“beyond wandpoint” 111 by gingerbred
May. 13th, 2019 10:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beyondwandpoint“11 12x Wednesday - Your Place or Mine?”
Severus, Hermione, Slytherins: Draco Malfoy, Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode, Alberta Runcorn, Harper Hutchinson, Aaron Avery, Sheldon Shafiq, Ella Wilkins, Hestia Carrow, Hunter Hutchinson, Wilfred Wilkes, Sharon Shafiq
Originally Published: 2019-05-13 on LJ / DW
Chapter: 111
Characters:
Severus (HoS, Potions), Hermione 7G (Prefect, Supreme Swot)
Slytherins: Draco 7S (Prefect, Team Captain, Seeker, Swot), Theo Nott 7S (Swottiest, Nervous Wreck), Blaise Zabini 7S (Keeper (but only in the Quidditch sense...)), Vincent 'Vince' Crabbe 7S (Beater, Inferi Princess), Gregory Goyle 7S (Beater), Daphne Greengrass 7S (Sparkly! Fwoopers!), Tracey Davis 7S (Swottier), Pansy Parkinson 7S (Prefect), Millicent 'Millie' Bulstrode (Reserve Beater, yes, that.), Alberta Runcorn 7S (Grumpy.), Harper Hutchinson 6S (Prefect, Chaser, flash Robe Model), Aaron Avery 6S (Reserve Chaser), Sheldon Shafiq 6S (Reserve Beater, and charm on legs), Ella Wilkins 6S (Prefect), Hestia Carrow 6S (Chaser, sporty twin), Hunter Hutchinson 4S (Imp, one third of the Trio of Terror), Wilfred Wilkes 4S (Messenger Boy), Sharon Shafiq 1S (Shawshanks' witch, Sheldon's little sister)
Mentioned briefly: Slytherins: Róisín Rosier 6S, Astoria 'Tori' Greengrass 5S, Ava Avery 5S, Tomasina Touchstone 5S (Prefect, Potions savvy heiress), Anneliese 'Lisa' Burke 4S (Searing Sousaphone Player), Margarethe 'Maggie' Burke 1S ('ty), Gryffindors: Ron Weasley 7G (Prefect, Keeper (but also only in the Quidditch sense), the Boy-Who-Exists-to-Annoy-Hermione), Seamus Finnigan 7G (fiery Reserve Beater), Dean Thomas 7G (mannered Chaser), Others: Crookshanks 'Crooks' (Hermione's half-Kneazle), Crankshaft (Harper's half-Kneazle), Shawshank (the Shafiqs' half-Kneazle), Maleficent 'Malley' (Millie's Maine Coon)
Previously:
When Seamus refuses to stop going on and on (and on) about Hermione's bonding to Severus after it's announced Monday evening, Ron's already well frayed nerves finally snap, and he force feeds Seamus a Puking Pastille to shut him up, with mixed results. Seamus retaliates with a Silencio that goes badly wrong, Ron's head swells ever so large, and with his voice thus amplified, he hits Dean with the Furnunculus that puts him in the Infirmary over night and all the next day. (056)
Trying, with little success, to distract herself from what might be happening to the Professor at the Manor Monday evening, Hermione sets out to solve the mystery of why Crooks keeps sitting in the Potions Master's chair. She discovers that she's actually been sitting in his chair all along and switches them, thinking it might make the Professor happy... Well, happier, or at least solve the problem with Crooks. She'll take her wins where she can at the moment. (056)
Hermione comes to Dennis Creevey's and Hunter Hutchinson's aid Tuesday evening when their attempt to rescue friend and fellow fourth year Newton Kurz from four attacking Ravenclaws doesn't go quite to plan. (Not that it had been much of a plan, but still...) Sixth year Slytherin Prefect Ella Wilkins walks back to the dungeons with Hermione and Hunter, quizzing him on the duel along the way. ('What did the Turkey do wrong?' 'He ran into Madam Snape...') (080)
Still thoroughly plastered, Severus spends much of Tuesday night with Hermione in arm. Convinced he's dreaming, his fingers do some exploring, only to discover the scar she received from the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Well, that and the fact she's ticklish. (086)
In exchange for her assistance with the fur Vanishing Charm, Millie teaches Hermione a thing or two about Oaths and bonds on the way back from the library after classes Wednesday. (102)
Under false pretences, Millie manages to get a single dose of Pain Relief from Tracey for their seventh year Quidditch players. (102) Harper is consulted on the matter, and although he'd very much like some himself, he suggests they give it to Draco. Some of his teammates register that fact with respect. (103)
Draco, Theo and Blaise get hit with any number of pranks by their Housemates during dinner. The situation proves unexpectedly... sticky for Blaise. (106)
Vince is looking for Harper to give him a beatdown for the pictures Harper snapped of him while stuck to the couch Wednesday morning. Millie encounters Harper in the Kneazle habitat and leaves to tell Vince where he is. (110)
Harper groans. Crankshaft and Shawshank rub up against him in an effort to cheer him up. Maleficent watches the scene from one of the little hammocks above their heads, tail twitching.
“What's the matter?” Tracey asks.
“I don't expect that to end well for me.” He jerks his head towards the door Millie had just left through. “I was sort of hiding from Vince in here.” Tracey had thought as much, that's not all that surprising. Inspired, considering Vince's allergies, but not surprising. No, what's curious is that Harper's telling her about it.
She debates for a moment, reaches into her pocket and pulls out two phials which she hands him. “Pain Relieving Potion. For tonight and tomorrow? Just in case. I brewed it myself.”
His eyes widen, this was unexpected. The Potion had been in serious demand the past weekend; the seventh years had offered a lot of Galleons to anyone able to procure some. Merlin knows, he'd taken more than a few off Draco for the broken nose in the failed attempt to score some from Pomfrey. Harper can't believe Tracey wouldn't have handed it over then... “I brewed it just this afternoon.”
And that makes more sense. She probably scented a business opportunity. “Thank you. This... Thanks. I mean it.
“How much do I owe you?” He hastens to add.
Tracey has to shake her head. He's the poorest of the lot, by far, and yet he's the only one to ask that. Probably exactly because he's more aware of the value of a Knut than most. It had never occurred to Millie to offer to reimburse Tracey when she'd asked for the Potion earlier.
“Not a thing, Harper. It was a group effort. The others contributed the ingredients; Flora and I donated our time. Should Vince truly be supplying Smith's potions... You'll be brewing, will you not? I'm confident things will work out evenly in the end.” Harper's less sure about that, because Tracey is supposed to brew as well. But maybe he could take a shift of hers at the cauldron, or offer to do the clean up...
Tracey finds his reaction interesting. He hadn't had the time to brew the Potion himself because he was practising with the House's Quidditch team. It's certainly not that she thinks all that highly of Quidditch, that would be absurd, but he views her efforts, brewing for the House, in a more positive light than his own. It helps convince her she'd done the right thing giving him the Pain Relief. He has more than just Quaffles for brains...
