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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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These are my Fantasatic Beast era characters who I find fascinating and definitely my darkest ones. The purpose for me introducing is so if others wish, they can be used by others for their FB era writings if they wish to have some antagonists in their stories or for their ocs.

Hetty Johanna Rosewood | Xiang Cheng

• Born 01/10/1909 • Gryffindor • Chinese • Muggleborn • ISTJ • Grindelwald's acolyte • FC: Liu Yifei •

Abandoned by her parents in Britain when her magical powers exploded frightening them at 3/4 years old. Cheng was sent off to Angela King's orphanage (@whatwouldvalerydo oc) by aurors as they didn't know what to do with a child. She caught the attention of Glenn who was in the process of adopting another baby at the time when her emotional outburst caused a magical one. So he adopted Cheng, now by Hetty along with a baby Oscar.

Hetty didn't speak or understand a work of English, so Glenn acquired a tutor who could speak fluent English and Mandarin Chinese to teach her English but also to retain her Chinese heritage. Her father, Glenn bonded with her a lot faster than with her brother, Oscar and pushed her to excel in everything she did.

At Hogwarts, Hetty was sorted into Gryffindor like her father but she was fairly popular and well-liked and was the darling student of the professors. She was the captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team, prefect and head girl however Hetty harboured a big secret from everyone except one which is her deep fascination for the dark arts and how to use it. The only other person she shared this love with is her brother, Oscar.

During the 1920s, Hetty along with Oscar heard and read about Grindelwald and became enarmored by him and his movement so much so that they plotted a plan to leave Britain and join Grindlewald. When Hetty was seventeen, she and Oscar successfully ran away and managed to evade the aurors until they found Grindelwald.

During her time with Grindelwald, she proved herself to be a successful hitwoman and committed gruesome crimes under her birth name. Though by 1937, she became disillusioned and wanted to leave. She reached out to her father for help, but they both knew the severity of her crimes that Hetty was a wanted witch so he bargained out a deal for her with his influence in the Wizengamot. They agreed if she can provide information and be a double agent, then she can have a more lenient sentence. Hetty tried to convince Oscar to change sides but she was betrayed by him instead. Hetty managed to escape and served out a twenty-five year sentence in Azakban and once released, she moved away to Australia where her father Glenn was residing in his retirement.

*Hetty is open as a romantic interest in case someone wants to have an interesting dynamic of opposites sides fall in love or something.

Oscar Ebenezer Rosewood | Tadhg O'connor

• Born 20/05/1913 • Slytherin • Irish • Blood status unknown • ENTP • Grindelwald's acolyte • FC: Finn Cole •

Oscar was adopted by Glenn after he got into an argument with his own father about getting married and have children to pass on the family name. Glenn decided to skip the marriage part and went straight to adopting a child which ended with two.

Oscar was smart but always was just not as good enough as Hetty in anything. His grandmother was the only person who actually made him feel special. In his opinion, he always thought that his father preferred Hetty over him and thus started feelings of jealousy of both Glenn's attention and Hetty's powers leading to a bitter rivalry into Hogwarts.

Being sorted into Slytherin, Oscar contiuned to work hard to be better than his sister. While he wasn't as well liked as Hetty was, he did garner a level of respect for his commitment to his studies. Though he developed a love for the dark arts which he discovered his sister had too. This finally set aside the years of bitterness of their rivalry and finally brought them together as siblings.

Oscar read a lot about Grindelwald and almost idolized him, thinking he was cool and that wizards should rule over the muggle world. Along with his sister they ran away when he was fourteen and a year later they managed to find and join Grindelwald's movement.

Under Grindelwald, their feud came out again and not in a good way. Oscar became worse and more gruesome in his killing, preferring to drag out by torture magic, mind tricks and even cursing from a distance. Oscar was angry at Hetty's betrayal and when she came back to change his mind, he almost killed her for her act of betrayal. By 1945, at the fall of Grindelwald, he had multiple life sentences but narrowly avoided the demenetor's kiss as a kindness from his father.

What has to be yet determined is that he may have escaped during the second wizarding war or if he put into a stronger facility. If he did escape though it is unknown if he was killed due to his refusal to join Voldermort or if he rearrested again. We do not know...for now...though what is known is that he had a squib child in America who seemingly did not know him but his grandson, and three great grandchildren are back in Britain under the surname Nowak.

* He is not open for romance as his romance is set already unless you have an OC willing to have a short fling and being my other OC Flynn Nowak's great grandmother XD.

#hetty rosewood #oscar rosewood #other peoples ocs

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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wait ur telling me that ITS CANON THAT CHARLIE HAS FEELINGS FOR ARTEMIS????? this is a game changer!!!!!!!! but now i’m also wondering who charlie dates later this year??? i thought he was too busy with dragons to think ab dating 😭

5, 18, 22, 42 & 50 for chartemis?🥹 (sorry i love them too much)

Hello, my lovely anon! 💛 Though I do not know your name, I can tell that we have a lot in common. Thank you for the ask!

5. What’s their love language like? Are they compatible with one another?

Charlie might be the most underrated Weasley, but he is still a Weasley. Weasleys don’t have much, but what they do have they have to share. He tends to give gifts to show his appreciation/affection, because for him, getting someone a meaningful gift either involves saving up his money to buy something, or taking the time to make it himself. Either way, it is not the gift that is the important thing, but the thought and effort that’s gone into it. That being said, his preferred love language is actually quality time, because growing up with six siblings, time is a precious commodity when it comes to having someone’s full and undivided attention.

Artemis also likes quality time with her loved ones. Again, this has been shaped by the events of her life. Growing up, she might have preferred words of affirmation, but she has come to realise that time spent with someone you love is never wasted, and that in the end, it’s the thing you will always wish you had more of, not gifts or words or favours. She’s not overly touchy feely, so physical touch isn’t a love language for her, but it does mean that how she physically makes contact with someone is pretty telling when it comes to how she feels about them.

18. How are they like on a road trip together?

Artemis is chaotic. Everything is organised at the last minute, she wants to see and do and experience EVERYTHING she can. That being said, she is pretty easily pleased when it comes to locations, as long as she doesn’t have to stand and queue or do anything too boring.

Charlie is more laid back and will go with the flow, but that’s mainly because he had everything he really needed organised in advance. He doesn’t really like the bustle and crowds in big cities, and needs to go somewhere quiet and see something green every single day or he’ll want to just go home. City parks are his saving grace.

22. Do they ever share clothes?

Artemis is five foot tall and kind of scrawny. Though he isn’t tall for a bloke, Charlie is built like a brick sh*t house. He is never going to fit in her clothes.

She fits in his though.

42. Have they ever been jealous?

Yes and no, for both of them.

