#a.b.

Leap Year

After waiting for Felix to open a window sash, the bird proudly marched into the room and dropped the letter on Swede’s lap.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ✽ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

i do not know when this feathery lump of pure malice will deign to deliver this letter, so i hope it has found you in good health, aliquid dulce.

oh, i have not forgotten that you wanted to meet me to return a bad christmas present i gave you, but unfortunately the potions textbook will not read itself in advance on its own.

anyways, according to my schedule, i will have a couple of free hours on february 14th. and of course i am definitely not suggesting this particular date because many students are whispering about you and i was curious about what all the fuss was about.

meet me at three broomsticks at six? ;)

patiently waiting for your decision,

A.B.

p.s. do not give Tato any treats if she has been naughty!

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ✽ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

The screech tore through Felix' dreams like a well-aimed curse. He was already teetering close to the edge, but the sound sent such a violent jolt through him that the tall Swede plummeted off the mattress onto the wooden floor with an unceremonious thud.

He groaned, face pressed against the cool planks, limbs tangled in his blanket. "Vad i hela…?" he muttered, his voice thick with sleep, as he struggled in a half-conscious slur to untangle himself.

Lucky for him, the seventh years no longer had bunk beds like the younger students did. Felix still missed the top bunk sometimes - no matter how many times he'd rolled right off it in the morning, much to Alsius' chagrin. More than once, his best friend had been forced to patch him up before breakfast, sighing long-sufferingly about the limits of a wizard's durability.

Another ear-piercing scrape echoed through the dormitory, and Felix winced, finally pinpointing the source of his torment. His bleary gaze landed on the window, where a familiar, feathered menace was currently dragging her claws down the glass with sadistic precision.

Felix stared.

The owl stared back.

"…Why," he whispered, voice still hoarse from sleep, "why would you do that?"

With a groggy sigh, Felix pushed himself up, rubbing at his face before stumbling over to the window, fumbling with the latch. The moment the sash lifted, Tato marched inside like she owned the place, dropping a letter straight into his lap. Felix swore the owl huffed at him, as if personally offended by how long he had taken.

A good thing Mademoiselle wasn't around, he thought. His own owl would have thrown an absolute fit at the intrusion.

Felix sighed, rubbing the lingering sting from his ears as he sat back on the bed, his free hand already working at the seal. That sound was going to haunt him for days. He read the letter quickly, lips quirking slightly at the last line.

So, A.B. was finally free, then.

His gaze flicked back toward Tato, who was still standing there, waiting. Expectant. He exhaled through his nose and rubbed a hand through his dishevelled hair before murmuring, "You heard that? Your Mama said no treats for you."

Tato blinked.

Felix raised a brow.

Tato hooted.

Felix sighed and reached for his quill.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─☆: .☽ . :☆─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Dear A.B.,

Your owl has found me in excellent health, though my ears may never recover. A commendable tactic - truly - if you ever wish to bring a man to his knees at dawn.

As for your generous invitation, how could I say no? I was beginning to think you’d keep dodging me until next Christmas. Six o'clock at The Three Broomsticks, then! :)

Looking forward to it,

Felix

P.S. No treats for Tato? A shame. She's looking at me like she might eat my quill instead.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─☆: .☽ . :☆─ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Hi Anon, I'm only posting it in case we ever get any confirmation. But, I looked at her account and I don't see anything linking her to Sam at all. Other than the fact that she's Scottish. Yes, she's got long blonde hair and blue yes, young, very pretty. But she's a little curvier than the women Sam has dated. Never say never though.

Don't hate me guys, but I'm not posting her name because there's no proof she's ever dated Sam. The Anon's info is the first I hear of this. The Anon doesn't even say she personally saw them. It could just be an Anon trying to spread false info or someone trying to get the woman's name out there. BUT, you know how I love me a scoop, so I'm posting the info, just in case there's any truth to it and we get confirmation later.

Please don't ask me who it is, I don't want her account getting flooded with Outlander fans, and worse, haters or Extreme Shippers. And, no, she and Sam do NOT follow each other.

I'll let you know if I ever get confirmation. For now, I'm filing this under "nothing to see here..."

-a.b.

PERSONAL/SAPPY POST WARNING

It has been 4 years, but who counts anymore when you've known and loved someone for as long as we have. Messy children living messy lives and skipping school together to watch lesser-known indie films in our basements. Knees touching, thoughts buzzing, we loved to hate ourselves for being so cliche as to fall in love with our best friends while we were screaming lyrics to songs we shared instead of the truth of our feelings. Time moved the slowest when we were apart.

A dynamic duo sharing secret smiles and touches behind closed doors. Anonymous notes, art, and mixtapes hidden in mailboxes and in school desks that we never spoke of out loud. A testament to the fact that we both knew the anonymity was just a game that we played. How intense a child's fear could be of speaking something into existence.

Lost and learning the countless lessons in life that we taught each other through tears, and eventually miles. How strange it is to find what most search for, only to be too afraid to allow that knowledge to guide you to and through immeasurable happiness. To find it and let it go, losing your breath along with it.

Red string stretched across a country that was wrapped around our fingers for years before following it back to where our hearts were resting neatly together.

In 10 years of loving you, my only regret is that we couldn't find the right words during the first 6.

Thank you for every second of every day of it. I would say that I'll remind you of that again next year, but every day of every year sounds more accurate to me.

Forever your lab partner, and always your Emily.

Happy Anniversary, Baby.