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the-al-chemist · 2 years

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Artemis Hexley and the Circle of Khanna

Chapter 21: Amends

A/N: Another year has come and gone at Hogwarts, but Artemis has some unfinished business to attend to before she can leave. Characters mentioned belong to @lifeofkaze, @thatravenpuffwitch, @that-scouse-wizard, @samshogwarts, and @kc-and-co. Warnings: alcohol consumption, mentions of sports related injury, references to canon typical discrimination, and mentions of death, grief, and loss.

Once the Aurors had left with Jacob and Rakepick, Professor Dumbledore sent the Circle of Khanna back to their dormitories.

“Except for you, Miss Hexley,” he said, and Artemis stopped walking with Tonks and Penny to face him. “There are things that I wish to discuss with you privately, if I may.”

Artemis had expected Dumbledore to take her back to his office, but instead, they walked straight past the gargoyle corridor in the direction of the hospital wing. The hospital wing itself was full of people and absent of statues.

“It worked!” Artemis said as she caught sight of Madam Pomfrey walking among her fellow victims of the statue curse. “They’ve all gone back to normal.”

“So it would appear,” said Dumbledore, bowing his head. He gestured to the staircase, and together he and Artemis descended the steps to walk out into the Clocktower Courtyard. Once they were standing outside, he raised his face to the heavens and chuckled gently. “I remember one starry night like this five years ago, I stood with a young girl who asked me about the Cursed Vaults. I distinctly recall telling her then - and several times since then, I might add - that she should leave the Vaults well alone.”

Artemis shrugged. “I’ve never been very good at doing what I’m told, Professor.”

“And for that, we should all be grateful. Thanks to the efforts of yourself and your friends, the school is safe. I should very much like to ask you, if you do not mind indulging my academic curiosity, what lay within the final Cursed Vault?”

“As in the power inside?” Artemis asked, and Dumbledore inclined his head. “I dunno, sir. We never got to opening the Vault properly, because it was protected by… something. It was horrible, we got these visions. Merula and Ben said they were all their worst memories, but I’m not sure. Some of the stuff I don’t remember seeing before, or if I have it was only in a dream, not in real life. It felt real, though, in the Vault. And it felt… awful. Like everything good had been sucked out of the world forever.” Artemis shuddered. “The merpeople said it was an evil place. It was. We went out, and we were thinking about how to break through the protection when Rakepick arrived. She wanted to kill me, again.”

“As always, Patricia Rakepick proves herself to be highly determined in getting what she wants.”

“Yeah. I mean, she could’ve killed me before, that night in the forest when… I don’t know why she didn’t honestly. It would’ve been easy because we weren’t paying attention to her, not after Rowan... But anyway, by the time we captured her, we were all worried. So we sealed the Vault. Jacob said it would stop the curse, it just means that eventually someone will have to go back and break all of the curses once and for all. He said that we would do it, but then he…”

Artemis’ voice tailed off. Once again, Jacob’s actions had left her mystified. And Jacob had left her. Again. Not only that, he had told the Aurors that he was the one who killed Duncan, that he was a member of the cabal. It couldn’t be true, but if it was untrue, why had he said all those things to the Aurors?

“If my memory serves me correctly,” said Dumbledore quietly, “that night when we first talked, you asked me whether I believed your brother to be mad, bad, or dangerous.”

“Maybe. It was a long time ago.”

“Indeed it was. But I did not believe it then, and I do not believe it now.”

“Do you know why he handed himself to the Aurors?” Artemis asked, continuing without even giving Dumbledore a chance to answer, “Do you know if it’s true, what he said about being part of R and killing Duncan? You don’t believe that he killed Duncan, do you?”

“I cannot pretend to know what your brother thinks, however I would hazard a guess that he is suffering from a guilty conscience, one that he wishes to relieve by attempting to make amends.”

Artemis frowned, not sure if she entirely understood Dumbledore’s words.

“So, what’s going to happen now?” she asked him.

“I am certain that the Aurors and the Wizengamot will see to it that justice is served appropriately, to both your brother and Madam Rakepick.”

“And what about here, at Hogwarts? And the Cursed Vaults? And me?”

“The Cursed Vaults will remain a mystery, and shall lie dormant until someone next attempts to open them, sometime in the future. When exactly, only time will tell,” Dumbledore fixed his blue eyes on Artemis behind his half-moon spectacles. “As for you, Miss Hexley, you have another month and a half before term ends, and another year of education after that. I suggest you make the most of it.”

There was a finality in his tone that made it clear that Artemis was dismissed. As she walked towards the door of the clocktower to return to her dormitory, the bell chimed twelve times. Behind her she heard Professor Dumbledore call her name, and she looked back to see him smiling at her.

“I believe I should wish you a happy birthday, Miss Hexley.”

With all the plans about the Cursed Vault, Artemis had almost forgotten all about her birthday. Thankfully, her friends had not. After lessons ended for the day, Penny and Tonks practically dragged her to the Three Broomsticks, where Rosmerta had decorated the bar with paper chains and colourful floating bubbles, and all of the Circle of Khanna had gathered around a set of tables.

“You really didn’t have to go to all this effort, Ros,” said Artemis, as Rosmerta pressed a small parcel into her hands.

“Nonsense, love. You’re seventeen. All grown up,” Ros smiled. “Now, are you going to use magic to open that present or not?”

Of course. Now that she was of age, Artemis was actually allowed to use magic outside of school. She grinned, and used her wand to vanish the wrapping paper off the gift. She had been expecting more Muggle music for the machine Ros had given her for Christmas the year before, but instead found herself holding an entirely different Muggle device. This one was small and square, with a dark glass circle in the centre, and a light glass square in one corner.

“Thanks, Ros,” Artemis smiled and frowned at the same time. “Um, what is this?”

“It’s a camera, love. It prints out photos as you take them,” Rosmerta informed her. “I thought that with you only having one year left at school, you would like a way to keep hold of as many nice memories as possible.”

“Yeah, I would. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, love. So, what do you want to have for your first drink as a grown woman?”

Artemis carried a small glass of a burgundy liquid that smelled like marzipan (“sloe gin, love”) and the Muggle camera over to her friends, and Penny showed her how it worked. By the time they left the inn and returned to the Hufflepuff dormitory, she had almost twenty photos of her and her friends and a niggling sensation in her head and heart. If only Rowan had been there. If only she had more photos of Rowan from when she had been there. Her first instinct was to push the thought away, but she stopped herself, and instead let the feeling sit there for a moment, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and picturing Rowan’s face, her doe-like brown eyes, the graceful curve of her nose, her smile. It was not a photograph, but it was something, at least.

“Are you alright, Artemis?” asked Alanza, sitting on the bed that used to be Rowan’s. Artemis smiled at her and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “Just thinking, that’s all. Thanks, though. It was nice of you to ask.”

“You know what else is nice?” Penny said, and she nodded her head at Chiara, who had brought her bedding into the dormitory to join the girls in their festivities. “You being here, Chiara. You really should stay here all the time, you know.”

Chiara gave Penny a thin-lipped smile. “As I told you before, I don’t want to wake you all up taking medications and-”

“And, as I told you before, none of us would mind one bit. Would we, Tonks?”

“Nah, I’m a deep sleeper.”

“See? Artemis and Alanza don’t mind either, do you?”

“It does not matter if I mind or not,” Alanza shrugged. “I will not be here next year anyway. I go back to Brazil at the end of term.”

“Oh, you must be so excited to see your family and friends.”

“I am, yes. But I will miss my friends here at Hogwarts, too. And Charlie, of course. Hopefully he will be able to visit me sometime. You all can visit as well one day, I will miss you four very much, too.”

“We will all miss you too, Alanza,” said Artemis, realising for the first time that she meant it. She had grown to quite like Alanza after all.

“Thank you, Artemis. You know, Chiara, you can have my bed when I go home, if you like.”

Before Chiara could either accept or decline Alanza’s offer, the door of the dormitory swung open. In crashed a short and stocky girl with short blue hair.

“Sorry for crashing in like a roaster,” said Skye Parkin, her face flushing. “I just need to chat tae ye, Hexley.”

“Fine. What about?”

“Cordelia Costa had a messed up cure for boils tipped over her hands in Potions class this afternoon, and her hands have come up in the most massive boils ye have ever seen. Madam Pomfrey says they’ll take a month tae heal properly, so she cannae play Quidditch next weekend. It means we’re down a Chaser. I’ve been tryin’ tae find a replacement but it’s slim pickings out there. Aw ma year are too busy revising for the N.E.W.T.s and the fifth years are aw flapping aboot the O.W.L.s. The fourth years are pure mince, and I’m already using my reserve player, so… Can you do it?”

Artemis frowned. “I’m not a Chaser, Skye.”

“That’s nae bother, Hopper will play Chaser. But that leaves us without a Seeker. She cannae play both, ken?” Skye sighed. “Look, Hexley, I ken that ye didnae want tae play anymore after what happened tae yer pal, but honestly, I’m desperate. Please? It’s the final, and I cannae go against Rath with no Seeker, those Ravenclaws will batter us.”

She looked at Artemis imploringly, and Artemis could see from the look in her green eyes that she meant it. So, Artemis nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Ye wee stoater, Hexley. Cheers, hen. See you oan the pitch at dawn, aye? We’re gaun tae need some emergency practice sessions tae get us aw back in shape. Rath won’t ken what’s hit her.”

Skye wandered off, muttering about Erika Rath under her breath.

“Well,” said Artemis. “Looks like I need to find my broomstick.”

She found her Comet 260 under her bed, next to the pair of matching burgundy notebooks she had intended to give Rowan for her seventeenth birthday, but had never got the opportunity to do so. She pushed them back, and pulled out the broomstick. It needed a good polish, but other than that it was ready to fly again.