Charlie would say that no, he has never been jealous. He has had feelings for Artemis for a while, and in that time she’s dated a few guys, and he’s been absolutely fine with all of them. Yes, he wasn’t too happy that time she almost got engaged, but that was just because he knew that it wasn’t what she really wanted or would make her happy. Definitely no selfish resentment on any level whatsoever there…

As for Artemis, she most definitely has been jealous, but not in the way you’d expect. The annoyance she felt when Charlie first had a girlfriend in their sixth year at school (yep, it’s coming!) was more due to her already being incredibly emotionally unstable at that time and the fact that she felt like she was losing yet another friend in short succession. The thing that really makes her jealous is not Charlie loving other people, but how much he is loved, namely by his family. She’s more jealous of him than she is because of him.

50. Is there anything that scares them about their friendship/relationship?

Would Artemis still want to be Charlie’s best friend if she knew how he felt about her? Who knows, but it’s not a risk Charlie is willing to take. He’s scared of letting her down and losing her.

People in Artemis’ life have a tendency to leave. Not of all them come back. She’s scared of being let down by and losing him, too.

They may not technically be a ship, but I love that you love my chaos gremlin and her friend-who-could-be-more. As a Charlie/Artemis shipper, I’m afraid that you’re in for some chapters that might make you want to scream at me over the next couple of months. Sorry in advance.

#artemis hexley #charlie weasley #chartemis #chartemis confirmed??????????#wow kaze rly did make ‘chartemis’ a thing

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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vinny and victoria’s friendship dynamic really is just being rays of sunshine together and i am so here for it. thanks for answering love!!!!!!!!!

heeeellooooo!! 12, 13, and 21 for vinny and victoria and scarlett and ryan if ur still playing!!!! hv a spectacular day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But of course, coming right up 💙 have an amazing day ✨✨✨✨

Vinny and Victoria

12. What would they say each other’s worst quality is?

She would never say Vinny has a worst quality to him, she could never say such a thing, though she would like to see him have more confidence in his own person for he has so much to show and give.

Vinny would probably think that Victoria works too much sometimes wearing herself out. Thankfully she listens to him when he thinks she needs a break.

13. What would they say each other’s best quality is?

Not joking on either side. The fact that one always tries to stay positive and one always tries to find at least one good thing in a bad situation is a strong trait. It takes a strong heart to be like that while not being weighted down.

21. Who is better at games? Does the loser take it graciously?

Vinny is better at games than Victoria. He has a knack for it, is used to them since he had a sibling growing up and can really hype you up while explaining the rules. Victoria isn't mad when loosing but she knows that not all games at made for her, chess for example while she does know it, bores her. That's for old people.

Ryan and Scarlett

12. Scarlett doesn't like it when Ryan tries to make herself small, slouching and being awkward. She tends to correct her posture a lot of times. So what if you are awkward? Own it. So what if you are honest and cannot keep a secret? You do you.

Ryan doesn’t always appreciate Scarlett's choice of words. She is more brutal than honest which takes some time getting used to and seeing past that.

13. Scarlett has always believed honestly, in whatever form it comes, is the best thing out there. So even then Ryan can't help but call her names in certain occasions, while she gets mad at first, it actually helps her.

Ryan believes her confidence is key. She doesn’t falter, owns her qualities and flaws which had been from the beginning as if Scarlett went through her awkward phase before joining Hogwarts.

21. They are both good ar games, unless one has to lie or fake something (no Among us for you Ryan sorry) but out of the two Scarlett doesn't like losing.

#vinny raymond #victoria summer #scarlett tempest #ryan oakley #hpma #hphl

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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i cackled at what ethel thinks selene a worst quality is

also dante is too right ab traveling in the rain, i never would hv thought of that tho

3, 12, 13, 18 and 19 for Ethelys, Sethel because they are superior (sorry Lys) and Revante? Pretty please? 💛💛💛💛

Wow, that’s a lot of questions… okay, here goes! I’ll leave you to answer any of Selene and Reva’s opinions, I wouldn’t dare speak for either of them!

3. It’s late at night and your characters want food, what do they order/find in the fridge?

ETHELYS - most likely whatever baked goods Ivy brought over most recently. If not, there’ll be some bread and honey somewhere. There always is.

SETHEL - Whiskey.

REVANTE - if there’s nothing in Reva’s cupboard that Dante can’t use to rustle something up on a late night whim (he’s getting pretty good at improvising late night snacks with minimal ingredients), they’ll order Thai food.

12. What would they say each other’s worst quality is?

ETHELYS - In her younger years, Ethel would have said everything. However, having had her change of heart regarding Lysander, she would say that his worst trait is his tendency to doubt himself, particularly when it comes to how he sees his own identity. He’s just fine as he is. I can’t vouch for Lysander, but I suspect that it would be Ethel’s need to always be right about everything.

SETHEL - Ethel thinks that Selene’s worst quality is her weakness for Eliot Gerard. Honestly, what does she see in him?

REVANTE - if Reva wants to start a fight, she will start a fight. Dante hates fighting, and would rather not get involved. He would prefer it if she didn’t drag him into her temper tantrums.

13. What would they say each other’s best quality is?

ETHELYS - Answered here!

SETHEL - Ethel admires how Selene managed to fight for her own independence and never lost it.

REVANTE - How deeply she cares about things and how expressive she is, both physically and artistically.

18. What are they like on a road trip together?

ETHELYS - Horrible. Neither of them will ever admit that they’re lost or ask for directions.

SETHEL - Horrible. They can never go back to the same place twice, even if they want to. They’re not welcome there anymore.

REVANTE - Horrible. How much can two hyperactive travel-lovers fit into a trip? More than has ever been necessary.

19. It’s raining, did either of your OCs bring an umbrella? If so, who, and do they share it?

ETHELYS - Lysander brought the umbrella, but it’s Ethel’s umbrella now.

SETHEL - If they did, it will have been confiscated before the rain started.

REVANTE - Neither brought an umbrella. Reva forgot, and if it’s heavy enough rain that he doesn’t like to be outside in it, Dante will just Apparate to wherever he wants to go and stay inside.

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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hiking just feels so dylaneille

9, 16, 25 for… Revante, Dylanielle, Lizion and ROCKSTAR LIZION. 💛

Oooh, I love your picks, and I'm always up for the Rockstars being included so let's gooooo 💛💛💛

9) What’s the most difficult thing they’ve been through together?

Revante: All in all, they are pretty chill and wholesome. Speaking for Reva only here, it was pretty hard on her when she realised how much she actually missed Dante while she was on her travels. Also, realising there was more on her part when she returned - actually being self-conscious about how she is perceived by someone was a very new sensation to her.

Dylanielle: Spending years in a long-distance relationship straight after Dana graduated was pretty hard on both of them, even though they had very different ways of expressing it.

Lizion: Dealing with the aftermath of the Second Wizarding War / The Battle of Hogwarts in particular, and how radically their life changed from there on almost tore the two of them apart for good.

