who we are.

        to  be  a  person  that  always  struggled  with  patience  ,  hakim  knew  he’d  have  to  wait  this  one  out  .  and  even  with  their  obvious  disdain  for  the  arrangement ,  hakim  knew  he  was  in  no  power  to  break  the  agreement  between  their  families .  it  always  felt  so  strange  for  someone  to  have  such  autonomy  over  their  life  ,  and  even  his  own  sisters  did  not  have  much  say  in  who  they’d  marry   but  this  ?    this  somehow  felt  right  .  so  he’d  continue  to  entertain  finn’s  bicker  even  if  it  burned  more  slower  than  a  cauldron  .  hopefully  they  would  make  their  mind  up   before  he  ever  considers  an  alternative  .  

      ❝   you  are  supposed  to  be  my  equal  ,   ❞  he  says  as  hakim  regards  the  bottle  of  firewhiskey  that  is  being  offered  .  there  was  the  occasional  alcoholic  beverage  at  home  but  those  were  for  celebrations  -  as  rare  as  the  full  moon  .  no  wonder  his  mother  always  warned  him  .  ❝  but  you  will  almost  always  best  me  in  this  game  ,  finn  .  ❞    one  more  hesitant  glance  at  the  bottle  and  having  to  face  that  it  was  probably  comparable  to  the  bottles  of  waragi  he’d  steal  with his  mates  .  so  when  he  takes  a  sip  ,  it  only  brings  those  wretched  memories  back  .    ❝  if  you  wanted  to  get  rid  of  me  ,  you  should  have  just  me  know  ,  finn  .  there’s  probably  ten  different  ways  to  off  me  that  is  more  humane  .    ❞  

Equals. Now there’s an idea. Finn can read the apprehension in Hakim’s expression, and their eyebrow quirks upwards, their offer as much a challenge as it is an olive branch. They want to know if he’s got what it takes to keep up with them. “It’s true, when it comes to drinkin’, a Travers has no match,” they reply with a self-assured smirk. “The question is, are ye the kind of person that gives up easy?”

Dajo laughed, eyes crinkling. “No offense taken, gringa, you’re not actually wrong. My job sent me here. The Ministry offices aren’t so bad though, they heat them well. Out here is just,” they waved their arm through the air as if to gesture at the general state of things, “You know.”

They brightened at the mention of dragons. Dajo had never been able to see one up close before. They were out in the desert for the most part and Dajo hadn’t spent much time cities other than Guadalajara or Mexico City. “No shit! That sounds pretty cool. They allow visitors? I’ve never seen a real dragon.”

–

“Ah, now ye say ‘no offence’, but I’ve got a sneakin’ suspicion ye just slagged me off in Spanish,” Finn teases, not minding one bit. They make a face when their new companion explains their reason for being here, because it really seems like they’ve been dealt a shitty hand of cards. “Merlin’s tits, I hope they’re payin’ ye well fer yer trouble, at least. Britain’s bad enough by itself, and that’s without the shit show that calls itself the Ministry of Magic.” If there were dragons in Ireland, and if their father wasn’t in Ireland, there’s no way Finn would still be here.

“Ye’d be better off headin’ to Wales if ye want to see dragons. It’s easier to get to, and Common Greens are less… aggressive, shall we say? More interested in sheep than people,” Finn explains, leading the way through the Leaky Cauldron and out onto the muggle street beyond. “They don’t let civilians up the reservations, o’ course, but ye can still get close enough for a decent look.”

        ❝  you  are  just  laying  that  modesty  on  so  thickly  , i  barely  noticed  the  obsession  with  me .  how  many  times  have  you  told  me  off  now  ?   ❞    the  smile  is  still  playing  on  his  lips  as  he  continues .  ❝ never  met  someone  so  keen  on  getting  married  .   ❞      baba  had  truly  made  a  remarkable  choice  in  his  selection  for  a  spouse  for  hakim .  the  only  difference  was  that  hakim  had  now  lost  the  sense  to  fight  it  anymore   .  it  would  be  incredibly  difficult  to  get  a blessing  for  any  other  person  .  ❝  that’s  the  next  solution  ,  then  ?   …  fine  .   ❞     he  shakes  his  head  as  if  he  had  been  defeated .  but  he’d  brave  anything  if  it  meant  more  time  with  them .  

“Includin’ when I saw ye the other day? Seven.” It’s no secret that they don’t want to do the whole pureblood marriage thing, especially at the behest of their shit-stain of a father, but there is a part of Finn that does feel a little bad for Hakim and his family’s involvement in all of this. He could’ve had his pick of brides, looking like he does, and he’d still ended up with them. It’s a bad hand to have been dealt.

