New? Catching up?
Hello, and welcome to not-quite-the-middle of the series.
If you're arriving, catching up, or confused, let me explain the structure.
These three storylines are all A/Us: Sabbatical - (First Possible November) Ministry - (Second Possible November) Romance Author - (Still November)
Each A/U stands alone, but they braid together into one story. The masterlist for this series is here. · · · ◦ ◦ ◦ · · ·
Romance Author A/U: It is 1991 and Quirrell has barely survived the end of Philosopher's Stone. He's in St. Mungo's recovering from mortal injuries, and he's in a coma. His inured brain tries to make sense of what he feels, hears, smells, and occasionally glimpses around him in the hospital ward. For example, it's a ward with multiple beds, so he sees too many beds in a room. Someone opens a window near his bed and he feels cold, so he's always cold in every story. Here, he dreams that he is Professor Quirrell by day, and by night, he is Gothic Romance author, Reverend C.A. Wexbridge. Some drabbles are parts of his romance novel, some are rationalizations. This is the "parent" A/U. · · · ◦ ◦ ◦ · · · Sabbatical A/U: It is November 1990 in Quirrell's mind, and he's at the start of his one year sabbatical to go find Voldemort. Except, in this storyline, he's spending a month with his occasional lover, Sylvaine, before trekking off. In his normal life, they've been involved with each other for about ten years. She likes to ride the Quirrell ride once or twice a year. Usually just a weekend, occasionally a week. She couldn't handle him for a month and he knows it. Also, it's November and she should be teaching Arithmancy at Beauxbatons, yet here she is. It's a fact he can't understand and won't examine. Sylvaine trained for wizarding medicine originally, but decided to teach instead. So far, this A/U has stayed surprisingly SFW. · · · ◦ ◦ ◦ · · · Ministry A/U: This storyline is Quirrell's "normal life" A/U. He is married to Lily Evans; they have their house, their 1.5 children (soon to be Gryffindors), and their nice Ministry jobs. Quirrell works in Misuse of Muggle Artefacts alongside Arthur Weasley and I will stay on this hill: they are the buddy story you didn't know you needed in your life. Although it's the farthest storyline from the truth, this is his most peaceful storyline. It features family, love, and friendship that he will never know in his real life. It makes great use of Quirrell's Muggle Studies background, which is a bonus. It runs heavier on the comedy.
(This isn't a pitch or plea to read. This is structure notes for anyone arriving late or who got behind on the posts.)
