my owl knocked over my ink

Afternoon sun steamed through the stained glass windows of the Transfiguration classroom, casting a gentle white spotlight where years old dust waltzed in the air. As you listened attentively to Professor Weasley’s lecture, quill in hand, a small piece of paper fluttered into view, gliding down to rest on your notes.

Natsai, your desk partner, seemed unaware as you glanced over, wondering if she had seen who it was from. Lifting the note delicately, you scanned the room for the sender. It shined in the light as you unfolded it, revealing the words: “Reminded me of you. –D.”

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips. ‘D.’

A thought crossed your mind, and your eyes flicked to the desk beside yours. Engrossed in his notes, Duncan’s face was turned away, his head held up by his fist, as the feather of his quill moved slowly and carefully. 

Before you could dwell on it further, the little note in your fingers began to glow softly, warming your fingers as it was enveloped in a brief flash of white light. When the light faded, the paper had transformed into a petite flower resembling a daisy. It was the color of the darkest blue, like midnight, but as you twirled it between your fingers, the petals shimmered in shades of azure, crimson, emerald, and gold. Captivated, you gently stroked the delicate petals with your fingers, leaving a faint, iridescent powder on your fingertips. A smile spread across your face as you admired the colors of the unique bloom blend and change.

For the remainder of the lesson, you kept glancing at the flower on the corner of your desk, a quiet reminder of the thoughtful sender.

As you packed up your book bag, Professor Weasley dismissed the class, reminding everyone about an upcoming exam. By the door, Duncan stood, his eyes fixated on the hallway. Smiling to yourself, you approached him, the flower in your hand. He only managed to turn and raise his eyebrows in surprise at your proximity, before you gently placed the flower in his hand.

“Reminded you of me, did it?” you teased, brushing past him out into the Transfiguration Courtyard. 

Duncan, momentarily stunned, quickly recovered and caught up to you to walk by your side. “Yes,” he said softly, a shy grin spreading across his face as he held the flower between his fingers delicately.

“And why, might I ask?” you inquired, stopping by the fountain, eager to hear his explanation.

Duncan turned to face you, his eyes gentle as he watched the flower, gently twirling it. “It looks like a daisy,” he began, his voice soft and thoughtful, “but it’s not. When you take the time to shine some light on it, you notice all the beautiful shades it can turn. And…when you touch it—like this,” he glided his finger along a petal as you had done, “it leaves a mark.”

Speechless, you watched him spread the shimmery powder between the pads of his index finger and thumb. As you looked up at him, your breath caught and your heart swelled at the warm admiration in his eyes.

Duncan’s nervousness had transformed into a tender affection, visible in the way he gazed at you through his glasses. You felt a flutter in your chest as you looked away. Now, it was your turn to be stunned.

At first, Amit refused to let you join him for his astronomy homework, insisting it was too late and too dull. But your charm quickly won him over. After insisting that you’d enjoy doing anything as long as it was with him—along with making use of your well-practiced puppy eyes—he relented.

Even though it was only the beginning of fall and the nights hadn’t turned truly cold yet, you were always cold. You ascended the stairs of the Astronomy Tower with a blanket draped over your shoulders and a pillow clutched to your chest. Beneath the blanket, you carried your book bag over one shoulder and wore the softest, warmest sweater you owned.

Amit chuckled at the sight. “You look as if you’ve brought your whole bed with you!” he said, amused. He invited you to sit beside him near the telescope he was working with. You settled down on the floor, pulling your knees up to your chest and leaning against the railing, your blanket providing a bit of cushioning against the hard floor.

As you had predicted, the air this high up quickly turned much cooler as the night deepened. You were glad to have brought your blanket, which you wrapped more tightly around yourself. Amit teased you about how cozy you looked, clearly a little envious  that he hadn’t thought to bring a blanket as well. You teased him back, playfully offering to share, but he declined.

