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The Seventh Mistake: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC; Garreth Weasley x f!MC - Angst and Smut - Sebastian wasted a lot of time trying to do what was best for MC. Now, she is engaged to Garreth. Is it too little too late?
I Never Want Peace, I Thrive in the Panic: Ominis Gaunt & Dark!MC - Angst and Death - Ominis Gaunt betrayed her. Now she wants revenge.
Stronger Together: Sebastian Sallow & f!MC & Ominis Gaunt - Angst - Her ancient magic is spiraling out of control. She has to protect her friends and avoid them at all costs.
The Offer: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC - Fluff - Sebastian always wanted to learn to play the piano. Luckily, he found a new teacher.
Reset (WIP): Sebastian Sallow x f!MC - Angst, Pining - MC won the battle against Ranrok in the repository at the end of her fifth year, but she lost her memories and herself in the process. With no memory of her entire fifth year or her boyfriend, Sebastian Sallow, she is left to attempt to navigate her sixth year and the challenges that face her, including balancing a heartbroken Slytherin boy and a kind-hearted Gryffindor. She was given an opportunity for a reset. Will she make the most of it?
It's Now or Never: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC - Pining, Smut - Their lives were about to take them on separate journeys for the first time since they met almost three years ago. She desperately wants him, but he is insistent on protecting her virtue. They have one final night together before Sebastian moves to another country. She has to seize the opportunity in front of her before she loses it.
7.8k Words
Content Warnings: Just fluff! Pining, crushes, general cuteness.
Summary: Sixth year has begun, and Leander is nervous to start talking to MC again after their summer apart. Tired of listening to his pining, Garreth comes up with a way to get Leander and MC talking.
A/N: MC's house isn't specified, but for plot, she's written to not be in Gryffindor.
~~~~~
“You’re making this harder than it has to be, mate,” Garreth said, relaxing back against his headboard, a potions book and a mess of scribbled notes spread on his bed beside him that had been forgotten in the wake of conversation.
He and Leander had their dorm to themselves for the moment, and as typical, Leander was taking this time to vent about his lady woes – or rather – his lack-of-lady woes.
Leander paced the space between their beds, shaking his head at his friend. Of course for someone like Garreth – someone confident and effortlessly funny and charming – getting a girl's attention was not a difficult task. Hell, Leander would settle for being able to talk to girls without putting his foot in his mouth. Not even girls, just… one specific girl.
“What am I supposed to say to her?” Leander groaned, a rhetorical question that he stopped his pacing to answer with his standard self deprecating flair. “Oh, hello, I know I can barely speak to you without tripping over my words and making a fool of myself, but we should totally go out anyway,” he scoffed. “That’ll go over well.”
Garreth sighed, feeling sympathetic to his friend’s situation. At the same time, however, sixth year had barely begun and the pining was already getting more than a little bit old. He had half a mind to march up to MC and tell her himself that Leander had been hemming and hawing about asking her out since fifth year, but Garreth valued his life and didn’t want to risk Leander hexing him into oblivion if he were to unintentionally make things worse.
“You’re acting like she’s a stranger to you but she’s not. Sure, you haven’t talked since before summer, but all you have to do is break the ice with her again for the year. It’s not like you have to come right out and profess your undying love for her, just ask her to Hogsmeade or something,” Garreth said, picking up his book and casually riffling the pages.
It was advice he’d given Leander before, that he had yet to take for whatever reason. Even if it didn’t lead to anything more, surely MC wouldn’t turn him down for a trip into the village. But Leander was as hard headed as he was insecure and nervous, and no amount of assurance from Garreth that he was actually a good catch would convince him.
“There’s better people for her to go to Hogsmeade with. She’s friends with everyone, I’d probably have to take a number and wait,” he said.
“I could talk to her for you,” Garreth said, not trying to sound too pushy, as he’d offered to do this before.
Leander drew in a breath, eyes widening at Garreth as though the idea was insane. “Ohh no, absolutely not. You stay out of it. All you need to do is listen to me whine and let me wallow in my loneliness,” he said dramatically.
Other friends of theirs may have found Leander’s theatrical refusal amusing – he was actually quite the funny bloke – but Garreth knew that in this instance it was a guise, hiding his actual hurt under his innate humor.
Leander crossed the room and looked over himself in the mirror besides their dorm room door. He smoothed out his hair and tucked his button down into his trousers. “Anyway, I was planning on heading to the library to do some more reading for that Transfiguration assignment due next week. Want to come?”
Garreth shook his head and waved his friend off. “Nah. I’ll do it later, I work better under pressure, anyway.”
“Suit yourself, but don’t ask to copy my notes,” Leander said and shrugged. He grabbed his bag from the hook beside the door and slung it over his shoulder, then turned to leave, but there was a clatter beside his bed that made him stop and turn around.
His small Scops Owl, Hoots, had woken up and restlessly ruffled his feathers in his cage. Leander crossed the room to the bird, and when he spoke this time his voice was much softer. “I’m sorry Hoots, I know you want to go back to the Owlery, but it’s still chucking it down outside and I know you don’t like to fly in the rain.”
Leander waggled his finger near the owl’s face, showing him the red mark from a nip he’d given him earlier in the day, after the owl had gotten caught in the downpour while returning from delivering a letter to Leander’s parents. The owl had flown to the dorm window rather than straight back to the owlery, set on reprimanding Leander for sending him out without having checked the forecast, and Leander wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
Leander unlatched the door of the cage, and offered the owl his arm and Hoots hopped onto his sleeve readily. “You can stretch your wings in the room until the rain stops,” he said, then looked up and addressed Garreth once again. “You’ll watch him while I’m out, yeah?”
“Mhm,” Garreth hummed. “Hoots and I will have a grand time, I’ll bounce potion ideas off him.”
Leander grinned and raised his arm, prompting Hoots to flutter his wings before flying over and landing on Garreth’s headboard. He perched near Garreth’s shoulder, as though he was actually going to look over the potions text with him.
“Right, I’m off then. See you,” Leander said and dipped out of the room, making his way towards the library at last.
Garreth read through his potions book for a good 40 minutes, jotting down notes here and there, and muttering under his breath comments on the potioneer author's ideas. Hoots chirped and chittered intermittently, prompting the boy to discuss further, until he was having a full conversation with the owl.
Before long, though, Garreth grew restless and distracted, his mind wandering back to his earlier conversation with Leander. He’d definitely said ‘no’ to his offer of speaking to MC on his behalf, but what if Garreth could help in a more inconspicuous way? Garreth hopped up from his bed needing to stretch his legs and wandered over to Leander’s desk, nonchalantly sifting through some rolls of parchment that were lined up neatly to the side.
“You want to help me with something, Hoots?” Garreth called to the owl, who flew over to Leander’s desk at the mention of his name. Hoots turned his head sharply, as though waiting for Garreth to elaborate. “Well, you’d be helping your dad, honestly.”
Unsurprisingly to Garreth after conversing to the bird about potions for the better part of the last hour, Hoots squawked from his perch on the edge of Leander’s desk, a sound of agreement. And so Garreth’s mind was made up. Much like in his potions work, once an idea struck him, it had to be executed – for better or worse. This was one of his better ideas, though. He could feel it.
If he couldn’t speak to MC on Leander’s behalf, maybe he could get MC to speak to him, all of her own accord.
Garreth plucked one of the rolls of parchment from Leander’s desk – an Ancient Runes assignment that Garreth happened to know (from the amount of complaining Leander had done while working on it) was due after the weekend.
“You want to stretch your wings a bit, yeah? Why don’t you deliver this to MC? Surely she’s in the castle somewhere.” Garreth said and offered the roll of parchment to Hoots.
The small owl took the roll of parchment in the talons of one foot and stepped onto Garreth’s waiting hand.
“Let’s hope we don’t run into Leander on the way through the portrait,” Garreth said and headed out of the dorm, then down the stairs and through the common room.
In his mind, running into Leander was the only thing that could go wrong. Once Hoots was out of the common room, Garreth was confident that the owl could execute the rest of his plan. The plan, of course, was that MC, after coming into possession of Leander’s assignment, would bring it back to him, and thus, talk to him. So simple. Would she be confused as to why an owl was bringing her someone else’s school work? Yes. Most definitely. But that – in Garreth’s opinion – just made the whole thing even better. She and Leander would be able to laugh about it, and laughing along with the girl you fancied was a good thing. Garreth definitely considered himself a genius for this one.
With Hoots on his arm, Garreth made his way through the portrait hole, and out into the castle. “Alright Hoots, remember, take this to MC and come right back. Avoid Leander, and I’ll be waiting out here to let you back inside. Be quick,” he instructed the owl, and with a swoop, Hoots was off on his mission, and Garreth took a seat on the floor in the hall outside the portrait of the Fat Lady.
~~~
Across the castle, MC had been enjoying her Friday evening over a game of Exploding Snap in the Great Hall, where she and several of her friends had lingered for a while after dinner. Talks of weekend plans were interrupted when a small owl flew in the open doors, screeching happily as it swooped down towards the tables. She hadn’t been expecting mail, especially not at this hour when usually post was delivered during breakfast, and so MC startled when the roll of parchment was dropped right in front of her, disturbing some of her cards that laid on the table.
“What’ve you got?” one of her friends asked her as she unrolled the paper.
The confusion read on her face as she looked the parchment over. She wasn’t taking the class, but still she recognised that what she’d been delivered was someone's Ancient Runes assignment. Not just any someone, though, but Leander Prewett’s – his name was written in neat calligraphy at the top corner of the page. What in Merlin’s name?
“Nothing, it was a mistake, it isn’t for me,” she told her friend, and tucked the parchment neatly into her bag that rested beside her on the floor.
She couldn’t explain why, but she found the fact that she was now in possession of Leander’s assignment to be embarrassing. It hadn’t been graded yet, nor did it appear to be completed, which told her that the work was due at a future date, and this further meant that she’d need to return it to him, and quickly, too. The problem was, they were on the eve of the weekend, and she had no idea where Leander liked to spend his time on Friday evenings.
She pushed the issue from her mind only long enough to finish her game of Exploding Snap before excusing herself from the group and making her way back to her dorm. Thinking on things, she decided the best way to return his assignment would be the same way she’d received it – by owl. Could she deliver it to him over breakfast in the morning? Maybe, if they ended up eating at the same time, but that idea sounded terribly awkward. What if he accused her of stealing it somehow? In front of all of his friends… It wasn't an embarrassment that she could risk. Unfortunately for Leander, though, MC didn’t have her own owl, and she was most certainly not going to walk to the owlery in rain so heavy. She would wait till morning and hope that tomorrow would bring clearer weather, but in the meantime she took a seat at her desk to write a note that she planned to send along with the return of his assignment.
~~~
Leander woke Saturday morning to bright sun peeking through the slits in his bed curtains. Whatever time it was, it was far too early, but Hoots started flittering his wings at the first sounds of Leander waking up, and that was all it took to have the boy sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was up and out of bed quickly after that, opening the window so that Hoots could fly back to the owlery before he woke the rest of the dorm with his impatience.
By the time Leander was finished getting ready for the day, all of his dorm mates were still asleep in their beds, so he settled in at his desk, looking to utilize the early morning peace and quiet to finish up some work, so he could relax the rest of the weekend. His desk was always tidy, so it was very puzzling when Leander couldn't immediately find his Ancient Runes assignment. He knew he’d left it right there, lined up neatly with the rolls of parchment for his other classes, on the left hand side of his desk… He ran his hand through his still damp, freshly washed hair, and pushed his chair back from his desk. He hadn’t wanted to start his day with nervous pacing, but here he was. He couldn’t restart this assignment. There wasn’t enough time.
The wooden floors in the boys dorm – well, in the whole castle, really – were quite worn and creaky, and though he was trying to be quiet, his footfalls were actually rather disruptive, apparently, as one by one, the other boys in the dorm started turning over in their beds and waking up.
“It’s too early to be anxious already, Prewett, go back to sleep!” Eric Northcott called with a groan from behind his bed curtains.
“I have an Ancient Runes assignment due Monday morning and it’s gone!” Leander explained. “I dunno what to do, I can’t restart it now, I'd been working on it all week!”
“Here’s an idea, worry about it later, when people are awake,” Eric said pointedly.
Garreth groaned. He hated knowing that what he’d done was stressing Leander out, but he couldn’t for the sake of the plan let anything slip. He had to have faith that MC would return the missing assignment before Leander had a full breakdown.
“Calm down, Eric, it’s a bloody Saturday, you can take a nap later if you’re tired. Come on lads! We ought to get up and help him look for it,” Garreth said, and swung his legs to the floor, stretched, then walked over to his own desk so he could make a show of trying to find the roll of parchment which was definitely not at any of their desks.
“Thanks, Gar,” Leander muttered, annoyed with Eric, as he crouched down and started going through the drawers on his desk.
“Of course, mate.”
Garreth’s advice, however, was apparently uninspiring, because soon the other boys were hitting the showers to start their day, leaving Garreth to help Leander on his own.
“It’ll turn up, it can’t have gone far, yeah? Was it in your bag? Maybe it fell out at the library?” Garreth offered, his stomach dropping uncomfortably as he fed his best friend false leads. It would pay off in the end, he repeated on loop in his head as he crossed the room to Eric’s desk, pawing through the other boys' scrolls.
“I didn’t work on it in the library, I only worked on it here, at my desk. So it was never in my bag.” Leander stood and stretched out his back, his hand coming anxiously to rest on the back of his neck as his eyes swept the room. He got to his knees and looked under his bed, but there was nothing. “I’m going to lose my mind. First major assignment in this class and I’m going to fail it.”
Garreth couldn’t keep commenting on it. Leander’s nerves were rubbing off on him. He’d taken a massive risk and put his faith in someone else’s honesty, and it was eating at him. At this point, they’d pretty thoroughly searched the dorm, Leander was obviously still empty handed, and Garreth was antsy. He had to get Leander out of the door – out of Gryffindor tower – so MC would have a chance to find him and return this damn parchment.
“How about we head down to breakfast?” Garreth suggested.
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Yes you are, you never skip breakfast. Come on. We’re going,” he insisted. “It’ll do you good, getting your mind off of it for a bit.”
“You haven’t even showered yet, are you even ready to go?”
Garreth kicked his pajama pants off right there, nudging them with his foot over towards his bed just to get them out of the middle of the dorm room floor, then pulled on his trousers from the day before. “I’ll do it later, no point in showering yet when I’m just going to be getting dirty in a cauldron later.”
Leander shook his head, the slightest smirk forming on his lips as Garreth pulled on a jumper and deemed himself ready to go. Leander wished he could be so carefree and unbothered.
“Alright, you, let’s go then,” Leander said, and the pair of them started the walk down to the Great Hall.
Leander would admit, getting out of the dorm, conversing with Garreth and his other friends, and having something to eat was helping. He knew in the grand scheme of things, missing one assignment would not be the end of his world, but the fact that it wouldn’t come without consequences, when he’d done the bulk of the work, didn’t sit right with him. Still, he tried to enjoy the start of his weekend.
Post came as Leander was finishing his morning tea, his plate of breakfast sitting empty in front of him, while he was deep in conversation about quidditch with his housemates – a conversation that only dissolved as the people around him started receiving letters and parcels. Leander had corresponded with his family only the day prior, so he wasn’t expecting the roll of parchment that landed where his eggs and toast had been only minutes prior.
Garreth could barely contain the grin on his face as he watched Leander unroll the parchment. Bloody hell, MC worked quickly. Leander had only managed to panic about his missing assignment for an hour before it was miraculously back in his hands. He couldn’t blow his cover just yet though, so he hid his delight with his teacup, feigning nonchalance.
Leander’s mouth hung open, completely shocked and confused to say the least, but moreover he was relieved. Further unrolling the scroll, a smaller slip of parchment would fall into his lap. That wasn’t in there before…
Leander,
This is going to sound very strange, but a small brown owl brought this to me yesterday evening as I was sitting in the great hall. I thought you’d want it back.
MC
“How in the world?” Leander muttered under his breath, staring at the note in his hands, then checking and double checking that the roll of parchment he’d just received was actually his missing assignment, because there was no way that MC should have had it.
“Hm?” Garreth hummed, raising a brow and turning to Leander.
“MC has just returned my Ancient Ruins assignment… via owl,” Leander said, fully aware that the idea seemed impossible despite the note in front of him claiming otherwise.
“Weird,” Garreth said and shrugged. “Hey, at least it’s back now though, you can stop worrying.”
