#hphm clara | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unfortunate-arrow · 2 years

Text

𝐒𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐳𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝 | hphm minor character profile

Warnings: Mentions of death and a fatal car crash

✧ IDENTITY ✧

Full Name: Sawyer Jacob Fitzgerald

Nicknames: Fitz, Fitzy

Name Meanings: Sawyer → English, “woodcutter” ; Jacob → Hebrew, “supplanter” ; Fitzgerald → Irish, “son of the spear mighty.”

Date of Birth: October 23, 1967

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Pansexual

Blood Status: Muggleborn

Nationality: Irish

✧ APPEARANCE & VOICE ✧

Faceclaim: Logan Lerman

Height: 5’10”

Build: Average

Hair: Black hair that’s kept short neat, but it begins to gray prematurely after he is released from the portrait vault

Eye Color: Blue

Defects & Modifications: Sawyer gained six scars from the Cursed Vaults and the second wizarding war.

Style: Jeans ; t-shirts ; jackets ; sneakers ; trousers ; plaid shirts ; sweaters

Voiceclaim: Logan Lerman

✧ PERSONALITY ✧

MBTI Type: ISFJ — the defender

“ISFJs are conventional and grounded, and enjoy contributing to established structures of society. They are steady and committed workers with a deep sense of responsibility to others. They focus on fulfilling their duties, particularly when they are taking care of the needs of other people. They want others to know that they are reliable and can be trusted to do what is expected of them. They are conscientious and methodical, and persist until the job is done.” 1

Positive Traits: Intelligent, curious, hardworking, caring, compassionate, dependable, kind-hearted, organized, observant, supportive, reliable

Neutral Traits: Protective, loyal, just, fair, practical, enthusiastic, reserved, confident, stubborn, charming, imaginative

Negative Traits: Tends to repress his emotions, tends to avoid personal confrontations, overly humble, tends to take things personally, tries to do things on his own

Interests & Hobbies: Reading, history, archeology, photography, football/soccer, flying, quidditch, myths and legends

✧ MAGIC ✧

Wand: Sawyer’s wand is made of English oak wood and a phoenix tail feather core and is 11 inches with an unyielding flexibility.

“A wand for good times and bad, this was a friend as loyal as the wizard who deserved it. Wands of English oak demanded partners of strength, courage, and fidelity.” 2

Patronus: Badger

Boggart: His younger brother’s dead body.

Riddikulus: His brother gets up and starts doing an Irish dance.

Amortentia:

Sawyer smells like spearmint, cedar wood, chocolate, and cayenne.

Sawyer smells floral perfume, spicy cologne, fish & chips, and old books.

✧ HOGWARTS ✧

House: Hufflepuff

Best Subjects: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, History of Magic

Worst Subjects: Herbology, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures

Extracurriculars: Seeker on his house quidditch team for two years

✧ EMPLOYMENT ✧

Affiliations: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry ; Gringotts Wizarding Bank

Professions:

Age 22 to 26 - Apprentice cursebreaker

Age 26 to 58 - Cursebreaker

Age 58 to 75 - Head Cursebreaker at Gringotts

✧ RELATIONSHIPS ✧

Parents: Nicholas Charles “Nick” Fitzgerald [deceased, 1940-1978] & Elizabeth Clara Fitzgerald née O’Dowd [deceased, 1940-1978]

Both teachers, Nick and Elizabeth met during an American literature course and they became fast friends. They married in 1965 and welcomed their first child, Sawyer Jacob, in 1967. Five years later, they welcomed their second child, Huckleberry James, in 1972. Nick and Elizabeth adored their two sons, but unfortunately, they were both killed in a drunk driving crash when Sawyer was eleven.

Sawyer misses his mother and father like crazy. He loved them very much and knew that he could always count on them. He always wishes that he could talk to them more, especially during the Cursed Vaults debacle.

Faceclaims: Nick Zano & TBD

Brother: Huckleberry James “Huck” Fitzgerald

Born on November 28, 1972, Huck is five years younger than Sawyer. He started Hogwarts in 1984 and was sorted into Hufflepuff. Like Sawyer, Huck began to look into the Cursed Vaults and Sawyer’s disappearance.

Sawyer adores his little brother. He’s very protective over his little brother and sometimes struggles to accept that Huck is no longer an eleven-year-old. He never wanted to leave the Cursed Vaults for Huck and hated that his little brother was left to clean up Sawyer’s mess.

Faceclaim: Asa Butterfield

Uncle and Aunt: Martin Phillip Fitzgerald and Evelyn Thora “Eve” Fitzgerald née Murray

After his parents’ deaths, Sawyer and Huck were placed in custody of their aunt, Eve, and uncle, Martin. Martin and Eve graciously agreed to take on their nephews and adored the boys, treating them as if they were their own children.

Sawyer appreciates his aunt and uncle. He hates that he scared them when they disappeared. However, Sawyer does struggle to let his aunt and uncle in, especially when he stumbles upon the Cursed Vaults and gets deeply involved.

Faceclaims: Paul Rudd & TBD

Cousin: Vera Jane Fitzgerald

Vera is Sawyer’s younger cousin. She does not have magic but does attend a boarding school. She goes on to become a linguist.

Vera is like a younger sister to Sawyer. He isn’t there much, but he does adore her and treats her like a sister. Sawyer and Vera get along very well.

Faceclaim: Zoey Deutch

Friends: Duncan Ashe ; Olivia Green

Pets: None

✧ HISTORY & BACKGROUND ✧

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Pre-Hogwarts Childhood:

Sawyer Jacob Fitzgerald was born on October 23, 1967 to Nick and Elizabeth Fitzgerald in Dublin, Ireland. The first five years of his life were stable and full of love.

Then his baby brother, Huckleberry James was born on November 28, 1972. Sawyer was immediately entranced and fascinated by his new brother. He took his new job as big brother and protector very, very seriously. The six years that followed were the same stability and love that Sawyer had known all his life.

That changed in an instant one summery evening. The Fitzgerald family were involved in a deadly car crash, which killed Nick and Elizabeth instantaneously. Their two sons were injured and merely knocked unconscious.

Sawyer woke up in the hospital two days after the accident. He had escaped with only a few nicks, a broken wrist and a concussion, which left him in slightly better shape than his little brother.

The brothers were then placed in the custody of their father’s brother, Martin and his wife, Eve. They were joined with their cousin, Vera.

Hogwarts Years:

The same year as the accident, Sawyer received his Hogwarts letter. He was extremely reluctant to attend, after what had just happened but he eventually acquiesced to attending the school.

Sawyer spent most of his first year in a daze of astonishment and grief, diligently writing to his little brother every other day.

His second year was smoother as much of the grief had been put into its place. Some lingered, but it didn’t consume him. In fact, the grief had made him come out on the other side stronger.

His third year found him discovering the Cursed Vaults and that they were more than just legends. Sawyer then found himself getting more and more absorbed in the mystery of the Cursed Vaults.

That curiosity came to head when he was in his fifth year. After taking his OWLs, Sawyer mysteriously disappeared. There was no trace of him anywhere. It seemed that his catalyst had been the death of Duncan Ashe.

Adulthood:

It would be five years before Sawyer was found, trapped in the portrait vault by his little brother. Once he was released, Sawyer attempted to forbid Huck from continuing with the foolhardy quest. It didn’t work, and a year later, Sawyer reluctantly agreed to let his brother help.