Rockstar Lizion: Uhm... the whole second part of WSI, basically? 😂 In particular, I'd say the phase between Parts 4 and 5, where they both were kind of aware of their feelings for each other but had no chance to act on them was probably the worst for both of them.

16) What would they consider quality time?

Revante: Reva is all about going out and exploring, sharing her passions or making new memories altogether. She'd much prefer showing Dante how to skateboard or explore a new place with him than having a night in.

Dylanielle: Dana didn't care much for hiking or mountain climbing until Dylan began taking her along. Exploring a new trail or climbing track is one of their most favourite things to do.

Lizion: Since they live and work together, they generally spend most of their days in each other's company. That being said, if they manage to sneak away from friends/teammates/kids and be just the two of them - at the beach, stargazing, or even just reading next to each other - they're both perfectly happy.

Rockstar Lizion: It's what they do all day every day, but music runs in their blood. An afternoon spent just making music and jamming would be considered pretty much perfect by both of them. Also, Orion has yet to take Lizzie to that poetry slam he promised her. He will, one day.

25) Pick a physical attribute that they love about each other.

Revante: Reva loves Dante's eyes. She thinks their colour is absolutely beautiful.

Dylanielle: Dylan loves Dana's laugh. It goes from a slight giggle to full-on laugh, and then she gets a hiccup. Funnily enough, it's Dylan's laugh Dana likes most as well, because with Dylan being more on the quiet, serious side, a full laugh from the bottom of his heart isn't something that many people get to hear from him.

Lizion: Lizzie loves the way Orion's eyes light up when he smiles. Even after all these years, his smile still makes her heart beat faster. Orion loves how Lizzie's eyes remind him of the sea, whether it's bright and blue on a sunny day or dark and stormy when there's she's angry.

Rockstar Lizion: Lizzie *loves* all the many tattoos Orion has, and the story behind them. She could probably draw them from memory... if she could draw at all, that is. Orion would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy the way being a professional drummer and once-aspiring athlete shaped Lizzie's physique.

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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i’m glad to see artemis with this part of her family, and little artemis is always the best. her little speech to the bird had me welling up a little tho…

Into the Light of the Dark Black Night

A/N: This short story was written as part of @drinkyoursoupbitch’s soundtrack challenge. For this challenge, I was assigned the track “Another Year Ends” from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It’s a mournful, sad piece of music with a hopeful undertone, and this is the story I have written to go alongside it.

The title of this story actually comes from another song, and that song is “Blackbird” by The Beatles. The blackbird theme is one that has recurred through my stories for Artemis; it is the song that she sings for her frog choir audition in Year 3, it is the music that inspired the penultimate chapter of Learning to Fly, and it was referenced when Artemis told Charlie a story from her childhood whilst staying at the Burrow for Christmas in Year 5. It is this story that I have written for the challenge.

Warnings: animal injury, mentions of/references to death, depression, grief, child neglect, and abandonment.

The sun was high in the sky, its beams reflecting on the bobbing waves and warming the umber cliffs. A breeze was rolling in from the sea and across the cliff tops, whipping the already messy dark hair of the little girl running along the path, a slim man following in her wake, his auburn hair graying with age.

Artemis Hexley had been living in Dorset with her great-uncle Newt and great-aunt Tina for several months now. It had been a temporary arrangement at first, Artemis’ mother having been too unwell to look after her after her older brother Jacob disappeared in the night back in November, but the longer Artemis had stayed, the less likely it seemed that she would ever return home to her mother’s house in London.

She knew that most children probably would have been upset by the idea of leaving both their home and their only living parent to stay with aging distant relatives, but Artemis was not like most other children; she was a witch. And, moreover, Uncle Newt was not at all like other relatives. He was a Magizoologist, a wizard who specialised in studying and caring for magical creatures, and a very good one at that. The house he shared with Aunt Tina was also home to a menagerie of creatures: three Kneazles, a particularly naughty Niffler, several Knarls that frequented the back garden, a fireplace full of Salamanders, and a herd of mooncalves that danced on the front lawn every full moon. And not only was Uncle Newt great at caring for these creatures, he always knew exactly where to find them.

Today, he was taking Artemis further along the cliffs to see the orchard where the Bowtruckles had been nesting in the trees. Excited, she ran ahead of him, every now and then alternating her quick steps with a clumsy cartwheel, until she reached the orchard, where the trees were swaying gently in the wind. She fell almost completely silent; Bowtruckles were shy creatures, and she would be unlikely to see any if she made any loud noises.

But, as she stayed quiet, she became able to hear a noise coming from the grass underneath a nearby tree. She frowned. It didn’t sound like a Bowtruckle, more like a bird, and not a very happy bird at that.

Artemis decided to investigate, and on doing so, she found herself to be right. Under the tree stood a small blackbird, chirping sadly as he held his wing out to his side. The feathers had been ruffled, and it looked like there was a cut on the wing, but when Artemis tried to get a closer look, the blackbird hopped away from her, looking frightened.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Artemis told the blackbird. “I just wanted to look at your wing. It looks like it’s been scratched. Did one of the Kneazles scratch you? Was it Mauler? He scratched me once, too. Look.” She pointed to her cheek, where she still had a small scar from the time she had tried to pick Mauler the Kneazle up without asking first. “Can I pick you up? I won’t hurt you, I promise, I just want to take you to my Uncle. He’ll be able to fix your wing for you so you can fly again.”

The blackbird didn’t seem overly happy about being picked up, but he at least didn’t scratch Artemis when she tried. She held him as gently as possible as she carried him back along the cliff path to Uncle Newt.

“What have you found, Artemis?” he asked her, crouching down to look at what she had in her hands. “A blackbird?”

Artemis nodded. “He’s got a poorly wing. Can you fix it?”

Uncle Newt took the little bird from Artemis and carefully examined it, all the while murmuring to it so softly that she couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying. Eventually, he looked up at Artemis and sighed.

“You can make him better again, can’t you?” she asked him.

“I can try,” said Uncle Newt. “But he will need some medicine to fix his wing, and he’s very weak. He’ll need a lot of looking after, and-”

”That’s fine. I can look after him. I know how to look after creatures now.”

But Uncle Newt wasn’t finished.

“And,” he said pointedly, “even if we fix the wing, he might just be too poorly to get better.”

“He will get better,” Artemis told Uncle Newt, sounding more confident than she felt. “I’ll make sure of it.”

She and Uncle Newt returned to the house having found no Bowtruckles, but with the injured blackbird. Aunt Tina had raised her eyebrows when she saw the bird in Uncle Newt’s hands, but she helped Artemis to find a box and a small towel to give the bird as a bed, and promised that she would keep the Kneazles far away from him. Uncle Newt showed Artemis what to feed the bird and how to give him the medicine, and let her stay up late to do it herself before bed, telling her that they would have to wait and see how the blackbird was in the morning.

