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#everybody else i don't really have a solid idea for

carte-blanco · 2 months

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Pregnancy Headcannons for CASTIN AND THE BARONESS

AHAKSHS I'm hype for this storyline and the whole shabang🙌🏾 I'm saying this as I'm writing A Warren oneshot, that i was supposed to finish last month but Whatever~

Say HELLO to the most exquisite baby gifts EVER for a BABY SHOWER. The gifts consist of baby clothes probably from Modas👀, That the Baroness will probably cry over, adorable toys that Castin's solider's spent half of their allowances on that's literally a plastic sword, hand carved building blocks and a teddy for the baby to lay with. And don't even get me started on the crib (Castin made it himself, I won't take any criticism)

The uncomfortablity of waddling and back pain is one thing but those cravings are dangerous. First its simple things like sweets or simple things she would want on daily basis that you want during your day but then its your daily meat dinner covered in chocolate and gravy. Or even spicy foods that she wouldn't dare eat that burn her tongue but soothes the baby or babies👀, The Baroness claims it is what she wants when Castin hands her the dish in a concerning way, but he doesn't pry nor does he stop her as the "appeling" cravings she has during the day resurface.

HER BELLY! The Baroness was a bit shy and embarrassed when her stomach started showing, indicating that she really was pregnant and everybody knows now that its not a secret. However, Castin is shamelessly obsessed with her belly and gets so excited and flustered when he feels like the baby/babies moving around, kicking and pushing into his hand. But he doesn't like it when others tries to touch her belly without PERMISSION, only the queen is allowed. No one else. Since Castin and the Baroness have vinyl player in their bedroom he plays any record they have to either slow dance with the baroness to soothe her mind or to calm the baby/babies by humming and talking to them.

MASSAGES! Just massages. Waddling around while being pregnant and still having to do work and act on duties not only as a wife but a image for the people, takes a HUGE toll on her feet and back. So what does Castin do, Spoil her rotten like always, anything to get her away from work and for to relax and read in a bath or on their bed almost immediately ready to fall asleep from soothing the pain and needles in her feet and ankles.

I had WAY to much fun with this. If I get more ideas for headcannons I will CONTINUOUSLY add more to this everyday until we get our audio, NOW Let me get back to work on this Warren one shot before I go to bed🏃🏾

#desmond asmr #desmond asmr castin #Baroness desmond asmr #Blancorambles🖤

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mask131 · 2 months

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I'm going to really quickly drop something I have been thinking for a very long time - and I don't think I have made a post about it?

It is one of the reasons I kind of cut ties with fandoms on the Internet as a whole, and why I originally strongly disliked the way "headcanons" were used, and why I often roll my eyes with the way people behave on the Internet... And I don't know if it is because I was old enough to have lived in a time when I enjoyed series and movies and cartoons without the Internet - or better, with an Internet that was without the "fandoms" as we know them today.

The main thing that irritates me with the way "fans" act on the Internet is how they think because they are fans of a piece of media, it "belongs to them". I fully understand the idea of fanfiction-positive and I am ALL for fan-art and AUs and the like, don't get me wrong. I do enjoy what fandoms were for - sharing a common passion, bring fan-made content based on a loved piece of media, have fun with it all... But the way this positivity has been framed and formulated, and the way it got interpreted has been irking me a lot.

Because in effect, a lot and lot of people have gotten into their brain, somehow, that a fandom "owns" a piece of media. That a television series was made first and foremost for the fans, and not for anyone else, and thus that it must cater to their every whims and desire. More and more people take fan theories and headcanons as actual guidelines, or solid fact, or in general confuse "canon" and "headcanon". More and more people believe the idea that "If we are strong enough, we can change this piece of media" or that "The creator of this piece of media owes us things because we are fans".

I am not very old, and yet I still lived in a time when we understood that published books and the shows on TV and the movies in theater were not... "ours". Yes a fandom is a way to allow fans to toy and play with a piece of fiction, and thus in a way make it "theirs". BUT THAT'S METAPHORIC NOT LITERAL! It certainly does not help that recently more and more tv shows and cartoons and whatnot have been explicitely interacting with or refering to their fandoms, even sometimes letting the fans drive the course of the story. Which is great, and is fun - but should be remembered as something not "natural" and a bit exceptional.

It reminds me of how recently there have been more and more incidents in theaters where musical plays were interrupted by audience members who thought they just could do anything they wanted - because somehow they thought a musical was an interactive play or a karaoke night. Again, these kind of interactions do exist (The Rocky Horror Picture Show was built upon these experiences) - but they were unique and out-there.

Art, fiction and media can and will live on without fandoms. Fandoms are not a needed ingredient of a piece of fiction, they are something that at best develops a healthy co-dependency with the piece of fiction it selects, at worst acts like a parasite to its host. But the fandom can be destroyed and obliterated and die - the fiction will still live on, and the media will still exist. And yet, so many fandoms seem to believe that somehow, they are the movers and shakers of industry and fiction, and that somehow they are the ones in control? So many fans treat creators like commissioned artists or pals they can ask favors from or victims they can bully freely without consequence.

Again, I don't know how to properly express my thoughts but... I lived in a world without fandoms, and now I can't stand it when people make it seem as if art and fiction and media was all about fandoms. And I mean fandom in the modern, Internet-sense of the term. Fandoms have went from enthusiastic pupils and eager to learn students and symposiums of fair critics to just... whining, entitled, over-spoiled little brats that kick their feet in anger, give orders to everybody and try to run away with the painting that is hanging on a museum's wall.

Yes fanfiction can "correct" a badly written plot, in one's opinion. It doesn't mean the author has to stick to your corrections, or that other people can't actually enjoy the badly written plot.

Yes fanart can be much cooler than the actual design. It does not mean you suddenly know the movie better than the movie-maker themselves, or that your fan-art will have to influence the aesthetic of a cartoon's next season.

Yes headcanons are wonderful. It does not make them canon, and you cannot enforce them on anything.

I repeat myself like a broken record - but originally fandoms where a place of enjoyment and appreciation and theorizing and complaining, but solely as an audience, and as people gathered by similar interests. Now? Now they became places of control and influence and demands that don't understand that an audience member isn't supposed to jump on stage to point out "No you are saying it wrong, here is how you should say the line."

#fandoms #i have a lot to say about fandoms #well I have a second post to make about fandoms #fandom #headcanon #fans #media #fiction

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antimony-medusa · 1 year

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This is a very half-formed thought but just. Hmmm. Okay so in DSMP fandom we talk a fair amount at how excellent it is that we focus in on platonic relationships a lot of the time (though that's shifting with the rise of TNTduo). And you get the idea that romance is sort of bad, which I don't have time for as a stance, or that it's reductive to reduce people down to only their romantic relationships. And that is very valid.

People operate as part of part of a complex web of relationships, and most of the relationships in your life are not going to be romantic. If you boil someone down to only their romantic relationship, that's no good, and if it was in real life it'd be unhealthy if you only had one solid relationship (romantic) in your life. It's a shallow depiction of life to boil someone down to only their romance, and this even gets more so if you're talking about erotic writing and how people get reduced down to roles like "top" or "bottom", etc.

And if all you're seeing is shallow romantic writing, I can see how that gets really old. However, the thing that's been driving me up the wall is that if all you're seeing is shallow platonic writing, that is no more reflective of the diversity of the human condition. Like SBI is the big platonic relationship in the fandom, and in it my guys are Phil and Techno. And they're the relationship in that quartet who tends to get the short end of the stick, and so they get reduced down to "dad" or "older brother" a lot of the time. So much of the time. Most of the time. Their character gets entirely reduced down to who they are in service of someone else's arc.

Which is exactly what people complain about in romance, it's just with no kissing.

And sometimes it's like, the point of the work is not to give everyone on the field a full and rich depiction, because this is a 5k one-shot, and and there are 38 people in the DSMP, I'm picking one character to focus on and everybody else is in service to that character. That's fine and that's just how writing works.

But thinking about fandom trends more broadly, and the character trends— phil is "dad", techno is "older brother" or sometimes "dad", niki is "girl next door/baker", tubbo is "supportive quirky best friend"— half the time it's tagged crimeboys but even wilbur is just operating as "big brother/dad", just with more screen time. You have all these characters who have one role only, ever, over and over again. And that is no more groundbreaking or innovative or reflective of the human condition than a romance-focused fandom is, it's just that everybody's clothes stay on.

And like, I love Gen, Gen is what I love to write, but it's not inherently better at reflecting humanity, not unless you work at it. All types of relationships are hard to write and complex, romance is just another type of relationship. So I don't quite get the hatred for romance as a worse type of writing/relationship to focus on.

#discourse #fandom meta

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haleigh-sloth · 1 year

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Hi! I was curious why you flipped toward tenko being born with his quirk? And why you’ve flip flopped before? Like what are the pros and cons for the AFO giving him a quirk theory? Thank you shigaraki expert!

Shigaraki expert a;kshg;kasng you're very kind lolol

OKAY SO

This theory I was always 50/50 on since I got into the manga.

Because:

It doesn't change a whole lot either way, AFO is still big bad and Tomura is still the one who needs saving--regardless of whichever option ended up being canon

However, after we got Touya's backstory and saw the panel of AFO in the hat and shit, everybody (myself included) jumped on the bandwagon that it's the same guy we saw dropping Tenko off at home at the beginning of his backstory (this is probably still the case but I'll get to that)--and then it led to believing he gave Tenko decay. Honestly, it's not a bad theory--it's super believable and makes sense. The parallels with the MC work, the devastation behind it works.

But there's a thematic issue with it.

The whole thing about Tomura is that he hates himself because:

He's been told he was only born to destroy

He's been told by multiple people that his quirk is proof of this

He's been told that because he was only born to destroy, he "obviously" killed his family on purpose

Now, there are clearly some issues with those statements. Tomura believes every single one of them. The entire reason he can't break free from AFO is because his hatred (for himself) keeps his willpower/agency/independence to take back his identity (an identity that he hates, just gonna keep reminding ppl of that) at an all time low.

Now I had a discussion the other night with some moots about this and this is when I officially flip flopped, and I intend to stay on this side of the fence until the end or until canon says otherwise.

The closer we get to the end, the more prevalent it is that Tomura has to be shown that he wasn't born to destroy, he didn't want his family to die, and his quirk isn't proof of those things---while having his quirk be naturally his. This is necessary in order to fight the "your quirk defines your purpose" allegations AFO and ReDestro and everyone else in the manga imposes. If the quirk wasn't his to begin with, it kinda starts picking away at the whole "your quirk doesn't define you" message, because it's like an easy way out of the guilt Tomura feels for his family dying.

Tomura has to really fight to reconcile that he did NOT want his family to die, which is going to be accompanied by a lot of pain and grief all over again, because it goes from being a reason to hate himself, BACK to being a major, devastating loss--which is what it always was, but he believed the lies that he wanted it all to happen. And realizing that is going to fuck him up, bad. (I'm so excited, I love when my favs have emotional breakdowns)

Having it to where AFO gave him decay would really only add devastation to the situation, but not anything thematically.

I do think there are good reasons for believing the theory that AFO gave him decay. Seriously. But my moots pointed out that it could be a red herring of sorts. And I'll be honest, if it ends up being one, it's a fucking fantastically done one.

I'm also on board with it because tbh, I've written on it before but Izuku and Tomura aren't super solid parallels or even foils. At times they are, in ways they definitely are, but their arcs are more about filling in gaps in each other's worlds than anything.

All that to say, I'm okay with letting go of the quirkless Tenko parallel. I don't think the idea came out of nowhere either. Tenko being quirkless isn't like, a bad theory at all. But I feel more strongly about him being born with decay than without.

#this thematic issue was a hold up for me last year before 350 came out #it's in a meta somewhere that i'll probably never see again because tumblr is awful #but like #hearing other people point it out kinda reminded me of how strong that take is #it's a thematic thing #anyway #i mean i'm fine either way?#i'm not worried about the handling of tomura's arc #i trust hori #anonymous #bnha asks #shigaraki tomura #shimura tenko

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marshmallowprotection · 5 months

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I always wonder about Yoosung’s relationship with Rika’s parents. I can’t remember if there’s ever anything in the game about it? But I really wonder what such horrible, abusive people were like to the rest of their family

So, this is covered in different parts of the game over time, but what he explains is that his aunt and uncle are displaced from the rest of the family. Contact is limited, if at all. That's why he did not know his cousin until high school. He didn't have the chance to get to know her because that part of the family was ostracized from his half.

The way he talked about them seemed as though there might have been a little bit of contact, but the kind of contact you get when you only talk to somebody maybe once every year.

However, his understanding of his cousin's family is far from the truth. He was surprised that they didn't attend the funeral, after all. He has no idea about the abuse Rika went through. I highly doubt anyone on his side of the family knows anything about that. We do not know much about the family's opinion of Rika, either. Do they consider her a real part of the family? Do they think of her as less because she was adopted?

There are a lot of context clues we can infer from but not enough for us to make a solid answer. The only thing we can really pull from what we know is that nobody really knows what's going on beyond closed doors.

There is a phone call where you pretend to be his aunt, and you play around with him for a moment as if you are no different than a normal doting aunt, and he doesn't say anything that seems to imply that that would be out of character. So, I can only assume that his dynamic with them, outside of the limited reach it has, is that of somebody who is putting on a show for everybody else to seem holier than thou.

If you play Rika Behind Story, it becomes abundantly clear why they were cut off from the rest of the family to a limited to no contact situation. They are extremely religious and follow a particular pastor who is far from a good man, and I'll leave it at that.

It is abundantly clear to everyone who plays that DLC that Rika is only adopted because her adopted parents could likely not have children of their own. They thought of her as less because of that, since Rika didn't live up to be the child they built in their head. It's sick, frankly.

Those two were so in love with the idea of having a child that they did not consider the depth that goes into having a child. They didn't really want a child, they wanted something they could control, just as the church controls them. What they needed was not a child, what could have served their purpose could have been a pet or a toy.