He bobs his head a mite stiffly, his lips pressed to a thin line. He doesn't like charity. She guesses the direction of his thoughts. “It's not exactly an expensive potion, Harper.
“But if perhaps you wouldn't mention it to the others? It isn't intended for... everyone.”
He has an idea just whom she might be excluding with that, and nods, “Sure.”
“Best of luck with Vince,” she wishes him and returns to the common room and her seat next to Daphne. The brunette has nearly completed her - third - review of the Transfiguration assignment. Tracey hasn't missed a thing.
Millie half bursts into the seventh years' room, in her bullish Bulstrode way, and Theo immediately lets out some of his now all too common objections to that. Millie initially assumes he's complaining about her lack of manners - her mother would undoubtedly be so pleased to make Theo's acquaintance - until he mentions something about her safety, which is when she starts paying attention.
It's not like she thinks she has anything to worry about from Theo - a fact that only demonstrates that she underestimates him criminally - but she's convinced she could take him in a physical fight, and really, that just might be true. He's grown so much in the past year or two that he no longer knows quite what to do with his limbs. He's a gangly boy who simply hasn't matured into his body yet. Once he fills out, it should be a different matter entirely.
Draco intervenes before Theo can reveal too much, hurrying to shush him. Gregory tells him to, “Lighten up, Theo. It's just Millie.” Vince atypically doesn't say a thing, staring at Theo and wondering just how much he must know. Of course Draco doesn't fail to notice Vince's unusual reaction either. He considers his suspicions as to Vince's potions discovery confirmed.
Blaise is seated on his bed with a cloth, trying to rub off some of the residual tackiness from those damnable Sticking Charms from dinner. Whatever else, a Zabini is never tacky. Except for when he is evidently... He watches his roommates and considers the chances this is going to erupt into a duel. He'd have to drop the cloth for his wand... A Protego might not go amiss.
Of course, it wouldn't have gone amiss at dinner either, and then he wouldn't be sat here trying to rub away the sticky residue.
Preventively, he casts what just might an acceptable Shield Charm - wandlessly and silently - and continues about his business. Still, it would presumably be for the best if it remained untested... Perhaps he should practice that some. Merlin knows, it hadn't been good enough before. But then it’s hard to maintain a Spell like that when you’re on fire.
“Relax, Theo,” Millie assures him, “it's still before curfew.” At this rate, Theo will soon have a reputation for being as Tempus-impaired as ol' Swoopstikes.
“Obviously,” Blaise drawls, rolling his eyes oh so dramatically. Millie wouldn't have been able to enter the dormitory otherwise.
She ignores him. “Vince, you were looking for Harper earlier? I just found him, he's playing with Crankshaft in the habitat.”
Blaise laughs, because that was about as effective a defence against Vince as there could be, hang inferior Protegos. Vince glares at him briefly (leaving Blaise utterly unperturbed) before thanking Millie. “I appreciate your letting me know. I wasn't likely to run into him there.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. That's why I came to tell you right away.”
“You need to leave, Millie,” Theo hisses impatiently. Draco's attempts to placate him missing their mark as long as the witch insists on just standing there as though she hadn't a care in the world.
“Merlin's bollocks, Theo,” Gregory complains, and three of the other four wince. Theo is still too preoccupied with the fact one of the girls has entered their room on her own. “This is our room, too.”
Draco again tries to act as go-between, adding his thanks to Vince's, as though he cared, and escorts Millie to the door. Well! She can tell when she's not wanted. Nimue knows, she gets enough practice at home. As she's pushed from room, Millie can't help thinking the boys have been nothing but odd since the Serpents hissed their accusations. But that was really all she had wanted to say anyway, and she still has her Care for Magical Creatures work to do...
She leaves to retrieve Malley from the playroom before taking a seat across from Daph, meaning to ask her about the blasted Skrewts. Er... Oh, close enough.
Vince heads to the door, but Draco speeds forward to stop him. “Vince. Don't hurt him too badly.”
Vince snorts. Draco grabs his arm, pulling him back from the door. “I'm not kidding, Vince.”
Vince yanks his arm free, twisting out of Draco's hold, snarling, “He took pictures!”
“Last night didn't teach you that we have enough issues? We need every ally we can get.”
Vince scoffs. “I'm not so sure he's an ally...”
But Draco has the advantage of having spoken to Harper at practice today. He knows differently. Harper won't give them a pass for what they've done to Severus, no one in the House will. But Harper wants the team to succeed, especially against those damned Gryffindorks, and if they play their cards right, he'll help them in order to make sure it does. Now if they can just get through this adjustment period, give the others time to get used to things, maybe they'll all begin to lay off. Things could conceivably cool down. It's within the limits of possibility... Just not all too likely.
But Merlin knows, they certainly don't need another day like the last twenty-four hours.
“And we need him fit to play,” Draco interrupts Vince. The larger boy looks disgusted, but stops arguing. Draco steps out of his way and lets him leave.
“Do you think he'll listen?” Theo asks quietly once the door closes behind their friend. Theo still seems subdued, clearly shaken from Millie's visit.
Draco shrugs. “Hard to say. He will if he's thinking.”
“This is Vince we're talking about,” Blaise points out with a chuckle.
“Hey!” Gregory objects, feeling someone should stick up for their roommate.
Blaise gets up and throws his cloth into the basket in the corner where they collect the laundry for the elves. He's not making any progress with the stickiness. It's time for a shower. He says as much and disappears.
Draco watches Blaise leave for the bathroom, then waits for Gregory to immerse himself in his work for tomorrow. He's trying to catch up on what he'd missed today. Strangely, he doesn't feel he can just go into the common room and ask the witches for help anymore. A lot has changed this week, not just for the Head.
Draco figures Gregory won't notice him casting a Privacy Charm, and even if he did, he won't think much of it.
He flicks one up, and Theo sighs. “What?”
“Theo, you need to take it down a notch.” Theo just shakes his head. “We can't afford for everyone to figure this out.” Theo looks glum, mulish, and thoroughly unconvinced. Draco runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “Look, I will personally guarantee the safety of any witch in our wing if you'll just get yourself under control.”
“You can't,” comes the rejoinder, Theo's affect flat.
“Fine, I guarantee I'll fight for her safety until I can't. Wouldn't that do it?”
Theo considers. He can't ask for anything more. Reluctantly he bobs his head in acquiescence. It's far from enthusiastic, but at least he agrees. Belts and braces, and really he'll do anything to get Theo to knock it off, Draco pulls his wand and quickly makes an Oath of it. “There. We're good?”
“No, we're phenomenal,” Theo gives the standard reply. It had been funny when they were six and Vince hadn't known the meaning of the word. A lot's changed since then, not just their vocabularies. The response lacks the usual hint of amusement - if only for the shared history it deserves that - but at least he's trying. Draco will settle for that.
Just as well, as he's not likely to get anything more either.
With some trepidation, Ella had watched Millie leave the Kneazle habitat and head straight for the boys' wing. She has an all too good idea about what Millie might want there. Her eyes narrow as she contemplates it, her homework assignment lying momentarily forgotten before her.
