A/N: Hello, people!
I don't own Harry Potter.
I have no beta.
ENJOY!
CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON.
-The nails situation has improved a bit, but they're still long af. But they
aren't getting caught in anything now! I think I've mastered this art!
~.O.~
Albus deciding to revive the Order of the Flaming Flamingos had been what told Severus that his summer was going to be rubbish from beginning to end. Especially since the old goat seemed to think that Severus had no other things to dedicate his entire life to and therefore had to be on call at every minute of the bloody afternoon.
The darkening of the Mark had truly been a cause for alarm, no doubt about that. When the Mark did not burn with the Dark Lord's immediate call for his followers to join his newly resurrected self, it became even more concerning. Especially after Potter had given him a warning that the Dark Lord might be active that night a few weeks ago.
And then the Mark lost most of its colouration, returning to a familiar pale grey instead of the dark black it had been for only a few minutes. It all happened in time for Karkaroff to flee like a coward and for Severus to alert Albus of the change - both of them actually - and start this whole mess all over again.
He hadn't taken the real truth of the matter to the old goat yet. The Potter twins had trusted him not to and Severus wasn't on Albus' side no matter how much the older wizard desperately believed it so. And while he personally felt the Order of the Phoenix to be a ridiculous, fool's dream on the Light Lord's part, it was useful to an extent.
The Ministry simply lacked everything necessary to be efficient these days. Especially under the leadership of one Ernest Vaun Pyrites. The Slytherin-hating dunderhead wasn't someone meant for politics. Not only because he was inept, but because he hadn't even been a politician to begin with, so he didn't have the training necessary to see things done properly.
And it was glaringly obvious that he wasn't receiving any tutoring on his position either. Blunder after blunder made Severus wonder just how incompetent the general populace was that voted for the moron. Then again, they had fallen for Lockhart's act when his vast claims never added up in the first place, so maybe it wasn't too shocking how stupid people were.
Should the Dark Lord return to power soon, or his remaining followers decide to act out in memoriam, the Order of the Phoenix would have far better chances against such evils than the Auror Force would. Too long had the Aurors been corrupted by undercover Death Eaters and Voldemort sympathisers. Albus' little ragtag group of misfits would be their community's best chance against an uprising unfortunately. They had no other choice truly.
What Severus wasn't looking forward to were all the old faces. No matter the amount of political backlash or dramatic public faux pas that one might find themselves embroiled in, if they were against Voldemort, then they had a one-way entry into Dumbledore's little group of do-gooders.
Such an example came in the form of Mundungus Fletcher, who was a literal thief and black market dealer, and had been such even in school. Yet Dumbledore was perfectly fine with him being among the members of the Order because he was slippery and good at getting around undetected. Also, Voldemort's reign was bad for his illegal business as he was a Halfblood. And no, he had not been in Slytherin. Contrary to popular belief, not every person who ended up in a shady type of business was an alumnus of the House of Snakes.
"Something happened to Voldemort," Albus began, steadily ignoring the flinching coming from every corner of the room they were all meeting in. In the bloody Hog's Head no less. "His power had returned, but then it vanished. Hours later, Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew were found dead in Hogsmeade. We need to find out the details connecting these events. James, have you learned anything?"
Oh yes, James Potter was once more in the Order. Lily was nowhere to be seen of course, but she wouldn't be particularly useful in any case as she was pregnant and pregnancy threw the magical core within, out of balance. James was an Auror once more and had access to the Ministry just like Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Whatever Potter's past actions, he was still anti-Voldemort so he was still in the Order and still considered to be useful to Albus' machinations.
"Skeeter's observations were spot on. The Unspeakables got involved and took the bodies and we cannot talk about what we personally learned from them due to a Vow."
That revelation did not stop Dumbledore. In fact, he took it with the ease of a man familiar with working around magical vows. At this thought, Severus wasn't shocked in the least. "Ms. Skeeter, while often at odds with me, was willing to provide a copy of her memory from seeing the bodies firsthand in exchange for something of equal value at a later date," that was a dangerous bargain to make, "and I have written down many of my own observations. I simply want you to read this list and circle the things you agree with, and cross out things that are incorrect. Do not try to speak or the Vow will activate and bind your entire body."
A piece of parchment and a muggle pen were handed over. Of course Albus would know a way around a vow. The word 'talk' was the clincher. If Potter remained quiet, then he could work around the Vow he'd been forced to take by his employer. People were honestly so stupid as to not consider all angles.
The rest of the members of the Order had to sit back while this little task was accomplished. Severus hated waiting the most. Despite how Albus liked to think he was different from the Dark Lord, he handled things nearly exactly the same. And instead of using the Cruciatus Curse to obtain what he believed to be positive results, he would guilt trip or put a certain member through something so disgustingly sentimental that in Severus' personal opinion it was just as torturous as suffering through the effects of an Unforgivable!
Eventually Potter handed the parchment back and Dumbledore's spectacles glinted as he looked it over. "Just as I thought," he noted sagely. "There were two people involved in the murders of Bellatrix and Peter. One for each. Bellatrix was treated more savagely."