After the Vaults are finally put to rest, Sawyer takes some time to travel and find himself. However, in that time, Voldemort begins his rise to power and Sawyer is sucked back into that world.

During the war, Sawyer runs a small safe house, mainly catering to young muggleborns escaping persecution. He had settled it in an abandoned-looking thatched roof cottage in the Irish countryside.

After the war, Sawyer begins to get his happy ending, eventually marrying and having a kid or two.

✧ MISCELLANEOUS ✧

Trivia:

Sawyer is named after Tom Sawyer, the Mark Twain character. His younger brother was named after the character of Huck Finn.

Sawyer was a hatstall between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Ultimately, the hat put him into Hufflepuff.

Sawyer is an animagus. He takes the form of an Irish setter.

In many ways, Sawyer is a bit of a foil for my other iteration of Jacob, Cian O’Donnell

Important Links:

Sawyer’s tag

The Sawyer Jacob tag

#sawyer fitzgerald #sawyer jacob fitzgerald #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm character profile #my aesthetic #my character profile #hphm jacob #here’s huck’s big brother!!#hphm minor oc #minor oc

10 notes · View notes

hphm-etched-engraved-everlasting · 2 years

Text

32. Em

The rarest rush of peace washed through my being as I sat in the Artefact Room now with Penny, a cauldron, and a trunkful of ingredients my sister brought from the Hogsmeade train station earlier. After a long day of classes and the first arts and crafts club meeting, it was nice to be relaxing with a familiar face and a friend I could trust--who at least won’t rat me out for staying up past my bedtime.

“So these are the creations you made today, right? Aww, they look adorable!” Penny gushed as she took some of the creations off my hands and held them to the dim light of the Artefact Room. “I’m sure Badeea and Andre would love them too--the things you created with their beads and buttons.”

“I’m no Style Wizard, but I bet they would complement any outfit well,” I agreed with a nod. “Badeea was there today along with a few of Clara’s other friends–it was reassuring to see the big turnout. Just wish Clara could attend, though. It was really fun.”

The words had barely left my mouth when Clara came rushing in, retying the elastic in her hair and breathing heavily. She gently closed the door behind her after taking a quick glance around the corridor–was she supposed to be on prefect duty right now? I had no idea how being a prefect worked, aside from them patrolling the train on the first day and around the school at nighttime during certain shifts.

“Sorry,” she said, sitting down in front of us with a sheepish smile. “It wasn’t easy getting the ingredients, and then I had to make sure Rowan was fully caught up with everything too before I came down here.”

“No worries, Clara. I know you went through a lot to get these ingredients,” Penny reassured her with a smile.

“Even if you had to wait the whole night there for them,” I added, laughing a little to ease her nerves. “From what I heard, the tracks were nibbled away by some Bundimun when you and Rowan got there. But at least you were able to get them.”

“Who told you that?” Clara asked, an eyebrow raised.

“A little bird,” I simply said with a shrug.

It was partially true. I didn’t really know about what was going on at Hogsmeade station since I got off the Hogwarts Express with my sister on the first day of term. I only heard about it when studying Transfiguration with Talbott and Andre after the arts and crafts club, where I was still having trouble deciphering the Transfiguration alphabet. At this rate, I would never catch up with my sister with her high academic aptitude–or her ability to crack the mysteries.

Penny, in the meanwhile, shifted slightly in her seat, a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. Her smile disappeared, and her fingers wiggled anxiously in the air.

“Penny?” Clara’s smile also dipped into a frown at the sight of her friend. “Are you alright? It’s not about the fact that I need the love potion for something other than its intended use, right?”

“What?” Penny shook her head quickly. “Oh, no no! I’ve come to terms with that. I know you won’t use it for its intended purpose. It’s just…” She trailed off, her eyes looking wistfully at the two of us. “I’ve been thinking a lot about love and how to express it.”

“Love?” I glanced at Clara, eyebrows furrowing in suspicion.

“Just…” Penny shook her head again and waved a hand. “I’ve made a decision about what to do with Beatrice.”

“Do you want us to help brew the potion with you?” I asked her then. “I don’t know much about brewing potions yet, but you can tell us anything. I’ve seen a lot from the way you two interact with each other in the common room…if ever, really.”

Penny and Beatrice did not reconcile ever since that fallout in this same room–a fallout that seemed so much like a distant memory now. The tension within the room was almost suffocating to the point where neither of them could look each other in the eye, and they’d walk away to their respective dormitories. Who knew that a year in a portrait would make one turn so distant? Then again, the horrors are being trapped in a canvas were no laughing matter. I would have freaked out myself if I never could feel anything ever again.

In some way, she was almost like Jacob. He too was freed from a portrait in the last Cursed Vault, and instantly after he went for Rakepick without even coming home. The brief meeting we had in Knockturn Alley didn’t do much to ease my worries about him. Pipsqueak would forever hold onto the little Hippogriff toy he got for her and worry about her brother from afar–a normal Hogwarts life just seemed impossible when you’re the direct sibling of an infamous Curse-Breaker.

The air was thick was fumes as I helped measure the ingredients and Clara crushed a few more afterwards, occasionally handing Penny the necessary tools to ensure the solution’s consistency. For a while, Penny remained silent as she worked at the cauldron, her face illuminated by the glow of the potion.

“There. I think that does it,” Penny finally said a few moments later, bottling the potion up where it swirled against the glass. “So…I’ve decided I’m giving Bea some room.”

“You’re–wait, but–”

“Hold on, Clara. Let me finish. The only thing that worrying about Bea has done was push her away even further. If it’s the best way to show her how much I love her, then–” Penny faltered, her grip on the bottle tightening a bit.

“I’ve seen it, Clara. They couldn’t even see eye to eye in the common room whenever they saw each other,” I told her with a sigh. “It’s not even like what we used to be. It was worse than that.”

Clara shook her head. “I mean…yeah. It’s hard to give siblings distance. But Em, you’ve been doing that a lot while I was going through the search of the Cursed Vaults…”

“I don’t think you intended on following your brother’s footsteps, Clara. They just seemed to find you, so I let that be,” I reasoned. “It seems fair that distance is the only way for the tension to ease and for both sisters to get some perspective. Though sometimes you can’t help but wonder if someone would put themself in needless danger.”

“Mhmm.” Clara hummed in agreement, her eyes shifting a bit to the distance. “But it’s stupid because you’re just right there, perfectly capable of helping him–er, I mean, her.”

Penny’s eyebrows furrowed this time at the slip. “We’re not talking about Beatrice anymore, are we.”

I could never really understand what goes on in Clara’s mind, but there must have been a lot weighing her down either way. It pained me to see her go through those intense breakdowns over the summer. And now the strain put on her, what with the last curse and her friends growing apart from her, has broken her so much more–even if she didn’t want to admit it.

“It reminds me of Jacob,” Clara finally told her friend. “This whole situation with your sister, it makes me think about what he’s doing. He wouldn’t let me help him handle Rakepick after we found Sickleworth together.”

“And he insisted I tried to have a normal year at Hogwarts,” I recalled. “Which I think is working with the arts and crafts club, but it’s hard to say for sure how long it would be before something turns the whole school upside down.”

Penny nodded thoughtfully–she’s heard more of Clara’s frustrations with our older brother than anyone else at the school. Maybe aside from Rowan.

