#after all what is magic without sacrifice or a hint of danger

[ashspecter]

All We Wanted

@pennerjones's prompt: Clockwork tends Pariah Dark’s wounds after a hard battle.

Summary: Soft moments turn bittersweet when the future doesn’t seem bright. Sometimes, things aren’t meant to last but they can still enjoy the time they have together.

TW: wounds, needles, stitches, mild angst

Words: 2050

Read on Ao3!

The moon hangs low in the midnight-blue sky, casting a silvery glow over the somber landscape. Shadows dance in time with the gentle breeze as it gently runs its fingers through the crowns of ancient trees. Some of the trees creak in tune, matching the soft rustle of leaves and filling the all-to-quiet night with a soft but haunting melody.

It is the sound of silence— a beautiful but dangerous thing.

Amid the forest, stands a dark silhouette against the light of the heavens— a fortress. Its cracked bricks, usually what might be a marbled gray, appear black in the silver light as its spires reach toward the stars like skeletal fingers. There are no lamps, torches, or lit hearths and there is no furnishing other than what was left by the previous proprietor. The place reeks of spectral memories yet to take shape. It’s a lonely place. It’s a sad place. Even so, there is one window with a warm glow.

The chamber beyond the window is dimly lit and carries a tension palpable enough to taste. But it isn’t of bitterness or resentment, but rather a simmering blend of worry and anger. The emotions mix with the scent of herbs and magic, making the space feel homely and safe despite the circumstances of those within.

Clockwork’s usually fluid and graceful movements now carry a hint of urgency as their spectral form flickers with a muted frustration. In their frustration, their gloved hands work in a none-too-gentle way. Sticking and sewing torn flesh, cinching it shut, and moving on to the next quickly to keep their partner from bleeding any more than he already has. Every stick is punctuated by a sharp intake of breath.

Pariah, despite his injuries being minor, exudes an aura of calmness. But his hands clench and unclench at his sides, the knuckles white with tension each time. Despite the pain he feels, he watches Clockwork work with a mix of gratitude and guilt.

“You worry too much, Chime,” Pariah says, his voice low and steady, cutting through the tense atmosphere. “I’ve faced worse than a few cuts and bruises.”

Clockwork doesn’t look up from their task, their brow furrowed in concentration. “Perhaps, but that doesn’t make it any less concerning. You will eventually be the ruler of this realm. You can’t afford to be reckless.”

Pariah’s lips twitch in a wry smile, “Reckless? Me?”

Clockwork finally meets his eyes with a glare. It is meant to be heated, but their crimson eyes tell him of their worry and fear instead.

“I assure you, it was a calculated risk,” He replies, voice tinged with exhaustion. He raises a hand and pushes back their hood so he can cup their cheek without any hindrance. As he does, their messy silver-white hair spills over their shoulders, ending right at their clavicle, “I didn’t know we’d have to flee to the mortal realm.”

Clockwork leans into Pariah’s touch, “You shouldn’t have put yourself in harm’s way like that.” They exhale, closing their eyes briefly as they relish his touch. But just as soon as they are about to relax, they lift their head again and quickly pull the stitch they were working on closed.

As soon as they tie off the stitch, they move to the next continuing their work. Yet, while they work, their movements grow shaky with emotion as they are unable to keep it hidden any longer, “What if something had happened to you?”

Pariah’s gaze softens as he watches Clockwork’s hands tremble slightly. He reaches out with his other hand, gently clasping their wrist and stilling their movements, “Clockwork, you know as well as I do that protecting our realm sometimes requires sacrifices.”

Clockwork’s eyes flicker with frustration, “I understand your intentions, Pariah, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see, hear, or bear.”

Pariah’s grip tightens slightly, a flicker of pain crossing his features as he speaks, “Our duty sometimes demands more than we can give.”

Clockwork frowns and attempts to turn away, but Pariah’s hand keeps them still, “I just wish… I wish there were another way.”

Pariah’s thumb brushes over their cheek, wiping away a stray tear. “We’ll find a way, together. But for now, let’s focus on healing and regrouping. Our realm needs us more than ever.”

Clockwork nods, “I suppose you are right.”

As the conversation lulls, the tensions that once hung over them also seem to dissipate. The chamber settles into a tranquil silence, allowing the atmosphere to soften and quiet. Outside, the night seems to come to life as the song of many crickets and frogs fills the air.

Clockwork returns their attention to Pariah’s injuries, their movements methodical and precise. With each careful touch, the stress that had knotted their brow and shoulders begins to loosen. They immerse themselves in their task as the rhythm of their tending becomes a soothing cadence that fills the space between them.

Pariah, sensing the shift in their mood, lets out a slow breath and relaxes in their partner’s care. Then, after a moment, he says, “This is quite a nice castle, don’t you think?”

“It serves its purpose,” Clockwork replies, pulling another stitch closed.

Pariah winces slightly, then allows a smile to spread across his face, “We don’t have a place to call our own just yet.”

Clockwork glances up at him with a brow raised, “What are you suggesting?”

“What if we replicate this place in the Ghost Zone?” He asks, a fond glint shimmering in his eye.

“You mean a sanctuary where we can retreat when needed?”

“Exactly,” Pariah nods, “But I was thinking of calling something different.”

“A home?” Clockwork murmurs, their eyes distant as they imagine the idea in their mind’s eye. A place of comfort? Peace? Joy? Their expression changes to that of something doubtful. They haven’t had a home in a very long time. Will they like it? Will they enjoy it? Will it last?

“Yes, a home,” Pariah confirms, his voice carrying a hint of longing, “A sanctuary where we can find solace amidst the chaos of our duties.”

Clockwork’s expression melts as they envision themselves living in a place of comfort right by their lover’s side. It almost seems like too much to hope for. They try to look ahead, but nothing is revealed to them. They often forget that they can’t see much of their own future.

“It’s a wonderful thought,” They finally say, their tone betraying their uncertainty, “But I’m not… certain…”

Pariah offers a reassuring smile, “We’ll make it happen. Together, we can create our own haven, a place where we can find peace amidst the turmoil.”

Clockwork returns the smile, a flicker of hope igniting in their eyes. Perhaps it’s the exhaustion or the vulnerability of the moment, but for the first time in a while they allow themselves to believe in the possibility of a home they can call their own. How nice would that be? It warms their Core.

But then a thought strikes them rather abruptly and yanks back down into their fear, “Creating such a place would require a considerable amount of effort and magic.”

Pariah nods, “I’m willing to invest whatever it takes.”

“How so?”

Pariah takes one of Clockwork’s hands into his own. He slips the glove from their hand and lays it to the side. Then, he kisses it, gently, “I will devote everything I have to giving you a place to call home.”

Clockwork’s breath catches in their throat. How can he say something so confidently? How can he say something like that and genuinely mean it?

“You deserve it,” The warrior continues, “You have done so much for everyone else, the least you can have is a home. I will make it happen.”

Something in their core tightens, “I’ve done nothing.”

Pariah smiles, not wishing to argue about the subject, and places his hands on either side of Clockwork’s hips, “I will make it happen.”

How can he say such a thing? How can he promise something so grand? So nice? How can Pariah Dark give Clockwork so much hope? They don’t understand it.

“What of those who follow you?”

Pariah pauses for a moment, thinking, “They will have a place as well— a haven as well— a place where they can feel safe and protected.”

Clockwork gazes up at him with a mix of admiration and concern, “And what of you, Pariah? Will you find solace there as well?”

“I’ll find solace wherever you are, Chime,” He replies, meeting their gaze, “You are my home.”

A tender smile curves Clockwork’s lips as they return their attention to his wounds, their movements gentle and deliberate. 

A beat passes before they respond softly, “Then we’ll make it happen, together.”

Pariah sighs, content with the resolve in Clockwork’s voice. A warmth spreads through his core as well. The two of them— they are in this together. Truly. This is his partner— the one he intends to keep company with forever. He vows to do whatever it takes to form a future that his lover can relax in and never worry about anything ever again. He never wants to see them this upset for a second time.

As Clockwork’s nimble fingers continue their delicate work, the collection of their shared desires seems to weave itself into the very fabric of the room and hang in the air like a tangible promise of things to come. Each stitch they make becomes a symbol of their commitment to one another, binding them closer together.

The thought of creating a sanctuary— a home where they can find solace and peace together— fills the chamber with a sense of anticipation. But it’s not just about constructing a physical structure; it’s about building a haven where they can nurture their love and protect each other. The dream for the future comes to life in his mind, Pariah’s determination and Clockwork’s insight make it a perfect balance. They’ll be ready for anything. They’ll be the most powerful ghosts in the Zone. They’ll be the perfect rulers. What more could they ask for?

The hours pass smoothly in the quiet chamber, giving Clockwork the time and focus that they needed to finish cleaning and sewing up Pariah’s wounds. Each injury is now neatly sewn together and most of the shallow ones are already healing into small, ashy-green slivers.

As Clockwork begins to put away their supplies, Pariah sits up straighter and tests his newly healed wounds with a cautious touch. A smile tugs at the corners of his lips as he feels the familiar strength returning to his body. He then stretches, carefully, feeling the soreness beginning to ebb away. His movements are fluid despite the lingering ache. It pleases him.

Once he finishes stretching, he rises from his seat and steps over to the window to gaze out at the moonlit landscape. It’s beautiful. It’s peaceful. It’s perfect. If he could, he would replicate every little detail he could in the Ghost Zone. He would very much like to give this place to Clockwork. It is perfect for them.

Pariah sighs just as Clockwork joins him. Carefully, Pariah winds an arm around their waist and pulls them closer. Then, they look out that night for a moment in each other’s embrace.

“Thank you, Chime,” He whispers, his voice filled with warmth and affection as he places a kiss on their temple, “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Clockwork returns his smile, their own weariness momentarily forgotten in the glow of their accomplishment. “You would do just fine, my dear,” They reply, “But I’m glad I could help.”

With a warm smile, Pariah leans down again, his lips meeting Clockwork’s in a gentle kiss, sealing their shared ambition with a silent vow.

Nothing will separate them. Nothing can separate them. He will unite the Ghost Zone for them.

For as long as Pariah exists in his afterlife, nothing will come between them. He will give Clockwork the home they deserve. He will persevere. He will not let anything stand in his way. He will see to it. He swears to himself. And he’s a man of his word.

He has come this far, he will not lose anything he has worked hard to gain.

#danny phantom #clockwork #pariah dark #clockwork x pariah dark #pariah dark x clockwork #tw stitches #tw needles #tw wounds #tw angst #phic phight #phic phight 24 #phic phight 2024 #dp events #phandom #phandom events #oneshot #long post

[reviewdiaries]

Love and ferrets - Ace in 4x06

Ace, Ace, Ace, my dude, you had the best of intentions but boy you did not think this through.

Two of Ace’s love languages are acts of service and sacrifice. Any attempts to break the curse where it’s just his life on the line and he is there, no holds barred, ready and willing yes please let’s give that curse what for. As soon as there’s even the slightest hint that Nancy might be in danger through his actions and he immediately leaps to there’s no way we’re ever trying that again thanks. He doesn’t care how miserable it makes him, he can’t bear the thought of a world without her in it. Combine that with his serious issues with self-worth and he convinces himself whilst Nancy is in the hospital that it isn’t worth it - that he isn’t worth it. He can’t give her everything of himself, everything that he thinks she needs and wants and deserves, so he’ll sacrifice what he could have with her so that she has the chance to find that with someone else. Has he thought that through fully? No, but that’s beside the point, it’s the thought that counts. Calculation number one where he’s added two things together and come up with the sad emoji.

So he doesn’t think he’s worth it - definitely not worth Nancy’s life, or even the possibility of her life. That means they have to go back. Only untangling what they were to each other before is another calculation he’s failed to accurately make. They’ve both had feelings for each other for much longer than the other realised, and that’s impacted every part of their relationship. Their friendship is coloured by those feelings, by time and emotion and acts of love that they have performed again and again and again. They can’t just go back to being friends because they have loved each other (in so many different variations) from so early on that it’s impossible to unravel.

But Ace looks back at their relationship and he settles, no matter how deliberately, on one of his love languages to show that they’re ok - acts of service. He’s always made himself useful - to the investigation, the crew, Nancy. Tying back into his self worth, he thinks they wouldn’t want to be friends with him unless he’s useful, so he’s constantly trying to prove himself, trying to prove that they need him (they do need him, but not just for the reasons he thinks they do). If he can do this, tie up this investigation that’s been plaguing her for weeks, this will magically fix everything, it will show her (and him) that things can go back to how they were, he can be useful to her, he can make this thing easier, and then magically, it will all be ok. He’s not really looking beyond the immediate because that would require a bit more self awareness than he’s really got capacity for right now, so he fixates on this. 

GIF Credit @nancy-drew

This one thing, he does this one thing and it makes it right. This one thing and she’ll look at him like she used to. This one thing and the bitter taste in his mouth will ease and he’ll stop feeling like he’s cut off a limb and rewind back to when he just had an idea in his head of Nancy, rather than the reality of her warm and soft in his arms.

GIF Credit @nancy-drew

He’s stopped looking after himself, thrown himself into his work. He’s barely eating, only when other people stop by or send him meals does he think to wolf anything down to keep himself going. Otherwise it’s methodical work and organising parts and small puzzles that aren’t related to Nancy so his mind doesn’t tear itself apart thinking about her and the last time he saw her, right here in the morgue looking beautiful and heartbroken and telling him about finding another great love. 

Lying to her is hard work, so if he doesn’t see her and focuses on something else maybe it will get easier, and he doesn’t have to think about the fact that she’s it for him, there won’t be another great love, not like her, never like her. 

He can’t bear to go back to his flat with its shattered barometer and sheets that still smell like her from when she lay there with that beautiful smile on her face and told him all the ways he’d touched her. She is in so many places for him, but at least in the morgue it’s cold and impersonal.

He becomes so fixated on this one thing, finding Chunky, that he keeps on not being where he should be. He’s not there helping Bess with the portal, because that would mean seeing Tristan and he’s still trying to work out why it stings that Tristan was there with her when she got sucked through, that Tristan left her there. If it had been him with her none of this would have happened, he would have protected her, he wouldn’t have just left her there.

And he’s not helping look at the school, because he trusts Nick and George and right now he might be able to solve this other thing and when Nancy’s back he’s got an excuse to see her, to take Chunky to her and they can talk and maybe he can unknot more of how he’s feeling.

But he is there at the portal because of course he’s going to go through and save her. He should have been there in the first place, and he’s not letting Tristan go through and risk screwing it up again. But everyone else argues for Tristan and he ends up pinned in place waiting for a sight of Nancy, to know she’s ok, to see her and reassure himself that she’s ok she’s safe, it’s over. 

Only Tristan is practically dragging her through the portal and she’s got blood on her and he can’t do anything. He is paralysed by the portal and the curse and how tied up everything is and he can’t even touch her, pull her through, reassure himself that she’s ok. He can’t take his eyes off her. And when she quips how’s everyone else's day going his laugh feels shaky with the depth of his relief, and all he can do is breathe through the adrenaline that’s spiked through him with fear.

They go their separate ways, and she’s with George and Bess so he knows she’s ok, and then he gets the call that she’s not, and he runs. He should be there with her to hold her hand as Bess makes the cut, smooth the hair from her forehead and whisper that it’s ok, that it’s going to be ok. But he’s too late. He’s been so fixated on getting a trap and trying to catch Chunky for her, trying to prove himself, trying to take his mind off all the ways he thinks he’s failing, that he almost isn’t there in time. And he bursts through the door and Nancy is cowering and blood stained and pale and he doesn’t think, doesn’t hesitate to protect her. Love isn’t about dying for each other only when it’s Nancy’s life on the line. Ace will put himself in front of her every time. He will step up and hold the line, protect her with his life every time. Every. Single. Time.

GIF Credit @nancy-drew

She knows that. The look they share after the spider is dead shows that. He loves her and he won’t say it, can’t say it, can’t act on it, but he shows her in so many ways so many times.

And then she collapses and he flings himself over to her but the god damn curse stops him from reaching out. He’s trained himself so well not to reach for her, even when it’s killing him not to hold her, reassure himself that she’s there, she’s ok, that this too shall pass and she’s still breathing and it’s just the aftershocks of having a spider cut out of her. 

He feels untethered, shaken by the events of the day, but reassured by the moment shared with Nancy. Something is still there, it’s not completely broken whatever it is between them now. He keeps pushing her away, desperately trying to convince her it’s better if they don’t try, better that they’re not together. But he is so terrified to lose her, he keeps trying to find ways to bring them back together again.

And then. And then. Chunky. It’s a sign that things are on the right track. It’s a sign that things are going to be ok. It’s a sign that all isn’t lost and they can find their way back to each other. It’s a reason to seek her out, to see her, when he’s been telling himself he can’t. Every time he finds himself going to see her and has to turn himself around. Every time he’s reached for his phone to message her and tells himself he can’t. What would he say? He can’t tell her the truth - he loves her, he misses her, please let them keep trying. He can’t reopen that - not convinced that she’d say yes, convinced himself he’s not worth it, convinced himself that in the scales of him and Nancy the world would be fine without him but crumble without Nancy.

He’s so excited to see her and he’s so proud of all the work he did, and this right here is proof that they’ll be ok and they can still be friends and they can still mean something to each other and it isn’t ruined and he can still be helpful and she’ll still want to be around him. He doesn’t even knock, just slips in because he can hear music. And it’s like the bottom is punched out of his stomach, like his heart has been clenched in an iron fist. Because she’s slow dancing with someone else, not just anyone else, Tristan. Who has made it very clear he likes Nancy and he’s there in a stupid suit and there are flowers on the table and he’d told her to move on, but honestly the words and the reality were two separate things that he hadn’t really figured out how to put together yet. Two jigsaw pieces that he can look at in isolation but don’t fit no matter how he jams them together.

He wanted things to go back, but he realises in those moments watching her slow dance with someone else - someone who can hold her and touch her and kiss her - that going back was never an option. They could only ever move forward, it was just a choice about how they did that, and his fear of losing her dictated which path they took. He could be there, not holding her (maybe holding her) searching for ways to break the curse (already having broken the curse), laughing with her, teasing her, deepening the intimate connection they’d already forged in those days after she finally told him about the curse. Sharing time and memories and getting to see her, be with her, be the one that she looks at with love. But he let fear decide and now he’s left holding a ferret in a cage watching her with someone else.

He can’t think logically that maybe Nancy’s hurting too, maybe that’s why she’s reaching for comfort from anyone because Ace has broken her heart more thoroughly than she ever dreamed possible, and he’s made his feelings about their relationship perfectly clear. No, all he can see right there is all the ways he’s lacking, and all the ways Tristan is not.

And Chunky was hope. Chunky was a tether holding him to Nancy. Chunky was finding a path back to each other. But now there’s no hope. There’s just letting her go, no matter how much it hurts. There’s just shame that he thought he was still important. There’s just embarrassment over how revealing it would be to hand her Chunky, to leave Chunky where she could find him. Because Nick would tell her what had happened and it would be tied back to Ace, and how can he brush those feelings off, pretend he doesn’t feel as deeply as he does, pretend she isn’t consuming his thoughts and his actions and desires. 

He can’t bear it, so he takes Chunky and lets him loose - nearby so hopefully he’ll find his way to Nancy anyway but it can’t be tied back to him. But as he does this (another small act of love, acts of service, acts of sacrifice) Chunky bites him and god that hurts. All of it. Everything about this hurts.

