seemingly so sweet

kindness was still ever so mysterious to the boy as he eyed mckinnon, “really? you’re just going to let it go? with nothing in return?” he was skeptic to say the least, but the boy was not idiotic enough to let a free pass go. 

“couldn’t sleep - was barely hungry during dinner” he shrugged, he was at least being honest. he didn’t know what it was that was behind his lack of appetite, but it was surely not an issue anymore. “so, the pasties are gone” he admitted, sheepish smile at his lips, “there’s still some pumpkin pie –” 

。・ * ✧  marc  nodded  in  assurance  .   ❛  yeah  i  am  . . .  wouldn’t  be  fair  to  punish  you  and  not  me  --  kitchen's  a  safe  haven  ,  trust  me  ,  i  get  it  .  ❜  truthfully  ,  he  snuck  in  there   almost  once  every  day  ,  and  ,  considering  how  close  it  was  to  his  common  room  ,  it  wasn’t  all  too  hard  .  it  was  his  safe  haven  ,  and  he  couldn’t  bring  himself  to  take  that  from  someone  else  .  if  it  were  elsewhere  ,  however  ,  maybe  he’d  consider  it  --  school  rules  ,  and  all  .  ❛  besides  ,  ❜  he  turned  to  looked  back  at  the  other  for  a  moment  ,  ❛  where's  the  fun  in  that  ?  ❜  the  hufflepuff  continued  to  wander  around  ,  almost  forgetting  what  he  was  looking  for  .  he  nodded  at  the  other’s  next  words  ,  a  light  ,  playful  smile  on  his  lips  .  ❛  completely  understandable  --  it’s  no  wonder  you  inhaled  all  those  pasties  .  but  pumpkin  pie  ,  you  say  ?  i  might  just  have  to  go  for  it  .  ❜

@maqichour

   ara was not, typically, one for sitting at a table in the great hall that didn’t also seat her housemates. shirking their presence was a statement  —  ara was rarely in the mood for statements.  but she slid across from marc, told herself this stop would be brief. she knew herself well enough to know she might very well forget that intended brevity.  “  do you think having all these people from the auror department around  …  is going to interfere with the next astronomy club meeting?   “  without thinking she reached for a near, empty glass, and poured herself some juice.  “  should someone reschedule?  “

。・ * ✧  ❛  hello  to  you  ,  too  ,  ❜  he  spoke  with  a  small  smile  ,  his  mouth  still  full  of  food  .  the  thought  that  the  news  would  have  any  effect  on  him  ( or  any  thought  of  the  news  at  all  ,  really  ) hadn’t  even  crossed  his  mind  until  now  .  ❛  i  --  ❜  he  began  with  a  sigh ,  thinking  for  a  moment  as  he  was  still  somewhat  taken  aback  by  the  suddenness  of  both  arabella’s  appearance  and  concerns  .  ❛  --  i’m  not  sure  ,  ❜  he  answered  honestly  ,  watching  amusedly  and  distractedly  as  she  helped  herself  to  a  glass  of  juice  .  ❛  probably  not  ,  unless  they’ve  set  some  sort  of  curfew  no  one  told  me  about  ,  ❜  the  hufflepuff  said  as  he  continued  to  shove  food  into  his  mouth  .  ❛  though  maybe  ,  if  the  aurors  are  so  concerned  ,  we’ll  just  have  to  invite  them  so  they  can  supervise  .  it’s  not  too  horrible  of  a  time  . . .  plus  ,  i  reckon  it’d  be  a  good  vantage  point  for  them  to  do  ,  well  ,  whatever .  maybe  they’ll  thank  us  .  ❜

restraint was both his strength and his weakness – his ability to swallow his anger and push past his father in heated moments? bloody brilliant. his need to sneak into the kitchens and snack on the left over pasties? bloody awful. his long legs dangling off the island as he picked up one more that he knew he would pay for during his next bout on the field – he nearly choked on the peas as he heard a noise behind him. eyes wide as he turned around, “it’s not what it looks like –” he garbled. quick to swallow as he dusted the crumbs off himself and whipped around.

“what are you doing up?”