Even with a late night, however, Artemis struggled to sleep. She was still awake - though she laid still and pretended not to be - when her great-aunt and uncle went to bed themselves, and in the very middle of the night, she snuck downstairs to check on the little blackbird.

“Hi,” she whispered to him. “It’s me again. Artemis. I wanted to make sure you were still here. Uncle Newt and Auntie Tina said that you’re really poorly and you might die, and I just wanted to tell you that I’ll be really sad if you do.” She gnawed on her bottom lip before continuing, “You know, my dad died the year before last, and my granny had to go and live in the home for old Muggles before that, and then my brother just ran away from home before Christmas, and my mum is so sad about it that it made her too sick to look after me. It would be really selfish and unfair of you if you died as well. So please don’t. Goodnight.”

With that, Artemis left the blackbird to his bed and returned to her own, making sure to close the door behind her so that Mauler couldn’t get to him. She tossed and turned most of the night, and woke up before the sun rose the next morning. The first thing she did was to run downstairs to see the blackbird, and was delighted to see that he had clearly listened to her pep talk the night before: he was still alive, and looking rather well.

If Uncle Newt and Aunt Tina were annoyed about being woken up so early, they hid it well. While Aunt Tina made a pot of coffee, Uncle Newt brought the blackbird into the kitchen and checked him over, and this time when he finished, he smiled at Artemis.

“Well done,” he said. “This little one is feeling a lot better.”

“That’s brilliant!”

“It is. We can take him back home once we’ve had some breakfast and gotten changed.”

“But we are already at…” Artemis’ voice tailed off as she realised what Uncle Newt meant. “Do we have to put him back in the orchard? Can’t I keep him as a pet?”

“A pet?”

“Yeah. I can teach him to carry my letters for me.”

“He’s a bit small to carry letters, honey,” Aunt Tina laughed, but the look she shared with her husband was one of apprehension.

“Not if I write them really, really tiny,” said Artemis, not ready to give up just yet. “I promise that I’ll look after him properly. Please can I keep him? Can I?”

She knew that Aunt Tina would be reluctant, but she was hopeful that Uncle Newt would agree to her request. But when she looked back at him with her eyes wide and pleading, he sighed and shook his head.

“You can’t keep him as a pet,” he said. “He needs to go back to his home.”

“He can have a new home here, like me,” Artemis argued. “He’ll like living here, he likes me. I fixed him so he could fly again.”

“Yes, and now he needs to be set free so that he can fly. He’s a wild animal, Artemis.”

“But the Knarls and the Mooncalves are wild, too, and they live here.”

“But they aren’t pets,” Uncle Newt explained with a soft, sad chuckle. “They choose to live here. The Salamanders chose to make their home in that fireplace, and the Mooncalves choose to dance on our lawn. We don’t make them do it, they do it because they want to. That’s what makes it so special.”

Artemis pouted. It would be special to have a blackbird carry her letters for her, too.

“Oh, honey,” sighed Aunt Tina. “Think about it this way. You wouldn’t like to be cooped up inside or working hard to carry letters for someone when there was a whole big sky for you to explore, would you?”

“I guess not,” Artemis said grudgingly. “If I set the blackbird free, will he choose to come back like the Knarls?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. You won’t know until you let him go.”

But Artemis did not want to let the blackbird go. Uncle Newt shared another glance with Aunt Tina, before crouching down to talk to Artemis face-to-face.

“He is wild,” he told her. “Wild things need to be free.”

Though everything about him was gentle, there was a note of finality in Uncle Newt’s voice that made Artemis nod her head, even though she didn’t really want to. She barely touched the breakfast Aunt Tina offered her, and left for the orchard - dressed in her pyjamas and wellington boots - far less enthusiastically than she had the day before, trudging after her great-aunt and uncle with the cardboard box containing the blackbird cradled in her arms.

“I still wish I could keep you as a pet,” she whispered. “But I guess that even if you could deliver my letters, I might not be allowed to bring a blackbird with me when I go to Hogwarts. And Uncle Newt knows more about creatures than I do. If he says it’s unfair not to set you free, he’s probably right. I will miss you, though. It would be nice if you would come back sometimes. I am actually getting pretty fed up of people leaving me and not coming back.”

Inside the box, the blackbird let out a quiet tweet, which she assumed meant that he had once again heard her and was agreeing to do the right thing. She hoped that was what he meant, anyway.

When they reached the orchard, the sun was just starting to rise, and the line where the still waters of the sea met the gradually lightening sky was glowing orange. It was peaceful, with only a gentle breeze and the movement of the Bowtruckles stirring the leaves of the trees.

Artemis took a deep breath, placed the box on the ground where she had first found the blackbird, and opened the lid. At first, nothing happened, but then, with a series of merry tweets that almost made Artemis’ heart break, the blackbird took flight, rising up into the air, over the trees, and into the sky. The great big sky.

There really was a lot of it to explore, Artemis thought. And the blackbird would enjoy that, now that he was free.

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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Merula’s Misadventures in Babysitting

alr, this is a last minute attempt to still try and hit all of the prompt’s in the amazing @usernoneexistent’s summer challenge. also, i can always use some merula love on this blog. are some of these cop outs? yes. yes they are.

It was official. Merula Snyde hated children.

She trudged through her rather large house towards her bedroom, socks soggy and leaving puddles everywhere she stepped, but she was too angry to take better care of her floor. Merula knew she wasn’t the best babysitter and she supposed the kids hated her as much as she was hating this job right now. This wasn’t the first prank that had been pulled, but it was the prank that had finally pushed her buttons too hard.

The first real incident had happened the morning after her old friend Marty Raymond’s twin six-year-olds had been dropped off. Merula had awoken to find herself on a beach, of all places. After hearing some giggles and groggily turning around to a gleeful little boy and a timid but amused little girl she had realized that she was outside by the pond on her lot, which had been decorated with towels, umbrellas, and gallons upon gallons of sand.

“We wanted to make you think you traveled to the beach,” Maeve, the little girl, had admitted, eyes darting from the floor to Merula and then back again.

“Where did you gremlins even get all of this shi-, um, stuff from?” complained Merula, who was thinking that it was much too early to deal with this.

Josh, the mischievous little devil, had proudly declared, “Aunt Tulip made it for us the last time we saw her, and then she put it in this bag that she used magic on.”

“Of course she did,” Merula groaned. “Well, you should have known that messing with a beast on a beach will only make a sea monster!”

And with those words Merula had scooped up both kids and thrown them into the pond. She felt a little guilty as they shrieked through the air, but she knew that the pond was deep enough for them to be safe being thrown and that they were both strong swimmers for their age.