GIF Credit  @nevenaxh

He can barely hold himself together as he gets back into Florence and drives, screeching away from Icarus Hall like the gates of hell have opened behind him. Like his heart is breaking. Like he’s shattered into pieces and some of them are being left behind.

#nancy drew #nancy drew cw #cw nancy drew #nancy drew meta #nancy drew analysis #ace [redacted] #nancy x ace #nancy #nace #naceedit #nancy drew spoilers #nancy drew 4x06 #nancy drew 4.06 #the web of yesterdays #have some angst #also tears #just gonna share the hurt around #stir it with a big spoon

[bellemorte180]

For Love or Sacrifice sneak peak

@helpless-in-sleep as promised, here is a sneak peak of your gift. The title is a WIP so that may change but it's what I'm going with right now.

Caroline peered around her room at the villa, the sounds of Aurora’s distraught cries as the final rose was handed to April still rang in her ear. Everyone had winced at the pitch that Aurora screamed at, alternating between tears and threats of violence. It was little surprise to Caroline, and everyone, that Aurora had been the first to go, especially since she made it very clear that she had a history with Klaus; a history Klaus clearly did not want to repeat. 

“I suppose we all have ex’s we wish we didn’t.” Caroline muttered as she flopped down on the uncomfortable bed, dreading the fact that she was here at all. She hadn’t wanted to be on television again but Stephen had been so adamant about her “getting back in the spotlight” and that this was “her chance”. It was moments like that, burning under pressure to be a star by both Stephen and her father that she wondered what her mother would have done if she had been alive to raise Caroline. “At least I’m not Elena.”

That had come as a surprise. Seeing two versions of the same person, one human and the other vampire standing in the same room was possibly the first supernatural twist of the show. Caroline had to admit that it might have been nice for them to give Elena a warning beforehand but that authentic reaction was what the show was going for. Elena all but fell into a panic and it did not help matters that Katherine was clearly enjoying the sight. She clearly knew that she was…whatever they were called.

Imagine finding out your some freaky magical recurrence on national television. Caroline thought as she peered up at the wooded ceiling, watching the beams tail across it. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing as she tried to push the thoughts of everything from Elena to the show to Klaus out of her mind. She couldn’t deny that he was attractive with his dimples and tousled blonde curls. The way his blue eyes trailed over her or the spark in them when she all but insulted him. He was alluring but she could feel the dangerous current that ran under his skin. Vampires were predators. It was terrifying that the world seemed to have forgotten that. 

“I don’t like this, Gorgeous.” Enzo had whispered to her during the going away party that was thrown in her honor. The pair watched as Stephen moved around the house as though he was the pageant queen. “Klaus Mikaelson is dangerous. He may have calmed down in order to avoid causing a scene in the media but I have a bad feeling about him on a dating show.” 

“Well, hopefully he will just not give me a rose.” 

Thinking back, Caroline realized just how naive that thought had been. Watching as Aurora screamed in despair that she did not receive a rose, there was a small hint of disappointment that it wasn’t her. There was something about Klaus that made Caroline’s hair stand on end but it wasn’t exactly fear. He most certainly could harm her but she got the sense that he wouldn’t, simply because he shouldn’t, at least not on television. The question she had was what happened after and if she survived this at all.

A sharp knock on her door pulled Caroline from her thoughts. She sat up on the bed and inwardly groaned. Pressing the soles of her feet to the cold floor, she made her way towards the door, wondering what exactly they could want from her now that the cameras were done rolling. However, she was surprised to find that it wasn’t a producer or some assistant on the other side. She was met with doe-eyes, curly brown hair and a smirk that caused the desire to flee in the opposite direction to kick in. 

“Katherine?” Caroline asked, knowing exactly who she was looking at despite her being identical to Elena.  She watched as Katherine’s smirk got wider, impressed that she was able to tell her apart from Elena. Without asking, Katherine pushed past Caroline and made her way into the bedroom, looking around with a look of disgust on her face. If this had been Caroline’s home, she might have been insulted by the expression, but she had to admit, for a vampire who had been alive since the dawn of time, Klaus could have convinced the network to provide better accommodations. “Yes. Come on in. Glad you asked so nicely.” 

“This isn’t your home so no invitation is needed.” Katherine replied, sitting down on Caroline’s bed and crossing her legs in a seductive manner. She leaned back and peered down at her perfectly manicured nails as she rested on her elbow. After a second, Katherine looked back up and peered into Caroline’s eyes. “Close the door.” 

“I’m on vervain. You can’t compel me. The door stays open.” Before Caroline was done speaking, Katherine flashed from the bed and slammed the door, pinning Caroline to the back of it. Her hand was around Caroline’s neck, the nails she had just been examining digging into her skin. Caroline wrapped her hands around Katherine’s wrists, trying to pull her hand away from her neck but Caroline was human; she did not have the strength to do it and Katherine’s hands were tight enough that screaming was impossible. 

“Listen up cupcake. I spent the better part of five hundred years fleeing from Klaus. Hell, I killed myself to avoid being used as a sacrifice and I’m most certainly not going to be used as his special vampire. Seeing that he nixed the only other vampire on this show, I’m going to have to make a replacement. A ready-made vampire on a silver platter for him.”

“What?” Caroline coughed out, finding it hard to speak as Katherine lifted her a little bit higher so her feet handled just above the ground. “I don’t understand.”

“I know. But since April and Camille are still consoling a crying Elena, you’re my only option.” Black veins appeared beneath Katherine’s eyes and fangs protruded from her gums. She brought her own wrist up to her lips and bit down, blood coating her pale white skin. She pressed the bleeding wound to Caroline’s lips, forcing the blood into her mouth. Katherine’s grip loosened just enough for the blood to coat the back of her throat.  

With a sharp crack, the world went black.

#klaroline #sneak peak #gift #bachelor au

[mrburnsnuclearpussy]

Downton Abbey fantasy AU headcanons! Not every character is included here but I do have ideas for them. Long post under the cut:

Downton - still called Downton and a huge castle but it’s in a mountain range and styled like an elvish palace. Basically Downton if it were Rivendell.

Anna- literally a guardian angel sent to Mary from heaven itself :) is literally perfect and amazing idk what else to say shes just nice. Soft white feathery wings and an ethereal glow about her at all times. People remark that they find her presence pleasant and calming, even when she isn’t saying anything. Has the softest feathers, which she uses to wrap around someone (usually Lady Mary) to comfort them. Also she can sing like a Disney princess and probably summon cute animals and stuff.

Bates- a warewolf dude with a mysterious past. After being injured in battle, he eventually returns to find Robert Crawley, the high elf Lord who was once his comrade and who he still has great respect for. However, it’s been many years and he has since then committed several murders and been on dangerous adventures. He has mostly learned to control damage by locking himself before he transformed, but it hasn’t always worked. Was living in the forest alone away from civilisation before he came to Downton where he hoped for a change. His lycanthropy caused him baggage and a tempter, and he often feels guilty and self-sacrifices to make up for it. Quite a different and darker story than in the show, but I think his sinister side is more interesting so I’m running with it. Werewolf form has dark brown fur.

Carson- originally a dragon statue that was built for the palace, he was brought to life with a curse centuries ago by one of the previous earls and has been at Downton ever since, never leaving the estate once as he is bound to it (literally as he’s technically a part of it) and honour bound to the family. Will not die naturally but will one day return to stone when the curse wares off, where he’ll remain at Downton forever. Loyal but that goes without saying, while he answers firstly to Robert he is most protective of Mary, and will do anything for her. A large white/grey dragon with a stoney, marble-like appearance and a stern expression. Has never tried to fly because he sees no point.

Cora- half mermaid, half high-elf. Cora’s mother was a rich mermaid from an ocean kingdom who married an elf. However all her family still live in the ocean, and anyone who isn’t aquatic uses magic to breathe underwater, including Roberts side of the family when they visit. Cora took a while to adapt to life on land, even though she has legs, she had to learn how to walk from scratch. Her legs are scaly and adorned with shimmering fins like a betta fish’s, which resemble silky flowing material. She also has patches of scales and fins on her arms and ears, which are a mix of pink and light blue. Her iris shimmer like a fish, but eyes are more elf-like in shape and size. She can breathe underwater but needs more oxygen than a typical mermaid. She has adapted to the elvish way of life, but her closet and manner still contain traces of the looser, more expressive style of her old home.

Mary, Sybil and Edith- high elves, one quarter mermaid. Each look like elves but with some hints of fish features, such as fin-like ears, areas of shiny scales, and small fins on their limbs. Sybil has the most mermaid features, including the ability to breathe underwater, fins instead of ears, larger patches of scales, and longer fins. Her scales are blue.

Mary has the least fish features and looks most like a typical elf. She has small patches of red scales on her legs with short fins attached, no gills, and only a hint of red scales at her pointed ears. She prides herself on being a high elf rather than mermaid and is haughty and basically just Mary lol

Edith has turquoise scales, no gills, and is halfway between Mary and Sybil in terms of mixture of elf/fish traits. The sisters storyline is similar to the show except they’re pretty elf/mermaid people :3

Robert- a high elf Lord, owner of the Downton estate and castle, a very powerful elf. He practises eleven magic in his study and rides his horsies :3 Works to protect his land from rival families and such, idk what to say abt him really he’s just a goofy dad and a sillay guy. Basically just looks the same except taller and an elf, and wears elvish clothes of course (the whole family does).

Violet- legendary Queen bitch of the elves. Next question. Can’t improve on her so nothing to say.

Isobel- a wood elf like her son Matthew, they move from the city into the estate where she tries to disprove the high elves biases against wood elves. She is practically skilled and can fight when it comes down to it, excellent with a bow and arrow and even better with medicine and magic. She likes to help others and often uses magic and alchemy to find solutions to problems, even when no one asked. Quite peppy just like in the show. Her old house was in a wooded district of the city, built among large trees so it’s kind of a treehouse but really fancy?

Matthew- is literally Matthew but see above, lol idk what to say he’s just Matthew but an elf and he’s good at hunting and fighting with his bow.

Branson- a plucky and strong-willed Griffin! Instead of a chauffeur (there are no cars), he transports others places by flying them on his back. When in uniform he has a pair of flying goggles. An exceptional flyer, he’s the fastest of all the characters, which comes to his advantage when delivering messages and people between countries. He’s a large griffin with a deep brown colour, yellow beak and forelimbs, and rusty red feathers around his neck, chest and head. His tail has a wide fan of long dark feathers, and he slicks back the tufts of feathers on his head when he’s working to make I’m more streamlined.

Mrs Patmore- a satyr with orange hair and orange fur. She is short and stout and basically the same except has goat legs lol. Still the cook, you rarely see because they’re under her cap but she has tiny lil horns and goat ears too, her nose is slightly different and flat like a satyr. Soft, curly fur on legs and funny little tail :3 basically I love her

Daisy- ah Daisy, poor simple halfling girl. There’s not much change to her either other than she is a cute little hobbit who came from underground. Lived in a hole for like the first 10 years of her life and only saw the sun after that. Has worked all her life and never had a caring family, a sad story but we all know Mrs Patmore ends up being her guardian basically so it’s okay in the end 😌

Mrs Hughes- ok I go back and forth but Unicorn???? Reading why: I love her and she deserves to be one, very wise rare unicorn with a healing magic. Can heal basically anyone and has a deep understanding into others souls. Started off living free in the highlands before becoming increasingly bound by duties and promises she’d made to others, and has seemed to be busy ever since. Sometimes longs for a simpler life, but knows she will never leave Downton as she has gained so much responsibility there. Trusted by everyone, she will keep your secrets safe.

Not sure what colour she should be, maybe silver or lilac? Hmmm

Lavinia Swire- a fairy :3 her wings are simple but elegant bug wings, with yellow segments outlined with a fiery orange. She’s tiny and sparkly coz she’s a fairy. I haven’t decided anything else for her yet I’m making this all up as I go along lol

#downton abbey #fantasy #au #headcanons #i cba to tag all the characters lol

[lemme-just-oops]

hello! I hope you have a very pleasant day or night.

If you ever hear about Flowerfell please write a Summoner that have the disease and how would artw boys deal with it 🛐.

Each time Summoner gets hurt, a flower will grows onto their body and we do get hurts a lot in the game 💀

Alpheratz: He knows what it means immediately. Since the very beginning. But he never quite tells anyone just how much he knowd of it, seeing it as a hassle to explain. This means that you never really know what he thinks, and if he knows a solution. He does not, otherwise he would have solved it already. And if anyone is capable of removing this curse, it is him.

Arcturus: He thinks it is a mutated flower magic. A sign that you are a sorcerer, though still in your early stages of learning. But when he learns the truth, he apologizes for the misassumption and tries to find a way to remove the flowers without hurting you or damaging the flowers. His attempts are mostly related to gardening instead of magic, and they fail either way. He attempts to identify the flowers and search their symbolic meaning, which may lead to hints of its origin.

Pollux: Either he tries to tear the flowers off right away or he smells you constantly, maybe both. He is incredibly concerned whenever he notices a new one and asks if you need help. You know you cannot carry all burdens by yourself, let him help you protect you, okay? Be prepared, though. Because in a few months, he might joke about the origin of some flowers: "Did you choke on water yesterday or where did the new one come from?"

Sirius: He seems unbothered by it, telling everyone to relax. Saying the flowers are not dangerous, so everyone questions what he knows of them. But this man would never say, and instead tell them to be happy about your condition. After all, if they ever were to date you, they could pick your flowers and make a bouquet from your condition. And the more you get hurt, the flower-y you become and especially Arcturus should enjoy that since he likes gardening. All these things are just said to stir chaos, but he still does not reveal what exactly he knows. But he remembers every flower you gained because of him. Claiming to be oblivious, he will point at those ones and ask: "The way you get hurt, I wonder if that influences their growth. What did you do to make those ones so ugly?"

Spica: When he first sees it, his first instinct is to look at Pollux. That is mere instinct and he knows Pollux had nothing to do with it. He tries to find documents to see if a case like you existed before and searches for a way to break this with his networking skills. But not even his oldest contacts know anything, so he seems more frustrated the more he searches. And with every growing flower, he gets more stressed. Either he stays by your side to protect you, or he searches for a solution. The possibility of combining both escapes him for quite some time. But because of you, he learns quite a lot of healing magic. Not that any of them work on you, but he learnt.

Vega: If one more flower appears on you, this man will tear this world down. You are way too precious for him and he would rather sacrifice the world than lose you. The amount of times he calls the others to see if they already found a new hint on how to remove them is incredible. And yes, he will be by your side as often as he can. He cannot bear the thought of you getting hurt, and he would not forgive himself if something happened while he was gone. Sleepless nights ensue. And though he is happy to see when you got through a few days without trouble, he wants you to not be influenced by such a curse.

#i never heard of it #but the artworks for it are gorgeous #friendly reminder to not romanticize getting hurt! #arcana twilight #pollux #sirius #vega #arcturus #alpheratz #otome game #request #platonic arcana #spica #flowerfell #disease

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Dark!marilyn x shy fem!reader

Reader is a fairy, and as far as she knows she’s the only one left and she has a habit of hiding her wings and powers.the reader also chooses to rarely talk to anyone

Marilyn is immediately interested by the reader as she gets a glimpse of readers wings and knows that reader is a fairy and knows the extent of readers powers

They become friends over flowers or whatever and readers crush for Marilyn grows,Marilyn is also very fond of reader

Marilyn makes reader feel loved for the first time ever and so reader tells her and shows her everything and anything Marilyn asked without question and so Marilyn gets reader to use her powers to help with her plan like reader shrinks and flys through the keyhole of the meeting house and puts a spell so no one can enter so Marilyn can take the book,and she uses her magic to enchant the potion to make Tyler the Hyde because Marilyn loves reader to much to make her kill people and risk her getting caught cuz reader is to innocent

(Marilyn could take readers innocent another way 😉

but it’s up to you)

Idk if this makes any sense

Yesss. I've made some little changes, but I hope you don't mind, the plot is the same. It's an interesting plot, so I'm gonna write two parts with two chapters each one. Tomorrow you will have the second and final one. I hope you like it, and sorry about the language mistakes.

Four "unfairy" tales

Part 1 & Part 2

Pairing: Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates x Fem Student! Reader (Fairy)

Warnings: angst, fluff…

Word count: 2,374

Summary: You are the last fairy, or so you are for your mother. You couldn’t imagine that at Nevermore there was a woman who cares about you.

N/A: Requests are open to you all!!! Sorry about the language mistakes. The two final parts are coming soon, so be patient!!

1: An "unfairy" life

“I hope you haven't tell anyone.”

“No, mom... I haven't told anyone,” you said, tired of those kinds of meaningless conversations.

“It is very important that no one knows because...”

“I'm the last known of my species… I know, mom,” you said, rolling your eyes. Fortunately your mother couldn't see you from the other side.

“By the way, (Y/N), I've been talking to the Wrights…”

“With those fools? what for?” You asked contemptuously. You hated that petulant family.

“You know that there were a lot of people like us in their ancestors...”

You didn't like where the conversation was going.

“So?”

 “Their son, Jordan, would be a perfect husband for you.”

“What?!” You yelled indignantly, looking around to see if anyone was listening.

“If we want our species to survive, we must make some sacrifices. With your genes and theirs, you could create a new generation of faeries.”

“Mom, you can't be serious…” You said, starting to get nervous.

“Of course I'm serious. Besides, he has already accepted. And if I have to force you to save our species, be assured that I will.”

“Good luck with that, I'm not going to do it!” You yelled, and after that, you hung up the phone.

It wasn't the first time your mother hinted at something like that. According to her, your species was in danger of disappearing, and only you could save it.

You were a fairy, according to your mother, the last fairy left in the world, a very proud statement in your opinion. You had heard fantastic stories during your childhood, about what fairies were, and what they had become. You could no longer fly during your normal state. Your wings had become just a vestige of what they were before, leaving only a tattoo on your back, which would only come to life if you shrank. The powers you possessed were also different. Over the years, and after the persecutions of intolerant people who were not capable of understanding your condition, your ancestors were forced to repress their powers. You didn't care too much about this business about the disappearance of the fairies. You were more concerned with trying to integrate into Nevermore, although it was complicated for you, you had a very introverted character, and you barely spoke to anyone.

That call from your mother, telling you that you would have to marry and have children with a boy you hated otherwise, was already the icing on the cake.

The next day you were in botany class. At least, surrounded by those plants, you felt relaxed, but all your classmates looked at you strangely, probably because you were the only girl wearing a tank top at the beginning of November.

Without listening to what your teacher was saying, you were thinking about the conversation with your mother. You knew you couldn't run away, you had nowhere to go. She called you selfish for wanting to enjoy your life, instead of preserving the lineage of the fairies, but you couldn't help but think that you were the one who was right. The students left after class ended, but you stayed there, rambling.

“(Y/N), the class has already finished,” the teacher, Miss Thornhill told you. That academy was a dark place, but for some reason, you could see some light on her.

“Yes... Sorry... I'm leaving now...” You sighed, without taking your eyes off the ground. The redhead seemed to notice your state and she shook her head, moving closer to you.

“No, no, calm down. You do not bother me. (Y/N), are you okay?”

You nodded, but your face probably didn't say the same. Having someone care about you was something out of the ordinary, and it brought tears to your eyes.

