#I like to think Barnaby actually will listen to those he is close with | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

starrayblogs · 1 year

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All this talk abt the audience asking for Bella to repeat herself made me think she was an airhead at first (heh, get it?) but random thoughts aside, how is her relationships with the others?

Is she well liked by the neighborhood, hated, disliked, maybe a rivalry?

hm, well she's certainly not haha! think of it like fluttershy from mlp, maybe? yes, maybe

hmm, her relationship with her neighbors are good! i do not think she is one to make rivals, nor do i think any of the neighbors inside of Home are ones too!

maybe i'd like to get into detail, such that:

i like to think Bella's relationship with Sally is something like fluttershy and rarity! rather, Bella is not shy, just a more quiet person. i think they are great friends! Bella has provided Sally with flowers for her performances more than once! she says, "i think it's nice to have such beautiful flowers in the spotlight with you."

hmm, with Poppy, i like to think her and Bella are quite the funny pair! With Poppy always worrying, and Bella almost never- it's always an interesting interaction. "are you sure these roses have no more thorns?" "yes, i'm sure" "and that these roses-" hahaha!! yes, i think they're funny

then with Eddie, well let's say they frequent with each other! there's a bouquet to be delivered to someone almost every week, i find it difficult to imagine that they have not grown to be great friends during those moments of having to interact with each other for business

oh, this is fun- Howdy, i like to think, and Bella are great great friends! maybe best friends? i posted that Julie, Frank, and Bella were to be good friends, but i think that if anything, Howdy and Bella are more often seen interacting with each other! while Bella occupies herself more with the flowers, Howdy's got the (food) plants! they both enjoy making sure that their products are the best quality and always taken care of, i like to imagine that it's a seasonal thing where they collaborate their businesses on valentines! flowers and chocolates, what a lovely time for the neighborhood!

now, with Barnaby.. hm! with Barnaby's relaxed nature and Bella's also relaxed character, i think they just both enjoy each other's company! for what it's worth, their funniest interactions always end up with Bella getting knocked out of her relaxed face hahahaha!! such that one of Barnaby's juggling balls shooting a hole right through her cloud hair or Barnaby's flower trick toy that he shocked her with, "what kind of flower is that? i've never seen that around Home!" "it's a fake flower, airhead." hehehehahahaha!!!

Bella and Frank are mostly seen interacting whenever Frank finds himself wandering close to her flower-filled grounds! maybe, a bit selfish of me (i know! im sorry), i think Frank finds her company quite enjoyable because she never really questions his frown and behavior! its always a nice talk between them whenever they're together (usually with Julie) by the flowers, watching butterflies go around

hehe, Julie and Bella, very nice pair too! Julie, always energized around the cloud, who is always there to listen! always asking "what's this flower?" "what's that flower?", but Bella is always entertaining her! in fact, Julie is the neighbor who receives the most flowers from Bella! whenever she stops by her home/shop, Bella compliments and tries to find a flower to match her dress ^^ hehe

i saved the best (and my favorite!) for last, Wally! simply, whenever Bella has a new bouquet down at his doorstep, she is graciously gifted with a painting of that same bouquet the next day at her doorstep haha! she hangs them all around her walls. actually, i find their pair quite hard to think for- but i have a feeling that they'd get along amazingly! an interaction between them i think at the top of my head is: Wally and Bella learning about flowers around Home, with Bella telling Wally the details of the plant while he sketches them! a relaxing pair, really

#oc brainrot #my oc #welcome home oc #welcome home #omg this took so long to answer #like so long #'i finished one episode of bridgerton' long #yipee #artists on tumblr #oc info #oc infodump

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lifeofkaze · 3 years

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hello i have fallen i love with your charlie fic (❤❤!!) and i want to ask if you could you write some angst where barnaby has a crush on mc and they're super oblivious and later they start dating someone else ans barnaby realizes he lost them?

My dearest anon, let me say: I AM SORRY. Writing your ask took me forever (literally, lol) even though I had it in my head the moment I got your asks all those months ago. But I never felt the right inspiration to actually write it down until today. Today it just hit me. I do hope you're actually still around and reading what I made out of it.

I'm really truly sorry. 😅

So, without further ado, I present to you:

Missed Chances

Barnaby Lee x Reader

Barnaby Lee wasn’t the smartest kid around.

He was by no means dumb, he just wasn’t as clever or booksmart as most of his peers, a fact he was well aware of. But it didn’t bother him that much, really. He had found his means of getting by during classes and ever since distancing himself from Merula Snyde back in their third year, he had been able to gather a circle of friends around him he could fall back upon.

There was popular Penny Haywood for Potions, shy but gifted Ben Copper for Charms, and ever so patient Rowan Khanna when he had troubles with Transfiguration.

Barnaby’s favourite study sessions, however, were those for Defense Against The Dark Arts. Not because he was particularly bad at the subject; on the contrary, he was a skilled duelist and most charms and jinxes came naturally to him. No, the real reason those lessons were his favourite was because it was you who was teaching him.

Ever since he’d been drawn into your close circle of friends, his above average DADA marks had been plummeting, since he kept getting distracted during class. The professors weren’t impressed but neither surprised at his apparent lack of academic skills and under normal circumstances, Barnaby would have tried everything in his power to prove them wrong, that he could do better, that he wasn’t as stupid as everyone made him out to be.

But when you offered your help in catching up on the subject, Barnaby had changed his mind. You were always top of your DADA class and what better way to spend some time alone with you while listening to your beautiful voice explaining the differences between a curse and a hex.

Barnaby knew most of the things you were telling him already, so he had ample time to just watch you talk during your study sessions. He knew no one else could get so excited over dark creatures and cursed objects like you did. The way your eyes were sparkling when lecturing him on the differences between a werewolf and regular wolf had him enthralled every single time and the proud smile you gave him when he answered one of your questions correctly never failed to make Barnaby’s heart beat hard in his chest.

He would have loved to see that smile more often, but he made sure to let his real knowledge of the subject shine through sparingly. He was afraid that if he got too good, you might want to drop studying with him and that was something he couldn’t risk; spending time with you had become the highlight of his day. No one he knew rivalled the warmth you radiated and the unbroken faith you had in him, a sentiment that was completely new to Barnaby.

When the big news of the Celestial Ball was announced, it was all his peers could talk about. What to wear, how to look and who to bring were the questions dominating all of the four common rooms.

Barnaby never had to think twice who he wanted to be his date for the dance. He thought about how to properly ask you out for days on end; you were no common girl after all. You were the most extraordinary girl he knew and thus deserved an extraordinary invitation. But when he finally plucked up the courage to ask you out, you looked at him sheepishly.

“That’s so sweet of you, Barney. I’m so flattered, really. But I already promised Rowan and Ben to go with them. You know, just as friends.”

His heart sank at the words. Why hadn’t he acted sooner? Maybe people were right about him being stupid after all.

Seeing his disheartened look, your face changed into something softer. “But I’m sure Rowan and Ben wouldn’t mind if you came along with us? As another friend?”

Barnaby beamed at her. “I’d love that. We’re going to have such a great time together, as friends,” he added, not quite sure whom he wanted to reassure, you or himself.

He would probably never forget the night of the Celestial Ball when he saw you in the dress André Egwu had designed for the first time. Rowan and Ben had arrived at the ball before you and when you stepped into the Great Hall all on your own, Barnaby’s breath stopped for a moment.

You were dressed in a beautiful, burgundy dress with intricate patterns embroidered around the neckline. Your waist was accentuated by a small belt and the skirt of your dress flowed around you in several layers of fabric. You looked like an ethereal being to him as you walked through the crowd over to him, Rowan and Ben, your skirt trailing slightly behind you.

His eyes didn’t leave you for the whole evening even for a second. He could hear you laughing when you danced with Rowan and Ben, the sound like silver bells to his ears. When he asked you for a dance with him, your hand just happened to fit perfectly into his and your bright smile made Barnaby forget everything else around you and him. He did take great care to not step on your dress, however. You looked so perfect, he didn’t want to ruin it with his own clumsiness; although he pretty much doubted anything could have taken away from your beauty.

When the Celestial Ball was over, Barnaby took the chance to walk you back to your common room. You had your arm linked with his and marched in step with him. As he was taller than you, it required some effort on your part, the strange walking rhythm making you giggle. The sound had Barnaby’s heart beat faster.

Barnaby was almost reluctant to let you go when you had reached the concealed entrance to your common room. He wasn’t quite sure what to do; all he wanted to do was put his arms around you, drawing you as close to him as possible and never letting go again. But he hesitated; what if you didn’t feel the same?

To gain some time, he cleared his throat. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me too,” you smiled at him. “I’m glad you came along. You just have the most fun with your friends, right?”

The word ‘friends’ put a damper on the butterflies that had been swarming in Barnaby’s stomach until this point.

“Yes, friends,” he echoed, “because we’re friends.”

A look of confusion crossed your face for a moment. “Are you alright?”

“Of course I am,” Barnaby lied quickly, glad that the flickering light of the torches hid the blush spreading on his cheeks. “Just exhausted from dancing, I guess.”

“Oh, alright. I’d better get to my common room then. Good night.”

There was a short, awkward pause, before you smiled at him, waved and vanished into your common room. Barnaby sighed; at least for night, he had definitely botched his chances.

Ever since the Celestial Ball and the anticlimax of its ending, Barnaby had made it his mission to convince you there was more to him than being your friend. He’d ventured into the library on his own and gathered together all books on romance he could find and read every single one of them. Most of them, especially the older ones, had given him quite some headaches, but he knew you enjoyed reading old love stories, so maybe they had some useful information to offer. How someone could spend their free time reading things like Jane Austen for fun, however, remained a mystery to him.

And apparently, the tips he had sourced weren’t that helpful either. Barnaby tried it all, he complimented you, he brought you flowers and small gifts that reminded him of you and tried connecting with you over things he knew you loved. Whenever he saw the chance to ask you out he tried. But as soon as he had gathered his courage, you had already promised one of your numerous friends to go with them instead. It was exasperating, really.

All the while, the study sessions with you continued. Barnaby had stopped pretending to be as oblivious as he made himself out to be in the beginning; he knew it was risky, in case you might want to drop studying with him if he got better, but he was too addicted to your smile at this point. No matter how hard his day had been, a smile from you and everything else was forgotten.

Barnaby wished you would finally notice just how much he adored you, but as long as he could spend time with you, listen to your voice and hear your laughter, everything was fine with him.

Until it was not.

He had noticed you were distracted lately and not as talkative as he was used to. Today’s Potions class was no exception. Professor Snape, who was even moodier than usual, was lecturing the class on the importance of knowing potion recipes by heart.

“You will not always carry a textbook with you,” he droned, “and while I wouldn’t trust half of you to brew a potion even with proper instructions, maybe some of you will be able to produce something remotely resembling a proper concoction by sheer luck. If I see one piece of parchment on the table, you will clean your classmates’ cauldrons after class. Begin.”

Dreading the next two hours of guessing which ingredients to use in what order, Barnaby glanced over to you. But you hadn’t been listening to the instructions, it seemed. Your attention was focused on a piece of parchment in front of you, hastily scribbled lines running across it. Barnaby tried catching a glimpse but when you noticed, you blushed deeply and quickly covered the parchment with your hand.

Barnaby, however, wasn’t the only one who had noticed the piece of parchment. Before you could do anything, Professor Snape had appeared next to you and snatched the parchment out of your grip.

“I thought I said no notes allowed, or didn’t I express myself clearly enough for your convenience?” he snarled.

“No, Professor, you misunderstand,” you gasped, “these aren’t Potions notes, it’s private. Can I please have it back?”

You reached for it, but Snape jerked his hand up so it was just out of reach. “That gives it even less reason to be present in my classroom,” he said coldly, a cruel smile stealing onto his face. “Let us share with the rest of the class what is distracting you from my lesson.”

Your cheeks were glowing bright red as Snape started reading the content of your note.

“Do you like me? Yes or No. Circle your answer,” he read out loud. “How droll,” he sneered over the chuckle of your classmates, “I suggest, next time you concentrate more on your potion and less on your silly personal bearings. Perhaps the result will be more decent then. 10 points from you and detention tonight.”

As he swept past your table, Barnaby noticed your hanging head. You had your hands clasped tightly together in your lap and seemed so small all of a sudden that he felt furious. Even though Snape was his head of house, he had no right whatsoever to embarrass you in front of everyone like that.

“Are you okay?” he asked you gently.

Not looking at him, you shook his head. “Why did he have to do that?” you whispered. “He could see I wasn’t taking notes. There was no need to read it out loud.”

“There wasn’t,” Barnaby agreed. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and lightly placing his hand on your arm. “He’s just a big, old, mean bat. Everyone says so.”

You sniffed, a small smile already spreading on your face again. “That’s true. Thank you.” You covered his hand with yours and squeezed it lightly. The touch sent jolts of energy through Barnaby from where your hands connected. His skin was still tingling when you turned towards your cauldron again, breaking the contact.

“Who was your note for, anyway?” Barnaby asked, trying not to sound as if this wasn’t the question burning red hot on his mind.

You looked at him wide-eyed. “I can’t possibly tell you.”

“Why not? Do I know him?”

Blushing again, you could only nod before dropping your gaze.

“It’s someone I’ve been friends with for a while now, but I don’t know if he feels the same. I don’t want to ruin our friendship by making a stupid move.”

Barnaby held his breath. You couldn’t possibly be talking about him, could you?

“How could it ruin your friendship?” he asked. “If he’s your friend, he’s your friend and nothing can change that.”

He took a deep breath. “Maybe you should just tell him,” he said deliberately casually, “who knows, maybe that friend of yours has been feeling the same for some time now, too.”

You looked up at him in surprise. “You think so?”

Barnaby nodded in agreement. “Definitely. Just try your luck, maybe you’ll be surprised.”

After the class was over and you had parted ways for the rest of the day, Barnaby counted the minutes until the evening when you had agreed to meet for another study session before your detention. He was positively bouncing with energy ever since lunchtime. You had come over to him with a nervous smile on your lips to ask him to meet up with you later.

“Chances are, I’ll need to tell you something,” you had said with a shaky laugh before joining your other friends for lunch. Barnaby had swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to look unfazed, but his insides had been burning with impatience ever since.

That was why he had arrived earlier than usual at the library that evening. He picked all the books out you would be needing and stacked and restacked them several times at the table you were usually working on.