"Two?" Molly Weasley echoed in disbelief. "Who could possibly be powerful enough to go up against Lestrange? She's... his right hand!"
And that was the biggest question. He had a feeling he knew what had happened since the Potter twins told him they went to deal with the Dark Lord along with that Tom friend of Belladonna's. Three on three. He could envision it perfectly. Night was the strongest of the students and would face the Dark Lord, and Belladonna was the better duelist between her and her twin so she would have taken on Bellatrix without a second thought, leaving Prunella to deal with Pettigrew.
This was concerning though. The Unspeakables felt it necessary to involve themselves with the investigation, and no one outside the Department of Mysteries truly knew what was going on behind those doors. This could cause problems for the twins in the long run if the magical skills of the Unspeakables was further along than anyone knew. While he personally didn't believe they'd done anything wrong, who knew what the Ministry officials would do if they found out about it.
Belladonna was a Slytherin and both were Parselmouths because of their relation to Salazar Slytherin. With Pyrites in office, anything terrible could happen right under the noses of the community.
"We're going to need to find out more about their deaths. It is imperative to understanding whatever pull Voldemort might still have left,' said Albus, once again ignoring the flinching of those gathered.
In Severus' humble opinion, Albus was far too persnickety when it came to anything remotely serious. Always focusing on the least important things with an alarming attention to trivial details instead of looking at the whole scenario. Revealing who killed two Death Eaters wasn't nearly as important and finding out how the Dark Lord lost form once more. But then again, this was Albus too many bloody names Dumbledore and of course he wasn't right in the head. That bit was public knowledge by now. He was toeing the lone of death and was a little more than a decade off from meeting his life expectancy of one hundred and fifty years.
Thankfully, it looked like Moody was on the same page as Severus. The old Auror stomped his fake leg thrice and cleared his throat. "While I'm certain the killers of the Death Eaters are absolutely interesting, they did take down our enemies and not our allies, so I've elected to not focus on them at this point in time. I want to know what happened to Voldemort!"
A low murmuring of agreement rumbled through the room even as nearly everyone flinched upon hearing that blasted name. Albus looked downtrodden, but nodded. "Yes, yes. Severus, have you heard from Karkaroff recently?"
"No. The coward has completely vanished. He knows what will happens if any of his former associates were to get a hold of him."
"And has anyone spotted Barty Crouch Jr.?"
A series of negatives were his answers. Severus had almost forgotten about his existence entirely.
"Then I suppose all we can do is be ready and waiting."
In the former Death Eater's opinion, that simply wasn't good enough. He could only hope that Belladonna Potter and her lot had some idea of what they were going to do to handle this situation. Severus didn't have much faith in the Light any longer.
Mione,
Do you ever sometimes sit back and wonder what the world would be like if
certain people hadn't been born at all? Would anything you know personally
be any different? Would there be a noticeable shift at all? Or are we all just
so inconsequential in the long run?
I know this isn't really a topic one wants to have a discussion on at any time,
of the day. It often means we being forced to confront our own mortality and
the fleeting bit of life we have been granted upon birth. But still!
Personally, I believe that only a select few people are important enough to
change the course of history with their very existence. You've heard about
the prophecy that involves Voldy and the Chosen One, I'm sure. And you do
know by now that that is Bella and not Prue who left him incorporeal for so
long.
Think about it. If old snakeface had actually managed to do what he'd been
planning that night all those years ago, then things as we know them would
actually be VERY different. Without his body being destroyed, stripping him
of most of his powers, and his rise to ultimate domination being interrupted,
Magical Britain would be facing something completely different right now!
And who knows what would be happening around the world in response?
I think only certain people mean anything worthwhile in the Grand Scheme
if that's what you want to call it. Like Bella, and you, and Bella's friend Tom,
and even Voldy. But what about the rest of us? Is there any worth for us all
beyond holding a place-setting for another's potential time here on this
floating rock?
Just thinking about stuff and feeling inadequate about it all. Squibs aren't
usually known for changing anything. Whether you and Bella succeed with
your plan in regards to that or not, will it make any difference at all? Won't
there still be a stigma around our birth? How are we to convince those who
are in charge, that it's their fault their children are born with physical and
magical deformities? Stupid don't often like to be reminded that they are
stupid, as I'm sure you've learned. It's like talking to a brick wall really.
I'm sure you've noticed that most of the Purebloods raised in the magical
world tend to be a bit uppity. How are you going to get them all to agree to
nixing their ward stones and deciding that rearing their children in the most
non-magical areas is important? I am not really seeing how this is going to
work tbh. Or perhaps I'm just too fatalistic about all of this. Pessimism is a
trait I suffer far too much from unfortunately. I've been recently diagnosed
with Anxiety and it explains so much! I can't go anywhere or do anything
without wondering about how it all can go to shite.
Hope your summer's going better than mine.
Amara.
"It's huge!"