“Oh honey, what's wrong?" She asked you affectionately, placing a hand on your back. It didn't take long for her to notice the marks on it, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

“(Y/N), those marks…” She said in a whisper.

You jerked to your feet and pulled a sweatshirt over you, scared.

“(Y/N), are you a fairy?” She asked unexpectedly. You were about to faint. Not only she caught you, but you would also have to explain it to your mother.

“I…I…” You said stuttering. In any case, it seemed strange to you, she was a normi, you didn't understand how she had come to that conclusion. “How do you know?”

She smiled and moved a little away from you.

“Well, if I wanted to come to teach the outcasts, I would have to learn a little about them. I must confess that I did not expect to meet a fairy, they are believed to have been extinct for a century.”

You nodded and huffed, running a hand over the back of your neck. Your mother was going to kill you… In case you didn't have enough problems already.

“Nobody... Nobody knows... I...” You stammered, trying to beg her not to say anything.

“Relax, (Y/N). I won't tell anyone, I promise. But I would like to know why you have been so distracted today, I even thought I saw you crying,” Marilyn said, with a soft and calm voice.

She didn't seem to want to do anything bad to you, in fact, she wasn't surprised at all to know  your nature. You didn't trust anyone, but that woman had something that  made you see her differently, perhaps because she felt just as out of place as you.

“It's, it's my mother,” you said, sitting up straight in the chair and looking towards the desk.

“Is she also like you?” She asked, taking a chair and sitting next to you.

“No. My grandmother was…” You said. “But my mother is obsessed with the fact that we must preserve our species… And for that, she wants me to marry a stupid boy.”

Marilyn frowned upon hearing your words.

 “To Marry? But you are very young,” she said, with surprise in her voice.

“Not for her. 18 years is enough to get married and have children, thus repopulating the fairies...”

“My God, that's horrible,” she said horrified.

“I'm already accustomed. I can't do anything to avoid it either, but thanks for worrying,” you said, getting up and taking your bag.

You were really grateful. No one had ever bothered to ask you if you were alright, if you were worried about something… Probably because you never did the same for your companions. Finding out that there was someone at least asking you, was a pleasant surprise.

2: A "fairy" bond

After that confession at the conservatory, it seemed as if your relationship with Marilyn had strengthened. You used to stay with her for a while after class, and talk, just talk. She was trying not to be, but she couldn't help but be curious about you. Little by little you began to trust her enough to be able to show her some of your simplest powers: Making flowers grow, attracting small animals, even reviving some of the driest plants. All of that required a lot of effort, but it also served to train your powers, according to your mother, they would disappear if you didn't do it daily.

It was raining that afternoon and you decided to wait for the weather to calm down before going back to the academy. You were sitting down, drinking some water to recover from your "workout."

“The things you can do are incredible, (Y/N),” Marilyn told you, looking at a beautiful flower that you had just revived.

“Well, it's not that great,” you said, dismissing it as important. Sometimes you forgot how impressive it must be to see something like this as a person completely unaware of special powers and abilities.

“Don’t be modest. There are many people here with powers, but there is no one like you.”

You blushed a little after that comment and looked through the windows. The rain was getting worse and seemed not to want to stop.

“Forgive my curiosity, but what is the most extraordinary thing you can do?” She asked you, perhaps in a more emotional way than other times.

You sighed and thought what to say to that. Your grandmother had told you extraordinary things about your ancestors, but none seemed impressive enough. Watching the rain fall, you remembered something she told you, precisely on a rainy night.

“Well… My grandmother taught me something…” You said slowly. “It's not a big deal, but she always told me it was the most dangerous thing we could do...”

“Oh…” The redhead said, more and more interested.

“I don't usually do it, but I can try,” you said, getting up from the chair and approaching her. “I suppose you've heard of fairy dust?”

“Well, more like in movies if I'm honest, does it really exist?” She asked.

-Well, yes,” you confirmed, gently rubbing your hands. “Normally it has healing or regenerative powers, but that was over 50 years ago. Now, it hardly serves to hypnotize people.”

She raised her eyebrows and smiled amused.

“Are you going to hypnotize me, (Y/N)?”

“Not quite. Give me your hand and close your eyes,” you said, extending yours.

Marilyn seemed to hesitate, but she finally did as you asked, getting a little nervous. You took a breath and gently squeezed her hand. You were not a girl who used to have physical contact with others, so that feeling was strange for you, although it was comforting.

You closed your eyes and brought your other hand in front of your mouth, blowing gently. A very fine golden dust came out of the palm of your hand, going fluidly to the redhead's face. She took a deep breath and her nervous expression immediately relaxed. When you opened your eyes, you saw a completely different person. She was smiling, but with tears in her eyes.

“Mom…” She whispered, almost inaudibly. Her emotion was evident and you couldn't help but share a bit of that melancholy joy that seemed to invade her. After five minutes, you gently released her hand, and snapped your fingers, causing Marilyn to open her eyes and look around her, disoriented.

“Are you okay?” You asked.

“What, what happened to me?”

“I don't know, tell me what you've seen,” you said, sitting down, feeling exhausted again. You didn't really know if it had worked, but from her tears, it surely had.

“I… I…” She stammered, taking off her glasses to wipe away her tears. “I wasn't me, I mean, it was me, but I was 8 years old. My, my mother was reading me the Snow White story to make me fall asleep. Oh my God, it wasn't a hallucination, I, I was there, (Y/N), it wasn't like I was living it, I was really living it,” she told you completely stunned. You outlined half a smile to see that it had worked.

“Did you like your mother to read to you?” You asked, going for your glass of water and taking a long gulp.

“It was, it was my favorite moment of the day…” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “But, (Y/N), what have you done to me?”

You took a deep breath to explain what most people would consider crazy. You knew she wouldn't, she never would. The frequency with which you thought of Marilyn on a daily  had gradually increased, but you did not want to admit it.

“It is a fairies power that, according to my grandmother, was lost 200 years ago. She learned it from her mother, and her mother from her mother, and so on. I don't know its exact name, but she told me that she made people live the happiest moments of their lives, moments that they yearned for from them past,” you explained, remembering the old woman's words.

“It's… It's extraordinary, (Y/N),” she told you with wide eyes. “It's the most s beautiful thing than I have ever seen…”

“But it's also dangerous,” you said, thus removing a bit of emotion.

“I can understand why it is," Marilyn sighed, looking down at the ground. You agreed. “You can't live in the past.”

“Exact. My grandmother used to tell me that in the past, fairies used this power to soothe the misfortune of people who were in need, but it only made things worse. People preferred to live in those memories, and forget about the present. That's why she told me it was the most dangerous power of all. She was always very poetic.”

“(Y/N),” Marilyn told you, getting up from her chair. “Thanks for showing me that.”

After that thanks she approached you and gave you a tender, intense hug. You froze, noticing how good it felt to be in her arms. You shyly moved your arms and wrapped them around her body. When you felt safe, you leaned your head to rest on her shoulder and closed your eyes, enjoying that sensation so little known to you. After a few minutes of comforting silence, Marilyn moved away a little, without releasing her arms from you, and she stared at you. You did the same, starting to breathe faster. One of her hands released you and went to your face, brushing back a lock of hair and tucking it behind your ear. Her eyes went to your lips for a moment, and she moved closer to them, kissing them softly. You were surprised. She, Marilyn, your teacher, she was kissing you and you liked it. It was such a beautiful feeling that you didn't think, and you closed your eyes to feel it even more. Quickly she pulled away from you.

“My God, (Y/N), I, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have... Oh, please forgive me,” she told you, visibly upset.

You didn't say anything, you just thought about what just happened. She wasn't like the others, she seemed to appreciate you, maybe to love you. You didn't even have that connection with your mother, that bond so casual, but at the same time so intense. You didn't want an "I'm sorry," you wanted another kiss.

“I'm not sorry, Marilyn…” You whispered, embarrassed.

She looked at you in disbelief and shook her head, but before she could react, you kissed her again, in the same slow, tender way.

To be continued...

#marilyn thornhill #marilyn thornhill x reader #wednesday #laurel gates #ms thornhill #oneshot

[adamwatchesmovies]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

They don’t make movies like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom anymore - for multiple reasons. Certain aspects of this film will take modern movie-goers aback. You can focus on the dubious cultural depictions, violence and gross-out humor or you can divert your attention to what works: the never-ending tension, action scenes & set pieces, cinematography and the ever-charismatic lead.

In this prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) narrowly escapes from crime boss Lao Che (Roy Chiao) with his eleven-year-old sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) and nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw). Unfortunately, they soon find themselves stranded in northern India, where many children have gone missing and a sacred stone - one of the five fabled Shankara stones - has been stolen. Their quest to unravel the mystery brings our heroes to an ancient Thuggee cult who practice dark magic and ritualistic human sacrifices.

In a way, this picture is much lighter than Raiders. We’re not dealing with Nazis. Indy and his little buddy are going up against India’s equivalent of devil-worshippers but the villains are firmly planted in the realm of fantasy. There are many jokes as the boys playfully bicker and roll their eyes at Willie, who has no business being on this adventure but wound up alongside them. Over and over, she’s screaming at the bugs, skeletons, traps and dangers they encounter. The duo would be much better off without the dumb blonde… but abandoning her would be irresponsible. She’s nothing like Karen Allen's Marion and the film makes that clear. If Willie's going to complain about being away from the city, let's give her a real reason to - which means lots and lots of ewwww moments. This is where people might raise an eyebrow. There’s a famous banquet scene where the most stomach-churning foods are served. You may interpret it as a) an implication that all Indians are barbarians that eat eyeballs and snakes (although the good villagers we meet early-on definitely do not) b) an elaborate gag that may or may not resonate with you (humor is subjective, after all) or c) hints that something at this palace is amiss…

Despite the initial tone, this is an intense movie. There are torture and grisly human sacrifices, children are kidnapped/enslaved, people are explicitly killed - often in gruesome manners. The tone is far too intense to be rated PG but it was. The PG-13 rating was only introduced after the MPAA got similar complaints from Gremlins just one month later.

This film isn't as mature as its "successor" and it doesn't feel as polished either, though the filmmaking is still excellent. Once Indy and the gang realize the danger they've stumbled upon, the tension never lets up. Every escape is merely a brief reprieve. A new peril rolls around the next corner, ready to flatten them. It's fast-paced and exciting. Along the way, you also get excellent cinematography and camerawork. The shots which contrast Short Round to his big buddy are terrific. Through quick cuts and parallel actions, the camera says more than words ever could. It's a roller-coaster ride - sometimes literally. You'll be left breathless and maybe even overwhelmed. Is the movie for kids? maybe, maybe not. It's somewhere in between.

Often violent & gruesome and lacking some of the sophistication of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a disappointment... but only for this franchise. As a film on its own, or as a "first entry" in a series, it would make you go "wow!" Dated elements aside, it's exciting, memorable and fun. (On Blu-ray, May 22, 2020)

#indiana jones #Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Steven Spielberg #Willard Huyck #Gloria Katz #Harrison Ford #Kate Capshaw #Ke Huy Quan #Amrish Puri #Roshan Seth #Philip Stone #Roy Chiao #1984 movies #1984 films

[ufevents]

THE LOTUS FESTIVAL: CONCLUSION

"attention, everyone!" the lion councilor kahuzoa announces from the top of the staircase, voice loud and booming, managing to fill the entire ballroom despite its massive size. the music stops immediately, and the bustle below them calms to murmurs. those closest to the staircase look up, giving deyuis's leaders their attention as requested.

"thank you for coming today," kahuzoa continues, proud, albeit close-lipped, smile on his face. "250 years ago today, we all came together to create lotus campus. as you can see, it's stood strong and grown immeasurably since then. it's quite impressive," he chuckles. "of course, this is worthy of celebration! we're glad you could enjoy the festivities."

thegrorthius speaks next: "it certainly is worth celebrating, but it is also worth remembering. many lives were lost in the conflicts before the lotus campus's inception, and we should be grateful for their sacrifices, which served as great inspiration to work together to create noyillai. without these wars and loss of life, there would be no need for the neutral zone, and so something beautiful arose from the violence. may our ancestors look upon us proudly for this accomplishment." he bows his head politely; thoughtfully, and the other leaders are all quiet for a moment. thegrorthius, as old as he is, is inarguably respected by the others, his words always considered carefully, and often heeded.

before long, it is andreas to speak up. "for the first time in centuries, deyuis is at peace. there is no longer any war." he pauses, and it's laurelia that gets the hint and claps enthusiastically. some in the audience follow suit, while others don't. "i am very grateful--"

there's a near deafening shatter, and suddenly, a monster flings itself through the now broken window closest to andreas. it's a grotesque thing: it hovers above the ground, tentacles flowing from behind it, attached to a massive eye.

misu is the one that reacts first, drawing her sword and slicing the creature.

"what the hell is that?" ysmene hollers, drawing her own sword.

just as she does, more of the creatures explode through windows, this time in the ballroom itself. some of the guests scream, and all chaos breaks loose, people trying to escape, the guards on standby trying to fight.

"mogalls," the archsage replies, voice troubled. "we sometimes see them in omaduun."

"their appearances historically have coincided with the use of dangerous dark magic," thegrorthius adds, moving to stand in front of faeryn; he knows from experience, as he was alive among some of the first dark mages in existence.

andreas turns on the archsage. "you did this," he claims, with little room for argument.

"for what reason would i summon mogalls to a celebration like this?" the archsage fires back.

"your people will do anything to sow chaos! you expect me to believe it's a coincidence that you finally show up to a meeting and these things do too?"

"gentlemen!" ysmene loudly interrupts. with her sword in one hand, she motions with her free one to an approaching mogall. "get busy."

it's enough to stop their bickering for now.

"kahuzoa," faeryn says, somehow calmly and urgently at once. she stands with kahuzoa and thegrorthius in front and back of her, protecting her from any oncoming attacks given her inability to fight.

"if you are able to fight," kahuzoa's booming voice echoes through the ballroom once again. "gather your weapons and join us in neutralizing this threat. otherwise, find safety as soon as possible. look to laurelia for guidance."

he then shifts into his lion form and lets out a roar that does little to disturb the mogalls.

"daldona and gleil help us," laurelia mutters under her breath from her place in the chaos on the ballroom floor itself. she raises her voice a mere moment after: "do not exit through the broken windows! you may take shelter in the eastern part of the hall where there are no windows, or use the north and south exits to evacuate. your weapons are being held in rooms by the doors you entered in, sorted in alphabetical order based on what name you gave upon entry. i know everyone is frightened but the entryway to these rooms is small, so please form a line outside the door and move to find your weapons as quickly as possible. we will prevail!"

– ♕ –

well...this really throws a wrench in celebrating lotus campus's 250th anniversary, doesn't it? even though the lotus festival event is technically over, it's also...not quite. that being said, the first part of the event is over, meaning you may no longer level up from or start more festival threads taking place before the mogall attack. you may, however, write about anything mentioned in this post and the events following it that you'd like. more details on that coming up in an additional post!

#uf:event #uf:lotusfest #uf:lotusenemy

[robot-riot]

Cool!!! My entry was the Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu one (with the whole name spelled out like that) that was about Kai and Zane and talked about their differences but how they were the same when it come down to it and said the whole “protective recklessly” vs “recklessly protective” thing and mentioned how Kai spoke at Zane’s funeral and how Lloyd tried to jog Zane’s memories by mentioning Kai

Here you go!

They have such a close dynamic Kai has fire magic and Zane has ice magic their ship is literally called oppositeshipping Zane is mechanical and there’s a whole season where the entire time Kai is just “I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY OK” like straight up this man couldn’t get an automatic door to work Kai is the one who knew Zane needed space after he had the earth-shaking realization he wasn’t human (long story he used to look human + lost all his memories). Kai was the one who spoke at Zane’s funeral. Zane was the one who with a single meaningful look and head shake got Kai to stop turning the ship around to certain death. “He’s already gone. It’s too late. Don’t.” All conveyed with a single mournful look and hand on his arm, when even Kai’s sister calling for him to stop wasn’t enough to give him pause. When Zane lost his memories (again) and had been manipulated into hurting people, Lloyd was certain that Kai’s name alone would be enough to jog his memories. He didn’t say Pixal’s name, the name of Zane’s love interest, he said KAI. A difference between them that I’ve heard described by others before, something that separates them and yet is the same, is that Kai is recklessly protective, and Zane is protective recklessly. Both would sacrifice themself for their friends, for the other, without a second thought, but how they approach the situation differs. Kai charges in at the slightest hint of danger. As soon as he suspects that someone he cares for is at risk, he does whatever is necessary to keep them safe. The moment things go wrong, he’s already in motion. Zane does what he can the whole time, but it’s not until the end he gives his all. When all is lost, he’s the one to make the final move. Over and over again, he sacrifices his life for that of his friends. He’s been vaporized into nothingness, erased from spacetime, thrown into other realities, but never once does he hesitate in making sure the final blow never lands on those he loves. They contrast in so many ways. Kai is hotheaded; Zane is thoughtful. Kai is loud; Zane is quiet. They’re so different, but instead of contrasting harshly, they make an equilibrium. A balance between the harshness of fire and ice. For all their differences, at the core, they’re the same. In their hearts, they feel the same way. They love one another, and come hell or high water, fire or ice… That will never change.

#propaganda

[pet-genius]

The Death Eaters as a Cult - Part 1

This is a very lightly edited old Reddit post, that I'll publish in parts because the whole thing is like 7000 words. Analyzing Voldemort, the DE and their dynamics, Dumbledore and Harry in comparison, and individual Death Eaters. Hope you like it!

Some say Voldemort is a cartoon villain, or wizard Hitler. I think he is very realistic, and that the focus on his political aspirations ignores interesting aspects of him. I cannot prove that JKR had cults in mind when she wrote Voldemort and his followers, but this is how I read them. It’s nearly impossible to define a cult, so, for the purpose hereof, I’m going with “a group dedicated to the worship of a person”. Many cult leaders in real life present themselves merely as “god’s voice” or “the messiah”, but Voldemort specifically didn’t bother to hide behind a power higher than himself.

Tom Riddle comes from humble beginnings, like many cult leaders - he’s raised in an orphanage. He already has delusions of grandeur, only in this case they’re not delusions, because he really is magic, which makes it all the more dangerous. Look how he reacted to discovering he was a wizard, and how Harry did.

Immediately following the revelation that Lily and James did not die in a car crash, and that Harry is famous, and that he survived an attempt at his life by the worst wizard in history:

Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He’d spent his life being clouted by Dudley, and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn’t they been turned into warty toads every time they’d tried to lock him in his cupboard? If he’d once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?

“Hagrid,” he said quietly, “I think you must have made a mistake. I don’t think I can be a wizard.”

Heart-breaking. Harry doesn’t believe he can be special, he blames himself for the way he’s treated.

This is Tom Riddle:

“I know that you are not mad. Hogwarts is not a school for mad people. It is a school of magic.”

There was silence. Riddle had frozen, his face expressionless, but his eyes were flickering back and forth between each of Dumbledore’s, as though trying to catch one of them lying. “Magic?” he repeated in a whisper.

“That’s right,” said Dumbledore.

“It’s... it’s magic, what I can do?”

“What is it that you can do?”

“All sorts,” breathed Riddle. A flush of excitement was rising up his neck into his hollow cheeks; he looked fevered. “I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.”

His legs were trembling. He stumbled forward and sat down on the bed again, staring at his hands, his head bowed as though in prayer.

