#ethren x merula
Text
Prompt Response #40- Ethren Whitecross
“Would it really be a crime to let yourself have some fun once in a while?”
The first in the responses for the prompts. I will say in advance that not all of this may make sense or appear ‘canon’. It’s also a sequel to ‘The Other World’ a story I wrote awhile back in honor of Ethren Whitecross. What first started out as a fun concept between two MCs, I turned into this for better or worse. And it was tough at times emotionally. But I poured my heart and soul into it. It is also non-canon and completely AU. That being said, I do love the multiverse and this was a great way to explore that.
@hogwartsmysterystory My friend. This is for you. And for Ethren. I hope you like it.
It had taken many moons for David Grant to achieve what was previously thought to impossible: the ability to hop dimensions at will. Since the end of the war and his mind blowing foray into the universe that housed another curse breaker, the twenty five year old not only joined the Department of Mysteries part time in addition to being reinstated as an Auror but began exploring the power of the veil for more timelines.
It was partially due to self interest, which his boss Croaker didn’t need to know about. Happy to further the Department’s investigations of the unknown magical branches, the experience of visiting another world had touched him so deeply David resolved to do more investigating: specifically if there were any other scenarios involving Ethren Whitecross in which he did not die. Despite technically never meeting the American, he already felt a sense of kinship with him, a kind of surreal connection one couldn’t explain in so many words.
He deserved better...so much better
Many months passed, but at last David was able to tinker with the magical properties of the veil so that it revealed a wondrous discovery: the cosmos was damn well infinite. Billions of people making billions of choices creating infinite earths. And it didn’t take long for him to discover a timeline in which Ethren was still alive and in Hogwarts.
“Hang on, mate. I’m coming,” he said as he stepped through, making sure his protections were sufficient to protect him from the other realm the veil lead to: death.
Of course, David had never actually met Ethren for obvious reasons and so had no idea what to expect from him. The only aspects of his life he knew for certain were that he was American, died in the war, engaged in a relationship with Merula and unknowingly had a son in the process. The other timeline’s Merula had given him more grisly details, but nothing so specific as to his personality, likes, dislikes, or anything else.
As it turned out, much to his chagrin, Ethren Whitecross was a bit sour to say the least.
He was short for a male, only 5’6 but with intense, clear blue eyes to go along with caramel brown hair and conventionally attractive features. He wasn’t terribly athletic but could swing a beater’s bat well enough. Similar to himself however, Ethren was a top notch dueler and excelled in the subjects he genuinely enjoyed, but struggling in those he did not care for. However, his less than sunny disposition was certainly off putting and it didn’t take long to figure out why.
“So let me get this straight,” Ethren said skeptically as they lay on the shores of the lake at Hogwarts. “You’re from another universe where my family never existed and in my universe your family never existed. Like me, you’re an amateur cursebreaker, date Merula, and apparently need to warn me about my impending death? Do I have everything correctly?”
“Uh, yeah that pretty much sums it up,” came the response.
Unfortunately for David, he had stumbled into a timeline where Ethren was completing his 7th year at Hogwarts as opposed to being a full grown adult. But it was just as well, finding Ethren was easy given his reputation. Getting him to believe his story was quite another debacle altogether.
“Well, guess what, you’re a bit too late. I already know I’m dying from my blood malediction and that R still wants to kill me. By the way, thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. A paper cut with lemon juice would have sufficed.”
He got up to leave but David moved to stop him.
“Wait, wait, hear me out. I can explain everything in a bit more detail.”
“Or I could go back to the library and read.”
David scoffed.
“More like you would brood all day.”
Ethren flushed from indignation.
“And how would you know that?”
“Believe me, I know enough...look I’m just trying to help.”
“My cranky on and off girlfriend is a bigger help than you’re being right now and that’s saying something.”
David took a breath of the evening Scotland air and breathed out. He should have known it wouldn’t be this easy, but that last statement left an uneasy sensation in his stomach. He remembered vividly a drunken twenty six year old Merula wanted by the law while drowning herself in vodka tonics and narcissistic self loathing. He was beginning to see just how much of an emotional toll she was taking on the poor lad. So he decided to switch gears.
“Look, I have an idea. Classes are done for the day right, you’re a legal wizarding adult...come hang out with me for a couple hours.”
“I can’t leave Hogwarts,” Ethren shot back.
“Right, since when did Dumbledore’s rules ever stop us from leaving whenever we wanted?”
“Point taken but still no.”
“By God, Would it really be a crime to let yourself have fun once in a while?” David half laughed in amazement. “Trust me, let’s go have a good time and I’ll explain everything afterwards, alright?”
He didn’t think it would work given the clear suspicion still lurking in those blue eyes but to his surprise, Ethren relented and nodded.
“Fine.”
“You can apparate right?”
“Yes and I can also blow you to smithereens if you try anything funny.”
“You know part of me does want to know what would happen if we ever dueled,” David grinned. “However, I went through a war mate. Got a bit of a head start on ya.”
“Fantastic.”
“And here I thought we Brits were the uptight and sarcastic ones. Aren’t Yanks supposed to be expressive?”
Ethren simply snorted and walked past him into the open field.
“Be thankful I’m saying anything at all.”
The two young men walked until they reached the boundaries of the school just beyond the entrance, David leading the way.
“Follow my lead,” he said. “Unless you can’t keep up,” he added teasingly.
“Just go,” came the grumpy response.
Bollocks, this is going to be harder than I thought David mused to himself with exasperation
And with a loud *pop they apparated into the sunset.
--------------------------------------------------------------
It didn’t take long for the two to land in random cobblestone street with Ethren keeling over, grimacing severely.
“Yeah I hate apparation too,” David said, pulling out a flask and taking a sip. “You get used to it.”
“I only recently passed.”
“Fair. Which is why where I’m taking you next will simultaneously relieve that discomfort and get you to loosen up.”
Ethren looked up and saw a wooden sign in maroon lettering which read the words ‘The Mayfair.’
“A bar?”
“Never underestimate the value of a pub,” David told him sagely. And before the younger lad could object he pushed him inside the door.
Inside was a setting not altogether spectacular. There was a small dining area, a large bar that spanned about fifty feet with two bulky TVs that currently were playing the latest football matches. However there was also a small staging area that contained a microphone with another TV sitting overhead. A sizable crowd graced its floors- a hodgepodge of young professionals, crusty regulars, football fans, and those who were just looking for a good time. Which was precisely why they were there.
In his time after Hogwarts and during the war David found that muggle bars offered a lot more in terms of entertainment and alcohol: a primary factor in why he chose a casual London pub as opposed to a place like the Leaky Cauldron. Muggles also tended to write better music which was also key to this night.
“It’s a good thing we aren’t in robes,” Ethren said above the general chatter of the pub.
“I made sure your classes were over before we came here,” David replied. His own dress was unremarkable: brown leather boots, jeans, jacket, and a Guns N’ Roses t-shirt (they were the most popular band in the world in the late eighties/early nineties after all). They fit right in.
David dragged Ethren over to the counter and caught the attention of the barkeep, knowing full well that in England you never got carded for ID as they did in America.
“Two Guinnesses please.”
“You got it.”
He flipped a couple of pounds and soon enough was presented with two full tankards of the dark stout.
“Cheers, mate,” David told him, clinking his glass with Ethren’s.
The twenty five year old relished the taste but clearly his counterpart did not, grimacing as though he had swallowed stinksap.
“Dear God that’s awful. Why do you drink this stuff?”
“Keep sipping and you’ll find out,” came the cheeky reply.
Ethren merely shrugged and did his best to keep drinking. David peered around and saw the exact person he wanted to see: the DJ.
“Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
For his part, Ethren Whitecross was highly confused by this whole affair. He still wasn’t sure he believed that this person, whoever they were, was supposedly a dimension traveler who’d apparently met another version of himself by accident. It was just too insane to believe. And yet somehow he knew details about his life that no one else popping up like that could know.
And now he wants to just drink our night away at a bar? What is this guy about?
Indeed, that appeared to be the most intriguing aspect of this. David Grant apparently not only came back to warn him but to spend time together as if they were old friends. Ethren wasn’t sure how he felt about that just yet given that R was still after him however this fellow didn’t appear to be unseemly...yet anyway. For now, he decided to keep drinking the beer, which oddly enough began to make him feel a bit warm and fuzzy in the head.
Soon enough David returned a big grin on his face.
“Finish that up soon. We’re on next.”
“Next for what?” Ethren asked, utterly nonplussed.
“My friend you are about to experience the wonders of karaoke.”
“Kara-what?”
David laughed, deep and true then drained his beer in one gulp.
“You’re about to find out.”
Ethren found himself dragged away to the staging area where they were handed two microphones and a pair of spotlights shone down on them.
“Should have asked this beforehand but how familiar are you with muggle music?”
“Umm not very?” came the unenthusiastic answer.
“Do you know ‘Piano Man’ by Billy Joel?”
Ethren nodded. His father kept a collection of old muggle records at home and that was a song played quite frequently sometimes to his chagrin.
“Yeah, I know that one.”
“Smashing. We’ll be just fine.”
The crowd started to cheer as the opening piano chords began to play. Ethren squirmed uncomfortably but David put a strong hand around his shoulder and began to sing in earnest. There was no backing out now.
“It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sitting next to me
Making love to his tonic and gin”
Ethren had to admit that this stranger sang well, but he wasn’t so much of a musician himself. But he had no choice as the microphone was pressed into his face.
“He said son can you play me a melody
I’m not really sure how it goes
But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man’s clothes”
The young Gryffindor understood better why the beer was necessary. One drink already had him buzzing but it sure loosened inhibitions. Slowly he began to enjoy himself as he belted the chorus alongside David.
“Sing us the the song, you’re the piano man
Sing us the song, tonight
Well we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you got us feeling alright”
To Ethren’s amazement the crowd began cheering despite the fact his pitch was probably way off. Apparently it didn't matter how good or bad you were at actualling singing, enthusiasm for the song and the camaraderie of the patrons was enough to send everyone into a frenzy. Feeding off that energy, the two young men sang into the Scotland night, following the lyrics with gusto.
“Sing us the song, you’re the piano man
Sing us the song, tonight
Well we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you got us feeling alright”
The last of the harmonica sounded off into the exit riff of the piano and the song was over. Ethren could hardly believe it ended so fast, but the cheers of the crowd were practically deafening. Indeed the feeling was so exhilarating, he almost didn’t notice the shadowed face of his counterpart, lines of worry practically melting off his face.
Perhaps he wasn’t the only cursebreaker that had problems.
Afterwards, the two sat down and drank a few more beers, which were on the house due to their riveting performance. Several regulars gave them cheers and pats on the back. The two chatted about a number of things, but it wasn’t until they stepped outside for a breath of fresh air that the conversation turned honest and even somber.
David lit a cigarette and took a long inhale before issuing smoke.
“Told ya I knew how to have fun.”
“Maybe I wasn’t the only one in need of it,” Ethren observed astutely.
The older man shrugged but tried to play it cool.
“I’ve been through…a lot,” he said simply. “Moments like the one in the bar are the kind that kept me going over the years. It’s what makes life so wonderful even when it’s not.”
Ethren paused before asking.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty five to be exact. Twenty six in four months.”
“You look five years beyond that.”
It was blunt but David knew by now Ethren didn’t pull punches. He could relate to that. Neither did he.
“I didn’t come back merely to warn you about your malediction, Ethren,” he said quietly. “You beat that.”
“So...I die another way?”
David swallowed, feeling a lump pop up in his throat. Now was not the time to get super emotional. He needed to tell the truth.
