𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑤

❛   i’m just looking for a little PEACE and quiet, there’s no way in hell i’m sleeping in the circus that’s set up in our dorms. what’s another detention added to the roster, how much trouble can i realistically get into if i camp out by the quidditch pitch ?  ❜

      ariel watched with a pleasant smirk as nate seemed to shift into the gear she had asked of him. ( boy did it feel good to feel good — she’d spent far too much of the last week thinking of her mother and her impending absence at the coming christmas celebrations. the first christmas without her had been unbearable. something told her the second wouldn’t be any easier. nathaniel’s mock seriousness made it better — he was a lightness where the rest of her friends were heavy and dark with unwanted sympathy. ) smirk turning to a grin, she nodded.  ❛ why, of course. what if i wear my smallest dress to pick you up? would that just emphasis their disappointment in your choice of friends? ❜

— jo sat at the desk closest to the bay of windows at the front of the classroom, where they were awash in afternoon sunlight. n.e.w.t.-level classes meant lots of homework. jo was spending a lot of time there lately; this was due to the fact that flitwick liked them enough to allow the use of the charms classroom as a quiet place to complete their assignments  c o u p l e d  with their desire to ignore the pain of knowing their parents were not coming to attend the christmas festivities. jo imagined their father’s lined face contorted in a grimace and illuminated by firelight as he burned whatever notice about the holidays that hogwarts had sent.

family, blood status, legacy. they no longer had the first, felt insecure about the second, and knew that the road ahead in building the third no longer relied on knowing somebody who knew somebody, but in succeeding based on their own merit. so, their current pet project sat in front of them – their own necklace (thin silver chain with a single diamond pendant), hovering in a stasis charm, waiting to be enchanted further.

the young ravenclaw heard footsteps coming up behind them, enough to make the skin on the back of their neck prickle with paranoia. they turned: 

“i’m not really in the mood for company right now, unless you want to be a test subject!”

“ test subject? “   nate asked, voice a vicious drawl as it left his lips. the really quite glaring level of incredulity he shoved into those two words was more to mask his surprise than anything else; something futile, in all likelihood, since he rarely remembered to school his features. 

nate knew of a couple of rooms that didn’t see a ton of foot traffic once classes were out. flitwick’s was one of them   ---   if not the least deserted, then one of the quickest for him to duck into. he used them to smoke, when it was too cold outside and he couldn’t be arsed to hunt down gloves, on an almost rotating schedule; remembering that schedule   ( generously called such )   was enough work for him. he hadn’t even thought to peek into the room before throwing the door open.   “ what exactly would you be testing on me? the same thing you’re doing to that necklace, there? “  he asked jo, cocking his head at them while the general shock in him died out, naturally. 

they were sitting right by the window he’d intended to crack open. of course. he shut the door behind him and leaned against the heavy wood, a quick and teasing grin spreading over his face. maybe he could make his presence obnoxious enough to win out over the ravenclaw.   “ would I like the test? “

              。•  * ☪    he  gave  a  quick  and  happy  nod   ,   the  boy  content  with  the  laugh   (   if  it  could  even  be  called  that   )   that  he  received  in  response   .   ❛   ha   !    your  grandpa  just  sold  out  your  parents   ?   i  like  him  already   .   but  seriously   ,   i’d  think  it  was  normal  for  people  to  get  …   i  dunno   ,  BORING  with  old  age   ,   but  then  my  parents  kinda  ruined  that  theory   .    ❜    he  gave  a  lazy  shrug   ,   suddenly  a  little  more  comfortable  with  the  topic  than  he  had  been  only  a  couple  minutes  prior   .   apparently   ,   he  easily  forgot  that  most  children  were  embarrassed  of  their  parents   ;   or  at  least  possessing  a  traditionally  awkward  relationship  with  them   .      ❛   you’d  be  a  vegan  buddy    ?    ❜    he  asked  with  widened  eyes   ,   shock  clearly  painted  across  his  youthful  features   .     ❛   could  we  tell  them  i  converted  you  !   oh  gosh   ,   that  would  be  so  cool   !    y’know   ,   people  say  it’s  terrible   ,   people  meaning  ME   ,   but  it’s  really  not  that  bad   .   i  swear   !  ❜