The blanket served as the perfect shield against the gentle but cold winds that swept through the tower. Having completed more than half of your own work, you set it aside to watch Amit as he continued with his. He alternated between looking through the telescope, consulting his book, and charting something on a scroll. He explained that he was doing homework weeks in advance. “That way, I can spend more time on leisure stargazing instead of assignment stargazing,” he said with a grin.

Feeling the warmth of the blanket and the softness of your pillow, you began to feel drowsy. Resting your head on the pillow against your knees, you leaned against the railing and drifted off to sleep. 

Amit was about to call you over to look at a hippogriff flying nearby, but he stopped when he turned to look at you. The sight of you sleeping soundly, with a peaceful expression on your face, tugged at his heartstrings. He reached out to move a strand of your hair back in place, accidentally grazing his finger against the soft skin of your face. Hesitating for a moment, he gave into his thoughts and gently ran the back of his finger down your cheek to your jaw. Holding his hand beneath your chin, he brushed his thumb lightly over your soft, slightly parted lips. The sight of you like this, with his hands on you, made his imagination run wild with thoughts that would later fill him with guilt.   

Amit quickly withdrew his hand when he felt you stir and shift in your sleep. He scrambled to look busy as you rubbed your eyes and slowly woke up. 

“I’m sorry to have kept you out so late…” he said, glancing at you with an anxious smile, trying his best to hide his nervousness. 

As you both headed back to your dormitory, Amit insisted on carrying your bag. When you reached your destination, you took the bag from him, and as a thank you, you pulled him down for a quick peck on the cheek. 

Amit’s eyes widened in surprise as he stifled a gasp, his hand flying to the spot where you had kissed him, his cheeks growing redder by the second.

“Please invite me again,” you said with a smile, looking back at him as you walked away. Amit stood still for a moment, replaying the moment in his head, his earlier thoughts of you rushing back. Practically skipping back to his dorm, he was overjoyed and overwhelmed with his newfound feelings. 

“Thank you Mr. Weekes!” You called over your shoulder as you exited Spintwitches Sporting Needs, a wrapped broom in your arms. Mr. Weekes waved back.

“Your friend will love this model, I guarantee it!” His voice rang out behind you as the door creaked shut.

It was a windy winter day at Hogwarts, and your best friend, Everett Clopton’s eighteenth birthday was just a few days away. Determined to give him the best gift he’d ever received, you managed to secure a broom. The thought of buying him one had crossed your mind countless times, but saving up during your adventures had always been a challenge; being the Hero of Hogwarts did not come cheap.

Everett had brought up wanting his own broom nearly every time after flight class since fifth year. You couldn’t lie, it tugged at your heartstrings from the first time he took you around the castle. It was astonishing how he hadn’t passed the introductory flight class, even as a seventh-year. He seemed like an excellent flier—albeit, a bit reckless—but so were some of the Quidditch players.

Such a gifted flier without a broom felt like a crime.

Walking along the cobbled road back to Hogwarts, your eyes scanned for any sign of the boy in blue. Impatient as you were to see his reaction, the surprise had to be kept under wraps until the right moment. After some careful sneaking, you finally made it back to your dorm room without incident, hiding the broom under your bed until the end of the week. 

The days leading up to Everett’s birthday felt tortuous. Daydreams of his reaction filled your head, and anticipation left you increasingly restless. More than once, the temptation to celebrate early crossed your mind, but knowing that it would be selfish, you resisted. 

When the day finally arrived, excitement buzzed through you from the moment you woke up. Being a weekend, you made sure to have no other plans, leaving you ample time to prepare. You sent an owl to Everett, asking him to meet you on the balcony below the Viaduct Courtyard around 2 o'clock. A quick trip to Hogsmeade’s Honeydukes secured your order for a mini pecan cake and a pack of Pumpkin Fizz. 