Aaliyah nodded as Bella turned her injured leg back and forth. The kid had been practicing her Quads, claiming she felt old enough and responsible enough to dedicate more time to them. Since she would technically be turning seventeen in September thanks to repeated use of a magical time travel device, Aaliyah couldn't really argue against her claims.
The kid had sprouted too. Not much in terms of height. She gained two whole centimeters since her Second Year at Hogwarts, but she had been filling out more in other ways. Her face had completely thinned out by now, and she was pretty well-toned everywhere. Aaliyah would best describe it as being even. Nothing drastic above or below the waist. Perhaps lightly pear-shaped but in the athletic sense.
As stated many times before, Bella's breasts would never become anything too taxing to manage. Not if she kept her training up. All the burning of calories and tightening of the muscles would make it a long while before she started growing breasts that were too noticeable.
Still, it was evident that her adoptive daughter was becoming a woman in more ways than one. And with that realisation came the additional one where she would most likely be dating some time soon. Aaliyah wasn't ready for the shovel talks. Of course she had several in mind already, but it was getting them across in a threatening manner that mattered most. Her immense stature could only go so far!
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Bella's maturity in mind and form.
Since she could practice more difficult moves, she was getting injured a lot more often. Quad Jumps weren't anything to take lightly. There was a reason only the best of the best of the Mens skaters ever did them. And that number was smaller than many believed it to be.
Since Bella was also doing her intensive dance classes which ended with her knees and elbows tending to get beaten up terribly, she'd be mostly healed by the next morning for skating, but would still skate while bruised. Any wipeouts on the ice simply made those bruises bloom once more and get them to stay around longer, which in turn left her aching.
It was a vexing situation. Thankfully, Sundays were still her days off where her body and mind could just heal entirely, and rest. And no longer was Bella complaining about doing no work on those days! She finally understood what a boon a day off could be!
At present, there was a massive, purple mark on Bella's knee, and the bump jutting out of it was bad too. And there Bella was, arse planted on the frigid ice and trouser leg pulled up so she could examine her newest mark more closely. Aaliyah wasn't sure she should be grateful for rinks being so well lit, considering how ugly the knot was to behold.
"Ow!"
"Stop poking it, kiddo!"
"But it's all funky looking!" She poked it again for good measure and winced noticeably.
"It's not going to heal if you keep making it worse."
"Tomorrow's Sunday so it'll be fine by Monday morning. Look at what it's doing!"
Raising a child with a lack of concern over her well being was taxing as hell. "At least go and take a breather."
"But I'm fine!" the teen protested, vice close to a whinge.
"And that's exactly why you've been wincing every three seconds, isn't it?"
"I don't understand."
"Same, dude. I've already watched this twice already and I haven't even gotten all of it. You're doing better than me though. I was very emotional for several minutes the first time through. It was something of an experience."
Tom looked absolutely heartbroken in response to what they'd just seen happen on the telly. Hannibal stabbed Will and walked out. Not how either had been wanting things to end in the second season. Especially with how things had been going after all. It had all been building up to something truly spectacular and then that shite happened!
"It was all going so well!"
"Yeah."
"Why couldn't he have actually killed the bloody woman? She was annoying enough to deserve it. I wouldn't have faulted him if he had. She literally earned her own death many times over!"
"Yeah."
Tom's head was in his hands, his eyes wide and far away as his thoughts flitted from one thing to another.
"I'm more angry that they didn't talk it out. They're windbags every other time something happens but this one thing was the one they decided not to talk about." Like, what the hell was that about? Hannibal loved talking. Not about his feelings of course, but everyone everywhere had to do things that made them uncomfortable every now and then, so he should have just sucked it up and dealt.
She didn't know how the third season was going to fix this mess because that's what it was. A great, bloody mess. Literally. Will was dying in a pool of his and his somewhat-adopted daughter's blood in Hannibal's kitchen. How it could come up from this, she had no effin clue.
"Muggles are mad," decided Tom. "And this is just a re-imagining of another's work from years ago. And they willingly made it hurt!"
"Yeah, Silence of the Lambs is a less artistic and a more morbid book to screen creation on Hannibal Lecter's life. Sir Anthony Hopkins is eerie as eff. He's got this look about him that makes him creepy when he decides to just stare. But tbh, it wasn't emotionally taxing imo."
"I feel like I've been betrayed," said Tom dully. "Like I just went through this personally."
"Join the club, my dude." Bella got emotionally invested in fictional characters all the time. Ellen Ripley was practically her wife now. Before seeing Alien Isolation, she'd been heartbroken that her wife was dead. And then she saw AI was was fine again. Her wife had lived.
"I don't think I've ever been invested in something fictional before. I usually frown upon fiction as it feels like a useless waste of time that is beneficial in no way, but this was actually interesting. And now I hurt. I think I hate it."
Oh, Bella was going to absolutely change that! "Can't wait for the last season to end so we can watch that together! I'm prepared for the glorious pain that it will bring us!"
"Can this be considered masochism if we come back knowing it'll hurt?"