“You have a relationship with Merula just as I do, yeah?”
“I do. Though I can’t say it’s always a happy one. We either bicker or just end up making out half the time.”
The older man chuckled sardonically, knowing full well what his wife was like when she was sixteen.
“Sounds about right. Believe me, I know how she is sometimes.”
“You’re at least eight years older than I am right now….what happened with you and her?”
David knew this was the moment he came back for. The essence of his visit.
“We married after Hogwarts. During the war, she was kidnapped by her parents and placed under the imperius curse. I was able to free her during the Battle of Hogwarts.”
Ethren’s eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.
“Wait, wait back up. There’s a war? Merula becomes a Death Eater?”
“Let me explain,” David said, raising his hands in the air whilst also flicking his cigarette. “Yes, You Know Who will return in four years time and begin a new war against the Ministry. And no, my wife did not become a Death Eater. She was shanghaied against her will. At that point in her life, she wanted nothing to do with her parents. Can you say the same for yours?”
Ethren’s head was practically spinning at this newfound revelation. He felt a desperate need to sit down but remained standing, running a hand through his caramel locks.
“She...she would never.”
“If you believe that, you’re wrong. If Merula doesn’t break off her toxic relationship with her parents, she’ll go right back to them once they’re freed from Azkaban.”
Denial morphed into pain as the younger man shook his head.
“Why...why would she do that?”
“You know as well as I do how badly she wants their approval and how it affects her judgement. My Merula made the right choice, but I also helped her to see what kind of path she was heading in. You must do the same.”
“And what happens if I don’t?”
In a reversal of moods, David’s hazel blue eyes bore into Ethren’s crystal blue ones, hardening with each passing second, though there was still tremendous sympathy.
“I will not lie, however the answer will be difficult for you to hear. You will each find yourself on the opposite side of the coming conflict and Merula will realize her error far too late. In the end, you will sacrifice your life for hers during a great battle. And as a result, a son will never know his father.”
Tears were forming into Ethren’s eyes and David was trying his best not to do the same though it was becoming increasingly difficult.
“W-what...what should I do?”
“Guide her,” David responded softly. “Show her that there is a better way to happiness than simply attaining power. Help her to see that she can trust people unconditionally and that those people are not her parents….especially her mother,” he added with a heavy hint of disgust.
“I don’t know if I can,” the teenage Gryffindor said, his voice still wavering. “She won’t listen to me. She never has.”
“She will. I guarantee it.”
David stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Ethren, embracing him in a hug while silent tears fell from his eyes.
“You can do it, Ethren. I’ve seen war, I’ve seen death, and I’ve seen a world where a family was ended before it began. Trust me when I say this, you and Merula Snyde are meant for each other for better or worse. And if I can do my part to ensure you end up happy instead of six feet under, I damn well won’t hesitate.”
They broke apart with both men wiping their eyes.
“Bloody alcohol,” David joked.
“I think I’ll hold off on any more beers.”
The older man placed a hand on Ethren’s shoulder though this time he did not hug him but instead gave a final guiding message.
“I made a promise to thank you for what you did for my wife and to honor your memory. This way, I can do both. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now go break your malediction, defeat R, and live the life you deserve.”
Ethren nodded, finally gaining back control of his emotions but also feeling a deeper sense of purpose as well as gratitude to this stranger.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” he said somewhat lamely, cursing his lack of ability to express his feelings properly.
“You’ll never have to,” David responded kindly. “Consider it a favor from one friend to another.”
He released Ethren’s shoulder and nodded with a smile.
“Now let’s get you back to Hogwarts. If memory serves, I believe curfew should be soon. Don’t want Snape catching you out of bed.”
Ethren gave a smile of his own.
“Since when has Dumbledore’s rules stopped us?”
David laughed one more time before they disapparated with a small *pop.
“Never.”
----------------------------------------------------------
Merula Snyde did not like feeling guilty. It was a useless emotion better left for fools who believed in sentimentality and other such nonsense. But when it came to one special boy, her heart could not help serve as a constant reminder of how much she mistreated him. Such as their fight from earlier that morning.
Working late into the night in the library, the ambitious Slytherin had poured through book after book and page after page in order to see if there was anything about maledictions they hadn’t already discovered or knew about thus far. In a sense, it was her attachment to Whitecross and their past experiences together that drove her to do as she did. There was no need to say that you cared, that’s what saving him from his blood curse was for. Even so, the young Slytherin couldn’t avoid the guilt or her memories.
“Why do you do this?”
“You’re going to have to be more specific, Whitecross. Spit it out.”
The Gryffindor clenched his fists but then let out a sigh and then unclenched them as they stood outside in the corridor near Charms.
“You claim you’re on my side but not once do you ever take responsibility for your own shortcomings. Nothing is ever your fault or a bad idea. Is it your job in life to torture me?”
Merula snorted as she dismissed him yet again.
“You torture yourself enough all on your own. If there was a shred of common sense in that empty head of yours, you’d acknowledge that you don’t have the bollocks to take out R same as it was with Rakepick. I’m not going to apologize for speaking the truth.”
Ethren usually swept aside her barbs no problem but this one appeared to hit home in a way her usual ones did not. He took her hand in his.
“Merula, I don’t know that I can call you my girlfriend anymore...I’m not sure what we are. But...those feelings we have won’t just go away. Why can’t you just at least pretend you care about me?”
But his appeal to her better senses fell flat as she withdrew her hand and gave a hard stare with her vivid, violet eyes.
“If you want a hug, Whitecross go to Haywood. Don’t waste my time.”
And without another word, she spun around in her combat boots and walked off not bothering to see the pained reaction on his face.
Merula clenched her jaw as the remorse became almost overwhelming. Why? Why was she like this? It wouldn’t kill her to throw the poor blighter a bone now and then, right?
“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered aloud.
A second voice entered her mind, one that was hauntingly familiar.
You should know better. There are no such things as happy endings. The only person anyone can rely on is themselves….
The voice became disturbingly soothing.
You’re special my little blackbird. I will always love you
Merula resisted the urge to cry as she planted her face on one of the many books layed out in front of her. She did not care if Madam Pince yelled at her for staying too late. Wallowing within her inner demons outweighed any potential punishment.
“I never realized the true depth of your self loathing narcissism until much later in life,” spoke a voice. It frightened her so much, that she jumped at least a foot in the air and wheeled around, wand in hand.
Standing by the window of the library was a young man, light beard, longish brown hair, tall, wearing a Guns N’ Roses t-shirt, brown boots, and a dark cloak. He wore his hoodie up and so could not see the face clearly. Nevertheless, she kept her wand trained on him.
“Who are you and what do you want? I promise I’m the last witch you want to mess with,” she snarled.
“My identity is inconsequential. As for what I want, I only wish to impart a gift.”
Merula did not believe a word of what this stranger said and had half a mind to hex him if it wasn’t for the fact that damaging the library in such a manner was a bannable offense.
“Whatever the intentions, you picked a really bad spot. Don’t you know where you are? Madam Pince will disembowel anyone who mucks about in here...of course she won’t have the honor of doing so before I do.”
A condescending chuckle emanated from underneath the hood.
“I have a silencing charm and a protective ward around this area. We won’t be interrupted I assure you. In any case, what I have planned isn’t going to take long.”
The teenage Slytherin silently checked the magical energies around her and realized he was right. Those kinds of wards were only the kind powerful Aurors knew or worse. All of a sudden, real fear entered Merula’s bones though she did her best to hide it.
“W-What are you going to do? What is this?”
The figure did not move, only uttering a single sentence.
“The day you finally understand.”
He was too quick for her to react properly, so fast was the draw of his wand. There was an incantation she didn’t recognize and a jet of white light that struck her in the forehead.
A swarm of images flashed through Merula’s mind and she was forced to witness every single one of them: two teenagers triumphing over an evil organization, an emotional breakup, darkness arising in the British wizarding world, an escape from Azkaban, a young woman kneeling before the Dark Lord, a night of raw passion, the birth of a child, and finally the scene of a young man with an arrow lodged in his chest, a despondent woman in Death Eater robes sobbing over the lifeless body.
‘Ethren! Ethren! ETHREN! PLEASE! DON’T GO!!!’
Then just as quickly as they came the images were gone and so was the unknown figure. Only a reeling and emotionally fragile young woman who had only one thought on her mind.
“Ethren,” she breathed out.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The young Gryffindor teen was slightly annoyed as Jae told him someone was waiting outside the tower for him. Who on earth was so desperate to talk to him this late at night? Did they not have the password or some other such nonsense? He wasn’t in the mood for a prank.
As he stepped past the portrait of the Fat Lady, however, his questions were answered right away as a mess of brown hair with an orange tuft slammed into him.
“What the- Merula?”
“Ethren,” she whispered as she clung to him for dear life. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
Utterly shocked, Ethren separated himself ever so slightly, still holding her in arms and looked into beautiful, violet eyes; eyes that were swimming with tears.
“Sorry? For what?”
“For everything...I didn’t realize...I didn’t know…”
Words failed her as she pressed her lips against his. Ethren didn’t hold back, returning the passionate kiss, long and deep. Fireworks were exploding in his mind.
When they broke apart, he saw she was still crying but there was also the same determination that sparkled in the orbs he’d come to love for better or worse.
“Things are going to be different from now on...I promise. I love you,” she said.
Ethren traced a finger along her soft, porcelain cheek, taking in the small freckles that dotted her adorable nose. He’d never felt so amazing, so enamored with the girl in front of him.
“I love you, too.”
As they embraced once more, Ethren Whitecross couldn’t help but think of the man who’d changed his life in one fell swoop. The one who’d gotten him to simultaneously sing karaoke and drink Guinness on the most memorable night of his young life. He smiled as he took in the scent of cloves, nail polish...and something elusive.
Thank you, David Grant
#hogwarts mystery#mcs#ethren whitecross#david grant#alternate universe#hphm fanfiction#hphm#gryffindor#mc x merula snyde#merula snyde#ethren x merula#gift#friends
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
Besides being Gryffindor, these boys got something else in common. It involves fighting over a certain Slytherin gal 😆
(MCs left to right: Septimus @brothergrimm71, Ethren @hogwartsmysterystory, David @thewasp1995)
#Chrisception art#hphm mcs#merula snyde#septimus crowe#ethren whitecross#david grant#merula x mc#hphm merula
57 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Charn-Winger Kids
Alaire Whitecross: He is actually the son of Death Eater Merula Snyde and the deceased Ethren Whitecross, renowned Curse-Breaker. After the Battle of Hogwarts, knowing she'd be unable to take care of her child, Merula made Summer promise to take care of their son. The grief of Timmy's death still raw, Summer agreed and raised Alaire as her own son. Alaire was unaware of who his real parents were until he was eight years old, when Summer and Talbott told him. Even with the early years of tension in the family, Alaire loves his adoptive family, but that didn't stop him from once running away to look for his mother. He was Sorted into Ravenclaw (to the relief of everyone). His is smart and loves learning about all kinds of magic. He takes on the name Whitecross some time before going to Hogwarts (but he is still a Winger).
Grace Winger: About a year younger than Alaire, Grace is the eldest girl of the family. She was named after Talbott's mother and is gifted her feather necklace. She is a daddy's girl but surprises them by ending up in Slytherin. Grace feels the weight of all the legacies on her shoulders, including being the first child after Timmy. She talented at Transfiguration and wants to become an Animagus like her parents. Grace loves poetry from hours of her dad reading it to her as a kid. The girl has her mom’s beauty and ambition in spades. She also has Summer’s sly flirtatiousness. She is a daddy’s girl and feels resentment towards Alaire for taking up so much of her mom’s attention. Though slowly, competition becomes friendship and friendship becomes... something more.
