#rofire

281: RonanFirenze

      Ronan knew Magorian's burden in leading their colony. Sometimes the younger centaurs had fanciful ideas too revolutionary for their way of life.

      But then there were mornings like this, which Ronan shared with Firenze, that made him fret a little less about the future of the colony. Mornings like this made Ronan less concerned with Bane's thirst for war and Firenze's preoccupation with reading the future, because even Firenze knew to appreciate the sunrise with Ronan at his side.

      It was better to watch the sun rise together, with one's beloved, instead of divining the large star for a change.

282: MillicentLilyLP

      Lily's eyes lit up when Millicent emerged from the changing room at Malkin's in a twirl of violet sparkles. "Oh, Millie. It's perfect. We've found your color, luv."

      Millicent ducked her eyes and tucked in her chin. "I dunno if new robes are necessary, Lily…"

      But the Potter witch laughed. "One thing my parents know well is 'treat yourself.' You're having a reunion with your fellow Slytherins, Mils. Let's live a little!"

      Well, yes, there was that… But Millicent had yet to tell her girlfriend that she planned to invite her and introduce Lily Luna to the lot of them…

283: GeorgeHermione

      "I can't promise a fix for your ear," Hermione says a few nights after the Order's botched Seven Harrys plan. She works the pestle in the mortar nestled in her lap. "But there are potions to soothe the pain, salves…"

      George smiles, watching her work. He hates seeing her frown and worry over him, and he wishes he could offer an allaying word that would bring back her own charming smile.

      But, more than that, he smiles because watching her try for him does enough wonders for the ache as it is. And that's more than he could ask for.

284: ScorpiusJamesSP

      Al was forever groaning at his brother's pranks, so Scorpius took that as his cue never to give James the time of day. Besides, Al was usually wise about these things, and the best mates had made it the first five years of school without trouble so far.

      But that wasn't to say that Scorpius could resist the mischievous twinkle in the handsome elder Potter's eye…

      …and he was doomed the moment the seventh year Gryffindor caught him peeking, judging by the new brand of interested grin lighting up James' face when he and Scorpius next crossed paths between classes.

285: ChoHarry

      They give it a second try after the war, because Cho grew up with the idea that everyone deserves a fair shot. Why not her and Harry?

      And she's glad this is theirs. They both had some growing up to do, some catching up to do—he still has so much to learn about being part of a magical world, she still has so much to learn about his life living in the shadow of a Dark Lord—but she's glad they take this time now.

      She just wishes it hadn't taken war to put Harry's hand in hers again.

286: CharlieOliver

      He knew the team was in good hands with his junior. Oliver thirsted for Gryffindor's victory more than anyone Charlie knew. Oliver also wasn't a simple, bright-eyed lad anymore.

      Oliver grinned at him, yammering animatedly about Gryffindor's future as they stood one last time on the pitch reminiscing, since tomorrow they'd be on the Hogwarts Express heading home. His accent always turned thicker the more excited he got; Charlie wondered if Oliver knew. His heart squeezed, debating whether to point it out or to keep the adorable fact for himself.

      Ahhh, if only he had another year left at Hogwarts…

287: FredDaphne

      Fred keeps fighting in spite of the castle crumbling around him. He has loads of reasons to, but mostly—

      "Impedimenta!" he bellows at a masked figure, knocking them off their feet.

      —mostly he has a certain, rambunctious snake in mind, because he can't help but scan the sea of faces for her. He know she'll join the fight for her sister if she hasn't already, same as he joined for his family, and Fred wants to emerge on the other side of all this and greet Daphne once more and tease her for doting on Astoria like the old days.

288: AstoriaAndromeda

      She needed someone to teach her the good things about the old families, if anything good ever existed. But Astoria had no role models left, and Daphne knew just as little.

      It wasn't until Andromeda accepted her owled request that Astoria felt a kinship with her heritage at all. So one teatime became another…became another…turned into dinner… Somewhere along the way, lunch became the norm, too.

      When they began discussing the possibility of sharing breakfast, too, Astoria no longer cared much about heritage since the good to come out of this gazed into her eyes across every meal.

