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violet-knox · 4 years

Text

Returning Home

Part 2 of Conflict of Interest

Pairing: Severus Snape x Reader

Summary: You head back to Hogwarts to fight for the Order during the battle and find Severus to get answers to your questions.

Warnings: Angst... with a capital A 👉👈👉👈 Death, Blood, Voldemort and more angst

Word Count: 8386

A/N: This takes place a few months after part 1 in the middle of the war. I’ve pasted a few quotes from the book which I’ll mention at the bottom to avoid spoilers and obviously the credit for that goes to JKR.

Obviously I've been writing too much fluff lately soooooo...... I'M NOT SORRY!

Part 1

Everything was in ruins. The castle in a worse state than the night you’d left, abandoning your home, the responsibility you had to the students that now lay dead on the floors of the one place they were supposed to be safe, the place their parents had put their faith in when they agreed to send them back in September. You’d abandoned your love, your life, everything you’d held dear. A job that gave you everything yet left you feeling so unfulfilled. But what choice did you have? Severus Snape, Headmaster of Hogwarts, your partner and thought to be soulmate had done exactly what you’d feared and led the once great school into war. And where was he now? Hiding away somewhere to save his skin? Or perhaps he truly was the Death Eater everyone but you believed him to be, gone to stand by his Master’s side. Oh how the great have fallen, crashing and burning to the ground with nothing to show for but betrayal and loss. What would he say to you now that your nightmares had all come true? All that hope you’d carried for him gone. How could he possibly explain this chaos and exonerate himself from the horror he’d caused?

Every corner you turned you were greeted by more bloodshed. Innocents dead, Death Eaters throwing every type of Dark Magic left and right. Not a single stone in Hogwarts walls was left undamaged; some chipped or torn out from its place and most others displaying the blood of students, staff members, Aurors… your friends, ex-colleagues and peers. The sight made you wish you’d both arrived sooner and never shown up at the same time. It made you wish you’d done more than the petty hunting you’d taken part in these last few months. What good were a few caught Death Eaters now that they’d all gathered and attacked the school, destroying the place you’d left to protect?

Heading down to the end of the corridor, you turned towards the loudest of the three halls the castle offered you, filled with nothing but chaos and found a few Aurors, some you recognized, others you thought were too young to enter such a racking fight, defending themselves against a bundle of Death Eaters. You quickly joined them, throwing curse after curse, standing by their side, holding your own against the Dark Magic thrown your way.

You’d barely begun defending the school when suddenly, the wall behind the Death Eaters you fought exploded outwards, sending rockets of stone their way. You quickly shielded yourself, casting protego and watched as the school defended itself. Every Death Eater was thrown off their feet, some greeting death as soon as they hit the ground and others finding themselves not so lucky, facing wounds that would defeat even the best Healer in the world before facing down the end of an Auror’s wand.

Holding your wand up stead, you made your way towards the rubble, casting the killing curse towards a Death Eater the second you saw them twitch and stepped over the broken wall to a sight even worse than that you’d previously been greeted with. Groups of students lay dead as others ran down the corridor only to fall at the hand of another Death Eater. You couldn’t stand the sight and your anger grew the more you thought about how insignificant your helping hand really was these last few months. You were only one person, what could you possibly do to truly help these poor kids?

Making your way down the hall, you did what you could, saving as many students as possible until you heard the familiar sound of a voice you could have sworn could only belong to man of the hour himself, the Chosen One; Harry Potter. But it was him, it had to be, who else would be so bold as to use the name of you-know-who so openly, especially at a time like this?

"You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him, won't he? Do it, Harry- look inside him!" You couldn’t recognize the girl's voice at first, the fear hidden in her tone masking her usual confidence, but of course it had to be Miss. Granger.

Silence fell a while and you edged closer towards them, still hiding behind the broken wall, keeping your presence scarce.

"He's in the Shrieking Shack,” Harry finally spoke. “The snake's with him, it's got some sort of magical protection around it. He's just sent Lucius Malfoy to find Snape."

Your heart nearly stopped at the mere mention of Severus. So, it was true. It was all true and you’d been too blinded by love, convincing yourself his words were enough to believe when they were nothing more than lies. Your vision blurred as you placed a hand over your mouth, trying to keep from falling apart, tears running down your cheeks. You slumped to the ground and all the noise, all the chaos around you disappeared as you spiraled down the rabbit hole of grief. There was no need for a spy now, no need to pretend during this wad and if Harry’s words were true, that left you with one obvious conclusion; Severus Snape was a Death Eater.

"He's not-he's not even FIGHTING?" Hermione had never sounded so outraged before, her risen voice snapping your mind back to reality. Your head pounded, fighting your heart which begged to find another explanation for Severus, anything to prove what you had with him wasn’t a lie. You wanted so badly to believe you’d hallucinated this conversation, that Harry had made up what he said was true but the more they spoke, the more your hope faded along with your dreams of a pleasant reunion.

"He doesn't think he needs to fight," said Harry. "He thinks I'm going to go to him."

You closed your eyes, unable to hear anymore. Your head felt like it was about to implode from rejecting the fact that Severus had lied to you, telling you he was fighting, spying for Dumbledore when he’d double crossed the Order, he’d double crossed you. Placing your face in your hands, you brought your knees up to your chest, taking deep breaths as you tried to clear your mind. Now was not the time to panic. Now wasn’t the time to feel resentful. A war had broken out and you were in the midst of it. The important thing right now was to fight and win this battle before all was lost to the darkness that had enveloped your love.

But if Severus had been truthful to you, the one person in his life you knew he trusted more than anyone, then perhaps there was something going on greater than these attacks. Something you were unaware of. Why was Harry Potter looking for that snake and why was it so heavily protected? If anyone knew, it would be Severus, and if Potter and his friends were planning to make their way to the Shrieking Shack then it was only logical for you to go with them. Even if Severus had betrayed you, even if there was no deeper plot, you could still do your part and protect the boy who lived. He was supposed to be the key to winning this war after all, so the best thing you could do for the sake of the Wizarding World was find the truth and protect him.

Just when you’d finally made a decision and jumped back up to your feet, you heard two Death Eaters shouting for Potter, approaching him with their drawn wands. But Miss. Granger had beaten you to the punch, attacking them before making a break for it. With the sudden chaos that ensued, you could no longer spot them. You honestly weren’t sure if they’d decided on their next move, but you knew at least one of them would head to the Shrieking Shack which meant they would all do what they could to assist.

You quickly sprinted towards the Entrance Hall, encountering Death Eater after Death Eater on your way, but finally you’d found yourself outside the castle doors, spotting Potter and his friends running out of range of a giant screaming ‘Hagger’. You couldn’t even stop to question the giant and his eagerness. Time was of the essence. You watched them sprint towards the Whomping Willow and remembered the story Severus had told you about the time he’d caught Sirius Black.

He’d told you about how he’d found him in the Shrieking Shack by following Potter into a secret tunnel under the Whomping Willow. He’d never told you how he knew about the tunnel, but at the time, you hadn’t thought to question it, enticed by Severus’ bravery and ambition instead. Whatever the case may be, his story clearly had some truth to it and could help you find your own way to the Shrieking Shack after those kids who suddenly seemed to have disappeared.

No matter, you knew exactly where they were heading, and they couldn’t be too far ahead of you. Soon enough, you’d managed to make your way to the tree that had begun aggressively swinging its branches in every direction. You quickly found a nearby branch and made your way to the knot under its trunk, immobilizing it as soon as you hit it, just as Severus had described. Ducking into the opening under the tree, you found yourself completely in the dark with nothing but silence accompanying you. Taking out your wand, you cast lumos and began making your way down the seemingly endless tunnel.

Eventually, the end came near and you felt your heart pound aggressively against your chest, your adrenaline beginning to wear as the fear of what you might encounter on the other side of this trap door ensued. You’d come all this way, there was no going back now, no backing down. This is what you’d come for, what you’d left Severus for; the chance to help end this war.

You summoned up every last ounce of bravery you had to spare and pushed aside your doubt along with the trap door, climbing into the Shrieking Shack and immediately found yourself met with an agonizing scream coming from the room next door. You slowly edged your way to the exit, staying with your back pressed against the wall, wand at the ready and found Potter, Granger and Weasley all crouched down, listening in on whatever was happening in the next room. When the commotion settled and you heard he-who-must-not-be-named leave the room, you watched the trio walk in with a lack of defensive precaution.

To say you were baffled by their motions would be an understatement. Clearly there was still someone in there and to head in acting as if they’d been called for dinner without their wands at the ready was completely absurd. You quickly moved forward gripping your own wand tightly, ready for whatever it was you were about to walk into as you followed them into the unknown room. But no amount of precaution or training could have prepared you for the sight you saw as soon as you turned that corner.

“Severus,” you whispered in complete and utter shock. He was lying there with his throat cut out, his hands desperately grasping at Potter as the floor was painted red with his blood. You felt your heart collapse, your head spin in agony as you rushed forward, pushing past Granger and Weasley, throwing yourself on the ground beside Severus. You’d never felt so helpless, so useless before in your life. You wanted to help, you wanted to save him, but you didn’t know how.

A terrible rasping, gurgling noise suddenly issued from Severus’ throat and your attention was brought up to watch his eyes desperately begging Potter for something you could never begin to even imagine.

"Take...it...Take...it..."

Memories oozed out of his mouth, eyes and ears but you couldn’t be bothered to wonder what he was doing, you couldn’t accept this. He can’t die, he can’t. He hasn’t explained himself to you yet. He hasn’t told you how wrong everyone was to call him a Death Eater, how he truly was fighting for the light, how he was simply doing as he was told standing by the side of you-know-who as Dumbledore had asked. He hasn’t told you how much he loved you.

You looked down at your wand and blinked away your tears. This can’t be it, it simply can’t. This is not the end, it just can’t be. Hovering your wand over his neck, you began muttering every healing charm you could think of, holding on to the hope that one of them would work despite the fact that you knew deep down those marks on his neck indicated snake venom was running through his veins, poisoning him and ripping out any smidge of life he had left to give.

You didn’t stop, you couldn’t stop until you felt those familiar slim fingers graze your hand. Severus had motioned for you to halt your motions, but you couldn’t accept that, shaking your head as your eyes filled with tears, looking into his. His hand felt so weak, so cold, colder than usual and his face was so pale. He was dying and you couldn’t do anything but beg and plead for him to stay.

“Please… please don’t leave me,” you whispered, leaning as close to him as you could, placing your hand above him as you dropped your wand.

Severus kept his eyes glued to yours, a few more memories escaping his lips as he focused on your touch, the delicate features of your face, your hair. He’d missed you so much these last few months; they were torture without you and he knew he’d only made it as far as he did with this mission because you’d been by his side. Even when you’d left, it was the thought of seeing your face once this was all over that kept him going. How poetic must it be for your face to be the last he’d see now.

"Look...at....me..." he whispered, bringing your attention from the second flask Granger had used to capture the last set of memories he’d given up and back to him. Your eyes met one last time before that twinkle behind his black orbs vanished, his hand slipping between yours and thudded to the ground.

“No.” The word stumbled out of your mouth as you desperately went to reach for his hand, grasping it tightly with your own and bringing it up to your chest. Your swallowed screams came out as incoherent whines as you tried searching his eyes, finding nothing but emptiness. He was gone.

You’d barely had two seconds to process what just happened when suddenly, the voice of he-who-must-not-be-named echoed through your ears, filling your mind with vile thoughts of anger and fear atop the grief you’d felt for your lost love.

"You have fought," said the high, cold voice, "valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery."

You closed your eyes, somehow hoping that would shut him out, that it would shut out the world to leave you be or wake you from this hellish nightmare you were living. But you were given no such luck as he continued to speak, his voice resonating the agony and despair you felt.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."

Dispose of your dead. He spoke as if the lives lost during this war were nothing more than trash to him and why would he care? He who never learned to love, never cared for someone as you had Severus. You couldn’t bear looking at his eyes anymore knowing they’d never look back at you. His hand lifeless in yours, never to hold you again. Placing two fingers over his eyelids, you closed them and placed his hand over his chest before reaching into his robes where you knew he stashed his wand to retrieve it.

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you.” His voice still rang in your ears and you finally remembered you weren’t alone. There was still a battle to be won, a war to end, lives to save. “You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

"Don't listen to him," said Weasley.

"It'll be all right." Granger’s sudden wild tone threw you back and you felt yourself go stiff under all the stress and grief this war had brought. "Let's-- let's get back to the castle, if he's gone to the forest we'll need to think of a new plan--"

The trio all stood to make their way out, but you couldn’t move a muscle. Eyes closed, you hung your head and planted your palms on the ground. You had to wake up, this couldn’t be real. These last few months, they must have been a dream. You’d dreamt it all and you were back in bed with Severus in his chambers at Hogwarts sleeping next to him after making up. It was the only reasonable scenario because this simply can’t be real, it can’t.

“Professor.” But Granger’s voice had just proved you wrong. This was your reality and it was too much for you to withstand. You wanted to stay with Severus no matter what it may bring, yet you knew you couldn’t. You had to protect the children, the students and help the Order fight against that monster.

You took in a deep breath and shoved your grief into a cupboard in the depths of your mind, locking it shut before jumping to your feet, griping hold of your wand along with Severus’ and the flask of memories Granger had left for you. You followed Potter and his friends back through the tunnel from which you came, nothing but silence passed between the four of you as you tried to wrap your head around the events that just occurred.

You couldn’t think straight. It was all just too much. You wanted answers, you wanted to help and that was supposed to be the point in your trip to the Shrieking Shack but instead of having your questions answered, you’d been shown nothing but what you’d lost and could never regain.

The darkness accompanied you out of the tunnel as you exited out of the Whomping Willow and dragged yourself to the Great Hall, following the others. You felt unhinged, like this reality wasn’t your own and perhaps it wasn’t. It was the cruel reality of fate, rejected by those who’d stood over their love’s empty vessels.