That gave her momentary pause. Eventually she nodded. "It's a beautiful pain though. It's worth it. And there's a saying about better to love and lose than never love at all or some such tripe. Think of it like that. Best to know about it even if it hurts, than to miss out on it entirely."
"How's it going, kiddo?" Aaliyah said from the stairwell. What she walked in on was Tom leaning over with his head in his hands and Bella rubbing his back soothingly because she was just that great of a friend.
"Tom's not taking Hannigram's separation well. He's blubbering." There were tears in the corner of his eyes, she wasn't imagining it!
"Am not!"
Aaliyah snorted. "As if you didn't rush into my bedroom to cling to Debs the moment Mizumono ended the first time you watched it."
Bella flushed at the rude reminder. "Not cool!"
"It's my job to embarrass you in front of your friends, kiddo!"
Betrayal. Betrayal of the worst degree.
Deborah appeared around the corner, beaming and holding up a familiar book that Bella proceeded to shake her head wildly at. "NO!"
"Come on, it's a good way to cheer up from all the angst! Besides, Tom is the only friend of yours who hasn't seen them!" the woman beamed, excited to once again embarrass Bella. Was this a parent thing? Did all good parents do this?
Tom looked interested, taking the change of topic like a pro. "What is it?"
Bella shivered. "A photo album," she explained, dread filling every syllable.
"Here's what Bella looked like at five! The orphanage took some photos and gave them to Ali when she was adopted! Look at those cheeks! Look at the cuteness! She had them for years!"
Bella hated everything.
"I'm doing a Q&A today! I made a simple blog post and this is the result."
Aaliyah squinted at the laptop. "There are a lot of questions on here, kiddo."
"That's fine. I'm ready."
Q: Who is Prue?
A: A friend I've known since we were eleven.
Q: Is this Prue person a relative, because she looks a lot like you.
A: As my birth parents could never be found, according to British records I've
got no actual blood relations marked down.
Q: Have you finally gotten the Hydroblade down?
A: YES! Yes I have and it's brill! I can't wait to incorporate it into a routine!
Q: Have you been watching Hannibal S3? It is killing me and I NEED to know if
your thoughts are the same as mine!
A: I'm putting it off until it's completely finished. I've only just watched Season
2 entirely, and I had to watch it a few times to get everything going on. And let
me tell you, Mizumono left me very emotionally confused!
Q: Are you taking any dance classes now?
A: I'm currently enrolled in a course on Georgian Dance, which is super cool and
a good work out. And there are swords. I like them. You should totally look it up
on YouTube and see what the dancers get up to. It's like some next level, LOTR
shite.
Q: Have you gone to the movies lately? My bro owed me a favor so I got to see
Cinderella back in Feb and he hated it! I loved it tbh, though it was a bit goodie
two shoes imo. Def more a kids thing.
A: The most recent film I saw was Into the Woods back in December. I have not
been keeping up to date with things though so I am not sure what is coming out
soon. I probably wouldn't go see princess films. They don't really interest me all
too much.
Q: Fav video game?
A: That is a total hard one, but I am gonna say between Limbo and the Arkham
Series. I rec both. Limbo is more for the creep factor and Arkham is for the more
plot-driven adventure/nostalgia it brings.
Q: Do you have a bf?
A: I have no significant other of any sort, nor am I looking to change that fact in
any way at present.
Q: Cats or dogs?
A: Snakes. If you have followed me long enough, you'll know that my cat Aoife
is an arsehole. Ruined some perfectly good drapery and the carpet. I would love
to have a snake though. They're great for messing with people! Superstitions I
could play upon all the day long! Aoife doesn't have the appearance necessary
for me to play to superstitions.
Q: What's your MBTI?
A: I had to look that up because I didn't know what it was btw. Apparently I am
INTJ-A. 54% Introverted-46% Extroverted, 70% Intuitive-30% Observant, 51%
Thinking-49% Feeling, 72% Judging-28% Prospecting, AND 54% Assertive-46%
Turbulent. I have the Architect Personality. "People with the Architect personality
type are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but
they do not squander their energy." Reading the whole explanation felt a lot like
reading a personal report about me. Especially the strengths and weaknesses bit.
A learning experience!
Q: Can you say Literally for me?
A: Yes yes, I know. We Brits say Lich-rally. No need to rub it in.
Q: Have you seen the Divergent films? If so, which faction are you in, or are you
Divergent?
A: I had to take a test for this too. I did see the first film, I haven't read anything
from the series though, so do not chew my head off. I took 3 different tests & got,
Candor, Erudite, & Dauntless in that order so idk. Does this mean I'm DIVERGENT!
*le gasp*
Q: Will you ever do Fantasy On Ice?
A: Maybe. Depends on if NISA would okay it though. Skaters always have to get
permission from their skating federation before doing things like that. But NISA
has been pretty chill about things like that.
Q: Who is your celebrity crush?
A: idk, Sigourney Weaver? Yeah, she's cool.
Q: If you could marry a fictional character, who would it be?
A: Ellen Ripley from the Alien films. Or Loki from the MCU. I'm down. He's a really
hot and sneaky god of Mischief which is my jam, and she's a bad arse.