“I knew I was different,” he whispered to his own quivering fingers. “I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.”

His megalomania and violent nature are already apparent, as is his preternatural control of his magic. It also hints at rudimentary legilimency.

Dumbledore spells out that young Tom Riddle equated magic with immortality and liked to collect trophies, and that Tom Riddle liked being special, as he resents the name Tom for being too common; he already lives behind a mask and only shows his true face in shock. This, and not Dumbledore’s magical prowess, is what always scared Tom. Voldemort knew Dumbledore knew what he was. That was the only tactical advantage Dumbledore had.

It’s also one of JKR’s strokes of brilliance: Dumbledore saw Tom for what Tom was, and others never did until it was too late, not because he was that clever, but because he knew from experience. Dumbledore had allowed himself to fall for a charismatic but heartless man before, and it took Ariana dying to slap him awake. Dumbledore knows good people can be led astray: It happened to him. It has nothing to do with intelligence or “goodness”. Gellert was able to give Albus exactly what Albus lacked, stuck at home taking care of Ariana: the promise of freedom and a bright future, and the companionship of an equal. Albus fell for it, despite warning signs that should have been obvious.

Later, we know Tom is chosen by a wand of yew and phoenix feather. Both yew and phoenix are associated with immortality; yew trees are very long-lived. Compare this to Harry’s wand, holly and phoenix feather: both these characters will experience death and rebirth, except Tom Riddle’s wand tree is yew, and Harry’s is holly.

From Wikipedia: “The Christian church commonly found it expedient to take over existing pre-Christian sacred sites for churches. It has also been suggested that yews were planted at religious sites as their long life was suggestive of eternity, or because, being toxic when ingested, they were seen as trees of death.” Also from Wikipedia: “Christians have identified a wealth of symbolism in the holly tree’s form. The sharpness of the leaves help to recall the crown of thorns worn by Jesus; the red berries serve as a reminder of the drops of blood that were shed for salvation; and the shape of the leaves, which resemble flames, can serve to reveal God's burning love for His people.”

The two orphans’ wildly different views of death are also apparent in their wand trees. Voldemort will murder to attain his goals; Harry will sacrifice himself. That the phoenix feather came from Fawkes is also meaningful - Dumbledore taught both magic in some capacity, but he never could defeat Voldemort, because they’re too alike. One of Harry’s advantages in this battle is the integrity of his soul, which cannot be compromised.

Next, Tom Riddle is sorted into Slytherin. For a child who is already prone to megalomania, the house values bring out the worst in him, and under Slughorn, he grows into a manipulative, cunning, ruthless young man. I’m not blaming Horace for Tom being a psychopath, but some of the particular ways his psychopathy manifested in seem to have been directly due to Slughorn’s influence. Slughorn is a blood-supremacist, who was convinced Tom must come from fine stock. Slughorn tests drinks for poison using house elves; Tom Riddle tests the effectiveness of his Horcrux’s protection on Kreacher. Slughorn emphasizes the importance of connections and outright praises Tom for knowing more than he needs to, and encourages an attitude of “it’s only wrong if you get caught.” But Slughorn, prejudiced and cunning as he is, is not violent - he is academically curious about Horcruxes, but he finds them repugnant. Tom’s heart is not so faint - at the point of asking Slughorn about Horcruxes, the diary is already a horcrux, and Tom has already murdered his father. This is how Dumbledore describes Tom’s original gang, who were the proto-Death Eaters:

As he moved up the school, he gathered about him a group of dedicated friends; I call them that, for want of a better term, although as I have already indicated, Riddle undoubtedly felt no affection for any of them. This group had a kind of dark glamour within the castle. They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty. In other words, they were the forerunners of the Death Eaters, and indeed some of them became the first Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts. Rigidly controlled by Riddle, they were never detected in open wrongdoing, although their seven years at Hogwarts were marked by a number of nasty incidents to which they were never satisfactorily linked, the most serious of which was, of course, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, which resulted in the death of a girl. As you know, Hagrid was wrongly accused of that crime.

Dumbledore explains what motivated people to join Tom: some were afraid, some ambitious, some cruel. He controlled his so-called friends, and already started framing others for his own crimes (Hagrid’s framing was followed by Morfin’s and Hokey the house elf’s).

This is followed by Tom’s attempt to become a teacher (Dumbledore spells out his motivations: He is attached to the school, he wants to study its magic, and he already wants to build himself an army). He is denied, oddly chooses to work for Borgin and Burkes, a choice fueled by the desire to trace down more items to make into Horcruxes. Through the memory of the meeting with Heptzibah Smith, we see that Tom was definitely charming when he needed to be, and knew how to make people feel good. He did not use magic to trick her into showing him her precious locket and cup: he used muggle manipulation - flattery, making an old and forlorn lady feel valuable, perhaps even flirting with her (she’s certainly flirting with him). He was pleasant enough that Ms. Smith eagerly looked forward to his visits - but as she showed him her treasures, he was caught off guard by hearing about his mother and how she sold the locket, and she saw him for what he was, although she quickly fell into denial. Sadly, she was murdered two days later.

Why rely on Horcruxes to gain immortality? Tom must have known about Nicholas Flamel and the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Horcruxes require someone else to perform the resurrection ritual. Either making the Stone is so hard that it would deter Tom (unlikely), or he already expected to rely on followers who would find him and revive him - he certainly seems to have expected his followers to have searched for him earlier. Maybe Horcruxes were appealing because they require murder. In any case, this is followed by the memory of Tom asking Dumbledore for the DADA job again, a decade later. Tom has spent a decade gathering followers, and he has already changed his name to Lord Voldemort. This is reminiscent of real life cult leader David Koresh, and the leaders of the Children of God, Aum Shinrikyo, etc. The meeting between Voldemort and Albus is interesting, because it’s clear that Dumbledore had tried to teach Tom about the power of love:

“The old argument,” he said softly. “But nothing I have seen in the world has supported your famous pronouncements that love is more powerful than my kind of magic, Dumbledore.”

“Perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places,” suggested Dumbledore.

This did not help. Tom never learned - how could he? At 16, he was already a murderer - who could love him now for who he was? He could never be truly loved, and he could never truly love another, and he underestimated the power of love for his entire life, leading to his downfall - twice (were that it was so simple in real life).

Voldemort is trying to obfuscate the nature of the relationship, like all cults - they never admit this is what they are.

“I am glad to hear that you consider them friends,” said Dumbledore. “I was under the impression that they are more in the order of servants.”

“You are mistaken,” said Voldemort.

But LV can’t lie to Dumbledore, who changes the subject. He denies him the DADA job again, and the curse is placed on the job. LV’s ascent is due to begin in a few years. Hagrid tells the story:

Anyway, this — this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ’em, too — some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o’ his power, ’cause he was gettin’ himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn’t know who ter trust, didn’t dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches...

Voldemort isn’t just interested in immortality. He wants complete control. He wants everyone fearing him - even fearing his name. He has people isolated and distrustful, fearing for their lives.

But we know his reign of terror was dreadful - what I’m interested in is the way he treated his own followers. We know little about how he treated them in the first war, but we do have what Sirius had to say about Regulus’s fate:

From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don’t just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It’s a lifetime of service or death.

We know the real story of Regulus’s disappearance, and it’s different. Kreacher tells us that Regulus died in the Horcrux cave - but more telling is that Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling his parents what had happened to him. Why did he feel the need to do that? This suggests that Regulus knew LV destroyed traitors’ families, which is a tactic used in cults and other abusive dynamics. We know LV would leverage Draco’s welfare against Lucius for his failure in the Department of Mysteries, too. We know also that instead of going to Dumbledore, or to his own brother, Regulus chose death – unless he was really dumb, and I don’t think he was, he must have been manipulated into believing that was his only option, or his world made no sense after his faith had shattered. So many people never readjust to life outside the cult.

Voldemort “dies” about two years after that, having successfully recruited about 400 followers (“the death eaters outnumbered us the Order 20:1” - Lupin). We can’t say if all these people were genuine Death Eaters or people who had been Imperiused or otherwise coerced, or allies like Narcissa, but that coercion is used to recruit shows that Voldemort did not take his own followers’ ambitions and wishes into account. People who use outright coercion don't suddenly draw the line at manipulation.

#death eaters #cult #death eater meta #voldemort #voldemort meta #harry potter #meta

[randomshyperson]

THE SCARLET WITCH PROPHECY - Chapter VI - The Fourth Year (Final Part)

Gif is not mine, blessed are the gif makers.

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies. | Chapters Warnings: Heavy angst in this.

A/N: This took me a while, because i had writer block (and it's not over yet). Anyway, I hope people like this. Let me know if anything is confusing okay? Sorry about typos too.

Words counting: 11.344K

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3 || All Works Masterlist

//-//

The Fourth Year - Final Part

Wanda was avoiding you. Well, not just you, but all your friends.

You told Gamora what happened, but you didn't have the stomach to repeat the story to anyone else, so your sister passed the news on.

You were coping well in spite of everything. You missed her terribly the whole time, but you were pushing the feelings down and trying to stay positive about everything.

By trying to put yourself in Wanda's shoes, you understood why she did what she did. You just had to find a way to prove to her that what you felt was real, and for that you needed to find out more about your magical bond.

Your best alternative to the lack of books about it in the library was to talk to the professors. Judging from your experience with them, none of the teachers would tell you anything. But Fury has been acting very differently all year, and although you don't agree with the way he has been teaching D.A.D.A. lately, you have the impression that he would tell you anything you asked.

That's why after a particularly exhausting class where he made all students practice the shield spell until one of the boys threw up, you waited until the room emptied to talk to him, watching with curiosity as he turned a small bottle he kept in his pocket to his mouth.

"What is it Stark?" He asked still on his back. You wondered if behind the eye patch he had some enchanted eye to see around things, but the idea seemed too absurd to you.

"Sorry, Professor Fury." You say. "I have a question about advanced magic and would like to clear it with you."

Fury put his materials away in his bag, and beckoned for you to accompany him into the private office, and you followed him into the small room, watching him set the desk on a coffee table and move toward a glass cabinet of magic supplies.

"Have a seat and make yourself comfortable." He said with his back turned. "I need to prepare a potion, but you can ask me what you want."

You stumble half-heartedly to one of the empty armchairs, and then clear your throat.

"It's about magic bonds, professor." You recount. "I... well, I think I have one. And well, I'm not finding much material on it, and I don't understand how they work."

Fury makes a noise with his mouth in understanding, his hands wandering through the cabinets behind ingredients you don't recognize, but he seems to be paying attention to both you and the brewing of the potion.

"Are you familiar with the concept of magical bonds and connections, Miss Stark?" He asks and you deny it. The professor cuts something that looks like mushrooms on the table as he speaks again. "The reason you can't find books that explain to you exactly the nature of this magic, is because no wizard has been able to decipher these enchantments correctly." He explains. "The magical bonds are one of the oldest and most powerful enchantments in the magical world, Miss Stark. Extremely dangerous, yet immeasurably valuable for some purposes."

You swallow dryly, but do not interrupt. Professor Fury bends down to reach a tin cauldron and places it on the counter in front of him, on a small makeshift stove. He deposits some ingredients inside.

"Have you ever heard about any of these bonding spells?" He asks and you think for a moment.

"I think I've heard about the perpetual vow, sir."

Fury gives a small smile, nodding. He sniffs a small bottle before pouring the contents into the cauldron.

"Yes, the perpetual vow is a great example of a magical bond." He says. "But it is still an active spell, you need to recite an incantation and both parties need to voluntarily close the bond. Some witches believe it's a contractual magic, much more than a natural connection." Fury explains. "I particularly prefer to use another example, Stark. The life debt."

Fury has a smile at the corner of his lips, and a strange gleam in his eyes when he looks at you for a moment, but you don't have the courage to ask. He turns his attention back to the cauldron, lighting the flame under the metal with his wand.

"I don't know what that means." You confess and the professor doesn't take his eyes off the cauldron.

"A life debt is a magical bond created when a wizard or witch saves the life of another magical being." He explains. "And I say magical being, not just another wizard, because I've seen it happen once for a centaur to owe a wizard their life. But never the other way around."

"How does that work?"

"It's very simple really." He says. "If you save someone's life, that person or creature will owe you a debt. The bond is created, without needing an incantation. The act of preserving a life is magical enough to create that bond." He explains and his expression turns almost somber. "The best part is that the person saved needs to pay back."

"And how do they do it?"

"A life can only be paid with another life." He declares. By now, the potion is smelling. You don't know what it is, but it looks like lavender, and it makes you a little dizzy. "I have witnessed a quitting in my time as an auror, Miss Stark." He tells you, and you already imagine that what he is about to say is not something you should tell a fourteen-year-old witch, but you don't think to interrupt. "The debtor throws himself in front of the Reducto incantation to prevent the death of the witch who saved him once. I still remember the pieces flying around the room."

You looked away, uncomfortable with the mental image you were given. The professor didn't seem to mind.

"But of course not all debts are paid off like that." He added as if he hadn't just told the story of someone tearing themselves apart. "Stopping a friend from falling off his broom in a game of quidditch might be enough to pay off a debt. Or to create one too." He counters. " This kind of magic has always been very difficult to decipher."

You murmur in understanding, keeping your gaze on the floor. The professor sighs lightly, moving away from the cauldron to sit in the empty armchair in front of you.

"But I'm guessing you're not talking about any of these bonds, are you?" He hints and you swallow dryly, feeling intimidated by the watchful gaze he gives you. You figure that lying is not an option.

"N-no sir." You reply. "I wanted to know more about protective bonds. Like... like the idea of someone you care about getting hurt, causes you a really bad feeling. And it makes you ignore your own safety and makes you go too far e...."

"Impressive." The professor interrupts, his gaze almost fascinated on you, and making you swallow dryly. "And how far are we talking about, Stark? What's the limit? Would the wizard put themselves in front of an unforgivable curse? Would they offer themselves up as a sacrifice? If one were to get hurt, would the bruises show up on the other, or does the very idea make your insides turn? Or…”

"Fury." You jump in fright when Strange's voice interrupts the monologue of the other man, who was very close to you now.

Fury looks annoyed that he has been cut off, but he turns away with a smile. "Pardon the interruption. I need to have a word with you on a matter." Stephen said, but he didn't look happy at all, and his expression was one of concern and disapproval, probably from the discussion he witnessed.

You stood up awkwardly, taking a step back, your heart still racing from the things the professor told you.

"Of course, Professor Strange." Fury spoke as he stood up. "Stark, I hope that has cleared up your doubts. If there is anything else you wish to ask me, you may come to my office as needed."

You bit your tongue to avoid saying that Fury only scared you rather than clarifying anything, and nodded in understanding.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts may not be my class, but I am also available to talk with you, Miss Stark." Stephen added softly as you passed him in the doorway. You mumbled a goodbye before walking out of the office, ignoring the horrible feeling that settled in your stomach.

//-//

You were really disturbed by the conversation with Professor Fury. The story of the wizard casting himself in front of a spell gave you strange dreams, and you could no longer be sure that you wouldn't do the same for Wanda.

Your friends were equally impressed by what you told them, and you ignored the feeling of dissatisfaction at the pit of your stomach that you felt because you wish you were talking to Wanda about it, and tried to be more grateful that you have someone to talk to at all.

You were thinking of talking to Tony about everything, and you thought you'd look for him in the Slytherin hall, and to your surprise, he showed up in your common room. You thought he was there to spend some time with Steve, but he really came to see you.

"Daddy wrote for us." He explains as soon as he greets you. The letter already open in your hands as he throws himself on the couch in the communal hall. It is Sunday, but the room is very empty because with the amount of free time and foreigners in the castles, most of the students are socializing outside. You had dismissed your friends' invitation to practice Quidditch in exchange for a nap, as you were upset by the way Wanda left the main hall at breakfast when she realized you were sitting at the Slytherin table with her brother.

"Finally." You grumble as you sit down in the armchair across from Tony, stretching out your arm to pick up the letter. It must have been the first letter in three months or more. Last time, your father had said he was overwhelmed with work and would not send any news for a while. You thought it would be days, but it was months. Jarvis at least wrote to tell that he was alive, working in the basement.

Looking down at the paper, you began to read:

"Dear children, how is school going? I hope you are studying as I have always asked you to do. I have been busy with an important project at the ministry, an invention to improve the astronomical forecasts of the wizarding community. Please forgive me for the lack of contact these last months.

Tony, I received the letter about the detention, and I was quite upset when I heard about the bet. You are the older brother and you should protect your sister, not put her in danger. But I am glad that everything ended well and hope that this kind of behavior will not happen again.

Y/N, dear, I heard about your willingness to start studying Muggle Studies, and I'm very glad..."

You stop reading the letter halfway through, frowning and looking at Tony next, who was lying with his head on the cushions and his arm under his eyes.

"What kind of crap is this?" you ask with confusion and irritation, causing Tony to let out a short chuckle. "Dad telling us to study? What the...?"

"It doesn't sound anything like him, I know." Tony interrupts and then sighs, sitting down on the couch to point to the paper. "And see how he doesn't make any jokes about the dare, or any comments about your incident at the lake? It sounds so mechanical and vague."

"Do you think he hasn't read our letters? He only mentions the one from school." You say and Tony leans back on the couch, thoughtful.

"I don't know. It just doesn't sound like him." He says. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Jarvis wrote it."

"Why would Jarvis do that?"

"Because Dad hasn't spoken to us in three months." Tony retorts with irritation. "And well, you almost drowned and he didn't even bother to read about it."

"Tony..."

"No, it's fine." He grumbles, taking the letter from your hands and standing up. "Screw him." Cursed the boy in annoyance, tossing the letter into the fireplace in the room. You frowned, sighing. "We don't need him. I'll take care of you."

You were tired of this. Running a hand through your hair for a moment in frustration, you let Tony take your hands in his as he knelt in front of you next.

"I'm sorry I've been absent this while." He says surprising you. "I hated how all the adults were hiding things from us, and I did the same with you. I promise I will tell you everything from now on."

You nod in understanding, squeezing Tony's hand lightly.

"I need to tell you something too."

And you do. The whole conversation with Wanda and with Professor Fury shock Tony. And he has a frown creased in concern when you finish.

"I know it's a lot." You say. "But I'm terrified. I don't know what will happen to me if I lose Wanda, and all I can do is miss her."

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Tony says tenderly, releasing his hand to caress your cheeks and wipe away the dripping tears. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

"What if you can't avoid it, Tony?" you retort softly, your voice whiny.

"I will." He assures you. "I will help you. We'll figure out a way to break this bond, and then you and Wanda will be safe."

You nod, deciding to believe his words. Your brother hugs you next, and you wish he is right.

//-//

Just like you, Tony was also unable to gain access to the restricted section of the library. But that is the least of your problems.

As the date of the last task approaches, you are a pile of nerves. Tony assures you that he will try to find something about ways to break magical bonds on the last trip to Hogsmeade in a local library, but you are barely listening to him, your thoughts wandering towards Wanda.

The other girl, on the other hand, continues to avoid you and your friends. Your only option is to ask Pietro about her, and he assures you that she is as upset as you are as if he is trying to make you feel better somehow. But all this information causes is a worsening of your distress. Pietro is not comfortable coming between you two, so you don't insist that he spend time with you or your friends, knowing that Wanda needs company. You also insist that Gamora and Nebula continue to spend time with the witch, but they comment that Wanda is not really sociable after the whole thing.