You somehow felt yourself envious of those mourning the ones they lost in the Great Hall because at least they could mourn knowing they were loved, hugging those still present in the land of the living. Walking down the room, you gazed upon the students, Aurors and staff members lost in the war, the survivors huddled in groups where the house tables used to stand. Nothing more than hardship and devastation passed from one person to the next.

Fresh tears streamed down your face at the thought of Severus lying there alone in the shack where you’d left him. He should be here. You should both be huddled in the corner alongside the others thanking Merlin you’d survived this long instead of this loneliness you felt accompanying you as you found your way to the nearest wall, throwing your back up against it and sinking down to the ground.

You brought your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them, instantly rocking back and forth in an attempt to comfort yourself. You’d never felt such a cascading rush of emotions before, thoughts of anger and resentment replaced by agony and remorse the second you saw Severus on the ground. In that moment, it didn’t matter to you what side he was on. He was your heart, your soul, your everything and he was gone.

You could never speak to him again, never see him or touch him. It wasn’t fair. You’d never gotten the closure you needed after you’d left and now you felt like you never would. You’d hoped the end of this war would give you the means to find the closure you needed, whether that be accepting Severus as the Death Eater he was or the brilliant and brave man you’d come to know him as. You’d never thought of the possibility you’d be faced with his death instead because he’d always seemed so invincible to you. He was an amazing Wizard with skills you were sure would have rivaled Dumbledore at his best. The possibility of his death seemed laughable back then. Even now as you sat there, playing back what you’d seen, what you’d heard, you weren’t sure what had happened, why he-who-must-not-be-named would kill him when he’d gained his favour last year, becoming his most trusted follower after killing Dumbledore.

Questions upon questions piled up in your mind and suddenly it became clear to you what you had to do next. The war no longer mattered to you, the battle felt like it had taken place eons ago. You needed answers and the flask Granger had handed you may very well be the only thing you had to provide you with what you needed most.

Quickly standing to your feet, you began making your way to the Headmaster’s office, your pace fastening the second that gargoyle came into your line of sight. You were about to mutter ‘Dumbledore’, hoping Severus hadn’t changed the password since you’d left when the gargoyle spun open with none other than Harry Potter stepping out of it. Your eyes met and you both froze in place, each one aware why the other was there. It was you who’d moved first, taking a step toward the open door before you heard him speak.

“I’m sorry,” he said, voice small and shriveled. “I didn’t know.”

You looked back at him and watched as he handed you his flask, unsure of what he meant. You took it regardless and gave him one last look before making your way into the office. You’d spent many nights here, speaking with Severus, watching him take orders from Dumbledore’s portrait. You’d resented the place honestly, feeling it too crowded, too grand. You much preferred his old office next to the potions classroom, but with the way he looked when he first entered the room, clearly ecstatic about it all had you keeping your opinion to yourself, letting him enjoy the bit of luxury he’d been given.

Your eyes finally met with the pensieve, unsurprisingly pulled out of its place. Slowly, you made your way towards it and looked down at the two flasks in your hand. Without a second thought, you put away the one Harry had given you, opening the second one and poured its contents into the pensieve. The blue and silver looked beautiful swirling around in the water and you only hoped the memories you’d see as you dunked your head in would be just as alluring a sight.

The room spun and you felt yourself falling into darkness until a clear image of Diagon Alley rolled into view. You looked around and noticed the lack of people roaming the streets. It didn’t take long for you to spot Severus in his oversized robes, making headway towards Flourish and Blotts. I remember this night, you thought, smiling to yourself as you quickly followed him into the shop.

Severus made his way straight for the academic section of the shop knowing exactly where to look as you let your eyes roam around the store searching for…

“Hello.” Ah, there you were. “Do you need any help?” Your cheeks burned red, feeling awkward at how innocently young you looked back then. You were so clueless back then and it almost hurt to watch you interact with Severus. Though despite the clear lack of love between you both, at least your past self had the pleasure of speaking to him at all. It was more than you could ever hope to do now.

“You’re new, aren’t you?” Severus looked you up and down, seemingly unimpressed with you but looking at him now, you realized he’d hidden a small smirk behind his ‘better than life’ attitude.

“That obvious?” You’d cracked a smile at him, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. Yes, you could remember this day very clearly now; he was the first customer to have actually struck up a conversation with you while working here and it made you nervous.

“No,” he replied, looking down at the book he had in his hands. Leaning in closer, you realized he’d done that thing he always did when he was nervous and let his hair fall in his face to hide his growing smirk before composing himself and looking back at you. “I shop here every few months and this is the first I’m seeing you.”

“Ah, a regular. Perhaps I should get to know your name then,” you said, pushing yourself to do as you’d been told and show the customers nothing but a willingness to help as you offered him your hand. Severus looked down at your open palm, hesitating before firmly grasping it.

“Severus Snape,” he said, looking into your eyes and shaking your hand. You could almost feel his slim, dry fingers grazing the inside of your palm just looking at the figures you knew were just memories. But you couldn’t help the tears that gathered in your eyes, it was so good to see him so full of life again.

“Well, Severus Snape, do you always shop in the boring section or do you ever explore the rest of the store?”

You chuckled at your own joke, whipping away your tears and immediately looked at Severus, watching him scuff in response before the memory washed away, snatched from you just when you felt yourself reconnecting to him.

“No!” You shouted into the nothingness surrounding you, turning in your place as colour began to settle into place revealing the empty streets of Hogsmeade with Severus standing in the middle of the road, looking as though he was contemplating doing something regrettable.

You ran up to him, standing before him and examined the look on his face. All you wanted to do was cup his cheeks, wait until his eyes met yours and ask him what was wrong, but it was just a memory. You knew if you reached out, you wouldn’t feel a thing. He’d pass right through you and you just couldn’t handle that disappointment. So you held back, waiting for him to make a move instead.

After taking a few more moments, he finally began to walk down the street, stopping right in front of The Three Broomsticks as if he was afraid he’d run into someone undesirable the second he walked in. He paused once more as soon as he’d stepped inside, looking around before making his way to the bar. You followed his lead and walked with him as you searched the practically empty pub; the few people who were present all seemed to be minding their own business, nothing out of the ordinary really.

You watched him slump into a seat, clearly nervous about being here for reasons you didn’t understand. You’d come to this pub with him multiple times and he’d never acted this way. Unless, perhaps, this was the first time he’d stepped foot in Hogsmeade since the night he was thrown out The Hogshead, that would definitely explain his nerves.

Severus suddenly went completely stiff and as you followed his line of sight, you realized why.

“What can I get you Severus.” Your younger self had immersed once again, this time as a bartender. The shocked look on Severus’ face amused you. He’d never looked so confundled before he’d met you for the second time.

“Are you following me?” He shamelessly let out.

“Me?! I’d do nothing of the sort,” You placed a hand on your chest adding a bit of sarcasm to your tone, acting as though he’d offended you to the highest degree while offering him a small smile. Severus eyed you a moment and you laughed at the interaction, realizing now how silly it looked from an outsider's perspective.

“Firewhiskey,” he finally said, adjusting himself in his seat to get comfortable. “Double.”

You looked over to the bar and watched as you reached for a clean glass and a bottle of Firewhiskey. “So, what brings you to Hogsmeade?”

This was the second time fate had brought you together and you remembered thinking it had to be some sort of sign, that coincidence couldn’t possibly explain this encounter when you’d done nothing but think about finding him again after you left your old job. You were nervous that night when you saw him again, wondering if you should go as far as to get to know him a little.

“I work at Hogwarts,” he said, watching you pour his drink before pulling out a second glass and doing the same for yourself. “What are you doing in Hogsmeade?”

You tore your eyes away from the drinks your past self was pouring and looked at Severus to find an oddly curious look on his face. He seemed intrigued rather than skeptical as the tone in his voice perceived.

“Fate,” you said, smiling to yourself, keeping your gaze on the bottle you had in your hand as you sealed it and went to put it back on the shelf behind you. “I got let go at Flourish and Blotts. Said they didn’t need me after the school rush anymore, so here I am.”

You picked up both glasses and offered him one. Watching the interaction had you suddenly feeling the aftertaste of the Firewhiskey on your tongue as your own image take a sip. At this point, you remembered wanting to know more about Severus. He was intriguing to you, different than those you’d met in England thus far. He seemed to have lived a long life despite looking to be in his late twenties. Looking back at Severus, you began to wonder what he thought of you the first time you’d met.

“So, what do you do at that mysterious school?”

“I’m the school’s Potion’s Master,” he replied before taking a large sip of his own. “Have you never been to Hogwarts?”

He rose a brow at you and you could see his curiosity peek. You’d never noticed it before, but knowing Severus now, he must have thought of you as something special if he’d shown you any sort of interest.

“Nope,” you replied with a little too much enthusiasm. “I was sent to Beauxbatons because my parents thought it was more conservative.”

You shook your head, blushing at the sight of yourself speaking of your upbringing. Keeping your eyes on Severus instead, you began examining his expression, trying to memorize every detail of his face. But once again, the image before you began to vanish, and you found yourself in the darkness once again. It seemed as though fate also had a cruel sense of humour, taking away the thing you love just when you felt yourself ready to grab hold of it again.

Spinning around, you tried searching for the new image that should have formed around you by now, but you could only make out a few lights to your left and you’d begun to think something had gone wrong until you realized you were in the dungeons of Hogwarts. You were standing in Severus’ old chambers, before he’d become Headmaster. All you could make out was the pale tone of his face reflecting the yellow candlelight and his hands which were held up close to his neck.

Walking closer to him, you realized he was standing in front of his mirror, tying his ascot, looking nervous once again. You smiled and simply admired him as he looked his reflection up and down, obviously unhappy with what he saw, but you couldn’t say you felt the same. He looked perfect to you, even his hair which he couldn’t seem to stop fiddling with.

You’d never seen him like this before, so worried about his appearance, unable to stand in place. Finally, he walked away from the mirror, whisking away into the sitting room where he began pacing, debating something you could see he was on edge about. You bit your tongue, wanting to ask what was wrong until you realized how stupid that was. He wasn’t really here, this wasn’t really him and you’d clearly been shifting through these memories long enough to forget that.

You frowned, just standing there waiting in anticipation for him to make his next move. Eventually, he composed himself enough to open the door to his chambers and make his way out towards the Entrance Hall where you finally remembered what night this was; your first date.

This was the first time you’d seen him out of his teaching robes, all dressed up in his navy-blue formal attire. You’d been waiting on the other side of the doors he’d opened, probably more nervous than him. He’d visited you many times at the Three Broomsticks after your first encounter there, finally offering you a tour of Hogwarts months later when the students had all left for the holidays.

You watched yourself step inside from the cold, shivering with your arms wrapped around yourself. You let out a giggle as you realized how nervous his first date with you had made him. It was adorable, though you knew what Severus would say if he’d caught you using that word to describe him. ‘Kittens are adorable (Y/N), I am not.’ Though you would respectfully disagree of course.

“I trust you weren’t waiting too long?” He said as he closed the doors. Your younger self was busy brushing snow off your jacket, but you could see the concern in his eyes. You knew that look and it saddened you to see him wear it so early in your relationship. How had you not noticed before his worry over disappointing you had started before you’d even officially began to date?

“Not at all. You’re just on time,” you replied, meeting his gaze with a warm smile. “This school is huge! Will we have time to see it all today?”

“No, but I thought I’d show you the more grand parts of the castle before dinner,” he said, accompanying you down the hall.

“So, does that include your classroom?”

You followed the figures, watching Severus closely, his eyes beginning to soft as he grew comfortable with you. It was an amazing first date and you were happy to relive it.

“If you wish.”

The figures suddenly disappeared as they walked down the hall and you found yourself standing in the dungeons again, this time outside of the Potions classroom where Severus was hesitantly leading you. You remembered this part of the tour; the best part of the castle, unable to help yourself from imagining him teaching a classroom full of students, but it was clear Severus didn’t feel the same way. His nerves were back and he looked unsettled as he opened the door to let you into the room.

“Wow,” your younger self said under your breath and you just couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You were exaggerating your interest and it made you wish the next memory would appear already to relieve you of this embarrassment. But you held out and kept watching if only to remember the lust you knew would blossom between the two figures in the memory.

Ignoring your weak attempt at flirting, you instead resumed your admiration for Severus, trying to read his thoughts through his expression, but all you could see was the unsettlement he’d shown back in his chambers when he was preparing for your date. His eyes darted back and forth from one table to the next, analyzing it as if he was searching for a reason to punish some non-existent students. Was he nervous about the state of the room? Is that why he’d hesitated when you begged to see his classroom earlier that evening?

“So, is this where you work? This is your desk?” You spun around at the sound of your own voice, following Severus’ line of sight to watch you run your fingers over his desk at the head of the class.

“Indeed, it is,” he said cautiously walking up to you. You followed along and watched him approach you as you leaned on the edge of the desk, smiling as if you were about to do something devious. A moment of silence passed, both figures exchanging looks before you spoke again.

“Thank you for today Severus. I enjoyed the tour,” you bit your bottom lip and pushed yourself up so you were standing but a small grasp away from him. There it is.

You sighed out of sheer joy when you saw Severus’ breath hitch as your figure leaned in, placing both hands on his shoulder and pressed your lips to his. He went stiff and you could feel his lips press against yours as you watched, your fingers instinctively hovering over your mouth at the loss of contact you felt.

Your smile grew and tears formed under your eyes when he began kissing back, wrapping his own arms around you, pulling you in tightly before your image quickly pulled them both back a step, enough so that you could jump onto the desk without ever parting from him. The kiss quickly became heated as you wrapped your legs around him, his hands slowly making their way up the desk as he leaned forward, your back pressing against the wood of the desk. Your first kiss looked so normal from here, but at the time, you felt it to be the most magical moment you’d ever experienced. He was amazing the first few months you’d spent together, you could relive every second of it and you only wished you could. It was nice to see this moment again, but you wanted more. You wanted to feel him, to feel the emotions you felt when you were with him back then, not just observe the faint memories of you both falling in love with one another.

“No,” you whispered as the classroom behind the two on the desk began to fade. “Not again, please!”