“Well, not to be a stereotype, but yeah,” Finn says, producing the bottle of firewhiskey and unscrewing the lid, offering Hakim the first mouthful. “Sláinte. Drink up.” If they’re going to hang out together, they figure they should at least be drunk - it is a party, after all.

       hakim  cannot  help  but  laugh  at  the  accusation   .  it  did  rather  seem  strange  that  the  two  kept  running  into  each  other  .  ❝  i  have  started  to  notice  that  you  are  always  so  quick  to  blame  me ,  finn .  ❞   and  maybe  he  would  have  missed  their  presence  if  it  hadn’t  been  for  their  interruption  but  he’ll  take  company .  ❝  should  i  be  worried  that  you  are  the  one  following  me  ?  ❞ 

“Ah shite, ye’ve caught me, all this time I’ve just been usin’ my barely-concealed contempt for ye to throw ye off the scent. I’m obsessed with ye, Akello, what can I say?” Finn answers with a sardonic smile, barely resisting the urge to roll their eyes. He’s too reasonable for his own good. “Are ye drinkin’, then, since I can’t seem to be rid of ye?” They’ve got a nice bottle of Ogden’s tucked inside their jacket for such an occasion.

“What, are ye following me now?” Finn asks, their tone just barely on the side of teasing as they turn to confront their new shadow.

“Why should I shrink it when I could get a collapsable and save myself the effort?” Reg couldn’t deny that he was whining, as much as he’d like to. “Shrinking can’t be any better for the structural integrity.”

“Because they’re fer wains that don’t know any better?” Finn supplies, arching an eyebrow. “But hey, if ye want to make yer potions in a vessel that’s literally designed to collapse, that’s up to ye. Take yer thrills wherever ye can get them, right?”

–

“Would you really? I didn’t think of that when I moved.” The actual ‘living in Britain’ part of The Plan hadn’t really gotten much consideration. Mostly they figured it couldn’t be too bad, and they’d just make do once they arrived. Clearly that hadn’t been the right course. “The Hebrides, those are… islands, right?” Dajo scrunched up their face as they did their best to remember a map. “Do you do ecology shit? My prima wants to be one, for sharks ‘n shit.”

–

Finn shrugs, offering the stranger an easy sort of smile. “Sure, I’m not doing anythin’ else. Come on.” They head back towards the brick wall that’ll lead them out of Diagon Alley and into London proper. “So, why the move? No offense, but ye don’t seem all that prepared to actually live here.”

They nod at the deduction. “Actually, I’m a draconologist,” Finn explains, grinning. “The MacFusty reserve, where I’m usually based, is the largest habitat for Hebridean Blacks in the world.” And they’re damn proud of what they do. It’s the coolest job going.

who: open

where: diagon alley

“No, it’s ridiculous. I went in to see if they could fix my collapsable cauldron and the man gave me a lecture on how collapsables aren’t safe– as if I didn’t clearly know they could break, considering I was bringing in a broken one.” Reg scowled, taking a final look back at the shop. “I don’t care if the damn thing offs me, I’m not carrying around fifty pounds of iron.”

     the  only  reasonable  response  is  to  shrug  ,  though  the  slight  curve  to  his  lips  seem  to  betray  his  rather  neutral  expression .  finn  had  always  been  a  force  to  reckon  with  -  that  much  hadn’t  changed  with  time  .   ❝  the  bar  has  nothing  to  do  with  how  people  dance  ,  finn .  i  have  seen  folk  do  just  fine  outside  on  the  dirt  , ❞ hakim  surely  was  missing  an  important  detail  to  his  rebuttal  but  he  had  always  found  it  quite  easy  to  fluster  the  other .  they  were  always  looking  for  some  kind  of  way  to  anger  hakim  but  it only  continued  to  flatter  him  .  it  uncannily  showed  that  they  still  cared  … 

   ❝  do  you  want  your  mother  to  know  ?  ❞  a  question  with  a  double  meaning  .  after  all ,  the  wizard  had  spent  his  time  abroad  and  wasting  time .  the  two  deserved  to  live  apart  for  some  time  but  his  engagement  to  them had  been  rather  difficult  to  avoid  even  countries  away .  ❝  i  had  come  for  a  vacation  ,  but  the  only  sight  worth  seeing  around  here  is  your  dancing  .   if  you  give  me  enough  time ,  i  can  probably  fit  in  a  wedding  too .  ❞

Hakim is obviously trying to push their buttons, and unfortunately it’s working. It’s strange to have the shoe on the other foot - usually it’s Finn doing their best to goad a reaction out of people. “O’ course it does,” they retort, rolling their eyes. “There’s pretty much only one reason to come out to a bar, and it’s to hook up. They’re dancing like that because they’re drunk and hopin’ someone here might want to shag them.” It’s why they’re here too, though with significantly less hoping involved - Finn rarely goes home empty handed.

