#hes earned disgusting brother tonight its insane | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

midearthwritings · 3 years

Text

Tongues rip like razors

You should never go to sleep after a fight. But tonight, you will.

Words Count : 1,790

Pairing : Faramir & Reader

Warning : Angst

Author's Note : Again, I couldn't decide if this was going to be platonic or romantic so really it's up to you to decide.

When comes Winter, with it come the frustrated and angry complaints. Those who grumble about the snowflakes stuck in their eyelashes, and those who whine about their almost frozen toes. You never understood them. How could one not enjoy coming home to a warm fire after a long day of playing outside? Blue fingers were a small price to pay to see the big bright smiles painting the little children's faces.

But the winter mornings, when the Sun rises lazily to make the snow glimmer like thousands of diamonds, seem far away.

The sunlight feels heavy on your back. Under all your clothes, sweat covers every inch of your skin, droplets dripping down your neck to your chest. More than anything, you wish to rip the thick cape off of your body. You don't, for you are not a child anymore and don't want to appear as such.

And so you keep walking, the dead looking grass crunching with each step you take. Through your boots, you can feel all the dry earth's bumps and its sharp rocks. There are no trees, and no shadow to make the walk more bearable. What wouldn't you give for the wind to blow on your face, to cool down your skin a little. Sadly, the air is hot and suffocating.

Perhaps, it would make things easier if you were not all walking so close to each other. As you silently curse the man behind you that keeps stepping on your heels, your toes hit something and your body flies forward.

You shut your eyes tightly, waiting for your face to collide with the hard ground. Already planning to blame the weather for your fall, you are pulled back on your feet by a gentle hand.

"Careful, we do not want you getting hurt." He keeps his words low, soft. Never have you heard Faramir raise his voice. He never needed to, at least not with you. He knows you will hear him, that you are listening.

You look up to him, with a small smile. There is no annoyance in his eyes, no anger. Only a plain blue color, comforting, a bit like home. You allow yourself to look a bit longer. Under the burning summer Sun, as you long for the cold winter nights, he is like Spring. The perfect in-between.

"My apologies, Captain." You say, bowing your head slightly to him.

As the mechanical symphony of the group's steps rise again, you feel his eyes still on you. You dare not look, nor even think too much, afraid he might be able to read your thoughts. Heat spread in your cheeks and you cannot decide if it is because of the Sun, or because you feel naked under his piercing gaze.

"What is it that troubles your mind?" He does not ask if wether or not you are troubled. He knows you are. Turning to glance at him, you see his arm is not resting against his body. It is only then that you realize his hand still holds you. You smile again, and like a disease it infects him and he smiles back.

"Too much." You admit pensively. The warmth of his touch spread throughout your body. Unlike the Sun's assault, it is a very pleasant sensation. "The weather, mostly. I miss the snow greatly."

He nods, as if he understood. Perhaps he does. "We all do. Until winter comes. And then we wish for it to go away."

Some do. But you don't. And the puddle of sweat on your lower back, dampening your clothes in the most uncomfortable way, only confirms the thought.

Time passes too slowly to your taste, and your mouth is getting dry. Drier even than the dirt you're walking on. Looking behind you, careful not to fall again, you observe the men following the captain's steps. They do not look much better than you do, some of them fighting to simply keep their eyes open.

In the middle, you glance at your prisoners. Blindfolded and tied up like beasts ready to be slaughtered. They are so small. Never before had you seen such small creatures. And they aren't even wearing shoes. If your feet are in pain, you cannot bring yourself to think about theirs.

Slowly, carefully, you reach for your leader's arm tugging lightly at his sleeve.

"Faramir." The pleading tone makes him look at you fully. You almost get yourself lost in the ocean of his eyes again. With a movement of your head, you indicate the two little men's position. "Shouldn't we give them some water? If I feel as if I could melt, surely they do too."

When your question is met with a firm shake of his head, you frown. For the first time, you don't understand him. Does he want them to get dehydrated and pass out? Someone would have to carry them until your next stopping point. And under such heat, it would be torture to whoever would be designated.

"They will be provided with food and drink when they have answered my questions." The tone he uses is unusual and it sends shivers down your spine. Slowly, you feel the soft Spring breeze be replaced with a snow storm. And suddenly, you understand what he had meant earlier, for in this instant, you wish more than anything for the cold to go away.

"Faramir." You try again, more desperate. It is not your life that depends on him, but it is still a life. "It is not fair to have them keep going without a bit of water."

"Is this treason I hear?" His words are now hard and sharp enough to cut stone. But they cut through your heart, better and deeper than any blade could. "Defending possible Orc Spies and doubting my ways?"

You wish to talk back. Tell him you are simply acting as a proper human being. But reason tells you not to. You would get into unnecessary, and unwanted trouble.

"No, my apologies Captain." You whisper, shaking your head.

Hanging from the Halfling's pale neck, it shines in all its golden glory. The One Ring. How easy would it be to snatch it and keep it all to yourself. The power you would be granted would be feared by all, and they would look up to you with admiration and envy. You could press Faramir's sword deep into the Hobbit's throat and it would be yours.

You force yourself to look away, anywhere else. Inside your chest, your heart is racing. You know it is evil. It calls to the weak minds and possesses them, leads them to their ultimate death.

Standing close to Faramir, you hear him speak softly. He craves it, and you wonder if his mind feels fuzzy, like yours did. In his eyes, usually filled with tenderness, burns the fire of desire. His breath is short, erratic. Does he, too, think of murdering the poor ring bearer?

Standing on the tip of your toes, you bring your mouth close to his ear. Your fingers find their way around his arm, once again.

"Faramir." You see his head tilt slightly at your words, his golden locks tickling your face. "I must talk to you. Privately."

He is reluctant to follow, his feet planted firmly on the ground. And when he finally complies, his eyes linger on the piece of jewelry a bit longer.

You drag him further away, hidden from any curious ears. It is only when you can barely hear the others talk that you stop, satisfied with the distance between you and them.

You cannot bring yourself to face him. Partly because you are ashamed. So easily, you had let the Ring take over you, the most disgusting thoughts merging in your mind. Another part of you is terrified. Of the Ring's power or Faramir, you do not know.

"You wished to talk, so talk." He is right. You were the one to bring him here. But now, you doubt yourself.

Gathering your courage, you turn around. He is changed, as if you had not seen each other in years. He gazes upon you as if you were a stranger.

"You should release them. Let them leave." At your suggestion, rage fill his eyes. In less than a second, he is standing so close to you, invading your space. You don't look away. The urge to defy his authority makes your guts clench, and you feel nauseous.

"You have no idea what it is that you are implying." He spits the words in a manner that is not his. Yet, his voice remains low.

Like a vivid memory, you see your hands around his throat, strangling him to death. Your blood boils in your veins and you feel hotter than you ever did.

If you cannot convince him to free the halflings, you will go insane before morning comes. Best case scenario.

"Faramir, this ring was not called Isildur's Bane for no reason." You hiss. What is on his mind? Is he thinking of burrying his sword in your stomach? "Bring it to Gondor and it is death that awaits us all."

He does not understand, does not want to. Gone are the soft smiles and fingers brushing against your skin. They now dig into your shoulder, and it almost hurts. Almost. But the pain in your heart is greater, and so you barely flinch.

"It will give us great power, and strength. We will slay the enemy and earn everybody's respect."

Slowly, the pieces come together and you close your eyes.

"It is not the Ring that poisoned your mind." You whisper, and his thumb presses harder into your shoulder.

All his life, Faramir had to live in the shadow of his brother. Not one day passed without his father looking upon him with disdain. Given the chance to prove his worth, he would blindly take it.

He does not speak, but he does not step back either. His breath hits your face, hot, burning. Nothing like the perfect Spring.

"You seek the recognition of a man who could not care less about you." Another missed opportunity to keep your mouth shut.

The cold steel of his sword caress the skin of your throat menacingly. You know he will not act on the threat. But you think better than to provoke him again, and you remain silent.

"Careful with the words you speak." He warns. And maybe, it is of him that you are afraid. "We do not want you getting hurt."

The blade is gone as fast as it came. The sound of his steps as he walks away are barely audible. You stand there, paralyzed. When you reopen your eyes, you are alone.

