AU: Gone are the days of betrothal contracts at a young age. It is commonplace for the pureblood elite to finish their education and have more of a hand in the selection of their life partner. However, quite often the marriages are still decided more on social standings than affection or love. Now that she is out of school the time has come for Narcissa’s decision. Everyone expects a contract to be in place soon between Narcissa and Lucius, but Philip and Narcissa have been close since they were kids. Perhaps just maybe this contract will be decided by something more.

[Philip arrived at the Black Manor for his usual weekly afternoon tea with Narcissa. Armed with a large bouquet of her favorite flowers. He wasn’t certain that he could at all affect her decision, he could only hope she felt the same connection. He was bent though on enjoying his time with Cissa if this was the last of it they had before she was betrothed.]

AU: Xeno and Clara are muggle university students. She never has coins for laundry, so she ends up sneaking things into other loads. One day, Xeno is stuck with this and has to deal with deciding what he is supposed to do with clothes that are very much not his.

[Not noticing anything off at first as he pulls his clothes out of the dryer, he plans on folding while he waits for his other load to finish. He hasn’t made very much progress when he comes across unmistakably feminine underwear when he drops back into the pile immediately. Someone walks in then, and he spares a glance back before returning to his basket. Quick examination reveals that’s not all of it, and he begins to think that he grabbed the wrong load but no, much of this was definitely his. Perplexed, he’s digging through it, trying to figure out what happened - he could have sworn he was the only one that did laundry at midnight on a Thursday - without attracting the attention of the stranger in there with him]

AU: Having gone to a few more quidditch games and gotten drinks after, Davey finally asks Hope out on a real date. A few weeks later, things haven’t changed all that much except that they’ve switched the routine a bit to include things like dinner, but slowly falling for her, Davey decides to plan a surprise it’s cooking no one is surprised and sends her a note telling her to meet him in the kitchens late on a Wednesday. Knowing the ins and outs of the castle in his quest to find everything dangerous, it’s not hard for him to get in undetected and set up with the help of the elves. hopeborgin

[hearing the portrait open, Davey doesn’t hesitate to turn to it] Okay, wait. Close your eyes and try this. [He’s smiling widely as he dips a spoon and the sauce and moves to hold it up just in front of her face] What do you think?

but only the fearless can be great

AU: After a couple months of working as a referee, Davey realized he didn’t exactly enjoy it. He quit his job, took the money he’d earned, and leased a small property in London. Another month was spent turning it into a restaurant, and he was finally doing what he loved most - cooking. He had to refine his techniques a bit, but in it’s first month, Mixed Tastes went from an unknown joint to one of the most exclusive meals for wizards and muggles alike. With just ten tables, the restaurant has been doing incredibly well. The risk? Well, the menu is up to Davey’s discression, so there’s no saying what someone may get on any given night.

[Having been called out of the kitchen, Davey leaves the food in the hands of his small staff before walking to a table in the back that had asked to speak with the chef. Unsure what he is getting himself into, he puts on a smile as he approaches the person, talking before he sees them] I’m Davey Gudgeon, head chef. What can I do for you?

AU: Muggle school and Davey were not a good combination, and not because he couldn’t control his magic. On his third school, he’d already made a reputation as a troublemaker and is on thin ice from the school. That being said, he has made a friend and he will do anything to get her to lighten up.

AU: Loyalty to his family and himself was Brice’s defining trait, so at age 11, he was sorted into Hufflepuff. Not taught the pureblood ideologies from his classmates, he never shunned Marie Fay and an all around more upbeat person. Not much changed in his life - he was never overly motivated when it came to his classes and he went on to work at Apothecary after graduation. Only now something nice can actually be said about his service.

[Immediately stands up from the shelf he’d been restocking when the bell over the door rings. It had been a slow day, and every customer was receiving his full attention.] How can I help you on this fine afternoon?

AU: Brice is sentenced to Azkaban after the end of the first war. Leaving behind Francesca was probably the hardest part, and despite not having been in prison long, he’s already falling apart. He has no idea that she’s coming to visit - how would he - until she is standing immediately outside of her cell.

[He can hear the shuffle of footsteps, a break from the silent gliding of the dementors the only noise coming from their cloaks against the stone walls. It’s not worth looking, though. It would only drag him down deeper to see people with freedom, especially if they were bringing in a new prisoner. The movement seem to stop outside of his cell, though, so he pulls himself to his feet and moves to the bars. 

It takes a moment to process what he’s seeing. She is standing in front of him as he had been hoping for so long, relying on it never happening. She wasn’t supposed to be here. He never would have wished it on her. But she is. She is right there. He wraps his fingers around the cold metal separating them, knowing he’s not allowed to, but he doesn’t care in that moment. She’s here. She’s so close. He wouldn’t push his luck and reach out to her, but he could if he wanted to. He still isn’t able to smile, but he feels lighter than he has since being sentenced.]

Francesca.

AU: Despite initially having been pushed into it by Francesca’s father, Brice can’t say he hasn’t developed feelings for her on his own. They are a few months into the betrothal, and things are good. He’s happy. That is until everything changes when Francesca finds a letter from early in Brice’s correspondence with her father]

[Entirely unaware of the mess he’s walking into, Brice swings open the door to his flat with a smile. He only has so long left here, and while he won’t miss the place, he can’t say he’s upset to leave it behind. He’s pleasantly surprised to see Francesca sitting in his kitchen, even if it had become a fairly regular thing since giving her a key. He moves to the cupboards, entirely oblivious as he addresses her] Fancy seeing you here. How has your day been?