289: SusanErnie

      They were in a cycle, forever watching over Hannah falling—to pieces over her dead mother, behind in school, in love with Neville, beside herself as she determined her future.

      That was why falling together felt like the natural thing for Susan and Ernie, on Hannah's sidelines, even though it felt out of order, when the feelings (they named it—"love"—later) arrived, inconveniently and when they least expected.

      But perhaps it wasn't so bad, if they became the first one in each other's thoughts instead of Hannah.

      (Hannah watched over them, too; turns out she didn't mind one bit.)

290: DeanRon

      "What?! That's clearly a foul!" Ron pauses, looking to Dean for confirmation. When Dean nods, Ron gesticulates at the telly in Dean's flat. "Honestly! The ref hasn't blown his whistle or dropped a flag!"

      "Red card," Dean corrects.

      Ron pauses again, as he often does when date night is spent in, watching Dean's home team.

      "Football's fouls are a bit different, luv."

      "Right, right…"

      Dean grins as Ron returns to watching the match. Honestly, the real entertainment is beside him, because this Quidditch nut is cute when he's trying to grasp Muggle sports…even if he is still utterly confused.

Remarks for—

Ch287: :') Such a cute thought, that Fred and Daphne would bond over being doting older sibs.

Ch290: XD Couldn't get this image out of my head. How cute this would be, tho, with how much they love their respective sports!!!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

               "Yes. The unicorn…" Firenze shook his head, his blue eyes dark and angry; he was deeply disturbed. "That man once thought dead—the one they call 'Voldemort'—is alive, although in a semi state of being."

               The other centaur felt a chill creep up his spin. "Still… We cannot involve ourselves in human matters, Firenze."

               To his surprise, Firenze gently grinned. "We are always involved in human matters, Ronan, aren't we? Somewhere along the way, we had them for ancestors, in order to look like this."

               Ronan grumbled but didn't outright agree. Their walk back to the herd continued in silence, but Ronan thought about the last thing Firenze had said. Yes, their blood had mixed somewhere with that of the humans, but Ronan wasn't sure whether he liked that or not. On the one hand, being related to such foolish, ruthless, often idiotic creatures was a tough idea to stomach. On the other hand…

               He couldn't help glancing at Firenze. Maybe it was due to his being older and wishing for his youth back, but Ronan could admire Firenze's outward appearance. Centaurs and Centaurides alike admired Firenze's physique and looks, for his hair was as shiny as his coat, and his facial features were strong yet soft—androgynous, Ronan would say.

               Firenze was handsome, but his mind made him dangerous. Ronan thought to remind him of that. "You cannot just go around doing as you please, though. And especially to have put the foal on your back… You're not livestock, Firenze."

               Firenze shrugged. "I know, but I follow my heart and what I believe is right."

               "Yes," Ronan said with a chuckle, "and that is what is most enlightening and infuriating about you. Just…" He hesitated before resting a hand on Firenze's shoulder. "Don't be afraid to consult me before you act brashly again. You know that I will not shoot you down without listening first, unlike the others."

               "I do know," Firenze acknowledged, and he patted Ronan's hand. "But let's hope that I won't have to act out again anytime soon." He gave Ronan a mischievous smile and picked up his pace as they approached the grounds of the colony. In doing so, Ronan's hand slipped from Firenze's shoulder and down his back, and Ronan barely had time to react by pulling his hand away before his palm skirted across Firenze's flanks.

               Ronan huffed to calm himself. What was Firenze thinking? It was never easy to tell…

XD Okay, this one made me budge a little on my FirenzeBane and RonanMagorian leanings. ;P Because playful!Firenze just seems downright FUN. XDDDD Haha, who knows? Maybe he was the type to know how he stood with the herd…and only sometimes showed that he knew how the others perceived him, as we see here with how he flirts (?) with  Ronan, *lol*. Wow, I need to go write some other stuff… Writing centaurs this much is messing with my brain… 0.0 Lastly, "Centaurides" is the term for female centaurs because, c'mon, they have to exist for these guys to exist. O.o

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew