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voldemorthatesnose96 · 4 years

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Delirium

Chapter 11

Previous chapter

“Because you’re a very important person to me.”

Jens still can’t believe that he actually said that to Lucas. No matter how many times the memory keeps coming back to it, he feels that his heart beating erratically—but in a good way, exhilarating, almost in the brink of giving such funky adrenaline. There’s no way Lucas won’t feels the same; there’s just no way. Not after Jens gave his most precious belonging that’s been in his life for years and years. Not after Lucas gave him a tender smile that made the whole world stopped and made him lost for breath before they parted ways near the Great Hall. It all seems too good to be true for Jens; on top of that, he’s never been so in love.

“You’re being creepy.”

Robbe’s teasing voice startles Jens who doesn’t realise that, for the last 15 minutes, he spent it by smiling while looking through the frosted window.

“I’m just happy.” Jens whispers, can’t contain the excitement in his voice.

Robbe puts his bag on the table and sits across his friend, “the date went well, then?”

“Amazingly well!”

“I’m glad.”

“And I gave him my brooch after that.”

Robbe’s smile falters at once, “what? Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

Trying his best not to shout, Robbe says timidly, “but... that brooch is very special to you. It’s from your dad!”

“But Luc is also special to me.”

“Jens, I’m not trying to lecture you but,” Robbe leans closer. “You’re not thinking that you’re being a bit too fast?”

“What do you mean? I’ve known him since first year.”

“How well do you know him, then?”

Instead of answering directly, Jens leans back to his wooden seat and grins, “you and Sander are just the same.”

“Waat?”

Jens tapping his fingers absentmindedly on the table while shaking his head in amusement, “I forgot to tell you this but few weeks ago, he told me that Luc could possibly break my heart.”

“And why did he say that?”

“Heaven knows why,” the Gryffindor boy shrugging. At this point, he really doesn’t care about what Sander had said. “But I’m over it.”

Robbe bites his lower lip, not responding anything for a few minute before he carefully says, “there must be something important behind those words, Jens. I know Sander better than you, and he knows Luc better than the rest of us. Could it be that...”

“That he’s hiding secrets from me?” Jens cuts him. Still unbothered by his friend sudden worry. Robbe nods in agreement—his face is grim, “Believe me, I feel it too but we all are, right? We can’t judge someone from having secrets; it isn’t fair, Robbe.”

“I’m just worried about you,” Robbe states. “Because of Luc, you weren’t being yourself for weeks. Remember that? Aaron and Moyo were also worried sick. You don’t even know how helpless we were.”

“I’m sorry,” Jens genuinely answers and puts a reassuring smile that he’s completely okay now. “And thank you for still being there for me even when I acted like shit.”

“Promise that you’ll never be that Jens again. Ever!”

“I promise. Now quit being gloomy. It doesn’t suits a Hufflepuff.”

Robbe grins at this and fires back, “it doesn’t suits a Gryffindor to be in the library and working on their homework.”

This is what Jens loves about Robbe; he never pushes someone else’s boundary and always doing his best not to make them feel unwelcomed or uncomfortable by the conversation they have. Sometimes it makes Jens wonder how Robbe does that. Though, no matter how understanding his friend is, he also mostly unawares about what he truly needs and putting other’s need before his. Jens had lost count on how many times he told Robbe not to be like that, but the respond he got is always a head tilt and an innocent smile. Robbe IJzermans is too pure for this world.

“You said that you know Sander better than I do?”

“Yep!”

“Then why don’t you realised that the poor Slytherin boy falls in love with you?”

Robbe suddenly stops writing on his Potions essay and he unknowingly lets the ink drips on the parchment until it leaves a rather big mark.

“Don’t say that, Jens.”

“Why not? It’s the truth!”

“Stop talking about it,” Robbe demands. His fingers are slightly trembling now. “Please...”

Jens puts his hands in the air as if he’s surrendering, “okay, fine. It’s chill.”

He wanting to ask what’s wrong with them both, but suddenly remember that Robbe has never pushes him to say anything he isn’t ready to share, Jens restrains himself. Besides, knowing Robbe, he’ll shares what he’s been upto eventually, out of nowhere; it’s always like that.

“Know what?” Robbe closes his book and rolls his essay. “I’m hungry. Let’s go get something from the kitchen?”

“I thought you’re a rule follower?” Jens raises his brows but not at all mind about his friend’s offer.

Robbe lets a forced little laugh, “I can’t wait until dinner, and besides, grabbing some food from the source itself isn’t considered as breaking the rules.”

“Alright then. Let’s go!”

The Hogwarts kitchen is located directly under the Great Hall, down the same staircase that leads to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It was Robbe who discovered the location when he was still in the Second Year; all thanks to a too-excited elf who Robbe accidentally met near the fruit bowl painting. Nobody knows this secret except his three close friends, of course. Sometimes, when there’s a Quidditch match, Robbe tells Jens that he and Aaron would grabs something from the kitchen and brings them while watching the match.

When they’re arrived near the Entrance Hall, Robbe bumps his shoulder to Jens.

“What?”

“Luc’s there.”

Jens follows Robbe’s direction to see that Lucas is indeed, standing in front of the Architect of Hogwarts statue, talking to a Ravenclaw and they’re seemingly quite close. Jens never thought that Lucas could be that friendly to someone else.

“Go,” Robbe gently encourages him. “I’ll see you in the kitchen. You can also brings him to if you’d like.”

Jens gives his friend a grateful smile while nodding his head and making his way to Lucas.

“Hey, you!” He casually greets the Slytherin boy.

“Talk to you later?” Lucas says to the Ravenclaw student before he shifts his attention to Jens. “Hi to you too.”

There’s no smile or grins appearing on Lucas’ face when he greets Jens back, but there’s no sign of him being distant either. His sense tells him that something’s not right, but he decides to ignore it—not when Jens is actually very nervous right now. Heart thumping, hands suddenly all sweaty; he even needs to hides them inside his robe’s pockets.

“Just wanted to ask about yesterday. Did you enjoy it?”

Lucas tilts his head, clearly confused, “what do you mean? What happened yesterday?”

“We went to Hogsmeade yesterday. Together. Don’t you remember?”

“Stoffels, I was with Emilia Bran yesterday, working on the Charm homework. Don’t be stupid!”

It feels like the world has fallen on top of Jens body when he heard Lucas said that. He really doesn’t remember?

“Luc, this isn’t funny. You were with me!” Jens forces a humorless laugh. “I even gave you my brooch!”

“I think you should see Madam Pomfrey in case something happened with your brain.”

Before Lucas could go, Jens grabs his arm a little too harsh because of the sudden panic he’s getting.

“What the—”

“Luc, please,” he begs. “Why you’re acting like this? I thought...”

“Thought what?”

“... you feel the same way like I do.”

Lucas brilliant blue eyes goes darker when he hears it, but also widens in horror for a split seconds.

“You’re mad.”

That’s all Lucas says before he yanks his arm free and turns his back to get away from the deeply hurt and shattered Jens Stoffels.

#wtfock #wtfam #VDS #fanfic #the Ravenclaw student isnt Sander in disguise lmao!#Sander is somewhere doing smth important #did Lucas just put an act or did not?🥴😏

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roselightfairy · 5 years

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I'm having all kinds of Gimli feelings all of a sudden, and I've decided that you all have to suffer through me jabbering about them. (Or rather, you may make the choice whether to suffer through them or not.)

The feelings started because of an ongoing sense I've had in the personal little Tolkien 'verse/series of characterizations I write: this knowledge, fueled by nothing in particular, that Gimli and his best friends before LOTR start drifting apart shortly after he returns home from his quest. I know it's because he's become a different person than he used to be: more focused, more open-minded, a little wiser, and with broader priorities than he used to have. Oh, and an elf-lover, of course. I'm not the first person to feel this way, obviously-- this wonderful fic does an excellent job of exploring the concept (and it has architect Gimli, a personal favorite of mine)-- but it made me start thinking: if the reason for the distance is that Gimli has changed, what was he like before? I didn't have the following in mind when I wrote my personal Gimli (though I suppose it still applies), so I'm not necessarily talking about him specifically, but I did want to throw it out there anyway. Fandom Gimli has come to be almost defiantly perfect, as a response to the horrible way he was butchered in the movies: intelligent, talented, wise, serious, diplomatic, etc. And while I certainly agree about his general magnificence, I started to wonder: in contrast to the idea, referenced in this Tumblr post, what if pre-quest Gimli was a bit of a disaster? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he isn't still talented and intelligent and amazing-- but what if he was purposeless? We know he's well past a hundred, probably older than most dwarves are when they find their partner and/or their passion-- but what if Gimli has spent all these years just kind of floating? And his family despairs of him, because he has all this talent and so much potential that's just going to waste, but he hasn't found anything to direct it at? Maybe he's a bit of a party boy-- oh, he's reliable and you know you can count on him in a pinch, but he spends his evenings out with friends instead of working on projects or getting his life together. He's got a brilliant mind that could do great things, but he hasn't made any effort to pursue them, and instead just volunteers for every mission or journey that will take him away from home. His parents ask him when he's going to give them grandchildren, but he prefers to sleep around and has shown no interest in settling down with anyone in particular. He takes things seriously, of course-- the state of the world, the threat of Sauron-- but he won't do the same thing with his own life, and it drives his parents to distraction. He insists on coming along to Rivendell even as his parents ask hopefully if he's quite sure he doesn't have anything going on here that he'd rather stay for? And when he's chosen for the Fellowship, Gloin is proud, of course-- but he can't help fearing that this is just another of Gimli's tactics to procrastinate on starting his own life. And he can't help hoping that maybe this journey will awaken something in Gimli, that the exposure to new things will give him a sense of purpose, some kind of path. Maybe it's destiny, he thinks. Or something. He's more right than he knows.

#gimli #legolas x gimli #by implication #headcanons #lotr

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mercysought · 5 years

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📜 pls

📜 for plots! (ACCEPTING) // @cantoinmaschera

Gaia I’m never going to leave…… this is going to be long. I’m also going to add some npcs that I might use usually with my ocs, simply because I can and nobody is here to stop me.

For Gereon Alexius, was thinking maybe Valens for before his allegiances with the Venatori became obvious? Not have him as a pupil but maybe as the pupil of someone that works closely with him? Maybe even know each other because Alexius knew Faustus? In the same vein, maybe with Maxima? After he’s brought to the gallows of Skyhold during one of her stays? Maybe talk about the future and what the Inquisitor is going to do with him. This considering that Maxima doesn’t agree that the inquisitor should be the one dispensing justice when Alexius is a Tevinter citizen. Aus ahoy? Maybe, who knows!

In the same vein still, Ruber Sanguis I know nothing about him but please let me love him. Maybe Valens’ mentor? A family friend? Someone that is studying/helping with Felix and Caius? Tell me all about him please and thank

Please give me Fabien and Maxima. Still when she was Daphné? Only as Maxima? I don’t care. Have him invite her to Serault, add an assassination attempt and we have already something cooking. Or have her invite him to Tevinter since he is the scholarly type and since Maxima eventually opens a sort of theater/opera house, he would likely be among the guests.

Also with Fabien, have him be friends with Abel and Émilie? Maybe childhood friends so that they were to meet long before Émilie was even taken to the circle and both of them still had dreams of becoming chevaliers? Have them meet after everything goes down? So with Abel before the war of the lions but after the fall of the circle. With Émilie after the war of the lions? Have her go to Serault and talk to him and with some help she remembers who she is? Or maybe an au where her plan and the rest of the mages actually works and she escapes and heads to serault? Idk this is rambly but haVE IT

The Architect and Loane only because that would high key make her shit her pants. Low key asking if he’s also gonna open a hole in the sky and have more demons spitting out, we already have one crazed darkspawn doing some serious bs on wardens we don’t need 2 pls Architect…….. pls

Clarel and Loane, because one is a warden commander and while Loane is one of the headscouts she also probably gets on Clarel’s nerves. Either that or Clarel finds her endearing. One of the two. Clarel was either one of the people that Loane had to basically badger to let her become a warden or she badgered so many people and annoyed them to no end that it would have eventually gotten back to Clarel that a dwarf from the north really wants to become a warden.

Pietrus and Loane something something related to being casteless? Well, Loane was never casteless but she has the brands tattooed on her hands. The only time she had to deal with the carta was probably when some dwarfs were brought to the wardens. Still feel like they could have some common ground? And talk?

On the other hand Bhelen and Loane. Maybe she was asked to go down to orzammar to deal with some darkspawn bs and Loane probably absolutely hates it. 1. because her grandparents left for a reason. 2. caves. 3. her grandparents left for a reason. It would definitely be the first time that she would be around ‘real’ dwarves and the culture around it and it would probably give her the biggest hives. Both of them somehow get stuck in the deep roads? Everyone’s worst nightmare? y/y?

Clarimond and Loane on their way to Skyhold to pass on judgement to Erimond? This because Skyhold is in actual Orlesian territory and who better to help out than a scout? Also slowly realising about the false calling and shit hitting the fan?

I was going to say Clarimond and Anora but realistically, she is married with Alistair (not happy), her father has been conscripted (more happy than if he was dead) and if she finds out about the dark ritual she will likely have a flat out aneurism. Not sure if this would work well or if it would just be a collection of ‘anora is fucking silentely fuming again’. BUT seeing how she is, I feel that Anora would actually like her a lot. Or depending on this quietly respect and be annoyed by her.

Bhelen and Anora could also be a thing. Not sure what thing, but maybe Anora coming to visit? Not sure if Bhelen would leave Orzammar considering the culture implications that it has. Maybe to talk about the possible invasion of Orlais if Gaspard becomes the Emperor? This depends how their relationship would be, of course, only if they were in friendly terms in order for him to understand ‘her plight’ would she talk about this. Considering he’s ‘underground’ he might as well see it as ‘surfacer problems…. anyway….’

Thrask and Maxima. THRASK AND MAXIMA. tHRASK. AND MAXIMA. He’s the closest to a father figure she has gotten and to have an actual templar treat her like a living breathing person? A concept that gives her hope to the world and an order that often feels just full of drones. In that one verse where you splash me full of pain (you know the one, don’t even try me) or just in one that he realises that Maxima lies. a lot™. Just give it to me. Thrask and Adeleide (Émilie and Abel’s mom) could also be interesting. Both of them lost their children and Adeleide grows very bitter about the chantry and everything related to it, especially when the Montsimmard circle allows for mages to be let out while she can’t see her daughter since she was nothing but a girl. Could also put Émilie into the picture, either during one of his visits to the White Spire or after. Maybe both!

Feynriel with Maxima? Probably as a friend of Valens to be introduced. I just find it interesting because of the obvious: both being elf-blooded though his status is out there and hers isn’t. It could be interesting to see how that affects his stay in tevinter and what doors are closed to him/slowly open and what Maxima could do to help him and actually slowly gain hope for elf-blooded people in the world. Actually see that people like them have a place in the world.

Keeper Zathrian and the priestess; maybe when she’s looking for people for the Faithful? Maybe when she’s with the Inquisition? Anyway I think it would be fun, two old people being old and annoyed together. Also he could definitely help her fill in the gaps and she could, in exchange, provide him knowledge that she hasn’t given anyone (she would likely do it begrudgingly but… you know)

I honestly didn’t say anything about Gaius because I haven’t read the comics yet, I should but I haven’t so…. I also wanted to think about things for the rest of your characters but nothing too clear came up and also….This got… really long.I’m not even sorry, sue me.

#cantoinmaschera #skells speaking ( ooc )#raven received ( meme replies )#( gaia: pls )#( me: sees all of these wonderful ocs and characters )#( me: reveals my 300 km list of things )#( you better sit down )#long post tw #( don't..... even look at me )

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kittymaverick · 7 years

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So happy to find another HOPA fan on tumblr! I recently got into MCF games and finally finished Black Veil and I'm super confused. What did Richard mean when he talked about him being the architect of the detective's life? Is he related to the defective somehow? I'm no HOPA veteran and I'm so lost lol. Have a great day!