Quickly stopping by your dorm room to grab the broom, you somehow managed to fly everything over to the balcony without incident. The cake and drinks were set on the nearest stone bench, with the broom hidden beneath it, out of view. Satisfied with your set-up, you palmed your coat pockets to check that the candles were there. Feeling them pressing against your hand, you let out a sigh and leaned against the nearest merlon of the crenelated stone wall, admiring the wintry view while you waited for Everett. 

Everett called your name from above, breaking your reverie. He was leaning over the stone wall and waving his gloved hand. You returned the wave enthusiastically.

Not wasting a moment, Everett hurried down the stairs. His face lit up when he saw the pack of bottles and a brown box nearby. “Is that for me?! You really shouldn’t have!” You huffed out a smile, pulling out two bottles of Pumpkin Fizz. Handing him one, you set yours down on the bench.

“And I got your favorite,” you lilted, presenting the box with the cake. “Go on, open it.”

Everett unraveled the thin twine bow and opened the box to reveal the small pecan cake. His overjoyed gasp made you smile, and it looked as if he was about to spring forward and hug you. “One moment,” you said, pulling out a candle and sticking it into the center of the cake among the pecans covering the surface. A whisper of controlled “Incendio” successfully lit the wick and not the whole cake. 

“Want me to sing?” You teased.

Everett quickly shook his head, laughing nervously. After a brief pause, he blew out the candle with a soft cheer from you. You could hardly contain yourself as you set the cake back down on the bench. “I’ve got one more surprise for you,” you said, unable to suppress a massive grin. “Don’t look, and put out your hands.”

Chuckling, Everett did as asked. “It must be good if you’re asking me to not look. I’m excited!” 

Lowering the broom into his hands carefully, you watched as his eyes flew open, recognising the shape instantly. Disbelief quickly turned into laughter as he realized what he was holding. “You! Got—What?! A broom?! For me? A broom, for me?!”

That was it. The reaction you’d been waiting for. Laughing along with him, you lunged forward for an embrace.

The broom pressed uncomfortably into you, but you didn’t care as Everett wrapped an arm around you. Pulling away, you watched him eagerly tear off the wrapping, still beaming with excitement. 

Once all of the wrapping was off, Everett held out the broom, examining every inch of it, his fingers tracing its details. “Is this the new Cometchaser?! But it’s so expensive!” His admiration was palpable. 

He swung one leg over the broom, mounting it, and shot you a playful look. “Care for a fly?” The offer made you furrow your brows and laugh. Surely he wasn’t serious. Steering the broom with two people on it was notoriously difficult. In fact, you’d never seen anyone attempt it.

As if reading your mind, Everett grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward him. Letting out a yelp, you instinctively mounted the broom to avoid tripping over it. 

“Hold on!” was your only warning before Everett pushed off the ground, shooting upward. You nearly fell back, but your arms wrapped around Everett’s torso just in time to stop your early demise. The cold wind stung your eyes as you clung to him, your face pressed against his back, eyes clenched shut. This was surely your doom.

Everett’s delighted whoop echoed through the air. You risked a peek, regretting it instantly as you tightened your grip. The broom was soaring high above the Black Lake. Normally, you weren’t scared of flying. But that was the difference, you were flying the broom. Not Everett. 

Everett’s laughter rumbled through his chest as you let out a shuddering breath. “It’s so much faster than Kogawa’s training brooms!” he called out, weaving under and over bridges, between the spires, and up around the Astronomy Tower. You caught a glimpse of blue as you flew past Amit leaning over the iron railing. He seemed to be shouting something, but the rushing wind drowned out all sound beyond Everett’s voice. 

Turning back around to face forward, the cold, harsh winter wind stung your eyes again as the broom flew over the front yard where the Summoner’s Court and Kogawa’s class were held. Feeling slightly more secure, you glanced down. Students littered the grounds, and soon every face was turned up toward you. No one had ever seen two students on a broom before. 