#lord of the rings #lord of the ring imagine #lotr imagine #lotr reader insert #faramir #faramir x reader #faramir x you #faramir x y/n

89 notes · View notes

frstbiitten · 4 years

Text

Before, the world didn't offer a notion about the future, every day was different and nothing was planned beforehand, there’s no preparation for what could come next. Now, it was different, she had found a good source of interest and source of money, it was arguably a possible source of income, it was very risky by how brutal and insane it sounded. Beating each other for money, who could do such a thing to have some coins in their pockets? Well, it's unthinkable in a way, but despair is what moves one to do something they never thought possible. There were more people sharing the same shoe and none of them felt lucky to be breathing, it was an obligation to be able to breathe properly. Living, that's what everyone wants, to be able to see the lights of dawn.

She was no exception. If she is alive now it was for something, now there is a reason to not die from hunger or the weather, for she had more will in her spirit. Although, without lying, there were days that preferred to be consumed by worms, to turn into dust in the most painless way possible, that could be considered a gift from fate. Thinking about the death terrified her, knew that one day death will come for her, the indicated day when her body would collapse imminently, her bones, every artery, her own blood, everything will become useless objects without any use. She didn't want that for her, though she doesn't feel exactly alive at all either.

For now, her body was still functional, she could do what almost anyone else could do, but after the first night at "The Box" as some people called it, her muscles begged to rest. The first thing she did with the money she had gotten the first night was to buy a cheeseburger, although what she had won was not too much and she left the rest to manage it in the upcoming days -she had some hope that could get out of this situation in the future, one day-. It has been years since the last time she ate a cheeseburger, something that could placate with the hunger she was constantly feeling, maybe it wasn't the best food or the most nutritious, but at least it felt like a reason to go on long enough until she could continue and rebuild her life from scratch -but had no idea how.

This time she had some company, Lewis accompanied her and worked as a good moment for her sister Clarissa to meet the new girl, they were almost identical, almost the same light skin and they had the same mole under the left eye, although her features were softer. She was almost as tall as him, something that led her to think that they might be twins. Something that she could notice about Clarissa was her muscles, they were firm and accompanied the rest of her anatomy in balance with the rest of her body, she had slightly thicker arms and wide shoulders, she felt some intimidation from such anatomical structure. Such was the intimidation that she later saw in a broken portion of a mirror she had kept in her 'place’. The girl barely had enough muscles to look menacing and the skin on her face seemed too thin as well as pale, as if it were going to break.

"Mmm... I can't believe that a girl like this could have beaten a veteran like she did, can you explain well what happened?" The sister hadn't finished her glass of soda yet and kept insisting with the straw, watching the girl eat the burger somewhat uncomfortable with her presence itself, as if she was from another world and didn’t even know how to look like a human being.

"Well, she, Snowflake, not only struck her skull, but she literally froze her arms out of nowhere and broke them into a thousand pieces, it was like seeing a wild wolf with rabies attacking a moose." yes, that's how it happened, even though the girl still hasn’t reached for the memories of that night, beyond all the blood that had to be removed and the wounds she had to clean, there still are bruises on her stomach and legs.

"Well... I find it hard to believe, she hasn’t reached adulthood yet and she’s so short, maybe it was just beginner's luck."

"I owe.. nothing... to luck." She mentioned between bites and with a full mouth, observed both before finishing with her burger. Well no, it wasn't beginner's luck at all, and it never would be, she didn't believe in such a thing as luck as it could never prove that it was on her side. In any case, luck owes her more than one could think.

"Okay, valid, let's forget beginner's luck for now."

Lewis' real intentions were that his sister could train Snowflake as soon as she could and have her ready for the next encounter, which gods know when it was going to be but it wasn’t going to be soon. Neither Clarissa nor Snowflake were excited about the idea of receiving such orders, Clarissa wasn’t aware of her brother's decisions. They decided to start as soon as possible with the training so they could have some notion as to how much she could hold, Clarissa seemed to have mastered the concept of throwing someone down, made a demonstration with Lewis - which was surprising and almost leaves him very confused-, she flexed her knees and advanced as fast as she could to wrap his brother's waist with her own arms, she then proceeded with lifting him a few inches above the ground and pushing him down to the hard ground.

"AAAHHHH SHIIIT, FUUUUCK!!!" Lewis's screams frightened the girl, asked if he would be okay after taking such an intense blow directly the spine, he could only turn on his body and keep screaming in pain, there were even tears in his eyes and began to cry.

"He’s going to be okay, when you least expect it, he’s going to be doing his thing again like nothing has happened."

"Good, because I don't want to kill him with a movement like that."

Between those weeks of training, sometimes she felt that her body could not bear it and they had to stop, the level of sugar in her blood could lower suddenly, feel dizzy or not feel physically strong enough. Years of poor nutrition were doing its effect when she least needed it, from now on she wouldn't have to look into disgusting places for some food. Clarissa was stronger than one could tell at first, was able to lift her brother who was somehow slightly heavier than her, and she had no issue with lifting him off the ground. She was careful when it came to teaching the girl a few new moves, a way to make the opponent lose access to the air stream, such as making the other fall on their back and other techniques as well. The place they chose was what was once a warehouse a few decades ago, this part of the city is suffering from the decline that the country was going through, there were many conditioning factors for such an increase in poverty, even if she did not understand them completely.

The good news is that she could live in a small abandoned apartment, and won’t be too far from the siblings at least, although this one lacked many things. Obviously, the paint was flaunted and there was debris on the ground, the smell of isolation and dead was the first thing that made her regret leaving her lair between the rocks, but it was better to have a roof than have nothing. There were rules: whatever she earned every night, both Lewis and Clarissa would get 15% each, meaning that 30% would be for both of them, while 'Snowflake' would get the rest. There weren't many guidelines to follow, just that she didn't die in the middle of the fight for her own obvious good, and she couldn't try or dare to do business with anyone else who volunteered to help her.

"Good... So ... this is where I'm going to stay?" She looked around, at least the bathroom was still working, it was something, and she would have to search for the exact spot from where such a hideous smell came from.

"Yes, I know it's not a 5-stars hotel, but it's what we could afford." Clarissa mentioned without paying much attention to the girl's discomfort, usually, she didn't often care about anyone but herself.

"Also, if you need anything, we have a phone to give you, it's not the big deal but it was cheap and is supposedly very resistant to falls and all that." From inside a paper bag, Lewis pulled out a small cardboard box, had no image or inscription that could catch the attention, could it be stolen or a smuggled product? The girl preferred not to ask questions on the subject, maybe it could have some connection to the mob or something. "You have our numbers if you need something from us, we'll also let you know when we come to pick you up."

Inside the box was a phone which model was a hit a few years ago, the first models that went on sale after those that looked like portable bricks were smaller, the screen had only two colors - gray and black or blue and black-, and this was one of them. With the press of a single button the small device came to life and lit a light gray color, the keys were not divided between each other but were joined by a soft-touch material and easy to press. Better than nothing, she had to remember that everything she would have from now, even though it was almost useless, old or in bad shape, was better than having nothing. She appreciated it.

"Do you think you can fight again tonight? Some people are talking about you since the first night." The girl had not paid much attention to Lewis' voice for being more interested in the new phone, he sighed exhaustively and placed both hands on his hips, while his sister kept her arms crossed and turned her eyes.

"What? Fight tonight?... I think I could do it, although I don't know how it's going to end." Despite the training she received, she still had doubts about whether she could use her powers in the midst of the fight, at some point the ice would come to the rescue from the depths of her cells, it would not be long before the adrenaline took effect and she becomes a real threat t the other rival.

It had been almost two months since the first fight, she would lie if she said that had confidence in her own strength now that her body has begun to change in respect to the muscles, it was an almost imperceptible change to the naked eye, but her arms began to harden and the grip of her hands became firmer than before. She could win, she had the strength necessary and the power to win. That night there was tension in the air, the atmosphere was different, as Clarissa's presence there alerted several spectators, her name is already a well-known one among them, and just by seeing her, memories and rumors came out afloat without saying a single word.

#novel #((I tried to write less buuuuuut))#((I gotta accept that none of these chapters will have less of 15 paragraphs or show consistency))

3 notes · View notes

amarauder · 5 years

Text

chapter thirty ❥ original

it’s a hate-love thing original version.

james potter x reader.