Q: Would be ok if we sended snacks from our own countries since you eated them
from another fan? Sry 4 bad english.
A: Sure! I'm willing to try anything, my P.O. Box is in the description below & your
English is fine! But I don't want you to feel pressured to send me stuff, okay?
A: Is Prue your secret twin that we don't know about? She looks awfully like you.
Q: I'm not really seeing it meself, but I'm certain that she'll find the observation
hilarious! I'm looking forward to telling her all about it! :)
Q: Ever had a corn dog?
A: No, sorry. I've never even had a hot dog. They're not considered very healthy
dietary options.
Q: How do you take your coffee?
A: Black as my soul and not a shade lighter.
Q: Anime or manga?
A: I'm not really familiar with either tbh. I know of Pokemon, like everyone, but
that's it. And it's more of the games than the anime. Sorry.
Q: Best country you've visited?
A: I'm quite partial to Canada, but I also liked Estonia. I AM looking forward to
getting around Japan. And I think I would like to go to Brazil at some point.
Q: Is skating real hard or is it as easy as it looks?
A: In the beginning, everything is a journey of acquiring experience. For me, I
tend to pick things up more easily than others if I am interested in them, but I
also started all of my interests at a young age. It is best to start young as you
possibly can so these things can become ingrained habits. But just 'cause early
youth makes it easier in some instances, doesn't mean you are not capable as a
young adult or older. Dedication always brings change. Nothing will be perfectly
easy from the start. You may be athletic perchance but ice skates/figure skates
provide a different kind of workout than a usual routine. Competitive skaters &
Professional skaters only look flawless because we've been doing this for quite
some time. We've all had to work though. We had to build our bodies up to the
necessary fitness to handle skating. You can pick up the basic movements and
turning easily, but your body is not naturally capable of the required work, and
you'd have to practice consistently to attain a high enough level. Nothing is ever
truly easy no matter how it may seem on the surface.
Q: Which would you prefer if you had to choose between two things you hate?
Going to a social function where you are expected to give a speech, or going to
a social function where you are expected to sing a song?
A: Oh God, the speech! I am rather eloquent and a pretty convincing individual
if I choose to be, so talking AT people might not be so difficult. But my singing
voice is shite and would be an embarrassment to everyone watching. 1st, 2nd,
AND 3rd hand embarrassment IstG.
Q: Can we send you video games as gifts?
A: If you feel so moved to do so, but don't think it's a requirement or anything.
Your support and interest is good enough for me. ^-^
Q: Is that Prue girl your sister?
A: According to my personal records I have no known blood relations.
Q: Can you play football.
A: I'm pants at it, sorry. Not really my area. Prue can though. Unless you mean
American football in which neither of us understand anything about it.
Q: Why don't you practice at the rink longer? Don't you want more time to work
on your routines?
A: The rink is currently being shared by the general public, plus students, plus
the other competitive skaters, plus professional skaters. It would be rude to just
monopolise the rink for myself. I AM already paying for the slot to give me the
ice alone after all. I don't want to be a menace.
Q: Have you heard from Sandra Lewis lately? She's been silent on sns for some
time and it's worrying.
A: Sorry, no. I haven't spoken to her most recently.
Q: What advice do you have about wearing makeup?
A: I don't really wear makeup outside of the competitions, but I do keep a strict
schedule for cleaning my skin. Warm to hot water, a facial cleanser that works for
you, and careful movements when dabbing the face dry. I NEVER fall asleep with
makeup on when I do wear it. Also, never put body lotion on your face. It is not
meant for the face. Or the hair. Don't do it in the hair either. I saw a Tumblr post
about someone doing that and then straightening their hair right after and it just
broke off!
Q: Do you believe in making investments early on? Are stocks reliable?
A: If you have the means to do such a thing, I do think it would be a good idea.
However there is a twist. Committing to such a thing means you'll always have
to keep your eye on the market to watch for anything detrimental that could be
on the horizon. That way you can get out of a sticky situation ASAP. Things can
change quickly in that sort of environment so be cautious when getting involved.
"According to our charts, you're due mid-September. I'd guesstimate it being the fifteenth, but we'll give some leeway for two days before and two after. The moment you feel your water break, you are to come here."
She'd been through the whole pregnancy thing before. She knew what to do this time unlike last time. Being treated like a bloody invalid was becoming annoying though.
The only good news was that she'd made it to the third trimester. Magicals capable of doing that more than once had become very scarce in the last century or so. Molly Weasley was one such person and had managed six individual pregnancies on her own. And the Greengrass family had two children of different ages as well. In Magical Britain and Ireland, the numbers were very low for Pureblood families.
Lily, no matter what happened, would go down in history in one way or another. And all those other Purebloods who thought themselves better than her would have to bow to the facts. Obviously those who rejected the common traditions of the Pureblood families ended up being blessed with more children. There could be no other reason in Lily's eyes.
Magic itself thought tradition was stupid. That was the truth of the matter. Simple. Lily was rarely ever wrong about anything, and whenever she was wrong, it was because of the faults of others.
