#theauthor2103

Anyways, just wondering your thoughts on this: Do you think Albus Dumbledore actually love Harry, or at least cared about him?

Hi, and lol, I am definitely not JKR, pretty sure she'd tell me I'm wrong on quite a few of my interpretations of her canon, but thank you nontheless!

Now, I think Dumbledore's feelings toward Harry are kinda wierd. Like, he convinced himself he does a lot (like keeping Harry in the dark about everything) out of love and care for Harry, and I think he really believes that. The thing is, I don't think he loves Harry or cares for him as much as he tries to convince himself and Harry, or in the way he says he does.

Like, Dumbledore talks a lot about love, compassion, and the power of friendship but when we actually look at his life, he doesn't really have many friends, nor did he ever have many friends.

We see Elphias Doge who calls himself a close friend of Dumbledore, but he doesn't really know him. Doge idolizes Dumbledore the great wizard but he doesn't really know Dumbledore the man. They planned to travel the world together, but they weren't as close as either of them believed, not really.

Alastor Moody is similar, we're told he is an old friend of Dumbledore, and yet Dumbledore doesn't recognize Moody is acting completely different for an entire year, something I noticed without knowing the real Moody all that well.

Aberforth actually knows Dumbledore and the brothers, while they generally care about each other, they aren't really close. Albus looks down on Aberforth and Aberforth is incredibly bitter towards Albus.

Then we have Grindlewald, who I'd argue was the closest a person ever got to Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore actually saw Grindelwald as his equal and legitimately cared about him. So Albus got burned quite badly from the deepest relationship he ever had.

Since then, we see Dumbledore caring in a more abstract, general way. He doesn't see most people as equals to himself, and he is a cold man leading a war, most of the people he interacts with need to respect him as a leader, not as a peer. All of this creates a lot of emotional distance that results in Dumbledore not really having close friends nor does he pursue deep connections. He has allies, and people he is friendly with, but he doesn't have anyone he can confide in.

Snape is the person Dumbledore tells the most too, but Dumbledore is manipulating Snape for his plans most of the time, and is again, Snape's superior. So even Snape, who knows more about Dumbledore and his plans than most, isn't really privy to Dumbledore as himself without his image and responsibilities.

Basically Dumbledore is an incredibly lonely character who preaches love and friendship while not really having any connections like that himself.

Then when it comes to Harry, Dumbledore thinks he knows who Harry is (he doesn't) and Harry has many doubts about Dumbledore. Dumbledore really is trying to care for Harry, he truly believes keeping him in the dark is good for him, so he can have a childhood. But Dumbledore is projecting his own beliefs on Harry, not actually acting out of love for Harry as a person, who he doesn't really seem to know. If he did, he'd know the last thing Harry wants is to be kept in the dark since he never really got to have a childhood anyway.

I think Dumbledore is truly saddened he has to sacrifice Harry to kill Voldemort, and was trying to find a way Harry might survive, it doesn't mean he won't do it though. Harry as the BoyWho-Lived and his purpose as a a martyr in Dumbledore's plans is more important to Dumbledore than Harry the boy.

While Dumbledore does care about Harry in a general sort of way, he cares about who he believes Harry is more than who Harry actually is. When he talks to Harry, it seems he isn't aware of some of Harry's traits (or ignores the evidence of their existence as he has a tendency to project. Albus projects his own view of the world on his mental image of Harry and Voldemort quite heavily), so we again see this wall Dumbledore has between himself and everyone else. A wall Harry realizes was there during book 7 and is constantly thinking about how he never really knew Dumbledore and how much he didn't get the chance to ask him about. The wall is one Dumbledore doesn't climb either which results in him not fully knowing the people around.

AU where Professor YN and Professor Dimitrescu share a dance together. Art by iandipen

You leaned back in your office chair, kicked your feet up on your desk, and rested the back of your head in your hands. It had been an extremely long day at the college grading midterms, each professor had been shut up in their office with their heads in papers and computers, laptops, and MacBooks. The students were enjoying their first day of spring break while you and the other professors were hard at work. The college halls were empty and eerily silent, which left you feeling unsettled. It was simply unnatural to for the school to be this quiet, there was always the sound of people walking up and down the halls, keys dangling from lanyards, pens and pencils writing on paper, the clicks of keyboards from people typing.

You decided to put on some music to calm your nerves while enjoying your lunch break. Most of the professors would be going to the break room to enjoy lunch provided by the Headmistress from a local restaurant. It was a nice way to end the quarter before going on break, but you decided not to go. It was your first year teaching at this college and you had too many papers to grade since you decided to take on an extra class. You you wanted to get home a decent hour rather than being stuck past 7pm. You decided to bring snacks to eat during the day instead of having a lunch, that way you wouldn’t get distracted by the staff lunch and could get work done. You knew that if you walked up to the professor’s lounge, it would be over. There would be no way you would get any more paper grading done, so you decided to work in your office and spend your lunch break dozing off for just a little bit while listening to the music play.

You smiled when the sound of Glen Miller’s Moonlight Serenade came on and sighed out. That song always calmed you down and put you at ease. You turned the volume up all the way, put the song on loop, and leaned back in your chair again. It wasn’t like there was anyone around that would complain about the music being too loud, and even so it was just Glen Miller. Who would ever complain about this song?

“Why Miss L/N, I didn’t take you for a fan of Glen Miller,” said a low voice from the door. You smiled and sat up in your chair to greet your friend, turning the music down a bit. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Professor Dimitrescu.” Alcina strut into your office and tutted at you.

“Sleeping on the job? I thought you said you would be getting your work done today, and yet here you are,” she sat down on your desk, pulling the ends of her skirt down, “lulling about.”