“I get he’s trying to protect both of us, but without any more word from him I don’t even know where he is in his search,” Clara mumbled. “I don’t know if he’s alright, I don’t know how close he is to finding Rakepick…”

“Siblings are hard to deal with,” Penny agreed, putting a hand on Clara’s shoulder.

“That’s an understatement,” we both said offhandedly, shaking our heads.

“At least the potion is done now,” I said, tilting my head slightly at the bottle. “That’s not Amortentia, is it?”

“It is,” Penny confirmed. “You can tell with the mother-of-pearl sheen. Very dangerous once consumed. Though why a dark wizard like Alistair Fidgen would want this, I wish I knew.”

“I’ll give it to him tomorrow after class,” Clara told her, taking the potion bottle and tucking it into her robes. “Thank you again for your help, Penny.”

Seeing the two of them so close, it made me really appreciate their friendship a lot. I just hope that one day I would be able to find a friend who understood me as much as they did each other--and I do hope that we'd be just as close as I wish I was with my older siblings.

#whoa I'm back?!#i had different plans with this initially #but now I'm going to write them up a bit differently #hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm year 6 #etched engraved everlasting #hphm clara lin #hphm em lin #hphm penny haywood #hogwarts mystery spoilers

5 notes · View notes

missjosie27 · 3 years

Text

Merry Christmas, My Love

Hey, everyone! It’s that time of year again and here is my gift that I wish to bestow. Merry Christmas, @lins-hogwarts-mystery I hope I did your MC justice.

A big thank you to @hphmsecretsanta2020 for organizing this again. I will always participate! Without further ado!

Clara Lin loved snow. The white powder of frozen ice crystals always held a special place in her heart since she was little playing in the fields of Oxford. At Hogwarts, Christmas time became that much more special. Even with the underlying horror cursed vaults, there was always time to celebrate the holidays in a merry fashion. This year in particular she and her friends agreed to stay behind and spend time together over the course of winter break.

And what better way to celebrate that than a snowball fight on Christmas Eve?

“I got you! HAHA-” WHAM!

Charlie Weasley’s momentary triumph was silenced by Tulip’s double decker snowball smashing him in the side of the face, causing everyone else to laugh.

Staying behind were also Rowan, Penny, Barnaby, and Tonks who were all participating in the battle of winter circa 1989. Even Merula had skipped out on going home and though she and Clara would never be best friends, the two were amicable enough to have a snowball fight without getting too intense...mostly. They were on different teams after all.

The contest played out within the training grounds, so there wasn’t much cover to be had as far as trees or underbrush but then again magic could make up for lack of natural cover. On one side was something akin to a medieval castle, complete with five foot high walls, a drawbridge, and a flag. The other was a giant circular wall, good for combating attacks from all sides but vulnerable to a possible sir attack. In any case, standing up even for the slightest moment was unwise as Charlie found out first hand.

“She’s got good aim,” he muttered rubbing his cheek while dodging another projectile.

Clara couldn’t help but giggle. Even the person with the best reflexes amongst their Gryffindor brethren could be sniped by the cleverest Ravenclaw.

“Bombs away!” Penny yelled out hucking up a snowball into the cloudy winds of nowhere.

“Best to aim a bit first,” Rowan chided kindly as she adjusted her glasses while gathering more snow in her vicinity for the purpose of more ammunition.

“Merula’s team is eating our lunch,” Charlie lamented. “We need a new strategy.”

“Ooo!! I can help!” squealed out the tiny voice of Clara’s little sister, Emily, otherwise known as ‘Em’. She was five years younger but often associated herself with her big sister’s friends and refused to not be included in the festivities. A first year Hufflepuff, she was eager to help but lacked imagination.

“Keep firing as many snowballs as you can,” Rowan assured her again in an understanding tone that placated the little girl. “I think I have an idea.”

The teams were equally divided- Clara, Charlie, Penny, and Rowan on side while Merula, Tulip, Tonks, and Barnaby were on the other. Em was considered young enough (and insignificant enough to the female Slytherin) that her presence was not decisive enough to affect the outcome. But any competition featuring Merula Snyde guaranteed to be intense. After all a rivalry did not subside just because the two girls had formally agreed to work together in finding the cursed vaults.

“What would that be? Now would actually be a good time,” Clara observed as more snowballs skimmed the top of their fort. Charlie had to chuck a few more of his own to prevent Tonks from getting any closer.

“Simple. We use a freezing charm to turn one of our snowballs into a giant ice ball. I’ll use a propulsion charm to send it forward. With any luck their castle should come crumbling down and victory ours!”

“What the heck? I’m in!” Penny said excitedly over the noise, her rosy cheeks becoming apparent in the winter weather which was fast becoming colder in the later afternoon. Pink contrasted her light blue outfit (she was also the only one still wearing a skirt). Charlie’s Quidditch reflexes served him well but even he couldn’t overcome the odds of beating four other teengers surrounded by a full blown fort.

“I thought we weren’t allowed to use magic. Wouldn’t that be cheating?” Em asked, naive to the fact that no one adhered to that rule during a wizard snowball fight.

“Em, they’re using magic already,” Clara said bluntly, her practical nature coming into play already. She adjusted her glasses (being practically blind without them) and peeked out over the top and sure enough, saw the evidence needed to prove her accusation.

“Merula...I knew it,” she breathed out, frost emanating from her lips. “A banishing charm.”

“So that’s why those snowballs keep coming in so hot,” Rowan said, rubbing a gloved hand underneath her chin.

“And Tonks is using her metamorphagus ability to turn her nose into a trunk!” Charlie added, tossing another snowball back the other way and ducking down. “Bloody, cheater.”

“Then I say we hold nothing back,” Clara suggested.

“Sure that won’t be a problem with Barnaby?” Penny teased.

“He’s six foot three and can eat three turkeys in one setting, he’ll be fine,” the Gryffindor girl responded with a small blush trying to ignore feeling the pang of guilt at the idea of pelting him with snowballs. But there was no time to waste and when it came to December battles amongst the powdery, ice cream hills of Hogwarts all bets were off.

“Let’s do this,” Rowan remarked. Taking out her wand and removing one of her gloves, she summoned one of the snowballs while the rest their magic to summon snow from the ground to steadily grow it to the size of a grapefruit, spinning like the back wheel of a car, glistening in the glowing pink light of the evening sky.

“Now it’s really time for bombs away,” Penny giggled fond of muggle sayings.

“Oh I’d say so,” Rowan grinned mischievously. “Once that thing blows open their fort wall, Clara you and Charlie charge forth and win the battle.”

“What should I do?” little Em asked, still eager to help.

“Just keep throwing snowballs with Penny and Rowan, okay?” Clara ordered. She was quite protective of her sister even in light hearted situations such as these. Besides, despite being the most practical of the group the sixteen year old carried a competitive streak of her own.

“Three...two...one...NOW!”

At Clara’s command, Rowan muttered the necessary incantation and sent the massive ice ball at top speed towards their adversaries. Such was the speed, it had no trouble bursting through their castle with such force that it did exactly as Rowan foretold.

“CHARGE!” Charlie howled above the din as he and Clara rushed forward dodging strikes issued by their opponents, weaving and somersaulting in and out before performing an attack of their own.

