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twoidiotwriters1 · 3 years

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Written In The Stars CXVIII (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: You guys have no idea how attatched I am to this fanfic idk what I’ll do once it’s over omg -Danny

Words: 2,506

Series’ Masterlist

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Listen to: ‘Somebody Else’ by The 1975

Chapter Sixteen: The Agreement.

Mel felt the cloak fall off her and Harry tried to move, but Hermione held to his wrist.

"Not yet! She might not be gone yet."

"She's goin' back ter the castle," Hagrid replied, peering through the window. "Blimey... inspectin' people, is she?"

"Yeah, Trelawney's on probation already..."

"'Mountain's scenery'," Mel scoffed. "That old cow, I wish I could put her in her place..."

"Me too," Harry sulked.

"Um... what sort of thing are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" Hermione inquired anxiously.

"Oh, don' you worry abou' that, I've got a great load o' lessons planned! I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer O.W.L. year, you wait, they're somethin' really special."

"Erm... special in what way?"

"I'm not sayin'. I don' want ter spoil the surprise."

"Look, Hagrid," Hermione said tensely, "Professor Umbridge won't be at all happy if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous —"

"Dangerous? Don' be silly, I wouldn' give yeh anythin' dangerous! I mean, all righ', they can look after themselves —"

"Hagrid, you've got to pass Umbridge's inspection, and to do that it would really be better if she saw you teaching us how to look after porlocks, how to tell the difference between knarls and hedgehogs, stuff like that!"

"But tha's not very interestin', Hermione. The stuff I've got's much more impressive, I've bin bringin' 'em on fer years, I reckon I've got the on'y domestic herd in Britain —"

"What now?" Mel asked in fear.

"Hagrid... please... Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something dull that's bound to come up in our O.W.L..."

"Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late," He said tiredly patting Hermione on the shoulder. "Oh — sorry —" He stopped when he noticed he was forcing her to almost kneel. "Look, don' you go worryin' abou' me, I promise yeh I've got really good stuff planned fer yer lessons now I'm back... Now you lot had better get back up to the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"

As they made their way back, Ron spoke.

"I dunno if you got through to him, 'Mione..."

"Then I'll go back again tomorrow," said Hermione determinedly, then looked at Mel. "You with me. We'll plan his lessons for him if we have to. I don't care if she throws out Trelawney but she's not taking Hagrid!"

"I agree with you," Mel sighed. "I guess I could help you by keeping Umbridge busy with other stuff."

"Like what?" Ron raised a brow.

"Maybe it's time I take your brothers' offer..." She said quietly.

Fred caught up with her before breakfast that Sunday.

"Hi," She said awkwardly. It was her first time talking to him after the Quidditch match. "What's up?"

"I just..." Fred started, "we never set a time for our... you know?"

"Oh," She grimaced, looking around the Great Hall. "Right."

"Is it okay if we have it today?"

"Right now?"

"After breakfast?" He shrugged.

"Okay?"

Fred wasn't doing anything that could be taken as inappropriate but he was, however, sitting far from his twin and Lee Jordan, which was extremely rare. No one had tried to sit on the empty place next to her, which let her know people was definitely avoiding them.

"Fred?"

"Hmm?" He replied chewing.

"Does everyone know what we did?"

Fred snorted, swallowing his food and smirking.

"Was it supposed to be secret? Sorry lady, but if you kiss someone in the middle of the Quidditch field, people will see you."

"Not always though," She mumbled.

"What?"

"I don't understand why are they being so weird!" Mel frowned. "It was just a stupid kiss! We didn't turn into aliens or anything..."

"What's an alien?"

"Nevermind that," She pushed her plate away. "I've lost my appetite..."

"That's unlike you," Fred raised a brow. "You're sure you're okay hanging out after this? If you're not feeling well–"

"It's not that," She said. "I just... I don't like it when they stare at me like that."

"If it makes you feel better, they're all staring at me. They hate me."

"Pfft–" Mel snorted. "How could anyone hate you?"

"It's true!" He said. "They hate me because you kissed me, you didn't choose them."

"What a terrible loss that must be!" Mel said dramatically. "All those broken hearts!"

"Half the school hates you too," Fred added teasingly.

"I know that," Mel smirked. "But what's the reason now?"

"Because you snatched me away from them!" It was Fred's turn to be dramatic. "I had thousands of options but you've stolen my first kiss! Now I belong to you, I can't do anything about it."

