Here's a very unlikely crack ship for you: Nick and Reva 😂 - that-scouse-wizard
Okay this one made me think quite a bit but I think I got something!
How it happened:
Nick and Reva have known each other since their very early childhood obviously, but Reva was always closer to Robin, Nick's twin sister.
With Robin and Reva being thick as thieves, Nick drew back a little and preferred the much more relaxed company of Reva's older brother Dylan.
This continued into their time at Hogwarts, where Dylan and Nick became close friends. Because of their respective siblings, Nick and Reva spent a lot of time in each other's presence, eventually growing closer by sheer exposure.
When Dylan and Dana Parkin eventually became a couple, Reva was deeply distraught by what she considered to be some twisted form of incest (it's not incest Reva, look it up). Nick was there to talk to her on Dylan's behalf, but also because seeing her so upset hurt him more than he cared to admit.
Reva embraced the chance to get back at her brother and made a move on Nick, who knew her too well to fall for it. Being rejected hurt, a lot more than Reva had thought, and it wasn't only her hurt pride that stung.
Nick drew back from her a little, and Robin was livid when she found out what Reva had attempted. Dylan being angry at her (and she at Dylan), Robin refusing to talk to her, and Nick evading her whenever possible... it was not a good time for Reva, and she compensated it as she always did - by being loud and causing trouble.
When a particularly dangerous stunt with her skateboard landed her in the Hospital Wing, however, all of her friends, who had been previously angry at her, were there. They all came, but Nick was the one who stayed. He kept her company until she was allowed to go (much to the relief of everyone including the matron).
To celebrate her regained freedom, Nick and Reva took a long walk across the grounds, Nick showing her around his favourite parts Reva hadn't explored yet, and Reva listening to his explanations more intently than she had ever thought possible. When she pulled him in for a kiss beneath the hanging branches of a weeping willow (yes, that was intentional) Nick didn't push her away and the rest, as they say, is history.
Day 1 of @cursebreakerfarrier‘s back to school challenge. Characters mentioned here belong to @thatravenpuffwitch and @lifeofkaze.
For many it was just another day at King’s Cross Station, muggles from all walks of life going about their business. A seldom few noticing an unusually high number of people pushing carts through the station that more often than not had an owl in a cage as part of the luggage.
For young Nick Willows, it was his first time at the station and while normally he would have been looking around to take in the sights properly. However, there was something far more pressing that was causing a knot of anxiety in his gut, today would be his first day of school. While the shopping at Diagon Alley had kept him preoccupied, now that he was actually approaching the platform, the reality was starting to set in.
His twin sister Robin was far more enthusiastic as she rushed on ahead, their father just about keeping pace with her. That left Nick with his own cart as well as his mum, who was laughing at the other two’s enthusiasm, racing towards the gap between platform nine and ten. An old flare of competitiveness lit up in her as she began to push the cart a bit harder, that was before realising Nick wasn’t enthused with the idea.
She took a quick glance at the clock, they had time before the Hogwarts Express would depart, “Stop a moment, Nick.” Merula gently commanded, the two of them and their luggage quickly coming to a halt. Even as David noticed them stop, Merula made a gesture to go ahead, largely to stop Robin accidentally careering into someone.
She got down to his level, “What’s wrong?”
“What if I don’t like it at Hogwarts?” He asked quietly, she gave him a puzzled look.
“Now why would you think that?” There was a pause in his response.
“I dunno…” Nick admitted, trying to find the words as he mumbled, “I might get homesick.” Merula’s look softened, even though the school would provide them with temporary accommodation, it wasn’t the same as their home in Wimbourne.
“I think you’re nervous,” She said, her tone full of understanding, though needed to think for just a moment as she thought over her answer, “You know, Hogwarts isn’t so bad. After all, it’s where me and your dad met.”
“That’s true.” Nick admitted.