“Eat snow! Take this!” Clara laughed as she struck Tulip and then fired another shot at Merula which caught her straight in the face (she never tired of one upping the Slytherin girl). But when wheeling around to do the same to Barnaby she came upon a strange sight. Her boyfriend didn’t seem to have his heart in the friendly competition at all. On the contrary, handsome, chiseled features were flat and carried a degree of melancholy unusual especially on Christmas.

My love, what’s the matter?

But before Clara could drop her snowballs and inquire further, someone beat her to the punch as a powerful burst of white exploded in the face of the burly Slytherin.

“Yes!” Charlie Weasley yelled out triumphantly. But Clara was not out of danger just yet, in her hesitation a projectile just missed the back of her head and only because Barnaby moved her out of the way just in time.

“Merula!” he said crossly. “Come on, don’t cheat.”

“Speak for yourself,” the Slytherin witch said with equal disdain. “We said no magic and yet here we are.”

“You broke the rule first,” Charlie argued.

“Right like you wouldn’t have done the same.”

“Enough,” Clara cut across the cacophony of argument which was reaching a boiling point. “It’s getting dark. Let’s go back inside.”

Her insistence, as well as her leadership qualities over the group won over as the magically flying snowballs ceased and even Merula despite her snarling, gave in to logic though it was apparent from the look on her face she would have continued given the opportunity.

“Fine, Lin,” she said with a shrug that failed to hide its competitiveness.

Whistling over, Clara signaled to Rowan, Penny, and her sister that the fight was over but that was not the end of the drama. Looking back towards Barnaby, the sadness etched on his face had not dissipated in the slightest.

“Are you okay?” she asked kindly, mittened hands interjoing for a brief moment before Barnaby pulled away.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure don’t look fine.”

Barnaby was much better at hiding his emotions than a certain other Slytherin and gave a smile that would have seemed natural were it not for the previous circumstances.

“Don’t worry about me, Clara. We have a whole Christmas ahead of us. And pudding!” he added excitedly.

The childlike enthusiasm that normally enraptured her would have normally worked, but being the sensible Gryffindor she was (a rarity in the house of the brave) could tell this was not the entire story. Nevertheless, she did not press further...for now.

“Alright.”

She was given an affectionate kiss before the group trudged back to the castle as the light decreased and the day drew to a close. Even holding hands walking to the entrance felt oddly out of place.

“Good match, Clara Lin,” Tulip said with a wink. “See ya tomorrow for the feast.”

“Bye, Clara!” Penny waved cheerfully as she descended towards the basement and thereby the kitchens.

With the exception of her housemates and sister with whom she shared a common room, everyone waved a hearty goodbye but her boyfriend did not say anything other than giving a quick kiss on the forehead before lumbering off quickly behind Merula. How ironic it should be that the youngest among them should voice aloud her suspicions.

“Barnaby seemed sad,” Em mentioned as they approached the fat lady.

“Hm?” Clara asked, not expecting such a comment from her eleven year old sister.

“He kissed you but not the usual way,” came the innocent response. “Maybe he’s homesick.”

“Barnaby’s fine, I’m sure of it. If he says so, I believe him.”

“Do you believe everything I’ve told you.”

Clara rolled her eyes at her little sister.

“It’s different with siblings, Em. You’re just lucky mum told me to let you tag along.”

“I didn’t need to tag along to know your boyfriend didn’t wanna throw snowballs.”

At this conjecture, Rowan gave the password (Festum Maximus) but not before the remark caused Clara to pause for a brief second before continuing into the common room. She knew Barnaby and would be aware of any personal problem or grief he had within his psyche.

Right?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clara briefly forgot about the snowball fight after sharing some hot cocoa with Charlie and then some brief but good natured gossip with Rowan. The two girls discussed all manner of things as they usually did- presents, family, relationships, and what they would wear to the feast the next day however fancy or casual. But soon the warm and coziness of their dormitory overtook them and without fuss or fanfare fell asleep into the soft snows into the night, falling down silently within the December darkness.

By morning, however, the same excitement came upon them both as light permeated through the stained glass windows. The snow had since ceased, but a fresh layer of powder brought more excitement to an otherwise extremely white Christmas. And presents were waiting.

“Race you down!” Rowan said with a laugh as she bounded out of her bed, blue robe flying behind her.

“No you don’t!” Clara shouted back.

It wasn’t long until they were opening presents of which there were many laying under the tree. Charlie was already one step ahead of them, a blue Weasley sweater with a large ‘W’ inscribed on the front courtesy of the kindly Mrs. Weasley whom Clara had acquainted with by now.

“Happy Christmas, Clara!” the redhead said cheerfully.

“Happy Christmas to you too, Charlie.”

“You two seem to have quite a few gifts. Don’t hold back on my account,” Charlie said with a good natured chuckle and waggle of the eyebrows.

Neither of the girls did. Trying to be sensitive to the fact that her best male friend (aside from her boyfriend) did not come from wealth, Clara and Rowan opened their presents slowly and with a degree of caution. The latter came from a naturally wealthy family due to the success of their tree farm while the former, not rich by any stretch of the imagination, still accrued enough gifts to acquire a sizeable load- treacle fudge from Hagrid, a Gryffindor Quidditch scarf from Charlie, a cookbook from Em (‘haha’ she thought sardonically given her lack of skill in making cuisine of any type), a red dress from Penny hand stitched, a new mug from Rowan, further sweets from Mrs. Weasley, and a book on Chinese Mandarin from her parents, no doubt to further education as a potential ambassador like they wanted. Annoying, but even so Clara knew her parents loved her all the same despite their flaws.

After an hour or so she thought that all of her presents had been opened until Rowan flipped her one last gift, missed originally from the large pile.

“It’s from Barnaby,” she explained.

Of course! How could I have forgotten?

Clara hoped he had enjoyed his gift down in the dungeons (Newt Scamander’s latest book on creatures) but had not yet detected his own token of gratitude. It was actually quite small- a little rectangular box no bigger than ten centimeters wrapped in red and green paper with sparkles topped with a golden bow. All in all the decoration by itself was impressive.

Opening up, her jaw almost dropped.

It was a moving photo of Clara and her family before Jacob disappeared. Everyone appeared radiantly happy but there was reason for it. Right away she discerned that this was the photo she’d given Barnaby three years at the end of their third year before parting ways. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she witnessed her parents smiling and waving, Jacob’s tepid nervousness at what he was about to face, his younger sister giving a gigantic hug, while little Emily sucked on a pacifier, blissfully content in doing so. The meaning was not lost on the sixth year Gryffindor: a time when her family had been happy and unspoiled by the loss of a child. The photo was framed in silver and carried a heartfelt note.

May your family always guide you even in the darkest of times.

-Love, Barnaby

Wiping her eyes, Clara looked up towards Rowan and Charlie who had also noticed the scene.

“This was so beautiful,” she spoke quietly.

“Aw, hun,” Rowan comforted sitting beside her, embracing the fireside. “You know he’d do anything for you.”

“I’m wondering...maybe Em wasn’t so crazy. What if he really was struggling with something and I ignored him?”

“You’ll see him at the feast,” Charlie reasoned, playing with a dragon toy Bill had given him from Gringotts. “And I’m sure he’ll love how much you appreciated the gift.”

Clara supposed that might be true but she couldn’t help but feel something was amiss. Either way, her cursebreaker instincts would be put to the test in finding out the truth. Barnaby never held back from her. He was always jolly and upbeat, why should this holiday season be any different?