But, Yoosung has no idea about any of that. All he knows is that his family doesn't really speak to them much and there is history there that nobody wants to talk about. I don't think the rest of the Kim family is aware of what's really going on outside of what dragged them to steer clear of Rika's mother and father.

Unfortunately, there is a lot about the Kim family we don’t know. Yoosung has an older sister we know nothing about. We also don't know anything about his father, and even though you can speak to his mother in the RAE, and we see events with her throughout the game, we still don’t really know anything about her outside of her parenting style.

I, for one, would love to know more about them, but I doubt we're going to get anything so we're just going to have to fill in the blanks. I think Yoosung’s mom and Rika’s mom are sisters. We don't know, as far as I can remember, which parent that woman is related to, but it makes more sense to me if it's his mother.

#mod kait #ask #mystic messenger #anon #mysme #mysticmessenger #mm #yoosung kim #kim yoosung

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itsfrenchfornothankyou · 1 year

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Hey @spoonergodofspoons has gotten far enough in one piece for me to start recommending fanfics so I thought it would be easiest to post them here! Consider this my one piece fanfics rec list for people who recently got halfway through dressrossa

Part 1: early asl reunions

Look I am a sucker for these fics, and aren't we all a little in denial about marineford?

A present that's a mystery (giving you your history) by midnightluck you might see that name a couple of times here, I love their fics so much idk if they have a tumblr

Anyway this is about 5.5k of sabo getting his memories back early (because koala found embarrassing baby photos of him for his birthday) and reunion fluff, one chapter for Ace, one chapter for Luffy

Wish by spirit and if yes by midnightluck LOOK I TOLD YOU THEYRE REALLY GOOD AND I LIKE THIS ONE EVEN MORE THAN THE LAST!! it's an au where the RA send someone to keep in touch with the whiteboards every now and again, and now it's sabo's job! This fic has my favourite reunion of all time and I won't say anymore because if there's one fic on this list you should read it's this one - 32k

Twin flames by soccersarah01 , again, no idea if they have a tumblr

Ace calls sabo his twin while in impel down and this has .. consequences. Reunion! Gol D Sabo! Fucking with the government! What more could you ask for in a fic! 66.666k

Speak up boys! By @plantwithoutplot , a solid contender for just being one of my favourite fics ever, it's currently sitting at about 69k (nice) and chapter 9/31 and look I know it's incomplete but it's SO GOOD

it's a time travel au, where the asl bros end up on Gol D Roger's ship. Ace is trying to commit patricide, Sabo is trying to be the reasonable one and Luffy is... Luffy. Everybody is having a rough time of it and auuugggg the angst of being reunited but knowing you have changed so much and what if you don't know them anymore and what if you are no longer the person they loved and AHHHH go read it!! Read it now!!!

Chasing the remnants by @29rynoah sabo goes with dragon to loguetown! This one moves a little slower than the others in terms of how long it takes for the characters to actually be reunited, but the writing is really good!! The payoff when they finally get to see each other again? The character work? Incredible, 40k and I know I said it moves slower but when I was reading it I swear it only felt like 10k

Being together we are stronger than ever by starryyah

Body swap! ASL can have a little body swap, as a treat! I'm sure nothing will go wrong! 13k

Part 2: Lawlu!

Okay, I know I'm a big proponent of platonic lawlu and I cannot see Luffy in any kind of romantic relationship I really can't- however some people are writing really good lawlu and I am a little bit closing my eyes and saying yes it is queerplatonic. To me.

I Love Luffy by missdreamgirl32 you know what I just want to steal one of their tags to sell this to you: Law tries to play three-dimensional chess against two guys playing go fish and loses

The character dynamics in this are so fucking good, I'm also actually just going to steal the summary right from the work because I get way to lost trying to explain everything else which is cool about this fic if I try to synopsise it:

After hearing Luffy off-handedly mention he has a boyfriend, and worried there might be some misunderstanding, Ace and Sabo decide to track the guy down and invite him out to dinner

Anyway it's really fucking good check it out it's only 10k I have read it... Many times (could be read as romantic, I do not)

The mysterious Torao by spooky_vallimo

This one is romantic but it's so fucking funny, spare 3k words worth of time to read this drabble, au where Luffy and Trafalgar met as kids, if you enjoy it there are some more works in the series

Come to sea with me, where we can be free by siojo

This is the only au that's set in a completely different world on this list, I guess I love Luffy is a different world but it's not fantasy different, its more a modern au

Anyway siren AU!

this one is again, a lil different to the others on the list, which are largely character studies

This one is on the list because I'm a little obsessed with the story aside from one piece characters? It's just really well written and has interesting lore and world building

It's also kind of a sad/bittersweet fic, and some of the characters do eat humans (because siren) so yeah, this one has a different vibe to the other fics on this list but it occupies a certain space in my brain, only 8k

Part 3: Miscellaneous!

This is ASL stuff that isn't necessarily early reunion, or is only about one or two of them

The world doesn't deserve you by dezace

Okay so what if I told you there is an au where asl brothers are pirates together as children? And that it was 47k and had other works in the same universe?

Great, you're on board? Now, this is the only fic on this list to have made me cry

It is HEAVY ANGST and Spooner I know I'm making this list for you but it will HURT YOU and you may not want to read it, the ASL bros may be alive but they were the only survivors after a buster call was made on goa, and everyone else on the island died, and everyone believes the trio to be dead for a very long time

But if you do decide to read this fic which will hurt you, the emotional catharsis at the end is REALLY GOOD!! and there are many more short stories in the universe!!

But if this all seems a bit too ouch, the this author has a different, more light hearted series: Luffy was raised as a marine and makes it everyone's problem, which is a fun good time where Luffy knows marine codes and uses them to save ace, among other things

Man I wanna go reread the world doesn't deserve you again

On brotherhood by @ladycrimsonandblack

This is a lovely little fic where Luffy is the elder brother, just over 4k

There's this very specific fic niche where Luffy is older and he meets up with Ace while Ace is unwillingly being recruited onto the whiteboards and I just love it, this is the second one I've read and now I'm going to see if I can track down the other

Update this is it

Anyway yeah this is a very specific genre of fic, but it turns out I'm very fond of it

Whatever you can still betray by midnightluck

Have something short fun and fluffy! In this fic Haruta of the whitebeards thinks Ace is a marine spy, but that's fine they're going to keep him anyway! 6.5k, one of my faves

#fan fic rec list #one piece

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mha-quotes-and-such · 1 year

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Hey!

Hope you don't mind getting it a whole month late. Life's been crazy but I really wanted to make it:

It's LoV's Christmas Night!

Kurogiri absolutely went all the way with the decoration. Lights everywhere, garlands, a huge tree he warped directly from the forest (he planted a sapling there, obviously. He's a villain, not a monster). And, if someone there celebrates something other than Christmas, you bet it'll show in the decoration too!

He raised Shigaraki with a strong emphasis on Christmas, so now that the family is bigger, the party must be too!

He and Compress help each other in the kitchen. Toga and Twice were banned from cooking for playing with knives, Dabi for burning the kitchen down at least once and Shigaraki for decaying one too many pans when he got annoyed (mostly by Dabi. Totally intended if you ask me)

Magne decides to make the desserts though. And Spinner helps out cutting the vegetables for a solid five minutes before Toga sprints after him to "give her the knife! She can do it herself better anyway!"

It's the only day in the whole year that Dabi will be amenable. You may even catch him smiling if you look quick enough. And he will only tease Shigaraki about twice in the day. It may not even end up in a fight!

Seriously, he missed Christmas in family. And, even if he'll never ever ever say it aloud, he likes having a family that embraces him for what he is. Burned skin and arsonist tendencies included.

(He WILL however pick up discussions left and right the very next morning. It won't be Christmas anymore... and he has a reputation to keep)

That's also the day Shigaraki is less inclined to give in to provocation, if nothing else because Santa will be mad. And he wants his present!

Toga firmly agrees with him and so does Twice. No one else dares to say otherwise, sure, Santa comes every year to give presents to villains because they managed not to kill each other for a day. That's totally what happens.

(If you even think about breaking it to them that's not Santa, Kurogiri will glare directly into your soul and shake his head)

Everybody helps hanging the decoration in the tree! Toga hangs way more knives than the average person, but it's a big tree, there's plenty of space. Dabi rolls his eyes and pretends to be annoyed, but he WILL throw hands if you touch anything he hang, because they were in the perfect spot and the perfect angle and how could you?!

Mr. Compress keeps all presents into tiny balls inside his pocket because he knows at least one of the rascals (usually Toga, but it might be anyone really. Even Magne isn't above it) will try to open them early and sneak a peek.

It doesn't mean they won't try! Just means it's harder. Getting them out of Compress's pocket becomes a Christmas challenge and they may even team up and come up with wild plans.

Supper is absolutely delicious and they watch The Nightmare Before Christmas every single time. It's tradition at this point. They will bicker later about the next movie to watch, but Jack Skellington is always the first one! How not to love it?

When it finally is time to open the presents (because there's no way they will steal them earlier from a professional thief and magician's pocket), they all sit on a circle on the floor. Toga's gifts to everyone are usually pretty sharp and may or may not involve blood. Twice just bought everyone a different plushie and, you know what, he absolutely nailed it. Shigaraki bought some trinkets, like CDs from a band he knows the others like or some jewelry. And even Dani chose some thoughtful gifts (but you better not to mention it)

They leave cookies and milk for Santa (if nothing else, because it makes Toga, Twice and Shigaraki happy) and the next morning there is a new present under the tree for each of them "from Santa" (and totally not Kurogiri)

It's a nice day.

This is so cute! I love the idea of such an odd bunch having a stereotypical big chaotic Christmas with all the kids running around and decorations everywhere, they deserve it! And especially the idea of stealing presents becoming a game! I imagine that would get really crazy super fast

#glad to see you’re back anon! i always love the league content #not a quote #ask #head canon appreciation day

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littlemochix17 · 4 months

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Chapter 11

Words: 17.3K

Malfoy was taken aback when he saw that Harry, (Y/n), and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, despite looking worn out but nonetheless content. The trio appeared to be exhilarated by their encounter with the three-headed dog and were eager to embark on another adventure. Harry provided Ron and (Y/n) with a detailed account of the package that had been relocated from Gringotts to Hogwarts, and they devoted a significant amount of time to speculate about its contents, given the heavy security measures surrounding it.

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous," said Ron.

"Or both," said Harry.

"I heard Dumbledore was a very powerful wizard maybe that's why they brought it here so he can protect it," said (Y/n) to the boys

But as all they knew for sure about the mysterious object was that it was about two inches long, they didn't have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues. Neither Neville nor Hermione showed the slightest interest in what lay underneath the dog and the trapdoor. All Neville cared about was never going near the dog again.

Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus. (Y/n) was doing her best to avoid Hermione's persistent efforts to drag her away from her friends. While she didn't mind it too much last night, she was starting to feel increasingly annoyed by the brunette's behavior. It seemed like Hermione was always trying to separate her from the group, and (Y/n) was beginning to wonder why.

All they really wanted now was a way of getting back at Malfoy, well it's more of the boys than the girl, she couldn't care less they always discuss it way too really in the morning and she was just sleepy, and to their great delight, just such a thing arrived in the mail about a week later.

As the owls flooded into the Great Hall as usual, everyone's attention was caught at once by a long, thin package carried by six large screech owls. Harry was just as interested as everyone else to see what was in this large parcel and was amazed when the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of him, knocking his bacon to the floor. They had hardly fluttered out of the way when another owl dropped a letter on top of the parcel.

Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky because it said:

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don't want everybody to know you've got a broomstick or they'll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight at the Quidditch field at seven o'clock for your first training session.

Professor M. McGonagall

Harry had difficulty hiding his glee as he handed the note to Ron to read.

"A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously.

"I've never even touched one."

"Oh trust me I am more than thankful that I didn't touch one either" (Y/n) trembled at the mere idea of soaring through the air on a slender broomstick, far above the safety of solid ground.

They left the hall quickly, wanting to unwrap the broomstick in private before their first class, but halfway across the entrance hall, they found the way upstairs barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.

"That's a broomstick," he said, throwing it back to Harry with a mixture of jealousy and spite on his face.

"Oh wow we really wouldn't have known if it wasn't for your nosey self middling in our business" (Y/n) let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes in frustration at the blonde standing in front of her. She was feeling particularly drained today and had no tolerance for his nonsensical behavior.

"You'll be in for it this time, Potter, first years aren't allowed them." The boy paid no attention to her and continued to sneer at Harry, his eyes narrowed with contempt and his lips curled into a disdainful sneer.

Ron couldn't resist it.

"It's not any old broomstick," he said,

"it's a Nimbus Two Thousand. What did you say you've got at home, Malfoy, a Comet Two Sixty?" Ron grinned at Harry.

"Comets look flashy, but they're not in the same league as the Nimbus."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle," Malfoy snapped back.

"I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

Before Ron could answer, Professor Flitwick appeared at Malfoy's elbow.

"Not arguing, I hope, boys and girl?" he squeaked.

"Potters have been sent a broomstick, Professor," said Malfoy quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right," said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry.

"Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir," said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face.

"And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it," he added.

As Harry, (Y/n), and Ron ascended the staircase, they couldn't help but suppress their laughter at the sight of Malfoy's intense fury and bewilderment. The air was thick with tension, but the trio couldn't help feeling a sense of satisfaction as they left their rival behind.

"Well, it's true," Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase,

"If he hadn't stolen Neville's Remembrall I wouldn't be on the team..."

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" came an angry voice from just behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package in Harry's hand.

"I thought you weren't speaking to us?" said Harry.

"Yes, don't stop now," said Ron, "it's doing us so much good."

With an air of superiority, Hermione turned and made her way down the hall, her nose held high. As she walked away, she reached out and grabbed the hand of the girl with (H/c) hair, pulling her along with her. The girl stumbled after Hermione, clearly struggling to keep up with her brisk pace.

"Honestly (Y/n) you would only get in trouble if you keep joining these two boys" As the (E/c) eyed girl gave them an apologetic look, they realized that it was the last thing they would hear from her before the other girl dragged her away through the halls. The scene left an indelible impression on their mind, as they wondered what was happening and why the girl was being taken away so suddenly.

Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. It kept wandering up to the dormitory where his new broomstick was lying under his bed, or straying off to the Quidditch field where he'd be learning to play that night. He bolted his dinner that evening without noticing what he was eating and then rushed upstairs with Ron to unwrap the Nimbus Two Thousand at last.

They were eager to unwrap the broom together, but they couldn't wait for (Y/n) to join them. Hermione, in particular, had been keeping the girl occupied all day, persuading her to stay with her instead. She argued that it would be safer for her to stay away from the boys and their potentially reckless activities, as it could result in their house losing valuable points. Despite this, the others were too impatient to wait any longer and decided to open the package without (Y/n).

"Wow," Ron sighed, as the broomstick rolled onto Harry's bedspread. Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. Sleek and shiny, with a mahogany handle, it had a long tail of neat, straight twigs and Nimbus Two Thousand written in gold near the top.

As seven o'clock drew nearer, Harry left the castle and set off in the dusk toward the Quidditch field. He'd never been inside the stadium before. Hundreds of seats were raised in stands around the field so that the spectators were high enough to see what was going on. At either end of the field were three golden poles with hoops on the end. They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, except that they were fifty feet high.

Too eager to fly again to wait for Wood, Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. What a feeling he swooped in and out of the goalposts and then sped up and down the field. The Nimbus Two Thousand turned wherever he wanted at his lightest touch.

"Hey, Potter, come down!"

Oliver Wood had arrived. He was carrying a large wooden crate under his arm. Harry landed next to him.

"Very nice," said Wood, his eyes glinting. "I see what McGonagall meant ... you really are a natural. I'm just going to teach you the rules this evening, then you'll be joining team practice three times a week."

He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls.

"Right," said Wood.

"Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it's not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers."

"Three Chasers," Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a soccer ball.

"This ball's called the Quaffle," said Wood.

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops. Follow me?"

"The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score," Harry recited.

"So that's sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn't it?"

"What's basketball?" said Wood curiously.

"Never mind," said Harry quickly.

"Now, there's another player on each side who's called the Keeper. I'm Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring."

"Three Chasers, one Keeper," said Harry, who was determined to remember it all.

"And they play with the Quaffle. Okay, got that. So what are they for?"

He pointed at the three balls left inside the box.

"I'll show you now," said Wood.

"Take this."

He handed Harry a small club, a bit like a short baseball bat.

"I'm going to show you what the Bludgers do," Wood said.

"These two are the Bludgers."

He showed Harry two identical balls, jet black and slightly smaller than the red Quaffle. Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape the straps holding them inside the box.

"Stand back," Wood warned Harry. He bent down and freed one of the Bludgers.

At once, the black ball rose high in the air and then pelted straight at Harry's face. Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it from breaking his nose and sent it zigzagging away into the air it zoomed around their heads and then shot at Wood, who dived on top of it and managed to pin it to the ground.

"See?" Wood panted, forcing the struggling Bludger back into the crate and strapping it down safely.

"The Bludgers rocket around, trying to knock players off their brooms. That's why you have two Beaters on each team, the Weasley twins are ours, it's their job to protect their side from the Bludgers and try and knock them toward the other team. So think you've got all that?"

"Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goalposts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team," Harry reeled off.

"Very good," said Wood.

"Er- have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?" Harry asked, hoping

he sounded offhand.

"Never at Hogwarts. We've had a couple of broken jaws but nothing worse than that. Now, the last member of the team is the Seeker. That's you. And you don't have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers-"

"-unless they crack my head open."

"Don't worry, the Weasleys are more than a match for the Bludgers I mean, they're like a pair of human Bludgers themselves."

Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings.

"This," said Wood,

"is the Golden Snitch, and it's the most important ball of the lot. It's very hard to catch because it's so fast and difficult to see. It's the Seeker's job to catch it. You've got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, and Quaffle to get it before the other team's Seeker, because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win. That's why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing on substitutes so the players could get some sleep."

"Well, that's it any questions?"

Harry shook his head. He understood what he had to do all right, it was doing it that was going to be the problem.

"We won't practice with the Snitch yet," said Wood, carefully shutting it back inside the crate, "it's too dark, we might lose it. Let's try you out with a few of these."

He pulled a bag of ordinary golf balls out of his pocket and a few minutes later, he and Harry were up in the air, Wood throwing the golf balls as hard as he could in every direction for Harry to catch. Harry didn't miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. After half an hour, night had really fallen and they couldn't carry on.

"That Quidditch Cup'll have our name on it this year," said Wood happily as they trudged back up to the castle.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn't gone off chasing dragons."

Perhaps it was because he was now so busy, what with Quidditch practice three evenings a week on top of all his homework, but Harry could hardly believe it when he realized that he'd already been at Hogwarts for two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive ever had. His lessons, too, were becoming more and more interesting now that they had mastered the basics.

As the classes came to an end, Y/n was relieved to have escaped Hermione's clutches. She was eager to catch up with Harry and wish him luck for his first Quidditch practice with Wood. However, she noticed that it was already too late for that, and she found herself standing by the black lake. Cedric had instructed her to meet him there, but she was surprised to find him engaged in conversation with a boy with striking greenish-grey eyes. Y/n couldn't help but wonder what they were discussing.

"Hey Ced, Regulus" As she approached, a warm smile graced her face and she cheerfully greeted the two older boys, who seemed pleased to see her.

"(Y/n)! You made it" Cedric approached the young girl with a warm smile, his steps light and gentle. As he drew closer, she turned to face him, and he opened his arms wide to envelop her in a warm embrace. She hugged him back tightly, and a sense of comfort and safety washed over her.

"Of course, I am sorry I didn't write to you one of my dorm mates wouldn't leave me alone for one second," As she spoke, she let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes, causing the other two to respond with a small chuckle.

"Sounds like you have a fan," Regulus observed the girl in front of him, noticing the way she had just scoffed - a mixture of irritation and disbelief etched on her face.

"What fan dragges you anywhere and everywhere she goes just so she makes sure you won't lose more points for your own house" The girl's remark caught Cedric's attention, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter. However, the expression on the girl's face showed her annoyance, as if she hadn't intended to be funny.

"Maybe she just doesn't want you to get in trouble," The brunette said.

"Well she does half a special way in showing it" Regulus snickers

"Oh shut up when did you get sorted anyway? I thought all first years got sorted at the start of the year" Asked the younger girl before sitting in the empty space beside him on the ground Cedric followed her sitting at her other side

"My sorting was... well... different I got sorted into Slytherin privately before first years in Professor Dumbledore's office," he said rubbing the back of his neck

"Why?" Cedric's voice peeped into their conversation also curious to know

"My Aunt Genevieve asked for my sorting to be private I don't know why thought she didn't do that when I was at Beauxbatons" As the boy sat said to his friends, he took a moment to reminisce about his time at Beauxbatons. Despite not having many friends, he cherished the memories of his stay in France. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness as he thought of someone special whom he missed dearly. This feeling brought to mind the sorting ceremony at Beauxbatons, which he found quite intriguing. In fact, he felt that the sorting process at Beauxbatons was much more fascinating than the one at Hogwarts.

As Madam Maxime calls his name, he walks across the stage and stops in front of a small table. With a mix of excitement and nervousness, he notices a shimmering silver bow and arrow placed on the table. His hands tremble as he picks them up and holds them in front of him. He pulls the string back to his cheek and takes a deep breath before releasing it from his sweaty fingers. With a sense of wonder, he watches as the silver arrow glides effortlessly across the room, leaving a trail of white sparks in its wake. It's a moment of pure magic, as the room comes alive with energy and anticipation. The arrow bursts into blue sparks just before hitting the wall, signaling that he has been placed in OmbreLune.

The young boy's face lit up with amusement as he reminisced about the past event. He let out a hearty chuckle, clearly enjoying the memory. He expressed his opinion that the sorting ceremony at Hogwarts lacked excitement in comparison to the one at Beauxbatons, hinting at the possibility of a more enchanting and captivating experience.

Ombrelune is well known for cunning, logic, ambition, and curiosity. The house colour is grey and the house is symbolized by a sinister-looking moon. The members of this house are very often those that prescribe to the concept of "the end justifies the means", as they can be manipulative and cunning. They are very cool and calculating students who are very adverse to irrationality and prize people for making well-thought-out and logical decisions. Most Ombrelune students are cold and rarely display emotion openly unless they see some direct gain in doing so. They are in the most ambitious of the Beauxbatons houses. They are very smart, logical, and structured. They are very curious and interested in the world and the intricate way it works. Ombrelune students often strive for power and perfection more than anything else. Cunning, logic, ambition, and curiosity. These are all traits that members of OmbreLune possess. They are very smart and aim for perfection.

House colours: Grey, blue House symbol: Moon

"So what was your house when you were at Beauxbatons?" Asked the girl

"I was in OmbreLune which is like being in Slytherin and Ravenclaw at the same time" (Y/n) nodded at his answer

"Well I got to go I have Quidditch practice tomorrow morning" Regulus stated

"You're on the Quidditch team?" Asked Cedric

"Yeah they needed a seeker and I passed tryouts" smirked the second-year boy

"Be ready Diggory because next Hufflepuff vs Slytherin match I am gonna kick your arse"

"Haha as if you can" Cedric rolled his eyes making (Y/n) giggle softly at the two boys before Regulus bedded his goodbyes and left

Cedric turned to (Y/n) smiling brightly

"So? How's Hogwarts so far" he asked

"Perfect" she replied smiling up at the brunette

On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom.

As the class began, Professor Flitwick assigned pairs to practice. Harry found himself partnered with Seamus Finnigan, a fellow Gryffindor, much to his relief. Neville, who had been trying to get Harry's attention, was instead paired with (Y/n). Despite this, Harry was still pleased to be with Seamus, as they had gotten along well. Ron, on the other hand, was paired with Hermione Granger, and neither of them seemed happy about it. The tension was palpable between them, as Hermione had not spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual.

"Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f ' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

Harry found the spell to be incredibly challenging, which made him question the effectiveness of the professor's teaching methods. However, (Y/n) was able to teach the group a more advanced spell with ease, leaving Harry impressed. (Y/n) was actively encouraging Neville to give it a go, while Ron, sitting at the table next to them, seemed to be struggling with the spell.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"No, stop stop you're going to take someone's eye out" Snapped Hermione

"Besides you're saying it wrong, It's Levi-o-sa, not Levi-o-sar."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

"Go on, go on"

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping.

"Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop.

"Wingardium leviosa!"

Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it Harry had to put it out with his hat.

"I think we're gonna need another feather over here Professor," Harry said

"It's Levi-o-sa, not Levi-o-sar! no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry and (Y/n) as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor,

"And why does she always drag (Y/n)? it's starting to get annoying she's a nightmare, honestly."

As Harry was silent while (Y/n) just shrugged, lost in his thoughts, suddenly he felt a sudden jolt on his shoulder. He turned to see who it was and saw Hermione rushing past him, her eyes red and puffy, tears streaming down her face. Harry's heart sank as saw her

"I think she heard you."

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"She must've noticed she's got no friends."

"Ron!"

"What don't tell me you're starting to feel bad for her" he raised an eyebrow at the girl

"I mean she is annoying but still you shouldn't have said that" The girl squinted her eyes, fixing her gaze on the redhead with a disapproving expression. The redhead, in response, rolled his eyes, as if he was familiar with such a reaction from her.

"Whatever let's go"

Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon.

As Harry, (Y/n), and Ron made their way down the dimly lit corridor towards the Great Hall for the highly anticipated Halloween feast, they were startled by the sound of Parvati Patil's voice. They paused, curious to hear what she was saying. They overheard Parvati telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and that she wanted to be left alone. Ron looked particularly uncomfortable at this news, and (Y/n) noticed it immediately. She glared at him, wondering if he might have had something to do with Hermione's distress. However, the moment they entered the Great Hall, they were immediately distracted by the stunning decorations. The ceiling was enchanted to look like a starry night sky, and there were pumpkins and candles placed on every table. They were all so mesmerized by the decorations that they forgot about Hermione for a while.

The great hall was filled with a thousand fluttering bats which were hanging from the walls and ceiling. Another thousand of them were swooping over the tables in low black clouds, causing the candles in the pumpkins to flicker. Suddenly, the feast appeared on the golden plates, just like it did during the start-of-term banquet.

As Harry was serving himself a baked potato, Professor Quirrell entered the hall in a state of panic. His turban was askew, and his face was filled with terror. All eyes were on him as he ran towards Professor Dumbledore's chair. He slumped against the table, gasping for air, leaving everyone in the hall bewildered and anxious. "Troll! In the dungeons! thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint. There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

Percy was in his element. "Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"

"How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.

"Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron.

"Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."

"I don't really think peeves would do something that could harm students physically," said (Y/n)

They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm and (Y/n)'s hand

"I've just thought Hermione."

"What about her?"

"She is at the girls' bathroom alone you idiot," said (Y/n)

Ron bit his lip.

"Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."

Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

"Percy!" hissed Ron, him and (Y/n) pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin. Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

"What's he doing?" Harry whispered.

"Something is not right"

"Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"

"Search me."

Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.

"He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.

"Can you smell something?"

Harry and (Y/n) sniffed and caught a whiff of a foul stench, a combination of old socks and an unclean public toilet. Suddenly, they heard a low grunting sound and the shuffling of giant feet. Ron pointed to the end of a passage on the left, and they saw something huge moving towards them. They quickly hid in the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight. What they saw was a terrifying sight. The creature was twelve feet tall and had dull, granite-grey skin. Its body was like a boulder, with a small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs that were as thick as tree trunks, with flat and dry feet. The smell emanating from it was overpowering. The creature held a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. The troll stopped next to a doorway, peered inside, waggled its long ears, made up its tiny mind, and then slouched slowly into the room.