It felt like an eternity until you finally entered the library, each second dragging into an eternity of its own. Barnaby saw you first. You stood in the entrance to the grand room and all of a sudden the library seemed to be a little brighter just by you being there. You scanned the rows of bookshelves with your eyes and a wide smile appeared on your face as they fell on him, waiting for you between books and quills in your favourite spot.

You quickly bounded over to him, a spring in your step that was a stark contrast to the miserable mood you had been in this morning. Before Barnaby even had a chance to ask what made you so happy, you had flung your arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

On instinct, Barnaby put his arms around your waist and held you for a sweet moment that he wished would last forever. He could smell the flowery scent of your perfume and breathed it in deeply, trying to commit every last detail of how you felt in his arms to memory. He was sure you had to feel his heartbeat; how could you not with how hard it was hammering against his ribcage?

“He said yes, Barney! He really said yes!” you squealed, not caring one bit about Madam Pince’s indignant shush.

The sheer happiness coursing through his veins turned into ice that froze him from the inside in a matter of seconds. Confused, he loosened his hold on you and pushed you far enough away from him to look you in the face. The joy visible on it almost broke his heart.

“What?”

“My crush!” you beamed at him. “I followed your advice and asked him out, just now! And he said yes!” you repeated, hugging him again.

“You’re the first person I wanted to tell,” you said. Barnaby could feel your breath on the skin exposed by the open collar of his shirt. He hated himself for the shiver running down his spine.

“Why?” was all he managed to whisper in response.

“Because without you, I’d never have the courage to talk to him upfront. It’s all thanks to you that I have a date now. You’re really the best friend I could ask for.”

Every word you spoke was like a dagger pushed up to the hilt into his broken heart, every second he saw you smile at the prospect of going out with the boy you wanted to be with - the boy that wasn’t him - a twist of the blade until he felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore. His heart, that had beaten so wildly just moments before when he had held you in his arms, could have stopped beating right there and then; Barnaby doubted it would have felt much different to the consuming emptiness he felt at this very moment.

You were rambling on and on about where you wanted to take your date and what you would wear but Barnaby wasn’t listening. He didn’t even know who you were talking about; all he knew was that it wasn’t him and that thought was louder in his head than your words could ever be.

“What do you think of that?”

Barnaby realised you had come to the end of your explanations and expected an opinion from him. He forced himself to smile apologetically at you, when all he wanted to do was scream.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” he croaked out.

Your brow creased. “Are you okay? You’re so pale all of a sudden.”

“I’m good,” Barnaby answered with a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat and started again. “I’m good, I just caught a cold, I think. I should go see Madam Pomfrey later.”

You made a sceptical sound and raised one eyebrow. “If you say so. So what do you think? Is Madam Puddyfoot’s Tea Shop a good idea or not?”

Barnaby had never heard of this tea shop before, but he’d go to Knockturn Alley for a date if it only was with you. “It doesn’t matter where you take him. He’s lucky he gets to go with someone like you in the first place.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.”

“I’m just happy you’re happy,” Barnaby said and even meant it, in a way. He just wished the source of your happiness was him and not somebody else.

You hugged him once again and he was glad that you couldn’t see the pained expression crossing his features for a moment. “You’re the best, Barney. I’m so glad to have you in my life.”

You let go and turned towards the table laden with books Barnaby had so carefully set up. “Shall we?”

He sat down with you and watched as you started taking out your notes on objects cursed with minor jinxes. Your eyes were sparkling even more than usual and even now, you were so beautiful to Barnaby it hurt.

With a sigh, he concentrated on what you had to say for a change. His time spent daydreaming about you was over for good now, so he might as well do what the two of you were here for and study.

No, Barnaby Lee wasn’t the smartest kid around.

But even he knew that when it came to you, he had missed too many chances.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery #barnaby lee #anon ask #fun fact #this is exactly what happened in game for my mc lizzie #went to the celestial ball with barnaby #and ditched him afterwards #whoops #and for talbott of all people #because yknow #that old let us date the quidditch kids discussion #but we're not getting into that now

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a-little-ray-of-fantasy · 3 years

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"I understand your pain" - A Billie Bust Up fic

AO3 link

Billie stared at the ceiling, trying her best not to shift her gaze away not even for a second. Wait, was that the window banging? Maybe if she just... No, she told herself, no distractions! Even a sudden blink of the eyes would be a mistake! Out of all the places she visited during her travels, he had to be here.

Oscar rubbed his head into her hand, whimpering while looking at her with sad eyes. Billie allowed herself to give the little fox a half smile and a pet.

Suddenly, Billie felt her bell ringing: she gingerly tinkered with it to answerer it. The moment she did, the familiar, warm voice of her mentor was heard, their voice filled with worry.

"Billie, it's me, Aristotle. Are you still there?"

Billie wasn't able to reply right away; far from wanting to be impolite in front of the kind axolotl, or make them worried, she nevertheless felt it hard to tell them she was, infact, still intent on staying in the castle.

"...Billie, I-I know you wish to see Arthur again. Believe me, so do I. But he's not here. I've visited this mansion so many times during my travels in hopes to find him too, and..."

Aristotle took one second to try to collect themselves, and even then their voice was close to cracking.

"I-I was never able to sense his presence in this place. It pains me to say this, but I'm afraid it won't be different, this time."

Billie chocked back a sob before replying, her eyes filled with tears.

"But he has to be here! There's so many ghosts in this building, one of them has to be my father! If only I were able to see them all, maybe I could recognize him!"

Aristotle's voice stayed silent for a moment, while Billie did her best to keep her composure. Finally, they were heard again.

"I understand your pain, Billie, but it's almost evening, and everyone is starting to get worried..."

"Just a little more time, please Aristotle? I need to do this."

A sigh came from the bell, before Aristotle continued.

"Alright Billie. You can stay a little longer, but the moment the sun starts to set, it's best if you and Oscar take your leave: at night there's so many creeps around, and as much as you've improved so much with your magic since we first met, it's still too risky for you two to go around on your own. We'll be waiting for you in the village: I've prepared some hot chocolate for your arrival. If you want, we'll talk it over together, is that ok?"

Despite her eyes still warm with tears, Billie cracked a smile. "Thanks, Aristotle."

A light chuckle was heard.

"Anytime, my dear. I'll be seeing you soon. Take care!"

And with that, the bell fell into silence. Billie took a moment to sigh, rub her eyes and return her gaze to the ceiling above. Many ghosts of all shapes and sizes where hovering about, letting out delighted ghoulish moanings, without a care in the world, barely noticing the small goat staring at them with sad hope.

Was Aristotle right? Was it true her father wasn't here? But what if he were? Would he look like he did when he was alive? Would he recognize his own daughter, all grown up?

Billie sighed again. "I was really hoping to find you here...", was all she could say before hearing a familiar, high-pitched voice that sent a chill up her spine.

"Whoo were you hoping to find~?"

The sudden appearance of Barnaby took Billie by surprise, making her gasp a little before turning her head: she was staring at the ghost owl's face, his long neck stretched so to look at her in the eyes with an amused, and jambled up, expression.

"Barnaby, what the heck! You startled me!"

Barnaby merely chuckled at her surprise, all too used to such reactions from people.

"Were you by chance hoping to find me? Oh, you sillyhead, I've been here the whole time!" He paused to playfully stick his tongue out. "Infact, I've been here for a loooooong time to begin with! Hoo-hoo-hoo~!"

Billie just stared at him; the battle she had with the ghost owl not too long ago did nothing to change his extravagant ways: he didn't even take his defeat in bad stride, surprisingly enough. Well, she figured, considering all the fun he had in tormenting her beforehand, it was fair to believe it was all even between them. At least Barnaby promised he would've stopped with the whole "Would you like to die?" idea, and she really hoped he was an owl of his word.

"Actually" she replied, while returning to her previous activity "I was looking for my father".

Barnaby's face jolted in confusion, all his features returning to place as his neck snapped back to its original lenght.

"Your father? Why would he be here?"

Billie kept her gaze upwards. "He died a long time ago, when I was just a baby. All I know about him has only been told by others: my mother, my mentor... The only reason I know what he looks like is thanks to the photos we hanged in my home, but it's not the same: I've seen so little of him, and that was too long ago. All I'm able to remember was his laughter." She began to smile. "I remember it was warm, loving and calming. Sometimes even just thinking about it makes me feel better." Her smile fell. "But that's all I managed to keep in my heart. With your home filled with so many ghosts, I was hoping to see him, at least once."

Barnaby just stared at her for a moment. His mind started to itch, for a reason even he couldn't explain; his momentary confusion was put to a pause when he heard a noise of indignation from the little goat, making that itch stop. Oh well, I'm sure it wasn't important, he thought to himself with a smile.

"Nghh, but these ghosts are being so stubborn! Why can't they just stay put just one second?! It's like they don't care about anything!" Billie was growning more and more fed up with these wisps: the more she tried to focus on them, the more it seemed they kept on hovering out of her sight just to make fun of her. To think she used to be scared of those pests...!

Her huff of annoyance was enjoyable to watch, to Barnaby's bemusement, especially if it was about some obvious knowledge about ghosts' carefree nature.

"Why, that's how ghosts are, dearie! The moment you're dead, you don't have to care about anything anymore! No worries, no fears, no regrets... It's all in the past! And like all that is past, it all fades away~! Just like us ghosts, after all! Hoo-hoo-hoo~!"

To such response, Billie suddenly felt tense with a frightful thought: if what Barnaby said was true, that would've meant Arthur could very well have lost all memories of his past life, and all his beloved ones. Aristotle, his wife, his daughter... everyone.

"All... fades away? Even all the memories of the people they loved?!"

Here's that itch again. This time it felt stronger and irritating, yet Barnaby decided to just ignore it, despite of how annoying it was. Why couldn't it just go away?!

"It's all part of the course, of course!" He giggled at his own pun. "After all, why hold on to memories of people you can't even hold near anymore?"

Billie grew only more agitated by the second. "But-but how can you consider that a good thing?! You-you can't just forget the ones you loved just like that! I mean-You! You too are a ghost! Can't you remember anyone you cared about?!"

Barnaby, up to that point, was merely watching the little one getting all worked up about the whole ordeal with an amused grin. Living beings, so attached to life! Such a lovely, if futile, sentiment, in the face of the inevitable eternal slumber. He was ready to give her the answer that would put all her uncertainties to rest, when suddenly his itch grew at his strongest, and he couldn't ignore it anymore.

He felt the need to hold his head between his tallons: was he feeling pain? No, impossible: he's been a ghost since as far as he can remember! Then why...? His mind started to be plagued by various scenarios; fragments that he wasn't sure how they were tied to each other to begin with. A warm-lit room, a blossoming garden, a lab table filled to the brim with potions and magic tomes... Suddenly, he heard the faintest sound of laughter: a light, cheerful and happy laugh of someone he swore he never met, and yet felt so familiar, even loved and cherished. Something deep within him felt the wish to listen to that beautiful sound forever. Before he could properly focus on it, the laughter came to an abrupt finish as it got covered by a loud noise, so booming and deafening that shocked him to the core: next thing he knew, he was back to reality. He didn't notice he had started hyperventilating, or that Billie was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Barnaby, what's wrong?! Are you ok?!"

Barnaby stared at her, as he tried, without success, to catch his breath. He barely remembered what just happened in his mind, but he could clearly feel something within that made him suffer, something that the living would associate with the feeling of pain. He felt his eyes starting to leak, as he struggled to reply to Billie, not daring to look at her any longer.

"I-I-I don't know. I-I can't remember..." As his urge to cry grew stronger, Barnaby started to hug himself with his wings, in hopes to find some needed comfort. Billie's presence wasn't helping things: by his own admission, it was never pretty when he cried, and having someone looking at him in this state made him feel even less at ease. "I can't remember anything..." was all he could utter before covering himself completely in his ghostly plumage, hoping for the pain to leave him at once.

For the longest time, Barnaby felt only joy from the lack of memories, at last unbound by life and all the worries it'd entailed. And yet, this time out of all, he swore he were able to catch a glimpse of something, anything, that he once were able to hold dear, only to lose it at once. The more he thought about it, the more the already fickle hold he had on this memory slipped away; and the more tears flowed from his eyes.

And it all started with that little goat. How pitiful, he thought, breaking down like this in front of her, after all the teasing he gave her. He should've minded his own business and ignore her. "But no!", his inner thoughts reprimanded him, "You had to pry on her problems and entertain her ideas! And look what it led you to: crying a river over something of which you can't even remember anything about, and won't have anymore! Can't you be any more pathetic?! Oh, that's right: you're crying right in front of this little guest! Your pity party must be such pain to watch for her: she'll just leave you alone, like everyone else. No wonder you don't have any friends, if you costantly drive them away with your overblown ways! That's what you'll ever be: a sad whisp with no memories and no friends; just give up already! The sooner you'll accept it, the less it will hurt!"

"STOP!!" Barnaby finally snapped to that inner voice, as he cried harder: he didn't want to think of how the moment he finally had a friend, she was going to run away from his exaggerated manners, leaving him alone just like everyone else who came to his mansion always did. He didn't want to be reminded of the memories he didn't have anymore, of his beloved... Right now, he just wanted to stop existing altogether. "Just... stop..." he kept on repeating, hanging his head lower, his eyes, ears and mouth drooping as they followed the slow movement along.

Meanwhile, Billie was left looking at Barnaby, all tuckered up in his wings. She gazed upon him as he was trying to calm himself down, unsure of what to do: one part of her wanted to reach out and give some form of comfort; and yet, she also didn't want to invade his bubble, and make everything worse. She was all too aware of how so many villagers, back in her village, instantly had tired or weary looks on them the moment she approached them to ask them to join her on a new adventure, or To talk about all the things she had seen during her latest explorations. At first Billie paid no mind about it, but overtime she took notice, and began wondering if her approach was too much for people. Even after meeting Lou and Lily, who truly loved spending time with her on her adventures (dangers not witstanding), and after beginning her magic training with Aristotle, she often felt she had a habit of coming off too strong to many of her neighbors. And, right now, just like those times, Billie felt she went too far with Barnaby with her earlier questions, fearing she unknowingly touched a nerve during her earlier agitated state of mind. Ok, in all fairness, she had no idea such words could affect him so much; but still, she felt guilt for her earlier moment of insensitivity, and was afraid of upsetting Barnaby even more, were she to come closer to him.