Hi, fellow HOPA fan! Always great to have another Master Detective join our super silent but definitely still there fandom. :PIt’s been a while since I finished Black Veil, and I had to go look the part up from YouGibs’ Lets Play (One of the few Letsplayers who play HOPA games) as well as my own “review notes” on tumblr. Richard being “the architect of” the MD’s life is actually something that the MD themself said, not Richard. From my notes, I explicitly said it wasn’t made clear HOW Richard knew so much about the MD’s detective career, just that he IS aware of the details. YouGibs’ interpretation is that Richard has had more than enough time to have orchestrated the MD’s career path, and thus their many heroic deeds. This is a pretty plausible theory. If Richard did his research pretty early on, or was, er… magically gifted the knowledge of the weight of souls and such because something possessed him, he could have been keeping an eye out for potential candidates to act as a “soul anchor” since 1920s. And for the most part, it seems the MD became his number one choice at some point.This means that many of the cases the MD has solved so far, especially the Ravenhearst saga, may have been brought to the Queen or agency’s attention by Richard. If this was the case, it WOULD also explain why he was privvy to details such as the MD’s rank, education, and name. In fact, he probably had his eye on the MD since BEFORE they became a detective, and might have even played a part in them becoming one in the first place.This is a theory only, though. Like I said in my original post, we don’t have enough concrete evidence in game to support that. It does look like it was a fleeting epiphany that the MD had as they were at death’s door at the very least, that Richard may have orchestrated many events in their life, leading them to where they were today. It certainly explains why the MD described him as fatherly.…Now that I think about it, MD has a serious case of screwed-up pretend family figures. A father who grooms your virtue only so he can use you as a sacrifice, a husband who is so obsessed with you that he is willing to use the soul of the dead to keep you and him (and his other wives and children!) alive for all of eternity, a father in law who wants you dead more than anything else because… because he wants you dead, step children twins who end up being just as insane as their parent and grandparent and totally did their part in trying to kill you–Hey Eipex, can we get the MD a therapy dog? Like how the guy in Mystery Trackers has Elf the adorable chihuahua?

#Mystery Case Files #hornyandbothered #Black veil

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ashethehedgehog · 7 years

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OKAY U GUYS LMAO TY FOR THE ASKS <33333 I’ll do ygo for all the letters here! It’s long so I’ll put it under a read more! So dive on in for some talk about my writing and puzzleshipping fics! (Also some snippets I posted below so wink wink)

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Not like directly, but I definitely put some of my influences into them. Like Yugi wanting to be a knight in The Beast Within was 100% because I used to want to be a knight lmao.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Ohhh off the top of my head? Gosh mmmm. Okay so off the top of my head there’s this one scene in an AU I’m probably going to abandon actually, so it’s kinda ehhh to show it now and tease u all like this lmao, but I did really enjoy writing the interactions between Yugi and Atem in them, so I’m going to put one of those for this! I just like the way they butted heads and Atem refused to relent, but then so did Yugi so they just tip toed around each other looking for the weak spot while referring to ‘the pharaoh’ as if it’s someone else and not Atem lmao. For context, it’s from an AU where everyone is an anthro animal, felines are considered the high ranking ones, spotted cats (Yugi’s species) is endangered and highly revered, Atem is a lion.

“You’re under the protection of the pharaoh, and as such are to remain in the palace where said effect can be carried out.” Atem answered as dully as he could manage. It seemed to work, as Yugi’s expression dropped.

“That order can be extended and revoked by the pharaoh himself should he wish. Do you think the pharaoh realises that? I wonder…” Yugi clicked his tongue, a thoughtful hand tapping his chin.

“I believe the pharaoh wishes for the spotted cat to remain within the palace walls, where he would be safest. I wonder if he realises that he could have servants fetch anything he needed from the city.”

“He wants to go look at what the city has to offer. With his own eyes, not those of servants not belonging to him.”

“You have your own staff I have assigned to you.”

“They’re not loyal to me.”

Atem paused, finally giving his full attention to Yugi. So that’s the kind of game Yugi was playing today. It seemed he had slipped up, however, and Atem wasn’t beneath taking advantage of this blunder.

“You question the good intentions of the pharaoh, who has given you his place as residence while asking nothing of you?” Atem tsked, turning back to his scroll, attention slipping from Yugi. He knew that would irritate the little cat, and sure enough, Yugi gave a soft growl in warning.

“I do not question the pharaoh, only wonder if he remembers whether or not he will honour his agreement.”

“What agreement?” Atem rolled his eyes.

Yugi pushed off the desk, slamming a hand down on the table, tail lashing angrily behind him. “You cannot keep me locked up here, pharaoh. Protective rules or not, if I leave, you cannot stop me.”

“No, I can’t,” Atem responded calmly, adjusting the scroll in his paws. “But you lose my protection if you venture into the city. You go alone.”

"I will be going into the city, pharaoh. And you will provide me with the necessary guards."

G: Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I tend to write random scenes around as I get inspiration for them, but mostly I write it chapter by chapter to keep it consistent! But if I’m in a slump, I write scenes that I had the motivation to work on, even if it’s for like three chapters ahead. I did this a little with my Big Bang fic because I had a deadline and needed to be working on it lmao. Fun fact tho, The Living Daylights I started off with the opening scene from chapter nine! Yeah nine chapters in right crazy ahaha, but that was what inspired the AU! xD

H: How would you describe your style?

I dunno? Semi-decent descriptions enough to understand locations and a fuckton of travelling montage work and fighting scenes. I couldn’t tell u dude I dunno my own style lmao.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

Sure, why not! So my list of fics I’m currently writing are:

Prince and King on AO3

Dragontaur AU/ Opportunities in Unexpected Places on AO3

The Demon Prince Yugi and Knight Atem AU, which will be my next multi chap fic after PaK is done.

A naga!Yugi and vampire!Yugi AU that I’m writing, buuuuut they’re both for my smut blog, where I post them exclusively, and I’m not going to move them to AO3 either soz (anyone is welcome to IM me for the link to the blog, but it’s on private so access is message only lmao).

Magic AU, which u can find some snippets of here! I don’t plan to take this further than a longshot, even with the potential for more there, I just don’t have the time for another fantasy AU world to build rn lmao. But I hope to have something of this to share soon!

Lion Atem, which I gave the snippet of above, where they’re all anthros. I never wrote much for this, and although I liked the concept, I don’t think I’ll work on it anymore. Maybe I’ll post the 6K I wrote just as a ‘read if u want but don’t expect more pls’ kind of thing. But yeah, at this stage this one is p much discontinued because I don’t have the time to work on it.

And that leaves Elf King Yugi, something that has definitely been on the back burner for MONTHS now (ever since Trial and Error, so u do the maths lmao) which I have written a fair amount for, but need to do some serious plot work before I consider doing more. Since there is a chance I’ll continue to work on this one tho, I’ll post a snippet here!

"You know the council isn't going to like this Yugi. You're in for a long and dangerous fight with this one."

"I know Anzu- you don't need to treat me like a kid." Yugi scolded her with a quick frown.

"I'm just warning you. Be prepared to argue into the night."

"I am- believe me." Yugi groaned, a hand rubbing his forehead as if to still a headache.

Yami tittered at the edge of the room near the door, unsure if he should interrupt what looked like a conversation (or argument) between friends.

Luck wasn't (or was) on his side though it seemed, as Yugi took that moment to crane his neck to where Yami was standing, his eyes lighting up. Yami suppressed a groan as he waved him over. Yami stepped lightly, his steps hesitant as he approached the two.

"Oh wow Yugi is this him? Your narcissism is showing with this one." The girl’s eyes gleamed with something predatory, like she was sizing up how long Yami would last in... Something.

"Would you please stop saying 'this one?' It implies I do this frequently- which I don't." Yugi said, shooting Yami an apologetic look. "This is Anzu- she works at the castle here-"

"You forgot to mention I'm your best friend." Anzu said in a sing song voice. Yugi shot her a look this time.

"Yes, and you're my annoying best friend." He turned back to Yami. "She's going to give you your tour, alright?"

Yami nodded. "Where are you going?"

"I have to go to court today. We'll see each other later, my dear Yami." Yugi smiled at him, reaching out to pat his shoulder as he passed him, disappearing out of the room.

Yami turned back around to immediately jump in surprise.

Standing way too close for comfort in front of him was Anzu. She had a wild grin on her face, like she knew a secret Yami didn't.

"Well well Yami. Looks like it’s just the two of us for the rest of the day." She practically purred.

"Uh... Okay... Should I be worried?" Yami frowned, not liking the glint in her eyes. It's like a maze of demons here, Yami observed. You turn away from one only to find another.

"Not at all," Anzu hummed, patting Yami's shoulder. "We're all friends here I assure you. Yugi wants me to take extra good care with you. And I must say- I can see why. You're a keeper."

"A keeper?" Yami's frown deepened, and he suppressed a sigh of exhaustion. Just what have I gotten myself into here? He was beginning to seriously regret his decision to break the elves' border seal now.