。・ * ✧  marc  opened  his  mouth  ,  his  normal  excuse  ready  but  quickly  abandoned  ,  as  no  words  came  out  .  he  closed  it  again  and  offered  a  small  ,  understanding  smile  ,  ❛  guess  i  just  wanted  a  small  snack  .  ❜  his  normal  excuse  --  ‘  prefect  duty  ’ ,  he’d  claim  as  he  snuck  around  with  ted  --  still  would’ve  worked  ,  though  it  felt  a  bit  wrong  to  use  it  by  himself  .  the  hufflepuff  boy  couldn’t  help  but  choose  the  path  of  honesty  as  he  watched  the  slytherin  beater  scarf  down  his  food  in  surprise  .   ❛  though  i  suppose  i  could  ask  you  the  same  thing  ,  ❜  he  raised  an  eyebrow  at  the  other  inquisitively  as  he  walked  closer  ,  looking  for  a  small  bite  while  he  did  .  ❛  don’t  worry  . . .  i  won’t  take  house  points  away  or  anything  ,  ❜  his  smiled  playfully  ,  looking  back  at  the  other  once  more  .  

It didn’t seem worth it these days; she was in her final year, but had already gained all she could from these stone walls. still, bellatrix black sat in the back of the library, long fingernails tracing over ancient incantations from a book she’d acquired from the restricted section. “i was going to say that i’ll share if you don’t tell, but i really don’t care if you do, so–”  she mused, eyes not glancing up from the pages.

。・ * ✧  severus  simply  stared  ,  for  a  moment  ,  trying  his  best  from  the  table  adjacent  to  her’s  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  book  she  held  .  ❛  please  ,  ❜  he  began  ,  returning  his  gaze  on  his  own  pages  ,  ❛  i  wouldn’t  ‘  tell  ’  even  if  i  had  any  interest  in  ancient  spells  .  ❜  he  paused  ,  slowly  bookmarking  the  page  he  was  on  before  closing  it  and  looking  at  the  other  once  more  ,  his  words  just  as  slow  as  his  movements  .  ❛  correction  . . .  if  i  had  any  interest  in  that  book  of  ancient  spells  .  ❜  the  worn-down  cover  and  it’s  equally  loose  spine  seemed  familiar  ,  and  he  had  earlier  identified  it  as  one  he  had  flipped  through  before  ,  though  he  found  it  to  be  surprisingly  unfulfilling  .  

  rare    for    ted    to    find    himself    at    these    sort    of    things  ,    (    he    doesn’t    mind    a    good    party  ,     truly  ,    he    just    prefers    them    smallerin    size  .     hogwarts  ,    these    days  ,    is    hardly    the    paragon    of    inter  -  house    unity  ,     after    all  .    )  ,     rarer    still     for    him    to    find    marc  .      it’s    admirable  ,      honestly  ,      just    how    seriously    his    friend    takes    his    position  ,       but    ted    can’t    deny    the    relief    he    feels    at    seeing    him    here  .     it     can’t     be     healthy     to     be     on     the     clock      forever  ,    can    it  ?

  arm    slung    over    marc’s    shoulder  ,     cheeks    already    painted    rose  ,     he    can’t      help    but    laugh  .         ❝      why     don’t     you     try     the     puff     punch   ?      ❞         he    suggests  ,      gesturing     at     a     nearby     cauldron  .      nice     &     cool  ,     &     brewed    under    marc’s    very    nose  .      no     need     to     mention     that    last    bit  ,     though  .      he’s    trying     to     help     him     relax  ,      after     all  .         ❝      don’t     worry—     if     the    centaurs    show    up  ,    i    have    it    on    good    authority    that    they     know     how     to    party  .      ❞         

。・ * ✧  ❛  puff  punch  ?  ❜  the  look  on  his  face  is  quizzical  as  his  eyes  follow  and  land  on  the  cauldron  full  of  the  stuff  ,  ❛  well  ,  only  if  you  insist  ,  ted  . . .  i  reckon  you’ve  already  tried  it  ,  as  well  ?  ❜  an  eyebrow  raised  ,  slightly  ,  as  he  asked  .  though  the  answer  didn’t  really  matter  to  him  as  he  excused  himself  and  started  walking  his  best  friend  and  himself  towards  the  aforementioned  cauldron  .  the  punch  was  not  something  he  necessarily  was  looking  forward  to  ,  but  he’d  bet  anything  it’d  be  better  than  the  firewhisky  everyone  else  seemed  to  favour  ,  plus  it  seemed  to  have  ted’  approval  .  ❛  do  you  really  ?  no  ,  of  course  you  do  ,  ❜  a  light  ,  brief  chuckle  and  a  playful  grin  .  ❛  now  i  really  want  to  see  that  for  myself  .  ❜ 