“Everyone deserves a nice break, Alcina. I believe it was you who originally told me that and stressed how important it is to not overdo it,” you said, eyes closed and leaned back in the chair.

“I believe what I said was don’t overdo it, not sleep on the job. Perhaps I should report your insubordination to the headmistress,” she teased you, smiling back.

“Snitch,” you teased back. Alcina rolled her eyes at you and stood up from your desk.

“I came to collect you for the spring break party,” the taller woman said, crossing her arms over chest.

“Oh, I’ve had my fair share of spring break parties. My parties days are over I’m afraid, but you kids have fun.” You waved your hand and playfully shooed her off

“Kids?” Alcina smiled at you and rolled her eyes, looking at a rubix cube, a stress ball, and some squishy dinosaur toys you had on your desk. “I’m older than you.” Alcina placing her hands on her hips and leaning on her foot. You felt your face blush and swallowed, the ends of Alcina’s mouth curving upward ever so slightly. The two of you had been flirting with each other ever since you started working at the college.

“It hardly shows. I swear, when I first met you I thought we were the same age.” She blushed and chuckled a little, her voice rumbling in her chest. You wanted to feel the vibration of her vocal cords in your mouth and kiss her. This little game of cat and mouse you two had been playing since the beginning of the year was itching away at you. You weren’t entirely sure if Alcina had the same feelings for you, or if she was just indulging herself.

“Charming as always,” Alcina said. “Now are you coming to lunch or not?”

“Eh, I don’t think so. As much as I’d like to, I won’t get any work done for the rest of the day if I go.”

“I can understand that,” Alcina nodded. Moonlight serenade began to play again and she smiled, slowly swaying her head back and forth. “I do so love this song.” You smiled up at her and stood from your chair, leaning against the desk.

“I do too. It really calms me down.”

Alcina smirked at you and batted her eyes gently. “Am I making you nervous?”

“No, no,” you chuckled nervously, “I just- you know, it’s been a long day with these papers. Just spikes up my anxiety sometimes. That’s all.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you from your work.” You frowned and felt your heart sink. You didn’t want her to leave, you wanted to spend more time with her. Work be damned, you could always come in tomorrow and do the rest.

“Oh no, no. You’re not keeping me from my work.” You tried not to seem too obvious and attempted to be cool about it, not wanting to come off as desperate. Again, the ends of her lips curved upwards as you walked over to her from the other side of the desk. She looked you up and down quickly, her face glowing from the sun’s rays, wrinkles and laugh lines more defined.

“Good,” she said, stepping closer. You were inches from each other. You could feel your face heating up and you had butterflies in your stomach. Alcina reached up for a loss button on your collar shirt and buttoned it up. “This was lose.” You both stepped forward slightly, the music ringing in your ears. For months now, you wanted to grab the older woman’s face and smash your lips onto hers hard, rip her clothes off, run your hands down her back and hold her close to you in your arms.

“Thank you,” you said. “Umm….” Should you take a chance? “Alcina, I was wondering….” What if she said no and rejected your advances? Did she actually like you, or was she just stringing you on? What if you mistook her friendship for something more? What if she felt uncomfortable by you and stopped talking all together?

“Yes YN?” Alcina asked, looking back into your eyes.

“Would you….” You were too nervous to ask her and instead let your body do it for you. You reached a hand up, offering a dance. Alcina blushed down at you and took it. You felt your face melt off from heat and your stomach leaped. You felt her fingers close around your hand and placed your hand on her hip while she rested hers on your shoulder. You awkwardly swayed back and forth on your feet and held Alcina close.

“YN, do you actually know how to dance?” Alcina asked chuckling. You were far too happy to care, lost in her beauty and enjoying this moment that you had been killing for.

“No, not really.”

“Well, perhaps I’ll teach you.”

“You know… I would really like that.”

“As would I.” You felt your heart melt and followed her lead, trying not to step on her feet. Having Alcina in your arms like this, dancing with her, moving your hips with hers, it was a dream come true. Not exactly how you pictured things going, but it was even better than what you imagined. You wanted more of Alcina, wanted to spend more time with her, wanted to know her better, you wanted her to love you back. You fell hard for this woman the day you met her and you were getting antsy and impatient after all these months of waiting. You didn’t want to scare Alcina off knowing she did not trust most people and waited patiently for her.

It finally paid off. Alcina rested her head on your shoulder and wrapped her arms around your neck. You locked your arms around her waist and held her close to your body. “You know, I’ve liked you for some time now, YN.”

“Really?” you smiled. Alcina lifted her head up slightly.

“Have I not made that clear with all the passes I’ve made and the flirtatious jokes?”

“Hahaha, no you have. I just… I respect you, Alcina. I know it’s hard for you to trust people and I don’t want to push you. But, I really like you.” You gently began rubbing her back softly as the music played on.

“Thank you, YN. I know I can be… difficult sometimes at reciprocating feelings.”

“Worth the wait, Professor.” Alcina smiled and looked at you. You stared back at her and grinned, leaning in to her face until her lips touched yours. Alcina gently caressed your face and deepened the kiss with you. You held her tightly against you, not ever wanting to let go of this perfect woman.

"Ummm....."

Alcina spent a great amount of time bonding with her newly reborn daughters. When the girls recovered from the cadou treatment, they were deemed an unfit vessel for Mother Miranda’s daughter Eva and labeled as failures in the goddess’s eyes.

For Alcina Dimitrescu, however, it was truly her biggest dream come true. How she had always longed to be a mother, have an heir to her family, and teach her offspring all she had learned in life. To have three daughters was a blessing to her.