You begged the nothingness that gobbled up one of your happiest memories, but it was too late. They were gone and you found yourself in yet another memory, a more recent one by the looks of it. You were in your shared chamber; the Headmaster’s chambers. You heard the door slam shut and began looking around, trying to find your figure along with Severus.

“No,” you said when you spotted him, realizing what memory this was. “No, Severus please. Why would you show me this night?”

You spoke to the figure as if he could hear you but of course, he ignored you and slumped into his armchair, the light from the dying fireplace illuminating his outline enough for you to kneel right before him, looking desperately into his heavy eyes, tears forming, threatening to fall down your cheeks as they did his. This was the night you’d left, the night you regretted full heartedly and it hurt to see the aftermath of your fight; the broken man that sat before you.

“I’m sorry Sev, please, I shouldn’t have left, I’m sorry,” you said desperately before giving into the one urge you’d been fighting during this trip down memory lane and tried to place your hand over his only to have it pass right through. You couldn’t bear the pain anymore and felt yourself break down as the memory kept playing. You placed your face in your hands and let your heartbreak escape through the tears you shed.

You’d do anything to take it all back if you were given the chance. If you had a time turner to spare, you’d sit there spinning it until you went back to the right moment to fix things, no matter how long it took. If you’d stayed with him, you could have helped save him, you should have stayed to convince him to fight for the Order. It wasn’t supposed to end this way. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You never should have left!

Was this your punishment? To be reminded of what you could have had with him? What you’d lost after making the biggest mistake of your life? You kept your head in your hands until you heard Severus shifting in his spot and you opened your eyes just in time to watch him pull out a box from his robes. You looked down at it, focusing your vision to watch him fiddle with the box, the same nervous and disappointed look you saw from your first date, the first time you met now scribbled all over his face once again.

“Oh Sev,” you whispered as you peered inside the box he was slowly opening, revealing a small, but elegant engagement ring. Your vision blurred again as fresh tears formed at the realization of what you’d done. You wanted to scream, to cry until time reversed itself and gave you the chance to rewrite history. He loved you. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with you and you’d slammed the door in his face, rejecting him before he could even ask, all because you let this battle, this damn war cloud your judgment of him.

Severus suddenly stood and you instantly rose, staying as close to him as you could while he walked over to the fireplace, picking up the clock you’d given him for Christmas the same year you’d begun dating and popping out its bottom. He slid the ring inside the clock and reassembled it.

“Oh Sev, I wish you’d asked,” you said through tears despite the fact that you likely wouldn’t have given the same answer back then as you would now. It was true what they said; you really didn’t know what you had until you lost it, and it took losing Severus to know that what you had with him was real and true. It took losing him, knowing you could never speak again to realize how much he meant to you, no matter which side of the war he stood.

Looking back at the clock, you watched it disappear along with the fireplace.

“No, no not another one, please I can’t take anymore,” you pleaded, but it was no use, Severus was gone and once again the scene around you changed and you were back in the Headmaster’s office. For a second, you thought it to be over, that you’d been freedom from your ward, but when you looked to the side of the room, you saw the pensieve was put away and all the figures in the portrait present, which meant this was yet another memory. You let out a defeated sigh, feeling as though this truly was a punishment you weren’t sure you could bear any longer.

“Severus, you made a promise.” You spun around when you heard Dumbledore’s voice, trying to search for his figure, but it was Severus you’d found instead, standing in front of a portrait, looking as broken as he did in the last memory. “You must stay by Lord Voldemort’s side until the time is right. You’re the only one that can do it.”

“You should have picked someone else,” he said looking as miserable as ever. You’d in fact never seen him like this in all the years you’d known him; broken, hollow, left with no ambition, nothing left to live for. “(Y/N) left yesterday. I’ve lost everything to this war.”

You walked closer to him, realizing what he was saying, what he was asking to do. He wanted to come after you, to abandon his post, the position he’d worked too hard to gain, killing Dumbledore, betraying everyone he cared for, all to become he-who-must-not-be-named most trusted follower. He was ready to throw it all away for you.

“You said-”

“I know what I said! I was wrong!” He spat at the portrait. You took another step towards him, ready to make the same mistake you’d made earlier and attempt to hug the memory only for it all to disappear before you. This time, instead of a new memory replacing the darkness, you felt yourself being grasped and pulled out into the real world.

You feel back onto the floor, losing your balance when you came out of the pensieve. All those memories, everything you’d just learned was all too much. Severus hadn’t betrayed you after all, he wasn’t a Death Eater, he was a hero and he’d died just that. You should have gotten up, returned to the battle that was sure to resume any moment now, but you couldn’t. Your body couldn’t handle any more. You couldn’t do anything but lay there on the floor, crying until you had no tears left to shed.

It all felt so meaningless now; winning the war, defending the school. What was the point when you felt like you’d already lost? The hour was up but the chaos had yet to resume. You barely had the energy to drag yourself up and recollect all of Severus’ memories let alone join the others and see what would become of Hogwarts.

Closing your eyes, you took in a trembling breath, trying not to think about the breakdown you felt was on the verge of exploding out of you and gathered yourself enough to leave the office. Standing there as the gargoyle closed, you looked down the hall that led to his chambers. You weren’t ready to revisit the place where it all fell apart yet that’s where your feet were taking you.

Everything was right where you’d remembered it, nothing had changed, not even the picture you'd taken together at the Yule Ball, still propped up on the coffee table beside the armchair. It still smelled just like him, the closet in the bedroom still full of clothes; yours on the left, his on the right. He hadn’t bothered to throw a single thing away, your comb, your toothbrush, your journal still sitting exactly where you left them, nothing had changed.

Waking over to the bed, you picked up his pillow and pressed it to your nose as you closed your eyes and slumped down onto the mattress. Hugging his pillow with the upper half of your body pressed against the black silk covering the bed was the closest thing you felt you’d ever get to feeling his touch, smelling his hair or finding comfort in his arms. Still it wasn’t enough, it would never be enough.

You missed him so much, more so now than you had the last few months you’d been apart. Your body shock but you had no more tears left to shed. Your mind searched for memories of Severus, but you couldn’t find any more left to mourn over except the last moments you had with him. His eyes slowly glazing over with darkness as his soul escaped your world, leaving you behind.

He’d spent his last breath sharing all of himself with you and you had to honour that. He died so that the Wizarding World may prevail, and you couldn’t let that go in vain. You composed yourself the best you could, thinking of the victory you had to win for him and dragged yourself back to the sitting room.

You looked over the bleak outlines of the furniture you’d spent hours sitting in with Severus before making your way to the fireplace. Picking up the clock, remembering that Christmas morning you shared together, you turned it over, popping out the bottom to find the ring he’d hidden still sitting there, waiting to be worn. You removed it and placed the clock back in its place, shifting the ring around between your fingers to reveal text engraved on the inside of the band: ‘Always and forever yours’.

It was a beautiful ring, small, but you were never one for theatrics and he knew that. The diamond in the middle was crystal clear, pure as he’d once described you to be. Beside it, two small emerald stones were placed on either side, signifying his promise to you; that he will always be with you no matter what the future held. Looking at it now, the memory of him holding it in this exact spot where you stood, you could almost feel his presence around you, as if he’d just proposed and you’d abruptly accepted like you so desperately wanted.

You quickly whipped away the single tear running down your cheek and slowly slid the ring on the ring finger of your right hand, symbolizing what should have been but never was. He was gone yes but his legacy would live on, you would make sure of that.

Before heading out, you searched your pockets and removed the flasks carrying the last memories of your lost love and placed it next to the clock on the fireplace, removing his wand from your person as well, carefully laying it before the clock.

“You can rest now Severus,” you whispered, hoping that by some miracle, he’d hear you from the afterlife. “I love you so much, I hope you knew that.”

And with that, you slowly backed away from the fireplace and withdrew your wand, ready to fight for the good of the Wizarding World, for Hogwarts, for love, for Severus Snape and everything he stood for.

A/N: Ok, I'm sorry 😭😭😭😭

Scenes taken (and edited) from the books: Harry looking into Voldemort’s find to find his location and the heartbreaking shrieking shack scene.

@marvelschriss @bush-viper-cutie @moonie-writes

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thoseofgreatambition · 4 years

Text

DEAR GEORGE || SLYTHERIN’S DREAMS

chapter 1 || ten miles farther

chapter 2 || gred and feorge

chapter 3 || diagon alley

description: you go on a date with george. though-- it’s not really a date if no one did the asking, it?

a/n: thanks for all the love for this series so far! this is one of my favorite chapters in this story so far, it’s about 15 pages in my document! i hope y’all enjoy it just as much! feedback please! reblogging and telling me what you think makes my lil bean heart go beat beat beat real quick

taglist: @harrysweasleys @geeksareunique @insearchofnewdreams @notstandingstill-imlyinginwait @lumos-barnes @thatfuckingliardavidtennant @slytherinqween @xinyourdreamsx @skiving-snackboxess @wildfire-whizbangs @dwarfwizard-from-panem @diary-of-an-onliner @answer-the-sirens @woakiees @black-widow-fangirl @theheirofnightandday @summerstardust @whysoseriouspadfoot @chocok22 @myhopesareanchoredinyou @siriusblackisme @illusivedaydreamer @zeeneee @writingwitchly @wolfpotter12 @obsessedwithrandomthings @carolinesbookworld @shadowsinger11 @pit-and-the-pen @summer-writes @peachesandpinks @ickle-ronniekins @gweaslvy @alpinewinchester @parker-potters @deafgirltingz @utahjoerdis @highly-acidic @feffffffy @stuckindilemma

“Good afternoon Georgie!” Fred’s voice was quite chipper as he marched into Weasley’s Wizard Wheeze’s. He hurried through the door the best he could, eager to sit down. His thumb brushed across the silver handle of his cane as he sat down atop an overturned shelf. Fred sat down the small bag of potion ingredients he’d just bought, “Guess who I ran into?”

George was halfway up a ladder, using his wand to repair the shelving around the shop. With a little flick of his wrist the ladder could roll around, making him quite mobile without too much effort. After they had gone into hiding the shop had basically been ransacked, half of their shelves had been torn off the wall, most of their inventory had been destroyed or burnt. It was hard coming back to that. George was happy that they were finally able to start rebuilding.

Many people had joked about the twins being able to read each other’s minds, and when it came to most things George had a good idea of what Fred was thinking. However, as he looked over his shoulder and into the grinning face of his twin, George found he hadn’t the foggiest idea of who Fred was talking about.

It appeared it was time to start guessing.

George turned back towards the shelves and focused his attention on that instead of the smirk on Fred’s face “Mum?”

“No.”

“Dad?”

“No.”

“Ickle Ronnikins?”

“You’re awful at this mate—“

A rather large piece of shelving lifted itself up off the floor and soared upwards back to where it belonged near the ceiling. “Give me a hint then, is it someone in the family?” That would narrow it down by quite a bit, if George’s calculations were correct they were related to about a quarter of the people in Wizarding England.

Or at least it felt like it sometimes.

“No one in the family, but someone we know from school.”

A glance over his shoulder showed that Fred still had a shit eating grin on his face, and George had a feeling that this wouldn’t be an easy game.

“Angie?”

“Nope.”

“Lee?”

“Nuh-uh.”

The twins bantered back and forth for a few more minutes, before George finally let out a hefty sigh and climbed down the ladder. The tall man leaned back against the wall, arms crossed as he took the time to closely inspect his brother’s posture and demeanor. Who could Fred have seen that would make him want to tease him like this?

Now that George wasn’t focusing on the shelves, and instead on the situation at hand, the answer seemed quite obvious. “Gwen.”

“Correct! So proud of you George, though we ought to spend more time together, especially since it took you so long to guess.” Fred reached into his coat’s pocket and withdrew the letter Gwen had given him. He held the piece of parchment in between his middle finger and pointer finger and outstretched his hand towards his twin. “Here is your prize.”

George plucked the letter out of Fred’s hand and unfolded it. He hadn’t expected a response so soon, much less delivered by Fred. The first thing he noticed was that the writing was surprisingly messy, especially compared to what he remembered Gwen’s writing being like.

He read through the letter silently, unable to mask the smile that came to his face.

It was comforting to hear that Gwen understood his mixed feelings, or at the very least, didn’t judge him for having them. The weight in his chest seemed to decrease just the smallest bit.

“She’s moving into Diagon Alley?” George looked towards the building catty corner to them. A used bookstore was there before, though the shop had stood empty since before the war. The idea of some more life being breathed into the alley was quite nice, especially when that life involved an old friend running a shop right next door.

Fred leveraged himself up off of the shelf and leaned on his cane, “Apparently so—won’t that be fun? Having the Birdie right next door. It’ll make your letters go back and forth much faster.”

Birdie? “You’re going to have to explain that one, Mate.”

“She delivered a letter to me. Gwen is an owl. Owls are birds. Thus,” Fred gestured grandly with his cane, “She is ‘Birdie’. You can give her your own pet name if you would like, Georgie. It ought to make writing those letters a bit more interesting. A nice story for the grandkids later on.”

The tip of George’s ear turned pink at his brother’s teasing tone, and he scowled at Fred from above the letter, “Don’t you have to go put away those ingredients?”

“Maybe we can get Birdie to deliver it, eh?” Fred let out a throaty laugh as he walked off with the potion ingredients, leaving his little brother behind in the halfway rebuilt shop to read the rest of the letter in peace.

George walked towards the windows in front of the shop to take a better look at where the Apothecary would soon be. He and Fred had found their shop during their seventh year at Hogwarts, and had spent a long time searching for it. There had been months of planning out inventory, business models, George could even remember a whole week dedicated to figuring out what to name the place.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have missed all of that. The shop felt like it was theirs because they’d worked so hard for it.

It hadn’t changed the fact that he’d been terrified the entire time. Leaving Hogwarts had been the right choice, and opening the shop was what he and Fred were meant to do. It was a good sense of fear, the kind that drove the two of them to work as hard as they could to prove themselves to everyone they knew. To prove everyone wrong.

George knew very well the sort of fear Gwen was talking about, and he also knew very well that the feelings she had were not going to get in the way of her opening the store.