"The key's in the lock," Harry muttered.

"We could lock it in."

"Good idea," said Ron nervously.

"Yeah but we have to be careful"

As they inched closer to the open doorway, their hearts pounding with trepidation, the group prayed that the troll was not lurking behind it. Suddenly, Harry summoned all his courage and made a daring leap, snatching the key from its perch just in time. With a swift motion, he slammed the door shut and locked it, feeling a momentary sense of relief wash over him.

"Yes!"

Flushed with the excitement of their hard-won victory, they eagerly ran back up the dimly lit passage, elated and filled with a sense of triumph. However, as they neared the sharp bend in the corridor, their sense of jubilation was abruptly silenced by a piercing and petrifying scream that echoed through the stone walls. The scream was coming from the chamber they had just chained up, and it was so high-pitched and stricken with terror that it gripped their hearts in a vice-like hold, making them freeze in their tracks.

"Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.

"It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.

"Shit" (Y/n) cursed under her breath

"Hermione!" they said together.

As much as they dreaded the idea, they knew they had to act fast. They spun around and dashed towards the door, hearts pounding with fear and adrenaline. The key trembled in Harry's hand as he tried to unlock the door, his fingers fumbling with anxiety. Finally, his determination paid off and the door creaked open, allowing them to dart inside.

Inside the restroom, Hermione Granger was cowering against the far wall, her face contorted with terror and eyes wide with fright. The troll was stomping closer and closer, its massive frame shaking the walls and shattering the porcelain sinks like they were mere toys.

"Confuse it!" With desperation in his voice, Harry implored Ron for help, his eyes locked on the massive, lumbering troll that stood before them. In a sudden move, he seized a nearby tap and hurled it against the wall with all the strength he could muster. The troll paused and turned its head, its beady eyes scanning the area for the source of the noise. It spotted Harry and hesitated for a moment, before raising its club and advancing towards him.

Meanwhile, (Y/n) quickly assessed the situation and rushed over to Hermione, pulling her away from the troll as far as possible. The troll, its attention now fixed on Harry, seemed to have forgotten about the two girls for the time being.

"Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.

"Come on, run, run!" In a moment of chaos, Harry was frantically yelling at Hermione and (Y/n) to move towards the door. But Hermione was unable to move and was still flat against the wall, her mouth wide open with terror. (Y/n) was trying to snap her out of it, but the shouting and echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started towards Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

In a desperate attempt to save his friend, Harry took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. Despite the troll's massive size, Harry clung on for dear life and managed to insert his wand up one of the troll's nostrils, causing it to howl in pain and confusion.

The troll twisted and flailed its club, trying to get rid of Harry, who was still clinging on tightly. Hermione had sunk to the floor, unable to move, while (Y/n) screamed Harry's name, trying to think of anything she could do to help her friend. Ron, who was also terrified, pulled out his own wand and cried out the first spell that came to his mind, hoping it would be enough to save Harry:

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, and rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Harry got up from the ground, his body trembling with fear and exhaustion. Ron stood still, his wand still raised, staring at the troll he had just defeated. Meanwhile, (Y/n) pulled Hermione towards the two boys, hugging them all tightly out of relief. She muttered about how reckless it was of Harry to jump at the troll, causing Ron to grin and Harry to chuckle slightly. Harry hugged her back tightly to reassure her that he was unharmed. Hermione looked at her three friends with sadness and sighed, thinking that Ron was right. If only she wasn't so annoying, maybe the three of them would have befriended her already. She tried not to dwell on it and spoke up to catch their attention, wanting to move on from the tense situation they had just been in.

"Is it dead?"

"I hope so I don't want to have another troll fight right now" grimaced (Y/n)

"I don't think so," said Harry,

"I think it's just been knocked out."

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.

"Urgh- troll boogers."

He wiped it on the troll's trousers.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the four of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall came bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.

"What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air.

"You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"

Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down while (Y/n) just closed her eyes hissing as she knows that they're doomed that's for sure.

Then a small voice came out of the shadows.

"Please, Professor McGonagall they were looking for me."

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.

"I went looking for the troll because I-I thought I could deal with it on my own- you know because I've read all about them."

(Y/n)'s jaw dropped as well as Ron's wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club while (Y/n) had pulled me away from it before it attacked me. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Harry, (Y/n) and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.

"Well in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them,

"Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"

Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

"Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall.

"I'm very disappointed in you." Professor McGonagall turned to Harry, (Y/n) and Ron.

"Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.

"We should have gotten more than fifteen points," Ron grumbled.

"Ten, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."

"Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted looking at Hermione.

"Mind you, we did save her." That made (Y/n) elbow him and glare in his direction

"She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him, and the (H/c) head girl nodded.

"And if you hadn't insulted her," the (H/c) head girl said crossing her arms at him

"What are friends for yeah?" He said smiling at the other girl who smiled as well

They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Pig snout," they said and entered.

The common room was abuzz with activity, filled with students chatting, laughing, and enjoying the feast that had been delivered. In the midst of the crowd stood Hermione, feeling out of place and somewhat embarrassed. As she looked around, she saw the others eyeing her curiously, unsure of what to say. Then, in a sudden burst of relief, they all mumbled a quick "Thanks" and hurried off to grab their plates. Despite the awkwardness of the moment, Hermione was grateful to have been acknowledged. It was then that she realized that she had made new friends. For her, it was a turning point - a moment when she felt like she had finally found her place at Hogwarts. And as she reflected on the events of that day, she knew that there was something special about the bond that they had formed. It was a connection that went beyond words, something that could only be forged through shared experiences. And defeating a twelve-foot mountain troll was definitely one of them.

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around the school became icy grey and the lake was like chilled steel. Every morning the ground was covered in frost. Hagrid could be seen from the upstairs windows defrosting broomsticks on the Quidditch field, bundled up in a long moleskin overcoat, rabbit fur gloves, and enormous beaverskin boots.

The Quidditch season had begun. On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. If Gryffindor won, they would move up into second place in the House Championship.

Hardly anyone had seen Harry play because Wood had decided that, as their secret weapon, Harry should be kept, well, secret. But the news that he was playing Seeker had leaked out somehow, and Harry didn't know which was worse people telling him he'd be brilliant or people telling him they'd be running around underneath him holding a mattress. It was really lucky that Harry now had Hermione as a friend. He didn't know how he'd have gotten through all his homework without her and (Y/n), what with all the last-minute Quidditch practice Wood was making them do. Hermione had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read.

Harry learned that there were seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul and that all of them had happened during a World Cup match in 1473; that Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players, and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them; that although people rarely died playing Quidditch, referees had been known to vanish and turn up months later in the Sahara Desert.

Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking the rules since Harry and Ron had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was much nicer for it she also apologized to the three for always trying to separate (Y/n) from the other two. The day before Harry's first Quidditch match the four of them were out in the freezing courtyard during break, and she had conjured them up a bright blue fire that could be carried around in a jam jar. They were standing with their backs to it, getting warm, when Snape crossed the yard. Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. Harry, (Y/n), Ron, and Hermione moved closer together to block the fire from view; they were sure it wouldn't be allowed. Unfortunately, something about their guilty faces caught Snape's eye. He limped over. He hadn't seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?"

It was Quidditch Through the Ages. Harry showed him.

"Library books are not to be taken outside the school," said Snape.

"Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away.

"Someone got his knickers in a twist"

"Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"

"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together next to a window. Hermione was checking Harry and Ron's Charms homework for them. She would never let them copy ("How will you learn?"), but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway while (Y/n) told them she was going to feed her owl (and NItor) and be right back.

Harry felt restless. He wanted Quidditch Through the Ages back, to take his mind off his nerves about tomorrow. Why should he be afraid of Snape? Getting up, he told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have it just as the (H/c) girl got down from her dorm.

"Better you than me," they said together, but Harry had an idea that Snape wouldn't refuse if other teachers were listening.

"Where are you going?" asked the girl

"I am going to Snap to return the book," said Harry

"Do you want me to come with you?" (Y/n) offered to accompany Harry, and as he looked at her, a smile spread across his face. He felt a warm flutter in his chest as he appreciated the care she showed for him. Even though he now had Ron and Hermione by his side, there was something special about (Y/n)'s support. Perhaps it was the fact that they had known each other for years before they were both accepted into Hogwarts. Whatever the reason, Harry was grateful for her.

Despite her offer, Harry declined, assuring her that he would be okay on his own. As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at turning down her kind offer. Nevertheless, he knew that he had to handle Snape alone. He promised her that he would return soon, and with that, he set off, his thoughts lingering on (Y/n) and the bond they shared.

He made his way down to the staffroom and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again. Nothing. Perhaps Snape had left the book in there? It was worth a try. He pushed the door ajar and peered inside and a horrible scene met his eyes.

Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

"Blasted thing," Snape was saying.

"How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?"

Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but -

"POTTER!"

Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped.

"I just wondered if I could have my book back."

"GET OUT! OUT!"

Harry left before Snape could take any more points from Gryffindor. He sprinted back upstairs.

"Did you get it?" Ron asked as Harry joined them. "What's the matter?"

In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen.

"You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly.

"He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

Hermione's eyes were wide.

"No he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe."

"Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron.

"I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

"I agree too it seems quite weird that Snap got injured while coming back from the third fooler," said (Y/n)

"Maybe he did try to get past the dog when we were trying to fight that troll"

Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. He tried to empty his mind he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget.

The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match.

"You've got to eat some breakfast."

"I don't want anything."

"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.

"I'm not hungry."

Harry felt terrible. In an hour he'd be walking onto the field.

"Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan.

"Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team."

"Thanks, Seamus," Harry watched Seamus pile heaps of ketchup on his sausages, his stomach churning with unease. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but he knew he needed to eat something before the match today. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand on his own, and he turned to see (Y/n) sitting beside him. Her friendly smile put him at ease, and he felt a sense of comfort he hadn't felt since he woke up and remembered his first match was today.

Before he could say anything, (Y/n) placed a plate of his favorite Treacle Tart in front of him, the sweet aroma wafting up to meet his nose.

"If you don't feel like eating breakfast, you can have this. I know it's not breakfast, but it'll give you some energy for the match today. Plus, I know you can't refuse a treacle tart," she chuckled softly.

Harry couldn't help but smile at her thoughtfulness, taking the plate gratefully. As he took a bite, he felt a wave of warmth spread through him, and he felt more relaxed than he had in days. Ron, Hermione, and Seamus watched in surprise as Harry's demeanor shifted, his shoulders relaxing and his face softening.

It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to Harry. He felt grateful to have such caring friends, and he knew that, no matter what happened today, he had people he could count on.

By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes.

Ron, (Y/n) and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean in the West Ham fan up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. It said Potter for President, and Dean and (Y/n), who were good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes

Wood cleared his throat for silence.

"Okay, men," he said.

"And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson.

"And women," Wood agreed.

"This is it."

"The big one," said Fred Weasley.

"The one we've all been waiting for," said George.

"We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry,

"We were on the team last year."

"Shut up, you two," said Wood.

"This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it."

He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else."

"Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you."

Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, walked onto the field to loud cheers.

Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand.

"Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a fifth year. Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver.

"Mount your brooms, please."

Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. Fifteen brooms rose, high, high into the air. They were off.

"And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too-"

"JORDAN!"

"Sorry, Professor."

The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall.

"And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve- back to Johnson and no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes Flint flying like an eagle up there he's going to sc- no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle- that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and- OUCH that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger Quaffle taken by the Slytherins that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goalposts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes, she's really flying , dodges a speeding Bludger the goalposts are ahead come on, now, Angelina Keeper Bletchley dives- misses- GRYFFINDORS SCORE!"

Gryffindor's cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins.

"Budge up there, move along."

"Hagrid!"

Ron,(Y/n) and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them.

"Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck,

"But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope," said Ron.

"Harry hasn't had much to do yet."

"Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry.

Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan.

"Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said.

"We don't want you attacked before you have to be."

When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop the- loops to let off his feelings. Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.

"All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint.

"Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying,

"Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the- wait a moment. was that the Snitch?"

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement, he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Regulus had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch.

Harry was slightly faster than Regulus he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead he put on an extra spurt of speed- WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below- Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life.

"Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors.

Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goalposts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared again. Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling,

"Send him off, ref! Red card!"

"What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron.

"Red card!" said Dean furiously.

"In soccer, you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!"

"But this isn't soccer, Dean," Ron reminded him.

Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side.

"They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked, Harry outta the air."

Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides.

"So after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating- "

"Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall.

"I mean, after that open and revolting foul-"

"Jordan, I'm warning you-"

"All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinnet, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue to play, Gryffindor still in possession."

It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goalposts, he had half a mind to ask Wood to call a time-out, and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him. Lee was still commentating.

"Slytherin in possession- Flint with the Quaffle- passes Spinnet- passes Bell- hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose- only joking, Professor- Slytherins score- oh no..."

The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars.

"If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom... but he can't have...."

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except for powerful Dark magic- no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand."

At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd.

"What are you doing?" moaned Ron, grey-faced while (Y/n) couldn't take her eyes off Harry worried he might fall any minute.

"I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape look!"

Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath.

"He's doing something. jinxing the broom," said Hermione.

"What should we do?"

"Leave it to me."

Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. The whole crowd was on its feet, watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

"Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately.

Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes.

It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row. Snape would never know what had happened. It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back onto his broom.

"Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes.

Harry was soaring through the air on his broomstick, his eyes fixed on the tiny, fluttering Snitch as it darted back and forth. Suddenly, he started to descend rapidly towards the ground. The crowd gasped as they saw him clutching his mouth as if he was about to be sick. Even after his broomstick stopped jerking, (Y/n) couldn't help but worry about him. She held her breath and watched anxiously as Harry hit the ground on all fours, coughing violently. Then, to her relief, something glittering and golden fell into his hand. Harry's face lit up with excitement as he shouted,

"I've got the Snitch!" and triumphantly waved it above his head. The game ended in a frenzy of confusion and cheers from the crowd.

