#i don't know if it's clear but all cats hate talbott because he is a bird

[plasticdodecagon]

this is something that friends do

Happy 2020! Ringing in the new year with some Taldeea and Ravenclaw house clownery, which I meant to finish last year (decade). 

A couple of inspirations for this one: 

@promptsforthestrugglingauthor Prompt #945. 

@no53472 headcanons about Laith, particularly that he hates Talbott.

Synopsis: Badeea and Talbott look for her cat when he goes missing. TW: mention of death of a pet. (Badeea x Talbott)

~

When Andre looked up from the latest edition of Wizards' Witness Magazine---which he did only to fully absorb the genius of the fashion designers before flipping the page---he was surprised to see his famously unstylish dormmate, Talbott Winger, inspecting himself in the mirror. Fussing with his hair, straightening his blue tie, standing up straighter---and seeing Andre's amused grin reflected back at him.

“Another date with Badeea?” Andre guessed.

“It’s not a date," said Talbott as he turned away from the glass. Probably hiding a blush. “I told you. We’re just looking for her cat. As friends. This is something that friends do."

Andre snickered. "The demon cat? Who hates you?"

Talbott shrugged, not denying it. "Laith and I haven't always...gotten along, but I don't want anything to happen to him. It would kill Badeea. Which," he added, "would be a problem because we're friends."

Friends. Sure. Andre was friends with Badeea, but you didn't see him staring at her from across every class, mumbling her name in his sleep, or offering to help her find her evil cat who hissed and scratched at Talbott at every opportunity. (And, most damningly, had once stolen one of Andre's Pride of Portree scarves and buried it in his litter box.)

But Andre had said all of that to Talbott before. "In any case," he said instead, "you look like less of an eyesore than usual. I'm sure Laith will be impressed."

~

They snuck out every night for four weeks, shouting and searching for that dumb fat cat---in the corridors of the castle, in the classrooms, on the Quidditch pitch, even in the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade---until the sun rose or Filch caught them. (”Please, Mr. Filch, we’re looking for Laith, my cat---he’s gone missing---” “Not an excuse! Get back into your common room before I shackle you both to the ceiling!” Talbott noted later that it was the first time he’d seen Filch fail to dole out a punishment.)

Talbott, unbeknownst to Badeea, resumed the search from the sky when he had a few free minutes in the day, eyes peeled for his ginger fur, ears peeled for the jingle of his collar or his tell-tale hiss (which Laith had reserved for Talbott, in and out of bird form). He helped her hang posters all around the castle. He went with her to the animal shelter in Hogsmeade to check if he had been found.

He even recruited other students to help with the night searches, breaking his cardinal rule of not speaking to others unless necessary. Penny and Tulip had readily agreed; Charlie had offered to comb through the Forbidden Forest; and even the Cursed Vault Kid and Andre joined the search, reluctantly. ("And third-wheel your date with Badeea?" they said simultaneously, before high-fiving and teasing him for another twenty minutes.)

He did everything he could think to do. But when Charlie Weasley brought Badeea a starry blue collar which had been ripped to shreds in the Forbidden Forest, all he could do was let her tears soak his shirt.

~

"You're going to Hogsmeade?" asked Andre, as if Talbott had just announced he was going to the moon.

"I'm going to the animal shelter," explained Talbott, pulling on his coat. "To get Badeea another cat. Tulip says she's not even eating, and---"

He didn't know why he told Andre at all, but he regretted it immediately, especially when Andre offered to come too.

"Just give me a few minutes to look presentable," he said, already walking into his Undetectably Extended closet.

One hour later, they were walking into the animal shelter. Taped to the door was a flyer with a photograph of Laith, basking in the sun, with the words, "Have you seen this cat?" The old man behind the front desk, to whom Talbott had introduced himself twice in the past two months, gave no hint of ever having seen him before.

"Looking to adopt?" he croaked. "We have toads, dogs, crups, lizards---"

"We'd like to see your cats," interrupted Talbott, who knew this could go on for quite a while.

"---puffskeins, cats, spiders, bats, a venomous tentacula, and an owl." He stared at the boys for a moment. "You look like you're here for a cat. Right this way."