The rest of the school starts to notice the way the Maximoffs are no longer hanging out with you, and since everyone in the school loves a little gossip, the news that you and Wanda broke up starts to circulate very quickly.

You don't want your detention for the lake story to escalate, but it's hard to control the urge to jinx your classmates when their snarky remarks reach your ears.

"I heard they broke up because Wanda became a champion, and didn't want to be seen with a hufflepuff anymore." Said in a not so low tone, a Ravenclaw boy as you were walking ahead of them toward the Potions classroom.

"No, dude, that's not true. I heard that Wanda got pretty close to the other champion, Jean Grey, and obviously she'd go for a famous quidditch player than a nobody." Added a female voice, and you clutched the books in your hands tightly, but didn't turn around.

"Come on, the girl's a Stark." Retorted the boy. "I think Maximoff is a winner with either one."

The girl laughed lightly, and you wished you reach the classroom soon.

"I think you're right." The girl spoke up. "Maximoff has always been weird, I don't know how she got such great options."

Your attention wandered from the conversation when Mantis reached you. She went back to the dorm to get the potions book she had forgotten, and frowned at your annoyed posture when she arrived, but when she caught the words of the pair behind you, she threw them an annoyed look that made them fall silent.

"Don't pay any attention to that kind of gossip, Y/N." She asked gently and you just sighed.

"I just wish people would mind their own business." You grumble annoyed and Mantis agrees with a murmur.

Potions class was as difficult as it usually is. What surprised you was Professor Lensherr's tired appearance, but you imagined it must be because of the tournament finals that were being organized by the teachers.

When you were packing your materials, you almost knocked over the glass jar when he appeared in front of you.

"Stark, a word, please." He asked earnestly, and Mantis shot you a glance before hurrying to leave. The professor waited until the room was empty and then nodded to the door, which closed. "Wanda told me about your magic bond."

"Shit." You grumbled immediately, and Professor Erik raised his eyebrows. You cleared your throat, apologizing for cursing. "Look, sir, I don't know what else to say about it. I don't know where the bond came from, and I'm trying to find out..."

"I can help." He interrupts and you fall silent, surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes." He says straightening his posture and crossing his arms. "I obviously have more magical knowledge than you, and your nosy brother." He says and you understand that he is talking about the way Tony has been pestering the teachers to get information. "And if this bond affects Wanda, it is of particular interest to me."

You swallow dryly, nodding in understanding. You explain to him how you feel next, and Erik absorbs your words with a neutral expression.

"Interesting. I had my theories since you couldn't duel with Wanda in the second year, but since you became close, it wasn't my place to intrude.” He tells with a bit of a nostalgic face as you finish speaking. “I have a few questions, Miss Stark. I need clarification on the nature of this bond." He says with his arms still folded across his chest. "Last summer, Wanda had a cold. Did you feel anything?"

You thought about the vacation for a few seconds.

"No, sir." You reply. "I don't remember getting sick."

"I see." He says. "Tell me, have you ever had dragon pox?"

You nod in agreement.

"At how old?" The teacher asks, and you think for a moment.

"I don't know, four I think. Maybe five."

"Wanda had dragon pox when she was six." He declares, his gaze assessing you. You blink, trying to follow what he is trying to say. "It's not a very common disease in England, is it?"

"I don't think so." You mutter without understanding why the professor is looking at you like that.

"Wanda caught the disease in Sokovia, the country where she was born." He recounts. "We were on vacation and she came back sick. The last case of that disease here in England was almost a hundred years ago."

"I guess I'm unlucky then." You try to joke, and Erik almost smiles.

"The flu Wanda had last summer was not of magical origin." He adds, and you frown slightly, not knowing what to make of this information. "But dragon pox is magical in nature."

"Professor I don't..."

"Wanda broke her wrist at the age of seven." He interrupts as he uncrosses his arms, gesturing slightly. "She and Pietro were playing in the backyard, no magic."

"Okay..."

"I imagine Wanda has already talked to you about her exceptional magical abilities, Miss Stark." The professor continues. "Her visible magic, I meant. It started when she was three years old, when she was able to bring her toys into her crib and wrap them all in a magical cloud." Erik tells and you smile briefly at the image of a baby Wanda, but his expression makes you bite the inside of your cheek the next second. "I want to know how much of this you were able to experience, being on the other side of the country."

You swallow dryly, looking away and trying to think back to your childhood.

"I don't know, professor." You reply. "I was a child. Maybe Tony or dad will know something."

"Come on, isn't there anything you can tell me?" He insists. "Any specific memories, any strange dreams? Anything."

You think, and think, but none of your childhood memories seem relevant. And then you frown, remembering one.

"Actually... There was this one time I got really sick. I think I was about eight. Maybe nine, and dad took me to St.Mungus. I had a high fever, and I couldn't sleep at night with nightmares, but I don't remember what happened. They thought it might be the flu, but we never found out what it was. The next day I was better."

Erik was slightly wide-eyed and then he sighed.

"Before she came to Hogwarts, Wanda was afraid of losing control of her magic at school." He starts to tell. "I tried to calm her down, but she was very upset. She managed to convince Pietro to help her into my potions room and took an entire bottle of a brew for magical containment. Her magic seemed almost enraged, and she destroyed the greenhouse with a wave of energy. I've never seen her so out of control." He says thoughtfully, as if remembering the events. "She passed out from exhaustion, and didn't wake up until the morning. She was ten.”

"You don't think...?"

"That's exactly what I think, Miss Stark." He interrupts, "The dates match. Every time Wanda was in danger from a magical source, you were affected, because the nature of your bond with her is magical. And that was confirmed during the tournament by noticing the way you jumped into the lake during the second task. I imagine your little interaction with Professor Heimdall when Wanda was facing the dragon was about this as well?" He asks and you nod your head in confirmation. "Right. Well, that's a problem."

"I noticed." You grumble, but then realize from the professor's expression that in addition to what has been said, it seems to be a problem for another reason. "Why?"

"Regarding your safety, I mean." Explains the professor. "The last task of the tournament is going to be exceptionally challenging, and perhaps not the best of experiences for you."

You widen your eyes in anticipation.

"Professor, what will happen in the third task?"

"I can't tell you." He says. "But there will be many challenges. And Wanda may encounter difficulties, especially since she is only fifteen."

You sigh, trying to push the wave of worry down.

"I hate this tournament." You state in a mumble and Professor Erik gives a short little smile. "I hate to see Wanda in danger. If it's for the gold, she can have all mine."

Erik laughed, and you blinked in surprise at the sound.

"Believe me, I dislike this competition as much as you do." He says. "There is no pleasure in seeing Wanda in danger for something as superficial as eternal glory. But the goblet chose her, and she would have suffered a magical penalty if she didn't obey the contract. It was a difficult decision, but it was the best for her."

You mutter in understanding and the teacher is thoughtful for a few minutes.

"I would recommend you not watch the competition so you don't get so nervous, but clearly distance doesn't matter for the bond." He remarks. "I need more information about how all this works. I want to run some tests with you two."

You frown slightly, but before you can ask what kind of tests, the teacher speaks again.

"That will need to wait, of course. With the competition and the final exams, I understand that you are experiencing enough stress and I don't want to cause any more suffering." He explains. "Over the vacations, perhaps I can write to your father. It's time to see old friends again after all."

You are surprised that the professor makes this mention, but you don't bother to comment. He clears his throat, and signals that this is all. You thank him as you get up and then leave the room.

//-//

When the day of the last task of the tournament finally arrived, the whole school was in a joint peak of excitement.

You could hardly sleep, strange nightmares throughout your entire night combined with the anxiety at the pit of your stomach made you wake up several times during your sleep. In the morning you decided to ignore the buzz around the hallways about the task and the possible winner, and joined your friends for breakfast.

You wanted to talk to Wanda, but you didn't see her at the Slytherin table, and Gamora tried to cheer you up with news about a band you liked playing in London next month, but you could barely force a smile, feeling tired and irritated.

You heard a group of Gryffindors commenting excitedly that the occultation spell had been removed from the quidditch field, and that the gates of something that had been conjured for the last task were already visible, but before you could try to hear what they were saying, the boys were already leaving the hall and Pietro came to talk to you.

"Hey, good morning, how are you?" he asked curiously, taking a seat across from you at the table.

"Not well, if you want to know." You grumbled dejectedly, your fingers lazily stroking the piece of bread on your plate. "What about you?"

"Worried." He replied shrugging his shoulders with a small corner smile. "But I'm optimistic. Wanda is confident, and thinks she can win. And I'm trusting that everything will end well."

The mention of Wanda makes you sigh slightly and lean your chin on your arm on the table, looking at the boy in front of you.

"I miss her, Pietro." You confess upset and ignore the way Gamora and Nebula who are sitting next to the boy look at you with pity, but appreciate how Mantis strokes your back lightly. "She won't talk to me, and I can't blame her or even be mad at her."

"Wanda asked for some time, didn't she?" he asked slightly curious and you grumbled in agreement. "Well, I guess you have the right to ask the same."

You frown in confusion, and Pietro has a little smile as he pours himself some juice.

"What do you mean?" You ask.

"Ask her for, I don't know, five minutes of attention?" He suggests. "Five minutes to at least give her good luck. You look miserable, and I hate to see you like this."

You sigh, thinking about the idea. And then you smile.

"Thanks, P." You say as you raise your head.

"No problem." He says. "You can try now, Wanda should be on the lower floors. She wanted to talk to dad before the task."

You nodded in understanding and then said you would meet your friends outside.

It didn't take long for you to find Wanda. The girl was walking up the stairs as you were coming down, and well, she had no choice but to look at you.

You felt your heart race to have her looking directly at you after so long, but you ignored the sensation as you walked down the steps and stopped in front of her. Wanda swallowed dryly, but held her gaze.

"Hey." You greeted half breathlessly, smiling slightly.

"What do you want?" she asked uncomfortably, her gaze serious. You ignored the seriousness of her words.

"Talk to you."

"I already said I need time."

"I know." You said without hesitation. "But I also have the right to talk. Can you give me five minutes?"

Wanda looked away, and then at her feet. She sighed and nodded, and you waited for her to look at you again before speaking.

"I miss you, Wanda." You confessed and watched Wanda swallow dryly, her eyes filling with tears as she looked away. "And I wanted to wish you good luck in the last task."

Wanda sighed faintly, nodding in understanding, her gaze on the stairs. You raised your finger to her chin, gently turning her face so that she was looking at you. Wanda closed her eyes as you fitted your hand to her cheeks, your thumb stroking her skin tenderly as she leaned into the touch.

Her hand moved up to your forearm the next moment, squeezing before moving your hand away from her face as she pushed your arm away gently.

You sighed, ignoring the feeling in your stomach and the urge to kiss and touch her again.

"Please don't do that." She whispered. "Don't touch me as if you love me as much as I love you."

You gasped, widening your eyes at the confession. But before you could add anything else, footsteps approached and Erik was coming up the stairs behind Wanda. The girl took a step back, wiping her eyes quickly.

"Stark." The professor greeted politely. You had a hard time disguising how much Wanda's words stirred in you. "Wanda, you'd better hurry up for breakfast. The task will start soon."

"Yes, dad." Wanda agrees and she doesn't look at you as she leaves. Erik nods politely and you stand on the steps for long minutes, your heart racing in your chest.

Wanda loves you. And you can't be with her.

Ignoring your broken heart, you turn and walk back into the hall, following the crowd of students who are making their way to the site of the last assignment.

//-//

The third task was a maze full of magical trials.

You gasped as you reached the sight of the large grass ones that were raised at the entrance to the quidditch field and the matched grass gates.

The crowd of students spilled out onto the bleachers set up in front of the maze, and you began to look around for your friends, ignoring the urge to run to Wanda and tell her you loved her back, not wanting to upset her before the task.

When the crowd was fully seated in the stands, and some students were already raising their cheering posters in the air, you watched the tournament judges move along with the faculty as Agatha took her place to announce the start of the competition.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." Gamora whispered to you as the director made the announcements. "I bet Wanda will be back before you can miss her."

You try to smile, your stomach turning in nervousness.

Watching the field below, you see the champions positioning themselves at the entrance.

Jean Grey had the highest score, so she entered first. The Durmstrang students cheering loudly until she disappeared into the maze.

Soon after, Wanda entered. The Slytherin people conjured a serpent of artifice through the air that disappeared as soon as she walked into the maze.

And then Maria Hill last, the Beaubatox crowd clapping their feet until she entered.

Just like the second task, all that was left for the crowd to do was wait once the champions entered. So as soon as the gate closed, the students started talking animatedly among themselves, in addition to the betting chart that began to circulate.

You also noticed that the reporters of the Daily Prophet were asking the cheering people in the front row about the bets for the winners.

Trying to distract yourself from the sense of worry that had taken over you most likely linked to the fact that Wanda was inside a place dangerous enough to kill her, you tried to engage in some of the conversation with your friends.

//-//

With thirty minutes to go, a movement in the field below caught your attention.

"Y/N, isn't that your father?" Gamora asked poking you in the ribs to call you, but you were already looking down.

Your father was not alone. There were four other witches with him that you had never seen before, but judging by their capes, they were aurors from the ministry, as they were dressed exactly like the witches that day in the cup.

There was a sudden movement among the teachers, and then the aurors were opening the gate to the maze and Headmistress Harkness was talking to the judges, all looking extremely worried. The crowd was buzzing, and it didn't take long for the comments to reach you.

"They're saying they're going to cancel the test!" Told a Ravenclaw girl who had just leaned forward to listen to her classmates, and then he turned and said to you and Gamora, making you both widen your eyes. You looked around next, in time to catch Tony coming down the bleachers from the side until he reached your father.

"What do you think happened?" Gamora asked you.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good." You replied already moving to leave in Tony's direction. Gamora and Nebula looked at you, but you just signaled for them to wait up there.

When you reached Tony and your father, they seemed to be arguing.

"You didn't think to send at least a letter?" Tony squawked angrily, but your father was distracted, looking around and especially back at the entrance to the maze.

"I can't talk now, Tony, please." The man asked. He gave you a short smile as you approached, and Bucky and Steve joined you all next.

"Dad, what's going on?" You asked, but before your father could say anything, the principal was asking the students to return to the castle and the crowd erupted in booing.

The tournament judges were commenting quietly among themselves, and you frowned when Professor Erik approached and whispered something in your father's ear, who made a worried frown.

"Go back to the castle." Your father ordered looking at you and Tony, but you didn't move and Tony pushed your father's hand away.

They began to argue, but you felt your whole body shiver all at once, and you looked back, thinking that someone had called your name.

Professor Erik looked at you curiously, but before he could do anything, you ran past him and into the maze.

//-//

Gasping for breath from the run, you blinked in confusion as you stopped at a crossroads. Your head was spinning slightly, and you looked around.

The maze was dark, and the walls were high and shadowed the path. You noticed that the noise of the crowd was muffled from the inside.

Taking the left path, you were not fully conscious, following only the magnetic energy that seemed to pull you around the correct path.

Your wand was raised to your hand, an illumination spell that you don't remember conjuring. You frowned slightly when you noticed another light, and then Maria Hill was standing in front of you.

"Who are you?" she asked, but you didn't answer, walking past her in a mechanical manner. The girl looked at you with confusion. "Girl, can you hear me?"

"Wanda." You whispered without stopping your walk. Maria hesitated but then began to follow you through the labyrinth.

"Are you hexed?" She asked curiously but got no answer. When she tried to hold you by the shoulders, you pushed her to the ground. "Hey, no need for that!"

You didn't answer and Maria sighed in irritation as she stood up, running lightly to catch up with you as you turned the corner.

The tugging on your abdomen began to get stronger, and then you reached the center of the maze.

"Wow, you found the center." Maria commented in surprise next to you. "But where's the cup?"

You looked around confused, feeling the pain in your head increase.

And then noises of footsteps and shouting became closer and a moment later your father and Professor Erik entered the center through one of the trails.

"Honey!" Your father exclaimed worriedly, but before he could reach you, you fell to your knees, a shrill cry of pain escaping your throat.

Your vision blurred and you had another vision.

It was the graveyard from your dream, but now much clearer than before. You were attached to something, and there was a tall wizard standing in front of you.

The man turned around and you could see his red eyes staring at you with hatred.

"Erik, what is happening to her?" You heard your father's voice sound muffled by the ringing in your ear. You were trying to breathe normally, lying on the grass with your hands on your head.

"Look out, Howard!" It was Professor Erik's voice, but you didn't have the strength to look up.

"Protego!" Someone shouted the incantation next to you, maybe it was Maria but you can't open your eyes to see.

The pain in your head seemed to subside slightly and you forced your gaze upward, not understanding what was happening.

There were two bright lights in front of you. The image was not very clear because of the pain, but you struggled to understand what you were witnessing.

A wizard you didn't know was exchanging spells with Professor Erik. And Bucky was standing next to him, his robotic movements exactly matching those of the mysterious sorcerer. Your father was dueling with the younger one.

The unknown wizard let out an angry grunt, and said something in a language you didn't recognize, and then a green light shot out of Bucky's wand and hit your father in the chest, knocking him backwards.

"Stupefy!" Shouted a female voice from your side, and the spell hit Bucky squarely.

You whimpered in pain again, and could stare no longer.

A few minutes passed before you gasped back to consciousness, or perhaps it was hours. Your tears wet your shirt, and you coughed helplessly.

You raised your eyes to a scene that you didn't understand at first.

There were three people lying on the ground. A man you had never seen before, Bucky and your father, and Professor Erik was kneeling beside the last.

You blinked in confusion and then Tony came running out of the other opening and he widened his eyes when he noticed father.

"Hey, can you stand?" it was Jean Grey beside you. Maria Hill was holding you in her other arm, and you blinked in confusion at both of them.

"Where am I?" you grumbled, and then looked forward again. Tony ran up to your father, and you widened your eyes.

"Dad?" Tony asked with his face wet with tears. "Dad? Wake up!

"Stark..." Erik started as he touched the boy's shoulder, but your brother didn't look at him as he pushed his hand away.

You forced yourself to get up and with the help of the girls you succeeded. You took two steps and then fell to your knees again, understanding what had happened.

You had just witnessed your father being murdered.

//-//

The maze was dismantled from the inside out.

The rest of the teachers moved to remove the incantations and the maze disappeared around you, while you and Tony were kneeling beside the body of your father.

Soon there were reporters trying to reach the center, but Principal Harkness ordered them to stay away.

The aurors from the ministry were also there and they conjured a containment spell around the man who dueled the professor.

"We need to get the children out of here, Harkness." You heard someone say, but their gaze was on your lap, the hand you entwined with your father's.

"We don't know how many of them then here." Another witch said.

"Darlings, let's go inside, okay?" Professor Erik asked you. You were too tired to contradict, but Tony refused.

He said something about responsibility, and they did not contradict him again. You were led out of the maze, however, and the place where the entrance was located was empty.

The reporters who had been thrown out approached you and the ministry's auror immediately as soon as they saw you two, and you blinked at the flashes of the cameras.

"Can you tell us what happened inside the maze Miss Stark?"

"How are you and your brother going to take care of the fortune now that you are Howard's heirs?"

The lack of sensitivity made your stomach turn, but you were too tired to cry.

The auror who was with you said something to keep the reporters away, and then you were taken back to the castle.

"Hey, kid, are you still with me?" The lady asked as she knelt in front of you, her expression concerned.