Nothing got in the way of a Slytherin’s dreams, after all.

Carefully, he folded the letter back up, taking care to make tight creases before putting the paper into his back pocket. He’d have to start looking for a place to store her letters if they were going to talk every day. They’d start to pile up quicker than he’d realize.

______

“You getting ready for your date with Birdie?”

George looked past himself in the mirror, at the grinning face of his twin behind him. Ever since he’d said Gwen was coming into London and they were going to grab a drink it was all he’d been hearing. “It’s not a date.”

“So you’re just friends then?” Fred didn’t expect a response, and only laughed as George rolled his eyes and smiled.

Was this what Ron felt like when he started going after Hermione? George wondered. It was much less amusing when you weren’t the one doing the teasing.

He’d have to remember that.

“We’re just friends.”

Fred waved his hand, as if George’s words weren’t important. Gwen and his brother had been exchanging letters every day for almost a month now, and even Fred had begun to see the pattern.

George would write a letter before he went to bed, and send it off with Peeves. Gwen would get the letter and would respond by lunch at the latest. How did Fred know that she responded by lunch? Because it took an owl at least five hours to fly from Wales to London, and the latest that Gwen’s letters had come in had been about six in the evening. If Gwen happened to be in London then she’d pop in to visit and hand off her letter as she left.

If it was Fred, he’d simply sit down and talk about whatever was in the letter instead of passing it on, but the pair seemed to have this whole system worked out, and Fred didn’t see a huge need to alter it.

He was glad that she’d finally moved to London, all of this flying too and from Wales had left the twins without an owl about half the time. If that hadn’t been the case he’d probably have been forced to buy his own owl.

George ran a hand through his hair, fingertips brushing over where his ear used to be. He was actually very excited to see Gwen face to face and get to talk to her. They hadn’t gotten a proper chance to sit down and have a conversation since the night of the reunion, and it all seemed long overdue. He shrugged on a jacket over his jumper as he looked back towards Fred. “And you’re sure you don’t need me tonight?”

“I’ll be fine, George.” Fred sat atop his brother’s bed with a grin, waving off his twin’s concern like a gnat that was buzzing around his face. “Go have fun with Gwen, don’t worry about me.”

Really, George wasn’t sure why he bothered asking. He knew that Fred’s answer would always be that everything would be alright, just as well as he knew that no matter what Fred said, he’d still be nervous the whole time he was gone.

At least they’d only be down the street if something went wrong.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but if you need me we’ll just be at the Leaky Cauldron.” A glance back to mirror showed Fred behind him rolling his eyes.

“You do know you sound like Mum, right?”

Shit. He’d always thought he’d end up more like his father than his mother. “Noted. Sorry ‘bout that.” George threw a grin over his shoulder to Fred, “I’ll see you later Freddie.”

George trudged downstairs through the shop to the streets of Diagon Alley. If he was younger and a bit more impatient, he’d probably have apparated to Gwen’s doorstep. It was just a thirty second walk though, and it wasn’t as if George could get lost on his way. He knocked swiftly on the shop’s door three times, about to knock a fourth when the door popped open to show Gwen on the other side.

“Hey George!” her voice was quite chipper, as she tugged on her coat before giving her friend a brief hug. Gwen eyed his shop about thirty feet away before grinning at him, “I hope the walk wasn’t too hard on you.”

He patted her back once before releasing her from the hug, George’s hands resting in his jacket pockets, “It’s a long walk Gwen, I don’t know what you’re expecting me to say. I should have knicked Fred’s cane before I left.” Grinning down at his friend as they began the short walk towards the Leaky Cauldron, “How are you settling in? I still haven’t seen your new flat.”

“Ah—it’s going alright.” She’d moved in yesterday, and it all still seemed quite foreign. Normally Gwen woke up with her mother knocking on the door early in the morning, her father making breakfast downstairs. They’d all discuss their plans for the day and what needed to be done for the shop before getting ready for the day ahead. For the first time she could remember, she’d woken up to the sound of an alarm clock, and had breakfast in complete silence. “It’s a little strange. I’m used to living with my parents, so being alone is kind of weird.”

George nodded, thinking back to the first day he and Fred had in their new flat. Surprisingly, the pair had spent most of the day in silence. They’d always been the loudest of the bunch back at the Burrow, and they’d always been closest to each other, but it wasn’t until they woke up without their parents nearby and their siblings no where near that the enormity of their choices really sunk in for Fred and George. “It was the same for us, you’ll get used to it quicker than you’d think.”

“That’s good to hear, it’ll be fun having you and Fred as neighbors at least.” It wasn’t as if she was totally alone, she’d have the boys right across the street after all. Gwen’s hands found themselves in her pockets as she began to walk down the street towards the Leaky Cauldron with George. “How’s your sleep? Is the potion still working for you?”

He’d been taking it for about a month now, and if he still didn’t have any problems with it, she’d keep him on it.

George grinned, running a hand through his hair. Briefly he wished he’d brought a scarf, it was evening in October, and quite cold. “I’m sleeping better than I have in a while. Like I was before the war.”

Everyone around him had seemed to notice the difference in him. The dark purple shadows under his eyes had gone away, along with the bags. His skin seemed less dull, and there was more pep in his step. Even George himself had noticed a change, his mood had increased quite a bit.

He hadn’t realized how anxious he’d been until he’d started sleeping better. Things that had bothered him before weren’t so worrisome.

Going places without Fred was easy again.

George glanced back towards his shop with a nervous glance.

Well, easier.

“My moods a lot better too. I didn’t realize how worn out I was until I started getting more sleep. The potion’s doing a lot of good I think.” He paused for a moment, as he thought about it. “The letters are helping the most though I think. You were right, getting out all of my thoughts is doing a lot of good. I’m feeling less anxious now.”

He’d been writing to more than just Gwen. He’d sent all of his family letters, with the exception of Fred. It seemed to be having a positive impact on his relationships. His mother had been delighted to receive a letter first for once. Usually it was Molly that had to initiate things.

George looked back down at the brunette walking beside him, and upon realizing he’d gotten quite serious without meaning to, gave her a playful nudge. “Thanks for the tip, Birdie.”

Gwen let out a small huff of a laugh, giving George a light shove in return. “Is that nickname sticking? Fred seemed quite pleased to think of it. You might not be able to steal it.”

“Bah, I can think of a better one if you give me some time.”

“Is that so, Weasley?” as they approached the pub, Gwen readied herself to open the door only to be beaten to the punch by George, “Why thank you.”

She always forgot that one of the defining characteristics of Gryffindors was chivalry.

George held open the door with a long arm, standing aside to let Gwen in. “After you, madam.

On a Tuesday night like tonight, the pub usually wasn’t that busy. The cold usually drove a few more people in, but with the Alley so abandoned and those going to Hogwarts already gone, there wasn’t much business. To someone who hadn’t been before, they might think that the pub wasn’t very popular. There were maybe ten people and one bartender lazily wiping up the counter of the bartop. Gwen removed her coat and hung it on the coat rack, briefly wondering how long it would take for things to go back to normal after the war.

“Pretty quiet tonight, huh?” George seemed to be reading her thoughts, the young man speaking softly as he removed his coat as well. He cocked a red eyebrow, “Well, at least service ought to be quick.”

Gwen let out a snort of laughter, “That’s good. It’s what I was worried about.”

George was right about service. The night of the reunion, when things were incredibly crowded, they’d had to wait several minutes to get their drinks, but tonight both were served immediately.

“How is setting up the shop going?” he took a sip of his firewhiskey, grinning as the familiar burn trickled down his throat. George took a seat at the table next to the fireplace, pushing out Gwen’s chair across from him with his foot, smiling all the while.

Gwen chuckled as she sat down, taking care not to spill her scotch. If she had work tomorrow she would have stuck to mead, but all she was doing tomorrow was labeling potions and inventory. A few heavier drinks wouldn’t hurt her. It wasn’t as if she’d get trashed or anything. “It’s… interesting.” She laughed at George’s knowing smile, his silence prompting her to keep talking. “It’s a big shop, I don’t know if you went inside of it while it was still… well, whatever it was before the war.”

“A used bookstore. I went in once, it’s really quite something.” Not quite as big as his and Fred’s shop, but still substantial.

She nodded, and took a sip of her drink, “Well, I hired on Victoria to help me in the shop, and we’ve been stocking up for the past week and a half. So I’ve basically been living in the shop’s basement working over a cauldron.” Gwen laughed, as she motioned around the room. “It’s good to get out.”

“I’ll have to drag you out of there more often then.” His trademark grin was plastered onto his face, “Do you know when you’ll be able to open shop?”

It had taken him and Fred months to create enough inventory for their shop the first time around. Hell, it was taking months to create enough inventory this time around. Less time than before, thankfully. This time at least they’d come up with most of their product ideas already. It wasn’t as if they had to think of all their inventory again.

Gwen gazed into the fire thoughtfully, sipping on her drink. “We’re hoping next weekend.” She could see George’s eyes bug out as he choked a bit on his drink. With a great deal of amusement, Gwen conjured up a handkerchief and passed it to George to mop up his mess. “We’re pretty far along, I’d say about two thirds of the way? My Ma and Dad are coming over in the evenings starting tomorrow, and between the four of us we ought to be able to get everything finished sooner rather than later.”

His ear was quite pink in embarrassment. Silently, George took the handkerchief and dabbed at the spilled whiskey that now found its home all over his jumper. Next weekend? He’d been guessing another month out. He dabbed at his nose, scrunching his face a bit at the burning in his nostrils. Damned firewhiskey.

George supposed he shouldn’t be all that surprised, nothing got in the way of Gwendolyn and her dream. Once the burning in his nose went away, he spoke “That’s wonderful, Love.”

“Love?” Gwen shook her head, “Not as good as Birdie. Come up with something original, Gred. C’mon.”

He folded up the handkerchief as nicely as he could before sliding it back to Gwen’s side of the table. “So hard to please.” George was silent for a moment, before he continued. “Dearie?”

“That’s what my Ma calls me. Are you my Ma now?”

“Only if you ask nicely enough.” Though that was a good point, his mother called him the same thing. “Do you have any other nicknames? What am I working with here. C’mon Hughes.”

Other nicknames? “My dad used to call me Gwendy. Well he still does sometimes.”

“Gwendy?”

Immediately Gwen regretted telling him that bit of information. She was talking to George Weasley after all. She took a large drink of her scotch, “Sod off.”

George leaned back in his chair, unable to wipe the look of amusement off of his face. This was far too perfect. “Aw, c’mon Gwendy! Don’t be so mean.”

“That’s what my Dad calls me. You’re not my Dad now are you?”

He almost said ‘Only if you ask nicely enough.’ Only to shake his head. Nope. Not appropriate. “Fine, I’ll think about something else. Dearling?”

Gwen paused, looking at George across from her above the rim of her scotch glass. He seemed almost flustered. “Dearling?”

“I meant ‘Darling’.” George didn’t need a mirror to know his ear was bright red at the moment. Dearling sounded far too sappy, something that obnoxious teenagers would call each other in the halls of Hogwarts—

“Dearling it is.”

George’s head snapped up, unable to hide the look of embarrassment. “Really? Dearling you like?” he rubbed his chin between his thumb and his pointer finger.

How had they gone from light flirting to him wishing he hadn’t spoken so quickly? It really was a marvelous transition.

“It’s cute and I’ve never heard it before.” Gwen grinned widely at him, “It’s the best thing you’ve come up with all night Weasley.”

“Fine—Dearling it is. But,” he pointed a long finger in her direction, brown eyes wide to establish eye contact, as he spoke in a tone that fell somewhere between serious and completely joking. “You have to come up with your own nickname for me. None of the ‘Weasley’ or ‘Gred’ nonsense. It has to be just as good as ‘Dearling’.”

Gwen leant back in her chair, one hand holding her glass of scotch and the other tapping her fingers on the edge of the table. Finally, she reached out her free hand to shake his in a firm grasp. “Deal. You’ll have to give me some time though, not all of us are blessed with your sharp wit.”

His eyes flicked down as he felt the cold touch of a ring press against his hand. It seemed to be a family seal of some kind, one of those rings that could be used to press wax. Gwen’s nails were cut short like his own, and painted some sort of purple color he couldn’t tell whether or not it was light or dark in the dim light of the pub. The paint was chipped, probably from working around the shop so much to set everything up, George thought.

It didn’t take much longer for him to realize he’d been staring at her hands for far too long.

“Sorry.” George laughed a bit nervously, before taking a rather large swig of his whiskey. There wasn’t much of an excuse for all of this, he wasn’t anywhere near drunk, and he’d barely just finished his first whiskey. He tried to glare at her the best she could, as Gwen stifled a laugh and rather poorly tried to cover it up with a cough. He released her hand and leant forward towards the table and rested his shoulders on the top. “Having fun?”

With a bright grin she nodded, it was quite amusing to see one of the legendary Weasley twins getting flustered like this. “I am actually. Last time I saw you like this you were trying to ask out that Hufflepuff girl a year below us.”

George’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion, before the realization hit him. “That was Fred. He wanted to take Katherine McGraff to Hogsmeade. Unlike him I stay cool under pressure.”

“Cool under pressure?”

He nodded, with a smile. “Cool under pressure.”

“So that time you got so nervous in Charms you accidentally set Lee’s robes on fire, that was cool under pressure?”

“That was—“ he pressed his fist to his mouth to try and stifle a laugh, “That was the first class I ever had, in our first year. Anyone would get nervous then.” After a moment’s thought, he got a wicked grin on his face, “What about the time in potions you melted a hole through your cauldron, little miss Apothecary?”

“Hey! That was…” she thought of a few seconds, before shrugging with a chuckle. “Okay yeah that one was my bad. I put in too many crushed beetles, and turned it too many times with my wand.”

He let out a small snort of laughter, as he stood up to grab his next round. “It’s alright, Snape’s reaction was amazing. The star pupil nearly ruining the potion floor.” He glanced towards the barkeeper before looking back towards Gwen. “Want me to grab your next round? I’m heading up there.”