He led them down a narrow hallway, which was lined with bedded cages. As soon as Talbott entered, each and every one of the cats began hissing.

"Are you sure you want to do this, mate?" said Andre. "They really hate you."

Talbott nodded. It was for Badeea. "I'd like to see them all," he said to the man.

Talbott didn't at all know how to judge what would make a good cat for Badeea. There was a skinny ginger kitten who bit Talbott with hate in his little black eyes and tried to steal Andre's scarf; a cuddly black cat, who curled up in Andre's lap before launching himself at Talbott's face; a calm calico who had to be coaxed out of her corner with treats, before she scratched Talbott's arm; and an old gray cat with puffy fur, who only managed a hiss before lying down on her blanket and scowling at the pair of them.

"Aww, she's like you," said Andre, reaching out to pet the gray cat, who promptly threw him a scowl and sauntered into a different corner of the room. "Badeea would love her. Like a friend," he added with a wink.

"Stormy has been here for six months," added the old man, who had watched each of the interactions without once intervening. "Her owner passed away. She doesn't open up easily, but with patience and gentleness, she's just as cuddly as a dog. Probably."

Talbott looked at the cat, who stared back at him with indifference. He suddenly felt a great kinship for this surly creature. She needed Badeea.

But what did Badeea need? Did she need a new cat? Did she need someone else to take care of, when she was struggling to take care of herself?

"We can't," he said, sighing, running a finger along one of the many, many scratches he'd received that day. "When my parents died, I didn't need replacement parents. I needed time to grieve. This was a stupid idea." He sighed. "No matter how much it hurts, we can't just...ask her to be happy again. That's not fair to her. We just have to watch her work through it, and let her know that we're here for her."

~

That was what Talbott did. He asked for updates from Tulip, who periodically left the dorm room with various canvases, each an indecipherable combination of color and shapes.

"She almost went to breakfast today," said Tulip two weeks later. "But then she remembered that Laith loved breakfast, so she started a new painting. Laith'n and Eggs." She paused thoughtfully. "They are getting progressively more realistic, which I'd say means she's getting better. Once I can recognize a cat in these, she might be ready to leave the---"

"Talbott!" yelled Andre from the boys' dorm.

Talbott sighed.

"And how is Andre?" asked Tulip, almost the picture of sincerity except for a twinkle in her eye.

"He lost a scarf, Tulip. He's fine."

And yet, Talbott still found himself standing to go tend to his friend, who had been inconsolable since he realized he'd left his favorite Pride of Portree scarf at the animal shelter. ("What does it matter? You have ten more like it." "Ten more like it? That scarf was one of a kind---hand-sewn by Iliana Incanto herself---made from the finest puffskein fur---" "Why would you wear it to an animal shelter, if it was so special?" "To ask me to not wear something special is to ask me to go nude, and we aren't quite there yet, mate.")

"What?" said Talbott, poking his head into the dorm room.

Andre, who was dressed for the day in black, sighed and said, "I'm ready to go back to the shelter...and retrieve the remains of my scarf."

"Okay then," said Talbott. "Have fun."

"You're coming with, of course."

"No. Why? No."

Andre frowned. "Because you're my friend. And this is something that friends do."

Oh no. He had to stop making friends.

~

"A carp?"

"No, a scarf," sighed Talbott. "We were here two weeks ago, and my friend lost his scarf. We were looking at the cats."

"Ah, you want to see the cats," said the old man. "Right this way."

Talbott and Andre followed. As before, the hallway came alive with hisses. But there was something oddly familiar about one of the hisses, which was particularly venomous. When Talbott looked into the corresponding cage, he grinned---there, with a purple scarf ripped to shreds in his mouth, and only the barest hint of a scratch on his own face, was Laith.

~

Talbott could have sworn that Laith was smirking at him from his spot in Badeea’s lap, where he purred and happily received kisses and pets. And as much as he wanted to hate that cat, he couldn’t help but feel a great surge of affection towards him, seeing Badeea’s face light up for the first time in weeks.

Talbott sat beside her on the couch in the common room, and Laith whipped his head around to give him his very best hiss. 

