WAR / TORN

as  harper  watched  her  friend  scamper  frantically  around  the  apartment,  she  couldn’t  help  but  laugh.  for  as  long  as  she  could  remember,  she  had  been  the  type  of  person  who  liked  to  be  prepared,  for  any  type  of  situation  —  which  came  in  handy  at  times  like  this.  her  trunk  had  been  packed  and  ready  to  go  for  nearly  a  week  now.  in  hindsight,  she  realized  that  she  probably  should  have  tried  to  help  ariel  get  her  things  together  before  the  last  possible  moment.  though,  with  all  the  thoughts  of  returning  to  school  and  of  seeing  rabastan  and  lachlan  again,  ariel  and  her  inevitable  procrastination  were  the  least  of  her  worries.  not  that  she  was  necessarily  worried  about  seeing  her  either  of  her  boyfriends  —  in  fact,  she  was  excited  to  see  them.  it  was  the  sneaking  around  that  worried  her,  considering  the  state  that  the  wizarding  world  was  currently  in. 

“have  you  checked  the  laundry  room?”  harper  asked  as  she  pushed  herself  off  of  the  couch,  swaying  a  bit  as  she  reached  out  to  grab  the  bottle  of  gigglewater  out  of  her  friend’s  hand.  “you  wore  them  the  other  day,  didn’t  you?  maybe  they’re  still  in  the  dryer.”  she  shrugged,  shooting a  dubious  glance  in  ariel’s  direction  as  she  took  a  long  swing  from  the  bottle.  “don’t  worry,  ariel.  we’ll  find  them,  i  promise.”  setting  the  bottle  back  down  on  the  coffee  table,  harper  looked  around  the  room,  searching  for  kitty.  another  drunken  giggle  escaped  from  her  lips  when  she  spotted  her  other  best  friend.  “kitty,  have  you  seen  them?  ariel’s  having  a  bit  of  a  crisis  over  her  orange  pants.  we’ve  gotta  find  them.”  —  @abbxtt

kitty smothered a delicate  ‘ fuck! ‘  under her breath.   she sat herself on the floor, scrabbling for the bag she’d flung down by the coffee table the second she’d got in from a shift at the fountain of fair fortune;   she knew ariel’s lighter was in there somewhere,  no doubt buried at the bottom of the patchwork bag she’d gotten from some witch at the bar for free when she’d bought a muggle cassette tape off of her   —   a fucking ripoff,  in hindsight,  since kitty didn’t actually have anything she could play cassettes on.   whatever.   the bag was a steal anyway,   since she’d have sworn the witch spelled the bag with an illegal extension charm,  because it seemed bottomless.   she could dig in it for hours for a tin of lip tint and end up finding everything but what she was looking for.   she glanced up at harper,  when she came in,   sparing the other witch a smile.                “ hey,  the pants can be your mission   —                                        I’ve gotta dump out my bag to find ariel’s lighter. “ 

like punctuation to that statement,   kitty did upend her bag,   the lighter not yet in-sight   …   but kitty could feel that it was nearly in reach.   that done,   she paused,   took a moment to think;   swiped the bottle off the coffee table where it’d just barely been in her reach as she did,   took a quick little sip like a reward.   “ actually,  I do think I’ve seen them?   the pants,  anyway. “   she set the bottle back down and abandoned the scattered contents of her bag for a moment,   cupping her hands around her mouth to shout at ariel.   “ hey, mackay!   I saw a scrap of something orange under your kitchen table earlier.   care to share with the class how your trousers ended up in there? “   ——— @vvizardry​

