best option. Once you give it you have 24 hours to use it to it’s strongest ability. After that it starts to weaken and you have less of a chance of being able to relay the information you seek to give. You can always use another batch if you mess up but if you already told your little girlfriend what you are and she runs away you can’t magically make her forget her fear and simply erase the memory. So be smart and use it wisely.”

~Present Day~

The most noticeable thing of this train station was the huge gold water fountain that greeted you as soon as you walked up the stairs from the boarding platform. It was of a beautiful woman sitting on the edge of a waterfall surrounded by wolves at the bottom. You knew immediately that it was to pay tribute to the Lunar Goddess, the deity all werewolves pay respect to. Things like this were usually only seen at temples deep in the woods where humans don’t go. The existence of werewolves is still very much a myth in the normal world and will remain to be until the end of time if the council has any say. Only a small amount of humans know and it’s because they’re fated to be pack mates. So seeing that so out in the open cemented the fact that you’re now in a completely different world, making this nightmare feel so much more real.

In your reverie you failed to notice the atmosphere change at first when two huge black wolves approached. A thick feeling of authority that felt much stronger than anytime Namjoon flexed his alpha power wrapped itself around you. You normally couldn’t feel it when he did that but this feeling managed to be so strong even your mere human senses could feel the danger radiating off them.

One of them made it a point to stare you in the eyes with it’s almost glowing ice blue eyes. It’s easy to remember that there’s a person behind a wolf’s eyes whenever you’re around your pack members but these eye’s only gave off pure predatory nature that gave off no sense of humanness.

“Yes this is them.” one of the guards said behind you. You thought you could hear a slight uneasiness in his voice as he addressed the wolves. Hearing that slight wobble you looked around him and noticed the other werewolves just trying to get to their destinations were actively giving the five of you a wide berth.

A push forward and a harsh whisper of ‘Go!’ made Jungkook grab your hand tightly as you were pressured into following the wolves past the fountain towards the unknown. The feeling of being a sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter did not escape you as you made eye contact with the golden face of the goddess.

[luminnara]

💛 anon, injecting myself into this blog since july 2022 (with your permission of course)

Reader and the brood of boys are back! This time with more ✨domestic fluff✨

Sound the domesticity bell 🔔🔔🔔🔔

So when they all have their super nice house (which I am imagining looks similar to the house from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed or 10 things I hate about you) but it didnt come fully furnished so they all have to do some furniture shopping. Now let's take some artistic liberties here, the vamp lot can have like, something akin to that gem in buffy that's there for one episode that makes vamps able to go outside.

They go to IKEA. Steve is responsible, he has to push the trolley because paul tried and then very nearly knocked over a large display rack of vases.

Marko and reader are running around, theyve probably had sugar in the car on the way to keep themselves awake from the...lack of sleep. So they're like OH MY GOD LOOK AT ALL THESE TEDDY BEARS, LOOK AT THIS MASSIVE BEAR WE NEED HIM IT REMINDS US OF BILLY. Idk what American IKEA is like but my closest one, the kids bedroom sections have like, wall cutouts so the kids can crawl through and their 1000 percent doing that. Paul is probably joining in

Billy is trying to get the fuck out. Hes actually helping because he hates this shopping. However he has a good eye, hes picking bits up and they are like, so perfect.

David and Dwayne are in charge of the big stuff. Dwayne is inevitably carrying something super heavy to give Steve a break and david is coralling the gremlins and making them put down the 30 throw pillows they've decided they need for the massive sofa and bed. But he has a keen eye for colour i think. Steve is pondering over which colour of coffee table would go best with the sofa picked by dwayne and the rug picked by billy and david comes over, puts his arm around his shoulder and just knows.

And at the end of the day, Marko had been bribed with the massive bear, reader has like 7 bunches of flowers and nice vases and paul has been allowed to pick the duvet covers and they have a wonderful house.

Theres some domestic fluff with reader and her brood of boys, I hope you like and I hope I can continue making you happy :)

Coz seriously I get scared I'm overstepping boundaries

Okay but Paul and Marko are totally trying to figure out if they can come back in the middle of the night and just live in one of the show bedrooms in that ikea (they totally can) and it becomes their new little hideout lol

Employees are finding random snack wrappers everywhere and it’s all fun and games until they stash a half shredded body in between the dresser and the wall and then SUDDENLY it’s THEIR FAULT and they’re “not allowed in the IKEA anymore”

I love domestic fluff, when that bell rings I come runnin

[kingofsummer93]

Ex Luna Scientia

Summary:

Lucien Vanserra, seventh son of the Minister for Magic, is as loved by his peers as he is hated by his family. But behind the charm and irreverence hides a secret, as dark and menacing as the scar on his face.