Merula pulled herself from that memory, continuing her journey to her room to change out of her dripping clothes. Perhaps the beach mishap had been the reason for today’s prank, when Merula had simply opened the door to her kitchen, only to find the biggest water balloon ever made to fall on her. She didn’t even know where in the house the twins were right now, as they had left the living room they were playing in while Merula had been walking towards the kitchen moments ago. They must have been hiding, afraid of getting into trouble. It was one of the few times Merula had had a little peace and quiet from them since they’d arrived, but she was fuming too much right now to appreciate it.

That morning Merula had concocted a scheme of her own to get a little distance from the kids. She was definitely tiring of how needy kids could be— always wanting to play with you, or talk to you, or refuse to allow you time to yourself. So Merula had instructed them to change into their swimsuits, while Merula took a watermelon and thoroughly coated it in cooking spray. She had sent the melon into the pond, where it floated, and told the kids that the first to bring it to her would win. She imagined they must have been pretty pissed at her when they had discovered how slippery the watermelon was, but it had bought her a few minutes of peace, even if it hadn’t been quiet.

Now, Merula was paying the price of being a mean babysitter. She stood outside her room, soaked head to toe, wishing the day could just be over and Marty would come reclaim them already. Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open and…

“SURPRISE!”

Merula nearly had a heart attack as two little bodies crashed into her. It took a moment for her to realize that this was a group hug, despite how cold and wet Merula was.

Merula was too stunned to speak as the grinning twins backed away and each held out an object to her.

“What is this?” Merula demanded, no longer mad but still determined to get some answers.

“We love staying with you, and we made you presents, and we used a water balloon to make you come back to your room to surprise you!” Josh exclaimed happily.

“Yeah,” Maeve said, smiling but blushing deeply. “You’re the best godmother ever!”

“Aunt Tulip’s a pretty great godmother too,” Josh muttered, but Merula only faked an eye roll at the comment.

“But why the fu-, um, why not just surprise me when I saw you on my way to the kitchen?” asked Merula.

“Oh,” Josh said, frowning. “I guess I didn’t think of that. Here, I made a necklace with some string and some seashells because we had fun playing sea-monster at the not-real beach.”

“And I painted a watermelon on this hat, because you come up with the best games,” Maeve added.

Merula took both of the objects. Neither were of great quality, they had been made by six-year-olds afterall, but Merula loved them anyway. Funny, she had never been one to be sentimental like that.

“Thank you both so much,” Merula said, and she really meant it. “How about we spend your last night here going out for ice cream and watching the sunset together?”

Josh and Maeve were overjoyed, and rushed out of the room. Alright, so Merula didn’t hate all children after all.

Firework.

#summer break challenge 2022 #merula snyde #post hphm #hphm #hogwarts mystery #josh duncan raymond #maeve rowan raymond

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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Fireworks

You could always tell when the nearby village was holding a celebration. The sky would be filled with sprays of color, smoke trails, and the acrid smell of something burning. However, most of the noise and smells were minimal as Lynch Manor and its grounds sat roughly six miles from the village.

On that particular July evening, the village had decided to celebrate something. What exactly they were celebrating, Ryan O’Donnell had never quite managed to figure that out. But, every year, like clockwork, the village brought out the fireworks. And, like clockwork, Ryan, Cara, Sara, and Conor lay on the grass watching the sky light up.

Day 6: Fireworks for @usernoneexistent’s Summer Break Challenge

#summer break challenge 2022

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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i really love not only this story, ship, and characters, but also the way it was told through nova and her interactions with everyone else!!!!!! it was so cool and so well done. and ofc dennis is best man

ONE YEAR LATER

“Are you sure you’re ok with this, pop? I haven’t seen you this dressed up since… Yeah, I’ve never seen you this dressed up,” Nova laughed as she watched her dad slip into his topsiders. It was the first time she had ever seen him prepare for a day at the beach without his old Rolling Stones tee-shirt.

Liam shrugged a white linen button-down over his tank top without tucking it into his khaki chinos. “Really? I used to be cool. What happened?” he asked as he studied his untrimmed strawberry-blond hair in the mirror.

“Babies don’t make good roadies?” Nova suggested with a shrug.

A guilty grin grossed her father’s face. “Actually, a pram can hold a surprisingly large amp. In fact, I remember the last festival we played—hottest day of the year. You were about nine months old. It was just after we lost your mum,” he said, eyes welling at the memory, “Reid said he could drink his hat full of jungle juice in the span of Bob Dylan’s harmonica solo. I bet him he couldn’t. He did, easily. I spent the rest of the day pushing you both around. You’ve both grown up so fast,” he wiped the teary memory on his shirt sleeve and rolled the new stain past his elbow. “Anyway, that was when I knew I was better at being a dad than a rockstar.”

“I got to see Bob Dylan?” Nova whispered, wiping a tear from her own cheek. She shook her head as she checked her immaculate makeup in the mirror at her dad’s side. “That… wasn’t the point. Sorry, yeah, Uncle Reid is growing up. Kind of. I mean, you did lose the title of Best Man to a toad. Though, to be fair, if we don’t stop crying like a bunch of babies in here, we are going to be late for the wedding,” she added with a nervous glance at the clock.

Liam pulled the keys to his boat from his pocket. “Wedding starts when the captain says it starts,” he scoffed, shooing his daughter out of the apartment. “For your information, I was asked to be the best man, but after we planned everything else, we realized that Dennis can’t drive the boat.”

As the two walked arm in arm towards the glittering sunset over the dock, Nova nudged her dad’s shoulder with her own. “You ever think about finding a nice rocker girl and settling down?” she asked as she removed her sunglasses in his direction.

He shrugged but didn’t hesitate. “Nah, you?”

“Probably.”

#summer break challenge 2022

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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so bromantic 🤧

i’ll never tire of these two’s dynamic it’s so funny

On the Mountain There's Quiet

Summer Break Challenge, Day 8: Sunset

Dylan Amari, Rory McTavish

And this marks the end of the wonderful challenge created and hosted by @usernoneexistent. Thank you so much for the effort and the amazing content. It was a real blast! Find all the stories of this challenge here.

Rory McTavish belongs to @the-al-chemist, Rylie Hopper-Lee (in mention) to @thatravenpuffwitch.

Warning: Mention of alcohol

Over the years, Dana had had a lot of more or less stupid ideas. But as far as Dylan was concerned, her proposition to take her - or their, as she liked to point out - friend Rory McTavish and his new girlfriend Rylie Hopper-Lee out on a hiking trip had taken the Cauldron Cake for good.

Dylan didn't mind Rylie being there; she was a sweet girl and had always been. Ever since their time at school, she had been one of Dylan's closest friends, his actual friends.

Rory McTavish, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He was loud, obnoxious, and had a sense of humour that made Dylan grind his teeth. According to Dana, Rory had toned down his constant flirting since he and Rylie had started going out, but that didn't stop Dylan from wanting to roll his eyes from the moment the two couples met at the agreed-upon spot at the base of Ben Nevis.