And so was she.

The final Quidditch match of the year was between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, and its result would decide the winner of the Cup.

Ravenclaw was in the lead, but - as Murphy McNully reliably informed Artemis - there was still a chance of Hufflepuff snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat, provided that they beat Ravenclaw with a wide margin, which Skye was confident that they would.

Unfortunately, it turned out not to be the case.

The match was marginally less violent than the year before, with only two injuries: Abigail Adler, one of the Ravenclaw Chasers, sustained an injury during a manoeuvre Skye called “Parkin’s Pincer”, and Jean Bean the Hufflepuff Beater was knocked out of the sky by the combined force of both Rath and Cassiopeia using their bats to hit a Bludger at her simultaneously.

With one Beater out of the game, David Willows was having to work twice as hard to defend the players against Rath and Cassiopeia, leaving him unable to mount any form of powerful attack against the opposing team, and Andre Egwu and Hufflepuff’s Keeper Amelia Booth were equally matched as Keepers. Still, with Adler out of play, the Hufflepuff Chasers had the advantage. Skye, Lizzie, and Ellie worked well as a team, and over a few hours managed to rack up a score in Hufflepuff’s favour.

The fate of the game rested with Artemis, whose job was fairly simple: keep the Ravenclaw Seeker busy, wait for the point lead to increase, then catch the Snitch. This was complicated by the opposing Seeker, Samantha O’Connell, who seemed to have caught on to - or perhaps had been told about - all of Artemis’ distraction techniques, for she didn’t fall for any of them and stayed consistently focussed on her own hunt for the Snitch.

When Artemis finally saw the tiny golden ball, Hufflepuff still did not have enough of a lead to win the Cup. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one to have caught sight of the Snitch; O’Connell saw it too.

She had no choice; if she didn’t catch the Snitch now, Hufflepuff would lose the match as well as the Cup. So, she leaned forward and accelerated with the opposing Seeker, taking a deep dive and overtaking her, the wind whistling in her ears and whipping her hair as she gained speed and drew closer and closer to…

“Hexley catches the Golden Snitch,” Murphy’s voice echoed across the pitch. “Hufflepuff win 220 to 60, but Ravenclaw take the Cup!”

“Och, dinnae fash yerself, hen,” said Skye, when Artemis stopped her at the post-match party to apologise for not waiting longer to catch the Snitch. “At least we won the match, aye?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Artemis shrugged. “Does that mean that I can come back to the team next term? I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed playing Quidditch, what with everything that happened this year.”

Skye laughed. “It’s nae ma decision. I’ll be graduating next month, ken?.”

“What are you going to do after you leave?”

“I’m joining a professional team. Ma family’s team actually, the Wigtown Wanderers. I told ye before that ma Pa is the manager, and ma older brothers are already playing.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Aye, but it’s a lot of pressure. Always has been. At home, it’s the only thing that matters, and I just want tae… Aye, never mind. Sorry for havering, Hexley.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind,” Artemis told her. “I’m sorry for quitting earlier in the year. Hopefully whoever is Captain next year will let me back. Who is going to be Captain?”

“Dinnae ken yet. Jameson, Bean and I are aw aff, Willows does nae want the responsibility, the others have aw only been playing for a year. You dinnae want it, dae ye?”

“Not a chance,” Artemis laughed, and so did Skye. “I had a go at being the leader of a club this year and it’s really not my thing. Besides, I only played one match this year, and I don’t know enough about strategies and I’m no good at working out point margins and…” her voice tailed off as she had an idea. “Actually, Skye, I think I know who would be a great captain.”

“Who?”

Artemis looked across the Great Hall to where Murphy was sitting with Katriona Cassiopeia, the red-haired Ravenclaw Beater, on his lap. Skye frowned.

“McNully? He cannae fly, he’s in a wheelchair.”

“So what?” Artemis asked. “He knows more about Quidditch than anyone and it was his strategies that won us the Cup last year. And we’re Hufflepuffs. Aren’t we meant to believe in fair chances?”

“Aye,” Skye raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. “Aye, it’s no a bad idea. I am gaun tae have words with him about getting quite so close to the Ravenclaw Beaters, though. Cannae have that from our Captain.”

“That’s a shame.”

“For why?”

“Oh, no reason,” Artemis grinned, her eyes finding those of Erika Rath, which were fixed on Skye, and were filled with an expression that was far softer than anger. “I just think that there might be a Ravenclaw Beater who wouldn’t mind getting a little closer to you.”

“Och, naw. She’s just still raging about those rumours I started last year about her and that missing broomstick.”

“Then maybe it’s time that you try making amends,” said Artemis, and she gave Skye a small but mischievous smirk as she walked away from her, leaving a clear path between the two girls who were - for now, at least - rival team captains.

Artemis’ return to the Quidditch team might have distracted Penny from nagging Chiara Lobosca to take Alanza’s empty bed in the girls’ dormitory, but Chiara’s respite was short-lived. On the final night of term, while Alanza was making the most of her final evening with Charlie and the other girls were busy packing up their belongings, Penny dragged Chiara across the hallway and into the dormitory.

“See, there would be plenty of room for you, especially with Alanza leaving. I don’t mind taking down the garlands if you don’t like them, and Tonks can always free the bat.”

“Excuse me?”

“The beds are really comfy in here,” Penny continued, ignoring the affronted look Tonks was giving her. “Come and sit on Alanza’s bed - she won’t mind - and you’ll see what I mean. Chiara. Sit.”

Chiara did as Penny said and sat down on Alanza’s bed, though she sighed softly as she did so.

“Penny, I-”

“There. Don’t you think it’s comfy?”

“It is, Penny, and I’m really touched that you want me to move in here with you three, but I can’t,” Chiara said, her voice gentle and firm, all at once. “I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

“But-”

“Leave it, Penny,” muttered Artemis, shoving Fergus’ toys into her trunk. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not fine!” Penny said shrilly. “Because once Alanza leaves it will just be the three of us again, and Chiara is all alone, and I hate that we will have an empty bed and Chiara will have an empty dormitory, and I hate that Rowan won’t get to be here for our final year and that if we’d known that we would have spent more time with her when she was here, and now it’s too late.”

“Penny, don’t be upset, I didn’t mean-”

“And we should have spent more time with you as well, Chiara, and soon it will be too late for that, too. But you could still move in here and we could make up for you not having been here before, if you let us,” Penny looked at Chiara imploringly with her tear-filled blue eyes. “Please, will you let us?”

Chiara stared at the floor and shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Penny’s right, Chiara,” said Tonks. “You should move in here with us. It’s rotten of us for not insisting before.”

“But-”

“We don’t give a hoot about you waking us up in the night, honestly.”

“That’s not what this is about, it’s… Well, I’m not… I’m…”

Artemis frowned. “Chiara, you really don’t have to-”

“No. It’s okay, Artemis,” Chiara smiled sadly. “You see, the truth is… Well, the illness I have, it’s not a bleeding curse. It’s lycanthropy.”

Both Penny and Tonks fell silent, their lips parting and eyebrows furrowing.

“What?” Tonks asked eventually.

“I’m a werewolf. That’s why I have my own room, so I can take my Wolfsbane potion and transform without anyone being near me. I can’t move in here, because I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tonks pursed her lips. “But if you’re taking the Wolfsbane potion, you’re harmless, right?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“Ah, then it’s fine. I mean, we’re used to this kind of thing; we’ve already got Artemis turning into a cat every five minutes-”

“It’s not that often!”

“- and if I’m being honest, I’ve always been more of a dog person anyway,” Tonks shrugged and turned to Penny, whose lips were thin and cheeks pale. “What do you think, Pen?”

Artemis held her breath, not sure how Penny would react. After what felt like an age, Penny lifted her gaze to Chiara’s, her front teeth grazing her lower lip. When she finally spoke, her voice held a slight tremor.

“Would you be able to teach me how to make a Wolfsbane Potion?”

Chiara nodded, and a cackling Tonks ran across the room to jump on top of both her and Penny, knocking them backwards on the bed with a loud squeal and a giggle and pinning Chiara down.

“Artemis, help me! We can’t let her leave!”

Laughing, Artemis pulled out the camera Madam Rosmerta had given her and used it to print a photo of the others before joining them, Fergus watching from the windowsill with a look of disdain in his bottle-green eyes. They continued to laugh even as Chiara returned to her dormitory, promising to think about moving into Alanza’s empty bed next term.

“It’s going to be a bit weird without Alanza, isn’t it?” Tonks asked.

“I know what you mean. I’ve kind of gotten used to having her around,” said Artemis, frowning at Alanza’s - or was it Chiara’s, now? - empty bed. “Where is she, anyway? She can’t still be with Charlie, surely?”

“Oh, well. I expect that they will be having a rather long conversation, if you know what I mean.”

“No, Penny. I haven’t got the foggiest what you mean.”

“Well,” Penny sighed, “I expect that they’re breaking up.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because Alanza is going back to Brazil, and Charlie is staying here. It’s not like they’ll be able to see each other, is it? Just make sure that you’re nice to her when she comes back.”

“I’m always nice to her,” Artemis said, and Penny pursed her lips. “What? I am now.”

“Yes, I know, but remember, she will be just as upset as Charlie is. Try not to take his side over hers.”

Artemis’ eyebrows furrowed, and she returned to her half-packed trunk. If only there were something she could do to help. As she pulled out her last items from under her bed, she realised that maybe there was something she could do.

The following morning, when the other girls went into the Great Hall for their final breakfast together before the carriages departed for Hogsmeade station, Artemis lingered in the entrance hall, waiting for the Gryffindor boys to arrive. When they did, she grabbed Charlie by the arm and pulled him out into the courtyard outside.