Timidly, she turned to Oscar. "Hey Oscar? What do you think I should do? I messed up already, I don't want to hurt him more than I did already..."

The little fox looked at Barnaby, then at Billie, and started whimpering. Billie nodded in understanding: regardless of what happened, she couldn't just leave the ghost owl in this time of need. She had to set things right and help him: it's what a hero would do, she told herself... and also a friend.

As she started to move forward, Barnaby's yell was heard from his tuckered form, which startled her: was it against her? Billie got more tense, but kept going. As she got closer, Billie heard small mutterings mixed with sobs coming behind his wings: it felt like Barnaby was whispering to himself, not even noticing her presence. That's when Billie realized he was stuck in an internal loop, detached from his surroundings. The young goat gulped: this was going to be harder than she thought. As Billie tried to think of a way to approach Barnaby, her mind went to Aristotle's words, and how they were able to bring her comfort as she was hoping to find Arthur. Billie's thoughts went about the axolotl, and how much sadness they had in their voice during their call moments earlier: they too had to deal with Arthur's departure, many years ago, and she was told the two of them were so close together... Billie really hoped the axolotl had been able to have someone that comforted them as they were able to do for her: losing a father was hard already, but losing your longtime beloved friend... it must've felt too much to handle.

The little goat looked at the sobbing owl: maybe, she thought, such words would've been of help for him too, especially if, by his earlier words, he also struggled with remembering a loved one just like she did. "I guess we're not that different in that regard", she silently mused to herself.

She carefully got closer to Barnaby as she put a hand on his wing: as much as she didn't want to overstep her boundaries, she honestly couldn't think of any other option that could work. Billie took a deep breath, and hoped for the best.

"It's ok, Barnaby. I understand your pain."

Barnaby slowly peeked between his feathers, shifting his droopy gaze to the little goat, finally noticing her: she was still there, looking at him with sympathy, not a trace of ridicule nor fear on her face; that alone comforted him a little, despite his now long gone memory he wasn't able to reach anymore. But what truly shook him from his echo chamber were her words: for the first time since a long time, he felt understood, and that sentiment was enough to lift up his spirits, even if just a bit. Without a word, his beak forming a wobbly, small smile, he stretched his neck once again to Billie's level, and got closer to her as she embraced his head, her own eyes filling with tears once more. Oscar got closer too, and nuzzled himself between the two, joining them in their hug. The sun was starting to set, and the ghosts kept on floating carelessly, but Billie figured that she could stay just a little longer.

"Thank you."

#Billie Bust Up #Billie #Barnaby #Aristotle #Oscar #Fan Fic #My Fic #Personal Rambles

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scoophilia · 2 years

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So I've been thinking bout finally working on my own original stories. I have a few in the works. This is the newest one tho, so it's bare bones right now. Wanted to draw out the cast for the stories, so I went with this one A Weaver's Tale to get started. Also was a chance to work on character & silhouette designs. Pretty happy with the results! Meet Melodie Webber and the twins Penelope Olivia Austin + Neil Barnaby Austin. AWT is a world where magic is hidden from humans who considered it to be make believe; the twins felt the same till they take in a lost lady wandering in a storm. They're in for a shock upon the revelation that Melodie isn't exactly human: she's half spider woman. Two worlds collide. Melodie is albino spider gal with hemophilia and very sheltered. She is considered mature & sophisticated at first glance though is actually a shy nervous wreck after running from home. Penelope is an avid gamer and popular streamer. She has a day job being a web designer; is bubbly and throws herself into adventure. Her motto is "the more the merrier~!" She lost her leg as an infant due to a deformity that would impact her life. Her hand she lost cause she's an idiot. She and her twin live together. Neal is a promising chef; dabbling in everything though he favors pastries and breakfast. He's the boy next door type who loves helping folks. He's an ambivert who is open and loud with those he's close to like his sister and friends, but can be quiet and listener when around someone he's just met. He's got a baby face which only adds to his charm. He has a whole closet filled with plaid shirts. That's it for now on the trio! owo Gonna work next between support cast & the villains~ Thanks for reading!

#original content #Character Design #original character #prosthetic #artists on tumblr #small artist

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unlikelymilkshakedream · 3 years

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Those Damn Freckles

A/n: okay so I may or may not have like the biggest crush on charlie weasley right now so I'm going to write this fic. This is defiantly going to be a series, three or four parts, maybe more. Hope you enjoy!

To say that charlie weasley and you were best friends was an understatement. You two were practically soul mates, platonic of course. However you were starting to wonder if there could ever be more. Ever since you had stayed at the burrow for like a week over summer, you haven't been able to stop thinking about those damn freckles.

You descended the stairs as the clock struck one am, the short shorts clinging to your legs nicely. You couldn't sleep for hours, tossing and turning in the worst way. You decided to finally get up and get some water, thankful that no one else was awake. You went to the sink and grabbed a glass, pouring water and looking at the vast fields in front of you covered in the moonlight.

The feeling of the water slipping down your throat brought you a strong sense of calmness. You felt as though the craziness of your life, such as your family, your future and the upcoming tests in your 5th year at Hogwarts, had all paused even for a split second and you felt good.

You were brought out of your daise by a noise behind you, you whipped your head around and saw in the dimly lit kitchen charlie weasley's silhouette standing on the last step. The sudden movement of your body caused the glass to fall and shatter on the ground. "Shit charlie, you scared the crap out of me." He huffed humorously.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone was awake." I pulled out my wand and repaired the glass.

"Yeah, I was enjoying the silence, this house is never silent." He walked over to you and took the glass out of your hand.

"Yeah, these hours of the day are some of my favorite." He smirked at the light blush on your cheeks as he thought of how pretty you looked in moonlight.

"I will admit it is peaceful here, thanks for inviting me." He chuckled.

"Of course, I wish you could stay longer." You smiled.

"Yeah, I bet you do." You chuckled. He stepped closer to you, your bodies inches away.

"Want me to show you how much I want you to stay?" Your cheeks were definitely a crimson color now.

"Ch-charlie, what're doing?" You whispered. You were staring at his freckles, thinking about how much you loved them. You looked into his eyes as he towered over you and swore he could see directly into your soul.

"I can't stop thinking about you y/n. You're my best friend and I can't live without you."

"Charlie, I- i don't know what to say." His smirk faltered.

"I'm sorry y/n, I don't know what I was thinking." He started towards the stairs before you could stop him.

"Charlie, wait I-" he ignored you and continued up the stairs to his room.

Now, as you were boarding the train to your fifth year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you felt a subtle stress settling on your shoulders. You sighed and looked through compartments, smiling when you saw your best friends Nymphadora Tonks and Ben Copper sitting in a compartment.

"Hey! I missed you guys so much!" They both smiled as they saw you put your trunk into the overhead compartment.

"Hey y/n! How was your summer?" Your smile subsided. "Great, how was yours?"

"Awesome, I went to new york of all places, saw the empire state building-" you smiled as tonks recounted her summer to you and Ben. You sat back as the train pulled away feeling more than content.

As the train pulled up to Hogwarts and students got out, you and tonks made your way to the platform, Ben left to go with Barnaby Lee and Andre Egwu, both of whom greeted you with hugs. Now it was just you Tonks and your friend Tulip Kasaru.

Tonks wanted to make sure her dungbomb was secure in her luggage but you and tulip wanted to go with the rest of the leaving students to dinner in the great hall. You checked her luggage and went back to the platform where it was almost completely deserted. You both let out groans of annoyance.

"We have to hurry, we'll be late and thats not a great way to start our fifth year." Tulip said as you nodded. You three hurriedly ran to the great hall, getting death glares from Filch and Mrs. Norris. As you were sitting down at the Gryffindor table, you looked over and saw Charlie looking at you. You looked at him and blushed, going to ask him if you could talk later, just then Dumbledore's voice broke through the great hall. You turned away from Charlie to listen to the speech.

"Welcome, welcome, to another year-" you drowned out the speech and thought of that night with Charlie, you turned to look at him, seeing him looking at Dumbledore and Dumbledore only. You looked back at Dumbledore as first years began getting sorted into their houses and tried to stop thinking about that damn red hair you loved so much.

After dinner, you and your best friend Rowan went to the common room and sat down. "Hey y/n, how was your summer?"

"It was pretty good, how was yours?" She smiled and leaned back on the couch.

"It was amazing. Spending everyday with my family was wonderful. What about you what did you do?" Just as she said that, a certain red head walked in the common room.

"Well, this summer I stayed with a friend for a while, and honestly, things have been a little weird since." You said as Charlie walked by with Andre, you knew he could hear you. He sat down across the common room and looked at you. You smiled and he quickly averted his gaze.

"Really, who and how so?" Rowan asked, munching on some snack nuts. You looked back to her, making your voice a tad bit louder so the red head could hear you in the somewhat quiet common room.

"Well, this friend and I have known each other for years, and we're really close, but I think they have started to catch feelings. I have too, but the problem is over the summer, they tried to pull something and of course, I was too stupid to react in time. Hence the awkwardness." You took the chance and glanced at Charlie, whose gaze was directly on you.

"Damn, have you tried talking to them since?" You responded keeping eye contact with Charlie.

"Yeah, actually, I have, but I wish they would actually talk to me, I mean, I feel like an idiot because I'm not good at feelings, you know?" She nodded and smiled at the same time Charlie looked back at Andre.

"You know, any person is lucky to have you, you are the most generous and caring person I know, I'm sure it'll work out, you just gotta give it time." You smiled at her as Charlie went up to his dorm.

"Yeah I'm sure your right Rowan, thank you." You smiled. "Hey, I'm really jet lagged, or I guess train lagged, is it alright if I go to bed early?" She smiled.

"Of course, sweet dreams." She said as she made her way over to Andre. As you walked towards the stairs, you decided to take a huge chance and went to the boys dorm instead of the girls, specifically, Charlie's dorm. You prayed that he was alone, thankfully, as you opened the door soundlessly, you saw him sitting on his bed, head dropped between his shoulders in an empty dorm. You slipped in and shut the door.

"Charlie," you said in an unsteady voice. He shot up and turned towards you and you realized he was shirtless. He stared into your eyes for a second before he spoke.

"Y/n, blimey, this is the boys dorm," he said as he put on a shirt. You averted your gaze to the floor.

"I know, I'm sorry I just really wanted to talk to you, ever since summer, I feel we've been incredibly awkward in each other's presence." When he didn't say anything, you continued.

"Look, I don't know if you heard me downstairs, but I think you did and I meant what I said, all of it. The part about me being too stupid to realize how to respond, the part about me liking you back, everything." He walked over to you and you held your breathe.

"You mean it, you sure?" You let out a shaky breathe.

"Yes, I mean it i swear, I'm idiot and you're my best friend. Ever since that night, I swear I miss you so much and want you just as much as I miss you." He smiled and took your hand.

"I'm so glad, I've had a crush on you for years" you let out a laugh.

"So does this mean we're dating?" You asked sheepishly.

"Wow you really meant the part about being stupid huh?" You laughed and tried to look offended. Before you could say anything back, he brought his lips upon yours in a long awaited kiss.

Hi everyone! I hoped you like it and like I said I will write another part, probably going to be a few months into the relationship, but I am really excited to write this because I have a huge crush on Charlie. Please let me know what you think, it means a lot to me!

#charlie weasley fluff #charlie weasley #charlie weasley x you #charlie weasley x mc #charlie weasley x reader #hphm au #hphm mc #harry potter #charlie weasley imagine #tulip kasaru #nymphadora tonks #ben copper #barnaby lee

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gaygryffindorgal · 3 years

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hphm fic: 'til tonight do us part

fandom: harry potter: hogwarts mystery

pairing: mc/merula snyde

word count: 2.2K

summary:

A party in the Slytherin common room leads both Verna and Merula to confront some things about themselves...

“You don’t know shit,” was what Merula spat back at her and Verna didn’t know what she said wrong this time. “You prance around like you own this school and think you’re so damn special!”

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” Verna arched an eyebrow at her nemesis. “You’re the one proclaiming to anyone who will listen that you’re the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.”

warnings: underage drinking, swearing, merula being mean

author’s note: no proof-reading, we die like men! aka i wrote this thing at 3am in my notes app and english isn’t my native language.

hphm fic: 'til tonight do us part

“I’m not sure about this,” Ben Copper said and caught up to Verna. He had been tailing behind her and Charlie for the past several staircases. “Maybe I should’ve stayed in the common room studying with Rowan…”

“Cheer up Ben, this is gonna be fun,” Charlie attempted but Ben still didn’t look convinced. He had been trying hard to step out of his comfort zone with varying degrees of success.

“Hush the both of you, we’re almost there.”

The three of them were approaching the Slytherin common room entrance in the dungeons and the utmost care was needed. Parties in Hogwarts were notoriously difficult to organize if you wanted anyone but your own house members to attend. This one had coordinated times at which someone from Slytherin would let students belonging to other houses in. Barnaby had agreed to open the door for Verna, Charlie, and Ben at 9.30.

“Why are we even going to a Slytherin party…?” Ben asked as they reached the entrance.

“Because Barnaby invited us and I can’t say no to him, it’d feel like kicking a puppy,” Verna answered and glanced around to make sure no one else was in the corridor. “Besides, I think all of us need to let out a little bit of steam.”

“You are aware that most Slytherins think we’re the worst?”

“Yeah, that’s part of the fun,” Charlie said as the door to the Slytherin common room swung open.

“Verna! You guys made it!” Barnaby greeted them with open arms, spilling a bit of the contents of his pint.

“Well Ben almost stayed behind to study but I’m very persuasive!” Verna announced and dragged both of her friends inside past Barnaby.

“Don’t say the S-word Verna, it’s forbidden,” he said with a grimace.

“Oh shit, sorry.”

They had all been extremely tied up with studying for their O.W.L.s for the past weeks and it did sound appealing to just forget the exams for the night. The common room was dark and illuminated by a green glow. Verna wasn’t sure what its source was, but it did create certain menacing flair for the party. The music was loud, and many of the attendees were dancing to its beat.

“So, where’s the fire whiskey?” asked Charlie and Barnaby pointed them to the direction of the drink selection before going off to talk to some of his friends.

“See, Ben, no worries, there are plenty of people from other houses in here,” Verna said observing Tulip and Tonks chatting with some 6th year Slytherins, as well as Penny and André sitting on a couch, heads close together, obviously deep in conversation.

“Is that… a thing now?” asked Charlie.