Dana gave Dylan a reassuring smile as she shouldered her rucksack with her climbing gear. Dylan returned it, trying to convince himself that maybe things wouldn't be as bad. Maybe Rory had changed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

As it turned out, it was even worse.

One hour into their hike, Dylan's mood was deteriorating with every step he took toward the summit. Dana and Rylie had fallen behind, chatting animatedly about something Dylan neither knew nor cared about. He was walking at a brisk pace, trying to put a bit of space between him and Rory, but much to his dismay, Rory had no problems keeping up with him. Even worse, he still had enough breath left to talk, loudly and incessantly.

"Aye, it was a great idea to invite us," he now said, making Dylan roll his eyes. "We haven't seen much of each other since school, Dyldo."

"And isn't that a loss."

"I know, right? I spend more time with Reva than with you these days."

Like always when Rory mentioned Dylan's little sister, Dylan was intent to change the topic to a more inconspicuous one.

"So," he said, forcing himself to smile, "how do you enjoy the hike?"

"It's great. I've done this trail before."

Dylan frowned. "Have you?"

Much to his surprise, Rory nodded. "My mum and granda took me once when I was a kid. Speaking of which," he added with a frown, "don't we have to turn left?"

They had reached a fork in the trail. The broad path to the left led to the summit in a moderately steep but manageable incline. The way to the right was narrower, not as well maintained, and the one Dylan was headed towards. He cast a look over his shoulder.

"Oh, did you want to take the easy route?"

Rory laughed out loud. "Don't worry, I'm up for the challenge."

Dylan smirked as he left the fork behind and continued on the path meant only for experienced hikers and rock climbers. Much to his annoyance, however, Rory stayed true to his word. Dylan didn't need to worry about him at all. In fact, he would have needed to lose sight of Rory in the first place to worry about him, but no matter how hard Dylan tried, there was no respite from Rory's chatter.

He was still talking, and Dylan's headache still growing, when they reached the base of the climbing trail. Rory tipped his head back and whistled softly as he took in the sheer mountainside they were about to scale.

"That's impressive, pal. And you've done this before?"

"Yes," Dylan answered concisely, detangling his climbing harness from the spare one Dana had him bring for Rory.

"Looks pretty hard."

"You can stay down here if you're too scared."

He hadn't meant it as a joke - people like them had other means of getting up a mountain than old-fashioned climbing, after all - but Rory's freckled face turned into a grin. Much to Dylan's horror, Rory draped his arm around his shoulder in a brotherly fashion.

"Don't you worry about me, remember? Hard doesn't mean impossible. Actually, being hard makes certain things more possible," he winked, making Dylan draw a deep breath. "You're not getting rid of me anytime soon."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

After Dana and Rylie had caught up with them, they began their ascent. Since Dana and Rylie were similar in height, the two girls had decided to partner up. Much to his dismay, that left Dylan with Rory yet again. With Dylan climbing in front to secure their rope, he at least didn't have to listen to most of Rory's blathering. That was until Rory suddenly appeared next to him.

"Nice view, don't you think?" Rory said with a good-natured smile as he made to overtake Dylan.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to stay behind me," Dylan snapped in return, moving his arm across the stone to where Rory had aimed to put his hand next.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Rory grinned. "A small race hurt nobody."

"A small race can get both of us killed," Dylan hissed and gave Rory a hard stare. "I don't care what you do, but I'd rather not fall to my death because of your stupidity. Now get back behind me."

Rory hesitated, taken aback by Dylan's tone, then nodded and let Dylan take the lead again. They continued on their way in silence, only broken by the odd remark on where or where not to step.

When they reached the top of the trail and Dylan untied the rope between Rory and himself, Rory was still silent, and Dylan began to feel somewhat sorry. But before he had a chance to consider whether or not to apologise, Dana and Rylie climbed over the edge, still giggling to each other. Their laughter died when they looked between their two silent boyfriends.

"Is everything alright?" Dana asked tentatively, her blue eyes resting on Dylan as she spoke. Dylan wanted to reply, but Rory was quicker.

"Everything's perfect, Dana. Isn't it, Dylan?" he added with a grin, but Dylan saw it flicker out as soon as Dana turned from them to step out of her harness. Dylan opened his mouth to say something, but Rory shrugged, gave Dylan his gear back and continued on the path leading to the summit.

The plan had been to spend the night on Ben Nevis and return to the base of the mountain early in the morning. After they had visited the summit and set up their tents just in sight of the mountain top, Dylan left Rory, Rylie and Dana to themselves to return to the summit once more. The sky was already darkening, so Dylan picked up his pace. He didn't want to be late.

When he reached the top, he stood there for a moment, surrounded by bare rocks and the odd speck of snow, and breathed in deeply. There was nothing but silence around him, and for the first time since they had begun their hike, he felt the familiar peace that nothing but a mountain beneath his feet could give him. Up here, all his problems were fading, rendered insignificant by the might of nature surrounding him. The earth was beneath his feet, yet he was so high up that it felt like he could touch the sky. He almost understood why his family loved flying so much when it was just him, the mountain and -

"There you are!"

The feeling of peace went as quickly as it had come. Dylan turned around and sighed as the ginger head of Rory came into sight. He had his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket and was coming up to Dylan at an alarming speed.

"What now?" Dylan sighed as he reached him.

"Dana sent me. She said she's not running after you, and if you don't come to have dinner with us, it's your fault, and you can starve as far as she's concerned."

"That's a quote, I assume?"

The corners of Rory's mouth twitched. "You bet."

"Go on without me. I'll eat later. I want to stay here for a bit."

But Rory didn't go without him. He drew his hand from his pocket, bent down and selected a small piece of rock from amongst the rubble covering the ground. Dylan raised his eyebrows as Rory picked it up and walked towards the cairn next to Dylan. He put the rock on top of it and stood there for a moment.

"I'm surprised you know this tradition."

Rory briefly glanced at him before returning his eyes to the pile of stones in front of them. "When you reach the top of a mountain, you add to the cairn. It's what you do."

"The cairns are there for many things," Dylan told him as he placed a stone of his own next to Rory's. "Some are just more geographic measurements. Some are summit crosses. Some are monuments for people who have died trying to reach the top."

"Oh," Rory said. "I didn't know that."

He was silent for another moment before he spoke up again. "Listen, I'm really grateful you and Dana took us along today. I haven't been here since I went with my mum and granda and… well, things have changed, haven't they?" He laughed quietly, and Dylan wasn't sure whether it was a happy or a melancholy sound. "Not only things, though. I have changed, too, you know? Rylie has changed me, I think. Or time, I don't know. I told you before, and I'm telling you again - I'm not the prick you think I am. Or maybe I am, but I'm really trying to be nice."