💀​​

     ──    in  hindsight ,   ariel  should’ve  invited  harper  and  kitty  over  much  earlier .   with  the  girls  in  the  apartment ,   there  was  a  level  of  accountability  to  getting  her  shit  together  ─  not  because  she  felt  she  had  to  present  for  them  (  they  were  all  far  too  used  to  each  other  by  now  to  pretend  that  ariel  was  ORGANISED  ) ,   but  perhaps  at  least  harper  and  her  tendency  to  over-prepare  could  have  helped .   now ,   getting  her  trunk  zipped  before  they  had  to  leave  felt  more  unlikely  than  not .   it  was  only  the  second  time  she’d  been  on  her  own  over  summer  break ,   having  rented  the  small  apartment  in  hogsmeade  with  the  money  left  by  her  mother  and  some  help  from  the  bartending  job  she  took  on  breaks .   years  earlier ,   and  her  mother  would  have  been  nagging  her  to  pack  for  weeks  in  advance  just  so  that  she  could  be  ready  at  least  a  few  days  early .   there  was  no  one  here  now ,   though .   (  though  she  had  to  admit ,   she’d  liked  having  her  own  space .   it  wasn’t  like  she  was  alone ,   either .   someone  new  to  warm  her  bed  had  never  gone  awry .   )

        skating  back  towards  her  room ,   ariel  swung  her  head  back  to  harper .   “  the  laundry  room  ?  babe ,   i  haven’t  done  laundry  in ,   like ,   a  week  !  ”  pulling  at  the  drawers  near  her  bed ,   ariel  found  each  one  empty .   by  this  point ,   she  thought  perhaps  she’d  turned  the  whole  flat  upside  down .   hearing  harper  question  kitty  in  the  other  room ,   ariel  yelled  back  through  the  doorway  through  a  short  fit  of  alcohol  prompted  giggles .   “  it’s  more  than  a  BIT  of  a  crisis  ─  i’ll  die  without  those  pants ,   babes ,   i  swear  !  ”

           “  fuck   ,  ariel   .   i  wasn’t  lookin’  for  a  fight  .    you  started  this  conversation   .   you  judged  me   .   don’t  get  angry  just  ‘cause  i  threw  back  what  you  tossed  in  my  face   .  ”   people  were  being  such  assholes   !   jesus   ,   benjy  was  trying  his  damn  hardest  to  turn  his  life  around  and  they  weren’t  making  it  any  easier   .   and  he  felt  it   .   the  sting  of  her  emotions   ,   wearing  him  down  .   he  was  seconds  from  falling  to  the  ground  and  sobbing   ,   the  boy  unsure  of  how  ariel  was  still  standing  with  the  dark  aura  that  smothered  her   .   he  hated  being  a  seer   .   hated  the  empathy   .    “  and  mind  you   ,   no  bigot  is  gonna  step  foot  in  this  place    .    not  tonight   .   i  don’t  know  andromeda   ,   but  something  tells  me  you  don’t  either   .   so  stop  judging  everyone   ,   shit  !   ”   he  scrunched  his  nose  and  walked  off   ,   desperate  to  get  away  from  her  emotions   .   he  couldn’t  feel  them  anymore  lest  he  lose  his  fucking  mind   . 

💀

     ──    ariel  hadn’t  meant  to  yell  ─  well ,   not  really .   she  had  meant  to  bite  back ,   but  he’d  started  it ,   really .   why’d  he  have  to  be  such  an  ass  about  the  college  ?    (  perhaps ,   though ,   ariel  was  more  on  edge  than  usual .   perhaps  she  found  it  easier  to  yell  than  to  be  rational .   she’d  never  been  good  with  grief .   death  was  a  bitch .   )    “  i  did  not ,   you  approached  me  !  ”  as  if  it  made  any  difference  who  started  what .   what  were  they ,   five  ?    “  i’m  not  ─  hey  !  ”  he  stalked  off  before  she  had  any  chance  to  bite  back .   she  didn’t  like  being  yelled  at ,   and  she  certainly  didn’t  like  not  getting  the  last  word .   jesus  ─  she  needed  a  drink .   she’d  drown  the  lump  in  her  throat  away  if  she  had  to .