“Last week I asked André if he was seeing Penny and he said no,” Verna muttered.

“So, you think it’s a new thing? Or is André just full of shit?”

“Guys… I hate to interrupt your gossip club but…” Ben yanked Verna’s sleeve to get her attention. She turned to look where Ben was glancing. Merula Snyde was walking towards them, looking like a storm cloud.

“Oh, here we go…” Charlie whispered, and Verna gently punched him in the arm.

Merula stopped short in front of Verna and glared at her. She seemed taller somehow and Verna noticed she was wearing platform shoes. “What the fuck are you doing here, Malinda?”

“I came to party.”

“Nobody wants you and your loser friends here.”

“Barnaby invited us,” Verna said simply and waved at Barnaby, who waved back, smiling.

“Lee couldn’t read a room if it punched him in the face with a book made for toddlers.”

“Don’t be rude Merula, we’re just here to get drunk and hang out with our friends.”

Charlie saw this as an ample opportunity to poke the hornet’s nest and added: “At least we have some of those.”

Merula snapped her death glare to Charlie. “Shut up Weasley.”

“Anyway! We were just about to go talk to Penny, so I’ll be seeing you Merula!” Verna interjected, handed Ben and Charlie drinks, and ushered them towards Penny and André. “Just pretend I don’t exist, if you can,” she added with a wink, grabbed a drink for herself and followed her friends. When she glanced back, Merula was still standing there, staring daggers at her back. Verna couldn’t help but be amused.

It turned out both André and Penny still vehemently denied being involved with each other romantically in any shape or form, so Verna let it slide. They spent a good couple of hours drinking, talking, and dancing. Verna hadn’t realized how much she needed a night off until she finally got one. Between her studies, detention, and trying to find the Portrait vault, her free time was sparse.

“Vernaaaa… can you bring me a glass of water?”

She was called out of her thought by Penny, who had, to be fair, downed quite a few drinks by then.

“Sure, sit tight,” Verna got up and navigated to the table filled with various drinks. Penny had not been herself ever since her sister got trapped in the portrait and Verna knew she was frustrated by how long it was taking to break the curse.

As she was filling a cup with water, she heard a familiar voice behind her: “Water? That’s weak.”

“Hi Merula…��

“Don’t tell me you can’t hold your liquor,” Merula mocked as Verna turned to face her. Her makeup had smeared just a little in the corners of her eyes.

“It’s not for me,” Verna tried to move past Merula. The latter stepped in front of her to block her path.

“Maybe you should take Haywood to sleep, she looks like she’s about to pass out any second now.”

“Maybe you should mind your own damn business,” Verna suggested and started to feel annoyed.

“What? I’m just worried about my fellow students.”

“You’ve literally tried to kill me.”

“Bygones,” Merula smirked and took a sip of her drink.

“Maybe after you apologize.”

Merula had the audacity to laugh, she truly was infuriating. “Don’t hold your breath, Malinda.”

Verna had had enough and pushed her way past Merula, ignoring her grunt of protest. She was beginning to think Merula enjoyed pissing her off.

“Did Merula give you trouble?” asked André once she got back.

“No more than usual.”

“Maybe we could curse her hair to fall off or something,” suggested Charlie lazily, having taken up most of the couch for himself, leaving just a small spot for Penny to sit in and sip her water.

“Chaz, as much as I would love to do that, I think we’re better off just keeping away from her tonight. After all, I’m actually supposed to get along with her for professor Rakepick’s sake.”

“Aren’t the both of you prefects…?” André asked, amused.

“Well yes, but that doesn’t really mean anything, I mean Merula is a prefect too!” Charlie protested.

André shook his head and returned to his conversation with Ben. Something about his gobstone collection.

“Guys… I feel a little sick…” came a quiet voice from Penny’s direction.

“Shit, don’t throw up on me,” Charlie quickly sat up and pulled away from Penny’s immediate vicinity.

“Okay, maybe you should call it a night,” Verna said and set her drink down on one of the tables. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back to your common room.”

“Oh… you don’t have to…”

“Shush, it’s no trouble… c’mon,” Verna took Penny’s hand and pulled her up. She swung on her feet for a second or two but seemed to be able to walk at least a little bit. “Charlie, can you tell Barnaby to let me back in in like… 10 minutes?”

Charlie saluted her and said: “Sure thing.”

That meant there was approximately 50% chance he’d forget and Verna would have to miss the rest of the party.

Getting Penny to walk in a straight line was a bit more difficult than Verna originally thought, but they managed to get out of the Slytherin common room and headed towards Hufflepuffs’.

“I don’t think I should have gone to that stupid party…” Penny mumbled. “I feel guilty enough as it is doing anything other than researching the vaults…”

“We’re doing everything we can, Rakepick is trying to find a way to break the curse right now,” Verna said, trying to sound confident but honestly, she wasn’t sure which one she was trying to comfort, herself or Penny.

“You don’t understand, Bea is all alone…”

Verna bit her lip. She knew Penny was taking this hard. “Penny, I get it. My brother is missing, I want to find the Portrait vault just as much as you.”

Penny let out a stifled sob. “Merlin, Verna I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

“I know, I know it’s okay…”

Verna managed to get her friend safely to the Hufflepuff common room and started to make her way back to the party. She felt a little bit drunk and, being absolutely honest with herself, she would’ve preferred to feel a lot drunk. Before she could make it halfway back, she heard another pair of footsteps in the silent hallway. She was expecting to see other people heading to bed from the party, but instead it was Merula Snyde, who rounded the corner.

“Are you following me, Snyde?” Verna asked.

Merula’s face transformed into a scowl. “Stop flattering yourself, Malinda.”

“Well, I just think that you mysteriously run into me a lot these days…”

“Shut up.”

Verna lifted her hands in the air as a sign of surrender. “Suit yourself, can you let me back into the party since you’re out here?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I despise you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Is that what you have to say?” Merula asked and her hands balled into fists.

“I don’t really care, honestly. You’ve been on my case for four and a half years, I know you hate me,” Verna explained. She was fed up with Merula’s constant provoking.

“That’s fucking rich, coming from you,” Verna arched an eyebrow at her nemesis. “You’re the one proclaiming to anyone who will listen that you’re the most powerful witch at Hogwarts.”

Merula blushed and that made her even angrier. “I don’t do that anymore!”

“Sure, but you used to, while I’ve always just wanted to mind my own business.”

Merula took a few quick steps closer to Verna. “You think you’re better than me, huh?”

“That’s so not the point.”

“Then what is the point? Please enlighten me, illustrious Verna Malinda.”

“The point is, that you’re mean. And arrogant. You go out of your way to make people feel bad,” Verna made sure to stress each point, so they’d maybe sink in. “I’ve tried to be your friend more than once.”

Merula let out a mocking laugh. “I don’t want to be your friend.”

“The what the devil do you want?”

Something blazed in the purple of Merula’s eyes at the question, and before Verna could react, the other girl had pushed her against the wall. Vaguely, Verna thought about how easily she could free herself from the grasp, but she found herself not really wanting to. Oh.

“Merula what- “

“Shut up,” Merula grumbled. “Just shut up, you’re ruining everything!”

Confused, Verna studied Merula’s features. The colovaria-spell keeping her eyes purple had started to fade out the littlest bit and if you looked closely, you could see specks of brown. Merula had tiny little freckles dotted across her cheeks and nose that Verna had never noticed before (If her gaze also dropped down to Merula’s lips, then that was neither here nor there).

“I don’t want to fight,” she told the shorter girl. Merula’s expression remained unchanged. Verna sighed. “Just let me back into the party, I promise I won’t bother you.”

“No.”

“Fine, I’ll go to bed then, this isn’t worth it.”

That seemed to change something for Merula again, because she moved, grabbing Verna’s shirt to pull her closer. Verna tried to ignore the excitement in the bottom of her stomach, but it turned out she didn’t have to, because Merula didn’t hiss out any more thinly veiled threats or insults. Instead, she kissed her. There was something ferocious and hungry about the kiss that made everything inside Verna twist into knots. She pulled Merula closer by her waist and found herself not giving a damn if someone happened to walk by right then. For a blissful moment, Merula had her hands in Verna’s hair and was kissing her like she actually wanted to be there with her, and then just as quickly as it started, she pulled back again. The girls stared at each other in the silence of the corridor. Verna’s heart was beating its way out of her chest.

“Barnaby’s gonna open the door for you,” Merula only said and then turned her back to Verna, hurrying to the opposite direction along the corridor. Verna stood there for several seconds, dumbfounded. She raised her fingers to her lips and wondered whether she’d just imagined that. Slowly she forced her jelly-like legs to walk back to the Slytherin common room.

Like Merula had said, Barnaby was there to let her in, as cheerful as ever. Verna went back to her friends who had migrated to talk to Tonks, Tulip, and Liz. Charlie handed her abandoned drink back and assured her no one had messed with it. Verna wasn’t feeling particularly up for the party anymore. Her mind kept wondering to the dark corridor, messy mascara, and hot, fire whiskey-laced breath on her skin.

fin.

if you read the whole thing i’d love to hear what you think! this is the first time i’m actually publishing any of my fics, despite having written them for years so this is kind of like a moment for me, personally :’)

#hphm #hphm fic #hogwarts mystery fic #merula snyde #mc x merula #verna x merula #verna malinda #*my writing #i'm TERRIFIED #i've never published any of my fics before but apparenty that's #gOoD fOr YoU or whatever #so here i am #im rly sorry about the nonexistent british 80s slang i rly didnt even try #*oneshot

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carewyncromwell · 3 years

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1, 7, 11, and 16 for Carewyn/Orion please.

What was their first impression of each other?

When Carewyn went to try out for the Slytherin Quidditch team and she first collided with Orion, their thought processes went something like this --

Carewyn about Orion: ‘So that’s the Slytherin Quidditch Captain? …How is he balancing on his broom like that??’

Orion about Carewyn: ‘Short and round, a Snidget’s build – ginger ponytail, like the Weasley boy’s – tight grip on her broom, slightly tense…a Seeker, perhaps? …No. No, those are a Chaser’s eyes.’

What do they have in common?

Orion and Carewyn are both sensitive, clever, resourceful, thoughtful, intuitive Slytherins who, despite having lonely childhoods and not being explicitly sociable, nonetheless tend to nurture and lead the people around them and have formed their own "family" out of the friends they've made.

Do they get married? Who proposes and how?

Nope! No marriage for these two, in their canon. Instead Carewyn and Orion end up agreeing on a legal partnership so that they can help support each other and their respective kids if something bad were to happen to one of them, and yet still live their own separate lives in London, England, and Montrose, Scotland, respectively. This idea was proposed by Carewyn since she's the "planner" of the two -- Orion agreed to it as it seemed like the perfect compromise between their shared desire for independence and their obligations to both each other as romantic partners and to their children. They go out to a ring shop in Diagon Alley and actually design and order the rings together, both with a personalized inscription from one to the other on the inside -- Carewyn's to Orion says, "I will always fight for us," while Orion's to Carewyn says, "Snidget, Fire Crab, Phoenix, Abraxan" (the four magical creatures he associated with Carewyn over the years). Then they have a private modest ceremony at the courthouse with just their kids in attendance, followed up by a more public after-party with all of their friends and Carewyn's mother and brother.

What do other characters think about this relationship?

Most are quite favorable of it, though there are a few interesting reactions among their associates...

Orion's daughter Eos was a baby when Orion started dating Carewyn, so for her, Carewyn is the closest thing she has to a mother. Eos writes to Carewyn for advice almost more than her father while she's at Hogwarts, since Carewyn is so prompt in her responses. Carewyn's ward Erik may give Orion a hard time because he's a snarky little Sour Patch Kid, but he respects Orion enough to be cool with Carewyn being in a relationship with him.

When Skye found out Orion had started pursuing Carewyn romantically, she honestly threw up her hands in exasperation like "So you DID have feelings for her all that time?!" Skye had suspected Orion was sweet on Carewyn for a long while, but Orion was always so hard to read when it came to his romantic inclinations that she could never figure him out (even McNully was starting to doubt his own statistics on whether or not Orion was sweet on Carewyn at some point) -- and when Orion started dating other people (seemingly randomly, from Skye's POV) for short stretches before breaking up, Skye was left even more confused. Skye will never understand why Orion never just got his head out of his own arse the clouds and bloody did anything to make his feelings clear before.

As for Carewyn's friends...well, here's a quote from another post I did --

[...]All of them heard bits and pieces about Orion and how fond Carewyn was becoming of him from each other WAY before Carewyn said anything to them. Charlie was one of the biggest culprits of this – when he found out that Carewyn had let Orion stay the night on her futon without having made plans ahead of time (something Charlie himself was never allowed to do), he went out of his way to rant to Bill, Barnaby, Liz, Felix, AND Ben and his wife Wendy [Gordon-Copper] about it. When Bill heard about Charlie’s suspicion, he played it cool, but secretly went out of his way himself to find out what he could about Orion from the Quidditch League and Carewyn’s Slytherin yearmates, including his new wife Jules Farrier-Weasley and Carewyn’s old friend and Orion’s old teammate Night Rhea. Fortunately everyone Bill spoke to spoke well of Orion, which soothed his nerves quite a bit. Charlie took a bit longer to come around (since he’d sort of gotten used to Carewyn and him being the only ones of their friend group who were still happily single), as did Ben (who remains way too overprotective of his friends for his own good), but the one who had the hardest time accepting it was – as one could imagine – Carewyn’s brother Jacob. Even after Carewyn and Orion officially got together, Jacob stubbornly and rather petulantly refused to accept Orion, constantly giving him the side eye and figuratively baring his fangs if he got too close to Carewyn around him. Jacob truthfully could tell Orion wasn’t a bad person – if anything, Orion’s supreme level of chill almost frustrated him more, as Jacob couldn’t find any real reason to hate him…but like with his personal hang-up with Bill, Jacob still had a lot of trouble accepting that there were people who knew his “Pip” in ways he didn’t and that she’d sort of outgrown needing him to protect her. Over time, Jacob’s aggression toward Orion cooled, to the point that it would only flare up from time to time the way a cat might hiss at someone when they came into their personal bubble too quickly…but he was too proud to ever warmly embrace Orion and treat him like family the way Carewyn, his mother Lane, and his almost “nephew” Erik did. Fortunately Orion is a very patient man who’s heard enough about Jacob through Carewyn to know that Jacob’s behavior was nothing personal against him, even though Carewyn herself still scolded Jacob about it plenty of times.