“Yesterday evening… I was in the library. Was she– No, nevermind,” Leander fumbled through his thoughts, trying to decide what to articulate. MC couldn’t have been in his dorm, right? While he was gone? No. Garreth wouldn’t do that. He wanted to go over to her table and question her, but he could only picture how that would go over. Her friends would laugh at him, standing there being far too tall, tripping over his words as he asked where she’d gotten his assignment from. No. He’d send her a note, like she did for him.
Garreth noticed how pensive Leander was, and found it amusing. The other boy had more questions than he currently had answers to, but his plan had worked flawlessly, and now Leander had something to chat with MC about. As far as he was concerned, he could wash his hands of the situation and wait for things to play out.
~~~
Leander was on a mission of his own following breakfast. He jotted a note back to MC, sitting at his desk for far too long mulling over so very few words, but eventually, he had a note that he didn’t think would be too mortifying to send. A simple thank you, and some speculation about his owl.
MC,
You’re right, that did sound very strange. But I did need it back, so, thanks. A small brown owl, you say? Sounds like my Hoots, but I have no idea why he’d do such a thing… He was in the castle last night, though, the menace of a bird.
Leander
Even though the exchange wasn’t face to face, Leander found himself nervous as he walked his note from the Gryffindor dorms all the way to the Owlery. He had to admit, though, the fresh air was nice, and the grounds still smelt pleasantly of rain from the day before. He just hoped the climb up the tower would be worth it, that his note would be well received and he hoped that maybe, just maybe, she’d reply again. He liked seeing his name in her handwriting.
Leander found Hoots easily amongst the other owls currently occupying the Owlery, as he was quite a bit smaller than most of the rest of them, and he approached his owl with crossed arms and an inquisitive stare.
“I hear that you may have had an outing yesterday while I was in the library,” Leander began, raising his brow at the owl who craned his neck around, big round eyes looking innocently back at him.
“You’d tell me if Garreth was up to something, right?”
Hoots could neither confirm nor deny.
“If either of you are up to something, I’ll find out,” Leander said in warning before producing his note for MC from the pocket of his robe and handing it to Hoots. “Take this to MC, please.”
Hoots chirped, gripping the paper in his talons before stretching out his wings and taking flight, and Leander began his walk back to the castle with a fluttery feeling in his stomach.
Back in possession of his assignment, Leander was able to get it finished before lunch, and it had felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew he stressed too much about his classes, but he wasn’t one of those students who could perform well on assignments or tests without putting in a lot of effort. But with the ordeal finally behind him, he was able to enjoy lunch, and get back outside for a bit of afternoon Summoner’s Court with Garreth after the meal.
“I still don’t understand how she ended up with it, but I’m really glad she returned it,” Leander commented, pacing the board behind Garreth as the other boy lined up his pull.
“Of course she returned it, she’s a nice person,” Garreth said, then took another moment to check his aim before casting the summoning charm on one of the blue balls at the other end of the court. He earned himself a nice thirty points and smirked. “I’m getting better at this.”
“You are, thanks to me,” Leander boasted. He’d been practicing a lot since fifth year, as he was determined to not lose to MC again, should another chance to play with her arise. He liked showing off to his other competitors, though, too. He and Garreth played frequently.
“Anyway,” Garreth said with a roll of his eyes, watching Leander summon one of the red balls towards them. It rolled to a stop in the forty point zone and Garreth couldn’t be surprised. He was doing better, but he’d yet to beat Leander. “What’s it matter how she got it? You got it back in time to finish it up.” Deflect, deflect, deflect!
“Yes, but it’s odd, and I don’t like it. I feel like I’m losing my mind trying to figure out how in Merlin’s name she got hold of it.”
Garreth shrugged, then took his second turn, one of his balls rolling up beside Leander’s red one for forty points. Damnit if Leander wasn't inquisitive, though. He had to change the subject. Thankfully, an owl gliding towards them made this easy. He pointed up at the bird and shouted, “Look!”
“Oi, don’t try to distract me while I’m lining up my shot!” Leander grumbled, fumbling his casting and only earning himself twenty points on his second turn. He hadn’t even noticed the owl, but he did notice the small roll of parchment fall at his feet just then, and his face heated up as he looked sheepishly back at Garreth. “Oh… sorry Gar.”
“Always assuming the worst of me,” he teased. “Well, what is it?”
Leander unrolled the small piece of parchment and his face continued to flush. “She wrote back, she replied to my note,” he said with a grin before reading the note.
Leander,
Hoots? Well, that's a very fitting name for an owl. He’s a cute little guy, and surprisingly demanding for as small as he is. I was in the courtyard when he found me with your last note and he seemed offended that I didn’t have any treats on me at the time. Give him extra from me.
MC
Leander read and reread the note. Was she teasing him for his owls name? It certainly sounded that way, and that made him feel warm. He’d apparently had a ridiculous look on his face, that he hadn’t even been aware of until he felt Garreth’s hand on his back, giving him a hard pat and snapping him out of it.
“Your face is as red as your hair right now, you know,” Garreth teased, trying to sneak a peek at the note in Leander’s hands.
“Shut up,” he grumbled and stuffed the note into his pocket before hopping off of the Summoner’s Court platform and heading back towards the front of the castle.
“Where are you going?” Garreth shouted. “We haven’t even finished this round!”
“I need to write her back!” Leander called over his shoulder.
“I’m ten points ahead, if you leave right now, I win!”
“Congratulations!” Leander shouted back, and gave Garreth a wave.
Losing a game of Summoner’s Court didn’t seem like such a big deal when he was exchanging little notes with MC after a summer of not talking to her. All the worrying and pining Leander had done over the last few weeks since classes had started back up felt silly now – she was joking with him and she wasn’t ignoring him. Maybe Garreth was right, maybe he had been making things harder than they needed to be. Leander knew he had a habit of getting stuck in his head, but acknowledging this issue was much easier than actually fixing it. Still, he was feeling very hopeful as he made his way back to his desk to write another reply.
~~~
MC hadn’t expected to spend her Saturday writing little notes back and forth with Leander, but she found herself to be thoroughly enjoying it. Something about it was fun, even with how simple and silly it was. It made her wish they would have exchanged letters over the summer, even though they were both to blame for not having done so.
Leander’s second note came as MC was practicing dueling with the training dummies in the clocktower entrance of the castle. There wasn’t an official crossed wands session scheduled for this evening, but really, one could never be too well practiced.
She was glad, actually, that she was only practicing with the dummy when Hoots found her, because had she been dueling a living opponent, she’d have surely lost the round due to distraction. Not to mention, if she was in a real duel, she’d have had to deal with a crowd of her peers seeing her go all blushy. More familiar with Leander’s owl now, she raised her arm, offering Hoots a perch, and the bird landed gracefully to deliver her note.
“I still don’t have any treats, I’m sorry. Hopefully Leander gave you some earlier,” she told the owl as she carefully unrolled the slip of parchment.
MC,
I’ll have you know, I named Hoots when I was 11 years old, so all things considered, I think I did well. It could have been so much worse, honestly. He’s quite spoiled already, but I did give him some extra treats since you were so ill prepared earlier, and I think he’s forgiven you. Hope you’re having a good weekend so far.
Leander
She hummed warmly as she read his note, glancing at Hoots who remained perched on her left forearm. “He’s had you for quite awhile then, that’s sweet. And you’re spoiled, are you?” She spoke fondly to the owl, and couldn’t help but picture Leander doting on his pet. Hoots cooed happily, seeming to enjoy the attention before flying back off and out the open gates of the Clock Tower entrance. Both of Leander’s notes would accompany MC through the rest of her day, nice and secure in her pocket. She found herself peeking at them when she had moments to herself from then until dinner.
She was planning on writing him back, too, of course, she’d even thought of what she’d wanted to say as she sat at her house table amongst her friends in the Great Hall at dinner time. That is, until she saw him walking through the tall wooden doors and towards the Gryffindor table, because at that point all of her thoughts seemed to simply evaporate, and she just watched him with what was probably a very stupid grin on her face.
But then he looked at her, and her grin didn’t seem so stupid because his own grin matched, and he waved at her. The whole thing was enough to catch her friend's attention, but the girls who flanked her sides were unable to trace her gaze in time.
“Who’s got you grinning like that?” one of the girls asked, giving MC a gentle nudge with her elbow.
Both of the girls were giggling, and MC’s face was getting redder. “Is it the same boy who’s been sending you notes?”
MC was suddenly regretting the small bits of information she’d shared with her girlfriends, because now not only was she being teased (albeit goodnaturedly) but he was watching, too. If MC knew Leander at all, and she liked to think she did, he’d be absolutely eating this up. Thankfully, though, she hadn’t told her friends who the notes were from, because she knew if she had, they’d never let her hear the end of it.
“Maybe so,” MC said with quite the coy smile, as she tried and failed to focus on the plate in front of her, though she knew her friends wouldn’t let her off that easily.
“Has he been sending you love notes?” one asked.
“They are not love notes, they’re just friendly notes,” MC said, though no amount of insisting would convince the other girls, even though she was being honest.
“And your blushing is just friendly blushing?” the other teased.
“You both ought to remember this next time you find yourselves fancying a boy,” MC warned, feeling smug with her promise of eventual comeuppance before she’d realized…
“So you admit you fancy this mystery boy, then?”
She’d said a bit too much.
~~~
Leander had watched as MC’s friends teased her, and coupled with the way they’d looked at eachother, he knew it was to do with him. She was blushy and her friends were giggling and it was due to him. Even considering the way he had struggled with girls previously, Leander could acknowledge that this was a great sign, and he’d talk Garreth’s ear off about it as the pair relaxed in the common room that evening.
“I told you all you had to do was talk to her- erm, I mean, I guess passing notes does count, too. Still. Told you so,” Garreth said, sitting with his legs spread out in front of him on the common room floor, close to the fireplace. There was soot on his jumper from the day's potions experiments and he was flipping through his journal, expanding on notes he’d jotted down earlier about his findings. He’d been listening to Leander gush for several minutes at this point.
“You’re right, I’m not denying it, you do know what you’re talking about sometimes,” Leander admitted. He was sitting on the floor close by Garreth, merely watching his friend work and keeping him company.
“I’d like that in writing, thank you,” Garreth said with a smirk, not looking up from his journal.
“Very funny. I hope she writes again tomorrow.”
“Better yet, you could talk to her in person. She isn’t that scary, she’s just a girl.”
Just a girl. Leander had heard rumors about things MC had accomplished last year, and he begged to differ. “No, I’m fairly certain that she is scary.”
“You already said I was right, might as well just do what I say,” Garreth said with a smirk.
“I said sometimes,” he clarified.
They’d go back and forth for a while, until slowly the common room emptied as their housemates headed to their dorms for bed. As the room quieted down, Leander realized how tired he was, and he suggested that he and Garreth head to their dorm as well. Leander couldn’t lie, he was excited to get to sleep, excited for tomorrow to come already. If he could have another day like today with MC, he’d be happy.
~~~
MC had similar feelings when she woke up Sunday morning. Despite her friends teasing her, she was actually quite keen to keep sending back and forth little notes with Leander, and while she still wasn’t quite sure why on earth Hoots gave her his assignment of all things, she was glad it had happened, since it led to such an enjoyable day.
She took her time getting herself ready for the day, dragging her feet intentionally so she could have the dorm to herself as she sat at her desk to finally reply to Leander’s last note. She just wasn’t quite ready for her girlfriends to know who she had such a crush on, since she couldn’t say for certain that he felt the same… At the same time though, if their interactions in fifth year meant anything, she had a bit of an idea. He’d always been so adorably shy around her, fumbling his words while trying to boast. She’d found him endearing from the start and just the thought that he may feel the same had her grinning as she got to writing.
Leaving her dorm, she headed straight to the Owlery, wanting to send his note before going to breakfast. She hadn’t walked to the Owlery so many times in one weekend since she’d arrived at Hogwarts, but she couldn’t say she minded it, the weather was pleasant and the path wasn’t as muddy as it had been the day before.
Immediately upon starting up the spiral staircase, MC realized that she was not the only student visiting the Owlery to start off the day, as she could hear a boy's voice echoing against the curved stone walls.. She hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but as she got further up the stairs, she could have sworn she heard the voice mentioned Hoots – a voice that didn’t belong to Leander. Curious, MC cast disillusionment on herself and made her way further up the staircase quietly as she could, until she reached the top and she could just peek onto the landing to see what was going on…
She’d been right. Someone was talking to Hoots.
“You did so well yesterday, you know that, Hoots? I knew I could count on you to help me pull this off,” Garreth Weasley spoke proudly to Leander’s owl.
MC held her breath, watching him hand-feed the owl a few treats from a small bag that he’d pulled from his pocket, before handing one of the school’s owls a letter to send off. She quickly maneuvered up the last few stairs and to the opposite side of the room before Garreth crossed towards the staircase and made his way down. She watched out one of the many windows until she was sure Garreth was gone before finally lifting the disillusionment charm.
She marched right over to Hoots with a smirk on her face, shaking her head in disbelief at what she’d heard.
“Conspiring with Garreth, are you?” she asked the owl with an amused scoff. “I wondered why in Merlin’s name you brought me Leander’s Ancient Runes assignment.
MC stepped back over to the stairs, sitting down at the top, she pulled a roll of spare parchment from her bag and hastily ripped off a section. Abandoning the note she’d initially planned on sending to Leander, she hastily started scrawling him a new one.
~~~
Leander saved the seat next to him at breakfast that morning. It wasn’t anything new, Garreth always wrote home on Sundays, something his mum liked for him to do, and that Garreth did without fail. Leander had noticed quickly that Garreth was not the only one missing that morning though. He scanned MC’s house table, and she was not sitting with her friends as she always did. It was a shame. He’d been looking forward to seeing the way she blushed when she looked at him.
Post was arriving as Garreth returned from the Owlery. The other boy was grinning as he slid into his saved seat beside Leander, and he started promptly piling eggs and sausage onto his plate. Out of the corner of his eye, Garreth saw Leander reaching to catch a small roll of parchment as it fell towards him.
“She’s early with it, isn't she,” Garreth commented, quite pleased to see that MC had wasted no time writing to Leander this morning. He was feeling quite smug that his plan had worked out so well. He loved seeing Leander so happy.
“She is,” Leander agreed. It wasn’t a short walk to the Owlery, and the fact that two of her notes came with the morning post meant that she was up and thinking of him first thing in the morning, and that made Leander feel very good.
Leander,
This was meant to be a completely different note, but as I was taking it to the owlery, I came across something very interesting that I think you’d like to hear about. But I should tell you about it in person. Meet me in the library when you get this.
MC
“Well?” Garreth asked, leaning in towards Leander a bit to sneak a peek at the note.
Leander’s already rosy cheeks tinged a bit darker pink as he read the note. She wanted to meet with him in person. Him. No wonder she wasn’t in the Great Hall. She was waiting for him. He let out a breath of nervous laughter before gathering his words, hardly believing his luck. “She wants me to meet her in the library… right now.”
“Oooh, that sounds promising,” Garreth said, clicking his tongue and winking at Leander while giving him a nudge with his elbow.
“It does, doesn't it? She says she heard something interesting and she wants to tell me about it. Wonder what it could be.”
“Well go on, go find out, don’t keep a lady waiting,” Garreth encouraged, and with that, Leander was cutting his breakfast short and making his way out of the Great Hall, holding his head just a bit higher than usual.
~~~
MC made sure she wasn’t hard to find, waiting for Leander at the end of one of the centrally located long tables on the first floor of the library. She was eating an apple that she’d thankfully had in her bag, and watching the door. She hadn’t had to wait long, and she waved when she saw him.
Why was she so nervous? She’d been the one to ask him to meet her, and here he was, walking towards her, and the closer he got the warmer her face felt, until finally he sat down beside her, and the room felt so warm she was sure she’d melt.
“M-Morning,” Leander said as he slipped onto the bench beside MC. He sounded just as nervous, maybe even more so, and this made her feel better.
“Hey, good morning,” she grinned, pausing a beat just looking at him, and probably doing so for a bit longer than she should have. His honey brown eyes dropped to where his hands laid folded on the table, like he couldn’t quite take the way she’d looked at him. She shouldn’t have glanced down at his hands. Merlin.
She cleared her throat, her blush creeping up to her ears. “Erm, so I overheard something when I was in the Owlery this morning…”
“Oh?” Despite being a flushed mess himself, it was clear Leander took pride in the fact that MC also had quite the pronounced blush on her face. He was also very interested to hear anything MC had to say.
“Garreth. He was talking to Hoots. He told him ‘you did so well yesterday’ and said ‘I knew I could count on you to help me pull this off,’” she said, then waited as Leander processed.
His mouth was hanging open, and he stared at her with wide eyes. She could tell he knew where she was going with this. “He said that to Hoots? You’re sure?”