“Sure! Thank you, I’ll get the one after.” She finished her scotch as she watched him walk towards the bar.

Honestly, she wasn’t entirely sure how she’d expected this night to go. Gwen knew going in that it wasn’t a date, and still didn’t consider it to be one. After all, when they’d come up with the idea of grabbing a drink in their letters, the words “Will you go on a date with me?” were absent. Any form of them were absent.

She also wouldn’t say she was the closest person in the world to George. That title obviously went to Fred, and there were many people in between her and the number one spot she was sure. However, she did feel like she knew him pretty well after all their years of school and how much they had been writing recently.

Gwen doubted he thought this was a date either.

They were definitely flirting though, and Gwen wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. On one hand, she enjoyed it, there was a spark, and asking him out on a proper date would probably be well received if she was reading him right.

On the other hand, she’d heard from the grapevine about the string of flings he had the first few months after the war, and found herself a bit wary. While she wasn’t inexperienced, Gwen had never considered herself a shag and split kind of girl.

Granted, that was about eight months prior, and Victoria said his behavior had evened out since then. She tied her hair up in a ponytail with the hair-tie on her wrist. As he walked back, Gwen decided to ponder the matter later. “Thank you kindly Sir!”

He gave her a cheeky grin, as he set down her drink in front of her before sitting down. “Anything for a lady.”

“Have you finished those candies you told me about yet? The ones to help kids in school?”

George’s face lit up at the topic, he was actually quite proud of this line of products. “They’re great! I think we’ve fine tuned the recipe, what we’re doing now is testing them out on other people.” He sipped on his drink, savoring the burn as it slid down his throat. “I think it’ll be easy to get people to volunteer this time around, seeing as the candies do something good, instead of causing unstoppable vomiting.”

“I think you might be onto something there, George. If you need test subjects though, I’m willing to help. Do you need me to just eat the candy? Or is there something else I have to do as well?”

Yes! Exactly what he’d hoped her reaction would be. “That would be greatly appreciated, thank you.” He tapped his fingers on his glass as he thought. “Well, you’d need to take two candies. One while you’re not doing anything in particular, maybe on a day off? We’d like to know what happens if someone accidentally takes one at the wrong time. It just made Fred and I want to work, but we’re trying to make sure that’s the same across the board. The other time, would be while you were working. Both times I’ll need you to take a note of when you took it, how you feel each hour it’s in your system, and when it wears off.”

For a moment, he paused before continuing. “And any side effects, obviously. I don’t think there ought to be any though? This batch seems pretty perfect.”

That sounded quite a bit more intensive than Gwen thought it would be. However, the next few days would require a lot of concentration, and a boost sounded amazing. “Want me to just write you when I’ve got all of my notes?”

“Or you can just come over and visit.” He traced his finger on the rim of his glass, smiling at her from across the table. “We are neighbors, you know. Besides, Fred’d be happy to have someone else to tease. He’s running out of jokes for Ron.”

Gwen leant forward, resting her elbows on the table. “I feel like being teased by Fred isn’t as fun as you think it sounds.”

George shrugged with a laugh, “It’s fun for me.”

A swift look at his pocket watch showed that it was just a bit past midnight as the pair walked out of the Leaky Cauldron. “This was fun, we need to do it again sometime.” He paused for just a moment as the wall of cold air hit him once he opened the door for Gwen.

Perhaps a warmer coat would have been smart.

“Does next week sound good?” Briefly she considered tacking on, ‘we can go on a date’ before dismissing the thought. It was too soon for that. “You, Fred, Victoria and I can all go out.”

That was not an invitation to a date, and George wasn’t sure whether he was disappointed or not. He stared down at her for a moment as she passed through the door, eyeing her dark brown hair before she looked over her shoulder at him, waiting for a response. “That sounds great. We’ll all be working across the street from each other, I get the feeling we’ll be going out a lot.”

Gwen’s breath came out of her mouth like smoke in the frigid air, and she found herself walking closer to George on the way back than she had on the way over. He was warm, at least.

George crooked his elbow, his hands shoved into his coat pockets as he invited her to link arms with him. “May I escort you home, Dearling?”

Her laugh was just a tad too loud, as it echoed through the empty alley street. Gwen was quick to silence herself, embarrassed to have broken the quiet. “That sounds wonderful, thank you Mr. Weasley.” She looped her right arm with his left, and perched her free hand atop his arm, eager to get some relief from the cold.

George quirked an eyebrow in amusement, looking down at her once more. It was a bit hard to see her face given their height difference, but he could tell her cheeks were pink from the drinks she had, and her nose was getting red from the cold. “Gettin’ chilly down there?”

“It’s freezing.” Gwen was exaggerating a bit, though it didn’t feel like it. That fall was turning out to be uncharacteristically cold. Her mother had said something about Muggle science and weather systems, but Gwen hadn’t understood any of it. All she knew was it was going to be colder than usual. She picked up her pace, gently tugging her companion along with her. “C’mon, let’s walk faster.”

Part of this was probably on her, she’d chosen a rather thin coat that night.

George laughed, a booming sort of sound that only really came when someone had had a little bit too much to drink, and the world became just a tad funnier than it was before. Gwen tried to shush him, as they finally came across a few older witches and wizards going about their business late at night. Most likely other shopkeepers who wouldn’t take kindly to a noisy disruption just past midnight on a Wednesday morning.

The pair trudged down the alley for the few blocks between their shops and the pub. George withdrew his free hand from his pocket and rested it atop Gwen’s. “Blimey your hands are cold!”

“What were you expecting?” she grinned a bit at the contact. She hadn’t done much flirting in a while, and tonight was a pleasant disruption to that pattern. As they arrived at the square between their two shops, Gwen looked back up to the immobile statue in front of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. “Is that supposed to be you or Fred?”

“Hmm?” George followed her gaze and cracked a smile at the giant man smiling in front of his shop. “Well, before the war it was me—Fred’ll tell you different. Don’t listen to him. Now though, I guess it’s Fred.”

They paused in the middle of the square, Gwen watching as George’s face contorted into deep thought. She wondered if she’d touched on a nerve by making him think about losing his ear. It was hard to be sure, they hadn’t talked much about him losing it. She was about to apologize when she finally heard him speak.

“If I lop its ear off it’ll be me though. Maybe I ought to try that.”

Gwen rolled her eyes, making a move to untangle her arms from his only to find his grip quite firm. “George?”

“I said I would escort you home.” He walked her the last ten feet to her doorstep with a grin as he let her go. “A gentleman never breaks a promise.”

“Well I’m glad you were there for the last bit, it’s a rather sketchy part of the alley.” Gwen dug her key out of her pocket, wiggling the rusted piece of metal into the lock before she opened the door. She stepped up into the store, able to finally look him square in the eye given the different levels they were standing on. There were a few rather long moments of silence, as she took in the redness of his ear and his nose. “Thanks for the fun night George. Try and get some sleep, alright? I’ll see you soon.”

“I had fun too.” He shoved his hands back into his pockets, finding them rather cold without Gwen. George took a step backwards as he realized he was staring in silence for just a bit too long. “I’ll write you tonight. G’night Dearling.”

With that he apparated to his flat, leaving Gwen standing on her stoop, staring into space thoughtfully for a moment before she went inside. “Night George.”

_____

“How’d your date with Birdie go?”

George groaned, he’d hoped that Fred would be in bed at this point so the teasing could be saved for the morning when he was sober.

No such luck.

“It wasn’t a date.” He swiftly unbuttoned his coat, before hanging it up on the rack.

Fred stared at him curiously from the couch, surrounded by a surprising amount of product notes and potions manuals, “What makes it not a date?”

“’ts not like we’re fourth years and ‘hanging out’ means a date. One of us has to do a proper job asking the other out.” George made his way towards the kitchen, intent on grabbing some sort of snack before he wrote Gwen’s letter and went to bed. A glance towards his twin showed Fred looking towards him in amusement.

“So when are you going to ask her out?”

George focused his attention back at their pantry, before grabbing a few scones their mother had dropped off. “Soon, maybe? We had a really good time. It was great talking to her, time flew by really quick.” He didn’t even bother to hide the grin on his face as he thought about their walk home. It’d been rather nice to have someone to walk with like that, and the romantic in him was eager to do it again.

They were going to date! Fred suddenly cursed the fact he hadn’t made a bet with anyone about this. He could have made some good money on this. Maybe he could still get Ron in on it. “Good for you Mate.” There was a pause, as Fred fiddled with the edge of his sleeve, wondering how to phrase what he was thinking gently before giving up on it. George usually knew what he was thinking anyways, Fred doubted he’d be surprised. “Go slow with this one, alright?”

Yeah, he’d known Fred was going to bring that up. George wasn’t annoyed at Fred for mentioning it, though it wasn’t something he was keen to discuss at length. “This is different.” Gwen was a longtime friend, not someone he barely knew. If things went south their friendship could be damaged. He wasn’t about to rush headfirst like he would have about a year ago.

After the war, he was alone. Sure, he had his family, and Fred turned out to be alright, but George had found himself painfully aware that if Fred had died he would have been without any sort of close companion. His whole family could have died in the battle—and where would he be? Completely alone.

George’s throat contracted as he felt the familiar sense of anxiousness crawl up from his stomach to his chest.

“Everything’s alright.” Fred moved to grab his cane so he could make his way over to George, familiar with these episodes of anxiety his twin had developed after the war. George would start staring into space, his jaw would clench, and Fred could see the vein in his neck start to bulge as he became more pale. “Things are better now, everyone is safe.”

He spoke softly, as George seemed to snap out of it. Fred attempted to get up off the couch, only to fall back into the cushions. The seat was too low and his back was too sore for him to get up by himself. Instead, he moved his papers and patted the spot next to him. “C’mon, take your potion quick and sit down with me.”

Things didn’t feel alright, or at least George didn’t feel alright. George clenched and unclenched his hands, suddenly feeling very foolish for getting upset over nothing.

At least Fred didn’t find him foolish for it. No one seemed to.

“Thank you.” His voice came out quieter than he thought it would, as his throat still felt quite tight. George set the scones on the end table by the couch before trotting back to the kitchen to take his sleeping potion and brew his tea.

This was a good day. He reminded himself. It can still end on a good note. George focused on breathing deeply as Fred began to talk about their new products they were about to sell. He knew what Fred was doing, he was trying to distract him.

George was glad for it, the tactic almost always worked.

The weight on his chest was mostly gone by the time he’d taken his potion and sat down on the couch next to his brother. George dipped a scone in tea, chewing thoughtfully before he spoke, “Gwen agreed to test out the concentrating candies for us. I’ll send some along with my letter tonight.”

“You’re sending a letter?” Fred didn’t bother to contain his surprise. “You just spent the whole night together. You’ve still got more to say?”

George shrugged, as he conjured up a parchment and quill. He nabbed one of the larger books littered about and used it as a makeshift desk to write on. “’ts what I do before I go to bed.”

“You fancy her.” It wasn’t a question, but a firm fact. Fred found his doubts about whether or not this would turn into a fling suddenly quelled. No idiot would stay up an extra hour after spending a whole night with someone if they just wanted a fling.

Once again, George felt his ears turn red. “A little, now shut up. I need to write.”

Dear Dearling,

George squeezed his eyes shut, finding himself quite aware of how drunk he was now that he was trying to focus on writing. This would be a rather short letter.

I had a lot of fun tonight. We ought to make this a weekly thing. I bet it’ll get even more fun as the alley starts to liven up again.

I’m really glad you moved in here. You’ll bring a bit more life in.

Those whiskeys are hitting me a bit stronger than I thought they would. I’m eating scones right now to try and help soak up the alcohol a bit. Did you know your tea tastes good with my Mum’s scones? It’s nice.

I’ll send the candies along with this letter. If they work well let me know. I’d like to be of some help with you setting up your shop.

I’m proud of you I’m excited for you for opening up your shop so quick. I know how hard it is. I think you’ll do good. You’ve already got two patients. Me and Fred. He’s been looking to switch to a new healer for a while—his is a prat. Has him on too many potions we think. I’ve gotta buy a new sleeping potion from you in the next few days, can I bring Fred along? You can take a look at him.

If you don’t mind seeing some patients before you open, that is.

Let me know, alright?

George paused for about half a minute, his quill leaving a rather unsightly blotch on the paper as he nodded off. Shocked awake as his head jerked down, George continued to write his letter.

Sorry about that. I’m falling asleep.

This isn’t much of a letter, I’ll make the next one long for you.

G’night

--George

With that, George set the book down on the coffee table, the letter resting on top of it. The quill was set to rest away from the pair, to avoid more splotches. With his letter finished, George leant back into the couch. His brown eyes closed and the younger of the twins let out a long sigh. Maybe he could just close his eyes for a moment before going to bed.

Fred rolled his eyes as he felt George’s weight on his shoulder. Frankly, he was surprised the git had lasted long enough to finish his letter. “C’mon mate, wake up.”

With no response from George, Fred began to entertain his options. He could prank his brother somehow—this was about a good of an opportunity as he could ever get. He could levitate George back to the younger’s bedroom, though Fred doubted he could do that without George ending up with a rather serious bump on his head. The third option was for Fred to get up off the couch, gather up all his papers and books, and throw a blanket over his brother.

He supposed he’d be a good brother and go with the third choice.

A quick flick of his wand was all that was needed for the papers and books to sort themselves neatly. Fred grabbed his cane and leveraged himself off of the couch, silently gritting his teeth in pain. George flopped over with a groan, not waking up as he now laid awkwardly on the couch.

Fred grabbed one of the warmer blankets that laid around and draped it carefully over his brother. “G’night Georgie.” He kept his voice soft, though he doubted George would wake up even if he shouted at him.

With that done, he picked up the letter from the table. Gwen and George had worked out a rhythm with their letter writing, and while Fred didn’t particularly get it, he didn’t want to disrupt it. He could mail it for George this time around.

Unable to stop himself, Fred scanned through the letter, not noting much of interest besides the ‘Dear Dearling’ and the scratched out ‘I’m proud of you.’ He filed the nickname away for later, and plucked the quill from off the table to scratch a note at the end of the letter.