          “   y’know   ,   you’re  allowed  to  smile    .   doesn’t  make  you  a  bad  person   ,   ”   he  replied   ,   his  eyes  having  witnessed  the  slight  bite  of  her  lip   .   benjy  had  been  to  his  fair  share  of  memorials    ,   he  had  felt  the  unparalleled  sadness  of  mourning  family  members   ,    and  he  knew  damn  well  how  grateful  he  was  whenever  someone  lightened  the  mood   .   that’s  all  he  wanted  to  do   .   jesus   .  he  couldn’t  seem  to  get  anything  right   .   “   wanna  talk  about  the  tragedy  of  our  current  situation   ?   tell  me   ,  ariel   …   how  many  of  your  friends  are  spending  the  minimum  thirty  minutes  to  an  hour  here  before  heading  on  over  to  that  fancy  party  on  your  fancy  campus  ?    ”

   ──    “  for  the  record ,   i’m  well  acquainted  with  being  a  bad  person ,   so  pardon  me  if  i  chose  when  and  when  not  to  smile  at  a  memorial ,   ”  she  drawled ,   the  look  on  her  face  entirely  unamused  though  her  words  feigned  some  sort  of  superiority .   pardon  me .   ariel  didn’t  say  shit  like  that .  .  .   with  a  scowl ,   a  nerve  hit  at  the  very  idea  of  her  friends  being  pompous  assholes ,   she  spat  back  at  him .   “  fuck  that  party .   when  have  i  ever  been  the  type  to  be  FANCY  ?   i  think  you  have  a  gross  misunderstanding  of  who  i  am .   try  saying  that  to  the  fuckin’  purists  who  dared  to  show  their  faces  here .   you  know  i  saw  andromeda  black  earlier  ?    why  don’t  you  rag  on  her  !    her  family  might  as  well  have  snakes  tattooed  on  their  forehead .   my  poor ,   muggleborn  ass  is  doing  just  fine  where  i  am .   ”

strangely  enough,  narcissa  enjoyed  packing  —  she  had  always  found  it  to  be  rather  therapeutic.  not  that  her  life  was  all  that  stressful  to  begin  with,  but  with  the  journey  back  to  school  looming  quite  literally  on  the  horizon,  she  knew  that  she  should  cherish  all  of  the  calm  moments  that  she  was  able  to  get.  throughout  the  years,  narcissa  never  had  any  issues  with  leaving  for  hogwarts  –  though,  this  year  felt  different.  for  the  first  time  in  her  life,  her  classes  were  the  least  of  her  worries.  there  was  a  war  brewing  and,  as  much  as  she  wanted  to,  she  couldn’t  ignore  it  any  longer.  there  was  no  question  of  which  side  narcissa  would  be  taking,  though  that  didn’t  make  the  reality  of  what  was  happening  any  less  harsh. 

as  she  was  going  through  a  mental  checklist  of  things  that  still  needed  to  be  stowed  away  in  one  of  her  many  designer  trunks,  she  heard  the  door  open,  the  familiar  timbre  of  her  sister’s  voice  following  shortly  after.  “i  haven’t  seen  it.”  narcissa  pushed  herself  up  and  off  of  her  bed,  glancing  around  the  room,  searching  for  the  coat  that  andromeda  had  asked  her  about.  “did  you  ask  bella  yet?  i  doubt  she’d  take  something  without  asking  first,  but  you  never  know…”  she  trailed  off,  shrugging  her  shoulders  half-heartedly.  “oh,  well…  come  on,  i’ll  help  you  look  for  it.”  with  a  slight  smile,  narcissa  wrapped  her  arm  around  her  sisters  bicep  and  began  leading  the  way  towards  the  foyer.  “where  should  we  look  first?”