"Never mind." Anzu waved him off, trotting over to the door only to swing back around, her hand on the handle. "You coming? Yugi wants you to see the castle."

"Oh, right, of course." Yami muttered, following Anzu as she made her way out into the hallway.

"Alright, first things first- unless Yugi gives you public permission to travel around, don't go anywhere without an escort, okay?"

"Why? I'm not a kid." Yami scoffed.

"Mmm, technically you are to a lot of these folk. Most of the population in the kingdom are elves, and they tend to be a lot older than they appear."

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

LMAO YEAH REALLY WISH I DIDN’T HAVE TO WRITE THE REST OF PRINCE AND KING BUT WELP IT’S MY FIC AND I’VE COME THIS FAR SO I GOTTA FINISH IT RIP. I just reaaaaaally crave the day I can slap a COMPLETED on it :’’’’D

O: How do you begin a story–with the plot, or the characters?

The plot! Mainly because fanfic so the chars already exist lmao. I usually start with one thing that catches my interest, and work out from there. Sometimes my AUs start from dreams, like Demon Prince started because I had a dream Yugi was a demon in jail trying to seduce Atem to come work for him so lmao there u go.

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?)

I’m much more of an architect, because without a decent plot written out in front of my, in like a chapter by chapter format, I will easily lose motivation and focus because I won’t have a ‘oh yeah that’s what’s happening next!’ sort of thing. It helps with building up foreshadowing and stuff too for me. The stories I try to ‘gardener’ for I guess are the ones that often don’t see tumblr or AO3 lmao. AKA u will never hear of them because I have a few lmao.

Q: How do you feel about collaborations?

Interesting question! I suppose it depends what kind! I like collaboration ideas, in fact my first multi chapter fic The Living Daylights was a collaboration in ideas between me and my pal Ren! But I still wrote the entire thing lmao. I guess I like to have control over the writing for style consistency, but I think tackling the entire concept with another writer would be fun! I’ve never tried to write something with someone else so I dunno how that would go!

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

[kinda nsfw] INNOCENT PURE YUGI MUTOU WHO MUST ALWAYS BOTTOM FOR ATEM BECAUSE ATEM IS SEX GOD AND YUGI IS VIRGIN WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT SEX. Listen nothing rustles my JIMMIES more than that that troupe which is EVERYWHERE in puzzleshipping. I don’t understand why it’s so popular??? Like, this isn’t to say Yugi 100% CANNOT bottom because he totes can! But of ALL the puzzleshipping I’ve ever read that involved smut, especially in multi chapter fics, Yugi topped like... once, maybe??? ???? That’s SO MANY fics where Atem almost NEEDED to top. It kind of feels like people were too scared to write it at times? Like some stories I could totally see it either way, but it was ALWAYS with Atem topping, always. I don’t really understand why people are so against Yugi topping in puzzle but auuuugh I just wish there was more of it u know? Like if I want top Atem material shit man I got hundreds of fics for that, but top Yugi? Man, I can list them on my fingers...

Long story short ppl shouldn’t be afraid to let Yugi top pls. I’m not saying he ALWAYS HAS TO TOP, but more of that than Atem always topping would be real nice? A nice mix instead of everything seemingly so bias would be cool? Sometimes I want top!Atem, and sometimes I want top!Yugi, isn’t that the same for everyone lmao. Like they’d totes switch it up all the time so why is there so little for top!Yugi? The mystery of my life lmao. Let Yugi Top 2k17.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

Probably Atem, sorry to the kid but he’s the one who ends up suffering the most in my fics opps. I think there’s like ONE fic where Yugi suffers more maybe? The rest is all like nope lmao soz bro but ur the punching bag ahaha.

W: Do you like more general prompts, or more specific ones?

(this is the one I picked myself lmao) I like really specific ones! I like to know exactly what I’m writing, and unless I get a burning idea in my head I’d rather do (not often) I’d prefer prompts that give me more to work with, or at least more detail than like a one line simple prompt lmao.

#ashes ramblings #yugioh #puzzleshipping #i guess since all my fics mentioned r puzzle lmao #also feel free to bug me about the fics mentioned and shit #I may invest more into them if ppl like them #i am still on the border about Lion Atem AU //strokes chin

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talesofvalaar · 6 years

Text

Moments That Never Were: Aetros

[Just a forewarning; It’s a long one.]

These dreams have become so frequent it’s hard to tell what was ever true and where the dream began. I wake often in my room with the imbalanced feeling deep in my chest. Sometimes I can tell if I’m dreaming, sometimes I cannot.

Today, I cannot.

I awaken to the sound of my mother and two handmaids lacing her corset. She turns to meet my gaze, “Aetros! Oh thank goodness, I was worried you wouldn’t be awake when the boat came in.”

“The… boat?” My head is spinning, but I am almost certain she said ‘boat’.

“Yes, dear, the boat,” She takes my hand and we leave her dressing room. I pass by the mirror; my scar is gone, my horns not grown yet, I can’t be older than 15. I start to wonder if it’s normal to question my age if I’m not in a dream.

My mother takes me to the port that usually is only used by our military. Every guard nods and smiles and we walk by, some even bow. The Major General is waiting at the end of the dock.

“Your highnesses,” He bows to both of us.

“The honor is all ours, Raviatan. He would be dreadfully upset if we were not present upon his arrival.” My mother pats my shoulder and smiles.

“I am pleasantly surprised that young Aetros could join us today,”

My cheeks turn red, “Likewise, Sir…” At this moment, I am not entirely sure who it is I am waiting on. I know she said the General, but is it customary for us to greet the military after a mission? We’ve never had to before.

“There she is! The General’s ship!” Major General Raviatan points at a military vessel floating on the horizon.

A very familiar horned figure stands on the bow on the ship, hands behind back, eyes on the horizon.

“Dad…” I whisper quietly. I see my mother smile.

It’s strange; every time I see him in a dream, every time I see him at all, it feels like the first time all over again. I hope I never forget what that feels like.

The boat drops anchor, two lines of soldiers walk past us before the General finally steps out onto the dock.

“Welcome back, General Valaar.”

“Reserve the formalities for the War Room, Ravi,” He turns to greet mother and I, embracing us simultaneously, “I missed you both so much,” My mother kisses his cheek, he returns the gesture. Mother steps away so that my dad can sweep me off my feet and twirl with me in his arms. “Especially you, kiddo.”

I feel tears swell in my eyes, “I’m so glad you’re back.” he feels almost too large for me to wrap my arms around, but that doesn’t stop me.

“Aww come on, I know that you have to have missed Wallace just a tiny bit.”

“Wall-”

I hear a faint, subtle, “Boo,” over my left shoulder. It’s enough for me to jump out of my father’s arms in fright, nearly falling into the water.

“Woah!” Wallace grabs my hand and pulls me closer, “I didn’t mean to actually scare you.”

“Come, you two, we can talk about the college together.” My mother ushers down the boardwalk.

The college?

---

“So we’re calling it the ‘(Last name) Institution of Science’ and we should be opening some time before Winter. The site is beautiful and the architects have done a wonderful job. I’m hoping that I will get to take Aetros before classes begin.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea. We’re all so proud of you. I’m sure your father would be too.” Mother pats Wallace’s shoulder reassuringly.

I almost can’t believe it. Wallace was before me, a changed man with intentions on educating future generations. A man who wanted to leave a legacy. Could I trust it? Was this truly someone bent on changing their future or did my mind fabricate something more twisted than the reality itself?

“You’ve been awfully quiet, dear, “ My father looks to me, “Is everything alright?”

“U-uh, y-yes… I just haven’t felt very well today. Forgive me, everyone.” I nervously take a sip of my tea.

“I understand, Aetros. I can take you back to your room, if you’d like.” Wallace smiles dearly.

“Oh, would you? Katayida and I have some personal matters to discuss.” Mother looks at me, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious.”

Wallace extends his arm. I take it.

We walk in silence.

“... I know today is hard for you,” He says to me, solemn.

“... in what way?”

“Well… y’know… it’s kinda the anniversary of my mother’s e-execution…”

Excuse me? “I would think that would be harder on you,” I am trying my best to blend into the situation, “She was your mother.”

“Yeah, but she tried to kill you. Like, in public,” Well, he has me beat there, “Besides, we weren’t close. I can’t really feel bad for someone I hardly knew.”