          。•  * ☪     ❛  WHY   ?   you’re  hecka  cool    !  ❜   it  didn’t  register  to  roen  that  his  words  might  have  come  across  as  weird   .   over  the  course  of  his  life   ,   he  learned  that  certain  things  his  parents  did  were  considered  unorthodox   .   as  a  result   ,   he  would  try  his  best  not  to  follow   .   that  being  said   ,   the  compliments  and  honest  positive  opinions  were  something  that  never  really  went  away   (   alongside  his  inability  to  curse   )    .       ❛    looming   .    that’s  terrifying   .   just    ….   promise  you  won’t  judge  me  for  what  you’re  DEFINITELY  gonna  see   .   also   ,  if  they  ask   ,   i’m  vegan   .    ❜    he  gave  a  casual  nod   ,   as  if  his  request  wasn’t  anything  out  of  the  ordinary   .   oooooh  if  nate  only  knew  how  often  roen  lied  about  the  different  foods  he  ate   .

       *     /    ✨    !     ❛    JESUS CHR   —–    ❜     flattens    palm    against    rapid    beating    organ    ,     subtle    sway    bringing    them    face    to    face     and    hers    flared     red    that    he    should    both    scare    her    witless    and    catch    her    in    the    act    .     ❛    impolite    would   be    thanking   me   by    giving   me    a    heart    attack    ,    burke    .     far    too    young    to    die    ,     you    know    ?    ❜     corner    of    mouth    lifts    into     small     grin    ,    willing    body    forward    so    they’re    not    shouting    to    be    heard    over    the    distance    .    ❛    it     was    a    gift    .    m’name’s     stitched    at    the    corner     ,    actually    .    anyway    ,    you’re    up    now    …    sorry     .    ❜                         

         ❛ a’ight, burke, it’s time to man up. ❜  dropping her books on the table in front of nathaniel, ariel presented him with a wide smirking grin. she stayed standing over his seat at the table in the small corner of the library, enjoying this fleeting moment of being taller than him.  ❛ when are you gonna invite me to spend christmas with you and your lovely family? ‘cause i hate to make you relive the sob story, but i unfortunately have no one coming for me. ❜  she was teasing, obviously. ariel and nate weren’t exactly the type of friends to be introducing each other to their families ( yet ), and frankly she already had plans to spend christmas alone — but she was rather fond of teasing nathaniel.

@prodigxls​

there’s a quiet hum that dares echo out of the girl’s lips as her quill scratches against the dry parchment. ophelia hasn’t ever been close to peter, but she is intrinsically f a m i l i a r with healing from wounds. doubt fills her face, brows scrunching closer together as if they might touch as she furiously scribbles out a mistake she’s made. the task drops her defenses; so much so, she’s completely amiss to the fact that she isn’t the only soul that’s occupying one of the alcoves that branch off the main hallway.

                      *     /    ✨   !    a   sigh   dug   from   deep   beneath    delicate    ribcage   rattles   otherwise   still    air    ,    familiar    featured    male    looks    quite    uncomfortable    seeking    scraps   of    warmth    from    own    cloak   in    his   unconscious    state    .    wishes    this    wasn’t    an    evocation    beheld    before    ,    but    regretfully    isn’t    the    case     .     a    hand    reaches    forward    ,     slender    fingers    curling    inches    from    broad    shoulder    .     disappears    upward    and    returns    with     a     heavy     quilt     fresh     off     her     bed     .     tip    of    wand     caresses    its    seams    ,    roseatte    lips    forming    a     spell    and    the    effects    heating    its     material    to     cozy    proportions     .      and     off    comes    that    cloak    to    be    replaced    with     its     alternative     .     if    this    is    all    benevolent    lionheart    can    do    for    him    ,    let    that   be   so   ,    figure    pivoting    without    inclination    other    begins     to     stir     .     @prodigxls​               

               nate  was  not  so  much  a  stranger  to  waking  up  with  no  memories  of  falling  asleep   ---   no.  it’d  be  hard  to  call  himself  a  stranger  to  something  so  commonplace.  wasn’t  it  almost  devil - may - care  to  wake  up  rumpled  in  a  place  he  shouldn’t’ve  been?  wasn’t  that  perfectly  in  line  with  the  nathanial  burke  presented  to  the  world  at  large?  he  was  familiar  with  the  way  it  seemed;  acquainted  with  the  patterns  bred  of  his  modi operandi.  the  shock  of  warmth   (  it  was  shocking,  to  be  warm  without  realizing  he  was  cold;  more  surprising  than  waking  without  realizing  he  was  sleeping  ---  )   was  what  did  it,  and  he  turned  eyes  that  withheld  their  surprise  to  dorcas;  he  didn’t  really  like  being  surprised,  but  that  was  easily  hidden.  he  called  out,   “  how  would  I  have  gotten  this  back  to  you  if  I  didn’t  see  it  was  yours  just  now? “   he  shrugged  the  blanket  away  from  his  body  and  smiled  taut  at  the  gryffindor.   “ that  matters  to  me,  ‘cause  it’d  be  terribly  impolite  not  to  return  it.  “ 