“Positive. He gave him treats, too. Then he mailed something using one of the school’s owls,” MC said. “I should add… he didn’t know I was there. I cast disillusionment on myself when I heard him mentioning your owl.”
“You think–”
“Your Ancient Runes assignment–”
“He told Hoots to give it to you, that sly bastard! He was alone in the dorm with Hoots for a good hour and a half Friday evening while I was in the library, and we’d been talking about–” Leander paused, catching himself before he said anything that would embarrass him too much, though, he should have known, MC wasn’t going to let him get off without at least a bit of questioning.
“Talking about what?”
“It– it doesn't matter. I just know it was him. He put Hoots up to it, it’s the only explanation. He… he was trying to get you and I to talk,” Leander admitted.
MC looked just as surprised as Leander had, when she’d told him what she’d overheard. Surprised and delighted. “Was he, now?” She asked with a raised brow and a bit of a smug grin.
“Yeah. He was.” Leander nodded, knowing he should be more forthcoming, but that felt very daunting right now, even with the way MC grinned at him. Damn did she look pretty like that. He knew she was smart, though. She could put the pieces together.
“Well, it worked,” she said and let out a huff of amusement.
“It did. I suppose I can’t be too mad at him, can I?”
MC shook her head. She could tell Leander was likely leaving out some details of what he and Garreth had talked about Friday evening, but context gave her enough to go by. If Garreth had wanted them to talk, so much so much so that he went and mettled, they must have been talking about her. Leander had wanted to talk to her. He’d just needed a little encouragement.
“You know, I was worried that you would think I somehow stole that assignment,” MC said, still quite amused and also quite flustered.
This had Leander grinning, knowing she’d been just as worried about the whole situation as he had been. He was less nervous when he spoke now, smiling at her and talking with his hands as he often did when he was a bit worked up. “When I tell you I wanted to pull my hair out, looking for that damn roll of parchment Saturday morning. I thought I was losing my mind, and I felt even more crazy when you of all people sent it back to me, by owl, no less,” he rambled then shook his head subtly, still almost in disbelief of how it all happened. “And Garreth – that little shite – he helped me search our dorm!”
MC laughed, just picturing the scene playing out as he described it. Bloody hell did her laugh do things to his heart. Leander felt light inside, and he chuckled with her.
“I’d have loved to see that,” she said, still giggling softly.
“I imagine it was probably pretty entertaining to watch,” he agreed, looking fondly at her.
“I’m glad you didn’t pull your hair out, though, I rather like your hair,” she added, grinning at the way her compliment made him blush.
Leander could feel his heart racing. “Th-thank you, I’m glad I didn’t, too, then.”
There were a few moments of silence between them, and their mutual little giggles calmed down. MC’s face softened and when she spoke again, she sounded a little more serious. “You didn’t have to be nervous about talking to me, you know,” she said. She was going out on a limb and making some assumptions, but given what he had said, the fact he was sure Garreth’s intention had been to get the two of them talking, she was fairly confident in her assertion.
“Yeah… that’s what Garreth said, too,” he said and smirked coolly, despite the fact that his stomach was fluttering madly right now.
“Well, he was right.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Leander said and looked around, just making sure the other boy hadn’t sneakily followed him– he wouldn’t put it past him, if he was being honest. He hummed thoughtfully. “But I suppose I won’t be so nervous in the future.”
“Good, because I’ve really enjoyed this – writing back and forth. Talking with you. You better keep sending me notes.”
Leander was beaming. She enjoyed talking to him, she wanted more notes. He’d write her more notes than she’d know what to do with, if it meant she’d keep looking at him the way she was – blushing and smiling and flirting with him. Bloody hell, he owed Garreth majorly for this. Sixth year was going to be a good year. “Don’t worry, I will, I promise.”
Content Warnings: Angst, Kissing
Overall Work Summary: MC won the battle against Ranrok in the repository at the end of her fifth year, but she lost her memories and herself in the process. With no memory of her entire fifth year or her boyfriend, Sebastian Sallow, she is left to attempt to navigate her sixth year and the challenges that face her, including balancing a heartbroken Slytherin boy and a kind-hearted Gryffindor. She was given an opportunity for a reset. Will she make the most of it?
ICYMI: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4. Also available on AO3 here.
A/N: Thank you @ellivenollivander for making the cover photo for me!
Chapter 5 - Reignite
She had decided several weeks before All Hallows Eve, that there was not really any harm in kissing Sebastian Sallow. He was handsome and he obviously fancied her. Her body reacted to him whether she wanted it to or not, most of the time resulting in her ending up with bright red cheeks and him ultimately frustrated.
Up until recently, she had rejected all advances he had made. She hated disappointing him after all and he always seemed to end up that way. However, after a few late night discussions with Nellie and encouragement from Poppy, she had come to the conclusion that maybe a little kissing wouldn’t hurt anything. They had made excellent points in the fact that it wasn’t as if she hadn’t done it before and she obviously was developing some type of feelings for him.
Anyway, all relationships ultimately start out with a bit of flirting. Why can’t they just start over? That wouldn’t be terrible. At least not in her eyes.
So, she stopped avoiding flirting with Sebastian Sallow.
She would purposefully brush up against him in the corridor when she saw him and she would touch him at any opportunity that presented itself. She relentlessly teased him every chance she got, causing his freckled face to turn beet red on several occasions.
They still shared a desk in Defense Against the Dark Arts. So, that day, she intentionally sat closer to him than necessary, her thigh brushing against his when either of them even slightly readjusted in their seat. She leaned into him to whisper questions against his ear during the lesson, letting her lips brush his ear ever so slightly, and when he would do the same, she’d shiver from the feel of his breath on her neck and found herself biting her bottom lip involuntarily in response. She realized that they were both riling the other up purposefully at this point.
“You know that thing you do with your lip drives me insane,” he whispered in her ear.
She inclined her head closer to him, and whispered back, “Actually, I don’t, but please do tell me what else about me drives you insane.”
“Hmmmmm…” He thought for a moment before continuing, “I can think of a few things I can do that always drove you insane.” His emphasis on the last word indicated to her that he truly didn’t mean annoying her.
The first few times displays of this nature occurred, some of her friends had been surprised. The girls not so much as they had played a role in encouraging MC’s behavior. The boys, Garreth and Leander, were shocked, mouth on the floor, flabbergasted. Especially Leander, he had watched the entire display intently and even questioned MC about it. MC had assured him that she was fine and not to worry, but she could tell he was not pleased with this new development.
And so, MC and Sebastian went on like this, back and forth, for several weeks. Both toeing the line between flirting and anything actually happening between the two. The small kiss in the quidditch changing rooms had yet to be repeated so far.
A few days before Halloween, after Hecat released the students from their lesson for the day, Garreth stopped at MC and Sebastian’s desk on his way out of the room with Leander in tow closely behind.
He nodded to Sebastian before turning towards MC, “You hear? I’ve organized a bit of a get together for Halloween. You’re coming right?
MC smiled up at him from her seat, “Of course, Weasley! I wouldn’t miss it!”
Garreth turned his attention towards Sebastian and raised his eyebrows in a wordless extension of the invitation to him, “Sallow?”
Sebastian nodded, “If MC is there, I’d imagine I can make that work.” He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind MC’s ear, causing MC to involuntarily tremble.
Leander huffed and MC caught him rolling his eyes as she turned to look at him and Garreth.
Garreth ignored the entire show, “Good. Good. Good. Make sure you let all the Slytherins know, yeah? It’s going to be a big one.”
Garreth had instructed everyone to go to the seventh floor and face the wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and focus intently on their need to get to his party. Most students thought him mad and assumed it was a typical Weasley prank.
So, when MC, Nellie, Nattie and Poppy climbed the stairs to the seventh floor and turned to face the wall, they half expected Garreth to pop out from around the corner calling them gullible, daft idiots and then escorting them to the actual party.
They were all pleasantly surprised when an actual door materialized before them. The girls all exchanged surprised looks and shrugged at one another before making their way through the door. However, MC couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something about this felt familiar, but she quickly decided not to dwell on it tonight. Tonight was for fun.
The room was wide with plenty of space. There was a table set up to the far left with drinks and a few snacks. The lighting was dimmed and music was playing fairly loudly, MC was actually quite surprised they had not been able to hear it from the corridor.
There were various seating areas arranged around the room and a few alcoves that were darkened so that MC couldn’t make out what was in them without getting closer. Decorations had been hung all around the room, giving a particularly spooky atmosphere.
The room was already fairly full of students from their year and some seventh year students that MC recognized but did not know their names.
Garreth approached the girls with a grin, “You made it!”
MC stepped forward to hug her fellow Gryffindor, “Garreth! This is amazing! How did you ever find such a place?”
He spread his arms wide and looked around, a bit in wonder, “I don’t think you’ll believe me, but it just appeared! I was walking around trying to scout a location for the party, thinking how badly I needed a location. And BOOM. Door appeared. I walked in and it was just set up and ready. Pretty perfect, really.”
All four girls oooo’d and awwww’d for a bit and told Garreth how fabulous it all was before he directed them to the drink table, which consisted of his famous Fizzing Whizzebee beverage, that MC has no recollection of trying although she has been assured she likes it, pumpkin juice, butterbeer and firewhiskey. He did warn the girls that the Fizzing Whizzebee had been spiked appropriately for the occasion, so “be prepared.” MC felt the warning was a little ominous, but was feeling brave and took a cup of Garreth’s concoction.
The girls found an unoccupied settee on the opposite side of the room, where they all took a seat. Poppy sat on the floor in front of them, leaning her elbow on the cushion of the settee. The girls sipped their drinks and took in the debauchery going on around them.
Sebastian, Ominis and Imelda showed up shortly after MC and her friends. They had grabbed drinks and headed to a different area of the room, where the other Slytherins had gathered.
MC wasn’t sure if she’d been to a party like this before, but she assumed not. She was enjoying herself, surprisingly. There was plenty to take in just observing the interactions around the room. Garreth was being boisterous and making sure he was the life of the party. Leander was following him around, attempting to keep him out of too much trouble.
The seventh year students were drinking heavily. They were loud and as the evening wore on some students began dancing in a manner that MC felt was rather scandalous, touching each other in ways that MC had never dreamed people would in public. Some were even snogging.
However, after a few more of Garreth’s drinks, MC found she cared less and less.
She kept finding herself scanning the room, searching for him. He was very social. He bounced from group to group, chatting with various people that MC didn’t know. Several girls flirted with him, touched him. MC quickly discovered that she was, in fact, jealous. He hadn’t so much as even looked at her.
Finally, after what had felt like an eternity, he made his way over to MC and her friends. He came bearing a gift, an extra drink, and offered it to her, “You look lovely tonight, MC.”
She took the outstretched drink, only because she was thirsty, obviously, but she didn’t look at Sebastian, “Didn’t think you’d have time to notice,” she said with a pout.
The other girls had been sensing MC’s growing irritation with Sebastian for the better part of the last hour. The last thing they wanted was to be in the middle of a row between the two of them. The pair may have been in love last year, but they were famous for their earth shattering disagreements. All three girls stood abruptly and excused themselves.
Poppy pointed across the room, “Looks like Leander needs some assistance with Garreth. We’ll just - We’ll just be over there.”
The other two girls nodded and sprinted across the room with Poppy.
MC shot daggers at their backs as they left.
Sebastian cleared his throat, “May I sit with you?”
MC simply nodded at the vacancy to her right that Nellie had previously occupied. Instead, Sebastian squeezed himself between MC and the armrest of the settee, ensuring that MC was practically in his lap. He draped his arm over the back of the settee and took a sip of his drink.
“And just what do you think you’re doing?” MC angled her body so that she was angled to face him, pulling her left leg up onto the sofa underneath her.
Sebastian grinned that mischievous look that made MC’s stomach flutter, “Sitting and enjoying the party, of course.”
He reached his hand toward her and casually ran it through her hair, like it was something he did all of the time. She found herself closing her eyes at the feel of his touch, leaning into it and her breath caught a little in her throat. His touch, it always struck her as odd the way it felt familiar to her even if she couldn’t remember.
“I’m cross with you.” She spoke softly. It was obvious from her tone that she was becoming decidedly less so with each passing moment.
“Hmmmmm?” Sebastian asked as if he couldn’t hear her over the noise of the party.
MC leaned into him, placing her arm across his chest to balance herself as she spoke directly into his ear, “I’m cross with you, Sebastian.”
He placed his hand on the back of the settee again and turned his head slightly to speak directly into her ear, “What could I have possibly done to make you cross with me?”
She could feel the smirk on his face. She may not have remembered the last year, but in the last few months, she had grown accustomed to that smug grin he so often sported.
“You took entirely too long to come over here to me,” she uttered in a pouty tone.
He chuckled and placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her in as he said, “You could’ve come and retrieved me at any point if you had wanted my company so badly. Although, if I’d known, I might have made it a priority to get over here to you sooner.”
She pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes, “You are incorrigible, Sebastian.”
His gaze darkened, “You like me that way.”
He slowly pulled her face toward his. She thought fleetingly about stopping him. She considered getting up. Well, she only considered it briefly, because there was a part of her that wanted to kiss him.
So, she finally gave in and let him take control.
At first, he was gentle with her, like she might flee from him. The kiss was light and tentative. They were both feeling out the situation. When she brought her arms up and slipped them behind Sebastian’s neck and he realized she wasn’t going to bolt, he wrapped his other arm around her waist, bringing her in tight against him and deepened the kiss.
It quickly turned into a mess of lips and tongues trying to devour the other. His touch started that fluttering in her stomach that she often experienced in his presence, but instead of her running away from it, she fed into it and it grew into something deeper, hungrier. She simply couldn’t get enough of him.
She pressed herself closer into him. She wasn’t sure when it had happened but when they finally broke free for air, she noticed she had crawled into his lap and was now straddling him.
Sebastian hadn’t wasted a moment on something as trivial as air, his lips had immediately gone to kissing a trail from her jaw down her neck, nipping and sucking as he went. She found herself almost subconsciously moving her head to the side to allow him more access on his journey. She could feel his desire growing for her from where her hips met his as she was perched on his lap. She didn’t know what came over her, but she ground her hips down on him. The groans that he mumbled on her neck caused her to quiver. His hands snaked up her back until he had a grip on her shoulders. He pulled her down into him closer as he matched her movements, craving more friction.
When she couldn’t take it any longer, she gripped both hands in his soft, wavy hair and tugged his head backwards off of her neck so that she could gaze into those chocolate brown eyes. When her eyes met his with that dazed look, his lips slightly parted and out of breath, she thought to herself he had never looked more attractive and it would be so easy for her to get used to this. Without a second thought, she crashed her mouth down on his again and kissed him as if she’d been starving and he was the only sustenance she’d had in years.
She doesn’t know how long they continued that way, kissing and exploring each other. There was a moment when she thought she would rather like it if they never stopped. In that instant, she couldn’t for the life of her remember why she had ever thought this was a bad idea or why she had resisted for so long.
Eventually, they were interrupted by an obviously annoyed “ahem”. Both Sebastian and MC reluctantly broke apart and shot death glares at the intruding party. Ominis.
Ominis shifted uncomfortably on his feet, “So sorry to intrude, but Sebastian, Imelda has had entirely too much to drink and I need to get her back to the common room. I’m afraid I cannot manage her alone.”
MC heard Sebastian grumble something under his breath about a cock block. He placed another kiss on MC's lips as he tapped her thigh. She shifted off of his lap and suddenly felt slightly self-conscious about what she had just been doing with the Slytherin moments before.
As she looked around the room, she noticed that no one seemed to be looking in their direction and she let out a relieved sigh. That was good, she supposed. However, before she looked back toward the Slytherin boys, she did notice Leander darting quick glances in this direction, which worried her slightly and caused a bit of a pit to form in her stomach.
She turned to Sebastian, who was trying to rearrange his trousers in such a manner so that the evidence of his excitement wouldn’t be so apparent to everyone in the room.
He met her eyes and blushed, “If you want to walk with us, I can walk you back to your dorm after we get Imelda in the common room?”
Her face was just as red as his, she imagined, “I’d like that. Let me go grab a quick drink and inform the girls. I’m a little parched after...” Her sentence trailed off and she found herself blushing even harder at the memory.
She got up from the settee and left Sebastian and Ominis to strategize how to get Imelda back to the common room without getting caught with her in that state. She scanned the room for Imelda and found her slumped in a chair, fast asleep in the corner.
MC was all smiles as she approached the punch bowl. She hadn’t noticed Leander walk up beside her until he spoke, “Having a good evening, MC?”