"That wasn't your first kiss!" Mel exclaimed.

"It was, I swear!" Then he added cheekily. "It was my first as much as it was yours."

Mel's eyes widened in horror. "Who told you?!"

"Blimey, no one!" Fred's mouth fell open. "I was joking!"

That made her face turn redder.

"Fred!"

"Please, tell me you didn't kiss Flint–"

"I'd never kiss—!" Mel stopped, people were starting to stare more intently now. She continued in an angry whisper. "I didn't kiss Flint!"

"Ron?" Fred scrunched up his nose.

"Knock it off," She groaned.

"Harry?"

"..."

Fred frowned. "I have more questions..."

Mel stood up.

"Time's ticking, Weasley. You better use it wisely."

"You'll clear my doubts?"

"If they're all about Harry, then no," She glanced at him, trying to ignore the whispers as they walked past their classmates. "It would be weird to talk about him with..."

"With whom?" Fred smirked. "One kiss and you're planning our wedding? A bit forward if you ask me—"

"Oh, shut it," Mel rolled her eyes. "Don't you think it's weird?"

"I'm just trying to get to know you," He shrugged. "The romantic side of you– You know, if I'm going to take any part in it..."

"We'll see," She raised a brow. "You're allowed to step out of this if you want and so am I."

"Fine."

Fred continued to walk next to her with ease. He had a soft smile on his face, enjoying himself. Of course he would, he'd always liked the spotlight. Mel was having a more difficult time, this didn't feel like the attention she would get from her friends, this felt like cold analysis, they were measuring her and Fred, trying to form an opinion.

She felt a bitter nostalgia about the way things had unfolded with her and Harry a few months back, this was exactly what they'd managed to avoid, but she had messed up this time.

"So..." She started. "Tell me about your first kiss..."

Once he replied, Fred asked her about hers and she made him promised he wouldn't say a word to anyone, not even George. When Mel finished her story, Fred wasn't that surprised.

"Well, no one caught you kissing or anything," He tilted his head, "We could see there was something going on, but none of us felt the need to confirm it."

"As it should be. Some people are so nosy! Take Skeeter, she gets paid for making up rumours! This wouldn't happen if we could just mind our own business..."

"Life would be boring without a little bit of drama," He nudged her arm playfully.

They sat on a bench, right under one of the trees near the lake. It was cold but not freezing, and they were wearing their robes, so they would be fine for a while before the wind could become a problem.

"My turn again!" Fred said enthusiastically. "Why did you kiss me?"

For some reason, the question caught her off guard. She knew why she'd kissed him, but she didn't want to upset him. Ginny reacted badly when she'd thought Mel was using her brother, how was he going to react?

"I... uh..." Mel fumbled with the end of her scarf, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "You know I'm fickle..."

"Not as much as before! The only times you lose your temper now is when you talk to Harry. Which is weird, because—"

"I know, I know," She huffed exasperatedly. "Because I was always soft around him! Ugh! I know I had him as this knight in shining armour–"

"Knight?" Fred asked with a smirk.

"I won't fall for it again, all right?" Mel crossed her arms, feeling cornered. "I won't let him get to me this time."

Fred's smile faltered.

"Listen, I know you're not one to play with people's feelings," He scratched the back of his head. "That being said, right now it feels like you only kissed me to prove a point..."

"I do like you," She said, gazing at her shoes. "Not that way though... but I think you're funny and nice— Don't let it get over your head, but your flirting was really good too, even if you were joking..."

"I was joking at first, just to get a reaction from Ron's," Fred gave her a small smile. "But then you kissed me... I mean, I'm confused, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try..."

"It could," Mel sighed. "Whatever happened between Harry and me... Fred, I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Me neither," He admitted.

"This is a bad idea..." She reflected. "I don't think I'd make a good girlfriend right now."

Fred stayed quiet for a moment.

"How about we keep it casual?"

"What?"

"We don't have to call ourselves anything if we don't want to."

"What do you mean?" Mel frowned.

"Kind of like... well, you know Eddie Carmichael?"

"Yeah?"

"He has this thing with Lisa Turpin," He moved on his place to face her. "They don't date but... well, they do plenty of things without being exclusive."

"Fred," Mel bit her lip to avoid laughing. "You're asking for a 'friends-with-benefits' thing?"

"No!" He said, then added. "Yes? Well, you don't want to date me!"