Just as you thought you felt comfortable, your stomach flipped as Everett tilted the broom down towards the Black Lake. He pulled up suddenly, just before you were about to dive into the icy water, causing a misty splash around you. Everett leaned slowly to one side, extending his left hand to skim the lake’s surface. You pulled off your glove with your teeth and reached down to do the same. 

It was exhilarating— the speed, the cold, the adrenaline. Terrifying at first, but, as you realized how skilled Everett was, a sense of calm began to settle in. Another feeling nestled into you as well as you realized how soft and warm Everett was. It was unexpected, but you quite liked holding onto him like this. The thought of doing it again made your face warm up. A pleasant break from the constant lashing cold winds.

With a smooth tilt, Everett directed the broom back toward the balcony. He landed gently, though you nearly toppled over in your haste to plant your feet firmly on the ground.

After the flight, the two of you turned your attention to the cake and drinks. 

“That was… Merlin, I don’t even have the words!” Everett said, taking a bite of cake while still perched on his broom. You watched him with a smile, content and grounded on the stone bench with your own small slice. 

“I don’t think I would trust anyone else to fly me like that besides you,” you confessed absentmindedly with a mouthful of cake. Realizing what you’ve said, you slowly glanced up at Everett to find him looking at you. His soft gaze lingered on your flushed face and he huffed out a smile before glancing back down to his cake for another bite.

After finishing the cake and some Pumpkin Fizz, and sharing a few more long embraces and happy birthday wishes, you parted ways. Watching Everett walk off with his new broom and a few more bottles of the pumpkin drink, you felt a sense of contentment and something new. 

Word spread quickly, and by the next day, you and Everett found yourselves in Headmaster Black’s office, getting reprimanded for reckless conduct on a broom. 

The cauldron in front of you emitted a troubling purple glow, a stark contrast to the beautiful light blue shade shown in your Advanced Potions textbook. As you stirred the potion, you let out a sharp sigh and inwardly cursed your incompetence. This was the third time you’d started over on the Nocturnus potion. It felt as though someone had jinxed you.

“Too much Horklump juice,” Garreth Weasley remarked from your right, his voice laced with mild concern. You glanced at him, noticing his own potion wasn’t the light blue it should have been either, but that was to be expected of him and at least it wasn’t hissing like yours. Wait… hissing?!

You snapped your head back to your station in a panic and extinguished the flames beneath your cauldron, silencing the ominous noise. Garreth let out a chuckle, but promptly stifled it when you shot him a glare. “...I knew that. Just experimenting,” you muttered defensively. Letting out a frustrated huff, you raked your fingers through your hair and resigned yourself to starting over yet again. 

“If it’s experimenting you’re after, I’m your guy,” Garreth quipped, pointing his thumb at his chest with a smug grin. You rolled your eyes and groaned as you dragged your cauldron to the sinks for a quick rinse. Professor Sharp called your name from the back of the class, chiding you about the limited time and resources left. Mumbling a reluctant “Yes, Professor Sharp,” you returned to your station. Taking a deep breath, you re-read instructions with renewed focus. 

Despite your best efforts, today was not your day. Clumsiness plagued you as you managed to get three cuts on the same finger, cover your face in glowbug powder, and splash your brew all over your cloak, all in the span of twenty minutes. 

It also didn’t help that every few minutes, Garreth would call your name and ask you to look over at his potion or chat about his future brews. It wasn’t clear to you why Garreth wasn’t saying anything about your failing concoction. Normally, he’d tease you for sticking to the assigned potion instead of experimenting like he did. 

Whatever it was, you were thankful for it. If he made as much as one joke, you were certain it would send you running to the nearest bathroom to cry your rapidly overflowing frustration out.

Garreth was snapped out of his creative high by your deep sigh. He watched your deflated frame trudge past him towards the ingredient shelf. A sympathetic look graced his face and he turned to examine the likely culprit to your sour mood—your brew.