She jumped, startled a bit, “Oh! Leander! Uh - Yes, it has been a lovely party.”
He pursed his lips and shifted uncomfortably, “Yeah, it certainly looked that way.” He raised his hand and attempted to smooth MC’s hair that had been disheveled by Sebastian’s grabby hands just a few moments ago.
Before she even had a moment to react, she heard Sebastian hollering from across the room, “Oi! Get your greasy ginger palms off her!”
MC stepped back shocked. At once, both she and Leander turned to see Sebastian come storming across the room. When he reached them, he shoved Leander. Leander quickly threw his arms in the air in surrender in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
“Sallow, sorry, mate. I wasn’t trying anything.”
Sebastian glowered at Leander as he turned and reached for MC’s hand, dragging her outside of the room and into the empty corridor.
“What do you think you are doing,” she snapped, pulling her hand out of his.
He turned to look at her with a shocked expression, “He was touching you.”
“He’s my friend, Sebastian. He was just fixing my hair that you had so kindly messed up.”
“You’re my girlfriend,” he retorted.
“No. No, I’m not.” She stared at him defiantly. “And I most definitely am not going to be again if this is how you act about it.”
Sebastian seemed to shrink in on himself, “MC, I am sorry. I just - I just - It’s just I’ve gone so many months without you. I finally got you back and I panicked. I thought maybe you were remembering and that was why you’d been so receptive towards me the last few weeks.”
MC shook her head, “I don’t remember anything, Sebastian. I was just- I don’t know what I was doing, but obviously it was a mistake.”
She turned abruptly and took off for her own common room, leaving Sebastian standing in the corridor alone.
She heard him call out after her, “MC! Wait! It wasn’t a mistake!”
However, before she could even contemplate turning around, she heard the door open and Ominis’ voice speaking to Sebastian as she rounded the corner to make her way down the stairs. This was not a conversation she wanted to have with him in front of his best friend. So, she kept moving, without turning back.
She barely made it to her dormitory before the tears started to streak down her face.
As she collapsed into her bed she sighed out loud, “That. That is exactly what the harm is in kissing Sebastian Sallow.”
She heard Cressida stir from her bed, “Did you say something?”
“No, Cressida. Just talking to myself.”
Cressida grumbled, “Well keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep.”
Percy Weasley / f!Reader
4.6k Words
Content Warnings: 18+ Explicit content; halloween scariness, oral sex (female receiving), fingering, cmnf
Summary: You take Percy on a spooky surprise date, for which he thanks you very kindly.
A/N: 🎃👻🦇 Happy Halloween 🎃👻🦇
~~~~~
You kept the nature of your date with Percy that evening a surprise, knowing that if you were to give him the details beforehand, he would have had all sorts of amplifying questions which would have resulted in him trying to back his way out of it. He would have had excuses on reserve – a stack of paperwork that ought not wait through the weekend to be delved into, or meeting talking points that could use another once over before Monday. And you'd have let him off the hook, too, giving in to those pretty ocean blue eyes of his far more often than you probably should.
You knew he didn’t like surprises, either. They were rarely ever good things, or at least, he had been conditioned to believe as much throughout his childhood. Growing up, Fred and George often charged into his room with various ‘surprises’ for him. After the second time they’d gifted him a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans – each pre-licked and put back into the box with all of the good flavors removed – he stopped getting his hopes up when offered surprises. You were hell bent on changing his outlook on them, though, and you were making good progress, too. He had, after all, agreed to go along with your mysterious plan, whatever it was, and he apparated to your home Saturday evening as you’d asked him to.
Percy knocked and stood on the stairs outside of your flat waiting for you to come to the door, fidgeting with the sleeves of his cable knit jumper. It was well loved and comfy, thick and warm, practical for the mid fall weather. But (one of) the problems with surprise dates was that he couldn’t be certain that he was dressed appropriately for the occasion. This was inherently stressful to him. Percy would forget this worry the moment you answered the door, however, the enthusiastic way you pulled him into an embrace at your every meeting reinforced the idea that the fact he’d agreed to come was more important to you than what he was wearing.
“Don’t you look festive,” Percy said with a little grin as he pulled back from the hug, loosening his hold on you just enough to get a good look at what you had on, his hands holding your forearms and giving them an affectionate squeeze.
You were in a black cardigan with small jack-o'-lanterns knit into the pattern on both pockets. He thought it was cute, if not a bit hokey. It looked like something his mother would have made. Was it? The woman was always knitting.
“That’s what I was going for,” you said with a huff of amusement, eyeing him up as well.
“Oh?” He quirked his brow, his lips pulling into a crooked little smile. You’d been going for festive. That was a clue. The two of you were doing something for Halloween. He should have known, honestly, he knew you loved the holiday. There were pumpkins on the stairs leading to your door and an autumn wreath gently rustled as you shut the door behind him as he stepped through the threshold. “Will you tell me where you’re taking me?”
“You’ll see~” you said, eyes sweeping over his face with a mischievous and knowing grin. He could try to flirt information out of you all he liked, but he’d only find out when you got there.
The two of you didn’t make it much further into your home than the front hall before you took both of Percy’s hands and gave them that tight squeeze you always gave him when you were preparing to apparate.
“I’m ready if you are,” you said.
“Ready. Don’t go splinching us now,” he cautioned. You could have repeated the line along with him. You had heard it as many times as you had apparated him.
“Have I ever?”
“No you haven’t, but you know I have to say it.”
You hummed, acknowledging his need to wish for your safe travels, and kept a tight hold of his hands. You closed your eyes and focused, envisioning in your mind a secluded dirt road that led to a farm that your parents had taken you to every year as a young girl, for an annual Halloween festival of sorts. The memory of the place was nostalgic, yet so very clear in your mind, even though you hadn’t attended the festival in many years now.
The two of you vanished with a crack and reappeared on that dirt road, an intentionally lengthy walk from the farm, a route that your parents had shown you long ago, to ensure you'd all be able to safely apparete without being noticed by any muggles. Percy didn't know this, however, and once you both steadied yourselves on the dirt and gravel, he was visibly confused.
“I still don’t know what you’re up to,” Percy said, taking in his surroundings. The road was carved through heavy woods, and he could see farm buildings in the distance. Pumpkin picking, perhaps? It was his best guess, based on what he could make from where you’d taken him.
“Come on,” you said, keeping hold of one of his hands as you began to lead him towards the farm.
The road you walked was quiet, the only sounds around you being the gentle wind through the red-orange leaves on the trees on either side of the road, and the crunch of loose stone under your feet as you made your way.
As you two got closer, however, you could hear lively voices, laughter, and occasional high pitched shrieks. At that, Percy gave you a sidelong glance, before shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, letting out a little huff of amusement.
He was confident to make a guess at your destination, at this point. “It’s a festival. It’s a Halloween festival, isn't it? Haunted mazes, costumed actors, store bought decorations, right?” Your wide grin and bright eyes were the only confirmation he needed. “Silly girl, you are.”
Something about him calling you a silly girl made you shiver. You were positive that it was his tone and not the autumn temperature.
“It will be fun!” you insisted. “I haven’t been in ages, and I loved going when I was little. I wanted to share it with you.”
Percy could appreciate that you wanted to share something from your childhood with him, and he could tell right away that this was important to you. Knowing as much made his chest warm, despite the cool breeze. You had a way of pulling his heartstrings like that. He typically found the concept of these muggle-esque celebrations a bit contrived, but he supposed he could see the allure, even if he had to squint.
“You’re right. It will be fun,” he agreed, giving your hand a squeeze.
Rounding a bend in the road, the two of you made your way through the entry gates and to a small booth where, well prepared with muggle money, you paid for your admissions to the farm's attractions.
“You thought this through, I’m impressed,” Percy quipped, taking in the various decorations surveying the grounds around them.
“Of course I did. You’ve so little faith in me, I’m wounded,” you teased right back.
The farm was sprawling and crowded, mostly with families with small children in tow, which made Percy feel out of place even though the two of you were not the only childless young adults among the masses. Percy was overwhelmed with the sheer size of the place, signage on wooden posts pointing in every direction towards different activities – a haunted hayride, a haunted corn maze, a haunted trail. He was detecting a theme here, but that wasn’t even the half of it. There were food stands, games, and other activities, most of which consisted of farm equipment being temporarily repurposed for children's entertainment. Little-ones were climbing stacks of hay bales, and playing on large overturned tractor tires. The buildings full of animals were yet another draw for the crowds, and everything from the fence posts to the buildings themselves seemed to be buried in a layer of string lights and various orange, black and purple Halloween decorations.
Despite both you and Percy being in your mid twenties, your childlike sense of wonder for the goofiest of things never ceased to put a smile on his face, and it was ever present as you pulled him first towards the hayride. He was glad for your general zest for life – he’d have been cemented in place with trepidation without you to help navigate him through the busy festival.
“Let’s start here,” you said, and kept hold of his hand as the two of you got into the queue, waiting for the wagon to finish its previous run.
Percy had never been on a hayride before – let alone a haunted one – and he hadn’t known what to expect despite the name being so very clear. The two of you climbed up and sat on bales of hay, in the bed of a large wooden wagon being towed behind a farm tractor, shoulder to shoulder with others – families, couples. The ride pulled you away from the farm and into nearby woods, the dense tree cover making the already setting sun seem even more dim, and providing a more fitting backdrop for the ‘haunted’ attraction.
He had such a hard time biting his tongue as the tractor drove past the first set of decorations along the trail through the woods, and he only did so for the sake of the families with children seated in the vicinity.
A toy tractor with a plastic skeleton affixed to it? Really?
He huffed out a laugh and gave you a sidelong glance and a subtle shake of his head. You knew it was silly, but it made you smile, and despite his sardonic reactions to the various props, you knew he wasn’t hating this. It showed in the way he held your hand tight and in the fond look on his face as he watched you enjoy yourself.
The ride was bumpy and went on for another fifteen minutes, past wooden cutouts of witches and ghosts, more plastic skeletons, and even inflatable cauldrons and black cats. Target audience be damned, there was a grin plastered on your face when you and Percy hopped down from the wagon when it came to a halt at the edge of the farm to drop you all off and pick up a new load of passengers.
You waited with baited breath for the commentary Percy had been holding back throughout the ride. You’d been dating him long enough to just know it was coming, the words were practically overflowing from him as he leaned in close to speak to you as you steered him towards the festival's food offerings.
“Where do muggles get their concept of what ghosts look like?” he remarked. “You know what ghosts look like, and that was just offensive.”
“I’m guessing the organizers just didn’t want to frighten the children.”
“Were you frightened as a child when you first met Sir Nicholas? Or the Bloody Baron?” Percy asked, as though the question would drive home an irrefutable point.
“Very much so, actually,” you said with a huff of amusement, recalling yourself as a girl of just eleven, seeing the ghostly entrails of Sir Nicholas’ neck on display as he greeted you and the other new first years over dinner on your very first day as a Hogwarts student. You’d lost your appetite.
Percy hmphed.
“When you grow up with those wooden ghost standees, the real thing is actually quite jarring,” you said, smirking at his little pout. He hated being proved wrong, but you’d take every opportunity to do as much when his stony face went all soft and thoughtful when you did.
“Come on, I need a snack,” you told him, walking together through the crowds until you found yourselves on the other end of the farm where various food and drink stalls were set up all in a row.
Settled at a picnic table, each of you with a styrofoam cup full of hot chocolate and a toffee apple, you chatted idly while people watching, noting how now that the sun had fully set and darkness settled over the farm, there were far fewer young children about the place. Older kids, teenagers, and young adults like yourselves had crowded into the queues of the surrounding more spooky attractions. Purple and orange string lights wrapped around the fence posts twinkled in the darkness, and eerie music played from speakers hidden around the decorations, adding to the more mature nighttime atmosphere of the festival.
“We ought to do the corn maze next, now that it’s dark out,” you suggested before taking a careful bite from your toffee apple, looking across the table at Percy with a teasing smile. “Should be more spooky than the hayride.”
“As long as you don’t think you’ll get too scared,” Percy said with his little smirk. If he was honest, he found the idea of you getting freaked out by some teenage scare actor in the maze quite amusing. He hoped to see it so he could act as your white knight.
“I think I’ll manage. But if you need to, you can hide behind me and I’ll protect you.” Wishful thinking, she knew, but it was so fun to pick on him.
The two of you took your time, enjoying each other's banter while finishing up your treats before queuing up for the maze. You stood in front of Percy, letting him rest his chin on your head with his arms around your middle, enjoying the bit of affection which he typically kept behind closed doors.
The queue moved slowly, with the workers staggering entry to the maze to keep it from getting overcrowded inside, but after a while, you reached the front of the line and a worker – a man wearing a crude werewolf mask and a flannel button down – handed you a flashlight and ushered the two of you inside.
“Don’t even say anything,” you said quietly with a playful nudge and a gesture back in the workers direction. If he’d thought the muggle depiction of ghosts was offensive, he’d surely think their rendition of werewolves was downright criminal. You’d have to agree with him there.
Percy snickered at that. “You know me so well,” he quipped, offering you his arm to hold as you clicked on the flashlight and began to navigate the maze together.
If you had told Percy about corn mazes beforehand, he’d have questioned what could possibly be so scary about a corn field that it could garner such a queue as a haunted attraction, but as he experienced it first hand, he came to understand on his own. It was dark, and the flickery orangy beam from the flashlight did relatively little to light your way. The tall corn stalks filtered the light from the lamp posts around the farm into long swaying shadows over the rows you walked, and the rustling of the dry husks at every turn had each of you questioning if it was really only the crop you were hearing.
Keeping track of each turn the two of you made so that you wouldn’t get turned around, Percy was focused as you walked hand in hand through the maze. He told you all about the ‘right hand rule’ for solving mazes, and said that although it wouldn’t be the fastest way out, he assured you that the two of you wouldn’t get lost. You walked stiffly, anticipation in every step but especially as you rounded corners, knowing that at some point or another you’d be bound to run into scare actors. You liked a good jump scare, the thrill of uncertainty, but it did make you nervous, and you knew this brand of Percy’s rambling was in an effort to distract you from said nerves. It was appreciated.
As the two of you made your way further into the maze you had the uncanny feeling that you were being followed. You’d turned to look over your shoulder several times as you followed Percy’s lead, keeping a tight grip on his hand as he led you, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that you were just missing catching a glimpse of someone, dark shadows and many path offshoots between the corn stalks giving plenty of opportunity for someone to hide just out of sight.
Percy of course had the same feeling, but he seemed wholly unbothered.
“You seem so tense, you know it’s just some kid who works here following us, just waiting for the perfect moment to hop out and say ‘boo,’” Percy said, as though his cool rationale of the situation made it less unnerving for you.
“Well I wish they’d just do it already and get it over with.”
Percy tutted. “They’re going for suspense, and it’s clearly working on you,” he teased with a nudge of your shoulder and a squeeze of your hand. The way he looked down at you with that smirk of his, that playful gleam in his eyes, made you feel a bit better.
But your conversation with Percy and the way he so easily distracted you also gave the scare actor, who had indeed been following mere paces behind the two of you, the perfect opportunity to strike.
Getting in front of the two of you using a passage to your left that you’d passed right on by (staunchly following Percy’s strategy), a tall figure dressed as the most grotesque scarecrow imaginable stepped out from the shadows and onto the path just in front of you.
The face of the figure was completely covered in a burlap sack affixed with rope to their neck, with distraught painted eyes and a bloody looking stitched over slash in the sack for a mouth. A far cry from the sheet ghosts and ill fitting rubber werewolf masks you’d encountered earlier, the scarecrow was truly something of a nightmare.
There was no shouting “boo,” or saying anything for that matter. The figure hadn’t done anything besides simply appear in front of you, but you screamed, released both Percy’s hand and the flashlight, and darted startled in the opposite direction. Percy chuckled with an amused shake of his head and waved at the scare actor before picking up the flashlight and turning on his heels to search for you in the maze, calling out your name, unsure of the direction you’d ran.
Your heart was racing, and a sense of both relief and embarrassment settled into your chest as you slowed your sprint and came to a stop in what you hoped was a truly vacant portion of the maze. That scarecrow had gotten you good.
“Percy!” you cried out, turning around in place and trying to discern where his voice was coming from. “I’m over here!”
“Where is over here?” Percy called, letting out a huff of laughter as he made another turn, still unable to find where you’d run off to amongst the rows of corn. “You shouldn’t have let go of my hand, you know!”
You groaned, not particularly needing to be scolded right now, even if you could tell from his voice that he was thoroughly amused with your reaction to the scare actor. “Gee, thanks! So helpful to be reminded of that after the fact!” you called out to him. You could hear him snickering and you jogged down the row you were in, towards the sound of his voice.
