#therry

111: ScorpiusPercy

       Scorpius liked to think Percy had matured by the time the Malfoy heir entered his life, wrapping up his Auror training and haunting Percy's office in his free time. After all, it didn't take long for Percy to figure out Scorpius' intentions, and the divorcé was receptive to friendly lunch dates…and friendly touches…and friendly snogs.

      "Who knew divorce was the answer to happiness?" he jested one day in Scorpius' arms, face red and happy.

      But his words stung. Clearly Percy had forgotten divorce plagued Scorpius' parents and grandparents.

      Clearly Percy still had some maturing to do. By himself.

112: RoseLavender

      Everyone wants to compare you to your mother, but, here you are, repeating your father's mistakes.

      You don't think of being with Lavender as a mistake. You fell for her—truly, you did; she wasn't the first available witch to snog upon leaving Hogwarts, embracing your love of witches—and you worked hard to convince her that this isn't a ploy, that this is real, that Rose Weasley is her own person and doesn't want the life laid out for her by her parents.

      But if this love is real, then why is the name "Astoria" on your lips still?

113: TheoTerry

      As the Slytherins aged and Draco drew a Dark destiny for himself, Theodore wandered outside his House for companionship on his level. The quickest, shrewdest tongue (that wasn't Theo's) belonged to Ravenclaw's Boot.

      Initially, Terry thought it some long game. "I mean, won't you be missed from your crowd if you're with me all the time?"

      Theodore leaned in close, wondering how sharp that tongue tasted. "They're not my crowd," he corrected.

      "Maybe," Terry conceded, "but your father—"

      Theodore bristled at the insinuation that he might follow in that bastard's footsteps. So he backed off Terry.

      A sharp tongue, indeed.

114: MeganLeanne

      After Hogwarts, things were supposed to be different. That's what Megan thought, at least.

      "Oh, you made plans for us on Saturday?" Leanne remarked when she came home from visiting Hannah at the pub. She tapped the date on the calendar. "Let me double-check that Katie doesn't have a game then. I could've sworn it was a practice match, but still."

      Megan had spent two years pining for, three years loving, and another one living with Leanne. Yet the presence of Katie Bell still loomed large in their lives.

      (Not for long, if this breakup proceeded on Saturday as planned.)

115: DemelzaRitchie

      "It will heal." "You will fly again." "Players recover from the worst all the time."

      Demelza runs out of things to say after the second match she and Ritchie play together, finally playing on a professional team. Falmouth seemed like an easy choice; yes, Ginny makes playing for Holyhead look like a blast, but Falmouth's the only team that made Ritchie an offer, so Falmouth for Demelza, too. They do say to follow your heart.

      But Bludgers barreling Ritchie off his broom and into brambles shatters his chances of a career when he doesn't recover properly. It shatters them, too.

116: AliceLucius

      "The war's over. Your comrades are gone," Alice said. She sipped her tea. There was no need for violence or wands in a public setting. She knew he'd rather save face.

      "Not every last one was a comrade," Lucius corrected. He squinted at how she calmly reclined in her café chair. "…we each have our families. But, Alice, please know—the war isn't over, not by a long shot."

      Alice sat up a little straighter. "Lucius, if this is a trap—"

      He stood to leave but leaned in close, his words urgent, concerned whispers. "Be warned: They're coming for you."

117: DeanAstoria

      She found him after Ginny in sixth year. She offered a kind word and conjured up a flower.

      Astoria found him again after the final battle. After the previous night and day spent exhausting their magic, sitting with Dean was better than words and flowers.

      But then he found her, after Seamus saw the announcement in the paper. Dean didn't ask Astoria about the engagement or how she felt about taking the Malfoy name in a year's time, even though she was half a year out of school by then.

      They were good at comforting each other, and nothing more.

118: LavenderRomilda

      She's a sexy witch. No one blames you for trying out the other team. (If someone does, give them a blasting—you're Lavender fucking Brown, for Godric's sake!)

      Romilda's ace at potions, criminally so, and dreams of opening up a shop someday. "I'll use magic my mum taught me and support myself and my partner," she claims. How bold!

      Yet it makes you wonder. Are you just a witch looking to be pampered and taken care of (as everyone suspects)? Greyback maimed you, yes, but you're not an invalid in St. Mungo's.