“Yer a smart fella, I think ye know the answer to that question.” Namely that they’d rather die than have her find out. The fact that he’s only here on holiday comes as some relief, though - it implies he’ll eventually go back home. “Someone else’s, I hope. I’ve already told ye I’m not marryin’ ye.” It was three years ago, but they stand firm on their decision. The idea of actually marrying the man their father picked out for them makes Finn want to throw up in their mouth a little bit, which is a shame, because Hakim is… well, they have eyes.

–

Dajo couldn’t help the way the hope left their eyes. It was clear the other wasn’t joking. Mierda. Well, maybe now was a good time to start sewing blankets into their clothes like some seafaring immigrant of old. “I don’t know if I have any beanies. They’re not really, necessary? In Mexico. More for fashion.”

–

“Well, now seems like a good time to start a collection, if yer planning on stickin’ around. Ye should try the muggle shops - the ones that sell outdoorsy shite fer climbin’ and fishin’ and whatnot,” Finn advises, taking pity on the way the stranger’s face falls. They look like they’ve just been told there’s no Santa Claus. “D’ye want me to come with ye? I spend most of my time in the Outer Hebrides, so I’m basically an expert on the fine art of bundling up against the cold.”

OPEN  //  @beforedawnstarters​

“What the feck are ye doin’ here? Does Mammy know yer in town?” If Dulcie Travers has found out her future son-in-law has come to visit, there will be a dinner, and a dinner means spending extended time with their family. No feckin’ thanks.

                       rikard   rolled   his   eyes,   but   still   accepted   the   glass,   now   completely   lost   on   what   number   this   was.   ❝   you   don’t   think   so   ?   well,   i’m   sure   you   do,   travers.   ❞   curious   by   nature   is   how   he   would   describe   it,   but   really,   rikard   chao   was   a   nosey   son   of   a   bitch.

“Nosey wee fecker, aren’t ye?” Finn asks, smirking at him from behind the rim of their glass, baiting him on purpose. “But ye know I don’t give anythin’ away for free. Tell me one of yours, and I’ll decide if yer ready to hear any of mine.”

            aydin  is  quick  to  oblige,  and  thought  this  was  why  he  enjoyed  finn’s  company  so  much.  whether  it  was  their  demand,  the  way  they  always  knew  what  they  wanted,  or  their  love  for  his  firewhisky.  finn  was  different  than  any  other  person  he’d  ever  encountered,  and  maybe  that’s  why  when  the  fire  dripped  down  the  back  of  his  throat  and  the  glass  shattered  on  the  floor  beneath  them  that  he  realized  he  wasn’t  the  same  kid  he  used  to  be.  —  and  he  didn’t  know  if  he  could  blame  it  all  on  his  recent  argument  with  rosine  at  the  ball,  or  not.  

              with  his  hand  now  free,  aydin  moved  his  arm  to  wrap  around  finn’s  waist  to  lift  them  up  as  his  other  hand  had  made  its  way  to  their  neck.  the  pad  of  his  thumb  ran  along  finn’s  jawline  with  a  slight  pressure  as  he  moved  the  two  of  them  away  from  the  crime  scene.  unbeknownst  to  him,  this  was  proof  that  he  would  always  be  the  same  good  guy  inside;  picking  up  finn  so  they  wouldn’t  have  to  worry  about  stepping  on  any  of  the  remnants  of  the  glass  on  the  floor.  saving  them  from  something  so  simple  neither  of  them  realized  it.  aydin  then  propped  finn  up  along  his  dining  room  table  as  he  snaked  his  hand  back  to  match  the  other.  with  one  hand  still  on  finn’s  neck  and  the  other  gripping  their  hair  towards  the  back  of  their  head,  aydin’s  lips  met  finn’s  again.  ❝  better  ?  ❞  he  gasped  in  between  breaths.

The impact of the glass draws Finn’s attention for a moment, but their eyes quickly flicker back to Aydin, the corner of their mouth pulling up into a wolfish smile. There’s a strange kind of appeal in the act of destruction, and more so in an attractive man doing what you tell them. They reward the behaviour with another kiss, pushing a little harder this time, making their approval perfectly clear.