“And,” Merula continued, “You also already know Dylan, and Reva is joining this year too. We’re always going to be there, so will Robin.” That got a good-natured groan out of Nick. Chuckling at that, Merula reached into her bag, producing a small yellow bag of sweets with multicoloured people every colour of the rainbow on it.
Nick perked up at the sight of the jelly babies as his mother explained, “We were going to give you them when we got to school, but you know what I think? Have a few now and keep them in your pocket, share them out, you might make some friends. And if that doesn’t work…” She briefly unlocked the chest containing his books, taking out a sleek leatherbound book titled Dragons, in Theory and Practice by Reuben Willows.
With that, he took the bag and book, happily munching on a few sweets with the book under his arm. They only paused as they finally reached the entrance to platform nine and three quarters. The platform itself was in full swing, thronging with students both new and old. The last calls for luggage ringing out.
With the time catching up with them, Nick was quickly ushered onto the closest carriage with a last minute reassurance that his mum would handle his things. Though he felt somewhat better, finding a place to sit was starting to be a daunting prospect. He scanned each room he came across, some empty, some occupied at some point even happening upon Robin who was chattering with Reva Amari.
“Nick!” He heard as he passed by room further along the hall, coming from Dylan Amari, “You looking for a spot?” With Nick nodding, he gestured to join him and his two companions. One, a blonde girl who seemed closer to Dylan’s age than Nick. The other dark-haired young boy who offered Nick a brief smile.
“Is that a copy of Dragons, in Theory and Practice?” The other boy asked eagerly.
“Yeah, I’m even related to the author if you can believe it. Do you like dragons too?”
The other boy’s jaw had dropped open at that, “No way, you’re a relative of Reuben Willows? I love his books! Oh, I’m Patrick by the way.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nick greeted, “Jelly baby?” He asked, taking the bag out of his pocket.
The other three soon took him up on his offer as steam rose into the air, the engine letting out a hiss as the train began to move on to Hogwarts, Nick began to feel that everything would soon be alright for him.
A/N: This is really a silly little crack-fic, but I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Characters featured are the property of @lifeofkaze, @kc-and-co, @whatwouldvalerydo, @kathrynalicemc, @thatravenpuffwitch, @that-scouse-wizard and @hogwartsmysteryho. Happy Easter to all of you, and to the rest of my darling mutuals. Warnings: death and reincarnation/necromancy, a lot of dark humour, a little blasphemy.
Friday
“And now my heart joins the thousand; my friend stopped running today.”
As Rylie closed the book and stepped to one side, Dylan sighed deeply and took her place next to the pumpkin.
“Thank you, Rylie, for that… beautiful and very emotional reading,” he said, projecting his voice over the loud sobbing that filled the dusky air. “It is with great sadness that we are all gathered here this evening, to say goodbye to” - his girlfriend Dana gave him a pointed look, and he somehow managed to refrain from rolling his eyes - “a very dear and beloved friend.”
“The very best friend,” sniffed Saffron Summers, before collapsing against Dana’s shoulders with a fresh round of hysterical tears.
“Yeah. Sure. Our very best friend, Gavin.”
“Gavin!”
“Anyway,” Dylan raised his voice yet louder, ignoring Saffron’s wails, “We are here to say goodbye to Gavin. Gavin was a very loyal companion, and will be missed.”
One arm still around Saffron’s shoulders and the other stroking her blonde hair, Dana raised her eyebrows at Dylan, who shrugged in return. He wasn’t really sure what else he could say. He hadn’t wanted to say anything at all, or even go to the funeral. Personally, he thought the whole idea of having a funeral was ridiculous. Gavin was a rabbit, for Godric’s sake.
But as Dana’s stare hardened, he swallowed his pride and continued to provide his liturgy.
“Gavin was an incredibly well-behaved rabbit, very charming and friendly to all who crossed his path” - except for the time he had bitten Dylan’s finger, of course - “with boundless curiosity and intelligence that surpassed any other of his species.”