Elain Archeron, middle sister in a trio of muggle-born witches, has only one wish: for someone to truly see her. Because when she sleeps at night, she can see it all.

Or- an Elucien at Hogwarts AU.

Chapter 4: The Tri-Trials Tournament

Ao3 Masterlist

Elain woke on the morning of September first to find their flat bustling with activity. Feyre and Nesta were already out of bed, books and socks and robes flying through the air like a tornado. 

“Hey, that’s mine!” Nesta complained, grabbing a sweater out of Feyre’s trunk. “Here, Elain, you can have it,” she added, throwing it to Elain with a wink. “It makes your tits look great. I thought Vanserra was going to pass out when he saw you.”

Elain glowered at her sister but took the sweater all the same. 

“Can you not? He’s my friend,” Feyre complained. “It’s bad enough the rest of the school lusts after him without you also…”

“I do notlust after Lucien!” Elain scoffed. “I just like the sweater.” She turned around quickly to hide the flush rising up her cheeks.

“Who’s this? The minister’s son?” her father poked his head into their room curiously, and winced at the chaos. “Such a nice boy. Handsome, too.”

Her father had completely changed his tune about Lucien after Feyre had received another owl from him, this time offering to send a ministry car to pick them up and bring them to King’s Cross Station on September first. Elain had been mortified and humiliated. He had seen their grimy building and minuscule flat and probably thought they didn’t even own a car. The rest of her family had not shared her affront, however. Everyone else was just relieved they wouldn’t have to cram three trunks and four people into the rusty old Ford Anglia, who was due to snuff it any day now. 

“The car will be here soon, have you got everything?” Her father was wringing his hands with nerves. It was as if he thought the Minister for Magic himself was picking them up. “Do you think they’ll ring the buzzer? Should I stand outside and look out for them?”

“Dad, chill out.” Feyre rolled her eyes and snapped her trunk shut. 

Twenty minutes later the buzzer sounded, and a furtive-looking wizard in an emerald green velvet suit helped them load the trunks into an old-fashioned dark green sedan. 

The car almost seemed normal, except for the fact that they appeared to be able to squeeze through gaps that their Ford Anglia definitely wouldn’t have managed. They reached the station in record time, due the fact that every single traffic light they encountered had been green, strangely enough. When they reached the station the ministry wizard loaded their trunks on a trolley, inclined his head to their father, and then drove off again, mysteriously jumping to the front of a long line of cars. 

“Right then, you girls go first.” 

Elain smiled at her father and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He hated passing through the magical barrier that led to platform 9 ¾, and was convinced every time that the wall would remain solid and not let him through. He could only access the platform because she and her sisters were Hogwarts students, and every bit of contact with the wizarding world always left him nervous and breathless. 

Nesta and Feyre went first, holding on to the trolley and slipping through the wall mid-conversation. Elain went next, casually leaning against the wall and passing through unnoticed. The next moment she had fallen through the barrier and the Hogwarts Express was in front of her, the scarlet steam engine puffing smoke over the platform packed with students and their families. A split second later her father appeared, sweating and wide-eyed. 

“Right, here we are then,” he said, valiantly playing off his nerves.

They loaded their trunks onto the train and then Feyre and Nesta went off in search of their friends after no more than a reluctant cursory hug with their father. Elain squeezed his hand as his eyes crumpled with a mix of emotions as he watched his daughters run off. 

“Promise you’ll take care of yourself?” Elain asked. It worried her to leave her father alone, but the relief at rejoining what she considered to be her real life was greater. Still, with nobody there to make sure he paid the rent and utilities…

“Don’t worry about me, darling. I’ll be fine. Us Archerons always bounce back!” His tone was filled with bravado that didn’t sound convincing. His eyes brightened then as he focused on a spot over her shoulder. “Say, isn’t that your friend? That must be his mother with him. Come, I want to thank them for the car.”

Elain’s stomach dropped as she turned and saw who he was looking at.Him, long red hair stuck in a bun with his wand as always, dressed in muggle clothing similar to what he had worn at his party. He was standing next to a sophisticated-looking woman with a long mane of red hair who could only have been his mother. There was a large hound next to them, and Elain could have sworn that it smirked as she made eye contact with it.

“Mr Archeron,” Lucien smiled as they approached him. “Good to see you again.” His eyes slid to Elain and his lips quirked sideways. “Archie.”

“I trust your journey went well?” Lucien’s mother asked with a kind smile.