The eldest of the three Dimitrescu sisters was an eager blonde woman, an overachiever. She always strived to accomplish everything she started, so it perfectly, and looked up to her mother. As the oldest of the three, she was the next in line to Alcina’s business which meant she took on a great amount of responsibility. Bela made sure her sisters were kept in line and learned as much as she possibly could to take care of the wine business and the castle. Alcina found her oldest daughter’s overeagerness adorable and made sure to reassure her daughter whenever she needed.

The softer of the three, the baby of the family, the most flirtatious Dimitrescu daughter, Daniela. She was Alcina’s baby, her silly, adorable, little goofball. Daniela was much more affectionate than her older sisters, always wanting to be near Alcina, hugging or cuddling mother, curling up next to her in the couch while reading. She always wanted to spend time with Alcina as much as she could and would often get jealous if she noticed the Countess spending more time with her other sisters, even if it was boring wine making business with Bela. Daniela demanded Alcina’s attention and seemed to have a bit of an attachment issue, but Alcina was always there to soothe her nerves and comfort Daniela when needed.

Her middle daughter, her wild child, the most ruthless and vicious of the three Dimitrescu sisters, Cassandra Dimitrescu. She was the only daughter that didn’t fully trust Alcina yet. She was cold and quiet, often hard to read. Most of Alcina’s attempts to bond with her middle daughter were all failures. The only time Cassandra ever showed any interest in the activities Alcina had attempted with her was hunting.

It took a great amount of patience and understanding on Alcina’s part which wasn’t something she was particularly good at, especially since she’s used to having everything her way, being the Lord of the castle and all. Alcina was the rightful heir to the Dimitrescu’s wine, one of the four Lord’s, and if you asked her she’s was Miranda’s right-hand woman. But most importantly, she was a mother first and foremost.

Alcina was incredibly frustrated with her middle daughter pushing back so hard and had begun to worry that perhaps there was something wrong with her mothering skills. Perhaps she wasn’t doing enough for Cassandra? Or it could be that she was pushing too much. Alcina simply did not understand how to get through to Cassandra like how she did with Bela and Daniela.

“Wow, tall, annoying, stubborn, and hotheaded. You really are your mother’s daughter, aren’tcha kid?” Heisenberg said after being introduced to his new niece on the day Alcina took her daughters to meet the other Lords and Miranda.

It was strange how the manthing’s words soothed her worry’s, usually the sound of Heisenberg’s voice was enough to make Alcina roll her eyes in annoyance. But Heisenberg teasing Cassandra about being the most like Alcina out of all of her daughters made the countess realize that perhaps Cassandra warmed up to her. After all, the brunette had taken on a bit of her mother’s personality, enough to make the stupid manthing seem to think so.

The first time Cassandra and Alcina had shared a moment together was when Alcina had taken Cassandra and her sisters out into the woods to hunt properly. When the first took the cadou the sisters were feral and killed almost half of Alcina’s staff in one day. Their mother had to take the girls deep into the forest where they could feed off of animals and soothe their newfound bloodlust until the calmed down.

Since they were still newly reborn, they didn’t remember much of their first few months spent with Alcina and couldn’t recall hunting in the woods with Alcina very well. The Countess had since taught them not how to defend themselves, but how to kill. The samce and moroaica had proven to be useful victims for the girls to practice their skills on.

When it came time for the girls to show Alcina all they had learned and that they could control their bloodlust, Alcina decided to take them out to the woods again, a sort of family trip if you will. She demonstrated to the girls how she used her claws to kill countless lycans and animals. They proved no match for Alcina, her dress torn, blood splattered across her body torn and dirty, and yet she killed with such grace and power and elegance. Alcina made killing seem like a beautiful sport which intrigued Cassandra. That was the first time she had begun to respect Alcina as her mother and felt pride at being the countess’s daughter.

The brunette seemed to realize just how truly powerful her mother really was. Alcina was using giant trees as weapons, easily plucking them out of the ground like weeds and sending dozens of lycans flying through the air. Bela and Daniela watched in complete awe as their mother howled in laughter. Cassandra was the only daughter who joined her mother in killing the remaining lycans with Alcina. Together they proved quite the murderous duo.

When the last lycan fell to the ground by her sickle, Cassandra turned to face Alcina trying to catch her breath. The countess felt her heart grow when she noticed how much fun her middle daughter was having with her, a wide, toothy smile spread across her blood smeared face. Cassandra was even dirtier and more bloody than she was! “That’s my girl,” Alcina praised her middle child, wiping some blood off her cheek and resting her hand on Cassandra’s face. Cassandra’s cheeks blushed and she gave Alcina a shy smile. Even her sisters were shocked at Cassandra’s display of affection.

It seemed the only time Alcina could get her middle child to open up to her was through killing. Cassandra remained cold and quite distant to Alcina the rest of the time, which irked the countess greatly. Bela and Daniela all but accepted her as their mother and trusted her, yet Cassandra had no interest in getting close to Alcina.

She was not interested in games, knitting, music, art, writing, none of the things that intrigued Bela and Daniela. All of her attempts to bond with Cassandra were unsuccessful unless it included hunting or fighting. It hurt Alcina to know that Cassandra didn’t seem to want to build a relationship with her like she had with her other daughter’s, but she was hopeful that Cassandra would come around soon enough. Alcina decided to give the brunette her space and let her know that she was always there for her when she was ready.

Now, Cassandra was a thrillseeker, not one to sit and read books all day like Daniela or crotchet like Bela. There was indeed a wild side to Cassandra which made Alcina worry how her middle daughter would cope during the colder months when they couldn’t go outside.

Cassandra was also cunning, decisive, and would make extremely compulsive decisions. When her heart was set on something she wanted, she was going to get it. And she was not about to let some cold weather stop her from enjoying herself outside. She did not heed Alcina’s warning about how the cold would kill her flies, all she heard was “don’t let me catch you outside once it’s cold.”

