fab

Molly sighed the moment he looked down at her with a pout- she could never resist that cute pout he made and it annoyed her that she couldn’t. ‘it’s not wand repairs, fab-’ she shakes her head with a smile that appeared on her face without her wanting to. ‘I am just walking down to leave some bread for the birds; I guess you can join me if you promise not to scare them away.’

He wiped fake sweat from his brow when Molly confirmed she wasn’t going to get her wand repaired, only for his short-lived grin to be replaced with confusion. “We’re on a Hogsmeade trip and you’re going to feed some birds? There aren’t already old people doing that?”

Fabian: i wake up at five

“Well—yeah.” Tilden said slowly. “Haven’t you ever been worried you’ll end up doing some horrible, smelly job? Ma doesn’t know a lot about magic things, but she did tell me about these horrible Muggle jobs where you have to clean grease out of fryers—you know, for chippys—and I was horrified. I can’t imagine being greasy all of the time. What d’you reckon you’ll do after Hogwarts, then? If you don’t get your N.E.W.T.s? Or if you do?” 

“Y’know, not really.” Fab gave a half-shrug. He had never really considered the possibility of anything other than some sort of high-paying, exciting wizarding job, and hearing about Muggles cleaning grease just really solidified that for him. “I’m gonna get my N.E.W.T.s, ‘m’not worried about that,” the second it left his mouth he realized how arrogant he sounded, but it was too late to backtrack, “Auror training’s next for me. Dunno if that’s really what I want, but reckon it’s too late t’change my mind now. What about you? Say you nail all your exams - which you will, v’got faith in you - what’s the big dream?”

Mary: what

Mary grinned, not realizing her teeth had a black tinge to them thanks to the liquorice she’d just swiped from him. It was probably karma for stealing it in front of Lola. “Do you think I have the energy to be scary, Fab? If I ever got in a fight I’d probably just lay down and accept my fate.” She was far too chilled out for her own good sometimes. “I think people are just scared of being the next feature in her paper. It’s not like half her gossip is even true, how can anyone know what to believe anyway?”

She wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, right, a graceful, strong hawk? Definitely makes more sense than a sleepy, fat bear. Yeah, much better description of me Fab.” While she couldn’t agree with the comparison, she didn’t think she was dumb enough to completely miss Fab’s affection for her.   “You’re off your game, Prewett. Saying I’m focused and assuming I haven’t eaten? I’m half-convinced you’re a carbon copy of my friend because surely he’d know I’ve already eaten second breakfast. I’ll always have room for more, though.” She didn’t want to tease him mercilessly; of course, she couldn’t risk him taking back his offer for more food.

At the sight of Mary’s teeth Fabian snorted, though he quickly ran his tongue over his own teeth to try and clear up any lingering black from the one bite of licorice she let him have. “Right, but you’d never get into a fight, ‘cause you’re a bear. They don’t just get into fights. That’s the whole point of bears.” 

He crossed his arms at her accusation of being off his game, raising an eyebrow; “Well, Mac, a scary letter from your hawk-bear best friend that says ‘We need to talk.’ tends to throw you off your game just a bit.” Frankly, despite the fact that they were clearly now totally okay, he was still reeling a bit from the panic he had been in from the time he got her note until now. 

“No, no, if you already had second breakfast and you’re going to mock me I dunno if I want to eat with you anymore, Mary Macdonald!” he lifted his chin in a gesture of mock defiance, looking back down at her after barely a few seconds, “...But I’m really hungry, actually, so if we could stop by Hog’s Head or Three Broomsticks that’d be great.” 

“Merlin, could you teach me? I’m never going to make it on my own. At least, that’s what my ma thinks. She’s right, I guess.” He bit his lip, anxiety coursing through him. It was October. He will graduate in less than a year and he doesn’t know how to cook, couldn’t possibly regurgitate all of the uses for all of the N.EW.T. level plants, and had a sinking feeling his Divination score would be absolutely terrible, for all he could see of his future was a bleak, starved existence. “I’d say I’m rather motivated now. Gotta take advantage of that, you know? Or I’m just going to end up lazy and not studying. I’ve heard stories about people who end up working as—” he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “manure manufacturers if they don’t get all of the N.E.W.T.s they hope to.” 