I hope Maelline is rolling in her grave, “I guess you have a point.”

“Parents are just people who have children. Family are the people who love and care about you,” Wallace looks to me, “You, Lissa and Katayida are my family.”

“I-I’m honored… you feel this way…” I can’t believe it. I physically can’t believe it. The fabric of the dream shivers. I’m reminded of the real Wallace, the other Wallace? The one that wanted to conquer the world and create abominations, the morally corrupt one, the one that tried to kill us more than once.

I cry out as the memories flood back to me, my knees hit the floor. I can’t stop shaking.

“Aetros! What happened?! Are you okay? What can I do?” Wallace comes to my aide. Why is he- which one is he? I can’t- I can’t remember.

“Talk to me! What do you need? Please tell me what’s wrong!” he begs.

“I… I remember everything.”

And I black out.

---

Reality stabs me with a sharp dagger. This isn’t a dream; it’s a memory. A memory from another time. This is the world where my father never left and Maelline was overthrown. This is the world I had always wondered about. But I don’t understand; what good is it to experience this if I can’t remember anything else? To me, my father barely knows who I am, despite loving me unconditionally, Maelline is alive and hellbent on my death, and Wallace is right beside her.

In the end, what do I believe? What should I trust? How do I know that this will last? How long will this last? I know what is real.

But do I even want to remember what’s real anymore?

I feel something gently trace the points of my horns, it moves down my cheek, and stops at my chin.

“Well, this is certainly odd.”

That voice. I know that voice. I know that voice.

“Weren’t your horns bigger before you fell asleep, honey?”

HYRSAM????

I jump to life. There he is; the fae spirit himself, Hyrsam the fool. And I’m in his bed. I think.

“Did… did anything happen while I was asleep?” I ask, exasperated.

“No idea, I left for a moment to check on something,” he makes the face where he pretends he’s not reading my mind. His eyes widen and he jumps back.

“What? What is it?”

“U-uh… this might be a weird question. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I was back at home. I was like… 15? My father was a General and Wallace was about to open a college. I passed out in the hallway after… after…”

Hyrsam throws a dress my way, “I just want to make it very clear, I did not make out with you while you looked like a teenager.”

“Do I look like one now?”

He nods fervently, averting his eyes.

I clothe myself, embarrassed for whatever version of myself I am living through, “So… what reality is this?”

“How do you mean?”

“What makes this world different from the others? I was just in the one where Maelline was overthrown and executed. I think I live in the one where there’s a war going on and there are spiders everywhere?”

He looks distant.

“Please, I need to know. It’s getting really hard to sort my thoughts.”

“... Well, Lolth’s threat is gone here…”

“Uhuh and?”

“You’re the only one who lived.”

“The… only one?”

He nods, “No one survived.”

“Hyrsam, you have to tell me what happened,” I reach for his hand, he pulls away, “I’m scared, I don’t even really know where I am anymore… I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

He falls quiet for a moment.

And sighs deeply.

---

The sky is gray with storming clouds, creatures I couldn’t begin to identify swarming around us. I hold tight to Daxos as we bound across the battlefield, blood oozing from a gash in my side among other places. I look across the landscape, a familiar Dragonborn staves off a Chitine while she stands over a druid I recognize as Bloeedueth. A little ways down, I see a Barbarian man fall to the might of several spiders. The blood and gore goes on for what feels like miles, my head feels light, I hear the calls of my loved ones, some distant, some close. Daxos finally stops, wrapping his long, displaced tendrils around me and tossing me into what I realize now is a portal. I reach towards him, but he runs away. I hear his roar echo from the beyond as I am now displaced from place in time.

The Feywild is bright and beautiful, unsuitable for my damaged body and my cries of pain. The corner of my eye catches the sight of another body, I crawl towards it, noticing it rested against another. A Drow and a Half-Elf, Jaron and Cyrus. Jaron’s breath rattles, his head against Cyrus’s chest. “W-we held on… as long as possible…” He turns around, his eyes finally meeting mine. His gaze shifted to my injured body, “Aetros, you’re…”

“I can’t look… is it bad?” I choke, blood falling from my lips into the dirt.

Jaron stood up, revealing the extent of his injuries; a spider’s leg through his arm and several leg-sized holes in his body. Weakly, he dragged me over to Cyrus, I felt a cry in my throat, but he silenced me, “I know. It’s okay.” He resumed his position, cradling the two of us now.

I reached for Cyrus’s hand, he barely curled his fingers around mine. He pressed his face against my arm and smiled. I felt it when he stopped breathing.

I started to wail, holding tightly to what was left of him. Jaron coughed, his breathing slowing down. I turned to him in horror, but all he could do was smile.

And then I was alone.

---

Hyrsam held me tightly as I relived those memories, each one in painful detail. He whispered to me quietly, “I’m sorry I wasn’t fast enough…” as I sobbed in his arms.

This reality felt cold and inhospitable now and all I wanted to do was leave again. I would take the fake smile on Wallace’s smug face over losing all of my family and comrades to Lolth’s tyrade. I would take it in stride even if there were a knife through my heart.

“Aetros- You’re-” Hyrsam quickly let go of me, calling to attention the scars on my body, fresh and bleeding.

“Make it stop!” I try to lay on hands myself, to no avail.

Hyrsam conjures a small pile of bandages and healing salves, generously covering me in each. I’m shaking by the end, sobbing through each wrap of the cloth. Hyrsam looks distressed, even moreso than the last time I had seen him, (but he didn’t need to know about that). When he finishes, he takes a step back, “I uh… I’ll let you rest for a bit. It sounds like you need it.” he leaves the room quietly. I am alone again.

I close my eyes, wondering when this sick dream will end.

“I just want to go home…” I whisper.

---

I am greeted by the pitch black void instead.

I float aimlessly.

Quietly.

“You.”

Or so I thought.

I turn around and face my companion in this void.

Wallace charges at me, his hands aimed for my neck. I quickly dodge and float to the side.

“You did this. You put me here!!” he put the toe of his boot to my head, but the force only pushed me.

“I haven’t done anything! I’m just as confused as you!!” I moved a fist in his direction, pushing him away in a similar fashion. We continued pushing each other until we realised this was doing nothing.

“I don’t need to kill you to get out of here. I can find some other way.” Wallace examined his surroundings fervently with his calculating stare.

“Get out? Aren’t you dead?” The last thing I remembered before I switched realities was Ælfric with his sword, gutting Wallace where he stood. You don’t just forget that you died.

Wallace paused, then continued to look around, “As if that’s going to stop me. I’d take a thousand more lifetimes of watching my miserable lives play out than sit here with you.”

“Wallace… I don’t think you get to leave.”

“And what makes you think that you do?”

“If you want me to be honest, I saw 15 year old me die in a hallway, watched my friends and family die in my arms, I apparently also had sex with a fae prince, and that’s just what I’ve seen today.” I concede.

“You’ve seen your other lives as well?”

We share a knowing gaze.

“... What happened in yours?”

“Anything and everything, in grave detail. Including the things you mentioned.”

“What happened after we were in the hallway?”

He scoffed, “You went into a coma then died 2 weeks later. I had a nervous breakdown and resigned control of that university to someone else. Immediately began studying the dark arts in attempt to bring you back, pissed off the god of death, Katayida killed me out of ‘mercy.’ That was a boring one. Very out of character for me.”

“Gods. That’s horrible.”

“Nowhere near as bad as the one where the woman I fell in love with became brainwashed and tied me to our mattress to kill me. Love is an odd thing, let me tell you.” He laughed as though it were a joke. He had been brutally murdered at least 3 times and he was laughing about it.

“Are you not the slightest bit disturbed that you’ve died so horribly?”

“Disturbance is subjective. As is happiness. Why do you ask? I know you don’t feel sympathy towards me.” His eyes pierced through me, callousness unmatched.

“Well… you’re right to assume that I don’t sympathize with you entirely, but I understand how you feel. A little.”

“I find that very hard to believe, your highness,” Wallace crossed his arms, “Pray tell how the suffering of others looks from high upon your horse?”

“What makes you think my life was so easy?” I hear the void echo my words, amplifying them, intensifying them, “And what do you care for the suffering of others anyway?”

Wallace becomes quiet.

“Perhaps you should recall those alternate lives of yours and jog your memory; my life was in no way easy.”

“It was because you were weak.” Wallace muttered.

“It was so much more than that and you know it.”