And now that the seasons had changed, the grass was covered in colorful leaves, and Alcina could see her breath outside, she knew it was time to keep her girls inside of the Castle. It broke her heart to see their disappointed faces, but if it would keep them safe she would do it every year. She wanted her girls happy but safe and alive.

So going behind her mother’s back, Cassandra purchased some winter attire from the Duke, fur boots and gloves, a winter coat, and fur pants for her to hunt in.

“Pardon me my Lady, but didn’t your mother tell you and your sisters to stay inside of the castle?” The Duke asked her.

“Didn’t Mother Miranda forbid anything from the outside world?” Cassandra challenged, raising a brow. “I could’ve sworn I saw Mother reading all kinds of different newspapers from other countries earlier today.”

The Duke smiled down at her and leaned in, it seemed nothing would get by this one. “Hmm, well, perhaps this can all stay our little secret?” he said.

“I think we would both prefer that over the latter,” Cassandra replied, dropping off a bag of money on his counter for him.

“Indeed, Miss Dimitrescu. Now do be careful, young one. And please, if I can ever offer you anything, let me know.”

“Oh, I will. I’m sure our paths will cross again, Mr. Duke.” And with that, they bid each other farewell and Cassandra quickly went to her room hiding her new winter hunting gear. She was lucky her sisters and Mother were busy and didn’t catch her.

As soon as it was safe enough for her to sneak away without her sisters or mother noticing her that night, Cassandra quickly put on her winter clothes, grabbed her sickle, and headed outside.

The air was thick and fresh in the autumn cold, but her flies were okay. Her mother worried too much, there was no reason that Cassandra and her sisters couldn’t be outside in the cold! She belonged in the Romanian woods, they called to her and she could feel a connection to them. It wasn’t something Cassandra could explain, but rather something that she could feel it in her spirit.

In the woods, there were no manners, no rules to obey, she didn’t have to be lady like! Cassandra could be as ruthless and raunchy as she damn well pleased! She swung her sickle into the starry night killing dozens of animals, bears, caribou, chased birds around, she hunted to her hearts desire. She had no idea where in the woods she was or how long she had been in there for, but a thunderous crash in the distance caught her attention.

Eager to kill whatever large creature was lurking in the woods, Cassandra made a beeline for the noise and felt her heart flutter in her chest from excitement. He had to be the biggest lycan ever to walk the planet, he was absolutely humongous even bigger than her mother! And he would prove quite the challenge!

She roared loudly and charged laughing manically, feeling excitement rush through her body. The giant lycan was 40 yards away from her before he turned around and roared back, hit breath rotten and smelly and spit flying everywhere. She dodged his attack with his hammer and sliced his arm, making him howl.

Cassandra turned into her swarm when he brought his fist down in an attempt to squash her after she sliced the beasts arms. She was agile and fast, his muscles were too big and slowed him down. ‘Piece of cake,’ Cassandra thought to herself, turning back into her human form and slicing his back.

The giant lycan kicked her back into a pile of leaves, roared again in anger, and turned around with his hammer to swing at her again. She used her swarm to doge the attack. The lycan swatted at her flies and seemed unsure of how to proceed next. They could both tell they were mutants, failed experiments of Miranda and knew this was not going to be an easy math for either of them. The giant lycan called out to his nearby brothers for backup as Cassandra kept swarming in and out with attacks after attack from her sickle. She was fast and speedy with her weapon, specks of blood dancing in the air as she kept ripping him apart.

One of Cassandra’s greatest weaknesses was her lack of attention to her surroundings. When she was caught in a battle, she was completely focused on her opponent and forgot about the world around her, it was as if only she and this giant lycan existed.

She didn’t realize the other lycans that had surrounded her until one of them jumped on her back, biting her shoulder with its sharp teeth and sinking its claws into her flesh.

Cassandra hissed in pain, using her sickle to swipe at her opponent. The giant monster lycan used this to his advantage and sent Cassandra and the lycan flying through the air as he smacked her with his hammer. She was thrown straight through a tree trunk, breaking it instantly, and landed with a thud in the ground.

Rolling, Cassandra was grateful that the lycan attacking her from behind took most of the impact, he lay motionless on the ground.

Swarming away from him and clutching her sickle to her side, Cassandra caught her breath and wiped blood away from her eye, ready to fight the new spawned lycans that charged at her. Cassandra managed to slice two necks before she had to duck from another attack of the giants hammer. The beast sent one of his own flying through the air, a sight Cassandra normally would have found funny but was now too involved in the battle to spare even a chuckle.

The giant flung his hammer down on the ground over and over, giving Cassandra no time to regroup. In and out of her swarm, she materialized all over the battlefield doging the beasts’ attacks. At one point she grabbed one of the lycans that charged her and threw it at the beast.

That gave her just enough time to distract the massive lycan, swarm up to its chest, and slice him from his head down to his belly. It began to bleed down its face and he grabbed Cassandra, smashing her down on the earthy ground over and over in a fit of rage while roaring at the brunette. Her whole body fit in his fist and she could feel his fingers squeezing her body and crushing her ribs. It was hard to breathe, she could feel her head pounding, and tried to turn into her swarm, but couldn’t get her flies to move from the impact.

The giant tossed Cassandra into the air and hurled his hammer at her, sending her through the crisp air and straight through the trees. Her whole body felt raw from the impact of the beasts’ hammer and she had no idea how many trees she had collided with. Branches and trunks were sent to the ground as Cassandra flew through the air until she felt herself hitting the leafy, dirty ground, rolling down a hill.