You sighed, feeling an urgency to close your eyes. You think she called you again before you blacked out.

//-//

When you woke up, it was warm. And when you realized that you were in the infirmary, it took you a few moments to remember everything that had happened. As you did so, you began to cry. Finally understanding that your father was dead.

Your pillow got wet, but you didn't care, finding it hard to see past the tears.

"Hey." It was Tony, looking extremely tired, standing at your bedside. You couldn't tell if he was already there when you woke up, or if he had entered the infirmary at that moment, but you didn't ask. He lay down on the bed with you next, and hugged you.

You know that he was crying too, even though you didn't look at him.

You eventually fell asleep between sobs, and when you woke up again, you were feeling better physically.

Tony was standing in the doorway of the infirmary, talking to the Auror who brought you in. When she noticed you looking, she nodded slightly to Tony and he looked at you, forcing a smile.

The two wizards walked over to you next, and you sat down on the bed.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" Tony asked and you shrugged. "Carol wants to ask you some questions."

You looked away from Tony to the woman, and she looked slightly embarrassed to have to question you after a situation like this, but she did it anyway.

"My name is Carol Danvers, Miss Stark." She introduced herself first. "I am an auror from the ministry of magic. I brought you to the infirmary, can you remember this?"

You nodded in agreement.

"I need to tell you some things, and then I'll ask you about what happened in the maze, okay?" She asked and waited for you to confirm before she started talking.

Carol explained to you how the dark wizard Korvac used polyjuice potion to disguise himself as Professor Fury all year long, and infiltrate the tournament organization. The real Fury was a family friend of the auror and was able to warn her in some way that she didn't tell you, and then the aurors used flu powder to get to Hogwarts. Your father was still an auror in secret to the ministry, and so he also joined the operation group.

When the Aurors arrived, however, Korvac had already entered the maze and they went after him. Neither your father nor the professor were supposed to enter the maze, but when you did, your brother followed, and consequently Steve and Bucky did the same. Your father and the professor went after, but the maze was enchanted to make everyone get lost, and that's exactly what happened. While you were guided by your connection to Wanda, everyone else was lost all around.

Carol told you that Korvac had found Bucky and used the Imperio curse to control him, so he was fighting on behalf of the dark wizard against both your father and your teacher. With Jean Grey's intervention, Bucky was knocked out and Professor Erik hit Korvac, but it was too late.

Everyone eventually found themselves in the middle and the maze was dismantled. Tony had already given his statement to the ministry, and Korvac was sent to Azkaban.

"Your brother told me that you have some kind of magical bond with one of the champions and that's why you went into the maze right?" Carol asked as you wiped away your tears. You sniffled slightly as you confirmed. "Miss Maximoff won the competition and she has also talked to my colleagues about what she saw in the cup portal."

"W-what?" you questioned with confusion.

Carol sighed slightly and then her posture changed. She looked back for a minute.

"Look, I trusted your father. He knew there was corruption in the ministry, and he warned me about it when he recommended me to work with him." She began as if telling a secret. "Let's keep that between us for now. I don't know who I can trust in that department."

Carol told about how the triwizard cup was bewitched to become a portal key, most likely by Korvac. She repeated Wanda's words to you, saying that the girl had ended up in a graveyard with the remnants of Mephisto's followers in place. Wanda also said that Mephisto himself had returned and that they faced each other. She managed to escape by touching the cup again.

What made you angry was knowing that the minister didn't believe any of her words, and refused to acknowledge Mephisto's return. The whole thing would be treated as a trial of the tournament that got out of hand, and Korvac, who had been captured, would be accused of all the crimes.

Carol didn't seem happy with the minister's decision either.

"I have nothing to say but tell the minister to go fuck himself, Carol." You informed irritated and the blonde smiled at you.

"You inherited your father's attitude." She comments and you think the intention is good, but it makes your heart ache. "I will close your statement then. Thank you very much for your time, Miss Stark."

You nod and Carol hesitates. She sighs lightly and touches your brother on the shoulder and your outstretched hand on the bed.

"I used to be friends with your father." She says. "Don't think you are alone, children. You have more family than you can imagine. And you can contact me if you need anything."

Carol smiles and walks away with a nod. You and Tony exchange a slightly surprised look. Tony sighs and sits down next to you on the bed. You say nothing, but you both know that this should be one more among your father's many secrets.

//-//

Nurse Cho released you from the infirmary that same afternoon.

Aside from the mental exhaustion, you were perfectly healthy.

Your friends, with the exception of the Maximoff twins, approach you in the dormitory. They hug you together, mourning the death of your father. You want to say that you feel a little better about this, but that is not true.

As you are seen in the corridors, students and professors stop you to say "my sympathies", and you answer them in a polite way. You can also hear the gossip after all.

Wanda did not obey the order of the minister of magic, and when the journalists of the Daily Prophet asked her about the tournament, she told her version. Nobody bought her story, and she was branded a liar after the minister denied the return of the dark wizard.

Professor Erik also greeted you in the hallways, and Pietro was with him. The boy hugged you tight, and you held back your tears.

"Stark, my home is always open to you and your brother." Erik said as his hand was on your shoulder. "I just want you to know that."

You nodded in understanding and then walked toward the communal hall intending to organize your belongings, since the school year would end that week.

//-//

On your last day at Hogwarts, you finally talked to Wanda.

Because your nightmares had become more frequent than ever, you had spent the last days at school without sleeping properly, and on the last night you gave up sleeping and decided to go to the kitchens.

You were in the empty halls when you heard the familiar noise of Drax monitoring the castle and stumbled to the first door you found, trying to avoid being seen.

As you waited for the hissing noise to become distant, you looked back and gasped in surprise.

There was a girl sitting on the floor and it took you a few seconds to realize that it was Wanda.

"What are you doing here?" You asked curiously, and your voice startled her. She stood up quickly, looking at you in surprise.

"Shit, you scared the hell out of me!" She complained and you frowned slightly as you realized she was crying, but Wanda quickly wiped her face.

Only at that moment did you notice the large antique mirror behind her. On the metal rim was a Latin phrase that you didn't understand.

Biting the inside of your cheeks, you looked away to the floor.

"Sorry to bother you, I couldn't sleep." You mumbled clumsily and Wanda shifted the weight of her feet before clearing her throat.

"Do you wanna stay?"

You raised your head in surprise, but then nodded in agreement.

Walking up to the girl, you stopped about four steps away from her, not knowing exactly what to do next.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing here?" You asked again, and Wanda bit her lips before turning toward the mirror.

"I found this place in second grade." She counters. "That's the Mirror of Erised."

"I am supposed to know what that means?" You ask with mild irony causing Wanda to smile slightly.

"We studied that in fourth grade, so yes." She retorts.

"I haven't been busy this year, no time for books, if you know what I mean." You say with a smile and Wanda laughs softly. You stare at the mirror in front of you, but there is nothing special about it. It seems to reflect you and Wanda just like any other. "What does this mirror do anyway?"

Wanda turns her face to you, and you want to ignore the nervous feeling that settles on the edge of your stomach, but to no avail.

"Look closer." She says, and her gaze lingers on you for a moment before she takes a step to the side. You turn your face to the mirror again, and then step forward.

It takes a second for the image to change. It is you in the reflection, but you are not alone. Your father is standing beside you, smiling contently. You frown in confusion, gasping slightly at his sudden appearance.

Ignoring the lump in your throat, you continue to stare. The image trembles slightly, and you try to understand what the mirror is telling you. Nothing looks much different except the image of your father, but then you notice the wedding ring in your reflection.

You look down at your hand for a moment and then back at the reflection. Your image copies the movement with delay and you squeeze your eyes shut to read the letters on the ring.

Your face heats up as you read Wanda's name and you take a step back. The image becomes fainter, but doesn't disappear.

"What do you see?" Wanda asks curiously from beside you, and you startle, turning your head to her quickly.

"M-my father." You answer at the same moment, biting your tongue to make sure you don't say anything else. Wanda's expression tumbles, and she looks down at her feet. You swallow dryly.

"I'm sorry, y/n. I really am." She whispers, and you look away. There is something that is bothering you as much as your father's death, and it is the distance that seems to exist between you and Wanda now.

"Thank you." You mumble the response you have learned to give whenever someone says that to you. "W-what do you see in the mirror?" You ask next, trying to change the subject from you. Wanda looks surprised at the question and even in the low lighting, you notice the slight redness in her cheeks.

"My mother." She answers without looking at you. "And... myself. No magic. Just me and her, and Pietro and papa at a distance. We look happy and normal."

It is the most intimate confession Wanda has ever made to you. You want to caress her face, hug her and thank her for her trust, but you just nod in agreement, swallowing her words and pushing the desire to touch down.

"Have you been here many times?" You ask after a moment and Wanda sighs before confirming. "You never told me about this place before."

"I never told anyone." She retorts without sounding angry, just slightly weary. "I guess I wanted it to be something just mine."

"I understand." You comment as you look into the mirror again, the image of your reflection and Wanda's now visible. "A private space for you to visit your mother."

Wanda murmurs in agreement, and you think she won't say anything else, but she does.

"I need to tell you something."

You turn your head toward Wanda's direction, but when she turns her body toward you, she keeps her gaze on the floor.

"About the day of the task." She says. "About Mephisto."

"Okay." You mumble as you wait. Wanda takes a deep breath.

"I guess you've heard from the whole school that I fought with him." She starts with a sad smile, and you nod in agreement. "Well, there's a reason he couldn't kill me."

You frown with confusion.

"Right...why?"

"It’s better if i show you." She takes a deep breath, raising her hands between you. "Can I?" she asks, and you notice the red magic escaping her fingers.

"You can do that?" You ask impressed and Wanda nods with a shy smile. When you consent, she raises her fingers to your forehead and then you have another vision.

You see the moment when Wanda was teleported into the graveyard, and it's as if you're seeing everything through her eyes.

The moment when a hooded wizard appeared and locked Wanda in a spell against one of the tombstones. You watched the wizard walk to the center of the graveyard and conjure a rune on the ground that you didn't recognize. He recited a few words and then cast an incantation in the sky. The mark of a hydra.

Walking back to the rune, the sorcerer deposited a necklace on the ground. With a dagger he took from his pocket, he recited an incantation in a language you didn't recognize, and cut his own palm. When the blood fell on the necklace, Wanda gasped in pain.

The ground around the rune began to open up and a man crawled out of the earth. You imagined it was a necromancy ritual and they were resurrecting someone. You didn't have to ask to know that it was Mephisto.

When the wizard stood up completely, he laughed darkly. The man who helped him bowed.

"Master, you live!" Celebrated the wizard. Mephisto approached, a gentle flick of his wand wiped all the dirt from his robes, and you could see the metallic Hydra strolling along the entire length of his robes, as if getting used to being awake again.

"All thanks to you, John." Mephisto said his deep voice echoing through the room. "Your loyalty will be rewarded, my friend."

"Thank you, master." Said the man without raising his head. Mephisto touched his hood, pulling it back, and you looked at the kneeling figure. He was a man of about thirty, his blond hair was long and dirty. There was a deep scar across his cheek to the extent of his right eye, which was closed.

Mephisto raised his wand toward the young man's face, and a silver spell escaped from the tip along the scar. The mark didn't disappear, but when he opened his eye, you noticed the metallic glow of the reddish iris.

"Be my eyes again, John Walker." Mephisto commanded and the boy thanked him again. He continued kneeling as Mephisto turned toward Wanda, who was still attached to the tombstone. "I almost forgot about my guest of honor."

"Who are you?" Wanda asked angrily, you could almost feel her fear.

Mephisto smiled devilishly, ignoring the question as he took a deep breath. He raised his wand high and the Hydra's mark seemed to glow even brighter.

In the following moments, shadows began to appear in the sky, and only when the first one of them landed on the ground that you understood that they were wizards appearing.

There were at least eight of them, but because of their position, Wanda couldn't see them all. The masked witches remained static, waiting for their companions. Mephisto murmured softly, and after a moment without any movement in the sky, he sighed.

"It is only at our worst that we see who is really loyal to us." He comments somberly, before opening his arms to the crowd. "Friends! It's so good to see you all again, finally. So many years!"

Mephisto's smile doesn't reach his eyes, and then the wizards are kneeling, and recite together an "It is an honor, master." Mephisto laughs lightly, lowering his arms.

"Look at you folks." He comments with a psychotic look on his face. "You're not even ashamed that you abandoned me." He charges, but no one speaks up. Mephisto sighs impatiently. "No one has anything to say? What a disappointment."

"Master..." Started a wizard on the edge and then Mephisto raised his fist toward him hanging him in the air with his magic. Wanda's eyes widened, but the wizard let go just before the one in the air stopped struggling. As the wizard coughed to try to breathe again, Mephisto pushed his long hair out of the front of his face.

"I don't want your hollow apologies, Zemo." He says. "Nothing will erase the betrayal of all of you, cowards."

No one makes any mention of interrupting the speech, and Mephisto puts his cloak away momentarily.

"But a new era begins, and we need to leave the past behind." Says the mage. "I finally have my treasure where I wanted it, and nothing will stop me from reaching my power again."

Mephisto turns to Wanda now, a mental look on his face. The wizards look at her too.

"Master, is this...?" One of the masked men begins, and Mephisto interrupts with a devilish grin.

"Yes, my friend!" He says. "The Scarlet Witch."

The group loosely shares a buzz of excited excitement, but falls silent the next moment. Wanda wriggles uncomfortably against the spell.

"What is it, my dear?" Mephisto asks as he watches her struggle. "Is it tight? Try a coffin underground. I guarantee the discomfort is greater."

The comment makes Wanda clench her jaw as the group lets out a chuckle.

"I'm not who you say I am." Wanda retorts with irritation and Mephisto lets out a laugh approaching. You wish you could enter the vision to get him away from Wanda.

"Your name is Wanda Maximoff." He says looking her straight in the eye. "You were born in 1989 in a dirty muggle neighborhood of Sokovia. And you are a scarlet witch by birth." He narrates and then his gaze changes to malice. "And you belong to me."

"Fuck you."

Wanda's rude response makes Mephisto smile.

"Perhaps you, my dear friends, were not aware of what really happened that night fifteen years ago." Mephisto says as he turns to the group again. "I can only imagine the lies the ministry of magic must have told the world, making sure to tell I was defeated by some of their pathetic aurors."

The group exchanges surprised looks and Mephisto laughs, walking ahead.

"I think everyone has a right to know what really happened that day, don't you, my dear?" He asks Wanda, and then lets out a wry laugh. "Oh, I forgot that you were just a filthy brat back then. I'd better tell them instead."

Wanda struggles against the grip again and Mephisto raises his wand toward her, causing the spell to tighten more and Wanda to grumble in pain.

"Hold still and listen to the story, little brat." He commands. "Didn't the blood traitor teach you manners?"

You know Mephisto is talking about Wanda's father, but the girl doesn't respond to the teasing.

"Do you remember how well everything was going for us, my friends?" Begins the wizard, and he waits for the group to agree before speaking again. "I should have known that the cursed muggles in your community would bring more trouble than I expected."

Mephisto looks slightly nostalgic, but no one is going to interrupt him. He gives a wry laugh before continuing.

"You know that I was seeking the power of a scarlet sorceress for myself. And well, with all the commotion in the ministry, I decided to capture the child without being accompanied by any of you." He says. "I was always the most powerful, but now that I look back, a companion would have prevented so much delay."

When Wanda makes mention of fighting again, Mephisto strengthens the spell.

"I went to take what was rightfully mine in that muggle pigsty that is Sokovia, and I never expected that a filthy muggle would be able to stop me." He tells you and you notice Wanda's interest in the words, curious to know what he was talking about. "Maybe the traitor lied and she had some witch lineage. We'll never know, since I killed her." He comments humorously. "Contextualizing my friends, I went up to the second floor to get the child of prophecy, and I ended up running into two of them."

Mephisto counters with a wry laugh.

"Crazy isn't it?" He says. "But of course it was easy to figure out who the right baby was, since the sorceress' power emanated in the child's aura. I had no function for the other one so I decided to discard it."

Wanda's eyes widen at the confession. Mephisto was going to kill Pietro. She gasps slightly, feeling her anger rising.

"But the muggle pig begged for mercy." He continues. "You know very well how much I hate muggles, but if she had stood in the corner as I told her to do, I would have done no harm. But of course she had to throw herself in front of the infant, become a pathetic martyr."

The group laughs at the narration and you feel like vomiting. Mephisto stared at his own wand for a few seconds.

"I should have realized the sacrificial bond that was created, but I did not expect such a thing from a muggle." He counters somberly, sounding bitter. "When I skipped over her body and repeated the curse, it came straight back to me."

The group let out a chorus of surprise, but Mephisto just smiled.

"Don't worry, friends. I'm here after all." He says. "But a death curse is powerful enough to injure a body. And so I needed to escape." He counters as he walks around. "I would return for the girl as soon as I could restore myself, but where there is one blood traitor there is always another."

The group listened to the story intently and you swallowed dryly, trying to remember all the details.

"The traitor Stark and that muggle slut he called his wife were waiting for me downstairs." Mephisto counters and you hold your breath. "I knew that in my condition I couldn't stand up to an auror like Stark, but he could be useful to me. It was the perfect opportunity to have someone look after my belongings."

Mephisto sighed lightly.

"I think muggles must have some sort of self-sabotaging lifestyles about throwing themselves in front of spells, folks." He mocked causing the group to exchange confused looks. "I aimed at Stark, commanding him to protect what was mine, but it was the muggle who received the enchantment." He counters and you gasp in surprise. "Stark was furious of course, but I used the moments he spent assisting his wife to apparate."

Mephisto's expression was no longer content.

"My body couldn't handle the power of the apparatation, obviously." He counters. "After the curse, it began to betray me. I was on the brink of death for months, until I finally succumbed. My consciousness shallowed, waiting patiently for my faithful followers to find me. And here we are."

The group lets out a small exclamation and Mephisto forces a smile, straightening his posture.

"But that's in the past, of course." He says. "My sorceress is here for me, and I can regain my full power now."

Wanda swallowed dryly as she watched Mephisto approach. The wizard made a motion with his wand and the grip around her neck shortened slightly.

"I never had any use for the witch's receptacle." He says raising his wand to Wanda, you held your breath. "It's nothing personal, dear. At least you'll meet that pig of a mother of yours in hell."

The green incantation comes out of the small wood next, but never reaches Wanda. A yellow energy bumps into the magic and deflects it almost hitting one of the wizards in the circle. The group moves in fright and Mephisto has a psychotic but surprised look on his face.

"The protective spell... How?" he asks, stepping forward. “The spell killed the muggle, I saw her body! How is it still there?” He angrily asks .

His followers look as surprised as he is, and Mephisto assumes an angry expression. He raises his wand again, and even without saying anything, the emerald incantation escapes and the same thing as before happens. Distracted in his frustration, he doesn't notice that with each attempt, the spell binding Wanda grows weaker, until the fourth time he tries to curse the girl, the golden light explodes in the air, ricocheting light startling all the wizards in the circle, as Wanda falls to her knees, free.

The second of shock from the group is enough for Wanda to cause a wave of energy with her powers that kept the wizards away as she reaches for the cup at her feet, teleporting back to the school.

You stumble out of the memory, your eyes watering.

Wanda looks at you, but you turn away feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information.

"W-what was that?" You gasp taking another step back.

