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ninamitoo · 1 year

Text

The veiling of mind

As some of you may know, this was a reguest from @cabbages-posts

Once again, thank you for requesting this since it means to me you like the way I write. The MC described in this story is the same MC in HPHM so you can do about everything 🤷🏻‍♀️✨ Talbott is really insecure about himself in this, hope you don't mind. I imagine that he started to change and see himself in a diferent way roughly sometime after this incident. (Also reader is a bird animagus like Talbott, nut feel free to insert any other animal you prefer.)

Sorry for taking this long, uni work is killing all my time. Hope you like this!

Warnings: It's just pure fluff with a little angst if you close one eye and sexual degrading comments from a Slythering student towards the reader. Nothing big, really. Just the usual stuff most of us heard at least once in our life. I used the F word once, as well as asshole. Talbott also sends a few curses, but doesn't physically harm anyone (the punk in question calmly gets up and runs away like a wounded animal).

Pairing: Talbott Winger x fem! reader (established relationship)

Fandom: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

W: 6412 (o.O like wut? I didn't expect this oneshot to be so long.)

My masterlist

The way your hair glistened in the sunlight was addictive. You were just bending down to pick the spiky flowers when a strand of your hair fell in your face. Unable to resist his desire, Talbott gently reached for them, uncovering your beautiful face and softheartedly put them behind your ear. They were just as tender as he remembered and as the sweet smell of your shampoo assaulted his sinuses, he quite consciously sucked in your intoxicating scent once more. He rested his chin on your head and stroked your hair lovingly.

Talbott rarely ever showed his affection for you. Most of the time, he did so by letting his inhibitions disappear and giving in to his own desires. He didn't know if he could afford to do this to you, if you wanted it, or how you would react if he actually did what he dreams of doing day and night. And as soon as he came back to the harsh reality of what he was doing, he immediately let you go in shame every single time no matter how much you told him you loved it.

He was too nervous to see how much his gesture made you blush. He purposufely looked away from you as his eyes were searching for something to serve as distraction, his hand at the back of his neck. A habit he unconsciously made whenever he was too shy or nervous in your presence.

You were the only one who made him insecure about himself.

It wasn't because of the way you acted around him or anything you said to him. If anything, you've always let him know how much you appreciate him and how much you love him for who he is - for being himself. But... YOU were too good for him. You were perfect at anything you touched. You excelled in every subject, and even though Snape didn't like you twice, your grades were still among the best. You managed to befriend every wizard, witch and magical creature. Everyone adored you. You were brave, beautiful, willing to put yourself in danger to save others, smart, you even sang in the choir and you were capable of playing any position in Quidditch!

Compared to you, he... He could never be your match. The only thing he was really good at was transfiguration and caring for the plants. Although... On multiple occasions you told him how much you admired his clever brain, how you wished to be at least half as smart as he is. One time you even confessed how incredibly sexy you find his cleverness. After hearing your hurried confession he studied even more then before. He wanted to impress you.

Ever since that first day he found out he was your secret crush, he's felt so much better about himself. And every time you chose him out of your long list of admirers to go to a date or to a ball with without hesitation and reassure him that he would always be your first choice, his confidence grew again.

And yet... Every time he was made aware of your superhuman incredibility, he couldn't help but watch you from afar. He admired you more than anyone else.

"Aren't you more touchy-feely than usually today?" You giggled happily and handed him a bouquet of his favorite flowers. Since your first date in Hagrid's garden, picking Thistle has become a bit of a tradition. Whenever you came back here on one of your many dates or just passing by on an evening stroll, you always picked him a bouquet of purple beauties. You yourself would have preferred to choose slightly prettier flowers but you liked the reason why Talbott likes them in the first place. Still, you wished he would begin to think better of himself than that he was often overlooked just as this flowering plant. You wished there was some magic that could make him see himself through your eyes, at least for a while. Then maybe he'd realize how amazing he really is.

"I-I'm sorry..." Talbott was quick to apologize, thinking he'd ruined the rest of the day with his gesture. You finally saw each other after a few days when you were busy with all sorts of things while he was studying in the library and secretly watching you in his animal form whenever he could. Today was supposed to be your day, and he ruined it. "Guess you don't want to see me anymore tonight, huh?" He grumbled, feeling the nervous beat of his heart echoing in his ears as he waited for your answer.

Your eyebrows drew together in an expression of confusion at his thought. Are you expressing your feelings towards him wrongly that his conclusion is a negation instead of a positive? You gently caressed his cheek while you pulled his forehead down to yours. With a smile on your face, you were once again reminded of how Talbott had changed over the past few months - when you met two years ago, he was the same height as you and his build was rather flabby. Now when you wanted to look into his eyes, you had to tilt your head, stand on tiptoe when you wanted to kiss him on the cheek and whenever his strong arms wrapped around you, you got lost in his broad chest.

"Talbott... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad you're overlooked by most people, because then everyone would jump on you." The confusion was switched from one person to another after your last sentence. "You're the most beautiful, kindest person I've ever met, and every day I fall under your spell more and more. And every once in a while, when you make a romantic gesture like you did a moment ago, I feel like my heart explodes with happiness. I love it when you kiss my hair, when I come back to my room and there's a flower and a poem on my bed, or when you wish me sweet dreams and good mornings everyday." You confessed to him and tried to put into your words all your emotions of love that swirled through you like a tornado. You still couldn't believe that someone like you got such an attentive, sweet and romantic guy as a boyfriend.

"Before I met you I thought I wasn't into romance but you made me selfish and I want it, I want you, more and more." Your face turned bright red and your eyes shone with love under the late sunlight. Talbott, utterly absorbed in your beauty and sincerity, could not tear his gaze from you, and watched you in astonished silence. Once in a while you caught him staring at you during meals or classes so now when he looked at you directly, you said nothing and simply smiled at him while you stroked his brown strands, waiting for your words to settle in his heart. Heat flared in the area of Talbott's chest as he watched you, and without thinking, he pressed his lips to yours in a sweet kiss.

"I really like you." He whispered against your lips, not daring to say the other word beginning with the letter L. A wide smile lit up your face as you replied back "I like you more," and although Talbott doubted it, he didn't refute your assumption and instead pulled you to him again. He felt his stomach clench as if into itself as you used your tongue to suck his bottom lip into your mouth and without further hesitation he came to meet you. Your kissing was unhurried but full of unspoken feelings hidden deep inside each other.

Too immersed in each other's touch, you didn't notice the door opening or the dog barking a greeting behind your back. "Stop flirtin' and go back 'to the castle! Curfew's comin' up." Hagrid's voice, enriched with boisterous laughter, interrupted you, and you both jumped apart in shame.

"We're coming! We're coming!" You shout back at him while stroking Fang's grey fur. A stick lay a short distance from you, and without hesitation you raised it to brown, playful eyes. "Want this, buddy?" You already knew that if you didn't quickly divert his attention elsewhere, you'd end up on the floor under a layer of dog saliva. When he wiggled his ass in delight, you successfully reached out for the throw.

"Aport!" You swung as hard as you could and watched Fang's tail wag back and forth with joy as he tried to catch the stick in mid-air. "Good boy!" Hagrid cheered as he watched his partner catch the wood and proudly patted him on the side when he came to show him. You said goodbye with a wave of the hand and walked briskly up the hill to the shining castle, reflecting the red evening sky.

"Next time, remind me to make sure we're really alone before we start making out." Talbott, who was even red behind the ears, growled next to you. His agitated attitude amused you and you felt like teasing him, but instead you just intertwined your fingers between his. As your hand slipped under his, his tense shoulders sagged and his hurried gait slowed.

"It still wasn't as bad as the night McGonagall caught us." You reminded him and shuddered at the memory. You weren't able to look her in the eye for weeks afterwards, not to mention Snape's hatred directed at you when he found out how many points your little date night had cost you.

"Ugh, so when I finally forgot about it, you just have to go and remind me again, don't you? I didn't dare to sit next to you for the rest of the year..." Your boyfriend groaned at your side, and when a gust of cold wind picked up, you snuggled closer to his warm body. Your heart, like his, leapt when he let go of your hand and wrapped his arm around your waist instead. "The next day we were the centre of all the gossip." He mumbled, his lips forming into a cute pout.

Until then, your romance was mostly known only to your close friends, but after you were caught in the hallway by the esteemed professor, you were the talk of the town, and not just during the meals in the Great Hall. The fact that neither of you denied it encouraged the omnipresent to concoct scenarios of what you might have done together in the shadows of the night.

"But I was happy to officially call you my boyfriend every time someone asked me about you." You told him and watched his reaction out of the corner of your eye. Surprise quickly gave way to disbelief until even that was replaced by a beatific smile. The fact that you wanted to show him off made him incredibly happy and proud. He was the one who could call you his, not anybody else. And you wanted to be his as much as you wanted him to be yours. "Me too." Noted Talbott and these two simple words made you feel like a little teenager falling head over heels in love once again.

"When'll I see you again?" You ask as you walk through the gate knowing that your time together is coming to an end. You already miss him.

"Are you free tomorrow?" Finding a date when you both have time together is challenging. It seems like fate is against you every time you try to meet. You had a feeling it wouldn't be any different now, as you shook your head sadly at his question.

"I promised to help Barnaby and Liz look after Nifflers during lunch break and I still have detention with Pitts in the kitchen after dinner." Unconsciously, you squeezed Talbott's hand tighter as you tried to figure out the day when you'd at least have a moment to spare. "But I have Quidditch practice on Friday around six and then I'm off. Would you like to come see me and do some flying afterwards?" You came up with an alternative time immediately.