Rhett Winger: The absolute rebel and troublemaker of the family. Rhett is always getting into trouble with his recklessness and desire for adventure. If you call him a chicken, he will react like every stupid McFly from Back to the Future. Though he acts all rebellious, he is very protective and sensitive about his family. It should not come as a surprise he was put in Gryffindor. He is a fantastic flier and obsessed with Puddlemore United. He is also flirty but much more aggressive and gloriously fails at it often. His brashness defies his cleverness and interest in old magic. He won’t admit it, but Study of Ancient Runes, Divination, and History of Magic are his favorite subjects.
Amaranth Winger: A happy ray of sunshine. Upbeat, incredibly caring of others, at one with nature and creatures, Amaranth is a Hufflepuff through and through. (It’s utterly adorable how excited she gets whenever Summer or Talbott go Animagus.) Her best friends are the family thestral and the Bowtruckle Lil’ Pip that Summer passed down to her. She absolutely adores Alaire as her big big brother and will trail after him like a duckling. So much so, she asked to be put in Ravenclaw (Hat said no kid you are definitely a Hufflepuff). Her love extends to everyone so fiercely and everyone responds in kind. No person, creature, or plant cannot love her. As the youngest, she is always wanting attention and is terrified of one day being ignored by everyone.
If y'all have any questions about these kids, ask away! I love them all so much!!! But you can probably guess which is my favorite... >.>
Alaire and Ethren Whitecross belong to @hogwartsmysterystory
#hogwarts mystery#summer charn#jacob's sibling#hphm#ethren whitecross#talbott winger#talbott winger x mc#hphm fankids#hphm fanart#i love my new children help#i love them so much#the Selwyn-Charn-Wingers with a Snyde-Whitecross thrown in lol#merula snyde#merula snyde x mc#rip timmy#timmy winger#he dead
25 notes
·
View notes
Text
Hogwarts Mystery Profile: Angelo Lancaster
Finally I updated Angel's profile, model of the form was made by @hogwartsmysterystory, hope this clarifies better.
(@immagrosscandy art)
Name: Angelo Nikolas Stellair Lancaster.
Gender: Male.
Age: 17.
Birth Date: August 23, 1972.
Species: Half-veela.
Blood Status: Half-Blood.
Sexuality: Pansexual.
Alignment: Chaotic Good.
Ethnicity: Caucasian.
Nationality: Brazilian/British.
Residence: Royal-Garden, England.
Myer Briggs Personality Type: INTJ-T.
The Mage
1st Wand:
Acacia – 30 cm – Slightly Springy – Dragon heartstrings core (Antipodean Opaleye).
A very unusual wand wood, which I have found creates tricky wands that often refuse to produce magic for any but their owner, and also withhold their best effects from all but those most gifted. This sensitivity renders them difficult to place, and I keep only a small stock for those witches or wizards of sufficient subtlety, for acacia is not suited to what is commonly known as ‘bangs-and-smells’ magic. When well-matched, an acacia wand matches any for power, though it is often underrated due to the peculiarity of its temperament.
Ebony – 35 cm – Slightly Springy – Veela hair core (Provided by Leonor Lancaster). With a sapphire at the end of the handle and silver details.
2nd Wand:
(Art by @kyril-but-magical)
This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.
Animagus: A black Bombay cat, with a streak of blue fur on its head between its ears.
Misc Magical Abilities: Veela charm, hypnosis and sensitive to emotions.
Boggart Form:
4st-11th year: The Royal-Garden boys laughing at him and humiliating him.
11th-13th year: His friends turning away from him for being a Veela.
13th year onwards: His most important people dying without him being able to do anything.
Riddikulus form: The previous person juggling puffskeins.
Amortentia: Smell of new book, roses (the smell of Penny), peaches and apple pie.
Patronus: Cat bombay.
Patronus Memory: Jacob and him skating on ice when he was a child and his brother saving him from drowning on the ice.
Mirror of Erised: He graduating as an auror and his dad congratulating him and saying that he is proud of him.
Favourite Spells:
Animus Glacius❄️
Expecto Patronum🐈
Blue Sparks🎆
Aguamenti💦
Colovaria⚪➡️🔵
Voiceclaim: Asa Butterfield
Game appearance:
Height: 1.79 m
Weight: 60 Kg
Eye Colour: Blue sapphire
Hair Colour:
White (original)
Royal Blue (Colovaria)
Skin Tone: White
Body Modifications: N/A
Scarring: A scar on the back of his head hidden by his hair, caused by the time the Royal-Garden boys pushed him and he hit his head on the wall of the fountain.
Inventory: His wand, a notebook , A pen, current reading book, keyring earned from Kyril on his birthday.
Fashion:
Casual - A black jeans, with his sweater with the coat of arms of Ravenclaw, with his blue All Star.
Summer - A royal blue T-shirt, black vest, dark blue denim shorts, and black sneakers.
Winter - A plain T-shirt, a wool sweater, and his furry white overcoat, with winter boots.
Formal Wear - Midnight blue smoking, with a white bow tie and black shoes.
Allegiances
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Illvermony House: Horned Serpent
Affiliations/Organisations:
The Lancaster family.
The Stellair Family.
The Trindade Family (Renegade).
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Circle of Khanna.
The Order of the Phoenix.
Professions:
Auror - 1991 - 2011.
Obliviator - 2011 - 2012.
Charms professor in Hogwarts 2011 - present.
Hogwarts Information
Class Proficiencies:
Astronomy - O
Charms – O
DADA – O
Flying – E
Herbology – O
History of Magic – O
Potions – E
Transfiguration – O
Electives:
Ancient Runes - E
CoMC - A
Quidditch: Seeker
Extra Curricular:
Transfiguration Club.
Charms Club.
Frog Choir.
Sphinx Club.
Favourite Professors:
Minerva McGonagall - Angel likes how Professor McGonagall believed in his talent for Transfiguration and did not compare him to his brother, Jay. Although she is very strict in her classes, she is always willing to help you.
Filius Flitwick - Angelo likes how the classes are fun and are never monotonous, being a Ravenclaw, Angel is very curious and likes how the teacher always clarifies his doubts and teaches him several spells, even if he is not in his class schedule and is used in their search for the Cursed Vaults and the Khanna Circle.
Least Favorite Professors:
Severus Snape - Angel admires Snape's ability and great knowledge in Potions and the Dark Arts, however he doesn't like how Snape insults him or says he is incompetent, he likes to be stimulated to learn more, with lessons in Snape, he just hopes to survive until the end of class without making his cauldron explode.
Patrícia Rakepick - Angel has always had a back seat with Rakepick, perhaps it was the way in which she found herself unshakable and unattainable. Although he learned many things from her, he never really liked her personality and always stayed away from her as much as possible. And after she murdered Rowan, the boy developed a deadly hatred for the ex-professor.
Relationships
Brother:
Jacob "Jay" Alexander Stellair Lancaster.
Half-blood.
Half-veela.
Ravenclaw.
He was a member of the Herbology Club and the dueling club until he was expelled from the school.
Hippogriff club.
Father: Charles Michael Lancaster ✞
Pure-blood.
Ravenclaw.
Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Chase.
He became an auror after he graduated from Hogwarts.
Member of the Order of the Phoenix original.
He was killed in a duel against Evan Rosier.
Mother: Leonor Mary Stellair Lancaster.
Veela.
Did not attend any magic school.
Specialists in elemental magic.
Specialist in healing spells.
Loves to sing and draw.
Has a great talent for gastronomy.
Love Interest(s):
Canon: Penny Haywood.
(sorry for the low quality image.)
Mc x Mc: Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm (Kyril Art)
Best Friends:
Canon:
🦡Penny Haywood.
🦅Rowan Khanna (Dead).
🦅Talbott Winger.
🐍Barnaby Lee.
🦡Chiara Lobisca.
MCs:
🐍(💛)Roger Lopez @hphm-roger
🐍Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm
🦅Elaiza Schuyler @annabelle-tanaka-official
🦅Candy and Paula Vigiere @immagrosscandy
Rival:
🐍Merula Snyde.
🐍 Ismelda Murk.
🦁Sebastian Anguslow.
Enemy:
Patrícia Rakepick.
Wizard in white robes.
"R" members.
Dormmates:
🦅Rowan Khanna (dead).
🦅Talbott Winger.
🦅Andre Egwu.
🦅Arjun Singh. @hogwarts9
Pets:
Arthy, the black cat.
Rowena, the snow owl (Jay owl).
Nevasca, the ice salamander.
Closest Cannon Friends:
🦡Penny Haywood.
🦅Rowan Khanna (dead).
🦅Talbott Winger.
🐍Barnaby Lee.
🦡Chiara Lobisca.
🦡Nymphadora Tonks.
🦁Bill Weasley.
🦁Charlie Weasley.
🦁Jae Kim.
🦅Badeea Ali.
🦁Ben Copper.
Closest MC Friends:
🐍(💛)Roger Lopez @hphm-roger
🐍Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm
🦅Elaiza Schuyler @annabelle-tanaka-official
🦅Candy e 🦡PauLINE Vigiere @immagrosscandy
🐍Jason Novak @death-or-sleep
🐍Carewyn Cronwell @carewyncromwell
🦅Flavio Ceccere @sirfluffig
🦅Montague Donohue @montaguehphm
🐍Dusty Emerald @dusty-emerald-hphm
🦡Stephanie Alexeev @hanihonii
🐍Lith Thorne @slytherinliththorne
🦁Aishwarya Mehra and 🦅Arjun Singh @hogwarts9
🦁Ethren Whitecross @hogwartsmysterystory
🦅 Simon Cahill @cursed-vault-ravenclaw
🦅Wendy Gordon @drinkyoursoupbitch
🦡Honey @hmhoney
🦅Luna Silver @lunasilvermorny
🦡Jackeline Peterson @jackie-and-the-curse
🦁 Tu Liang @wangxianforever000
🦅Samanta O'Connell @samshogwarts
Background/History:
Pre-Hogwarts: Angelo was born on August 23, 1972, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, while his father (as the son of a Brazilian) did international work in the South American country. But he returned to England at the age of four, going to live in the small village of Royal-Garden, near the south coast of the country.
At 6, Angelo suffered the first blow of his life, his father was murdered in a duel against death eater Evan Rosier.
Because of the instability of his Veela powers, he can never interact with Muggle children, because of the risks of revealing the Wizarding World. And after learning about his nature, some wizard boys who lived in the Royal Garden began to bully him, which made him stay away from the children. The only person who knew all this was Jay, and defended his little brother.
When his brother disappeared, Angelo completely isolated himself, he started to stay inside the house reading his father's and brother's books.
At 8, Angelo won Arthy as a birthday present from his mother, and that made the rest of his childhood bearable.
1st Year: While traveling on the Hogwarts Express, Angel felt very insecure about being a half-veela, so in an attempt to change the color of his white hair to black, he ended up turning his hair blue. During the first year, Angel avoided to relate with the other students, having Rowan like its only friend. His teachers, with the exception of Professor Flitwick and McGonagall, were the only ones who didn't compare him to Jay.
After his duel with Merula, Angel met Penny Haywood, when the girl was so kind to him, that from that moment, Angel always blushed when she spoke to him.
He thought he would be a normal student, but no matter how much he avoided it, the curiosity to know what happened to his brother spoke louder, then with the help of Rowan and Penny, they decided to investigate the appearance of the "mysterious ice".