Y/N involuntarily shivered, as she looked in the mirror. She and her three other friends were trying on wedding dresses, but none of them seemed to exactly suit her well enough. Not that they were too skimpy or too sagging, but they just didn't blend in with her bright/dark h/c hair and stunning e/c eyes. However, though Y/N had the patience to try on nearly every dress in the store, the manager and her friends had no such patience whatsoever.

"Do hurry, Y/N," goaded Jennifer, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I have a date with Gideon Prewett tonight, and I'm not going to be late no matter what."

"All right, I think it's just downright sickening how you're just dating members of the Order," said Arabella bluntly. "It's so wrong. I mean, if you look at it in a broad point of view, it's like dating your brother, and that is very disgusting."

"You're making it sound too dramatic, Bella. Don't worry, I won't get hurt. Gideon's a real darling, and he's doing so much for the Order. I think he's a perfect gentleman, and would never try anything on me."

"Let's hope not."

Y/N watched her friends' discourse with interest and worry. She was glad that Jennifer was not mourning over Remus' break-up with her, and moving on, dating new men, but she wasn't happy with the way she was just tossing away her friendship with him as well. Even though Jennifer and Remus weren't lovers anymore, Y/N thought they should at least be close friends, like they were in their younger days. However, it didn't turn out that way at all. Remus and Jennifer completely ignored each other after that. Jennifer flirted with nearly every single Order member close to her age, while Remus sulked every day, watching his ex-girlfriend in the corners of his eyes and sighing every second. Y/N, James, and their friends were severely disappointed in the two of them, but there really wasn't anything that could be done about it.

"Do you think it would be too amoral to not wear a white wedding dress?" questioned Y/N to her friends, while she surveyed a light yellow silk with slight interest.

"It's just a wedding dress, Y/N, for Merlin's sake," said Violet loudly. "C'mon, get your pick, and we're going. Jen's not the only one with a date; I have to meet Jackson over at the Leaky Cauldron this evening."

"Oh, you'd say something like that, Vi. But really, weddings are very important, and you must choose your dress carefully. One wrong move and the whole wedding may be ruined. Well, what do you think of this one?"

Y/N held up a simple dove-white gown. It lacked the laces, frills, and ruffles of the previous gowns that she had tried on, yet its plainness made it look elegant. Her friends nodded approvingly and had her try it on. When she slipped on the dress, she looked gorgeous. The dress blended in perfectly with her bright/dark hair and eyes, and her three friends and even the woman manager looked at her with admiration.

"You look beautiful, N/N," complimented Arabella. "Oh, you've definitely found the right dress. James' get his socks knocked off when he sees you in this." She started to examine the hem of the dress eagerly.

"Oh, Bella, don't be so ridiculous." Y/N sighed. "Well, I suppose this will have to do anyway. There are no more dresses in this store; I think I've tried on all of them. Let's pay the money and go."

She slipped some gold coins into the cashier's hand, who looked pleased to see that she finally made a decision after hours of trying on the gowns. They left the store, welcoming the fresh air eagerly.

"Finally, I can breathe," said Violet happily. "I thought I'd die from all that perfume in the store."

"Seriously," agreed Jennifer. "Well—er—see you guys later, I guess. I have to meet Gideon." She Apparated.

"Bye, Jen."

When Jennifer disappeared from their group, Arabella let out a conspicuous sigh of disapproval.

"What's that girl thinking, dating Gideon? He's a darling, for sure, but doesn't she know that she's hurting Remus every second of his life?"

"You can't blame it all on her, Arabella," said Y/N quietly. "Jennifer thinks that Remus no longer cares for her, even though we know otherwise. After all, he didn't give her much of a reason to break up in the first place."

"Well, at least he should find another girl, too."

"That would be folly. He still loves Jen. Why would he find another girl? He's just afraid to hurt them because of his transformations."

"What an idiot! I still can't believe he did such a thing. Well, it was his choice, and now he has to live with it."

"Don't sound so mean about it, Bells," scolded Violet. "You know Remus meant it for the best. He didn't do it on purpose anyway."

"If he did do it on purpose, then I'd give him the Killing Curse right on the spot!"

Y/N exchanged looks with Violet after Arabella's uncouth behavior and violent gestures. But then, there were no surprises; Arabella was usually always the one to express her feelings freely and without any sort of hesitation. Perhaps that was why she didn't feel a bit guilty about the accusations she made on Remus.

"We'd better get back soon," said Violet worriedly. "The Order meeting is in ten minutes, and Moody wouldn't like it if we're late."

"Yes, Moody," ranted Arabella. "He's another thing. Always telling us what do to. The man treats us like children, and we're nineteen! At least most of us are, anyway. But still, Moody thinks we're still ten and assume that we can't do anything, while you and James are slaving every day at the Ministry and at home, going through your aptitude tests as an Auror."

"Bella, calm down," ordered Y/N. "You know that Alastor only means well for the good of the Order. Besides, we are still children, compared to him and Dumbledore. We're only nineteen, and that's not very long. They've been living much longer in this war than us, so we should respect them instead of making bitter remarks behind their back. Now, what do you say we make some nice green tea back at headquarters?"

"N/N, I need a place of my own. I can't just live at the Order headquarters under you and James' generosity. After all, you all are working day and night, and I'm practically the only one without a flat of my own. Sirius has his own place, and so do Remus, Peter, and Jennifer. Violet's living with Jackson for the time being, but they're about to get married soon anyway. Jackson's thinking of proposing next year."

"Arabella, you're going to be married soon too," Violet pointed out pragmatically. "You and Sirius can get a place of your own, just like Y/N and James. Don't worry so much."

Arabella looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, yeah..." She looked as if she had forgotten for a second that she had a fiancé, an engagement ring, and a planned June wedding for two years later.

The three girls Apparated to London, and then walked the rest of the way to the Order headquarters, depositing Violet at the Leaky Cauldron. Y/N rang the doorbell, and a familiar jingling of bells soon followed after the push. Fabian, Gideon's brother, opened the door and allowed entrance in a rather enthusiastic manner.

"How's your friend doing lately?" he asked them, as they settled down to the meeting, which would start in eight minutes. "She's going to dinner tonight with my brother, and missing the meeting. Moody put up a good fight before allowing them...even Dumbledore had to step in."

"The man's insane," added Sirius, going toward them and slipping an arm around Arabella's waist. "However, he's a great Auror and really knows his business, so I respect him for it."

"Why, thank you, Black," came a growl from behind the handsome man.

Everyone jumped, and turned around, revealing Moody dressed in his evening robes, and acknowledged him politely. Even though they were like "family", as Moody had said when they first joined, they were still rather fearful of one of the greatest Aurors in the Ministry. After all, he was decades over than them, and had more experience, therefore earning a high place in everyone's hearts.

"Er—" Sirius shuffled his feet back and forth in embarrassment. "Thanks, Alastor."

"Where's that Potter?" Moody demanded. "You know where he is, L/N? He's supposed to tell us how many tests he's passed so far."

"No, I haven't seen him since this morning, sir."

"How can you not know, L/N? You're going to be married to the boy in two months. Well, I suppose all teenagers are like this."

"We're not teenagers," said Arabella with indignation. "We're legal adults, Mr. Moody, and I beg you to consider that. We aren't children anymore."

Moody peered at the brunette and nodded slowly. "Ah, yes, always the feisty and outspoken one, aren't you, Figg? Well, you got a point there, girl. I never do treat you all like the adults you are, do I? I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time."

Arabella smiled triumphantly, giving Y/N an "if-you-tell-him-off-then-he'll-give-you-whatever-you-want" look. Y/N promptly rolled her eyes in response.

As if on cue, James came bounding down the stairs, running a hand through his haphazard jet-black hair. He was now growing quite tall and had caught up on to Sirius' naturally well-built frame, though he was still as skinny and tan as ever. However, he was still as handsome as he was back in his seventh year, and still attracted many women on the streets, though James still stayed head over heels in love with Y/N or 'totally whipped' as Sirius would say. He waved merrily at Moody, who looked more disgruntled than ever.

"Hey, Alastor. Sorry I'm late. I had to fix my hair for my special girl." He winked roguishly at Y/N.