Tracey retakes her seat at the table next to Daphne. “Just so we're clear? We need to speak to Millie now,” she announces to the others as she does so. She's quite definite about it, leaving no room for doubt, knowing full well the girl had gone to tell Vince about Harper. Not that she mentions it. There's no point in shit-stirring. “She definitely isn't on the same page.”
The timing of that has Ella optimistic. It's her turn to get up and seek out Tracey. She stops behind her chair, bending over and speaking lowly into the seventh year's ear. “Could I get a phial of Pain Relief from you for Harper? I think Millie just went to tell Vince where he is.” Tracey winces innerly, she'd hoped Ella wouldn't have registered that. Perhaps mentioning Millie had unnecessarily called her attention to it...
Daphne, seated just to Tracey's left overhears and adds, “I'll pay for it.”
“You needn't worry. Either of you. I've already given him some. For tonight and tomorrow, in fact.
“But, Ella? You might consider your General Purpose Healing Charm. It couldn't hurt. The Pain Relief is almost purely for the symptoms. It most likely won't cure any underlying problems...”
“No, you're right,” Ella agrees, suddenly a fair deal paler. 'Underlying symptoms'? How bad did Tracey think this was going to get? “Better safe than sorry.”
Daphne looks easily as worried as the sixth year Prefect.
“Don't underestimate Harper,” Tracey tries to reassure them, as if *they/* would. “First and foremost, he's a survivor.”
Both of the other girls silently object to that, thinking it does him an injustice. While it's true that Harper is unexpectedly tough and has a way of taking whatever life throws his way in his stride, first and foremost - if she insists on phrasing it that way, and she had - he tends to worry about taking care of his little brother.
Ella has only just left to go back to her seat, when Hestia hisses for Tracey's attention. “Tracey. Psst. Tracey.” When she succeeds in attracting the blonde's notice she proceeds, “Could I have a phial?” Her eyes shoot meaningfully to the boys seated with them. “Y'know? I wanted to get some for...”
“Let me guess. You were after some for Harper, too.” Hestia appears puzzled but replies in the affirmative. Tracey sighs, looking at the girls around their end of the table, and more loudly now asks of the people in their vicinity, “Was there anyone else worried about Harper?” A few nod. “I gave him some; he's sorted. Alright?”
Aaron, in the seat next to Alberta, now looks at the girls as well, getting the sense they know something he doesn't. “What do you mean 'sorted'?” He asks, having no way to know they've been brewing. “And what's wrong with him?”
“Will be. Isn't yet. And the answer's Vince,” Alberta replies, not quite answering the question, with highly uncharacteristic patience and an apparently comforting hand on his arm that she subsequently forgets to remove. “The pictures?” She prompts his recollection and finally his deductive reasoning kicks in.
“Ouch. Right. Huh.” Well, Alberta wasn't exactly attracted to him for his eloquence. She pats his arm once more.
Millie reappears from the boys' wing, going directly to fetch Malley. She wants her cat clear if things kick off with Vince. There'll be plenty of time to play tomorrow. When Millie opens the door to the habitat, Maleficent darts from the playroom, bounding off towards the girls' dorms. She knows where home is.
Shawshank had been chasing the Maine Coon, hot on her heels in their energetic game of tag. Unlike the cat, she's unable to cross the invisible barrier across the doorway and comes now to a full and rather rude stop as she flattens against it with a drawn out 'mrowrrrrrrrr'. Firstie Sharon Shafiq lets out a concerned squeak and leaps to check on her kitty even as Millie plops into the seat across from Daph.
Sheldon, worried about a rather probable impending confrontation between Harper and Vince, moves to intercept his little sister and directs her resolutely back to her seat. “But Shawshank!” She cries.
“Is a half-Kneazle. About as indestructible as creatures come. She'll be fine. You finish your homework, and I'm sure she'll be waiting for you in your room when you're done.”
“But she'll think I don't care...” comes the hiccoughed reply.
Anyone who has ever cohabited with a cat should immediately recognise the fallacy in that. It never once dawns on a feline of any sort that it could be anything less than worshipped, understanding intuitively that it is the centre of the known universe. (Naturally no one has ever been able to elicit a sensible response from them to the question: 'Just how can the universe have so many centres?' Feline physics defy human logic in this as in many other ways.)
Hands placed firmly on Sharon's shoulders, Sheldon folds his sister back into her chair with a few whispered words of comfort. He places a peck on the tip of her head - Ava Avery gives him a fond grin at that - quickly musses Sharon's braids to maintain his more manly image, eliciting another indignant squeak (but it's not like there aren't charms for that), and takes his seat at the table again, a gimlet eye on the dais to the dorms. He means to get his sister well clear if things go pear shaped.
Fellow Firstie Maggie Burke, seated beside her as usual, launches into an eager recitation on the characteristics of Kneazles, half and otherwise, and before long Sharon has ceased her hiccoughing, half convinced Shawshank will be fine. Sheldon shoots Maggie a thankful smile, she responds with her best goofy grin back. She may only be eleven, but not even she's immune to his charms (Sheldon's just dreamy, isn't he?), a fact that never ceases to confound Sharon. Maybe it makes a difference that she has to live with him...
Before Millie can even begin to grill Daph about their assignment, Ella has started in on her. “What were you doing in the boys' wing?” The tone accusatory, the query straight to the point. Ella's been sitting here worrying if her Healing Charm will be up to the impending task. She's worried it isn't and she's feeling far from patient.
Ella's question takes Millie by surprise, but she recovers quickly. “What business is that of yours?”
The thing is, and even Millie gets it, most of the boys are out there in the common room doing their work, four are playing chess, two more are watching, and there's a game of Silencioed Snap with the fourth years going by one of the windows... Most of the boys are here and visible, so, yeah, her visit to their wing was suspicious. Whom had she gone to see?
Everyone's looking at her now, Millie's sure. So of course she doesn't back down. She can't. A mite defiantly, she raises her chin and tells them all, “Vince was looking for Harper, so I let him know he's in the habitat.” She doesn't need to justify her actions after all... Which makes it even funnier that she'd just tried to.
Nerves obviously raw, Ella replies with a shrieked, “You daft cow!” Which really isn't like Ella in the least and draws a lot of stares. If Millie thought people were gawping before... Well. They definitely are now.
Millie is a little sensitive about her intelligence... Actually, Millie is kind of sensitive in general. She leaps for the younger girl without hesitation. Ella's wand is in her hand instantly, Daph is a bit surprised to discover she's wielding her own as well, (she's so going to get done for duelling at this rate, and then what's she going to tell her mum?), but she immediately joins shoulders with the sixth year Prefect. She's got her back, flank, whatever. Tori and a few of her friends soon line up at Daph's, some from loyalty, like Tomasina, Lisa Burke probably more from a desire not to be left out.
Hunter, Wilfred and some of the other fourth years throw down their Snap cards and take up position with the girls behind Ella. It gets Wilfred an appraising look from Tomasina, his chest puffs out in pride, despite the fact he hadn't really stopped to actually think this through, which is easily half the reason Tomasina was surprised to see him standing there in the first place.