2st Year: As soon as he returned to Hogwarts, Angelo was increasingly determined to discover the truth about his brother and what led him to become involved with the Cursed Vaults. After finding Ben trapped in the ice, he realized that he would need to do what he could to break the curse.
When they found the first vault, and when Rowan was wounded, Angel spent every minute of his free time, studying how to get through the ice door.
The more he investigated, the more bad rumors of his brother were coming, but he refused to believe that Jay was a bad and selfish person as they say he is.
When it was finally time to enter the ice vault. Angelo, Penny and Bill, with much effort, managed to break the curse.
3st Year: With clues to the next Vault, he had to deal with Sebastian Anguslow, a boy who always bullied him at the Royal Garden, so after explaining his situation to Talbott Winger, he agreed to help him become an animagus. After five months, he managed to become a black Bombay cat. So he was able to avoid Anguslow and all his followers.
When he managed to enter Jay's office, after defeating Merula in a duel, he found several notes from Jay about the second crypt, but the image of a loving and protecting brother was undone by the facts.
When entering the vault, Angel, Tonks, Tulip and Barnaby had to face their fears to break the boggarts' curse.
4st Year: As soon as he got back to Hogwarts, his convictions about Jay were pretty shaken, he didn't exactly know what to believe, but if there was one thing he did know, thanks to his Veela skills, he was able to feel a negative energy emanating from her, which meant he should not trust Rakepick.
While steadfastly refusing to be Rakepick's assistant, he learned of a Dementor's invasion, and that it had affected Penny, he told Tonks that he would resolve this and find out the truth behind said. After Tonks taught him to cast a patronus, he discovered that he took the form of a Bombay cat, like Arthy.
After the incident with the Dementor, the relationship between Penny and Angel strengthened each time more, and this resulted in an invitation to the Celestial Ball.
When he met Torvus, the centaur's revelations made his convictions about his brother melt away before the facts presented. This left him devastated, the image of the heroic brother he had from his childhood had been left in a past that seemed unreal.
While investigating, Professor Flitwick suggested that Angelo try to become the Ravenclaw's new perfect. But he knew that it was only a responsibility to divert his search, but the privileges of a perfect one would only help him in his search.
Once his ticket to the secret crush had caused a real mess at Hogwarts, he tried to solve it with the help of Tonks and Charlie, taking the courage to invite Penny on a date, it was an even bigger mess, but in the end, in the light of stars were all perfect, and Angelo finally realized that he had nothing but himself to be accepted, mainly due to his crush. Penny Haywood.
When he finally managed to return the arrow to Torvus, it was time for Angel, Penny, Hagrid and Torvus to enter the forest vault. From that moment, Angelo began to resolve the curses to clear the Lancaster family name and free Hogwarts from these dangers.
5st Year: After returning to Hogwarts to earn his class schedule with the time of his detention, he joined Bill and Merula, despite many protests, joined the Rakepick apprentice group.
Once again Angelo had a personal reason to break the curse, Beatrice, Penny's sister was one of the victims of the curse, so during this year, he had to manage all his time between classes, study for the owls, train and play Quidditch, and investigate Cursed Vaults.
Upon learning that Jay was directly involved in Duncan's death, Angel believed that the caring brother and that he protected him no longer existed.
Without the motivation to find Jay, he simply continued his investigations to protect his friends and clear the Lancaster's name.
During Valentine's Day, even with Lockhart's interference, Angelo and Penny had a great date and in their moment alone in the greenhouse, Angelo asked Penny for a date and gave her first kiss.
After successfully spreading the chaos and getting the painting with Peeves, Angelo, Charlie, Bill, Merula and Rakepick entering the fourth vault. After discovering the truth about Rakepick and meeting his brother again, he had the revelation that thinking about him was the only thing that kept Jay's sanity. And even though Jay was left in the crypt, he had little hope that Jay would still be the brother he was during his childhood.
6st Year: (Pending year)
7st Year: (Pending year)
Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War: As soon as they graduated from Hogwarts, Angelo and Talbott started their Auror training with Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, thanks to their school friendship, the two Ravenclaws formed a great pair, becoming partners.
After finishing the training, Angelo and Talbott were assigned to small missions until they acquired enough experience for large missions. Until one night in 1995, Angel received devastating news, Kyril Vasiley, one of his best friends, had died, which left him devastated. The next day, he received news of the death of Cedric Diggory, another school friend, that was horrible for the blue-haired boy.
A few days after Lord Voldemort's return, Angelo was visited by Albus Dumbledore, who recruited him into the Order of the Phoenix. From that moment on Angelo became a member working on missions on behalf of Dumbledore.
In the battle of the department of mysteries, Angelo was with Tonks and they immediately went to Harry's aid.
During the time that Pius Thicknesse was minister of magic, Angelo works together with some friends to help Muggle-borns and other wizards unfairly accused of the persecution of Dolores Umbridge
After Harry, Ron and Hermione invaded the ministry, Angelo was forced to flee, after sending Leonor and mr. and mrs. Haywood to live at Jay's home in Brazil, he and Penny moved to a small cottage on a deserted Cornish beach.
Quando souberam que Harry Potter estava em Hogwarts, Angelo e Penny sabiam que Voldemort iria atrás dele, então rapidamente eles foram para Hogsmeade para ir até a escola pelo Hogs Head Inn. During the battle, Angelo dueled against the Death Eaters, especially against Cadmus Mulciber, one of those responsible for the death of his father.
Post-War: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Angelo was one of the Aurors appointed by Minister Shacklebolt to track and arrest Death Eaters and wizards who conspired in favor of the dark lord and bring them to trial.
Angelo was one of the Aurors responsible for removing the dementors from Azkaban. And he was tasked by the minister to oversee Harry and Ron's Auror training.
He worked as an auror until 2011, after retiring as an auror, He worked on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad for a year. Until he received an invitation from Professor McGonagall to replace Filius Flitwick as a charms professor at Hogwarts in 2013.
Old Age & Death: Angelo worked as a teacher at Hogwarts for several years, until he turned 89. Then he said he and Penny lived in a house in Hogsmeade until Angel turned 103, when he died of old age.
Personality
Logical: Angelo always likes to make his decisions based on logic, it is extremely rare that he makes a decision based on emotion.
Empathic: Thanks to his Veela skills, he is able to feel the emotions of others, so he always tries to make people feel better, he cannot see his sad friends, he always tries to make his friends feel better.
Shy: Angelo due to his complicated childhood, he is a very shy boy, not being able to approach new people easily, always preferring to stay in his comfort zone. But he makes an effort when he really wants to meet someone.
Intelligent: Thanks to his photographic memory, Angelo is very intelligent, and he uses that intelligence to help his friends with their homework, mainly in History of Magic, and sometimes he doesn't mind writing essays for them.
Strategist: Due to his timid personality, many people the underestimated and don't believe they can sell him in a duel, but while his opponents try to beat him by force, he studies his opponent and waits for the right time to attack.
Affectionate: After he feels comfortable with a person, Angelo is not ashamed of being affectionate with him, hugging and caressing any friend he needs.
Misc:
The Lancaster is a purebred family, but it stopped caring about the status of purity in the late 19th century, with the family patriarch, Leonidas Lancaster.
Angelo is a descendant of two pure-blood families, the Lancaster and the Trindade, family of his paternal grandmother, Damares Trindade, a Brazilian pure-brood family, but he was disinherited when they learned that his father had married a Veela, and had half-Veela children.
The Stellair family, is a family well known among the French Veela.
Angelo developed a passion for ice and snow magic after almost drowning in a frozen lake.
He has visited the Veela sanctuary in the interior of France several times, where he can assume his Veela form while there, but wizards can only enter the sanctuary with a permit from the French Ministry of Magic.
His little habit of reading while walking comes from when he learned to read, at the age of 4, he used to read the Tales of Beedle the Bard.
And Angel likes to assume her animagus form and stay in the lap of her closest friends, receiving ear strokes, mainly from Kyril, Candy, Elaiza, Roger and Jason.
When he needs to be alone to think or just cry, he can be found sitting under the beech on the shores of the black lake, but when he is there he doesn't like to see anyone.
#angelo lancaster#hogwarts mystery#hphm#hphm mc#harry potter hogwarts mystery#angelo profile#lancaster family#trindade family#Stellair family#candy art#kyril art
97 notes
·
View notes
Text
HPHM Masterlist
Just going off the idea that I’ve seen a lot of others do, because things on tumblr get MESSY. And things can get lost very easily! So I’m going to compile a list of all the stuff I made right here so that y’all can access them whenever you like. This list will be updated from time to time, so look out for new additions!
Edits:
merperson duel
life is like chess
all teachers are important!
weasley christmas
deathday party
this is halloween
we are the champions!
secret admirers
festival fun
rakepick’s hair...
rowan and clara
stormy skye
the whomping willow
remember who we’re doing this for
fire crab and unicorn
astronomy
abraxan remake
murphy mcnully!
lin reunion
werewolf!!
divination
the circle of khanna
rowan wallpapers
only us
the wizard in white
for forever
arooooooo!
gryffindor’s new chaser
or will the blood we shed...
yin and yang
the centaur camp
to be or not to be...
we found love where we are
our ‘first’ first date
‘cuteness overload’
the haywood sisters
under a starry night sky
lin and snyde
our creatures! (video)
curse breaking
the life of a poltergeist
animagi friends
welcome to transfiguration!
fight the troll!
a flower crown
a never-ending rivalry
leviosa kid’s success!
OWLs
Charms--spellbinding magic
herbology fun
first to stand, last to fall
flying class!!
my world is where you are
the troublemaking trio
food fight, food flight
girl powerr!
it has always been you...
reach for the sky!
a night to remember
what would I do?
Requested Written Prompts:
It’s a human thing...
you’re cute...but...
speechless
blanket cuddles
I can’t help but blame you for this
rose and talbott fluff/clara and barnaby angst
clara and barnaby fluff/andre and murphy misc
Short stories:
Professor Kettleburn’s Legacy
For all the Christmases lost (Jacob Lin)
Soles Occidere et Redire Ad (Clara and Septimus)
HPHM Reverse Bang 2020
09/01/1998 (part 1)
09/01/1998 (part 2)
the wedding chapter
I’ll always be with you (part 1)
I’ll always be with you (part 2)
To your union (Clara, Bill, Fleur, Tonks, Lupin)
Finding Balance (Clara, Skye)
Dolor Cordis (Clara, Rowan, Barnaby, Ismelda)
Dead!MC AU (Clara, little Em, Merula, Jacob, Rakepick)
Dead!MC AU p2 (Clara, Rowan, Rakepick)
Khanna’s Glow (Clara and Mrs. Khanna)
Murphy’s Comfort (Clara and Murphy)
Sunrise (Clara and Alanza)
A Friend’s Demise (Clara, Sarahi, Ben, Merula, and Rowan)
The Tree of Life (Em, Talbott, Cedric, Dawn)
For the Grief I’d Never Know I’d Feel (Clara)
A Ridiculous Rivalry (Renee)
Vulnerable (Clara and Em)
Thoughtful Handmade Gift (Em, Hillary, Dawn)
Christmas reminiscing (Renee)
A Perfect Merry Melody (Clara, Peeves)
True Happiness (Clara and Sarahi)
I’m not that short! (Clara x Barnaby)
Beaten by the Beater (Clara and Sarahi)
A Special Birthday Package (Clara and Sarahi)
The Day After (Rose x Talbott)
You Decide (Clara and Sarahi)
Willing to Wait (Diego x little Em)
For Family (post HPHM)
Glowing Puffskeins (Clara x Barnaby)
Trial by Blood (Jacob Lin)
Wish come true (Clara x Barnaby)
Music locked away (Clara x Barnaby)
Art Work:
Mistletoe
Clara the Undying
Birthday Picnic
MC sketches part 1
MC sketches part 2
Summer Festival Challenge
Mermay Challenge
HBD Ethren!