“Be nice, you,” scolded Badeea as the cat leapt off her lap to go lie in the sunlight streaming in from the window. She beamed. "I can't believe you found him. I was so sure that he was...that something had...” But she didn’t finish. “What happened to you?” she asked, running a gentle finger across his cheek, which made his breath catch. “You look like you were mauled by a--- Laith didn’t do that, did he?”

Talbott shook his head. “No. But every other cat in Hogsmeade did. Except Stormy.”

“Stormy?”

Right on cue, a fluffy gray cloud of cat hopped onto the couch and proceeded to curl up with her head on Talbott’s lap. She hissed slightly at him but didn’t move from her spot.

“Stormy,” he said, resting a hand on her head, which earned his fingers a bite.

Badeea grinned at him and extended a hand to Stormy, which was instantly nuzzled. “Oh, she’s a sweetheart. I really thought you hated cats.”

“I don’t hate cats. They hate me.”

“They don’t know what they’re missing, then,” said Badeea. She hesitated a moment and then kissed him quickly on the cheek, after which time stood still. 

“For your scratch,” he thought she might have said, before jumping up to run after Laith. “No, you drop that scarf right now---I know the Magpies are better, it’s no excuse---drop it.”

#talbott winger #badeea ali #andre egwu #tulip karasu #taldeea #badeea x talbott #andre x his scarf #laith #i don't know if it's clear but all cats hate talbott because he is a bird #laith hates talbott because he is a bird and a competitor for badeea's attention #one of these days i'll write something for andre where he isn't like the comic relief #but i love writing his character as incredibly extra #hogwarts mystery #hphm

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Hello! there The reading rembrance anon Is here and currently in chapter 17 I don't actually remember un What chapter everything happened so My comments This Time are un disorder

- Diego being a Luca x Merula shipper Is actually cracking me up, I know It's probably very awkward for Luca but I really laughed at that.

- Jacob as MC's Boggart Is a really cool concept and really i Would liked to see it in The canon because It's just make So much sense. Like yeah, MC Loves Jacob They make their whole purpose to find him and that could be drived by positive feelings about finding your Family and all, but I doubt They don't have any negative Emotions cause Of The long search for their brother, when You base your entire existence to do something, in This to find Someone, You actually Would be overwhelmed and that Thing You love could turn in what holds you back most from growing as a Individual person. And in This set Of The game, de don't ANYTHING about Jacob and there are rumors already “Jacob Is Crazy” “Jacob Is a Death eater” sure, MC wouldn't Think Any Of that Is true but how They Never considered that maybe Jacob Isn't The person They Thought he Is? It's a really interesting topic.

- Animagus Merula Isn't a idea that I Thought Before, but actually also It's cool, She's known for sneaking so She totally could want transform in a Animagus to spy People, It's a very Snyde thing to do (no pun intended) I love The fact her Animagus Is a cat because Is a very ambiguos animal in terms Of simbology. Some culture sees Them as sacred Animals and objects Of adoration (What Merula Think She Is) and Others relate Them to Missfortune, Ghosts, etc. So having The intentions Of Merula are difficult to decipher, The cat form really fits her

- I Just can think In how offended Luca feeled when Bitten go with Merula and Mitten also lreally Likes her I just could think Of The Voice Of Catra saying “Ah! No! Betrayal!”

- Surprisingly, I didn't really think that Rowan coul be related to R, It was really suspicious how They point The Finger to Ben, but I Was “Nah, It Would be too easy”

- Luca and Tulip are actually really cute together, It's really a shame that all The content They Would had in The game Is just The First date and The Celestial Ball, Like The MC x Tulip has a really Good potential, How could JamCity no see it?

- I don't If seeing The delusion luca has with The Weird sister It's Hilarious or actually really sad, but go for It, Luca! burn All related to Them!

- The HC of Luca giving Penny The clothes Aurelié gave Them... I just Can't explain, really touched my Heart, Luca Is just too Good for This World and I Need to Protect them so bad

That's All I coul really think Of, I'm really liking it so far!

Not me absolutely suffocating myself in warm fuzzies (probably puffskeins, come to think of it) as I struggle to cope with how wonderful your commentary is. Nope, couldn’t be me, there’s no way. 