After putting some things off for as long as possible, eventually Bella had to focus on her project for Runes. She'd already finished all of her other homework early on in the summer, but had decided to take her time with the Runes project because it would take more time to set up everything necessary. There were components outside her skill range after all.
They were supposed to create a new magical item using Runes to accomplish their task. It had to be innovative. Something useful to the overall populace.
So Bella had gotten to thinking about magical life and things that seemed ridiculously difficult when there was no need for them to be. And she was immediately reminded of the ice box that had been in Sirius' tent for the Quidditch World Cup Final. It was basically a wooden box with cooling charms on it. Nothing particularly fancy about it.
The problem was that cooling charms faded and had to be reapplied. Depending on the strength of the caster, sometimes multiple times a week. For some reason, no one had thought up the idea of making magical refrigerators! They had no problems stealing gramophones and radios from the muggles and passing them off as their original inventions, but a fridge was just too complicated for them to work out? Really?
Mr. Weasley had a car, according to Prue. And he made it fly! No doubt with the help of Runes because there was no other way to make such enchantments last so long. And the Ministry had their own cars as well, that could go unnoticed. And the Knight Bus was bloody well invisible! For God's sake, it seemed as if only a small few in the community used their bloody heads for something beside a coat rack.
Anyway, back to the idea she'd had. She was going to turn a wooden box she'd purchased, into a fridge. She'd had to get it commissioned of course, since she needed it to open sort of like a bread box, but that hadn't been a problem. The woman who did the work on it had been very generous and even polished it to a fine shine before handing it over.
So while she'd been waiting for it to be finished, Bella had taken the time to list out all the Runes necessary to keeping something cold but not completely frozen altogether. She then had to test out their applications in various orders, some being too powerful and others not being powerful enough. A happy medium had been found eventually. Thank God Runework wasn't noticed by the Trace. Lord only knows what the Ministry would do despite it being for a school assignment.
The first tries were done in chalk so they could be wiped off the box easily. Chalk wasn't everlasting and therefore not the best choice of medium to write permanent Runes with. Experimental Runes were fine though!
After the chalk came the pencil, which had to be done lightly so the rubber would take it away as well and leave a clean surface.
It was a good thing she'd conquered the writing portion already. Some of her classmates still sucked at writing their Runes. If they didn't get with the programme their O.W.L.s were going to suck big time when May rolled around again.
Once she was certain the order had been properly memorised and practiced, she carefully began the process of carving the Runes into the wood. Afterward they were painted over with the blood from a Chinese Fireball. Dragon blood was very powerful for Runework and much safer to use than one's own blood.
As impressed upon her a bajillion times in various ways, blood was the most powerful item in the magical world. The most dangerous and sought after item as well. Having access to someone's DNA was pretty bad but the blood was the absolute worst!
Using your own blood in something meant it had to be special. It had to be worthwhile. And while she was pleased with her fridge/freezer combo idea, it wasn't that important to require such a personal sacrifice on her own part.
If Tom had taught her anything, it was to take careful responsibility for her own DNA.
Prue usually liked going out for Quidditch practice, but the most recent practices had been hell. In additional preparation for the redo of the QWCF, they'd been meeting every other day that summer and she'd barely gotten any free time to go and do whatever she wanted.
Both the Captain and the Manager wanted this victory terribly. Mrs. Weasley had protested the schedule very loudly and her voice could carry quite far. In fact, she was still protesting, her head shoved in the Floo to scold the Manager and remind the woman of the laws involved with minors who held positions in international-level sports teams. Apparently, Prue was allowed more time off because she was under seventeen and Mrs. Weasley was busy negotiating her absence from one practice a week.
It was pointed out that Prue wasn't specifically a regular player. She was a Versatile stand-in. That meant she didn't have to work as much, nor was she legally allowed to.
So with this additional free time on her hands, she'd been catching up on her rest. She'd never been a lazy person, choosing to go out and play over doing schoolwork. It was still work of a sort after all.
Now though, with the extra day to just rest, she felt lazy. In her and Ginny's room, Prue had the bed up against the window since Ginny didn't like the thought of bugs getting in and crawling on her bed. Since bugs never bothered Prue, she didn't mind if they came in or not. Anyway, she got the first hit of sunlight every morning and would be all warm and comfortable for hours if she chose to be.
This was one of those mornings in truth. She'd been allowed to sleep in and ignore breakfast even. Mrs. Weasley had gone on a mini rant about her needing rest and told her to come down when ready before going off to scream into the Floo. Ginny had already left to go out to the orchard behind the house and begin practicing for the Seeker position on the Gryffindor Team. Ron was also training, wanting the Keeper position. It seemed to be a Weasley thing to love Quidditch. Both were using the older versions of the Thunderbolt that Prue had given them.
Facing the window, Prue couldn't see anyone coming into the room. She was too lazy to turn over as well. But she could hear someone with dainty footsteps coming up the stairs. Since there was minimal creaking of the stairs and floorboards, it had to be someone small/thin who wasn't Ginny since she liked to clomp to and fro around the house.