Tonks and the Giant Bouncing Bulb
HPHM Design Contest Entry
Alanza Alves
HPHM Pool Party Challenge
Quizzes/Challenges
MC Friendship Quiz (Clara/Em)
Clara XH Lin’s Future
Fluff Alphabet (Clara and Barnaby)
Gameplay GIFs
Year 6 Chapter 35
festival fun!
synchronized broom surfing!
gryffindor vs ravenclaw (season 2)
horntail come at me
I WON
cruppy roll over!
all-wizard tournament fly-out
victory cheer!
dragon sanctuary clearing
gryffindor vs hufflepuff (season 2)
a promising match
gryffindor vs ravenclaw (season 1)
shiet went down
my charms pages!
beauxbatons walk
first hand hold
lin reunion
quidditch season 1
griffin max friendship
#masterlist#hogwarts mystery#hphm#clara lin#barnaby lee#diego caplan#writing#edits#harry potter hogwarts mystery#chiara lobosca#jae kim#talbott winger#so many edits welp#i need to write a lot more do i
33 notes
·
View notes
Text
August 21 - Fanfic Writers Appreciation Day
The thing I like seeing the most is passion, which is often shown through fandom content including fanfictions. People use their passion and love to create amazing content for their fandom, and that is so great and so amazing! Having the courage required to post your works publicly, without fearing one’s criticism is a great accomplishment, and I felt like I had to write something about my favourite writers <3
Disclaimer: This isn’t a list of Fav Writer to Least Fav Writer. I’m just typing as I think!
HPHM Fandom
@thecursedvaultchild
AJ!!! To me, lots of people hold the title of ‘King/Queen of Angst’, and you are definitely one of them! Your writing is absolutely mind-blowing, and you are extremely good at making your stories sound realistic. They flows amazingly well, and I feel as if I am by your characters’ side, living the story with them and witnessing everything that they are doing. Whenever you tell me that you are working on something, I get so excited!!
@hogwartsmysterystory
Ren. R e n. A thing you guys need to know is that when I first saw his blog, I had no idea of all the angst it had. Silly me was thinking ‘oh, nice, another MC to read nice, fluffy stuff about them!’... and then, I read Your Father’s Eyes. And needless to say, that series is absolutely amazing despite how bad it broke my heart. It’s very hard to make me want to cry when I read something (I have a cold, dead heart I suppose), but Ethren and Merula’s story definitely made me want to shed a few tears. And your MC x LI kiss fics? W h o l e s o m e
@booksviolinsandembroidery
Even though you are dealing with the dreaded writer’s block, I felt like I had to write something about you. You were one of my first friends on this account, and I am so grateful for this. Your writing is amazing and I fell in love with Sam right away, and you are so fun to talk to!! I hope that you will be able to write amazing things again, because I cannot wait to read them <3
@a-bear-at-hogwarts
First you draw, and then you write? I love. I adore reading what you write about Dahlia, as well as the angst you make with her and different MCs! She’s so soft yet rough, I love her, and the way you portray her and her way of thinking is absolutely amazing.
@badeeaswife // @morsmordre-imagines
You!!! Your writing!!!! I love both!!! It’s so amazing how you manage to portray canon characters this accurately, I get excited whenever I see that you posted something. I heard that you are too busy to write at the moment, so I wish you to get enough rest in the midst of all the things you have to do!!
Miraculous Ladybug Fandom
@vipernette
Hello!! We never talked, but I do read your writing and I fell in love with it as soon as I started reading your fics! Lukanette is one of my favourite ships, and you write them so amazingly well! You are one of my number one inspirations to write, because you seem to dedicated to your work, and I admire that a lot <3
@mari-cheres
Another amazing Miraculous Ladybug writer!! I started following you a bit before you got to work on AU August, and when your fics started flowing I found out one thing: I. Adore. Your. Writing. You capture emotions in a way I cannot even describe, and you are one of my other inspirations to keep on writing.
28 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Other World Part 2
Hello, everyone.
Welcome to Part 2 of this short story epic that I’ve written. I must warn you it’s considerably longer than Part 1, but it had to be, given the subject matter. It also gets very heavy. I almost shed tears writing this multiple times. And I hope that passion is reflected in my work here today.
What else can I say except this is for you @hogwartsmysterystory. Consider this my thanks and appreciation to both you and Ethren.
If anyone needs a bit of back history for my MC please go here
Enjoy, guys!
Entering the classic wizard shop had been simple enough. Tom the barman was still there and the same tapping sequence still existed to actually get in. At least that hadn’t changed.
As it was with the previous two institutions he had visited, any damage caused by the war to Diagon Alley was already repaired and the streets were alive and full of busy shoppers, running children, and nervous parents once more. There were still a few wanted posters up, but David didn’t pay much attention to them, as they were only reward information for the capture of a few unseemly looking men and one haggard, scowling looking young witch.
His primary destination was Flourish and Blotts, a bookstore that had almost every kind of publication imaginable. Other than the Hogwarts Library itself, it contained one of the largest assortments of knowledge in all of England, including history. If there was a place he could find some answers in peace, it was there.
As he walked along the cobblestone streets, David gave more thought to his situation and tried to consider the facts of what he knew instead of going completely bonkers. He was clearly in the magical world of the UK. Hogwarts, the Ministry, and Diagon Alley existed, and the war had taken place much in the same fashion as he remembered. The time was a year into the future…except this wasn’t the future. If that were the case, why was Talbott alive, he reminded himself. Why were some of the names on the monument unfamiliar? Why was there no record of his existence in the halls of his own government? And what did this American with the last name ‘Whitecross’ have to do with this?
Surprisingly enough, the last question was the one David felt most intrigued by. He couldn’t explain why, but he was sure that whatever happened in this particular instance had a lot to do with the name he saw on the monument. The fact that Talbott wore a miniature American flag only added to his suspicions.
This is really fucked up. I still want to believe Talbott was pulling the other one, but there was no lie in his eyes. The bloke I knew…there’s no way he’d turn me away like that.
Walking into the pristine bookstore didn’t arouse the same sense of excitement and wonder he felt as a teenager when buying new schoolbooks or investigating the disappearance and motivation of his brother, but he appreciated the vast collection of books and editions all the same.
I wonder what Jacob would say if he could see me right now? Probably tease me relentless and give some cryptic advice on how to get out of it
Though he did miss the usual familiar, cheerful greeting from Madam Villanelle, who politely nodded in his direction and treated him as a brand-new customer, it only emboldened him more to find out why no one in this crazy world knew who he was. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to come up with a plan. One of the perks of being a pure blood, even from a minor family, was that it was much easier to trace your family lineage through the centuries than it was for half bloods or those who were muggle born. Thanks to Merula and her own resources, he had managed to trace his lineage all the way back to the time of William the Conqueror and the Norman French invasion. With any luck, he’d be able to find out the fate of his family and that of his mother, father, and brother as well.
David quickly found the book he was looking for, the one his wife bragged about all those years ago when they were children: Quibus Sunt Pura- A List of the Oldest Families of Great Britain by Linesrta Quint. Unlike the Sacred Twenty-Eight, who’s criteria was much stricter courtesy of the pure blood supremacist Cantankerous Nott, this book covered a much wider berth of material. The author in question also wrote the book as a purely academic, historical exercise not a means to propagate an exclusive group of people above all others. It revealed that many more wizards than just twenty eight specific families carried a great deal of history, including his.
Remembering almost fondly how Merula single handedly showed him more about his family history than he knew before, he reminded himself that finding his wife was a top priority as much as his own peace of mind. He needed to know where she was and if she existed as well. It was all information that could be gleaned by this one book.
Summoning water in his hip flask and taking a swig, he set to work in reading the introduction and scouring the index for the last name ‘Grant’. Strangely, however, he could not find it. It was usually right after the summaries of the ‘Gaunt’ and ‘Gamp’ families. But as he flipped back and forth, there was no mention of anyone of his last name having existed in magical England nor anywhere else for that matter.
Not a good sign.
Flipping about a dozen pages more, he came across the ‘MacMillan’ family expose and saw that his mother’s side of the family was intact, including all of his cousins. But there was no sign of Heather MacMillan having ever known or married John Grant.
David’s heart and pulse began to race. He thought back to what he and Merula discovered all those years ago: that his common ancestor Robert Graund had settled in England after the successful invasion of William the Conqueror, who unknowingly employed many Norman French wizards in his service, including Robert. Over time, the name became Anglicized to ‘Grant’ and each male whether by a pure, half blood, or muggle born woman also produced at least one magical son through the centuries. Certainly not as ‘pure’ as the bigots would have it, but then again that was the least of his worries.
Going back over to the front of the introduction, David finally found what he was looking for: the name Robert Graund. Apparently, alongside other pure blood families of French Norman descent: Malfoy, Lestrange, Rosier, etc. Robert had also taken part as it was before. But unlike before, there was also a miniature cross next to his name with a brief note that he had died during the famous Battle of Hastings, a decisive conflict that eventually led to William being crowned King of England.
David ran his hands through his hair once more and leaned back in his chair at the realization.
So that’s what happened. My first ancestor was struck down during that fateful battle. Therefore, no one in my family beyond him even exists. Including me.
But there were some parts he still didn’t understand, namely how he could go from existing one day to fast forwarding a year later where he didn’t at all? There was no logic in it. He knew the veil within the Department of Mysteries carried many secrets that even the Unspeakables didn’t fully understand. But did it transcend more than just life and death itself? What if perhaps the archway didn’t merely lead to a path beyond death, but other possibilities relating to time and space?
Peering around him, David took a deep breath and rationalized everything once more. Almost everything about this world was exactly the same as it was yesterday. Except today Talbott Winger was alive and there was no trace of him or anyone in his family having ever walked the earth.
“I must be insane,” he muttered to himself. “This whole place is insane.”
But the reality kept biting him until he could no longer deny it. Unless the world was playing an extremely sick joke, the only other possible explanation was that somehow, he had ended up in an alternate timeline or scenario where his very family had died almost a millennia before it could actually take root. Thereby the events he experienced at Hogwarts, as an Auror, a bounty hunter, and at the Battle of Hogwarts never took place. Which lead him back to two more avenues.
“Merula.”
Turning the pages to the ‘S’ section, it didn’t take long for him to find what was looking for: the Snyde Family crest and information. And it was just as accurate as he remembered. Merula’s own common ancestor was actually of Danish-Norse origin, a wizard Viking to be exact, who settled along the area of modern East Anglia only fifty years before William the Conqueror’s invasion. He traced his finger right down to the modern names, specifically her father, mother and aunt: Matthias, Lyra, and Lucretia respectively. Sure enough, Merula’s name and birthdate was there but that’s not all that was written. In tiny black letters below was the name ‘Alaire Whitecross b. 1997’.
David was absolutely convinced now that whoever this ‘Ethren Whitecross’ was, had to be related to Alaire in some way but the implication was becoming abundantly clear. If he, David Grant, had not existed in whatever realm this was, logic pointed to Merula being involved with another person. And in all likelihood this American was it.
There were several other factors to consider, however. If his hypothesis was correct, how had this person died? How had he gotten involved in the first place? And what was Merula’s role in all of this? And if Alaire was her son, where was he at the moment?