"He didn't catch it, he nearly swallowed it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron, (Y/n) and Hermione.

"It was Snape," Ron was explaining,

"Seriously why would he do that did Harry steal his girlfriend from him or something?" (Y/n) said earning a snort from Ron

"Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands.

"Why would Snape do somethin' like that?"

Harry, (Y/n), Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth.

"I found out something about him," he told Hagrid.

"He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

Hagrid dropped the teapot.

"How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"Fluffy?"

"Yeah he's mine bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly.

"That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to steal it."

"Rubbish," said Hagrid again.

"Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione.

The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.

"I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly.

"Hagrid you said it yourself a kid couldn't possibly make his broom do that and you confirmed that it must have been some kind of dark magic" the other girl stated

"I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh- yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget that dog, an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel-"

"Aha!" said Harry,

"so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.

No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor common room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.

"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class,

"for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."

Harry was busy measuring out the powdered spine of a lionfish while Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his lackeys Crabbe and Goyle, was trying to get under his skin. Malfoy had been particularly unpleasant since the Quidditch match, where Harry had outperformed his house. Frustrated by the loss, Malfoy tried to make the other students laugh by mocking Harry's skills. When that didn't work, he resorted to taunting Harry about his background, something he knew Harry was sensitive about.

Harry, however, was determined not to let Malfoy's comments get the better of him. He was excited about spending Christmas at Hogwarts with his friends, including Ron and his brothers who were also staying back. Harry knew that this Christmas would be different from previous ones, which he had spent with his unpleasant relatives at Privet Drive.

(Y/n), who was also in the class, was not going back home for Christmas either. She was glaring at Malfoy, who noticed her and turned to her with a smirk on his face.

"What do you think you're doing glaring at me like that, you twat?" he said, trying to provoke her. (Y/n) replied with a scowl,

"I'm hoping you'll spontaneously combust." Malfoy's smirk disappeared, and he scoffed before turning away with Crabbe and Goyle which made the girl smirk.

As they left the Potions class, they encountered a large fir tree blocking the corridor. Harry and his friends heard a loud puffing sound and realized that Hagrid was behind it.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

"WEASLEY!"

Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree.

"Malfoy was insultin' his family."

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.

"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back,

"one of these days, I'll get him-"

"I hate them both," said Harry,

"Malfoy and Snape."

"Don't worry boys someday we will hit them so hard they won't know what hit them"

"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid.

"Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."

So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.

"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree put it in the far corner, would you?"

The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me. Harry, Ron, (Y/n) we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.

"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall.

"Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"

"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly.

"Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is." (Y/n) sighed and mentally face palmed at her friend's stupidity

"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here. I've told yeh. drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."

"We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.

"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added.

"We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere just give us a hint I know I've read his name somewhere."

"I'm sayin' nothin'," said Hagrid flatly.

"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel's name ever since Hagrid had let it slip, because how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, not knowing what Flamel might have done to get himself into a book. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries, and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. And then, of course, there was the sheer size of the library; tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows.

Hermione and (Y/n) took out a list of subjects and titles they had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. He had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn't somewhere in there. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and he knew he'd never get one. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"What are you looking for, boy?"

"Nothing," said Harry.

Madam Pince the librarian brandished a feather duster at him.

"You'd better get out, then. Go on out!"

Wishing he'd been a bit quicker at thinking up some story, Harry left the library. He, (Y/n), Ron, and Hermione had already agreed they'd better not ask Madam Pince where they could find Flamel. They were sure she'd be able to tell them, but they couldn't risk Snape hearing what they were up to. Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn't very hopeful. They had been looking for two weeks, after all, but as they only had odd moments between lessons it wasn't surprising they'd found nothing. What they needed was a nice long search without Madam Pince breathing down their necks.

Five minutes later, Ron, (Y/n) and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. They went off to lunch.

"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione.

"And send me an owl if you find anything."

"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said, Ron.

"It'd be safe to ask them."

"Very safe, as they're both dentists," said Hermione, and then she left to pack the rest of her things.

The conversation between three first-year Hogwarts students was suddenly interrupted by a cheerful voice calling out to one of them. Looking up, the trio saw the Slytherin and Hufflepuff seekers approaching them. Cedric Diggory and Regulus Black had come to bid farewell to their friend, (Y/n), before heading home for the holidays. To the surprise of Harry and Ron, the girl seemed to be on friendly terms with the Slytherin boy. Despite Ron's prejudice, Harry felt oddly uncomfortable around Regulus. The older boy turned to Harry and asked if he was the Gryffindor seeker, but instead of insulting him for winning the match against him, he praised him for giving him a good challenge. (Y/n) confirmed that Harry was indeed the seeker, and Cedric continued to praise him for his skills on the field. The two first-years were surprised to see the friendly side of a Slytherin, a house known for its cunning and ambition. Harry and Ron felt awkward and remained silent until Cedric and Regulus bid farewell to (Y/n) and promised to keep in touch with her during the holidays.

"You're friends with a Slytherin?!" Ron hissed making (Y/n) turn to him and shrugged

"Not all of them like Malfoy you know," she said before taking her leave not wanting to hear the boys complain about her other friendships

Once the holidays had started, (Y/n), Ron, and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire. They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork bread, English muffins, marshmallows, and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which was fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.

Ron also started teaching Harry and (Y/n) wizard chess. This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle. Ron's set was very old and battered. Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family, in this case, his grandfather. However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.

Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all. He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing.

"Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him."

As the chess game progressed, (Y/n) expressed her desire to join in. The chessmen on the board tried to protest but (Y/n) silenced them, revealing her past experience of playing Muggle chess with Mrs. Figg. Ron was surprised to hear this, unaware of her skills. The game was incredibly intense, and both (Y/n) and Ron were deeply focused. It was the final round, and the score was tied at one win each. Harry couldn't help but observe Ron's growing nervousness, as he was determined not to let (Y/n) win this game. However, (Y/n) was equally determined and didn't give up easily. When it was her turn, she made her final move with precision and smirked at her red-haired friends. "Check Mate," she announced triumphantly. Ron groaned at his loss, and Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the outcome of the game played by his two best friends.

On Christmas Eve, Harry went to bed looking forward to the next day for the food and the fun, but not expecting any presents at all. When he woke early in the morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.

"Merry Christmas," said Ron sleepily as Harry scrambled out of bed and pulled on his bathrobe.

"You, too," said Harry.

"Will you look at this? I've got some presents!"

"What did you expect, turnips?" said Ron, turning to his own pile, which was a lot bigger than Harry's. Before they opened their presents they heard a knock on the door which turned out to be (Y/n) who wanted to open her gifts with the boys. Harry picked up the top parcel. It was wrapped in thick brown paper and scrawled across it was To Harry, from Hagrid. Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it. it sounded a bit like an owl.

A second, very small parcel contained a note. We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Taped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.

"That's friendly," said Harry.

Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence.

"Weird!" he said, "What a shape! This is money?"

"You can keep it," said Harry, him and (Y/n) laughing at how pleased Ron was.

"Hagrid and my aunt and uncle so who sent these?"

"I think I know who that one's from," said Ron, turning a bit pink and pointing to a very lumpy parcel. "My mom. I told her you both didn't expect any presents and- oh, no," he groaned,

"she's made you a Weasley sweater."

Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of homemade fudge.

"I think I have one too" (Y/n) beamed pulling a (F/c) with her first initial and wearing it over her pjs

"Every year she makes us a sweater," said Ron, unwrapping his own,

"and mine's always maroon."

"That's really nice of her," said Harry, trying the fudge, which was very tasty.

His next present also contained candy a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.

With excitement in her eyes, (Y/n) eagerly unwrapped the remaining gifts. She found some chocolate frogs from Ron, which she knew she would enjoy later. Hermione gifted her with an art sketch, which she appreciated deeply. The pair of gold butterfly earrings from Cedric caught her attention and made her heart flutter. However, the most surprising gift came from Regulus - a gold butterfly bracelet similar to the earrings. The matching set made her feel special and brought a smile to her face.

Suddenly, she heard Harry clearing his throat and turned to face him. She noticed the small box in his hands, and her heart began to race with anticipation.

"Cedric and Regulus owled me and told me that they wanted to surprise you with a matching set of jewelry, and I thought it was just right to join them as well," he said nervously.

She opened the box to find a small gold ring, which was perfect in her eyes. Harry's insecurity was evident as he asked,

"So, er, do yo-" but he was cut off by her embracing him tightly.

"I love it!" she exclaimed, feeling grateful for the thoughtful gift and Harry was relieved that he had managed to pull it off.

Harry took the small box out of her hand and opened it tenderly, revealing a delicate ring inside. The girl standing before him held out her hand, and he took it, placing the ring on her finger. A bright smile lit up her face as she gazed down at the ring. (at least he was the one to put a ring on her finger;) ok I will stop now T-T) Meanwhile, Ron was munching on some Muggle candy that (Y/n) had given him, muttering under his breath, "Friend my arse," but neither of them paid him any attention.

(Y/n) came back to reality and walked over to the gift she had brought for Harry. She handed it to him, and he quickly unwrapped it to reveal a magical camera. Looking at the girl beside him, he said, "I noticed how fascinated you were by the moving pictures here, so I thought I'd get you one so you can capture every memory we make before leaving Hogwarts." A smile spread across her face, and Harry thanked her warmly.

This only left one for each of Harry and (Y/n). Harry picked his up and felt it. It was very light. He unwrapped it. Something fluid and silvery gray went slithering to the floor where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.

"I've heard of those," he said in a hushed voice, dropping the box of Every Flavor Beans he'd gotten from Hermione.

"If that's what I think it is they're really rare and really valuable."

"What is it?"

Harry picked the shining, silvery cloth off the floor. It was strange to the touch like water is woven into the material.

"It's an Invisibility Cloak," said Ron, a look of awe on his face.

"A what now?" (Y/n) asked but Ron ignored her question

"I'm sure it is try it on."

Harry threw the cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.

"It is! Look down!"

"Woah!"

Harry looked down at his feet, but they were gone. He dashed to the mirror. Sure enough, his reflection looked back at him, just his head suspended in midair, his body completely invisible. He pulled the cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

"There's a note!" said Ron suddenly.

"A note fell out of it!"

Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words:

Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you

There was no signature. Harry stared at the note. Ron was admiring the cloak.

"I'd give anything for one of these," he said.

"Anything. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," said Harry. He felt very strange. Who had sent the cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?

Before he could say or think anything else, the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the cloak quickly out of sight. He didn't feel like sharing it with anyone else yet.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Hey, look! (Y/n) and Harry got a Weasley sweater, too!"

Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.

"Harry's is better than ours, though," said Fred, holding up Harry's sweater.

"She obviously makes more of an effort if you're not family."

"Why aren't you wearing yours, Ron?" George demanded.

"Come on, get it on, they're lovely and warm."

"I hate maroon," Ron moaned halfheartedly as he pulled it over his head.

"You haven't got a letter on yours," George observed.

"I suppose she thinks you don't forget your name. But we're not stupid we know we're called Gred and Forge," he said making the only girl there chuckle

"What's all this noise?"

Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving.

He had clearly gotten halfway through unwrapping his presents as he, too, carried a lumpy sweater over his arm, which Fred seized.

"P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, come on, we're all wearing ours, even these two got one."

"I. don't. want-" said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the sweater over his head, knocking his glasses off.

"And you're not sitting with the prefects today, either," said George.

"Christmas is a time for family."

They frog-marched Percy from the room, his arms pinned to his side by his sweater. (Y/n) and Harry had never in all their lives had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce, and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table. These fantastic party favors were nothing like the feeble Muggle ones the Dursleys usually bought, with their little plastic toys and their flimsy paper hats inside. Harry pulled a wizard cracker with Fred and it didn't just bang, it went off with a blast like a cannon and engulfed them all in a cloud of blue smoke, while from the inside exploded a rear admiral's hat and several live, white mice. Up at the High Table, Dumbledore had swapped his pointed wizard's hat for a flowered bonnet and was chuckling merrily at a joke Professor Flitwick had just read him.

Flaming Christmas puddings followed the turkey. Percy nearly broke his teeth on a silver Sickle embedded in his slice. Harry and (Y/n) watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face as he called for more wine, finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry's amazement, giggled and blushed, her top hat lopsided.

When Harry finally left the table, he was laden down with a stack of things out of the crackers, including a pack of nonexplodable, luminous balloons, a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, and his own new wizard chess set. The white mice had disappeared and Harry had a nasty feeling they were going to end up as Mrs Norris's Christmas dinner.

(Y/n), Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight on the grounds. Then, cold, wet, and gasping for breath, they returned to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, where Harry broke into his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn't have lost so badly if Percy hadn't tried to help him so much as (Y/n) was taking a warm shower so he couldn't ask for her help.

After a meal of turkey sandwiches, crumpets, trifle, and Christmas cake, everyone felt too full and sleepy to do much before bed except sit and watch Percy chase Fred and George all over Gryffindor Tower because they'd stolen his prefect badge. It had been Harry's best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. Not until he climbed into bed was he free to think about it: the Invisibility Cloak and whoever had sent it.

Ron, full of turkey and cake and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep almost as soon as he'd drawn the curtains of his four-poster. Harry leaned over the side of his own bed and pulled the cloak out from under it. His father's... this had been his father's. He let the material flow over his hands, smoother than silk, light as air. Use it well, the note had said.

He had to try it, now. He slipped out of bed and wrapped the cloak around himself. Looking down at his legs, he saw only moonlight and shadows. It was a very funny feeling.

Use it well.

Suddenly, Harry felt wide awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this cloak. Excitement flooded through him as he stood there in the dark and silence. He could go anywhere in this, anywhere, and Filch would never know.