Wallace’s brow furrowed as he straightened his back out, “This conversation is pointless. Your presence here is pointless-”

“Why? Because I don’t agree with you? Because maybe, just maybe, we’re not-”

“We are strangers, Aetros.” His voice echoed across the void, “Whatever sympathetic comparison you are looking for doesn’t exist. Not where you’re from anyway.”

“... That’s not what I-”

“Open your eyes, child. You can’t begin to fathom why I would do the things I have because you’re too ‘good’ and ‘noble’ to be affiliated with someone who takes what they know is theirs. You can’t understand why we’re so different when we’re so very similar.”

His words linger in the air.

I see his gaze falter momentarily, but return to it’s cold resting place. He knows more than I can comprehend.

“Is that how you feel about me?” I ask, naively.

“I see so much more in you. It is beyond me why you squander such a powerful being,” he almost sounds sincere, “Had I known that I didn’t necessarily need…” his hands begin to quiver and eminate a faint light, “What are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything, I’m listening to-” he draws attention to my own glow. We exchange confused looks as the world around us changes, “Wallace?”

Wallace is changing. His hair grows long and his clothes change entirely. His scars from mechanical augments disappear. I am standing before a completely different man, and it becomes apparent the moment he opens his mouth.

“Is that what you remembered?”

I recall our last conversation. He held me in his arms as I died, overwhelmed by the knowledge of my previous lives. He had seen it all. Now he understood.

My hands were still glowing. I open my mouth to speak, but something stops me; the sound of my own voice, speaking instead.

“I missed you so much. Wallace!” A ghost of my former self runs past me, into his arms. The scene plays in reverse, and plays again on repeat. More Wallaces appear. More Aetros appear. They hold each other tightly. They push each other away. They talk. They nod. They laugh. They cry. They scream. But in the end, they walk together into a beacon of light, content with what had become.

One by one they disappear. And once again, I am left with Wallace from my time.

He seems uncomfortable.

“You okay…?”

“Did you notice how many of them were happy to see each other?”

I had, actually. “Quite a few, wouldn’t you say?”

“More than I thought there’d be.”

The void quaked around us, but Wallace stood unphased.

“I’m sure your friends are waiting for you.” He gestured behind me, a pillar of blue light stretched beyond the bounds of space. No such pillar was behind Wallace.

“But what about-”

“It’s clear that I have some thinking to do.” he folds his hands calmly behind his back.

The pillar draws me in.

“Wallace?”

“Yes, Aetros?”

“I…” The pillar takes in my arm, “I’m glad we got a chance to talk.”

“Likewise, your highness.”

And then, I remember nothing.

#aetros writes #aetros valaar #Dungeons and Dragons #d&d character #d&d 5e #writing #long reads

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gruumpy-cat · 6 years

Text

The Art of Being Nonchalant (Or Not) / Chapter Five

Needless to say, after being so stupid to look away while flying straight for the fucking flying buttress, I didn’t feel like riding my broom anymore. I couldn’t understand my own stupidity, though I suspected it wasn’t so much stupidity that almost killed me, but my foolishly competitive nature. I just had to look away to gloat over being faster than James. Right. If curiosity killed the cat, then my ego is what was going to be the death of me. They should write that on my gravestone.

We were lying on the ground near the Great Lake, our hands barely touching, our brooms unceremoniously discarded a few feet away. The barely there contact was what helped the most with my shock. It was a link to reality, to life. The sign that I was still there, alive, safe.

The stars twinkled in the night sky, a distant owl hooted. My heart was still beating fast, as though it was going to pop out of my chest.

I propped myself on my elbow so I could look at James, who was staring at the sky. He wasn’t as pale as before but it was obvious he was also shaken up. I nudged a tad closer and he managed a small smile as my face obscured his view of the sky.

“I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“I don’t want to think about that,” he said. He moved up, tucking the hair that fell in my face behind my ear, his hand lingering, touching my flushed cheek. His touch felt like fire.

For the briefest and most ludicrous of moments, presumably resulting from temporary insanity caused by shock, it seemed like he was about to kiss me.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a huge eagle owl flew down and dumped a letter on my head, immediately flying away, not even waiting for a response.

James, as if woken up from a dream, jerked away from me and looked at the hand that touched me in bewilderment. I sat up properly and turned over the letter. It was addressed to me in familiar handwriting. I tore open the envelope and took out the parchment. There were splashes of wine on the parchment, slightly smudging some of the words and the whole letter stank of alcohol and smoke.

Dear Ms Jones,

You will be pleased to know that the English National Quidditch Team has bloody annihilated Transylvania in today’s match. Your parents are currently otherwise occupied, so I was tasked with notifying you about the result. Best of luck in the coming school year!

Yours sincerely,

Ravi Patel

Assistant Manager with the English National Quidditch Team

James cocked his head at me with a questioning look. I rolled my eyes and shoved the letter towards him. He briefly scanned it and frowned. After he read the letter, James took out his wand and set it on fire. Neither of us said anything. There was nothing to say about the already established fact that my family was fucked up.

As the flames died down, James stood up and dusted himself off. I took the hand he extended and pulled myself up. We picked up our brooms and started the walk back to the castle. James put an arm around my shoulders and instead of taking the shortcut to the Gryffindor Tower, he steered us towards the kitchens.

“The kitchens?”

“I think both of us need a hot chocolate sprinkled with Firewhisky after a near-death experience.”

It was nice sitting down in the kitchens and drinking the spiked hot chocolate. The house elves loved James for all the obvious reasons, and they even liked me, no doubt because I was James’ friend. I never met a house elf before James took me to the kitchens in first year to grab some sweets after I picked a fight with Stella Moss, the ultimate fan of her aunt’s lovely journalist work. Yes. Rita Skeeter’s niece. How could I not try to hex her? Luckily for me, the third year wasn’t that good with her wand.

I blew into my cup before taking a sip. The wonderful mix of chocolate and Firewhisky made me relax.

“How come your go-to answer to all my problems is Firewhisky?” I asked James, “Am I giving off the vibe of being an alcoholic?”

He snickered at that but soon turned serious, “Believe me, I’m tempted to solve your problems another way, only if I could.”

“James…”

“What?” he asked and stood up, towering over me, “How can they not even…Bloody hell.” He sat back down and finished his hot chocolate. “Are we going to talk about it?”

I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to feel like I felt when we were flying.

Or…Or when we were by the lake.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” I sighed, “and anyway, we already did. Every time something like this comes up…We’re all fucked up and that’s the end of it. It’s great when we’re together, it’s depressing when we’re not. I’m tired of trying to come up with excuses for my family. So can we just leave it? Please?” I looked at him with pleading eyes and his expression softened.

“Fine. But I’m here for you.”

“I know.”

“Quinn!”

Someone was shaking me.

“If you don’t get up right now you’ll miss breakfast and classes!” Dom was yelling at me. Why did she feel the need to bother me so early in the morning? I bet it wasn’t even eight o’clock. Silly Dom.

“Quinn fucking Jones!” Ash pulled my covers and exposed me to an unreasonably chilly morning air.

“What the fuck do you want?” I roared from my position on the bed, curled up around the oversized pillow. My eyes were closed against the sunlight streaming in. Staying up late with James the previous night, almost dying and my general tendency to oversleep that even grandad wasn’t able to uproot all resulted in my dorm mates taking it upon themselves to force me out of bed.

I opened my eyes and saw Ash pursing her lips in annoyance. Her usually wild hair was somewhat tamed in a loose bun and her caramel skin was practically glowing bathed in sunlight. It should be against the law to look that good so early in the morning.

Dom sat down on my bed and patted my shoulder with a comforting hand. There was no sign of our other dorm mates.

“You look like shit,” she said and offered me a mirror. As I looked at my reflection, I understood why she was suddenly being comforting instead of annoyed. I was white as a corpse and had dark circles around my eyes that a panda would be proud of. Sadly, I wasn’t a panda.

“Thanks. I guess,” I muttered and looked at my watch. I only had twenty minutes before classes started. Fuck.

I got dressed and arrived at the Great Hall in record time. It was almost empty, but James and Fred were still at the Gryffindor table. I collapsed on the bench next to them, throwing my bag on the floor. Stuffing some toast in my mouth I took the timetable Fred offered me and skimmed over it. Luck was on my side for once because we had double Transfiguration before lunch, my favourite class. Not knowing what I wanted to do after Hogwarts if I didn’t make it in professional Quidditch meant I still took a lot of the core classes. I dropped Herbology, History of Magic, Astronomy and Ancient Runes after fifth year, but kept Arithmancy. Numbers were something I was good at.