Hestia and Val dove for Millie the instant she made her move, putting their Quidditch reflexes to good use. By this point they've bodily restrained their teammate, and it does take the both of them to do so. Ava Avery and Róisín Rosier have taken up position, wands in hand but held subtly by their sides, backing the Quidditch players; presumably Millie's team affiliation wasn't the reason for their display of solidarity. Tracey and Pansy have rushed to go between the camps, Tracey casting a silent Protego (no sense inadvertently setting anyone off by drawing attention to the Spell) just to be sure.
Alberta, her hand still on Aaron's arm, merely leans back to watch the fireworks, but will be disappointed. Given a moment to think things through, which their Housemates have just granted them, the young women tend to see reason.
More often than the boys anyway.
And even Millie can see she's outnumbered.
Pansy takes charge, telling Hestia and Val to bring Millie with them, “We're leaving. Now. Go. Ella, maybe wait here to see if you can do something to help? Tracey any chance...”
Slightly exasperated, Tracey replies, “It's sorted. Seriously. Anyone else? And so no one else needs to ask,” she turns, facing the bunch of them, “he has some for tomorrow as well.“
One of the third year girls breaks ranks and tells her male classmates they're talking about Pain Relief (Flora and Tracey had brewed during lunch...), which explains a lot, and word quickly spreads amongst the boys.
More than a couple look relieved. Harper is pretty well liked. Certainly more so than Vince, anyway. And almost all of the House (Millie the rather glaring exception) had enjoyed the sight of Vince this morning immensely. They wouldn't mind a snap of that in the least.
Pansy addresses the girls. “Anyone who doesn't need to stay, girls' meeting. Our room. Now. If you're staying, get busy. Harper's a big boy, he picks his own battles.” The message is clear; they're not to intervene. In the current political climate, the House's peace is a very fragile thing. Of course, if they help Harper in the aftermath, especially if it goes unnoticed, that's another thing altogether. Merlin, even Pansy had tried to arrange for him to have Pain Relief. Publicly. That pretty much says it all.
“Make sure of it,” Pansy tells Daphne and Tracey, once it's clear they mean to stay. Well, Daph had meant to, and Tracey wasn't entirely sure Daph has what it takes to stand idly by if things went wrong. Not if Harper's on the receiving end anyway. So Tracey is staying to keep an eye on things.
This isn't the first time trouble has brewed in their House, not even this term alone. So far it's been a squib round, or close to it, every single time. They come close to a real dust up, so close, and then - thank Merlin - everyone backs down. They've gotten lucky so far. Tracey knows their luck can't hold forever. Sooner or later, eventually things are going to explode.
Only a few more months, and then she's out of here. She can hardly wait. At this rate, she's never coming back.
The majority of the girls leave for their dorm. The simple fact is, with curfew imminent, no more than two unarmed boys could enter. They're safe as houses back there.
Except possibly from each other.
In contrast to the seventh years, with the exception of Daphne a slew of only children, four of the sixth year boys are older brothers. While Aaron and Torsten have learnt to exercise some caution in that capacity - Ava and Tomasina do not enjoy attempts at bossing them around - Harper and Sheldon are very recognisable as older siblings. Possibly it makes a difference that Hunter and Sharon are younger, or maybe the two boys are just better suited to the role. Usually Harper tends to act as an older brother to their wing. Currently he's stuck in the middle of the impending troubles. With Sharon sorted, Pansy's reliable that way, Sheldon now tells the younger boys it's time for them to get ready for bed.
There's some complaining, but most see the sense in it. It probably helps that this has become a bit too common an event. Hunter outright refuses to leave, predictably enough. No one has the heart to argue with him. Wilfred insists on staying to keep him company, or so he claims. It's possible he just wants to watch. Merlin knows, he'd missed enough of the fun when the Head sent him to fetch Dumblebore this morning. The other fourth years join their younger Housemates in the exodus from the common room.
The remainder take seats at the tables and get back to work, or at least pretend to.
Daphne sits next to Ella now, meaning to keep an eye on her. Tracey takes the seat on Daph's other side, still vaguely hoping to get some more work done. Hunter hops into the spot next to Ella, his books suspiciously absent. Wilfred, beside him, doesn't have any either. Daphne passes them some parchment and Self-inking Quills so they can at least try to look busy.
It isn't long before Wilfred pesters Hunter into drawing animated cartoons - the duel with the Ravenclaws from Tuesday the topic of choice - and Hunter applies the Charms he's learnt from Harper to make his sketches come to life. It doesn't exactly take his mind off his brother, but it distracts him a little. That is until they see Vince come out and go to the glass window to the habitat where he stands staring into the space before knocking, loudly, against the glass.
The whole room holds its breath.
Severus perches uncomfortably on the edge of his seat, just as Hermione has seen him do before. She's waiting for it, the moment when he gives up the unnatural pose and slides back into the chair. She's returned to nibbling her lip, this time in anticipation, an emotion that feels exceedingly strange through the bond and has Severus instantly wary.
Unsurprisingly, that's not conducive to relaxing into his seat.
Miss Granger doesn't begin chattering away as he'd expected and he waits, sure she will, any moment now, given half the chance.
And still she remains silent.
Watching him.
Expectantly.
The feeling is... unsettling.
It's easier when she's occupied. When he's occupied. When he isn't left to just... feel.
“You mentioned the Infirmary was busy Monday night?” He prompts. So oddly, he'd been in no shape to notice much when he was admitted, and when he was finally fit to leave Tuesday, he hadn't hung about a moment longer than necessary to see what had been going on there. And Poppy, well, she'd been so thoroughly... irritated with him for refusing to... submit to her further fussing about, that she hadn't exactly been talkative. No, he has no inkling what Miss Granger might be referring to.
And he continues to have none as the witch sits there nibbling her lip instead of responding.
Hmm.
The corners of her mouth manage to lift in something by way of a smile, the lip caught between her teeth makes it an odd one, her cheeks chipmunking. It's not... unfriendly, but it does nothing to take away from the anticipation he can feel radiating from her, and the result is... confusing.
He finds himself testing the bond in an attempt to define the emotions.
Ultimately he discovers nothing threatening other than the thought that it generally doesn't bode well when a Gryffindor sits across from him anticipating anything that's about to happen to him.
After what seems like an interminable pause, she finally says, “You can't possibly be comfortable like that,” decidedly leadingly, and then nothing more, smiling now in an inviting fashion.
It hasn't actually been more than a moment.
It's funny how for someone so given to using pauses and silence against others, time can stretch when the very same are used against him. Severus simply isn't used to sitting here in front of his fire with someone else. Without a concrete goal in mind, if he isn't the one dictating that silence, he feels at a bit of a loss.
It's uncomplicated really. She's behaving oddly. And that oddness has him vigilant.
It's a decidedly Slytherin tactic he wouldn't have thought her capable of with her predilection for chatter. He performs a non-verbal, wandless spell to check his chair to see if something is amiss, scanning for the presence of one of those insufferable Weasley Wheezes or horrendous Zonko's products, for example, or any other manner of mischief. Merlin knows, he'd needed the Charm often enough in the years he'd had the impudent ginger twins in his classes. But no, he detects nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary...