“Could I teach you? Tilden Toots, I’d be abso-fuckin-lutely honored!” Fabian grinned, already trying to think up some way to make it seem like he had any ounce of a clue what to do in a kitchen. “Your mum’s gonna be blown away.” He couldn’t imagine being stressed enough about tests that he’d miss any of the meals in the Great Hall, but to each their own, he supposed. “Alright, I guess that’s fair, I just don’t want you fallin’ apart on me from N.E.W.T.-brain, Toots.” Fab gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, before leaning in closer at the sudden shift in his tone, lowing his own voice with Tilden’s, “Oh, right, yeah. Manure manufacturers? Toots, are you worried you’re gonna be stuck working with actual shit?”

“Technically, I’m always in the friend zone,” Kenny grinned. “The last girl I dated was Roz, and that was a willing exile to the friendzone and I’ve lived here and fucked whoever I wanted while in here. You, my poor lovesick friend, are in much a different position.”

“Uh-uh, no, you can’t technically be always in the friendzone, that’s not how that shit works! You’re just fuckin’ single, mate.” Fab shook his head at Kenny, “M’not lovesick. I just like her. Lovesick’s a bit much.”

She didn’t reply to him at first- of course only knowing he will be able to join  her in a bit and she rolls her eyes in amusement as he catches up with her. ‘ I know where I am going, Fab, I don’t know where you are going.’

“What? C’mon, Mols!” Fab looked down at his sister with a big pout plastered to his face, “Y’look like you’re walking with a purpose. Don’t leave me out of that purpose! I’ll be absolutely heartbroken, even if it turns out the purpose is just some wand repairs or something. Is it wand repairs? ‘Cause I change my mind, I actually don’t want to join the purpose if it is.” 

“Are you any good at cooking?” Tilden asks weakly. “I’m terrible at cooking. Burn everything I touch.” He sighs, pocketing his wand with care. “It’s the greenhouses, mate. I’ve been spending all my time tending to my plants. If I don’t get my N.E.W.T. in herbology… well…” That thought had been coursing through him for weeks. “Let’s just say I have my heart set on doing well, and I can’t be doing with a low score. I’ve been studying quite a bit.” 

“M’not bad!” He actually hadn’t cooked a meal in his whole life, but it couldn’t be that hard. If he could make potions, he could make... stew, at least. “It’s October, Toots. You’ve got months. Just... I dunno, take a deep breath?” Fab understood the N.E.W.T. struggle - he needed good marks to get into Auror training - but he wasn’t dreading them as much as he probably should be. He’d always been good at testing. “If you’re burnin’ out this early on, you’re gonna have a problem when it’s actually N.E.W.T. time.”

“F—Fabian!” He pulled out his wand, frantically muttering ‘Tergeo’ as he siphoned mud off of every surface he could reach. “It’s—ah—I’m just late for dinner again,” he said lamely. “And the H—” he glanced around anxiously, “House Elves are usually quite gracious in feeding me when I miss a meal but I’ve missed seven meals this week and I’m starting to think they are going to get tired of me, you know, and so I was running to clean myself off—” he took a steadying breath, “and ran into you. Oh mate, I am so sorry—I am so clumsy…” 

Merlin, was Tilden okay? Fab didn’t even have a chance to thank him for cleaning him off (to be honest, Fabian wasn’t going to bother with that himself until after dinner, probably) before the Hufflepuff kept apologizing. Fabian was starting to feel bad for Tilden, honestly, and he was the one who ran into him. “Toots, it’s fine! Merlin, I’ll cook you dinner m’self next time. How d’you miss seven meals in a week?” 

Mary reached for the same licorice wand with a challenging look in her eyes, testing the waters. Lola knew Fabian was the only person she’d smuggle candy for, so all she could do was sigh and mouth a “Brownies,” before walking off to attend to some fourth year who’d just dropped a glass jar of taffy. “Sorry, taking this one to my grave.” She lied through her teeth, knowing if he pushed her any further she’d cave and tell him. Even Lola knew it, but it didn’t bother her a whole lot. The two really were a matching pair, anyway.