Her body ached and she struggled to catch her breath, the wind knocked out of her. The hand that held her sickle had dropped it when she was hit with the hammer, bent at an odd angle. For the first time in her entire reborn life, Cassandra felt her blood go cold. Some of her exposed skin from the rips and tears on her clothes had started to frost over. Her flies mustered all their power into keeping her body while, unable to regenerate and heal her wounds. Blood flowed freely out of her wounds now as the giant and remaining lycans continued their assault on her.

She was scared, truly scared. Maybe her mother had been right, perhaps she should have remained inside the warmth of the castle. Cassandra had never been on the opposite side of the table to feeling terrified, usually she was the one in control. “M-Mother?” she coughed out as the giant leaped high up into the air. Everything seemed to happen slowly.

Her heart pounded against her chest and Cassandra tried to will her body to move, but couldn’t. She watched as the humongous lycan descended upon her feeling more and more scared by the second. “MOTHER!” She shrieked. Where was Alcina? Why did she leave her home? Why didn’t she listen? She never had the chance to tell her mother or sisters how she felt, never had the chance to properly thank them for the wonderful life she had been given. A family she belonged to, that accepted her and all of her flaws.

“Wow, tall, annoying, stubborn, and hotheaded. You really are your mother’s daughter, aren’tcha kid?” Why was that memory coming back to her now? She could see the moonlight shining of the beast’s hammer as he descended down. ‘I am my mother’s daughter,’ the brunette proudly thought, willing herself to sit up and meet the eyes of the beast. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with pride and not as a coward.

And that’s when she felt herself being dragged backwards quickly and shielded by a pair of claws. The hammer made a crater on the ground, rocks and dirt sent flying everywhere. “GET YOUR FILTHY MANHANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!”

Cassandra wiped blood away from her face and watched as Alcina sank her claws straight through the beasts chest. She easily lifted him into the air and threw him backwards. The other lycans were nothing, she easily decapitated them in one swift slice of her claws, their heads falling to the ground.

It was scary seeing her mother this angry, Cassandra never knew how strong and ferocious the countess really was. And this was just a taste of her mother’s true power. Alcina charged the beast once the lycans were not a threat to Cassandra anymore. She grabbed his hammer, and sunk her claws in his face, roaring at the beast like a momma bear protecting her young.

Again and again and again, over and over, Alcina’s claws ripped through the beasts body until he was left a bloody, torn, mess. She bowled out a final time, a ferocious warning to the beast, and stood up panting. She unsheathed her claws and rushed back over to Cassandra who was close to passing out now.

The brunette felt her eyes grow heavy, the excitement of the battle wearing off. She was cold and her body hurt all over. “Cassandra?” Alcina asked her daughter, kneeling down. When she noticed Cassandra trying to get up she placed her hands on her daughters chest easing her to rest. “Foolish girl! Have you any idea what could happened to you!?” Alcina yelled, scolding her child now that the danger was gone.

“Uhhhh… I-I… loooo….” Cassandra closed her eyes and went limp. Alcina hurriedly scooped her daughter up into her arms and raced back to the castle. She could deal with the scolding at another time, she needed to get her baby home. The love of a mother was strong and powerful, proving no match to any threat.

Her body ached and she struggled to catch her breath, the wind knocked out of her. The hand that held her sickle had dropped it when she was hit with the hammer, bent at an odd angle. For the first time in her entire reborn life, Cassandra felt her blood go cold. Some of her exposed skin from the rips and tears on her clothes had started to frost over. Her flies mustered all their power into keeping her body while, unable to regenerate and heal her wounds. Blood flowed freely out of her wounds now as the giant and remaining lycans continued their assault on her.

She was scared, truly scared. Maybe her mother had been right, perhaps she should have remained inside the warmth of the castle. Cassandra had never been on the opposite side of the table to feeling terrified, usually she was the one in control. “M-Mother?” she coughed out as the giant leaped high up into the air. Everything seemed to happen slowly.

Her heart pounded against her chest and Cassandra tried to will her body to move, but couldn’t. She watched as the humongous lycan descended upon her feeling more and more scared by the second. “MOTHER!” She shrieked. Where was Alcina? Why did she leave her home? Why didn’t she listen? She never had the chance to tell her mother or sisters how she felt, never had the chance to properly thank them for the wonderful life she had been given. A family she belonged to, that accepted her and all of her flaws.

“Wow, tall, annoying, stubborn, and hotheaded. You really are your mother’s daughter, aren’tcha kid?” Why was that memory coming back to her now? She could see the moonlight shinning on the beast’s hammer as he descended down. ‘I am my mother’s daughter,’ the brunette thought fierceley, willing herself to sit up and meet the eyes of the beast. If she was going to die, she was going to do it with pride and not as a coward.

And that’s when she felt herself being dragged backwards quickly and shielded by a pair of claws. The hammer made a crater on the ground, rocks and dirt sent flying everywhere. “GET YOUR FILTHY MANHANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!”

Cassandra wiped blood away from her face and watched as Alcina sank her claws straight through the beasts chest. She easily lifted him into the air and threw him backwards. The other lycans were nothing, she easily decapitated them in one swift slice of her claws, their heads falling to the ground.

It was scary seeing her mother this angry, Cassandra never knew how strong and ferocious the countess really was. And this was just a taste of her mother’s true power. Alcina charged the beast once the lycans were not a threat to Cassandra anymore. She grabbed his hammer, and sunk her claws in his face, roaring at the beast like a momma bear protecting her young.

Again and again and again, over and over, Alcina’s claws ripped through the beasts body until he was left a bloody, torn, mess. She bowled out a final time, a ferocious warning to the beast, and stood up panting. She unsheathed her claws and rushed back over to Cassandra who was close to passing out now.