      мαrleɴe wαѕ poѕιтιvely delιɢнтed тo ѕee нιм нere. she knew he was conflicted, that he must’ve spent the entire day questioning whether he would attend, and she liked to think it was her nagging voice from early this morning that had convinced him in the end. oh you must come, marcy, it’s our last chance at a good first day! and she was right — OBVIOUSLY. they were nearly finished with this school and they’d be daft to pass up the opportunity to have some fun. especially on this day — there was something special about the january party, though it could be argued marlene said that about every party. no matter. over-thinking was for someone who wasn’t already three drinks in. with a wide smile on her face, marlene pushed through to stand beside her brother, looping an arm around his shoulders as he waffled on about merlin knows what.  ❛ oh, marc, you need to stop THINKING so much. have a drink. i’m bloody glad you’re here, but it’s no fun if you don’t join. and the risks only add to such. ❜  finishing her own cup in the hand that wasn’t around her twin’s neck, she flashed him another grin.  ❛ but if something were to appear, i’d waaay prefer a werewolf. ❜

。・ * ✧  marc  held  up  his  cup  , turning  to  her  as  he  did  , ❛  yeah,  i’ve  got  one  right  here  ,  see  ?  ❜  though  he  knew  that’s  not  what  she  meant .  ❛  too  bad  the  taste  is  almost  completely  intolerable  .  ❜  to  be  fair  ,  the  taste  of  firewhisky  wasn’t  a  familiar  one  as  he’d  never  really  been  fond  of  alcohol  at  all  .  still  ,  he’d  pretend  to  enjoy  it  when  the  setting  called  for  it .  ❛  and  why  is  that  ,  marlene  ?  i  ,  for  one  ,  would  say  a  werewolf  is  only  my  second  or  third  choice  ,  ❜  he  joked  ,  now  mirroring  his  twin’s  grin  .  

。・ * ✧  𝔰𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔲𝔰   𝔰𝔫𝔞𝔭𝔢  :  𝕥𝕒𝕘𝕤  .

    as the familiar voice reached her ears, victoria forced a welcoming smile onto her lips - one she had memorized perhaps all too well. “marc,” she greeted him warmly, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “oh, that was bloody poison for all i know,” she replied exaggeratedly, waving the mere ghost of its taste off with her hand dismissively. “perhaps i’ve grown too accustomed of the drinks my parents serve at our parties, i can’t swallow any of this for the life of me,” she added, motioning to the array of bottles laying on the grass around them. “but - enough about me, how were your holidays? i trust your family is well?”

。・ * ✧   marc  couldn’t  help  the  smile  that  grew  at  the  touch  nor  the  light  laughter  that  followed  ,  ❛ oh  come  on  ,  i  think  if  it  was  poison  you’d  be  able  to  tell  by  now  .  ❜  he  nodded  as  she  continued  .  ❛  well  ,  if  it  makes  you  feel  any  better  ,  i  can  hardly  bare  to  swallow  either  type  of  drink  . . .  but  i’ve  heard  the  punch  is  great  !  though  i’ve  still  yet  to  give  it  a  go  ,  ❜  marc  looked  around  at  all  the  bottles  ,  contemplating  just  dumping  out  the  contents  of  his  own  cup  and  leaving  it  on  the  ground  as  well  .  ❛  oh  they  were  wonderful -- both  were . . .  are  ,  ❜  he  corrected  himself  ,  smile unwavering . ❛  and  yourself  ,  victoria  ?  for  both  ,  too  .  ❜

’ some centaurs join- you know, some of them actually are not against our kind and a little bit of booze always makes them happier to read the stars.’ alice replies, a warm smile onto her lips. ‘ do not worry about it, dear marc. nothing bad will happen- they all would never hurt someone and we’re all magical creatures as well ! we have wands, we have power. and there’s people like me who do not drink for a reason-’

more reasons than just to pay attention, but that was a story she never really told.’-so, do not worry about it okay? just enjoy it! have some fun, you deserve it.’