He purses his lips and edges back into his seat, fully expecting he won't be any more comfortable there, but at least it should put an end to this strange impasse Miss Granger is intent on creating, which is when he discovers it.
He's sitting in his chair.
Miss Granger must have swapped them. He settles in with a bit of relish, savouring the lumbar support, the deeper seating. The thing simply feels... right.
He likes that in a chair.
Hermione beams at the sensation that comes across the bond. It's not there on his face, not at all. That's still guarded, an unreadable mask. But the feelings! He's surprised and pleased and... comfortable.
“I thought you might prefer your own chair,” she explains and he can sense her satisfaction with that. It was a small courtesy, but it had occurred to her to think of his comfort, and more to the point, she'd acted on those thoughts. That's hardly commonplace.
He nods his thanks; it's the least he can do having made a point of schooling her on matters of gratitude only moments before. She grins, and he suspects she recognises that thought process.
“What made you think to switch them?” He asks. As far as appearances go, they're virtually identical.
She blushes immediately, not really wanting to admit she'd sat in his chair, feeling a bit caught out, like Goldilocks in the wrong bed. Well, she'd set herself up for this. There was no way to justify the swap without acknowledging she knew there was a difference.
And then a better way to explain it occurs to her.
“Crooks' behaviour. It was unusual, and I've learnt to pay attention to that.”
The aforementioned half-Kneazle, who has once again made himself comfortable on her lap - as Severus thinks he appears to do whenever Miss Granger happens to take a seat - couldn't disagree with the statement more. The witch is stunningly thick, really, so slow to grasp things... Shy of spelling things out in the ginger boy's blinking light Charm... Crooks really doesn't know what more he could have done to show her which seat to take. But!
Kind-hearted and kippers-rich.
He repeats that to himself regularly, something of a mantra to lend him patience. When it comes right down to it, presumably those are the preferred qualities in a human anyway, were he to choose...
“It's why he's no longer sitting in your chair. I didn't teach him to stop using yours so much as recognise the difference in the seats and exchange them.” The admission of that minor failure doesn't bother Hermione much at all in light of the fact she'd discovered the Charms on the Professor's armchair. “He's remained in the same one.”
It occurs to Severus that she must have done the switch before he crept home yesterday afternoon. And if he'd only noticed at the time, he could have saved himself the ignominy of that... episode on the floor.
Hmm.
She can't quite tell what he's thinking of or how it relates to their seating, but the feeling of his slight embarrassment rather amuses her; he's not particularly uneasy about it, and so neither is she. No, it simply makes her want to smile. But instead, she bites it back as she works up to her next point.
“I was thinking...” she begins somewhat tentatively.
“I'd expect no less.”
She wrinkles her nose but gathers her courage in light of his obvious - well, not visibly, but still - pleasure at having his chair returned. “I was thinking you might like your desk chair back as well? We could trade them?”
He blinks, unused to someone other than Poppy worrying about his well-being and trying to decide if there are drawbacks to accepting the offer, because at this point, frankly he'd rather like to. Especially when the idea doesn't have to come from him...
“It just seems to also be a custom fit...” she continues a little more weakly as he hasn't given her anything to work with.
“I appreciate the offer,” he acknowledges and considers the practicalities. They've done enough rearranging for the moment, and in light of her overtures, he feels he'd have to see to trying to adjust the new desk chair for her as well. Obviously, it's even less suited for her than it had been for him. He shouldn't like to give the impression he'd fobbed inferior rubbish off on her, claiming the best all for himself...
He hasn't got the spells to do so memorised - whatever for? - he rarely needs them, and adjusting his chairs had been an extremely well executed, highly professional job by Davenport's. All the more reason he'd missed the things. And all the more reason he's an idiot for not simply acknowledging that fact earlier. But having bungled it from the outset... Well.
Yes.
He can be stubborn at times.
Usually, even.
He's not quite willing to say 'always'...
While he's in possession of a couple of excellent books on the subject of furniture charms, he'd need to refer to them first. Typically, he has no desire to let her know he's going to any effort. Something in the back of his mind asks 'why'; it's readily answered that he has a reputation to maintain. When the vexsome voice asks just what that reputation might be, he answers 'omniscience' but suspects it's a lie. “With your permission, I'll see to it tomorrow?”
She just looks confused at that, “But it was my suggestion?”
“I meant permission to enter your room in your absence.”
“I'm pretty sure it was your room only a very short time ago.” She blushes, but tries to make her point. “You really don't need to ask...” She's having some difficulty following his thinking here. It's not like her Housemates are much given to asking permission before helping themselves to each other's things. Goodness, the boys had even been known to... avail themselves of one another's pants on occasion when they hadn't seen to having their laundry cleaned by the elves in a timely fashion... Asking permission for anything is something of a novelty.
He draws his wand, extends it a little towards her and somewhat formally intones, “It's your room, and yours alone.” The tip of his wand glows blue and he twitches the faintest of smiles in her direction, “Now I do need to ask.”
“Not without wards you don't,” she scoffs, because the statement is preposterous. “And even then, were I to set them, simply granting you permission wouldn't uniformly enable you to enter at will, would it?” Not that she really thinks she'd be able to cast something that could keep him out, but for the sake of argument...
“It does with many. And as a bonded... as bonded individuals, it does so with even more.” As he's coming to understand, he thinks ruefully, although he sees no need to make mention of that. He'd noticed with a bit of surprise that she'd passed the wards into their chambers from his office with no issues in the least. While they were keyed to her in general, crossing that particular threshold still shouldn't haven't been entirely without resistance. It had been another sobering discovery. He wonders how many other things will be affected.
“And the spell you just cast? The one that turned your wand blue? What was that?”
“A formality,” he replies, less than helpfully, but then expands on it. “It wasn't necessary, it's merely a reflection of intent and makes the change of ownership visible.”
“I'm sorry? I don't follow?”
“When you go to use your voucher at Flourish and Blotts, will you be able to Summon the book of your choice?”
“No, of course not. They have Anti-theft Charms in place.”
“And yet you are able to Summon the book after purchase.” She nods slowly, still not comprehending. “Do they lift the Anti-theft Charm at that time?”
She looks puzzled but shakes her head, “Not that I've noticed...”
“And can just anyone Summon your book thereafter?”
“No...”
“Because with payment, the ownership transfers. It's effectively a universally recognised ritual. When the asked price is met, payment accepted, that transfer is understood, no spell is necessary.”
“No foolish waving of wands?” She quips, but the curiosity behind it is real. It dawns on her that she doesn't know much about wizarding business practices...
“It wouldn't have been necessary here, now, either. My word, my wishes are sufficient for that change to take effect.
“And yet you used your wand?”
“It's much like an Oath. As I said, it was merely a formality. Employing my wand permitted you to see that the change had taken place. Proof of intent. That I had indeed ceded the rights to you.”
“But if it's not necessary...