“Hurry up!” Fred was squirming in his seat, looking at his watch. I sent him a murderous glare but still got up, grabbed another piece of toast and we left the Great Hall. Professor Cavendish held a grudge against Fred. Accidentally setting her pet rabbit on fire during our third-year practical exam meant she took any chance she got to give him detention and take away house points from Gryffindor. Fred tried to reason with her that she shouldn’t have had Hermes in the classroom with us while we took the exam but of course, it was futile. Poor Hermes was buried near Greenhouse Six. Cavendish still visits his grave every week and leaves some carrots on it.

James tapped the statue of the Architect of Hogwarts with his wand seven times and it moved to the side, allowing us to enter the tunnel that led us straight to the third-floor corridor where we had our Transfiguration lesson. I was just finishing up eating the toast I grabbed earlier when someone bumped into me from behind before I could follow James and Fred into the classroom.

I turned around and saw that it was an out-of-breath Jackson Wood. Even while audibly panting and holding his side, Jax Wood somehow managed to look fit while doing it. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the result of a torrid love affair between the most eligible bachelor according to Witchy Quidditch for I don’t even know how many years, Oliver Wood, and the Norwegian half-Veela supermodel Freya Johansen.

He caught his breath and looked up, “Oh, it’s you.” Straightening up, his face broke into a smirk.

“Oh, it’s you? You ran out of flirty remarks or what?” I asked. He cracked a smile and scratched his jaw. I noticed his dirty blonde hair was sticking up at odd angles and his shirt was untucked, his tie loose. There was a smear of pink lipstick on his collar.

“If flirty remarks worked on you, I would’ve used those ages ago.”

“Maybe I’ve changed, who knows?” I said and winked at him, “How early did you have to get up to shag somebody before classes started?”

“Are you implying that I should try it? And, uh, who says I ever went to sleep?”

I rolled my eyes at him and moved closer to fix his collar and emerald green tie. Jax seemed to have a completely different idea of what we were doing. Putting an arm around my waist, he pulled me even closer, leaning into me and closing his eyes. In the last moment before he could crash his lips on mine, I moved my head a little to the side so he only got the corner of my lips. While I appreciated his efforts, because who the hell wouldn’t (damn those Veelas!), we were late for my favourite class.

“For fuck’s sake, Jax! You should at least shower after a shag before you try snogging me!” I said in a teasing tone.

He looked dazed, “Sorry!” he exclaimed, jumping away like I hexed him, “I thought you were going to, uh, you know, after telling me I should try flirting and –”

I had to stop myself from laughing too hard at him so I turned around and opened the door of the classroom. He followed behind me, his face the embodiment of confusion.

“…for the upcoming NEWTs,” we interrupted Cavendish as we took our seats. Her eyes turned to slits when she noticed us, “Miss Jones, Mr Wood. Aren’t we lucky to be graced with your presence?” James and Fred looked over their shoulders at us, both of them snickering. Fred likely because he wasn’t the one in trouble with Cavendish for once and James…Well, James liked when his sort-of-rival lost his House points. Even though they were friendly enough with each other, both Jax and James were Quidditch Captains, which always resulted in just a bit of tension. Maybe more than just a bit. Eh.

“Five points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin,” Cavendish continued. She gave Jax the once-over and frowned even more, “Another five points from Slytherin for looking unkempt! Now, as I was saying before being rudely interrupted…” and she droned on about NEWTs and the amount of work she was going to give us and nothing even remotely interesting.

A parchment shaped like a bird fluttered to my desk. Opening it, I looked around to see who sent it. Fred and James were muttering something between themselves, but Ash caught my eye and wiggled her brows suggestively, making eyes at Jax who was sitting next to me and currently trying his best to not fall asleep.

Wood? Really, Quinn? He’s been trying to get in your knickers for two years now!!! Before holidays started Dom and I called off the bet, thinking it’ll never happen!

The rest of the parchment was filled with either lewd stick figure pictures Ash drew or with equally lewd comments about how fit Jax is. I love how it seems that among my group of friends and even my family, it’s very common for them to make bets about my sex life. Rolling my eyes at Ash, I didn’t bother with scribbling a response. Instead, I took out my wand and transfigured the note into a quill, because I managed to forget mine this morning. At that moment, Cavendish turned around and saw me.

“It seems that even when late to class, Miss Jones doesn’t refrain from showing off her Transfiguration skills. One point from Gryffindor for passing notes in class and five points for Gryffindor for the nice spellwork. If you’re quite done, I shall continue with the lesson.”

The rest of the lesson was more of the same. I admit, I zoned out about halfway through because I didn’t really enjoy listening to Cavendish try and make us worry about NEWTs at the start of the school year. Jax fell asleep behind a book he charmed to stay open and upright in front of his sleeping form so I got bored pretty fast with no one to talk to or exchange notes with. My mind drifted off to Selene Zhang and her cold, blank face and dead eyes. I hoped either grandad or Ethan would send an owl and at least let me know they didn’t kill anybody since I left for Hogwarts. I’ll probably have to talk this over with James, just to get the whole thing out of my head. Last night was filled with too much excitement and shock for me to be in a talkative mood.

After class ended, Cavendish waved me over, “Miss Jones, I want to talk to you.”

I shrugged my shoulders at Ash, Fred and James, “I’ll see you guys at lunch,” I said and walked up to the professor’s desk. Despite being in her thirties, Cavendish had a stern look to her that made her appear older.

“Have you thought about what you want to do after you graduate, Miss Jones?” she asked and looked at me over her glasses.

“Play Quidditch professionally, Professor.”

“Hm… And if you don’t get an offer from a team? What then?”

I didn’t like to think about that possibility. Mainly because it made me angry and frustrated. The only way I’ve ever known how to deal with that was to not think about it and pretend I was completely convinced of my superb Beater abilities.

“With all due respect, Professor, I will get an offer. So, if there was nothing else…” I trailed off, hoping I was rude enough that she’ll get off my case.

She sighed, took off her glasses and started to clean them, “Very well. You’re free to go. But, do remember that you have options. Whether you like it or not, the future is always uncertain.” With one last look thrown my way, she shooed me away.

After that wonderful talk, I decided to take the longer route to the Great Hall. I felt like it would help with clearing my head.

As I walked through the first-floor corridor leading to the Grand Staircase, I spotted Scorpius suspiciously looking around before he fully emerged from behind the tapestry of Wulfric the Wondrous.

“We’ve only been back half a day, why are you already sneaking about?” I asked him. Scorpius looked at me with wide eyes, “I, uh… I’m not –”

Lily Potter’s head appeared from behind the tapestry, followed by the rest of her, “Scorpius, what are you –” She stopped in her tracks when she saw me.

I smirked at them and put my hands on my hips, “Ha! I wasn’t seeing things that night at The Howler! You two are dating!”

Lily frowned, “You can’t tell my brother.” Scorpius inhaled sharply at the mention of Lily’s brother. I threw him a questioning look, but he just shook his head, not saying anything.

“I don’t think James would care.”

She rolled her eyes at me, “My other brother, you…Argh!” She threw her hands in the air, “Why are you even walking around here?”

I raised an eyebrow, “Oh, yeah, Al would most certainly care. And what the hell, I was just going to lunch like a normal person does at lunchtime, not sneaking behind tapestries and involving random people in their schemes when they get caught.”

“Just don’t tell him, alright?”

“What’s in it for me?”

“What are you, a Slytherin?” At this, Scorpius looked offended, “Hey!” Lily just ignored his protest, continuing to look at me. I felt a little sorry for her when I remembered how her last boyfriend sported a fancy tail, courtesy of Al, for the better part of a week, before Madam Bones managed to remove it.

“Okay, fine, it’s not like we’re gossip buddies, anyway.” I started to walk away from them but turned around to say something I thought of, only to be met with a full on snog-fest that looked ready to quickly be transformed into a shag-fest. Scorpius had Lily pressed against a wall, his hand dangerously high on her thigh. “Hey, idiots!” They jumped away from each other and both turned a deep red. “It’s the middle of the fucking corridor! I know you’re fucking hormonal and can’t keep it in your pants, but don’t blame me when the whole school ends up knowing your little secret!”