"I'm sorry if that was too much." She hastens to say. "I-I needed to tell you. About your mother."

You wipe away the tears, moving further away.

"I can't do this." You grumble. "Not now. M-my father just died, Wanda. I can't. I'm sorry."

The words are a little disjointed, but Wanda understands. She doesn't stop you when you rush to leave the room.

//-//

Coming home is much more difficult than any other time.

The ride on the Hogwarts express is longer than ever, but you don't mind, wanting to avoid the moment when you and Tony will set foot home without your father.

Jarvis picks the four of you up at the station, and you are grateful that Gamora lets you eat all her candy left over from the trip.

The whole feeling of stepping into the house and looking around and seeing your father's objects all around is oppressive, but you try to get used to it. You think the conversation with Tony about your mother can wait.

//-//

Tag list ( let me know if you want to be tagged or removed idk haha) @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @myperfectlovepoem // @helloalycia // @ENSORCELLME // @AIMEZVOUSBRAHMS @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia //   @ichala​ ||  @madamevirgo

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #wanda maximoff #wanda x you #wandaxreader #wandaxyou #wanda maximoff x you #wandamaximoffxreader #wanda x yn #marvel imagines #avengers imagines #avengers #The Scarlet Witch Prophecy

[psychotakublabs]

Creepy Luz is a Grimwalker

“Eclipse Lake” gave us a new creature known as a Grimwalker. From what we can tell, Grimwalkers are artificial clones. This has led lots of fans, including myself, to believe Hunter is a Grimwalker created by Belos. There have been theories about his purpose of being artificially created such as being a new vessel, sacrifice, etc. There have even been theories that Belos is a Grimwalker, which could be plausible. However, these two aren’t the only ones who could be Grimwalkers. Creepy Luz from “Keeping Up A-fear-ances” is a Grimwalker in the Human Realm.

It is possible Creepy Luz is a Grimwalker. Adding another creature would cause confusion in the story and there wouldn’t be a motive other than trickery. However, a Grimwalker makes sense because there could be someone who has a motive to create a Grimwalker of Luz which I will go into later in this theory.

Who Created Creepy Luz?

It is unlikely to be a large group or government agency, so it could be a small secretive group or just one person. Having knowledge of creating a Grimwalker means the person who created Creepy Luz has knowledge of the Demon Realm and Belos. They could also be related to Philip (blood or partnership) which would explain knowledge of both realms, technology, and magic. Belos's past is unknown to everyone on the Boiling Isles and he intends to keep it that way, but this "Mystery Creator" (temporary name for the person who created Creepy Luz) and Belos are connected from their connection to Philip since he was the only person to travel and have knowledge of both realms and could be the key to knowing Belos's past and backstory.

1) Original Belos

If Belos in the Demon Realm is a Grimwalker, that means he must have been cloned from an original. Many fans think he is a clone of Philip who possessed multiple clone bodies to expand his lifespan. However, that does not account the success of his portal door creation, which can travel to both dimensions, how Belos has ears more human than witch but maintains a pointed tip, and creating a new portal when he should have knowledge of it. There is a possibility Belos could be a descendant of Philip and is half human and half witch. However, the Belos in the Demon Realm is not the real Belos, but a Grimwalker who is unstable. The real Belos is in the Human Realm who is the true descendant of Philip. The Real Belos may be half witch and half human or human who dabbled in mixing two different DNA in a Grimwalker.

2) Human Companion

Belos may have had a human companion. This means Belos is not a Grimwalker, but is a descendant of Philip, born from a witch mother. This human companion may even be a descendant of Philip as well since Philip suddenly vanished many years ago. Both being descendants of Philip means both have knowledge of the realms and technology/magic to access both realms. They may have found each other through knowledge of their shared blood relation to Philip. Belos has gone to the Human Realm before and this mystery companion has visited the Demon Realm.

3) Another Witch

Belos may have befriended another witch in the Boiling Isles. His past is a mystery but who is to say it was all bad? It may even be a blood relation or a very close friend of Belos. Since Belos is half human and half witch, he may have been hidden to other witches out of protection or fear. However, this one witch seems to have befriended him and Belos may have shared his knowledge of Philip and the Human Realm. Again, Belos has been to the Human Realm before and he may have taken his witch friend/relative to view it.

Whoever this Mystery Creator is, there are two possibilities of what may have happened between the two: there could be a blood relationship or a family-like bond and confrontation. From the Season 1 secret message there are two lines that give us a clue: “Two witches torn apart now alone” and “betrayal of blood”. The secret message is mostly intended for Eda and Lilith but it can also portray Belos and Mystery Creator’s story. We also have another hint of a confrontation: the first time Eda used the portal door. There was a large gash on the portal door when Eda first found it buried. From these hints, there may be a possibility of a clash between Belos and Mystery Creator. Belos did mention wild magic destroying his family, whether intentional or accidental, meaning there is a high chance the Mystery Creator and Belos are related by blood, hence “betrayal of blood”. This confrontation between the two separated them: Belos in the Demon Realm and Mystery Creator in the Human Realm. Belos may have felt betrayed by Mystery Creator and blamed wild magic for the cause (whether side effect of his own creation or curse). Whoever this Mystery Creator is, they have knowledge of creating Grimwalkers since they have knowledge of the Demon Realm and technology/magic (however it is harnessed) to create Creepy Luz.

How Was Creepy Luz Created?

From the book, we see the ingredients for creating a Grimwalker: Galderstones (heart and power), Palistrom wood (keratin), Stonesleeper lungs (lungs), and bone of ORTET. We also see diagrams of combining ingredients, an embro and growth of Grimwalker, and eye color of the Grimwalker.

Most mysterious of the ingredients is the Bone of ORTET. There is no image of the ingredient and there is only one bone with ortet being capitalized. This seems to be an important ingredient that is also hard to find. Ortet means the original plant from which the clone originates from. This could be a hint to Grimwalkers being clones. However, it could also be a hint to what this unknown ingredient is. The Bone of ORTET could be a creature/plant used to replicate the original person the clone looks like or could be a magic term on the Boiling Isles for DNA of the original (thank you Zasmit132 for your input!). The fact it's called Bone of ORTET implies there is a creature (beast or plant) by that name. Replicating an exact copy could require abomination magic (there is a small picture of what looks like goo on the upper left corner). The Bone of ORTET and the Stonesleeper Lungs are the only creatures/ingredients we haven't seen in the series yet but all are important to making a Grimwalker.

If Belos did create Hunter, that means it's possible to create one without magic. Especially since Belos and Hunter use artificial magic from technology. This includes speeding the aging process of Grimwalkers and imbuing them with either their own personality and backstory or imbuing the same traits as the original. So it is possible for Mystery Creator to create Creepy Luz as a Grimwalker without magic.

However, how would Mystery Creator access the ingredients? These ingredients are found on the Boiling Isles and the only way to access the Demon Realm is through the portal, since Eclipse Lake is dried up. There are 2 ways Mystery Creator can access these ingredients without the portal door. 1) Mystery Creator could have found the creatures/ingredients from the leaks. Although Eclipse Lake is dried up, Titan's Blood still exists. Which means leaks still occur between both realms. Mystery Creator has knowledge of the Demon Realm and scoured throughout the globe to find the ingredients. 2) Mystery Creator already had these ingredients beforehand. As stated, Mystery Creator and Belos are connected through Philip and have possibly traveled both realms. If Belos is a Grimwalker of Mystery Creator, it's likely they still have the ingredients in the Human Realm. Although these ingredients are found in the Demon Realm, it's not impossible to find them in the Human Realm.

Why Create Creepy Luz?

Biggest question to ask is why is Creepy Luz created? Belos doesn't have access to the Human Realm, so him creating Creepy Luz would be impossible. Luz accidentally traversed to the Boiling Isles and has had no prior connection beforehand. So why would Mystery Creator have a sudden interest in Luz to create a Grimwalker of her?

Let's recap to the one clip that from the trailer yet to be seen: Camila's appearance. Notice behind her is a conspiracy board with a newspaper clipping of a witch holding a staff and a key. This points to Mystery Creator researching magical phenomenon related to the Demon Realm. They probably know about Belos and either want to stop his plan from happening or to reunite with him.

How is this related to creating a Grimwalker of Luz? Well there is a tattered cabin in the woods that seems to be a waypoint to the Human Realm. Mystery Creator could have returned to the cabin and saw Luz enter the portal door. But if they saw the portal door, why not enter it in the first place? The answer is simple: Eda. Eda can be very dangerous and Mystery Creator probably didn't know after a long while and was probably worried Eda would attack them. So the Mystery Creator seeing Luz could have seen her as a way of getting back into the Demon Realm. Which is why they decided to create Creepy Luz, disguise themselves as a camp counselor to keep an eye on Creepy Luz, perfect her personality (even helping with the letters), and continue to correspond with Creepy Luz after the camp. Hence why Luz’s change would not be suspicious to Camila and other people. If Belos has ruled the Boiling Isles for more than 50 years, then Mystery Creator can wait a few more months for Creepy Luz to investigate.

Why Trick Camila?

Mystery Creator already has Creepy Luz to help with his research on accessing the Demon Realm, so why bring Camila into this? The answer is simple: to not raise suspicion. Although Mystery Creator seems like someone who will do anything to find the Demon Realm, they also have to be careful. Plus it seems they're only lead in accessing the Boiling Isles lies in Luz’s town, specifically the cabin. 

Notice how we do not see Creepy Luz’s face in "Keeping Up A-fear-ances". From the Grimwalker book, it seems Grimwalkers are born with red eyes like Hunter's. It could be Creepy Luz has the same red eyes. However, that would raise suspicion. Luckily, the Human Realm has easy ways of hiding those eyes such as colored contacts or Mystery Creator could have used a different technique to hide the eyes. Hiding Creepy Luz’s face already raises suspicion of her identity and being a Grimwalker would explain how she came to be and her purpose for impersonating Luz's life.

However, this facade may not last. From the trailer clip of Camila's appearance, she seems to be happy until she looks at her phone and suddenly frowns. She may be catching on to Creepy Luz, either from the video entries from Luz’s phone or notices something strange with Creepy Luz. The mid-season episode  title is "Yesterday's Lie" and a few clips from the trailer have yet to be seen. It could be Creepy Luz said something that doesn't align with either what Camila said or texts she received. Whatever happens, Camila is going to find out Creepy Luz’s identity and it's either going to put her in danger or possibly team up with Mystery Creator to find Luz (possibly both).

Creepy Luz and Hunter Stable but not Belos

If Belos is a Grimwalker, how is he unstable and Creepy Luz and Hunter are? There could be two reasons why. 1) Creepy Luz and Hunter have one type of DNA while Belos is a hybrid of two types. Hunter is a Grimwalker clone of Belos, but he is more witch than human. He has the same ears as other witches on the Boiling Isles. The only similarities they share is being powerless witches, probably from the human side of Belos. Creepy Luz is a human Grimwalker. She is basically an exact copy of Luz, so her being stable is because she is a human replica. Belos is different because his ears do have points like a witch but are very small and more human shaped. Meaning he has two types of DNA: witch and human. This could be because the original (Mystery Creator and\or descendant of Philip) is a half human half witch. It wouldn't make sense to combine an artificial hybrid unless the original wanted to experiment with giving humans magic. However, having 2 different types of DNA would clash and cause instability in Belos's form. 2) Aging. Belos is over 70 years old. His age could be causing his form to deteriorate. Most clones in media and in real life either age rapidly or age horribly. It seems Belos is close to his expiration date and is having trouble keeping his form. Creepy Luz and Hunter are young and new as Grimwalkers so their forms are stable until they age. It could possibly be both!

How is this relevant to Creepy Luz being a Grimwalker? Well it relates to Creepy Luz being a human Grimwalker but is still stable in the Human Realm. Because there is no magic in the Human Realm it would be difficult to maintain her form. But if either age or one type of DNA is the reason Creepy Luz is a stable Grimwalker in the Human Realm, that would be a possible explanation.

Creepy Luz being a Grimwalker would explain her sudden appearance in the Human Realm. There are creatures that leak into the Human Realm, but there wouldn't be a reason, plot wise and motive, to take over Luz's life unless it's for mischief or trickery. Although it'd be interesting for the portal or some higher being to replace Luz because of some dimensional gap, the door was created nearly 400 years ago. Myths in the Human Realm caused by the leaks have happened for thousands of years and the same would go for the Demon Realm in replacements which haven't been mentioned yet. Luz being a Grimwalker as a reason for this Mystery Creator to research more on the Demon Realm would make much more sense. In conclusion, Creepy Luz is a human Grimwalker created by Mystery Creator to access the Demon Realm. Hope you guys enjoyed this theory! Please comment, I'd love to hear your input!

Also thank you Zasmit132 for helping me with this theory!

#toh #the owl house #toh season 2 #toh spoilers #eclipse lake #toh luz #toh creepy luz #toh theory #toh theories #luz noceda #toh eda #eda clawthorne #toh belos #emperor belos #toh grimwalker #toh hunter #toh portal #toh philip #philip wittebane #keeping up afearances #toh camila #camila noceda #yesterdays lie

[serpentstole]

Can I ask what's wrong with Michael W Ford's books? I never read them but I've seen often people recommending them, so I'm curious. Thank you and have a nice day.

Thanks for the question! Sorry if this gets a little long, TL;DR is at the bottom but I've broken down some more specific examples in point form.

I'll preface this by saying that if people get something worthwhile from Michael W Ford's books, that's their business and I'm happy for them. However, there's a few things about his writing and him as a person that I don't really love and struggle to get behind. Most of the specific textual examples I give are from the Bible of the Adversary specifically, as it's one of his more famous books and the only one I personally have had the mental fortitude to page through so far.

- I'm immediately leery of anyone who's often described as a "visionary" or "luminary" on websites selling or listing their books, especially when I've gotten the feeling that it's just that his books are accessible and plentiful. Even among fans of authors like E. A. "Become A Living God" Koetting, the general opinion seems to be that his books lack a lot of consistency and are a bit poorly written. Can confirm for the Bible of the Adversary, at least. There's some parts of that thing that could have used a once-over by an editor.

- I try very hard not to use what happened to the Greater Church of Lucifer/GCoL against him. Another member of the community that I do still (loosely, infrequently) interact with was also involved, and while I sincerely wish they'd both more deeply researched the man they were signing up to run a very public and scrutinized church with, I think his turning into a scam artist who publicly converted to Christianity was enough punishment there. Likewise, I'm a bit uncomfortable with his past involvement with the Order of Nine Angels/ONA/O9A given the fact that they're a pack of murder advocating nazis, but apparently he left when he discovered that fact, so I try to give him the benefit of the doubt that he truly did distance himself from them immediately upon learning of their beliefs, as I don't know when these things became more widely known. However, both of these fumbles alongside how he presents himself and his books just don't sit well with me, as the most generous interpretation is that he was twice-misled in some pretty dangerous and harmful ways by those that are damaging to the public perception of Luciferianism, but still likes to be some figurehead of the Luciferian community. People make mistakes, and people can be misled, and people can learn from past experiences, but his track record is a bit upsetting for a supposed authority.

- His work includes pieces and ideas from occultists or practices that I tend to avoid in my own practice and study, such as Thelema and Crowley's writing as a whole, inspiration taken from the Temple of Set/Setian magic, Qlipoth (because it wouldn't be a Luciferian grimoire without pilfered Jewish mysticism), and forms of Gnosticism that embrace the idea of God as an evil demiurge (which i explained my discomfort with in my previous post). I'm also not a huge fan of his "all magic comes from within" approach (and find it hard to reconcile with his frequent use of Luciferian deities/spirits and demons), nor that he'll talk about Cain's role in "Luciferian grimoires" without actually naming any... though given how similar a piece of Lilith themed artwork he's done looks to Andrew Chumbley's illustration, I assume he means the sort of books the Cultus Sabbati was writing. I wish I still had the Ford version saved or could remember which of his books it's from, the side by side comparison is painful but without it I risk looking like I'm making things up.

- Heavy, heavy use of Lilith, which I don't love for reasons I outlined before. She mostly seems to appear whenever spooky lustful sex magick is being discussed, which is great, that's great.

- He also uses the Wiccan wheel of the year sprinkled in among his more Luciferian focused holy days, which is just really funny to me. Why are we celebrating Beltane, Michael? Why are we celebrating Imbolg? (Page 69)

- He likes to use a lot of "black magic" and "vampyre magic" stuff which tends to feel very sensationalized and over the top to me. I've seen discussions of vampiric magic I found very interesting, but so far his hasn't been one of them.

- He sometimes seems to conflate Lucifer with Samael which I really truly dislike, though it's admittedly not the most baffling or out of left field take I've seen.

- Ford at times seems to either willfully misrepresent or misunderstand information he's passing along. For example, in the Bible of the Adversary he says that Cain's name comes from "...root ‘Kanah’ which means to possess. This by itself presents the antinomian nature of his essence, while instead of sacrificing his most bountiful items to the Lord, he kept them for himself." As I understand it, discussion surrounding Cain's name possibly coming from the Hebrew word קנה (kana) lean more into it being the word for to get or to obtain, referencing Eve's declaration after his conception that she'd gotten a man from the Lord. I'm all for alternate interpretations, but it feels like needless edgy-fying to fit the narrative he's trying to present. (Quote from Page 58)

- He'll say some absolutely bonkers shit like "Abel in some Luciferian Lore is considered a lower pre-form of Cain, thus the sacrifice was not literal" with zero citations or references. Like sir what the fuck does that mean, what Lore, please give us the lore please. (Footnote, Page 59)

- His interpretation of the Watchers and the Book of Enoch is so insultingly bad that I won't even relay it here, but if I see one more person claim that an angel, demon, or spirit they want to distance from Christianity or Judaism is actually a Babylonian god I'm going to go feral.

- As I've hinted at above, it feels like he'll just cherry pick and regurgitate for no real purpose. A few spirits from other texts like the Lesser Key and the Grimoire Verum get mentioned for... mostly the set of names, it seems like, he just kind of lists them out of context.

TL;DR, Michael W Ford feels (to me at least) like someone who has picked out the more appealing and edgy occult trivia and magic he could find from a wide range of sources, recontextualized the parts that didn't appeal to him until they fit his aesthetic and purposes, and presented them as a workable entry point to the Luciferian religion and its potential magical systems that is all flash no substance... and then could barely polish the flash. I don't like that he's many people's first exposure to the concept of theistic Luciferianism, and I don't like how authoritatively he presents his jumbled works as what the religion is truly about when it's so broad a label. Again, if there is something that someone finds useful within his books I am very happy for them, but I have struggled to find anything I could point to that make them worth the read... even for me to investigate further keep critiquing.

I honestly do not know why so people recommend them, unless it's just that they're easy to buy, reasonably inexpensive, and specifically have the Luciferian label on them. If that's truly the case, those people are being lazy and uncritical in a way that doesn't speak well to their apparent Luciferian ideals.

#asks #answer #luciferianism #theistic luciferianism #michael w ford #bible of the adversary

[itsclydebitches]

Is it bad that I feel Penny’s 2nd permanent death has cheapened the stakes to me to such an extent I don’t care if the character’s life are in danger or even ended? Unless they die in a particularly gruesome manner…I don’t care. Penny’s death was cheap, tasteless, and I think sucked all the stakes to me.