Ron grunted in his sleep. Should Harry wake him? Something held him back, his father's cloak, he felt that this time (the first time ) he wanted to use it alone.

He crept out of the dormitory, down the stairs, across the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Who's there?" squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing. He walked quickly down the corridor.

Where should he go? He stopped, his heart racing, and thought. And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library. He'd be able to read as long as he liked, as long as it took to find out who Flamel was. He set off, drawing the Invisibility Cloak tight around him as he walked.

The library was pitch-black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. The lamp looked as if it was floating along in midair, and even though Harry could feel his arm supporting it, the sight gave him the creeps.

The Restricted Section was right at the back of the library. Stepping carefully over the rope that separated these books from the rest of the library, he held up his lamp to read the titles.

They didn't tell him much. Their peeling, faded gold letters spelled words in languages Harry couldn't understand. Some had no title at all. One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck prickled. Maybe he was imagining it, maybe not, but he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn't be.

He had to start somewhere. Setting the lamp down carefully on the floor, he looked along the bottom shelf for an interesting-looking book. A large black and silver volume caught his eye. He pulled it out with difficulty because it was very heavy, and, balancing it on his knee, let it fall open. A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence. the book was screaming! Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on one high, unbroken, earsplitting note. He stumbled backwards and knocked over his lamp, which went out at once. Panicking, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside. stuffing the shrieking book back on the shelf, he ran for it. He passed Filch in the doorway; Filch's pale, wild eyes looked straight through him, and Harry slipped under Filch's outstretched arm and streaked off up the corridor, the book's shrieks still ringing in his ears.

He came to a sudden halt in front of a tall suit of armor. He had been so busy getting away from the library, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going. Perhaps because it was dark, he didn't recognize where he was at all. There was a suit of armor near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.

"You asked me to come directly to you, Professor if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody's been in the library. Restricted Section."

Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. Wherever he was, Filch must know a shortcut because his soft, greasy voice was getting nearer, and to his horror, it was Snape who replied,

"The Restricted Section? Well, they can't be far, we'll catch them."

Harry stood rooted to the spot as Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. They couldn't see him, of course, but it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they'd knock right into him the cloak didn't stop him from being solid. He backed away as quietly as he could. A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, holding his breath, trying not to move it, and to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. They walked straight past, and Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. That had been close, very close. It was a few seconds before he noticed anything about the room he had hidden in. It looked like an unused classroom. The dark shapes of desks and chairs were piled against the walls, and there was an upturned wastepaper basket but propped against the wall facing him was something that didn't look as if it belonged there, something that looked as if someone had just put it there to keep it out of the way.

It was a magnificent mirror, as high as the ceiling, with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. There was an inscription carved around the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

His panic faded now that there was no sound of Filch and Snape, Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but seeing no reflection again. He stepped in front of it.

He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself from screaming. He whirled around. His heart was pounding far more furiously than when the book had screamed for he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.

But the room was empty. Breathing very fast, he turned slowly back to the mirror. There he was, reflected in it, white and scared-looking, and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. Harry looked over his shoulder but still, no one was there. Or were they all invisible, too? Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror trick that reflected them, invisible or not? He looked in the mirror again. A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. If she were really there, he'd touch her, their reflections were so close together, but he felt only air. She and the others existed only in the mirror.

She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes-

"Her eyes are just like mine"

Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass. Bright green exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time. The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just as Harry's did. Harry was so close to the mirror now that his nose was nearly touching that of his reflection.

"Mom?" he whispered. "Dad?"

They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror, and saw other pairs of green eyes like his, other noses like his, and even a little old man who looked as though he had Harry's knobbly knees. Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.

How long he stood there, he didn't know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn't stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother's face, whispered,

"I'll come back," and hurried from the room.

(Y/n) was in her cozy dorm room, getting ready to sleep when something caught her eye. It was the wrapped gift she had forgotten to open earlier in the day. The gift was wrapped flawlessly, with neat creases and a brightly colored ribbon tied into a perfect bow. (Y/n) couldn't resist the urge to open it, so she retrieved the gift and sat down on her comfortable bed. As she began to unravel the wrapping paper, she heard a hiss beside her. She looked down and saw Nitor, the snake she had let out from his hiding place earlier, watching her curiously.

"What issss thissss?" he asked, his head swaying back and forth as he studied the gift.

"I don't know yet. Why don't we see?" (Y/n) replied with a smile, feeling a sense of excitement building up inside her. As she continued to unwrap the gift, she found a perfectly crafted box of jewelry.

"More jewelry?" she questioned, a hint of disappointment in her voice. She opened the box and found a note that looked eerily similar to the one Harry received with his cloak.

"What doessss it ssssay?" asked the snake, who was still studying the gift.

"It says, 'This was your mother's. Be careful with it and don't see too much.' What does that even mean?" (Y/n) muttered, feeling a sense of unease creeping up on her.

As she looked back into the box, she saw a beautiful red heart necklace nestled inside. She carefully picked it up and put it around her neck.

"What do you think?" she asked the snake, who looked unimpressed.

"That's weird. Maybe it's like a locket or something. It has to be opened o-" Suddenly, (Y/n) felt as if her whole body was on fire, and her vision started to change. She could only see red as she heard a woman's voice screaming, "You picked the wrong side, Peter!" Then she woke up, gasping for air, with Nitor beside her.

As she struggled for air, she frantically tore the necklace from her neck. Once she sat upright, she patted her pet, Nitor, to assure him that she was okay.

"I'm fine, don't worry," she managed to gasp out, still catching her breath. After a few minutes, she lay on her bed, with Nitor curled up next to her, sound asleep. She gazed at the necklace lying on her nightstand, with a furrowed brow. Her fingers traced the delicate chain that had encircled her neck moments ago.

'Don't see too much'

"How strange," she murmured, before turning away from the necklace. Unbeknownst to her, the necklace's brilliant crimson hue seemed to radiate light throughout the room, illuminating everything in its path. As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts were consumed with the vivid images the necklace had revealed to her...

"You could have woken me up," said Ron, crossly as (Y/n) didn't say anything her mind was thinking about last night's incident.

"You can come tonight, I'm going back, I want to show you the mirror. both of you." that made (Y/n) snap back to the boys' conversation

"I'd like to see your mom and dad," Ron said and (Y/n) nodded eagerly.

"And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, you'll be able to show me your other brothers and everyone maybe we can see (Y/n)'s parents as well."

"You can see them any old time," said Ron.

"Just come round my house this summer. Ginny has already invited (Y/n) so both of you could come Anyway, maybe it only shows dead people. Shame not finding Flamel, though. Have some bacon or something, why aren't you eating anything?"

Harry couldn't eat. He had seen his parents and would be seeing them again tonight. He had almost forgotten about Flamel. It didn't seem very important anymore. Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?

"Are you all right?" said Ron.

"You look odd both of you actually (Y/n) you have been silent for a while are alright?."

"Yeah I am don't worry Ron"(Y/n) gave him a small smile, but the expression on her face told him that something was wrong. He could sense her exhaustion, but he didn't want to make things worse by prying. He decided to give her some space and not press her to talk about what was bothering her.

What Harry feared most was that he might not be able to find the mirror room again. With Ron and (Y/n) covered in the cloak, too, they had to walk much more slowly the next night. They tried retracing Harry's route from the library, wandering around the dark passageways for nearly an hour.

"I'm freezing," said Ron.

"Let's forget it and go back."

"No!" Harry hissed.

"I know it's here somewhere."

"Stop fighting both of you"

They passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction but saw no one else. Just as Ron started moaning that his feet were dead with cold, Harry spotted the suit of armor.

"It's here. just here- yes!"

They pushed the door open. Harry dropped the cloak from around his shoulders and ran to the mirror. There they were. His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.

"See?" Harry whispered.

"I can't see anything."

"Me neither"

"Look! Look at them all... there are loads of them..."

"I can only see you," Ron said and (Y/n) nodded

"Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am."

Harry stepped aside, but with (Y/n) in front of the mirror, he couldn't see his family anymore, just (Y/n) in her pajamas.

The two boys leaned in curiously and asked the girl, "So, what do you see?" She lifted her gaze up to the mirror and found herself staring at a stunning woman with curly red locks that cascaded down her waist. The woman's striking (E/c) eyes seemed to bore into hers as she examined her reflection. The girl's eyes widened in confusion as she wondered if the woman was her mother. Her gaze then shifted to the woman's neck, where she spotted a familiar necklace, the one she had received on Christmas. The girl's heart raced as she remembered the events of the previous night. She stepped back from the mirror and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Harry asked her, "What did you see?" She whispered, "Nothing." Harry was about to ask again when Ron intervened, placing a hand on his shoulder and gesturing for him to back off. Ron then walked over to where the girl was standing next to her in silence.

Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.

"Look at me!" he said.

"Can you see all your family standing around you?"

"No. I'm alone- but I'm different I look older and- I'm Head Boy!"

"What?"

"I am- I'm wearing the badge like Bill used to- and I'm holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup I'm Quidditch Captain, too!" Ron tore his eyes away from this splendid sight to look excitedly at Harry.

"Do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it? All my family are dead- let me have another look-"

"You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time."

"You're only holding the Quidditch Cup, what's interesting about that? I want to see my parents."

"Don't push me-" "Both of you sto-"

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. They hadn't realized how loudly they had been talking.

"Quick!"

Ron threw the cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. Ron and Harry stood quite still, both thinking the same thing- did the cloak work on cats? After what seemed an age, she turned and left.

"This isn't safe- she might have gone for Filch, I bet she heard us. Come on."

And Ron pulled Harry and (Y/n) out of the room. The snow still hadn't melted the next morning.

"Want to play chess, Harry?" said Ron.

"No."

"Why don't we go down and visit Hagrid?"

"No... you go..."

"I know what you're thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don't go back tonight."

"Why not?"

"I dunno, I've just got a bad feeling about it- and anyway, you've had too many close shaves already. Filch, Snape, and Mrs. Norris are wandering around. So what if they can't see you? What if they walk into you? What if you knock something over?"

"You sound like Hermione."

"I'm serious, Harry, don't go ever since we went there something wrong happened to (Y/n) she doesn't want to get out of her dorm maybe you should go see her I know she would listen to you."

But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn't going to stop him he could cheek on (Y/n) some other time.

That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn't meet anyone.

And there were his mother and father smiling at him again, and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him from staying here all night with his family. Nothing at all. Except-

"So back again, Harry?"

Harry felt as though his insides had turned to ice. He looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore. Harry must have walked straight past him, so desperate to get to the mirror that he hadn't noticed him.

"I- I didn't see you, sir."

"Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you," said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.

"So," said Dumbledore, slipping off the desk to sit on the floor with Harry,

"You, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised."

"I didn't know it was called that, sir."

"But I expect you've realized by now what it does?"

"It- well- it shows me, my family- "

"And it showed your friend Ron himself as Head Boy," Dumbledore said but he didn't mention what did the (E/c) eyed girl see knowing she wouldn't want him to tell her friends

"How did you know- ?"

"I don't need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently.

"Now, can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?"

Harry shook his head.

"Let me explain. The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?"

Harry thought. Then he said slowly,

"It shows us what we want... whatever we want ..."

"Yes and no," said Dumbledore quietly.

"It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge nor truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.

"The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don't you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?"

Harry stood up.

"Sir- Professor Dumbledore? Can I ask you something?"

"Obviously, you've just done so," Dumbledore smiled.

"You may ask me one more thing, however."

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks."

Harry stared.

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore.

"Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books."

It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, he thought, as he shoved Scabbers off his pillow, it had been quite a personal question.

#fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter x reader #harry potter x y/n #harry potter x you #original character #oc #x reader #fred weasley #george weasley #Spotify

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hehehereliesmysanity · 1 year

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"lunch can wait"

The one with Forest Ridge boys don't call Wille on the table anymore.

(1k, rated m for language, post canon)

It is another lunch with the boys at Forest Ridge. And they are loud and obnoxious as always. There was a party last night and that meant only one thing. They were calling people on the table and Wille is annoyed again. The reason is a little bit different this time, though. It’s been over a month he has been with Simon publicly, since the jubilee. He doesn’t shy away from showing off his boyfriend anymore now that they don’t have anything to hide but nobody called either of them on the table since and it is getting on Wille’s nerves. The chatter starts to die down after they make someone else talk about their night, the rating performance and all of that shit again. They pat them on the back and it is not even figurative.

He thinks it is time to call them out because this is really not fair. He puts down his fork and knife on his plate with a thud and stands on his chair all of a sudden and all the eyes turn to him immediately, including his boyfriend, who is sitting next to him and looking at him confused and a little concerned. He looks back with a small smile, assuring him it is okay and he doesn’t need to worry, they have a way of communicating only with their eyes now, no words need to be spoken.

“Why is nobody calling me on the table anymore?” he asks keeping a neutral face, coming straight to the point, without further ado because he needs to say what he is going to say and be done with it.

The boys start to look bewildered and confused and they look at each other, almost fed up with one of the outbursts of the crown prince again, Wille can feel it.

“I am serious, why did you stop doing that with me?” he asks again, towering over them and that gives him a buzz to keep going.

“Didn’t you ask for privacy?” Henry, of all people, answers him. Wille can’t help but scoff.

“It didn’t stop you before,” Wille laughs humorlessly. “You really made a big deal when you saw me with Felice." he scoffs again, looking at Henry and then he turns to look at them all, "You patted me on the back like it was some victory. So I don’t understand, please enlighten me. Why do you not say anything when you see me making out with my boyfriend all the time? Some of you even see me sneaking him into my room at night and you look the other way. I have a pretty solid idea why you do that but I don’t want to sound judgy.” he says with a sharp tone.

“Do you… do you want to tell us what you are up to?” Walter asks then, a little unsure and everybody looks like a wounded animal, almost afraid that Wille is actually going to make them listen.