“What’s up?” Charlie asked her, frowning deeply. “Are you alright?”

“Nothing, I’m fine. Are you alright?”

“Uh, I think so. Why?” Charlie’s frown deepened momentarily before he raised his eyebrows and nodded in recognition. “Oh, Alanza. Yeah, I’m… We’re going to see how it goes, so that’s… Well, we’ll see, won’t we?”

He gave Artemis a smile, though it was strained and forced. Artemis put her hand on his forearm.

“You’re upset,” she told him, and he shrugged.

“Yeah, sort of. I mean, I didn’t really want to break up, and I definitely didn’t want to upset her more than she already was, but I guess it’s just not very hopeful, is it? Brazil’s a really long way away. It’s not like I could afford to get Portkeys to visit her, and it would be too far for me to Apparate, even if I had passed my Apparition exam-”

“And you wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened in the exam. Alanza’s poor grandmother would be terrified.”

“Oi!” Charlie pushed Artemis gently. “I only got the destination a couple of miles wrong, and how was I supposed to know that poor old Muggle lady would be there?” He shook his head and added, “But you’re right, that probably wouldn’t make the best first impression.”

“Definitely not. What about writing? You could write to her, couldn’t you?”

“I could, but it would take ages for the letters to get there and back. I asked at the Owl Post Office last Hogsmeade weekend,” Charlie shrugged again. “It is what it is, I suppose.”

“But it doesn’t have to be,” Artemis told him, and she opened up her yellow rucksack, rummaged past her Muggle music machine, her camera, and an old cardigan to find what she was looking for, before handing Charlie two notebooks, both bound in wine-coloured leather. “Here. These are for you.”

“Thanks,” Charlie opened one and fanned through the blank pages. “Uh, no offence, but… Why?”

“Because you’re my friend, and I can see that you’re actually upset even though you’re just shrugging your shoulders and pretending that you’re ‘alright’,” Artemis gave Charlie a pointed look, and he half-laughed. She nodded her head at the two notebooks. “They’re a pair, when you write in one, the writing appears in the other so you can send messages to each other.”

Charlie’s eyebrows furrowed, and he tried to push the notebooks back towards Artemis. “No, I can’t take these.”

“Why not? They’re a present.”

“But they must have been expensive. Keep them.”

“I don’t want them,” Artemis said, completely honestly. “I bought them to give to Rowan for her seventeenth birthday, and… Well, she’s not going to use them, is she? You might as well have them.”

“Artie, I can’t-”

“If you don’t take them, I will throw them in the bin,” Artemis crossed her arms across her chest. “Besides, I thought I was your best friend.”

“You are.”

“Well then. It would be downright bloody rude of you not to accept my gift, wouldn’t it?”

“It would,” Charlie sighed. “Are you sure about this?”

“Positive.”

“Right. Then I’ll take them. Thank you. I mean it.”

“You’re welcome,” Artemis smiled as Charlie placed the notebooks in his satchel. She slung her rucksack over her shoulder and linked arms with him. “Come on, or they’ll run out of bacon.”

“That would be the real heartbreak in this situation.”

Thankfully, there was still bacon left at the Hufflepuff table, where the entirety of the Circle of Khanna had gathered to eat breakfast together before getting into the Thestral-drawn carriages.

Just as Artemis joined Penny, Chiara, and Tonks in their carriage, she paused to look closer at the Thestral, which blinked at her with its inky hooded eyes. She reached up and stroked its downy nose. It was softer than she had imagined it would be.

When their carriage reached Hogsmeade station, Artemis did not board the Hogwarts Express. Instead, she hugged her friends goodbye, making sure to hug Alanza twice (“Don’t forget, if you ever want to come to Brazil, you can stay with my family!”) before waving goodbye and watching the train pull away without her, Fergus miaowing dolefully at her side.

“What? You don’t really want to go back to Ma’s house, do you?” Artemis asked him, bending down to stroke him as he rubbed against her ankles. “I didn’t think so. We’ll have a much better time staying with Madam Rosmerta.”

A breeze ruffled through her hair and made her shiver, and she pulled the old cardigan of Rowan’s tighter around herself. In the corner of her eye, she noticed that the clock still read ten past ten. She smiled to herself, finally understanding what Rowan had meant when they had last stood here together; it was reassuring to know that some things would always remain the same, no matter how life changed.

“Expecto patronum.”

As she lifted her wand and whispered the words, a rush of silver light unfurled in the air in front of her, swirling into the lithe dappled form of a cheetah. The cheetah looked at her, and she nodded her head at it in recognition before following it down the length of the platform, letting it guide her to the place that, for this summer at least, she would call her home.

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helenadurazzo · 1 year

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I am redoing this poll because the models for post Hogwarts Barnaby, Tonks, Jae, and Merula have been released

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery #Talbott Winger #Skye Parkin #Erika Rath #Orion Amari #Ben Copper #Ismelda Murk #Charlie Weasley #Liz Tuttle #Diego Caplan #Tulip Karasu

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harrypotterhogwartshitpost · 2 years

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I've decided to find out if the ratio on our friends eye colors from Hogwarts Mystery lines up with the world ratio.

I know the world ratio is not completely accurate for this situation because only students from certain regions attend Hogwarts. And the Wizarding World ratios might be different from the muggle ratio (though I doubt Rowling put that much thought into it.) But finding accurate eye color ratios specific to the regions of wizards/witches that attend Hogwarts is kinda hard.

so let's start the the average eye color ratios, not caused by medical condition (because we know no characters have albinism or similar conditions)

Brown: 55% to 79%

Blue: 8% to 10%

Hazel/Amber: 5% to 10%

Green: 2%

Grey: 1%

Now, let's decide who all we're counting in this sample. Everyone on the "Friendship" roster who is human. (Sorry Hagrid but you are half giant and might screw up our statistics.) Plus Merula since she's on the "Romance" roster. That's a total of 24 people. Their eye colors are as follows:

Rowan: Brown

Ben: Brown

Penny: Blue

Bill: We'll say Green, because they're lighter than most green eyes, but not brown enough to be considered hazel.

Tonks: Assuming she hasn't used her powers to change her eye color, Hazel

Tulip: Brown

Barnaby: Green

Andre: Brown

Charlie: We'll call Amber because they are noticeably brighter than the rest of the characters with brown eyes, but have no green or green tones.

Jae: Brown

Badeea: Brown

Liz: Hazel

Talbott: Red, which is not a naturally occurring eye color.

Skye: We'll say Green like Bill, because there's not enough brown to consider them Hazel.

Chiara: Blue

Diego: Brown

Fred: Hazel

George: Hazel

Cedric: Hazel

McNully: Blue

Orion: Brown

Beatrice: Blue

Alanza: Brown

Merula: Purple, which is not a naturally occurring eye color

Since Talbott and Merula don't have eye colors that occur naturally without serious medical conditions (which they clearly do not have) we'll have to void them, making our total 22 people.

When we tally up each eye color we have:

Brown: 9

Blue: 4

Hazel/Amber: 6

Green: 3

Grey: 0

Now let's do some division and find out our percents.

Brown: 9/22= 0.409 0.409x100= 40.9%

Blue: 4/22= 0.181 0.181x100= 18.1%

Hazel/Amber: 6/22= 0.272 0.272x100= 27.2%

Green: 3/22=0.136 0.136x100= 13.6%

So our tally comes out to:

Brown: 40.9%

Blue: 18.1%

Hazel/Amber: 27.2%

Green: 13.6%

Keep in mind light eyes are more common in European regions, meaning Brown is likely to fall on the lower end at about 55%, and blue is likely to fall on the higher end at about 10%.

Given our small sample of only 22 I would say this is a fairly accurate eye color ratio.

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alice-beaumont-ravenclaw · 2 years

Text

Study Session

A/N #1: Fic #4 of the Quidditch series is finally here!

Quidditch series (in order): If the Shoe Fits | Of Threats and Persuasions | Off-Balance

Alice's outfit

Alice came down the stairs of her dorm into the Ravenclaw common room as she checked the content of her handbag. Andre, who was sitting in an armchair, looked at her with a smirk.

“So,” he said, “meeting Charlie, huh?”

Alice stopped dead in her tracks as she slowly looked up at her friend. “Meeting? What are you talking about?” she said, wondering if he had seen her sneak out of the common room. Worse, maybe he had observed her flying around the pitch with Charlie. After all, you got a pretty decent view of the pitch from the common room and the dorms…

“Your ‘study session’ with Charlie this morning in Hogsmeade? Why didn’t you tell me that’s why you wanted to spend time in Hogsmeade?”

Alice raised her eyebrows, eyes wide. “I didn’t think it would make a difference. You seemed pretty adamant about my need for training.”

“Well, it’s a good thing Charlie explained everything to me then.”

“I didn’t think you’d be ok with me prioritizing a study session over Quidditch practice.”

“Well, there are study sessions, and then, there are ‘study sessions,’” said Andre, wiggling his eyebrows.

Alice stared blankly at him. “If you say so… Anyway, better go down to breakfast if I don’t want to make Charlie wait. Coming?”

“Sure. We can discuss your choice of outfit on our way there,” said Andre as he got up from the armchair.

Alice rolled her eyes as she followed him out.

“Honestly, I would have been happy to plan your outfit,” Andre could be heard saying as he entered the Great Hall with Alice.

“My outfit is perfectly fine!” exclaimed Alice a bit too loudly, causing some to stare at her. She cleared her throat. “I’ll be able to go from my study session with Charlie to the Quidditch pitch. I thought you’d be glad I wouldn’t waste time changing before practice.”

“What’s going on?” asked Rowan as she buttered her toasts.

“Rowan, is my outfit ok for a study session?” asked Alice as she sat in front of her friend.