Lane herself finds Orion an interesting young man and finds his "thought experiments" very entertaining. She's perfectly happy to sit back and quietly listen while Orion and Carewyn are talking because even if she doesn't always follow Orion's thought process, she loves seeing her daughter so happy and so deeply connected with her other half. ^.^ She also always makes sure Orion and Eos feel welcome at her little cottage, during the holidays.

OTP Asks!

#otp asks #carewyn cromwell #orion amari #skye parkin #eos amari #erik apollo #jacob cromwell #lane cromwell #bill weasley #charlie weasley #ben copper

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thingswhatareawesome · 3 years

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title: just keep your eyes on me fandom: Tiger and Bunny pairing: Barnaby/Kotetsu word count: 1214 summary: when asked to a Hero Academy father-daughter dance by Kaede when he doesn’t know how, Kotetsu asks for help from someone who surely can teach him: Barnaby.

For the March Flash fiction eighth prompt: Dancing, and ninth prompt: Liminal space.

“Arrrgh.” Leaning against the recliner in Barnaby’s apartment, Kotetsu scrubbed at his face. “What am I going to do?”

“About?” Barnaby walked back from the kitchen, handing Kotetsu a can of beer.

“Kaede asked me to the high school first year’s father-daughter event at Hero Academy—which is gonna be awesome! I can’t wait to go and be there with her.” For a moment, Kotetsu had perked up, but now he slumped, expression crestfallen. “But there’s a dance. And i’m gonna suck at it. I’ll screw up and embarrass her, and she’ll end up hating me forever. I just know it!”

Sitting down next to Kotetsu on the floor, Barnaby pressed lightly against up against him. (God, this was supposed to be their date night, and here Kotetsu was ruining it by stressing out, great now he was a bad boyfriend and a bad father…) “You can’t dance?” He asked, sounding faintly surprised.

“No! Not a bit.”

Barnaby regarded him, curiosity in his gaze, “Didn’t you dance at your wedding?”

Kotetsu shook his head, “By the time we got to the reception, Tomoe and I were exhausted. And her dress’ skirts were all,” he gestured vaguely, “poofy?”

“Voluminous?”

“Flooffy. Or what you said, yeah.” Letting his hands fall to his knees, he sighed. “We pretty much just swayed in place. And we hadn’t gone to prom after we got together in school. The kids we were friends with, we were all, I dunno, too cool for dances or something?” Kotetsu shrugged. “Bunch of us just went to the beach and did a bonfire and grilled yakiniku. Then hung out at Antonio’s place for movies all night.”

Popping the tab on his can of beer, Kotetsu drank, then was silent for a bit, thoughtful. “So I think I’ve only got one option.” He nudged Barnaby’s shoulder with his, then did it again. “Bunny,” he begged, drawing the nickname out plaintively. “You gotta teach me to dance. Please?”

There was a weighty silence, and Barnaby was very still.

Kotetsu gaped at him.

“Um.”

“You don’t know either?!”

“I never had reason to learn!” Barnaby bristled, “My family was well off, yes, but I was just a child.”

“No no no,” Kotetsu interrupted, waiving his free hand. “I meant like, when you first debuted as a hero, they had you doing all that model-idol-pose for your fans stuff? I figured they’d’ve made you learn to dance, for hobnobbing at all those fancy parties.” They, meaning the network and Apollon Media, but also Maverick, who was a subject they both steered very clear of, even now.

“Oh. No, they never did.” Barnaby frowned just a bit, not upset, but his thinking face. “Though now that you mention it, I’m surprised they haven’t asked it of either of us.”

Then he stood abruptly, and Kotetsu flailed with a squawk from where he’d still been leaning against the younger man, bobbling his beer. Leaning over the laptop on the table next to his chair, Barnaby clicked something, typed a moment.

Soft music filled the apartment. A radio app player displayed on the big screen filling the apartment wall, and Kotetsu recognized the classical station Barnaby often listened to, especially late at night when they played opera. Barnaby turned back to Kotetsu and reached out his hand.

“Eh?”

“Come on, old man, we should learn together.” Grasping his hand, Barnaby helped Kotetsu to his feet, setting his can of beer on the table. “If we practice, you’ll feel better about dancing with Kaede at the father-daughter event. And we’ll be prepared if the network or our sponsors demand it.”

Well, that did make sense. ”Bunny, you’re so smart,” relief washing through him, Kotetsu smiled at Barnaby, who rolled his eyes a little but looked pleased. Right hand still held by his partner, Kotetsu slid his left around the younger man’s waist as Barnaby moved his other hand up to Kotetsu’s shoulder, then shifted it to rest behind his neck instead.

Huh. Or maybe this was all a scheme to get Kotetsu in his arms once the opportunity had presented itself—since this was their date night. Perhaps his little Bunny was a more of a sly fox after all. ‘Ha, Mr. Barnaby “Romantic” Brooks Jr.’, Kotetsu mused to himself, ‘who knew you had it in you?’

But then the thought flitted from Kotetsu’s mind as they carefully began to move with the music. Just swaying at first, like Kotetsu was used to, then stepping more deliberately.

It was awkward early on, but as one song changed to another, Kotetsu was surprised to find that…he actually wasn’t that terrible at it? It was easier than he’d remembered. He was also surprised that it was actually Barnaby who was the foot-stepper, to the younger man’s blushing chagrin. But Bunny was as persistent with this as he was when they fought NEXTs together, and unexpectedly quickly they were twirling around the room, still gingerly and cautiously, but more confidently with each passing song.

And eventually it stopped feeling like practice, became simply quiet, peaceful moments spent in the arms of a beautiful man Kotetsu cared for more than he could yet express, where holding each other was somehow a promise. Dusk darkened the apartment as the colors of sunset dimmed, then faded, with the liminal transition from day to night, until diamond stars sparkled outside the nearby window. Late into the night—even when they started to tire and were once again just swaying in place, foreheads touching as they held each other close—they danced.

Watching the dance floor, Kaede twisted her hands uncertainly, readjusting the corsage around her wrist yet again. It was a spray of rosebuds in shades of red and pink (that reminded her of Barnaby’s suit, though she wasn’t going to tell her father that, nope), and she loved it. Everything about the event was practically perfect: no heroes were called away by the network, her dad was super dressed up in a suit so nice she sort of wondered if Barnaby had chosen it for him, she was in her best, favorite dress, and the entire time, she’d had her father’s undivided attention. It was wonderful.

But now she was a bundle of nerves. All the other dads (and a few moms) and their daughters were dancing like it was their power. And ugh, if she messed up and looked like a doofus in front of her classmates….

Standing next to her, her father settled a reassuring hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. “It’ll be fine, honey,” he murmured warmly. “Don’t worry. Your dad’s got you.” Stepping around her, he extended his hand to her with a bow and a wink, “Just follow my lead.”

Smiling so wide her cheeks almost hurt, Kaede laughed with delight as they flitted and whirled over the floor amongst all the other pairs of dancers. Everything really was perfect. Who knew her dad could actually dance?

Sometimes, her dad really was the coolest.

(Shh, don’t tell him. That’s her secret!)

#tiger and bunny #taibani #fanfiction #March Flash Fiction

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official-weasley · 3 years

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The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley: Pt. 4, Ch. 7

PART 4: THE YEAR WHEN EVERYONE HAS A CRUSH Chapter 7 - Bill's Dueling Skills

Nova

I woke up the day after the match feeling a bit down. I still had days when I missed my dad. Today was one of those.

When I reminisced about yesterday's match, my mood improved. I still couldn't believe that I managed to catch the Snitch right in front of Charlie. Skye, of course, was mad as she said that I was wasting my time and could do it faster. Orion, however, was just fine with my technique and that's what mattered to me. He was a good Captain.

At the beginning of the match, I could barely focus on the game as Murphy's voice filled my head and my heart raced faster than my broom. I was probably one of the few people who actually enjoyed listening to his long sentences full of numbers and predictions. And I have to admit that I flew very close to the commentator's stand just to see his cute face. Those blue eyes beaming at me as I passed by.

I still couldn't believe that I was crazy enough to go after that Snitch as it looked like Charlie and I were going to crash. I mean, I told him I would knock him off his broom if I had to and I think he thought I took it seriously!

I looked through the window and the sight of a clear sky made me excited for our next adventure. Barnaby convinced Charlie to accompany us the next time we sneak into the Forbidden Forest and Charlie convinced Professor Kettleburn to tell him the safest way to get inside the Forest.

Kettleburn, oblivious to the fact that Charlie would act upon it as he thought he was just curious, told him that the best way would be by flying on a broom. While Barnaby was taking care of getting us 3 brooms, Charlie and I planned to convince Bill to give us some dueling lessons to be better prepared if we encounter a creature like Aragog again.

I finally left the dormitory and as I was opening the door to leave the Ravenclaw Tower I bumped into Bill. He was standing in front of the door talking to the Riddle Eagle and trying to explain that he has no idea what the bird was asking of him.

“How do you ever get inside?” He scratched his head.

“What did he ask you?” I chuckled, still wondering what he was doing in front of our Common Room.

“He said something about water and beauty and scales but shown only to the ones who care.” I could see his mind was hard at work to figure it out.

“The Prefect's Bathroom.” I answered immediately.

“Oh, because of the Mermaid portrait and because Prefects are responsible?” It dawned on him as the door swung open and I nodded.

“Shut it Eagle, we're not trying to get inside.” The door closed and the Eagle groaned something about us taking his work for granted.

“That was a tricky one.” Bill was confused.

“I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders. I was so used to the riddles by now that I didn't give them much thought. “Bill, what are you doing here, are you looking for someone?”

“Yes, you actually. I have a problem.” His face turned sad.

“What happened?” I lead him down the stairs to the first bench I could find.

“Well, I was trying to make my mum proud and I decided to give the Washing Spell a try, you know to wash my clothes.” He started explaining. I nodded.

“And it didn't go well.” He reached for his bag and pulled out his Weasley jumper.

“What did you do?” I gasped.

“It shrunk! It barely reaches my belly button.” He frowned, holding the jumper tightly in his hands.

“Is there a counterspell I can help you with?” I didn't know what I could do to help him solve this problem.

“No, I tried already.” He sighed. “I don't want to throw it away and since you like my mum's jumpers so much I was going to give it to you if you'll have it.” He gave out a faint smile.

“M-me?” I blushed a little. He was right, I loved Molly's knitting but it would be weird wearing a jumper with the letter B on it, though my last name does start with it.

“Yes, I think it's just your size now.” He lifted the jumper by the shoulders to show me how much it shrank. It really was bad. What surprised me, even more, was that it didn't have a letter B on it but a W. I guess Molly decided to make one for Bill to show that he's a proud Weasley and THAT I could get on board with.

“Alright, I'll take it. It's still soft right?” I narrowed my eyes as I didn't know what exactly went wrong with his spell. “Like a stuffed animal.” He grinned and pushed the jumper in my hands.

“Thank you, Nova. It means a lot to me that I don't have to throw it away.” He hugged me. “I have to go talk to Professor McGonagall, but meet you down at breakfast?” He stood up, I nodded and he was on his way.

I made my way down to the Great Hall and as it was chilly and I only had a thin blouse on since the weather looked nice, I decided to put on my new Weasley jumper. Bill was right it was as soft as a plushie.

I saw a pair of familiar heads eating breakfast at the Gryffindor Table and sat down next to Tonks.

“Wotcher, Nova! Nice jumper!” She grinned. Charlie who was rather occupied with his bacon and eggs looked up and his eyes widened.

“Why are you wearing Bill's jumper?” He looked confused.

“I think it quite suits her.” Tonks' eyes moved from my face to the jumper and my face again. “Don't you think so, Charlie?”

“Yeah, you're really cute.” He spurted out and his eyes widened again when he realized what he said. I chuckled and felt the heat on my cheeks.

Before we could say anything and much to Charlie's relief Bill came to our table.

“Morning, mates!” He stopped next to Charlie and ruffled his hair.

“Bill, can I talk to you for a second?” Just as he wanted to sit down, Charlie grabbed his hand. “In private?” He almost hissed at him. He dragged Bill away from our ear distance and started mumbling something.

“What's his problem?” Tonks asked while munching on her cereal.

“I don't know. He's been kind of grumpy lately.” My head leaning on my hand trying to decide what to have for breakfast.

“You reckon he's on his period?” Tonks asked in a serious voice. If I had something in my mouth at that moment, it would be all over the table as I started laughing.

“Maybe he is.” I answered and Tonks joined in on the laugh.

Charlie

“What's the matter, Charlie? Why are you mad at me?” I hated when Bill looked all innocent.

“Why is Nova wearing your jumper?” I tried to sound as normal as possible.

“Oh, that. Well, you see it shrank when I was washing it and I know she likes mum's jumpers so I thought...”

“And does she know what the W on it stands for?” I interrupted him.

“I would assume that after knowing me for 4 years she would know, yes.” He nodded confidently.

“And don't you think it's a little weird that she is wearing a jumper with YOUR initial on it?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Charlie, are you jealous?” He must've noticed my red cheeks, a smug look on his face. “If it bothers you, I can ask for it back.”

“Oh, bug off, Bill.” I swung my hand at him and went back to finish my breakfast, leaving Bill behind.

Bothers me! Why would it bother me? I just wanted to know why she was wearing it, that's all.

“That went well.” Tonks grinned at us as I went back to eating my breakfast and Bill sat down next to me.

“Say, Nova.” Bill pocked me in the ribs with his elbow. Nova lifted her head, apparently still deciding what to eat. “You do know what the W on my jumper stands for, right?” I lifted my head as I was interested in her answer.

“Of course, I do.” She looked down at the golden W, woven in the burgundy jumper. “It stands for Weasley and I am proud to wear your family name.” She beamed and I blushed. Why did that make me blush?!

Bill started laughing and I joined in to distract them from my red cheeks.

“Say, Nova,” I cleared my throat, “what is Bill's full name?” Bill started chuckling again.

“Bill?” Nova said after giving it some thought. Tonks now stopped eating as apparently she found the whole situation rather amusing.

“Don't you think it's weird that I have a jumper with a letter C on it and you got one with a letter N on it? Why would Bill get one that stands for our family name?” I was barely holding in the laugher. Nova's confused face was just too good.

“I...I suppose it's a little weird.” Nova rubbed her chin.

“Nova, I thought you knew that my full name is William.” Bill gave in too quickly!