I’m so glad you can see what I see in the potential of Jacob being MC’s Boggart and I honestly have no idea why the game didn’t go this route. It’s the only thing that makes perfect sense. Voldemort? Literally, doesn’t make a lick of sense. MC is living in the “lost generation” between the two wars. Their life is unaffected by Voldemort and they even reassure Talbott that he’ll never return. So what gives? Is it just fanservice? (He really shouldn’t have the snake-like look, by the way...that only happened because of his revival potion at the end of GOF.) At the time, I thought maybe they wanted to keep Jacob unseen, keep him shrouded in mystery...but they didn’t have a problem revealing his face two years later! The crazy thing is, they even suggest that Jacob could be a reason of origin for MC’s fears. They can cite the “Death Eater” rumor as being the explanation for their Boggart, which would mean that it’s not really Voldemort MC is afraid of any more than it’s Merula that Tulip is truly afraid of.

Merula’s symbolic animal (Her Patronus, Animagus form, etc.) is also something that I feel quite strongly about and I’m glad to see I’m not alone in considering the idea! Seriously, I’ve grown up with feline companions for as long as I can remember and trust me, Merula is such a cat. She’s much more of a cat than even Luca is. In so many ways, it’s absolutely perfect. On a Meta level, my being a Merula defender is appropriate because there’s not much I dislike more than those odd, unfounded stereotypes that cats are assholes. I mean, they can be, and Merula often is...but cats are also extremely loving and I believe Merula has the potential to be as well. Love is, as we know, the most powerful force in this universe, and she is of course the most powerful witch at Hogwarts. 

Aha! Another She-Ra fan. Catra and Merula have a lot in common in many ways, and the whole Catradora romance feels quite familiar. Though most people compare it to MC/Merula, it definitely reminds me more of Tulip/Merula, but that’s just a personal touch. But never mind the ships of the past, the ships of the present appear to be gearing up for smooth sailing, perhaps? I shall say nothing except thank you profusely and sob at your feet for what you said about Luca and Tulip being cute. Seriously, MC’s bond with Tulip during Year 3 is so powerful. I just think seeing another person’s Boggart and learning the history behind it is...kind of a big deal? It’s a unique brand of emotional intimacy. 

Ah, the “Rowan is R” theory. I truly believed it for a while. Again, not getting into spoilers, (Keep in mind, this was written before Y6CH18 hit us all over the head) but Luca’s journey with suspecting Rowan reflects my own in many ways. I had that heart-stopping moment at the end of Year 3 of realizing that there was a prominent character who was a clear suspect for being R and yet no one in-game acknowledged it. We could suspect Rita, Rosmerta, Flitwick for some reason...but not Rowan. At least with Rakepick, the characters considered the possibility that it was her.  Seriously, it isn’t until mid-Year 5 that someone points out Rowan’s first initial. Between Rowan’s suspicion of Ben, and the game avoiding the very blatant elephant in the room...I got more and more anxious that Rowan might be the answer. I adore Rowan, to be clear. I never wanted this to be true, and I’m glad that it isn’t. 

Bitten hates Luca as much as Luca hates The Weird Sisters. And in both cases, it’s quite irrational. Once again, Luca’s feelings are mirroring my own. I...cannot stand The Weird Sisters. In the GOF film they’re cringe, but in HPHM, they actually creep me out and irritate me. Luca straight up tells them that they’re not comfortable with these complete strangers writing songs about them, and the dude just goes “Don’t think of it like that.” Like sir no, you need to stop now, I am a minor. Cut the crap. But enough about that, thank you for the kind words about the scene with Penny! (I mean, thank you in general, but y’know) it’s funny because that scene apparently launched a bit of a small fanclub for the Luca x Penny ship - which I don’t think it’s a spoiler to tell you, ain’t gonna happen in the fic. 

#Remembrance #The Remembrance Anon #Hogwarts Mystery Fanfiction #My Anons are the Best #Luca Fawley #Spoilers for Remembrance #Rowan Khanna #HPHM Jacob #Merula Snyde #Tulip Karasu #The Curse-Breaker who shall not be named