That was only half true, really. Perhaps if Gavin had been a little less curious and a lot more intelligent, he would not have licked an unknown substance from the floor of the Potions classroom during the Slytherins’ end of term exam. Gavin had only himself to blame for his untimely demise, really.
“He was everything that a rabbit should be and more. A veritable paragon of rabbits,” Dylan said, narrowing his eyes at his girlfriend, still not sure why he had agreed to this. “May he rest in… pumpkin.”
The pumpkin burial, like the rest of this whole sodding charade, had been Saffron’s idea. Still crying hysterically, she carried Gavin the rabbit’s limp body, wrapped in a pashmina, to the pumpkin that had been gutted especially to provide Gavin’s final resting place. Dylan didn't have the heart to tell her that this probably wasn’t the most sensible of tombs, being made of decomposable vegetable flesh. He would just have to cast some kind of preserving spell on it when she wasn’t looking.
With Gavin safely laid to rest inside the pumpkin, a large piece of quartz holding down the lid of his squash sarcophagus, Dylan hastened to finish up the funeral service.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, rabbit to pumpkin, amen,” he muttered, drawing the line at crossing himself.
“Amen,” several voices echoed the sentiment, many of Saffron’s friends having come down to the pumpkin patch to support her as she said goodbye to Gavin the rabbit, not just him, Dana and Rylie.
Both Nova Mae and Scarlett Tempest were dressed in black, though of course this was not an unusual fashion choice for Scarlett; Samuel Murad had turned up despite usually not liking to socialise with anyone, though he had stayed silent throughout the ceremony; and Dante Briarwood, who had been the one to discover Gavin’s body at the end of his exam, looked more sombre than anyone.
Dylan wasn’t really sure why - out of all of them - he had been chosen to be the officiant. They all seemed much more invested in this than he was, as he could have predicted, and had done so the three times he had declined to lead his friends in the bizarre funeral rites. But, of course, Dana had got her way eventually, more because Dylan could no longer be bothered to argue with her than because he wanted to give Gavin a proper send off. He had never really even liked Gavin that much; he smelled funny and made him sneeze.
Still, as their little crew left the pumpkin patch, each having stuck a burning stick of incense in a ring around the pumpkin containing Gavin the rabbit, Dylan found himself taking one final look back at the sun setting over the top of the forest, he felt his heart tug a little. He ran his thumb over the rabbit-bite scar on his forefinger and smiled sadly.
“Goodbye, Gavin.”
Saturday
“Can we just start?” said Nova, staring at a pain au chocolat with her blue eyes wide.
“No,” said Dana, definitely. “Not until Saff gets here.”
Nova sighed heavily. She understood why Dana was so set on waiting for Saffron, but at the same time, her coffee was getting cold.
“Saff might not come,” she told Dana.
“She will. It’s the last Saturday breakfast of term. She won’t miss it.”
Somehow, Nova got the impression that Dana was wrong, that Saffron was not going to arrive. Judging by the look on Scarlett’s face, she was sceptical, too. But Dana clearly wasn’t ready to give up hope just yet.
“Saffron was really upset yesterday,” she said, folding her arms across her chest and refusing to so much as look at the food in front of her. “We are her friends. We should be here for her.”
“Bit difficult if she’s not actually here with us, though,” muttered Scarlett, already picking up her coffee. “I say we start, and if she doesn’t show up, we bring breakfast to her.”
Dana pursed her lips, but Nova followed Scarlett’s example, already feeling more human as the coffee passed her lips. It didn’t take long for Dana’s resolve to break, and soon the three of them were all eating together, though Nova had to admit that breakfast just wasn’t the same without Saffron.
“I think it will take more than just breakfast to cheer her up,” she told the other girls. “I think we are going to have to go in with all guns blazing. Dana, what do you think?”
“I could bring her nail varnishes. That always cheers her up.”
“Excellent. I’ll bring her my ukulele. Scarlett?”