    ──    eyes  glancing  down  at  the  trunks  that  narcissa  was  working  on  packing ,   andromeda  could  not  help  the  amused  smile  that  crept  onto  her  lips .   the  two  sisters  could  not  be  more  different  if  they  tried .   pristine ,   designer  clothes folded  neatly  into  branded  trunks ,   the  blonde  always  seeming  to  have  something  to  prove  ( or  so  andromeda  saw  it ) .   two  rooms  over ,   andromeda’s  clothes  from  when  she  was  sixteen  sat  folded  in  the  trunks  she  had  first  bought  when  she  was  eleven ,   reused  year  after  year ,   wear  and  tear  showing  at  the  seams .   andromeda  had  always  admired  narcissa’s  ability  to  look  her  best  at  any  given  time  ─  she  could  even  recall  when  such  a  priority  might  have  been  her  own ─  it  was  simply  odd  to  wish  for  fashion  advice  from  the  little  girl  andromeda  could  vividly  remember  dressing  out  of  her  diapers .  

         happily  resting  a  hand  on  the  arm  that  had  wrapped  around  her  own ,   andromeda  turned  to  bring  them  back  towards  the  stairs ,   down  to  the  foyer .  “  i  asked  bella ,   but  she  hadn’t  even  a  clue  the  coat  i  was  talking  about .   hence  coming  to  you ,   you  know  my  wardrobe  better  than  myself .   i  thought  perhaps  the  elves  might  have  washed  it ,   we  could  check  the  laundry  downstairs .  ”  leading  them  down  the  steps ,   andromeda  squeezed  cissy’s  hand  and  smiled .  “  you  look  well-packed ,  my  dear .   did  you  bring  that  dress  we  bought  the  other  week ?  you  looked  gorgeous  in  it ,   you  know .   you  should  wear  it  to  that  mixer  they’re  throwing  at  the  college .   lucius  would  surely  swoon . ”

bliss  wasn’t  an  emotion  lily  was  used  to  feeling  .  unfortunately  ,  she’d  long  since  been  exposed  to  the  true  horrors  of  the  world  .  bigotry  ,  loss  ,  marginalization  …  each  experience  piercing  her  soul  and  lodging  itself  within  her  spirit   firmly  .  it  was  odd  ,  for  someone  that  strived  to  see  the  light  in  everything  to  carry  so  much  darkness  around  with  her  like  dead  weight  .  BUT  …  he  came  along  .   with  his  humor  ,  his  bright  smile  and  playful   demeanor  ,  glimmering  hues  that  bore  into  her  soul  .  james  potter  had  renewed  her  faith  in  the  world  with  nothing  more  than  his  existence  and  though  she  was  glaringly  aware  of  the  hold  he  had  on  her  heart  ,  it  remained  unspoken  for  the  moment  .  it  was  almost  as  if  the  young  witch  feared  acknowledging  such  a  beautiful  sentiment  would  somehow  make  it  ephemeral  ,  and  the  joy  would  disappear  .  as  she  floated  back  into  reality  ,  eyes  fluttering  open  to  the  comforting  view  of  her  boyfriend  admiring  her  ,  the  feeling  assaulted  her  once  more  .  a  gentle  smile  stretched  across  her  lips  as  she  nodded  ,  voice  thick  from  her  recent  awakening  .   

 ❛  you’ve  still  got  some  sense  in  you  mr  .  potter  .  i  think  it’s  only  right  for  you  to  make  up  for  the  fact  that  you’re  letting  me  leave  and  worse  yet  ,  are  not  going  with  me  .   ❜  rather  than  let  him  move  away  from  her  to  make  the  aforementioned  breakfast  ,  she  found  herself  nudging  closer  to  his  warmth  ,  claiming  a  soft  kiss  before  her  lips  settled  into  a  deepset  pout  .   ❛  i  haven’t  had   enough  of  you  yet  .   ❜