“William?! How do you get Bill from that?” Both Tonks and Nova were confused. Bill and I burst out laughing.

“You really thought...” I snorted.“That Bill was his full name!” Tonks joined the laugh now even though I was pretty sure she had no idea as well.

“Well, my full name is Nova!” She frowned at us. “So, I reckon it wouldn't be that strange if it was!”

We all fell silent. She was right. Her name was Nova and it wasn't short for anything. It wasn't like Bill for William or Charlie for Charles or Tonks for Nymphadora which had nothing to do with her first name yet here we are. She was just Nova and she was perfect. And here we go again with heart racing and red cheeks. Seriously, what is wrong with me?

“Hmm, you're right. It's an easy mistake.” Bill bestowed her with a friendly grin. I grabbed my orange juice, trying to hide behind the glass.

“But, of course, you can say that the W stands for Weasley. I don't mind.” Bill continued. “Just give it a few years and Charlie will make you an official Weasley anyway!” I choked on my juice.

I didn't even have the time to glare at him as he stood up and practically ran away from the table. I looked at Tonks and Nova. Tonks had an amused look on her face. Nova looked confused on the other hand.

“Charlie, what did Bill mean by that? Do you have a cru...”

“Adopting!” I blurted, not really knowing what I was saying. I just wanted to stop Tonks from asking what I think she wanted to ask. My cheeks were burning more than ever and my heart was beating so fast that I was sure the girls could see it through my shirt.

“He meant adopting. I will adopt you!” I pointed my finger at Nova, her eyes widened in surprise and I stood up.

“He really is on his period.” I heard Tonks whisper to Nova as I ran after Bill. Soon, I will be the oldest in my family because I am going to kill him with my bare hands!

Before I could reach him, someone grabbed my hand. I turned around and saw Nova. I think at that moment my heart stopped beating as I was staring at us holding hands.

“Are you ready?” She beamed at me, now letting go of it. I had to force myself not to grab it again. What is happening to me?

“Ready for what?” I snapped out of it.

“To ask Bill to give us dueling lessons? Did you forget?” She looked concerned.

“Right!” I said quickly. I completely forgot about that.

“Are you okay? You seem a little out of it today?” She placed her hand on my back.

“Fine. Just a slight headache.” I smiled, hoping she couldn't feel me tense up when she touched me.

“I am sure it will pass.” She smiled. “Just make sure you're drinking a lot of water.”

“Yes, mum.” She laughed.

“Did you come up with an excuse for why we need dueling lessons?” She asked.

“Well, I was thinking we could say that we are planning to join the Dueling Club and we would like to practice.” That was the first thing that popped into my mind.

“That's brilliant, Char! He's never going to question that!” She put her arm around my shoulder and pressed me against her.

All her actions of affection were getting rather painful. I never gave them much thought as we did this all the time, but I couldn't handle my cheeks being red every time she was around, I felt nauseous and smiled and stared at her like an idiot. Can I blame the hormones for that, because I am a rat's toenail away from asking Bill about it!

“How is Barnaby doing with the brooms?” She interrupted the conflict in my mind.

“I think he got two and is looking for a way to get the third one. People are starting to question why he needs so many.” I chuckled.

“Perhaps we don't need three brooms.” Nova rubbed her chin, thinking.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, brooms can hold more than one person,” she started to explain, “you and I can share a one.”

“We can what?” My heart was racing again. It was getting annoying at this point.

“Share a broom. Unless you would rather share it with Barnaby.” She winked at me and chuckled.

We finally found Bill in the Library and much to my surprise my plan on telling him we wanted to join the Duelling Club actually worked. He told us to meet him by the Lake after lunch and he would think of a couple of spells he could teach us.

—

“So,” Bill clapped his hands when we were ready to begin our lesson, “you probably know the basics: Expelliarmus, Flipendo, Incendio?” He asked and we both nodded.

“How about Immobulus and Depulso?” Continued Bill.

“I think we are pretty good with those.” Nova looked at me for reassurance, I nodded.

“Well, is there a particular spell you would like to practice?” Bill scratched the top of his head as he wasn't sure how to best approach this.

“How about Petrificus Totalus and Protego?” I remembered that I wasn't very good with those two and I could use some practice as they could come in handy in the Forest.

“Oh, yeah.” I reminded Nova.

“Okay, we'll start with these two, and then perhaps I could teach you Bombardaand Confringo. I think those could be quite useful and impress the Duelling Club.” Bill looked rather pleased with himself now. Sometimes he was a git, teasing me but most of the time he was the best big brother.

I had to hand it to Bill as he was a great teacher. I only needed about ten minutes to perfect my Petrificus Totalus and the way he explained how we should approach Confringo made almost more sense than how Professor Rakepick was teaching us.

By the end of the lesson, both Nova and I were confident that we were ready to go into the Forest again and even though Barnaby couldn't join us for Bill's lesson, we were sure we would be able to protect him if anything ought to go wrong.

“Blimey, Bill. Thank you.” I said as we started walking up to the Castle.

“Yeah, this was great!” Nova grinned.

“We are ready for the Forest now!” I closed my eyes as I knew the second the words came out of my mouth that I was in trouble.

“The Forest?” Bill stopped walking. “What do you mean the Forest?”

“Uhm...” I looked at Nova, hoping she could come up with something but she was stunned, panic on her face.

“Charlie...” Bill said through his teeth. “Were you planning to sneak into the Forest?” He frowned.

“No?” Why did I say that as a question! He is really going to kill me now.

“Are you two kidding me!” He looked at Nova now too. She had a special kind of expression whenever she was in trouble. Her eyes got bigger and she nibbled on the inside of her lip. She was so cute.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” Bill crossed his arms on his chest.

“We...uhm...we weren't planning to go far. Just like, to see what there is to see.” I decided that telling him the truth would be better than telling another lie, he was mad enough as it is.

“Planning to see what there is.” Bill slammed his hand on his forehead. “Didn't your detention with Hagrid teach you anything?” I could barely keep my mouth shut. If he only knew that we enjoyed the detention Snape gave us so much that we snuck into the Forest ourselves and almost got eaten by baby Acromentulas.”

“Look, Bill. You're not going to stop us.” I did this once before at home with Quidditch. He had to write an essay over the Summer in his First Year and I was too young to watch the twins while playing Quidditch with them, so I made him so mad that he actually agreed to go with us. If I could somehow convince him to go into the Forest with us, we will be able to go.

“The hell I'm not! If I write to mum right now...”

“If you write to mum right now we would be out of the Forest by the time she sends me a Howler.” I interrupted him. Nova stared at us with her mouth open. I think she couldn't believe that I had the courage to stand up to Bill like that.

“Oh, yeah! Well...” I left Bill speechless. He knew he won't be able to stop us.

“Well, what?” I didn't give up.

“Well, then I'm coming with you!” He frowned. Nova gasped.

“Fine then!” I pretended that that wasn't exactly what I wanted.

We started walking towards the Castle again, Bill saying something under his breath, still mad at us.

“That was bloody brilliant.” Nova whispered to me.

“Thank you. However, I think we might need three brooms now.” I chuckled, feeling my cheeks turning red again.

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shinyrockalaska · 3 years

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December birthday party

I planned to post it on December 22 but i forgot... Either way, here's a fanfic in honour of Charlie and Rowan's birthdays that are in December.

Summery: Mc and the friends are throwing a birthday party for both Rowan and charlie

Word count: 1.8k

"Listen up, everybody! Charlie's birthday was last week and- I always forget the exact date, but- Rowan's birthday will be soon since it's close to Christmas! We've gotta get going!"

"With what exactly?" Asked Jae. He was always suspicious with whatever plans MC came up with.

"With the surprise party, of course!" They said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We need to decide on a theme, place, time, the people we'll invite, who's in charge of the decorations and cake and snacks.. so pretty much, everything."

"We've still got like, almost a week to prepare everything.." Tonks complained. MC gathered all of them right before bed time and she wanted to go to sleep already.

"Anyone have any ideas for a theme?" MC continued.

"Toads!" Tulip yelled.

"Bowtruckles!" Barnaby chimed in.

"Fashion. It should definitely be about fashion." Andre added.

"Hmm.. cowboys..?" Talbott suggested.

MC did a face-palm and groaned, "no, no, no, you just proposed things you like. We need to think what Charlie and Rowan like!"

"Dragons and books, then," said Penny hesitantly.

"See, that's much better," MC agreed, "maybe dragons and trees? Or just.. fire?"

"It'll be lit!" Tonks snickered.

"Great! So who wants to be in charge of the decorations? It has to be fire themed!" MC continued

"I guess.. me? I'm already experienced, after the celestial ball.."

"I can help," Chiara and Liz said in unison.

"Perfect! Now let's decide on a time and place.. I think we can do it on the 22 of December.. any ideas for a place?"

"The Gryffindor common room," said Jae.

"The duelling club!" Diego added.

"The artefact room.." Ben tried to suggest.

"Seriously, guys! Don't propose places you like! How about the three broomsticks? Then Bill can come too, and we'll have butterbeers."

"Yes! And I can get more sweets from honeydukes," Tulip volunteered.

"Jae, I put you in charge of the cake," MC told him, and he tried to oppose, "why me? Can't Penny do it? Or literally anyone else?"

"After years of detention in the kitchen, I think you'll do great," they winked, remembering their adventure together, when they tried new recipes for Hagrid and Jae turned to be really good at cooking and baking, but made them promise not to tell.

"Fine," he murmured in respond.

"Can we go to sleep now?" Ben asked the question everyone wanted to ask.

"Not yet, we just have to decide on the most important thing.. how and who will keep Charlie and Rowan busy while we prepare everything, and then bring them to the three broomsticks?"

"You? You're the best at stalling, no offense," said Andre.

"I'll take that as a compliment.. alright, everyone knows what they're responsible for?"

"Yes.." they all groaned, wishing to go to sleep already.

"So don't forget.. we're meeting up in the three broomsticks in three days! I won't be there because I'll be with Rowan and Charlie so, Penny, I'm putting you in charge of making sure everything goes as planned, goodnight!"

There was a sound of tired whispers as they all walked back to their dormitories, aside from MC, who went straight to the owlery, to write and send a letter to Bill, asking if he could pass by for Rowan and Charlie's surprise party.

The next three days passed fast and strangely enough, uneventfully, except for that one time Ben almost exposed the plan.

Finally, the 22th of December has arrived, and at 4pm, when the rest of the group got together at the three broomsticks to prepare everything, MC walked with Rowan to meet Charlie at the library.

"You sure I'm the right study partner?" Charlie asked with honesty, "I'm not really good at studying.."

"Nonsense! You're my best friend, of course I'd rather study with you no matter what!"

"I thought I was your best friend?"

"You're THE best friend, Rowan. Everyone else is just my best friends, without THE.."

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that.."

"Anyway.. let's study!" MC shouted, causing Madam Pince to threaten to kick them out. Charlie still didn't felt like studying, he and Rowan exchanged looks, before Rowan spoke up, "But, we don't have any exams? Why would you want to study all of a sudden?"

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

"Quoting Rowena Ravenclaw won't help you get away without an answer!"

MC stood up, with their hands still on the table, and said, "you know, I just realized I never saw the both of you at the quidditch field... isn't that weird?" MC smiled nervously.

"I watch all of yours and Charlie's and Andre's matchs, what are you talking about?" Rowan tilted their head, the way they always do when they're confused. Which happens frequently around MC.

"But I never saw you together! You have so much to talk about, I mean, Charlie's an expert in quidditch and you're an expert of trees.. don't you want to talk about it?"

"That's a strange topic to discuss.." Charlie mumbled, "and the quidditch field is taken for one of the teams practice right now.."

"But if you insist," Rowan continued, "we can go around and look for broomes.."

"Wha- no! We can't! Because.. I umm.. promised Ben I'll help with that thing uh-"

"We saw him leaving the castle on our way to the library," said Rowan, "he said he's going to buy a new quill."

"Uh, right. I forgot. Do you want to help me pack my bags then?"

"I thought you're staying in Hogwarts for Christmas like always?" Rowan smiled, and MC panicked, what if they somehow know about the party?

"It still shouldn't be messy, and you know how my side of the dorm looks like, hehe.."

"I'm sorry, what's happening?" Charlie had zoned out half of the conversation and was now confused.

"Just MC acting mysterious all over again.." Rowan stared at mc with a suspected look.

"Aren't they always, though?" He shrugged.

"You know me.. the mystery of Hogwarts," MC laughed nervously.

Rowan and Charlie again looked at each other and then at MC, who still giggled.

"Anyway, do you need help packing, Charlie?"

"No, It's fine, I already did! I'm really excited to go back home and see my parents and Ron and Ginny again, and of course Bill! And the best part is I'll get so many presents! Christmas presents and birthday present, what can be better than that?"

"Yeah it's so nice your birthdays are close to Christmas, isn't it?" MC said, finally stopping Rowan's suspicions. "It is!" Rowan cheered, "I get to celebrate both Christmas and my birthday at home in the tree farm with my family! I miss mum and dad and my brother of course! He suppose to go to Hogwarts next year, isn't it exciting??"

"You have a brother? How come you never mentioned it?" Charlie wondered if he somehow missed this piece of information about his friend.

"Yes, and you'll meet him next year, I hope!"

"With your brother, Penny's sister and my brothers we'll have so many younger siblings here next year!"

"It's going to be a challenge," MC snickered, "I mean, we can barley keep them out of trouble now.." They all laughed, because it was true.

"So what time is it?" MC asked when the laughs faded.

"4 and a half.. why? Are we in a hurry?" Rowan asked.

"No no, I just remembered I told Ben- I mean, Penny, I'll meet her at the three broomsticks at 5 so.. hehe.." they chuckled.

"Why don't we just go and wait for her there, huh?" Rowan smiled mischievously, and MC gulped nervously.

"Rowan, you're too smart for this world," they patted them on the back, "let's kill time with a game of gobstons instead, okay?"

"Fine," Rowan finally gave up on trying to discover what MC is hiding from them.

They all walked to the courtyard and played gobstons for a while, just laughing and smiling until their stomach ache.

"Is it 5 already?" MC asked after a while, right before Charlie's turn.

"5 and a half actually," said Rowan, and before they could say anything else MC shouted, "what?! It's been a hour already?!"

"Time does fly when you're having fun.." Charlie mumbled, while thinking what can be the right move.

"We have to go! Now!"