I just hope I’m not too late….

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Hogwarts feast was as grand as it always was- twelve enormous fir trees decorated with an array of colorful ornaments decked the halls, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly hung from the ceiling in a wide array of patterns. Along the tables belonging to each house lay a smorgasbord of dishes- roast turkey, mashed potatoes, sprouts, chicken, green beans, pudding, treacle tart, and so much more. The kitchen pulled out all the stops and Professor Dumbledore sitting at the head of the staff table gave his stamp approval, his blue eyes twinkling with holiday joy.

“To the many few who opted to stay behind for our voluptuous feast I say- tuck in.”

Charlie roared with approval as he ravenously delved into the goodies with Clara and Rowan not far behind. It didn’t take long for the rest of the group to show up- Penny, Tulip, Tonks, etc. They were the only one among the sixth years that had stayed behind with a mere handful of younger students hanging around awkwardly by themselves. The teenage Gryffindor would have given more thought to them were it not for the fact that she was anticipating a certain someone.

“Have you seen, Barnaby?” she would ask every time a new guest sat down at the Gryffindor table (it didn’t matter who sat where at this point). No one knew. Her sister remained blissfully unaware of course by the time she arrived, bragging about how many presents received that year.

Though trying to enjoy the scrumptious feast at hand, Clara couldn’t but look up every so often or so for her boyfriend...which by Rowan’s calculations was every five minutes.

“You’re not even eating,” came her best friend’s admonishment. “Relax, he’ll be here.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He can eat more than the rest of us combined. Why would he miss the opportunity?” Charlie reasoned.

“The feast is his favorite part of Christmas,” Penny said, reaching across and squeezing Clara’s hand.

Despite the kindly reassuring of her friends, it wasn’t until Clara caught a flash of green that she truly began to seek out answers. Unfortunately, the green sweater did not belong to a burly man of about 190 centimeters but of a Slytherin girl recognized as her greatest rival (and pest at times). Merula joined their table without fanfare but right away everyone could tell there was something amiss. Far from being a ‘friendly’ person you could always count on a sarcastic or snarky remark from Merula Snyde. Not so this time around.

“Lin. I think you need to go see Barnaby,” she stated bluntly, getting straight to the point.

The table immediately ceased eating at this development, not that Clara had consumed much beforehand.

“What?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“Are you deaf, Lin? The bighead isn’t even interested in eating and that’s saying something…” she huffed in frustration knowing sensitivity wasn’t her strong suit and tried to deliver the news more amicably. “Just see him, okay? He doesn’t want to talk to anyone else.”

Were this their first year, the amount of trust in Merula would have been below that of a snake. But five years later, she would not have informed Clara of something that delicate were it not of serious importance. They were collaborative rivals after all...not bitter enemies. At least not anymore.

“Where is he?” came the simple question.

“In the courtyard freezing his arse off. Just...don’t let him do anything stupid. More than he already does.”

Clara wasted no time in getting up from the table. She didn’t even bother to look back at the reactions her friends may or may not have had. The hunch of the previous day had been right...but she’d fail to recognize it. For Merlin’s sake even little Em could tell. What was so deficient within herself that her own boyfriend stood out on Christmas alone in the cold?”

“Sis?” Em called out but it was no use. She was out of the Great Hall before anyone could say so much as ‘Doris Crockford.’

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn’t take long for Clara to reach the desired destination. So frantic was her pace, there was barely time to button up her jacket, pull on her black knit gloves and hat, while also adjusting her hair into its usual long ponytail. But none of that mattered. Personal comfort could be foregone in the face of a significant other suffering needlessly. Numerous anxious thoughts raced through the brain upon the approach, seeing that he was dressed in a dark brown jacket, jeans, a blue and red hat with a puffball on top complete with calf level brown boots.

Something was wrong...something was wrong and I didn’t bother to ask. I just assumed. What if I made him upset? What if he wants to break up?

“Calm yourself, Clara,” she admonished herself. “Barnaby wouldn’t hold back anything from you.”

Despite that attempt at reassurance, it didn’t do much for her nerves. That being said, a Gryffindor did what was necessary in spite of fear. For better or worse, this Christmas conversation had to occur. For Merlin’s sake, even Merula knew when something was off. But the analytical mind wouldn’t let the issue go until she found out what plagued him so.

“Barnaby!” the cursebreaker said in a tone that fully betrayed her anxiety. “Merula told me you were out here. Is everything okay?”

“Did you like your present?”

The simple reply, a question to a question. In fact she was so taken aback by it, words failed her for a brief moment.

“I-uh….yes. Of course I did, but that’s not the reason I came out here.”

She took both his hands in hers, noting just how much taller he was in situations like these. It took quite the effort to kiss him but the primary concern lay with the heart- underneath the archway of the west aqueduct in the courtyard, twinkling white crystals winking in the late early morning sun. Both of their breaths resonated but only one had trouble looking the other in the eye.

“Was my present not what you wanted? I know you’re interested in being a Magizoolist but if there was something else I could get you instead…”

A finger pressed against her rosy, red lips.

“But did you like mine?”

The question, being repeated twice became a source of puzzlement now.

“Barnaby I already told you I loved it. It’s not often I get to see a picture of my family whole like that…” she paused, narrowing her eyes but not unkindly. “Why?”

“If you’re happy that’s all I care about on this special day.”

“But if you’re not, how can this day be special?” Clara countered. “Please...don’t keep me out. What’s wrong. Merula sees it and so can I.”

There could be so many explanations as to why her boyfriend was upset. But this wasn’t a cursed vault where a keen, undiluted mind could be put to the task in finding it. It didn’t require analytics, but empathy.

Barnaby stuffed mittened hands into the pockets of his jeans, turning his head to the side.

“I...I thought if you could realize how important your family is to you maybe it might help...with mine,” he breathed out.

“What do you-oh…” Clara said, letting out a soft sigh of realization. “Your dad.”

“Yes.”

“He yelled at you again in a letter.”

“No.”

“He disowned you?”

“No.”

“He said something-”

“Clara,” the sixteen year old Slytherin said sharply though the aim of his emotions was not directed towards her. “He didn’t send me anything this year. Nothing.”

It took a second for the Gryffindor to sink that in her brain.

“Nothing?”

“Our relationship has been bad for awhile. But at least he sent me presents. Heck, he liked that I was good at fighting and eating. I love both those things.”

“You’re more than just a fighter and an eater,” she soothed in a soft tone, rubbing his arm. “You know that.”

“I do,” he said, still not looking directly at her. “But with me constantly disobeying his wishes and taking my own path in life...it makes me realize my family has always been rubbish. Those presents were only under the three if I did what he said...and the wrapping paper was always lousy!” he added.

Clara had an inkling of what her boyfriend’s life was like but not much beyond a few short stories and traumatizing incidents he never liked to discuss. But to be cut off completely well that was news to her. And it wasn’t fair.

“Sweetie, listen,” she told him, wrapping her arms around his strong neck. “It’s not your fault.”

“But it is. If I had just…” his voice cut off now unable to say anything more beyond potential crying and Clara could see tears welling up in his eyes. “I-If I can’t have my family, you should at least appreciate how amazing yours is.”

“Shhh,” she said, rocking him in a tone she used whenever he became upset. Being a member of the frog choir and an excellent singer, it helped calm her boyfriend. And now was the perfect time.