David quickly closed the book and stuck it back on the shelf. Even among the circumstances, he still loved Merula no matter which universe she was in. At the very least, he wanted to make sure he was safe, sound, and happy no matter if she was married or taken by someone else. It was too important.
Then, a sense of déjà vu hit him for more than the first time that day. His own Merula was effectively shanghaied into the ranks of the Death Eaters. Could the same have happened here too? Suddenly, his stomach again dropped multiple notches below his belt as he recalled the poster of the haggard witch he had passed by earlier.
“No..” he whispered in horror.
Rushing outside, not even bothering to say goodbye to Madam Villanelle, David ran about fifteen paces outside on the cobblestone street, narrowly avoiding two small children running in front of him before finally coming upon the wanted poster he sought.
What he saw nearly crushed him.
Wanted for crimes against the Ministry and Humanity:
Merula Snyde
Age 26
167 cm
Offense: Ex-Death Eater under You Know Who
Status: Missing/On the Run
Any information about her whereabouts should be sent to the Auror Office of the Ministry straight away, and any assistance will be rewarded with a sum of 1000 galleons
He didn’t want to believe it. No part of him wanted to believe this was the girl he had fallen for all those years ago. Technically speaking it wasn’t and the unkempt appearance only contributed to his feeble denial. Though far from being a girly, girl, Merula always kept herself moderately groomed to a certain degree. This person couldn’t have been further from that image: her porcelain skin and soft features were gaunt and much thinner, permanent bags seemed to be fixed underneath her eyes, the normally chin length bob a tangled mess of brown that went far past her shoulders.
But there was no mistaking that tuft of orange on top of that mop, nor the vivid violet eyes. He’d know them anywhere. It was her alright and no amount of disbelief could change that fact.
“Merula,” he whispered. “What happened to you?”
Resolve surged through the Auror once more as the search for information took on a whole new dimension. This wasn’t merely about himself anymore, no this was much bigger. He needed to find this version of Merula and talk to her. He was sure she could reveal the true story of what occurred in this world and why. She was the key to everything, including the American on the monument that was becoming increasingly relevant.
Snatching down the poster, David pocketed it and began heading east. If Merula was a wanted witch with a dark past, she was sure to be in hiding somewhere. And if that place was England, he knew the exact spot where dark and outcast magic folk loved to congregate.
It was time to leave the serenity of Diagon Alley for the dirt and grime of Knockturn Alley.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In all honesty, going to one of the foulest areas in the British wizarding world was far more of a hunch than anything else, but he did have his reasons.
The first was Merula’s own history with the place. In his own world, she had discussed in detail her encounters in Knockturn Alley and all the times she visited with her parents as well as unsupervised instances. The amount of run ins they experienced together while at Hogwarts only added to that notorious history.
Second was his own experience as an Auror. Make no mistake, if someone wanted any information or news about the underworld, this was the proper location to do so. The trick was getting people to talk. Some would loosen their lips for a few extra galleons, but the dark, blackened alley ways held their own code of honor, one that was extremely hostile to outsiders and law enforcement. A man in blue had to be very careful with how they approached things.
Unfortunately for David, time was not on his side and he desired answers. The sad fact of the matter was, there was a distinct possibility Merula may not have remained in England after the war. Anyone on the run from Aurors wasn’t likely to stick around for long. He remembered Kingsley falsifying all those reports about Sirius Black being on some tropical island and Fudge buying it hook, line, and sinker.
However, assuming this version of his wife was still kicking around somewhere, this was the best place to ascertain that information, if anyone had it. Pulling the black hood over his head, he tried to give himself the appearance of someone who was collecting a bounty not an Auror making rounds. It helped that he did not have the blue robes on, but even so, it paid to have eyes on the back of their head.
That brought back memories of Mad-Eye, another painful loss he wasn’t prepared to deal with at the moment. After all, he was the personal mentor of a certain pink haired witch that became one of his best friends…
“Watchoo lookin at?” growled a short, squat, white bearded patron with a fish eye.
Snapping out of his daydreaming, David responded quickly and decisively.
“Nothing,” he responded. “Not unless you’ve seen this woman. Then we have business to discuss.”
He held up the poster of Merula and the dwarf like man gave it a good glance over.
“Ain’t seen head or tail of ‘er. Personally, me thought the Ministry already rounded up the last o them Death Eaters.”
“Apparently not. If you do see her, let me know. I pay rather handsomely for information of this kind.”
That definitely intrigued the man.
“Ye got yerself a deal.”
As he shuffled along his way, David grabbed another random person, this time a hooded witch and showed her the picture.
“Have you seen this woman?”
The hood fell back to reveal the face of a rather grotesque looking banshee, who began to screech as though she were being tortured.
“AREEEEEEEECCHHHHHHH!”
“Bloody hell! SHUT UP!”
He shoved the banshee away in an effort to reduce the attention he had unwittingly drawn on himself. This wasn’t going well thus far. Even the most transient, unsavory looking characters didn’t appear interested or knowledgeable about his wife. The longer he stayed here, the more likely he was to become a target and the last thing he wanted was to get caught up in a scrum in this Godforsaken place.
You taught me well, Rakepick you miserable bitch. Thankfully, Kingsley and Mad-Eye taught me better.
He was just about to take his questioning to another part of Knockturn when he noticed a middle aged woman in a black cloak staring at him and the poster he was currently holding. It dawned on him that she recognized the picture but before he could say so much as a word, she dropped everything she was holding and sped off into the street.
“Hey! Come back!” he shouted, immediately taking off after her.
The crowd was thick and various people shouted at him for shoving them, but he didn’t care. Just as long as he was able to keep the woman in his sights, he’d catch up to her eventually. He was only about five steps behind her, when she suddenly ducked into a side street in an attempt to shake him loose.
“Trying to do this the hard way, eh?” he muttered to himself. “We’ll see about that.”
The woman thought she could lose him by utilizing the maze of narrow streets and alleys that Knockturn was well known for. Unfortunately for her, David knew just as well as any of the sleazeballs who sold black market poisons on the corner and prepared a plan to cut her off. Using his superior speed and agility, he booked right knowing that the woman was trying to reach a secret passageway that led onto Piccadilly St., where she would blend in more easily.
Muttering incantations, he pointed his wand at the sky and a puff of golden smoke filled the air.
“That oughta keep you here.”
Sure enough, his guess was right. He took a left and then another left peering around the corner where the woman was attempting to use the passageway but she was too late. She had nowhere to run and there was no way out.
“You don’t strike me as the completely unscrupulous type but it would be better if you simply gave up now,” he told her.
The woman’s response was to send a cutting hex his way, which he easily dodged.
“Or not. Either way, you’re not going anywhere.”
David the saw woman try to apparate, but it was to no avail.
“Yeah that’s not going to work,” he said in the casual tone of someone scrapping butter over a biscuit. “Temporary anti-apparation ward. Really comes in handy in these kinds of situations.”
Realizing now that she was completely trapped the woman raised her wand, her arm shaking like a leaf in the wind.
“Stay back,” she said in a thick cockney accent. “I’m warning you.”
A silent disarming spell was all it took to send her last line of defense spinning into the air, which David caught before grabbing the woman by the wrists and pinning her against the wall.
“I’m only going to say this once,” he growled, his voice full of steel, hazel blue eyes boring into the woman’s light green. “You tell me the information I need to know about this person, and I won’t have to break your wrists and arm today. Start talking.”
“I swear I don’t know anything,” the woman pleaded.
“That’s why you ran away once you saw the picture, right? Listen, I’ve had a very rough day and I’m on my last leg of patience with other people’s shit. So I’m only going to say this once more. What do you know about this woman?!”
David, sensing that she was no longer a threat to him, eased his grip slightly, allowing some of the iron in his eyes to subside. She wasn’t the type you had to scare to death in order for her to talk. Just enough to know that you mean business.
“I seen her bout few weeks back. She comes around every so often looking for supplies and other things like that. She gives me no grief, so I don’t tell no authorities.”
“And you know that she’s Merula Snyde?”
“Aye,” the woman nodded, still nervous at the much bigger man maintaining a firm hold on her. “She was one of them Death Eaters. One of the few to escape gettin thrown into a bloody cell in Azkaban. No one knows how she did it.”
That was code for: I don’t personally know but I’ve heard rumors. David knew all the tricks the backalley types liked to pull.
“Enlighten me.”
The woman lowered her voice to a quiet, hushed tone as though admitting it out loud could get her into trouble.
“They say the night she was captured, some Yank was watching over ‘er in a cell way up in a tower or some such. Then, when his back was turned, she slipped by ‘im and into the black of night. Been on the run ever since. No one’s been able to find ‘er or touch ‘er. Cept when she comes around buying food and what not.”
David tried to process this in his head. The American in question was supposedly dead, marked by a gravestone and subtlety confirmed by this world’s Talbott. But if an American had been watching her and she escaped, how then did this Ethren Whitecross die?
“She didn’t kill him?” he asked.
“Didn’t ‘ave a wand. Or so I heard. It’s all just gossip round this place.”
Gossip it may be, but it often held an element of truth to it. However, there was only one way to truly find out.
“Do you know where she is now? Any location she was last seen or frequents?”
“Last I knew, she was ‘iding out in a little hovel up in Liverpool. There’s a muggle pub up there called ‘Thomas Rigby’s’. Apparently, she’s pretty fond of the drink nowadays.”
That was all he needed to hear. Having no more use for the woman, he let go of her wrists and tossed her wand back toward her.
“Oi! Don’t I get a little something for my trouble? I have needs too ya know and make no mistake.”
“Not for chasing you down,” he called back over his shoulder. “Besides, what you need is a bloody bath.”
Ignoring her cursing and insults uttered to his back, David now walked with more of a purposeful stride than ever before. He was getting to the bottom of this, in fact he was so close he could taste it. The only premonition? Not liking what he found. In the center of his gut, he had a nasty feeling that this version of Merula did not share much in common with the one he left behind.
I just hope she didn’t join them because of….no, I’m not even going to go there
There was no time to waste. It was on to Liverpool.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
David didn’t try to waste time in finding other Merula’s residency. The city itself was far too large and industrious to pinpoint an exact location. But he did find Thomas Rigby’s rather easily. It was a cozy little pub- well lit, quaint, a standing and sitting barroom with numerous tables for patrons to sit, drink, chat, or mind their own business. If one was a witch or wizard seeking to blend in, there weren’t many spaces better to do so. There wasn’t a single patron in here looking for anything out of the ordinary. And why would they? It was a lazy, Sunday evening on a cloudy British day.
The twenty five year old knew that there was a chance of sitting here all night without so much of a trace of Merula. But he also acknowledged that very few other alternatives existed short of breaking into the Ministry and looking at her last known whereabouts and that was something he could not afford at the moment. He didn’t even know how was going to leave this crazy world much less solve the mystery of what happened. The universe seemed content to just take him along for the ride.
So in the meantime, he decided to take off his hood, sit back for a bit and sip on a few pints of Guinness while he waited.
When the waitress came over to give him his drink, he handed her two hundred pounds worth of notes and told her, “Just keep them coming until I say otherwise. You can keep the change.”
The blonde waitress, a woman who looked to be in her mid thirties, merely shrugged.
“Suit yourself.”
David began drinking and began lamenting that wizarding beer lagged far behind in its quality compared to that of muggles. It had been a damn good thing he learned how to use dollars, euros, and pounds during his time abroad. They were two among many things he had discovered.