"Make sure you aren't late again, Potter, and come right when I call you."

"Gee, what am I, a dog?" Seeing Moody's face, James promptly stopped his smart-aleck remarks. "Sorry. Er—yeah, I've passed nearly a third of my tests in the Ministry, and Y/N's passed more than a quarter."

"I asked for your results only, Potter, not L/N's. She can give me her own account, and I don't need you to do anything about it."

James raised his eyebrows. "All right, then. When are we starting the meeting?"

"Just about now, Potter."

"Ooh, Prongs, right on time for once!" exclaimed Sirius joyously.

"The Ministry is still trying to recover from the attack the Death Eaters launched last month," informed Alice. "And there are rumors that Voldemort is planning to strike at Azkaban and release all the prisoners who will be willing to go on his side."

Sirius stood up abruptly. "But that would be nearly all of them! The only reason why they were probably put to Azkaban was that they did a dark deed or something. Plus the fact that the dementors are starting to cozy up to Voldemort, too."

"Yes, Black, 'tis true," said Moody, looking grave. "Good work, Hart. But now we have more things to worry about...more allies for You-Know-Who. Do you think the werewolves might join as well, Lupin?"

"I think they will, sir," said Remus in a lugubrious manner. His mind was clearly on something else. "The vampires have already joined ranks with him."

"Yes, yes, indeed. Well, we'll just have to wait and see. Where's Walker and Bradley?"

"They're off to dinner at the Leaky Cauldron," said Y/N apologetically. "I guess we're short another two members, Alastor."

"Dinner, it's all these young folks think about!" muttered Moody.

"We have lived beside the Order, you know," retorted Arabella.

"Hush, Arabella," said Frank sharply.

"No, no, the girl's right for the second time today. Since you've put it that way, Figg, I suppose this meeting can be annulled. The next meeting will be next month. That will be all." Moody Apparated, to where no one knew.

"Why does he listen to you all the time?" asked Sirius grumpily. "I think he fancies you or something."

"Merlin, Sirius, he's ages older than me." Arabella laughed. "I just have a great way of handling people, that's all."

"Can you imagine Moody fancying a woman anyway?" James sniggered at the thought.

"Well, now that we have the evening off, let's go to dinner somewhere, then," said Sirius. "Maybe we can go to that French restaurant and spy on Jennifer."

Remus twitched at the mention of her name and shook his head. "You should really leave her alone, Sirius. She's enjoying herself, and we all know that you love to anger people who are having fun."

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Moony! C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Sirius," said Arabella sharply, shaking her head at the tactlessness of her fiancé. "Leave Remus be."

"Oh..." Sirius realized what she meant and nodded. "Sorry, Moons."

"It's all right," replied Remus tiredly.

"Moony? You want to come with us anyway?" James peered at his friend worriedly.

"No, I'm fine, Prongs, thanks."

"All right, then," said Y/N. She knew better than to pester Remus with a further, "Are you sure?" The four of them then Apparated away, leaving Remus to his thoughts.

Here I go again I promised myself I wouldn't think of you today

It's been seven months and counting

You've moved on

I still feel exactly the same

It's just that everywhere I go all the buildings know your name

Like photographs and memories of love

Steel and granite reminders

The city calls your name and I can't move on

Ever since you've been gone

The lights go out the same

The only difference is

You call another name

To your love

To your lover now

To your love

The lover after me

Am I all alone in the universe?

There's no love on these streets

I have given mine away to a world that didn't want it anyway

So this is my new freedom

It's funny

I don't remember being chained

But nothing seems to make sense anymore

Without you I'm always twenty minutes late

Ever since you've been gone

The lights go out the same

The only difference is

You call another name

To your love

To your lover now

To your love

The lover after me

And time goes by so slowly

The nights are cold and lonely

I shouldn't be holding on

But I'm still holding on for you

Here I go again

I promised myself I wouldn't think of you today

But I'm standing at your doorway

I'm calling out your name because I can't move on

Ever since you've been gone

The lights go out the same

The only difference is

You call another name

To your love

To your lover now

To your love

The lover after me

Remus stared wistfully at the stars that had come out of the sky. They twinkled brightly at him, as if telling him that everything would turn out all right...even if there were consequences.

Y/N glared at her best friend, swinging her wedding dress over her shoulders. "Bella, help me!"

"Wait until I get this make-up on!" Arabella struggled with the eye shadow, smearing all of her eyelids with it.

"I cannot believe your naïveté about make-up, Bella," said Jennifer, rolling her eyes. "Even Vi knows more than you do."

"Arabella Figg, my wedding day is today! I want everything to be perfect, and you're not helping me! Vi, help me get my dress on."

Violet hastily went to help Y/N with her dress, and within minutes, Y/N was in her wedding gown, looking as radiant and gorgeous as ever.

"You look so wonderful, N/N," sighed Jennifer dreamily. "You're so lucky to be marrying James."

"And you call me the romantic," retorted Vi.

"Can someone help me with this stuff?" Arabella held up a tube of eye shadow in front of their noses. "Come on, someone do it!"

Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Come here, Bella," she instructed. She took the eye shadow and expertly applied it onto Arabella's eyelids. "There." She smiled triumphantly at her work.

"How come you know how to do it?" asked Arabella, inspecting her eyes carefully. "You never wear this stuff."

"True, but it's not that hard, you know. You don't have to be a genius to do it. Merlin, if you can't do something like that, Bella, I don't know how you manage your job at the Ministry."

"Hey, I can do more useful things, unlike some people."

"That was an insult!"

"So be it!"

"Girls, girls," mollified Y/N soothingly. "Bella, you're the maid of honor, and Jen, you're one of the bridesmaids. Is this how you're really supposed to act?"

"Oh, sure," snapped Arabella irritably, "you're not the one who has to wear these slippers that pinch your toes, do you? Y/N, what were you thinking, getting these slippers? They're pretty and all, but not all of us have tiny feet like you!"

"Bella, calm down. I'm sorry, but none of us have the same shoe size. That's why I specifically told you all to get the size that would fit you the most."

Jennifer and Violet both looked accusingly at Arabella, who made a slight noise that sounded oddly like, "Whoops."

Y/N bit her lips again. "Oh, d'you think I'm doing the right thing by marrying James?"

Violet rolled her eyes. "We've been through this a million times this week, Y/N. Yes, you two should be married. I mean, come on, it was so obvious since first year. You and James' destiny together is written in the stars, for Merlin's sake!"

"I never see it in the sky at night," said Bella reproachfully.

"It was figuratively speaking, Arabella."

"Oh, where's my veil? Girls, my veil is missing! Merlin help me!" Y/N looked around desperately at her three friends. "Where the bloody hell is it?"

"Watch your language, Y/N L/N," cautioned Arabella in a nagging voice. "Oh—here it is!" She produced a thick wad of filmy material and handed it to Y/N, who placed it on with a flourish.

"You're gorgeous, Y/N," breathed Jennifer, smiling.

Meanwhile, back where the Marauders were, James was currently panicking, chafing his hands together in the most uncomfortable and unpleasant fashion. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Frank were all trying to calm him down, but nothing really worked.

"Am I really doing the right thing, marrying Y/N? What if I did something wrong? What if I don't deserve her, and she goes off and elopes with another guy instead?"

"Prongs, shut it," said Sirius tiredly. "You're doing the right thing. Now get these damn robes on before you wet yourself."

"James, your hair," said Remus practically, pointing to the groom's untidy hair. "You need to fix it."

"Impossible," said Frank briskly. "James has never been able to accomplish that. Only Y/N can do it, and we can't have her come in here."

"Go ask Y/N what charm she used," said James pleadingly.

"No way! I'm not supposed to see the bride."

"No, you can, I can't."

"Forget the hair, let's just get the suit on and be with it," said Sirius impatiently. "C'mon Prongs, bear with me here."

"Hey, you're not the one getting married."

"True, but I'm planning to, and Frank here is already a married man."

James looked at the said Frank. "Were you nervous on your wedding day, Frank?"

"C'mon, Potter, you can do better than that." Frank rolled his eyes. "You were my best man, remember? And nearly dropped the rings on the altar?"

Sirius sniggered. "Oh, I remember that. Alice looked ready to kill when Prongs tripped on the hem of Y/N's dress."