“Sure, ask Rowan. We all know she’s the fashion guru of Hogwarts,” muttered Andre, sitting next to Alice.

Rowan frowned as she glanced at Andre before turning her attention back to Alice. She looked at her friend’s blue sweatshirt on which was written ‘California’ in red across the chest. “Looks perfectly fine to me. Will keep you warm in the library.”

“But she’s not headed to the library. It’s a Hogsmeade ‘study session,’” clarified Andre, once again wiggling his eyebrows.

“Is there something wrong with your eyebrows?” asked Alice, staring at Andre.

Rowan just stared blankly at him. “Why would you go study in Hogsmeade instead of the library?”

“To talk!” interjected Alice. “I need to discuss the Care of Magical Creature assignment with Charlie. If we go to the library, we’ll be hushed every two seconds by Pince.”

Rowan nodded. “Makes sense. Too bad I have to work on my Arithmancy homework or I would have tagged along.”

Alice didn’t know why, but she felt relieved that Rowan wouldn’t join her and Charlie.

Andre looked between the two friends. While these two were extremely clever under normal circumstances, when it came to matters of the heart, they were as dumb as soup. He shook his head. “You two are hopeless. I’ll go eat with Penny,” he said, getting up to go to the Hufflepuff table.

“What was that about?” asked Rowan.

Alice shrugged as she put a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. “Andre stuff, I guess,” she said after swallowing.

As she drank the last drop of her orange juice, Charlie came to sit next to her. “Hey Rowan,” he said, waving to Alice’s best friend, who responded with a nod. “So,” he said, turning to Alice, “ready for our ‘study session’?”

“I think I’ve never heard the words ‘study session’ so much in one morning,” said Alice as she got up.

“Really?”

Rowan nodded. “It seems like Andre thinks one should dress a certain way to study with someone.”

Charlie looked at what Alice was wearing: a blue sweatshirt, jeans, brown boots, a small handbag, and her hair in a braid held by a red hair band. “You look fine to me,” he said, looking straight into her eyes.

Alice could feel her cheeks tingling. “Oh! Hum, thanks! Anyway, we should be going. Talk to you later,” she said, waving away to Rowan as she left the Great Hall with Charlie.

Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath as they stepped outside into the Courtyard. For a moment, the Great Hall had felt very stuffy. The sun shone brightly, making her squint as she opened her eyes. She started making their way toward Hogsmeade with Charlie and couldn’t help but think what a nice day it was… Too bad it would be ruined by her Quidditch incompetence.

Charlie glanced at her as they walked. She was biting her lower lip, deep in thought. Clearly, something was weighing heavy on her mind. Under normal circumstances, he would have guessed the Vault was the reason for her troubled expression. But after last night’s training, he knew all too well Quidditch was the culprit this time around.

They arrived in the wizarding village, and Charlie started to walk toward The Three Broomsticks, but Alice stopped him.

“Not there. Too much risk someone could overhear our conversation,” said Alice looking around. She gave a small nod once she noticed something Charlie couldn’t see. “That way,” she said, walking toward what looked like a small alleyway.

As they walked past Honeydukes, someone Charlie knew all too well exited the sweet shop.

“Good morning, Captain,” said the girl.

Alice and Charlie turned around. The girl was shorter than Charlie and had brown hair, though the tips and the braid across her forehead were blue. Freckles covered her cheeks, just like Charlie, but she had green eyes just like Alice.

“Hi, Skye,” said Charlie, waving lightly.

“What are you doing with the competition?” asked Skye, eyeing Alice with a smug expression that reminded the Ravenclaw of a certain Slytherin.

“Skye, Alice is my friend, not the competition,” said Charlie, frowning.

“Don’t tell me you already forgot she’s Ravenclaw’s newest addition to their team,” replied Skye, still looking at Alice.

“Charlie, who is that?” whispered Alice.

“Oh, sorry! Alice, this is Skye Parkin, one of my Chasers,” he said, nodding in Skye’s direction. “And Skye, this is…” he started, wrapping an arm around Alice’s shoulders.

“Alice Beaumont, Hogwarts’ Curse-Breaker and Ravenclaw’s newest Chaser, I know,” interrupted Skye.

Alice extended her hand. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.

Skye stared at Alice’s hand and then at Alice. With a slight frown, she shook Alice’s hand. “You have no idea who I am?”

Alice looked at Charlie, who was just shaking his head, eyes closed, before looking back at Skye. “Well, you are a Chaser for Gryffindor, no?”

Before Skye could say anything, Charlie said, “Skye, Alice’s interest in Quidditch is recent. She truly has no idea who you are.”

Skye’s mouth opened in shock. “Wow, so Ravenclaw’s new recruit might be easy to beat. Ah! We are so getting the cup this year,” she said as she started to walk away. “Oh, I nearly forgot,” she said, briefly turning around. “Thanks for saving our captain last time.”

“Hum, you’re welcome?” said Alice, bemused.

“But don’t expect Gryffindor to do you any favours. You are now the enemy,” said Parkin before running off toward The Three Broomsticks.

Alice stared at her running away before turning to Charlie. “So… What’s supposed to be so special about her?”

“Do you know the Wigtown Wanderers?” he asked as they started walking again.

“No,” she answered as they turned unto to alley.

Charlie stared at her. “Really? Ok, well, basically, Skye’s family founded that team. She comes from a long line of Quidditch players, including her father, who’s a Chaser for the Wanderers and considered a Quidditch legend by many. Let’s just say that Skye has quite a legacy to live up to, which can sometimes make her a bit of a pain, but she’s really not that bad.”

Just as he said that, they had stopped under a sign on which was painted a wild boar's severed head leaking blood onto the white cloth beneath it.

“This should do,” said Alice, pushing the door open.

When they entered the inn, Alice nodded at the barkeeper, who simply grunted what sounded like a hello. There was something about him that seemed familiar to Charlie, but before he could look closer, Alice took him to a table in the corner of the dingy and dirty room.

“Do you want me to go fetch us some Butterbeers?” asked Charlie, placing his coat on the back of his chair.

Alice looked around, her nose wrinkled. “Nah, it’s fine. I strangely do not want to try a Butterbeer and dust mix.”

“You picked the place, Beaumont.”

“I know, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so… gritty. Then again, what was I supposed to expect from Mundungus.”

“Who?”

“Just someone I know from my dealings with Rakepick. Said he knew of a bar in Hogsmeade perfect for more discreet business transactions. Figured that’s what my situation called for.”

“Well, I think we can be certain no Hogwarts student will come in here,” said Charlie, still looking around, this time at the dubious patrons. “Alice? Are you ok? You look like you are overheating,” he said, now staring at Alice, who was pulling on the collar of her jumper.

“I mean, it is a bit stuffy here, no?”

“No, I’d say it’s actually chilly… Alice? Did you use that spell I taught you yesterday on your jumper?”

“Yes, why?”

Charlie slapped his forehead. “It’s for outdoor use only! That spell warms you up; it doesn’t regulate your body temperature. It’s like wearing a big winter coat; outside, you feel fine, but inside, just like with a winter coat, it’s too hot.”

“Huh-uh, huh-uh, thanks for the Charms lesson, Charlie Flitwick, but is there any special spell to stop it or do I just use the good ol’ ‘Finite Incantatem’? Because I’m starting to feel a bit faint, and it’s not like I can remove my jumper.”

Charlie blushed at the thought, covering the lower half of his face with his hand as he looked away. “The usual,” he muttered.

So, with a flick of her wand, Alice ended her suffering. Well, her physical suffering, as her mental pain related to Quidditch was far from being over. “So, me not knowing Skye Parkin is basically Quidditch royalty was a giveaway of my Quidditch knowledge?”

“Well, in a way, as most Quidditch fans at Hogwarts know who she is. I actually heard Penny is a big fan. But that’s mostly trivia-wise. You do not need to know every single Quidditch team out there to be a good—”

“Good?”

“Ok, decent. You don’t need to know anything about Quidditch teams to be a decent player. Though most at least have a favourite team.”

“Really, what’s your favourite?”

“Well, not the Chudley Cannons, but don’t tell that to Ron. It’s his favourite team.”

“What’s wrong with them?”

“They just… suck. Last time they won the cup was in the 1890s.”

“So I could become a professional Quidditch player after all!”

“Alice, that kind of attitude won’t help you on the pitch.”

“Sorry… But who’s your favourite team then?”

“I… don’t think I have any.”

Alice smirked. “So, no Dartmouth Dragons, huh?” she asked.

Charlie laughed. “No, no, no team decided to call themselves the Dragons, unfortunately. But I see you have noticed the pattern in Quidditch team naming.”

“Well, with names like the ‘Wigtown Wanderers,’ the ‘Portree Pride,’ and the ‘Chudley Cannons,’ it’s hard not to notice. So, it’s not the end of the world if I don’t have a favourite team?”

Charlie shrugged. “I guess not, but I’d say that even if I don’t have one, I still follow what goes on in Quidditch. So as not to seem like a complete outsider, I suggest you find one anyway.”

“What about the Locronan Lutins?”

“The who?”

“I think they’re in the French League?”

A glint appeared in Charlie’s eyes as he smiled. “That might actually work to your advantage. Gives you a favourite team without having to discuss it too much. How do you know about that team?”

“It’s my dad’s favourite. So, now that I have a favourite team, how do I fool the Ravenclaw Quidditch team into thinking I’m not a lost cause and might make a decent Chaser?” she asked as she started to trace a game of tic-tac-toe in the dust that covered the table.

“Well, like I said, as long as you don’t stare up into the sky without looking at a precise target, your fear of heights probably won’t show too much. Just do whatever you do during flying class. Andre seems to have been fooled by that as he described you as good enough on a broom. Clearly, he never saw how white your knuckles became. Speaking of which, why did you decide to keep on taking those flying classes?”