In the old days, meaning the time before the war, David was at his most content sitting in a bar such as this one, drinking the night away with some friends. As he had many times that day, his mind wandered back to memories that were now too painful to consider anymore. It was tradition on every Friday he Tonks and Talbott would go to a London pub and see who could hold the most liquor. Strangely enough, Talbott was usually the one with the highest tolerance. Badeea didn’t drink, so their excursions were usually just the three of them. Sometimes, they’d get Penny, Tulip, Barnaby, Andre, Charlie, Bill, Ben, or even Merula to join in the festivities.
Those memories only served to bring back even older ones. Nights in Hogsmeade where he and the lads almost destroyed the Hogs Head Inn, Penny’s cocktails, the lampshade Tonks wore while dancing on top of a table, parties hosted by random popular kids in the Three Broomsticks, including one where Ismelda and Diego first got together.
Draining Guinness after Guinness, David couldn’t help but think back on those days and how fleeting they were. Almost the relic of another time, a universe that no longer existed, similar to his own predicament. They were rare moments where everything wasn’t so complicated…they were just teenagers being teenagers, growing up in the best way they knew how. No war, killing, mourning, or death. No one had to choose a side under the point of a wand.
But eventually, they all did. Things fell apart. Their island home and their entire world went to hell: Barnaby fled the country taking Ismelda with him in an to avoid the fate that would befall so many of their housemates. Diego too found England increasingly dangerous and went back to Spain. Rowan, always sensitive by nature, never forgave him for putting Merula before their own friendship and soon embarked on his own journey across the world and soon found a husband along the way (to no one’s surprise he had a bit of a resemblance to Bill). Charlie went off to Romania to tame dragons, Bill to Egypt to advance his curse breaking career. Chiara became a healer at St. Mungo’s, Penny a potions lecturer, Andre the starting Keeper for the Tornadoes, Tulip a freelance journalist for international publications….
With the exception of a few (Rowan being among those who stayed away), all had come back to fight in the end, which made Merula’s situation all the more painful. Her forced subservience to her parents, long after she had renounced them and their blood purist ways, was an act of cruelty that made David want to break the glass in his hand. Whatever her flaws and faults, joining the ranks of the Death Eaters was not truly his wife’s own choice, but an abusive sin enacted by Matthias and Lyra Snyde.
I hate them. I hate them both. I don’t even regret accidentally killing Matthias. He deserved far worse for what he did to her.
They were manipulative, sociopathic people. But even from a young age Merula was able to see through that.
The ringing of the bell signaled the arrival of new customers as the pub slowly started to fill up. There was no sign of her yet.
He continued his internal monologue. No, his wife was no more a Death Eater than he was. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever happened in the world he was in was much different than the outcome in his own. He was almost afraid to continue searching, but some other entity pushed him on, as though a cosmic force was actually trying to show him something.
He was already on his 5th Guinness when the door opened again. Just as he began to believe that the exercise was all for naught, there she was, standing in the doorway, completely cloaked but there was no mistaking those violet eyes nor the trodden black combat boots she still wore even into her twenties. And underneath the robes, she looked every bit as tired and worn down as the wanted poster.
By Merlin, is that really her? She looks as though she’s ten years older than she is
David supposed alcohol had a lot to do with that, after all the stuff was highly addictive. But there was more to it than that and it was plain enough on her face. There was a lot of turmoil hidden underneath the brown haired mess- anger, regret, denial, depression, and pain…so much pain.
“I’ll have my usual,” she said in a bored monotone, tossing out a couple of coins.
“Coming right up,” the barkeep announced.
He could have guessed what she ordered: a vodka tonic with a lime to top it off. Her favorite. Though there was no doubt this Merula had no idea who the heck he was, it also stood to reason she was just as clever as his own version. She would know if a wizard was either observing or following her. So he kept his head down and bid his time, resisting the temptation to look in her direction.
A couple of hours passed and the Slytherin kept downing more and more vodka tonics. By this time, David had ceased drinking, the mind needed to be clear for what came next and it would not be easy. But if she was intoxicated enough, he just might be able to get her to talk long enough before she inevitably tried to hex or kick him. Either way, he tried not to focus on the awful appearance and keep himself focused on the ‘why’ and not the ‘what.’ It did no good to do the latter.
Finally, at the stroke of ten, Merula paid for her last drink, hopped off the stool and made her way outside. David, having paid in advance, stood up, and also opened the door to the warm pre-summer air. He pulled his cloak over his head and faked as if he were going left but secretly veered right, careful to mask his presence with a concealing spell. The onset of darkness also assisted in avoiding being seen.
“Come on, just a little more,” he muttered to himself.
When Merula was about fifty yards away from Thomas Rigby’s and headed towards the River Mersey, either to hang on the railing, puke, or a combination thereof, it was time to make his move
With a small *pop he apparated from the corner of the street and almost directly behind her. Immediately, he was met with a wand to the face.
“I suggest you back off right now, wanker,” she spat viciously, though her words were slightly slurred. “Not unless you want to lose a nose and your cock in the same night.”
“You know it’s really quite impressive how many of those things you downed in a couple hours,” he responded dryly. But that had been the wrong thing to say as she sent a curse of unknown origin his way.
Yeah, that’s her alright. Probably thinks I’m trying to get in her pants.
“Do you think just anyone can sneak up on me?” she snarled. “Do you know who I am?”
“Believe me, I’m very familiar with ‘The Greatest Witch at Hogwarts.’”
There was a minor look of surprise on her face indicating that was a term she had not used in quite some time. Nevertheless, she remained hostile.
“I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you,” she said wand remaining directly pointed at his chest. “So whoever you are, mind your own business and hit the road.”
David internally struggled with the situation. On the one hand, Merula was still his wife, no matter which universe he found himself in….no, that was wrong. Scanning this woman up and down she bore almost no resemblance to the woman he’d left behind, either in appearance or temperament. She was an ex-Death Eater on the run and also a drunk. This was not someone to be saved or redeemed.
This is about closure. Something is going on here that’s bigger than yourself.
As much as it pained him, he could not give the impression he was a pushover or else she’d walk right over him.
Suddenly, quicker than Merula could anticipate, he disarmed her physically and grabbed her left arm.
“Hey! Let go!”
True to his prediction, she gave him a mighty kick in the leg with her combat boot but he stood firm, rolling back her sleeve to reveal the ugly, faded remains of the Dark Mark. The skull and snake were still there, but with Voldemort’s death it was already becoming gnarled and reduced, and soon it would be nothing more than a permanent scar- a black stain on all those who wore it.
“So it’s true,” he whispered harshly, pushing her away. “You did join them.”
Merula didn’t try to escape. She didn’t have her wand for one thing but the look on her face was nothing short of grim.
“A real genius you turned out to be. Didn’t you read the wanted poster before deciding to collect this bounty?”
“I don’t give a damn about the wretched bounty,” he replied, hurt creeping into his tone. “What I want to know is why.”
She held her grim, harsh gaze, unwilling to say more. But David hadn’t come this far to be denied now. If this was some lesson being brought upon him by the universe by Merlin he was going to learn everything.
“Please…” he said, his voice dry and cracked from all of the beer. “Please tell me that joining the Death Eaters was not something you did voluntarily. If you were forced, it’s not the same thing but I need to know that you did not do this by your own actions.”
It was yet another in a long line of cosmic twists and also another painful reminder of just how different this woman was from his own Merula. She didn’t need to say anything, her silence said it all.
“Why?” he repeated painfully.
“Because I couldn’t disobey my parents!” came the ragged shout. “Because people don’t change! It was war and I had to choose a side…”
“…and ended up choosing the side you despised since you were a little girl. You said so yourself, that mark was something you feared.”
“They manipulated me! I-I….DON’T YOU GET IT?!” she screamed in rabid fury. “I said the same thing to him all those years ago! There is no such thing as happy endings!”
It was all the confirmation he needed to know that this woman, whoever she was, couldn’t be further from the Merula Snyde he had come to love and lay his life for. The person standing before him sounded no different than the version he’d known in third or fourth year: petulant, narcissistic, angry, and blaming everyone for her problems except herself.
“You still had a choice,” he responded firmly, willing himself not to quiver as he spoke. “No one forced you to join Voldemort. And look what it got you.”
“What’s it to you, whoever you are?” Merula snapped, leaning against the railing as though unable to properly stand upright. “You sound just like him. Preaching about morality and choice as though any of us have it.”
They were coming to the crux of the issue now.
“Whitecross,” he said and there was immediate recognition of that name upon its proclamation. “What was your relationship with him? Where is your son?”
“So, you know about that too,” she huffed. “Are you some two bit author looking to make a buck on our life story?”
“Look, it doesn’t matter who I am,” David responded in frustration, knowing that there was no point in telling her the truth. “I just need to know what happened to Ethren Whitecross. Humor me and I’ll leave you alone.”
This seemed to do the trick as other Merula sighed and stood up a little straighter.
“We were….an item so to speak. Hogwarts sweethearts, dating pals, whatever you want to call it. He loved me.”
“But you chose opposite sides,” David confirmed. “He must have been an Auror or with the Order.”
“The latter of the two. He was always a magnet for adventure, especially during the curse breaking years. Then again what else do you expect from a Gryffindor?”
Though this universe had been the opposite of his in so many ways, David was starting to see some parallels as well. A Gryffindor boy falls in love with a Slytherin girl, dating while at Hogwarts, going on curse breaking adventures…it was all quite similar. And yet, so vastly different. The dynamic of their relationship had not played out as it did in his own world.
“How did he die?” David continued. “I was told he was guarding you in one of the Hogwarts towers when he turned a blind eye and allowed you to escape. But the memorial says he was killed on that night.”
“That wasn’t him.”
He raised an eyebrow, features turning into a confused frown.
“He’s the only Whitecross listed on that memorial. So either you’re lying or-”
“It was his brother guarding me you prat!” she cut across him. “Jaxson Whitecross. He wasn’t the only American there that night. He was the one who let me go.”
“Jaxson,” David breathed out. It was a name remarkably similar to Jacob, his own brother. “So if he was the one who let you go, what happened to Ethren?”
There was no mistaking it this time, tears were forming in the defeated violet eyes. A look of hatred formed on her sullen, hollow features but it was not a hate directed at him. No this hatred was internal.
“He was killed….protecting me.”
For the second time in as many days, David felt his body go numb. He knew that the person he sought was already deceased, but hearing how he was taken from this world made it that much more…potent.
“Protecting you?”
“Yes,” she answered, salty discharge streaming down her cheeks, managing to tell the story through emotional breaths. “I-I had killed two Death Eaters that were trying to do him in. But then reinforcements from the Order arrived including a herd of centaurs. One of them saw me and shot an arrow directly at my heart….h-he took it instead.”
And so the answer had been revealed at last. This was the connection that the universe had been trying to show him all along. The man who loved Merula Snyde in this world, died doing so without hesitation for a person that did not deserve it.
Sacrifice. The ultimate sacrifice.
“And your son,” he managed to choke out. “What of your son?”
“He lives with his uncle in America…I’m sor….I couldn’t take care of him. Not after everything that happened. I’m not a mother. I’m not anything except a lush anymore.”
It was the closest thing to an apology David heard thus far and he suspected that was as close it was going to get. At long last he finally understood. Stories had more than one way of playing themselves out. A choice made by one was not a choice made by someone else. This was the legacy of the world he currently stood in laid bare: Merula had refused to better herself and as a result the story of Ethren Whitecross ended in tragedy, not redemption.
How then, would his own conclude?