The footsteps proceeded into Prue and Ginny's room though, and her bed dipped under additional weight. The face of Luna Lovegood appeared over her shoulder, smiling and looking ready to face the day, where Prue was most certainly not. The girl's pale hair shined obscenely in the sunlight, causing a sort of halo effect that hurt Prue's eyes and made her belly do little flips.
"Morning," the blonde said in an airy tone, clambering over Prue to take up the minimal space between the wall and somnolent teen. Her hair had an extra curl to it today and glinted even more in the sunlight than usual.
Prue managed a half-arsed grunt of acknowledgement. She was just so tired!
"You've been working hard," Luna observed, reaching out to move a strand of red from blocking Prue's vision. She'd been too tired to care enough about it an had let it just flop in front of her face for hours.
Another grunt.
"All that hard work will pay off i the best way if you keep it up. I Saw it."
"S'nice."
Hopefully Luna wasn't offended by Prue passing out on her. Though since she decided to fiddle with Prue's hair the whole time, she probably didn't mind at all.
Hello, dear Bella.
His week had been rather busy as of late. All that blackmail and bribery did take its toll on one's person after a while. Still, he'd managed to get what he wanted and leave nothing to trail back to him in the process. He wasn't the ultimate Slytherin for nothing.
After a week of dealing with fake people, it was nice to just sit back and talk to his, dare he say, best friend. One of the most real people he knew.
My official fifteenth birthday is here next week! We're not doing a party this
year. I've decided I am too damn old for that now. Not with the whole aging
like 700 days a year for the last 3 years. I'm just gonna get a Biscoff cake &
gorge myself on it. And then cry over gay ships.
Ah yes, you will be seventeen this September and if all goes well, eighteen by April.
Smart planning on your part to cheat the Trace.
He was proud. He also needed to think of something to get her as a gift. Even if she wasn't having a party, she'd still like to receive gifts. Most people liked getting free things.
Tom very much liked being able to give her something in person finally. Three years as a spirit while knowing her had made him feel inadequate. Bella wasn't even a materialistic person despite liking to own things. She wouldn't care if he had something to give her or not. But it was just the principle of the thing that bothered him!
I'm gonna be older than you by next December, boyo!
Perish the thought.
What, Tom? You don't like an older woman? :3
I'm still more mature than you, whether you're older or not.
And she wouldn't be older by much anyway.
And what do you mean by next December? This is your last year at Hogwarts. You
were planning on leaving after taking your O.W.L.s because you didn't want to do
the extra work. Your words, verbatim may I remind you.
Oh. Yeah. About that. So I might have decided that I'm going to stay with
my friends. I realised, now that I have a friend group and people to care
for, that being alone kinda sucks arse. And that letters and the occasional
Hogsmeade visit just would not be enough. Like, I can handle only talking
to you via writing for the most part because I have other friends that I can
chill with & keep my attention on. But if this was the only way that I'd be
able to interact with all of, I'd be lonely af.
Wow.
It was situations like this that made the old saying, 'never say never' ring true. Anyone could change their mind about anything at any time. And Bella, who was hyper-focused on her career, was willing to make things more difficult for herself, just for the sake of her friends and social interaction. Something she wasn't the biggest fan of.
Also I like having access to a Time Turner any time I want. You can do a
lot with those things.
Now that I most certainly believe because that's how I would feel as well.
He would do it as well if he was in her shoes.
Near-unlimited access to Time itself. Who wouldn't want that?
So did you get your job at the Ministry?
Yes. I am currently doing secretarial work for Walden Macnair. He's an Executioner
for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.
I'm sorry what?
Yes. He has a massive scythe and everything.
Macnair obsessively carried it everywhere he went. It was so very archaic and ridiculous since they had magic and could simply chop the head off a person, animals, or creatures with a good spell.
They really needed to get the community out of the early eighteen hundreds. He was tired of the old fashion, old traditions, and old ways of thinking that pervaded every angle of society. There was no place for those things in the modern world.
Is he compensating for something?
What is it with you and the sizes of peoples' genitalia?
DON'T PUT IT LIKE THAT! THAT MAKES IT SOUND WEIRD!
YOU'RE THE ONE WHO MAKES EVERYTHING WEIRD!
I DO NOT!
YOU LOOKED VOLDEMORT DEAD IN THE EYE AND TOLD HIM THAT HIS PENIS WAS
SMALL AND THAT MINE WASN'T!
Shut up.
Real mature, dear Bella.
That was her childish way of saying that he won. She just didn't want to admit it point blank. Bella was stubborn like that.
Also, he wasn't wrong. She tended to take any topic of conversation down the sexual route if given the chance. She probably didn't do it deliberately most of the time but there were times where it was deliberate teasing.
You suck.
Not something I've ever felt inclined to do, sorry.
BUT I'M THE ONE WHO MAKES THINGS WEIRD WHEN YOU JUST MADE A
BLOWJOB JOKE, YOU TWAT!
YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SET IT UP TO BE SAID IN THE FIRST PLACE!
YOUR MIND IS JUST AS DIRTY AS MINE!
PERHAPS, IN THAT RESPECT, WE'RE EVENLY MATCHED!
Only Bella could get him to devolve to such childish antics.
Such power over another person was very dangerous. It was a good thing he cared about her. Anyone else would have been promptly... dealt with, for teasing him. Tom wasn't fond of teasing, though he did fancy the look on Bella's face whenever she was amused. And it just so happened that taunting her friends was something she liked doing.
Yeah, whatever. So like, have you never really thought about trying that
before?
Why must you focus on this?
Discussing sex with an underage girl just didn't sit right with him. Even if she wasn't that underage now. It was a bit weird.
They weren't lovers or anything, nor were they family. It made him feel strange.
I am curious. Besides, I HAVE thought about it and I have questions.
Theories. Observations I would like to make with somebody I trust of
course. I wouldn't do it with just anyone.
And of course dear Bella just couldn't leave well enough alone.
…
Tom?
I believe my brain, as you would say, short-circuited for a moment there. I had
thought I was imagining it but you did indeed just write those very words & now
I have to Obliviate myself of the images I was so very wrongly inundated with.
Tom, it just a dick & a mouth. This is not a new sexual activity developed
this century. People have been doing it for years.
Noooooooooo!
Not so much the subject, as the person involved. Remember, from my side, I've
only known you since 2011. It's 2015 now. That's 4 years, Bella. Four years ago
you were a chubby-faced child who had just learned about magic and had many
questions about everything. While on your end it may be nearly 7 years between
us thanks to time-travel, on my end it's only 4. Essentially you're still 14, and I
sometimes have trouble reconciling the fact that you've already passed the age
of 15.
I don't get it.
I'm going to be 18. Muggles know you to be 14. I'm not comfortable thinking of
a 14 year old participating in sexual acts.
I don't even look fourteen ffs!
Yes. Tom was very much aware of the fact that Bella did not look fourteen. Or fifteen. She'd practically thrown herself on him a dozen times and those were enough chances for him to get a damn near intimate feel of how not-fourteen her body was, which made him tingle when he thought about it.
Not that he entertained such thoughts on the regular of course. Tom had many more important things to devote his time to than Bella's warm body.
His thoughts were becoming awkward again!
I know that! But you are going into your 5th Year which is typically for 15 year
olds going for their O.W.L.s. You are in 2015, which is the official 15th year of
your existence. At present you're supposed to be 15 naturally. So the constant
reminders of your supposed age make me feel awkward discussing these things.
Not so much as it did whenever you would randomly turn a subject into BDSM 3
years ago, but still very awkward for me.
Dude, you care about this a little too much. Do you usually sit there and
think about people you know doing the horizontal tango at all hours of
the day?
NO!
Neither do it. So chill. I'm interested in experimentation because I have
questions that need answers that aren't just out there for me to read on
the internet. Neither of us feel sexual interest as of yet, but that doesn't
mean we aren't curious about sexual things.
Uh! Fine! I have thought about it and I too am curious. Not that I'm interested in
touching people to see it through of course.
Yeah, same. I wouldn't try with just anyone.
I hate you for doing this.
Fuck off, you love me! :D
Circe help him, he was beginning to believe it too.
The house was old and rickety. No one had lived there fer years. Of course some people had been swearin' that they been seein' a light on up in the house. Squatter probably using the space for warmth no doubt.
Still, he'd always been interested in stuff. Liked collectin' stuff. Liked breakin' into places fer stuff. Like takin' stuff fer himself.
No one would care about the Riddle House 'cause ol' man Frank was gone. Who knew what was inside just waitin' to be sold off! He could imagine the pounds he'd get off the place!
He jimmied the back door open and slipped inside. Not as dusty as expected. Pretty run down though. The walls peelin' and all.
Some old crockery on the ground floor made its way into his bag. He could clean it up later. Knew a few good tricks to make it look good as new. A hand mirror that looked of silver. Upstairs was some jewelry that had to be real. He couldn't believe the village just left all this up here for years! All to 'respect the dead'. As if anyone had respected the Riddles when they were alive. He'd heard the stories.
One room showed proof of recent use. There were logs next to the fireplace, not covered in dust, so stacked recently. And indents on the lone chair. If someone was squatting, then he'd have to be quick with pilferin' the house. Wouldn't want to get into a fight. Not really his skill set.
In a desk on the other side of the room, he found a book made of real leather and an honest to God quill. The book was empty save for the curly inscription on the inside cover.
Property of Bellatrix Lestrange
Whoever the Lestrange woman was she had to be filthy rich to afford such a personalised item. Whoever had stolen it from her had done him a huge favour! It would sell well as it was still empty.
Or… he could keep it fer himself. Make it a journal. He'd never had something so fancy before. Yeah, he'd keep it fer himself. No one really used paper diaries anymore, it was all electronic now. The silver could be sold off though.
~.O.~
A/N: Another is done!
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