"Not funny," snapped James impatiently.

"James." Daniel Potter entered the room, waving his arms around. "It's time, son."

"WHAT? Now?"

"Come on, Prongs, you can do it," encouraged Peter brightly. "Then you can—"

"—be all nice and ready for tonight with Y/N," finished Sirius, winking.

"Sirius!" exclaimed Remus, aghast. "You pervert!"

"And proud of it."

"Come on, James dear, you're wasting time here," said Mrs. Potter hurriedly.

James had gotten his suit on (with the help of his best man and ushers, of course), and left the room. He stood there, wringing his hands nervously, and gaped when Y/N came out.

She was simply gorgeous. Her light/dark h/c hair contrasted beautifully with the snow-white gown, and her E/C eyes were sparkling delightfully. She smiled nervously at James, whose feet were frozen on the spot, and had to have Sirius nudge him in order to move again.

Y/N smiled at James, who looked as if he were about to faint. He looked very handsome, as always, in a Muggle suit, though his jet-black hair was as haphazard as ever. There were murmurs throughout the guests when they saw the groom's appearance, but they weren't mean or degrading; in fact, many of the guests were laughing softly or silently to themselves or to each other.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore smiled to himself as he looked at the couple. Y/N and James had invited him to marry them and he happily obliged, feeling honored to marry such a deserving and loving couple as them.

"I am here, on this day, to join James Henry Potter and Y/N M/N L/N in holy matrimony..." Dumbledore continued his speech, until the final vows.

"Do you, Y/N L/N, take this man to be your husband?"

"I do."

"And do you, James Potter, take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do, sir."

"Then I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

James lifted the veil shielding Y/N's face and kissed her lips. The cheering seemed to melt away along with everyone around the room. Y/n and James were in pure bliss, electric shocks warming them from head to toe. James sighed happily into Y/N's lips, she was finally his. They broke off the kiss reluctantly, and there was clapping, cheering, and wolf-whistles after it that deafened the surroundings.

After that, they had their wedding reception, where Sirius had stood up in the middle of their meal to make his best man speech. "Deerly beloved, family, and friends, it behooves me to deliver this speech to two of the purest harts I know, two individuals so fawned of each other that it completely bucks the notion of superficial love. Doe they will surely go through many trials and tribulations in the years ahead-many high and low points; stag-nant periods, when their love seems fallow-I know, as someone who knows them best, that they will not allow themselves ot fall into a rut. When it's all over, and people are sitting around telling tails of these two, they'll be telling each other the purest love story anyone has ever herd."

Sirius paused, "Now, because Jamsie and Y/n flower are just so special, I made two best man speeches, Here goes my second one."

"I knew that Y/N and James were 'meant to be' ever since they started their first argument on the Hogwarts Express. Even though bickering and screaming isn't exactly anyone's idea of romantic, but I knew that behind those fights, there was an affection that would last forever. However, these two stubborn idiots supposedly 'hated' each other until fifth year, when good old Prongs finally realized his true feelings for Y/N Flower. Sadly, Flower did not share those feelings of love and affection, and it took two years before Y/N finally relented to her feelings, and the two numskulls started dating in our seventh year together. Now, this may sound like a typical love story, but it isn't. These two are my best friends, and the greatest ones you can ever ask for. I've seen Y/N and James grow up for these eight years, and believe me, every single look they've given each other expressed the deepest love. So I say to my best friend and his new wife, congratulations!"

Everyone started cheering, and Y/N sniffed, wiping away tears from her eyes. James laughed loudly at his best friend's surprising gravity, and clapped him on the back. Remus couldn't stop grinning, and Arabella, Jennifer, and Violet had all cried along with the newly married bride.

A song had started up, and soon everyone was dancing on the dance floor. Finally, after hours, the last dance had started playing, and Y/N and James re-entered the floor.

There's a calm surrender to the rush of day

When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away

An enchanted moment, and it sees me through

It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

And can you feel the love tonight

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far

And can you feel the love tonight

How it's laid to rest

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best

There's a time for everyone if they only learn

That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn

There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors

When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours

And can you feel the love tonight

It is where we are

It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer

That we got this far

And can you feel the love tonight

How it's laid to rest

It's enough to make kings and vagabonds

Believe the very best

The song had finished, and Y/N laid her head on James' shoulder, sighing happily. This was the best day of her life. She had gotten married to her fiancé, whom she loved very much, and they were about to start their lives together. What could be better?

James grinned, and stroked Y/N's dark/light h/c hair gently. His heart was beating rapidly as he inhaled the sweet scent of his wife's hair. His wife...it all sounded so surreal. He gave a small laugh, despite the peace in the air. Eight years ago when he was just a little first-year, James wouldn't have dreamed he'd be marrying Y/N L/N, the (annoying hair name) and feisty girl with a sharp tongue and an annoying disposition. They had hated each other then. Now, however, it had all changed. James had finally opened his eyes to the truth and poured out all of his feelings to Y/N, and now they were finally married. It all sounded so strange to him, like a dream. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them, hoping that this dream would never end. No, it wasn't a dream. This was real—and he definitely wanted it that way.

"Isn't it sweet?" whispered Arabella to her fiancé, as they both watched the newlyweds dance.

"Like sugar," agreed Sirius, his eyes darting around from his best friend to his best girl friend. "I can't believe they're finally together. Remember when we were first years?"

"How can I forget? Y/N and James fought so much that we got sick and tired of them by the first month. How did they manage to get together with such malignancy emitting from each other for years?"

"Fate, I suppose. Us, too, of course," he added, grinning.

"Oh, yes, we should give ourselves plenty of credit, shouldn't we, Sirius?"

"Certainly. After all, we're the ones who'll keep them sane."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're never going to last one minute without arguing."

"Hey, Y/N, where'd my shirt go?"

James was rummaging through his large wardrobe, searching for his favorite shirt to wear under his regular robes, but wasn't having much luck. Cursing silently to himself, he strolled out of the room and hollered for his wife, the first thing he thought of.

Y/N, who had been downstairs helping get breakfast ready, closed her eyes tightly when she heard James' annoyingly nagging voice from upstairs, and let out a heavy sigh. She loved James, for sure, but he was very irritating at times.

"I don't have the slightest clue, James!" she called back.

"But you're supposed to know! Women are supposed to know these things."

Y/N's natural hotheaded temper flared up. "What do you mean women are supposed to know these things? Is this world so prejudiced that women and men have specific things they have to do in this world?"

"Ooh, busted, Prongs," muttered Sirius, passing the H/C.

"You shut it, Black!"

"Prongs, go handle your wife there, she's going insane! Next time, don't make sexist remarks! Gee, Flower, there's no need to yell at innocent passersby who simply make a small comment upon your exclamations."

Y/N blinked at Sirius' amazing use of "challenging" vocabulary and instantly felt guilty for yelling at him. After all, it was James whom she was really impatient with.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Sirius."

James came trampling down the stairs, shirtless. He gave a grumbling greeting to everyone and sat down at the table. He grabbed a few rolls from the center and buttered it, ignoring his wife completely.

"It's indecent to be eating half-naked, James Potter," censored Y/N. "Go put on a shirt now, and your robes."

"Oh, I'm quite sorry, but if I'm not mistaken, I couldn't find my shirt and asked you if you knew where it was."

"Well, I would have told you if you hadn't made that comment about women."

"Don't take everything so seriously, N/N I wasn't serious."

"You're right, you were James," piped up Sirius from the sink.

Both Potters blatantly ignored that comment.

"It's your fault, so go find another shirt," said Y/N pragmatically. "What's so special about this particular shirt?"

"'Cause it's my favorite."

"Idiot. Go find another one."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO."

"YES."

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

By now, the couple was getting extremely on each other's nerves, and everyone in the Order stopped what they were doing to observe the argument. Y/N and James' faces were both very red, and one could almost see steam rising out of their ears (though not quite literally, of course).

"Fine, do you really want to know why?" shouted James angrily. "It's because I was going to take you out to a really fancy dinner tonight with the other people who are Aurors-in training, and I wanted to wear my favorite shirt, which is the one you gave me for my birthday last year."