“It's perhaps... recommended in situations where you can't trust the party opposite.” The bond flares with her immediate disagreement, she's already drawn a breath to object, and he heads her off with a raised hand that instantly draws her eye. The realisation that her dissent is essentially a compliment forestalls his natural inclination to frame this merely as a bothersome tendency of hers to debate any and everything. “It was purely for illustrative purposes. Normally, it's sufficient to simply say as much.” Her eyes open wide, because, Holy Cricket, that seems like yet another horrible idea. That's what titles are for, deeds, receipts of purchase...
“That can't possibly be a good solution...” she complains.
He snorts with amusement. “With magic, it's always the intent that counts.” First Bulstrode, now the Professor. That's the second time today she's hearing this, from a Slytherin no less, and Hermione feels like she's somehow missing the underlying concept. “There's really nothing to be concerned about. That intent keeps you from making inadvertent transfers. As with most things, it's very much the supposed recipient who must be cautious.”
The furrow in her brow suggests she needs more information, some convincing, but it's her silence that invites him to continue. He finds himself... appreciating the self restraint and wonders if that's... patience.
“For example, before, when I referred to the door to our chambers, I designated it 'yours'. It's more accurately 'ours', and I think of it as such.” If she thought her stomach had done something funny at his 'yours', his 'ours' elicits a much stronger, visceral response. She tries to swallow and her throat suddenly seems dry. “The result is no exchange of property took place. The use of my wand would have proved that. Wording also matters. 'Yours' doesn't preclude 'ours', or the wandflare might come from the silent inclusion of third parties. 'Yours alone' accompanied by that flare eliminated all room for doubt. Do you follow?”
That much is fairly clear, and she nods, but the results... The significance still seems a bit sketchy. “So you need my permission to enter my room?”
“Need? No. As you said, without wards...” He smirks briefly, just long enough for her to get the feeling he's not mentioning just how improbable he thinks it that they'd hold against him in any event. She surprises him slightly when she fails to take offence, but then she'd agreed with him on that score. Completely. “But it is in good form to obtain your blessing, wouldn't you agree? Along the lines of 'mutual respect and civility'?”
She pinks, but replies immediately, “You needn't ask. You can come and go at will. Or 'may', I suppose, because you apparently 'can' anyhow. It's yours to...”
“Allow me to stop you there, Miss Granger,” he interrupts. “Some caution is advised. You had asked about the Observation Charm earlier. Possession of the room affects that.” He points his wand at her door and performs the Charm and nothing happens. She purses her lips in mirth, about to point out that it doesn't prove anything but that he'd failed. He gives her a mock disdainful glance, the effect thoroughly ruined by the bond, incongruously making her grin, and he proceeds to perform the Charm successfully on their front door. “As you can see, the door is still 'ours'. Your room, however, is not.”
Hermione looks at him levelly, draws her wand, points it at her room, just in case it makes a difference, and almost as formally as he had before draws herself upright and says, “That room is both of ours, yours and mine, and no one else's.” Her wand glows blue and it's a... pleasant sensation really. She wonders if that's to encourage generosity... Magical behavioural modification...
“That wasn't necessary,” he tells her, and yet doesn't quite sound like he minded.
“I told you I had no doubts whatsoever about you potentially abusing the Charm. Maybe that will prove it to you.”
“The bond already had.”
“Well, I needed to see if I had grasped the procedure,” she insists. While it isn't wrong, her motivation truly had lain primarily in demonstrating her trust and he seems to recognise that fact. He's less sure, however, what to do with the knowledge. He files it away for later. “The words really don't matter?”
“Not to the exchange as such. There's no specific formula required. They only matter in so far as they determine what is exchanged, and with whom, so you shouldn't be fooled into thinking they don't matter at all.”
Crooks snuggles deeper into her lap, and Hermione stows her wand and resumes stroking his back. She's probably spent whole months doing that, were she to add the time together. It's soothing for them both.
The half-Kneazle purrs contentedly as she pets him. It's surprising how loud that little monster is. Pity, really, they don't come with volume control. Severus wonders if a Silencio would do the trick. A Langlock clearly wouldn't impede it's ability to purr. Ah, but the Muffliato should... he sits there contemplating it the more self-satisfied the beast looks.
Miss Granger tears Severus out of his feline muzzling musings as she begins to tell him about the goings on in the Infirmary Monday evening. Weasley, Finnigan and Thomas had apparently landed themselves there post-contretemps. Quite logically, her tale is essentially a relating of the goings on in the Gryffindor tower shortly before.
It's not that those events are so unusual for Hogwarts. Certainly not. Truthfully, the variety of jinxes, hexes and charms employed on Crabbe alone just this morning had probably been more impressive than what those three had gotten up to. But Severus senses the point was to eliminate some of his lingering unease both with the events of Monday evening, having required her assistance, and the unusual situation between them as a whole. She's trying to simply share a story, much as Poppy might, hoping to help to normalise things between them.
It works. It's successful in part because he recognises the purpose and chooses to let it - which isn't to say he doesn't appreciate the effort - and in part because a significant step towards normalcy is behaving... normally.
And so she sits there grinning and petting her half-Kneazle, reporting on the Gryffindors' escapades, the hexings in the tower Monday evening, the kerfuffle in the Gryffindor seventh year boys' room. The chaos following the news of their bonding. Weasley's frustration with Finnigan, the... distasteful forcible administration of a Puking Pastille... (Severus has to wonder fleetingly why he makes a distinction between that and an Emetic Hex, and yet he does...) Finnagan's subsequent imprecision - only too predictable, of course - the Silencio that had gone so badly wrong. Weasley's head, swollen so large he barely fit through the portrait hole... Severus chuckles at the image and the witch across from him giggles in turn.
Then a queer expression plays across his face, followed shortly by a feeling of revulsion through the bond, and Hermione bursts into laughter. “You were just picturing him eating, weren't you?” Her smile is infectious.
“A whole turkey,” he agrees, meaning the actual fowl, for once, and not one of Filius' charges, not that she'd be aware of it... He smirks.
“You did mean the bird and not a Ravenclaw?” Hermione prods with a knowing look. He appears bemused, and her smile becomes improbably broader. “Oh, I'm on a first name basis with a number of your House now. I've learnt things,” she nods sagely, winks - absurdly - and laughs even more. It's an... agreeable sound. “But that was almost precisely my mental image, Ronald eating. Except I was thinking 'chicken'.”
“Ah, well clearly you need to begin thinking larger, Miss Granger. But his approach to poultry is certainly... distinctive. It was an almost unavoidable association, I should think.
“It sounds like they had quite an evening in the Tower. I must say there are days I'm glad I'm no longer a student or living in the dorms.”
And he means it.
Hermione just goggles, staring at him for a moment before asking incredulously, “Because being a Death Eater and spy is so much easier?”
It could go either way, but his mood influences hers, winning out. She just shakes her head, laughing once more at the sheer absurdity of it.
And now he finds himself laughing, too. He can't help thinking again of the state Crabbe had been in when Severus was called to assist just this morning. “On balance, you know, there are days when it's preferable, yes.”