“Quite, quite!” her father replied jovially. “Very generous of you, Mrs Vanserra, really, not necessary at all, though much appreciated!” He was wringing his hands nervously again as he looked between Lucien’s mother and the hound. 

“Don’t mention it,” Lucien's mother said kindly. “It was our pleasure. I’m Lily.”

Lily. Elain pictured tall, swaying stalks, blooming in high summer. 

“Arthur,” her father was saying, shaking her proffered hand. “And this is my daughter Elain. Feyre and Nesta have run off already…”

Mrs Vanserra’s eyes settled on Elain, and she suddenly felt absurdly shy. Lucien’s mother was beautiful, with porcelain skin similar to his brother’s, and piercing russet eyes that looked kind and intelligent, and yet guarded. Her mane of red hair was as gloriously vibrant as her sons’. 

“Elain,” she said with a smile. She said it almost conspiratorially, as though they were sharing a secret. 

“Your husband, the minister, that is, he’s not here with you?” her father asked casually.

Elain saw Lucien stiffen out of the corner of her eye. Mrs Vanserra’s russet eyes suddenly hardened, and when she smiled it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Elain had never more wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

“My husband is a very busy man,” Mrs Vanserra said simply.

A beat of awkward silence settled around the group. Lucien cleared his throat then, nudging the hound with his foot. “Come on, Fang, don’t be anti-social.”

Elain was prepared for it this time, and she didn’t so much as flinch as a faintcrack rang through the air, and Lucien’s brother appeared where the hound had sat a second before. His short red hair was slicked back, and he was impeccably dressed in a muggle button-down shirt and trousers. He was handsome, though maybe less strikingly so than Lucien. He had the same skin tone as their mother, both of them so fair-skinned compared to Lucien’s golden tan. 

Her father gasped at Eris’ appearance and stumbled sideways, almost crashing onto a loaded trolley. “Goodness! That’s quite, oh my…I thought…family pet…”

Lucien’s mother laughed, shaking her head affectionately at her eldest. The light was back in her eyes as she grinned at her sons. “Apologies, Arthur dear, Eris does like to make an entrance.”

Eris shook her father’s hand and then turned to Elain and winked. “Elain. Looking lovely as always.”

A whistle blew through the platform then, putting Elain out of her misery as a flush rose up her cheeks.

“You should get on, wouldn’t want to miss it!” her father said jovially, still visibly nervous. Elain hugged her father again and watched out of the corner of her eyes as Lucien wrapped his mother in a bear hug, practically lifting her off the ground.

“I’ll see you at Christmas, love. Behave yourself, will you?” Her voice turned stern and Lucien merely laughed. 

“I’ll be fine, mum, I always am.” He hugged his brother next, who clapped him on the shoulder and sighed. 

“Wish I could be at Hogwarts this year. Exciting things are coming, I tell you…”

“What sorts of things?” Elain asked curiously, before she could stop herself.

Eris grinned at her and shrugged vaguely as Lucien rolled his eyes. “He won’t say. He and mum have been speaking in riddles all summer about “something exciting” happening at Hogwarts. I reckon we’ll find out tonight, in any case.” Doors were shutting along the train, and Elain and Lucien hurried to the nearest door, leaning out the window to wave at their parents. 

“Dotry not to get in too much trouble this year, will you?” Lucien’s mother called out as the train started moving.

“Sure!” Lucien called back with a grin that said he absolutely would not be doing that. 

By the time the train rounded the corner Eris had turned back into the hound, and Elain’s father was petting him rather awkwardly on the head.

Lucien cleared his throat, and Elain was suddenly reminded of what she had confessed to him during their midnight motorcycle ride. She had no idea what had possessed her to share that withLucien, of all people. But something about being above the city like that, with nothing but the stars as her witnesses, had made her want to spill her heart. Elain suspected that was how he got girls to sleep with him. It was quite clever, really, she had to admit, even if it obviously would never work on her…

“Right, well, see you.” She went to walk down the corridor in search of her friends but his wide frame blocked her path. 

“We have to go to the Prefect's carriage,” he reminded her with a grin. “You’re not rid of me yet.”

With that he started down the corridor, and Elain had no choice but to follow. The fact that Lucien Vanserra was even a Prefect was thoroughly laughable. He received top marks, sure, but he and his little gang were notorious troublemakers who received more detentions than any other students. Possession of banned items, trespassing, excessive noise after hours, lewd behavior, stealing, bullying,smuggling his adult brother into the castle, there was nothing he and his friends hadn’t been found guilty of. Elain suspected that the only reason Professor Spell-Cleaver had made Lucien and Vassa Prefects was to try and get them to be a better influence on the group. So far it had not worked. 