Finally, you could see the dull orange glow from his flashlight bouncing between the stalks of corn just a few rows over. “Stay where you are, I can see the flashlight!”
“Alright, alright, come on then,” he said and waited for you, arms crossed. He could hear rustling and snapping of husks and suspected you were cheating and cutting through rows of corn rather than finding your way to him the fair way.
His suspicions were confirmed when you climbed out from the corn stalks beside him, your hair getting caught in the leaves, and your cardigan with little bits of plant matter sticking to the yarn. Percy preened you, as you looked up at him with a satisfied little grin, glad to be back with your boyfriend.
“Silly girl, and a cheat at that. You’re not supposed to plow through the rows like an erumpent,” he said as he pulled a bit of corn tassel from your hair. His hands settled on your waist after he brushed off your cardigan.
“Farm’s lucky I only pushed through a row or two and that I didn’t tear my way out of the maze entirely.”
Percy laughed, taking your hand once again and retracing his steps to get the two of you back on track to finish off the maze.
“I suppose they are. You’re cute when you scream, you know? I’d like to take you back home and really give you something to scream about,” he teased.
Your face went red, cheeks heating up in the chilly evening breeze. You loved when Percy got brazen in the quiet moments when no one else could hear. “Maybe if we could ever find our way out of this maze.”
“Well… No one’s around. We could apparate out, yeah? If anyone hears the crack they’ll likely just assume it’s a sound effect.”
Percy was nothing if not thoroughly convincing.
Before giving him a chance to remind you not to splinch yourselves, you’d intertwined your fingers with his and in a whirring crack the flashlight clattered flickering to the ground in the maze and you were standing on your front porch yet again, gripping each other a bit more tightly as each of you got your footing. Percy stepped forward against you, your back hitting your door and the back of your head cushioned by the wreath that hung there as he cupped your face and pressed his lips to yours, his knee between your legs keeping you in place.
You kissed him back, the sweet taste of toffee apples still on his tongue for you to enjoy. Through the clash of lips, you fiddled under your cardigan producing your wand from your hip, you unlocked your door, one of your hands twisting the knob open and the other gripping the loose fabric of his jumper as you led him backwards and into your flat. Large, lithe hands slid down your waist and gripped your hips, kneading the skin there and you felt your lower lip between his teeth before he pulled back from the kiss, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.
Percy Weasley catching his breath, dilated pupils with red, kiss swollen lips was always a damn sight, and you took the moment as he was collecting himself again to look him over like the artwork that he was. He chuckled softly under your intense gaze, it always shook him, the way you so clearly wanted him.
“Come on then, I trust I don’t have to help you find your way to the bedroom,” he said, ever confident with the way you looked at him like you’d eat him if you could.
“No, no I think I know the way in this case, thank you though,” you said and grinned, turning your back to him as you pulled him by the hand to your room. He pulled the door closed behind you.
Percy always undressed you slowly, and tonight was no different. He took his time with each button on your cardigan, and laid it neatly over the back of an armchair in your room. (If he tossed it on the floor the yarn might snag on something and that wouldn’t do.) Your other clothing, however, was fair game, and he didn’t pay attention to where your undershirt ended up, he simply removed it before guiding your back to lay flat on your bed, and he took your legs in his hands as he pulled off your boots and tugged down your pants.
He took an odd sort of pleasure in being fully clothed while you were nearly naked. He was calm and collected as you laid there in anticipation for a pleasure only he could bring you. It always made him feel powerful. He removed only his shoes before climbing over you on your bed (he was polite, after all) and his lips met your jaw with open mouth kisses while his hands roamed along your chest and slid behind your back to unclasp your bra. He guided your arms out of the garment before tossing it over his shoulder with a smirk.
“Beautiful,” he said, his eyes roving your skin. His fingers slid under the elastic of your panties and he pulled them down and off before continuing. “The way you were calling out my name when you’d gotten yourself lost in that maze… I want to hear it again. This time you’ll be lost in me.” He took off his glasses and set them on your bedside table.
You hummed and nodded, sinking into the blankets beneath you as Percy kissed along your navel before parting your legs and dipping his head between your thighs, drawing expletives from your lips as his tongue ran along your heat. Your fingers delved into his tousle of curls, giving them an appreciative tug as you flex your hips against his mouth, but you weren’t crying out for him just yet.
Meticulously, he worked you over with his tongue until your thighs trembled against his face and your back arched up from the mattress, your fingers digging into your bedding, trying to stay grounded as he sunk two fingers into your core. Beckoning you closer to the edge with the curl of his digits, your mouth hung open and those pretty, breathy whines flowed from your lips, you were truly getting lost in him and the hot pleasure he was bringing upon you. You held off for as long as you could, wanting to take every last second of paradise he was offering you before you finally obliged him, calling out his name as that pleasure crested and you came for him. He pulled his face away, raising himself on his elbows so he could get a good look at your face, his fingers still working you through it until your hand met his wrist with a tug and a breathy cry.
“Had enough, then?” he asked you, his voice soft and even as you trembled after coming apart. He crawled up your mattress and laid down alongside you, his arm laying over your stomach, giving your side a loving little squeeze. The soft wool of his jumper tickled against your bare skin.
“More than enough, for now,” you said and nodded, body finally starting to calm down but your breath still shuddered.
“Mm, I’m glad,” he murmured and leaned in to kiss your face. He’d do his best to ignore the aching want in his trousers for now, wanting these precious moments to be all about you. He’d get his in the morning.
You soaked in his gentle affections while you finished coming down, tired now and ready for sleep. You turned to your side to face him, and nuzzled your nose to his with a satisfied grin. “I’d have brought you to a Halloween fair years ago if I had known that would be my thanks.”
Overall Work Summary: MC won the battle against Ranrok in the repository at the end of her fifth year, but she lost her memories and herself in the process. With no memory of her entire fifth year or her boyfriend, Sebastian Sallow, she is left to attempt to navigate her sixth year and the challenges that face her, including balancing a heartbroken Slytherin boy and a kind-hearted Gryffindor. She was given an opportunity for a reset. Will she make the most of it?
ICYMI: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3. Also available on AO3 here.
A/N: This chapter is a little on the shorter side. But good news is the next chapter is already done and I intent to post it tomorrow. So, hopefully that makes up for it!
Chapter 4 - Reiterate
The beginning of October brought a crisp chill in the air, that MC very much appreciated. Although it had made her morning practice sessions with Leander a bit nippy, her afternoon study sessions with Nellie and Poppy out in the gardens had become pleasant. The trees had turned an array of beautiful colors and MC found herself being easily distracted, not that either Poppy or Nellie were ones to keep her on task. They usually ended up abandoning their study efforts in favor of spending their time becoming reacquainted with each other.
For the last several weeks, Friday nights have been reserved for studying with Sebastian in the Undercroft. Sometimes Ominis joined them. Tonight was not one of those nights. He had popped in earlier and let the pair know that he had made other plans for the evening. Sebastian had turned to her and their eyes met with a knowing gaze. They had discussed it and both were fairly certain that Ominis was dating someone, not that he had confirmed anything, but he had not been available for any of their study sessions for a couple of weeks now.
As the doors to the Undercroft closed behind their fair-haired friend, MC shifted on the sofa to face Sebastian. “Who do you think it is?”
”Hmm?” The question slipped from him before he had lifted his eyes from the book in his lap.
They were focusing tonight on Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hecat had assigned them all the task for devising a plan to rid the Slytherin girls bathroom from a group of troublesome doxies that had accidentally been released in there by some fourth years. They had been breeding rampantly and it was completely out of control. Rather than take care of the problem herself, Hecat had used it as a teaching opportunity and the student that comes up with the best solution gets to try their hand at clearing out the problem themselves. House points were obviously on the line and MC desperately wanted to prove that she was in fact catching up to her peers.
“Ominis… Who do you think he has been sneaking around with? Who is this mysterious person that he is making all these plans with?” She asked him, still focused on him even though he hadn’t yet looked up from his book.
Her question had finally brought his attention from whatever passage he had been reading as he shifted to face her more directly, “Oh… Well, I suppose I hadn’t really given it much thought. I know you are convinced, but I almost thought maybe he was just giving you and I some time alone.” His cheeks flushed brightly as he mentioned his latest theory. “I haven’t seen him around anyone new, just me, you, Imelda… Maybe Amit from time to time.”
”Do you think it could be Imelda?” MC questioned brightly. She hadn’t spent much time with the Slytherin quidditch captain, but she knew that Sebastian and Ominis could often be found with her.
Sebastian scoffed loudly, “I assure you, most definitely not.”
”Why do you say it like that?”
He grinned and leaned forward, towards her, as he whispered purely for dramatic effect, “It’s no secret, but Ominis is most certainly not Imelda’s type.”
It took MC a moment to process exactly what Sebastian meant, but once it clicked, her mouth fell open as she mouthed the word “Ohhhhh”.
”So… not Imelda then.” MC said.
”No, not Imelda. At least not in a romantic way. I do suppose he could be choosing her platonic company over ours.” He said teasingly.
MC smiled and swatted Sebastian’s arm playfully, “His loss. We are great fun. Look at us… Who wouldn’t want to spend their Friday evening buried in a mountain of books about doxies?”
With a loud laugh that made the butterflies in MC’s stomach stir, Sebastian retorted, “Ominis apparently…”
As their laughter died, MC began collecting her belongings. Tomorrow was their first quidditch scrimmage and she wanted to make sure to get plenty of rest. She’d been extremely nervous all week, but had been thankful for the distractions her friends had provided.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Sebastian asked as he watched her stuff her notes into the book she’d been reading.
She turned to face him again, hoping her voice didn’t betray the nerves she was actually feeling, she replied, “Well, of course. Gryffindor is going to demolish Slytherin tomorrow. I do believe you are the one that should be concerned about the readiness of your team.”
He simply grinned at her. It was painfully obvious that he could tell that she was nervous. Even if she had her memories, quidditch was not something she had ever done before. She had been practicing tirelessly, but a real competition was bound to be different.
“Shall I take it easy on you then?” He asked somewhat playfully, but she could sense there was a bit of seriousness in the question.
Her eyes quickly narrowed at the brunet next to her, “I have never been more offended, Sebastian. Don’t you dare. I want to know you tried your hardest when we beat you tomorrow.”
With that, she stood and made her way to the exit.
“Very well, I will give you my very best tomorrow.” He called out after her retreating form.
She paused momentarily at the gate, rolling her eyes. However, she couldn’t fight the smile that spread across her face.
Nellie had given a particularly motivating speech in the dressing room prior to the start of the match. It was impossible not to get swept up in the moment and the anticipation. She was almost bouncing on the balls of her feet as they prepared to take off before the roaring crowd. It was the first dose of quidditch of the school year and the stands were packed. Students from all houses were in attendance.
However, as MC sat on her broom, perched high above the pitch, she could feel the adrenaline begin to fade and an edge of nervousness set in.
The endless searching for that shiny little golden ball that meant so very much to this game was tiring. She also had to contend with keeping her eye on the Slytherin Seeker. If he at any point looked as if he had spotted the snitch, she would need to be on him in an instant.
Thankfully, so far he had seemed to be keeping his attention on her.
But MC found herself becoming distracted at times by a certain freckled Slytherin Beater. He was great on a broom. She wasn’t sure if she had ever seen him fly, but he looked effortless. He was really giving her teammates trouble. He had nearly knocked Garreth completely off his broom when he hit him squarely with a bludger. MC had heard the gasps from the crowd all the way from her position above the pitch. Thankfully, Garreth had managed to stay on his broom and in the match, but she wasn’t sure how he had pulled it off.
The match was fairly even. Slytherin was up twenty points, but that wouldn’t matter if she could catch the snitch. The one hundred and fifty points would be worth far more than the difference and would secure the victory for Gryffindor, even if Slytherin was able to widen the gap in the score.
When she was finally starting to lose patience, sight of something shiny and fast on the other side of the pitch caught her eye. Not wanting to attract the attention of the Slytherin Seeker too quickly, she began to slowly move, attempting to look as if she was still casually scanning the pitch for the snitch. When his focus was directed away from her, she made a dart for it. Immediately shifting her weight and plummeting into a dive, heading straight for her target.
It was quick and it darted just out of her grasp as she was making a grab for it, but she had seen it now and she was on its trail. The Slytherin Seeker had also noticed as well and as he called out across the pitch to his teammates. All eyes shifted to her.
It was at that moment that she looked up and her eyes locked with Sebastian’s. It was as if time slowed down. He was raring back to smack a bludger in her direction just as she was reaching out in front of her to capture the snitch.
She couldn’t think about that now and shifted her attention back to the task at hand as she held her breath, bracing for the impact of the bludger. However, it never came. Instead she felt it whizz right by her and her hand clasped around the snitch and she pulled it in.
It took her a moment to fully comprehend what had just happened. She had caught the snitch and Gryffindor had won! She was ecstatic! The crowd was roaring! Screams and cheers from the Gryffindor students and frustrated boos from the Slytherins permeated the air. Her teammates swarmed her as she landed and held the snitch up in the air. It was exactly how she had dreamed it would be.
However, there was also something bothering her. Something that wasn’t sitting right with her. Sebastian had not missed a shot all afternoon and she had definitely been watching. He had been a terror for her Gryffindor teammates. He had an opportunity to knock her off course and give his seeker a chance to catch up and he hadn’t taken it.
She was growing more certain with each passing moment. He had intentionally missed her. Irritation began to grow and take over any other emotion in her body.
How dare he!
She had specifically told him not to go easy on her. It was offensive really that he thought she needed to be coddled.
She broke away from her teammates in search of that no good Slytherin. It didn’t take long to spot him. He would have been hard to miss as it appeared Imelda had gotten ahold of him the second he landed and she was currently ripping into him, MC could only assume it was for that final hit as he had played nearly flawlessly otherwise from what MC had seen.
He had that stupid smirk plastered on his face, clearly not bothered in the slightest by his furious captain, which only fueled MC’s frustration with him. She didn’t really know Imelda, or didn’t remember knowing her anyway, but she was fairly certain they were both on the same page on this issue.
With renewed determination, MC marched her way across the pitch directly to the smug Slytherin. Without taking her eyes off of him, she briefly apologized to Imelda as she grabbed his arm and drug him off the pitch towards the dressing rooms.
As they entered the Gryffindor changing room, MC quickly glanced around the room, assuring that they were in fact alone. Her teammates were all still out celebrating their victory. When she spun back around to face Sebastian, he was grinning wildly at her, completely oblivious to the irritation she was quite sure was apparent on her face.
He quickly closed the distance between them and reached out, taking her hand in his. “I will have to make a mental note that losing to you gets me alone time.”
She jerked her hand out of his, ignoring the flash of hurt feelings that crossed his face, “I cannot believe you did that, Sebastian! I specifically told you not to.”
He feigned a look of bewilderment as he spoke, “I have no clue what you are talking about.”
She crossed her arms and scowled at him, not even bothering to respond to his poor attempt at portraying ignorance. It didn’t take long for him to break. In the weeks she had spent with him, he was never very good at allowing the silence to permeate for too long.
He crumbled even quicker than she would have guessed that he would. “I’m sorry, MC! I really am. I didn’t really intend to pull the shot. It's just… I saw you and I immediately worried that somehow hitting you with that bludger would do more harm than good. I would never forgive myself if I somehow worsened your memory or brain injury over something stupid like quidditch…”
Well, that hadn’t crossed her mind. That it wasn’t just that he had been taking it easy on her because he felt sorry for her was a surprise. The fact that he had been concerned for somewhat legitimate reasons softened her and her arms slowly uncrossed and the scowl quickly faded from her face.
“If the healers at St. Mungos and Nurse Blainey thought that a bludger would make the situation worse, they wouldn’t let me play, Sebastian. I promise. I am not brittle. I will not break that easily. I just want you to treat me like everyone else. I will never know what I am capable of if you continue to always go easy on me. In duels, on the quidditch pitch or otherwise.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “Logically I understand that… It’s just… I lost you once and I couldn’t stand it if I did something that made it happen again.”
With a soft smile, MC stepped forward and grabbed the hand that she had previously jerked away from. “I will reiterate. I am not fragile. I want you to treat me like everyone else. I want to learn and improve and grow. I cannot do that if you coddle me.
He nodded slowly, “Alright. I won’t hold back again. But only if you promise me you will tell me if something is ever wrong. I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if…”
He didn’t have an opportunity to finish his sentence as MC leaned up on her tiptoes and placed the lightest of kisses gently against his lips.
“Promise.”