The brunette felt her eyes grow heavy, the excitement of the battle wearing off. She was cold and her body hurt all over. “Cassandra?” Alcina worriedly asked her daughter, kneeling down to her level. When she noticed Cassandra trying to get up she placed her hands on her daughters chest easing her to rest. The Countess could feel her anger returning. “Foolish girl! Have you any idea what could happened to you!?” Alcina yelled, scolding her child now that the danger was gone.

“Uhhhh… I-I… loooo….” Cassandra closed her eyes and went limp. Alcina hurriedly scooped her daughter up into her arms and raced back to the castle. She could deal with the scolding at another time, she needed to get her baby home. The love of a mother was strong and more powerful than any threat to her babies no matter how old they were.

Back at the castle, Alcina rushed Cassandra into her room and began to strip off her wet clothes. Bela and Daniela came in soon after, horrified to see their sister in a bloody mess on their mother’s bed. Without even sparing either of them a glance, Alcina continued to work on healing Cassandra, “Bela, add more wood to the fire. We need to keep your sister’s flies warm. Daniela, fetch me some towels.” The two hurriedly did as they were asked as Alcina continued to take off Cassandra’s clothes.

As angry as she was at her middle daughter, she was worried, scared even. Cassandra’s face was paler than usual, her wrist was broken, and she was covered in multiple bruises and cuts. The large gash on her head close to her cadou incision had finally stopped bleeding, but the entire side of her face was covered in blood.

The brunette laid in her underwear on the bed, Alcina instructing Bela to fetch her her medical supplies. When Daniela returned, she had her youngest lift Cassandra up and placed a soft towel underneath her. Alcina quickly got to work once Bela returned with the medical supplies, telling Daniela to use direct pressure on Cass’s wounds and bandaging them up. She would have to wait to give stitches until her flies could heal herself.

The ice that had formed in Cassandra’s skin broke away and her flies had thankfully begun to warm up. They slowly congregated around Cassandra’s wounds while Alcina was attempting to bandage them. She let the flies surround the skin and quickly wrapped gauze around the wounds.

After reassuring her daughters that Cassandra would be fine and cleaning off the rest of the blood on her, Alcina spent the remainder of the night by Cassandra’s side. Bela and Daniela crawled into bed next to the brunette and cuddled her. Despite the circumstances, Alcina found the scene incredibly endearing and made a mental note to sketch it out later, perhaps she could draw the scene.

As the hours passed by, Alcina could hear the maids beginning their daily routines and instructed the head maid that she and her daughters were not to be disturbed, just to continue work as a normal business day. Bela was the first to wake up from her sisters, agreeing to start someone Alcina’s work orders for the wine to get a head start. Alcina was grateful she had such a reliable daughter.

Daniela spent some time in the bed with Cassandra, snuggling up to her older sister and enjoying the moment. Normally Cassandra would’ve pushed her out of bed refusing to cuddle her sisters, she was not one for this type of affection.

One Cassandra began to wake, Daniela quickly swarmed away not wanting to disturb her sister. “Ughhhhh,” Cass grumbled, bringing a hand up to hold her healing forehead.

“Daniela, why don’t you prepare some tea for your sister, hmm?” Alcina asked, placing a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder.

“Yes mother,” Daniela nodded and flew off, closing the door gently behind her.

Now that it was just Alcina and Cassandra in the room, the countess took a deep breath as she felt her rage returning to her. She pinched the bridge of her nose as Cassandra collected her bearings.

“Um, what happened?” Cassandra asked.

“You snuck out of the castle last night and got attacked by one Heisenberg’s generals,” Alcina responded, not even looking up at Cassandra. She tried to keep herself calm and collected not wanting to yell at Cassandra.

Cassandra’s face blushed as she recalled the events of last night. ‘GET YOUR FILTHY MANHANDS OFF OF MY DAUGHTER!’ Alcina’s voice rang throughout her ears, she remembered feeling herself being hauled back away from the lycan’s hammer. Ohhh… so her mother had found her? Well… that probably wasn’t good. Alcina finally looked up at Cassandra from her seat.

“Cassandra,” oh, this definitely wasn’t good. “I cannot tell you how flabbergasted I am! I am extremely disappointed in you!” Cassandra didn’t know why, but she felt… bad? Like she couldn’t look Alcina in the face out of shame. “Have you any idea just how dangerous that stunt you pulled was? You’re lucky I noticed you sneak off when you did! Had I been a second later, you-”

Alcina felt her lip tremble and stood up quickly. She turned away from Cassandra and took a shaky breath willing herself to continue. “I cannot tell you how terrified I was! I-I cannot even tell you the words that come to my mind.”

Cassandra looked back over to Alcina and continued listening to the Countess as she ranted on. For the first time in her whole reborn life, she felt… odd. Like she wanted the older woman’s comfort. The comfort of a mother, the reassurance that came with it. She wanted to feel safe and protected, a family to call her own. This woman had offered that to Cassandra and then some. A family, loving sisters, all Alcina wanted to do was love Cassandra…. And she had pushed her own mother away.

“Cassandra Dimitrescu, I am your mother whether you like it or not…. These rules I have set up for you and your sisters are to keep you safe and protected, and you will obey them,” Alcina said, staring down at Cassandra and holding back her tears. All she wanted to do now was hug her daughter and tell her how glad she is that she’s safe and home. Carrying Cassandra back to the castle was the first time she had ever gotten to hold her daughter. Bela and Daniela would hug her, especially Daniela, but she had yet to experience that with Cassandra. Well, the countess supposed that if Cassandra doesn’t want that affection, she’ll have to live with her daughters choice.

“Do you understand me?”

Cassandra looked up into Alcina’s face seeing a mixture of concern, relief, and anger. She cared so much for her, and all she did in return was push her mother away. Cassandra hesitantly stretched a hand out to Alcina who took it silently.