"Rory, it's fine. Listen…"

"I didn't want to spoil your hike, and I didn't want you to think I was being reckless on the climbing trail. I was having fun and didn't think much of it."

"Rory…"

"So can you just stop being a spoilsport and come back down with me because the girls are waiting, and I really don't want to make Dana angry? I don't even get why you're up here anyway when we could just have a fun evening and -"

"Can't you just shut up?"

Rory blinked in surprise before pressing his lips together in a fine line. "Hey, I tried opening up to you here and…."

"McTavish, I mean it. Shut up and look," Dylan sighed, taking Rory by the shoulders and turning him around. At the sight unfolding before him, Rory finally was quiet.

The sun had begun setting, casting the valley below their feet into a soft, golden light. The light reflected off the rocks and cliffs surrounding them, creating an intricate play of dark shadows and brightly gleaming highlights where the last light of the day hit the flecks of snow. As he looked at the wild explosion of reds, oranges and yellows painting the sky, a smile formed on Dylan's face.

"That's why I'm here," he told Rory quietly.

Rory said nothing and sat down on a big piece of rock at the base of the cairn. Much to his surprise, Dylan joined him a moment later.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," he said, looking at the sinking sun rather than Rory.

"I can take it. Thank you for putting up with me," Rory shrugged, and Dylan could hear that he was grinning. Strangely enough, as he looked at the breathtaking display of colour in front of him, the thought wasn't as annoying anymore.

Rory reached into his jacket and pulled out two cans of beer. One of them he handed to Dylan. "Dana told me to bring you this."

Dylan laughed softly as he took the can from him. Dana always knew.

"Is that what you do? Go on a mountain, sit and drink?" Rory asked as Dylan opened his beer and took a sip.

"I come here to enjoy the view."

"Ah, I know that excuse."

"And silence," Dylan added pointedly.

Rory grinned and opened his can as well. He drank and then grimaced. "Don't you think we should go back? Dana will be livid."

"She can take it," Dylan shook his head.

"Admit it, Dyldo, you love the danger. We're alike, you and I."

"I highly doubt that."

Rory grinned but remained silent. When it was almost dark and their cans emptied, they returned to the camp.

"Wasn't that nice? A cold drink and a sunset. I've worked with less," Rory laughed as they clambered over the rocks and towards the campfire Dana and Rylie had started. "You could almost call it romantic. Or, bromantic."

"Please shut up."

"Come on, that was a stroke of genius. Get used to it."

Rory left him standing and joined Rylie by the campfire, Dylan all but forgotten as he kissed her, a gentle smile on his face Dylan was sure he had never seen on Rory McTavish before.

His eyes met Dana's, who was sitting on Rylie's other side. She smiled at him and padded the place next to her on her blanket, and Dylan felt a smile forming on his face as well as he joined his friends.

Maybe, he could get used to this after all.

#summer break challenge 2022

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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god that last paragraph 😭

Day 7 - Sunset

Last day for the summer challenge created by the extremely talented and wonderful @usernoneexistent is reserved for Talia Crane.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s truly bothering you?” Talbott asked as he walked outside on the terrace placing a glass next to Talia’s hand. She did not lift her eyes to look at him, a lost expression betraying her anxiety as she continued to watch the skies as the sun was setting.

“He’ll be leaving for school at the end of the summer.” Talbott just nodded agreeing with her, however did not add his own thoughts to the matter. It was already discussed, they were both ready for it, prepared their son for everything, Talia choosing to discuss both the good and the bad.

“And I will be there to guide him as his professor and father.” He added for extra reassurance.

“That’s not it.” She finally turned her bright eyes to him “He will find out.”

“What will he find out?” he had an idea about what was actually bothering her, but he wanted to hear it from her directly.

With a heavy sigh, she ran a hand through her hair before she focused on the glass, taking a sip of red wine “That I am a Crane. There won’t be anyway he will be able to escape the rumors, children are relentless.”

Crutching in front of her, he gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear “Yes, he will find out eventually and I know you have been putting the subject off for as long as you could. It’s not going to be easy explaining to an eleven year old the history behind your family.” His eyes hardened around the edges as he recalled how hard it was for them to explain the scars on her chest without scaring their child. Even so, he still refused to sleep for an entire month without at least one light on, in fear that the very bad man would come to hurt him.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he took the glass from her hand, placing it back on the table “But you also have to remember you are not a Crane now, you’re a Winger and we are in this together.”

“I know.” She sighed heavily, shaking her head a moment later “And I know you will also be there to protect him and answer all those heavy questions that he will have, but I don’t want it to be you. I want it to be me. I want him to know from me.”

“There’s something else bothering you as well isn’t it?” he knew it before she even nodded, hands rubbing together, Talia slowly getting up, Talbott allowing her some space.

“I know he will be much safer there at school” rolling her eyes, she smirked “well, as safe as that school can be.”

“It had gotten much better.” Talbott countered, crossing his hands over his chest.

“Yes, yes, of course. It’s just that…” she stopped herself, allowing her brain to formulate the idea differently “I can’t give up my job Tal, I can’t. It’s the only way I know to keep you both safe. I have connections, I can get around better, but that still doesn’t make the time spent away from you and now him easier.” She blinked rapidly, feeling her eyes watering. Pushing back the feelings threatening to overcome her, she turned around to look at him.

“Talia, I don’t want to leave you here alone. McGonagall has tried offering you a position almost every year. We could move to Hogsmeade, be closer to the school.”

She cocked a brow, frowning at him “And what do you suggest I do, weigh tables at the Three Broomsticks?”

“Talia…”

“No” she replied cutting him off “I don’t hold it against you for not being able to do the job in the end. After the war a lot has changed, I get it. But I still need to be out there or else we won’t ever be safe.”

From behind the screen door a small voice spoke, both turning around rapidly “Is the bad man coming for us?”

Cursing under her breath, Talia inhaled slowly, opening the door and urging her son to come outside on the terrace “No, the bad man is not coming for us. The man that hurt me is no longer alive.” Talbott’s eyes widened at her words, Talia lifting her eyes to give him a grave look “But there is something I must speak to you about, something you must know.

Guiding him to a chair, they all sat down, Talia beginning the story of her family, Talbott intervening when he saw fit. But in the end, no matter how the matter was explained, one thing could never be understood. Why a mother that loved her family so much could not join them.

#summer break challenge 2022

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hogwartsmysteryho · 2 years

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magical (or not magical) creatures pals r elite!! rly loving the wholesomeness 😌

Woodland

A/N: Apologise for scaring some people with my early accidental post yesterday 😅 but finally, we finish off with some of my favourite HPMA Hufflepuffs as a nice way to end the challenge with 'sunset'. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. Characters featured: Patrick Hopper-Lee @thatravenpuffwitch, Dylan Amari @lifeofkaze And Saffron Summers @the-al-chemist in that order. Warnings: Tarra and Pat being annoying first years XD

The soft indoor breeze brushed against their faces as the two first-year Hufflepuffs, Tarragon Weasley-Moss and Patrick Hopper-Lee, stared intensely at the glowing white egg in its handcrafted nest. While exploring the forbidden forest a week ago, Tarragon and Patrick found an egg abandoned and alone. Their immediate instinct was to keep it warm and find out what kind of egg is it. Hidden in the artefact room, they have built a nest for the egg to brood.