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

The muggle tune was one she knew growing up and read from one of her mother’s books at university. Given that it was Christmas time, the moment felt quite appropriate. Slowly, she grabbed his left hand and led him around the courtyard as if they were dancing, feet crunching in the snow in a soft ballad until they stopped below a string of mistletoe that hung in one of the archways.

Sleep in heavenly peace

Upon the ending of the song, she wiped the stream of tears from his cheeks.

“You always have a family in me,” Clara said, adjusting his scruffy, brown hair underneath his hat. “And you’re the greatest gift a girl could ask for.”

Slowly and with such tenderness that the loving couple melted into each other like a marshmallow into a cup of hot chocolate, they kissed.

“Merry Christmas, Barnaby Lee.”

The Slytherin grinned back, picking her up by her waist and swinging around and dipping her forward as if she were a princess. All tears were gone and regret washed away by the spirit of the season.

“Merry Christmas, Clara Lin.”

28 notes · View notes

sbplus-sketchbook · 4 years

Photo

Sometimes you just have an oc idea you know?

#hphm #oc #Clara Birdie

172 notes · View notes

kathrynalicemc · 4 years

Text

.....I drew the Space Bun Gorls™ because I love them and I am a clown 🤡

@sbunny-sbook I hope you don't mind!

#hphm #hpma #hogwarts mystery #magic awakened #clara birdie #dafne arcano #hphm mc #harry potter hogwarts mystery #harry potter #my mc #my art

24 notes · View notes

montaguehphm · 4 years

Note

I'll return the favour 😊 soft headcanons for my MC Clara please?

Ooooh this should be interesting.

Clara Xing-Hui Lin

What they smell like: Clara would smell of jasmine flowers, oranges, firewood, and hot cocoa. Maybe with marshmallows, too.

What their favorite smells in the world are: From what I could tell from her profile, aside from fresh clean laundry, sandalwood (hmmmmmmmmm), and petrichor, she loves the smell of hot chocolate, a new book, and a nice fireplace. Basically anything that provides a warm sense of homey comfort.

What pajamas they wear/what they wear to sleep in: I'd like to think that she has a lot of sweatshirts and sweatpants to sleep in, but her favorite thing to sleep in is this nice pair of silk pajamas from her maternal grandmother. I want to think they have a lovely grandma-granddaughter dynamic.

My favorite ship (if applicable) and a cute HC about them: Clara and Barnaby are together in Clara's world. I'd like to think that during Barnaby's journey to becoming a Renaissance wizard, he learns piano from Clara and it makes them quite closer than ever.

My favorite friendship (if applicable) and a cute HC about them: Clara and Rowan. Two sisters basically inseparable since the start of their Hogwarts years. Clara was there for Rowan when she was crushing hard on Bill Weasley. Rowan had a bit of a day when she was desperately looking for books on romance in the school library so she could plan the next logical step moving forward with her crush on Bill. It took Clara's advice and counseling (and oddly enough, Madam Pince's) for Rowan to realize that there's not only no factual basis on what to do about love, but also that she just needed to trust her gut and her heart.

A song that reminds me of them: "Feeding the Fire" by Hayley Kiyoko

What animal I think they would be if they were an animal: I would think she's a cat: smart, agile, resilient, and takes a while to warm up to people (especially Barnaby).

What position they sleep in: Clara, I think, sleeps on her side with a pillow in her arms.

Their favorite drink: Hot cocoa, definitely. I'd like to think that sometime in the future when they cross paths in China, Clara and Montague spend a bit of time together and he introduces her to the wonders of orange liqueur mixed in their cocoa.

A gift I would give them if I could: When they become close, Montague would gift Clara with a box of high-quality hot chocolate powder and orange liqueur. He thinks she's not capable of burning the milk for her cocoa. And boy, was he wrong about that. As for me (Chris), I'd give her a stuffed unicorn like the one Agnes has in Despicable Me.

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm mc #montague donohue #clara lin #ask montaguehphm #soft headcanon asks by montaguehphm

6 notes · View notes

nikyiscreepy · 4 years

Text

ANSWERS p.1

Letter to: Clara Lin ( @lins-hogwarts-mystery )

Hello Clara! Thank you for have found my letter.. somehow.

You can play the piano? That’s awsome! I wish I could play a cool instrument too, but unfortunatly I can only play the tamburine. Wich is cool, I like it, but I’d love to learn to play another instrument too. I like the idea of a Jam let’s do it! I know a friend of mine that I think would like to join in too (she plays the bass and guitar) or we could just sing as a duo if you want. Let me know.

I hope you’re doing well and that we’ll write eachother again.

Sinceraly,

- Niky Dona

ps. :

// Hi, everyone! I finally started to do the answers to the “letters” sent on my first post on this blog. If any of you would like to send a “letter” to my MC, please do it in the asks from now on, so that it’s a bit more easy to answer uwu

/// and yeah, Sabina can play the bass lol

#hphm #hphm mc #letters to a creepy mess #clara lin #sabina ivyash #niky dona #let's jam everybody #other people's mc

9 notes · View notes

cursed-ice-spirits · 4 years

Photo

thank you @karins-horsewhip and @lins-hogwarts-mystery for sending this! I held off on answering because i wanted to do some art as a thank you but uh....things happened and it slipped my mind and i kinda forgot until Ren’s ask came. So have this really late art

#ash white #clara lin #lunar draws #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm mc #clara i know you're having a hard time so here #and ash consider this a thank you for listening to my woes on discord <3

5 notes · View notes

lins-fandom-hub · 1 year

Text

Shhhhh...let's just keep this our little secret.

Finally back into digital art after a while! Here's a quick piece from me just in time before Valentine's Day. I hope everyone's doing well!

#hogwarts mystery #hphm spoilers #hphm #cursed vaults #hphm clara lin #hogwarts

21 notes · View notes

dat-silvers-girl · 4 years

Note

Lowkey wanna ask for Clara and Sarahi for the brotp asks 😂😂

And I SHALL PROUDLY DELIVER!!☝🏼

who steals french fries off the other's plate?

Clara better be prepared for Sarahi to steal the fries. This food-crazy child loves potatoes. Straight up tell Sarahi to stop please.😅

who jokingly moves in for the kiss when someone asks if they're a couple?

Both: "From WHAT angle do we look like a couple!? WHAT ANGLE!?"

Tho since it's with Clara, Sarahi may or may not move in to mess with Clara, but she's just giving a hug.

who has to bust or bail the other out of jail?

I'm fairly certain that both are too pure to ever even end up in jail. But Sarahi is more prone to accidental screw ups, so Clara MAY have to bust her out at some point, leading to Sarahi being EXTREMELY embarrassed and ashamed.

who gives the other advice/comfort about dating issues?

Both are pants at advice, but good at comforting each other. Trust me, both TRY to give advice but they get lost on what the heck to say. So they just end up eating chocolate for comfort.

who shamelessly cheats at games by reaching over to cover the other's eyes?

Sarahi, definitely. She HATES losing games. And she has no shame in cheating.

who immediately calls dibs on the top bunk?

Clara! Sarahi is not particularly fond of the top bunk.

who starts and who wins the pillow fights?

Sarahi starts them. Nobody wins. They both would rather sleep.

who says "your pants would look better on their floor" to the other's potential crush?

None of them will ever say it. But Sarahi definitely thinks it.

Platonic Ship asks!