Consumed by his own creation, he hadn’t noticed how much worse yours had become. It puzzled him; he wondered how a student as promising and bright as you could be struggling this badly. 

Taking a quick glance around, Garreth saw you crouching next to the wooden ingredient shelf. Without missing a beat, he expertly picked out a couple of ingredients off the table and tossed them into your cauldron. He checked again to ensure you were still occupied, just in time to see you get up and start walking back. Before you were within earshot, Garreth muttered a charm to wandlessly will your spoon to stir your potion.

As you approached your failure of a potion, a bottle of dried Moonberries in hand, you almost dropped them in shock. It was a shimmery light blue, just like in the book. Setting down the bottle you were holding, you double-checked the recipe, baffled by the sudden change. Maybe you missed something about letting it sit or maybe it needed a pinch of misery.

Garreth’s voice broke the silence, brimming with faux seriousness, “Finally! I was starting to think you were aiming for your first-ever T grade!” 

The realization dawned on you. Garreth had helped you.

Feeling your heart do flips because of Garreth was not on your to-do list today. Or this week, month, year, or lifetime for that matter. Yet here you were, hiding a deepening blush from the world. “Thank you” you murmured, barely audible. 

Amit strolled alongside you, arms linked, occasionally nodding and humming in response as you chattered about everything and anything that came to mind. He found your voice soothing and your way of speaking charming, so sitting back and simply listening to you ramble was one of his favorite activities. In turn, when it came to things he was really passionate about—like Astronomy or Gobbledegook, or Mooncalves as of late—he became the talker and you—the listener.

Breathing warm air on your mittened hands, you mumbled, “I can’t believe that Cornish wizard bred another creature.”  The audacity of the repeat offender was  astounding. “Honestly, I think they should fund him. Who knows what kind of new species might come out of this.” 

Amit nodded as he glanced over at you and let out an affirmative hum. It was a simple exchange, but to an attentive lover like you, it came across as more like: That wizard is out of his mind, but he is a genius.

After a short lull filled with the calming sounds of nature winding down for the night and your footsteps on the cobbled path back from Hogsmeade, you chimed in. “So how far are you into your astrolog-” 

“Astro-no-my, my star...”  Amit tilted his head and glanced sidelong at you, gently correcting you. He lost count of how often you’d made this mistake. At first, he dismissed it as a common slip. Plenty of others mixed the two up; it was understandable. But months into your relationship? One part of him thought you were just being playful and turned this into an inside joke. Another part wondered if you were genuinely confused. Either way, he didn’t have the heart to be upset with you over it. 

“Go on, you were saying?” He chuckled softly, his breath a visible puff of air in the crisp autumn evening. Noticing the way you went quiet at his interruption, he felt a pang of anxiety, worried he might have upset you. But you continued in your usual bubbly manner, allowing Amit to let out a subtle sigh of relief. 

“Did anything in particular catch your attention yet?” “Plenty,” he replied, pulling his hand out of his pockets and wrapping his arm around your waist. “But I think that can wait until we’re back inside.” You looked up at him and tilted your head quizzically. Without you saying a word, Amit sensed your confusion and blurted out, gesturing with his head to the side, “I think we could just enjoy the view for now!” At the mention of the ‘view’, you turned to look in the direction he indicated. Completely unaware, you two stumbled onto the little sitting area with benches and streetlights overlooking Hogwarts. There it stood, breathtaking and grand against a backdrop of a starry sky. 

You couldn’t remember the last time you’ve seen the skies this clear; a rare treat this rainy autumn. Amit had been in low spirits all term, missing his stargazing sessions. Hence why you gifted him the book you mentioned earlier. It wasn’t even out on bookshelves yet! Courtesy of your good friend Ominis and his family’s connections.

As you admired the castle, Amit melted at the sight of your eyes twinkling with awe. A warm smile spread across his face. He pulled you into a tight embrace, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice airy and gentle in your ear.