“Did you see that, Tarra! I swore it moved.”

“No, I didn’t see it, Pat.” Tarra pulled her wild curly blue hair up into a pile on her head.

“That's cause your hair was in the way.” Patrick rolled his eyes jokingly. “Besides, I can’t wait and see the baby dragon.”

Tarragon frowned, “I don’t think it’s a dragon egg, especially not an antipodean opaleye. The eggshell would be an opal colour then.”

“But it could be a defected egg,” Patrick argued. “Or even better, this could be a brand new dragon breed.”

This debate started as soon as they found the egg. Patrick was so determined that this would be a baby dragon even Tarragon remembered that her dad, who was equally dragon obsessed as Patrick, told her how he, with the help of her mother, bought what they thought was a dragon egg only for it to be an acromantula instead. Though Tarragon hasn’t mentioned that she has yet to see an antipodean opaleye in person, they’re rare to breed and even rarer to find in the wild, usually in New Zealand or Australia.

“No, this is clearly a hippogriff egg from the size and colour,” she pointed out the markings on the egg. “A hippogriff would be so cool to see especially a baby one.”

“Yeah, a hippogriff would be cool, but you know what would be cooler?”

“A dragon.”

“That’s right.”

“What are you two doing here?”

Patrick and Tarragon nearly jumped out of their own skin. Quickly using their bodies to hide the egg from the intruder behind them. It was Dylan Amari, a fellow Hufflepuff student in the year above them.

“Oh hey, Dylan. Didn’t see you there.”

“Hi Dylan,” Tarragon shyly waved before touching stray curls as her face blushed a bright pink. Patrick sighed inwardly for his friend's obvious crush and was even more impressed by Dylan’s obliviousness to it. Dylan raised an eyebrow at the two first years, obviously hiding something behind them.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

Tarragon and Patrick glanced at each, knowing that they were caught red-handed. Though she seemed to trust Dylan more to help than Patrick did.

“Well…we found an egg a week ago…” She avoided his gaze. They moved out the way to show Dylan the nest they made for the egg. “And we’ve been looking after it.”

“Do you know what kind of creature egg is it?”

“It’s a dragon!”

“Hippogriff!” Patrick and Tarragon glared at each other as they said simultaneously.

The answers didn’t help Dylan at all. “Let’s go to Hagrid’s hut. I was helping him and Saffron out earlier, and they needed more food for the jackalopes, which was why I came here.”

Patrick and Tarragon agreed with Dylan’s reasoning. They carefully wrapped the egg to walk down to the grounds outside Hogwarts, where Hagrid’s hut stood. The familiar sight of the giant pumpkins, where a blonde girl in a flowy, brightly coloured strappy dress stood in the midst. Tarragon recognised her immediately; she had seen Saffron Summers around in their common room. The first year found the third year quite peculiar yet intriguing simultaneously.

“Oh hello Dylan. I see you brought more friends,” On closer inspection, Tarragon noticed the lack of shoes on Saffron while surrounded by jackalopes.

“Yeah, they need help,” Dylan looked around. “Where’s Hagrid?”

“Oh, he had to leave because someone wandered into the forbidden forest,” she stated. Saffron tilted her head towards the blanket covering the egg in Tarragon’s arms. “Does it have anything to do with the ostrich egg?”

“Ostrich egg?” Patrick asked, surprised.

“Yes, yes. It's aura is not of a magical creature."

"Then what is an egg, ostrich or not doing in the forbidden forest?" Dylan

The three of them shrug; Saffron’s attention has been diverted to holding a crystal up to the sun. Dylan sighed at their unhelpfulness. “Well, we better wait here until Hagrid gets back.”

They agreed with Dylan’s suggestion. Dylan loaded off the creatures' food while Tarragon and Patrick fixated on the egg. Saffron seemed occupied by the jackalopes and her bunny rabbit, though Tarra had to fight the urge to stroke the white rabbit. Though Dylan seemed keen to everyone busy looking after the jackalopes, taking turns to take on egg duty.

It was Saffron’s turn to look after the egg. Tarragon joined her, looking at the sun slowly setting down at the forbidden forest. A vision of bright light flashed in her mind. The kind of light she would see when she shut her eyes in front of the sunlight. She glanced over at the white casing for the unknown creature lying inside.

“It’s time,” Saffron said with a knowing smile.

Tarragon realised what she saw. “Pat! Dylan! The egg is going hatch!”

“Really?! Hell yeah!” Patrick rushed over by their sides.

The four of them crowded around the egg in a circle. Watching the gentle movements. Tarragon received more visions, letting her know it was waking up and ready to come out into the big world. The cream shell cracked.

“That’s not a dragon.” Slight disappointment coated Patrick’s tone.

“It’s not a hippogriff either,” Tarragon said, a little less disappointed. However, still, it was not a baby hippogriff as she had hoped for.

“It’s an ostrich,” Dylan said, amused by the result. The baby ostrich wiggled around but managed to fully break the outer shell. Saffron gently picked up the baby bird and cleaned it from the fluids of the yolk sac.

“What will do with the ostrich now?” Patrick asked, looking up at Dylan.

“I guess we’ll have to wait for Hagrid and get his help,” Dylan reckoned. “He’ll know what to do?”

“Do we just wait here then?” Tarragon said, worried, unsettled by the darkening sky. “The sun is setting, and we can’t wait here in the dark.”

“If we explain to Hagrid what happened, I’m sure he’ll make sure we won’t get into trouble,” Patrick confidently assured Tarragon.

“I think Sunset is a good name for the ostrich,” Saffron piped in. Patrick and Tarragon were taken a little off guard by her comment. “Afterall, she was born at sunset.”

“I don’t have any problems with it,” Dylan shrugged. He looked over at the first years, “what about you guys?”

Tarragon shook her head as she stroked the tiny head.

“I don’t mind,” Patrick accepted the name too. A prominent figure ahead came down the hill, led by a dark dog.

“There’s Hagrid.” Tarragon pointed. Dylan looked relieved at the sight of the gatekeeper.

“Sorry, fer takin’ so long. That poor student had teh be sent teh the hospital wing.” Hagrid boomed across the field. He squinted his eyes to look closer at the now doubled number of students. “Grippin’ gargoyles, what happened ‘ere?”

The four Hufflepuffs looked at each before Patrick started, “Well, it’s a bit of a long story….”

#summer break challenge 2022

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