Y/N frowned and raised her eyebrows. Whoops. She had definitely not seen that coming from her husband, and at first, she was too shocked and surprised to answer. Then, she felt very ashamed of herself for yelling at James like that, when he was only asking her if she knew where his favorite shirt was. Come to think of it, he always threw a sexist comment here and there every day, and she never commented on it...in fact, she's never even noticed until now. What was wrong with her?

"James, I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Huh!" He turned his back on her and looked away. Well, two could play at that game.

"Please, Jamie."

He sighed and turned around. After all, Y/N was the only one who could ever soften him up like that. "D'you really mean it?"

"'Course."

James grinned and engulfed her in a large bear hug. There was laughter from everyone else in the Order as they watched the couple embrace passionately. Even though they had seen them argue at least once a week, it was still romantic and heart tugging to observe them mend their mistakes with hugs, kisses, or other affectionate gestures.

"How many times have they done this since their wedding?" mumbled Arabella to her fiancé.

Sirius scowled. "Too many."

"You can never get sick of them, though," said Violet cheerfully, as her eyes went over the couple with a glazed expression. "It's so—"

"—romantic, we know, Vi," sighed Jennifer, rolling her eyes. "Actually, I'm quite sick of it already, to tell you the truth."

"Hear, hear," agreed Jackson, sighing. "That two bicker so much it's a miracle you can tell that they actually love each other."

"Well, of course, they do," said Violet, looking insulted. "Can't you see it, Jack? They're just too used to fighting each other. After all, they had been doing it for most of their years at Hogwarts."

"I don't have much of an opinion, then, since I didn't know you guys too well until sixth year."

"What d'you think, Moony?" asked Sirius. He wanted Remus to participate since his friend had been gloomy ever since his break-up with Jennifer.

"I think that they express their love through those arguments," replied Remus absently. "You may not see it, but Violet's right. They're too used to fighting each other, that even if they're in love, they still have to fight in order to survive with each other. It sounds unusual, but then, Y/N and James have never really been what I call 'conventional' people."

"True," agreed Jennifer, giggling, as Gideon's arms encircled her waist.

Remus visibly cringed when he saw the gesture, and he sighed. Well, that was what he'd get for making the decision, and he'd have to live with it, but by Merlin, was it hard without his Jenny.

"I hope that dinner isn't canceled, Jamie," said Y/N sweetly, as they sat down for breakfast.

"Just because of that little fight? Like hell I'd cancel it."

"Watch the language, James," chided Alice. "Honestly, you men just really can't keep those swears to yourself, can you?"

"Don't think you're all cherubic and angelic," said Frank, laughing. "I caught you giving off the whole dictionary of obscene words the other day when you tripped down the stairs."

"Not that you wouldn't either. It hurt!"

"Hey, I'm not arguing with you, Al. Don't want to end up like Y/N and James, do we?"

"I can't say I wouldn't want to at all." Alice looked over at the couple, smiling. She had always admired the love between Y/N and James, ever since she got to know of their predicament in her sixth year.

"True," rambled Frank. "I remember back in our fourth year where—"

"Not one of your stupid stories again, Longbottom," grumbled Moody from his muffin. "Tell us something else."

"But this is good stuff, Alastor! Don't you want to hear about how Alice and I got together?"

"Why should I care about how young people 'get together', as you call it? I'm an old-timer now, Longbottom, so I don't understand these type of things."

"Please, Alastor, let me tell it just this once!"

"Ah, fine. I'd probably have to hear it in my lifetime anyway. Continue."

Frank beamed. "So anyway, as I was saying. Back in our fourth year, I had a gargantuan obsession with Cassia Newman. I couldn't help it! Everything about her was so perfect, at least to a point-of-view of a fourteen-year-old: a spot on the Quidditch team, pretty, popular, smart. God, I would've been married to that girl if it hadn't been for Wood and Alice. Anyhow, one day, I was partnered up with Al in Potions. I was very angry that Hurst didn't put me with Cassia, but I was satisfied, nevertheless. However, we had started up a conversation while we did our potion, and I found that Alice Hart was even more amazing than Cassia, and I was immediately in love by the end of class."

"How sweet...puppy love," said Jennifer indulgently. She had turned rather scatter-brained once more after Remus broke up with her.

"I found it to be true love," objected Frank stiffly.

"Well, I find it sweet. After all, one can never have been 'in love' at the age of fourteen."

"For some people, it can. I had been in love with Al for the longest time, and we're now married. It may be fate, Jennifer, but you can still change things for the better." He had meant to say that to point out to her that life went on no matter what, and she could still go back to Remus, but it seemed that she didn't get the point.

Jennifer merely shrugged and flitted her eyes at Gideon with a lovesick expression upon her face. Remus sighed heavily when he saw this gesture.

"So, what're you all up for today?" asked Arabella, trying to lift the mood of the atmosphere.

"Nothing, really," said Violet disappointingly. "Y/N and James are going to that dinner, but the rest of us are basically hanging about for the whole day, besides that Order project we're doing."

"Well, you'd better do that then," put in Moody. "If you have nothing to do, Walker, I'd advise you to get started at once."

"Yes, sir." Violet rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Jack!" exclaimed Jennifer, clucking her tongue disapprovingly. "Do you mean to say that you have nothing planned for Violet tonight?"

"I—" Jackson looked startled. "Er—"

"Shame on you! Gideon always has something planned for me when I've nothing to do."

"Jen, he's been busy with the Order," castigated Y/N. "This isn't fun and games; this is serious. Innocent people are getting killed day after day, and this is all you think about? I'm ashamed of you, Jennifer Dean."

"Oh, N/N, you're such a spoilsport. It's not that bad, really."

"Remember what I told you back in our seventh year? This is just like what happened during the Muggle World War II, when Adolf Hitler took over and became the Chancellor of Germany, and murdered so many Jews, as well as gypsies, Jehovah witnesses, and the handicapped. Do you know how sick that is? They were innocent lives, Jennifer! Like now!"

"I agree with Y/N, Jennifer," said Alice quietly. "This isn't fun and games anymore like it was at Hogwarts. This the real world now, and you have to face it."

"Alastor, another attack!"

Everyone turned around abruptly as Marlene McKinnon exclaimed this, stumbling through the fireplace. She pulled up her emerald green hat, which was askew, her eyes sparkling with excitement and worry.

"Where?" demanded Moody urgently.

Marlene seemingly calmed a bit and sighed in defeat. "Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" repeated James, looking at his wife worriedly. "Has Voldemort gone completely mad?"

"He released the prisoners there who served under him, and convinced the dementors to be on his side."

There were shouts of protest and disbelief following this statement. Everyone feared the dementors, of course, since they sucked every single happy memory inside you, but having them on Voldemort's side—

"I don't believe it!" Sirius stood up, banging his glass on the table, causing coffee to spill everywhere. "Scourgify, damn thing. Anyway, the dementors can't be on Voldemort's side! They just can't!"

"Sirius—" began Marlene, but he cut her off.

"No, the world will end if the dementors are on Voldemort's side. We'll lose for sure!"

"Then that would mean we've lost, wouldn't it, Black?" grumbled Moody. "Because Marlene's right. The dementors have always been Dark creatures as it is, giving you all the bad memories of your life."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but James shook his head at him.

"Padfoot, let it go. The worst hasn't happened yet."

"Then what is the worst, Prongs, besides this?"

James sighed, and looked out of the window, running a free hand through his untidy hair. "When Voldemort knows that we're against him and kills us all one-by-one."

Arabella wrinkled her nose. "Well, what do we do now?"

Everyone looked over at the pretty brunette in puzzlement. Many of the Order members didn't trust Arabella for many reasons. First of all, she had to question the authority of everyone and was too saucy for her own good. Second of all, she was the fiancée of Sirius Black, in whom they absolutely did not trust, being a Black and all.

"What? I was just asking, what do we do now? We can't just stand here and argue. We have to take action."

"She's right," agreed Fabian from the far end of the table, through a mouthful of toast. "What say you, Gid?"

"I agree as well, of course," said Gideon practically. "Perhaps a group of us should make a visit to Azkaban."

"Are you mad?" roared Remus, jumping up. He personally wasn't very fond of Gideon, after stealing his ex-girlfriend. "That would be folly. Azkaban no longer houses allies anymore."

"I agree with Remus," said James loudly. "We should just let this one go, Bells. We don't do everything related to Voldemort, or the Aurors would be out of job in no time."