"At least let me finish my turn!" Charlie whined as MC dragged with him and Rowan.

"Why do we even have to come with you to your meeting with Penny?" Rowan asked when they were near honeydukes.

"Well you know.. because.. it's just.. you see-" MC stalled, trying to earn some time while they're getting closer to the pub, "just get inside, alright?"

Rowan glared at them with one last suspection look as Charlie entered the pub without a doubt.

"Surprise!!!"

The friend's usual spot at the three broomsticks was filled with people. Friends, to be accurate. There were two dozens glass of butterbeer on the table, with a diverse selection of coulorful candies. The celling was decorated with paper dragons, flying around, roaring quietly, surrounded by trees, and you could notice some tiny paper books flying around above with brooms on their side, as well.

Rowan looked as if they were about to faint and Charlie was too ecstatic to talk.

"Wha- it's so- I-" Rowan eyes were filled with tears of joy, they never thought they'd have so many caring friends who would want to throw a birthday party just for them.

"This is so cool!" Charlie shouted, "are those dragons?!" He looked at the celling with an excited look.

"Just wait until we get home for Christmas.. mum's going to cry and hug you so much," Bill laughed, "seventeen is the most important age!"

"You can do magic!"

"You can apparate!"

"You're practically an adult!"

Everyone laughed and cheered. Rowan and Charlie were so far from being like all the adults they knew. They didn't changed much from that sweet anxious behavior they had in their first years at Hogwarts.

Bill raised his glass of butterbeer, "to Charlie, the best brother and the greatest quidditch player and the most dragon-excited person we know!" He laughed.

"And to Rowan!" MC snatched the glass of butterbeer out of Bill's hand, and raised it as well, "the best friend anyone could ever have. The loyal, ambitious, kind and smartest person I know!"

"Whooooohoooo!" Tonks applaused and they all drank their butterbeers and started to chat with each other.

Maybe it was the butterbeer, or the heat inside the pub, or maybe it was the fact that all their friends were together with them in one place, just laughing and smiling, happy for their friend's birthdays.

Whatever it was, it made both Charlie and Rowan feel warm inside.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #rowan khanna #charlie weasly #jacob's sibling #hogwarts mystery fanfic #hogwarts mystery fanfiction #birthday #penny haywood #bill weasley #hphm fanfic #hphm fanfiction #hphm fic

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a-casual-egg · 3 years

Text

Barnaby bounces his leg up and down, he can’t wait for this meeting to be over. He knows family meetings are important for the company but he doesn’t want to be sitting here listening to his father talk about ways to keep the workers down and in their grasp.

Barnaby looks to the clock to see how much more of his father’s voice he has to listen to before he can leave. 10 more minutes. Ok, he can do that. That’s just 5 minutes twice. After what feels like forever but is actually 10 minutes, his father wraps up the meeting. Barnaby gets up and heads for the door only to be stopped by his father’s voice.

“Why are you in such a rush?” His father asks.

“Oh, um, I have other business I need to attend to.”

“Ah, see this is what you should strive to be like men,” Barnaby’s father says to the other business men in the room and gesturing to him. “Always making sure business is getting done.”

Barnaby nods and takes his leave. He wishes he could tell his father what he actually is doing. He wishes he could tell him anything and confide in him but he can’t. His father is obsessed with reputation and being on top. The family’s reputation would absolutely suffer tremendously if it was known that his son is a criminal and not the normal kind of criminal rich people are.

Barnaby makes his way to Eleanor’s Largely Legal Antiques, stuck in his own head.

Edvard sees Barnaby and catches up to him, “Hey Barnaby, Barnaby? Barnes? Shit-face!”

Barnaby looks to the source of the sound and apologizes, “oh, sorry Eddie. I didn’t know you were there.”

“Yeah, I can tell. Now what’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong!”

Edvard gives him a knowing look and Barnaby looks down at his feet.

“Well, I guess it’s the same thing as always.”

Edvard nods understandingly, “parents are assholes”

“And just all the expectations”

Edvard continues to nod.

“I just wish I could tell him everything like other people do with their parents but it’s impossible.”

“Mhm” Edvard says opening a door for him and Barnaby.

Barnaby slumps down into a chair, “like hell, I’d be estatic if he got what is coming to him, like even if that means he dies sooner than his time, but it would absolutely destroy everything if it was all of a sudden, y’know?”

Edvard sits down across from him, “but wouldn’t that be good, y’know if he died all of a sudden? Like his wealth would be distributed-“

“Only to his family.”

“Which you’re a part of! You can get more money and use it for good things, like at least getting better wages for workers.”

“That’d be good.” Barnaby pauses and pinches the bridge of his nose. “God, I can’t believe I was as bad as him, thinking I’m better than others just because of my riches.”

A hand is placed on Barnaby’s shoulder and he looks to see who the owner of the hand is. It’s Kasimir. He should have guessed, Kasimir always puts his hand on a person’s shoulder or squeezes their hand if he’s gonna tell them something important or profound.

“Barnaby you were never close to being as bad as him. You’ve never exploited loopholes to pay your workers less or cheated on your partner-“

“That’s because I don’t have one. Not that I would, I’m just saying I don’t have a partner.” Barnaby interjects

“I’m aware your majesty, I’m just giving examples on how you’re much better than your horrible excuse for a father.”

“Thanks.”

This is the meeting he prefers. Kasimir telling them about the heists he’s done in the past and giving the others ideas and inspiration for heists and heist-related things. Giving Edvard looks when someone says a certain thing and watching Edvard cover his mouth so his giggling doesn’t distract anyone, and occasionally failing. This is one of those times.

Lilith says something about ghosts and when she says the word ghost Barnaby looks to Edvard and raises his eyebrows and Edvard just loses it. It’s not even an inside joke it’s just a silly face and it’s not even that silly, but Edvard thinks it’s funny and that’s what matters.

It’s starts with Edvard covering his mouth on instinct but his hands end up holding his hurting sides. Kasimir sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose while Lilith looks around in confusion.

Barnaby cocks his head to the right, “are you alright, dear boy?”

Edvard glares at Barnaby after he’s calmed down in response.

The meeting goes back to normal and it goes by so fast that Barnaby almost thinks it never happened.

He takes a sip from his hip flask as he watches Edvard and Kasimir talk. The girls have left, having important things to do. He’d never say it out loud but he treasures these commoners. He’s happy he met them. He’s felt a lot better since he did. He has someone that can relate to his parent troubles, a father (figure) who isn’t an asshole, someone who can teach him how to punch if he needs to, and someone to teach him about people’s rights so he’s not an asshole keeping people down. He smiles as he takes another sip, content just being around these commoners. Something he’d never think would happen. It’s freeing doing something he’d never see himself doing. It’s even more freeing when that thing is actually something he enjoys immensely.

#oxventure #oxventure in the dark #edvard #edvard lumiere #lilith #lilith capellenaga #kasimir #kasimir jones #barnaby #barnaby fortescue iii #barnaby “the butcher” fortescue iii

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mysterioh · 4 years

Text

Here Kitty Kitty - Chapter Three

PAIRING: CAT!BUCKY BARNES X READER

SYNOPSIS: You’re a cat person. So when you find a kitty hiding in a battered cardboard box in an alleyway you just had to take him home. He needed a place to stay and you wanted a friend. A win-win situation or so you thought. Turns out Mr. Barnaby is actually a two-thousand-year-old cursed soul reaper who’s been banished to the land of the living. Don’t believe me? Just add water.

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ MASTERLIST

Lieutenant James Barnes

Nick Fury was an enigma. You couldn't predict anything when it came to him. He was calculating, cunning, and maybe a bit creepy. But as Captain Commander of the Court of Pure Souls he had to be just that. Well, maybe not creepy, but he was pretty old.

"Lieutenant James Barnes of the Sixth Division," Fury stated calmly. A calm Nick Fury was never good.

"Hey what's up, man?" Bucky replied as if he wasn't talking to the leader of all soul reapers.

Steve hid his face in his hand. "Show some respect, you punk.”

"That's Captain Commander to you," Lieutenant Hill of the First Division said with narrowed eyes.

"Now from what I know," Fury said, ignoring the reaper's casual tone. "The Sixth Division has the best numbers when it comes to harvesting. They do an exceptional job."

"I don't know I think it has something to do with that guy over there," Bucky smiled while pointing at Steve behind him. "He's great."

"Yes, Captain Rogers is a strong leader, but we're not here for him. We're here to talk about you." Fury voice turned low at the end. "You're numbers are very low-"

"You see I can explain," Steve butt in only to be shut down."

"Talk only when you are spoken to, Captain," Fury bit back.

Steve stood quietly not wanting to peeve his boss.

"Your numbers are very low," Fury started over. "And as a Lieutenant that won't do. You set an example for your subordinates and this is not the example I want."

"I'm just a bit slow," Bucky retorted.

"Slow?" Fury repeated.

"Yeah, I just work at a different pace than everyone else."

"Well, then please explain to me why one of your squad members said: James Barnes is the laziest man I know. He doesn't do - I'm not saying that word in a professional setting -. Please kick him out," Fury read off the report.

"Wait who's snitching on me?" Bucky asked annoyed.

"It's confidential."

"Was it Sam? It was Sam wasn't it?" Bucky asked. "That bastard," he grumbled. "I'm gonna rip his head off."

"So you fight with your co-workers?"

"No," Steve chimed in. "Not at all! Sam and him just have a playful spat from time to time. They're friends."

"Friends?" Bucky asked. "I hate that guy."

Steve made a cutting motion with his hand that Bucky was too dense to get. Steve turned to Fury with a nervous chuckle. Fury was unamused.

"Listen, I'm being framed here!" Bucky shouted. "This is wrong. I demand justice!" Bucky said pounding his fist on Fury's desk.

Fury remained silent, but had a dangerous look in his eye. A little too passionate, Buck.

"I've been watching you, Lieutenant," Fury stated. Bucky stood, mildly freaked out. "I've been watching your every move."

"That's not creepy at all," he retorted.

Fury ignored him and stood up so he was towering over him. "You haven't been doing your work. I've seen it with my own eye."

Bucky opened his mouth to retort, but Fury shot him down. "You've been terrorizing humans. Making them see things they're not supposed to."

"It was all just fun and games," Bucky waved him off. "You know how-"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking," Fury snapped back and Bucky stood straight. "What is the second law of the soul reapers?"

Bucky sighed. "It is against the law for a Soul Reaper to reveal themselves to humans or give them their spiritual power."

"Exactly, and what did you do?"

"I didn't go up to them. I just played pranks from afar. Those stupid humans would drop on the spot if I did that. So I don't see what the big deal is." Bucky crossed his arms like a pouty teenager.

"It is forbidden to interact with humans in any way, shape, or form." Fury stated sharply. "And furthermore, I've heard one of your stupid pranks caused a rip in the vault."

"Actually," Bucky gave him a stupid smile and point of the finger. "There was already a rip there. I just so happened to find it. So technically you should be thanking me because you would've been in a lot of trouble if I didn't find it."

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an exasperated groan.

"Bucky, shut up," Steve hissed quietly.

"You made it bigger!" Hill spoke up. "How is that helping?!"

"Well if I didn't find it then the Hollows would've come into the land of the living and then they'd hurt your precious little humans," Bucky mocked.

"You moron," Hill snapped back. "You don't deserve to be a soul reaper! You don't value its importance!"

"I'm sorry that I got bored of raking up dead souls for two thousand stinking years and wanted a little fun," Bucky retorted.

Fury groaned, feeling a headache coming to him.

"Bucky shut the hell up!" Steve sneered.

"Who's side are you on anyway?"

"Nobody's!" Steve retorted. "Stop acting like an idiot!"

"Take that back, Captain Stick-Up-Your-A-"

"Enough!" Fury barked and the room went silent. "James Barnes, I hereby rescind your title as Lieutenant of the Sixth Division and retract your abilities as a soul reaper."

"Wait what?!?" Bucky asked, shocked. "You can't do that!"

"Yes I can," Fury snapped at him, "and from now on you will live at the feet of the very humans you despise."

"Commander, there has to be a better option," Steve spoke up. "He can't go there."

"I've made my decision," he stated firmly. "Your sword," he asked, placing his hand in front of Bucky.

Bucky glowers at him with cold eyes before doing as his stalwart says. He takes off the sword he kept on the side of his hip, the symbol of a soul reaper, and hands it to him with a scowl on his face.

"Hill," Fury gives her a description less order. She gladly presses the button conveniently placed underneath Fury's desk.

A gate was revealed on the other side of the room. A vortex leading to the realm of the living. The hands of spirits rushed out and latched onto him, pulling him into the vacuum.

"Mark my words, Fury," Bucky barked as ghostly hands pull him closer to the gate. "I'm coming back and when I do I'm gonna-" his words were cut off with a hand slapping his mouth shut. All they could hear were his muffled curses as he was yanked into the gate.

The doors closed and the room returned to its original atmosphere.

"Well that's that," Fury let out an exasperated sigh.

"You've made a good decision, Commander, as always," Hill replied with a smile.

Steve stared at the wall for a while with a million worries already racking his brain. He let out a sigh. Bucky had it coming, he was pushing it for far too long.

"Good luck, Buck, you're gonna need it."

TAG LIST: @itsametaphorbriansblog @imma-new-soul @scuzmunkie @marshyrebelcloud @chuckennuggets1213 @mc225g @everything-is-awesomesauce

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes fluff #cat!bucky #cat!bucky barnes x reader #cat hybrid au

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hphm-etched-engraved-everlasting · 4 years

Text

3. Clara

Author’s Note/Table of Contents

"No one followed you here, did they?"

Those were the first words he spoke to me the minute I sat at his table in the Hog's Head Inn, early the next morning. No hello, no I'm surprised you're still here--just a raised eyebrow and scowl that was hard to decipher.

Ever since Alastor Moody Disapparated me from the surprise graduation party we held for Bill in the Three Broomsticks a few months back, I always thought he was a little paranoid. I figured it came with the fact that he was a celebrated Auror, as Tonks had mentioned the night before--he always had to be on the lookout for any dark wizards, and there were more of them now with Rakepick's betrayal. Still, to have them stroll around the wizarding world undetected? Was that really possible?

No wonder he'd wanted me to meet with him the minute he managed to lose another enemy's trail. He could only stay for so long before something else happened.

"No, I don't think so." I glanced around uncertainly around the Inn, fists clenching at the mere thought of a known enemy bursting through the door.