Seeing Gwen as a healer was interesting, George was right, his was a huge prat. It’d be nice to have one right across the way.

P.S

Hello there Birdie, it’s Fred! George passed out after writing his letter so I’m sending it along with Peeves. I set in the candies with it, thanks for helping us out. I hope the sap wasn’t too much for you tonight.

Make sure to write back quick, George gets antsy if your letter comes late. He’s a worrier, that one.

I’ll come in with George as a patient. My guy is a useless fuck. I think you’ll work out better.

All the best,

Forge.

With that, Fred folded up the letter and slid it into an envelope along with several of the concentrating candies. He awoke Peeves, who seemed rather disgruntled to have his sleep interrupted. Fred cooed as the bird began to hoot in a rather upset manner, “I know, I know. You can fly to Gwen and go back to sleep. She’s not far. You’ll sleep over there, get some treats and be back in the morning.”

Fred opened a window and watched as Peeves flew into the darkness. As he closed it back up, the elder twin turned his attention back to his brother with a small sigh. They’d be able to start up the shop soon, in a month, they were sure.

Maybe things would get a bit closer to normal by then. One last flick of his wand turned off all the lights in their living room. As quietly as he could, Fred limped his way to his room and went to bed.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

#George weasley x reader #george weasley x you #george weasley imagine #george weasley x y/n #my writing #my imagine #fic: dear George

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missnight0wl · 4 years

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Summary: Helena sneaks out from the Hospital Wing. She’s followed by Charlie.

A rewrite of the events happening directly after the Portrait Vault. Because MC deserved to have a breakdown right then. Also, it somehow took me almost a year to finish it, and I was close to abandoning it entirely, but here we are.

Words: 2140

June 1989

The lights in the Great Hall never before seemed to be so bright. It was hard to adjust to them after the darkness of the Buried Vault. Helena managed to lift the upper part of her body, and she looked around to check on her companions. Bill was kneeling next to Charlie and holding his arms to support him, Ben was sitting a little further with his hand pressed to his mouth, and in the middle was…

“Merula!” Helena exclaimed in a strangled voice. Without getting up, she got closer to the girl who was lying motionless on the floor with her eyes half-open. The Ravenclaw realised then that there were other students around, clearly alarmed by the whole situation. “Give her some space!” she ordered, reaching her arm as if she was trying to build an invisible barrier. “Someone call help!”

She peeked at Merula and again at the small crowd of people drawing back when she noticed Diego among them. She called his name and tried to stand up, but she tripped. She would fall if not for the Hufflepuff’s quick reaction. She still felt dizzy after travelling by the Portkey.

“Helena, what happened?” Diego asked with concern. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. But Merula is not. Could you… could you look after her? You’re friends with her, right? And I can’t… I can’t now…”

“Calm down,” he said softly. “What happened with Merula?”

“She was tortured.” Diego’s expression became even more worried. “But maybe don’t mention that. Just… just try to distract her… Until we get help…”

Right after she said it, the door to the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore came in, Snape following right behind him. How did they get here so fast? They quickly reach to them and started asking about the events of recent hours. At some point, Madam Pomfrey showed up as well. Helena had problems to focus, but somehow, she was answering all the questions, almost automatically as in some kind of trance. The Portkey, the Vault, the dragon. Rakepick, the Cruciatus Curse, the Garrotting Gas…

“I’ll find her. She won’t get away with this.”

It was Professor Snape, looking very determined to keep his promise. Everyone wanted to find Rakepick… Of course, it’s understandable. Yet, why nobody had shown such concern when Jacob went missing? Does one have to commit an act as horrible as this to get attention? Jacob did bad things, too. He put the whole school in danger because of his Cursed Vaults obsession. At least that’s what people say... Did Snape also try to bring him to justice? If so, he obviously failed. And in that case, how can he even hope to find Rakepick now?

Helena heard fewer and fewer words exchanged by people next to her. She was looking at her friends, some students she could barely recognise after seeing them occasionally in the corridors. Finally, she spotted Rowan, her eyes glistening. She knew. Rowan always knew. She didn’t need to hear the story to tell that something bad had happened. Helena got past her professors, not being entirely sure if they’re talking to her or Merula, and walked down the platform. Rowan was next to her in a moment, embracing her tightly. They didn’t speak, they were just standing there. It felt like the only good thing left in Helena’s life so she didn’t want to let it go.

“That’s enough! You know the most important thing!” Madam Pomfrey’s voice sounded over conversations. “I’m taking them to the Hospital Wing. All of them,” the matron added firmly.

“We’re gonna talk later, okay?” Helena said to Rowan, releasing her from the hug. Her friend only nodded, wiping her cheek with the sleeve.

She didn’t remember exactly how they got transported from the Great Hall. Suddenly, she was sitting on a bed in the Hospital Wing when Madam Pomfrey approached her, moving a folding screen.

“Miss Ellis, I told you to change your clothes.”

The girl looked down at her outfit. Rakepick’s outfit. Well, not exactly, of course. It all started when she was with Rowan at some second-hand shop. She found then a waistcoat made of fabric similar to the one the Curse-Breaker usually wore. Brown shirt and trousers were much easier to get. With the addition of black cloak and some belts, the costume was completed. It wasn’t a perfect copy, but the resemblance was quite obvious. At the time, she thought it’d be funny, and maybe this kind of mockery would annoy Rakepick. And even though the latter goal wasn’t achieved – rather on the contrary – Helena grew to like this silly outfit. It was comfortable.

“Who’s that girl?” she asked, looking at a tall blonde bustling behind Madam Pomfrey.

“It’s Donna, a seventh-year Hufflepuff. She’s starting practice at St Mungo’s in Autumn. I reckoned she might be needed.”

The matron was just checking on her wrist. She was touching it gently, but only now Helena realised how much it hurt.

“I’m fine, Madam Pomfrey, it’s just a wrist,” she said instead. “I think Charlie has broken ribs, and Ben was wounded in the head pretty badly--”

“And how about you let me do my job, hm?”

“I just want to help…”

“You fought a dragon, dear,” Madam Pomfrey remarked softly. “Did you consider you might need help yourself?”

Helena looked at her blankly. “Not really, no.”

She barely spoke for the rest of her examination. Eventually, she was told to lay down. When she turned on the right side, she was facing an empty room. She wished to be left alone, so it was the best alternative for cutting herself off. All the noises became incredibly annoying. The Weasley brothers must’ve tried to come to her bed because Helena heard Madam Pomfrey yelling at them. She heard Merula arguing. She didn’t hear Ben, though. Finally, she got a potion that was supposed to help her sleep.

When she woke up, it was dark and silent. Perhaps it was later the same night, maybe it was the next one already. She knew one thing for sure – she was suffocating. It was that feeling of panic that disrupted her rest. She needed to leave the room immediately. She found her wand on the side table, but she didn’t want to draw attention by lightening it up right away, so she got up and blindly moved to the exit, trying very hard to not stumble.

“Lumos!” she mumbled under her breath when the door closed behind her.

The rest of the castle was just as quiet and calm as the Hospital Wing. Helena was pacing through the corridors, feeling her breath becoming more and more steady the further she got. She was nearing the stairs leading to the ground floor when she heard footsteps which weren’t her own. Her heart started beating faster again. The confrontation with Filch or one of the teachers was the last thing she needed at the moment. She extinguished the light at the end of her wand and hid behind the nearest statue. The steps were getting closer to her, so she instinctively pressed her lips in the hope it’d help her stay quiet.

“Nell?” she heard a whisper.

The redhead suddenly appeared in her view, and they both jumped when their eyes met.

“Charlie!” she hissed at him. “You scared me to death!”

“I scared you?” he raised his eyebrows. “I’m not the one hiding in the dark!”

“I thought you’re a teacher! What are you even doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to get some air. And don’t try to distract me,” she looked at him sternly. “You should be lying in bed.”

Charlie’s face got gentler. “So do you.”

“I’m fine, I could go back to my dormitory,” she replied, crossing her arms on the chest.

“You don’t look fine.”

“I’m fine, Charlie,” she said more firmly. “I wasn’t trapped under rubble, I wasn’t tortured--”

“Nell, you fought a dragon,” he cut in. “You got hurt. Don’t say--”

“I know I fought a fucking dragon!” she snapped. “Can people stop reminding me about that?” She stared at him coldly, but Charlie remained calm which only made her feel worse. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell,” she said and hid her face. “I… I just really need to get out of here.”

Charlie hesitated before reaching his hand towards her. “Well, can I go with you?” Helena only nodded and grabbed his palm without a word.

They didn’t speak on their way outside. The night was warm and the air fresh. They both were barefoot, but it was actually pleasant to step on the grass. They were still quiet by the time they reached the Black Lake.

“Y’know, it’s just weird…” Helena started out of nowhere. Not because the silence felt awkward or Charlie seemed to be pressing on her. It was growing in her, and she simply had to let it go. “I imagined the reunion with Jacob so many times, and I thought it’d be the most important day of my life. That I’d be so happy, or even sad, depending on the situation, or angry.” She stopped so abruptly that her hand slipped out of Charlie’s. “But I felt nothing.”

He turned to her and watched her for a moment, wondering what to say. “D’you want to talk about what happened before Bill and I came?”

It wasn’t the first time he gave her that look that night. He knew that it wasn’t just an awkward reunion, that something had happened. Bill knew as well. Helena hoped that he didn’t blame himself for hurrying to free Jacob. That there are no reasons to regret it, to begin with. She took a deep breath.

“Well…” she started slowly. “When I entered the inner chamber, Jacob was there, in the portrait…” She swallowed hard, remembering the picture. “He was happy to see me, and I was happy too. And I was about to touch that damn column when he said: ‘You can trust me’…”

Charlie frowned. “Well, yeah. He’s your brother. Why wouldn’t you trust him?”

“Exactly! That’s what I thought! So, I asked him why would he say that. I mean, I’ve spent five bloody years searching for him, following his stupid clues which were more confusing than helpful at times… How could he think that I wouldn’t trust him after that? I fought a dragon for him, and he didn’t even ask about that! Anyway…” She lowered her voice again and bit her lip. “He started explaining himself, and then you came. That’s pretty much it. I don’t know, Charlie… It just doesn’t make any sense. None of it makes sense. And I just… I just want to scream because of that.”

“So scream.”

“What?”

Charlie shrugged. “I mean, I sometimes want to scream from frustration, too. Maybe it’s healthy to let it out. And who’s gonna stop you now?” He touched her arm reassuringly and smiled gently. “I can join you if it’ll make you more comfortable.”

And then, he inhaled deeply and screamed at the top of his lungs. The sound spread over the water, but they were far enough from the castle that it shouldn’t have disturbed anyone. Helena dithered for a moment, but she quickly joined him – a bit shy at first, but with time passing, she felt like a gigantic weight was getting off her whole body. When they both stopped, she chuckled briefly, simply because of how silly the whole situation was: two teenagers in hospital pyjamas, in the middle of the night, yelling at the Black Lake.

The second scream Helena started on her own. However, this time, it brought relief only for a while. Suddenly, everything that had happened in the Vault came back to her. All images, all words, still so fresh in her memory. And that cold look which never before was that cold... Her shout gradually became a cry, and before she knew, tears were falling down her face. Charlie had to realise it before her because in the very next moment, he was holding her in a tight embrace, speaking softly.

“It’s okay, I’m here.”

She wanted to calm down, but the more she tried, the more painful it was. Just hours ago, she had almost everything. Most importantly, she had hope. Now, it all was taken from her – and she didn’t really understand how it could’ve gone so wrong.

She buried her face in Charlie’s chest and clutched his shirt. “Why she left me?” she sobbed.

He said nothing. Partially because he didn’t have an answer for that, but also because he wasn’t expecting that it’s the question on her mind. And since Helena couldn’t see his surprised expression, she was unaware how much she exposed herself when her walls had broken once more.

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm mc #jacob's sibling #helena ellis #hphm jacob #patricia rakepick #charlie weasley #portrait vault #year 5 #my writing

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hotpotrandomfics · 3 years

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Future AU: A Promise Never Broken

Summary: Merula, Penny, Rowan, and Tulip have been on the run for weeks as they have been chased by Death Eaters. The former classmates would have been killed hadn’t someone came to their rescues.

Word Count: 2,907

"Come on, this way Penny!" Merula shouted, running and casting spells behind her as the Death Eaters chased her and her friends. "Rowan! Tulip! Come on!"

Three friends ran past Merula, covering her from behind, after making it into the abandoned house behind them. They shut the door and barracked it before looking for a way to get out.

"This has got to be the worst day ever!" Rowan said panting and wiping the sweat off his glasses. "What are gonna do now? I don't see any exits, and that door won't hold them back!"

"Khanna, shut up and let me think for a second," Merula replied.

"Look, I have at least one dung bomb left. We use Lumos to blind them last minute then make a break for it," Tulip responded.

"I have two more fire-breathing potions, and one wiggleweed potion left. I could use one on them before escaping too," Penny offered her idea to them.

"Okay, then let's go with that. Penny, drink up. Tulip, prep the bomb, and Rowan, have your wand ready," Merula replied prepping her wand.

Ever since Voldemort's resurrection, the wizarding world has been thrown into chaos. Dark wizards and many other creatures had joined his cause, whether out of pure loyalty or fear. Even the one they thought would never be corrupted, Jason Piscius Aurelius De Leone. Jason had been gone for months after being recruited by his brother, Jacob, and has been one of Voldemort's topmen in assassinations. Ismelda. Barnaby. Tonks. Andre. Ben. Jae. Diego. Liz. All killed by Jason. Merula was the most heartbroken out of all his friends. Over the years, they had been enemies turned friends, to lovers. The biggest betrayal she had ever felt in her life, was by the one she loved the most.

"It's still so hard to believe this though, Jason," Rowan muttered. "How are we going to fight this? Fight him?"

Merula stomped over to Rowan gripping him by his collar, tears creeping down her cheeks. She had bags under her eyes, revealing her lack of sleep for the past few days. Tulip and Penny tried to pry her off him as he squirmed.