"I said I'm not sure!"

"You're in love with Harry," He stated. "Don't deny it. I get it, you were snogging seven months ago—"

"We weren't snogging—"

"You're not someone that takes this lightly. I'm giving you a choice, Mel, if we insist on making things formal when you clearly don't want to be with me like that, things will get messy, but I still want to make you feel better. Going out and having lots of fun is a good way to heal."

"So you're taking one for the team and decided to be the one who shows me what I've been missing?" Mel joked.

"We must make sacrifices once in a while," He sighed. "It hurts me, giving up my virtue, but you're my friend and your wish is my command."

Mel snorted, nudging his side playfully.

"I'm pretty sure I'd heal even if you don't snog the grief out of my body..."

"You're talking nonsense already!" He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Mel. I'll take care of you..."

He cupped her cheeks and kissed all over her face -but stayed far from her mouth- which caused her to laugh in a way she hadn't laughed in months.

"Okay! Okay, I get it!" Mel pushed him away. "We must set ground rules, though."

"How about... since you're still a lovesick mess for Potter, I'll try to keep him off your mind as often as I can, that way you can focus on other things."

"Like you?" She teased.

"Maybe," He smirked. "But also like the D.A.— You're a great teacher, lady. Your students can't have you moping over a boy."

"Okay, but you won't try to kiss me unless I say it's okay."

"Sounds a bit tough," Fred pouted. "You're a good kisser—"

"Also," She continued, speaking a bit louder. "If anyone asks, just say we're dating— even if it's not entirely true, it'll keep a few people away from me and that's wonderful, I don't want their company..."

"You mean Goldstein, don't you?"

"Merlin, the boy is so annoying," Mel murmured.

"You have to help my brother and me with our pranks and products," Before she could argue, he added, "my girlfriend would want to help me succeed! Others might find it strange if you don't spend time with me, they'll think you don't care!"

"They'd be right."

"That's no way to treat your future husband, Lady Dumbledore."

"Finally," She said, standing up and offering her hand to him. "No one can know about this agreement. If we start to date for real at some point... it's our business and our business only. Understood?"

"Yup!" He stood up, holding her hand with a pleased expression. "One last thing?"

"Yes?"

"You can put an end to this anytime," He said. "This is meant to be fun, so if you change your mind or it makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me. I promise our friendship will remain intact."

"You can't promise that," Mel said quietly. "You can't know."

"Look at me— I swear it won't change."

She stared at him carefully.

"...We're just fooling around, right? It's nothing serious?"

"Just fooling around," He conceded. "And we can stop anytime you want, just say the word. I only do this for the same reason I asked you last year to the Yule ball. I think we could have a lot of fun."

"This is not the type of fun you were thinking of the first time, right?" She asked doubtfully. Fred laughed.

"Not at all!" He admitted. "But I don't mind this either..."

"Yeah," Mel looked down at their intertwined hands. "I don't mind it much either..."

Mel had to endure the whispering and glances towards her for the rest of the weekend and the entirety of Monday. Fred was having perhaps too much fun with it, and if he was present during the whispering, he would loudly flirt or mess with her.

She was torn between enjoying his attention and mortified at the fact that they were lying to their friends. Sure, they had an agreement, but ever since their talk, Mel had been very careful not to be seen alone with Fred, and she became really quiet about her private life even though all their friends were bombarding her with questions about her 'relationship'.

One thing that she wasn't expecting was Harry's reaction to the whole thing. Sure, she wasn't doing this to watch him throw a tantrum and yell at Fred about betrayal and all, and she couldn't be sure about him not being hurt, but overall, he was handling it with utter indifference.

He would talk to her and share notes while studying or preparing the classes for the D.A. but gone were the hours spent talking about nothing and everything from years prior. Harry was just another classmate.

The others thought that the sight of Mel without Harry was strange, but the pair were warming up to the idea. Truth be told, neither Harry nor her knew what it was to live in the other's shoes anymore.

Next Chapter —>

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#twoidiots writing #hp fanfic #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter xoc #WITT fic

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so-about-that-dragon · 7 years

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Chapter 2

By the time they reached the base of the mountain, hangovers were beginning to set in and at least three people had been rescued from falling off their horses. Grey was bored out of his skull, Lokai had moved on to a new book, and Devero had attempted two “detours” just to see if Grey and Skye were paying attention. Setting up camp was a welcome change of pace, even if only because they got to once again watch Skye try to get the nobles to be semi-reasonable human beings and not spoiled children.