“I’ll buy her a new rabbit,” said Scarlett wryly. “Or I’ll get Rory McTavish to go down there and pull one out of a hat for her.”
“Careful, that might not be the only thing he tries to pull.”
Nova and Scarlett exchanged smirks. Unfortunately, Dana was less amused.
“I don’t see how you two can find this funny,” she said, her voice terse and an angry look in her eyes. “Poor Saffron is really upset and poor Gavin is dead, and you two are making fun of them.”
“We aren’t making fun, we just-”
“Besides,” Dana interrupted Nova mid-sentence, “even if Rory could pull another rabbit out of a hat, it still wouldn’t be the same, would it? It’s Gavin that Saffron is missing.”
“Fine,” Scarlett said, rolling her eyes. “Then I suggest necromancy. Resurrect the bunny. We could get Dafne Arcano to help us.”
While Nova bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling at Scarlett’s sarcastic comment, Dana continued to look reproachfully at both of them.
At least, she did for a while.
“Well,” she said eventually, “I guess…”
“I wasn’t being serious, Dana.”
“I know, but we can’t do nothing, not when Saffron is so upset!”
“We aren’t going to do nothing. You’re going to paint her nails, Nova’s going to bring her ukulele, remember?”
“Yes, but…” Dana looked at Nova hopefully. “It wouldn’t do any harm just to ask her, would it?”
“Yes,” said Nova, simply. “Trust me, I’ve read Pet Sematary, I know exactly how much of a slippery slope that can be.”
But even as she said the words, Nova knew that they would do nothing. Dana’s mind was made up.
And so, after breakfast, the three of them found themselves traipsing all over the castle in search of Dafne Arcano, the necromancer. Eventually, they found her in the library, a large and impossibly dusty book and a small skull on the table in front of her.
“Can I help you?” she asked, looking up at them with both her seeing and her blind eye narrowed in suspicion.
“Actually, yes, I think you might be able to help us,” said Dana, pulling over a chair and chatting to Dafne as if they were best friends, or as if what she was about to ask her was about something a lot less morbid than the possibility of resurrecting someone’s dead pet. “I don’t know if you know our friend Saffron, Saffron Summers?”
Dafne nodded slowly. “She put a bit of obsidian under my pillow once. I still don’t know how she got into my dormitory.”
“Um, no,” Dana shook her head. “We know how. He was found in the Potions classroom; he must have been poisoned by drinking a potion.”
“Makes sense,” Dafne frowned. “So what do you need me for?”
Dana looked nervously at Nova and Scarlett, the latter of whom let out a deep, exasperated sigh.
“We want to know if you can… bring him back,” she said, sounding as if she hated herself for even saying the words.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Unfortunately, I am being entirely serious.”
“No.”
Dafne Arcano returned her gaze to the open pages of her book. Nova counted down from three in her head. Just as she got to zero, Dana piped up again.
“Will you not even try?” she asked Dafne, who looked up at her and blinked, her face expressionless.
“Trust me,” she told Dana. “You really don’t want me to do that.”
“But-”
“That’s understandable. Thank you anyway, Dafne,” said Nova quickly, seeing the way that the necromancer’s body had tensed. “Come on, Dana. Let’s go and see if they have any Stephen King novels in this library for you to read.”
“I don’t want to read any Stephen King novels.”
“Tough. I think you need to.”
Nova half-dragged Dana away from Dafne Arcano, whose posture immediately became more relaxed. Looking back over her shoulder, Nova thought that she might have even seen her smirking to herself.
Sunday
The sun had not yet risen when Dana met Saffron in the quad. They walked quietly through the still slumbering castle to the grounds as the sky lightened outside, changing from an inky indigo to a vivid violet, with shades of amber and pink streaking across the horizon.
Usually, Saffron would have marvelled at the colours of the sky, but she was still upset, her tears watering the bunch of flowers she carried with her. Dana’s heart could have broke for her. She wished that there was something she could do to make her friend happy again.