"And you didn't tell anyone you were coming to meet me...?" Moody asked me then.

"Only Rowan," I said stiffly.

"Rowan!" Moody's jaw dropped when he heard of it, his eyes widening--er, rather, his normal eye widened while his other brilliant blue eyeball whizzed in his makeshift socket. "Who's Rowan?"

"Rowan Khanna. A friend at Hogwarts," I responded.

That, at least, was true. After Dumbledore's speech, Rowan and I couldn't help but wonder what Dumbledore meant when he said he wanted to let the authorities handle Rakepick and the Cursed Vaults. It had to mean that word about my disappearance had leaked out somehow.

"I'm sure it got back to Dumbledore that Mad-Eye Moody sought me out."

"Mr. Moody, you Disapparated me out of a party in front of all my friends," I told him carefully, placing my trembling hands on the table. "It wasn't exactly a secret."

"Fair enough," Moody said with a shrug. "And call me Mad-Eye. Enough others do."

Not like I didn't know that Mad-Eye didn't have a nickname beforehand, but if he wanted me to address him as such, why not? After all, he did notice that I was wearing a similar outfit to his today--a tan overcoat with a navy blue zip-up sweater inside, belts criss-crossing every which way near my waist, and a pair of navy blue pants and boots to match. Perhaps it was out of respect for those little details. Or it was so he could move the conversation along a lot faster.

"The information I told you, though--you kept that a secret, I hope?" Moody asked me then.

"Yes. You swore me to it," I responded. "That doesn't mean my friends haven't been asking questions, though. In fact, I have some questions, too."

"Really?" Moody didn't seem surprised at that at all. He nodded and took a long sip from a flask attached to his hip, wiping his mouth with his sleeve after. "We've got time for one."

One question? Just one? I've got enough inquiries in mind to last me an entire lifetime--inquiries that not even my most trusted friends could help me figure out. But then again, I didn't know what Mad-Eye Moody already knew in regards to my history, my family's history, my adversaries, and anything that had to do with the Cursed Vaults. I didn't even know if I could trust him yet, either.

"I'd like to know...who do we have in common?" I eventually asked him.

"Well, your Headmaster is one of my closest friends," Moody replied gruffly. "Albus Dumbledore and I fought many battles together during the Wizarding War. And I know the Weasley family, of course--I suppose Arthur didn't mention it."

I figured that he'd work with anyone who'd help further his own cause--anyone trustworthy for that matter. Everyone would.

"And I also worked with your parents," Moody told me as well. "Nice people they are, your mum and dad. Sometimes a little too high-strung--even more than me."

That sounded like my parents, alright.

"So why had you come looking for me?" I questioned. I know he only said one question only, but I had to satisfy my curiosity if it meant reaching the end goal sooner--even if it came with haunting consequences.

"That's a second question," Moody barked. "Just told you we only had time for one. Besides, you never know who around us is listening in."

"Who would be listening, though? Why are you so paranoid?"

"That's a third and fourth question now, lass! Has anyone ever told you that you don't listen?"

Countless times, really. If only Mad-Eye really knew about my history at Hogwarts, he'd know that I was probably more a rebel than I was a star pupil. I automatically braced myself for a possible probe into my brain--what if he was a Legilimens?--but that never came.

"I better go over again what I told you about 'R' before the summer holidays," Moody finally decided. "Then I'll tell you my plans for you."

My stomach was grumbling now in protest, and that was when I knew that there was really no getting out of this meeting in hopes of getting breakfast on time before my first set of classes. The sun was already rising beyond the glaring crimson rays of light over the black horizon--with the glorious oranges and yellows adding onto the canvas of the morning came uncertainty at its sheerest, plaguing the minds of many. Typical students would wonder what interesting things today would bring--between classes, friendships, and anything else that they'd worry about.

Meanwhile, I'd wonder how far into a trap I was walking into.

As Mad-Eye pulled up his chair, we began our intensive review into what he knew about 'R'--and what he told me before the summer. It was information I couldn't tell my friends, and I also couldn't find it in me to tell my sister about 'R', either. Though she asked many questions about 'R', I could only shake my head. It wasn't out of fear that she'd betray me. She's still so young, so innocent. I couldn't let her fall into Rakepick's hands and leave her scarred for life. She already had so much to worry about, any more information could potentially break her.

"One thing's for certain," Moody eventually said. "The race to the final Cursed Vault is on. Whatever's inside the vault is powerful--a cabal as villainous and dangerous as 'R' can't get to it first. And while Patricia Rakepick is only a minor player in 'R', she's still a major threat. She may not have unlocked the secrets of the Buried Vault, but she has the resources of 'R' behind her." He took another swig from his hip flask. "There's a good chance Rakepick could be the first to find the final vault."

What leads did she even have, though? I had a Merperson Trident and a coral key. If 'R' had more leads that proved more useful, then I'd have to be prepared for the ultimate showdown. It would be almost like I've gotten half the map she had a full image of, and she'd have the better chance of getting the glory while I'd be left in the shadows. Even if these resources were not anywhere close to helpful, I couldn't let myself slack off and hope that something in their plan goes horribly wrong. Fate wouldn't always stay on my side for long.

"For so long, I thought 'R' was an actual person, not a group of evil wizards and witches," I mused. "I suppose there were clues..."

"And my understanding is you have clues...to the vault's location."

Ah, so Moody definitely wanted to check into my progress. How much could I bring myself to tell, though?

"Yes, a trident and a coral key," I told him with a nod. "So the vault could be underwater."

Moody grunted in understanding. "I see. While I travel the world trying to take down 'R', I'll be counting on you, Curse-Breaker, to keep searching for it."

"Search for the vault?" I faltered. "But I have to search for my brother...who is searching for Rakepick..."

"All roads lead to the Cursed Vault," Moody said. "Find the vault, and I bet you'll find your brother, too. You, me, Rakepick, Jacob...we're all after the same thing: getting to the Cursed Vault first."

To think that I was in a separate party from my own brother was enough for me to feel doubt's whip sting my heart, but I nodded again.

"I'll come to you whenever I'm able, to keep you posted on my findings...and to prepare you with the knowledge and lessons you'll need to protect yourself and your friends," Moody eventually told me with a final nod.

"Good. I'll need help to protect my friends," I accepted, fists clenching once more. "Especially Ben and Merula, after that last vault. I still haven't seen them. I need to get back to Hogwarts and find them."

With a final wave to Moody and Aberforth Dumbledore, who looked genuinely disappointed I did not stay behind to at least consider purchasing one of his drinks, I departed from the goat-stenched inn and trudged back to Hogwarts.

As I walked through the streets and up the hill, I felt the hollow pang resonate through my heart again, threatening to make me collapse. Regardless of how we were divided, everyone was working towards the same goal, and all for different reasons--find the last Cursed Vault and use whatever was in there to fulfill our deepest desires. It was almost like I had been singled out now, without any allies behind me. What did everyone else think about my supposedly endless quest to find all the Cursed Vaults now?

Would they still care about my endeavours now that I was working alone, almost as a free agent without Rakepick lording over me, or would they wish that they could just move on with their lives and not worry about me anymore?

They wouldn't think of leaving me alone, would they, now that the finale was so close? After all, this last moment was the most crucial one. I had already lost one ally because he was working now as a professional Curse-Breaker at Gringotts in Egypt, and he would probably not be around much to help me. What about everyone else, though? I thought about Rowan--poor Rowan who just wanted to be a good scholar and the youngest professor at Hogwarts--then Penny, Tonks, Barnaby, Badeea, Tulip, Liz...all my friends who just wanted to be normal students, but couldn't because of me. Everyone was swept in the current that was finding the Cursed Vaults.

No. They wouldn't think of leaving me alone to fend for myself. Commitment from friends and people I trusted had to go to the last step. Rakepick already broke this protocol; I just hoped that no one else would.

I steeled myself as I entered the school now, racing towards my dorm to change for class. There was no way I would go to my first class of the day looking like I had just come out of a certain moody wizard's closet.

#chapter 3 is here yippee #mad-eye moody #alastor moody #hphm clara lin #year 6 #etched engraved everlasting #hogwarts mystery #hphm spoilers #hphm #hogs head inn #here we goooooooo

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rosapeachhogwartsmystery · 5 years

Text

What if MC lives with their grandfather, because their parents are in Azkaban?

Background information about MC

Your last name in the wizarding world was pretty much despised by others, because your parents were Death Eaters.

Your parents are both in Azkaban.

You and Jacob were raised by your grandfather, who was a very strict man.

Your grandfather might not have been a Death Eater, but he was considered as someone who preferred the Dark Arts.

You grew up quiet and seemed to be a cold person on the surface, especially when Jacob disappeared.

You didn’t trust others, because they would judge you for things you have not done.

Rowan

You would still meet them in Diagon Alley.

They didn’t know immediately who you were. Once you told them your name, they were shocked.

They might be a little intimidated by you at first.

They are the one who initiated to become friends. It took you a little while to get used to it, but they slowly got your trust and friendship.

They were your first friend and they promised not to betray you.

They defended you when people look down on you because of your parents. You definitely appreciated it even though you didn’t feel like it was her responsibility to defend you from false accusations.

If you were worried about turning out to be like your parents, they would reassure you it would be your choice in the end. If you didn’t want to be like your parents, then you don’t have to be like them.

Merula

You had seen Merula before, because of your parents.

She wasn’t sure whether she should insult you because of your brother or not.

You two have more in common than you two would have liked. You both refuse to admit it though.

She would get angry with you if you don’t side with her, telling you how crazy you are.

You two often fight each other, basically throwing similar, but hurtful comments to each other.

Once you two become friends, you would talk more about your parents, feeling like you two understand each other better.

If you two would ever need to pick a side, you promised each other not to follow into your parents’ footsteps.

Merula would show you how she deals with being seen as a Death Eater like her parents. Sure, she didn’t always manage to deal with it well, but she learnt how to live with it. She would also ask you how you deal with the rumours. You two could learn from each other’s tactics how to deal with rumours and stupid expectations people had.

Barnaby

You also knew Barnaby, because your parents his parents as well.

At first you didn’t like Barnaby for siding with Merula all the time, wondering why he would let her take control over him.

Barnaby would notice when you don’t like him, but he doesn’t know why you don’t like him.

You would try to convince him to come with you instead, telling him he should do what he wants and not what others tell him to do.

You two might end up talking more about becoming like your parents than you two would have liked.

You actually open up a lot more, because of Barnaby. If he could be open, why couldn’t you be open?

You and Barnaby seemed to be kind of the opposite of each other. He was pretty talkative and he was someone who would smile often, while you were more of a listener and didn’t smile often. People would think you two were a strange sight whenever you two were together. Barnaby didn’t care what people thought though. He enjoyed spending time with you and that was the only thing that mattered.

Ben

He would be afraid of you at first, because you seemed to be intimidating.

He might not know much about your family, because he is a Muggleborn

Once he hears rumours about you, because of your family he might finds you even more intimidating.

Every time you look at him, he gets nervous.

It wasn’t until you stood up against Merula when he realized you might not be as bad as everybody thought.

Once he gathered his courage to talk to you, you didn’t seem to be as bad as he thought you would be.

You might have trouble with trusting him again when you find out he was the one wearing the red cloak. At least until you realise it probably wasn’t his fault to begin with.

Ben would show you places where it’s quiet, thinking it would probably be nice to escape from very social or unpleasant situations. It would also give you some space to take a breather. You appreciated this a lot.

Penny

Of course, Penny knew who you were. She also knew all gossip about you.

There weren’t only rumours you were like Jacob, no, there were also rumours about you becoming a Death Eater like your parents.

She is on her guard when she finally meets you, but quickly realises you are not as bad as you seem.

She tries to become friends with you, thinking she would be able to let you show more of your soft side to other people. She could tell the cold and distant look you had was like mask.

She would try to get you involved in more social settings from time to time, although she wouldn’t push you too much. If you didn’t want to do something, she wouldn’t force you to it.

You definitely became more cheerful after a while, although you probably wouldn’t notice it.

Penny would try to talk with you often, hoping it would encourage you to tell her if something was bothering you.

Bill

Bill wasn’t sure what to think about you when he first saw you. He knew about your parents and if you were like all those other pureblood families, who were Death Eaters, he wasn’t sure if you could be trusted.

He would be surprised if you asked for his help with your search for the Cursed Vaults.

He realises you would do everything to find your brother.

You would tell him Jacob is the only family member you value. You have never asked to be born in a pureblood family that only valued power.

Once he gets to know you, he would look out for you like a brother. You were only twelve when you met him and you might run in more danger than you might think.

He would realise soon enough you are pretty mature for your age due to the way you were raised by your grandfather.

He would be one of the first people who would realise something was bothering you.

Charlie

Just like Bill, Charlie didn’t know what to think about you at first. You seemed to looking coldly at people, like you were trying to be intimidating. Also, he knew about your family and wasn’t too sure if you could be trusted at all.

It wasn’t until he realised Bill was helping you with the Cursed Vaults that he began feeling you wouldn’t be too bad if Bill seemed to be okay with you.

During Care of Magical Creatures, you two seemed to have a chance to be talking with each other a bit more than usually.

Once he became friends with you, he realised how many rumours about you were false. People would assume your entire family was bad, because of your parents and Jacob, but you definitely didn’t seem to be following the same path.

He would notice how you would open up whenever you two spend together. You were a closed person and only your friends helped you open up. You felt usually very calm and carefree around Charlie because of his attitude.

He would help you loosen up by going to find creatures in the Forbidden Forest, especially during stressful times.

Tulip

Somehow, Tulip was one of the first people who wasn’t afraid to talk to you. She thought talking to you was somewhat rebellious, knowing her parents wouldn’t approve of it.

You would be suspicious about her at first, thinking she probably was just trying to find a way to fool you or insult you. You definitely didn’t like it, because you knew she was friends with Merula.

Once the friendship between Merula and Tulip ended, you slowly began talking a bit more with Tulip.

Tulip had already realised you were nothing like the rumours would suggest. Even if you didn’t speak that much to her before you were friends, you had given her enough information to confirm that.

You two both know how it’s like to be raised by strict people, it definitely was something you two could talk about.

Tulip would definitely prank people who were making up rumours about you.

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A/N: Sorry for the lack of activity. I haven’t had a lot of inspiration lately. I still had this draft saved somewhere on my PC and decided to finish it. Sorry if it sucks ^^;

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