It wasn’t working.

This time, Devero conceded to eating what the servants prepared, if only because he would not have been able to keep Grey and Lokai from the sweetened meats they were making anyway. Grey could not resist commenting on the food’s inferiority to what Skye could prepare, which drew a tiny smile from the older man.

“So ready for this day to be over,” Lokai muttered around a mouthful of roast pig.

Skye gave a hum of agreement. It was absolutely extraordinary to see him so close to losing his composure when Skye regularly took every ridiculous, stupid thing Grey and Lokai had done in the last six years completely in stride. There was something almost refreshing about seeing behaving like a human for once.

On the other hand, none of them particularly liked to see Skye upset. This, among other things, led to Grey deciding to turn in relatively early. The sooner they all got to sleep, the sooner they could leave in the morning. More than a few people called after the prince, trying to get him to come back and join them or implying that he was ruining everyone else’s fun. This ended rather quickly with a growl from Devero, who then proceeded to herd Skye and Lokai to bed, too.

Grey lay awake for quite a while, though. Normally when they camped, they all shared a tent. It was safer and easier that way, but such a thing would be considered highly unusual and just a little inappropriate in court. There was something indecent about someone as powerful as the king, or his son, being seen while in such a vulnerable state by anyone, even his retainers, and Grey hated it. He had grown up on this pedestal, been raised to a near godlike status among his people before he’d been old enough to understand what that meant, and it was why he’d become friends with Lokai so easily. Lokai had been the first person to see him as just another kid, not the crown prince, not a charge to be protected, not a burden, but a person, a friend.

Skye had once proposed the theory that the royal family was treated this way, not just as a form of intimidation, but also isolation. A child raised to be seen as untouchable and unattainable would learn to rely on no one and to trust no one. It made them harder to betray, harder to kill. It also, Skye had suggested, made arranged marriages easier. Royal children would be more than willing to marry each other if they had been raised above and away anyone else who might get their attention.

Given how badly his father had reacted to Grey’s growing friendship with Lokai and with his retainers, Grey was beginning to suspect that to be true. ~*~*~*~

Waking up at dawn, whether he wanted to or not, was a default state Grey had developed after finding out that those who did not wake up at dawn tended to get cold water thrown on them by Devero. Even knowing there was no chance Devero would do such a thing where there was risk of members of the court seeing, Grey woke up at dawn anyway. He got dressed, shuffled out of his tent, and found Skye already awake and preparing breakfast over a fire that he had clearly conjured himself while Devero sat near him, one hand holding a book he had apparently taken from Lokai’s pilfered library while the other held a plate for Skye to put cooked sausages on.

Grey took in the scene a bit of confusion. While Skye being a mage was hardly a secret, it was rare for him to use his abilities in the open. Nobles were funny about magic. “What’s the occasion?” Grey asked. He tried to snatch one of the sausages Skye had already finished cooking over the fire, only to have his hand swatted away. Grey stuck his tongue out at him.

“Put that away or I’ll stab it with something hot,” Skye scolded.

“How’d you know he was sticking his tongue out at you?” Lokai asked as he approached with a little extra fire wood.

“Because he’s Grey,” Skye replied evenly, “and because being blind does not mean I do not know every annoying quirk and bad habit my prince has developed in the seventeen years I’ve been babysitting him.” Grey gave a long, sleepy yawn. “Speaking of bad habits, go get dressed. It’s unbecoming for the crown prince to be shuffling around camp half naked.”

Lokai made a whining noise, “Aww, but I’m enjoying the view.” Grey was too accustomed to his friend’s playful flirting to take it seriously, but Skye shot Lokai a look that made him squeak and hide behind Devero. The large warrior continued to ignore them, but set his plate down and handed a small frying pan and a satchel of eggs to Skye without having to be asked. Rolling his eyes, Grey went back to the tent to get dressed before some poor, unfortunate noblewoman got a case of the vapors because the prince was wandering around camp shirtless.

Outside, he heard Devero say, “He doesn’t even blush when you do that anymore, ‘Kai. You need to try a little harder.” Something that sounded suspiciously like Skye smacking him in the back of the head and laughter from Lokai followed. Another squeak from Lokai told him that Skye had taken a swing at him, too, but Lokai had managed to avoid it.