“I'm not sure why you think I, of all people, am the one who can fly, but...” Talbott said with a serious face, and you couldn't help laughing out loud. You always get a laugh out of his jokes addressed to his eagle form, especially when he refers to them as the most serious thing in the world. As you saw Talbott's nod of approval, you couldn't wait for Friday. Wishing you sweet dreams, he said goodbye with one last kiss. Just two days and you'll see each other again.

The next morning you saw each other only briefly at breakfast when you waved to each other and both went to your separate classes that day. On Thursday, your schedule was the most different - you could at least be grateful for the time together in the Great Hall where the whole school meets for a meal. But besides that, you hadn't saw the other one the whole day, and you still had a detention to go to you'd got at the end of last year. At least you had your new partner there to make the long hours over a bowl of bread dough enjoyable.

"Hey Jae! Up to no good again?" You jokingly greeted your friend, looking at his hunched back over his diary where he wrote down all his upcoming orders.

"Welcome to our worst nightmare! I was almost afraid you were gonna leave me alone tonight." He looked up at you and gave you one of his half smiles that clearly indicated, he was once again planning something nefarious.

"Only almost?" You yelled over your shoulder at him while you washed your hands in one of the sinks. A light laugh was his answer, as was an amused glint in his dark eyes as he talked to you provocatively: "Offended much?"

You reached for one of several aprons hanging on the wall and made your way back to the long table the Asian boy was leaning against, his arms folded across his chest. "Not quite what you were hoping for." You reply and watch his exaggerated gesticulation with a smile as he places his palm over his heart in disbelief.

"Less laughter and more dough kneading!" Pitts shouted at you, fed up with your positive mood. Before he could pull out his chef's cooking spoon on you, you both got down to business and expertly began working on your task.

"You got some new business?" You nodded your head towards his notebook safely hidden in his back pocket. His voice was as quiet as yours, after all, you don't want to attract unwanted attention.

"Yeah, and pretty big!" His enthusiasm just oozed out of him and it was immediately clear to you that it had something to do with visiting Knockturn Alley. With a silent raise of your eyebrows, you prompted him to speak. "There's a student in our class who's desperately in love. Looks like the girl doesn't want him, but he just doesn't care. Phuhahaha! He's ordered a month's supply and looks like he's going to become a regular customer." He laughed and started muttering something about how he had to deliver the first batch this Friday afternoon and that he had to get out of the castle as soon as possible to pick up his order.

You disagreed with the love potion delivery - you remembered too well how you persuaded Ismelda not to use the potion on your mutual friend, and you just hoped that this time you would be able to prevent it as well. But Jae guarded his client's name like a hawk and refused to tell you. Although you were his friend and partner in several of his jokes, he was aware of your responsibility as prefect and had no doubt that you would prevent his new business. He couldn't afford that happening.

You crawled to your room late at night, determined to find out as soon as possible who was willing to go to such lengths to force someone into false love. First thing in the morning you're gonna meet Penny and ask her for help. You didn't know of anyone better than your blonde friend, who can keep tabs on all matters circulating around the castle.

Talbott woke up to a raining morning. It looked like it was going to be cold and wet all day today, yet he knew your team wouldn't cancel their practice. Just like the previous year, you made it to the finals with your hard work and great teamwork. You have worked harder than ever before - after all defending the title for the third time in a row won't be easy.

Talbott took his Ravenclaw sweater out of the closet and pulled it over his shirt. As he smoothed his robes his eyes fell on his spare, warmer sweater and without further thought he grabbed it and neatly folded it into his bag. 'She's often cold...' He thought as your self came to his mind and with a satisfied smile went to breakfast.

Exceptionally, he saw you before he heard you, which was unusual. He could recognize your boisterous laughter from across the hall and was always pleased to know that you were in a good mood every morning. Today, however, he saw you bent over next to your fair-haired friend with a thoughtful look on your face while you listened to Penny whispers. Not wanting to disturb you, he sat down at the very end of the table, as he used to do before you began to eat breakfast and dinner together. He missed you, but he didn't dare come between you and Penny.

Now that he was sitting alone again after a long time, he realized how much joy you brought into his world. The loud conversation, laughter and clinking of cutlery on plates turned into a uniform background noise. He knew it was impossible, but it seemed to him that even the ubiquitous colours had lost their saturation, as if they had faded slightly...

Talbott lost his appetite when he realized how dependent he actually is on you. Without you by his side, he had nothing to live for. Was his existence before you always so pointless and boring?

"Hey, love" the sing-song voice and the gentle embrace of arms around his shoulders broke him out of his reverie. Talbott smiled as his body leaned more into your embrace. "What are you thinking about again, huh? You should take a break from your brain once in a while." You joked and kissed him gently on the cheek. The gentle gesture of your affection to him shook his inhibitions so much that he pulled you to his face and quickly pressed his lips to yours.

"Just thinking about how much I need you in my life." He confessed, watching as your face brightened to happily incredulous. He could have sworn he even saw you happily hopping on the spot from one foot to the other a few times. If only he knew how much you were fangirling over him at that moment... Let's just say you were glad you didn't squeeled aloud.

"Thank you. I feel the same way, but... You should still take a break once in a while!" You brought the direction of your conversation back to it's original rail and sat down next to your boyfriend, who was feeling particularly determined today - so much so that he wraped his arm around your waist. You took advantage of the offered bite and scooped up the entire plate as you hugged him back and pressed your head over his chest. You were pleased when he didn't protest and instead rested his chin gently on top your head.

"You are one to talk. Couldn't you at least take a day off from solving all the problems and mysteries that arise in Hogwarts?" He snorted, brushing his hand over your arm in slow strokes.

"If I'm not the one saving Hogwarts, than who is?" You utter almost without interest and reach for his unfinished toast and take a bite. "Besides, it's nothing serious, just the possibility of fooling some girl with a love potion." You say and watch Talbott slowly nod his head while he bites into the toast in your hand. He's suddenly very hungry.

He sure as hell didn't want to get involved in any of your dangerous adventures. Rather on the contrary, he wished you would stop doing this heroic thing of yours, so he wouldn't have to worry about losing you every day. Yet he understood your motives for seeking another vault. If he himself had even the slightest hope of saving his parents, he would have rushed after it without hesitation. The love potion certainly wasn't as bad as your fight with a werewolf.

After breakfast, you said goodbye again, each heading to your classes. He knew he'd see you again in transfiguration class, and later he'd come to watch you train. Still, he couldn't help checking the clock every few minutes to see when it would finally be lunchtime.

His first lesson was DADA, which he definitely enjoyed more last year, when you had it together and he could secretly admire your talent for spells. He enjoyed sitting by your side and liked the warmth radiating from where your elbows or thighs touched, but to be able to watch you from the back pew as you demonstrated to the class how best to fight a ghoul? You looked hot. And he got to call you his.

Professor Green began her lesson. He already knew the spell she was teaching in today's lecture, so he could afford to let his mind wander to you and pay partial attention to the explanation of the origin and history of the defensive spell.

When the time for the demonstration came, his eyes watched professor's every move with atentive eyes. What snapped him out of his enchantment were the two voices of the boys in front of him.

"Ain't she hot?" A low snicker fell from his friend's lips.

"I bet she is an easy one. She craves attention so much she'll stretch for anyone." Another wave of laughter rose accompanied by a series of vulgar hand gestures. Talbott felt his stomach twist into a knot of disgust. How dare they talk like this about someone? Talbott tried not to pay attention to their pathetic conversation, but their sonorous voices pierced his ears like a needle through a vein.

"Maybe. But I won't leave anything to chance." Said the first boy, dressed in bright green, with a disgusting smile plastered across his ugly mug.

"What'da ya mean by that?" The other asked curiously, and though Talbott partly did not want to hear the answer, he found himself straining his hearing in order to not miss a single word. Although he is not the confrontational type and prefers to solve problems verbally rather than with his fists or a duel, he still vividly recalling his conversation with you during breakfeast about some guy with love potion. Even if he couldn't prevent the Slythering boy from coming to the girl and stopping him, he can still hear the plan and either keep a close eye on him or warn you he's Jae's new client.

"I insured it." The answer came, and he pulled an unmarked vial of potion from his robe pocket. Talbott's mind spun into overdrive as soon as his eyes caught sight of the black vial. He must be the one who bought the love potion. The chances that among the 600 students are more guys who wanted to deliver a love potion on this day are minimal, but possible. The chances that he's the one you're looking for are less than 1%. The chances that he's the one you're looking for are less than 1%.

He didn't have to wait too long. Transfiguration class came sooner than he'd hoped, and as soon as he saw you talking to Andre outside the classroom, he immediately headed over to you. "Hey," you waved at him, but before you could say anything else, he grabbed your arm. "I think I know who the guy with the love potion is." He blurted out quickly, answering your question about who is it, before you could finish asking. "Some Slythering guy in our year. Don't know his name, but he has dark brown hair and eyes. Big beauty mark on his left cheek." You nodded and thought deeply. There are a lot of brown-haired boys in Slytherin, but only two in your year. The beauty mark will be your best shot at deciding which one is it.

"Thank you, this will help us a lot. I'll tell the others what you found out and we'll try to find him during the breaks and convince him not to do it." You smiled at him, and a sense of pride came over Talbott. He was glad he could help you a little.

"Did they happen to mention the girl's name?" You asked curiously, knowing how valuable this information was. It would be easy to warn her, and even easier to have one from your group watch over her at all times. The dismissive shake of his head was a disappointing but not devastating.

"Never mind. We're gonna have to focus on finding the guy first. Shouldn't be too hard." You assume, and with newfound vigor, you head to class together. How hard can it be to find one student when you know what house he is from, plus you know his general description? Apparently much harder than you originally thought.