“How am I scarier? I’m like a big fluffy bear. I hibernate and I stash food, that’s all I’m good for,” she joked, biting off a piece of the licorice, then handing it to him. “You know I couldn’t care less about what people think of me, Fab. I’ve got you, a few close friends and my parents. What the rest of the world thinks is important only to them.” She smiled and stole the rest of the wand from him before he could finish it. “Besides, Rita’s article is pure rubbish. I think I’d know if my best friend was so in love with me he’d be willing to shag me on the kitchen floor, right?” 

Of course she managed to get some sort of a deal with Lola. Fab had tried that with one of the bartenders over at the Hog’s Head and was laughed at, but here Mary was basically owning Honeydukes. He narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t press the matter; he’d find a way to get the Big Honeydukes Secret eventually. 

“Bears are fuckin’ deadly, Mac, you’re just proving my point!” he took the licorice with a grin, “Thanks! I know, I know, it’s just that Skeeter’s really scary good at making things weird. She says the meanest shit, dunno how she gets away with it, t’be honest.” Luckily he hadn’t taken a bite of the licorice before she said the rest, because if he had he would’ve absolutely choked on it. Fab laughed, glad that it came out as more of a this is funny laugh and not the oh Merlin that’s awkward laugh that it really was. “Oh, yeah, for sure. You’re like a hawk.” A blind hawk, maybe, but that was prooobably for the best at this present moment. He didn’t even argue with her stealing the licorice back from him, now just trying to move off the subject, “Have you eaten yet? ...Besides the candy.”

Mary’s eyes were still on Lola as Fabian spoke, clearly bewildered by her confidence to eat an entire chocolate frog while making eye contact with the shop’s owner. “Hm?” She turned back to her friend with a smirk, grabbing another frog and stuffing it in her pocket for later. “Oh, Lola loves me. Don’t you, Lo’?” She raised her voice so the woman could hear and the only response Mary got from her was rolling eyes. “I have some secrets I can’t reveal to even you, Fab.” She was, of course, referring to her secret trades with Lola for access to the shop through the passageway connected to the school. 

She bit her lip and caught his gaze, giving him a softer smile than she usually would. She just needed to make sure he hadn’t actually been avoiding her like she’d joked about. She knew the paper was just a load of rubbish like it always was, but had it just been a coincidence she hadn’t seen her best friend since it was released? “We’re okay though, right, Prewett? Rita’s rubbish paper didn’t scare you off for a bit there?” 

“What secrets? What secrets?” he questioned in absolute bewilderment, wondering what the hell kind of secret Mary could possibly have that involved her being able to eat anything in Honeydukes with no repercussions. He reached for a licorice wand, watching Lola the whole time, but as soon as it was obvious what he was doing she slowly shook her head and he quickly nodded, dropping that present mission.  

“No, no, you’re scarier than anything Rita could put out in her paper.” Fabian grinned, now that his head was back in place and he could properly go back to his usual jokes, and honestly - that wasn’t even a lie, Rita could write fuck-all but what mattered was Mary’s reaction. “Yeah, Mac, if you’re okay, we’re okay. ...Man, Skeets really made us sound like shit, didn’t she? Too bad there’s no photos, my face could’ve really given the article some extra oomph.”

TIlden realized he probably looked ridiculous—arms stained with the manure he had just been potting with—but he was starving and dinner was just about to start, and he couldn’t miss it again because he knew even the House Elves had limits to the amount of times they wanted to see his face after missing a meal—which is how he found himself running too fast through the Entrance Hall and ran straight into someone, splattering them with mud. “Oh no,” he gasped, “oh fuck I’m so sorry—let me help—” 

“Hey, woah, woah! You’re fine, mate.” Sure, getting covered in mud wasn’t the first thing Fabian wanted to do right before dinner, but it wasn’t like this was anywhere close to the biggest mess he’d ever made. "Is there a dragon chasing you or something? What’re you all worked up over?”

Gideon let out a sigh that expressed nothing but disappointment, albeit a little put on. “Of course. But if Mom sends another Howler, I’ll tell her that you’re an asshat.”

“She already knows I’m an asshat, that’s fine.” Fabian laughed, thinking back to the most recent Howler sent to Gid that was definitely meant for him. He gave his brother a thankful pat on the shoulder, “You’re top, Gid, don’t you forget that.”