When everyone finished breakfast and proceeded to their work, Y/N grabbed hold of her husband's arm.

"James, what should we do?"

"You mean about the dinner?"

"No! Forget the dinner, I mean our world. It's falling apart, and I don't know if I'm ready to have a child to live in such a world."

"Y/N, don't worry about it. Whatever happens, it'll happen, and there's nothing we can do about it. Now, what about dinner?"

Y/N stared at him. "There's just been an attack on Azkaban and you're thinking about dinner?"

"Hey, I'm a growing man here, and I'm really hungry. Now, c'mon, I know the Aurors will want to see us and we want to make a good impression of ourselves, right?"

"Right," was answered a little bit hesitantly.

"C'mon, don't be such a wet rag," said James jovially. "Sure, it's bad that the dementors aren't on our side anymore, but it was bound to happen anyway. Evil things, those dementors. You are up to dinner today, aren't you?"

Y/N sighed, laughing. "Yeah, let's go."

James grinned fondly at his little wife. "I'm not the egotistical, pathetic little prat you used to hate back at Hogwarts, am I?"

"No, you've changed...and definitely for the better. Though Merlin knows why I ever did marry you."

"Hey! I thought you said I changed."

"You have. However, you being a married man is still something I'm trying hard to imagine, and it's definitely not working."

Y/N grinned, and looped her arm through James', smiling contentedly. She was so lucky to have such a sweet and devoted husband as James, and she counted her lucky stars every night for it.

"I'm just kidding, Jamie. Let's go."

James took Y/N's hand and squeezed it, letting all his problems wash away for one moment when sparks flew between them like it always did.

tags; @theredheadedwinchester

masterlist

#amarauder writings #it's a hate-love thing original version #james potter x reader

5 notes · View notes

thebattlelost · 4 years

Text

So where is good old Uncle Sam?

I hope everyone stays safe on this 4th of July 2020 what a year it has been with COVID 19 I mean just six months ago if you had a weapon on you wearing a mask you would have the police after you actually this is Texas you would have the sheriff looking for you and you would be an outlaw looking to rob a bank or train but now you get arrested for not wearing one totally insane, maybe this year we should reflect on what we are celebrating from 1776 to today and beyond, I personally do not believe that our founding fathers would be okay with what they created to what we have become. free·dom [ˈfrēdəm] NOUN the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. "the shark thrashed its way to freedom" synonyms: liberty · liberation · release · emancipation · deliverance · delivery · discharge · nonconfinement · extrication · amnesty · pardoning In a country whose money is stamped in God, we trust I guess He is not trusted enough as we took the prayers out of schools our children no longer look up and to tell the truth I have had enough. how about you? Where is good old Uncle Sam? Tonight looks a lot like the night that the star-spangled banner waved with all of the bombs bursting in air and fireworks exploding everywhere as far as the eye could see, while the reflection of the lights lit up my hazel green eyes you could see teardrops falling down my face, as I start remembering all my brothers and sisters in arms who had fought and died, a hero everyone for our way of life and the freedom to enjoy it. who must be right now turning over in their graves in disgust for how this country has turned out while we are now fighting with each other from sea to suing sea. The eagle that once flew proudly across this great land is missing in action and he is nowhere to be found and the purple mountains majesty has lost its golden crown as it is now being flattened for strip malls and condominiums that no one can afford anyhow. Our flag that once stood for freedom is now being ripped apart and burned while Americans are still treated very differently depending on the color of their skin from which you and I are born, All of the rich keep on getting richer as the poor become much poorer and the the middle class of this country who is that? Are all now forever gone, while those who are sworn to protect and serve us no longer really care as they are much too busy writing tickets making millions for laws that are so unfair, the cost of living is constantly climbing even as wages are going down so now the children who are our future are raising themselves because parents are never home, needing to work at least three jobs just to pay the bills trying hard to get ahead while falling three steps behind, families that have been torn apart by addiction a disease the government will not cure,. Veterans, our children, and the elderly are finding themselves homeless more and more hungry cold tired and living on the streets with a government only passing laws making it illegal to give them money or even something to eat, corporations are making record profits unlike they have never seen while stealing hard-earned retirement savings from their loyal workers just to give themselves raises, Rolls Royces, and five mansions each, then shutting down as they are filing bankruptcy and hiding money in offshore accounts letting go millions who now are unemployed then walking away Scott free, For a country who talks about freedom in this once great land of the free, they sure pass more laws every day so more people can be arrested then placed in privately owned prisons, making those inside work very hard for nothing which is nothing more than modern-day slavery while murders, rapist, molesters, abusers, are walking the streets because the police were chasing people who had taillights out or expired tags they forgot or mandatory insurance that cost way too much or even parking too long or not in the right spot or smoking a weed that grows from the ground which was never picked by slaves unlike tobacco who adds poison to every leaf believe it or not, A country whose arms were always wide open giving hope to all of those who had none, standing with a shining light held high to show those running away from wars. looking for religious freedom, or a home to make their mark, the way home, but now hides behind her border walls while pushing values only it believed to countries around the world, screaming loud for the world of human rights while we ourselves are jailing innocent children who have done nothing at all, while taking their parents away leaving them all alone, and all I can say is I just do not understand as the lights go dim on our so-called freedom as we all watch it slowly die. so what happened to the country I pledge allegiance too and grew up, what happened to the home of the brave what happened the bell that rang for freedom what happened to what we believe in and where is good old Uncle Sam? Poet Richard M Knittle Jr. The end of A Poet's Journey

0 notes

drowsy-quill · 6 years

Text

Just Friends

@justsomewritingprompts (Study date/ pillow fort/ “Its fucking freezing”)

Sage McNeal did not know that later that night, her city would have the largest blizzard in its history, shutting down all of the roads and leading to a citywide blackout. All she knew is that her parents were planning to stay at a hotel for their anniversary and she was going over to her best friend, Jung-Hee Escamilla’s, house on a “study-date” for the upcoming exams. “Study-date” is in quotations because it was not a formal date; however, that is what Sage’s mom and entire family had called it, each earning rolled-eyes and a look of disgust. Jung-Hee was like an annoying older brother that Sage neither wanted nor asked for. What she did not know is that friends do not typically have the same kind of relationship that those two had. Moreover, most friends do not love each other like Jung-Hee Escamilla and Sage McNeal loved the other.

Jung-Hee was making his signature Korean BBQ tacos, a study tradition between him and Sage, started by Jung-Hee’s mom who wanted to combine his two heritages. One day, when both of them were much younger, his mom made that for dinner, and Sage fell in love at first bite, requesting it every time she came over. When Jung-Hee was old enough to cook by himself, he took on Taco Duty to save his mom some time, though she never minded when Sage wanted them, he’s pretty sure his mom views Sage as the daughter she’s always wanted. Both of his parents were out of town, visiting his maternal aunt who was visiting New York from Busan for a week. However, they gave it no thought when Jung-Hee wanted to hang out with Sage while they were gone, and gave him permission to have a girl over when they were not home.

Sage McNeal had to take a taxi to Jung-Hee’s house, and the entire ride she stared out at the clear blue sky, free from the dark grey blizzard clouds that would be rolling in within the hour. She paid for the cab ride with a twenty and the door attendant of Jung-Hee’s apartment building let her in with a smile, his name is Esteban, and Sage has many a good memory of playing D&D with him and Jung-Hee in middle school while their parents were out at dinner together.

She heads up to the 10th floor, where the Escamilla apartment was located. She unlocks the door with the key Jung-Hee gave her on her 15th birthday, with a picture of the two of them with gapped-toothed smiles from their joint 6th birthday party, even though they were born 6 months apart, it was one of Sage’s favorite pictures. “Jung-Hee, I hope you’re wearing pants!” She says as she takes off her shoes at the door. She laughs at the one time she walked in and he was just in a pair of blue briefs, she was unfazed, but he turned redder than her scarlet hair. She somehow resisted taking a picture of him, but now joking about that incident is as much of a tradition as Park-Escamilla Korean tacos.

“Sage, if you don’t hurry up I’m going to eat all of your tacos!” Jung-Hee called from the kitchen,

“You do that, Escamilla, and I will rip your balls off.” She retorted as she sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, next to Jung-Hee. He laughed and slid her a plate piled with the tacos.