When they reached the Prefects carriage Lucien held the door open for her with a flourish. Elain scoffed and walked inside, going to stand at the opposite end.

The Head Boy and Girl were taking a tally of who was present on a scroll of parchment. The Head Boy was an insufferable Slytherin named Rhysand, who, though handsome, was as pretentious as they got. There was something a little slimy about his smile, and the way he called every girlDarling. The Head Girl was a pretty Ravenclaw named Nuan, who squealed as she saw Lucien enter the carriage and then threw her arms around his neck. Elain rolled her eyes and scoffed again. 

A snicker behind her ear caught her attention. It was one of the sixth year Slytherin Prefects, Azriel. Azriel was notoriously shy, and there was a slight air of neglect about him, from his slightly too-long hair to his ill-fitting clothes. He rarely smiled, preferring to hide behind his mop of hair. He had always been kind to Elain, however. Last term Hufflepuff had shared potions class with Slytherin, and Azriel had helped her out of a tough spot on multiple occasions with a clever pinch of a missed ingredient or a stir of her cauldron (potions was not Elain’s forte). 

Azriel caught her looking at him as he snickered at Lucien, and he flushed a bright red. “Hi,” he said, his voice so soft it was barely above a whisper. He dipped his head and hid his face behind his hair, but Elain saw the hint of a smile on his lips. 

“Alright then, everybody listen up!” Rhysand had stood up on a crate to make himself heard over the chatter in the carriage. “First of all I’d like to say howhonoured I was to be made Head Boy, and I will do everything I can to live up to the title…”

“Oh sod off,” an annoyed voice called out. A ripple of laughter rang through the carriage as Nuan yanked him down from the crate and took his place. Lucien stuck his fingers in his mouth and wolf whistled, to another round of laughter. “Hi, for anyone who doesn’t know me, my name is Nuan, and I’m the Head Girl. This git here is Rhysand.” 

Rhysand huffed in annoyance, brushing an invisible speck of lint off his robes. 

“First things first,” Nuan continued. “Mr Filch has asked us to inform you all that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has been extended to include fanged frisbees, screaming yo-yos, and about four hundred and thirty-five other things. The full list is available in his office and he encourages all students to stop by and consult it, not that anybody will be doing that.”

Elain couldn’t help but join in the laughter at that. 

“Can you tell us what’s happening at Hogwarts this year?” Lucien asked.

“What does that mean?”

“Something’s happening at Hogwarts?”

The entire carriage had now turned its attention towards Lucien.

“All we were told was that there would be a special announcement tonight after the start-of-term feast,” Nuan cut in over the din. Several voices protested, but she shushed them with a loudbang from her wand. “That’s all I can tell you. Now, here is the schedule for the patrols for the train journey- sixth years, you’ll take the head of the train. Hufflepuffs and Grynffindors alternate with Slytherin and Ravenclaw every other hour….”

Elain let Nuan’s voice blur to a background hum. First Eris, and now Nuan had confirmed thatsomething was happening at Hogwarts this year, but she couldn’t for the life of her think of what it could be.

After the Prefects meeting Elain found her best friends saving a place for her in a compartment halfway down the train, and she greeted her friends excitedly. Elain had been immediately drawn to the twins the moment she had sat next to them after the Sorting Ceremony had declared her a Hufflepuff. They had been raised by a wizarding family, and were always helpful in explaining things that Elain didn’t understand. 

Around noon the lunch trolley came around, and Nuala and Cerridwen bought a large pile of cakes and sweets for them to share. People dropped in to say hello, including Nesta and Gwyn, and Feyre and her Gryffindor friends, Mor and Emerie.

The sky outside turned more and more somber as they rode north, the bright sunshine giving way to menacing clouds and a misty rain. By mid-afternoon it was so dark and gloomy outside that the torches were lit, and the girls decided it was time to change out of their muggle clothing and into their school robes.

Elain rummaged through her trunk, pushing aside clothing and books until she found her robes. She was so distracted that she didn’t notice Nuala reach into her trunk and yank out an article of clothing. Too late Elain realized what it was.

“What’s this?” she asked, holding up what was clearly a men’s leather jacket. Her friend’s dark eyes suddenly turned sympathetic. “Was it Graysen’s?”

Elain hesitated. Nuala and Cer wouldn’t tell anyone, but still, she had hoped to simply give it back without anybody seeing. Both of them were looking at her expectantly, looking at the jacket curiously. Then, to Elain’s horror, Cer leaned forward and plucked something from the collar of the jacket. Elain frowned for a moment before she realized thesomething was a long, vibrantly red hair. 