“To help with my fear of heights…”

“Well, I can tell you it clearly didn’t work.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious. I figured that much. But it doesn't help when Madam Hooch tells us that flying is like walking, except you could die.”

Charlie chuckled. “That sure doesn’t help someone who’s already lacking confidence when flying.”

“Exactly. And now I have to fly AND throw around a Quaffle. Oh, and also avoid Bludgers so they won’t crack my skull. Why do people play Quidditch again?”

“Because it’s fun?”

“Ah, yes, nothing more fun than risking being killed by a flying metal ball whose sole purpose is to harm. Jolly good fun.”

“Would you rather spend your free time with Rakepick?”

Alice twisted her lips, deep in thought. “Fine. I guess I’d rather be bludgeoned by a Bludger.”

“That’s the spirit! Now, let’s discuss how your situation is not as bad as you think.”

They discussed how Alice’s situation was not as bad as it first appeared for about an hour. Andre had selected her based on her aim and supposedly good flying skills, which he had witnessed on separate occasions. This meant that he was probably not expecting her to automatically know how to combine both skills. As long as she kept her focus and didn’t lose herself in the vastness of the sky, she could pull it off. Charlie had no doubt the rest of the team would do all they could to train her properly, knowing she was a last-minute replacement and most likely thinking she was doing Andre a favour.

“This reminds me… I forgot to ask how your Quidditch theory class went yesterday,” said Charlie.

“Well, it was like getting a summary of Quidditch Through the Ages. I even got homework,” replied Alice.

“McNully’s playbook?”

Alice nodded. “No wonder Rowan has a crush on him,” she mumbled.

“On who? McNully?”

“She won’t admit to it, but she keeps gushing about him ever since she heard Andre wanted me to join the team, telling me I should read all the Quidditch articles he wrote to get a better feel for the game.”

“But he’s al—” started saying Charlie.

“But of course, I told her the only way to get a good feel for the game is to actually play it.”

“Yes, that’s true, but—”

“Then, she got all huffy and puffy on me and said she was just trying to help.”

“Alice—”

“So I told her it was just because she had a thing for the great Murphy McNully and that instead of trying to push match descriptions on me, she should just go hang out with him.”

“Alice.”

“He’s not gonna fall for her if she just watches him from afar like some lovelorn teenage girl—”

“Alice!”

“What?”

“You’ve been rambling on…”

“Oh! Sorry!”

“Anyway, as I was about to say, McNully is already spoken for.”

“Aw shucks. I was hoping she would be lucky this time around.”

“This time around?”

Alice’s eyes grew wide, realizing she had potentially said too much. Thankfully for her, the innkeeper interrupted their conversation, handing her a letter an owl had just delivered.

“The Headmaster sent this for you,” he said before going back behind the bar.

Alice took it and quickly read it. “Dumbledore wants to see me…”

“What for?” asked Charlie, glancing back at the man behind the bar.

“Doesn’t say. I wonder how he knew I was here… Anyway, I’d better not make him wait,” Alice said as she got up, pointing her wand at her jumper.

“Here,” said Charlie, handing her his coat, “take my coat.”

“You’re sure? Won’t you be cold?” she asked, looking at the coat hesitantly.

“It’s really not that cold outside,” he said, draping the coat over her shoulders. “I’ll be fine.”

Alice could feel her cheeks heat up as her mind wandered back to the night of the Celestial Ball when Charlie had placed his jacket on her shoulder when they had left the others for the peacefulness of the Courtyard.

“Alice?” asked Charlie, staring at her.

Alice shook her head, shaking away the memories that had invaded her mind for a moment. “Sorry, was just wondering what Dumbledore wants with me.”

Charlie looked at her with an eyebrow raised, dubious.

Alice tugged at his arm, ignoring his gaze, leading him toward the door. “Come on! I’d better go and see what Dumbledore wants before facing the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.”

They quickly made their way back to the castle. When they arrived in front of the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s office, the gargoyle immediately lept aside, the wall behind it splitting to reveal a moving spiral staircase.

“Looks like it was warned of your arrival,” whispered Charlie, staring at the gargoyle.

Alice took a deep breath as she removed Charlie’s coat from her shoulders. “Well,” she said, handing him the coat, “wish me luck.” She climbed the stairs, the wall closing behind her and the gargoyle leaping back to its initial position.

As he waited, he caught a glimpse at the end of the corridor of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, who were most likely heading for the pitch. Andre saw him, and after saying something to his teammates, he sauntered toward Charlie.

“Your ‘study session’ is already over?” he asked as he made his way to his friend.

“Study session?”

“Well, that’s what Alice seemed to think it was. A Care of Magical Creature study session,” said Andre, smirking. “Though I didn’t see any books when you two left the Great Hall.”

“She just needed to talk about something,” replied Charlie.

“Sure… Something…”

“Wipe that smile off your face, Egwu. Nothing is going on between Alice and me.” At least, not what he’s imagining is happening, thought Charlie.

“Whatever you say, Weasley.”

At that moment, the stairs reappeared as the gargoyle leapt aside once more. Alice slowly came down, a shocked expression plastered on her face.

“Is everything alright?” asked Andre and Charlie in unison.

Alice looked at one and then at the other before looking straight ahead. “I’m… a Legilimens.”

A/N #2: I hope you enjoyed it! Next up: Alice's first team practice.

#quidditch series #hphm fanfic #alice beaumont #charlie weasley x mc #hphm mc #charlie weasley #jacob’s sibling #hogwarts mystery mc #hogwarts mystery #andre egwu #rowan khanna #skye parkin #charlie weasley x alice beaumont #hogwarts mystery fanfic

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lifeofkaze · 2 years

Text

In the Balance - Chapter 1

Rowan’s Reprise

Read the next chapter here. You can find all the chapters of this series (and some more) here.

“Lizzie?”

Lizzie sighed happily. The wind was whipping through her hair and the sun was burning hot on her skin. She leaned forward on her broomstick, picking up speed. The rush of adrenaline she felt as her surroundings were beginning to blur was exhilarating.

“Lizzie!”

Orion was flying in front of her. Just a little closer and she would be able to catch him. The light of the sun was reflecting off his dark hair and Lizzie knew it would be warm to her touch. She just needed to fly faster, a little bit faster.

“Lizzie, wake up!”

With a jolt, Lizzie woke from her dream. It took her a moment to remember where she was. The air in Professor Binns’ classroom was stuffy and warm, the light filtering in from the open windows carrying with it the warmth of the day outside. A slight breeze was wafting into the room, caressing her cheek.

Reluctantly, Lizzie sat up straight; she must have fallen asleep halfway through the lecture on the Statue of Secrecy. She half expected Rowan to berate her for not paying proper attention but much to her surprise, Rowan wasn’t invested in today’s lesson at all; with a flustered look on her face, she leaned closer to Lizzie, whispering urgently.

“He’s doing it again!”

Lizzie was at a loss of what Rowan was talking about. “Who is doing what again?”

“Barnaby Lee. He’s looking over here all the time. I counted twenty-four times in the last half hour.”

“Alright, McNully,” Lizzie muttered under her breath. “We’re sitting next to the window, maybe that’s what he’s been looking at?”

Rowan shook her head. “No, he’s always looking in our direction these days, no matter where we are sitting.” She gave Lizzie a strange look. “I think he’s fancying you.”

“He what?!”

Several heads shot around to Lizzie, including the translucent one of Professor Binns.

“You heard that correctly, Miss Jameson. The Minister of Magic’s decision was rash and - dare I say it - foolish. I appreciate your enthusiasm. Five points to Hufflepuff.”

Blushing in embarrassment, Lizzie waited until Professor Binns had returned to his monotone lecturing before she turned to Rowan again.

“You can’t be serious,” she said, more quietly this time. “Barnaby would never fancy me. I do have a boyfriend, after all.”

“I know,” Rowan replied wryly. “Trust me, everyone knows.”

Lizzie bit her lip as her bad conscience stirred. She and Orion had been a couple for a while now and, as far as Lizzie could tell, Rowan was fine with it. Considering all the fighting that had gone down between them because of Orion in the past year, however, Lizzie’s relationship still was a topic they were generally trying to avoid.

“My point exactly,” she agreed anyway. “Everyone knows and so does Barnaby. Why would he fancy me if I’m not even available?”

“It’s not like your feelings are something you can control.”

The look of melancholy on Rowan’s face made Lizzie want to say something, but before she got the chance, she was again interrupted by Professor Binns.

“Miss Khanna and Miss Jameson, if you have some commentary to add to the third article of the Statue of Secrecy, please share it with the rest of us. If not, I strongly encourage you to resume your discussion after class.”

Sharing a look and a barely perceptible shrug, Rowan returned her attention to her notes, leaving Lizzie to ponder about what she had said about Barnaby. After their class was over, Rowan hurried off to get herself a seat close to the window in the stuffy Divination classroom. Knowing Barnaby was taking Divination to N.E.W.T level as well made Lizzie regret dropping it for the first time since her pathetic O.W.L. exam.

She was impatient for her Care of Magical Creatures class to be over so she could catch up with Rowan at lunch. But when she arrived at the already packed Hufflepuff table, Rowan wasn’t there.

“I don’t remember Rowan ever being late. I wonder what kept her,” Lizzie thought out loud while helping herself to some vegetables.

“We’re about to find out,” Tonks said with a mouth full of potatoes, pointing at the entrance of the Great Hall. She swallowed, struggling for a moment with the sheer amount of food she had stuffed into her cheeks. She tried again, a lot clearer this time. “Blimey, she looks like she’s seen the Bloody Baron without his wig!”