     ──    it  was  easy  to  imagine  what  a  future  with  lilith  marie  evans  could  look  like  on  mornings  like  this .   waking  up  side  by  side ,   kisses  pressed  to  lips ,   foreheads ,   noses ,   offerings  of  breakfast  and  sweet ,   calm  serenity  blanketing  them  in  peace .   james  had  never  thought  of  himself  as  a  domestic  until  these  mornings  had  begun .  (  now ,   he  would  happily  grow  old  with  her .  )  he  tried  his  best  not  to  think  so  firmly  when  they  were  together .   they’d  agreed  to  call  each  other  partner  on  the  basis  that  they  would  take  things  slow ,   they’d  dip  their  toes  in  the  water  instead  of  diving  in  head  first .   after  all ,   were  they  not  at  war ?  love  amongst  violence  is  a  scary  thing  to  have ,  and  yet ,   james  thought ,   was  it  not  vital ?  love  keeps  you  alive .   a  reason  to  get  up  in  the  morning .          come  to  think  of  it ,   had  james  ever  been  the  type  to  dip  and  not  dive   ?  james  potter  did  things  with  his  whole  heart ,   or  not  at  all .   he  was  terrified  to  tell  her  that  he  was  all  in ,   that  the  water  had  gone  above  his  head  months  ago ,   for  fear  that  she  would  run ,   that  this  wasn’t  what  she  wanted .   he  wanted  this  forever .  

       but  in  this  morning ,   all  those  thoughts  were  far ,   far  away .   when  he  was  with  her ,   it  was  just  her ,   no  fear  of  the  future  or  worrying  of  the  past .   they  were  in  a  bubble ,   together ,   floating  towards  bliss .  

       “  i  guess  you’ll  just  have  to  visit  every  weekend ,   hm ?  what’s  the  use  of  a  flat  all  by  myself  if  i  don’t  have  a  gorgeous  gal  to  share  it  with .  ”  her  pouting  lips  set  a  fire  in  his  heart ,   a  smile  breaking  his  lips  from  ear  to  ear .   he  was  entirely  awake  now ,   and  he  was  going  to  wake  her  up  too .   leaning  in  with  his  own  lips  pouting ,   james  feigned  a  kiss  before  lurching  back  and  grabbing  his  glasses  off  the  night  stand .   shoving  them  on  his  face ,   he  rolled  himself  over  and  straddled  lily ,   flipping  her  upright  so  they  were  nose  to  nose .   with  a  soft  laugh ,   he  leaned  down  to  blow  on  her  neck ,   tickling  her  skin  where  he  knew  it  was  most  sensitive .  “  it’s  time  to  get  up ,   my  dear  lilith !  ”  he  grinned  into  her  neck ,   her  cheek ,   her  collarbone .  “  i  can’t  keep  you  all  to  myself ,   no  matter  how  DESPERATELY  i  want  to !  ”

      “   depends  on  who  ya  ask   ,   ”   he  tossed  by  wryly   ,   his  dark  brow  arching  as  he  appraised  the  girl  before  him   .   sad   .   he  felt  it  .   whether  she  was  sad  given  the  death  or  not   ,   he  couldn’t  tell           but  fuck   ,   he  felt  it  in  his  bones   .   “   where  i  come  from   ,   it’s  an  insult  if  the  flowers  are  still  alive   .   the  dead  can  only  enjoy  that  which  is  in  the  afterlife  with  them   .   ”     it  was  total  fucking  bullshit   ,   but  he  spoke  with  enough  conviction  that  a  nearby  woman  holding  a  bouquet  of  flowers  gasped  before  hiding  the  white  lilies  behind  her  back   .    benjy  pretended  not  the  notice   ,   hiding  his  amusement  with  ease    (   although  he  quickly  remembered  a  GOOD  MAN  wouldn’t  have  been  amused  at  all   )    .   “   okay   ,    it  was  me   .   i  brought  ‘em   …   in  case  you  couldn’t  tell  .   ”   he  offered  with  a  sly  grin   ,   fully  aware  she  probably  knew  the  moment  she  saw  him   .  

💀

Where: Andie’s room, The Black Manor

When: Day before the return to campus

Who: Bella and @vvizardry​

“Did you give me back that black dress you borrowed over the summer?” Bellatrix asked, as she came into her sister’s room, a somewhat pleasant expression on her face. Bella had always disliked packing. Having to work out what clothes she might want to wear in a few months time was difficult. And it wasn’t as if she could take her entire wardrobe. She had way too many clothes to manage that. Luckily, she could pop back home, but that was beside the point. So, she was packing, and that involved having to find clothes that she’d inevitably let her sisters borrow. She plopped onto her sister’s bed, and made herself comfy. “I want to take it back to college with us. It’s a good date dress.” And Bella liked a good date.