There was no easy way out of this one now. Both of her friends’ jaws dropped open, their identical dark eyes sparkling with surprise and delight. They both gasped at the same time.

“Elain Archeron,” Nuala said with barely suppressed glee. “What are you not telling us?”

The twins were so excited they were practically dancing on the spot.

“It’s not…it’snot what you think,” Elain protested, looking anywhere but at them. 

“So you mean to say thatthat is not a hair from Lucien Vanserra’s head?” Cerridwen asked with a smirk.

“Perhaps it’s one of his brothers’ hairs?” Nuala quipped.

“Or his mum’s?” Cer threw in with a giggle.

Elain sighed, taking longer than normal to slip on her robes in order to delay this as long as she could. Alas, the twins simply stood and looked at her expectantly, their eyebrows raised in identical expressions.

“He invited the entire Gryffindor quidditch team to a party at his house,” Elain started reluctantly. “And my dad wouldn’t let Feyre go unless either me or Nesta went too, since she’s a lot younger than everyone else who was invited.” 

“You went to his house?” Nuala's eyes were wide. 

“And how did you come to be in possession of his jacket?” Cer asked with a positively feline grin.

Elain sighed. “He took me for a ride on his motorcycle…” she mumbled the words under her breath, but the twins heard perfectly.

They both gasped in unison again, checking to make sure the door to their compartment was shut before launching into a torrent of questions.

“You went for a ride on hismotorcycle? ”

“Does it actually fly?”

“Ohmygod you’re so lucky, all the girls are going to be so jealous…”

“He gave you hisjacket to wear? That’s so cute…”

“It wasn’t like THAT!” Elain said, exasperated.

“Did you kiss?”

“Oh my GOD did you??”

Elain was shaking her head at her friends now, smiling at their antics even though she was still mortified. “NO! God, guys, I did notkiss Lucien Vanserra!” She yanked the jacket out of Nuala’s hands, who had been surreptitiously sniffing the collar. “Nothing happened. I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot broomstick.”

With that she shoved the jacket to the bottom of her trunk and snapped it shut.

Nuala sighed. “I don’t know why you don’t just go for it. I know he’s cocky and all but if the rumours are true it’d at least be a good time…”

“Nuala!” Cerridwen chided. “Elain’s not like that.”

Elain pointedly ignored them until the conversation blessedly turned to something else.

By the time the train slowed to a stop in Hogsmeade station the misty rain had given way to an icy, unrelenting downpour. Elain and the twins pulled their cloaks over their heads and ran, shrieking, towards the mass of carriages that would take them up to the school. The skeletal, reptilian-looking thestrals always unnerved Elain, and not just because she could see them and her friends couldn’t. Something about their white, unseeing eyes always sent an icy drip down her spine that had nothing to do with the current downpour.

Elain had yelped in fright when she’d seen them for the first time, two years previously. She had incorrectly assumed that the carriages had been operated by magic previously, and that the strange-looking horses (if you could call them that) were a morbid new addition. Her friends, and several other people who had seen her panic at the sight, had simply looked at her in concern, completely unseeing the creatures. 

Elain had locked eyes with Nesta through the throng of students, and the look in her sister’s eyes had confirmed that Nesta could see the creatures, too. She had only found out why when Nesta had dropped a heavy tome in front of her one day at breakfast. 

“They’re called thestrals,” her sister had whispered in an undertone. “And they’re only visible to people who have seen death.”

Both of them had immediately glanced over to the Gryffindor table, where Feyre was happily chatting away with her friends. Their father had refused to let her stay in the hospital room during their mother’s final moments. Elain and Nesta had refused to leave, which explained why they could see the thestrals.

Elain tried to avert her gaze as she passed the horses on her way inside the carriage, but she couldn’t help one quick glance at their white, blind eyes. Immediately she was back in the hospital, the smell of cleaning products and sickness thick in her nose. Her dad was weeping silently, Nesta’s jaw was set, her eyes steely. Feyre was in the waiting room with their aunt, confused and angry. Elain had been frozen in shock. 

She shook off the memory and climbed into the carriage behind the twins. As soon as she sat down and shut the door the carriage started moving up the long drive towards the school. Soon they were passing the winged boards at the school gates, and Hogwarts became visible in the distance.

Something sparked in Elain’s chest at the sight of the castle, it’s hundreds of windows sparkling in the darkness. It was home, calling to her like a rope tied around her ribs. 

When the carriage came to a stop the girls ran up the front steps and through the massive front doors, joining the mass of cold, wet students dripping rain onto the stone floor of the Entrance Hall. It seemed more chaotic than usual, with students shrieking and pushing each other.