。・ * ✧  marc  mirrored  her  smile  ,  appreciating  her  kindness  ,  though  he  really  wasn’t  all  that  frightened  .  ❛  that  we  are  ,  i  suppose  ,  ❜  he  finally  spoke  up  ,  voice  gentle  .  ❛  thank you  ,  ❜  he  added  ,  ❛  i  don’t  think  i’m  worried  ,  though  ,  really  .  even  if  i  was  ,  i  certainly  wouldn’t  be  anymore  .  i  think  i  actually  kind  of  hope  something  like  that  would  happen  ,  in  a  way  . . .  i  think  maybe  it  could  be  cool ,  ❜  the  hufflepuff  boy  admitted  with  a  shrug  .  ❛  you  too  ,  alice  , ❜  he  grinned  again  ,  ❛  though  i  do  suppose  if  our  own  head  girl  is  insisting  ,  it  won’t  be  too  hard  .  ❜

victoria had never been too fond of alcohol if she was being honest - surely she enjoyed sparkling champagne and expensive wine at her family’s balls, but cheap beer and firewhiskey shots had never appealed to her. however, she knew all too well the importance of blending in with her fellow school mates, so she held an untouched cup hal-way filled with firewhiskey in her hands. she wore a simple dress with stockings and short combat boots, though her big, warm coat and scarf covered most of her stunning outfit. she finally brought the cup up to her lips and took the shortest sip of the beverage,; even such a small amount made herr face contort into a disgusted expression. “rowena’s sake,” she scoffed, putting the cup down ( she’d had more than enough of that ). “wonderful party,” she commented to a passer-by.

。・ * ✧  ❛ yes , a  wonderful  party , indeed , ❜ marc  chuckled  lightly  and  sarcastically , stopping  to  talk  with  victoria  for  a  moment , his  own  cup  still  in  his  hands , not  a  sip  taken .  ❛ what  was  it ?  ❜ he  glanced  at  her cup , hoping  to  get  a  decent  enough  look , though  he  knew  he  wouldn’t  have  been  able  to  tell , either  way . ❛ is  it  really  that  bad ? ❜  another  gentle  laugh . marc  was  never  really  one  for  alcohol , especially  the  random  assortment  that  had  always  been  at  these  sort  of  parties . now  more  than  before  was  he  worried  to  taste  whatever  he  had  poured  mindlessly  into  his  own  cup .

𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖊𝖝𝖍𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓  𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖊𝖓  𝖈𝖑𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖞  all  over  the  fifth  year’s  face  threatened  to  overwhelm  her.  she  didn’t  get  to  go  to  her  own  home  for  the  holidays  (  she’s  still  debating  if  that’s  a  blessing  or  a  curse  ),  but  she  did  go  to  her  fiance’s.  druella  had  been  so painfully  clear  when  she’d  said  ‘  why  would  you  not  make  the  attempt  to  better  understand  your  husband’s  traditions  over  the  holidays  ?  ’,  as  though  she  didn’t  remember  narcissa  still  hadn’t  married  the  man.  she’d  barely  agreed  to  the  engagement  in  the  first  place.  still,  being  back  on  castle grounds  meant  just  being  that  much  farther  out  of  the  reach  of  druella  black  and  for  that,  narcissa  was  sincerely  thankful.

𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖑,  𝖈𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊  𝖙𝖔  𝖙𝖍𝖊  𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖑𝖊  𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖘.  she’d  slipped  into  the  forbidden  forest  with  a  few  friends  and  was  trying  her  best  not  to  do  too  much  talking.  she  would  have  much  preferred  to  go  to  bed  than  to  a  party,  but  everyone  had  to  play  their  part  in  the  larger  social  sphere  and  narcissa  played  hers  with  grace.  mid-refilling  of  her  drink  and  moderately  bored  expression  on  her  face,  narcissa  hummed  lightly  as  someone  else  approached  the  table.  ❛  enjoying  the  party  ?  ❜  

。・ * ✧  marc  pointed  to  himself , though  he  knew  no  one  else  was  around  at  the  moment  for  her  to address .  ❛ the  party ?  yes . the  forest ?  well , no  . . .  not  really , ❜ marc  smiled  softly  at  her . it  was  somewhat  rare  to  spot  the  hufflepuff  at  any  sort  of  party , though  he  often  let  this  one  be  an  exception , as  the  forbidden  forest  had  almost  always  intrigued  him  and  he’d  take  any  chance  he  could  to  get  close , no  matter  how  much  he  feared  it  and  no  matter  how  much  he  both  feared  and  opposed  breaking  such  strict  rules , especially as  a  prefect . ❛ and  yourself ? i  hope  it’s  not  too  rude  to  say , but  you  do  look  a  bit  tired . ❜