The only answer I got was the two of them disappearing behind the tapestry again. I scrunched up my nose, shook my head and walked away. If they’d rather shag and starve than eat lunch who am I to stop them?

I sat down next to James at the Gryffindor table. Somehow, none of our other friends were there. Putting my head in my hands I groaned.

“What is it? I thought you liked Transfiguration,” he said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

I looked up at him and made a sad face, “I like Transfiguration. I don’t like professors being nosy and tormenting me with stupid questions.” I piled roast chicken and grilled vegetables on my plate. “Cavendish implied I won’t get an offer to play professional Quidditch.”

“Fucking Cavendish can’t tell which ball is the Bludger and which one is the Snitch. Since when do you even care what other people think?”

“I don’t. But I do care when people annoy me on the first day of school. It doesn’t matter, let’s talk about something else.”

“Okay, let’s talk about…,” he rummaged around in his backpack until he took out a crumpled copy of the Daily Prophet from this morning, “this.” He handed me the paper and the front page was filled with a huge picture of grandad looking shady and threatening with another guy I vaguely recognised as the CEO of Vulcan’s Fire, Augustus Thorne. The headline ‘IAN JONES – THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN?’ was just the lead up to an article full of lies and misinterpretations.

If I was anyone else, I’d have thought my grandfather was a mastermind behind ‘the Stormwind affair’, as the unsigned journalist called Vulcan’s Fire trying to push out Selene, and that he was using Ethan to hunt her down. It was also implied that she went crazy in their Iceland facility and killed one member of the board of directors, but it was only said to be an ‘unconfirmed rumour’. I sighed and told James the whole story, or at least the part of the story I was familiar with.

He scratched his chin, “And you haven’t heard from your grandad or Ethan?”

“Nope.”

“Interesting.”

I looked up at that, “What’s interesting?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Everything. I could ask my dad to see if he knows something –”

Grabbing his hand I said, “No, you bloody won’t! We’re not getting involved and neither is your dad. Grandad’s business is his own so we’re just going to let him do his thing and pretend nothing is happening.”

“But Quinn –”

“Ah ah ah! No buts. We’re not talking about this.”

“We’re not talking about what?” Dom asked as she sat down opposite us, carrying a basket filled with what looked like raw meat.

“Jax Wood,” I said without thinking, James stayed silent but still nodded his head. I didn’t want anyone else knowing about anything that happened with grandad and Selene.

Dom’s eyebrows shot up, “Oooooh, do tell!” She smirked and took a bite of my chicken.

I rolled my eyes and pulled my plate away from her, “There’s nothing to tell, he bumped into me before Transfiguration. He was late because he spent the whole night shagging someone.”

She got a dreamy look in her eyes and sighed wistfully, “I wouldn’t mind being that someone.”

I refrained from saying anything about Teddy but James nearly choked on his juice. “You’re just saying that because he’s part Veela,” he said.

“I’m part Veela so it’s definitely not that.”

“I don’t think that the Veela influence cancels each other out.”

“How would you –”

“Hey Dom, why are you walking around with a basket full of raw meat?” I had to stop them because their discussions that always turn into arguments could go on forever.

She grinned, “I was helping Hagrid feed the Hippogriffs after my Care of Magical Creatures class. You know, Quickclaw has grown quite a bit since before the summer holidays! She’ll be flying long journeys in no time…” Dom continued gushing about Quickclaw, the baby Hippogriff she helped Hagrid care for last year. Dom, Ash and I found her abandoned in Hogsmeade one weekend, near Hog’s Head. Hagrid thought Quickclaw ended up there because of some illegal breeder trying to sell her off way too young.

The rest of the day passed in much the same way, with all the Professors needlessly stressing us out over NEWTs while the student body mostly gossiped about everyone and everything. The usual for the first day back at school.

We were all sitting at the Gryffindor table and eating dinner, with James and Fred talking about the merits of Potions.

“No mate, I’m telling you, Potions are the next big thing.”

“But Defence Against the Dark Arts is –”

James interrupted, “So old school. Listen, you know how the Muggles have all these drugs…Well, imagine what you could achieve with some creative Potion making!” He smirked, “I already have quite a few ideas.”

“James, you’re not seriously considering making drug-like Potions and selling them to wizards?” Ash asked.

Fred rolled his eyes and stabbed a piece of roast beef with his fork, “Do you even have to ask? Of course he is.”

“Wizards? Dear, deluded Ash, I would sell them to wizards and Muggles!” James wasn’t totally kidding, either. He had a talent for Potions.

Dom looked around and stared at the Slytherin table with a confused expression on her face, “Why is Lily sitting with the Slytherins all of a sudden?” I turned around to look and saw Lily looking cosy between Al and Scorpius, the only Gryffindor at the table. Her cousin Hugo sat next to Scorpius and talked animatedly about something, making the other three laugh. At the whole other end of the table, Jax Wood was sitting alone for once, looking dejectedly at his uneaten broccoli.

Fred frowned, “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Wait, what? Did Fred catch them, too?

“Lily is comforting Al,” he continued, throwing a meaningful look my way. I choked on the glass of water I was in the process of gulping down. Everyone’s eyes turned towards me.

“That’s hilarious!”

“It’s not hilarious if it’s true.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “Stop it. Seriously, Al is fine, look at him! He’s laughing!”

“He’s dying on the inside,” Fred said in a serious tone, “He really has it bad for you, Quinn.”

I looked to James to save me from Fred’s hopeless romantic notions. He sighed, “Come on Fred, stop with the –”

“Aw, okay, you know I’m kidding, right Quinn?” He grinned at me, “I know you don’t believe in romance but you’ll see…” he said and winked. “James, when are we having the try-outs?” And just like that, the conversation turned from possibly dangerous territory to Quidditch and the upcoming try-outs for our team.

Dom was in the middle of telling Ash about Quickclaw, when Jonathan King, Ash’s Ravenclaw boyfriend stormed towards our table, waving his wand with various things I recognised as Ash’s levitating around him. He looked royally pissed off.

“Ashley!” Jonathan yelled. Ash stood up, looking bored out of her mind. I think that the fact he didn’t get a reaction from her pissed off Jonathan even more.

“What is it, Jonathan?” Ash was now twirling her wand.

“Two years! You’re throwing away…You! I fucking love you!” It seemed like everyone in the Great Hall was now staring at the two of them.

“You’re making a scene. I broke up with you, get over it.” Ash turned from him and started walking away. Jonathan’s face was as red as my Gryffindor knickers. He pointed his wand at Ash.

“Get over it? Fine! I’ll get over it! Here are your fucking things!” As he said this the things that were previously levitating around him started flying towards Ash. Fred got up and was starting to yell a curse at him when we heard a thud. Jonathan was on the floor, paralysed, with Ash’s things lying all over the Great Hall. Ash wore a triumphant smile as she tucked her wand in her robes.

“Thanks, Fred, but I can defend myself.” With that, she left the Great Hall, which was already brimming with gossip and rumours. No one came to help Jonathan, not even Flitwick, his ancient Head of House.

A tall and handsome Hufflepuff came over to our table and hugged Dom from behind. I raised my eyebrows.

“Well, that was eventful,” the Hufflepuff said. Dom looked up at him and smiled, “This is Sean Murphy, my boyfriend.”

James and Fred stared at her in surprise. I couldn’t help myself and there was no one there to stop me since Ash left and she was the tactful one, “But what about Teddy?” I asked. Fred belatedly kicked me under the table and I winced. Dom temporarily lost the grin but soon composed herself while Sean looked in confusion at me.

“What about Teddy?” Dom said. Now James kicked me. I forced a smile, “Nothing?”

James grinned at him, “Ignore Quinn, she’s taken a Bludger to the head recently. So, uh, Sean, you want to come to the party we’re organising next weekend? To welcome the new members of our Quidditch team.”

I didn’t know about any party until just now. Nobody tells me anything.

Sean gave me a sympathetic look but still smiled widely and sat down next to Dom, holding her hand on top of the table, “Sure!”

A chocolate cake appeared before me, courtesy of Fred, and I started eating it, ignoring Sean’s pitying glances. “You’re paying me back for this,” I muttered to James. He pretended something fell down on the floor behind me and whispered, “I had to have Dom’s back.”

I snickered, “Are we a bad influence on her?” James had a wolfish grin on his face, “We’re a great influence.”

#fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #james potter #next gen #the art of being nonchalant

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