He was nowhere to be found. The search party was joined by others besides Penny, with Barnaby and Liz guarding the Slytherin dorm while the others searched every nook and cranny. At lunch, Talbott thought he spotted him, but he was easily lost in the crowd of other students. During the break between classes you always tried to search as many rooms as possible, but there wasn't much spare time.

Rowan and Ben were in the library while Tulip kept watch in the Courtyard. Chiara, Andre and Badeea were each in one of the clubs, while the others were running around the castle from one classroom to another. You knew about every hiding place in the castle and searched them all - without success. Eventually you got to the point where you couldn't continue your search with the others - you had to go to your practise. Skye and Orion won't let you sneak out of training just before the finals.

You were just coming down the spiral staircase in your Quidditch outfit when you caught Penny and Talbott walking towards you. “We thought we'd go somewhere not too crowded so Talbott could change and get a bird's eye view of the school grounds.” Penny told you their new plan. “Sounds like a good idea to me.” You nodded your head in agreement. It wasn’t a bad idea at all, Talbott can cover a large area in a relatively short period of time while he’s in his animagus form.

“Don't worry if you don't find him today. Maybe he doesn't even want to give her the potion today, and we've all wasted a whole day looking for him for nothing.” You told your boyfriend since you knew what a perfectionist he secretly is and that even though he doesn't show it, he really wants to help you in your search. He smiled appreciatively at you: “I know, I know. You don't have to comfort me yet.” He joked.

“Well, we should get going, just like you.” The blonde inserted herself into your little exchange, and before she left, she made sure to wish you good luck, along with an apology for not being able to come see you today. She started up the stairs, but Talbott did not immediately follow. “I'll make about two rounds and if I can't find him, I'll fly out to see you like I originally promised.” He walked over to you and tucked one naughty strand that had escaped from your ponytail behind your ear. His voice was much quieter than usual. “He doesn't have to ruin our date, does he?”

“No, he really doesn't have to.” You nodded and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Looking forward to seeing you.” You winked at him with a playful smile and skipped down the rest of the staircase. Talbott watched your hair bounce with each step and only when he lost sight of you did he follow his friend.

Although he didn't imagine today to be a hectic day, he was glad for the chance to stretch his wings and fly. It always cleared his mind beautifully. He couldn't relax that much with anything else, unless you included falling asleep in your arms. He turned his wings to catch the current of the wind and let it drift freely, while his keen eyes searched for the brown-haired boy.

Halfway through his second loop around the castle, he noticed Jae waving his arms frantically to catch his attention. Talbott descended into the shadow of the stone wall where he transformed back. As soon as his boots touched solid ground he came out to meet the boy in the yellow sweatshirt who was already running in his direction.

“Where’s Y/N?” He blurted out before Talbott could say anything. “She’s on the pitch, they have a practice today.” He didn't understand what good this information would do him, but he still gave the location of your current whereabouts without hesitation.

“Crap... That’s not good. Not good at all...” Jae started mumbling to himself, completely ignoring the Ravenclaw student in front of him. “What’s wrong mate?” Talbott's question seemed to snap the Asian out of his rant. He grabbed Talbott's shoulders and squeezed them tightly: “If I'd known sooner, I swear I wouldn't have given him the potion! I didn't know it was Y/N! You have to believe me, ‘kay? I would never-”

“What about Y/N? What’s wrong with her!? You aren’t making any sense!” An irritated Talbott jumped in. He wanted to know immediately what was going on with you, but Jae was babbling about unimportant things instead. “Cut to the point!”

“Philip wants to give that love potion to Y/N!”

Doupt.

Betrayal.

Resentment.

Bitterness.

Fear.

Talbott’s mind became preoccupied with intense emotions and hostility towards that Phil or whatever his name is. He was in a jealous rage. You were his girlfriend and the whole school knew that and yet he dared to take you away from him by pushing himself onto you with creating fake, illusionary feelings?

No way in hell.

There’s no way in hell he’ll let that happen.

The stiff body started to move on its own. The walk was replaced by a fast stride, which was transformed into a run within a few seconds. Talbott has never had a reason to run in his life. Jae shouted at him from behind his back where he was going and what had gone into him, but Talbott's brain registered only a high-pitched squeak. Nothing was more important to him than getting to you in time to stop you from drinking that stupid potion.

His feet carried him halfway when he saw you slowly sliding down to the ground, where a black and green blur waved at you. His labored breathing turned to wheezing as he picked up speed. He called your name again and again, but distance silenced his desperate cries. His side stabbingly stung when you landed on the ground a few feet away from Philip.

He won't make it.

An icy drop of terror flooded his body as he watched you accept the offered drinking bottle with mistrust in your eyes. His neck tightened into a narrow slit as your mouth approached the neck of the bottle. He must have spilled the potion in there. There was no springly water but a disgusting love potion!

Your mouth widened in a blissful smile as you said something to Philip, the bottle ever near, ever present in your hand. It felt like everzthing around him stopped and gone silent. Talbott almost stopped at that moment. Almost. But he was too close for that. You were almost within arm's reach...

He was aware of his rude behaviour when he flew between you like an unguided missile and knocked the bottle out of your hand in one fell swoop. The contents of the bottle remained untouched and before he could think about it his impulse made him grab the bottle, open it and spill the last drop on the ground. He watched with smug pleasure as the liquid seeped into the ground.

“The fuck you think you’re doing?” A scratchy voice shouted at him. Talbott was frazzled enough as it was, and his words were the last straw for him. He rose briskly to his feet and pointed his wand at the center of his chest. A simple wave and a word threw Philip back a few feet, his ass hitting the ground hard with a cry of pain.

“Don’t touch my girlfriend asshole.” It was the first time you saw Talbott pissed off, really pissed off. It was also the first time you've seen him pull a wand on someone and use a curse word. It was, to say the least... Remarkable. And even though it wasn't welcome in this situation, you couldn't resist the feeling of happiness that spread through you like a disease. You really liked how protective he was of you.

The sudden commotion drew attention of your teammates and it wasn't long before they formed a circle around you. “What’s happening here?” Orion asked as his searching gaze swept over the three people in front of him - two on their feet while one was sprawled on the ground.

“He wanted to give her a love potion.” Talbott growled through gritted teeth, never taking his eyes off his enemy.

“That seems to me to be quite a serious accusation that should not be made without solid reasons which will prove its truth.” Orion said in a serious tone, his hands clasped behind his back. “He’s lying!” In a desperate attempt to save himself, the accused caught hold of a thrown safety rope. Now that there wasn't a shred of evidence left, they had nothing on him. Once he realized this fact, he clumsily scrambled to his feet with a newfound confidence.

“But we have, though.“ You put yourself in and stood by the side of your love. A disbelieving "what" fell from the boy's lips. You smiled at his sudden change in demeanor - he was looking at you like a mouse caught in a trap. “Don't you know I'm friends with Jae?“ You started listing your evidence, starting with the most obvious one.

“That doesn’t prove anything!” He snapped back at you, but it didn't escape your eyes as he clenched his hands into fists to stop the shaking.

“No, it doesn not.” You agreed with him. Until Jae's here and points the finger himself, it's just word against word. “But running your mouth in the middle of class, talking about how you're going to give me a love potion is, don't you think? Revealing your plan before it was implemented is not recommended.” You put another nail in the coffin. You hammered another nail in the coffin, ready at any moment to use disarming spells on Philip, whose face had turned red with rage. To the astonishment of everyone else, however, it was the young man standing on your left who could not keep his anger in check.

Talbott sent a series of curses in Philip's direction, accompanied by resonating memories of a conversation that directly involved you. No one will call you a bawd in his presence. Not without consequences. “I was sitting right behind you and your little friend when you were bad-mouthing my girlfriend.” Talbott huffed through his clenched jaw, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his wand tightly.

“That still doesn't prove anything...!” Philip defended himself while protecting his face with his hands. At that moment, you felt like you were the perpetrator and not him. Not wanting to subject him to something like that, even if he deserved it, so you lowered Talbott's rised hand. You spoke the next words in a quieter, calmer voice. “Didn't I tell you I smell fresh straw and cool wind when you gave me the bottle?” A positive nod was accompanied by a confused arching of the eyebrows. You couldn't help smiling as you began to vividly recall the scent that had become your favourite. “Even if I didn't know beforehand that someone was here to slip me Amortentia, I would have known immediately by the smell. It's his scent.” You looked behind you to where Talbott stood as you spoke your last words. Those were meant for him.

“I'm sure I don't have to explain what that means, do I?” You looked back at Philip, who quickly mumbled a hissing no and almost ran back to the castle without another word. You felt that you wouldn't have to deal with this matter any longer.

“He could have at least apologized.” Talbott muttered, still irritated, but you could see your smart, patient man in him again.

“I have everything I need with me.” You squeezed Talbott's warm palm in yours. “I can do without his apology.” The love in your eyes smiled at him like warm rays of sunshine, and Talbott couldn't resist the temptation to steal one of your sweet kisses.

“That's enough with the flirting, right? We've still got practice to do!” Skye shouted at you, always relentless when it came to Quidditch. It was with great difficulty that you pulled away from the soft lips still pressed against yours. “Looks like I have to go.” You said, even though you knew Talbott had much better hearing than you and the comment thrown to the wind didn't escape him.

“I'll wait for you in the auditorium. Go score as many goals as you can.” He shooed you away with another promise he whispered in his head. Tonight is the perfect night for him to tell you he loves you.