                 。•  * ☪     ❛  bad   ,  ❜   he  repeated  silently   ,   all  too  aware  that  he  was  being  a  little  DRAMATIC  given  how  fucked  up  the  outside  world  appeared  to  be   .      ❛    …  but  everyone’s  kinda  embarrassed  of  their  parents    ,    right    ?   it’s  not  just  me   ?    right   ?   ❜     roen  loved  his  mom  and  dad   .   and  he  knew   ,   without  a  shadow  of  doubt   ,   that  he  was  lucky  to  have  such  loving  and  understanding  parents   .   that  being  said   ,   he  often  felt  smothered    ;    inexplicably  humiliated  by  the  way  they  acted   ,   the  way  they  carried  themselves   .   it  was  as  if  he  was  the  father   ,   and  them   ,   the  unruly  children   .    ❛   i  should  just  shut  up   .   there  are  worse  things  .   ❜

      。•  * ☪     ❛  OH  DEAR  GOD   .   ❜    wide  eyes  examined  the  letter  before  him   ,   parchment  painted  with  grass  stains  and  flower  petals    .    despite  spraying  his  new  MANLY  cologne   ,   roen  now  smelled  of  lilacs  and  apple  blossoms   .   his  parents  had  no  shame          their  son  had  taken  it  all  upon  conception   .     ❛   no   ,   no   ,   no   ,   no     ,   ❜    he  continued  to  mumble  helplessly  as  he  let  his  head  hang  in  defeat   .   the  letter  they  had  happily  written  stated  what  he  had  feared    :   they  were  coming  for  the  holiday  dinner   .   roen  had  enough  trouble  trying  to  fit  it    .   their  presence  would  do  nothing  but  make  him  stand  out   ;   make  him  the  weird  kid  with  the  even  weirder  parents   .

      。•  * ☪     ❛   that  was  such  an  ANGSTY  teenage  thing  to  say   .                                          add  in  a                          ‘parents  just  don’t  understand’                                   and  a                        ‘i’m  just  a  kid  and  life  is  a  nightmare’                                                and  you’ve  hit  the  trifecta   .   ❜

❛   i’m  not  a  gossip   ,   nate   !                      that  being  said   ,              if  ya  walked  down  the  hall  thataways   ,      you  MIGHT  hear  somethin’  about  the  two  goin’  in  for  a  kiss             ….   and  not  being  able  to  separate   .                                    poor  bastards  are  literally  lip-locked   .   ❜

             “  fabian   ...   life  IS  a  nightmare.                        though  I  guess  I  haven’t  legally                                 been  a  kid  since  I  turned  seventeen.      and  I  guess  parents  understand  some   ---                 mine,  for  example,  understand  how  to  throw  a  KILLER                           dinner  party.  “

“ glad knowing that we are on the same page.        D U N G E O N S  give a nice sense of the coziness too. ”

              “ the dungeons are almost the coziest damn place I’ve ever lived   ---          so, definitely on the same page. “

               her  gaze  lingered,  a  distinct  gleam  in  her  dark  eyes  that  was  more  befitting  of  a  pirate  than  a  princess.   ❛   —  then  i  guess  you’d  better  work  EXTRA  hard  to  make  sure  you  leave  a  good  impression.   ❜   momentarily  distracted  by  the  compliment  on  her  wandwork,  she  glanced  over  at  the  teacups  in  question.   ❛   —  well,  now  you’re  just  FLATTERING  me.   ❜

                 “ quite the pity that  ‘ working hard ‘  always involves hard work, “   he joked, trying to match mary’s attitude.   “ though, I imagine most would agree you’re worth the effort? “   nate looked around, like he needed to take an extra look at the decorations   ---   never mind that they’d been the same all night, and he wasn’t likely to alight on any new piece of decor.   “ of course! I’ve heard that flattery gets you everywhere and I just had to try, right? “

“   —    awful, of course. but, it’d feel more awful if I didn’t know that, in some way, she understood that halloween has some very important rules. and that there’s no sexy beast costumes about. “

“ FUCK. I guess I should try and think of a less boring answer, but the truth is that I’m starving, and all that’s on my mind is a truly perfect pile of buttery mashed potatoes. dream potatoes. “