"We have no choice, dammit! He betrayed us!" Merula shouted angrily. "I don't want to fight him, but our lives and the information we got from those bastards will help save at least the wizarding world!"

"Snyde, enough! Let him go!" Tulip said pulling at him. "We don't have time for this!"

"Merula, stop! Please!" Penny asked pleading her to let Rowan go.

She obliged her friends and let Rowan go. She was stressed by the emotional turmoil she was facing. Everyone was, and they needed to focus or be killed by their once friend.

There were murmurs outside and then complete silence.

BOOM

"Well well," one death eater said as he walked in smirking at the group of young wizards. "Four little wizards. Make your choice now. Join the Dark Lord or die?"

"Interesting, here's our counter-offer," Tulip replied throwing her dung bomb at the Death Eaters disorienting them temporarily. "Penny, now!"

On cue, Penny spewed fire on the Death Eaters, setting two ablaze and causing the others to jump out of the way. Merula and Rowan cast Lumos to blind the other Death Eaters before all four of them ran out of the building, following through the alleys till they met a dead end.

"Dammit! What now?" Merula spouted.

"End of the road, little Snyde and friends," said an all too familiar voice. Fenrir Greyback in his werewolf form followed by a group of Death Eaters. "Try as you might, you will fail as you did in Hogwarts."

Fenrir had caused many grievances for Merula. He turned Jason into a werewolf when they searched for the vaults during their time at Hogwarts. It was under him that Jason served, as well as Jacob.

"Time for payback you, you little twit!", as one of the Greybacks, Death Eaters cast Petrificus Totalus, binding all four of the weary wizards.

"It must be horrifying knowing you failed in protecting your friends and knowing the ones you couldn't save were by the one who loved you the most. Ah, I was surprised how far Jason would go to show his loyalty to the Dark Lord. But alas, I will be the one to kill you all."

Merula couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face now. Was this how she'd die? Is this how her friends will die? All because of Jason, the man she grew to love through the years, corrupted to serve Voldemort.

Just as Greyback was raising his claws to kill Merula, a shout of a few voices came from nowhere.

"Incendio," shouted a large man setting one Death Eater ablaze.

"Bombarda," shouted two feminine voices sending half of the enemy into a wall.

"What is going on?!" shouted Greyback.

"A rescue. Configro," said a man, landing between Greyback and Merula. A man in a black coat. "Diego, free them!"

"On it Aurelius," said Diego as he cast Finite Incantium, freeing the four paralyzed wizards.

"Jason?!" shouted Rowan as he stood up surprised.

"Hey amigo, we can talk later," said the man, turning to look back on them. "I'll take a slap from you later il mio amore," Jason said as he winked at Merula.

"Get them Bean!," said Barnaby flying down on the back of griffin as it grabbed a Death Eater and tossed him over the roofs of a nearby building.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late," said Ismelda appearing behind a few Death Eaters and stunning them. "Baubillious!"

One by one, the Death Eaters were taken down, and with them, all of Merula friends appeared. Ismelda. Barnaby. Tonks. Andre. Ben. Jae. Diego. Liz. Even the Weasleys, Bill, and Charlie accompanied by a baby dragon that was setting some Death Eaters rear ablaze. Badeea had caused a few to be trapped in a small sketchbook. She couldn't believe the sight as their pursuers were being beaten while Jason was busy handling Greyback.

"Get clear guys," as Jason raised his wand. "Auguamenti!" sending a stream of water through the alley, chucking Greyback and his Death Eaters down. "Charlie! Where is the big guy?!"

As if on cue a large dragon flew down and grabbed Tulip, Rowan, and Penny. Charlie and Bill jumped on the dragon as the beast flew off with them. Ismelda flew off on her broom, along with Diego and Badeea. Barnaby and Liz flew away on Bean the griffin. Jason grabbed Merula before casting Baubillious on the drenched Death Eaters, knocking them all out.

"Let's go," Jason said as he flew off on his broom holding Merula in his arms.

"Aurelius, you better explain now, or I'll throw you off your broom!" she shouted as they soared behind their friends.

"Well, I would appreciate a thank you or a kiss but I know I'm in the doghouse," he said laughing softly. "I will explain everything once we get to the hideout, I promise."

"You better or I am casting the killing curse on you," she stated holding tightly to him to prevent falling off.

The gang had flown for what felt like hours till they landed in the garden of the estate that appeared to look abandoned. They fell as everyone jumped off their essential mode of transportation.

"Jason!" said Rowan and Penny as they ran at him ready to hug him but stopped midway as Merula slapped him.

"Why?!" she shouted angrily. "Why go and join Voldemort? How is everyone alive?!" she kept shouting as she repeatedly slapped him harder and harder.

He gestured for everyone to stay back as she kept hitting. Jason pulled her close as she began to sob and tried to fight out of his embrace. He gently stroked her hair as she wept into him.

"I'm sorry," he stated, "I was given orders by the Ministry and worked with Professor Snape to uncover some plans and hidden locations for Voldemort's top subordinates. But to win their trust, I had to act as an assassin."

"Orders?" she looked at him stunned. "You did all this stop Voldemort?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you Merula. I did all I could to protect you and everyone," he said wiping her tears from her eyes. "I wouldn't betray them, and I wouldn't betray you. I said I'd protect you no matter what."

"Even throughout all this time you kept your promises, huh?" she said and flicked his nose. "I thought I told you I'd protect you too based on our promise, jerk."

"Ow! Well, I am stubborn as you fairly know. Again, I'm sorry I had to deceive you," he looked at his friends, "all of you. I did what I had to do. I don't expect forgiveness. And if you need to, go ahead and slap or punch me if it will ease your anger."

"Jason, we couldn't hate you but what you did was reckless," stated Rowan. "But you are our troublemaker mate." He said and smiled.

"To think you'd break a bunch of laws for the sake of stopping all this madness? I am impressed Aurelius," Tulip said walking to him and slapping him. "But if you're gonna break rules then let me help."

"It's good to know you're not evil Jason but please never do that again," Penny said as she hugged his side, and Merula looking up at him pouting.

"Haywood, you have three seconds to let go of my boyfriend," Merula said as she stared at Penny menacingly.

"Merula, at least one group hug we've been through a lot in the past few weeks," Penny wined.

"Fine, one time," Merula muttered.

All of the gang got together to commemorate their reunion as the vault solvers. They were happy to see their family was along again as a whole. After a moment of embracing, they made their way into the manner as Jason showed them the way in.

"Who's house is this?" asked Tulip.

"That crest, wait a moment. Jason, is this?" asked Rowan surprised.

"Welcome to the Aurelius manor. The United Kingdom manor anyhow," Jason stated embarrassed. "I got plenty of room so you all can have your own space to rest."

Jason gave everyone a tour of the manor and explained all the exits should they be attacked. By the time he finished all his friends had followed him to the dining area. They sat and ate as he explained more of the mission as one of Voldemort's minions and where the final battle would take place. Afterward, his friends went to their assigned rooms to get some much-needed rest. Jason went to his living room and stood by the fireplace lost in thought.

"You know, I am still quite angry with you. Yes?" Merula said as she walked to him.

"Well given how many times I was slapped I would have no idea," he said turning to face her. "But I wanted to keep you safe. Merula, I don't know how many times I have to say, but I'm-" Jason was cut off by her lips against his.

"Shut up, and I heard enough. I forgive you, but you're going never to do something this reckless again," she said placing a hand on his chest. "Am I clear Aurelius?"

"I promise," he said taking her hand into his kissing it. "My cover was blown anyway to save you, and I don't regret it." Jason caressed her cheek and smiled down at her. "I missed you Merula."

"I missed you too Jason," Merula replied stepping up to kiss him again.

"I won't leave you ever again," he said as he renewed their kiss.

"You better or you're gonna be in a world of trouble beloved," Merula said smirking up at him.

"I would never dream of crossing you," he said kissing her forehead. "I had seven years of that already amore."

"Well, I am the most powerful witch in the world."

"And the most beautiful witch in the world," he responded.

"How I miss your flattery," she said leaning into his chest.

"Ready to win a war?" he asked her smirking down.

"With you? Believe it." Merula said holding tightly as if he'd vanish.

Jason was one to take the necessary risk for those he loved. Merula knew that all too well. Putting his life on the line while saving her and protect her from the likes of many dangers before. Together, they will help put this world right and keep it from the likes of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

#harry potter hogwarts mystery #hp hogwarts mystery #hphm fanfiction #hphm fic #hphm mc #jason piscius aurelius de leone #merula snyde #jason x merula

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lumo-dreams · 2 years

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Can they stop being so cute??? 😭

Spoiler: Luis is going to Innsbruck for 2 weeks for an internship and they will obviously miss each other very much <3

#lumo spoilers #luis x moritz #it's a temporary goodbye #can't wait for their reunion #just a short moment but the cutest

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felixfeliciswriterblog · 3 years

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Snapetober 2020 - Day 30: Self Hatred

Warnings: mentions of death, angst.

Length: 1414 words.

This is a missing scene from my main Severitus Snape x OC fic. Severus is married to Skyrah. They have a son (Corbin) who is about 1.

A MAGNIFICENT SPY

“Lumos,” whispered Severus.

He ascended the stairs slowly, making sure they didn’t creak under his feet and awaken anybody from their slumber. In the crib was his son, unaware of the pure evil and injustice in the world. Whenever Corbin smiled in his sleep, as he was doing now that his father was caressing his chubby cheeks, Severus would smile back. Not that night, though. He kissed Corbin on the forehead, making up for the goodnight kiss he had missed, and walked towards his own bedroom. The dim light coming through the half-open bedroom door told him that Skyrah, unlike her sister, Harry, and Corbin, wasn’t sleeping. He peeped through the door.

She was seated on the bed, with his pillow positioned on her back and head. A History book – the one she read whenever she was anxious – lay on her flexed knees. His first thought was that the light the old lamp from the nightstand emitted made her skin glow.

Beautiful, she was beautiful.

Everything about the Death Eaters meeting had been hideous.

Malfoy Manor had been dark, cold. One look at his wife and he felt warmer. It still wasn’t enough. He wanted her to look at him. Only then might he be able to forget Charity’s eyes before she…

Don’t go there, he told himself.

At the creaking door, Skyrah shot her head up. His name tripped off her tongue, breathy. Her eyes were tender, inviting. She tossed the book onto the nightstand and leaped out of the bed.

Cupping his chin to inspect his face, she asked, “Are you wounded?”

Yes. Not physically. “No.”

“Are you okay?”

Not at all. “Yes.”

“Liar.”

Despite having promised they wouldn’t lie to each other, she did not sound incriminating but merely concerned. If there was something Severus disliked, that was worrying his wife.

“Did Corbin wake you up? Is that why you are awake?”

She took a step back, withdrawing her hands from his face, hurt.

"Is this what you think of me? That I’m incapable of staying awake for my husband?” Severus was about to reply when she held up her palm. “Corbin’s been sleeping like a log.”

He gulped at her cutting tone. “It is late. You should be resting.”

“I can’t rest when I’m worried.”

“I do not want you to worry so much about me. It is not healthy.”

She snorted. “I couldn’t agree more. Ease my worries. You could start by telling me what happened in the meeting in which my father thought my presence and his heir’s weren’t needed.” He drew in an intake of air and averted her gaze. More softly, she whispered, “Please.”

Severus… Please… Please… Help me!

His face contorted in pain.

When Skyrah took his hand, he locked their gazes. Her eyes were full of love, begging. Merlin. How was he supposed to tell her? Would she hate him as much as he hated himself if she found out? He walked past her and sat on the edge of the bed, lowering his head. His hair might have covered his distressed face like a curtain, but it did nothing to muffle Voldemort’s sibilant voice in his head.

Dinner, Nagini.

Severus gripped the edges of the bed, biting his lip to keep from screaming. Skyrah’s arm slithered around his waist. A kiss landed on the corner of his eye. It was then he noticed he had let a tear fall. She kissed his cheekbone, the corner of his mouth, his jaw, and rested her head on his shoulder. After that, his heart did not ache so much.

“You don’t have to tell me now… Just tell me what I can do for you for the time being. I just… I hate seeing you like this. I want to help you feel better, and I don’t know how if I don’t know what’s going on.”

He let out a shaky breath and leaned into her. Getting the hint, she tightened her grip on him and cuddled him in silence, waiting for him to make the next move.

“She said…” He trailed off. Skyrah raised her head, looking at him. “She said we were friends. She viewed me as her friend. I had to see her die.”

Friends?

His circle of acquaintances was limited to say the least. Skyrah considered the people who could have died in that reunion. Whoever she was, she used to work at Hogwarts. All his friends worked there, except the Malfoys, if they could be considered friends.

“Narcissa?”

“No. No, Narcissa is fine. A bit sick after witnessing the scene, like her son, but Lucius will take care of his family.”

“If the person isn’t a Malfoy then…” He shut his eyes. His silence spoke volumes. With a sinking heart, Skyrah cupped his face, forcing him to make eye contact. “Who?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want you to suffer more because of this damned war.”

“I work at Hogwarts, too. I will find out sooner or later. I want to know it now.”

He swallowed hard. “Professor Burbage… Charity.”

Skyrah gasped, blinking back tears. Although they weren’t close friends, Charity was passionate about her subject, terribly kind and tolerant, the kind of person that gave the desolate faith in humanity. She had appeared genuinely happy to find out about the Snapes’ marriage, and had once babysat Corbin.

“Charity died thinking I was on the Dark Lord’s side, a Death Eater.”

“But you aren’t,” she whispered, squeezing his waist. “You are a good man.”

“I sentenced her to death. Is that your definition of ‘a good man’?”

His sarcasm didn’t scare her. Nor did his self-loathing. She was used to them and knew how to combat them.

“Don’t you dare blame yourself for her death. If you’d saved her, your loyalties would be exposed, and we’d be doomed. You saved hundreds of lives. This war would be lost without you. Most wouldn’t have been able to keep their covers under such pressure. You fooled them all. You did your job as a spy, a magnificent job.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be a spy anymore!” He stood up to get away from her touch, breathing hard. “I don’t! I hate it. I have to see innocent people being tortured, murdered in cold blood, and there is nothing I can do about it.”