“Mother….”

Alcina moved closer to her daughter. Cassandra scooted over, wincing in pain from her wrist and shoulder, making room for Alcina. The countess sat down next to Cassandra and felt her heart melt when her daughter moved to lie against her.

The brunette tugged Alcina closer, making her chuckle, and once her mother hair lied down, she snuggled into her chest. Alcina wrapped her arms around Cassandra and held her close to her. “Do you… love me?” Cassandra whispered after a few moments.

Alcina looked down at her daughter who was hiding her beat red face in Alcina’s chest. She kissed the brunnete’s forehead and held her tight. “Of course I do, my darling.”

“Well… I might love you too.” Alcina chuckled and rested a hand on her daughters head. Cassandra felt loved and comforted, something she realized she had been pushing away but was happy to have. It felt nice, actually it felt really good to have someone that could hold her like this. A mother’s love was something she couldn’t ever remember experiencing or feeling. To be held with such tender and care felt so nice to her, she realized just how much she wanted it.

The Author has graduated

I DID IT BITCHES

I AM SHE/THEY AND TODAY I SHALL LIKE TO GO BY THEY/THEM!!!

Respect my pronouns or

GET FUCKED😛😛😛

I cannot tell this to anyone irl except for maybe like 1 person, but I can tell this to all of you so that’s what ima do

Here's what I'm thinking a father daughter dynamic Amanda hasn't been sleeping or eating for the past few weeks, and John hasn't really noticed since he's always up late, so he just assumes she sleeps or eats during the day like he does sometimes

But it gets bad to the point of where she faints from exhaustion

(that's happened to me sm lmao)

So when he finally notices, he takes it into his own hands and helps her fall asleep!!

Lots of fluff please and cuddles maybe 👀

My daddy issues need this so bad lmao, if u do this thank you my dear <3

Sorry this took me so long to write, I hope you enjoy!!!

xxx

Amanda wiped sweat off her forehead and panted as she continued tightening a bolt on her latest trap. She gripped the socket wrench in her hands and raised her arms again, standing on her tiptoes to reach the bolt and began to fasten it towards the right. “Come on, fucker,” she whispered to herself.

Amanda had been working hard on her trap for the past week refusing meals and neglecting sleep. She wanted to get it finished as soon as possible so that she could start testing it with mannequins. It would dig into a subject’s ribs and tear them out if their game could not be completed. This was the first device she designed and built on her own without John. He had helped her figure out the mathematics and figures, she sketched it, got the parts, and built it by herself. Amanda was very proud of the work she had done and hoped that John would be too.

Her stomach rumbled and she felt her arms shaking above her head, but ignored it and pressed on finally tightening the bolt. Amanda caught her breath for a second before walking over to a box with parts and grabbing the last piece of metal attaching it to the trap. She stood on her tiptoes once more and began to turn it to the right to tighten it, feeling a bit unsteady on her feet.

Amanda suddenly felt very dizzy, she could feel blood rushing through her body and started hyperventilating, unable to catch her breath. Her vision went yellow for a split second, she felt dizzy on her toes, the whole world was spinning and she dropped the socket wrench. Her ears were ringing so bad she couldn’t even hear the clang of the metal as the wrench fell to the ground.

The metal part was loose on the trap and fell down to the floor with Amanda who was still holding onto it. It smacked her in the head as she fell backwards and onto the dirty ground.

Luckily, John was just in the other room making coffee as he had just woken up from his slumber and heard the clanging. He immediately put his mug down on the counter and went to inspect the noise.

“Amanda?” he called out, getting worried when he heard no response. “Amanda,” he tried again, “everything alright?”

Walking into the room, he saw his apprentice laying on the floor next to her latest trap. “Amanda!” he ran over to her just as she regained consciousness and sat up. “What happened?” John asked, helping her sit up and placing a hand on her back.

“What? Oh, I’m fine I think I just- just got a little lightheaded,” Amanda muttered, stumbling back onto her feet.

“Take a seat.”

“I’m good, I’m good, I’m good,” Amanda said, but John knew she was far from being good. Her face was a sickening grey-white, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she began to fall backwards. John had anticipated this, seeing her unsteady on her feet and was quick enough to help break her fall.

“Amanda, you’re not good,” John told her as the young woman’s breathing increased again. He lifted her torso up and held her close to him, beginning to inspect her. She looked thinner than usual, still toned and muscular but less brawny. “Amanda, can you hear me?”

“Wass ‘appening?” Amanda tried to say as she started coming back.

“You’re passing out.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said, hoping that John wasn’t too worried. He felt his heart break for her and helped her to her feet and over to a chair. John was on one knee kneeling in front of her continuing his inspection. He gently took her face in his hands and looked closely.

“When’s the last time you ate something?”

“I don’t know,” Amanda muttered, feeling herself coming out of a haze. Her head felt heavy and she rested it in her hands, relaxing into the chair.

“Did you get any rest like I told you to?” He knew the answer though, no. He knew how important this trap was to her and admired how dedicated she was; however, it seemed Amanda had been neglecting her health while working on her project. This wasn’t the first time Amanda had gotten fixated on one of her traps and stopped taking care of herself, it had happened before.

“Uh huh,” she said, unsure of what John was saying and deciding to agree with him. John could see how unfocused she was and decided to save the rest of his questions for a later time. Right now his apprentice needed his help. He walked into the small kitchen and grabbed some orange juice out of the fridge and brought it over to her. “Drink this, it’ll help your blood sugar.”

She did as was told and drank thirstily. Amanda could feel herself starting to come to and opened her eyes. John was knelt in front of her holding the cap in his hands and watching closely.