“Trust me, McNeal, I may be crazy, but I’m not insane enough to come between you and your tacos.” She playfully nudges him with her elbow, before both of them dig in. They sit in the silence only the closest of pairs can maintain comfortably. After a time, Sage collected their plates and putting them in the dishwasher, shutting it with her hip.

“Do we want to finish the essay outline for world history or the final outline draft for writing?” She said, leaning on the counter.

“The-” Jung-Hee began, before the lights cut out, cutting him off. “Shit, I think the powers out,” He says, flicking on and off the light switch, but the room stayed unlit.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. Wait... Do you know what this means?” Sage says, holding her phone’s flashlight under her face to illuminate as if she was telling a ghost story.

“That the heater won’t work and we’ll freeze to death?” Jung-Hee says plainly.

“No, you ass! Two words: A giant-ass pillow fort.” She says, making her way to Jung-Hee’s room

“That's four words.” He sighs, begrudgingly following her.

“Shut up and start building.” She says as she throws a pillow at his head.

“Yes Ma’am”

They created their oasis in about ten minutes and climbed inside. Jung-Hee had brought out Clue for them to play by candlelight. Sage won, as she always did, but not without Jung-Hee protesting and claiming that she had cheated. However, Sage has never disclosed her secret to winning Clue, but it was not through unscrupulous actions, she won no matter whose board, what version, or against whom she played. It was just her savvy.

Next, they decided to actually work on their outline for Creative Writing, which made Jung-Hee much happier. Writing was one of the few skills of Jung-Hee’s that he excelled at, Sage promised him that when she becomes an editor that his manuscripts would always take top priority. He, in turn, promised that she would always be his editor, no matter what. Thankfully, this assignment (which doubled as their midterm exam) was catered to their strengths. One of them would write it, and the other would edit. They would be graded differently, obviously, and their teacher had it set up so that she could view what each of them did so that it was graded fairly. They decided to write theirs about a tree that turned into a girl, and while Jung-Hee was furiously typing away at his laptop, Sage was on hers, sketching all of the characters. They bounced back ideas for about an hour before their laptops died simultaneously. Sage cussed but thankfully had just saved her progress; Jung-Hee just shut his computer and slid it into its case.

“So what’s next?” She yawned, snuggling into the pile of throw pillows they had placed inside. “What do you mean?” Jung-Hee asked nervously. “Well, the power is out, and it’s snowing really hard outside so I can’t catch a cab home,” She said, pointing out of the fort and towards the window, though neither of them could see anything but the white of falling snow.

“Right… Well, we could read some.” Jung-Hee suggests, Sage just shrugs and he crawls out of their little fortress and fumbles around the apartment with only the dim light of his phone to guide him. He makes it to the bookshelf in his room without injury and plucks two books off it, though on his way back to Sage, he banged his shin onto the coffee table with a curse, much to Sage’s delight. They lit a few more candles, and Sage settled her head onto Jung-Hee’s lap, holding the book above her face. He did not mind at all, this had been their position for years.

Both of them were completely absorbed in their respective books until the candles burned down to stubs, they went out with a puff. Sage closes her book, They Both Die at the End with a sigh.

“It was just getting to the best part!” She complained. Jung-Hee just chuckled and placed his book back on the floor. He ruffles Sage’s bright red curls as she sits up. “Come on, I think this is the universe telling us to get some shut-eye.” He says, making the extra pillows and blankets into a nest-like bed for the two of them. He smiles as Sage snuggles down into one side of it, and he makes himself comfortable on the other. They both try and drift off until Sage speaks up.

“It’s fucking freezing. Gimme some of that Puerto Rican/Korean/American warmth.” She snuggles up to him, her head resting on his chest. He wraps his arms around Sage and buries his face in her ruby curls. She smiles, “Much better.”

It did not take the two of them long to succumb to sleep in that position. Soon enough, it was morning. Sage woke up before Jung-Hee did, and she did so with a content smile on her face. She just listened to the steady thrum of his heartbeat before waking him up.

“Oi, sleeping beauty! Get your fat ass up and make me breakfast.” She says, sitting atop of his chest, shaking his shoulders.

“What the fuck, McNeal?!” He laughs, pushing Sage off his chest and sitting up. She sticks her tongue out at Jung-Hee, “Come on Jungle-Hoe, I’ll starve if you don’t make me food!” He rolls his eyes and crawls out of their blanket castle and trudged towards the kitchen. Now, I am betting that you are wondering where Jungle-Hoe came from. That is just what Sage’s phone autocorrect his name to and Sage found it hilarious, therefore, it is his contact name in everything Sage owns, and her go-to irksome nickname for him. They sat together on the kitchen floor eating lucky charms without milk, quietly contemplating the meaning of life like one is to do at seven thirty in the morning when the lights flickered back on.

Just then, Sage’s and Jung-Hee’s phones rang and they scrambled to answer them. Sage’s mom was on her way to pick her up, and Jung-Hee’s wanted to make sure he was all right. They both calmed their parents down and even switched phones to calm the other’s folks down and reassure them that they were, in fact, all right. Reminding their parents that they love them, both of them hung up and set to straitening up the Escamilla residence.

An hour later when Sage’s mom knocked on the door, the apartment was almost sparkling. Sage put back on her shoes and hugged Jung-Her goodbye. As she closed the door behind her she called out to him, “Oi, see you tonight!” Jung-Hee smiled and shook his head at the now-empty apartment.

“Guess I don’t have to cook tonight.” He laughs. That night, he used the streetcar to get to the McNeals’ house, which was on the other side of town. He did not even knock when he arrived, just walked in, placed his shoes on the door, and sat on the couch next to the only male McNeal, Lucas. “Hey Jay, you staying for game night after dinner?” The fifteen-year-old asks, flipping through the TV channels before settling on a show called Bones.

Shit…Sage planned this, didn’t she? Jung-Hee thought to himself. The McNeal family night was bloodier than the civil war, especially when Settlers of Catan or Monopoly was being played. Just as he was about to answer the boy, the youngest of the McNeals, Hattie, flew onto his lap and wrapped her small seven-year-old arms around his neck. “Pwease stay, Oppa! I may eben wet you win this time!” She pleaded with her bright green puppy-dog eyes. Jung-Hee, being an only child, was especially susceptible to the charms of smaller children, and even more so when they use the Korean honorific for an older brother to address him.

“Fine, fine, I’ll stay. You know I can’t say no to you.” He ruffles her auburn hair and sends her off skipping towards the kitchen, where the rest of the McNeal girls were gathered. Jung-Hee said hello first to the 12-year-old triplets, Kirsten, Alice, and Bridget, who greeted him with a warm smile and then to Ms. McNeal and Sage who were cooking in the kitchen. He offered to help them, but Ms. McNeal waved him off with a smile. “You and I both know that the McNeal family’s grilled cheese recipe is top secret,” Sage said, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Though,” Ms. McNeal continued, “If you were to join the family through…. Let’s just use marriage as an example, then you would have the clearance to learn the recipe.” She quipped. Sage burst out into laughter, “So, that’s a no. Sorry bud, never gonna happen… Wait, you know I’m ace, right?”

“Shit did I forget to tell you? Wow, this makes things awkward… I may or may not have told Queeney before you… Oops?” She rushed. Jung-Hee just laughed, “I knew before you did, McNeal. And, you did tell me, though you had a really bad fever at the time and most likely forgot.” They laughed like old friends do, and Jung-Hee retreated from the kitchen.

The grilled cheeses that night were especially amazing, and the board games were especially cutthroat, however, Jung-Hee did win a round of Monopoly, but he was betting that the McNeals let him win. These two nights were no turning point in Sage McNeal’s and Jung-Hee Escamilla’s relationship, and they had many more nights like that as the years past. However, Jung-Hee did learn the secret recipe for those McNeal grilled cheeses, though not through marriage or anything of that sort. One day, after the two moved in together after college and the night when Jung-Hee’s first book was to be released, Sage finally sat down and told him the answer.

Mayonnaise.

Fin.

#ace #just friends #platonic love #asexual #korean #scottish #Christmas writing challenge #writing #short story #cussing #bff shenanigans #pillow fort

0 notes