As they reached the pumpkin patch, Saffron’s sobbing redoubled in intensity. However, rather than sadness, Dana began to feel angry. Someone had overturned the pumpkin containing the dead rabbit, the pumpkin lid and the crystal holding it down having rolled away across the soil.
“Oh no! Who would do such a horrible thing to Gavin’s lovely coffin?” Saffron cried, staring at sight.
“I don’t know, Saff,” said Dana, frowning deeply as she hugged her friend. “But we will find out, and we will make sure that they never do it again, okay?”
“Okay. But what about Gavin?”
Dana swallowed. “I’ll make sure he goes back in the way he was before. Just wait there.”
Trying her hardest not to show her revulsion to Saffron, Dana made her way over to the pumpkin coffin, picking up the lid and crystal and carrying them back towards it. Inside the hollowed squash, the pashmina that had swaddled Gavin’s body was in disarray. Reluctantly, Dana held her breath and reached out to rearrange the scarf so that Gavin would once more be wrapped up safely.
But Gavin was not there. Dana blinked, and less hesitantly moved the scarf to double check. No, he really wasn’t there. Gavin had gone.
“What’s the matter?” asked Saffron, staring wide-eyed at Dana. “What have they done to him?”
Before Dana could make up a lie or find the words to break the truth in the nicest way possible, Saffron too had made her way over to the pumpkin.
“They’ve stolen him!” Saffron said, and her bottom lip trembled. “Someone has stolen Gavin!”
Dana took a deep breath. Somehow, that seemed unlikely. In all probability, an animal had discovered the pumpkin and the rabbit inside, and considered him an easy meal. She cursed herself for not insisting to Saffron that they at least bury the pumpkin properly, like Dylan had suggested.
She opened her mouth to try and explain this gently to Saffron, but was interrupted by a rustling noise from a nearby group of cabbages that was so loud and sudden it made both girls jump.
The two young women stood close together and stared at the source of the noise, watching as the leaves of the cabbages wriggled and writhed in time with the sound. Whatever was making it was moving towards them closer and closer, making its way out of the cabbages and into the open, until it emerged. As it did, Dana’s jaw dropped. She recognised that creature, its tawny brown fur, its long ears, its fluffy white tail and twitchy little nose.
“IT’S GAVIN!” Saffron dropped Dana’s hand and her bunch of flowers and ran towards the rabbit. “Gavin, you’re alive!”
Gavin the rabbit hopped over to Saffron and jumped into her outstretched arms, clearly very much alive and well.
“It’s a miracle! Gavin, you are a miracle!”
Dana nodded, smiling from ear to ear all the way back to the castle. As Saffron took Gavin back to her dormitory, Dana went to the library. She saw Dafne Arcano sitting at a table near the Restricted Section and ran over to her, wrapping her arms around her.
“Thank you so much, Dafne! I knew you could do it! You’re such a wonderful person, how can I ever thank you enough?”
“Please stop hugging me.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry,” Dana immediately let go of Dafne, but her smile did not fade. “I’m just so grateful, that’s all. What you did was so kind, and you’ve really made Saffron very happy.”
Dafne Arcano blinked. “What did I do, exactly?”
“You know. Saffron’s bunny. The necromancy. You did such a great job, honestly, you’d think that he’d never been dead at all. You really are very talented.”
“Thanks, but I didn’t actually do anything.”
“Sorry, I didn’t realise that it was meant to be a secret,” Dana lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.”
“Tell them what? There’s nothing to tell.”
“No, of course. You didn’t do a thing,” said Dana, trying her hardest not to giggle. She leant in towards Dafne and whispered to her, “Seriously, though. Thank you.”
She left Dafne, who was looking at her in a very peculiar way, and made her way out of the library. As she was walking out of the door, she bumped into Dante Briarwood, who was on his way in.
“Oops, sorry!”
