Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Al Soleil was one stressed out guy. For several months at this point, he’d been having visions that he was going to be eaten.

It was terrifying. Considering it was the same vision repeated, becoming more and more clear each time. It made him terrified, and he was constantly casting a myriad of spells and charms on himself for protection and prevention.

Now who was Al Soleil exactly? Just a regular ravenclaw, a muggle born, and oh yeah, a seer. He had been having visions as far back as he could remember, and usually, they were just about going about in his week or area.

But this time? No, this time was awful. He was aware people could just be eaten in the magical world, with lethifolds, manticores, and god forbid a basilisk roaming about!- but this? This was something he was unlikely to encounter!

He groaned, wanting to bang his head against the table, but couldn’t, as he was in public and really really didn’t want to go through another mental health check courtesy of Madame Pomfrey and the school’s therapist, Hive. He’d already gone through enough of those.

“Al, come on, they got your favorite for breakfast! Waffles and eggs.” There was a poking at his side, and he groaned.

“But Krisssss, I had the vision again!” He sat up with a groan, looking over at his best friend since first year, Kris Sherwood.

“I know, you’ve been whining about it forever to me.” She slides over a plate stacked with thick and fluffy waffles. “Why don’t you relax? You worrying about it so much isn’t gonna make it any better.”

Al sighed, grabbing two for himself. “You just don’t get it… what if I keep seeing it because it’s the last vision I’ll ever have! What if-!”

“AL! You’re working yourself up.” Kris took a sip of pumpkin juice from her goblet. “You’ll burst a blood vessel if you keep doing this to yourself. Stop worrying about your visions for a bit and enjoy the present.”

He grumbled through a bite of waffle, knowing she was right.
——

The rest of the week followed similarly, he would have the same vision every morning, which was unusual. Usually he only had visions on mondays, predicting his entire week in advance.

And of course, said vision would be the one where he was eaten. Whoever it was eating him wasn’t human, as their throat and internals were all blue. So he’d been avoiding the Forbidden Forest, and was even more careful around Professor Sherwood… also known as Kris’ dad, who was a fae.

He wasn’t trying to seem prejudiced or anything, but when you have visions that you’re going to be eaten by something with blue organs, and your professor is a fae, who are known to have blue organs due to their blue blood, you start being cautious.

Al and Kris’ dad-Waydelle- were on good terms but maybe something changed in the near future? As he walked down the hallway biting his nails he nearly ran into the wall, sending him to the floor. He huffed, readjusting his glasses before dusting himself off.

“I just can’t catch a break- wOAH!” Al was suddenly pulled into an alcove, a darker part of the hallway. ‘Oh man this is it- I’m gonna die!’ He tried to run back out, but was immediately pulled back in by the back of his robes.

“Shh! Hey, Al, calm down okay? It’s me, Kris!”

Sure enough, it was, since she had just lit up the dark area with a dim Lumos. Her pale blue hair showed up much more clearly in the darkness thanks to the spell.

Al took in a deep breath or two, before pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “Why did you drag me into an alcove, when you know I’ve been having… that vision for a while now?”

“Because, I think I have a solution for you.” She grinned, and Al felt like he had a bad feeling about whatever solution his best friend was going to offer him. “But I can’t help you in the school, to many eyes. So meet me in the forbidden forest after curfew okay?”

He gave her a deadpan expression, clearly not buying it. “If something eats me I’m haunting you for the rest of your life, got that?”

“Don’t worry! Nothings going to hurt you while we’re there. Just trust me.”

Al sighed, and wondered if sighing so much was good for his lungs or not. “Fine fine…I trust you.”

————

It was actually tremendously easy for him to sneak out from the Ravenclaw common room. Even the upper years and prefects understood the importance of a good night's sleep for good grades. And, it was under the assumption that no rule-abiding Ravenclaw student would ever sneak out!

Al supposed sometimes stereotypes played in his favor.

Once he had successfully dodged all teachers and made his way to the Forbidden Forest, he wandered for a while, before being gently tapped on the shoulder.

Startled, he whirled around, wand drawn immediately, pointing straight at his attacker-! Oh. It was just Kris. She really, really needed to stop doing that to him.

“One of these days you’re going to give me a coronary I swear.” He slipped his wand back into its holster, nestled away into his robes. “So why did we have to come all the way into the forest past curfew for your idea?”

Kris suddenly blushed, skin turning slightly blue. “Well first off, you’re going to need to get your wand back out. I have a charm to teach you.” She shifted slightly, looking nervous.

“Uhh…Okay then.” He pulled his wand back out, listening carefully to his friend’s instructions on how to cast this new charm.

After a few tries he got it, doing the proper wand movements towards himself. “Digestum Nonbillis!” And with those words, his body was covered in a blue sheen. “So, what’s the point of this?”

“It’s to prevent you from getting digested if you get eaten.”

Al looked at Kris. Kris looked at Al.

“And why,” He started, feeling somewhat exasperated. “Didn’t you tell me about this charm earlier when you knew I needed it the most?!”