“What?” Wille exclaims horrified, “of course, I am not going to tell you that?” he says flatly. He lets out a deep sigh. Are they really that stupid or ignorant? “That’s not anyone’s business but ourselves.”

“Then why are you bothered—” Vincent begins from at the head of the table.

“Can’t you see the hypocrisy, Vincent, really?” he spits. “It is not only me and Simon, either. You stopped asking Nils, too, after he came out. Don't you really see it?"

"I don't want to do that shit, man. Why do you care so much?" Nils interjects and Wille is more than annoyed.

"You can keep pretending this is not double standards at all, but I won't," Wille tells Nils and then turns to other boys once again "I am just saying it is a little strange that you don't call us on the table anymore, since you love listening to people talking about getting their dick sucked so bad? Considering there are more than one in our situation, you know?" Wille says with a condescending smile, which gets gasps, whispers, and murmurs from the boys around.

Simon looks up at him with a smile and Wille is assured to go.

"We are going to drop this stupid tradition right now and let people have their own privacy from now on? Understood?" he says with a firm voice that leaves no room to objection. He then slowly gets off of his chair and pushes the chair underneath the table like a well-mannered prince he is and glances at his boyfriend who gets up from his seat as well. He grabs him by his hand and they leave the dining room together hand in hand, leaving people frozen in their place.

***

Simon crosses his arms around his boyfriend's neck when they get in Wille's room, giggling and smiling against his chest. He pulls back to look at his boyfriend with a small smile. "You know I am really proud of you calling out all these stupid traditions but I hadn't finished my lunch back there," he smiles.

"I could order some food here?" Wille snickers.

"Jan Olof?" Simon chuckles lightly.

"Yes," Wille nods adorably.

"He will hate us," Simon grins. "You already called him three times this week."

"Then he shouldn't have changed my song?" Wille tells flatly, with a raised eyebrow.

"Your song?" Simon chuckles, "excuse me, that's my song," Simon corrects unsuccessfully.

"Nope, it is mine." Wille smiles before he catches his boyfriend's lips in a smearing kiss. Lunch can wait.

#yr drabbles #i havent done that since so long #wilmon fanfic #wilmon fic #tumblr drabbles #young royals #i found it on my drafts and polished it a little

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ask-void-official · 1 year

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Happy New Years!

Oh, hi! Well, uh... ahem. As you probably know, I, er... haven't updated Ask Void since, what, before Halloween?? Awkward, I know. Deepest apologies for that.

Now, don't worry, I didn't abandon Ask Void due to any sudden distaste for my short sad skeleton scientist, nor is Void's story getting completely left in the dust; I love my small skelly boi too much for that.

No, the real reason you haven't seen anything of Void is because I realized one autumn evening as I was pacing the living room holding a mug of apple cider and contemplating sowing the seeds of destruction and chaos onto this mortal plane that I realized that an ask blog isn't exactly the medium I want to utilize to tell my Void-boi's story; an ask blog is a medium that simply far too much whimsy and slice-of-life built into it to tell the story of someone with so much plot and character development potential like my depressed Void.

Void needs something that can really convey that 'Void' feel, and something I won't feel bad for breaking away from the happy fun times 'let's mess with Void' hours to suddenly go 'Oh but wait he has trauma actually'.

I don't regret making the ask blog though, it really helped me hone my character for Void, and I absolutely adored drawing the comics and writing for him. Oh, and don't worry, Ask Void will still be here! I'll basically be archiving it and effectively putting it aside in the pantry, which you can always look in to reminisce! And of course, we'll be addressing the asks ya'll sent in during my exceedingly unannounced hiatus (Again, sorry about that)

For everybody who wanted to know what was inside the house:

The GUAAHSTER GAENGGG set up a lovely chandelier in his house to help with the gloomy lighting! Void definitely probably appreciates it.

For that one lovely person who gave Void glasses that don't need tape:

Ok, he really appreciates these. Thank you!

For that one person who sent that ask likely intended for when Void was in Waterfall saying he seemed rather 'down in the dumps':

He appreciates that too; I wonder how long it's been since Void dusted off the old 'sense of humor'?

While the Ask Void universe may be set aside, there is still something that remains of it, and that would be the liminal space in between our reality and that of the Multiverse, where all of our ideas are in that incubatory stage of 'not quite there yet', and where our lovely Liminal!Void and Strawberry!Void live, as well as a reflection of myself. Their ask box isn't going anywhere, so feel free to still send asks to them if you wish; and of course, you may send asks about anything else in general that you want, from the smallest "avocado?" to the largest "What is the meaning of life?"

So, I imagine you're wondering; what is going to happen to Void's story, then, if it won't be told in an ask blog? Well... I'm still figuring it out, but you're all overdue for a solid answer.

Me and a few friends, including but not limited to my friend @emikaat, are figuring out how it'll be told, but I'm at least 90% certain that I think I'm going to write it in a book; I was contemplating a comic for a little bit, but hoo boy, that would be so much effort and commitment. I mean, I love Void, but I don't think I'm going to turn him into a lifelong career, you know?

So I think the best way to go about it would be to write a book for it and then go through my hyperfixation-addled Void drawing cravings separately. I'll figure it out, don't you worry.

Now, I'd just like to take a moment to get sappy and sentimental and say thank you to all of you who stuck around this long for my silly little ask blog for my extra-little skeleton. I really appreciate it, and Void couldn't get as far as he has without you. If you stick around just a little longer, I'm sure we're going to get to places even more exciting! And in the meantime, have this lovely peek at what the idea making process for Void's story looks like...

Luckily, this only shows the ominous conspiracy board and not the mess of crumpled papers, candy bars, and the exasperated artist on the floor contemplating existence

#ask void #void #void!sci #text #announcement #culty catt

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naomana · 2 years

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Maybe 12 (candles) and 22 (nap) for Vito and Joe from the list you posted? Idk if you’re still doing it but if not I just wanted to say I love your Mafia content :)

I'm still doing this so feel free to request anything else from this list :) And thank you, I really appraciate it <3

This could be considere 18+ tho it's not that explicit or anything ^^"

Joe knew something was wrong when Vito didn't show up at his place after his big date. Pauline, as the whole neighbourhood called her Poppy (nickname she received when the rumours of her preference for inexperienced guys spread across the hood as wildfire), asked Vito out last week and the plans they made were for that evening. Joe even helped to decorate the place Vito was supposed to take her to, to make it at least little bit more memorable then his own first miserable fuck behind some dumpster.

Worried for his friend, he headed to their old hangout spot and found Vito sitting on the barely clean mattress in the corner of the room, playing with one of the candles that almost had no wax left to burn. "Hey." He mumbled and Vito looked up, turning his face to side with loud sigh. "Great. Just what I needed."

"The fuck is with the attitude?" Joe snapped, there he was worried for him and he gives him fucking attitude. Great. Great?!

Vito looked at it and took it, placed between his lips and moved the candle to his face to lit it up. "Ain't worth mentioning." He murmured and put the candle back to it's original spot, playing with the flame again. "Yeah yeah, that why you're sat here so miserable. What? She changed her mind?"

Despite Vito's best effort to hide it, the handprint on his cheek was still visible and it took Joe only couple of seconds to spot. "Somethin' tells me the date didn't go well." His eyebrows raised up and Vito gave him bitter snicker, yeah dates never go great if the guy ends up with handprint on his damn face. "No? What's givin' you that idea?"

"Wanna talk about it?" Joe sat down next to him and offered him cigarette he managed to snatch from his father without him noticing.

His question just lingered in the air between them unaswered for solid minutes, before Vito picked up his courage. "We're friends, right?"

"And what's with this stupid question now? Of course we are, have been since seven." Joe accepted the offered cigarette and had a puff before giving it back to Vito, who was still hesitant with his explanation. "Promise you won't laugh." He ended up saying with serious face, which only made Joe want to laugh already.

"Promise." Bitting his bottom lip, he agreed and Vito kept on tapping his knee with his fingers nervously, finding the right words. "Date's been good. Everything went the right direction, we end up here, candles and shit work- just like you said." The words pour out of his mouth and Joe gives him understanding nod. "Of course it fucking works."

"I don't know Joe. She touched me and.. nothin'."

"What do you mean nothin'?" His eyebrows jumped up and to fill up the awkward silence with something, anything, Vito had another drag out of the cigarette. "I mean absolutely nothin'."

Joe bit his bottom lip again, trying not to break the promise he gave him, but he wanted to laugh so badly. "Then she got all offended, smacked me and ran off. Probably already tellin' everybody. Christ."

So he just told him about his zipper getting stuck when Nora tried to get into his pants, how he managed to his his head against the dumpster's lid when she came down on him, even admitted how fast he finished. The soft chuckle filled him with relief and Vito's head touched his shoulder. "Can I stay like this for a minute?" He asked softly and Joe couldn't say no. "Suit yourself." And before he knew it, Vito was gone and he could only sit there petrified to move in case he'd lose the comforting connection. Maybe he could have a nap too, so he'd forget about the thoughts he was filled with; how happy he was Vito didn't do nothing with Poppy and how he wanted to show him the ropes, just like with everything else. Always.

Alright alright, Joe got his composure back and patted his back with sympathy, trying to cheer him up. "It's alright. It's rarely perfect the first time. I mean, mine wasn't ideal either."

He could tell his words had very little comforting effect on his friend, but still carried on talking. Maybe if he'd embarrass himself there and then, it would make him feel less shit and just as he said before, they were friends for so long, he wouldn't mind to make a complete idiot out of himself to make him feel better.

#mafia2 #Vito x Joe #Vito/Joe #vito scaletta #joe barbaro #naomi's writing

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faarkas · 1 year

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15 questions for 15 mutuals

tagged by the lovely @rosebarsoap to do this lil game and I'm trying to be better about doing my tags sooo.

saying that I am already late and everybody has been tagged so. I shan't tag anybody my apologies,

1. are you named after anyone?

Naur but I have a middle name that is also my aunts middle name. :3

2. when was the last time you cried?

Like PROPER cried??? genuinely no idea. I used to cry really easily but for a long time its been literally 3 tears and then the rest just suck back up. I get choked up really easy but no tears allowed. On that note the latest season of queer eye has been hitting so hard. everybody go watch.

3. do you have kids?

no and I don't ever want them. I love kids I feel a drive to protect them and I'll babysit any day but I would be an absolutely terrible mother I'm too anxious and like. hot headed to have one of my own. Also a lot of my health issues are genetic and I wouldn't want to put anybody through that.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

uhhh maybe?? probably?? idk ask nat. or my mother. I try to be sarcastic in a dry funny way and not like an overly mean way. does not mean i always succeed tho :/

5. what sports do you play/have you played?

I've worked with horses for... 18 years?? so. heh. didn't want to or have the money to do anything else after i got involved with them.

6. what’s the first thing you notice about other people?

Like. body language. and then eyes. theres so much u can learn about people just by the way they hold themselves yk

7. eye colour?

brown. >:)

8. scary movies or happy endings?

happy endings. i need joy in my life. I like Some kind of spooky movies the older I get but largely I just want something chill. the like 1995-2012 romcom era is my heaven. CAN WE START RLY BRINGING THOSE MOVIES BACK PLEASE!

9. any special talents?

?? idk ig I know how to pull hay and get it off wagons quickly. I can look at like a solid wall of hay bales and go Yeah THATS the one that needs to come out and then either I or my friend will pull it and it'll bring half the wall down. we call it hay jenga but the goal is to get as much down as possible as fast as possible

10. where were you born?

west coast canada. do not live there anymore tho i swapped coasts :(

11. what are your hobbies?

writing, gaming, modding, sewing, giffing, baking, bothering all my mutuals, riding,,,,I am a jack of creative trades

12. do you have any pets?

two ponies, a big ass dog, and 4 cats. two of which are maine coons so. big ass cats. when u see me crowing about eric and iris in the tags of a post...i am talking about them :))

13. how tall are you?

5 foot. maybe 5'1". tiny. literally on saturday one of the moms at the barn bought a new western saddle cover and was like hilary u could fit in this jump in and i honestly think I might have been able to.

14. favourite subject in school?

i really did not enjoy school tbh im rly not an academic but maybe history.

15. dream job?

the answer to this question has evaded me for nearing 24 years. at one point in time (age like. 4-11) i would have KILLED to be a thoroughbred jockey but nowadays...idk man. if I could do something with horses that would be great. thats my one true skillset baby but mein health....

#this is so horse centric oh my god #hil.txt #tagged #ty rosie <333

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dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram · 2 years

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so i’m a gay man who doesn’t think Harry is gay (perhaps bi, but probably straight), and here’s my 2 cents. i’ll start off with something from a prev ask: “they’re essentially calling him fake and super calculated. I’m wondering if you think his team should take any steps to mitigate people thinking this way, and what they should do.” like, is that not fake and calculated? to rely on a PR team to make it seem like you aren’t fake?? he is a very public figure, and to say that his sexuality is “no one’s business” is a cheap excuse imo. musicians who are straight or queer but OUT have their business made into everyone else’s business… it feels like he wants to have his cake and eat it too, to pander to all of his audiences regardless of what his sexual orientation actually is. it feels irresponsible in 2022 to say “labels don’t matter” when representation is an issue still. it seems like he just doesn’t have anything to “come out” as. wearing androgynous fashion for photoshoots (not his real life) and waving flags onstage (not offstage) is not solid proof that someone isn’t straight.

This is fascinating anon - and since you came to me, I am going to ask you all the questions that come up when I have this sort of take.

My first question is about compulsory heterosexuality. You don't say why you see Harry the way that you do. And like I do get people who aren't paying much attention seeing him as straight. But you're on my tumblr, so you must have some context. No wearing androgynous fashion and waving rainbow flags on stage doesn't mean that someone's straight (I think 'solid proof' is very long), but what about expressing attraction to men?

Harry's expressed attraction to men, more often than he has expressed attraction to women (I think in public in total, and certainly since say the beginning of 2013). He actively engages in queer culture. He says that gender isn't important. He has been publicly linked to women, but he hasn't commented on or confirmed those relationships. To me assuming Harry is straight seems like compulsory heterosexuality.