“No, I’m sorry,” Dante shook his head. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“That’s okay, neither was I,” replied Dana. “Oh, how did your Potions exam go on Friday, by the way? I didn’t have a chance to ask you about it with the whole bunny fiasco.”
“It went okay, I think. Bit of an issue with my Draught of Living Death, though.”
“Oh, no. What happened to it?”
“Not a clue, I put in all the right amounts of everything, but ended up with half the amount everyone else had. Honestly, you’d think someone had drunk some of it,” Dante pulled a face, before shrugging his shoulders and sighing. “Oh well, it looked like it was good enough quality, so I should still pass the exam. And if anyone did drink it… Well, they’ll wake up eventually.”
Dana giggled and left Dante to his studying, before leaving the library with a spring in her step, the bright morning sunshine glaring through the windows of the corridor outside.
21 - 25: Works on restoring the Llwelyn manor back to a dragon sanctuary
25 - Retirement: Works with rehabilitating dragons and breeding them for conservation purposes.
Hogwarts
House: Ravenclaw
Best Class: Care of Magical Creatures
Worst Class: Potions
Family:
Parents: Nick loves his parents though can’t deny that he was a little jealous about David’s closeness with Robin. Something that would become a point of contention but eventually they would smooth things over and take regular camping trips together.
Siblings: Though he and Robin are practically opposite in personality and on occasion clash, they love each other at the end of the day.
Grandmother: Nick’s grandma Rue Willows was a big inspiration in his goal of restoring the Llwelyn manor to its former status as a dragon sanctuary.
Auntie: Though not blood related, Nick’s auntie Amelia would become known as the cool auntie growing up as she frequently brought things back for the twins on her trips abroad.
Romantic History:
When he helped a seemingly wild, injured wolf that approached him, he didn’t expect it to turn into resident reporter Hazel Wolfe (@kc-and-co). The two would begin dating a short while later, something that would last even though Hazel would graduate a year earlier than him.
Friends:
Dylan Amari (@lifeofkaze): Nick has known Dylan since they were kids, brought together by the commonality of having an annoying sister. Eventually forming a band at school.
Patrick Hopper-Lee (@thatravenpuffwitch): They met in first year on the Hogwarts express, being each other’s first time at school and a shared interest in dragons brought the two close together. Eventually it would become a partnership as Nick invites Patrick to help in restoring the Llwelyn manor.
Rory McTavish (@the-al-chemist): Nick would come to know of Rory McTavish for being an infamous flirt, getting to know him by association through Dylan. Though he would be kicked out of the band they formed, Nick wouldn’t be quite as annoyed by Rory’s antics as most would.
Dante Briarwood (@the-al-chemist): They would first meet when Dante began writing songs for the band (and eventually replaced Rory). Became closer later down the line.
Day 3 of @cursebreakerfarrier‘s Back to School challenge. Characters mentioned belong to @lifeofkaze
Nick made his way down the staircase into dungeons, each step accentuating his apathetic mood. He hated Mondays for one reason, and one reason only, potions class. Professor Haywood was at least nice enough but other than that the rest of it was dreadful.
It was down in the dungeons for starters, the gloomiest part of the castle by far. The pedantic nature of potioneering was particularly irritating. How the ingredients were prepared, how hot the flame was, even something as arbitrary as whether the mixture was stirred clockwise or anti-clockwise. Then there was-
“Cheer up little bro!” Nick felt a hearty slap on his back, nearly sending him down the stairs, courtesy of Robin on her way to their shared class.
Nick rolled his eyes at his sister’s nickname for him, she was only a few minutes older than him for goodness sake!
“I’d rather be in Care of Magical Creatures, dealing with an angry Hippogriff,” Nick muttered, “There’s one in the forest acting a bit erratically and I’m worried someone could get hurt.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that overgrown chicken, Nick. But if it concerns you that much, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” She said with a mischievous grin.