#talbott #talbott winger imagine #harry potter hogwarts mystery #talbott winger #talbott x mc #talbott x reader #talbottwinger #talbott x you #romance #talbott winger x mc #hphm talbott #talbott oneshot #talbott fluf #oneshot

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cursedvaultss · 9 months

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HPHM OC Profile: Calliope Black

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

Name: Calliope Antigone Black

Nicknames: Callie

Birthdate: October 31st, 1972

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Blood Status: Pureblood

Nationality: British

Sexuality: Bisexual

Callie is not the MC, she's just an OC that attends Hogwarts at the same time as Jacob's Sibling! She's open for friendships and rivalries, etc.

Physical Appearance

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: Blue

Height: 1.60cm (5 ft 3½)

Weight: 53kg

Skin Tone: Fair

Faceclaim: India Eisley

Background

Home: Raven Hall, a modest (by rich people standards) property owned by the Black family in rural England

Family

Mother: Cressida Black, née Rowle

Cressida is a Slytherin alumni. She works at the Wizengamot and leads a seemingly successful life. On the inside, she's struggling though. She's not happy with her life and her unhappiness is affecting her relationship with her daughter. She loves Callie but is misguided in her efforts to make her choices for her and attempt to keep her in line.

Father: Castor Black, the younger brother of Orion Black

Castor attended Hogwarts as a Slytherin. He's unlike most of his family members in that he is softer and less likely to spout blood-purist rhetoric. However, he is not close with his daughter and his marriage to Cressida is facing some difficulties. He has constantly lived in the shadow of his older brother and doesn't know how to stand up to him.

Uncle: Orion Black

Cousins: Sirius Black, Regulus Black, Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy

Hogwarts

House: Ravenclaw (hat stall with Slytherin)

Career

11-17: Hogwarts Student

17->: tbd

Personality & Attitude

Callie is the quiet sort who prefers the company of books to people. She doesn't go out of her way to make friends and can often seem cold or even rude to people who don't know her, but she's quite friendly once you manage to break through her surface. Deep down, she feels very alone due to her parents being distant and being an only child. She struggles with creating meaningful connections but craves them deeply.

She responds best to speaking of common interests, like books or music. She's a little bit clueless about the Muggle world and finds learning about Muggle culture fascinating. Callie is creative and sometimes scribbles poetry in the margins of her essays or in little notebooks. She doesn't have ambitions to become a poet as a fulltime job, though.

Priorities: Friends, gaining knowledge, independence

Strengths: Clever, works well under pressure, loyal to loved ones

Weaknesses: A bit of a loner, a penchant for melancholy, can come off as rude

Stressed: When dealing with her family or studying for exams

Calm/Comforted: With her friends and in the library

Favorites

Colors: Black

Weather: Rain

Hobbies: Reading, writing poetry, Wizard chess

Fashion: Business casual, blacks and grays, some grunge vibes

Relationships

Significant Other/Love Interest: Talbott Winger

Callie and Talbott have been house mates since year one, but they only really started to speak during year 4, when Callie got her pet owl Orpheus and started to spend time in the Owlery. They both enjoy a comfortable silence and the quiet comfort of each others' company.

The two started dating during year 6. They were together until graduation, after which they broke up for a while but reconnected during the Second Wizarding War. They married and have one daughter together.

Friends:

Talbott Winger

Badeea Ali

Murphy McNully

Matthew Luther by @hphmmatthewluther

Vienna Brokenshire, Jules Farrier, and Azariah Steele by @cursebreakerfarrier

Cato Reese by @catohphm

Eirlys Knell by @cursedlegacies

Dimitri and Skylar Di Angelo by @nicos-oc-hell

Caiden Solace by @camillejeaneshphm

Isabelle Dubois by @endlessly-cursed

Ruth Lyman, Huck Fitzgerald, Ryan, Cara, Sara, and Conor O'Donnell by @unfortunate-arrow

Marti Venturi by @smarti-at-smogwarts

OPEN FOR INTERACTION!

Rivals:

Merula Snyde (indirectly)

Children:

Thalia Winger

Talia was born in 1997. She's a Gryffindor and a Quidditch chaser.

Trivia

Callie likes to follow Quidditch although she doesn't talk about it because it clashes with her intellectual bookworm loner brand.

She has an owl called Orpheus

She has fond memories of her cousins Sirius and Regulus

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #hphm oc #oc: calliope black #oc profile #hp oc #the black family #she's open for friends!

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katherinewilliams221b · 10 months

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What If

Summary: The night before Bill’s wedding, Charlie and Kate find themselves squeezed together in one of the Burrow’s rooms. In an attempt to find some sense of normalcy, they allow themselves to be silly and talk about what their lives would have been hadn’t met at Hogwarts. Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Pairing: Charlie Weasley/Kate Williams (hphm mc, original female character) established relationship.

Quiet as a mouse, Kate tiptoed over the creaky floorboards of the Burrow towards Charlie’s room. The door squeaked when she pushed it open and she winced. Not bothering to light a candle, she closed the door behind her without taking her eyes off Charlie’s figure on the small cot.

It wasn’t a big space, just enough to fit a single bed and a dresser next to it. A small round window helped the room not be so claustrophobic.

The man moved on closer to the wall, silently making space for her, and placed one foot on the mattress, leaving his knee up.

Accepting the invitation, she lay next to him on her side. They remained silent for a while, the events of the past days replaying in their heads incessantly.

George was injured. Moody was killed. A wedding was coming.

Kate eyed him with worry and was about to say something when Charlie twisted the hand closest to her, meaning to caress the nearest body part. Without moving his stare off the ceiling, he caressed her thigh with a knuckle.

“How is he?” He murmured.

Kate sighed and scooted her head closer to rest it on his shoulder, hiding her tired eyes on his shirt.

“Hole-y”

“Oh, not you too…” he couldn’t hide the faintest of smiles and felt her own against his arm.

“He got extremely lucky.” She added, suddenly solemn. “But he will have it like that for life.”

Charlie turned, limbs clashing and tangling, wiggling onto his side to face her, squirming to be in a more comfortable position.

“Next time, we banish Bill and Fleur from the bigger room.” Kate commented as she hugged his torso with one arm.

He reciprocated her touch and his hand came to rest comfortably against her shoulder blades.

“Oh, I’ll make sure of that.”

Wrapped in a hug, both of them tried to relax their muscles with a long sigh. Some copper curls fell in front of his eyes and she chuckled, keeping on the amused smile as he tried to lift them up with huffs of breath. She knew he wanted to improve her mood, and his own, allowing himself to be silly for once in a long time. Laughs were scarce since the war started and they fed with only crumbs of joy when they managed to find a moment of intimacy.

She studied his face; it was worryingly paler than usual, only his freckles gave him a more natural colour. He was thinner around the cheeks too, and his beard had grown quite a bit as well as his hair.

Noticing her stare, he questioned her with a lift of the brows.

“You will look handsome tomorrow.” He smirked at her comment and squeezed her closer.

“And to think… you were going to make the fatal mistake of wearing that blue dress.” She started to reply, but he kept talking over her, “No, don’t get me wrong, it looks enchanting on you, but then we wouldn’t match.”

Kate shook her head, amused.

“You’ve spent too much time with André.”

“What can I say?” A deep laugh escaped him as she sneaked a hand under his shirt and started caressing his lower back with a thumb.

“I didn’t know you liked it so much that we matched each other.”

He hummed, “Not all the time, of course, just when it’s fancy.”

“Oh, so now we’re one of those couples?” Suddenly, Charlie’s smirk faltered. The question was clear in his eyes. “I’m just teasing you, love.”

He relaxed again, the flash of insecurity forgotten.

“And what kind of fancy events are you talking about?” She added with a chuckle, “We don’t get invited to those, we live in a forest.”

“Hypothetical fancy events. If we were that sort of people who attend balls and such. We must match, that’s a rule. So, if you wear the blue dress, then I’ll need to find a matching tie or something.”

Kate hid her face in the pillow, and in between uncontrollable giggles she added,

“What in the name of Merlin are you talking about? I have never ever in my entire life, seen you with a tie.”

“Well…”

“I’ve seen you with muddy boots, and fireproof vests, and muddy trousers, and fireproof balaclavas, and muddy…”

“Alright, alright, but that’s because you’ve met me very young. I’m getting more…refined now.”

“Sure…” She snickered, and he threw her a smirk, imitating her gesture and lifting her top to touch skin.

“Who knows…perhaps if we hadn’t met I would be a completely different person.”

They remained pensive for a while, considering his statement.

Would they be?

“Somehow, Charlie, I don’t think so.”

He smiled again then, not playful, not teasing, just content.

“In the hypothetical situation where we avoided each other entirely at Hogwarts, do you think we would have met at some point?”

“Well, I think so. Here at the Burrow maybe, you got along with Bill so maybe we could meet when I came to visit. Perhaps here! At his wedding.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t even look at me, then, because I would be wearing the blue dress.” She attempted to tease him again, not expecting him to match her tone.

“No, you wouldn’t, because I was there when you bought it.”

They laughed nose to nose, gripping each other more closely in the process, legs wrapping around one another.

“I would still be working at St Mungo’s”

“I would be at the reserve, no doubt.”

“I maybe, just maybe, would invite you to dance with me.”

“And I would have fallen in love with you just as easily.”

Kate was left stunned by the raw sincerity in his eyes. Her gaze travelled from his irises towards his mouth, barely resisting the urge to touch her lips to his inviting ones.

He closed the gap, trapping her upper lip with enthusiasm. She whimpered and then giggled, surprised by his loud smooch when she was going for a soft peck of the lips.