My second question is - is your first sentence really true - because most of what you say here is very odd if you think Harry is straight. Because it seems mostly resenting that he might be queer and closeted. Which is like a position, but not a reason to think he's straight.

A lot of what you say here just straight up isn't true. Harry has never said 'labels don't matter'. What he said was: "The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn't matter, and it's about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you're checking."

Now you may disagree with that - I do. But I can see why someone might hold it and refuse to name their sexuality in response (and also why someone who wasn't free to name their sexuality might present it as their belief).

I just wish you'd be a little bit more honest and if what you mean is, "Harry should be out if he's queer" then own that belief, rather than present your belief that you think he's straight to avoid the full implications.

Finally, I want to push back a little bit on the idea that representation is an issue still. There are lots of ways I could disagree with that idea (I don't think representation is a stand alone issue, and I really object to using the idea that it is as an excuse for individualistic politics). But actually to me the fundamental error of this is the idea that only out people can represent queer experience. Closeted experiences are a huge part of queerness. It's bizarre to me to treat out queer representation as the only type of queer representation.

#I would lvoe to talk about all these issues #but this doesn't seem like a particualrly coherent representation of this viewpoint

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pbandjesse · 2 years

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I am pretty woozy and tired so this post is probably going to be short. I mean I don't guarantee that I am doing talk to text so it doesn't take me as long. Because I really just would like to go to sleep.

Today was actually an excellent day. I had a lot of fun and it was like very chill. I still worry that people aren't having as much fun as I have heard has happened at other bachelor parties. But everyone seems to be having a good time and is enjoying everyone else's company. Even if the food hasn't worked out exactly how we planned every time.

Me and James ended up hanging out until around 2:30 when we finally went to sleep. James apparently woke up at 8:00 which is very late for them. And I didn't wake up till about 9:00 and I was the last one out of bed.

When I got out of the room to smoke everywhere. Because they were burning pancakes by accident. But everyone was up and seem to be in a great mood. I was feeling really good and we had breakfast outside. Me and Jess both had egg sandwiches and me her, Callie, and Dante talked about cruise ships and the best kind of vacations. And then we went on a long talk about books and reading fast. There were a lot of deer out there today and so we had fun pointing them out. The receiving one that still had its baby spots.

Once breakfast was over and everything was pretty cleaned up we set up the table and me and Jess got to work on sorting all of the weeds into bowls and containers so that we could all start making bracelets. I really love that we need this little program happy because everyone seems really enjoy making bracelets it was so sweet. We got a bunch of really cool glass beads. Specifically the most we got was of ladybugs. Hope you had a lot of different florals and solid Stone colors. And once the table was clear everybody came together and I told them how to make them.

Not that it's particularly hard to make a beaded bracelet. They probably could have figured it out. But the issue people always forget when they're first making them is not to leave enough string to tie. So I told them to leave about 3 in so that we could finish them off. I had them all tape one end to the table so the beads wouldn't go everywhere. And thankfully everyone was able to keep all the beads on the table. Except for Dante who's bracelet exploded and went everywhere.

I made a bunch of bracelets and just made a bunch of bracelets. People made things for the girls that they're dating. After I told them they would be a very nice gesture for you to do that. And they were all like that such a good idea. Because for some reason they couldn't think of that themselves.

We will finish up with beads and me Justin Dante decided we wanted to sort all of the letter beads to make them alphabetical. And not took a while. And while we were doing that my dad called me. I don't have many bars and have terrible service up here so we kept dropping the call. But it was so nice to hear his voice. He sounds so good right now. So strong. And he's going to be at the hospital for a little while longer and then he'll spend I think 2 weeks in rehab. Just learning how to stand and muscle tone I'm assuming being built back up. But everyone seems to think that things are great. And I'm really excited about that.

After we finish cleaning up beads we decided that it was time to go to the lake. Most of the boys were watching a sport on the screen. It might have been baseball it might have been college football. I could not tell you. But they wanted to wait till the end of the game. So six of us left and drove to the lake over here. This is a lake community. It's almost dated where you have to check in at the front gate. But it's not like a regular community. They don't seem too strict on their rules of decoration in your heart. But the lake was really nice. They had big water features in the center so that you knew where it was safe to swim and so the boats didn't come in. Instead of having like a rope. And the water felt so nice. I only sat in it for a while I didn't want to get what completely mostly because it was kind of cool out today. It was very warm sitting in the sun So eventually me and just pulled the chair we were using all the way back under a willow tree.

Don't have the best we're just sitting around in sand and reading. And the other half of playing frisbee or football. There was also a family reunion happening at the pavilion and the kids from there were playing with us. One little boy played ball with them for a while. Basically became James's new best friend.

Kept telling James to take their shirt off and then I was objectifying them. I always want to

Give James compliments so that they have better self-esteem. Because they are beautiful and they should feel that way.

I finished my book. And it was very very sad. I really love the dear America series and this particular author was just so good. In the back of the book it said that she's an eighth grade teacher and she's written a couple other books about coal miners. So I'm going to look at those. This book was put out in the year 2000 so maybe she's done more since then.

The rest of the guys came to the lake and there was swimming and walking around and enjoying nature. They had a little Free library box and I found another book that was just very silly about a teen vlogger in 2014. It is not good. But I'm probably going to read the whole thing just for fun.

We will be at the lake until around 5:30 and then we all loaded back up in the car to come back here. A lot of us changed some people took showers. We sat outside for a while. Eventually coming inside and me and Jess hung out eating snacks and watching ticks on her phone next to each other at the kitchen table. I was having a great time. And I think everyone else was super chill and that was really nice. I don't think anyone's bored at all and that feels good.

Games that start making pizza dough and we were supposed to do the episode of their podcast tonight but we ran out of time so we're going to do it tomorrow morning. Mostly we just ate and hung out and it was really good. I didn't really dizzy around when the sun started early on. I think some of it is just exhaustion. And some of it is there's a lot of smoke from the oven because there was something in the bottom burning. I also think I'm just really tired and I'm a little wiped from sitting in the sun for so long. That always makes me very tired.

Go and lay in Jesse's bed which is right off of the kitchen for a while. She was watching YouTube videos and I was so tired I was only having a single thought. Like not having 10 thoughts at once like I normally do it felt like I was only having one conversation with myself. And that is very unusual for me. But it was my friend quietly with jazz well I listen to whatever the video was.

But now I'm in bed. I just took a shower and the girls all went to bed as well. The boys are going to stay up longer and just do everything. I I'm really grateful that they all came. And that they spent time and money with us. It's been really nice. I could fantasize about living in a big house with all my friends when we get to do things like this. I love seeing everyone work together.

Tomorrow is our last day here. Just picked a place where we can do Lake check out so we don't have to leave till 3:00. But the plan seems to be we're going to wake up and see if it's too rainy. But if it's not we're going to try to go out into nature. Just doing some like gentle hikes and walks around in nature. We might go to the playground. If it's raining there won't be any kids there I would assume. But even if it's just drizzling I still would like to get out there. The other plan is to make tacos. And then we're going to check out early and maybe go to some antique stores that are nearby. Kelly suggested it but then she was like I mean if you don't want to go. And I have to tell her no I want to go so much. I just don't want other people to be bored. But all the guys seem to be on board with it. I'm just so worried that people are not having a good time at any given time. But I am pretty sure they are.

And then we're going to go home. We'll go our separate ways and our separate cars. And I'm looking forward to going back to our own house. And I hope that it means me and James are just going to have a lot of fun and feel more excited about the wedding. It's about a month away now and that's crazy. I am so excited to be married to James.

Good night everybody. I am tomorrow is beautiful for all of you. Sleep good.

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wednesdaysky · 2 years

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Thoughts after finishing End of Dragons

Welp, a little later than everybody else, but with patience and rest I managed to get through GW2 End of Dragons. I was very fortunate that I accidentally walked into a Dragon's End map that was gearing up to do the meta already, lol. Some miscellaneous thoughts, both negative and positive, EoD spoilers…

I gotta say, I have a lot of gripes -- I don't know that I will go back to spend much time on these maps, I pretty much did only the story-required stuff because anytime I tried to go explore anything at all, every single map felt like the second coming of Tangled Depths which I still have an ongoing grudge against that map even in 2022 😂 Too many mobs all over the ground with very little escape, too easy to accidentally walk into events you can't get away from, super convoluted paths both on the ground and in the sky, just… hard to find anything at all, a horrible mess all around. It's a shame since they're very beautiful to look at, but I barely had any room to actually appreciate the scenery lol. Did y'all feel like this at all? Maybe some of you like Tangled Depths though but I've never comped that map even once 😂 I'm not sure I'll manage any of the EoD maps either 😂

I didn't think the story was overall that great, but I've resigned myself to Anet's writing being terrible since HoT when everything was already kind of a mess in vanilla and then they not only made it worse but killed my favorite character. As usual, this one was a huge pile of missed opportunities and plot/lore threads they set up and then didn't follow through on (honestly I play this game mainly for the setting at this point, so I've been perpetually salty ever since way back when there was a sylvari expansion where we learned almost nothing about the sylvari lol)

But even though Soo-Won came out of nowhere, and a lot of things felt to me just very abrupt and not well explained… I feel like they really sold it. Whoever's at the helm at this point took 10+ solid years of mashed together messy plots and lore elements, unfinished projects, different ideas of what the canon should be from who knows how many writers…and really tried to give us something to make sense of what came before. Something to make it worth being invested in the story of Tyria for all this time. I really appreciated getting to spend a lot of time with characters in this expac, the writing was trending in this direction more and more over the years but I think this is the most detailed they've ever gotten on that side of things, at least it seems like to me. The dialogue was pretty good for everybody, and I was happy that the commander continued to actually have a bit of a personality, even if it's mostly consisted of the poor guy getting increasingly tired and snarky and impatient after all the trauma and bullshit they've been through -- sorry Ath, lol. And there was so much worldbuilding and so much lore. There are lots of NPCs to talk to with substantial things to say, even more than in PoF. It felt like slightly making up for 2015 when I walked up to every single HoT NPC with a Talk (F) and most of them said nothing. 😂

I did find the Ankka part of the story pretty unsatisfying -- it may be just because I had to take significant play breaks for health stuff in between chapters, but her motivation for setting the apocalypse in motion always seemed really vague. I played through the whole story expecting to learn more about her but even though I searched out all the optional lore docs, voice recordings, etc., I never felt like she actually came together in a way where she made sense. It's a shame because the actress was amazing, and apparently Anet expected you to feel something for this character because she got some really cool cutscenes, but I just didn't at all because I never understood what she even wanted -- past or present -- to empathize with her at all. During her death cutscene I was just like…. 'really? Already? That's it??' Unfortunately I feel like Anet's greatest talent as writers is to introduce characters who would've been really cool if they weren't 1) horribly inconsistent, 2) horribly underused, or 3) killed off five seconds after you meet them lol.

But man, so many callbacks through the whole thing, all the way back to the Aetherblades who I really, really thought we would never see again, let alone get a cameo from Scarlet herself. We really revisited nearly everything the Commander has done over a decade of saving the world way too many times. And man, that ending. I am sure I probably enjoyed it more as someone who came late, and had the good luck to do the meta with a knowledgeable map sufficient to carry a first-timer casual with limited hand mobility, enabling me to proceed smoothly through the story. But having had that luck… damn.

The way it tied back into so many things we've done before, memories of characters we lost along the way -- getting a purple whisper of encouragement from Trahearne wrecked me. Going into the story instance afterward and staring up at the faces of the dragons, listening to their boss themes, recognizing some of their attacks. I found myself thinking back to the full decade of memories I've made with this game. I'm a pretty different person than I was in 2012. I've made friends, lost friends. Seen family pass away, seen niblings born. Done interesting work, visited interesting places. Learned things I never would have imagined, seen things happen in the world that I never would have imagined. Learned a lot about myself. And through all of that, on and off, always there for me when I wanted a fantastical playground to hang around in for a while, there was Tyria. It represents lots of beloved characters for me, both the canon ones and many roleplay OCs, my own and my friends' -- friends that I still talk to on the daily even now, friends that I haven't seen in years. I've commanded metas, I've played so many things from piano ele down to 1-button scourge. I've been in a bunch of guilds. I founded or helped found a couple. Did a lot of RPing, poured in so much creativity. To this day, even spending less time in the game, I still sit down periodically and think about what my characters would be up to by now, where their own smaller stories have gone by this time in Tyria's history. As uneven as it's been, as weird as it often is, this computer game has held an enduring place in my heart.

This was a good ending. It felt like a culmination of all of that. Coming together with Aurene, wielding her power as the last true dragon champion, the final height for the one who slayed a god. An army at our back, everyone who stood behind us for the last 10 real-life years rallying to lift us up. So many hands reaching out to pull us forward when we might stumble, from people we just met in Shing Jea right down to those who've been with us all the way back from Southsun. All the way back from getting trampled by centaurs in Shaemoor, waking up naked tumbling from a dreaming pod, making quips with the warband on the way to fight ghosts. And then, after the end of all that, seeing our closest friends from the oldest days finally able to relax a little for the first time in so long. Finally able to enjoy a little peace, to take time to breathe, to focus on the things right in front of them instead of dreading the end of the world always around the corner. It was a long, long time coming.

For someone who's been around from the beginning, End of Dragons really felt like a love letter to everything Guild Wars 2 has been about for the last decade -- the places these characters have been, the places the devs have been, the places we players have been. I'll keep playing, of course. But if I quit right now, if it were all to disappear tomorrow, this would be a worthy period to dot at the end of ten years of memories. It's not my single favorite part of the story; it's not even my favorite expansion. But I came away feeling I'd just experienced something truly special.

#guild wars 2 #end of dragons #gw2 end of dragons #eod #eod spoilers #spoilers #guild wars 2 spoilers #gw2 spoilers #long post

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