“Blimey, what’s going on…” 

As soon as the words were out of Nuala’s mouth it became apparent where the source of chaos came from. A large water balloon dropped from the ceiling, exploding on the stone floor directly in front of them and soaking water right through their shoes. 

“What the…” 

Loud cackling echoed above their heads, and Elain looked up to find Peeves the poltergeist floating above the crowd, a malicious grin on his face. His bell-covered hat was jingling wildly as he swooped and swerved, dropping fat water balloons onto the already soaked students. 

“PEEVES!” Professor Tarquin, the charms teacher, was brandishing his wand at the poltergeist menacingly. “Stop that at once!”

Peeves merely cackled and lobbed a particularly fat balloon in the teacher’s direction. Tarquin waved his wand and the now-empty balloon fell limply to the floor. 

“No fun!” Peeves pouted, taking aim once again. 

Elain and the twins were cowering under their cloaks. 

“Don’t make me call the headmaster!” Professor Tarquin warned. His shock of white-blond hair was plastered to his head with water, his usually kind blue eyes narrowed to angry slits.

The poltergeist opened his mouth to retort, when another loud voice rang through the crowd.

“Hey, Peeves! Take this!” It was Lucien. He was so tall that his red hair was clearly visible where he stood in the middle of the Entrance Hall. 

The poltergeist turned his attention to him at the same time that Lucien took aim, his face split in a wicked grin. The next moment a water balloon exploded across the little man’s face, who gasped and sputtered as he floated above the crowd. 

The assembled students all clapped and cheered, and even Professor Tarquin was smiling as Peeves threw them a rude gesture and then floated away up the marble staircase.

“All right, all right, settle down, now!” Professor Tarquin called out. “In the Great Hall, come on now…”

Elain followed the crowd through the Entrance Hall, slipping and sliding on the slick floor as she went. The Great Hall had been decorated for the start-of-term feast with hundreds of floating candles and glittering gold plates and cups, all of which were currently empty. The enchanted ceiling was as dark and menacing as the sky outside. A clap of thunder boomed outside the tall windows, and the ceiling momentarily lit up with a flash of lightning. 

As they reached the Hufflepuff table Elain purposely chose a seat so that she would have her back towards the Gryffindor table. She could still hear people calling out to Lucien, and his answering booming laugh grated on her nerves. 

“Ladies,” a friendly voice caught her attention. “Welcome back. I trust you had a good summer?”

It was the Fat Friar, the Hufflepuff ghost. His round face was jolly and smiling as ever. “Good to have everyone back, it does get lonely and drafty up here when the students are gone.” His gaze drifted towards the Slytherin table as he spoke, and the ghost seemed to shiver as he spotted the Bloody Baron, sitting halfway up the table. 

Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened, and Professor Tarquin walked in. The chatter around the Great Hall died down as everyone watched him walk towards the staff table, followed by a string of shivering, dripping first-years. Elain cringed as she watched them walk solemnly between the long tables. It was tradition for the first years to cross the great lake on boats, and Elain would not have liked to make that journey in this weather. 

The first years seemed even smaller and shorter than usual, though it might have been due to the fact that they were all dripping and shivering with more than nerves. 

Professor Tarquin was now placing a three-legged stool in front of the first years, who were standing in a row in front of the staff table. Then he placed an old, ripped and patched wizard hat on top of it, and everyone stared in silence. A moment later a rip opened along the brim like a mouth, and the hat started singing.

Elain was immediately brought back to her first day at Hogwarts. She’d been shaking with nerves and intimidated into wide-eyed silence as she watched the hat sing.

“Archeron, Elain!” Professor Tarquin had called, reading from a long scroll of parchment. 

Elain’s stomach had bottomed out and she had momentarily forgotten to breathe. She was first. Of course she was, her last name started with anA , but for some reason it hadn’t occurred to her. She had stood there, immobile, as the entire Great Hall stared at her. Her legs felt like jelly, surely they wouldn’t be able to carry her to that stool. 

And then a loud voice had cut through the silence. “That’s my sister!”

Several people had chuckled, and Elain had been jolted out of her trance. Nesta had done this- she could do it, too. She had sat down on shaking legs, feeling the eyes of the crowd on her like a brand. The hat had hummed and whispered as it looked into her mind.

Brave, intelligent, yes, but kind, too…loyal... A hard worker. A gentle soul…I believe you would thrive in…HUFFLEPUFF!

The Hufflepuff table had thundered with applause, and Elain had slipped off the stool and gone to sit with them. Moments later she had been joined by the dark haired twins, who had sat on either side of her and immediately started chatting with her as if they knew her. 