“And that would have been a problem.” He continued, lips brushing each other. “Because you would have appeared with a renowned Mediwizard by the arm and I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Funny you ignore the bubbly dragonologist you would have brought with you.”

“That would have been just for show.” He started slowly pressing against her so she would lie down on her back.

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t know that…”

He hummed when she grabbed him by the upper arms to balance herself and bring him along in the process. Charlie turned and lift himself with an elbow, resting his chin on his knuckles.

He kept his other hand busy, leaving long and slow caresses from her hip to her knee and up again.

Kate’s thoughts suddenly drifted to that imaginary scenario; dancing at Bill’s wedding, both of their companions forgotten somewhere. She had known Charlie since they were very young, and she cherished having grown up alongside him, but she knew at the bottom of her heart that meeting an adult Charlie for the first time would have devastating effects on her. In the best of ways.

Kate knew the smirk he was giving her, she knew he could get inside her head and know exactly what she was thinking. She had to look away.

Seizing the opportunity of her turned head, he bent down to press a kiss right behind her ear and her eyes closed automatically.

“I prefer to think that I would have come alone.” She murmured after a while.

“Both single then?”

“Of course.”

“That’s better.” Kate locked eyes with him again, “Then I wouldn’t feel so guilty about not taking my eyes off you all night.”

“I feel like this alternate-Charlie is very flirty.”

“Would the alternate-Kate be receptive to that?”

“Perhaps…but,” he raised an inquisitive eyebrow, “But I don’t think you would act like that. In this scenario, we would know each other from school. Would you really have the courage? The only thing you would know about me is that I was the Cursed Girl.”

“Scratch that, then. We don’t know each other. You studied in another school.”

“Me? Why me?” She said a little too loud. Charlie laughed and placed the hand that had been on her hip over her mouth.

“There’s no way Mom would allow me to go to some other place.”

She could practically see his eyes darken when she placed a kiss on his palm. Slowly, he withdrew his fingers before caressing her neck with his fingertips. He flattened his hand on her chest and made his way down her sternum, over her waist and finally on her hip again. Kate was left breathing heavily under him. She concentrated on relaxing again, but his fingers against her skin were making it very difficult.

“Fine. I went to Ilvermony. I never met Bill, so forget about the wedding. Where would we meet?” Raising a hand, she delicately drew back the red locks falling on his forehead and rested her palm on his chest.

“I bet you would be bored out of your mind and you would seek adventures in Romania. And I would assist with that.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Mm-hmm.” He nodded. Making himself more comfortable, he rested his chin on the palm of his hand, their faces getting closer. “Imagine this: tired of the routine, Katherine Williams takes a leap of faith and decides to follow a hunch crossing the ocean towards Romania…”

“Why there?” she interrupted, hypnotised by his deep voice. He always fascinated her with his ability for storytelling, real or invented, he managed to keep her (and everyone for that matter) desperate to hear more.

“Because…” He made a pause, before a toothy grin adorned his face. “because she read that a very curious flower is native to that land, and hungry for more information, she parted towards Transylvania.”

“What does the flower look like?” She whispered. Taking her hand off his chest, she brought it to his shoulder and down his biceps. He delicately squeezed her hip in return.

“Don’t you know?” He teased, “It’s white, purplish in the middle. Somewhat bell-shaped and with big leaves.” He closed the gap between their faces slowly, touching her nose with hers. Her eyes fluttered close when his lips ghosted hers and travelled across her cheek, barely touching her skin. All the while murmuring, “And it’s very, very, poisonous.”

“Wait.” she chuckled, “Are you talking about Datura stramonium?” Charlie placed a soft kiss right before her ear began and resumed his previous position above her.

“What else? You were obsessed with that thing for months. Now let me finish, will you?”

Kate shifted below him, raising a knee up and resting it against his hip, trapping his body between her legs. His gaze lowered to her lips.

“Alright, alright, go on.” She apologised, not missing his lusty stare.

“As I was saying, Katherine Williams tracked this flower across the forests of Romania, but one day the woods were still. Too still.”

“It doesn’t really grow in fores…”

“Shh, right behind the trees, she saw a long horned-tail disappear. She decided to follow the creature…”

“Absolutely not.” She snickered.

“...and after walking for a while, the forest opened to reveal the valley where a Dragon Reserve was settled. She figured it couldn’t hurt to ask around about the flower, and rest in the meantime.”

“Did anyone there know about it?” Kate asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course not.” They shared a hushed laugh while Kate lifted his shirt slightly, caressing his side absentmindedly. “But they offered drinks and some food, and a bunk bed in one tent if she needed it.”

“Who offered?” She smirked, knowing the answer.

“The handsome redhead of the bunch. They connected, “Charlie raised the hand on her hip to snap his fingers quickly, “just like that.”

“Wow, she really lucked out that day, huh?”

“As did he.” Kate pressed her leg against him, trying to bring him closer. His fingers moved from her hip to the back of her other leg’s knee and just when she thought he was going to lift her leg, he caressed his way back up. “They explored the forest together from that day on, naturally, she needed a guide, and he was quite smitten with her. And that’s it.” He finished, surprising her.

“That’s all? That’s how it ends?”

“Well, it’s a love story, it doesn’t need to be complicated, does it? They fell in love and lived happily. With no bigger concerns than his dragons and her herbs. He built a tower for her and everything.”

Suddenly, the small smiles playing on their lips curled down. Was it wrong indulging in that wishful thinking? Could they ever have that life someday? The life they thought they had been building before everything went down? Their eyes met, a little watery, a little bittersweet.

“They grew old?” she asked with a small voice. Charlie let out a breath, holding back emotion, and leaned down to place a lingering kiss against her lips. Not soft, not teasing, just loving and reassuring. She lifted her head to reciprocate the pressure, and they both parted slowly after that.

“They did. With some scars and burns, but they did.”

Without another word, he lifted himself up slightly and let his weight fall on top of her slowly. The arm he was leaning on disappeared between them and he allowed his head to rest against the crook of her neck, his face buried against her skin and hair.

Kate’s arm curled around him, automatically searching his red locks, anchoring him to her. They lay in silence, her massaging his scalp and him hugging her waist, each lost in their own thoughts.

“I was thinking more along the lines of ‘dragonologist follows a dragon across the world…,” she said all of a sudden, “and ends up severely injured…’”

“Kat!” Charlie gasped, “I know you’re a healer, but I don’t need to get hurt in this invented scenario.”

“And you woke up in a bed, a little disoriented, but with your wounds taken care of and a healer sitting at the end of the bed.”

He shook his head against her neck.

“I don’t think I like this game anymore.”

“But I patched you up so nicely, not even a mark on you remaining.” At his silence, she started rearranging her story to a lighter tone when he asked, face still buried against her hair,

“And then what?”

“Well… I needed to keep you there for a few days to make sure you were alright. And you argued with me, whining about your lost dragon.”

“Listen, it was of utmost importance. And I was clearly alright, why wouldn’t you let me go?”

“I was just doing my job… I let you go then, and we didn’t see each other for a few days. Until one night, you came to the hospital looking for me.

“Was I injured again?” He asked with an uninterested tone as she kept her finger massaging his head.

“No, you found me hunched over some scrolls and asked me to go to a bar you discovered the day before.”

“Oh..?” She felt him smirk against her neck. “How did I know you would be working so late at night?”

“A quick and correct assessment of my personality that took you less than a day and you bragged about all the way to the bar.”

The redhead pressed himself against her, squeezing her waist with teasing intent. She felt his mouth opening against her skin, and with practiced delicacy, he wrapped his teeth around her skin.

“I knew you were going to accept the offer.”

Kate repressed the urge to squirm under him but cursed to herself when he noticed her shifting her hips towards him.

“We had such a great night that from that moment, you came to pick me up after work every day for a few weeks.”

His eyebrows met his hairline. “Only a few weeks?”

“Well yes. You had to go back to Romania.”

Charlie raised his head, breathing some cool air and turned slightly so he would look at her. Kate felt he was about to say something, so she let him a moment to figure it out.

“I didn’t touch the portkey.” He said softly, making Kate hum, a question written on her face.

“We parted after our last night at the bar. But I couldn’t take you out of my mind all the way to the portkey station…”

“And you saw me there,” she interrupted. “I apparated there to stop you.”

“And I did.”

Kate averted her gaze to the ceiling, swallowed once more by the recently acquired fear of the unknown now that a war was looming around the corner. She felt Charlie’s hand raise from her waist, and he gently placed a finger on her chin, making her turn to look at him.

“It seems only fair, Kate,” he whispered with an uncharacteristically serious expression, “That when the time comes you find a life away from Romania, I will follow you. Wherever you lead. Just as you did for me years ago.” When she didn’t answer, he added, “I would not touch a portkey for you as well. Not just in your invented story, in our reality as well.”

Her hand moved from his curls towards his face, cupping his cheek, her thumb drawing circles across his freckles. And she didn’t resist leaning in, silently thanking with a slow kiss his words, his presence there with her, his support, his friendship, his love. She tried as hard as she could to kiss away his worries and doubts that mirrored her own, letting him know with every rocking of lips and every caress of her thumb that whatever happened they would get their lives back. They would get their simple and uneventful love story they so wished for and was currently threatened.

They would make sure of it.

A/N. Once again. It turned out more angsty than I had planned. Why am I like this? Someone tell me. Also, it was a bit of a nod to the world cup fic eh? They’re just like that what can i do. (is their love lowkey insipred by where you lead by carol king? unintentionally yes.)