I've personally had a problem with RWBY's death stakes ever since Weiss' injury in the Haven fight. Making that an episode cliffhanger when we all knew RT would never commit to killing one of the main four, using that as the means of unlocking Jaune's semblance, and then, importantly, never following up on how Weiss deals with a near-death experience felt quite cheap to me. It was a moment where death/grievous injury was used only for the week long shock value (similar to Oscar's disappearance in Volume 6) and a means of furthering Jaune's abilities rather than Weiss' emotional growth (particularly egregious in a show where 99% of the cast already has their semblances unlocked. Revealing them in a dramatic, life-or-death situation was never an expectation). The fact that it was such a departure from how the story treated Yang in the past — committing to her injury and allowing her time to come to terms with it — just made it all the worse.

However, though this was one moment out of one volume that fans might be willing to overlook for a variety of reasons, Volumes 7-8 just failed so spectacularly and so often that yeah, death has no real meaning in this show anymore.

Let's tally things up:

Clover dies in large part to Qrow's stupidity. This is never acknowledged.

Qrow instead swears vengeance against Ironwood. They never meet again.

Whether everyone agrees or not, this entire situation came too close to queerbaiting for some fans.

Clover's corpse/the environment is badly animated, leading to confusion about whether he actually died.

Oscar is shot off of Atlas in a move that would have been a killing blow if not for Ozpin's unexpected magic. He never works through this and likewise never even explains things to the rest of the group, adding to the secrets issue.

The councilman is randomly shot by Ironwood, signaling his fast-track towards villainy.

The Ace Ops and, more importantly, Winter all witness this, yet it has no impact on them remaining loyal until leaving him serves the plot.

Ironwood tearing the flesh off his arm to save everyone from Watts is treated as evidence of his lack of humanity and the prosthetic he gets carries is designed to highlight how Evil he is now.

Fria dies which has little emotional weight because we knew nothing about her. She was quite literally only a vessel for the powers and was treated as such by the story.

The Hound, introduced as an incredibly formidable foe, is done in by a badly developed power and a falling suit of armor. There's no interest in who that faunus was, only what this implies for Summer.

Hazel death is confusing af. He couldn't have burned to death that fast. Oscar's cane shouldn't have hurt him based on what else we see. Where's the body? All of this follows a split-second "redemption."

Vine sacrifices himself and no one cares because we knew nothing about him. Also it's kind of weird to frame his heroic suicide as, you know, heroic after a volume of telling Penny she can't do the same. It's just weird mixed messaging.

Rhodes was killed incredibly fast by his kid student and although I care a little about him, the general consensus is that this was a girlboss moment because flawed men trying to help are the worst, right? Far worse than a villain we established in Episode One.

Watts presumably burns to death off screen.

Ironwood presumably drowns off screen.

Jacques is blown up without any of his family knowing about it. He's blown up because Winter just... left Ironwood's gun-gun by the cell?

The community is still debating whether Maria and Pietro are alive. Was Amity still falling? Was there any way off? Why don't any of the characters worry about them, one of whom is Pietro's daughter?

Yang "dies" after a single hit and only Blake gets to react to that.

The rest of the group (plus Jaune) quickly follow, to the surprise of no one.

Penny is resurrected with little fanfare, is stripped of her cyborg nature, gears up to take on Cinder with Weiss and Jaune, is instantly taken out, and then convinces the healer of the group to kill her.

The Altas arc has so much death and grievous injury — clearly trying to be the next Volume 3 — and yet none of it has an (enjoyable) impact on me. Sometimes that's because RT is killing off side characters they never bothered to develop. Sometimes it's because the writing is so confusing idek if the character is dead. Sometimes it's because the circumstances induce anger rather than grief. Penny's second death definitely caused a reaction, but not the one RT was going for. I was frustrated with how badly constructed this suicide was, disappointed in how the circumstances leading up to this erased so much that's wonderful about Penny's character, and yeah, disgusted that we were right back to that Volume 5 Weiss scenario: here's the graphic death/almost death of one of the girls to forward his story. Only this time, instead of just getting a cauterized spear to the gut, RT thought assisted-suicide via sword was the way to go.

Penny's original death was heart wrenching. Pyrrha's was tragic due to how avoidable it was. Roman's was shocking and perfect for setting the new stakes. We didn't know if Ozpin survived, but back then that was the point — a mystery to reveal next volume — not because the scene was badly constructed, or the writing seemingly just forgot that characters existed. And again, flawed as it was in some respects, we got a story of Yang losing an arm and coming to terms with that. Now, we get the story of a man losing his arm and that makes him lose his intelligence and conscience too, I guess.

I'm trying to think of a post-Volume 3 death that hit home and I'm coming up short. But deaths like Sienna or Tock, while carrying their own problems, didn't really hint at the over-arching problem with character deaths the story now has. With the comparative wealth of fatalities we got in Volumes 7-8, I was finally able to step back and go, "Wow. Right...none of that did anything for me." And yeah, as one of the most shocking deaths, as a second death, and as one of the oldest and most beloved side characters, Penny encapsulates that best of all.

#rwby #rwde #mymetas #salting the blog tonight lol

[goldenkamuyhunting]

I've been seeing a lot of people assume that Ogata is going to be one of the characters that will die in the end. I can see why because it's hard to imagine him surviving at this point. But my mind still goes back to that "Survival Road" image you mentioned before, and I wonder if that theory of him being among the "survivors" still holds weight? A friend of mine said it's possible he'll survive but end up with a fate "worse than death". What are your thoughts?

Well...

I'm not sure why it would be difficult to imagine him surviving.

It's true there are many people who would want him to be dead and some of them are pretty deadly but this doesn't mean he has to die.

I mean, for me it's hard to imagine a character surviving when he's fatally wounded like Kiro in chap 186...

Kiro will die in chap 190 after being further injured but a stab wound in that area is, normally, already ensuring you a slow and painful death and there was no magic doctor Ienaga style around him to save him so I knew he wasn't going to last.

It's also hard to imagine a character surviving when Noda hints at his death one way (characters on the wrong side of the survival road)...

or the other (Noda edited this image in the volume so that Tsurumi's feet would be naked which, Noda said, is a flag for death)...

.... or when the plot hints that character is unnecessary to the progression of the story (Ueji had not the means to help the story going further since he didn't have the means to either help or harm the characters so the easiest way to get rid of him as a character was to kill him off) or when the story made clear that character will need to be killed for the story to continue (Henmi wouldn't have let Sugimoto escape nor would have escaped and, anyway, Sugimoto couldn't leave him behind or Henmi's skin would end up in Tsurumi's hands).

However when no fatal wounding took place nor there was any foreshadowing of impending death, nor the story needed to get rid of that character for plot reasons, for me it's hard to say 'oh yes, he has to die' (although in some cases I might wish for a character's death).

Ogata has dangerous enemies... but the same applies to the whole cast. The story didn't bother foreshadowing his death, actually it foreshadowed his survival..

in more than one way as it's also implied he's a cat with proverbial multiples lives and his name "Hyakunosuke" is a sort of beneagural name that wishes for a long life as it contains the kanji 'hyaku' (百) which can be read as 'momo' which can also means "Peach", the fruit associated with immortality.

The fact that he has been working for Central might also help him not to get punished for killing Hanazawa. In fact Central might even judge Hanazawa's sacrifice as a necessary loss in order to get the gold or to get rid of Tsurumi, especially if Ogata is working for the likes of Okuda which was a supporter of a faction enemy of Hanazawa.

He spared Koito's life and gave him a hint about what Tsurumi did, which might make Koito feel obliged to spare him in return even though we know he strongly dislikes Ogata.

When fearing for her life it was the memory of her almost killing Ogata what stilled Asirpa's hand, so despite being at odds with him she might not want him death.

Ogata didn't get involved in the Tiger's curse which caused who killed a tiger to live a life of misfortune.

In the "Last Supper" Ogata was in Matthew's place and Matthew's gospel is even referenced by GK, which might be a hint he'll live and tell this story.

Long story short, Ogata's death isn't foreordained, for now I'll say it's the opposite, it's his survival which is foreordained.

Of course Noda might have been trolling us, or he just changed his mind and ultimately decided he would eventually kill out Ogata because this sort of things happen, but this is not predictable, this is just Noda changing his mind.

I'm not sure what's the basis on which your friend assumed he might end up with a fate "worse than death", as again, this is not foreshadowed so I can't really comment one way or another.

At the moment the only ones at risk of a life of misfortune are Tanigaki, Tsukishima and Koito because involved in Kiroranke's murder and therefore they're all potential targets to the tiger's curse.

I'm not saying you'r friend's theory is wrong, mind you, just that not knowing the basis for it, I can't really judge it.

Hanazawa cursed him, that's true...

...but we don't know what his cursing mean and if it's actually effective. It might merely mean that Ogata hallucinating Yuusaku is due to Hanazawa cursing him... or that he might never find a blessing path as Hanazawa will never accept him... which yes, would be painful for Ogata as he desperately wanted Hanazawa's acceptance, but really, Hanazawa was a jerk so...

People might know of my pet theory about Ogata being a Meko Oyasi of some sort... so in a way Ogata is already a cursed creature.

In fact, through Ogata isn't the sort who cries about himself, he has already a pretty bad life in which he never got anything out of the people from whom he wanted love and apprecciation, he's alone and currently on the run with occasional moments in which he showed he would be okay with being killed.

Ogata's life might be already terrible enough according to him, as he's bereft of all the things he wants and he might consider this already a fate worse than death.

But well, we can't really tell and, again, I can't really offer opinions on your friend's theory without knowing on what is based.

For now all I can say is that we can only wait and see in the future what will be of Ogata.

Thank you for your ask!

#Ogata Hyakunosuke #Ask #Kiroranke #Hijikata Toshizou #Nagakura Shinpachi #Ienaga Kano #Tsurumi Tokushirou #Henmi Kazuo #Ueji Keiji #Tsukishima Hajime #Koito Otonoshin #Tanigaki Genjirou #Hanazawa Yuusaku #Hanazawa Koujirou

[prbni]

Dramione Headcanons/Prompts

(Note:Might update the post and tags according to the requirement)

A 15 y/o Scorpius Malfoy accidentally stumbles upon a pensive of his father, that contains the memories of a certain witch he had feelings for before he met Scorp's mother. Seeing the loneliness and despair that has fallen upon his father after the death of his mother Astoria, Scorpius decides to use the prohibited Time-Turner to change the courses of the past.

But this meant two things: he'd never be able to experience the love and warmth of his mother and....he probably would cease to exist.

"This is madness Scorp!" Albus shouted angrily. " Uncle Ron and Auntie Mione are happily married. They have loved each other for ages. And this also means,Rose wouldn't exist as well. Do you really intend to do this over the one-sided crush that your father had on Auntie Mione once upon a time?!"

Basically, Albus trying to convince him in all possible ways that this is a bad idea.

Cue to Ron and Hermione arguing at the backyard of Harry-Ginny's house. They even forgot to cast Silencing Charm. Hence,everyone including the kids heard their argument.

"Oh,stop behaving like you're the only one who has been compromising in this marriage!!! Did I tell you to give up your position in the Ministry of Magic? No!" Ron yelled. " Why are you even bringing this up?! I never said it was your fault or anything!"Hermione tried to reason. "BECAUSE I'M TIRED. TIRED OF EVERYONE PRETENDING LIKE YOU HAVE DONE ME A FAVOR BY MARRYING ME WHEN IT IS THE OPPOSITE!!!" "Wh-what do you mean?"Hermione asked meekly. Ron scoffed. "Your parents are gone,Hermione. If we didn't take you into the Burrow, you wouldn't have anywhere to go. You needed us. You needed me." Hermione looked like she was trying to process the words that Ron just said. Or maybe, she was just trying to convince herself that Ron is capable of saying something like this. It's just Ron being in a foul mood. He definitely doesn't mean it."Ron let's talk about this tomorrow, okay?" Hermione tried to calm herself down. "Harry and Ginny are probably waiting for us in the dining table."

"Why? Can't face the truth?" Ron sneered. "If you were sensible enough Ronald, we'd be having this conversation at our own home,with a Silencing Charm on and without children listening to this," Hermione retorted while hinting towards Albus and Scorpius behind them,who were looking warily back and forth between the older duo. It took a while before Ron realised what she meant and grudgingly complied to go inside the house.

Scorpius gave Albus a if-this-is-what-you-mean-by-them-being-a-happy-couple look.

"Well,older couples fight. My parents fight as well. Uncle Ron is a bit aggressive,you know. But they have been like this for years.Also we don't know what actually happened between them.See,Aunty Mione didn't even fight him back," defended Albus."She didn't fight back because she knew we were listening,Al. And I don't know but this sounded more like defamation than argument." Albus sighed loudly,aware that there's no point in arguing. "So, you're still keen on getting Mr.Malfoy and Auntie Granger together in the past?" he asked instead.

"I think now I'm even more keen on getting them together,"Scorpius replied with a slight grin.

Yule Ball AU: Draco is awed when Hermione descends downstairs.

His expressions form into a scowl when he witnesses Ron and Hermione's encounter,and it pisses him off to no end when he sees her crying.

"Pathetic shite really. Ruined the whole festive mood" he mutters to himself. Even all the purring and cooing of Pansy Parkinson beside him couldn't fix his mood."Well that's what she gets for gushing over Weaselby of all possible blokes. Even Longbottom or Potter would know better than making her cry at the Ball. Seems like Weasley lacks in everything,even courting manners. But well,what do I care?"

"Enough to disturb others' sleep through your late night self-indulgent altercations" a voice drawled in beside his bed.

"Seriously,mate. Try to sleep or let others sleep. This was a long,tiring day and we have a tournament ahead,"Theo grumbled from under the covers while Draco shot a glare at this direction.

Another Time Travel fic. This time it's Hermione and Draco going back to time for their own purposes but getting entangled in the middle as they decide to help each other out before returning to the original timeline.

"Be wise before you hold my hand,Granger" Draco said. "I'm not just offering you for a dance. I'm offering you for a lifetime with me. Once you accept this, you're never returning to Weasley."

If Hermione didn't know better what Draco looks like and sounds like when he's joking,she'd almost think this was just one of his attempts at flirting. But one look at his eyes and the intonation of his words sent her shivers.

"That's not how time traveling works,Malfoy. We aren't supposed to end up together. That's not why we're here,"she explained.

"It's okay,Granger. You can just tell me you don't want this,"he chuckled bitterly. "For if you did, you wouldn't care what happens and what's supposed to happen. You'd just join me without excuses."

"I'm not making excuses,Draco. I'm a mother as well. If I mess here in this timeline, they'd be gone there in the future,"seethed Hermione.

One of the common tropes here: Compulsory Marriage under Marriage Law post-war. Here, Hermione is literally fighting with the Ministry to prevent her marriage with Draco. While Draco reluctantly agreed to the marriage since this was the only way to save himself from landing into Azkaban, Hermione had a huge outburst.

"Minister,are you seriously telling me I have to marry this git?" Hermione scoffed in disbelief. "Now now Granger. That's not the way to refer to your future husband," Draco drawled in. She almost forgot Kingsley called both of them to talk about their compatibility in terms of marriage. "Quite rich coming from someone that called me filthy mudblood the entire time he'd known me".That seemed to shut Draco up. The Minister in the question coughed a bit to grab their attention. "Hermione, I'm sorry,okay? I tried talking with the other ministers about this. But nobody including myself seem to come up with a solution better than this." "Granger, don't act like this is a punishment only for you. If choices or circumstances were any better, I'd rather do a dirty dance with goblins of the Gringotts than showing up here and talk about the prospect of marriage....or whatever this is," Draco said in an annoyed tone."Serves you right for all the horrid things you were part of," Hermione replied to him and then turned to Shacklebolt, " I understand why and how this is a punishment to him. But this is a punishment to me as well. And what am I being punished for?"she almost cried out. Draco visibly flinched a bit. "Ever since I stepped into the Wizarding World, almost everyone has taken a knack of making a point to me that I'll never be good enough to belong here. So, I studied.I learnt as much as possible,more than anyone else and tried to dedicate myself to whatever it takes to make a perfect witch. Then, Voldemort returned. Second Wizarding War came along. Everyone talks about what or who has been lost who has made sacrifices but does anyone know I had to take it to myself to wipe out my parents' memories of me and drive them away because the Wizarding World cannot provide them with protection?!"Her eyes were glistened and voice became hoarse. "Hermione,you have to know I'm sorry and thankful-" "No,Minister. I'm not holding anyone accountable for what became of my parents. That's completely my own doing.What I'm trying to understand is after everything I've seen and been through, why am I to be hitched against my own volition to this rotten scum of a Deatheater?!" "Ex.Death. Eater,"Draco said in a dangerously low voice. "You have all the reasons to hate me,Granger. But don't carelessly throw around words like you know me. Despite all the hatred and animosity over the years, I tried to warn you during the Triwizard tournament. I didn't want you to end up at the Manor and I definitely didn't want this!"he shrieked pointing at her forearm where that eight-lettered word was curved in forever. "I didn't want this either," he said in a softer tone,pointing at his own forearm and own scar this time. "So,you see. I'm not the good guy that you'd want as your husband. But I'm not as evil as you expect me to be either." Draco's eyes held nothing but honesty and sincerity which took Hermione aback. "Have you said your piece?" she asked with a renewed vigor to which Draco nodded.

"I'd submit my wand and all magical articles to your office tomorrow,Minister. And return to the Muggle world for good. I shall take your leave now." With that she stomped out of the room without even sparing the other two wizards a glance or letting them speak.

Draco's boggart wasn't his father's disappointment in him. Heck it wasn't even the Dark Lord himself. His boggart was a certain Muggleborn witch crying and writhing in pain on the stone cold floor of the Manor,her screams ringing through the Manor walls tortured by his own aunt while he stands there like a coward, doing nothing,not even looking at her.

After being able to successfully able to restore her parents' memories using the Memory Charm,ever-so-curious Hermione Granger tries it on herself. What she didn't expect was an overwhelming rush of memories consisting of a certain very familiar blonde with very unfamiliar moments between them. Shock,surprise,sadness and anger crashed down on her altogether. Did anyone else know? Had he obliviated himself as well?

She knew accepting a dare from Weasley Twins meant trouble. Yet,when they called her a scaredy cat for trying to back down from the bet,she lunged into it. Even if that meant she had to stalk Draco Malfoy the annoying ferret for a week while disillusioning herself. What she didn't realise was that the thing that started as a dare would become habit while being thrust into a totally different perspective of what the-boy-who-made-her-school-life-hell really was.

She was tired of being called ‘boring’ and ‘no fun’. The one time she decided to pull on a prank was on someone no one would expect. Draco Malfoy. So,when an accident happens while concucting the Love Potion and the cauldron explodes,Hermione falls in love with her forever nemesis. Or should I say, pretends to fall in love with him.Draco Malfoy was already having a hard time accomplishing the task he was assigned with. A bushy headed witch being all sappy and clingy was the last thing he needed at the moment.

#scorpius malfoy #draco malfoy #dramione #harry potter #hermione granger #draco x hermione #hp universe #draco and hermione #astoria greengrass #dramione headcanon #ronald weasley #rose weasley #albus severus potter #time travel #ginny potter #yule ball #pansy parkinson #time travel fic #theodore nott #kingsley shacklebolt #post wizarding war #marriage law #goblet of fire #triwizard tournament #malfoy manor #boggart #bellatrix lestrange #obliviate #fred weasley #george weasley