“What are you going to do?” Nick asked sceptically, narrowing his eyes.
She brought her finger to her lips, “It’s a secret.”
Nick resisted the urge to groan, whatever Robin had planned, it couldn’t be good. But had no time to press her further when they needed to separate as they walked into the classroom.
While professor Haywood explained what they were doing in her normally chipper way, something unfathomable on a Monday morning, Nick couldn’t help but keep glancing over at where Robin was seated. She had currently dragged Reva into her scheming, which probably hadn’t taken much convincing given their friendship.
Nick instead started focusing his efforts on powering through the class, and ignoring the two Gryffindors as Reva seemed to lead the professor away as Robin gathered their ingredients.
It would be only a few minutes into the lesson when a sharp, whistling hiss echoed through the class. The source was fairly obvious, coming from both Reva and Robin’s cauldron that were now billowing thick, crimson smoke. Just as it began to obscure her, Nick could have sworn he saw Robin wink at him.
“Ah! Everyone out!” Professor Haywood squawked, “Class is dismissed for the day, just find something to do. Robin Willows, Reva Amari, a word please.” As the class poured out, Robin and Reva’s giggling was clear for all to hear.
Nick was glad to leave the castle’s lower levels, pleased with himself as he could now sort out that irate hippogriff. It seemed that Robin’s pranks had some uses after all.
Day 4 of @cursebreakerfarrier‘s Back to School challenge (a day late I know 😂) Technically takes place before Hogwarts but this was too good not to use with these two. Characters mentioned here belong to @kc-and-co and @lifeofkaze
Robin bounced excitedly in her seat as the car came to a crawl before stopping. To muggles, the castle in front of them would have looked ominous and decrepit, not a place any sane person would want to go exploring. For Robin however, the ancient structure was a place she had been excited about since her parents had first proposed the idea to her. Today was the day she and Nick would be attending Katriona Cassiopeia’s famous quidditch camp.
Though she was far more enthusiastic than her twin by a country mile, Nick seemed pleased to have finally arrived as well.
The family exited their vehicle, Robin practically launching herself towards the boot, where her rucksack was stored. “Excited?” David asked, chuckling as he opened it up for her, she snatched the bright yellow Wimbourne Wasps rucksack. Nick by contrast took his dark blue one out much more calmly.
“Right kids, remember. Everything you need is those rucksacks, write to us if you get homesick and most important, be careful. Yeah?” David asked, Robin nodding vigorously, whilst Nick did similar.
“With Rath and Cassiopeia around, I’m sure you’ll be in good hands, stay out of trouble you two.” Merula warned light-heartedly, with Robin due to meet up with Reva, chaos was bound to occur.
“Will do mum and dad, love you!” Robin called as she began sprinting for the castle, “I’ll race you Nick!”
“Hey that’s cheating!” Nick shouted after her, giving both of his parents a brief hug before taking off after his sister.
David and Merula beamed, his arm over her shoulder as they watched their children running for the camp, “You know that without us or the Amaris around Robin and Reva are going to be completely uncontrolled, right?” Merula asked.
“Oh yeah,” David nodded in agreement, “I gave Murph and KC the heads up, they’ll think of something for them.”
“I hope you’re right,” Merula laughed, finally turning her attention from the kids towards her husband, “In the meantime, we’re free to do whatever we want.” David smirked as Merula gave him a knowing look, they rarely had time away from the kids nowadays, they aimed to make the best of it.
Robin cheered triumphantly, entering the foyer where several other children who were first timers had gathered. Even going so far as to do a victory pirouette and bow, she had won the race against her brother. Nick came in shortly after, rolling his eyes at Robin’s showboating. Just as she was about to start jokingly gloating, a squeal of delight cut her off.
“Robin!” It was none other than Reva Amari, who immediately tackled her best friend, Robin happily returning the vice-like grip.
“Have you got the snacks?” Robin asked, Reva nodded.