#charlie weasley #charlie weasley fanfiction #charlie weasley x mc #charlie weasley x jacob's sibling #charlie weasley x original female character #charlie weasley x ofc #kate williams

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missnight0wl · 1 year

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Alright, but let’s actually talk about Callum McClintock

Fun fact about me: when there’s a new young but adult-looking man in HPHM, my first reaction is often: “it could’ve been Jacob”. This is how it was with Orion, with the Wizard in White, and Callum was no different. Well, he was kinda different because I thought: “OMG, are you real Jacob??”. And at first, it was totally a joke. But then I talked with @thedoodlecat who inspired this whole theory. Because she pointed out that “Callum” means “dove” and that there’s a particular relationship between doves and peregrine falcons. You know what that relationship is?

Peregrine falcons hunt and eat doves.

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??

And I know what you’re thinking: it’s JC we’re talking about, they don’t know what they’re doing at this point. And you’re not wrong! However, JC also loves to play with names. Alright, but where’s Jacob in all of that? Admittedly, Callum doesn’t have to be Jacob. But on the other hand… it does make sense. And I know, I know, I might be influenced by my desperate wish for vault!Jacob to be fake… But just bear with me, please.

First of all, we’ve spent way too much time on the whole mystery of where exactly Callum works and being just a janitor feels too random to be a coincidence, in my opinion. If Jam City simply needed someone to help MC with cursed artefacts, they could’ve made Callum a Curse-Breaker or an employee of any other department who happens to be very passionate about curse-breaking. But no, Callum is not just some guy. Even if he’s not secretly Jacob, I believe that Callum had some past with Peregrine/R, especially when we consider the meaning of his name.

Ok, so does it mean that Callum hides in the Ministry? Well, it’s possible. Although I think it’s also possible that he’s allowed to stay IF he works as a janitor. Being a janitor means that he has no real influence. R might even believe that he has no access to anything important. Moreover, the janitor’s job might be seen by them as humiliating on its own.

And by the way, here’s a funny side note for you. Remember when Merula was making fun of MC for being a janitor at the Ministry?

HMMM…

Back to Callum, though.

Ok, but if he is Jacob… Well, I assume that R would have to manipulate some memories of some people and basically erase Callum!Jacob from existence. That’s why Callum can’t really go to anyone for help: nobody remembers him. On top of that, R might find out about it sooner or later. So, he stays low. Moreover, a while ago (in this post), I talked about the letter R sent to Jacob after Duncan’s death, where they mentioned “Miss Green’s fate”. I pointed out then that it might refer to Olivia’s memories being modified and that it’d mean Jacob had to know about it. So… what if Callum does know about it? And he was absolutely heartbroken that Olivia didn’t recognise him when they met recently at the Ministry?

Also, let’s talk about Callum’s last name. Because yes, “McClintock” is a surname of Scottish and Irish Gaelic origin which fits Callum’s “Scottishness”. But you know what’s actually the first result for this surname? “Barbara McClintock”. And Barbara is well known for her research in genetics. In fact, she was the first woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. So, here’s my question: why the hell JC chose so very specific last name? I mean, sure, it might be a coincidence. But why not one of the more generic Scottish surnames? Why not Campbell, Stewart or Murray? Well, what if McClintock’s genetic research is actually important?

Alright, I admit that this part might be the biggest stretch in the whole theory, but this name just seems odd to me. So, you know how I keep talking about MC and Jacob possibly being connected to the Cursed Vaults by blood? And how MC and Jacob are born Legilimenses, for example? The point is that there’s something going on when it comes to family, so perhaps the choice of “McClintock” was supposed to be a very loose connection to that? Because here’s the thing: Jacob we know from before the Portrait Vault was a huge nerd. And he would definitely get interested in a such potential connection and tried to study. And I’m sorry, but Callum McClintock totally gives “a huge nerd” vibes.

I mean, just look at them:

A) A huge nerd, an intellectual, loves reading old books, probably said: “the dustier, the better” at some point in his life. Would absolutely come up with his own code by modifying Ancient Runes (that would impress Rowan Khanna some years later).

B) A half-brain. Gets into fights after football matches and gets drunk with his bros.

Also, can I just say that Callum showed more concern about MC during a couple of minutes than Fugly Slut over the whole time since we got him out of that stupid portrait???

Finally, one more silly thing. As you can see above, Callum has black hair. Interestingly, Peregrine also has black hair and it doesn’t change based on MC, unlike his eyes or skin colour.

Now, I’m aware that it’s totally possible for dark-haired people to have light-haired children… But considering that dark hair is a dominant gene, wouldn’t it make sense that at least one child inherited Peregrine’s hair colour?

Anyway, I guess that’s it for now! Again, I’m ready to accept that Callum is not Jacob – though I will cry from happiness for a week if he is… But I’ll actually be surprised if he has no connection to R whatsoever. I don’t know, maybe he simply runs his own investigation in his free time or something? I suppose it’d be enough for Peregrine to want to hunt him down.

#long post #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm spoilers #hphm mc #hphm jacob #hphm peregrine #hphm r #callum mcclintock #olivia green #analysis post #theory #hphm theory

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carewyncromwell · 10 months

Photo

“I had my books to read -- Didn't know that I would ever need Other ponies to make my life complete... But there was one colt that I cared for -- I knew he would be there for me! My Big Brother Best Friend Forever! Like two peas in a pod, we did everything together! He taught me how to fly a kite... (Best friend forever!) We never had a single fight... (We did everything together!)

~“B.B.B.F.F. (Big Brother Best Friend Forever)” from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

x~x~x~x

Christmas was always a very special time for Carewyn Cromwell. For as far back as she could remember, it was the time of year when she could sing lots of beautiful music and spend quality time with her two favorite people in the world -- her mother, Lane, and her big brother, Jacob. Even before she took the name “Carewyn Cromwell” -- in that time when her Muggle father Evan Bach was still in the picture and so she, Jacob, and Lane had all had his last name -- the holiday season had always been special. Understandably Carewyn doesn’t remember her time as “Carewyn Bach” that well, given how very young she was, but there were two images she held onto tightly from that time in their old house in Westminster, both of which were from her third Christmas. The first was of a tall man with his face in shadow tentatively patting the top of her head -- the second was of sitting on her stomach on the floor, squashed under the fully lit Christmas tree. If one were to ask Jacob about these fragmented memories of his sister’s, he would have the appropriate context needed to understand them.

The Bachs’ house in Westminster was a decently-sized, two-story detached home -- a rare and special thing so close to the city. It was made all of red brick, with multiple large white-painted windows and a white-painted front door with a brass door knocker. Its modest front yard was mainly covered over with brick, but hosted several white rose bushes that Evan paid to be pruned and trimmed bimonthly, to keep everything well-coiffed and respectable. The largest of the house’s windows was a bay window over the kitchen table with a ledge that Lane always put a vase of flowers in and that the family’s old Siamese cat Ella used to sunbathe on. And during the holiday season, the kitchen table was moved so that Lane could put the decorated and lit Christmas tree right beside the bay window, so that any visitors to the Bach home could see the lights twinkling out through the glass.

This Christmas -- the 25th of December 1974 -- was set to be Jacob’s tenth Christmas and Carewyn’s third. Carewyn had turned two that September, while Jacob was just two months shy of his eleventh birthday. Carewyn had grown a lot in that last year -- Lane was charmed by how quickly she’d picked up talking, even after how slow she’d been to start walking, and Jacob only egged this on by talking to Carewyn almost constantly, whenever they were together. More than a few times that December he asked his sister about what she wanted Father Christmas to bring her, though Carewyn didn’t seem to know how to answer.

“I dunno,” she’d say, as her eyes migrated up toward the ceiling.

“Oh, come on,” Jacob encouraged her. “You’ve got to want something. And with how good a girl you’ve been all year, I’m sure Father Christmas’ll give it to you, if you ask him.”

Carewyn didn’t answer, instead too preoccupied with tugging at the loose thread on the corner of her skirt. Immediately picking up on her restlessness, Jacob neatly ripped off the thread off his sister’s skirt with no effort.

“Do you want a new dress?” asked Jacob. “A new teddy bear? Or how about an Easy-Bake Oven? Then you can bake your own cakes and sweets, all by yourself!”

“I dun want a Noven,” Carewyn mumbled.

“Why not?” asked Jacob. “Don’t you want to be able to make your own treats whenever you want?”

Carewyn shook her head stubbornly. “I dun want a Noven because...you didn’t get one.”

Jacob blinked in surprise. Carewyn kept her eyes down on the skirt of her dress, flapping it up and down absently.

“Mum said...Mum said to Dad that you asked...Fafa Christmas for a Noven for Christmas. And a chem -- chem -- chem’stree sit.”

“A chemistry set,” Jacob corrected with a broadening smile.

“Mm-hmm. But Mum said...you didn’t get the Noven you wanted. Even if you really wanted one.”

Jacob’s face softened in understanding. His almond-shaped blue eyes sparkled fondly down at his little sister.

“Aw, Pip...you’re right. I didn’t get the Easy-Bake Oven I asked for. But it’s okay -- it was a while ago that I asked for it...”

Three Christmases ago, in fact -- the year Carewyn was born. It made Jacob wonder why Lane had even brought it up to Evan again after so long...was Evan rambling on about Jacob not having interests like “normal” boys his age again or something?

“...And well, I still got my chemistry set, and that was fun.”

Carewyn looked unconvinced. “But...weren’t you sad?”

“That I didn’t get my Easy-Bake? Sure, a little bit,” Jacob reassured her. “But well, I’m not as good of a kid as you are -- it’s probably appropriate that I didn’t get everything I wanted for Christmas...”

If Mum had managed to convince Pops to let me have a ‘girly thing’ like an Easy-Bake Oven, it would’ve been a minor miracle, Jacob thought sourly.