The hat finished its song with a quivering high note and the Great Hall broke into applause. Professor Tarquin stepped forward with his scroll of parchment and silence fell once more.

“When I call your name you will sit on the stool and place the Sorting Hat on your head. After your house is announced you will go and sit at the right table.”

“Abbot, Laura!”

A particularly small and drenched looking girl approached the stool. As she sat Professor Tarquin waved his wand and the girl looked like she passed through a wind tunnel, her long hair whipping wildly around her face. The Great Hall rang with laughter and when the girl sat she was completely dry but quite pink in the face.

“GRYFFINDOR!” The table behind Elain exploded with cheers as tiny Laura hopped off the stool and went to join her house. Someone wolf-whistled, and Elain didn’t dare turn around.

“Brown, Rory!”

This time the hat had barely touched the boy’s head before it yelled “SLYTHERIN!”

“Diggory, Celine!” was the first Hufflepuff called, and Elain smiled warmly as the girl slipped onto the bench with shaking legs. 

“Well done, well done!” The Fat Friar said, his many chins quivering as he clapped happily. The girl merely looked at him with wide eyes.

And on and on it went, until “Zimmerman, Dean!” tripped over to the Ravenclaw table, and finally the Sorting was over. 

“I’mstarving !” Nuala moaned next to her, already holding her fork and knife. 

Professor Tarquin removed the stool and Sorting Hat, to be put away until next year’s sorting ceremony. Professor Spell-Cleaver stood up then, and the Great Hall fell silent once more. 

He spread his arms wide, smiling at his students with twinkling eyes. When he spoke his deep voice boomed through the hall, warm like the sun on summer day. 

“Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts! I am sure that you are all hungry enough to eat a hippogriff by now, and so I shall say only two words to you. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber!”

And with that he sat down, and laughter rippled through the Great Hall as the empty platters and bowls on the tables magically filled with a variety of dishes. 

“Barking, that one,” someone muttered down the table. 

Elain filled her plate high with chicken, roast potatoes, and fresh bread, and for a while she and her friends were silent as they devoured their meal. 

The Fat Friar looked at them mournfully, his jolly eyes turning sorrowful as he gazed at the variety of dishes. Elain guessed that not being able to eat must be a particular torture for him.

The rain continued to pelt the high windows as the first course disappeared, to be replaced by a variety of cakes and puddings. Once she had licked the last crumb of treacle tart off her plate Elain felt pleasantly full and very sleepy. The patter of the rain and the hum of conversation around her was almost hypnotizing, to the point that she started in surprise when the Great Hall felt silent once again.

Professor Spell-Cleaver was on his feet once more, and the dishes had disappeared from the tables. 

“Now that we have been fed and watered, and your attention span is slipping, I shall bore you for only a few minutes longer. 

“First of all, I must remind you that the village of Hogsmeade is off-limits to everyone below third year, and to those who do not have a signed permission slip. Furthermore, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students at all times, unless you are accompanied by a teacher.”

His gaze turned towards the Gryffindor table, where a few snickers were heard. His dark eyes turned stern for a moment before sweeping over the crowd once more.

“Finally, it is my absolute pleasure to announce that a special event will be taking place at Hogwarts this year. Many of you might have heard whisperings of something happening this year, and it’s time for me to finally put the wild rumours to rest…”

“What is it?” Someone yelled from the Ravenclaw table. A ripple of laughter rang through the hall again, and Helion chuckled.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the Tri-Trials Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.”

Elain blinked in confusion as Nuala and Cerridwen both gasped in unison. The Fat Friar was quivering with excitement. 

“We all knew, of course,” he said, puffing up his already quite large chest. 

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was excited. A great din of excited chatter had erupted around the Hall, and Professor Spell-Cleaver waited politely until it died down before continuing. 

“It seems that many of you already know about the Tournament, and if that is the case, you may go ahead and tune me out as I give a brief history lesson.

“The Tri-Trials Tournament was started many years ago as a way to create a bit of inter-house competition, and test the magical prowess of Hogwarts students. One champion is selected from each house to participate in the tournament. These champions then participate in a series of three tasks that test the competitors on their daring, magical talents, and perhaps most importantly, their ability to stay calm under pressure.

“For many centuries the tournament was held every five years, and was so popular that many foreign schools started their own competitions. Unfortunately, about a century ago the death-toll became so high that the Tournament was discontinued.”

“The death-toll?” Elain said in horror. It seemed that not everyone was as horrified as she was, however. Half the Great Hall was still chattering excitedly. 

“However, with the diligent help of the Department of Magical Games and Sports” (another wolf whistle from the Gryffindor table) “we are confident that enough safety regulations have been put in place to make the Tournament safe once more. 