Looking down at the crying woman in front of him, a mixture of pity and supreme sadness weighed in his heart. He wanted to say that he was sorry and to help in any way he could. But this was a person beyond any sort of help he could give. And if he and Ethren had truly been similar, nothing he said would change that.
“Take this,” he said, tossing back her wand. “Though I doubt you’ll need it much. If my hunch is correct, no one will be able to harm you until the day you pass from this world.”
He began to turn to leave but before doing so, there was one more thing he needed to know.
“Merula,” he spoke softly. “Where is he buried?”
“O-on the shores of Lake Michigan in the United States. There’s a large house by the shore overlooking a grassy hill. He…he’s there.”
Then that’s where I’ll go
“Take care of yourself,” he said to other Merula, though in his heart he knew she wouldn’t. Whatever her future held, it didn’t involve proper self-care. It was out of his hands now.
Even now, I understand…that could have just as easily been me lying in a grave. He gave his life for her even when she was beyond all hope…he still loved her just as I would have.
He walked off from the docks and apparated away. There was one thing left to do.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Somewhere on the shore of Lake Michigan an unknown man arrived at a beautiful, melancholic scene.
David had never been to this part of the United States, his interactions being limited strictly on the east coast in cities like New York, Boston, Washington, and what not. But he resolved to visit again someday to the Midwest, because what he saw was truly mesmerizing. True to Merula’s word, there was indeed a large mansion overlooking a green hill which contained nothing save for a white marble headstone. Beyond the shore, were the waters of Lake Michigan in all its spring time splendor. In the distance, tall oaks and pines mixed together creating a deciduous-boreal forest, the scent of which could be inhaled even from the edge of the water. The oaks were at last in full bloom, creating a vivid green that contrasted wonderfully with the afternoon sun and the dark, turquoise sky. The air was clean…so clean. He truly envied anyone who grew up in an environment like this. America was always a much sunnier place than England, both figuratively and literally.
But that was not the purpose of this visit. David couldn’t explain but he sensed his time in this world was coming to an end.
Which brought him to this final task.
It hadn’t been hard to sense the magic surrounding this place and after probing with his wand, David detected only a minor muggle repelling charm by the gravesite, which thankfully wasn’t rigged with a caterwauling charm or any other such alarm. After temporary disabling it, David walked the length of the hill before arriving at the foot of the headstone. He silently read the writing of the deceased for the second time that day.
Ethren Whitecross
1973-1998
A proud American
A wonderful son & brother
You will be missed
“The father that never was,” David breathed out.
He took one more glance back at the mansion, ensuring no one noticed his presence. To ensure absolute privacy, he tapped his head with the disillusionment charm, rendering him completely invisible. After one more look towards the beautiful forest beyond, he began to speak.
“I don’t know what I was expecting,” he finally uttered, struggling to hold back the lump in his throat. “I don’t know what to say really. This whole thing is bloody crazy. You never knew me, and I only just learned about you. We’re literally from different worlds. And not just because I’m from across the pond,” he added with a choked chuckle.
“But at the same time, I feel a connection to you. I can’t explain it, but after the events of today and all the shit that’s happened, part of me feels like I’ve known you almost my entire life. And…I couldn’t leave without honoring you.”
He knelt down, taking another deep breath.
“Thank you. Thank you for the kindness and consideration you gave my wife. I know she’s not my wife but she’s still Merula and my love for her transcends worlds. No matter how difficult she was or how lost she became, you never stopped loving her. Even when she found herself in the dark pit of the Death Eaters, you never gave up. I only wish she had done the same for you before it was too late.
“Thank you, for making me realize…just how lucky I am. Before I arrived here, I genuinely thought there was nothing left to live for. But I was wrong, I have everything to live for. My wife is alive, so are scores of others. We have the opportunity to build a better world than the one before and we will. Through it all, I’m still here and so is Merula. That’s more than enough.
“Lastly, thank you for your sacrifice…the ultimate sacrifice. You gave your life so others could live, and the evil of Voldemort permanently ended. You did so out of love, and because of that your Merula will carry that protection for the rest of her life. People owe you so much more than just a memorial and a gravestone.”
Taking out of his locket, the one that contained the picture of his beloved wife, he clutched it tightly as he uttered his last sentence.
“I promise you for as long as I draw breath, your story will not be forgotten. I swear it on your grave, Ethren Whitecross.”
He reached out and touched the white marble and that’s when he felt it. The same overpowering, white hot sensation that threatened to rip him apart molecule by molecule and every action and thought seemed to run for an eternity. By the time he thought his mind would be lost to the pure chaos, darkness took him once more and there was nothing.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A thunderous force pushed David so hard, he fell straight back onto a hard stone floor with an incredible thud.
“AGH!”
Ignoring the pain he felt in his back and shoulder, he slowly lifted himself off the ground and tried to make some sense of his surroundings.
“Grant?” a voice called out. This one, however, was not mysterious or a whisper.
“Hello?” he called out.
The figure of Williamson made its presence known as he stepped into the lighted part of the room.
“Blimey, Grant what are you doing in here? This area’s off limits, you know that.”
Dusting off his robes and pocketing his wand, David saw that he was still clutching the photo of Merula that he had taken out only seconds earlier at the gravesite. But if he was back in the room of death that could only mean…
I’m back. Son of a bitch, I don’t know how but I’m back in my own world. And not a second from where I left it.
“Uh, Grant? David? Can you hear me? What’s gotten into you?”
Shaking his head, he pulled his focus back to the matter at hand, trying to give off the impression that nothing was out of the ordinary…which was a shame because he had never been very good at lying.
“Oi, yeah. Sorry, Williamson. I zoned out for a second.”
The smaller, dirty blonde Auror eyed him carefully.
“Just what exactly were you doing down here anyway?”
“Nothing,” David murmured. “Just…needed some time to think. I’ll be on my way.”
But Williamson held up a hand to stop him.
“Breaking into a highly restricted area of the Ministry aside, that’s actually not the reason I came to see you.”
That gave him pause, as he stuck the picture back into his jeans pocket.
“What do you mean?”
“I come bearing news. The Minister has decided to release your wife, Merula Alice Snyde, effective immediately with no charges being brought to bear as of now. She’s free to go pending further evidence.”
David could hardly believe his ears nor dare to feed the excitement of his heart.
“She is?” he asked lamely.
“Yes. We’ve received new intelligence in the last hour or so, one that just came to my attention. It confirms directly that your wife was under the control of the Imperius Curse and that her actions were indeed not her own.”
As overjoyed as he was, David didn’t quite understand how this was possible. One moment Merula was looking at a life sentence in Azkaban and now she was free?
“How? I mean…how-”
“Two people, including one who was very high in You Know Who’s inner circle, have agreed to give testimony against any and all of his captured servants. One confirmed that Miss Snyde was indeed being controlled by Death Eaters Matthias and Lyra Snyde and is prepared to confirm that in court to the Wizengamot.”
“And just who is this informant?”
“That is confi-”
“Out with it, Williamson, who am I going to tell?”
With a sigh, his colleague relented.
“Lucius Malfoy. And his wife, Narcissa.”
Yup that confirms it
Williamson gave an irritated look and gestured towards the door.
“Look you’re really not supposed to be in here and I imagine you’ll want to see your wife now. She’s waiting for you in the lobby. Shall we?”
He didn’t have to be told twice. Jumping down from the giant rock that supported the veil, he followed Williamson out of the door and back towards the Atrium.
“By the way, I do hope that you didn’t touch that thing in there.”
David gave a cheeky grin and response.
“Perish the thought Williamson, old boy,” he in a fake posh tone.
Yes, teasing him would never get old.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It didn’t take long for David and Merula to reunite. The moment the spotted one another they ran into each other’s arms and embraced, hugging so tightly that neither one was prepared to let go.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered in her ear, tears running down his cheeks once more. “I’m so sorry.”
“What are you sorry about you prat?” Merula responded, wiping away tears of her own. “You saved me from being a slave. From my parents.”
“No, you saved yourself,” he affirmed to her, his forehead pressed against hers. “You made the choice. The right one.”
He kissed her, long and passionately, one that she returned.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. “We’re all okay. We’re going to get through this.”
“Yes, we will.”
An awkward clearing of the through interrupted their tender moment and David realized Williamson was still there.
“Very sorry to cut in, but there is one other thing I needed to inform you of,” he stated.
“It can’t wait until after post-prison sex with my wife?”
Merula kicked him in the shins, which caused him to wince and hop on one foot.
“Just joking, dear.”
“I shan’t keep you,” Williamson said, completely unperturbed. “I only wanted to confirm your appointment with Minister Shacklebolt regarding your reinstatement to the Auror Office. He seeks to discuss the matter with you personally this Wednesday at ten o’clock. It seems he desires your return.”
Relief awashed the twenty-five-year-old as he looked towards the heavens.
Yes, everything was going to be alright.
“Tell him I’ll be there on the dot.”
“Wonderful, I shall inform him of your decision,” he turned to go but not before adding the smallest of smiles. “Congratulations to you both.”
“Many thanks, Williamson.”
With the last of the formalities concluded, he and Merula were set to exit.
“Shall we go home?” she asked him.
“Wherever the hell that is. I pretty much abandoned my London pad two years ago. I do hope no one’s trashed it.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she reassured him. “We always do. Now let’s get out of here. I never was a fan of the Ministry.”
“Wait.”
He stopped her. Before they did anything else, David had to get a good look at her…just to be sure. What he saw, warmed his heart. Yes, she was still covered in cuts and bruises from the battle, and dark circles permeated underneath her violet eyes. But instead of alcoholic self-loathing he saw they still radiated life. Her hair was still the cute little bob he adored as opposed to a tangled heap. Her posture gave no indication of defeat. She was not the broken Merula Snyde daughter of Death Eaters who gave up on herself, but a woman who had passed through multiple trials and won them all.
It’s still her, he thought joyfully. This is still the woman I fell in love with and will continue to love for all time.
“Uh, David?”
“Yes?”
“I appreciate that you want to bask in all of my beauty, but the staring is kinda off putting. Can I at least shower beforehand?”
David smiled.
“Of course. It’s just…I love you is all. And I’m the luckiest man in the world to have the ‘Greatest Witch at Hogwarts’ by my side.”
Merula laughed and interlocked her chipped, black polished fingers with his.
“Wow, it’s a been a long time since either one of us used that title.”
“I don’t see you complaining.”
Merula leaned in, a soft, but eager look on her beautiful features.
“I’m not,” and she gave him a gentle kiss. “I love you too.”
Together they began to walk towards the exit of the Atrium but not before Merula had one last question.
“Dave…you mentioned something earlier about me making the right choice. What did you mean by that? There was a funny look on your face when you said it.”
Clever as ever, she is
“It’s a bit hard to explain,” he said rubbing the back of his head as they approached the exit.
“Did something happen to you in the short time I was in a Ministry cell?” she joked to him.
The image of a marble white headstone appeared once more in his mind, the shores of Lake Michigan calming his heart as he squeezed Merula’s hand a little tighter.
“It’s a long story. A story that will never be forgotten.”
The End
#ethren whitecross#david grant#gyrffindor#hogwarts mystery#hphm#hphm fanfiction#harry potter#mc#merula snyde#mc x merula#fanfiction#au#worlds collide
11 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
ancuaboss
SLOT888 BCA | DAFTAR AGEN SLOT ONLINE DEPOSIT BCA #1 ASIA
tobitofunction
Jungkookie's wife
t0th3w1r3d
w1r3d
yokaidetectiveagency
Yokai Detective Agency of Darkness Falls