Tonks was right. Rowan was walking up to them looking flustered, constantly adjusting the stack of books she was carrying under her arm. She was staring at her feet and her glasses kept sliding down to the tip of her nose. She didn’t say a word when she sat down next to Lizzie, still clutching her books tightly to her chest.

“Rowan, are you alright?” Penny asked tentatively after everyone had waited for Rowan to say something. Rowan blinked, as if only now realising that all of her friends were staring at her.

“He asked me out,” she said flatly.

“What?”

“Who?”

“When?”

“Why?”

Lizzie kicked Skye beneath the table for the last question. Realising how it must have come across, Skye cleared her throat, colour rising to her freckled cheeks.

“What I mean is, you can’t pull off a Parkin’s Pincer before you can do a proper Blatching,” she said matter-of-factly. When everyone stared at her in confusion, she clarified, “Start at the beginning, maybe?”

Rowan finally put her books down and exchanged them for a piece of bread she was reducing to crumbs in a matter of seconds.

“Remember how I said Barnaby was always looking at us?” she said to Lizzie. “He did it again, in Divination. Only that you weren’t there, obviously. He must have seen me looking back because he… he smiled at me.” Rowan reached for a new slice of bread, the first one lying in a messy pile on her plate, but Penny had moved the basket out of her reach. “When class was over he caught me by the ladder.” She stopped talking, now wringing her napkin between her hands.

“And then?” Penny asked eagerly.

“He asked me out.”

“I knew it!” Penny exclaimed, raising her arms above her head in triumph. Seeing that she had drawn the attention of the people surrounding them, she quickly lowered her voice again. “That’s brilliant news, Rowan! It was about time Barnaby plucked up the courage to ask you out.”

Rowan wasn’t the only one looking at her with wide eyes. “You knew?”

“Wasn’t it ever so obvious?” Penny giggled. “Everyone knows Barnaby has the biggest crush on Rowan.” When she saw her friends exchanging glances, she looked confused. “Almost everyone, it seems.”

“But what am I supposed to do now?” Rowan sighed. “I never had a date before.”

“Stick to Jameson and Haywood, they can tell you all about dating... and the other stuff, as well,” Skye grinned, earning herself another kick from Lizzie.

“What did you say?” Lizzie asked, graciously ignoring Skye’s dark look and Tonk’s sniggering.

Rowan pushed her glasses up her nose. “I suggested we could study together.”

Tonks guffawed while Penny sighed in deep resignation; the sound seemed to come from the bottom of her heart.

“It’s a start,” she said, patting the back of Rowan's hand sympathetically. “Some of the best things start over studying, I guess.”

She was trying not to look at Lizzie, but she had seen the furtive glance directed at her anyway.

“I think a study date is a great idea,” she declared, determinedly ignoring Penny. “If you feel insecure about going on a proper date with him, treading on safe ground is always best. You feel confident sharing knowledge and you’re a great teacher. You’ll have a fantastic time,” she added, pointedly looking into a still giggling Tonks’ direction.

“You know what else would make me feel more confident? If I wasn’t alone,” Rowan said. “I’m nervous even thinking about it. What if Barnaby already knows all the stuff I could teach him?”

“Nothing I’d be afraid of… Merlin’s beard, Jameson, stop it!” Skye complained after receiving her third kick from Lizzie. Thankfully, Rowan was paying their bickering no mind.

“What if I forget my facts? Just imagine - Hogwarts’ youngest professor in the making, not knowing what she is talking about anymore. Can’t one of you come with me?” she said with a pleading look at Lizzie. Tonks stopped laughing, while Penny and Skye exchanged glances.

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Penny asked tentatively. “You kind of had this exact situation before, you know?”

Lizzie felt the heat rising to her face. “That was something different,” she said quickly.

“No, it wasn’t,” Tonks said breezily, falling silent at the dark look Lizzie was giving her.

“Yes, it was. I’m not interested in Barnaby whatsoever and he obviously has a crush on Rowan. I would never -” Lizzie stopped herself right there, seeing how Tonks was raising her eyebrows. “What I wanted to say is, of course I’ll come with you if that makes you feel better,” she said to Rowan instead. “Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there to cheer you on.”

“What we can’t do alone, we can conquer with the support of our friends, thus is the spirit of friendship.”

Lizzie couldn’t help the smile spreading on her face upon hearing Orion’s voice behind her. She shuffled closer to Rowan to make room for him on the bench. Her smile widened when Orion leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. They were sitting near the end of the table, close to the raised podium where the professors were sat. The teachers weren’t approving of too much public display of affection, so a kiss on the cheek would have to be enough for her.

As usual, Skye was rolling her eyes from across the table. “Get a room, you two.”

“Deal with it, Parkin,” Lizzie shot back and flicked a pea at her. It hit her right between the eyes, bumped off her head and rolled off the table.

“Jameson’s lunch hits Parkin straight in the middle of her forehead. Her aim with peas has now improved by 10.4 % compared to grapes,” Murphy commented happily while reaching for the bowl with potatoes at the same time as Skye. Since Skye had no intention of eating and every intention of throwing them, he quickly snatched the bowl out of her reach.

“What have you girls been talking about anyway?” he asked as he piled the food onto his plate.

“Rowan has a date,” Tonks said conspiratorially.

“With Barnaby Lee,” Penny continued with a dreamy sigh.

“And Jameson’s gonna crash it on request,” Skye added, still glowering at her teammate.

Orion’s eyes came to rest on his girlfriend. “You are accompanying Rowan to her rendez-vous?”

“We’re studying,” Rowan corrected him hastily. “It’s no such thing as a rendez-vous.”

“If I remember correctly, we had a situation that was 75.8 % similar last year and it plunged our group into more chaos than Tonks spilling Vitamix Potion over the plants in the common room.”

“This is different. I know it sounds just like what happened last year, but all I want is to support Rowan,” Lizzie repeated firmly, daring anyone to press the matter further. It hurt that all of her friends were so apprehensive about the situation. It wasn’t like she had purposefully developed feelings for Orion while Rowan had been crushing on him, after all.

She felt Orion’s hand cover her own under the table, his thumb running over the back of her hand in a reassuring gesture. She gave his hand a light squeeze and smiled gratefully at him.

They resumed their meal without bringing the topic of Rowan’s date up again. The conversation soon turned to the upcoming Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor and Lizzie was thankful for the distraction. When they got up to leave, Lizzie and Orion trailed behind the group.

“You’re still bothered by Rowan’s request, aren’t you?” Orion said quietly as they walked out of the Great Hall side by side.

“It’s more the reaction of the others. They act as if I’m going to steal Barnaby away from Rowan if I come too close. It’s ridiculous.”

“You have to admit, the similarities to the arrangement you made last year are striking.”

“So you agree with them?” Lizzie said, suddenly feeling irritated.

“Not at all,” Orion replied calmly, draping his arm around her shoulder as soon as they were out of sight of the teachers’ table. Lizzie relaxed and leaned against his shoulder. “I was just stating the obvious. Repetition is part of our nature, but so is growth. It is by learning from the past that we change our paths. The premise of this new situation may be similar, but the variants have changed because you have grown and adapted.”

He stopped and gave her a sweet, lingering kiss that made Lizzie’s knees go weak. “Don’t forget, Chaser, the stroke of a butterfly’s wings can alter the course of the world. Just imagine what somebody as marvellous as you could do.”

They made their way back to the common room talking about their upcoming Quidditch practice, but Lizzie couldn’t get Orion’s words out of her head. Her friends were right in saying that Lizzie and Rowan going on a study date with an unheeding boy did have somewhat of a history, but Orion had a point, as well - things had changed profoundly, so what was she even worrying about?

When the weekend and the day of Rowan’s date arrived, the usually so collected Hufflepuff prefect was reduced to a nervous wreck. Neither Penny’s soothing words nor Tonks’ horrendous jokes were helping much in making Rowan feel better.

Skye had decided to stay out of the discussion altogether. “There’s a reason I’m not interested in blokes and I won’t start getting a twist in my knickers over one that isn’t even my problem.”

Rowan actually seemed grateful that at least one of her friends wasn’t making a fuss about her, so Lizzie decided to stay on the quiet side as well and see whatever Rowan would be needing to calm down. When they were walking to the library in the late afternoon, her curiosity eventually got the better of her, however.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as they were climbing the staircase leading from the dungeons to the ground floor. “Are you nervous?”

“I feel worse than before we got our O.W.L. results,” Rowan groaned. “What if this is all a bad idea? What if everything goes wrong? I’m not even sure I like him that way.” She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going wide behind her silver-rimmed glasses. “Oh no, what if he doesn’t like me that way?”

Lizzie linked arms with Rowan and pulled her along, stepping into the wide corridor that would take them to the library. “Of course he likes you, Ro. He’d be daft not to, and it was him asking you out, remember?” They stopped in front of the heavy library doors. “As for whether you like him or not, there’s only one way to find out.”

Before Rowan could say anything, Lizzie pushed the doors open and entered the library. She scanned the rows of tables running the length of the vast room between the tall bookshelves until she spotted Barnaby. He was sitting at one of the more secluded studying nooks and looked surprised when he saw that Rowan wasn’t alone.

“Hello, Lizzie,” he said with an astounded voice, “I didn’t know you’d be here, too. Should I have known? Should I have brought more parchment? I should have brought more parchment,” he decided with a miserable look on his face.

“Don’t worry, Barnaby, I brought my own. And you couldn’t have known I was coming, it was a last minute decision, so to speak. I just need some help with the Care of Magical Creatures homework.”

“But you’re so good with creatures.”

“Not as good as you are.”

“I am pretty good with them, I guess,” Barnaby beamed. “What do you want to know?”

Lizzie was glad she had put Barnaby at ease, but she could feel Rowan’s eyes on her back as he started rustling through his stack of notes; she stifled a sigh - time to backtrack.