Grey chuckled. There couldn’t be many people awake if Skye and Devero were being this playful, but Grey understood Skye’s concern. His father would have thrown a fit if he had caught Grey walking around half clothed like some soldier. It would cause a scandal in the court, too, and Grey was getting very tired of the already myriad rumors flying around the city about him and his non-existent love life.

Once dressed, Grey found himself put to work helping to pack the tent and dividing up the supplies they were actually taking with them from the bags and bags full of nonsense that had been forced upon them. Sleepy nobles had begun emerging from their tents by the time Grey got to sit down and eat around a fire that had conveniently taken on a much more normal color.

“How are they going to get back to the castle without Skye to babysit them?” Lokai asked, watching the servants helping to pack up tents, “I’m pretty sure you’re the only reason nobody died on the way here.” Skye made a small noise in the back of his throat that might have been amusement. “Not that I’m saying you should go with them. We all know we’d be dead in under ten minutes without you.”

Devero, still intent on his book, grunted in agreement. Grey watched them and ate in silence, content to just be with his companions for a little while. His armor was already starting to feel uncomfortable, but he contented himself with the knowledge that it would only be for an hour or two more.

Grey caught Skye’s back stiffening just a little out of the corner of his eye and, a moment later, spotted Duke Wessam approaching them. “Your majesty,” he said, bowing low to Grey. He inclined his head politely to Devero, who politely ignored his existence, and barely spared a glance at Skye. Like most of the nobles, he ignored Lokai completely. Grey did not fail to notice the way Devero’s eyes narrowed behind his book at the blatant show of disrespect.

“Duke Wessam,” Grey replied, “Can I help you with something?”

The duke gave him a gracious smile, “I was just thinking, your majesty, that you don’t seem to be planning to take any servants with you,” he paused, “well, other than your, erm, friend.” Lokai was too familiar with this treatment to care, but Devero’s free hand tightened into a fist and Skye had reached over to place a hand on Devero’s arm.

“I see,” Grey said, giving the duke a thoughtful look, “while it’s quite gracious of you to offer yourself up as a servant, Duke Wessam, I doubt you have the physical fortitude for such a job. Might I suggest you keep to your current job of lording yourself over your own servants instead?”

Duke Wessam spluttered indignantly and, behind him, Devero caught Grey’s eye over the top of his book and gave a small, approving nod. Skye, on the other hand, was resolutely pretending not to have heard any of this. Oh, he was going to catch hell for his later. Might as well make it worth it, then.

“And, while you’re at it,” Grey said, voice going cold, “if I ever catch you not showing the due respect to my Sword or one of my chosen warriors again, I will see to it that you actually do get to experience life as a servant. Do I make myself clear, Duke Wessam?”

“Your majesty, I-”

Grey glared in what he hopped was an adequate facsimile of his father’s chilling stare, “Do I make myself clear?”

Duke Wessam bowed low again, “Y-yes, you majesty.”

“You are dismissed,” Grey said. Duke Wessam immediately rushed away from their circle.

Skye rubbed the bridge of his nose, “Greywalker…”

“He insulted you and Lokai.”

“I don’t care, Greywalker. You still-”

“Acted in a way completely unbecoming of the crown prince,” Grey finished, rolling his eyes, “I know, I know.”

Devero muttered, “I could have hit him instead, if you’d have preferred that.”

“Hush, you.”

Devero grinned, “Yes dear.”

The corner of Skye’s mouth twitched. Satisfied in his successful deflection of whatever lecture Grey had been about to get, Devero descended back into the depths of his book. Lokai had watched this entire exchange in absolute silence, which was strange in and of itself. He usually went out of his way to annoy Duke Wessam. Once Skye had gone back to eating, Lokai leaned closer to Grey and whispered, “You didn’t need to that for us, you know.”

“Yes I did. Duke Wessam wanted Skye released from his duties as my Sword after he went blind. He argued with my father for weeks about you becoming one of my warriors. I’m sick of it.” He gave Lokai a hard look, “You don’t put up with anyone insulting me. I’d be nothing without you three, but I have to sit here and let everyone insult you and Skye day in and day out because the crown is supposed to be above such petty things as their loved ones being insulted.”

Grey caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked up, Skye was talking quietly with Devero about their plans for reaching the dragon’s keep. Neither of them seemed to be paying the slightest bit of attention to Grey or Lokai.

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