“Because I learned it sometime last week okay!? And besides, that’s not the point. Now we move on to step two.” She moved closer, hands planted firmly on his shoulders.

“Kris…what are you doing..?” Al suddenly felt a growing sense of dread. Although he was protected by the anti-digestion charm, he couldn’t help but feel like something bad was about to happen.

“Step two is helping you get over your fear. I’m going to eat you.” Her face grew even more blue after she said that, but she stayed firm in her statement.

He immediately backed far away from his best friend. “Woah woah woah woah! We did not agree on that at all!”

“But Al…what if the vision keeps repeating because it hasn’t happened yet? Plus if you learn how to not panic when you get eaten, it could save your life!”

He considered her words. “Remember what I said about haunting you.” He said with a sigh, and made sure the spell was still active.

Kris nodded, moving closer to him again. “Okay, just don’t panic too much okay? You know I wouldn’t hurt you on purpose.”

Al closed his eyes, feeling her gentle hands on his shoulders once more. Before he knew it, his head was engulfed by her mouth, making him feel all sorts of slimy and gross at first.

Slowly, Kris made her way down his shoulders, and the gross feeling went away. He could hear her heartbeat beating quickly in his ears, and he wasn’t going to lie, this wasn’t as bad as he thought it was.

Eventually his arms and most of his upper body was at least in her mouth or throat. Al tried not to squirm too much, wanting to make this process as easy on her as it was on him. Eventually, his head popped into a warm chamber; her stomach.

He was exceedingly glad he had that charm protecting him, as it was already somewhat full with what he assumed to be acid. Suddenly, his lower body was lifted up, and the rest of him slid all the way inside, face first.

It took Al a moment to reorient himself, noticing the liquid slid right off of him, protecting him from any sort of danger. He gave the muscle surrounding him a gentle push, hearing Kris stifle a giggle from outside.

“So, you alright in there?” Her muffled voice came from almost all around him.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just a little put off. Didn’t realize even your insides would be all blue.” He ran another hand up the side of her stomach, and grinned when she out right laughed.

“Stop tickling me! Come on Al-“

“Fine fine, I’ll stop.” It was incredibly warm, and comforting actually, because he knew Kris wouldn’t hurt him, Kris wouldn’t do anything bad.

He yawned, laying down. “Hey, how long will this charm last if I fall asleep?” He asked, just in case.

“Mm… about an hour if you’re not doing anything I think. But don’t worry, I’ll wake you up before that happens.”

“Good, thanks by the way… This makes me feel much better actually. Night Kris.” He made himself comfortable before falling asleep in Kris’ warm embrace.

Meanwhile, Kris gently rubbed her stomach, smiling. “Night Al.”

Chapter Text

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?" said Malfoy loudly a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all. "It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money -- you should be on the team, Longbottom, you've got no brains. "

Neville went bright red but turned in his seat to face Malfoy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy," he stammered.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle howled with laughter, but Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, "You tell him, Neville. "

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something. "

Ron's nerves were already stretched to the breaking point with anxiety about Harry.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy -- one more word--"

"Ron!" said Hermione suddenly, "Harry--"

"What? Where?"

Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. Hermione stood up, her crossed fingers in her mouth, as Harry streaked toward the ground like a bullet.

"You're in luck, Weasley, Potter's obviously spotted some money on the ground!" said Malfoy.

Ron snapped. Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, wrestling him to the ground. Neville hesitated, then clambered over the back of his seat to help.

"Come on, Harry!" Hermione screamed, leaping onto her seat to watch as Harry sped straight at Snape -- she didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.

As the match went on, the fight grew more heated. A fist met Draco's eye, and a knee met Neville's gut. Ron was flipped onto his back, students around them clearing from the seats as they rolled towards the back of the stand.

Then, with a sharp tug on the back of their robes, Malfoy and Ron were pulled apart and dangled in the air. And though they still tried to grab at and kick one another, their arms and legs couldn't quite reach. Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle were similarly suspended by their own robes, though Neville was the only one remaining still and recovering his breath.

"That's enough of that." A cool voice chimed, stepping into view. Standing there, arms crossed and wand held tight in his left hand, was an older student. A Prefect, Ron noted as he spotted the badge identical to Percy's.

In fact, he recognized this student, having met him over the summer when Percy introduced him to the family.

Vincent Collier, fifth year, and one of the few Slytherins that weren't too bad at least. He sported a gray head of hair, the left buzzed short and messy and the right straight and down to his shoulders. There was no color in his eyes in this lighting, and he had a small grin.

Most notable, however, was the scar that spread up from his neck and across his left cheek like the branches of a tree. He'd seen it during the summer too. Apparently a bad reaction to some kind of muggle world snake. A Co-bear-a? Or something? At least that's what Fred and George told him, so it might be a complete lie.

As they stopped trying to grab at one another, Vincent gave a flick of his wand and they were set down safely at their previous seats. "Wrestling all the way up here. Imagine what would happen if you'd fallen off." He shook his head, letting out a low whistle followed by a splat noise.