  ──    looking up as bella entered the room ,  andromeda continued idly folding clothes ,  stacking them neatly in her well-worn trunk like it was second nature  ( at this point, it practically was ) ,  pausing only to clear some room on the bed for bellatrix to lounge .  the question was innocent enough ,  but it took everything in andie not to freeze  ─  it was a good date dress .  hence the reason she’d slipped it on to see ted .  of course ,  bella didn’t know this  ─  she’d freak if she knew her dress had been touched by a MUGGLEBORN  ─  and so andromeda simply furrowed her brow as if in thought before replying .  “  actually ,  no ,  sorry ,  i believe i left it with the elves to be washed .  it should be in the pile they left downstairs ,  they did the laundry yesterday .  ” andromeda’s hands came to a stop ,  a soft sigh falling from her lips as she leaned towards her sister ,  resting on the folded clothes in her trunk .  “ planning a few dates then ,  are we ?  any lucky man in particular ?  ”

   Punctuality was never Sirius Black’s forte. Which is why it’s no surprise that instead of hastily unpacking his bags in his new dormitory room or getting all dolled up to attend one of the events on campus, he was instead flying over the London skyline on a rather NOISY motorbike. He had been on what was an extended holiday before it was time for him to go to school. His travels taking him to exciting, exotic places that he really didn’t want to leave. So, because of this wanderlust, he was late to the first day at the notorious campus of Hogwarts College. Not that he was really bothered by his lack of punctuality.          No, the young man was confident and cool as ever as he finally spotted the campus buildings through the haze of the clouds. Without much thought, the former Black heir steered his motorbike into a landing in front of one of the campus buildings. His tardiness making him blissfully unaware of any of the planned events for the evening. As a result, his expression turned into confusion as a pair of students crossed his path dressed in some of their evening finery. He shut off the rumbling roar of his motorbike as he casually leaned back in the seat with his arms crossed.         ❝ Late to the party and underdressed? What a spectacle I’m making of myself, ❞ He spoke aloud with a low whistle.

     ──    it would have been stupid to assume that james would be anywhere but the memorial on a night if clashes .  of course ,  james himself had never attended hogwarts college ,  and even if he had ,  he’d never had any particular interest in muggle literature ,  and therefore he had never met professor cornfoot .  but his presence would not be one of grief .  it was solidarity .  james had made his position in this world’s tension clear when he’d refused to attend the scheme college (  made specifically to undermine britain’s greatest wizard  ) ,  and he would simply be remiss not to show his face and support the man who had been an outspoken muggle supporter . 

        at quarter to seven ,  it was not yet that james had made an appearance at the three broomsticks .  having spent the day helping lily unpack her things in her dorm ,  he was still lingering on the campus ,  now waiting in the courtyard for his girlfriend to finish getting ready before they would head to the pub together .  it was in waiting that james heard the familiar hum coming from the skies .  he looked up just in time to watch sirius come roaring to a stop right near him ,  a grin splitting his face in two .  “  what took yer so long ?  ”  he shouted ,  jogging quickly over to where his best mate had ‘ parked ’ .  “ looking like a right tool too ,  eh ?  i’m sure lily’s got a LOVELY dress you could borrow ,  if ya like .  we’re headed into hogsmeade .  not a date ,  bit more of a ,  er ...  somber occasion .  ”

if alecto was being honest,   then she supposed she liked professor cornfoot as much as the next person.                 not any more than the next person;   but she’d liked him a perfectly reasonable amount for someone who’d spent a semester in one of his classes,  talking muggle literature like she wasn’t the sort of girl who had to hide away her copies of tolstoy when she was back home.   she’d certainly liked him more than the frazzled professor of magical literature. 

                      none of that meant she could,  or would,  or should,   attend the hasty little memorial she’d been told about.   

her parents would have her head if they heard there’d been a mixer on campus that she didn’t attend.   she didn’t know how such news would get back to them but always did   —   so alecto donned one of her finer frocks and wove her way through travers hall.