Dumbfounded, he didn’t have an opportunity to respond as it was at that moment that the rest of the Gryffindor team came barging into the dressing room and Sebastain’s expression shifted from one of surprise to one of utter annoyance.
Nellie took one look at the invading enemy and immediately ordered Sebastian out of their changing room. Even going so far as to grab his shoulders and steer him out herself. Sebastian attempted to protest briefly, trying to turn his attention back to MC, but Nellie would not be deterred.
MC couldn’t help but grin as Nellie turned back to her from the entrance and wiggled her eyebrows at MC.
As Nellie walked past MC, she leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Fraternizing with the enemy, hmmm?”
MC’s mouth dropped open as she momentarily thought about denying the accusation, but Nellie just shook her head and smiled from ear to ear as she kept on walking.
Who was MC kidding? She had kissed Sebastian. On her own accord. Without any encouragement from him. She had ventured into new territory without even really meaning to, but like Nellie had told her, what would it hurt to kiss him every now and then?
Summary: Garreth & Adelaide Weasley ready for the day, and Garreth ruminates on all of the Good in his life.
Word Count: 2173
Rating: T
A/N: Written for @garrethweasleyfest. My prompt used was Professor Gar. The inspiration to write left me entirely for basically a month straight, and this was actually meant to be a longer work. I might write a part two. We'll see what happens, and I hope you enjoy it for what it is anyway. HUGE thank you to @cuffmeinblack, @pluviowriting & @applinsandoranges for being so kind and encouraging. This wouldn't have happened without you!
TW: Pregnancy, Pregnancy Mention
Hogsmeade was in top form when autumn descended upon it, Garreth had always thought. The vibrant hues and blue skies of summer giving way to overcast clouds and trees fading into brilliant reds and oranges and finally into nothing at all, when December came, and with it, linen-white blankets of snow. The florals that clung to the air beneath the summer sun dissipated with the bite of the autumn air, replaced with the scent of wood-burning smoke as the resident hearths were lit to chase away the cold, falling leaves dancing on the breeze and along the cobblestone streets.
It all felt very much like home. Which is exactly where Garreth stood, half-drinking a tea now gone cold and scribbling notes into a journal that was stuffed as full as the mind of the man who filled its pages, splayed about on the kitchen countertop. The windows were open despite the roaring flames that crackled and popped in the fireplace, the curtains fluttering in the breath of an early morning wind. Garreth wasn’t fond of the curtains, to put it kindly, likely once a lovely ivory and now yellowed with age. Horribly outdated, and left behind by the home's previous owners but his wife had insisted they gave the place charm, so they had stayed, framing the old paned glass window that seemed to never be streak free no matter how often they scourgified.
Garreth’s attention was drawn away from a scrawled note on adjusting the preparation of alihotsy to suit lesser needs (dried rather than chopped?), to their family cat outside the window, pouncing upon something hidden in the wilted and brittle remains of his wifes garden which had succumbed to the changing season. He thought he ought to clear it out, so it was ready for his wife to till and bring back to its usual glory the moment the ground thawed come spring.
Or perhaps he ought to build her a proper greenhouse, so his green-thumbed wife could have all of the fresh produce and flowering blooms that she pleased, year-round. Adelaide would like that, he thought, and he knew Mr. Brown of Tomes & Scrolls carried the spellcrafts, and surely the materials would not break the bank with each of their comfortable salaries. With his face falling into an excitable grin that he swallowed with another glug of his tea, should his wife stumble in and catch him with one of his masterful plans, he scribbled a note to remind himself to stop by and visit Tom in the sparse open spaces of his journal after work.
Tea cup halfway to his lips, he watched with an amused grin as the cat bolted off again, into the dying brush and off to wreak havoc elsewhere. Hopefully, to The Magic Neep, where it had become a thorn in old Mr. Teasdale’s side. The usually jovial herbologist had blamed the small beast for the destruction of his fluxweed crop on more than one occasion. Garreth had tried to defend his wife's beloved feline, with the entirely logical deduction that there was no way the old man could prove it was indeed their family pet, but his wife had shushed him, offering apologies and promises to bring over some of her esteemed ginger cakes as recompense in order to keep the neighbourhood peace.
Saving the neighbourhood peace was growing to be one of Adelaide’s talents, helped by her enthusiasm for time spent in the heart of the home - the kitchen. Always delivering treats and sweets to their neighbours, and most often, Mr. Pippin, and of course on behalf of Garreth. Who had more than taken advantage of the short distance between their home and the potions shop, eager for spirited conversations with a man as enthusiastic about potions as he was. Only a small footbridge separated their home and the shop, and Garreth Weasley was as much a permanent accessory in the shop as the sign on the door, his wife soothing the scowl of its proprietor at his constant interruptions of his work with hot meals and warm pastries.
Adelaide Weasley was always welcome, and her husband was welcome in the way a father swears he doesn't care for the family pet, but never moves it from its nap when it curls up in his favourite chair.
Garreth had only just slipped the loose bits of parchment back between the pages of his journal, when his wife strolled into the kitchen, hair tied neatly behind her head in her usual plait, and fussing with the loose fabric of her blouse. He allowed his cup to fall into the hot, soapy water, mindless to the way it began to clean itself amongst the breakfast dishes, with his attention entirely on his beautiful wife and the contemplative scowl on her face.
He wrinkled his nose at the sight of her pulling her blouse over the soft swell of her stomach, concealing it away with the ruffles and lace. He leant against the sink with an amused grin, green eyes following the way she poked and prodded at herself.
“You know…” He began, with a strong arm reaching out to pull her close, wrapping her up in his embrace, his head instinctively tilting down to trail chaste kisses along the slope of her neck. “... You can’t hide our good news away forever, or else people may question where you’ve got a baby from when it arrives.” His tone was light, Teasing. Even if it took every ounce of his self-restraint to not take out the entire front page of the prophet to announce the news that they were going to be parents, Garreth respected his wife’s choice to delay the celebrations. It was her body in the end, though that didn’t save her from his affectionate jabs due to his own impatience in the safety and privacy of their own home.
He hummed happily, forehead resting where her shoulder met her neck when she reciprocated his lazy morning affections with her hands in his hair, a giggle fluttering from her lips as she kissed his temple.
“Yes, well. Evie said that once people know, they’ll be poking and prodding at me all of the time and I don’t fancy that much.”
Evie. Evangeline. His wife’s best friend from their days at school and who had two children of her own already, after having settled down with her childhood sweetheart the moment they had graduated. Adelaide seldom did anything without her ever-present companions counsel and when Garreth had proposed, he had half-expected his lovely bride-to-be to tell him to Hold That Thought whilst she ran off to ask for her friend's opinion on the matter.
(She hadn’t, and instead, the memory of her standing flushed and teary-eyed amongst the foxgloves and forget-me-nots whilst he slipped the modest ring on her finger during her gleeful acceptance of his self-proclaimed paltry offer would live at the forefront of his mind for the rest of his days.)
Now, it seemed the two had all the more to talk about now that his wife was well on her way to join her friend in motherhood. Garreth was grateful for the feminine support through his wife's first pregnancy, even if it called for a few interrupted meals whilst Adelaide explained in detail her varying symptoms to Evangeline’s head in the fireplace.
“Mm. Well we don’t want you being poked by anyone other than me now do we?” Garreth chuckled; Smiling and savouring the lingering scent of lavender and bergamot from her shampoo as he brought himself back to height, pausing only to steal a kiss from her pouting lips, soothing her look of mild disapproval before helping her into her cloak. “Come on then, the young and impressionable minds of our students thirst for our wisdom.”
***
A choice to live within the faculty quarters of the school or to live outside of its majestic halls was given to each member of the general staff and faculty of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Garreth had taken full advantage of the former during his first few years as a Professor, putting every knut that would have been spent on room and board away on a dream for a potions shop with his name on the front.
Then Adelaide Oakes came gliding into the picture. A lovely little thing who was sweet and kind and laughed at all of his jokes. Even the ones he knew weren’t his very best work as he slumped over potions essays that had him feeling the slightest twinge of sympathy for the grizzled Auror that had once held his post (and who still haunted his nightmares every now and again when he was struggling with a more difficult brew).
Adelaide had transferred into the role of Magical Home Economics Professor, A class meant to prepare magical children for the mundane realities of living in a magical world, when the elderly Professor Spindle had finally thrown in the towel and retired to an island in the Gulf of Finland.
Garreth had only just settled into his fate in academia when Adelaide came around (Again. She so loved reminding him of all the classes and moments they had shared during their own schooldays that he had seemingly paid little mind too. He equally loved reminding her that his mind had been very busy becoming the next great potioneer thank you very much.) A year spent inside the castle he now called home for a second time, only this time, he was educating the next generation of magical minds in the world of cauldrons and brews.
Playful banter, a few shared butterbeers in the staff-room, a decidedly romantic candle-lit dinner at the Three Broomsticks and a terribly, terribly awkward disclosing of a workplace relationship to his own bloody Aunt later, and the rest was well and truly history. Garreth found himself lamenting the years he spent Not Noticing her whilst they attended school together. Missed opportunities of fumbling around in broom cupboards and blushing faces over sickly sweet teas at Steepleys. (Though Garreth had tried using his Weasley charm to coax his now wife into a broom cupboard rendezvous now and again when their days were especially dull, but his respectful wife had kept things firmly over-the-clothes.) He lamented, even, not taking his fathers job offer to work at the Ministry. If only because it may have put her in his path far sooner whilst she worked alongside her Uncle Rowland in the Goblin Liaison office.
The money Garreth had tucked away inside of his vault at Gringotts had swiftly been reallocated to other worthwhile endeavours. Gifts and dinners out, weekend holidays and yearly passes to the Magical Arboreal Gardens in London. Everything a girl like Adelaide deserved when being courted. Then, the modest sum of gold had dwindled after a sweaty-palmed conversation with Rowland Oakes had given Garreth his blessing, and he bought her a ring. (Not nearly as grand as she deserved, but she had gasped and cried as she stared at it on her finger, so he must have done alright.) The rest of it disappeared with a wedding and a honeymoon, and the scant remains of the gold were scraped together with his brides and spent on their home.
More often than not, Garreth sat staring at the wall in the office he had spent much of his youth sneaking into, reminiscing on where his life had ended up – and deciding whether or not he regretted the choices he had made that had brought him here and now. His dreams of owning a potions shop seemed further away than ever before, though it still sat dormant in the back of his mind, and weaved its way between the lines of his journal. On a particularly optimistic day, He had even painstakingly filled out a patent application for his perfected Weasley’s Wonder Tonic. Though the high that had carried him through every line of legal jargon transfigured itself into a different sort of joy, when his wife had joined him in the little nook that served as his workstation, delicate hands holding her contraceptive potion and pink lips whispering “What if we started trying?” Garreth had beamed, A Winter Baby. Now wouldn’t that be nice? and took her blushing and giggling to bed. The application had been tucked away in the pages of his most private thoughts, and he barely paid it any mind.
Thus, despite the dull longing that seemed to capture him on a Bad Day, the thought of his wife - bright-eyed and giggling by the fire, cheeks pink from the firewhiskey they had shared to celebrate their students surviving exam season their first year teaching together or the way she hummed The Enchanted Garden whilst she baked barefoot in the kitchen - soothed whatever doubts had crept their way into his mind, warming him faster than a pepper-up.
Garreth Weasley had simply traded one dream for another, and would not trade a single moment, nor take a single step in another direction if offered the choice.
Overall Work Summary: MC won the battle against Ranrok in the repository at the end of her fifth year, but she lost her memories and herself in the process. With no memory of her entire fifth year or her boyfriend, Sebastian Sallow, she is left to attempt to navigate her sixth year and the challenges that face her, including balancing a heartbroken Slytherin boy and a kind-hearted Gryffindor. She was given an opportunity for a reset. Will she make the most of it?
ICYMI: Chapter 1, Chapter 2. Also available on AO3 here.
A/N: Thank you @ellivenollivander for making the cover photo for me! I adore you!
Chapter Three - Readjust
Since she woke up in St. Mungos, MC has felt completely out of place. Everything is foreign to her. Magic, spells, potions, beats, even her friends. It is all new. There hasn’t been one aspect that she felt at ease with. Sure, some of her friends were easy to get along with, but there was always that nagging sensation in the back of her mind that reminded her she had forgotten them. She constantly found herself looking for anything she could remember. It turned out that one thing was flying.
On the third Saturday of the fall semester, MC found herself waking extra early. The sun had just barely begun to rise. She dressed for the day, putting on an old jumper, a pair of trousers, and a pair of knee high boots. She tied her hair back with a ribbon, messily. It was far too early for her to quite care enough to restrain her locks properly. As she walked out of her dormitory, she quickly grabbed her broom that she had stashed next to her wardrobe.
She knew that he would be waiting for her in the common room before she even made it down the stairs. Ever since their first quidditch practice session, they had been waking up early each day to fly as she found she had less time after classes. If she didn’t wake at the crack of dawn, she was spending so much time being tutored in various subjects that she wouldn’t have the time for flying or quidditch. However, if she made the team that would have to change.
Ordinarily, she wasn’t an early riser by any means. She would much prefer to lie in on a Saturday morning. However, the idea of being on her broom again had her trudging down the stairs to the common room.
He was there just like she expected him to be. Never tardy. She smiled to herself as she thought about how the tall red-head might actually combust if he was even a moment late for absolutely anything, even an unofficial quidditch practice. MC knew her perpetual habit of tardiness drove him a bit mad. So far, he’d managed to refrain from lectures, but MC could feel them on the horizon.
As she finally made her way into the common room, she saw him holding his broom and pacing in front of the exit. When he sensed her movement, he glanced up in her direction.
She watched him almost physically stuff the reprimand that he wanted so badly to give her back down. She wasn’t that late, but he had wanted to be down on the pitch at first light. Something about how he hadn’t wanted the other houses to see her training. Top secret quidditch stuff. She had rolled her eyes at him when he had originally told her his plan.
It had originally been the three of them for practice every morning, but as the weeks wore on, Garreth’s attendance grew less and less. He was still practicing, but he couldn’t be bothered to wake up at the ungodly hour that she had been.
“No, Garreth today?” She asked as she made her way across the common room to him.
“I gave him a few pokes before I left, however, I was just met with a few grunts and one spite-filled glare.” Leander’s previous irritation had faded in exchange for a smile at the memory of annoying his best friend, even momentarily. “He is not a morning person.”
“That makes two of us.” MC muttered under her breath.
Leander chuckled, “Come on, we need to get out there. You’ve put us behind schedule already.”
MC scrunched her nose at him and stuck out her tongue, “I am barely five minutes late!”
“Still late.” Leander chided her playfully.
As soon as they stepped out of the castle, MC took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and spun to face Leander with a mischievous grin.
“Oh no…. I know that look… Nothing good comes from that look, MC,” he nervously stated.
“No brooms…”
“MC….”
“Last one to the pitch is a troll bogey!” She shouted as wheeled around and took off at a full sprint across the lawn towards the quidditch pitch.
“That’s not fair!” He bellowed as he dashed after her.
MC was fast, but months in a bed at St. Mungos had left her a little out of shape. Plus, the tall ginger behind her had long legs and his stride was quickly overtaking her. She pushed herself harder and harder. The pitch was near, but she could hear and feel him closing in behind her. She ran and ran, not daring to look back until she was certain of her victory. She had almost reached the entrance and she finally tempted a glance over her shoulder at the last moment to gloat.
Leander was closing in on her and he reached out toward her. MC’s eyes went wide as he grabbed a hold of her jumper, pulling her back towards him. Her balance was thrown off by the shift in momentum, their feet became tangled and the pair went tumbling to the ground, rolling over each other as their brooms went flying off to the side. When they finally came to a stop, the pair were cackling uncontrollably. They had come to a stop with Leander flat on his back and MC lying on top of him.
“That’s cheating!” She squealed and playfully thumped his chest with her fist.
“Like announcing the race and taking off on a head start wasn’t?” He quickly snapped back.
Their collective laughter died slightly and they were both left out of breath and panting as they realized their precarious position. A slight awkwardness filled the small space between them and MC began to push herself up off of Leander.
“No matter, I can still beat you. You’re on the ground.” She bragged and made a move to dart into the pitch.
“I wouldn’t be too sure.” He said with a cocky tone that MC didn’t usually hear from him.
He nodded towards the pitch and his outstretched arm, which was undoubtedly inside the entrance to the pitch. MC’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Looks like you’re the troll bogey today.” He grinned up at her where she stood over him.
“It's those damn gangly limbs that Garreth is always complaining about!” MC complained, but she did it with a smile on her face. “Guess that’s why you are the keeper. You have the wingspan of a hippogriff!”