The Slytherin Prefect walked to each of them, casting a mending charm on Neville's nose, which had looked a bit broken. It seemed better now, though by his expression it still hurt. "You should still go see Madam Pomfrey. She's the expert." His dark eyes looked towards the field as a chorus of cheers and boos surrounded them, and he smiled. "Ah, looks like the game's already over. That new Seeker really is something."

As the students began to leave the stands, Vincent held up a hand. The trouble makers froze. "I'm not going to punish you, missing the fastest catch Hogwarts has seen is punishment plenty, as are the bruises this fight will have given you. But really. Draco, quit antagonizing people. House rivalry is fine, but you aren't going to have many friends from other houses at this rate."

Draco practically spat, nose wrinkling and glaring up at the taller student. "Why should I even want to make friends in Gryffindor?"

Vincent sighed heavily at that, looking almost sad. "If all your friends are ambitious and resourceful, then you'll just have a bunch of people vying for a better hand than they've been dealt. And some will shoot higher than you." There's a sound of footsteps making their way up the stairway quickly, and Vincent smiles. "It would do you good to make a few brave and daring friends too."

As though on cue, a panting Percy Weasley came up into the stands. On seeing Ron, he smoothed out his robes and hair in an attempt to still seem the role of 'Gryffindor Prefect'.

"What's going on up here? I heard there was a fight."

"No worries, Perce." Vincent hummed, turning his gaze from the other's and towards Percy. "I've already done the scolding and such. I don't think they'll be wrestling at the top of Quidditch stands again." Ron caught a glimpse of Vincent making a shooing motion with his hand. Malfoy seemed to have noticed it too, taking Crabbe and Goyle with him as he started the descent. Ron meanwhile went with Neville, intent on making sure he got to Madam Pomfrey at least before he went to find Harry and Hermione.

He glanced back towards the Slytherin and his brother, who were talking about the painfully short match. Percy looked flushed, but Ron figured it was due to him running up the stairs to stop a potential fight. Without a second thought about it, he continued on.

"M' sorry about all that." Percy wheezed, earning a slight chuckle from Vincent. "Ron can be-"

"Don't. I was here the whole time, Draco honestly started it. Making his awful comments and the like." Moving to the chairs, Vincent plopped down and turned his view across the field. His grin lessened a touch.

Percy only hesitated a moment before sitting himself down beside the other, following his gaze. "They'd probably let you back on the team you know."

"I know, I know. But the sun."

"It's cloudy most of the time! And with the potions you're learning from Professor Snape, you'd be alright."

Vincent turned his eyes towards Percy. While he was certainly sad to not be out on a broom like he used to, he didn't want his friend to get all worked up about him. "Sadly they don't keep it from hurting."

"Ah." That was all he could say, rubbing the back of his neck. It was sometimes difficult to help his friend. To balance his want for upholding the rules with keeping the other's secret. But… Well, even he knew how the Ministry treated non-wizard beings. Vampires in particular, as his friend being turned over the Christmas holidays several years prior had made him begin researching such things in depth.

Some people still believed that Vampires should be outright eradicated! And while previously he might not have had such severe thoughts on the matter, with his best friend being one such Vampire… It made his stomach turn in knots.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to find another career path, you know. You’re good at business, perhaps something along those lines?”

Vincent laughed, leaning back in the chair. Gaze turned to Percy, and the Gryffindor caught sight of those small fangs at the corners of his grin. He’d gotten so good at hiding them, but it did mean his smiles were rarely so genuine. It made his heart hurt, though he didn’t quite know why. “Maybe I could open a pub. I’m sure you’ll need somewhere to get a drink after a long day at the Ministry.”

Percy pushed his flustered thoughts aside, giving Vincent a slight shove. “Oh that’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“Maybe an inn then! A place for non-wizard magic folk to rest and recover. Without being judged. Beds big enough for a Centaur, and enough food for the Trolls!”

“I’d rather not see you get gobbled up by some Troll or another.”

“Aw, worried about little ole me? I’m flattered, Perce.”

Vincent leaned in closer, and Percy felt a warmth across his cheeks. There was a faint breath of warm air, a moment of tension between the two… before Vincent sat back again and cleared his throat. “Sorry about that. Ah… just a little…hungry. I need to grab one of those potions from Snape’s…”

“Right, yeah. Should probably get to class anyhow.” Anything to escape this tension. His nerves were shot. Percy, one who was so calm and collected, so easily thrown by just a bit of closeness. He stood, straightening out his robes. “I’ll see you at dinner, in the Great Hall?”

There was a twinkle in Vincent’s gaze, a warmth of happiness there. And he nodded. “I’ll be sure to throw the appropriate amount of Slytherin Sneer’s in your direction. See you then, Perce.”

A smile, a nod, and Percy quickly started his way down the stairs. He still had a few classes more to go through… but he couldn’t help but be excited for his next meeting with Vincent.