They both are very well aware where he'd been Monday evening and what he'd suffered instead, and yet by mutual agreement, they let that seemingly ridiculous statement stand.
Just because it isn't always the case doesn't mean it can't also be true.
It feels a little like... healing.
“But I can't imagine what Ronald was thinking, giving Seamus the Pastille like that...” She shakes her head in manifest disapproval, and Severus waits a beat to see if this is about how it had been administered.
It is not.
She draws no parallels there, which he finds intriguing. She's far from unaffected from the events of Friday - and that's completely ignoring their bonding, of course - as her response the Observation Charm had demonstrated only too clearly. He doubts a week ago that knowledge of the Charm would have given rise to watery eyes. No, he suspects she'd have simply been tickled to learn a rare spell.
He's forced to realise, once again, that he can't predict where she makes those associations. He'll need to be careful not to convince her she should be making some where she doesn't. She'll have enough to be getting on with as it is...
And so he engages her in conversation, hoping to distract from his brief hesitation. “Weasley's gambit with the Puking Pastille wasn't altogether without merit,” he allows with a twinge of regret, but even a broken clock is correct twice a day. By that standard, if Weasley were right once in a given week, that shouldn't be outside of the realms of the conceivable...
Merely improbable.
Hermione immediately begins to argue the point, “That worked poorly...” The vomiting had led directly to Seamus' miscast after all...
Severus corrects her, “That's only true if the spell intended isn't likely to be worse than the misfire. I can assure you that wouldn't be the case if the spell were meant to be lethal.”
It occurs to Hermione that this is exactly like the discussion she'd witnessed between Ella and Hunter, how the Prefect had queried the fourth year on the shortcomings of his opposition's technique as they critiqued the duel Tuesday evening. Hermione has to wonder if this is a common thing for Slytherins to do... It strikes her as a sort of informal lesson and makes her stop objecting, tout de suite, and listen, expectantly, to what the Professor has to say.
“In a real battle, by contrast, Weasley would have been better off that way. Your own experience in the Department of Mysteries is proof of that.” Hermione blinks once at that, because it was completely unexpected, but he continues unchecked, “Consider the battle. My understanding is without the Silencio you performed on Dolohov... The curse that injured you may well have been considerably worse otherwise.” And now she blinks repeatedly.
Bugger.
“Of course for a fight in the dorms, the tactic was pure idiocy,” he shifts directions abruptly, catching the change in her. What had he only just been thinking about his inability to predict her sensitivities? Speaking of idiocy... His is clearly undiluted. Paralleled, perhaps, only by Weasley's. “Case in point, he hadn't anything more serious to worry about from Finnigan's quarter than his propensity to self-immolate.”
She lets out a huff of amusement at the attempt at humour, but Severus notes her smile is a touch wan and fails to reach her eyes. He shouldn't have brought up the DoM, he knows how serious her injuries had been. He'd brewed night and day after she was placed in Poppy's care to produce the staggering array of potions necessary to set her to rights once again. No, he knew precisely what had happened to her, how bad things had stood. How close a call it had been...
So he is not only an arse, no, he's an idiot as well.
Brilliant.
Or not, as the case may be.
He has a tendency not to dwell on most of the things he's survived - by definition they weren't fatal, obviously - but perhaps he treats the subject too casually. He knows only too well that some... injuries can wound far deeper than the scars they leave behind.
Her right hand ceases its constant petting of her ginger creature now to clasp her left shoulder, her thumb rubbing the space below it across her clavicle towards her chest, and he realises she still has residual issues with the wound from that fight. He recalls the feel of the scar beneath his fingers last night, her sensitivity, flinch when he'd come too close to it...
It escapes him for the moment in his distraction that he can't possibly know about that if that had all just been part of a dream. If the feel of her scar was real, then so was much more. But right now he's concentrating on her discomfort. He can feel it quite clearly across the bond. It's more that than a physical pain at the moment, he's sure of it, and he's equally sure his careless mention of the DoM and her injuries was the cause.
Talking to the witch is proving... tricky.
He has few qualms, very few, about upsetting people when he chooses to, but he prides himself on being something of a precision instrument. His wit, his acerbity... Scalpels, not cudgels. He doesn't wander through life like a Bludger on legs.
But this... this wasn't the intended result, and if only because he can feel her through the bond - what other reason could he have? - he feels moved to sort it.
“I don't wish to intrude...” He begins and instantly has her attention once more. He hesitates, “Forgive me for asking so bluntly, but is the issue self-consciousness or does it still hurt?” He gestures, indicating the area she's rubbing.
She blinks, does not delay her response with the 'um' hovering on her lips, considers being offended at the notion she could simply be vain (except some days she is, she just doesn't like being recognised as such...), and then ultimately feels too embarrassed to answer honestly. Because honestly? It really does hurt sometimes. It's just that in relation to the things she knows he goes through...
“I'm sure it's not worth mentioning...” she finally responds, meaning it.
“I asked, Miss Granger. You're not 'mentioning it'. You're merely answering.” She begins to relax a bit, and he takes a page from her book with some gentle ribbing, “Don't tell me that's lost it's appeal in the absence of House points...”
And that's exactly what it takes. “Well then, as you asked... It pulls. There's a sort of tightness that's uncomfortable. Sometimes it twinges, acutely even, and occasionally hurts. But for the most part, it pulls. Rather uncomfortably.”
Hmm.
He weighs his options and decides to risk a little. What does he have to lose? Her good opinion? He nearly snorts. But he'd valued the comfort she provided last night; the least he can do is try to offer a little of the same. And he owes her for coming to get him Monday night. She'd risked leaving the grounds to do so...
He replies with a sharp nod. Abruptly he rises and goes to his bedroom door. He silently Summons something and then returns to her side holding out a small glass pot.
A/N:
Happy Birthday to
hopelesliehermn. Many happy returns! 🎂🍰🎈🥳
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-14 10:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-13 09:58 pm (UTC)(Solving the pingback issue by brute force if I have to... lol. Go me!)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-13 10:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-14 06:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-14 03:09 pm (UTC)Thanks! Yeah, it must have sucked to be a Snake that year, not easy at all...
Honestly, if they just give it a shot, and Severus controls his snark a little *side eye*, they aren’t so terribly different.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-14 09:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-16 04:01 pm (UTC)If she won’t be permitted to do an apprenticeship anyway, then there’s little point to selecting classes the way Tracey does and more to just doing what she likes and finds interesting. And she finds a lot of things interesting. (Naturally more so if they’re colourful. 😉)
(No, but I’d so have joined. lol)
Nah, he wasn’t properly appreciated and not good at joining, which made him even easier fodder for the Death Eaters. (Gotta give it to him, when he finally *does* join something... hmm.) In fact, I believe nowhere in canon is it confirmed he was even a member of the Slug Club. There’s a prop photo he could have been in, but I believe it’s left unclear.
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-16 04:27 pm (UTC)True... Fwooper! Yep, more like Daphne than Tracey.