She reached down to offer him a hand up, which he took gratefully.
“You’ve wasted enough time already! Let’s get this practice over before the whole castle wakes up and comes to watch.” He didn’t wait for her response as he walked over to their brooms. He picked them both up and brought MC’s to her. He then stepped into the pitch and mounted his broom, taking flight.
MC was quick to follow him. She had forgotten a lot of things, but flying did not appear to be one of them. The first time she had mounted a broom, just a few short weeks ago, she had taken off immediately, soaring through the air expertly. She out flew both Leander and Garreth that day. They had both been thoroughly impressed.
Being in the air, on her broom, brought MC a sense of peace that she hadn’t felt since she awoke in St. Mungos a few weeks ago. That was part of the reason she humored Leander and his insistence at waking at this ungodly hour to practice.
Leander was a tough coach as he had prepared numerous drills for her to fly. Not wasting a moment of the precious time they had to practice, he put her to work immediately. Reviewing the maneuvers he and Garreth had been teaching her. The Spiral Dive, Plumpton Pass and Beater Fakeout. Her favorite, however, was the Wronski Feint, where she was supposed to pretend to spot the snitch and take off after it directly towards the ground. The goal was to hope that the other team’s seeker fell for it and followed. She would have to pull up at just the last moment, too late for the other seeker to respond, causing them to crash. It was an incredibly devious move, but hurtling at top speed towards the ground was thrilling in a way she was surprised that she enjoyed.
After a couple hours of practice, other students began filing into the pitch to get their own practice in before tryouts later that day. Leander pronounced that she was ready and the pair flew down to the ground, dismounted their brooms and began their walk back to the castle.
While they walked, Leander rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he turned to her and spoke, “You’ve got a few hours free before tryouts this afternoon. You want to come hang out with Garreth and I? Could be a good distraction and a way to pass the time.”
She glanced up at him with a kind smile, “Ordinarily, I’d take you up on that, but I’ve got a few assignments that I need to finish up. I think I will take care of those, so that we can celebrate after tryouts.”
“Oh! Do you need help? I am sure we would be able to assist…”
She cut him off politely, “Thank you, Leander! I do really appreciate the offer, more than you know, but I want to try to complete these assignments on my own. I do promise to come find you if I need the help. Would that be alright?”
She couldn’t help but notice the disappointed look on the boy’s face as he spoke, “Oh, yeah… Right… Of course you should try it on your own! We will be around should you need the help.”
She gave his arm a friendly squeeze and began to head into the castle on her own.
“MC!” He called out after her.
She stopped and turned to face him as he jogged to close the few steps between them.
“I just wanted to say that I am really glad to have you back. I mean… Garreth and I are glad to have you back. You and Sallow got pretty wrapped up in whatever the two of you had going on last year.”
Confusion spread across the girl’s face as she had been under the impression that she had been good friends with Leander last year.
“I thought we were close last year?” She asked.
“We were… well, we… I kind of thought…” With a shake of his head, he changed direction. “We just drifted apart the closer you and Sallow got.”
She could read between the lines. He had liked her and she had chosen Sebastian. Whether or not she had realized the boy’s feelings at the time, she didn’t know, but she did see them now. It would be something she would need to be courteous of.
With a warm smile, she bid Leander goodbye and headed into the castle. She needed a quiet place to study. After grabbing her books from her dorm, she made her way to the library. However, for a Saturday morning, the library was unusually packed. She would never be able to get any studying done with all these distractions.
She wracked her brain, attempting to come up with an alternative solution. The Undercroft. She couldn’t imagine that Sebastian or Ominis would be down there this early on a Saturday. So, she set off in that direction, hoping she remembered how to get in.
It turns out that she did. As the gate swung open and she stepped inside, it didn’t take her long to realize that she wasn’t completely alone. She heard faint sniffling coming from the back corner of the room, towards where the old sofa was that she had noticed when she was down here a few weeks ago.
She took a few tentative steps into the room, when she noticed that it was Sebastian sitting on the sofa, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. He hadn’t seemed to notice her.
She cleared her throat, “I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you were going to be down here. I was just looking for a quiet place to study. I’ll just go…”
He raised his head when he heard her voice and she could tell, even from this distance, that he had been upset.
His voice caught in his throat as he spoke, “No, you are fine! You can stay. I’ll go. I was about to leave anyway.”
She could tell he was lying, but she set her books down on a nearby crate and went to him, taking a seat next to him.
He refused to meet her gaze, preferring to stare anywhere but at her. It was very unlike him.
“What’s wrong, Sebastian? Did something happen?”
“It's nothing.” He muttered under his breath.
She could tell it most definitely was, in fact, something, but she wasn’t going to pry. “Alright.” She said as she got up to go pick up her books.
“Are you leaving?” He asked with worry in his voice.
“No, if you aren’t going to talk to me, I am going to get my books so I can complete my homework.”
She picked up her books and returned to the sofa, this time leaving a space between her and Sebastian.
Some time passed as she attempted to study and ignore the boy pouting beside her. She was about to give up on the endeavor altogether and go look for her friends, when Sebastian turned to face her.
“I saw you this morning,” he uttered quietly.
She glanced up from her book to meet his red rimmed eyes. “Saw me do what exactly?”
She tried to recall what he could have possibly seen that would cause him to react this way. All she had done was practice quidditch, albeit with Leander, but it was just quidditch.
Then it hit her, right as he started to speak, “I got up early to try to warm up this morning before tryouts and when I walked out of the castle, I saw you two. Laying on top of each other on the ground…”
Her heart sank. It had been innocent, mostly. He had just walked outside at the wrong time.
He continued, “If you are going to take up with him, I would have thought you would at least have had the courtesy to let me know. Finding out like that was a bit of a shock.”
“Oh, Sebastian… That wasn’t what you thought it was…”
She closed her book and shifted on the sofa so that she was now sitting next to him. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but she felt the urge, deep within her gut, to grab his hand. So, she did. He didn’t resist, immediately intertwining his fingers with hers. She had to admit, something about it felt natural, right.
“We were running and we tripped. We just fell. That’s all. He is a friend and he is helping me a great deal with school and quidditch.”
He let out a deep breath that she hadn’t realized he was holding before he asked, “Will you tell me if that changes?”
She gave him a faint smile, “If I decide to let anyone court me, aside from you, I will tell you. I promise.”
He let out a relieved sigh as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for an embrace. His arms instinctively came around her waist, hugging her back tightly. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from burying her face into the crook of his neck. He smelled of chocolate, old books, and a dwindling fire, a scent that was comforting and oddly familiar. She gave him a tight squeeze as she pulled back, meeting his eyes and smiling faintly.
“Care to help me with this assignment, since you are here and all?” She joked, attempting to ease the tension in the room as she dropped her arms from around his neck.
Of course he agreed and the two spent the next few hours laughing and getting a miniscule amount of her assignment done before he had to head to his quidditch tryout. As he stood to leave, he leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
“Good luck today, MC. I can’t wait to beat you out on the pitch as well as in duels in class.” His usual smirk had returned.
“You could only hope to get so lucky.” She retorted as he walked away.
He would be easy to fall for, she thought to herself as she returned to her studies, though she wasn’t able to get much done before she had to leave for her own tryout.
She made it to the pitch just in the nick of time. Luckily, she had an “in” with the captain, who happened to be her roommate and one of her best friends, Nellie Oggspire.
Nellie gave her a disapproving look for not arriving early, but it quickly faded into a grin as she turned her attention from MC and directed it at everyone else who was present for tryouts. She had everyone participate in various drills before she broke everyone into groups by position.
There were three other people going out for the position of seeker. A seventh year, a fifth year and a fourth year, none of which she knew. MC worked hard to keep her nerves in check as Nellie called out all of the different maneuvers for her to perform. Leander had been thorough and there wasn’t a single one that MC didn’t know or execute well.
Tryouts concluded and Nellie called everyone over to her as she scribbled notes on a clipboard. Their captain met their eyes as she called out the names of those that made the team. Some MC recognized, some she didn’t. Lucan Brattleby, Garreth Weasley and Hector Jenkins were announced as the team’s Chasers. Nellie and August Longbottom would be the team’s Beaters, MC had not had the opportunity to meet him yet, but he was a tall red head and he seemed nice. Leander was awarded the position of Keeper and he was ecstatic.
When it came time to announce the Seeker, Nellie met MC’s eyes and grinned wildly as she announced that MC would be Gryffindor’s seeker this year!
There were some disappointed people of course, but Nellie assured everyone that they may be needed at a later date if injuries were to occur and they were likely to occur.
As Garreth and Leander came over to congratulate her, the latter sweeping her up in a hug, MC noticed a certain brunet boy sitting up in the stands, wearing the green jumper she had seen him in earlier today. Had he been here the whole time?
She briefly returned Leander’s hug before stepping back and offering congratulations to the two of them.
She glanced back up into the stands and Sebastian was standing and making his way down the stairs to the pitch.
Garreth, in his excitement, exclaimed, “MC are you ready to go celebrate! I do believe a few butterbeers are calling our names!”
She grinned at her fellow teammate, “Of course! Just give me one moment.”
She left the rest of her teammates and trotted over to the enemy Slytherin that was currently making his way towards her.
“I made it!” She practically shouted at him as he neared.
“You were fantastic!” He said with a beaming smile. “I have always loved watching you fly.”
She found herself blushing at the compliment, “Spying on us then?” She said in jest. “Did you make the Slytherin team?”
He nodded and with a devilish grin, he said, “As if there was any doubt. You are looking at one of Slytherin’s new Beaters! You’ll have to watch out.”
She couldn’t help but return his grin, “As if you will be able to hit me! I’ll be too fast for you.”
“I was going to ask if you wanted to celebrate, but I overheard that you are going out with your team. Maybe, I will see you there?”
She smiled warmly, “I’d like that. Very much. Come have a drink with me?”
Before he could respond, she turned to go rejoin her teammates, she called out over her shoulder, “I’ll see you there!”
Nellie ended up inviting Poppy to accompany the team to Hogsmeade and MC found herself relieved. Natty wasn’t allowed to go to Hogsmeade after the events of last year, which of course had to be explained to her. She wasn’t sure how she would balance both Leander and Sebastian in the same room, both expecting her to spend time with them, but with Poppy and Nellie there, she would have her friends to fall back on.
The three girls had gotten a table in the back corner, as the boys on the team crowded around the bar, drinking and acting like… well boys. She couldn’t help but notice the casual glances that Leander shot her way. She had assured him when they arrived that she was excited to spend some time with her friends and he seemed to be keeping some distance, allowing her that time with Nellie and Poppy.
Nellie hadn’t missed the glances either as she shoved an elbow into MC’s side and nodded in Leander’s direction, “Why does Prewett keep giving you moon eyes?”
MC shushed her blunt friend, “Shhh… Keep it down, Nellie. He kind of hinted this morning that he may have had feelings for me last year.”
Poppy chimed in, “Well, no kidding! That was painfully obvious to just about everyone.”
Nellie and Poppy giggled, while MC felt nothing but mortification and buried her face in her hands to hide the embarrassment. It really was terrible to be the only one in the room with no recollection of the last year.
“How do you feel about that?” Nellie prodded with interest.
However, before she could answer, the door to The Three Broomsticks flew open and the Slytherin Quidditch Team, led by the girl MC had come to learn was Imelda Reyes. Sebastian followed at the rear. He met her eyes immediately and she felt a blush creep up onto her cheeks.
“Well, I guess that answers that.” Nellie muttered.
MC flipped her attention back to her friends, “It doesn’t answer anything! I like Leander, as a friend. I don’t really know either of them well enough to have more feelings than that at this point.”
“That’s a fair point,” Poppy agreed.
Nellie glanced over MC’s shoulder, as she warned, “Well prepare yourself, boyfriend number one is on his way over with drinks in hand.”
MC turned abruptly to find Sebastian on his way over to the table with four glasses of butterbeer.
“I thought you ladies might need a refill.” He said with his usual charismatic charm.
Both Nellie and Poppy instantly invited him to sit with them, which MC found she did not mind. He happily took the open seat next to MC, without a second glance towards his abandoned teammates.
The four of them chatted and laughed as they drank several butter beers. It became readily apparent to MC that her friends had come to be rather close to her former boyfriend as they exchanged stories of things the four of them had gotten into together last year. It warmed her heart for some unknown reason to have them all together again and it was a relief to know that she had kept up a life outside of Sebastian Sallow last year.
Caught up in the conversation, she’d lost track of time and hadn’t even noticed the tall redhead catching glimpses of her and the Slytherin that remained by her side all evening.
Sebastian walked back to the castle by her side and the two of them ended up falling behind a tad as the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams goofed off and gave each other a hard time on the walk back.
They walked mostly in silence, just enjoying each other’s company.
Once they had made it back to the castle and they were about to part ways, Sebastian reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving and allowing everyone else to get out of ear shot. “I had a really nice time today.” He said. She could detect the nervous energy in his voice.
She wasn’t sure where the sudden nerves had come from, but she responded in a way that let him know the excitement she had felt, “Me too!”
He searched her eyes for a moment, before stepping in closer, closing the gap between the two of them and before she processed what she was doing, she found herself leaning in closer to him, as well. His hand dropped from her wrist, down to hold her hand, his thumb rubbing light circles on the back of her hand..
He swallowed hard before he spoke, “I’d really like to kiss you, but I will understand if it is still too soon.”
If she was honest with herself, she desperately wanted to kiss him, but nothing had changed in the short time since that first day of school. She was still no closer to figuring out who she was.
So, reluctantly, she responded, “I just don’t think it's a good idea right now, as much as I would like to.”
She expected disappointment, but instead found him grinning. “Hey! That’s progress!” He gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it and said, “Goodnight, MC.” With that smirk that made her stomach do somersaults, he turned on his heels and headed off to the Slytherin common room, jogging to catch up with the rest of his teammates.
MC did something similar and made her way back to her team. Leander was walking with Garreth towards the back as she approached.
“Why didn’t you two come have a drink with us? I thought we were going to celebrate together?” She asked.
Without glancing at her, Leander responded, “You looked otherwise engaged. We didn’t want to intrude.”
Garreth just met her eyes with an awkward smile.
“You are both always welcome.” She tried to assure them.
However, Leander didn’t seem in the mood this evening. They walked the rest of the way in silence, before parting to go their separate ways to their dorms.
As she collapsed on her bed with a sigh, Nellie chimed in, “Life hard when you have two boys swooning over you, MC?”
MC didn’t bother responding, she just chunked her pillow at her best friend and crawled into bed as Nellie chuckled and threw her pillow back.
“Did you kiss Sallow?” Nellie whispered.
“No! I did not!”
“You could, you know. You wouldn’t be breaking any rules. You don’t owe anyone anything.”
MC knew Nellie was right, but it felt important to her to wait. She didn’t want to lead anyone on and what if she somehow decided that Sebastian Sallow wasn’t the one for her. She did not need the added complications right now.
Chapter 4 is posted now!
Of Imelda preparing for a Quidditch match, and her Gryffindor girlfriend MC sneaks into the locker room and *insists* on tying her ribbon into Imelda's hair
And Imelda grumbles and gripes and complains the whole time, but she's actually secretly so so so pleased and proud to flaunt it, and she loves having MC braid her hair and stick that stupid frilly ribbon into it
Maybe a smooch for good luck?
God maybe she wins the match and gives the ribbon back to MC and kisses it before tying it around her wrist idk imelda has me weak
PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU
Thank you thank you thank you for this request! I sooo appreciate you, and I hope you like it! I have been itching to write some gay stuff for Pride Month and this was the perfect opportunity! Also, I did not have Imelda give MC back the ribbon. The lore for this fic is Imelda now insists she needs the ribbon in order to play a good match, and also MC needs to be the one to put it in her hair.
Summary: MC surprises Imelda with a bit of good luck before the first quidditch match of the season.
Word Count: 2,320 (Sorry, not quite a drabble.)
Rating: NSFW
Pairing: Imelda Reyes x F!MC
TW: Broken Bones Mention
A/N: Special little cameo mention of @applinsandoranges OC, Sable.
My Colors
One last twirl in front of the mirror and she was off, clad head to toe in silver and emerald green, rushing past her housemates trickling out of their common room as they made their way down to the quidditch pitch for the very first match of the season. Despite sticking out like a sore thumb in Gryffindor tower amongst the sea of red and gold, there remained a skip in her step, paying no mind to the sidelong glances she was receiving for the supposed lack of loyalty to her own house.
She was not entirely without shame, for wrapped around her wrist was a red ribbon, trimmed with gold.