“What happened?” She looked around the film for clues not remembering how she got in the chair.

“I went to get some coffee and heard a bang in the room. When I went to inspect it, I saw you passed out,” John explained.

“Oh,” she said. The orange juice was helping and she felt strong enough to stand, but John put his hands on her shoulders. “What? I’m okay,” the brunette insisted.

“No, you’re not. You look like you haven’t slept all week and I can tell you haven’t been eating,” John said.

“I have been! I just ate something like three hours ago.”

“And what was it?”

“Umm…” she thought, her mind was still hazy and she wiped sweat off her forehead, “a cracker.”

He blinked. “A cracker?”

“Yeah, just a cracker,” Amanda replied.

“When’s the last time you had an actual meal?” Amanda opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t remember. Definitely not in the last three days, maybe five? Not this week… last week? She didn’t recall eating a meal, some snacks here and there, but not an actual meal. How long had it been?

“That’s what I thought,” John said, folding his arms across his chest.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve been working on the trap a lot, I’m busy.”

“You need to be able to balance your work and your health, Amanda,” John said, beckoning her to drink more of the orange juice and she obliged.

“I’m sorry John,” Amanda said. “I just wanted to prove to you that I could do this on my own.” John sighed and placed a hand over her own squeezing it lightly.

“Amanda, I am proud of you and all the work you’ve done. But, you’re no good to me if you’re not taking care of yourself.”

The brunette felt her heart skip a beat and blushed, casting a look at the ground. She loved it when John showed her affection, it was something she had rarely gotten from anyone throughout her life. To have someone worried about her and actually care about her well-being was probably the best feeling ever.

“Come with me, let’s get you something to eat,” John said, helping Amanda up and leading her to the kitchen. He sat her down at the table and grabbed some leftovers out of the fridge, heating it up. John sat with his young apprentice while she ate making sure she left not one piece of food left on her plate.

Now that she was listening to her empty stomach, Amanda realized just how hungry she was. She listened intently to John’s philosophy on life as she ate and nodded her head at him. He commended her for her dedication to their work but that she needed to take care of herself. “We’re committed to changing lives, giving people a second chance and making sure they understand just how precious life is. In order to do that we also have to make sure we’re taking care of ourselves.”

Amanda nodded and wiped her mouth with a napkin as she finished the last bit of food on her plate. She was feeling much better now that her stomach was full.

“Feeling better?” John asked.

“Mhm, much better.”

“Only four plates later,” John chuckled, arms folded across his chest in a typical dad pose.

“Yeah, I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Again, I appreciate your dedication but next time remember to eat and sleep. I don’t want you to pass out again,” John said, noticing the bags under his eyes and the bloodshot eyes. “You look exhausted.”

“Mhm, I haven’t really slept a whole lot.”

“I thought you were sleeping during the day.”

“No, I’ve been cleaning up around here, running errands, and following the subjects around.”

“So just to be clear, you work on your traps at night and during the day you take care of everything else?”

“That’s what I’ve been doing.” John said nothing but gave her a pointed look. “What? Someone had to take care of everything else around here!” John sighed and closed his eyes.

“Amanda, why didn’t you ask for any help?”

“I don’t….” She stopped feeling a headache coming on. She didn’t want to tell John her reasons, he had enough to deal with and didn’t need to worry about her too.

“Know how to ask for help?” She nodded, it was partly true. She was used to doing everything by herself and for herself. But she was also not about to pour her heart out to a dying man in front of her.

Amanda grabbed her plate and quickly stood from the table, but John grabbed her arm stopping her. “Let me,” he said.

“But-”

“I said I’ve got it.” She watched as John took her plate and sat back down sighing. He was her plate for her and put it back before beckoning her to follow him.

“I want you to get some rest for the rest of the day.”

“Well, I….” A very stern pointed look kept her from arguing with John and she got up from the table, following him into her room. Amanda wasn’t used to having someone care for her. There had been visits to emergency rooms, friends who had come and gone from her life, a few teachers that stood out, but no one to help her. She could not remember a time where someone had actually taken care of her, until John. Even still, the man had cancer and was dying. He shouldn’t be burdened with having to take care of her.

“John,” Amanda said, walking next to him.

“Hm?”

“You really shouldn’t worry so much about me, you’re the one with cancer. You need rest more than I do, just let me-”

“Enough,” John spoke, opening the door to her room. “You have to stop being a martyr. It’s time for you to let go of your ego and allow someone to take care of you.” Amanda felt her face heating up and blushed as John held the door open for her. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

This was one of those moments she would hold close to her heart, a moment she knew would make her sob once he would be gone. John and Amanda walked inside of the dark room, lit only by a lamp on a bedside table. He was unsurprised to see the bed hadn’t been made, grabbing the comforter and smoothing it out best he could.

Once Amanda crawled into her bed, John sat down next to her and allowed the young woman to rest her head against him.

“Get some rest, Amanda.” She smiled into his chest, breathing in his scent feeling calmer than she ever had.

“I didn’t realize how tired I was,” Amanda said.

“I’m aware,” John replied, resting a hand on her head and smoothing her hair out.

“Goodnight, John.”

“Goodnight, Amanda.”

He watched over her as she slept, rubbing her back and holding her close to him. Years ago, he would have given anything to be able to hold his child, but never got the chance. He feared he would never have another chance to be a father again, but Amanda had changed that for him.

Pride be damned, as long as his heart continued beating, John would watch over her and be there to catch her when she fell. He had a chance to father someone, even under the circumstances. Amanda was a grown adult and John wouldn't get the chance to raise a child from birth into adulthood. Even so, he supposed if this was the best he would get, then it was a gift.

And he would remain a father to the woman as long as he was alive.

xxx