Carewyn's cute little face twisted into a deep frown.

“You are good, Jacob!” she said, sounding incredibly upset.

She immediately threw her arms around her brother’s waist and squeezed. Jacob, who’d predicted the move before Carewyn made it, caught her in both arms, and his face softened further as he hugged her back just as tightly.

“Hm, well...at least you think so, Pip.”

With this, he scooped her up and started heading for the kitchen.

“Come on -- why don’t I help you write your letter? You tell me what you want to say to Father Christmas, and I’ll write it down.”

“Kay.”

~*~

Jacob did end up proofreading and clarifying Carewyn’s sentences quite a bit, when writing her letter. When he read it aloud for Carewyn, though, she was beaming from ear to ear and nodding, clearly approving of his “translation.”

Dear Father Christmas,

My big brother Jacob is writing this letter to you for me. I wanted to tell you to get him everything on his list, please, and to get Dad a new record that I can listen to. Elvis is fun! Also, Mum needs some new rainboots. Please make them yellow, so they match mine. I also want to go to school with Jacob, but Jacob says you can only give me things you can wrap up with paper and ribbons. So please just give me something pretty, wrapped up in pretty paper with a pretty blue ribbon. Blue’s my favorite color.

Don’t eat too many biscuits, or you’ll get a tummy ache.

Love from

Carewyn

~*~

When the morning of Christmas arrived, there was a large haul of neatly-wrapped presents under the tree. Every single present was wrapped in the same kind of music-note-printed white paper, with identically-tied red or green bows. Several years later that particular type of packaging would be the main thing that would clue Carewyn onto the fact that they were all wrapped by her mother Lane, rather than Father Christmas. For now, though, Carewyn didn’t think anything of it, instead taking innocent joy out of her parents neatly undoing the paper on their gifts while her brother overdramatically ripped open the paper on his, grinning mischievously at her the entire time as she tried to bite back her giggles.

“Jacob, dun do that!” little Carewyn would scold Jacob, lightly punching his back and shoulder through her giggles. Her ineffectual scolding would only make her brother laugh louder, which in turn only made Carewyn happier and more giggly than ever. The noise, however, grated on Evan, who rubbed his temple irritably.

“Jacob,” their father said reprovingly, “that is quite enough.”

Jacob shot Evan a rather sour glare -- Lane immediately intervened by leaning over her lap so that she could lightly pat her son’s shoulder from his place on the floor.

“Settle down just a bit, you two,” she said more gently. Clearly she had been a bit overwhelmed by the noise too, but had held back seeing just how happy her kids were. “Jay...I believe that one on the side is the last of your gifts. Why don’t you open it, so we can move on to Winnie’s?”

Putting down the Once and Future King anthology he’d unwrapped with the other books he’d gotten, Jacob shifted over to look under the tree. He found that last gift (which was wrapped in a red ribbon) and, once he’d reached around Ella the cat, brought the package into his lap. It was a moderately-sized gift, about the size of the books he’d already gotten from Father Christmas. It also had a tag written in Lane’s neat penmanship that read, “To Jacob, from Mum and Dad.”

With a quick, beady look at Evan, Jacob very pointedly ripped the paper right off the top so that he could see what was inside.

When he looked at its contents, though, his eyes lit up like fireworks.

“...A portable cassette player and recorder!” he cried in delight. “Mum -- you actually got it -- ?!”

“Your father paid for it,” Lane said pointedly with a wry smile. “I just picked it up at the store.”

She glanced at her husband meaningfully, who cleared his throat.

“...Yes, well...you have been behaving a bit better as of late, Jacob,” Evan mumbled. “Helping your mother around the house...looking after your sister...”

“And you clearly wanted it so much,” Lane said fondly.

Jacob’s face had burst into an amazingly bright smile, worthy of the sun. Unable to stop himself, he jumped to his feet and ran over to throw his arms around his mother in the biggest hug.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he said, beaming from ear to ear. “It’s just what I wanted!”

Once he’d released Lane, Jacob seized the box from the floor and sat back down on the rug as he started babbling excitedly to Carewyn.

“Look here, Pip -- this is a recorder! Now I can record songs from the radio and we can play them on cassette tape whenever we want! And I can record other things too! I can record things in class and play them back for you, or I can record us singing -- I can even just leave you messages you can play here while I’m at school!”

Carewyn’s eyes lit up, just listening to Jacob. It was like his enthusiasm just bled into her like colors running through a watercolor painting, and she was soon beaming just as broadly as her brother. Evan sat off to the side of the couch, watching his son eagerly share his gift with Carewyn with a strange, almost sad smile prickling at his features.

Noticing her husband’s expression, Lane brought a hand onto his knee, giving it a supportive squeeze before turning back to her children.

“All right, Jay,” she said with a smile. “I think it’s high time Winnie started opening her presents.”

Jacob’s huge grin seemed to gleam brighter at this. “Right!"

Once again reaching around Ella the cat, he picked up one of the remaining packages under the tree, all of them wrapped in blue ribbon, and handing it to his little sister.

“Don’t forget to read the note for her, Jay,” Lane reminded him.

Jacob peeked at it over her shoulder. “‘To Carewyn, from Father Christmas.’” He smiled encouragingly at her. “Go on, then, Pip.”

Carewyn got mostly clothes that year. Both “Father Christmas” and most of Evan’s family members sent along new dresses, though Evan’s cousin Mary had sent along a set of cute little toys called Weebles, which Ella the cat ended up playing with just as much as Carewyn did.

“Don’t forget to thank Cousin Mary when she visits, Winnie,” Lane reminded her.

“Yes, Mum,” Carewyn said promptly, even while only half paying attention.

Along with the dresses, Father Christmas also got Carewyn a new baby blue romper, perfect for playing outside. Carewyn’s last gift, though, earned a strange frown from Jacob when he read the tag.

“‘To Carewyn, from Dad.’”

Carewyn didn’t notice the confused look Jacob shot their father as she took the gift into both hands and very neatly undid the bow. Once the bow was off, she ripped off the corner so she could tear off the rest of the paper.

Inside was a rather pretty blue book with a beautifully painted illustration of an angelic-looking woman floating over a princess sitting in an open coach led by horses -- “The Classic Fairy Tales.”

“Oh, Winnie,” said Lane in breathy happiness, “it’s a book! Your very first book, Winnie.”

She shot a significant smile at Jacob. Feeling confused, Jacob glanced back at Evan -- Evan’s body language was evasive as he got up from the couch to put his spent coffee cup in the sink.

“Well, yes, I...thought it was about time that we built up a proper library for the baby,” he said stiffly. “Books suitable for a girl her age...”

“They’re magic stories, Winnie,” Lane said to her, her voice soft in both volume and emotion as Carewyn flipped through the pages of the book, consulting the pictures. “They’re stories your father and I can read to you at night, before you go to sleep.”

Jacob was still kind of bewildered watching his parents through this whole thing. There was something under the surface in how Lane and Evan spoke about the book that Jacob just didn’t quite get -- it didn’t feel like Lane had picked out the book and Evan had paid for it, the way they had with Jacob’s recorder, and yet Lane didn’t seem at all surprised by the gift (understandable, since she’d wrapped it) and seemed to really want Carewyn to be excited about it. Was it just because Lane liked reading as much as Jacob did and wanted Carewyn to like it too? If so, why didn’t she take some credit for the gift? For whatever reason she’d wanted Carewyn to see this gift as being just from her dad, not both of them.

That schmuck barely pays Pip any mind, in the first place, Jacob thought irritably. It was one of the things that made him most resent his father, that he ignored Carewyn so much of the time. Even now, he’s not even looking at her...

This thought made something click in Jacob’s head.

Is that why Mum wants him to get sole credit? Because she wants Pip to think Pops does care?

Jacob’s lips twitched with a smile despite himself.

Aw, Mum...you hate how he ignores her just as much as I do, don’t you?

Noticing Carewyn glancing up at him, Jacob grinned all the more brightly.

“That’s Hansel and Gretel, Pip,” he said, pointing at the picture she’d stopped on. “That’s a great story -- it’s about a brother and a sister, just like us! And that’s Cinderella,” he added, pointing to the picture on the cover. “She’s going to this really big party. See her dress? It’s pretty, right?”

Carewyn’s eyes seemed to sparkle seeing how happy Jacob was. She beamed from ear to ear, nodding eagerly. Then, with a quick look up at Evan as he returned to the sitting room, she put down the open book on the floor. She shuffled up onto her feet and toddled over to her father. Before he could sit down, she then threw her arms around his leg and hugged it, just the way Jacob had thrown his arms around Lane earlier.

“Just I wanted!” she chirped.

Evan looked completely taken aback. He stared down at Carewyn, his dark eyes wide and his expression almost insecure in how he took in his tiny daughter’s beaming face. Then, very tentatively, he reached out a hand and patted the top of her head, attempting a weak smile of his own.

“...I’m...glad you like it,” he said lowly.

Even despite his discomfort, his dark eyes did betray something oddly touched as he shifted his gaze over to Lane, who was smiling warmly. His weak smile even became that bit stronger, seeing his wife’s expression.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, “we’d...best get ready for the day. It’s nearly 11 already...”