“I have to get an overview over the material first,” she told him quickly. “You and Rowan don’t mind me and do whatever it is you want to do.”

Lizzie sat down, snatched the first Care of Magical Creatures book she could reach and buried herself in the pages with so much enthusiasm she feared Barnaby might get suspicious. Luckily, Barnaby wasn’t someone to easily get suspicious at all.

“Your jumper is very pretty,” Lizzie heard him mumble to Rowan and she bowed deeper over to pages to hide her smile. “Not that you don’t always look very pretty, of course.”

“That’s the jumper of our uniform. Everybody is wearing it.”

“But it suits you better than everybody.”

Lizzie had to suppress a grin. Rowan and Barnaby were so awkward with each other, it was just plain adorable.

They all worked in silence for a while. Every time Lizzie was raising her eyes from her book, she could see Rowan and Barnaby glancing at each other, quickly dropping their eyes to their notes again as soon as they made contact. This was getting nowhere, Lizzie decided. It was time for her to make an exit.

“Oh no,” she suddenly gasped dramatically, earning herself a warning look from Madam Pince.

“What is it?” Rowan asked.

“Are you out of parchment? I can go fetch some,” Barnaby offered.

“I completely forgot that we have a team meeting in ten minutes,” Lizzie said, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Silly me.”

Rowan looked at her suspiciously. “You had a team meeting the day before yesterday.”

Lizzie cursed inwardly; count on Rowan to keep track. “Yes, but you know how Orion is. The closer the team, the happier he is.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Barnaby agreed. “Sitting close to your best friends is wonderful but it can get uncomfortable so quickly.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Lizzie agreed after a moment of stunned silence. “I need to get my Quidditch stuff, so I’d better go. Sorry to leave you hanging,” she winked at Rowan, “but I’m sure you’ll manage perfectly without me.”

She knew by the flicker of panic in Rowan’s eyes that she had figured out what Lizzie was doing. She opened her mouth to protest, but Lizzie had already gathered up her things and was marching in the direction of the exit.

Instead of leaving the library, however, she checked if Rowan or Barnaby could still see her before turning and walking back the way she had come in the cover of the shelves. When she reached the same level as Rowan’s and Barnaby’s table, she stepped as close to the edge of the bookshelf as she dared and peered around the corner.

“Psst, Lizzie! Over here!”

Lizzie startled when she heard the subdued whisper. Looking up, she could see Tonks’ bubblegum pink hair peeking out from behind another bookshelf, a very annoyed looking Skye standing next to her. Making sure Roman and Barnaby were distracted, Lizzie darted across the aisle.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed at her friends.

“Enjoying the show,” Tonks grinned before peeking around the edge again. “We’ve got a bet going on if Barnaby manages to land with Rowan or not.”

“Some friends you are,” Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.

“Look who’s talking,” Skye snorted. “Team meeting, what a lame excuse. I expected better of you.”

“Better than hiding behind a bookshelf to spy on my friend’s date, though.”

Skye was about to shoot back but was interrupted by Tonks. “Do you want to bicker or do you want to know what’s going on?”

Lizzie and Skye glared at each other for another moment before joining Tonks on her watchpost. Skye was kneeling on the ground below her, while Lizzie half climbed onto one of the tables to look over Tonks’ head.

“You three are impossible, seriously.”

Lizzie jumped in surprise. Almost falling off the table, she grabbed Tonks’ shoulder for support, who in turn knocked a heavy foliant off the shelf. It was only thanks to Skye’s sharp reflexes that it didn’t crash onto the floor; she caught the book with one hand, wincing at its considerable weight. The three of them quickly ducked out of sight when Rowan turned her head in their direction.

They turned to see a stern looking Penny in front of them. She had one hand stemmed into her hips, while the other was holding a leatherbound Potions book.

“To spy on Rowan, I can’t believe it,” she scolded them. “Is that how friends behave?”

“And you? Are you checking out a book you already own because it’s a different edition than yours? Or is it maybe because you have a perfect view of the tables from the Potion’s section?”

Penny blushed vividly, clutching her book tighter to her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lizzie.”

“So you’re saying you don’t want to see the move Rowan just pulled?” Tonks chuckled, her eyes already glued to the reading tables again. Penny moved and snatched the spot on the table from Lizzie before she even got the chance to react. She was left with no choice but to kneel down next to Skye, silently squabbling with her for the better view.

Rowan’s quill was lying on the ground between her and Barnaby’s chair. They both had bent down to retrieve it, their faces so close they were almost touching. Even from where they were hiding, Lizzie could see the flush creeping up Barnaby’s neck. Rowan’s glasses had slid down her nose again, but she made no move to push them back up; she was way too busy staring into Barnaby’s eyes.

Just before their hands could touch over her quill yet another chiding voice in their back had the four girls almost knock their heads together.

“What in Godric’s name do you think you’re doing?”

Lizzie turned to see her friend Charlie looking down at them with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The brown leather bag he had slung across his shoulder was looking heavier than usual and there were several books on dragons peeking out from underneath the flap.

“I’m listening, Snidget,” Charlie said again, looking at Lizzie with raised eyebrows.

“I suppose admiring the shelving is not something you’d believe?” she asked hopefully.

“I thought you were better than snooping on Rowan.” Charlie shook his head and nodded towards the exit of the library. “Come on, all of you. I can’t believe you girls sometimes.”

Knowing that resistance was futile, Lizzie and her friends trudged towards the door. Despite their best efforts to remain hidden, Charlie calling them out had attracted quite the attention. Lizzie was dismayed to see that Rowan and Barnaby were among the students staring in their direction.

Catching Rowan’s eye, Lizzie was trying her best to convey how sorry she was for first abandoning and then returning to spy on her. She was relieved to see that a smile was forming on Rowan’s face. The sight made Lizzie chuckle to herself; it was a kind of smile she herself was remembering all too well. As she was marched out of the library, she could just hear Rowan saying something to Barnaby, the happy smile still plastered onto both their faces.

Lizzie wasn’t sure if Barnaby and Rowan had enough in common to actually work in the long run but that was beside the point. For now, Rowan was happy and that was more than enough to make Lizzie satisfied.

Maybe Orion had been right, she thought to herself. Only because the premise was the same, the ending of a story didn’t have to be.

Maybe Rowan would get her happy ending after all.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #quidditch #orion amari #skye parkin #murphy mcnully #barnaby lee #rowan khanna #penny haywood #nymphadora tonks #charlie weasley #lizzie jameson #in the balance

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ameliathefatcat · 1 year

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Hogwarts Mystery full name headcanons

Amelia Sarah Goldstein (mc)

Jacob Simon Goldstein

Rowan Khanna

Penelope Marie Haywood

Benjamin Joshua Copper

Charles Otto Weasley

Chiara Elizabeth Lobosca

Skye Victoria Parkin

Murphy Franklin McNully

Orion William Amari

Elizabeth Jane Tuttle

Barnaby Cecil Lee

Nymphadora Bertha Tonks

Tulip Mary Karasu

Diego Esteban Caplan

Andre François Egwu

Erika Sophie Rath

Talbott Robin Winger

Merula Verucca Snyde

Charlotte Ariadne Mosley (oc)

Ismelda Lauren Murk

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deafeningwizardsquare · 2 years

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Thirds task everybody! @slytherincursebreaker

(Took a while because the black painting didn't wanted to dry but still)

Will Natalie finally find the courage to separete from her Niffler? Will Snell's Snell's language be finally translated? Will Tsukiko finally find a new friend? Will Orion finally stop to babysit Skye/Snell?

But most importantly

Will Charlie be finally arrested?

#hogwarts mystery #hphm #orion amari #skye parkin #liz tuttle #barnaby lee #charlie weasley #felix rosier #hogwarts mystery mc

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carewyncromwell · 2 years

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Penny 🤝 Carewyn

Requested by Anon

Carewyn Cromwell was, by and large, not much of a party person. She had always been much happier just spending quality time with her closest friends, rather than being surrounded by a bunch of exciting strangers. Even when she attended parties, she almost always tended to stick close to her friends, especially those friends who found parties even less comfortable than she did, like shy wallflower Liz or solitary smart-mouth Talbott.

Penny Haywood, however, was the definition of a party person -- and she always tried to yank Carewyn along with her to them, whenever possible.

“Come on, Carewyn, it’ll be fun!” she’d say. “Everyone’ll be there! There’ll be lots of food and dancing and games...I even heard Gwenog Jones herself might make an appearance!”

Carewyn very gently declined off most of these such invitations so as not to hurt Penny’s feelings, but every now and again, Penny was able to convince Carewyn to go to a few of them. Sometimes it was because of who’d be there, such as the house party Penny helped Charlie organize at the Burrow -- not only was Carewyn happy to spend time with Charlie, but she also thought that such a party would need at least one adult present. And sure enough, Carewyn ended up being the one to pull in the reins and make sure Charlie wouldn’t get in any trouble for hosting a party while his parents were out. Another time Penny had asked Carewyn to help her with and attend a Christmas party she was throwing to celebrate the professors and all of their hard work over that school year -- the event ended up being a rather modest, classy affair, which Carewyn was secretly very grateful for.

This time, however, Carewyn was coaxed in by her one true love: music. Penny had caught wind of a huge get-together at the Three Broomsticks, being put together by several members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, where they planned to smuggle in a modified Muggle jukebox and dance the night away. Since Carewyn so rarely could play any of her favorite non-magical songs anywhere but at home, it seemed like listening to a lot of Muggle oldies would be a lot of fun. So Carewyn put on one of her favorite dresses and went to the event, ready to spend an evening drinking a butterbeer by the jukebox and singing along with any songs she recognized.