#platonic ship asks #clara lin #sarahi silvers #hogwarts mystery #hphm #harry potter hogwarts mystery #hogwarts mystery mc #hphm mc #hogwarts #harry potter #hogwarts mc

3 notes · View notes

beyondthetower · 4 years

Photo

About My MC

Name: Clara Quinn Pâquet

Gender: Female (she/her)

Age: 16

Birth Date: May 23rd

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Nationality: American and English

Height: 5′10″

Eye Color: Green

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Skin Tone: Fair

Residence: Outskirt of Bibury, Cirencester, UK

Wand: Ebony wood with a unicorn hair core, 13 ¾" and quite bendy flexibility

Pets: She has a one-eyed cat named Wink.

Patronus: Doe

Amortentia (What do they smell like?): Pear, freshly cut grass, and a little cedarwood

Amortentia (What do they smell?): Sandalwood, fresh mulch,

#Clara Pâquet #hphm #hphm mc #jacob's sibling #hp aesthetic #hphm aesthetic #aesthetics #Clara Pâquet aesthetic

4 notes · View notes

unfortunate-arrow · 2 years

Note

Happy FFWF! Any Lyra x Huck headcanons?

-Huck and Lyra first meet in their second year. They’re paired together in herbology by Sprout.

-Lyra’s father and uncle attempt to intimidate Huck. It doesn’t work, and it doesn’t take long to for them to begin to like Huck.

-In January of 1998, Huck dyes his hair to a platinum blonde/slivery white. Lyra hardly recognizes him at first. He answers their security questions, and then explains why he decided to dye his hair. She understands his reasoning.

-Lyra worries about him during the war, especially considering that he’s a muggleborn and has multiple run-ins with snatchers. Huck worries too, jotting down a few random thoughts when things get particularly dangerous.

-After the war, they buy their first official home together, either a cottage in Cornwall or a townhouse in Dublin. It’s big enough to accommodate the fact that they’re considering starting their family.

#huck x lyra #huck fitzgerald #lyra wilson #hphm #hogwarts mystery #basically huck dyes his hair to protect lyra his brother his sister-in-law and his new baby niece clara #also… perhaps they get married in a small ceremony during the war #(mostly family plus a few close friends and sawyer is huck’s best man as he was sawyer’s best man)#fwff

4 notes · View notes

hphm-etched-engraved-everlasting · 3 years

Text

31. Clara

The sun’s warm orange light bathed the Hogsmeade train station in its late afternoon glow, a glow that would have warmed my heart had it not been for the reason I took this trip. As Rowan and I stepped onto the platform, watching all the other students and Hogsmeade patrons walking by, I felt fear grip at my chest once more, clawing at my innards with a touch of ice. This was where I told Tonks earlier of the threat carried by R, where she proclaimed I must have become a hit witch in such a short span of time. The mere reminder of it made me clench my fists in the pockets of my jacket--this should be the point where my friends should stop caring so much about me. I couldn’t blame them if they couldn’t stay committed to helping me up till the last step.

I figured Rowan had all the more reason to be suspicious of what I was up to, especially with all that was happening recently. When I arrived at the greenhouses earlier that afternoon to pick rose thorns and rose petals, I found her tutoring Barnaby in Herbology despite it being her weakest subject. Her confusion over my request did not go unnoticed, and especially when we were in the kitchens to get peppermint with Jae she had raised so many questions about what I was doing to the point where she ended up wanting to come with me to the train station to see the trade of pearl dust and powdered moonstone through. Despite Jae’s warnings that her curiosity could put her into danger, I allowed her to come with me, given that we have had so little time to spend together recently.

“Where’s the train?” I asked her upon seeing the empty station, no trains in sight at the platform. “Jae said it was scheduled to arrive now.”

Rowan didn’t answer me immediately. Her eyes were fixed on the large clock hanging above the door of the station master’s office, where the hour hand and the minute hand were frozen at ten past ten.

“Have you ever noticed that the clock here is always stuck at ten past ten?” Rowan remarked softly, tilting her head in intrigue.

“I know! It’s as if Hogsmeade Station is frozen in time,” I responded thoughtfully, following her sight up to the clock as well.

“Yeah. Not ideal for a train station where time is of the essence,” Rowan agreed.

“Exactly! I need to get Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust from a witch on that train right away,” I told her with a shake of my head. “Penny and I can’t start brewing a Love Potion without it. And then I’ve got to trade that potion for the Invisibility Cloak I need to sneak into the Ministry of Magic--”

At this plan, Rowan’s eyes widened, her jaw dropped in surprise. “So that’s what you want an Invisibility Cloak for? What kind of dodgy business have you got yourself into now?”

Was this concern or suspicion? I immediately jumped onto the defensive, stepping back a little and resisting every urge to fold my arms.

“Why do you want to know?” I inquired, raising an eyebrow. “Are you planning on telling on me to the professors?”

“What--no. Of course not.” Rowan’s eyes softened at my movements, and she tilted her head, almost in a matter like anyone would look at a homeless kitten ducked under the bench. “I’ve always done my best to keep your secrets. I just worry about you.”

It was hard to hear that she still cared so much--especially considering how much I had abandoned her in my haste to slow R down in their search for the final Cursed Vault. My mind flew back to all the times she accompanied me on several adventures, from the Cursed Ice Corridor and the hall behind the Vanished Stairs to the Cursed Vault in the Forbidden Forest, guarded by an Acromantula who was all too eager to feast on our flesh. Had it not been for Rowan’s quick thinking of a Basilisk looming behind the spiders, we wouldn’t have been standing here today. Despite all the letters I sent her over the summer, I figured that words etched on parchment didn’t compare in the slightest to the person who actually wrote them. Memories were meant to be made together. Nothing would come out of something you couldn’t see right in front of you--especially a best friend one hasn’t seen in so long.

“I’m sorry, Rowan,” I eventually apologized. “I know how badly you want to be Head Girl so I assumed you’d insist on following rules.”

Rowan smiled a little and put a hand on my shoulder. “I do like to do the right thing. But right now the right thing is supporting you. You’ve been through a lot.”

“That’s putting it lightly, Rowan. Perhaps all that’s happened with Rakepick and my brother has put my guard up,” I remarked in a low voice.

“Do you think what happened in the last Cursed Vault changed you?” Rowan finally asked.

Changed was definitely an understatement. From the experiences in the last Cursed Vault, I felt like I had been forced through a transformation--though maybe not as drastically as some others who were with me.

“Yes, of course, I’ve been changed by what happened,” I eventually responded slowly. “For better or worse…”

“Or perhaps it’s for better and worse?” Rowan clarified.

“How do you mean?”

“I mean, perhaps what happened has made you suspicious for the worst, but braver for the better.” Rowan shrugged offhandedly, her gaze growing distant. “I think sometimes the worst moments can bring out the best in ourselves.”

“And I think...we’re the only ones who haven’t given up on this train arriving,” I added, eyes flitting to the tracks where I had anticipated the train to come roaring in. Alas, the tracks were still empty.

Rowan nodded, her glance flitting for a moment again to the clock above our heads. “The train station is rather empty for ten past ten,” she remarked.

“Except that it’s not still ten past ten. Not really.”

Anyone who was anyone would know of the phrase, time was of the essence. I just wanted nothing more than to grab the ingredients off the tracks if I had to and hightail back to the castle to procure my end of the Invisibility Cloak deal. It seemed Rowan knew better than to question me again, because then she said, “At least the train delay gives us some time to catch up.”