“The selection of the four champions will take place on Halloween. They will be picked by an impartial judge, and will compete for the Cup, the glory of their House, and a thousand Galleons prize money.”

A thousand Galleons prize money. Elain briefly entertained a vision of herself, bringing home a heavy sack of gold coins. She could pay off her father’s debts, they could maybe get a bigger flat…

“Eager though I know many of you will be to bring the glory to your House,” Helion continued over the rising chatter. “It has been decided by the panel of judges, the ministry of magic, and myself, that an age restriction should be imposed upon students wishing to enter. With that said, it has been decided that only students who are seventeen years of age or older will be allowed to put their names forward for consideration.”

The noise in the Hall intensified into a wave of affront. Elain’s murky dream fizzled out. 

“Bummer,” Nuala said next to her. “It sounds like it’s going to be dangerous, anyway…” 

“This,” Professor Spell-Cleaver continued, raising his voice over the angry voices, “is due to the inherently dangerous and difficult nature of the tasks, regardless of the safety measures added. It is doubtful that students below sixth and seventh year would even be able to make it through these tasks unharmed. And before any of you decides to concoct any hair-brained schemes to trick the impartial judge, please note that I will personally be ensuring that no underage student shall enter.” Another steely look towards the Gryffindor table.

“And now, it is late, and you all must be tired of the sound of my voice, and so off to bed! Chop chop!”

There was a great wave of chatter and scraping as the students rose to their feet and shuffled towards the doors leading back to the Entrance Hall. 

“I wonder who will enter from Hufflepuff?” Elain mused. “It should be exciting to watch, in any case!”

“They can’t do that!” An angry voice said behind her. “They can’t tell us not to enter!”

It was Jurian. Vassa caught Elain’s gaze as she passed and rolled her eyes dramatically. 

“Well, I’m definitely entering,” said a cocky voice she knew all too well. She turned and came face to face with Lucien. His face was split in a wide grin, russet eye twinkling. “Being a year older has never been more useful.”

“You mean other than helping you seduce girls younger than you?” 

Elain snickered as the twins’ jaws dropped in tandem. It was Nesta, standing behind Lucien with her arms crossed. Her best friend Gwyn was next to her, her arms also crossed, though her gaze was less frigid than Nesta’s as she looked at Lucien.

Lucien grinned even more widely, bowing slightly at the waist towards Nesta. “Precisely,” he quipped. He threw a wink in Elain’s direction and then hurried after his friends up the marble staircase.

“Git,” Nesta scoffed. “What do you think, though?” she asked Elain, her blue eyes suddenly sparkling. “Should I enter?”

“I definitely am,” said Gwyn, her striking teal eyes also sparkling. “Between the two of us this impartial judge willhave to pick one of us.”

“I would enter, if I could,” chimed in a forlorn voice.” It was Feyre, flanked by Emerie and Mor. “You should enter, Nesta. You’ll definitely get chosen.” With a wave Feyre and her friends were off, up the wide marble staircase with the rest of the Gryffindors. 

“Imagine winning though, in front of the whole school,” Gwyn said, her eyes shining. 

Elain locked eyes with her sister. In that moment she knew that Nesta wasn’t thinking about glory, but about the thousand Galleon prize money. A new flat, a new car, maybe some investments in Nesta’s name, so their dad couldn’t mess it up…

Elain was lost in thought as she followed her friends towards the door to the right of the marble staircase. They went through the door and down the hallway cheerfully lit with lanterns, passing the large painting of the bowl of fruit, which led to the house kitchens. They came to a stop at the end of the corridor, in front of a pile of barrels. Nuala reached out, tapping the barrel in the very center of the second row. Her fingers tapped out a rhythm so familiar to Elain that it resonated in her own fingers. And then the barrels parted to reveal the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, and the girls filed in. 

The circular room was cheerfully decorated in shades of yellow and black, with round, ground-level windows that let in sunshine and a view of blowing glass and wildflowers in the daytime. At night, the large fireplace was lit, making the room look like a cozy den. 

Elain’s favourite thing about the room, however, was the plants. There were small cactuses, nestled into shelves carved into the walls, that quivered and danced as people walked by. And from the ceiling hung countless copper pots, from which dripped ferns and ivies that would tangle through her hair as she walked through them. She followed her friends through the large circular door that led to the girls’ dormitories, and when she finally slipped under the thick quilt that covered her bed, the dream slipped back into her mind.

She was holding a cup, brandishing it as all of Hufflepuff House cheered her on. And in her other hand, a heavy sack of coins.