Penny, of course, wasn’t willing to settle for that. Upon finding her friend sitting by the jukebox, she immediately flounced over, her own bright yellow dress sweeping behind her.

“Come on, Carewyn!” she said brightly, taking both of her hands. “Let’s go dance!”

But Carewyn stayed seated. “It’s okay, Penny -- I’m fine right here.”

“Oh, I know,” said Penny earnestly, “but this song is really good...and we can’t let Diego have all the fun!”

She indicated their mutual friend, Diego Caplan, cutting a rug a short way away.

“The last thing I’d want to do is get in the way of a master at work,” Carewyn said with a ruby red smile.

“You wouldn’t be in the way, Carewyn,” Penny said brightly. “I’m sure you’ll be brilliant! You’ve always been so attuned to music...”

She gave Carewyn’s hands a very light tug.

“Come on...I’ll dance with you! It’ll be fun!”

Carewyn was pretty unaffected by peer pressure, but Penny’s earnestness was wearing at her resolve. She knew if she said no flat-out, she might hurt her friend’s feelings -- so she tried to find a way to soften it.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go out there with you, Penny,” she said bracingly. “It’s just that...dancing isn’t really my particular skill set -- ”

“That’s okay!” insisted Penny. “You don’t have to be great at dancing -- this is all just for fun, anyway...”

“I know,” Carewyn cut her off a bit more crisply than she meant. She immediately tried to soften her tone again. “But...well, I like watching all of you dancing. I like sitting back here and watching you and the others having fun. That is fun, for me.”

Penny blinked, slightly confused. “But...wouldn’t it be more fun to go out there and do it yourself?”

“For some people, maybe,” said Carewyn. “But me...I like just watching. Sometimes it’s fun to go out and do things, but other times...well, it’s nice to just take a moment, sit back and just...enjoy everything. See everyone interact, and talk, and live their lives. Even if it’s not something you’re that good at or even like yourself, it’s...nice to just see other people being excited about something.”

The memory of her brother Jacob going off on a long, animated tangent about the ingredient break-down of Skele-Gro rippled over her mind. Carewyn barely even remembered everything he’d said about the potion and its composition anymore...but it’d still made her smile so fully, listening to how happy all of it made her older brother.

Penny considered Carewyn’s words, before her lips curled up in a slight smile.

“...I guess I know what you mean,” she granted. “I don’t fully understand you and Badeea sometimes, when you’re talking about art -- or you and Rowan, when you’re talking about History of Magic. And Charlie -- wow! Dragons are cool, sure, but the way he talks about them with you...I wonder if he’ll ever love any one person more than he does dragons...”

Carewyn giggled behind her hand. “Likely not.”

Penny settled herself at the table next to the Slytherin Prefect.

“It’s something I’ve always admired about you, Carewyn,” the blond Hufflepuff said softly, “how in-tune you are with people. It just kind of makes me sad that everyone doesn’t know how good at it you are.”

She sighed, but it didn’t dampen her smile.

“I guess it’s the same reason Talbott doesn’t seem to care that no one knows how loyal of a friend he is, once you get to know him.”

Carewyn smiled. “Well, sure. Not everything that’s valuable is meant to be shared. Sometimes you have to earn it.”

“Now you sound like Orion Amari!” Penny said with a laugh. She gained a slightly more longing glint to her smile. “Oh, I do miss when you were on the Slytherin team...it was so much fun, to watch you, Skye, and Orion fly together...”

A twinge of discomfort and guilt panged through Carewyn remembering her time with the Slytherin team and the fall-out between her and Skye that had resulted in her departure. Fortunately, at that very moment, the jukebox changed songs, playing a light, upbeat tune that caught both Penny and Carewyn’s ears right away.

“Here comes the sun -- doo doo doo doo...”

“Ooooh, I love this one!” Penny said eagerly.

Carewyn grinned too as she immediately sang along.

“Here comes the sun, and I say...”

“It’s all right!” Penny jumped in to finish the line brightly.

Hufflepuff’s resident gossip queen leaned over to turn the knob on the jukebox to increase the volume as Carewyn sang along a little louder.

“Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter... Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here...”

Penny kicked her legs back and forth leisurely as her bright, slightly sharp voice joined Carewyn’s much more trained tone again for the chorus.

“Here comes the sun -- doo doo doo doo...

Here comes the sun, and I say...it’s all right!”

A few of the people dancing on the floor took notice of popular Penny Haywood and “Cursebreaker Cromwell” singing along to the jukebox on the sidelines together. Most of the others, though, were too preoccupied doing their own thing...and Carewyn liked that quite well.

Friendship Drabble Prompt!

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #friendship drabbles #penny haywood #carewyn cromwell #my writing #diego caplan #badeea ali #rowan khanna #talbott winger #charlie weasley #orion amari #skye parkin #jacob cromwell

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youaintnothinbuta · 1 year

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First Kiss - Elvis

Summary: Your best friend, Elvis, was walking you home from having dinner at his house. When he gets you home, he realises your parents are out of town, and offers to stay so you’re not alone.

Pairing: Elvis x fem!reader

Word count: 906

Warnings: none/fluff. Probably typos/spelling errors/bad grammar that I’ve missed

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You and Elvis are close friends, you have known each other since middle school. You liked Elvis a lot, and he liked you even more, but he was your best friend. And through years of him and you constantly hanging around each others houses, your parents and his practically also were best friends. There was too much on the line for either of you to confess your feelings.

You and Elvis lived only three streets away from each other, you had come round to his family’s house for dinner, and he was walking you home afterwards, chatting about anything and everything that came to mind. The pair of you passed two of the boys who you went to school with, sitting on one of them’s car which was parked on the street.

“Fairy here sew that dress for ya, darling? Or is he lucky enough to take it off ya?” One of them called out to you, insulting Elvis through his friend’s wolf whistle. Elvis grabbed your hand, holding it to his chest. He had a very protective nature, over his family and you, especially you.

“You know, Charlie, maybe you’d be able to get a girl into that car if you didn’t holler at them like dogs.” Elvis shouted back as he walked you passed them.

“Why do they always gotta pick on me? I’ve never spoken to them.” You asked, once you were sure they were out of ear shot.

“They pick on ya, honey, cos they want ya to speak to them.” Elvis replied, letting go of your hand.

“What?”

“You know, you’re a pretty girl. They want your attention.”

“That’s no way to get a ladies attention!” You argued.

“I know that, honey, but not every guy does.” He continued, walking you to your front door. You just sighed.

“Ain’t your parents home?” He asked.

“No, papa had to go out of town for work and mama went with him. It’s just me for a few days.” You explained, unlocking your door.

“Should’ve told me, mama would rather you stay at ours than alone, y’know. You gonna be alright by yourself?” He asked.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll be okay.” You sighed, taking a step inside and flicking on the light.

“Goodnight, Elvis, thank your parents again for dinner for me.” You kissed him on the cheek and pulled him into a hug. This hug in particular lasted a lot longer than normal, you were holding him for as long as you could in hopes he’d realise that was your way of asking him to stay the night with you.

“I’m parkin’ here tonight aren’t I?” He asked, chuckling slightly.

“Well, if you insist.” You smiled, bringing him inside and locking the front door.

“Can I call mama, let her know your folks ain’t home?”

“‘Course.” You replied, Elvis heading to use your telephone, while you headed upstairs to get changed into something more comfortable for sleeping in.

“Mama said you should’ve told her, she’d don’t want you to feel like you can’t ask a favour.” Elvis spoke, walking into your bedroom.

“Oh I know, I just- I thought I’d be fine.”

“She told me to give you this, for her.” Elvis smiled, giving you a kiss on the cheek.

“Give her one back for me, okay?” You smiled.

“I will. Got a pillow you can spare?” Elvis asked.

“I- yeah, why? How many you need?” You asked, puzzled.

“Uh, one.” Elvis chuckled, confused at your question.

“You already got two.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?” Your eyebrows furrowed, confused.

“Honey, is there a pillow I can take to sleep on the couch?”

“What’s wrong with the two you have in my bed?” You asked, surprised.

“Oh, I just thought I’d take the couch.”

“If you want, I won’t force ya, but I don’t bite.” You smiled at him.

“I don’t know…them teeth look real sharp.” He grabbed your jaw, gently squishing your face. You nipped at his finger, playfully.

“Hey, watch it!” One of his hands grabbed your wrist to pull you towards him, the other pointing at you to tell you off, as he scrunched his face.

“Or what?” You smiled.

“You testing me?” Elvis inched his face closer to yours, his eyes locked on yours.

Your voice changed to a whisper “Maybe I am.” You replied.

Without saying a word, Elvis closed the remaining distance between you, his lips gently brushing against yours. It was a tender and innocent kiss, yet strong, filled with years of unspoken feelings.

You melted into the moment, your hand instinctively finding its way to the back of Elvis's neck, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss. Eventually, you reluctantly pulled away, your breaths mingling in the quiet room. You stared into each other's eyes, a mixture of surprise, joy, and apprehension reflected in your gazes.

“I— I’ve w— wanted to do that for so long.” He admitted. You smiled at his stutter, the one that he develops whenever he’s really or nervous or excited.

“So have I.” Your lips moved, but no sound escaped them, your eyes dropping to the floor.

A smirk curled over his lips. “You go get your little night gown on, I’ll go lock up and meet you up here.” He gently pushed you by your lower back, towards your closet.

You complied eagerly, excited to see what may be unfolding between the two of you.

#austin butler #austinbutler #austin elvis imagine #austin!elvis x y/n #austin x reader #austin!elvis x reader #elvis #elvis x reader #elvis presley #elvis x you #elvis film #elvis imagine #elvis x y/n #elvis fans #elvis movie #elvis presley x reader #elvis presley x you #elvis presley x y/n

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