The giddy seventh year Gryffindor found her way out of doors and down to the pitch, boots squelching in the grass, still wet from the overnight rain, and the overcast November skies filled with the promise of more. The autumn breeze blew playfully through the branches of the trees, losing more and more of their foliage with each passing day, carrying with it the familiar voice of her beloved Slytherin captain, and girlfriend of nearly two years, coming from the Slytherin changing room. A rousing pep talk, to be sure, judging by her ever-confident tone, words of encouragement split by cutting reminders to her subordinate team members.
“Sallow, focus on the bludgers and not coaching everyone else. Don’t think Sable will appreciate you getting her nose broken by a bludger twice in one week because you’re too distracted by everyone else to focus on your own bat.”
The night before swam into her mind, as she stood outside the flap meant to be a door to the changing room, snickering to herself. She and Imelda, sat together in the Three Broomsticks, warm candlelight dancing in her girlfriends brown eyes and an ever-present scowl upon her face, recounting the final Slytherin Quidditch practice before the match over two glasses of water - evidence of Imelda’s vow of sobriety for the quidditch season, dedicated to being at her very best. Their last practice had been less than ideal, Imelda’s ire caused by her self-proclaimed most irksome player, Sebastian Sallow - who had taken upon himself to play coach, and paid dearly for it when their chaser took a bludger to the face during his distraction.
The only time the Gryffindors’ beloved girlfriend had smiled when regaling her with the tale was when she spoke of how, as punishment, she had the beater responsible stay behind to polish the team's brooms by hand – and turned a blind eye to Sable offering her own retaliation in way of a stinging hex to Sebastian’s face.
Finally, the sound of Imelda’s dismissal brought her back to attention, fingers caressing the silky fabric of the ribbon around her wrist as the Slytherin Quidditch team filed out one by one to their starting place at the edge of the pitch. Half of them chatting idly, leaning lazily against their upright brooms, the other half, stretching, muttering tactics and plays under their breath - and all of them, casting a mixture of amused and incredulous glances at the Gryffindor dressed in emerald green as they waited for their call to play.
Ducking away from their curious looks, and through the flap, she found her way down the short and narrow hallway, following the scent of broom oil and into the changing room proper - furnished simply with rows of cubbies and old wooden benches, and to one side, her girlfriend; signature ponytail and concentrated scowl, hands on her hips as she stared at the chalkboard in front of her, a final look at the figures drawn in chalk as they moved through the plays she had made and her lips moving in silent recitation of all of it. It all looked very much like gobbledygook to her, muggleborn and as disinterested in the magical sport that she was, as she made her way as quietly as she could behind Imelda, and pressed her fingers into her sides, earning herself a squeal of surprise from her girlfriend.
After a scathing look and firm chastisement from her beloved for the initial shock, she was gifted with at least one obvious glance up and down, taking in the sight of her attire, a flicker of amusement in her eyes, before her chin was firmly grasped between the Slytherin’s thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up to meet her searching gaze, stealing her breath away with a familiar coil of heat in her stomach.
“Here to spy, are you? Sneaking about like a nosy little rat?” Her interrogation was met only with a playful giggle, and at risk of properly swooning, she twisted her head about to pull herself from the grip as she sat herself on one of the benches, unravelling the knot that held the red ribbon in place over her now racing pulse.
“Course not, love. Only here to bring you a bit of luck.” Dainty fingers, far too dainty for Imelda to reconcile with the things she knew her girlfriend had got up too as a driven, meddlesome new fifth year, held up the ribbon, dangling it in the air between them as Imelda crossed her arms over her chest, boots tapping impatiently against the floor and a familiar look of vexation pulling at her features.
“You can’t possibly expect me to wear that! It’s…” Her lips tugged into a tight-lipped frown as she searched for the most apt descriptor for the offering in the way of a red and gold ribbon, nose wrinkling in a dramatic display of disgust as she stared down at it. “It’s… traitorous.”
The gifter scoffed, her own face pulling into a well-placed pout, eyes going wide as she gestured vaguely to her own green garb before her fingers took their own firm grasp of Imelda’s robes, pulling her down, and to the surprise of anyone who may have bore witness to the exchange, but not at all surprising to the Gryffindor, whom had grown quite accustomed to her lovers stoicism, Imelda allowed herself to be manhandled to a seating position upon the floor in front of her.
“That’s silly. Whatever could you possibly think of me then?” Her query was met with a bark of a laugh, with Imelda settling herself on the floor, eyes fluttering closed to the feeling of her girls fingers threading through her hair, pulling loose any knots after undoing her carefully tied ponytail with a gentle hand.
“Exactly my point. Have you no pride in your house?”
“Course I do, but I find myself having much more pride for you, my love. Your talent, and your passion. A smelly old hat placed me in Gryffindor, but you chose me. I would be quite the fool not to show you my appreciation for it.” Imelda grew quiet at that, a glimmer of a smile playing at her lips that she was all too happy that the girl could not see, romance and sentimentality never having been in her list of many, many strengths.
“Forget what a bloody sap you are. Still think the ribbon is mad, and I’ll lose all the respect from my team for it.” Her continued complaints, after once more finding her voice, were silenced with gentle tutting, and muttered words of Nonsense and There’s nothing in the world you could do that would lose your teammates respect for you. All the while, those dainty fingers that haunted Imelda’s most delicious daydreams continued plaiting her hair, bringing to life a warm flutter in her stomach with more than just pre-match butterflies. Until finally they curled over her shoulders and her peripheral vision was intruded upon by the sight of her girlfriend, wearing a goofy smile and a blush of affection.
“All done, and you look absolutely lovely. Red is quite the colour on you.”
It would do no good to entertain that train of thought, Imelda supposed, but the giddy look upon her girlfriend's face was too much even for her to attempt to push aside. Instead, she slid her hand up, tangling her fingers into her hair to pull her into a searing kiss. There was no fight for dominance, only her girl parting her lips obediently, as Imelda swallowed each and every one of her soft and tantalising whimpers.
When they finally pulled apart, Imelda was pleased to find her breathless and cheeks dusted with a brighter shade of pink, eyes still closed. She brought her girl back to attention with a firm pat to her cheek, as she hauled herself back to her feet, fresh plait bouncing comfortingly between her shoulder blades.
“Come now, off with you. I’ve a match to play and a team to lead to victory.” After a nod of her head, and a swat to her backside, the Gryffindor scurried out of the changing room, leaving Imelda to find the dingy little mirror adhered to the back of her cubby and her a safe seat in the stands with the least likelihood of being tossed over the edge with her contradicting appearance.
Once she was certain she was out of sight. Imelda smiled at the sight of her reflection, shaking hands finding the end of her plait to pull it over her shoulder, the sight of the red ribbon tied into a neat little bow brought a swell of warmth to her chest, and a renewed sense of determination to make someone other than herself proud.
-
The match was hard won, but won nonetheless with Slytherin taking the victory, and a certain Gryffindor screaming herself hoarse the whole way through, oblivious to the cutting looks of the rest of her house when they had taken notice that on top of donning the opposing team's colours, she had been rooting just as enthusiastically for the offending team, as much as her own.
Despite the pouring rain and dark rumbles of thunder that had split the skies nearly as soon as the match had begun, making the conditions practically invisible. The so-called traitor had all but thrown herself over the ledge in her hurry to get out of the stands, and into the arms of the girl who had led her team to victory for the first match of the season, when Lucan Brattleby had reluctantly announced that the Slytherin Seeker had captured the snitch,
No sooner had she reached the entrance to the Slytherin changing room, did a strong arm wrap around her waist, pulling her tight against a familiar body, strong and quivering with excitement and decidedly not in the changing room where the raucous cheers of the Slytherin team could be heard, regardless of the storm pouring down on the pitch and surrounding grounds.
“Knew you’d be slinking around here, love. Come with me. I’d like to properly thank you for your bit of luck.” Imelda was smiling, breath hot against her ear, and repeating the words she had uttered herself just hours before when she had tied the ribbon into her dark hair.
With Imelda’s teeth nipping at her neck and hands gripping her waist, there was no room for protest. A shiver with more than the chill of the falling rain crawled up her spine, intentions in Imelda’s half-lidded eyes crystal clear. Her own intentions involved no complaints, as she let herself be pulled through the downpour, wet hair whipping against her face, and a guiding beacon in the form of a red ribbon bouncing against her lover's emerald green quidditch robes.
She giggled, a bright and twinkling thing in the darkness of the room she was pulled into, a harbour in the storm surrounding them in the form of a dark and musty space deep inside the Hogwarts ramparts. She twisted around as soon as Imelda led them into the damp room, a storage space of sorts, judging by the array of dilapidated furniture and old trunks.
“You were breathtaking out there.” She spoke with a breathless laugh filled with pride and complete adoration, cold long forgotten with Imelda’s arms wrapping around her the moment the door clicked closed, shrouding them in near-darkness, the only light offered by the dim sconces flickering to life upon their entry. The heat and desire between them, pulling all the air from the room. Her girlfriend, soaking wet from the rain, but hair plaited perfectly in place by the red ribbon, let her hands wander hungrily over her body, pressing her against a desk covered in a thin layer of dust left by years of disuse.
“All thanks to you and your bit of luck.” She retorted, lips finding the spot beneath her ear that made her mewl beneath her; and cold hands pushing her skirt up to her hips, long fingers finding the warmth between her legs, already damp with desire. “Fuck, love.” Imelda groaned, letting her teeth sink into the soft skin of her shoulder, reluctantly pulling her hands away from her body to shrug out of her robe.
The Gryffindor, pinned between her girlfriend and the dust-covered table, whined at the loss of contact and began pulling at her own clothes, growing more and more desperate with each heedy moment. Her lips parted in a silent gasp, face falling into confusion when Imelda’s hands wrapped around her wrists and stopped her from continuing, dipping her head again to press more kisses to her neck.
“No, love. Keep them on.” She whispered in her ear, fingers tracing delicately along the soft skin of her thighs once more, to wrap around the hem of her underwear, tugging them down her legs from beneath her skirt. Imelda moved her lips to hers, silencing any protest with her tongue sliding against her own, before sinking to her knees to the cold, stone floor, and letting her lips and tongue follow down her body, until she gazed up at her through her lashes, pushing her knees apart.
Summary: Dad!Garreth discovers the magic that is the muggle Tooth Fairy.
Word Count: 794
Rating: PG
A/N: A drabble idea inspired by @cuffmeinblack, my fellow Weasley brain rotter.
TW: Tooth Loss
Tooth Fairy
“Just hold still, love.”
The child, your child, squirmed in your lap, whinging as Garreth poked and prodded at the tooth in their mouth. Loose and hanging on by a thread, but refusing to come out on its own.
Your husband sighed, muttering softly to himself as he withdrew his hand and leveled your little one with a sympathetic look, his hands resting on their knees.
“If you want it out, I can pull it, bug.”
A minute, and only a few anxious tears later, small hands releasing yours from the vice grip in which they had held them, Garreth was lifting your child from your lap, pressing a sloppy kiss to their cheeks stuffed with a cold cloth.
“There’s my brave little lion.” He praised, bearing a smile as wide as ever, filled with pride, as he settled them on his hip, presenting them with the potion vial housing their very first lost tooth. They traded, swapping the cold cloth for the prized tooth, with matching grins that made your heart swell with affection, exhaling a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding as you placed a smooch of your own upon their freckled cheek.
No sooner had their hands wrapped around the vial, did they squirm themselves out of their fathers arms, squeals of delight falling from their lips as they took off at a sprint towards their bedroom, the small cottage you called home filled with excitable giggles and shrieks for the soon-to-be visiting tooth fairy.
At the first sign of the wiggling tooth, your child tucked between the two of you in the childrens bed much, much too small for the three of you, you had regaled them both with tales of your own muggle childhood – of hiding lost teeth beneath thin pillows, hoping to wake to the sight of shiny coins or a rare sweet. A belief in magic before you grew to know what magic really could be, and apparently, a muggle tradition that Garreth desperately wished to bestow upon your own children, now. Two pairs of matching green eyes and freckled faces, gazing up at you with the same awe-struck wonder and excitement.
Now, the minute they were out of ear-shot, Garreth was rounding on you - an enthusiastic grin splitting his face, hands steepled in front of his chest, and a pleading look in the eyes your child now shared.
“Please, can I do it?”
Thus, once your little one was sound asleep in their bed, having demanded to be tucked in the moment the sun kissed the horizon goodnight, you snuck into their bedroom at your husband's side - certain that the giggles of his own childlike excitement would wake the sleeping babe. As quietly as the two of you could manage, in the darkness of their bedroom, Garreth gingerly slid the potion vial out from beneath the pillow and replaced the empty space with the telling clink of coins.
When morning came, so did another round of joyful, delighted shrieks from your child's bedroom. Garreth was already smiling, eyes barely open to the morning sun as a chorus of “She came! She came! The Tooth Fairy came!” grew closer and closer to your bedroom until there was a bundle of awkward fumbling and breathless giggles clambering onto your bed, one tiny fist closed tight around what could only be the coins their father had left behind as the Tooth Fairy.
“Let’s see it, then.” Having finally settled themselves between the two of you in bed, you coaxed them into revealing their treasure, little fist unfurling to reveal not a sickle, and certainly not a few knuts, but three gold galleons, twinkling in the light of the morning sun.
You had to fight the urge to gasp, or to smack your husband upside the head for the haul he had bestowed upon your child not yet old enough to even tie their own shoes for a tooth. The urge was suppressed, slightly, by the humbling knowledge that you should have clarified the intricate lore that was The Tooth Fairy to Garreth who had not grown up with such traditions, and how it was meant to be done for each and every lost tooth, worth just a few knuts, a sickle at most.
Though, mostly, the urge was suppressed by the sight around you, of your firstborns giddy delight, all wide smiles and missing front teeth; and Garreth, green eyes bright as ever, and a smile all his own, looking positively euphoric at his job well done in bringing magic to your little ones sleepy morning.
A conversation for later, to be sure, as you settled back into bed and joined in on the animated early morning discussion of just how many sweets three galleons could buy.
If you wish to build a sandcastle, go cliff diving, duel on a floating platform or simply sit back and enjoy the break from exams beneath a summer sun in the warm sand, Join our Hogwarts Legacy RP server for our Beach Event!
With flexible rules, an encouraging & kind community and folks who just want to have fun we would be so happy to have you!
Thought it might be fun to join in with @microficmay, so here's day 7's prompt, Innocuous.
Word count: 107
Everyone walked past him, some even rushing right into him without a care in the world. No murmured words of apology or grovelling looks, nods of heads as if they were about to fall at his feet for daring to obstruct his path.
There was a calm serenity in his anonymity.
Not one person looked him in the eye, the visage of the kindly old man so innocuous he might’ve been invisible.
Draco felt free; so free he could burst.
Instead he watched the world go by in silence, at peace—until the polyjuice potion wore off once more, casting him back into the glaring light of notoriety.
Little Amanda often had trouble falling asleep...even after being fed, having a new diaper and being sung to all afternoon by Harriet. When she walked into the bedroom, to wake her sleeping husband, trying to ask for help, Amanda's chubby little arms reached out and her fussy little sounds turned into something coherent for the first time.
"Dada!"
Harriet's eyes went wide. Her first words!
And Harriet understood them so clearly. Amanda missed her dad! Of course! She just wanted to be close to him, snuggle up to him and feel his comforting warmth. Harriet lips curled into a smile as she gently kissed the girl's head, before letting her down on the mattress.
Straight away, Amy crawled to Sebastian and curled right on top of his back, her little fist holding tightly onto his shirt. It barely took a minute before her eyes were closed, her breathing slowed and her fussy sounds were turned into the smallest little hums.
Harriet couldn't help but watch this peaceful picture in front of her. She took in the little snores from her husband, the steady and synced breathing of them both and the soft shake of her daughter's curls. They have grown much darker since her birth and with every day passing by, she looked more and more like her father. She was just as curious and smart like Sebastian.
But the way she missed her dad, whenever he left the house or even just the room and immediately wanted to shower him with kisses the moment he was back...that was just like her mother.
They both loved Sebastian endlessly and they always would.
After giving both a soft kiss to their temple, Harriet left the room, chuckling to herself at the thought of telling Sebastian Amy's first words.
Okay, okay...I told myself I would post Harriet's and Sebastian's story more "chronologically" except for my lake drawing, buuuut...I wanted to draw dad!Seb so desperately, I had to do this first!
This is a heavily referenced artwork, because I'm definitely not an artist that can draw a body free hand 🤣 And also this is more in a modern style, because again...I'm not a highly experienced artist, so I stayed very close to the source material 🙈
I hope you still like it and can gush over dad!Seb with me! 💕