“Have you got the drinks?” Reva asked in response, Robin returned the nod.
The two of them giggling at the thought of the epic midnight feast that would be sure to come about, chock full of sweets, salty snacks and soft drinks. After a long day of quidditch and causing chaos, such a banquet was the perfect way to celebrate as well as defy any trivial ‘lights out’ rule.
“Alright first-timers, settle down.” The announcement came from Murphy McNully, the crowd of children falling silent as he wheeled over to them, followed by an imposing Erika Rath, “Now as I’m sure you’re aware we have four teams for you to join up with, Rowan’s Ravens, Dora’s Dragons, Freddie’s Foxes and Llewelyn’s Lions. For those who already know what it is the teams do, feel free to choose. If not, Miss Rath hear can explain their functions. In the meantime, I would like to have a word with Reva Amari and Robin Willows.”
A few curious glances went the duo’s way but for the most part, no one but Nick knew who they were. Those who already knew what each house stood for rushed to boxes containing the jerseys. Others began queuing up for questions directed at Erika. In the middle of the chaos, Robin and Reva held each other’s hands so they wouldn’t lose each other.
As Murphy waved his wand to begin levitating his wheelchair up a set of stairs, the girls followed after him, giving them an overhead view of the others below. Robin seeing Nick now donning the pink of Dora’s Dragons, they were focused more on broom making, team management and playing the game at an introductory level. Something that Robin thought would be suited for Nick.
“Now then,” Murphy began as he lead the two of them into his office, “I hear the two of you have a certain talent for pranks.” Both girls grinned at that they did enjoy it, especially if the target was either Dylan or Nick.
“Judging by your smirks I’d say there’s an 89% chance of what your parents have told me being right. Which is perfect as I have a special assignment for the two of you,” Murphy’s statement peaked the girl’s interest, “I happen to believe I’m at least somewhat successful at picking out people with the potential to be great quidditch players, so far I’ve been proven right with David, Lizzie, Orion and even my darling wife. I believe the best way is to get them to hone their talents. However, in your case, I feel that we can channel your innate desire towards mischief-making for not just your own benefits but even the entire camp!”
Robin and Reva gave each other, and Murphy, a puzzled look. Where exactly was he going with this?
“That’s why, I want the two of you to start a prank war with each other.” There was a long pause as such a revelation stunned the two girls.
“You’re serious?” Robin asked, just the faintest hint of joy seeping into her tone. Reva was pinching herself to be sure it wasn’t a dream.
“Indeed,” Murphy grinned, “There are a few things to consider. For one, do nothing that would damage equipment, do not target staff members and above all else, do not tamper with my wife’s coffee.” Both girl’s nodded, shuddering at the last point, being fairly confident nothing would placate Katriona Cassiopeia’s rage if that were to happen.
“Excellent! Now, go fetch your jerseys, I’m sure you’d both make a fine addition to Llwelyn’s Lions.”
The two of them were positively giddy with excitement at being allowed almost free reign to do whatever they wanted as far as pranking went. Yet even so, they scrutinised each other, silently trying to come up with the best way to get ahead in the coming prank war. Even as they took on the Lion’s lavender colouration, they dared not turn their back on the other.
They both rounded a corner into the mess hall, all students from every house were gathered there, enjoying a banquet of sandwiches and cakes with juice and water as refreshments. At the centre piece was a beautifully baked Victoria sponge, somehow untouched and so perfect for smashing into someone’s face.
Robin and Reva looked at each other, they began slowly walking towards the cake, that became a light jog, then a run until finally it was a full on sprint. Robin had always been faster off the broom and reached the cake first. Yet, Reva slammed into her, planting Robin’s face into the cake. Robin was down briefly but far from out. She took a fistful of cake, cream and jam before smearing into Reva’s face.
With that declaration of war made, the food fight soon became a free for all. Something sure to go down in the history books as one of the greatest welcome’s to the quidditch camp.