“Yeah.” I nodded and turned to her. “What would you like to talk about?”

“How have you been? What’s new with you?”

“Rowan, I feel like the whole school knows what’s new with me.”

“Heh.” Rowan shook her head and shrugged again. “I was being polite.”

“So then what’s new with you?” I asked her in turn, tilting my own head in intrigue.

“Studying, of course,” Rowan replied automatically, a proud smile on her face. “Tutoring. But you knew that…”

“But what friends do you spend time with? I’ve been so busy with finding Rakepick, Jacob, and the final Cursed Vault.” I stared down at my hands, a shaky exhale rattling through my body. “And I had to find time for my sister, too.”

“Well, my only friends were really your friends, so…”

“That’s not true, is it?”

Rowan fell silent, her grin faltering. She cast a glance at her shoes and shuffled them over the ground, a clear sign of embarrassment.

“It can’t be that we have nothing to talk about anymore,” I interjected in the awkward silence.

“It’s not unusual to grow out of old friendships when you find new ones. And you’re always making new friends,” Rowan pointed out.

It couldn’t be true, could it? My friends were her friends and being friends with everyone was what brought us all together. It wasn’t like I had anyone exclusive that she didn’t know about, and I thought she was okay with it.

“Well, you are too. You have…”

“I have a lot of wonderful books.”

I recalled every time I entered the dormitory to see Rowan snoring loudly with a large pile of books surrounding her, stacked over the mattress and spilling over the floor. Her glasses were askew over her face as well, the lens slightly smudged. At least I knew she was being honest--the many books she read every night, from school textbooks to miscellaneous ones on trees and wands and cats, never failed to amaze me. But something else nagged at me--did that mean she too had outgrown our friendship? I never forgot the day we coined the term “tree twins” because of her love of trees and the literal translation of my last name--and we bonded over it, too. She couldn’t have forgotten it, could she?

“But I haven’t outgrown our friendship, Rowan,” I told her cautiously. “Unless you’ve outgrown me?”

“Never!” Rowan claimed, a huge grin on her face. “You’re still the only one I can be my weird self around with. And you can always be your weird self with me, too.”

“Thank goodness. Wait, who are you calling weird, Rowan?” I quipped, a small smirk over my face as a wash of relief doused me from head to toe.

“Now we’re talking more like the ‘us’ I remember…”

Us. Of course we would never drift away from each other the further along we went in life. And for one brilliant moment, it seemed to just be us, two best friends talking at the train station like there was no tomorrow, two best friends bound together by the trees that grew around us. All my worries about the Dark Artefacts and Rakepick and protecting my siblings seemed to be at bay as we chatted over everything that happened since our first year, reminisced over the adventures we once had and all the changes that came our way.

“Did you ever cast the Tickling Charm I taught you in that very first duel you had with Merula?” Rowan finally asked me.

It felt like so long ago, the very first duel I had with Merula back in first year. Merula had been picking on Ben in front of other students in the courtyard, and I had to interfere to stop her bullying. Her proclaimed superiority over her peers was what started this never-ending rivalry between us. I shook my head at Rowan’s question--though she taught me the Tickling Charm in preparation for the duel, I never ended up using it.

“No, but perhaps someone needs to cast it on Merula now to make sure she’s still able to laugh,” I responded. “These days, I can’t even think of the last time I saw Merula have a laugh...”

“You haven’t been laughing much either, Clara. I miss your laugh,” Rowan murmured, noticing the frown that was settling over my face.

“Perhaps I’ll crack a smile...if that train with my Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust ever arrives.” I turned around to check the clock on the platform. “What time is it now, anyway?”

“Rictusempra!”

In the split second my back was turned, Rowan had cast the Tickling Charm over me. I saw the silver light swirling around me, sparkling and shimmering in the late afternoon light, but that was all my eyes could register as I suddenly doubled over in laughter, wheezing every time I needed more air.

“Rowan--HA HA--Khanna!” I squealed. “This isn’t funny! HAHA!”

Rowan just grinned at the sight of me laughing, a chuckle of her own slipping out. “I needed to make sure you were still able to have a laugh, Clara.”

“Is that...HA-HA...right?” I cried, withdrawing my wand. “Rictusempra! Hahaha!”

And now it was Rowan’s turn to clutch at her stomach, collapsing to the ground in a fit of endless giggles. Anyone at this point could be staring at us like we have become maniacs, but in that moment we couldn’t care less. We were children again, eleven years old and as carefree as could be. I reached over and grasped her hand, pulling her up as we continued to laugh without a care in the world.

“Clara! HA-HA!” Rowan chuckled, wiping the tears away with her sleeve. “Now we’ll..HA-HA...both be...HA-HA...laughing until...HA-HA...it literally hurts!”

If there was any more capacity for me to wheeze even harder, I would have done so at Rowan’s statement. “All...your...HA-HA...fault!”

After some time, when the pain started to register in my stomach from all the laughing and my throat felt dry, we cast the counter-spell on each other, slowly regaining our breath though still breathless from the enchanted laughter.

“It’s ten past ten,” Rowan managed to respond, a big smile on her face.

“What?”

“You’d asked me, ‘what time is it anyway?’ Here, it’s always ten past ten.”

That took me a while to register, but it slowly came back to me, and I nodded just as I heard a distant whistle sound in the distance.

“Please let that be the train whistle I hear…” I murmured, squinting into the distance. Indeed, a train seemed to be coming along like a bullet from afar.

“Can’t we stay frozen in time a little longer?” Rowan asked, another laugh escaping into the sunset.

The train eventually arrived at the station, quelling any thought of staying behind any longer in a different time, a different era. As it rolled to a stop, I saw all the passengers disembark from the doors that slid open, some of them holding heavy crates in their arms and others carrying bulky packages wrapped tightly with brown paper and tied haphazardly with string.

“Lin?” one of the passengers asked, turning to me.

“Yes. I take it Jae Kim has informed you about me?” I asked as I approached the trader who held a case full of rare ingredients, Rowan hot on my heels.

The passenger nodded and opened the case. “Yes, ma’am. Said yeh needed a pinch o’ this, a dash o’ that--so here we are. Powdered Moonstone and Pearl Dust, just enough to make few doses of whatever potion yeh need.”

I quickly fished out the gold and paid up for the trade, taking the case and closing it carefully--one of the clasps was broken from wear--and waved as he took off. Then I turned to Rowan. “Want to help me take this back to the castle?”

“Sure. And after that, I’ll head back to the dorm and rest a bit,” Rowan said. “My sides still hurt from all the laughing.”

I couldn’t blame her for that--my sides also hurt from wheezing and laughing non-stop. Together, we took the case and carried it back to the castle, hearts still as light as a feather floating in the breeze.

The wait may have felt like forever, but forever didn’t feel as long with a true friend close by. And I was more than willing now to protect her with everything I had.

#oh yay we are now at the most feelsy part of year 6 #i deeply apologize if the writing is once again not up to par #but it took a while to figure out how i was going to write this #inspiration: for forever from dear evan hansen #dear evan hansen #etched engraved everlasting #hogwarts mystery year 6 #hphm year 6 #hphm clara lin #hphm rowan khanna #hphm year 6 spoilers

5 notes · View notes