YEAH, BBB!!! You're probably right about Severus... though he could have had the PPP with a miniscule membership of 1?
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-16 04:53 pm (UTC)Poor Severus. Yeah, I can see that. Complete with secret handshake he ‘accidentally’ does with other people only to go, ‘Ah, sorry. My bad. I thought you were a member...’ and then they feel all left out. 😆
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-16 08:40 pm (UTC)LOL I can SO see Severus doing that, just to get a rise out of people! 🤣
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-30 04:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-30 04:13 am (UTC)I just posted a one off, stand alone short story today, if you’re looking for more to read. ‘lucius’ zebras’
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-14 10:27 am (UTC)Lol the adventures of Millie. She’s hilarious. And following the boys logic is always a roller coaster ride. Hahaha.
I enjoyed the conversations at the end, they were very satisfying. And when he mentioned the DoM I thought omg Snape you idiot. But he came good at the end.
*contented sigh*
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-14 03:15 pm (UTC)I can’t help it, I like Millie. Mostly, I guess, for her loyalty. (Yes, *that*.) And I don’t mind her insecurities, probably because I’m watching them and don’t have to actually deal with them. (*So* much easier.)
Yeah, Severus should come with trigger warnings. Just because you’re cool with a thing...
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-15 01:40 am (UTC)I’m getting so excited in the progression of their relationship!! And I love who you have made Millie, too!
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-16 04:57 pm (UTC)She may be a bit of a thug on occasion, and heaven help you if she doesn’t like you, but there are only two people in the House currently sticking up for their friends in spite of what the Serpents had to say, and Millie is actually willing to fight for it. That’s far from all bad. (Unless you’re on the receiving end, natch. 😉)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-15 05:44 pm (UTC)I think I've managed to stop my tablet acting up, so now I just need to figure out LJ navigation and I'm sorted!
The last few chapters have been awesome, I love how Crooks has been chipping in more and getting Severus told, lol. And the Slytherin dynamics! Oh I was so cross with Millie for tattling to Vince. Particularly since she *knew* that a violent outcome was most probable. That intervention on the others' part was much needed!
And then you take us back to our favourite couple and give me the warm fuzzies ^_^ Even with Severus' little faux pas, they are still so sweet.
More please! :D
L x
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-16 05:05 pm (UTC)Thanks! And that’s exactly it. It’s all about perspective. She’s Vince’s and Gregory’s friend, not Harper’s. And she doesn’t know what Vince did. If someone took humiliating pictures of your friend and were out to sell them... Hey, *I’d* want her in my corner. But you’re right, they’ll need to get to the bottom of what was done here so they can get their behaviour in line. As it is, they have suspicions, and it’s a bit of a jerk move to drop a friend based solely on suspicion and rumour.
More of those two ‘hanging out’ next chapter. 😊 (I enjoyed so much of ‘Wednesday evening’ when I was writing it...)
(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-31 07:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-31 01:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-05-31 01:43 pm (UTC)If you're looking for something else to read, I posted two short stories this week:
'milestone' Severus retires from Hogwarts. (a bit bittersweet)
And 'lucius' zebras' In which Draco and his family plan a party. (more humorous)
Both happy ends, because that's how I roll. 😉
(no subject)
Date: 2019-06-11 02:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-06-11 03:10 pm (UTC)Another well done chapter.
Date: 2019-07-01 02:53 pm (UTC)RE: Another well done chapter.
Date: 2019-07-18 11:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-17 12:07 am (UTC)-calket
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-18 11:39 am (UTC)ETA: Not sure if you have this set to email you or not, but if so, I also wrote a bunch of stuff that can be found here:
(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-20 02:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-07-22 01:36 pm (UTC)And it's gotten so murderously hot outside, that clearly the most sensible thing to do is to stop running around (Wizards Unite be damned; ha!) and sit back down to write. (Taking a break from sorting my notes to say so, in fact. It all smacks terribly of... productivity. 😐 How foreign.) But I think I've goofed off enough for now. 😉
(Which really is to say: while there's not exactly a solution in sight, I'm trying to keep my chin up, spirits are okay, all considered, and I'm muddling through, pretty much as usual... 😉 Thanks very much for asking. 😊❤️)
Binge worthy
Date: 2019-07-20 05:44 pm (UTC)It’s written so Slytherin - with all the secret motivations and competing agendas driving the plot it’s anything but slow. I’m so looking forward to the next chapter and I’m definitely rec’ing it to my bestie who happens to be a snake ❤️ Love your work! It’s genius!
RE: Binge worthy
Date: 2019-07-22 02:04 pm (UTC)Ooo! If your bestie *does* decide to read it, which (ngl) would be lovely (readers! w00t!) (and thanks for the rec 😊), one thing I'm trying to do to improve (re-)readability is work with the tags option LJ provides. Because the first 100 odd chapters were written on AO3 without the ability to put in individual chapter tags, they don't have too much by way of that going on yet. Any suggestions she'd be willing to make in the comments about tags for a chapter would be super helpful. (Ultimately, I'm shooting for being able to click 'severus and hermione', say, and then getting the list of all the chapters with their scenes together, or 'snakes being snakes' or... you get the idea.) Yeah, I'm shameless. 😉 I own it. *nods*
Re: Binge worthy
Date: 2019-07-26 09:43 am (UTC)RE: Re: Binge worthy
Date: 2019-08-03 02:49 pm (UTC)And appreciated 😊
Go Ginger!
Date: 2019-08-06 05:57 pm (UTC)RE: Go Ginger!
Date: 2019-08-18 11:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-12-07 07:27 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-17 05:56 am (UTC)That Slytherin silencing charm. I love that they don't let just anyone learn it. Did Severus invent the Muffliato because he couldn't wait to be old enough to be shown it? He must be very amused whenever he sees students using it and thinking they are sneaky. It does give off a buzzing sound, right? I think a lot of fan fic writers forget about that. I am always thinking that whispering might be just as effective. :P
DRACO: We're good?
THEO: No, we're phenomenal.
They remind me of the bullies in every 80s teen movie, lol.
It's really heartwarming that everyone is so concerned for Harper. (Aside from Millie, lol. She has her own things going on.)
And a lovely conversation between our soon-to-be-lovebirds. How lucky for Hermione, still lacking in some of the details of Wizarding society, to have such a thorough teacher. He's such a great teacher too, when he has an intelligent and curious student.
With Magic, it's always the intent that counts. Well, if Hermione is going to make a note of hearing that twice in one day from two different Slytherins, then I am going to keep note of it too. I know you never write anything without a good reason, so I am keen to see how this will play out in future adventures.
The "oath" spell, the receipt spell? - Hermione finds it pleasant and wonders if it is to encourage generosity. Magical behavioral modification. See, when you do things like this it only makes me admire you even more. Everything is so thorough, so clever and so entertaining. Thanks for never skimping on the good stuff!
And now Severus has a healing salve of some sort. I like where this is (maybe?) heading!
I hope you are well my friend. xoxoxo
(no subject)
Date: 2020-07-17 05:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-10-01 06:52 am (UTC)