                  “ they certainly cleaned this place up,  no? “   she didn’t bother glancing at the person coming up next to her,   at the little table with the self - pouring bottles of bubbly.   “ my first - year roommate spent more mornings than not tossing up the previous night’s hangover in the bins usually tucked in the corner.   looking at all the smart decorations now,  I almost can’t conjure up the memory.” 

      ──    rita skeeter was no fool  ─  if she needed to be in two places at once ,  she could be .  of course, she didn’t have to be there to ‘ be there ’ ,  did she ?  she’d spent years building up a reputation ,  and like here or not ,  you could respect her .  it was all too easy to have the knowledge of someone in attendance with a few hints from ‘ friends ’ .        the only real question had been which event she would truly situate her person in .

             professor cornfoot had been as reasonable professor as any .  if rita was honest ,  muggle literature had never been her favourite subject ,  but the darling man had always tried his hardest to make the subject interesting for his students .  ( worthwhile, even .  )  he’d not exactly been a standout , though . he was simply there .  and now he wasn’t .  and rita wasn’t particularly bothered with marking that in any special way .

             a party was much more rita’s style ,  a  ‘ mixer ’  if they wanted to call it that .  with a glittering gold dress and equally shining gold jewellery ,  rita was thrilled for the opportunity to dress herself to the nines and partake in a night of what was sure to be gossip.

             with a smile ,  rita looked up at alecto ,  delicate fingers picking at the stem of a champagne flute before she finally decided to take it for herself .  “ sounds like you had QUITE the roommate ,  my dear , ”  she purred ,  taking a slow sip from the glass ,  eyes peering over the rim at the other .  “ they’ve certainly made me feel rather smart ,  almost like this college is a long-lived beloved establishment !  beauty is always seeking to make us blind . ”

              what  does  one  bring  to  an  unofficial  memorial   ?    everyone  knew  an  official  memorial  warranted  a  beheaded  chicken  and  leather  chaps   (   he  thought  in  jest   )   .   but  an  unofficial  one   ?    the  three  broomsticks  already  had  the  booze   .   bunny  said  he  should  bring  his  third  eye          benjy  responded  with  a  swift  middle  finger  when  she  wasn’t  looking   .    

              something  felt  WRONG  and  he  couldn’t  figure  out  why    ;    he  just  knew  he  needed  to  be  there   .    so  he  arrived  with  having  chosen  a  bouquet  of  dead  flowers   .    foolish  medium  thought  it  would  be  humorous   ,   as  he  found  it  too  easy  to  spot  the  comedy  within  the  tragedy   ,   but  several  furrowed  brows  aimed  in  his  direction  seemed  to  disagree   .    “   found  these  outside   ,    ”    he  muttered  with  an  added  tsk   ,   tsk   .   “  who  would  do  such  a  thing   ?   not  me  .    ”

💀

       ──    who  gave  everyone  else  the  right  to  be  sad  at  a  pub ?  fuck  that .   ariel  had  been  sure  she’d  had  that  on  lock.  usually  the  three  broomsticks  was  bustling  and  alive  with  enjoyment ,   liquid  serotonin  sliding  down  throats  and  keeping  the  establishment  warm  and  cozy  while  ariel  moped  in  the  corner  with  her  hand  wrapped  around  her  sixth  glass  of  gin.  at  a  time  like  this ,   the  hogsmeade  pub  should  have  been  thriving ,   and  instead  an  eery  cloud  seemed  to  hum  over  the  room ,   drowning  out  the  smiles  and  replacing  them  with  mournful  frowns ─  ariel  was  far  from  the  only  SAD  one  in  the  pub.