~*~

After all four Bachs had gotten washed and dressed, Lane set about getting the Christmas turkey cooked in the kitchen, while Evan went out to pick up the chocolate Yule Log he’d ordered at the local cake shop for dessert. Originally Lane had suggested Jacob and Carewyn go with their father for the drive, but Carewyn was so preoccupied with her new Weebles (or, more importantly, watching Ella the cat bat at them with her paw) that Evan decided it was better to “leave the baby” at home. As soon as Carewyn was going to be left out of the little “outing,” though, Jacob immediately decided he’d stay at home too, and he promptly picked up one of his new books (A Wrinkle in Time), slouched across the armchair with his legs dangling off the arm, and started to read. Carewyn was a little put-out when Evan left the house, but she was distracted soon enough when the kitchen timer went off and she immediately toddled over to “help” her mother with setting the table. (This involved Carewyn taking the cups Lane handed to her in both hands and delivering them one at a time over to the table, as well as pulling all the chairs around the table out enough that everyone could sit down comfortably.)

After their late lunch of turkey, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, pigs-in-blankets, and stuffing, the Bachs watched the Queen’s Christmas Broadcast -- a tradition Evan insisted on, though Jacob always found it incredibly uninteresting. He took several opportunities during the broadcast to make faces at Carewyn to try to make her laugh, which irritated Evan. The rest of the day involved enjoying the chocolate Yule Log and singing along to the family’s Christmas records. Jacob sang It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year so flawlessly that Evan actually praised him -- something Jacob didn’t quite know how to accept, considering how little Evan did it. Jacob ultimately chose to forget the whole thing when Evan left the room altogether in response to Carewyn happily screaming out her best attempt at Sleigh Ride, claiming a headache. This left Jacob, Carewyn, and Lane alone for about an hour, during which Lane quieted Carewyn down by shifting the records over to the works of the Kings College Choir. Evan returned in time to hear Lane quietly singing along to The Holly and the Ivy, and he came up behind her to kiss her on the cheek.

“Pretty pretty, Mum,” Carewyn said, beaming as she gave a light tug to her mother’s pant leg.

Lane laughed softly as she scooped Carewyn up into her lap and gave her a big hug. “Thank you, sweetie.”

The night ended with two mugs of hot chocolate with marshmallows, one cup of coffee with milk and sugar, and one cup of English Breakfast Tea with lemon in front of the fireplace. Ella the cat curled up for a nap on the now-completely-empty skirt under the Christmas tree in the kitchen while Jacob and Carewyn played with his new recorder and Evan put the batteries in the new pocket calculator that Father Christmas had gotten him. These moments were captured in pictures taken with Lane’s own gift from Father Christmas: a snazzy new Polaroid camera.

At seven o’clock, Lane took Carewyn upstairs so she could get ready for bed. She tried to encourage Evan to come up with her, even going so far as to place Carewyn’s blue book of fairy tales on the side table near the stairs pointedly, but Evan soon became too preoccupied with setting up the new coffee maker in the kitchen and never ended up making it up there.

Looking noticeably disheartened as she came back downstairs, Lane didn’t even look at the book on the table again as she settled herself back down in the armchair -- and so Jacob once again found himself glaring openly in his father’s direction as he got up from his spot on the floor.

“I’m going to bed too,” he said very shortly.

He scooped up all of the books he’d gotten, as well as his recorder, and carried them upstairs. He pointedly didn’t look at Evan, even when he purposefully knocked right into him on his way up the stairs.

“Jacob!” Evan called after him, taken aback and disapproving.

But Jacob didn’t care. Even with how sweet and innocent his Pippa was, all that old plonker ever did was ignore her -- he didn’t deserve a “sorry.”

~*~

Because Jacob went up to bed so early, he hadn’t gone to the bathroom beforehand. That was why he ended up having to get up in the middle of the night. Once he’d left the hall bathroom and started back toward bed, though, he noticed the door to his sister’s room had been left ajar.

Pip?

Feeling a pang of concern, Jacob darted over. Upon peeking into her room and turning on the light, he didn’t find her. He looked around, taking note of the empty hallway and the other closed doors on the floor, and then as sneakily as he could, he darted across the hall and down the stairs. He didn’t find her in any of the chairs in the sitting room or on the floor either.

“Pip?” Jacob called out only as loud as he dared. “Pippa?”

There was a rustling from somewhere in the kitchen. Jacob came around the door frame and entered the kitchen, and immediately relaxed.

There was Carewyn in her lacy flower-printed nightgown, nestled underneath the Christmas tree. She was lying on her stomach, with her legs stretched out behind her and her arms folded under her, and Ella the cat was stretched out on the tree skirt next to her. The Siamese cat surveyed Jacob with a mild expression as he approached.

“There you are!” said Jacob. “What are you doing under there?”

Carewyn shrugged, her eyes falling down to her hands clutching the tree skirt. Jacob crouched down to better look her in the eye.

“You’re not hiding, are you?” he said with an amiable grin.

Carewyn shook her head.

“Well, good,” said Jacob. “You know you don’t have to hide from me...”

His expression grew a bit more concerned. “Is everything okay?”

Carewyn nodded. It seemed like the truth to Jacob -- she didn’t seem the least bit distressed. Instead she almost seemed expectant: like she was patiently waiting for something.

Jacob cocked an eyebrow at the Christmas tree and then back down at his sister, his face slowly unfurling in a bigger grin.

“...Aw, Pippa...you’re not waiting for Father Christmas, are you?” he asked.

Carewyn looked up at him with a rather bashful expression. It made Jacob laugh despite himself.

“Aw...he’s not coming again tonight, Pip. It’s Christmas! Father Christmas only comes on the night before Christmas.”

Carewyn’s face noticeably dropped, hearing this. “...Fafa Christmas isn’t coming back?”

“He will,” said Jacob. “Just not tonight. He only ever comes once a year.”

Carewyn’s gaze fell down to the floor as she rested her head on her hands. Her eyes even started to water a bit.

“Aw, Pip, it’s okay,” Jacob reassured her immediately. “He’ll be back next year. And when he does, you’re such a good girl that you’re bound to get even nicer presents...”

But Carewyn shook her head.

“I dun want any more,” she mumbled.

Jacob blinked. “You don’t?”

Carewyn shook her head again. “Mm-mm...I got I wanted.”

She shifted a bit. When she did, Jacob finally took in what she’d been holding against her chest. It was the book of fairy tales Evan had gifted her -- she slid it over to him so he could pick it up.

“I got a pretty...with...with a pretty paper an’ a pretty bow,” Carewyn explained. “I wanted to say...I got I wanted.”

Jacob felt like his heart was being enveloped in a huge warm hug as he heard this. All he’d been able to wrangle out of her, when writing her Christmas letter, was that she’d wanted something pretty, wrapped up in pretty paper with a blue bow. Even though, yes, their mother Lane had wrapped up all of her gifts with blue bows, Carewyn had clearly found the book to be the prettiest of her gifts -- maybe, Jacob suddenly considered, because Lane and Jacob had reacted so happily about it. Because unlike the Weebles or the clothes she’d gotten, it was something that Carewyn could share with them, the same way Jacob had shared his recorder with her.

“I wanted to say I got I wanted.” She wanted to tell Father Christmas how much she liked her gifts.

Fondness for his baby sister washed over Jacob like a wave of warm water, making his blue eyes shine with pride and affection.

Pip, you really are a saint.

“...Well, then...”

With some difficulty, Jacob sidled underneath the Christmas tree so that he too was lying down on the floor on his stomach next to Carewyn.

“...Since you got just what you wanted...how about I read you a proper bedtime story? Since old Pops didn’t get around to it.”

Carewyn smiled and nodded. With a broadening grin, Jacob flipped open the book until he’d found the story he was looking for.

“Here we go...‘Hansel and Gretel.’”

“They’re like us,” Carewyn recalled brightly, pointing at the picture of the two siblings.

“Right, they’re brother and sister, just like us,” Jacob said, grinning as he affectionately bumped his shoulder beside Carewyn’s. He then proceeded to read,

“‘Once upon a time, near a great forest, there lived a poor woodcutter, his wife, and their two children. The boy's name was Hansel and the girl's Gretel...’”

As Jacob told the story, he took every opportunity he could to make Carewyn laugh, putting on his best imitation of his snippy English teacher when reading for the woodcutter’s wife and a cackling, “old-lady” voice for the witch. It entertained both Carewyn and Jacob greatly. Carewyn liked the first story so much that Jacob went on to read two more -- Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella -- after which Carewyn started to nod off. Her head drooped down onto her brother’s shoulder, and Jacob smiled fondly down at her before, taking care to avoid Ella the cat, he slid both himself and his little sister out from under the tree and scooped her up so he could carry her upstairs to bed. The old Siamese cat proceeded to follow Jacob and Carewyn upstairs, only breaking off once Jacob had put Carewyn to bed and closed the door. The feline then lost interest and sidled her way back downstairs, presumably to “reclaim” her spot on the tree skirt. Jacob himself then went off to bed, a full smile attached to his face.

Evan ultimately left almost no impact on Carewyn’s life. Fortunately she never had any gaping holes left behind in his absence -- for she had a devoted big brother there to ensure she never once felt like she wasn’t special or her feelings didn’t matter.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #my writing #carewyn cromwell #jacob cromwell #evan bach #lane cromwell #okay this is *supposed* to be a companion to that post I did about evan and jacob #you know for father's day -- focusing on carewyn's relationship with her dad #but it ended up being a few days late *and* focused on christmas #so hahaha we've got christmas in july #oh well! XDD #but yeah I'd always had carewyn's birthday in august 1973 but in order for math to work I realized it would have to be in september 1972 #damn it :P #but anyway #on a personal note that 'just i wanted' thing? that's actually based on an old christmas video of me when I was little #I was imitating my parents since they'd used the phrase 'it's just what I wanted' when they opened their gifts #the thing I was *so* happy to receive that year?#a VHS of snow white and the seven dwarfs #<3

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