      But what if Romilda sees you that way?

119: MargeAmos

      Marge didn't agree with Vernon's opinion of Petunia's sister's group…not all of them. That Amos boy Lily hung out with talked a smooth game and had Marge debating joining the modern era. Maybe it was time to embrace the 1970s and all it had to offer before the 1980s came and swallowed them up.

      But Amos' group had their reasons for keeping separate. He made the mistake one evening of casting a spell—

      "Magic is real?" she asked.

      "Yes," he confessed. "We're from very different worlds, Margie."

      "But what if I joined you?"

      He only liked a non-magical Marge.

120: ScabiorDraco

      Scabior writhed in pain on the floor of Malfoy Manor. The entire time, he tried to keep his eyes closed.

      Because, while closed, he wouldn't have to see Draco's impassive expression.

      Shitty little thing… Scabior should've known better, taking this assignment, coming around the manor often. Eye candy should stay eye candy. When feelings got involved… When hope flared to life…

      Well, it hurt him that much more now, to have Draco stand by on the sidelines and do nothing while Bellatrix enjoyed torturing Scabior after yet another Snatcher screw-up.

      So it was true, then: Cruelty ran in their blood.

Remarks for—

Ch112: Can't help the nod to my 1st Lavrose fic, "The Sky's the Limit."

Ch114: I always liked the idea of Katie having a bestie outside her House and year, but I can only imagine the potential trouble that might've caused others in their lives who refused to accommodate their friendship.

Ch116: An intriguing concept: A Lucius who might've warned someone for whom he cared on the other side! I just thought it'd be different, considering the Longbottoms were attacked later on, so *shrugs.* AliceLucius hijinks? Idk.

Ch119: I will always love the Margamos ship. (Go read "Way Back Then," folks.)

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

 "I can't understand

What makes a man

Hate another man

Help me understand"

—Depeche Mode, "People Are People"

%%%%%%%%%%

Man is only ever at war

with h.i.m.s.e.l.f

No matter how you see it,

you know it to be

TRUE

Forget the

"injustices of the world"

Y O U

are the cause of all your problems, weak boy

%%%%%%%%%%

So you aren't a boy any more

bigdeal

Take a look at the w-o-r-l-d

Nature isn't the enemy

If Nature is the enemy,

then it is Man's

fault

for making, influencing

Nature in that way

As for your horrid nature,

get a

L_I_F_E

You always bowed down to your

"circumstances" &

you know you won't ever stand up to them

%%%%%%%%%%

Society—such an evil

But guess what?

That's Man's fault, too

First there was Man

& then…

came society

Man created society

Man c~o~r~r~u~p~t~e~d society

&& society has since then corrupted

Man's later generations

What else explains the servants of the Dark Lord?

%%%%%%%%%%

Man also doesn't fight

M A N

Physically, maybe

Emotionally…

s~o~m~e~t~i~m~e~s

But the reality is that

there's a reason

Man cannot fight Man

(& you know this, weak boy, as your determination fades as those sharp but kind eyes chance upon yours &&

F!I!N!A!L!L!Y

someone can see through you, though you kick yourself,

wondering,

"Why him?")

& that reason's

sogoddamnfuckingS-C-A-R-Y

because…

%%%%%%%%%%

There is only

Man

(vs.)

S e L F

(& it's why you screamed on the inside as your father burned that Mark into your arm)

Because Man sees

himself

in everything else

(Nature, society, your fellow man)

& it's why he can & can't hate all that's around him

because he would hate himself

& it's why you

(you mindless, feeble babychick)

abhor the eyes you have found

because they look at you with

concern

and that hand reaches out for you to grab hold

and that face only shows

e-m-p-a-t-h-y

when you know it should show

f_e_a_r

But it's much too late now

You never stood up to your

"destiny"

so why should you start now?

Be the evil that has

Marked you

Be the devil that has (& will)

take(n) countless lives

Be what you hate

M O S T

(&& you catch those eyes & seize that hand & hurt the heart that feels for you all in an effort to control some part of your life, go ahead & hate)

y_O-u_R-s_E-l_F

aaaice. B) Philosophical. Kinda. XD This was inspired a bit by something one of my teachers said and an exercise in writing I did years ago… And I managed to make it dark & slashy! Take that! *lol*

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