She rose to her feet and clutched his trembling hand in hers, waiting until his breathing returned back to normal. He didn’t push her away nor snap at her.

Taking it as a positive sign, she said, “I wish you didn’t have to do this. Your life's on the line all the time. It frightens me, but we are in too deep. We can only make the best of this horrible situation so that, one day, we believe the sacrifices you made as a spy were worth it.” He gulped soundly. Skyrah brought his hand to her mouth and gave it a chaste kiss. “Her death won’t be in vain. Not hers. Not Albus’s. Not our daughter’s. Not Lily’s or Daniel’s… Not a single death caused by my father. We’ll help Harry fight him.”

Skyrah changed Severus’s attire to his sleepwear with a flick of her wand. The lights went out next. She yanked him down to bed and spooned him from behind, nuzzling his hair.

“As your friend, Charity wouldn’t like to know you hate yourself so much for something that was out of your control. You’ll turn your pain into the motivation that keeps moving you. You’re so brave, so admirable and loveable,” she crooned, eliciting a sound from him that resembled a sob. “Shh. I love you. I love you even if you hate yourself.”

She dropped kisses on his nape and shoulder until his breathing became regular and deep. Although his body appeared calm, his mind kept reeling. Charity’s cries drilled his brain, as did Bellatrix’s maniac laugh alongside the sound Nagini’s fangs made when they sank into her skin. He could still smell the blood.

Skyrah drifted off to sleep thinking that, by the time he fell asleep in the comfort of her embrace, he would not feel so guilty. She had said it herself.

You fooled them all.

Even her.

Even himself.

He’d convince himself that Charity had to die for the greater good, and he would believe his own lie like Voldemort believed his fake loyalty. He’d move on. He was, after all, a magnificent spy.

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A/N: For some reason, my posts don’t appear in the snapetober search tag even if I tag it correctly. Hopefully, you see this one @snapetober. There’s another post in my blog for this fest (day 18: falling)

I wouldn’t have been able to post this on time if it had been betaed, so I apologize for any mistakes you may have encountered. I did my best.

If you liked it, you can read the main fic here: AO3, FFN.

#snapetober #snapetober2020 #snape fanfiction #pro snape #severus snape x oc #severus snape #charity burbage

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headcanonsandmore · 5 years

Note

Do you have any recommendations for romione post war fics? Or non post war but AU. Looking for some new material to read

Ron/Hermione post-war fics

To Know You Is To Love You by @coyotelaughingsoftly. Calm, rational discussions have never been their strong point. When a pre-wedding fight shows them that they need to get it together, Hermione suggests couples counseling with an innovative new method. Ron reluctantly agrees, and now the two of them are going to learn about each other in a way never before possible.

Tangled, by @burgundydahlia. A plot to bring down one of the Wizarding world’s prominent business leaders brings two friends back together after years of separation. But will their reunion be bittersweet? And what will happen when they realise nothing is as it seems? It’s not completed just yet.

Ron/Hermione AU fics

‘The Teenage Wasteland’ by Carmen’s Daughter. Muggle AU about Ron and Hermione meeting at school. It’s not really novel length, but I hope you like it.

‘New York Times’ by @dm2840. A muggle AU (not novel-length again, sorry).

The Hermione Granger series by Ann Margaret. A series of fanfictions (rated T, as far as I’m aware) from Hermione’s perspective, starting in fifth year. The series begins with ‘Hermione Granger and the Order of the Phoenix’ (which is the fifth book told from Hermione’s POV), then continues with ‘Hermione Granger and the Time of Troubles’ (which was written before the sixth book was released), ‘Hermione Granger and the Beginning of the End’ (which continues on from ‘TOT’, and is about the end of the wizarding war), and finally ‘Follow Through’ (which is set several years after the war, and concerns Hermione struggling to solve a mystery from the war). I should warn you though, this series ends with the hint of a possible sequel that I don’t think the author ever got round to writing.

Ann Margaret also did Hermione POV fanfictions of ‘HBP’ and ‘DH’ which also continue on from her ‘Order of the Phoenix’ fanfic, and follow the canon book series’ plot.

‘Lumos Construction’ by PhoenixTailAndHolly. Ronald Weasley is working as a contractor. He is wrapping up a job when he gets a call for a new project; a cottage in Devon. The voice on the other end of the line is strangely familiar...

I also have a AU post-war fic called ‘A Peculiar Engagement’, which you can find on my FFN and AO3 pages.

I’d also recommending asking @callieskye due to their enormous Romione fic list, and @accio-library.

Thanks for the ask, anon! Sorry it took so long to reply!

#ask #anon #harry potter fanfiction #romione fanfiction #romione fanfic #romione #ronmione #fanfic recs #fanfiction recommendations

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romioneflufffest · 5 years

Text

Happy Romione Fluff Fest Day

Thank you to everyone who participated: creators and followers alike! A complete list of submissions is under the cut.

Winter Days by @delannscape

Getting There by @delannscape

Reunion by @kingronbweasley

Sitting Here by @insufferableknowit-all

A Pup’s Paw by @aloemilk

Take it all Back by @remedial-potions

Sooner or Later by @remedial-potions

I’m not going Anywhere by @michaeljaggerrocks

We have to quit meeting like this (or six times Ron and Hermione used the hospital wing to flirt) by @hello-blue-roses

Trigger Point by @unablearethelovedtodie

Lumos by @xfadedmemoriezx

What, exactly, is the function of a baby? by @frecklesandbroomsticks

Sealed and Delivered by @aloemilk

Home by @trademarkblue

As in Health by @idearlylovealaugh

Practice Calls by @hillnerd

Untitled Art by @hillyminne

THANK YOU ALL! And until next time ~~

@aloemilk and @honouraryweasley12

#romione #romioneflufffest #romione fluff fest #ron and hermione #hermione granger #ron weasley

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lizziebennet · 5 years

Note

AURORA. Very important question for you on this Tuesday night - what is your opinion on the HP scores and could you order them from fav to least fav?

what an excellent and essential question. i admit that it’s hard for me to approach this matter from an objective point of view as obviously my opinions of these scores are very intensely affected by nostalgia and my experience w the film itself, but i shall try my hardest to just evaluate the scores on their own merit.

RANKING OF THE HARRY POTTER FILM SCORES, FROM WORST TO BEST:

7. deathly hallows part 1&2 by alexandre desplat

i remember when it was announced desplat was going to be doing the last 2 films and it was so exciting to have such a Hot Composer taking on the final two films… but i gotta say he severely disappointed me and i haven’t forgiven desplat since. these films–especially part 2–were the culmination of the entire franchise, and should’ve been fucking epic masterpieces that evoked the previous films’ score. instead, desplat largely ignored the iconic potter themes that williams and others created and went in his own direction which like… isn’t really the right move for the last 2 films of a franchise imo.

and im just not super a fan of what he came up with?? like ‘lily’s theme’ is good, but im not sure it really fits potter?? and i just feel like a lot of the final battle stuff could’ve been so much more epic and emotional like. it doesn’t take a lot for a bitch to cry in a harry potter movie but desplat wasn’t helping me out u know. anyway i honestly like the score he did for fucking new moon better than for potter which …….is not great.

6. order of the phoenix by nicholas hooper

i am trying not to let my hatred of this movie cloud my judgement here but like even so i think this is one of the weaker scores. there are just so many annoying tracks lmaooo that like they blast at the wizarding world parks u know. like umbridge’s theme… i get its SUPPOSED to be annoying but still its not a fave. and like i think again the stuff in the ministry of magic during the fight scenes couldve been better. its just not a fave tbh but i do like a few themes like particularly the track ‘a journey to hogwarts’ is very sweet and sirius’s death moment was well done. but overall there are more tracks on this one i skip than play.

5. chamber of secrets by john williams

this is where things get rly tricky bc i legit love the rest of these scores. but i have to put chamber here because i feel like a lot of its greatness piggybacks off the genius of the score of sorcerer’s stone... which isn’t a bad thing at all but. it doesn’t bring a ton of new stuff to the table. however i do love the ‘fawkes the phoenix’ theme!!! so!! much!!! and lockhart’s theme is very funny and cute. we do edge into a saccharine territory a bit when it comes to tracks like ‘reunion of friends’ but like i cry every time so who fucking cares.

4. half-blood prince by nicholas hooper

i really really love this score as a stand alone score, and i almost put it higher on this list but i feel like this score totally abandons all the potter scores that have come before it and does its totally own new thing. this isn’t really the scores fault, as im sure like david yates told hooper to do this you know, but it deviates so far from the original themes instead of just adding onto them, so much so that if you just heard it without watching the movie you might not even associate it with the potter movies at all. again, this probably isn’t hooper’s fault but i think this was a big mistake for the sonic evolution of the movies. the potter movies failed to create a cohesive sound across all the films, and i think it is worse for it. can u imagine if the harry potter movies were like the lord of the rings movies, where they bring back themes from the first movie in the final one and the audience recognizes them subconsciously and the moment is all the more emotional because of it? tbh just a missed opportunity imo.

but anyway just about this score on its own, it has some of the best standalone tracks in the entire movies tbh. the one that stands out the most to me is of course ‘dumbledore’s farewell.’ such a hauntingly beautiful song--i remember seeing this movie for the first time and this track pierced me to my core. i also love how this score uses harp like in ‘when ginny kissed harry,’ and how it uses choral arrangements?? like in ‘in noctem.’ honestly i adore this score so much but i have to rank it lower because i doesn’t feel like it serves its purpose in the potter movies as a whole well :(

3. goblet of fire by patrick doyle

idk why patrick doyle only did the 1 movie because i really like this score. i know its super hard to follow up john fucking williams lmaooo but i feel like he did a pretty good job of drawing from the original williams themes but also incorporating some new stuff to fit the darker tone of the movie. there are some of my favorite potter tracks of all time on this score like ‘death of cedric’ which is so haunting and perfect and ‘harry in winter’ which is so beautiful and potter-esque. he also did a really good job with the action scenes in the graveyard which is v important to me. and the diegetic music in the yule ball stuff is so funny and lovely at the same time.

2. sorcerer’s stone by john williams

the fucking classic. the og. like, what is there to say?? talented brilliant incredible amazing showstopping never the same totally unique. like only john williams could create such an iconic theme. it’s hard for me to be objective here because i was young enough when the first movie came out that ‘hedwig’s theme’ /is/ harry potter to me, they are one in the same, you cannot separate them in my mind. but truly williams captured the magic of the harry potter world in music and enchanted everyone with this score.

i also love the little medieval-y influences in this score that were dropped by chamber of secrets. like with the harp moments and in ‘diagon alley and the gringotts vault’ and ‘in ‘hogwarts forever!’ there’s just a very majestic and antique vibe that i really dig that didn’t really carry over to the other movies.

i will say sometime williams gets very... williams-y in his very uhh loud?? and kinda frantic composing u can hear in like ‘the quidditch match’ which isn’t my favorite way to do action scenes, but like who the fuck cares u know the pros of this score far outweigh it.

like. just. so manyyy iconic themes that have so much EMOTIONAL WEIGHT!!! like the moment u see hogwarts for the first time and the choral vocals... and the bells in ‘christmas at hogwarts.’ and who can keep a dry eye during ‘leaving hogwarts’??? NOT I!!!!!!!!!!! such a gentle theme of longing and home and yearning and family and bittersweet loss. it starts so small and intimate but then swELLS to this grand and sweeping tune. it’s stunning.

1. prisoner of azkaban by john williams

this is PEAK!!! potter for me. again, hard to be objective because this is the best my favorite harry potter movie, but i also truly think this is the best score because it carries over the iconic themes of the first two movies but adds a quirky and dramatic flair that fits the tone of the movie cuaron was trying to make u know? i think u can really tell that cuaron had a lot of imput on the score and didn’t just let williams do whatever he wanted, because we get a really interesting, stylized sound that is really different from williams usual fare in such a great way. but, it still is a williams score and because of that it shines and also weaves in the past movies’ themes to give us an outstanding amalgamation of sound and melody.

like we start with ‘lumos!’ which gets us right back into the potter universe but then we get a series of quirky new themes, like the waltz for aunt marge, the jazzy knight bus theme, and the medieval choral rendition of ‘double trouble’... iconic. and we get the dark and disturbing dementors theme (’apparition on the train’) which is very understated for a williams score and extremely effective.

however ,,,, we do not abandon the themes from prior movies!!!!! a great illustration of how williams takes those old potter themes and adapts them for this movie can be seen in ‘secrets of the castle.’ this minimalist take on hedwigs theme is a completely different tone from the original, but still establishes that we are in the same sonic world as that film. you can also see this in ‘the portrait gallery’ where an old potter theme is played on some kind of woodwind (idk sorry) and a harpsichord, giving the odd, quirky, vintage feel of the movie but still keeping with the established potter musical world.

i really love the ~medieval vibes~ that this score gives me and i wish this was something later scores went back to (instead of going in a jazz direction..looking at you hooper). theres a lot of traditional sounding instruments used that give it a real rustic, celtic feel rather than the grand classicism of a full orchestral sound that the first 2 movies use. a lot of harps, strings, and woodwinds!!!!

some of my favorite tracks of all time are on this score. ‘window to the past’ is just... a triumph of emotion. its absolutely stunning in its simplicity in the beginning, and how it builds toward the end. the return of that theme in ‘finale’ when sirius is saying goodbye to harry...i truly sob every time. the isolated vocals in ‘the patronus light’ truly embody the purity of that awe and joy when the patronus is cast. and of course, of course, ‘buckbeak’s flight’ is an absolute magical joy ride captured in sound. williams refrains from using a full orchestra for most of the score, so when everyone plays together in moments like this you get the full grandeur of the scene just... bAM! it’s so fucking well done and just... perfect.

#anonymous #aurora got an ask #sorry this took a literally age to finish.... but as u can see #i had a lot to say #would love to hear other ppls thoughts!!!!#hp #harry potter #john williams #scores #aurora RANTS

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