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧:  two  day’s  before  classes  start

𝐰𝐡𝐨:  @macmillcns​  &  @abbxtt​​

        ──    noise  filtered  into  every  open  crevice  of  the  tiny  flat  ariel  had  called  home  these  last  few  months .   the  record  player  sat  perched  on  the  kitchen  counter ,   blasting  its  third  round  through  fleetwood  mac’s  rumours ,   sock-covered  footsteps  clattered  across  the  hardwood  floors  as  they  ran  from  room  to  room ,   the  occasional  scream  cutting  through  the  music  loud  enough  to  be  heard  three  streets  away .   ariel  had  always  been  a  bit  disorganised .   ever  since  her  days  at  hogwarts ,   her  trunk  had  only  ever  been  packed  at  the  ultimate  LAST  MINUTE ,   stretched  as  far  as  time  could  go  before  panic  set  in .   with  classes  set  two  start  in  two  day’s  and  their  dorms  waiting  for  them  to  arrive  tomorrow ,   ariel  was  beyond  flustered  trying  to  pretend  she  had  her  shit  together (  it  was  blindingly  obvious ,   by  the  way ,   that  she  did  not  ) . 

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧: the morning before classes starts

𝐰𝐡𝐨: @cissuhs​​

         ──    𝐬𝐡𝐞  𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭  𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞  𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧  nearing  the  end  of  her  studies  at  hogwarts  college ,   but  andromeda  still  was  not  used  to  the  idea .   it  felt  odd ,   to  be  twenty-one ,   to  be  grown  and  to  still  be  running  around  like  she  was  twelve ,   preparing  to  go  back  to  ‘  school  ’  for  yet  another  year  of  education .   cygnus  and  druella  were  insistent  that  the  school  was  a  mandatory  part  of  the  deconditioning  of  the  RUBBISH  they  had  been  taught  by  albus  dumbledore  ─  and  while  andromeda  didn’t  quite  agree  with  this  sentiment ,   she  was  still  rather  fond  of  the  idea  of  becoming  a  healer ,   and  it  was  becoming  less  and  less  likely  she  could  achieve  this  without  the  shiny  stamp  of  honour  the  college  provided  on  her  resume .   still ,   these  days  before  they  went  back  felt  like  the  worst  kind  of  deja  vu ,   as  if  they  were  still  children ,   entirely  unprepared  for  what  the  world  had  in  store  for  them . 

𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧: the morning before classes starts

𝐰𝐡𝐨: @lilyevuhns​

          ──  𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞  𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 ,   whatever  it  was  they  had  here .   james  had  never  slept  so  soundly  until  he’d  slept  next  to  her .   in  these  moments  between  when  he  awoke  and  when  her  lashes  would  flutter  open ,   he  thought  perhaps  she  was  at  her  most  beautiful .  at  peace .   with  a  gentle  hand ,   james  reached  up  to  gently  brush  a  strand  of  hair  from  lily’s  cheek ,   tracing  the  contours  of  her  jaw  before  he  tucked  his  hand  back  under  his  head .   he  matched  his  breathing  to  hers ,   relishing  in  the  harmony  they’d  created ,   smiling  softly .  when  they  were  this  close ,   he  didn’t  need  his  glasses  ─  he  could  see  every  inch  of  her  face ,   and  his  heart  beat  just  that  bit  faster  as  he  thought  of  how  he’d  kiss  her  when  she  woke .   it  was  times  like  these  when  he  could  hear  his  friends  voices  in  the  back  of  his  head  ─  why  don’t  you  just  tell  her ?  what  is  there  to  lose ?  you  clearly  love  each  other  so  much .  but  they  didn’t  need  to  say  it  when  they  woke  up  next  to  each  other ,   when  she  was  the  first  thing  he  saw  in  the  morning .   these  moments  were  rare ,   they  had yet to  live  together ,   but  they  were  relished  ─  and  it  was  there .   the  love  that  the  poets  aspired  for .   he  wasn’t  going  to  say  it  in  haste .